Final Fantasy XIV Plans for Next-Gen Consoles

[Karloff]

Final Fantasy XIV Plans for Next-Gen Consoles

Square Enix developer Naoki Yoshida says he won't break his PS3 promise for the Final Fantasy XIV MMO.

Nobody knows when the next generation of consoles is due out, but Square Enix developer Naoki Yoshida thinks it's time to look to the future. He acknowledges that Square Enix needs to rebuild trust GamesCom [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114584-Final-Fantasy-XIV-Summons-Subscription-Fees] talk he said the time has come to look to the future, and that means planning for a new console generation.

"We realize that things will be coming," he said, "and then making the game compatible for these systems is something we're currently thinking about." Of course since Sony hasn't announced anything about the next Playstation, neither can Square Enix. That doesn't mean it will be sitting on its metaphorical hands. "With this new [Final Fantasy XIV] engine, it's very scalable. It runs on low-end PCs and high-end PCs. So, when new technology comes out, we can easily scale it to that high end."

Yoshida demonstrated a playable version of the game on a Core i5 processor, to prove that even on lower-spec systems Final Fantasy XIV could still impress. It remains to be seen whether or not it will impress when it finally goes on sale. It's currently scheduled for a late 2012 release.

Source: Joystiq [http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/08/16/final-fantasy-xiv-a-realm-reborn-scalable-for-next-gen-consol/]


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[Vivi22]

Yoshida demonstrated a playable version of the game on a Core i5 processor, to prove that even on lower-spec systems Final Fantasy XIV could still impress.

Huh? Granted an i5 isn't the absolute top of the line, but I wouldn't exactly call them low-end processors.

Also, I agree quite a bit with Boudica. I realize that businesses need to be mindful of the console release cycle as releasing too early or too late could make some titles unprofitable, but there's still more focus paid to it than I think there needs to be. Especially when most developers don't do anything interesting with the new technology when it comes out.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

I keep forgetting this game exist...

I look at a title and go "Final Fantasy 14 WOW",
and then I'm disappointed when I realize it's just that MMORPG again.

 

[The Great JT]

Wait, FF14 is still running around? Really? I thought they realized no one likes that thing.

 

[Shinsei-J]

I agree completely with both of you so far on this topic.
I'm quite happy though, it at least sounds like he him self wants to keep his promises.

 

[thesilentman]

Yoshida demonstrated a playable version of the game on a Core i5 processor, to prove that even on lower-spec systems Final Fantasy XIV could still impress.

Huh? Granted an i5 isn't the absolute top of the line, but I wouldn't exactly call them low-end processors.

That (an i5 is pretty high in my book)and he said nothing about graphics cards whatsoever. I hope he realizes that he's talking about an MMO not a poor port.

OT- Ah, Square, if only you made good games. Not playable movies. I'm only going to consider you only when you make a good game, story and all, with these graphics. Then call me. /sarcasm

 

[Dahaka27]

Quite frankly, if the game is only "playable" on an i5 Sandy Bridge or no then it must be terribly optimised.

On the other hand, if it was "playable" on an i5 without a high end graphics card then thats really something.

 

[Uber Waddles]

Who, exactly, is asking for this?

This game is barely managing to stay afloat on the PC because of its lackluster everything. It was a pretty game, but in todays market looking prettier than the number one contender isn't hard. Its gameplay had all been done before, it was grindy as hell, it was lazy as hell, etc.

And I dont want to hear the excuse that they've been working 'really hard to get it up to par'. They released a barely functioning MMO at full price with HUGE sections of the map LITERALLY copy and pasted over and over again. If they have the balls to do that, I have the balls to judge their quality based off their launch product.

FF14 is a game that has already garnered as many people as its going to get. People interested already payed in (and most right back out). And because of your attitude towards your consumers, you've gained no good publicity amongst gamers. Hoping to piggyback on a consoles release with an old, warnout, game hasn't helped you before with FFXI, why would it work now?

As far as next gen information goes, this says very little. "We know something is coming" is Squares way of saying "we don't know when its coming" - the former sounds WAY to close to an NDA breach. And they're even speculating on features a developer should probably know about - they seem to not have a clue if they can support their titles if they launch it on the PS3.

And on that note, Square. Forget it. If you want to tap the console market, make an MMO that ties DIRECTLY into the console interface - one that utilizes its VOIP channels, controls, and is made specifically for consoles, rather than copying and pasting an MMO for PCs. Because no matter how you spin it, you're selling an inferior product to the console market if you do that. An INFERIOR. FINAL FANTASY. 14. Think about that.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

In gaming terms, the leap between an i5 and i7 is tiny. An i5 is NOT a lower spec processor, it's the very best you need for gaming right now.

I have not played a single game that even challenges my i5, the only times I've had FPS issues, it's been because of my graphics card.

 

[Spookimitsu]

Wait, FF14 is still running around? Really? I thought they realized no one likes that thing.

Wow thats weird cause I and everyone that I play with really like the game. I guess we must be doing something wrong, huh

 

[Spookimitsu]

Who, exactly, is asking for this?

This game is barely managing to stay afloat on the PC because of its lackluster everything. It was a pretty game, but in todays market looking prettier than the number one contender isn't hard. Its gameplay had all been done before, it was grindy as hell, it was lazy as hell, etc.

And I dont want to hear the excuse that they've been working 'really hard to get it up to par'. They released a barely functioning MMO at full price with HUGE sections of the map LITERALLY copy and pasted over and over again. If they have the balls to do that, I have the balls to judge their quality based off their launch product.

And on that note, Square. Forget it. If you want to tap the console market, make an MMO that ties DIRECTLY into the console interface - one that utilizes its VOIP channels, controls, and is made specifically for consoles, rather than copying and pasting an MMO for PCs. Because no matter how you spin it, you're selling an inferior product to the console market if you do that. An INFERIOR. FINAL FANTASY. 14. Think about that.

I still dont see the copied portions of the map, but maybe they took that out before I started playing. and gameplay done before? I'm not touching that debate point with a ten-foot pole, we'd be here all day.

There are a lot of people waiting anxiously for the 2.0 release. I assume it's easy to be dismissive because of the shaky launch a couple of years ago, but if the product is doing better now, why continue to condemn it?

But their previous mmo was successful on the PS2 and the xbox, what wrong with them trying again? and the game you are harshly critiquing as inferior only exists in the memory of the release, the current version is far from broken and uplayable/unlikable. As it is now, I could never go back to FFXI, and I loved that game. But I do see what you mean about using the hardware to its fullest potential in terms of console customization, but hey, sometimes you take what you can get. When I was playing FFXI, i didnt have a PC that could handle the kind of games I wanted to play, but it was cool to see that the title was released on a machine I DID have that could run it, and I'm pretty sure that that is not a unique and isolated sentiment.

Did you play the game at launch? When is the last time you've played the game?

captcha: magical realism

 

[Ishigami]

Well since I'm entitled to a free month upon re-release I will make sure to test this out.
The gameplay video from the GC I saw looked decent, way better than the first version.

I recently retest FFXIV for a month and tbh it still sucks.

 

[Beautiful End]

Square, the game has been delayed for over 2 years now. As much as I was looking forward to this game for my PS3, I don't think I give a crap anymore. But hey, I'm still hopeful for the day I can play a FF MMO in my PS3.

But goddamit, Square. If you wait to release it for the PS4...some tables will be flipped.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Yoshida demonstrated a playable version of the game on a Core i5 processor, to prove that even on lower-spec systems Final Fantasy XIV could still impress.

Huh? Granted an i5 isn't the absolute top of the line, but I wouldn't exactly call them low-end processors.

Wake me up when it runs on an Atom. It's at least the same instruction set, so if it's so scalable, it should be no problem, right guys? Get on that. Heh.

In gaming terms, the leap between an i5 and i7 is tiny. An i5 is NOT a lower spec processor, it's the very best you need for gaming right now.

I have not played a single game that even challenges my i5, the only times I've had FPS issues, it's been because of my graphics card.

It depends a lot on which one(s) they're talking about. With the current desktop ones, I completely agree. They (almost) all have four cores and are quite fast, and the only really noticeable thing setting them apart from the lowest model i7 is hyperthreading, which does approximately nothing for games most of the time (and occasionally even hurts if the engine is weird about it). The earlier ones couldn't make up their minds about where they should be placed in the lineup and kind of arbitrarily had two fast or four somewhat slower cores, and the laptop ones are all over the place and dramatically less powerful overall, even just compared to their laptop i7 counterparts.

That said, I have an i5-750, which is the very first i5 ever from back in 2009 and noticeably slower than the current ones, and I don't think I've ever run into anything game-related that it can't easily handle at stock speeds. Well, there was that one time I spawned a million units in AI War just to see what would happen, and that took a couple minutes to sort out, but that's not quite normal gameplay. I've actually emulated a couple PS2 games at full speed on here in software rendering mode, not using my video card.

 

[KINGBeerZ]

I don't really care about what console it's on,but if Square can manage to capture some of that old magic and make XV half as good as IX, then i'll be happy

 

[CharrHearted]

Wait, FF14 is still running around? Really? I thought they realized no one likes that thing.

eh, it's being remade, and it looks and feels better, no I've actually touched it, and it's touched me.

 

[spacemutant IV]

I don't like that developers are basically slaves to the console cycle. Having an outside party dictating when you release something, how long you wait and how you should make it makes me a sad panda.

That's like saying you don't like how the length of our days is dictated by the earth rotating around the sun. Game developers technically don't need to consider hardware generations, they want to. It's good business practice, and a part of the game. I don't like how the sky is blue rather than green, but pointless point is pointless.

 

[The Lunatic]

Yoshida demonstrated a playable version of the game on a Core i5 processor, to prove that even on lower-spec systems Final Fantasy XIV could still impress.

Huh? Granted an i5 isn't the absolute top of the line, but I wouldn't exactly call them low-end processors.

I -Think- and this is just a theory, but, it might be referring to just an I5, without any external graphics. So, just the onboard.

Which would be impressive, but, not surprising, those things can run Skyrim on medium.