Yesterday, we reported on FFXIVCore's bonanza of FFXIV information revealed in this month's issue of Famitsu. That post has since been updated with info on several more classes as well as the game's battle theme. FFXIVCore has also posted a translation of a lengthy interview from Japanese magazine Dengeki on FFXIV.
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Image Credit: FFXIVCore
The interview discusses a number of general game mechanics, with one notable highlight being the strong emphasis on distance, range, and direction in battle:
Q: About how many people make up your average party? Do alliances exist?A: The average party will probably be between six and eight people, but there are many flexible ways to adventure where you can go out with more or less people than that, and even play solo. Of course, we also have something like alliances in the works. Battles are planned to be party-versus-party oriented. Battles are not so much focused on dealing direct damage as they are on finding the right position to attack from for the best attacks. First, you’ll have to find the best distance and method of attack, and then the trick will be to keep that positioning. This is important not just for damage and accuracy, but also for certain attack effects (like the pole arms ability to stop an enemy’s movement) and other things in battle. Also, and this is true especially for the magic classes, but there are many skill and spells that have special types of effect areas (like the conjurers’ circle and the thaumaturges’ cone). Not only that, but the position of the focus of the effect, be it yourself or another target, also becomes important. Furthermore, direction is also a factor. Hitting the enemy’s blind spot, calling an enemy’s attention to a certain direction, and other things will all have an effect on the battle. “Distance,” “range,” and “direction” are the most important themes in battle in FFXIV, and intermediate to advanced players will always want to have these things in mind.
Information on the alpha and beta test was also revealed, and many of the classes were the subject of several smaller Q&A's.
Check out the information overload over at FFXIVCore.
