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**IchiDaKillah** · 11-05-2007, 11:20

Editor: Looking at the site it seems American users are eager to utilize it, but what percent of players go there in actuality?

Tanaka: About 10% in all. If it was up to 20-30% we'd be happier. We got off to a late start, so everyone already had their linkshell home pages and social networks established. Those places still have much more information and functionality. The Linkshell Community contains official game data and functions so from here on we hope to add more exclusive content.
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Editor: Do you plan to add more functions to the PlayOnline Friend List Application?

Tanaka: The original plan for the Friend List was so players of FFXI, Fantasy Earth, Dirge of Cerberus and Everquest II could all contact each other. Even if you didn't log in to the game you could still use the Friend List Application. Our intention was that FFXI players could call upon players in other games to say, "Hey, come here and help me out", but besides FFXI, only Front Mission Online used the system so in the end it was meaningless.
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Editor: So you have been unable to acquire a solid lineup?

Tanaka: That's right. From now on, thinking of it as just a FFXI messenger, we believe it's a nice thing to have.
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Editor: Looking at Square-Enix's online business, you've recently released Concerto Gate and Fantasy Earth Zero, which were outside collaborations. How do you feel about this move?

Tanaka: Concerto Gate and Cross Gate began with Enix before becoming Square-Enix. Upon joining Square, we also participated in the development process. Our visions were different, but as a single company we felt compelled to work together to produce a fine product. Cross Gate sold extremely well in China, which was amazing.
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Editor: Originally, you wanted to gather all online games under PlayOnline, but clearly that has not happened.

Tanaka: At the time of PlayOnline's inception, it was thought to be a game portal. We sought to have Everquest II run through PlayOnline, but we were unable to coordinate it properly with SOE. We must reconsider what do with the service from this point on.
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Editor: What will become of PlayOnline Viewer? Is there a chance in the end it will be removed?

Tanaka: That won't happen. A lot of information and the management of PlayOnline IDs for FFXI and Tetra Master is done through it. We also will use the payment system for new games in the future. On the other hand, regarding the Viewer itself, we believe it's fine even without a lot of additional content. The Linkshell Community and special content of the Viewer have been developed to work together.
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Chocobo Racing finally available! Gambling games

Editor: Chocobo racing is finally available for use, but the development period was pretty long, wasn't it?

Ogawa: The main staff had a lot of work to do on Chocobo Raising and was finally able to take on Racing. That's basically why it took so much time.

Tanaka: We were dizzy with deadlines. (lol)
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Editor: I was surprised to see the race become a simulation game.

Ogawa: Due to many factors involved in network connections, such as lag, we thought it would be too difficult to make a real-time action game. Rather than action we went for a simulation. It was simple to pull the Chocobo Raising data and apply it.
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Editor: You don't think you will ever have a real-time action match between two players?

Ogawa: That's right. We plan to leave it as is.

Tanaka: Eventually, we aim to add the ability to gamble on Chocobo Races. Different connection speeds and interent clients could make this unfair.
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Editor: A gambling element sounds pretty exciting.

Tanaka: Yeah, if we add a virtual gambling aspect to the game we need to change the ESRB Rating in North America. We have to add a "Virtual Gambling" notice somewhere on the package. Japan and other countries won't require such a change.
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Editor: About the gambling, exactly how will it be added?

Ogawa: We are thinking of adding it not to PvP races but to NPC Chocobo races. However, we haven't fully decided yet so there may be some small changes.
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Editor: How will the betting rates be decided? Will a "dark horse" emerge every so often?

Ogawa: We're thinking of a system that incorporates speed as well as abilities. We don't know the rates yet, but without those long-shot bets gambling wouldn't be as interesting. We believe we can add that in.
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Editor: As for the betting method, would an image of a public horse race be accurate?

Ogawa: It would. The current plan is to have "Choco Coins" which you use to bet on races. Receiving your winnings as gil presents a problem we think, so the plan is to give out these Choco Coins at first. Rewards from PvP races will also be Choco Coins.
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Editor: Currently, Choco Coins are used to buy goods related to your Chocobo, but will there be other uses in the future?

Ogawa: They are meant to be acquired and used in Chocobo racing areas but may have other uses within those areas. For example, being able to warp to other countries or other useful services.
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Editor: Will you do something like Dragon Quest's Casino where you can trade for rare items?

Ogawa: We aren't thinking about allowing players to get equipment, the area is just for Chocobos. If we added something everyone would go for the great items and we believe it would lose it's charm.
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Editor: As it stands, you cannot participate in Chocobo racing if you haven't raised a Chocobo. Can you still enjoy gambling without raising Chocobos?

Ogawa: You can participate in gambling without having raised a Chocobo.
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Editor: What is the plan for after the Chocobo Race Gambling update? For example, you could register as a Chocobo Master and your bird will automatically enter races and earn coins. Will new functions be added?

Ogawa: About that, right now we're considering many different possibilities. At this time though, we've got our hands full.
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Editor: If someone wins all the official races, what happens?

Ogawa: When you win, you receive nothing but the thrill of victory. We plan to make a Victory Cup that you can win in the future. We'll continue to monitor things and add in new content.
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Editor: Regardless, Chocobo Racing content has exceeded all expectations.

Ogawa: It's expanded beyond what I initially thought and is quite a large task (lol).

Tanaka: The TGS questionnaire provided us with tons of requests from users. We listened to a lot and the project became very bulky (sheepish grin).
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Editor: In Treasures of Aht Urghan, the Assualt system has been used in some Missions. Will Chocobo Racing or other content ever be used in a similar way?

Ogawa: Chocobo Raising and Racing won't have any connections to the main story. We're not thinking about having it influence any missions.

Elmer the Pointy wrote:
Treasures of Aht Urghan 70-80% complete, Salvage, Nyzul Isle Assault fine tuning

Editor: About Treasures of Aht Urghan, currently how complete is the expansion? It has been 1 year since its release but it looks like there's more to come (heh)

Ogawa: Many aspects of it just keep expanding (lol). Currently, it's about 70-80% complete.
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Editor: What kind of playstyle do you see users exhibiting?

Ogawa: When Treasures of Aht Urghan was released, there were still flaws and a lot of confusion. Now, there are few empty areas and players are spread out enjoying new places. Everyone is able to play casually. However, the content setup for heavy users is said to be "too difficult" and we receive many complaints. We've listened to those opinions and plan to make some adjustments.

Tanaka: After the release, everyone focused on Aht Urghan areas, so it was like reserve development when encouraging people to play in the old areas (ne?).

Ogawa: That was the meaning behind the Signet boost and Chocobo Raising/Racing additions to the three nations.
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**IchiDaKillah** · 11-05-2007, 11:24

Editor: I see, so you realized there was too much focus there?

Ogawa: There was a substantial amount of focus on Aht Urghan areas. Since the continent isolated to some extent we felt there was nothing we could do. We tried to find some balance.
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Editor: Al Zhabi is made of 2 areas, but will that ever increase?

Ogawa: From the beginning it was decided there would be 2 areas so it would not be an easy thing to add. Right now there is little room and although we'd like one more area, it would be quite difficult to add in.
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Editor: Jeuno was made as 4 different areas.

Ogawa: Yes, that's right it was. It was entered into the game that way. We considered having players dispersed among the zones.
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Editor: So we shouldn't expect you to add another city?

Ogawa: As for areas yet to open, we had the Chocobo Races and after that the Pit. That's about it. It's tough to make areas that players will idle in.
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Editor: What are your feelings about the recently added Salvage and Nyzul Isle?

Ogawa: In regards to Salvage, we created it as a Dynamis-like event with high difficulty that requires careful organization. You'll think it's pretty tough until you get used to it. As it stands, the obtainable rewards are extremely rare so we're considering what to do about that.
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Editor: You mentioned adjusting the game balance, so will you increase the rewards?

Ogawa: That's a complicated thing. Currently, the items you can get in Salvage are pretty powerful, so we try to balance the difficulty to match the reward. However, in Dynamis you can always receive ancient currency. With no such reward in Salvage, we often hear complaints from the players so we want to do something about that.
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Editor: It certainly is disheartening to put so much preparation into Salvage only to come out empty-handed. Some kind of item to serve as a connection or progress between two runs would be nice.

Ogawa: Yes, it would. But if we keep adding rewards people will go over and over ad infinitum, so it's something we have to deal with carefully.
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Editor: The defining characteristic of Salvage is how you struggle from the start with no weapons. How did this concept develop and come to life?

Ogawa: In the additional Dynamis areas, you have no sub-job. With Salvage we wanted something along the same vein. The player would start with nothing and gradually earn back everything during play. That is what we finally developed.
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Editor: How have players reacted to Salvage?

Ogawa: People were quite surprised to have the characters they so diligently raised be stripped of everything and be forced to start from scratch. That was the kind of game balance we were looking for to compensate for the rewards.
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Editor: In development, did you think it was a little too severe?

Ogawa: Yes, we did. During implementation we felt that way. We felt we should look again at to make it easier to play and participate.
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Editor: What kind of user did you design Salvage for?

Ogawa: For Salvage, we were thinking of the serious hardcore players who strive for the strongest equipment and not so much those players just looking to socialize and have fun.
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Editor: So endgame content like that would never be available at lower levels like Assault.

Ogawa: That's right. We wouldn't even consider it.
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Editor: Nyzul Isle's method of saving your progress and you travel to the top is a new game design, isn't it?

Ogawa: The concept is you make regular progress and the content changes along the way. Compared to Salvage, it was made to be a light activity. But for balance, it will still be difficult for a light user to reach the final floor.

It's been brought to my attention that users have reached the end, but they do not understand the true value of the reward that they received. "I got to the end, and this is it?" is what they said to us, but I believe the player who obtained it won't want to throw it out.
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Editor: Are the rewards better than equipment we've received up till now?

Ogawa: The stuff that currently drops there is about the same quality. In the future the value of it will increase we think.
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Editor: What will prompt that kind of change?

Ogawa: That is something I can't tell you right now. You'll have to wait for a future announcement.
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Editor: Nyzul Isle is a self-generating dungeon, a new concept you've incorporated into the game. Describe this concept.

Ogawa: We came to the realization that a self-generating area was already within FFXI's capabilities, so in actuality, it was not a brand new feature. It's the same as randomizing walls during Promathia in the Sacrarium.
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[b]Editor: About the self-generating walls, it's kind of boring to always have the same tile set. Is there no way to change the color of the walls?

Ogawa: We may be able to make a small change...To tell you the truth it's demanding on the memory and at this time that would be pushing it to the limit. It would be nice if we could do a little more though.
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Editor: Nyzul Isle has tons of NM, but what exactly makes them appear?

Ogawa: In that dungeon there is a gate shaped monster which is set to call them forth.
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**IchiDaKillah** · 11-05-2007, 11:25

The Pit, Colosseum plans. Changing EX/Rare items

Editor: What is happening with the development of the Pit and Colosseum?

Ogawa: The plan for the Pit is complete but the staff is working on so much that we can't find a free hand to work on it (lol). We plan to implement it this year so you can look foward to that. As for the Colosseum, that's on hold.
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Editor: Has the Pit and Chocobo related content grown too much too fast?

Ogawa: It was the plan from the beginning, so that's not necessarily true. We thought it could be a place where you'd utilize monsters that appear all over Vana'diel. You could receive some small rewards, but no really good items or it would take away from the enjoyment. We wanted a game purely for fun.
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Editor: Will this be added to the game once Chocobo Racing is fully complete?

Ogawa: It's a different team than that for Chocobo Racing and they're both working hard at the same time.
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Editor: What's the target level for this?

Ogawa: Basically, level will not matter and you can enjoy it from low levels on up. However, there will be different monsters you can get and we think higher level players will have certain advantages being able to move freely and obtain montsers.
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Editor: In FFXI, many rare items are EX/RARE (can't be traded or sold), but what is your policy on these items?

Ogawa: EX/RARE items are a fundamental aspect of MMOs, which serves to slow the spread of certain items in the game. In reality, dishonest users who don't really want the item end up monopolizing it and creating problems.

Tanaka: As one would expect, the more poweful an item is, the more dishonest players will want it if you make it tradeable. In order to help those who really need the item itself, we must use the EX/RARE system.
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Editor: Especially after Aht Urghan, there are many high level players who's equipment becomes almost exclusively EX/RARE, making it pointless to purchase anything through auction. After putting so much work into a successful Auction House system, it's a shame that it's rendered useless for so many people.

Tanaka: In the end we feel players of that calibur want to earn their ideal equipment through their own effort. After all, it's too easy to just trade or pay gil to get an item. Therefore, EX/RARE is the logical way to do it.
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Editor: Are you thinking of a new item or system to use in the future to stop dishonest players?

Tanaka: We could ignore these players, but in the end we have to consider them. By doing that we can figure out the best solution for everyone.
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Future of Aht Urghan Jobs, ToAU Missions, and then of FFXI

Editor: Let me ask you about the new jobs added in Treasures of Aht Urghan. How is game balance currently in relation to the new jobs?

Ogawa: After the release, we performed a number of adjustments, just to be sure, and we believe we've finished shaping the jobs. From here on, comparing them to other jobs, we still need to add merit point abilities at some point.
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Editor: Are you thinking of adding new Blue Magic, attachments, or level 60+ Corsair rolls?

Ogawa: We'll add new Corsair rolls one by one. I can't say anything specific, but as FFXI continues there's always the possibility of new additions.
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Editor: How is the development of Treasure of Aht Urghan going to proceed?

Ogawa: With each version update, we'll add Missions, mercenary ranks, Assaults and like we said before Chocobo Racing and the Pit will be added. That's the plan so far, but we're also looking into to making every area of Aht Urghan fun to play in.
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Editor: It appears that the main storyline of Treasures of Aht Urghan is far from over. What will we discover in the future? You probably can't answer

Ogawa: I can't give away any secrets, but I can tell you there are some shocking developments coming up.
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Editor: How many of the missions have been added already?

Ogawa: Just about the same amount as Aht Urghan content overall, around 70-80%. The climax is coming pretty soon. Like a rich tapestry the story has unfolded gradually, and soon it will all become clear...
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Editor: In some quests the Far East has been briefly mentioned. Is there any chance a future expansion will bring us there?

Ogawa: Ah, about that . Eh, that's just your imagination.
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Editor: After some more updates when Treasure of Aht Urghan missions are finished, what is next for the development of the ToAU?

Tanaka: As long as there are users around we'll keep developing something.
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Editor: Could that include a new expansion?

Tanaka: Well, who knows . It's something we can discuss once we finish with our current projects.

**d_GarretJax** · 11-05-2007, 12:56

ichi se traduci fai un favore al mondo

**IchiDaKillah** · 11-05-2007, 13:02

E' troppo lungo, non ho voglia.

**alex-** · 12-05-2007, 16:32

di che parla?

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Hiromichi Tanaka & Kouichi Ogawa Special Development Interview with SE (4/17/2007)

Hiromichi Tanaka & Kouichi Ogawa Special Development Interview with SE (4/17/2007)

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