Recovering from the Shipwreck: An e-Mail Interview
Despite all the hype and anticipation built up over FFXIV, many players were left disappointed to say the least. This is not news by any means, but feedback has been harsh. Sure, some haven't played the game and/or are basing their opinions solely on online reviews, etc., and forum trolls have seized the opportunity to wreak their devilry. Regardless of the delivery method, there is definitely validity in the complaints being raised.

The User Interface (UI) is, among the myriad issues, probably the most pronounced and frustrating. Simple tasks become annoying, almost like an itch you can't scratch. One might be able to somewhat accustom themselves to the process, but it's quite a leap to make.

This next issue goes hand-in-hand with MMORPGs, but after a certain point, lag can make it difficult to even play a game at all. In particular, things really bottleneck when trying to transfer items, whether between players or to an NPC. Lag during battle is a given, but primetime brings those infamous closed Ul'dah doors into the spotlight.

There have been many questions raised about the direction development has been headed in general. Most, if not all, of the issues at hand had already been raised in Beta. Nonetheless, the problems remained once the game released. Since then, things have either had time to fester or attempts to fix said issues have come off as being "too little, too late."

On October 15th, Square-Enix hoped to qualm some of the discontent by providing sneak peak at what they plan to address in upcoming version updates. However, the overriding sentiment was that these were exactly the problems that should have been cleared up in Beta.

...all of which is why we remain rather skeptical. How aware are SE of the problems, and what do they intend to do from here on out? With this in mind, 4Gamer rounded up the big questions and tossed 'em in SE's direction on October 22nd. It is by no means a comprehensive list, and many questions remain unanswerable. However, we've done our best to select some of the more high-priority items.

(some questions may not apply to non-Japanese players (such as billing), so I'll exclude those)
Before the start of official service (Collectors' Edition), the provided list of servers was kind of taken as a list of unofficial Japanese servers. This seemed to result in everyone flocking to those, which resulted in overcrowding.
A: Our servers aren't designed to handle tens of thousands of characters but are more in line with actual expectations. Even if we originally designated servers with numbers, it would have been pointless. The best possible option would be for random server selection (a la FFXI originally), but that is less than convenient for players.
Currently we've noticed that the issue lies not with overcrowding on specific servers. It is overcrowding of specific in-game areas that is causing congestion. If players were more evenly distributed among different areas, the servers could handle capacities many times greater. We are beefing up and fine-tuning the servers which regulate this, and this has been resulting in less lag overall.

Aren't fixes for problems that persisted through closed and open Beta tests a little too late to the game?
This is mostly due to prioritization. We had a strict timeline to work with, so unfortunately we focused on certain bugs while being unable to address others. Beyond that, some problems we have only become aware of since early release. Thankfully, our players have given us plenty of feedback to work with regarding these.

I'm sure the bulk of the problems are slated to be fixed in the upcoming updates, but are there any plans to instate a public test server (a la EverQuest or World of Warcraft)?
A: We already have a few private ones which the development and Q&A teams work with for debugging, but none are public. There is definitely much to gain from player insight via test servers, but it has little to do with the debugging process. It would also require two versions of the game to be installed which would be troubling for most players and nigh impossible for those on PS3.
Another thing to consider is the impact it could have on the economy. RMT (I imagine everyone is familiar with the term) would know which new items would be most profitable to farm and could in turn control the market on those. Trying to keep such information under wraps would severely slow down the development process. It's a delicate balance that would be difficult to achieve. That being said, we are testing our options via focus groups and the like.

Most MMOs these days conform to a WoW-style UI, but FFXIV seems to have taken the road less travelled. That's a rather bold step to take with a worldwide release. Why did you decide on that?
A: It has been said before, but it is really to allow for comparable playability via either mouse/keyboard or controller. It was originally intended to allow for either setup to work independently of the other, but that is not how things panned out. There is a fundamental flaw with the system itself, one which the developers haven't been able to get to just yet. Unlike FFXI, which initially released on a console, FFXIV's distinctly un-PC (no pun intended) control scheme really stood out. It lacks in comparison to other PC MMOs, which is where we have received a lot of criticism from overseas players.
It comes down to menus. With a controller, it's generally accepted that menu navigation is the standard. Click a few times and you'll get where you're going. With a mouse, however, the same process could take just one click. We are aware that this discrepancy is the big problem. On top of that, targetting and menu navigation only add to the frustration. In order to alleviate this issue as quickly as possible, we are working on a separate UI to support the use of a mouse and keyboard.

Whether because of the UI or the animations involved, things just take too much time to do. Selling items, changing gear, attacking, synthing, gathering, etc. all result in valuable time lost, whose end product is only more frustration.
A: UI lag causes a lot of problems, part of which is due to the UI design itself. A fix is slated for the next version update and should vastly improve functionality. Server lag is also a cause. During slow times players may find the UI reacting much more quickly than usually, while primetime in concentrated areas can grind things to a halt. The aforementioned strengthening of servers responsible for such congestion in overpopulated areas will be implemented in the next version update. Lastly, every action performed must be communicated with the server, from which the player awaits a response. Design flaws cause greater delay in regards to this. Certainly some things depend on individual client settings, but adjusting those won't solve everything.

When choosing a companion for the main scenario, you aren't given the option to confirm or rethink your choice. If you accidentally choose "Yes" while skimming through the dialogue, you might end up with a less than desirable outcome. Are there any plans to allow for reselction of path companions?
A: The issue is the lack of a final confirmation of your selection, which is something we'll be adding. We're currently looking into what can be done for those of you who have mistakenly chosen an unwanted companion.
Though a bit wordy, writers no doubt wanted players to read dialogue during exchanges, such as when hiring a retainer or choosing your path companion.

Will you be adding an /assist target command?
A: That is something that should appear in the next few months. The next update will definitely see the implementation of easier battle targetting. You'll see things from FFXI, such as moving to the next target if the current one becomes unconscious or automatically selecting the opponent if attacked when no target is selected. There will also be some /targetnpc functionality as well (via hotkey?).

I want some way to confirm beforehand what I'm throwing away when my inventory is full. Also, do you plan to provide some kind of notification via the UI when i reach that dreaded 80/80?
A: The real issue is how easy it is to reach capacity in the first place. It is also hard to keep track of when that happens, so we plan to add something to help with that. We will increase inventory size, but that still does not address the problem that the variety of drops is needlessy large. We are considering color-coding items based on region, making searching for particular items a little bit easier. Another issue is with high quality versions such as +1-3. Combined with the regular version, that's a potential four slots taken up by one item. We are considering phasing out +1 and +2 via drop rates, leaving only the standard and +3 versions.

An auto-sort feature is planned, but will there be anyway to sort things as I see fit?
A: We would like to include options such as displaying items on top, gear underneath, and vice versa. Manual sorting features should be implemented in the November or December updates.

Under special circumstances in party situations, players don't gain Skill Points. Is the development team aware of the issue?
A: The SP bug is being worked on. Beyond that, parties will not get SP for killing monsters that are not claimed by them. We are currently working out the kinks in the claiming mechanics as well as tinkering with the system itself.

Everyone loves it when the monster their fighting continuously runs away and regains a large chunk of it's health (I personally love it to death!). Is this intentional?
A: This has to do with the pathing of said monsters; they aren't designed to follow players outside of their "comfort zone." We will continue to work on these pathing issues, particularly deciding how or when a monster has left its particular "zone."

I have to rely on third-party sites for recipe lists, since recipes themselves are so complex. Would it be possible to select an item which I've learned via completing a Local Leve, which would then automatically pick the ingredients from my inventory? Also, isn't the process of starting each synthesis a bit too circuitous?
A: We have our sights set on such a feature. The mid-December update will incorporate things such as a synthesis history and recipe memo, which will list your eight most recent synthesis items. Choosing something from the list will select the ingredients automatically. We also intend to streamline the steps needed to start synthesizing. For the next update, we're looking into allowing players to browse their entire (entire??) synthesis history.
Main Menu > Synthesis > Requested Items or select your ingredients one by one. Then choose Main Hand or Off Hand followed by which item you want to make. Then confirm the item along with the necessary skills and crystals. A bit much, eh?

It's hard to tell which items are used or worn out. Will there be a way for us to tell, whether via color-codes or tool-tips, which items are in what condition?
A: We are hard at work on that right now so that such items will be distinguishable at a glance.

Can you make a special inventory tab for gear? My retainer is overloaded with various equipment and ingredients from me leveling so many different classes.
A: Inventory space will mostly be addressed as mentioned before, via reduction of needless drops and the increase of inventory capacity. Also, like shards and crystals, other items' stack sizes will probably be adjusted.

It gets crowded around Retainer Bells, and lag makes exchanging items gruelling. Why not let us summon our retainers from anywhere within a city?
A: We are currently working to resolve lag in cities. Also, UI lag has a variety of causes, which we are gradually fixing. Item exchange, however, is both a client-side and server issue. We think splitting the server load between two servers would definitely help. The Adventurers' Guilds are of course the busiest areas. If, for example, we were to move those areas to a separate server, those inside would not experience lag caused by the mass of people outside (and vice versa).

When looking through bazaars, sometimes I can only find people seeking repairs. Why not have some sort of marking system next to players' names to denote whether they're selling or wanting gear repaired?
A: We are working to have this ready for the December update.

I get the feeling players don't really know what to do with themselves right now. From my experience, it seems like ranks 1-20 are just a tutorial.
A: Indeed it is intended to be a tutorial of sorts. However, the trek to 20 takes longer than we would have liked, so people aren't getting to the class quests as quickly as desired. Therefore, we'll be speeding up the trip to rank 20. Also, we will be adding more content for various levels in order to flesh things out. We also want to tweak guildleves and faction leves and have a few things planned for that, keeping crafters and gatherers in mind, as well.
A big problem is the market, which hasn't fully matured. Not only that, but crafters rely mostly on melee/magic classes to buy gear from them. Slow leveling for combatants means that a lot of that high rank gear is not in high demand, and gear that requires drops from high rank monsters is in drastically short supply. A market/retainer search function is vital not just to the game economy but to the game itself.
I meant to go straight for rank 20, but it became rather tedious. I ended up trying out other jobs instead, but then my gear repairs were catching up with me. Since so much work is involved with getting my gear repaired, I'd rather do it myself. Oh, but to do that I need such-and-such class...and thus I still haven't reached my initial goal.

I have trouble telling who is participating in a Behest. This makes it hard to tell who has claimed what.
A: The problem is not knowing when players have joined. The first step is to address this in some identifiable way. Also, we intended for behests to award SP comparable to guildleves, but it seems larger parties are not as suitable. Because of this, we are considering adjusting SP returns. As for the claiming issue, we are working to resolve it as quickly as possible.

I want to try something on to see how it looks before I buy it from a bazaar.
A: You will be able to have your retainer wear the things you are entrusting to them, allowing for players to get a quick glance at what they're buying.

A Local Leve requires me to make a rather dangerous journey for my rank/level (ie. Crimson Bark near Gridania). Since I have completed the requested items, the leve is just taking up space in my Journal. I wish I could just cancel it.
A: We should have this addressed by the end of the year.

God Send abilities (skills used during synthesis) can be set via /equipaction macros, but there are currently no macro commands to unequip them.
A: This, too, should be fixed by year's end.

What else do you have planned?
A: We've received a lot of complaints about being unable to repair undergarments. Therefore, we want to make it so undergarments will not be affected by durability. We also plan to adjust things such as enmity, melee/magic accuracy, and rules regarding Skill Point gain. We have much planned beyond this, so please take a look at our list on the Lodestone.

A comment to our readers, if you would be so kind.
A: (Director Komoto) I want to let everyone out there know that we are listening. We highly value your opinions and wishes and are constantly in touch with management about how to best address them. We are working on getting fixes for those big problems out as quickly as possible.
The development team is hard at work addressing as much as possible in the late-November version update, in particular the areas that need fine-tuning. Before the end of the year, we will see the introduction of Notorious Monsters as well as addition of new market features. I hope these will give players some clear goals to aim for. We also have some things we're working on behind-the-scenes as well much more I haven't mentioned. I'll let you all know more as soon as I can.
The mountain capital of Ishgard. It is currently inaccessible, but I can't help but wonder what awaits me there.