Lots of developers, lots of text. I’m just going to jump right in on this one. Click “Read more” to check it out.

小川公一: Ogawa Kouichi , Wings of the Goddess Director, Director of scenarios to be released starting this spring

松井聡彦: Matsui Akihiko , Battle Director , Battle design , job adjustments, mainly manages elements of the game pertaining to battle

権代光俊: Gondai Mitsutoshi , Battle design, merit points, WoG jobs, manages elements of the game pertaining to jobs

藤戸洋司: Fujito Youji , Moblin Maze Mongers Developer , manages synthesis, fishing, Chocobo raising and Chocobo racing

伊藤泉貴: Itou Mizuki , Salvage and Einherjar Manager , Campaign Developer

武田謙三: Takeda Kenzou , Developer for Moblin Maze Mongers as part of the Battle Team , set rules for Maze Voucher01 among other duties

Special Interview #1 – FFXI After the December Update

A new way to solo and level up jobs! Fields of Valor

The response from the players over Fields of Valor has been huge. This was created for beginners and low-level players, am I right?

Matsui: There’s no reason it should be limited to just solo and low-level play. First and foremost, it was intended to add something new to the original areas of the game. Most players, high-level ones especially, are focused over in Aht Urghan, so we wanted to do something with these empty starter areas. In addition, it’s not limited to soloing, and we made it so you could grab a party and fight together towards specific goals while gaining XP. We wanted it to have a lasting impression. It also gives you a chance to fight against a wide variety of monsters, many of which you wouldn’t normally encounter in the course of leveling up.

After Fields of Valor was implemented, there has been a stronger tendency amongst players to chain through much weaker monsters in order to level. Was this intended?

Kendai: Yes, that’s right. Up until now, many say that soloing especially has been a high-risk/low-return way to go, so in a previous Version Update we increased the amount of XP that one receives from “Easy Prey” monsters. Now, we’ve also added Fields of Valor, and the efficiency of chaining through weak monsters has greatly improved.

Currently, Qufim Island appears especially popular, but are you planning to expand this content to other areas?

Matsui: We are planning to expand it to other areas from here on. Also, to make things even easier for the players, we are looking to fix up Field Manuals that are tough to access or have training regimens that need adjusting. Still, we wish to cultivate monsters from all over field areas, so as part of a training regimen it may be necessary to travel all over the place. We’re look to promote a deeper knowledge of these areas and help people to find new hunting grounds.

Itou: However, re-pop times being what they are, there are no dungeons on the list of areas we are currently planning to expand into.

Treasure Caskets are another new elements that was added. Are you planning to add them to more areas, or perhaps more rewards to the list?

Itou: These go well with Fields of Valor, so if possible, we’d like to expand them into other areas together. Also, if we’re going to increase the rewards, we’d like to try something a little different than the current ones. As for Treasure Caskets themselves, as an incentive for treasure-seeking players, we’re thinking it might be good to add some special rewards to spice up certain areas that don’t see a lot of activity. (laughs)

Treasure Caskets can drop from monsters that are too weak to produce XP, but do you think it’s good that high-level players will be able to just constantly kill them for treasure>

Itou: Basically, this won’t be something that high-level players can really profit from. These will be rewards that are suited to players of certain levels. The idea is that Temporary Items you find help keep you fighting strong, and the occasional rare treasure is your reward.

By the way, does Treasure Hunter have an effect on Treasure Caskets?

Itou: Sorry, but it doesn’t. However, Thieves can utilize their Thief Tools to gain a hint for opening a chest.

Wings of the Goddess moves right along

Regarding Campaign, what kind of additions or adjustments are planned for the future?

Itou: As for additions to Campaign, we’re planning to add more high-level elements. Of course, we will continue adjustments for the benefit of all levels participating.

Which means, you’ll be opening up the Northern areas, right?

Ogawa: Yes. We’ll be adding a new front for battle, as long as presenting a new story to go with it. By the way, players can rest easy knowing that they can fight in these new areas regardless of their progression in the story line.

Itou: However, be forewarned that this is high-level content, and these monsters are much tougher than the Beastmen you’re used to. (laughs) Although, simply making it super difficult for no reason would cause people to stop going, so we’re planning some good stuff to balance out the difficulty. Also, while nothing on the level of “Splitting Heirs,” we are close to adding some lighter battle content that opens up based on certain conditions – for example, if you have control of Jugner Forest(S), something will be available there. It will be different than just Campaign Ops.

By the way, what percent of the Wings of the Goddess story line is currently implemented?

Ogawa: Counting what was added in the December update, I’d say we’re about halfway through? We’ve finally seen the appearance of Jeuno, and things will only get more intense from here on. The side-stories will continue as well, and both quests and missions will progress together.

Regarding quests, has the ever-popular line of quests surrounding the 5 Serpent Generals now come to an end?

Ogawa: We apologize for making you wait for so long, but yes, with the addition of Gadalar’s quest in the previous update, we have completed everything we planned for that quest-line. However, the Serpent General quests have been hugely popular amongst players, and there are many demands for more. Those in charge of the quests are also fairly attached to them, so if the chance arises, a new episode may be added. Personally, I’d like to see more involving Fari-Wari. (laughs)

In some quests released after Wings of the Goddess, there has been Trainee equipment obtainable as rewards. Will there be equipment corresponding to every different craft implemented?

Ogawa: Yes, there will. We plan to steadily add in gear for each of the crafts.

Was it intended to have the effect of the item be limited to those with crafting levels of 40 or below?

Ogawa: First and foremost, we intended to give those raising a craft to 40 some assistance. Secondly, it was also a countermeasure against HQ goods. If anyone of any skill gets the boost, it could make it too easy to make HQ versions of certain items and have a negative effect on the market. Especially with Veteran level synths, we thought being able to produce HQ items with too high frequency would be a problem and cause disastrous results. Limiting the effect to a skill level of 40 and below made it a non-issue.

For players with skill levels above 40 it’s really nothing more than a collection piece. I think they’d be glad if you made it NPC-storable like event items…

Ogawa: There are no plans for that right now, but we have accepted one player demand. Players want storage space, and we’re looking to go forward with various improvements.

Is it possible to make a storage system akin to Moblin Maze Mongers?

Fujito: Moblin Maze Monger parts and Automaton attachments were new systems set up for those specific purposes. To create a whole new system like those is possible, but… With the existing storage system already in place, it would be quite difficult.

With the storage fee cut in half, the storage NPC has become even easier to use. However, will we get to see more set equipment, such as Nyzul sets, added to his list of storable armor?

Takeda: Not only Nyzul equipment, but we’re looking to add more stuff that players have been clamoring for. While everyone has different sets they need stored, we’ve tried to judge what sets are the most important and add them accordingly.

Matsui: However, more importantly than what you can carry, we want people to consider what they need and what they can’t do with out. This is an online game after all, so we would rather see equipment up on the Auction House, rather than rotting in storage.

Nyzul Isle has seen a lot more activity after the addition of job-specific Weapon Skills. How do you plan to address congestion issues facing popular content, such as Moblin Maze Mongers?

Fujito: Nyzul Isle faces congestion problems at different times on different worlds, but according to information received through Customer Support, Japanese prime-time is especially tough no matter where you play. We’re working to improve the situation, but the issue at its core has no quick fix. Currently, we’re trying out a number of ideas.

As for Moblin Maze Mongers, we honestly weren’t expecting this. We did think about how content allowing small parties and consecutive attempts could get congested easily, but… Right now, it’s relatively calm during non-peak hours, but we are thinking of adding new elements that will make it a little more flexible and relieve the stress on the system.

The two strongest monsters in the game, Absolute Virtue and Pandemonium Warden, continue to reign over players as insurmountable challenges. Do you have plans for any adjustments?

Itou: There are no plans to simply weaken them or lower their difficulty. However, we think there may be adjustments to the circumstances surrounding the fight, in line with the recent two hour time cap that was added. Still, we plan to add more powerful monsters like those that are designed to really test your limits. Really, we want to increase the number of these types of bosses, and adjust them together.

So, are you saying there’s a possibility that a powerful enemy like Absolute Virtue or Pandemonium Warden will appear in a Wings of the Goddess area?

Itou: Yes, there is.

Special Interview #2: Moblin Maze Mongers

The possibilities are endless

First, tell us about the development of MMM.

Fujito: The design for MMM was already in place during last year’s Fan Festival (2007). That was where Producer Tanaka Hiromichi announced it as a “private dungeon.” It was planned to be a large feature of Wings of the Goddess, and I got to work on it right after wrapping up Chocobo-related content. The original plan was to have something completely new to Vana’diel, that the player could shape to their whim. We wanted to provide players a dungeon they could build how they wanted, and invite whomever they wished to play it with them. It took about a year after the initial announcement to get it in, but it’s finally here.

There’s currently some missing numbers among Vouchers and Runes, so what percent of the original plan would you say is in place?

Fujito: Considering the number of individual parts involved, it’s hard to say, but after the next Version Update, we estimate the system itself will be about 90% complete.

Will Vouchers and Runes also be added?

Fujito: Yes, they will be added. Looking at the current Vouchers, 01(Sanitization), 04(Materialization) and 07(Liquidation), the criteria of the missing numbers 02 and 03 have already been decided upon. As for Runes, there are still many that are yet to be implemented. We allowed for 3 digits on the item name for a reason. (laughs)

What’s an example of something you plan to add?

Takeda: I can’t say anything concrete quite yet, but for example – say, Voucher 02 and 03 – since 01 is “Sanitization Team Alpha,” then perhaps 02 will be Beta? Something like that. (laughs) It’s similar to the other Voucher’s task. As for other types of Vouchers, we’re still planning and testing. With all the parts that go into determining a Maze’s objective, and there always is an objective, we have to make sure that new parts aren’t going to result in overly complicated victory conditions.

Right now, parties are the main way to go, but will you be considering combinations meant for solo play?

Fujito: We want people have have the feeling that solo play is an option. But like I mentioned earlier on, we need to figure out a solution to the congestion problem first. If the amount of players soloing MMM increases, we’ll only have more congestion. First we have to really tackle this issue, and allow people to enjoy the content stress-free.

It seems most players have the feeling that there are more Marbles and Runes than they know what to do with. Was this something that you expected to happen?

Fujito: That’s pretty much what we expected. After all, this kind of event is meant to allow people to enjoy it any way that they want. As it stands, one person can only use one Tabula once per day. We were unable to implement it in the December update, but we plan to add a new way to play, “Tabula Copy,” which we did feature at the previous FanFest. This will specific play-styles to be spread far and wide. We’re just about ready to go with this, and once we test it thoroughly, it will be added.

So will the current objectives on the current Vouchers, 01: gain Runes & Marbles + XP, 04: raise synthing skill, and 07: search for treasure, become the most common objectives?

Fujito: Currently we have those 4 objectives. Though without Runes, you can’t make specific adjustments to your maze, so really, the main objectives will always be collecting Marbles and Runes.

Speaking for the Lighting Brigade, we have a number of members who have a blast playing over and over, trying to collect Runes.

Fujito: Right now, there’s about 100 Runes, so getting them all is tough. We definitely like to see people strive for a complete set.

A taste of how the mysterious system works

I think what players most want to know is what affects the chances of different rewards appearing in the Treasure Box?

Fujito: The Rune you obtain from the Treasure Box is random, but actually, the type you get is determined by the Voucher you use. For example, Takeda worked on Voucher 01, so the rewards were his own choice. However, if you install Lost and Found (094), all Runes have an equal chance of appearing. Also, to get the most popular equipment, you have to choose, as most have already guessed, Voucher 07.

Takeda: Just like the different rules you can apply, we want each Voucher to have its own features.

Maze Tabula have square with elemental properties, but can you tell us exactly what effect these areas have?

Fujito: If you place a Rune on one of these squares that has a matching elemental property, then the effects of the Rune will be strengthened. For example, you use Voucher 07 and place a Darkness-type Rune onto a Darkness-type square. The monsters’ resistances to Darkness will be raised even further. Basically, it boosts their abilities, but there are other effects as well. Of course, the same Runes can have different effects for different Vouchers, and the effects of matching up elements can change.

Is there a point to buffing the monsters like this?

Fujito: If you make them stronger, it increases your reward. If you make them too strong though, you might not be able to defeat them…

Speaking of Vouchers, it seems Voucher 01 is currently used as the best one best gaining Marbles. Was this how you planned for it to be used?

Takeda: Originally, we planned it to be for gaining experience points. It turns out that this Voucher is the only one that matches monster levels to the lowest member of your party. We hear many people use this as a way to rack up Marbles, when originally, we planned for it to be a place to Level Sync and gain XP. We thought it would be good for people who couldn’t get a complete party together; they could hop in a maze and gain some quick experience. Using low-level characters to gain Marbles was an unforeseen bit of ingenuity on the part of the players, and it doesn’t bother us.

When using Voucher 04 to synth items, is there any difference between synthing alone or with others?

Fujito: Synthing alone allows you to just focus on quickly pumping out items. There’s no need to gather everyone around the Fabricant Idol, so it’s good as a time-saver. On the other hand, synthing with others requires you organize everyone together, but the chance for success takes a nice leap upward. Not to mention, HQ rates go up as well. That’s why I’d recommend choosing to synth with others.

Sometimes when you craft something, the graphical effect is different than usual. Is this for HQ?

Fujito: That’s right. It’s HQ. Making a HQ has its own merits, but we really wanted to differentiate it. We’ll make further adjustments to make this more clear.

I can’t check the crafting skills of the Lightning Brigade right now, but say they skill up. Will it appear in the log like usual?

Fujito: Yes. The same message as always will appear. Still, it can be difficult even now to raise one’s own skill, so we are thinking of making it easier in the future.

As was mentioned before, Voucher 07 is largely used for obtaining equipment, and you can really pump those monsters up.

Fujito: There is a limit, but yes, you can basically make it as powerful as you want.
Takeda: If you combine Thief (056), and Flurry of Blows (077), you can make something that will really kick your ass. (laughs) But anything you can make is within what we planned, so please feel free to test your mettle against strong monsters. That way, you’ll get bigger rewards.

Moving on, I want to ask about the individual Runes. Can you narrow down the types of monsters that appear with Runes like Tiny Warrior (014) ?

Takeda: It’s an issue of chance, so no, you cannot completely control what appears in the maze that way.
Fujito: Feel free to try out all the monster family runes (001-012) along with Great Warrior (013), Tiny Warrior, Motion (015), Stillness (016), and other types.

What effect do Job-related Runes (051-056) have along with Voucher 07?

Takeda: While they can’t use the 2-hour abilities, the monsters will behave like the chosen job type. Allowing them to use 2-hour abilities would have made them too strong.

Lastly, concerning Marbles, will there be more rewards added for trade?

Fujito: As for equipment, we’re looking to add some fashionable items. Currently, you can also trade for titles, and we’re looking to tack on some sort of bonus for having one.

Special Interview #3: All About Jobs

A new direction for Jobs and Merit Points

In the Version Update on December 9th, Dancers and Scholars received their Group 2 Merits and Relic equipment, thus completing all 20 Jobs in the game. I’d like to hear what’s in store for the future in terms of Job changes to come.

Gondai: As for Job adjustments in general, we are looking to give jobs that are limited in their abilities more options and versatility. We think something like Samurai’s Hasso and Seigan, where play-style changes under the effect of one ability versus the other, would be a good route to take. That, and we are imagining ways that White Mages and other magic users can broaden their usage in a fight. This isn’t to say we want Jobs to break from their original design, but rather give them more options when faced with a variety of situations.

Regarding Merit Points, with the completion of Dancer and Scholar Group 2 Merits, we have finished implementing the entirety of our original plan for Merits. Still, we don’t intend to stop there, and we are currently discussing ways in which to add to the Merit Point system.

In it’s current form, Merits are like fresh, new abilities that you work long and hard to obtain. What about something you can spend points on but earn more easily?

Gondai: I think striving for big goals is good, but smaller, more focused goals might be nice as well. We want to provide another way for players with a surplus of points to spend merits.

Like a way to specialize their main job?

Gondai: We’re thinking we want to make something that isn’t particular to different jobs. Right now, the category caps on battle-related merits act like shackles on some players with several level 75 jobs. Rather than make Group 3 Job merits, we want to help out these characters.

Recently, new Weaponskills were added that were unique to each job. Please tell me more about this.

Gondai: Speaking about the Weapon Skills, the original plan was to make abilities that fit in well with the needs of each job. They would also be further differentiated with the possession of a Mythic Weapon. Using the Weapon Skill with a Mythic Weapon causes the Aftermath to go into effect. Relic Weapons were made to be strong weapons themselves, so Mythic Weapons were designed to have power that complemented each Job. This is why Mythic Weapons can influence Job Abilities and the like.
Matsui: When talking about Relic weapons, we wanted an after-effect and special Weapon Skills that definitely couldn’t be used with any other weapon. Mythic Weapons, on the other hand, had to be different than Relics, so besides just having the unique Weapon Skill, we also settled on differentiating them by Job.

When the appearance of Mythic Weapons, is there a possibility you will adjust Relic Weapons in the future?

Matsui: We aren’t going to simply power them up, but… I’m not saying we won’t take another look at them.
Gendai: It’s hard to just compare Relic Weapons and decide this one isn’t strong enough and adjust it. However, we can how they perform for people who have them and if one appears especially inferior, we think we could adjust it. But then if we fix one, people will be upset that they passed it up for another Relic, and so on…

It certainly seems like a tough problem…

Job Adjustments: White Magic, Avatars, Beastmaster, and more!

At Vana Fest 2008 in Kourakuen, you announced new Bar-spells for White Magic plus new Avatars and such, but I’d like to here other new elements you have planned.

Kendai: Currently, the adjustment closest to being implemented, one that has been widely asked for, is concerning the radius of Blood Pacts – what determines if a pact fails to activate.

You have announced that a Blood Pact failure will no longer consume MP, but will you also make it so the recast timer doesn’t go off?

Kendai: We think it’s possible to make it so that both MP consumption and the recast penalty don’t happen in the case of a failure.
Matsui: Yes, that’s right. Now, if the Blood Pact is unable to activate upon being selected by the player, it’s easy enough to make it so it doesn’t consume MP. However, there are cases where the player selects the Blood Pact, but the enemy moves out of range and the pact ends in failure. We’re testing ways in which the lost MP can somehow be returned to the player in these cases.

How about other Pet Jobs besides Summoner, like Beastmaster pets growing and Puppetmaster Automatons with their magic priority issues?

Matsui: Regarding those issues, we’re looking at exactly what we can do. As for the pet growth element, there’s many Call Beast pets to work with, so I’ll have to get back to you about that. Currently, the guy in charge of monsters is drawing up the plans, and there’s nothing concrete I can say at this time, but the adjustments are intended to add more fun to the Job. We’re busy thinking of any way we can make the Job more interesting for all Beastmasters.
Gondai: As for new Avatars, if you ask us in a little bit, we may be able to tell you something.
Matsui: But right now, it’s totally off-limits. (laughs)

We’ve already discussed specific Job adjustments, but will there be any basic changes to how they function in battle?

Gondai: We aren’t looking to change the key concept behind each Job. Even if White Mage is able to fight up front, it’s not going to be able to put out the damage of a front-line Job.

So what you mean is the new Weapon Skill, Mystic Boon, is intended as a new way to fight?

Gondai: It would probably be better to say it’s for when a situation arises in which you can utilize it. Of course, if you’re fighting a strong NM, you’re going to want to stand back like always.

Level Sync’d Equipment and Preventing Skill-ups

When Level Syncing, equipment changes to reflect your new level, but some traits, like Enmity, were added back. Will there be more added in the future?

Gondai: The possibility is there to increase the traits that stay, but it’s timely to go through each and every one. In my opinion, I’d like to see HP and MP equipment be implemented into the system.

The ones I most care about are Artifact Armor, with things like Ability boosts, battle and magic skill+, and each piece’s unique attributes. How about those?

Gondai: Ah, I see. Going through every single jobs and adjusting them for Level Sync would be quite the task, but by comparison, adding in skill+ traits might not be so difficult. However, the basic idea is still that high-level players and low-level players use Level Sync to play on common ground with equipment that doesn’t have vast differences.

So having comparable equipment after Level Syncing was the basis on which the developers made the scaling system?

Gondai: That’s right. High-level equipment would be too good in Level Sync, and that was contrary to our original plan.

Next, there’s the issue of people leveling through Level Sync and Campaign areas, yet being unable to raise their skills, which was the intended design of the system. Are you thinking of ways to counter this issue?

Matsui: For those lower players who level too fast and find themselves unable to cap their skills, we may make adjustments to the system itself. But also there are players in the 60s and 70s who could level with only Campaign and their skills won’t go up. I’m thinking their could be another way to handle this problem.
Gondai: Matsui and I aren’t in charge of quests, so this is something we’d have to ask for, but perhaps this is something that could be implemented into quests. Not a modification that allows for skill-ups during Level Sync, but I’m thinking of something you could do quickly with a pick-up group when you have the time. Maybe use the MMM system we have and let people go in for 30 minutes and just skill-up on a Job; that might be good. Also, I’ve been busy and may not be caught up on the recent trends, but people used to bring along people to Cure them from outside the party.

Shouts for power-levelers are still common even today.

Gondai: So we can take that idea and quest where it’s easy to skill up your magic, or a quest that helps out two-handed weapon users, who have long attack delays, to skill-up their weapons more easily.

Is there any chance that what you say could be added to the game as quests?

Gondai: I think that method has the best chance of making it in. We want to make raising skill easier on players, and more importantly, we want people who may only be able to login for an hour the ability to level up and keep their skills up as well.

Aspirations for 2009 , How will FFXI change this year?!

Finally, I’d like each of you to tell me one of your aspirations for this year.

Takeda: This year, I look forward to continuing adjustments on MMM, so I can make it more enjoyable for the players.

Fujito: Ah, yes, everyone of the MMM staff is working so hard. Itou and the Battle Team are doing a lot of work for me too, so we really hope to make it better than ever.

Itou: In my case, last year most time was spent stabilizing Wings of the Goddess content, and I’ve still got some interesting plans left for that. This year I can bring those plans to fruition, and I think you will really like what I have in store. Look forward to it.

Matsui: With Fields of Valor as the beginning, I’m looking to increase the amount of casual gameplay users can enjoy, while also thinking of other activities for those who are already level 75. Before many people were asking for things to be easier, but now people seem to want more tough and challenging battles like they experienced long ago.

I thought so too, that more and more players are asking for that. Players are able to do so much more now, and each Job seems to have their own opinions.

Matsui: For the benefit of these players, we really have to prepare a place for them to demonstrate their power, so first we have to get a foothold on what the area will be. It’s not something I can do all by myself, but it’s a project I want to undertake this year.

Gondai: Starting with new Avatars, there’s a mountain of things I need to get done, but like Matsui said, we need to make a place where endgame players can really show what they’re made of, and I’m going to putting my energy into that project.

Ogawa: This year, I’ve got the add-on scenarios we announced last year, and like Itou said, many other interesting plans in the works. We don’t know exactly how many we’ll be able to get done, but we will continue to add new ways to enjoy Vana’diel, so we hope you stick with us.