Tag: Final Fantasy XIV

Well FFXIV Is Free To Play For Now At Least


That extension is adorable!

I know at least one person will eventually reply with “Um, Omali, it’s technically buy to play not free to play, as you’d still need to buy the client.” Final Fantasy XIV players are coming upon November 22nd, when early adopters will start hitting the end of their second free month of game time. Just this week, Square Enix announced that Final Fantasy XIV would receive yet another extension on their free time, giving a total of three free months (two if you don’t count the free month included with purchase).

As Casey Schreiner pointed out on the G4TV MMO Report this past week, as Square Enix has a patch coming that will hopefully fix a lot of the issues, but that patch isn’t set to come until early 2011, players are likely to see a few more free months added to their game time. Until then, Final Fantasy XIV is technically a free to play title. Remember, if you buy Final Fantasy XIV and register your character before…no, that was the 19th. Never mind.

More on Final Fantasy XIV as it shuffles lazily into our path.

Final Fantasy XIV: Holy Free Third Month, Batman!


That extension is adorable!

Back in October, Square Enix announced that early adopters of Final Fantasy XIV would receive an additional month of time to try out the game, play through it, and hopefully weather out the storm of issues with the game. This month, Square Enix announced a tentative update coming on the 25th of November, just a few days after most of the free extensions will expire. In response, Square has issued a news article detailing yet another extension to the free time:

Today, we have decided to extend the free trial period an additional 30 days. Please refer to the following for more details.

Players who purchase FFXIV before November 19th can also partake in this free month (giving them 60 days of free game time), while those who adopted early are enjoying their third free month. In addition, Square put out a comprehensive list of updates they have planned for the coming months, which you can find here: http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/topics/detail?id=cb4dc09784bc24b4fde2e45de9f018ec5fb504d2

And since the discussion on other forums is already erupting on this subject, yes this is to appease early adopters and get them to stick around until Square can do some much needed maintenance on the game. In case you hadn’t noticed with All Points Bulletin, when a company doesn’t fix glaring issues fast enough, the game dies: fast. Hopefully Square can get the necessary issues fixed before the early adopters disappear.

Any account created before the 19th will be able to take part in the free 30 days. More on Final Fantasy XIV as it appears.

Final Fantasy XIV: Not Satisfactory


Financial reports are for investors.

MMOs are a bit like children in that eventually we have to ask when the babying has to stop and the real growth must begin. At what point do we start saying “no, don’t pull the cat’s tail, what the hell is wrong with you?” instead of “he doesn’t know any better.” No doubt this is what players have been asking themselves with Final Fantasy XIV, launched back in late September, now approaching the two month mark, and there is no doubt that a lot of players are not happy with the state of Final Fantasy XIV, which Square Enix’s Yoichi Wada summed up nicely:

“Currently, the service isn’t satisfactory,”

Just last month, we noted that Square Enix has given out another free month of game time to anyone who ordered Final Fantasy XIV before October 25th. In that post, I noted my observation that Square Enix sounded somewhat ashamed in their announcement, but that the move was a sign of good faith that the company was asking for another month to clean up the title, and was willing to extend the player’s free time in order to make up for it. Like getting a free milk shake because your chicken fingers are taking longer than expected…there I go with food analogies again.

This also comes after Square Enix lowered their forecast sales and net income for this quarter which, given that the figures are for the month ending in September, was not caused by Final Fantasy XIV, but rather will drive Square to work harder to sell more copies of Final Fantasy XIV, as well as retaining subscribers past the free period. Of course, while speaking to investors, Wada was dutifully optimistic in his “if we build it, they will come,” approach.

“The players who left will return if we satisfy them,”

Final Fantasy XIV has sold 630,000 copies worldwide, a formidable number although one that won’t exactly stand up to Warhammer or Age of Conan’s preorder numbers (granted, it also won’t hold a candle to either title’s free-fall exodus post launch). If Square Enix can dust themselves off and get back to the core of what made Final Fantasy so popular, then more power to them.

More on Final Fantasy XIV as it appears.

Looking Back, Moving Forward: October '10


A BBB Month

If you woke up with a strange urge to gorge yourself on meat stuffed with other meats, it must be November…or just another Monday morning. With November coming, and the holiday season right around the corner, we take a look back on what October brought us: Halloween events, particularly in the hat trading simulator formerly known as…I believe it was called Team Forts. Yes, while we were busy killing all the demons (only to find out we were the demons), it was business as usual in the land of MMOs and the developers who create them.

Naturally the Better Business Bureau makes number one on our list. Now, most of the companies remained unchanged with their scores since July, except for Cryptic Studios who apparently took my advice and started replying to complaints. Their score now sits at an A- from its original C. The “Checking In With The BBB” will be back in January.

DC Universe Online was delayed. Sorry, Joker! Those who preorder before November 15th get guaranteed access to the beta, however. Those who didn’t preorder get jack squat. Although there is no set date, DC Universe Online is set to go live sometime in early 2011.

Square Enix announced an embargo…I mean a voluntary request that reviewers hold off for thirty days, a threat I would like to see enforced through practically every gaming website/magazine in existence losing their free swag, because the grand majority completely ignored this request. You can still send us swag, Square, we love you for your need to smother your customers, not in spite of it.

And speaking of Final Fantasy XIV, the game bombed on Amazon.jp. Final Fantasy XIV on Amazon’s Japanese website still carries a 1.5 star rating, with 137 one-star ratings to five one-star ratings. Square Enix would later reward early adopters with a free extra month of the game. My apologies to the owners of Gizzard Blendtertainment for any confusion that the article caused.

Lord of the Rings Online in Europe…what a saga. Through October, MMO Fallout brought you weekly updates on the situation regarding LOTRO’s release in Europe under Codemasters, as well as our own speculations (that turned out to be correct) on whether or not the issues were really technical. Codemasters announced that Lord of the Rings Online Europe will make the free to play transition on November 2nd.

Speaking of cash shops, Eve Online is getting one. Don’t worry, kids, it’s only vanity items. In the same interview, CCP’s own Tori Olafsson denied any claims that the developer was working on an Eve Online 2, or reboot of Eve, noting that such options had “no purpose.”

Oh don’t tell me you didn’t see this coming! With the launch of the new Everquest II Extended, Sony announced that Everquest II servers would be merging, shutting down a total of six servers.

All Points Bulletin joins the ranks of Earth Eternal in games that are dead, but not really dead because someone might be buying them, but they aren’t playable. Neither game is online, and though we know there is a buyer for Earth Eternal, and likely one for All Points Bulletin, we still don’t know who it is yet.

And finally, likely the biggest double-take of October, the announcement that Champions Online would be going free to play. Yes, Cryptic wants to take their thumb out of the pie and shove their entire fist into it as Champions Online goes partially Turbine this coming Q1 2011. More on the Champions Online transition…soon.

Looking Back, Moving Forward: October ’10


A BBB Month

If you woke up with a strange urge to gorge yourself on meat stuffed with other meats, it must be November…or just another Monday morning. With November coming, and the holiday season right around the corner, we take a look back on what October brought us: Halloween events, particularly in the hat trading simulator formerly known as…I believe it was called Team Forts. Yes, while we were busy killing all the demons (only to find out we were the demons), it was business as usual in the land of MMOs and the developers who create them.

Naturally the Better Business Bureau makes number one on our list. Now, most of the companies remained unchanged with their scores since July, except for Cryptic Studios who apparently took my advice and started replying to complaints. Their score now sits at an A- from its original C. The “Checking In With The BBB” will be back in January.

DC Universe Online was delayed. Sorry, Joker! Those who preorder before November 15th get guaranteed access to the beta, however. Those who didn’t preorder get jack squat. Although there is no set date, DC Universe Online is set to go live sometime in early 2011.

Square Enix announced an embargo…I mean a voluntary request that reviewers hold off for thirty days, a threat I would like to see enforced through practically every gaming website/magazine in existence losing their free swag, because the grand majority completely ignored this request. You can still send us swag, Square, we love you for your need to smother your customers, not in spite of it.

And speaking of Final Fantasy XIV, the game bombed on Amazon.jp. Final Fantasy XIV on Amazon’s Japanese website still carries a 1.5 star rating, with 137 one-star ratings to five one-star ratings. Square Enix would later reward early adopters with a free extra month of the game. My apologies to the owners of Gizzard Blendtertainment for any confusion that the article caused.

Lord of the Rings Online in Europe…what a saga. Through October, MMO Fallout brought you weekly updates on the situation regarding LOTRO’s release in Europe under Codemasters, as well as our own speculations (that turned out to be correct) on whether or not the issues were really technical. Codemasters announced that Lord of the Rings Online Europe will make the free to play transition on November 2nd.

Speaking of cash shops, Eve Online is getting one. Don’t worry, kids, it’s only vanity items. In the same interview, CCP’s own Tori Olafsson denied any claims that the developer was working on an Eve Online 2, or reboot of Eve, noting that such options had “no purpose.”

Oh don’t tell me you didn’t see this coming! With the launch of the new Everquest II Extended, Sony announced that Everquest II servers would be merging, shutting down a total of six servers.

All Points Bulletin joins the ranks of Earth Eternal in games that are dead, but not really dead because someone might be buying them, but they aren’t playable. Neither game is online, and though we know there is a buyer for Earth Eternal, and likely one for All Points Bulletin, we still don’t know who it is yet.

And finally, likely the biggest double-take of October, the announcement that Champions Online would be going free to play. Yes, Cryptic wants to take their thumb out of the pie and shove their entire fist into it as Champions Online goes partially Turbine this coming Q1 2011. More on the Champions Online transition…soon.

Square Enix Lowers Sales Expectations


I'd like to return this financial report

Being a business oriented website just wouldn’t be business oriented without the fun task of, what else, reading financial reports, and even more so reporting on those figures when they are released. The most fun one can have on a Monday afternoon.

In Square Enix’s latest earnings forecast for 2010, the company lowered its expected sales by 10.5%, or $99 million USD. Net income, a fancy term for what you got after costs and taxes are factored, dropped by almost 30%, or by $8.7 million USD. This forecast, dated for April to September months, is lower than 2009’s figures for the same period.

Despite what several Final Fantasy fanboys may tell you, from behind the barrel of a pistol, the past few games have sold exceptionally well, with Final Fantasy XII being one of the fastest selling games in the UK of 2010. Granted, Final Fantasy XIV received about as equally negative praise as entering a PETA conference dressed in Lady Gaga’s meat outfit, but the financial report cited a loss on sale of property and equipment as being part of the revision as well as slower growth in sales.

And…cue the claims that Final Fantasy XIV is going to bankrupt Square Enix!

Square Enix Giving Out Free Month of FFXIV


 

I’m here to pick up my free month.

Final Fantasy XIV launched last month, and depending on who you ask the game has either been well received, moderately received, or has crashed so hard that only the hand of God himself can stop Square Enix from going bankrupt next month. If you ask me, however, Square Enix is just another company that generates serious cash by making early adopters out of people who have neither the patience, nor the foresight, to be making reasonable purchasing decisions.

“Considering the nature of much of the feedback we received, however, and the current state of the game, we have decided to extend the free trial period for all users. Please continue reading for further details.”

If you purchase and register Final Fantasy XIV by October 25th, you’ll receive an extra 30 days, completely free! That’s two months of free game time, for the price of none…well, aside from the game.

For what it’s worth, Square Enix appears to be committed to fixing Final Fantasy XIV, and there is a hint of shame in how the game launched, in Square’s postings. This is less of an appeal to the whiners, and more of a “Hey, so the game didn’t launch that great. Have another month on us and we’ll see how it goes.” This isn’t the first time a developer has done this after launch, and one of those companies rhymes with Gizzard Blendtertainment.

Or maybe the trolls are right and this is Square Enix going into panic mode. Or, it might be picnic mode, the spelling was rather questionable.

 

FFXIV: Amazon Bombed In Japan?


もしこれを理解していれば、あなたは日本人〔日本語〕を読むことができます！

私の時は広場Enixについて話してください　私が　通常　言及して　ファイナルファンタジーXIVが多分どのように日本で素晴らしいことをするかに. Sorry, I left my translator on. That being said, however, Japan has always been the primary consumer of Final Fantasy-based goods, and holds a considerable stake in the Final Fantasy XI community. So when I say Final Fantasy XIV will do great…in Japan, I don’t mean to imply that the title will do poorly here in the West, but that there will be a considerable divide in purchases.

You can imagine my surprise when I was tipped off that Amazon.co.jp already has Final Fantasy XIV listed at 28% off. Not only that, but the reviews put the title at a 1.5 star rating, with 78 out of 98 reviews being a one star. Eighty reviewers, a public opinion does not make, but from the information I could scrape off of Google’s poor translation, the sentiments were very similar in each.

So either Amazon.jp has been blitzed by a wave of disgruntled early adopters, or my sentiment that Japanese players would be more willing to put up with Square Enix’s square wheel methodology was incorrect. As a reminder, the Square Wheel methodology is how I imagine Square’s development techniques. They take a square wheel and innovate on it, making it one of the best looking wheels on the market, the craftsmanship is just stunning, and you would buy it in an instant, but it is a wheel…that is square. It could have the best traction in the world, and it is still a square wheel. Driving becomes so much of a pain in the rear that it ruins the rest of the experience. The wheel is square because square wheels are different, but not different in a good way, different in an “I’m going ten miles an hour, tops, and the bumping is causing the rest of my car to fall apart, but otherwise my car is a sex machine,” different.

I like Final Fantasy XIV, and I would love it if they would change some unfriendly mechanics. Square Enix is like the friend with a great personality that you don’t hang out with because he pierced his nose with a giant metal rod, just to be different, in complete opposition to the rest of his personality. He needs to be taught that there are more relevant ways for him to be different.

More Final Fantasy XIV analogies as they pop up. Big thanks to Wiezard over on the MMORPG.com forums for the tip.

Square Enix: Embargo On Your Reviews! Thirty Days!


Excuse me, I'd like to return this company.

As I’ve stated before, it has become standard in our culture of gaming for companies to hold swag over a company’s head, in return for more favorable reviews. Ask any developer with loads of cash, and they’ll tell you it’s not technically bribery for, say, Eidos to purchase a major full page advertising space on Gamespot for Kane and Lynch, and then have a reviewer fired for giving the game a poor rating. Or when a company puts an embargo on reviews for their game, where the publishers can probably expect not to get any preview copies if they break that embargo.

So Square Enix has put out a polite request to reviewers to hold back their reviews for three to four weeks after launch, much in the same way Clint Eastwood holds a gun to your head and asks if you feel lucky, punk. Sure, there’s a chance that all six rounds were expended, but do you really want to take the risk and miss out on the Final Fantasy XV preview copy? I didn’t think so.

The real question will remain in how Square Enix responds to those who do not listen to the embargo, especially those that publish poor reviews, like Gamespot (4.0). Will there be an embargo on Square Enix sending swag to said publisher? Will Square take the Realtime Worlds method and try to laugh off the bad reviews by saying they were expected? Personally, I’m against reviewing MMOs at all, in favor of getting players into free trials.

Square asking for a few weeks to fully review the game really isn’t a terrible idea, what will make the difference is how they respond to those who go against their request.

More on FFXIV as it appears, which could be a while due to the slow patcher.

Looking Back, Moving Forward: September 2010


True next gen capabilities.

It’s time to change the MMO Calendar, which can only mean it’s time for another Looking Back, Moving Forward. September brought upon us life, as well as death, and a whole lot of free to play.

It’s been over a month since Earth Eternal shut down, following Sparkplay’s demise. Even though the game was sold off during an auction back at the end of August, there hasn’t been much word out of Earth Eternal’s Facebook or Twitter pages. MMO Fallout is still looking for news on this ongoing story, including just who bought up the game to begin with!

Speaking of delayed action, although Lord of the Rings Online in North America launched its free to play turnover on September 10th, its equivalent in Europe, hosted by Codemasters, has yet to follow. Going off of claims of lack of preparation, Codemasters is still giving no concrete date on when the transition will take place.

Speaking of free to play titles, Sony’s Pirates of the Burning Sea announced its transition to free to play, following Everquest II Extended and Lord of the Rings Online. There is no set date, but Pirates will be following the formula of its predecessor from SOE, Everquest II, with the cash shop.

Generally we’ve had some sort of prior notice to a game shutting down, usually between one and four months, sometimes longer. When Realtime Worlds announced that All Points Bulletin was shutting down, they gave us one week’s notice, with no real date given at the time. All Points Bulletin shut down just 90 days after it launched, making it the shortest lived (launched) mmo in history. Exteel, the mech-based MMO, was NCsoft’s latest MMO to shut down, a free to play venture with a cash shop and, as some players referred to it, a “pay to win” system. Exteel’s shut down, unlike APB’s, was rather unsurprising due to NCsoft’s past actions with the title.

Cryptic Studios revealed why the Klingon faction in Star Trek Online will not be pumped full of content to the point where it rivals that of the Federation: Because there aren’t enough people playing Klingon to justify setting resources on it. Of course, few players play Klingon, in a grating circular motion, because there isn’t enough content for the faction.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Adventures launched this month, to an odd reaction. Disregarding the idea that this is technically a kids game, much of the reaction appears to be from people far outside this game’s intended audience. As I pointed out in my article, there’s a very good reason you don’t see professional journalists going out and reviewing Imagine: Party Babyz.

Mortal Online’s Henrik claimed that the upcoming Epic Patch will be so big and change the game so drastically that it will be like Mortal Online 2. The so-called Epic Patch is set to go live at an unconfirmed date, but will contain everything including a new patcher, higher resolution, new inventory, new AI, new game master capabilities, and more.

The lawsuit between Quest Online and David Allen is finally over, with both sides wiping post after post off of the internet. Following the recent settlement, a few MMO Fallout viewers noticed that both Derek Smart and David Allen have had blog posts and comments on third party websites wiped clear, perhaps part of the settlement.

Final Fantasy XIV launched at the end of the month to mixed reactions, but luckily with Square Enix backing the title there is no chance of FFXIV heading underwater by the end of next month (November). The latest installment into the Final Fantasy MMO franchise won’t be making Aion or World of Warcraft flinch, but it will maintain a health population for many years to come. Those who would like to check out the game can do so via buddy invites.