News: PlayOnline Development News: December Version Update - Final Fantasy XI

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PlayOnline Development News: December Version Update

Posted by: Cuer - Thu Nov 17th, 2005 07:07 pm EST

From the Official FFXI Site (December 12):
Avatar Summon

New Summoning Magic and Quests

The thrilling climax to Chains of Promathia was finally reached in the July version update. Now delve deeper into the stories of prominent Chains of Promathia characters as you enjoy the new quests planned for release in December.

-New Summoning Magic

The quest to obtain an avatar long awaited by summoners will soon be available. The terrestrial avatar Diabolos made his first appearance in "Darkness Named," and now those able to defeat him at the height of his strength will learn to harness the power of dreams.

The Blood Pact abilities of Diabolos are quite unique when compared to those of other avatars. We have provided a list of Diabolos's abilities with brief explanations; however, we would like to allow summoners the chance to discover the full scope of these powers on their own.

-Diabolos's Blood Pact Abilities

Camisado: Deals physical damage.
Somnolence: Weighs target down.
Nightmare: Deals darkness elemental damage that puts all enemies within the area of effect to sleep and gradually reduces their HP.
Ultimate Terror: Decreases attributes of enemies within area of effect. Noctoshield: Gives party members within area of effect the effect of "Phalanx."
Dream Shroud: Enhances magic attack and magic defense of party members within area of effect.
Nether Blast: Delivers a ranged attack that deals darkness elemental damage.
Ruinous Omen (Astral Flow): Required MP: Caster's level x2. Uses all MP and reduces the HP of enemies within area of effect by a random percentage.

-New Quest

A new quest that brings players up against the might of the Wyrmking Bahamut will be introduced. The ruler of all dragonkind has previously only appeared in Chains of Promathia mission event scenes, but in the upcoming version update, adventurers will come face to face with Bahamut on the field of battle.

*These quests can only be undertaken after progressing past a certain point in the Chains of Promathia story. Also, the key items and normal items required for the quests "Mama Mia" and "The Moonlit Path" will not be affected by the introduction of the avatar Diabolos.

In addition to those mentioned above, several more quests are scheduled for release in the upcoming version update, so be sure to check the Topics section regularly for the latest details!

From the Official FFXI Site (December 8):
MPK

Addressing MPK Issues

MPK (Monster Player Kill) is a form of player harassment that has plagued many MMORPGs. MPK involves using one's character to purposely cause damage to other players or to unfairly take another's claimed target in the midst of battle. Several measures will be introduced in the next version update to counter these issues.

The upcoming measures are intended to deal with issues regarding the acquisition of items and claiming of monsters, rather than focusing on direct involvement in player disputes.

In previous updates, we have dealt with problems between players by changing fiercely competed-for items to Ex/Rare, changing the locations of certain notorious monsters, and introducing measures against the use of third-party tools that violate the user agreement. Several types of battlefield and burning circle areas were also added to decrease disputes between players.

The following measures were introduced in the version update on August 1, 2005 to further alleviate the issue.

-The command /blockaid was added.*(1)
-"Trade" offers could no longer be received from characters on a player's blacklist.
-Players were made unable to use spells or abilities to claim a monster as soon as it appeared.*(2)

However, interaction and competition with other players are what makes an MMORPG enjoyable, and we have no desire to sacrifice those aspects of FINAL FANTASY XI. Players may be affected by situations caused by others, such as suddenly finding oneself in the midst of a train of monsters led by another player trying to escape. Player interaction can be either positive or negative and is an important part of the game. It is essential for players to realize the importance of this interaction and enjoy it, cooperating with one another to solve any minor disputes that may arise.

Unfortunately, there have been several players as of late who have used game features to harass others, particularly in the form of MPK, or taking advantage of a monster's enmity to make it attack others and disrupt the game.

It is the role of the GM team to resolve such issues, but in several cases it can be difficult to determine whether a player intentionally caused a problem after consulting only the chat and action logs. Often there is a discrepancy between both sides of the dispute's claims. In such cases, it would not be proper to choose a side based on personal opinion or to listen to only one side's claims. Therefore, the issues best resolved have been those actually witnessed by the GM. Such difficulties have caused player disputes that require third-party intervention to increase, and we realize that in-game measures must be introduced to alleviate the situation.

In the next version update, we plan to introduce the following measures.

-If a player is KO'd or moves to a new area while fighting a monster at a location in which the monster does not usually inhabit, the monster will not begin attacking others in the surrounding area. Instead, it will simply disappear.

This measure refers to the radius that the monster walks about when not engaged in battle. After being drawn out of that radius during battle and released, the monster will disappear, and then reappear after a short time in its proper location. In addition, the monster that reappears will be the exact same monster that disappeared, and not another monster of the same type. This rule will not apply to notorious monsters.

-Monsters that have been rendered immobile with the "Bind" spell will not attack anyone other than the party or alliance that it is targeting.

The GM team will continue to penalize players who purposely harass others. The GMs will not deal with player disputes after hearing only one position, but will strive to find a solution after consulting all sides. We ask for your cooperation and understanding, and hope that you enjoy interacting with other players in the world of FINAL FANTASY XI.

*(1) The /blockaid command
The command "/blockaid" was added.
"/blockaid" has the following effect:
Magical assistance (such as "Cure" and "Protect"), trades, party invites etc. from non-party/alliance characters will be blocked.
The "/blockaid" effect will be canceled if the player temporarily logs out to the PlayOnline Viewer, logs out, changes areas, or is KO'd.

Command/Subcommands:
/blockaid on
Activate the blockaid effect.
/blockaid off
Cancel the blockaid effect.
/blockaid
Display current blockaid status.

*(2) Claiming monsters
Players are no longer able to use spells or abilities to claim a monster as soon as it appears. If players attempt to use spells or abilities to claim a monster before a set amount of time has passed since it appeared, they will be unable to use those spells or abilities again for a certain duration.

Official PlayOnline Announcement

From the Official FFXI Site (December 5):

Merit Points

Following the next version update, players will be able to use merit points in order to further improve their characters!

The maximum number of merit points a player may use in each adjustable status category will be increased in the next version update!

The maximum number of usable merit points will increase in all categories in the following manner.

Combo total and sub-categories:
HP/MP
Attributes
Combat skills
Magic skills
Others

Combo total only:
Individual job categories

With this adjustment, players may reach their maximum potential possible with the Chains of Promathia expansion disc.

Furthermore, the FINAL FANTASY XI development team is already working to expand the merit point system for "Treasures of Aht Urhgan." Adjustments to make new magic spells and abilities available through the use of merit points are planned for the new expansion disc.

More information will be released on the FINAL FANTASY XI main page as it is made available.

Official PlayOnline Announcement

From the Official FFXI Site (December 2):

Introducing the Fish Ranking System

Are you confident enough in your fishing skill to compete against other adventurers, or just looking for a diversion from battle? Grab your lures and bait and get ready for Fish Ranking!

A new competition for fishermen (and fisherwomen) is set to arrive on Vana'diel with the next version update!

We have received several requests for a fish ranking system and have debated the issue for a considerable amount of time. After seeing the positive results of the Ballista Ranking system, we decided to make Fish Ranking a reality!

Many players have already held their own private fishing contests, but now everyone will have the opportunity to participate in a larger, official ranking event!

-After the version update, Fish Ranking will be available at the Fishermen's Guild in Selbina. After specifying the variety of fish to be used in the competition, the rules will be contested.

-Contest rules are changed periodically by the Fishermen's Guild. Winners may be chosen based on the weight or the size of their fish. The heaviest, largest fish does not always win, however. There is also a ranking to see who can catch the lightest fish, and another to see who can catch the smallest. Depending on the rules, participants may seek a large, heavy fish, or a small, light fish.

-After submission, each fish will be evaluated regardless of the method in which it was acquired. If you could not catch the fish required for the contest, you may want to try working with your linkshell members or other adventurers, or even buy the fish at the auction house. Contest winners will receive a new title and a modest award.

We hope you enjoy this new, competitive angle to fishing in Vana'diel! Be sure to check the FINAL FANTASY XI main page again after the version update for further details!

Official PlayOnline Announcement

From the Official FFXI Site (November 30):
Special Event Equipment

Storing Special Equipment and More!

In the upcoming version update, the storage feature for special equipment will be expanded to allow for new event items. Additional key items will also be available for cooking enthusiasts.

-Storable equipment

The "pitchfork" and "pitchfork +1" obtained during this year's Harvest Festival event will now be added to the list of storable special equipment. Also, the "Crow Jupon" set will be eligible for exchange with a key item voucher.

Future event items will be added to the list of storable special equipment. In order to avoid confusion during the festivities, this feature will be added during the version update following the event. As always, unique pieces of equipment will be introduced in the events to come, so be sure to participate in the fun!

-Beastmaster broths

The ingredients used to synthesize the new beastmaster broths introduced in the previous version update are scheduled to become a little easier to obtain. This change will affect harvesting results in Giddeus and West Sarutabaruta, and mining results in the Zeruhn Mines. The chance for pickaxes and sickles to break may also be slightly adjusted, but only in the aforementioned areas. The number of monsters that drop the broth ingredients will also be increased, providing more opportunities to obtain the items required.

-New Cooking Key Items

"Patissier" and "Stewpot Mastery" will be added to the key items available through the Culinarians' Guild contracts. Characters will be able to set out on adventures fueled by hearty stews and tasty cakes!

Official PlayOnline Announcement

From the Official FFXI Site (November 28):
Dynamis

New Areas of Dynamis!

Dynamis, introduced in February 2004, is a collection of special battlefields designed for alliances with a maximum of 64 players.

As mentioned in the recently released Topics article regarding the Fellowship system, the simultaneous display of characters on screen is limited due to memory restrictions on the client side, which created fears that such expansive battles would create too great of a processing burden. However, the FINAL FANTASY XI Development Team made player enjoyment the main priority, and worked hard to make Dynamis a reality. As of now, countless players have ventured to Dynamis, but the extraordinary difficulty of the areas makes return trips a necessity.

In the last version update, we introduced the new area "Limbus" for an alliance of 18 players to enjoy as often as they wish. The area was created with comments in mind that Dynamis requires too much time and too many people, and as a result, Limbus was made comparatively less demanding. However, Limbus is rather straightforward, and players who have already conquered Dynamis may find the area lacking in excitement. Therefore, we have decided to release new Dynamis areas for advanced players.

The following areas exist but have yet to be made public:

Dynamis - Valkurm
Dynamis - Buburimu
Dynamis - Qufim
Dynamis - Tavnazia

In the next version update, we plan to release the first three areas to the public servers.

New features will also be released in accordance with the new areas.

-New story developments
-New items that can be used to improve relic armor
-New items available only in the new Dynamis areas
-Relic equipment and ancient currency that players could earn in previously released Dynamis areas will also be available in the new areas

Both the "Rise of the Zilart" and "Chains of Promathia" expansion packs must be installed in order to access the new areas. As in previously released Dynamis areas, players may enter the new areas once every three days. In addition, up to 36 players may access the new areas at a time.

We hope you enjoy the challenging new areas.

Official PlayOnline Announcement

From the Official FFXI Site (November 22):

Dragoons

In the next version update, major changes are scheduled for the dragoon two-hour ability.

The development team does not consider the dragoon to be particularly weak when compared to other jobs, but we are aware that a large part of a dragoon's strength depends on the presence of his or her wyvern. After taking into account the wyvern's tendency to be quickly defeated in heated battles, and the dragoon's lack of a powerful special ability for use in missions and other critical situations, it was decided that improvements were necessary.

Simply raising the wyvern's HP and defense to increase its survivability would cause balance issues in other parts of the game. However, it was judged that improving the dragoon's two-hour ability would have less of an impact on overall balance, and so the following changes have been planned for the upcoming version update:

-New two-hour ability
The dragoon will be imbued with the strength of his or her wyvern for a fixed length of time, increasing the dragoon's power and adding special effects to "Jump" abilities.

-Call Wyvern
The recast time for this ability will be reduced to twenty minutes. This ability will only be available when the main job is set to dragoon.

-Wyvern
Wyverns will now have the equivalent of the job trait "Subtle Blow," reducing the amount of TP gained by opponents from the wyvern's attacks.

More details will be announced at the time of the version update.

Official PlayOnline Announcement

From the Official FFXI Site (November 18):
Adventuring Fellows

Fellowship System Updates

Fans of the Fellowship system will be treated to an extra helping in the next version update.

The Fellowship system was created to be enjoyable to players of a wide range of levels in response to player comments regarding features such as garrison and escort quests in past version updates. Whether adventuring with your fellow for the first time or the fiftieth, there is a Fellowship quest suited for you.

In the first stages of development, we had to carefully test how the player was affected in the presence of player-dependent NPCs such as avatars, wyverns, and chocobos. VRAM (memory used for the game's display) is not infinite, and there is a limit to the number of characters that can be shown on screen. After an assessment of the difficulties to surmount, the adventuring fellow was created.

Several additions and adjustments have been made to the Fellowship system after its introduction in July 2005, including a series of quests involving a story about legendary mirrors. The next version update will bring a new quest that will conclude the first part of the series' main story. A quest designed to further raise the adventuring fellow's level cap is also in the works.

Refinements to the balance of fighting styles and an increase in wearable equipment are also among the new content planned for adventuring fellows in the upcoming version update.

Information about changes to the Fellowship system is released on the FINAL FANTASY XI main page on a regular basis.

Official PlayOnline Announcement

From the Official FFXI Site (November 16):
December Version Update

Eager for more areas to explore? In need of new quests? The next version update is coming soon to fulfill these wishes and more!

The next version update is currently in development and is scheduled for release in mid-December.
Planned content include:

-Additions to the Fellowship system
-New areas
-New quests
-Additions and adjustments to the battle system
-Additions to fishing
...and more additions and changes covering a wide range of activities!

In addition, this section (FINAL FANTASY XI main page "Topics") will soon undergo changes. The Topics section has traditionally been used to report version update information, as well as changes that are in development, as they are made public. Soon Topics will change to include comments from the developers on upcoming changes and more. We hope you enjoy the new format.

FINAL FANTASY XI Development Team (11/16/2005)

Official PlayOnline Announcement
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