[Eorzea]

Famitsu.com recently released another article with further Final Fantasy XIV alpha test impressions. We have translated it (and fleshed it out a bit as necessary ) for you below:


USER INTERFACE

The article starts by reemphasizing the flexibility of the user interface (i.e. chat log, HP/MP bar) and how it can be moved and positioned as you see fit. If something is blocking your view, simply move it (as demonstrated in the two images below)!







MAIN MENU

The article goes on to provide further details about the eight options found in the main menu:

• Status & Gear
  
• Actions
  
• Attribute Points
  
• Item List
  
• Journal
  
• Party
  
• Map
  
• Teleport
  
• Return
  
• Logout

Sorry, that's more than eight, actually; I guess Party and Logout didn't require in-depth explanations.

Status & Gear: Pretty self-explanatory. Check your status (e.g. physical stats, weapon stats, elemental resistances) and change your equipment. There are currently 12 equipment slots: Primary Arm, Large Pouch, Secondary Arm, Small Pouch, Head, Body, Undershirt, Hands, Waist, Legs, Undergarment, Feet.

Actions: This allows you to place the actions you have learned onto your action menu. Fairly straightforward.

Attribute Points: Also known as "physical bonus," this allows you to spend attribute points on certain aspects of your character: HP, MP, strength, vitality, dexterity, elemental resistances, etc. Stats such as your physical attack/accuracy, evasion, magic potency/accuracy do not seem adjustable via this method.

Item List: View your items! There's a shocker! They seem to be separated/organized into three sections: generic items, crystals and key items.

Journal: A list of your active Guildleves and story-related quests/missions.

Map: Check the full-screen map and view Aetheryte locations.

Teleport: Teleport you (and your party) to any previously-visited Aetheryte.

Return: Return to your most recently-visited Aetheryte.















EMOTES

So far, there is a total of 43 emotes, all of which cause characters to change their pose and facial expression! They can be activated through the GUI (i.e. via a menu) or by typing them after the slash command in the chat log.

Some examples:

wonder / complain / angry / shy / bow / cheer / applaud / console / cry / dance / bored / frustrated / bye / wave / kneel / smile / laugh / deny / panic / point / poke / praise / salute / upset / shrug / joke / stretch / sulk / think / nod













TRADE & BAZAAR

Pretty much as it sounds. Trades allow players to open a trade window with another player, offer the items/equipment/gil they wish to trade and both confirm/accept the trade before it is finalized. Bazaars function almost identically to Final Fantasy XI: set items for sale in your bazaar, set your own price and let players browse your wares at any time. Note that a 5% tax of the price at which you sell an item in your bazaar will be taken when someone makes a purchase; therefore, finding someone who wants your item and trading with them directly may prove to be a smart alternative when possible.

[Momotaru]

Thanks Eorzea!

Did you translate that yourself?


43 emotes!!.. That's quite a bit, and every one counts toward making me happier!
Will there be more, I wonder..


And visual confirmation that the interface can be fully customized. Lovely.

[Eorzea]

Yes, sir, I did! Well, myself and some tools at my disposal, anyway. Pieces of it was filler on my part from other "known" alpha test information/images.

Anyway, some good information in there for those who haven't been following the alpha test leaks closely.

[Eorzea]

I'm really surprised this thread hasn't received more comments. There's a lot of good information/pictures in here!

[pogiman]

Nice to see SE is allowing us to move our bars around. I cant wait to explore the lands in this game that might be one of the funnest parts!

[Kain]

The interface looks great i cant wait to mess around with all of the options and find something that works for my play style

[Momotaru]

Just noticed how the sun had set over the course of the images being taken.

Dancing till dusk.

[FR8TRAIN7070]

I really am excited to play this game hope we get more soon!

[Kurisu]

This must have taken some time to translate! Thanks for your time

Eorzea, on Apr 14, 2010 - 5:52 PM, said:

Status & Gear: Pretty self-explanatory. Check your status (e.g. physical stats, weapon stats, elemental resistances) and change your equipment. There are currently 12 equipment slots: Primary Arm, Large Pouch, Secondary Arm, Small Pouch, Head, Body, Undershirt, Hands, Waist, Legs, Undergarment, Feet.

Wow, that's a lot more stuff than I'm used to in a Final Fantasy game...especially after just playing FFXIII when you only have 1 weapon slot and a couple of accessory slots!

Eorzea, on Apr 14, 2010 - 5:52 PM, said:

EMOTES

So far, there is a total of 43 emotes, all of which cause characters to change their pose and facial expression! They can be activated through the GUI (i.e. via a menu) or by typing them after the slash command in the chat log.

Some examples:

wonder / complain / angry / shy / bow / cheer / applaud / console / cry / dance / bored / frustrated / bye / wave / kneel / smile / laugh / deny / panic / point / poke / praise / salute / upset / shrug / joke / stretch / sulk / think / nod

Nice! I wonder how these Emotes will work when playing on PS3? I'm also wondering how players will be able to change the interface when playing on PS3. Hopefully we will find out about this soon.

I must say this game really is looking stunning.

This post has been edited by Kurisu: Apr 15, 2010 - 2:45 PM

[Momotaru]

Really, on PS3, you'll still want to be using a keyboard. No doubts about it. Your worries end when you decide to use one.

[Kurisu]

Momotaru, on Apr 15, 2010 - 7:42 PM, said:

Really, on PS3, you'll still want to be using a keyboard. No doubts about it. Your worries end when you decide to use one.

In conjunction with the Dual Shock, or with a mouse? I'd prefer not to use a keyboard, but really it seems that will be the only sensible way to play

[armyofbear136]

Kurisu, on Apr 16, 2010 - 12:25 AM, said:

In conjunction with the Dual Shock, or with a mouse? I'd prefer not to use a keyboard, but really it seems that will be the only sensible way to play

Having played XI on every console, (perferring pc most of course), I can see where a controller's aspect comes into play. I thoroughly enjoyed using the controller for long adventures and simple events but when it comes down to crunch time you might just need to use a keyboard to successfully cast. I know it will be different in XIV (it seems like a controller might get more advantages), but there's still no easy way between keyboard and controller. It just can't be executed.

I love setting the keyboard to compact mode and using both hands at once to control my character. right hand has arrows left hand wasd and it allows me more control over the keyboard. For instance if I want my map I can dish out /map way faster if my hands are where they are.

Continuing from before, I've actually been a very good healer with a controller. Having the d-pad available to roll through teammates was critical and really allowed me to be faster overall with macros on the shoulders.

What it really comes down to is what you're doing. For general play, moving around and partying with the controller can be a valuable asset allowing for ease of playability while leaving the keyboard soley for conversation. But at the same time I feel like you can lose alot of flexibility when choosing a controller. When I'm on the keyboard I'm constantly spilling out commands (/check (/c for short) /c /map /c /c /friendlist /c) while being able to keep up in a conversation with someone. I find myself chatting often so it might be invaluable to players who like idle conversation or mid battle cheers, but if you're looking for minimal interaction and are set to a particular facet of your job then a controller is more for you.

To me everything has to be a challenge, so overall the keyboard wins over the controller again, but the controller was not without its own specialties.

[Momotaru]

Kurisu, on Apr 16, 2010 - 12:25 AM, said:

In conjunction with the Dual Shock, or with a mouse? I'd prefer not to use a keyboard, but really it seems that will be the only sensible way to play

In conjunction with the controller!


I always have a keyboard hooked up to my PS3.. It's there so I can quickly reply to messages, on PSN, or input text where necessary.

I sit in a normal sort of cheap office chair (without a desk) and have the keyboard sitting on something next to me, or resting on the floor.. When I need it, I pick it up and put it on my lap. It's the perfect size for just leaving on your lap. As with any other game where text input is necessary (or where you can set macros on the F keys for any purpose [like character codec phrases in Metal Gear Online]), a keyboard is the perfect companion for a game like XI and XIV.

I'm not sure how you think you're going to play this, but with a keyboard, it is still very controller focused. You just need a keyboard for communication.. It's vital. You're kidding yourself if you think the PS3's text entry pop-up is going to properly handle all the communication you'll be making in this game.


You might have missed this (I've posted it a couple times before), but THIS is the keyboard I use, and it's extremely handy! ->



You might not be able to tell, but it's really little.. Shorter than a ruler length wise and width wise, shorter than my hand. This guy seems to not be in production anymore, but it can't be hard to find a similar sized keyboard. (don't bother with the thumb entry gadget that attaches to the controller... more of a bother than not)



As for macros.. You can set a text entered command to an F (F1-F12) key, so it can immediately be activated. This can include any string of text, which might be: a line of dialogue, one of the many emotes, a spell or other battle action... Or a combination of any of these!

So you would put the most used commands into the F keys and also with the keyboard, be able to quickly and efficiently communicate to friends, party members, business partners, etc. There are 43 emotes, and if you want to use any of them properly, you'll type them on a keyboard in a split second rather than clumsily bring up the PS3 text data entry thing and... yeh..


But again, the keyboard doesn't take away from the controller experience. I'll be using a controller too, even if I choose to play on PC.

No worries, but do get yourself a mini keyboard to supplement the experience!

[MiniCloudz]

The interface for FFXIV looks fantastic, thanks for posting this, Eorzea! It retains a feel for FFXI yet appears fresh and exciting. It's great that we will be able to move around chat windows, etc, especially the map!

I'm pleased to see that SE has also broken down the inventory. This will save much trauma on my part, at the very least. I'm sure everyone remembers throwing away a specific key item, dropping the wrong item trying to clear crystals, etc.

As for emotes, 42 is a lot! I just hope we see some /dance emotes around soon.

On another note, I agree with Momo, using a keyboard is almost vital to FFXI/XIV (as assumption goes) game play. I enjoy using both methods of input personally, but my overall time spent playing FFXI was done using a keyboard.

When gaming on FFXI with my laptop, I tended to sit with it on my lap and use keyboard for text input only; using my pad for everything else. Whilst on PC I used my keyboard for everything, it was much comfier and a great deal easier for some reason. They both have their advantages, but for text input alone, you'll definitely need one, Kurisu.

Nice keyboard by the way, Momo. I have something similar to that for my PS3, but definitely not as small! I'd love to get my hands on one of those for XIV.

[Eorzea]

Here are all 43 of the emotes available in the alpha test:

Surprised
Angry
Furious
Blush
Bow
Cheer
Clap
Beckon
Comfort
Cry
Dance
Doubt
Doze
Fume
Goodbye
Farewell
Meh
Joy
Kneel
Chuckle
Laugh
Lookout
Me
No
Deny
Panic
Point
Poke
Congratulate
Psych
Salute
Shocked
Shrug
Rally
Soothe
Stagger
Stretch
Sulk
Think
Upset
Welcome
Yes
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