Feb 19, 02:00


PCGamesN Friday, February 18, 2022 7:04 PM
     WoW devs are building a

World of Warcraft is getting class sets once again in the impending 9.2 update, offering armour designs that are personalised to the class you're playing. This is the first time such a feature has been in the game since Legion, and the devs at Blizzard are trying to build a "hybrid approach" between the old class identity-focused gear sets and the more recent designs that have reflected where you get the armour.

"We've heard for a while players really miss that class fantasy and the fantasy of the class set and how that aesthetic speaks to whatever class you may be playing," lead game designer Morgan Day tells us in a group interview session. "I always loved one of the original mage sets with what I called the little water globes on their shoulders, like they're making people water or something."

Day says the team felt like "we felt like we had explored the soulbind space and the Chains of Domination update, as well as other updates", so they "wanted to think about what other cool pieces of power progression could we let players explore and chase after". With how often players have asked about class sets, it was a natural direction to go.

RELATED LINKS: WoW Shadowlands review, The best WoW addons, WoW Classic leveling guide

Twinfinite Saturday, February 19, 2022 2:00 AM
    

Square Enix provided more info about the upcoming Ishgard housing for Final Fantasy XIV, an update on Hrothgar females, and more details.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Gets Ishgard Housing Sale Details & Update on Female Hrotgar; Free Trials Resuming Next Week appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Saturday, February 19, 2022 1:41 AM
    

Earlier this month, we saw a teaser trailer introducing us to a new series of short videos about Pokemon and food. This week, we finally got to see the first two episodes of the series "Sweet Winter with Pokemon," which depicts the life of a man who cooks Pokemon-themed food alongside his Pokemon partners. Pokemon […]

The post This New Series of Short Videos About Pokemon and Food Is Ridiculously Adorable appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Saturday, February 19, 2022 12:03 AM
    

Bushiroad released new gameplay of its upcoming game dedicated to the popular manga and anime series Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid.

The post Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Game for PS4 & Nintendo Switch Reveals New Shoot 'em Up Gameplay appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Friday, February 18, 2022 11:16 PM
    

Today Square Enix hosted the 68th Final Fantasy XIV Letter From the Producer Live broadcast, focusing on the future of the game.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Getting First Graphics Upgrade With Next Expansion; Will Become More Solo-Friendly appeared first on Twinfinite.


Twinfinite Friday, February 18, 2022 8:57 PM
    

During the preliminary livestream before the Final Fantasy XIV Letter from the Producer Live, Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida talked about NFT.

The post Final Fantasy XIV Won't Include NFT, Producer Naoki Yoshida Promises appeared first on Twinfinite.


Siliconera Friday, February 18, 2022 10:55 PM
    

FFXIV 'First' Graphics Update Will Arrive in 7.0

FFXIV will be getting its first graphics update by the time its next expansion rolls around. Producer Naoki Yoshida teased the improvements during the "Next 10 Years of Final Fantasy XIV" segment of the February 18, 2022 Letter from the Producer Live broadcast.

Though the game received various improvements and updates to its visuals over the years, the team is calling this FFXIV's "first graphics upgrade" as a way of setting expectations. Calling it the "first" implies that a "second" and more will follow, allowing the team to implement changes in stages with testing. This development will be ongoing until the 7.0 expansion releases. Yoshida also made clear that while these upgrades would likely cause the game's minimum required specs to change on PC. However, they will not drop support for the PS4 version, at least through the 7.0 expansion. In fact, optimizations for the PS4 version are in the works to allow players more control over their graphics settings. Similarly, the game will continue to support as broad a range of hardware specifications as possible for PCs.

The first FFXIV graphics update will target the appearance of characters. This upgrade will include higher resolution textures, improved shaders, and adjustments to lighting to improve the looks of characters and gear in-game. Yoshida showed off some results from their first month of testing higher-resolution textures and shaders, as well as experiments with improving lighting on characters. The results included looks at some of the in-game player races. He commented that Lalafell characters were the most challenging to improve, because their faces have few places where making things "more realistic" would be a clear benefit. Aesthetically, the team isn't aiming for the photorealism or extreme detail expressed in many standalone releases (Yoshida mentioned Horizon: Forbidden West's graphics as an example of something that would be unfeasible for FFXIV).

Check out the gallery below for captures from the presentation.

[gallery ids="917297,917298,917299,917300,917301" link="file"]

Yoshida also indicated that the FFXIV graphics update will also affect certain NPCs, who may be "rebuilt" to bring them in line with the changes to things like lighting or animation. He mentioned one character, Teledji Adeledji, who may receive updates due to his prominence in certain story-important cutscenes.

Some improvements will also extend to map visuals, with additional light sources for certain areas to make places look more interesting or atmospheric after the Final Fantasy XIV graphics upgrade. Other improvements include better shaders for metallic textures, better shadows, and an increase in the memory limits for areas to allow more objects to be placed in the same space. Even things like the automatically generated grass will receive retouches. Yoshida showed off before-and-after test results for in-game areas from Shadowbringers and Endwalker. Yoshida was quick to stress that these were just test results. Some changes were deliberately exaggerated as a way of showing how things could change, and not reflective of what the "live" alterations might look like.

[gallery link="file" ids="917308,917309,917314,917313,917312"]

The team plans to share more updates at future events.

Final Fantasy XIV is immediately available on the PC, PS4, and PS5. There will be updates to Cape Westwind and the Trust system.

The post FFXIV 'First' Graphics Update Will Arrive in 7.0 appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Friday, February 18, 2022 10:25 PM
    

FFXIV Cape Westwind Going from a Trial to a Solo Duty

During the February 2022 FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live LXVIII, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida announced that Cape Westwind will go from an eight-player Trial to a solo story instance. It will be one of a number of changes to some early Trials.

Here is what Yoshida had to say about the FFXIV Cape Westwind fight. As a reminder, this is one of the first eight-person Trials people face in the MMORPG. In it, people face the XIVth Imperial Legion officer Rihtahtyn sas Arvina.

Considering Rhitahtyn is, like, the shield of the Garlean Empire… He's technically not a captain? But he's like a very prominent figure. I think it would be very humiliating for eight people to come in and just beat him up. So we actually allocated the resources to rebuild that battle so that it's going to be a quest instanced battle that you go in.

Yoshida also discussed some additional changes. The Castrum Meridianum and Praetorium will go from an eight-player to four-player instanced dungeons. This means Ultima Weapon will be a four-person battle. Lahabrea will become an instanced story quest element, just like Cape Westwind.

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, and PC. In addition to the dungeon and trial updates, there will be Trust System updates starting with patch 6.1.

The post FFXIV Cape Westwind Going from a Trial to a Solo Battle appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Friday, February 18, 2022 10:20 PM
    

FFXIV Trust System Update

Square Enix is planning to update the FFXIV Trust system in patches after 6.1. The update will add Trust compatibility to all main scenario dungeons and four-player trials. Furthermore, other low-level dungeons and trails will also get improvements at a later date. 8-player dungeons, however, will not get updated until after 7.0.

The update is part of Square Enix's ongoing mission to make FFXIV more appealing to solo players. The Trust system allows players to take on dungeons and trials using NPCs rather than other players, removing the need to queue up. Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida announced the news during the recent FFXIV Letter from the Producer Livestream.

The improvements will begin with patch 6.1, which will make A Realm Reborn scenario duties trust compatible. Various improvements will be made throughout the patches between 6.1 and 6.5. Standard duty queues will be unaffected. Yoshida stated that while the team would also like to add Trust compatibility to 8-person dungeons, they are unable to do so within the those patches due to scheduling and budget reasons.

In addition, Yoshida commented that players may wish to bring certain NPCs into some key scenario battles. One example given was the Nidhogg battle, in which players might want for Estinien as a Trust NPC. Yoshida stated that the team will modify some key scenarios and cutscenes in order to justify these NPCs joining the fight. However, these changes won't be applied to every dungeon.

Final Fantasy XIV is immediately available to play on the PC, PS4, and PS5. The FFXIV Trust system update will begin with patch 6.1, with further improvements releasing in 7.0 and beyond.

The post FFXIV Trust System Update Coming After Patch 6.1 appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Friday, February 18, 2022 9:50 PM
    

Yoshida Confirms 'I Want to Continue Working on FFXIV'

During the FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live LXVIII, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida confirmed he has no plans to leave the game. He affirmed his commitment to working on the MMORPG. He also jokingly discussed the only possible situations that would result in him potentially leaving the development team.

Here is Yoshida's exact statement regarding his plans to continue working on FFXIV.

Me personally, unless the CEO [Yosuke Matsuda] says, "Yoshida, you need to leave…" And even then, I think I'm going to fight him. Or if like the development team, the operations team, want to kick me out. Or if I, God forbid, die. Those are the only extreme cases I would even consider leaving the XIV project. I want to continue working on Final Fantasy XIV. So your continued support will definitely be appreciated.

Ahead of the presentation, Yoshida discussed other thoughts on the game. For example, he mentioned that there are no plans to bring NFT elements into FFXIV. However, he did express interest in them as a business concept.

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, and PC. Letter from the Producer Live LXIX will arrive on March 4, 2022 and discuss the 6.1 update.

The post Yoshida Confirms 'I Want to Continue Working on FFXIV' appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Friday, February 18, 2022 9:25 PM
    

FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live LXVIV Will Discuss 6.1

At the beginning of the FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live LXVIII, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida said to expect LXIX to discuss the 6.1 update. He noted the purpose of the February 18, 2022 presentation will cover different topics, the general future, and offer a Q&A. He also noted that the next Letter from the Producer Live will be held on March 4, 2022.

Yoshida didn't mention what people can expect from FFXIV update 6.1. He only said details would come during the next presentation. He also didn't offer an exact time for that stream. However, the Letter from the Producer Live segments tend to begin at 6pm PT/9pm ET or 7pm PT/10pm ET. For example, LXVIII began at 6pm PT/9pm ET, while LXVII and LXVI both started at 7pm PT/10pm ET.

As for the LXVIII presentation, Yoshida suggested it would be more relaxed. His schedule for the event ended up being divided into three parts. First was "Our Journey Thus Far: FFXIV from 2010 through 2021." After that, possible things to come would appear during "Newfound Features: The Next 10 Years of FFXIV." Finally, he confirmed things would close with a "Patch 6.0: Endwalker Q&A."

Final Fantasy XIV is available for the PS4, PS5, and PC. FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live LXIX will be held on March 4, 2022 and discuss the 6.1 update.

The post FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live LXIX Will Discuss 6.1 appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Friday, February 18, 2022 8:58 PM
    

FFXIV's Naoki Yoshida Says No

Ahead of the FFXIV Letter from the Producer Live Part LXVIII, Director and Producer Naoki Yoshida commented on the possibility of some NFT element in the game. During the test stream, he shot down the idea of it being included at this time. He reiterated that they would not be incorporated. However, he did mention he would be willing to talk about the concept of NFTs separately and could see them as an opportunity.

Here is the full statement Yoshida offered on the possibility of NFT elements and FFXIV.

We did notice a lot of reactions, especially from the Western users about the NFTs. Many comments about how you are opposed to NFTs. I do understand that our CEO [Yosuke] Matsuda had commented on the concept of NFT in his New Year's greetings, in his messaging. There may be a bit of sensitivity, a little bit of nervousness, around the topic.

I did mention it earlier, but based on how FFXIV is designed, we don't intend on incorporating any NFT element in the game at this point. So if anybody is worried or concerned about it, I can clearly state at this time that we do not have any intentions to incorporate that into the game.

After he confirmed there would be no NFT element in FFXIV, Yoshida expressed his interest in general. He suggested perhaps an interview discussing the concept.

Final Fantasy XIV is available on the PS4, PS5, and PC.

The post FFXIV's Naoki Yoshida Says No NFT Element Planned appeared first on Siliconera.


Pivotal Gamers Friday, February 18, 2022 11:05 PM
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