Yoshida s'est expliqué concernant les points de vu et craintes de chacun concernant le système de combats. Comme c'est un long pavé en Anglais, désolé je n'ai pas le temps pour traduire



FFXIV:ARR and the Battle System Part 1 (Get ready for a long read!)

Producer/Director Yoshi-P here.

Thank you all so much for your feedback.
I'd first like to start off by apologizing for the heavy lag caused by the increased frequency of FATEs during our previous test. A majority of the problems with auto-attack not activating and position lag stemmed from this, so everything should be working relatively smoothly during the next test session.

Now then, I have a lot of ground to cover here, but I think it's about time I address the battle system. It's been quite some time since I've written a long post like this, so get comfortable, grab a cool drink, and prepare for a good read. In the future, I hope you guys keep what I cover in this post in mind as you continue to provide feedback.

■The Idea Behind FFXIV:ARR Battles and Content■
I've talked about concepts for the game's battle system and content in interviews before, but as a response to feedback here, I feel the information in my interviews doesn't quite get the point across. The last thing I want is for you guys to start debating back and forth over points that have yet to be made clear, so first I'd like to set some groundwork and clear up a few things.

■Monsters and Their Role in the Game■
Rather than focusing on encounters with common enemies out in the field, we want to place greater emphasis on FATE, dungeons, bosses, and other content we're preparing for A Realm Reborn. At the end of the day, normal enemies seen running around outside the cities aren't meant to require a great deal of effort. In contrast, when facing a boss while trying to clear a dungeon, for example, we want players to give it their all and have a fun time doing so.

■FFXI and FFXIV■
When FFXI released on PlayStation 2 a little more than 10 years ago, console gamers were able to experience an MMORPG for the first time. Although FFXI is no longer the only MMORPG on a console, there are but a few, and FFXIV will again be the first MMORPG experience for many console gamers. With this in mind, we designed the battle system based on three key principles.


- Playing in a party should not be necessary until level 15. This includes story-related events.
- Regardless of the learning curve, new players should not feel overwhelmed.
- The game's core design should allow for leisurely play over a long period of time.

Because there are so many things to remember and keep in mind when playing, MMORPGs can be fairly difficult compared to games from other genres. And because you're playing with other people in a world that's constantly changing, this is a problem that cannot be easily resolved. This is also, perhaps, why some consider MMORPGs to be so interesting.

■Perplexity, Simplicity, and Replay Value■
Many games on the market attempt to rationalize needlessly complicated game features with phrases like "Dynamic Action!" or "Revolutionary Gameplay!" but with FFXIV: ARR, we have no intention of misleading our player base. There are only two things we wish to emphasize.

- If players have a goal, they should not be impeded by overly cumbersome obstacles.
- Players should not feel the need to avoid or sneak past enemies to enjoy any given content.

Considering players should be able to enjoy an MMORPG for months, or even years at a time, obstacles simply for the sake of having obstacles hinder the gaming experience.

Unlike games from other genres, the use of a subscription model makes this much more important. Looking at MMORPG demographics, for example, your average player is younger now than when the first generation of MMORPGs were released. Nevertheless, players tend to be older due to the use of a subscription model. So when they come home from work or school and decide to play, even if it's only for an hour or two, they should be able to enjoy themselves. In other words, the use of mundane grinding for hours on end is no longer an effective means to stay competitive in the current MMORPG market.

Also, because these concepts will dictate the game's core design, any updates or new content released will inevitably be dictated by said core. This leads to three aspects of an MMORPG that must be carefully balanced to promote productive gameplay.

1. MMORPGs are based on the premise of party play.
2. If the game has a wide variety of exciting game elements, players will be compelled to try them.
3. The over use of non-targeted / area of effect skills can result in bland gameplay.*
* Encounters meant to be challenging such as dungeons tend to become unbalanced.

Even now, party play is a key element often focused on in the online gaming industry, and I believe it's what makes MMORPGs so appealing. To effectively incorporate party play into FFXIV, we first eliminated the stress of needing to form a party in the beginning of the game, and by mid-game players will start to find more content that requires teamwork. By end-game, players should be fairly comfortable with the duty finder and accustomed to group play as they take on the more challenging content we have prepared.

Although some may come to the conclusion that constant interaction with others can become tiresome in an MMORPG, the alternative to a game that emphasizes party play must also be considered. If everything were designed to be completed alone, player retention would become increasingly problematic, and the lack of interaction with other players would detract from what it means to be an MMORPG. Mind you this is a comparison of one extreme to another (completely party focused versus solo play). In the end, an MMORPG is selective in its audience, which is both its strength and its weakness.

Regardless of how particular FFXIV: ARR may be in choosing its audience, as producer and director, the ability to attract new players is absolutely imperative.

This is where the remaining two aspects necessary for productive gameplay come into effect. But with so many games out on the market, in order for FFXIV: ARR to be accessible and interest new players enough to delve deeper, a certain sense of simplicity is necessary in the beginning of the game. Interesting game content and proper balancing are also important in motivating players to continue playing, but this is a given. As mentioned previously, however, no matter how hard one tries to attract new players, no MMORPG is capable of appealing to all audiences effectively. I personally believe an attempt to appeal to and retain every type of gamer effectively is too idealistic.

To speak specifically about game balance, I believe it's important that content is enjoyable, accessible, and does not hinder party communication when playing through it. Moreover, there should be a variety of things to do to keep players interested. Gameplay should also have a steady pace, but not simply devolve into spamming weapon skills.

As many of you know, I'm also an avid gamer, so you can expect end-game content as challenging as Version 1.0, along with an assortment of quests and stories befitting a Final Fantasy title. For those of you concerned about a lack of challenging end-game content, if Version 1.0 is any indication, you can rest easy knowing there are fierce battles on the horizon.

In short, we've placed emphasis on quality gameplay that's easily accessible, and can be enjoyed in the long term.

■Research and Analysis■
The title of this section speaks for itself, but I've spent a fair bit of time studying other large MMORPGs currently on the market. More importantly, I've been monitoring their retention rates. Of course, people tend to concern themselves with sell-in and sell-through, but the longevity of an MMORPG depends on retention. This is why it's important to understand that game developers for online games always make their decisions based on retention rate. Because I'm a gamer myself, I also take time to play the game, as well as take feedback from players, which I believe is also very important.

This, in a rather big nutshell, outlines the basic concept we have in mind for FFXIV: ARR. This applies not only to the battle system, but all aspects of the game. Whether it's a simple FATE against a wave of enemies, or a gritty battle against a powerful NM, offering players a variety of options to have fun is our goal.
(Speaking of FATE, you can expect a separate post on this in the near future )

Hmm... I seem to be running out of space, so I'll pick this up in the next post.

FFXIV:ARR and the Battle System Part 2 (Another long read!)

Now that I've gotten the groundwork out of the way, let's get down to some of the finer points of the battle system.

■GCD and Planning Time■
The current implementation of the GCD (Global Cooldown) is a result of our aim to keep things simple while ensuring players can enjoy the game for a long time. Unfortunately for seasoned MMO players, the beginning of the game may seem dull and boring. However, the GCD is in place to give players time to think about what their next move is going to be. I know that the beta test is still somewhat laggy, and you guys haven't had a lot of time to really dig into the game yet, but as you progress in level, your characters will acquire a variety of skills to use in battle. This includes combos, weapon skill and action rotations, debuff skills, and crowd control skills. As you acquire more skills to use in battle, the 2.5 second GCD won't seem as long as you think it is. I hope you all will continue testing and explore the potential of the current system.

■Skill Rotations and Adjustments■
While our goal is for players to have access to more skill rotations as they level, it shouldn't take too long to reach that level of gameplay. As we read over your feeedback and look over our own data, we'll be making adjustments so that combos and skill rotations are available at an earlier level.

Archer in particular has no actions that combo, and we feel its skill rotation is lacking. When fighting one on one against a powerful enemy, such as a boss, this lack of combos and skill rotations is much more noticeable. Over the course of the beta test, we will continue to make adjustments to actions while taking in your feedback.

■Auto-attack■
There's been a fair bit of debate as to what purpose auto-attack serves in ARR, but the answer is simple. Auto-attack is the source of your character's base damage. Based on all the feedback received relating to auto-attack and its utility as a source of damage, we've been working significant changes since the end of alpha testing which should be ready by the latter half of the beta test. Although I can't go into detail about the changes yet, one thing I can tell you is there are be no changes such as the use of auto-attack to restore TP.

It may be hard to tell when you experience the first dungeon at level 15, but by the time you can explore the level 25 to 35 dungeons, the finite nature of TP and MP should become more apparent. That is, you will have to make smart choices with your skills to not only use TP and MP effectively, but to survive more dangerous encounters. In the event you do run out of MP and TP, however, you will still have auto-attack as a constant source of base damage. There are still more adjustments to be made, but in the meantime, your feedback is always welcome and appreciated.

■FFXIV is Like Poker?■
This may be a stretch, but I'd like to take a moment to break down the combat system by comparing it to Texas hold ‘em poker

- There is little time where you will be sitting there doing nothing. (However, there's always enough time to strategize)
- You won’t start with a full hand, overwhelmed by too many options
- As more cards are revealed (as you level up and acquire more actions/traits), the number of options (skill combinations) available to you increases
- Each weapon skill serves as a "card," with combos and triggered effects serving as "hands."
- You change your "hand" according to how a fight plays out (but you’ll always have time to think on your strageies).
- Limit breaks, which are planned for implementation in phase 3, will serve as "hands" shared by the party.
- Auto-attack serves as one of your "cards" when all other options have been exhausted, as it's still a means of sustaining that base damage.

This is the premise of the battle system. I know poker wasn't the best analogy to describe how the battle system will work, but I hope you guys get the general idea.

■PvP Actions■
When discussing the design of actions and weaponskills, we originally planned for actions geared toward PvP to automatically be learned by leveling, just as is the case with PvE actions. However, realized this would create problems. For those who only play PvE, they would have no use for skills catered to PvP. In contrast, those who do play PvP would inevitably have too many to sort through. What we've decided to do is create two separate sets of skills for that players will have the freedom to interchange depending on whether they’re playing PvE or PvP. These PvP actions will be obtained through participation in PvP.

■Constantly Contradicting Elements■
Phew, I think that about does it. Thanks for sticking around to read all of that. By now I'm sure everyone who's read through both posts is a little more aware of certain MMORPG elements that are constantly contradicting themselves:
- It's great when solo play is easy, but if there's no community, the game can't thrive.
- If you make a game simple, it's easy to understand, but it can also be stale and unoriginal.
- If you make the game complex and action oriented, it can be exciting, but also convoluted.

Unfortunately, these three contradicting points are intertwined, so it's impossible to try and fix one issue without tampering with another. Nevertheless, a happy equilibrium between these three points must be met in order to make an enjoyable game. As we continue making adjustments and planning for the future, we are always mindful of our preferences for one idea over another, and we ask that you do the same, but don't worry about it too much. Leave the sleepless nights discussing designs and game mechanics to us (as well as the lag problems... We’ll working on those, I swear!)

Your feedback is vital to balancing the game, and I've read through the battle feedback threads thoroughly. Between the manual, the schedules, the developer's comments, and all the tester feedback in here, I realize there is a lot to read through, and I thank you all for taking the time to do it.

I can say with confidence that only FFXIV could receive so much feedback and support from around the world for a beta test that's only getting started.

See you next time, here in the forums or in the Beta Test!

Son point de vu est pas mauvais et surtout honnête. Il m'a en tout cas convaincu d'attendre de voir plus sur l'attrait des combats à plus haut lvl et surtout en teamplay.

Je suis particulièrement intrigué par les futurs changements sur l'auto-attaque (pas de TP build en revanche ) hâte de voir cela. On attends toujours de pouvoir tester les limite break

Merci pour le retour!

Pour ma part globalement j'aime bien son point de vu; et je suis toujours aussi convaincu qu'il fera de FFXIV ARR un bon jeu en teamplay concernant le PvE.

Après coté PvP j'avoue ne pas être un grand amateur donc je regarde moins l'évolution.

N.B: J'ai quand même hâte de tester des donjons/raids avec quelques lvl en plus pour voir le système de "combo" entre joueurs ainsi que les stratégie imaginé sur les boss :)