JeuxOnLine: Can you tell us more about "Linkshells? Do you plan something new compared to those of Final Fantasy XI ? Maybe something as distinctive tabards or emblems?
JeuxOnLine : How will the "Servant" system work? Will it be fully customizable by the player? Has it been established to address the lack of Auction Houses?
Tanaka : They are there to keep your belongings, but you can also turn them into a "market" when you will be offline. The "Servants" will also be linked to the "Company" system, it's something you can experiment with yourself very soon.
JeuxOnLine : The world of video games has had much debate about the release date being very close, but JeuxOnLine was particularly surprised by this announcement: the feedback from the alpha test has helped so much as to have such a short beta?
Saori : You mean an imminent beta or short beta?
Tanaka : The alpha test was very useful, it helped us to test the stability of the servers and we were able to adapt in the meantime. But in fact, we will have several phases of beta testing. In the first phase, we have a version that will incorporate feedback from our alpha testers that will hopefully be available this week. At first, it will resemble the alpha test phase, in the sense that each test session lasts four hours.
But if things go well, beta 2 will follow shortly, which will allow players to access the game 24 hours a day. Then, hopefully, by early August, we will open the phase 3 beta test which will remain operational until the game launches.
JeuxOnLine : It will be open?
JeuxOnLine : There will be no open beta?
Tanaka : After Phase 3 of the beta, we have an open beta will be available just before the release of the game, but we can not guarantee this last phase being open.
JeuxOnLine : At theE3, we could see faction points as rewards in Guildleves. Can you tell us more about that?
Saori : "faction points? In Guildleves?
Saori : You mean the combat system's action points?
JeuxOnLine : No, no, faction points given as a reward for completing a Guildleve.
Tanaka : Oh yes, currently in beta, this feature has not yet been integrated. But depending on how you carry out the Guildleve, the answers you get from the NPC will be different. So you can sometimes discover Guildleves that you could not otherwise see ... *Saori hesitates* Uh ... that's it huh [NdR: she said it in French]? You will get a varying number of points depending on how you accomplished your Guildleves.
JeuxOnLine : So ... About the PS3 release, do you think that players who are scheduled to play Final Fantasy XIV on PS3 are extremely disappointed since the announcement of a delayed release?
Tanaka : * laughs * Yes, it's a shame. We understand the anger of the players, and developers are just as sorry because they did everything they could to have a simultaneous release date, but unfortunately they have encountered many technical problems on the development of the game PS3. We strive to release the game as soon as possible.
JeuxOnLine : It's possible that the announced date of March 2011 is not final?
JeuxOnLine : This is good news!
JeuxOnLine : At theE3, we saw a 3D version of the game .. Do you think that you will use 3D technology one day?
Tanaka : If you have equipment such as those offered by nVidia, you can admire and play Final Fantasy XIV in 3D. Of course, we received quite a helping hand from NVIDIA, and we are trying to make a very clean 3D version, but other technologies that use 3D are also being considered, we have already started exploring other possibilities.
JeuxOnLine : Okay, so for now there is only nVidia?
Tanaka : We did not specifically design for nVidia hardware, but we can assure you that if you own the appropriate nVidia , you can enjoy the game in 3D, or any other game based on polygons, such as FF 11, you can see in 3D if you have the proper equipment.
JeuxOnLine : The minimum prerequisite that appears on pre-orders are very different from those required for alpha testing, but they are equally insufficient to achieve a proper score with the Benchmark. How can you explain such a drop in prerequisites?
Tanaka : Because it is a MMORPG, we have maximized the quality of the game so that players benefit long term. Over time, I'm sure you can have a high score, but there is perhaps not yet, at present, equipment capable of obtaining the maximum scores in Benchmark, it has been done on purpose. But because technology evolves rapidly, in the very near future you'll able to reach a high score with an average computer.
JeuxOnLine : Many questions were asked about the differences between the two versions (standard and collector), especially about their bonus items. Can you tell us the differences between the two versions? For example, do the Garlond Glasses have limited use?
Saori : *laughs* Do you remember the name of the item?
JeuxOnLine : You mean, the bonus item?
Saori : Yes, the bonus item.
JeuxOnLine : The Garlond Glasses.
Tanaka : Oh! There are indeed two different items that are very useful at the beginning of the game, but they are more aesthetic items than anything else. We did not want to create large disparities between those who had a particular item and those who did not. We have therefore imposed certain limits on their usefulness, making sure you do not make them indispensable. Take for example of Onion Helmet, for those who ordered the collector version. This is a hat which can reduce the penalty of death because players tend to die easily at the beginning of the game. Regarding the glasses, they allow players to catch up to those who have started one week in advance: it is faster for them to develop their talents.
JeuxOnLine: The glasses have really been made only to catch up then.
JeuxOnLine : A more general question about SQUARE-ENIX ... Recently, SQUARE ENIX began to pay more attention to European customers *Tanaka nods*, first by launching the alpha Final Fantasy XIV in German in Cologne in August 2009 as a world exclusive, but we were also graced with the presence of Mr Tanaka in Paris today. However, when it comes to news and information in general, the European press is often neglected and must retrieve the information directly from Japanese magazines such as Famitsu and Dengeki. Are things going to change with the release of the fourteenth installment? Will SQUARE ENIX pay as much attention to Europe and the United States as Japan?
JeuxOnLine : However, the non-disclosure agreement is still valid, and in this respect, it's mainly Japanese magazines that have the right to publish screenshots of the game, and neither the European press or the American press have that chance, so we ask the question.
Saori : Now that the beta is considered more open, we'd love to call you or the American press to publish content about the game. What happens in Japan does not come from our sources, the enterprises themselves choose what articles to publish, it's not as if we gave them exclusive information in order for them to publish their articles.
JeuxOnLine : So in fact, Famitsu and Dengeki are not really allowed to post the screenshots?
JeuxOnLine : Just one last question! Do you have something to say to the French community?
Tanaka : This time we were at the Japan Expo and we were really surprised by the French public, we would like to submit more to France and we hope you appreciate this content.
JeuxOnLine : I think we'll appreciate it.
Saori : Thank you very much for coming.
Tanaka : Thank you very much.
JeuxOnLine : Thank you very much.
That is very awkwardly translated :p do you know where the original interview was? At least I'll be able to read it, and if anything stands out that didn't in the english version I'll let you know!
Found it! I'll tweak where necessary later today to make it more comprehensible.