Final Fantasy XIV brings in the item search with the last update of the year

Dec 22, 2010

Final Fantasy XIV has boasted a robust crafting system since launch, but the system designed to help players sell their goods has been somewhat less robust. After several passes of revisions and improvements, the game has received a feature that was both much-requested and promised -- a search function for the market wards. That's the bulk of the game's newest patch, along with a slew of bug fixes, but the search itself merits extra explanation as offered in the patch notes.

Rather than simply having players type in an item, the search function requires players to select a ward, then one of the item categories properly sold within that ward. The full list of items for sale will be displayed, with players able to select a given item and have the retainers therein marked as vendors for the sought item. There are a few more wrinkles as explained in the patch notes, but on a whole it should make searching for something specific far simpler for Final Fantasy XIV players -- and that's nothing but a good thing.

November brings updates to Final Fantasy XIV's travel and questing

Nov 24, 2010

The Final Fantasy series as a whole has been marked by a surfeit of crystals, and Final Fantasy XIV's Aetheryte is heir to the tradition. Floating just above the ground, these crystals serve as both a nexus of quests and a point of transportation. Both of these functions are getting a distinct boost with the pending November version update set for the 24th. Teleportation costs are being reduced for both the major cities and three player-selected "favorite" camps, allowing players to zap from place to place faster. Return costs are also being reduced to 1 anima, allowing players who are either lost or in a dangerous region a quick option to get to safety.

Meanwhile, levequest functionality at crystals is being improved, with players able to scale the difficulty of a given levequest downward once the quest has been started. This goes hand-in-hand with adjustments to the strength of enemies found in guildleves and improvements to the rewards of leve-linking, giving players more incentive to try to push themselves to the limits of what they can accomplish. The changes should be welcome boons to Final Fantasy XIV players, allowing easier movement and questing under all circumstances.

Final Fantasy XIV covers the basics of healing and fighting

Nov 16, 2010

The toothy fellow heading the page might seem rather unfriendly, or he might just seem in need of a good joke or two. But rest assured that if you see him in Final Fantasy XIV, any jokes you tell will feature him consuming your flesh as a punchline. The newest dispatch covering game basics has just gone live on the official player site, this time discussing combat, engaging targets, and the difference between active and passive modes. 

 Along with a discussion of just what advantages active mode offers when you're not in combat (slower TP decay), the dispatch also includes a small visual guide to some of the game's aggressive inhabitants. Some of them wouldn't be immediately recognizable as aggressive at first glance, making it useful to any players who haven't ventured too far from their starting city of choice. If you're still unclear about some of the basics of Final Fantasy XIV, take a look at the guide... and if you're quite clear on all of them, you can simply cross your fingers that tonight's maintenance might include a patch going live.

Square Enix extends FFXIV’s free trial period by an extra month

Oct 19, 2010

In response to Final Fantasy XIV's cool reception from both fans and critics, Square Enix has extended the MMORPG's free trial period from 30 to 60 days for anyone that's purchased FFXIV and registered an account before October 25th. The PC game has a $49.99 version and a $74.99 collector's edition (monthly charge of $12.99).

Since the launch of Final Fantasy XIV on September 30, there have been a lot of mixed reviews coming through the grapevine. Amid numerous reports of absolutely stunning graphics, there have also been some criticisms of the game.

"Considering the nature of much of the feedback we received ... and the current state of the game, we have decided to extend the free trial period for all users," the publisher said in a statement. "We would like to assure players that the world of Final Fantasy XIV is constantly growing and evolving, and the voices of the community are essential to that process."

Square Enix continues, "The development and management teams are carefully considering all player feedback, and working diligently to implement whatever changes and additions will serve to make Eorzea a better home for adventurers. We humbly ask for your continued support to this end."

Trading of companies and new releases

Oct 04, 2010

In recent months the gaming community has seen many companies either being bought over or dissolved. This is mainly due to a difference in perspective. Many companies want their titles to make money while some prefer to have their titles worshipped and adored by the gaming community. This is the two aspects of the gaming industry. Free to play games require funds to operate. These titles sell mandatory accessories and items to players over another system. This genre of games does not center on balance as there will always be players who cannot afford said items. Therefore they will always be at a disadvantage.

Destroy the balance of the game is done when the game is turned into a free to play therefore selling this game to another company for a price would not hinder its development if they are planning to put it out as a product immediately after the tradeoff. Despite the many free to play titles out there I believe that this niche should be dissolved. This niche survives on the richer players, while the average player does not get rewarded for his skills or talents.

An affordable monthly subscription would give players far more incentive. As they gain access to the full game and no players is stronger than the other due to the size of his wallet. Each player begins with an even footing.