I’ve been attending the Final Fantasy XI Fan Festival since it’s first trip to the States in 2006. The Festival is the place to get a first look at new content, attend a Q&A with developers, and team up with other players from around the world to experience new jobs and areas. This year’s event took place at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood, CA to celebrate FFXI’s three new patches; A Shantotto Ascension, A Moogle Kupo d’Etat, and A Crystalline Prophecy.
The most talked about new challenges for players included a create your own dungeon option entitled Moblin Maze Mongers and a group competition called The Swarm.
Moblin Maze Mongers
Moblin Maze Mongers will allow players who meet the necessary requirements to create their own dungeons for exploration and battle. Players can customize the dungeons structural stability, soundtrack (from an in-game list), the maze’s objective, and the type and difficulty of the mob. The level of mob is determined by the player’s level who created it. The example we saw involved a dungeon similar to The Maze of Shakrami where a party defeated a fire elemental. Once the elemental was defeated a treasure chest spawned that rewarded all party members with experience points. Once Mongers goes live a Square-Enix representative told us the chest would hold RARE items. No words on whether these items would be EX.
The Swarm
A new group activity entitled “The Swarm” requires a party to kill as many mobs as possible within a five minute window. Points are rewarded per round, the type of mob killed rewarding different amounts of points. Larger critters offer more points but are more difficult to kill while smaller mobs are quicker to kill but don’t offer hefty rewards. However, attacks may be chained to gain a multiplier bonus. The mobs are fairly easy, don’t link, and also don’t aggro. This activity is all about speed, go go -aga spells. Our team of six gathered around 17,000 points. No word on rewards or prizes for participating in The Swarm.
Development Panel
The developers discussed new additions to the world of Vana’diel and ended the presentation with previously selected questions from players. Announcements that garnered the most response was the reveal of artifact II armor for Scholar and Dancer and a much awaited tuxedo outfit for males. For those players who were married in-game before the patch, a limited-time NPC will offer the tuxedo to them for 50k gil. A plan is in place for a synthesis recipe.
Q. Where are the new avatars we were promised?
A. Still a few patches away, expect two new large summons in the near future. This time next year expect to get a first-hand look at new summons.
Q. Are there any plans to adjust inventory space?
A. Being considered, technical issues. Something that will need to be discussed on a programming level.
Q. At last year’s Fan Fest it was mentioned that red mage would be converted into a front-line job. Is this still going to happen?
A. A lot of job adjustments are being considered for red mage as well as white mage for a March patch.
Q. Why aren’t all ??? (Question mark spawns) 3-minute spawn times? Fifteen minutes is lame.
A. Fifteen minutes is lame, consideration will be given to lower the re-spawn time of more frequently used ???s
Q. Any ideas for a keyring that holds multiple keys but only takes up 1 inventory slot?
A. Great idea, perhaps these keys could be converted to key items to allow for more inventory space.
Q. Will there be a unique item reward given for completing the WoTG storyline?
A. The WotG conclusion is still a ways off, high-end rewards are being considered and the implementation of high-end graphics.
Festivities concluded with prizes awarded for best costume and artwork, and a performance by Star Onions member Kumi Tanioka. Compared to previous events 2008 was scaled down but still offered fans enough content and activities to keep us entertained and excited to see the patches go live. I appreciate Square’s efforts in putting together events like the Fan Festival. It may not have the player base that it used to but the game still looks great and has a great feeling of community and commitment among it’s players.
December 7th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Oh awesome! I love Final Fantasy.
December 8th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I love that chocobo family! How adorable is that?
December 12th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Wow. I missed going to this event. Darn. And I really would have loved to have gone.