Square's New MMO

[hazina]

I'm pretty hyped about this even though there is next to no information released about it. Here's some juicy bits from gamespot though.

"Japanese news site Impress reports that Final Fantasy XI development team leaders let slip some tidbits on their next-gen plans. While talking up Treasures of Aht Urhgan--the game's latest expansion--FFXI producer Hiromichi Tanaka commented that his team is now working on a new massively multiplayer online role-playing game for Windows Vista and the PlayStation 3.

Tanaka didn't provide any details on his as-yet untitled game for Vista and the PS3, perhaps holding something back for a formal announcement at E3 in May. However, he did make some interesting comments about developing for the Xbox 360 versus the PlayStation 3."

I now want a 360

Also see this thread at Vana Dreams for possible pictures of what this new FF mmo might look like.
www.ffxionline.com/forums/news-square-enix/53059-new-se-mmorpg-works-2.html

[lizhellsing]

all i can say Vista sucks takes way to much from your comp if u ask me. just for that i ain't ever going to get Vista.

[hazina]

Yeah I'm really iffy on the whole Vista thing too, I hope that they make it XP compatible as well. When FFXI came out they recommended XP only but the game could still be played on 98, 98SE, Me, and 2000. If not I will probably buy an Xbox or whatever console I can play this new MMO on.

[taru]

vista? o.o

[hazina]

taru said:

vista? o.o

Windows Vista ^.^, supposed to be better, they just came up with Windows Media too

Bleh I like my XP just fine for now, and I just bought this machine in june for crying out loud

[Chadness]

People were saying the exact same thing about Windows XP before it came out, now its probably one of the best, most widely used OSs in the world. Vista will most likely improve upon that.

And, let's hope S-E improves upon some of the stuff they've done horribly wrong (IMO) in FFXI...and modernize their MMOs with this new one.

[hazina]

What do you think FFXI did wrong Chad? I feel there's a few things to be improved on too so I'm curious ^.~

[taru]

Gah freaking OS now I need a crap load of money again >< >< >< >< ><

[Chadness]

hazina said:

What do you think FFXI did wrong Chad? I feel there's a few things to be improved on too so I'm curious ^.~

Taru will have a coniption if I go into it here, so I won't.

[taru]

Go read all the other threads where chad clearly explained his opinions.

[Rovec]

I hate to burst anyone's bubble but the pictures from the 2nd link (the detailed ones farther down) aren't from any new MMO. That was from a tech demo done by SE to demenstrate what a next generation MMO would look like. As for the less detailed pictures at the top of that thread (one that has an airship and a castle). I can't be sure, but I think that's from Fantasy Earth. Another MMO by SE, but one that prolly won't make it state side.

And...dunno about the first link ; ; Didn't work for me /cry

[lizhellsing]

i saw a techincal demo for ff7 for playstation 3 do you think theyll actually remake the game? that wuld be a reason to buy playstation 3 for me=p

[Chadness]

As much as I'm sure we'd all like it, its highly unlikely they'll remake FF games for the PS3 when they already have several FF projects for that system underway. More likely situation would be remakes for the PSP, which are rumored to be in production but nothing official has come out of S-E yet.

[Jemini Jem]

chadness said:

People were saying the exact same thing about Windows XP before it came out, now its probably one of the best, most widely used OSs in the world. Vista will most likely improve upon that.

And, let's hope S-E improves upon some of the stuff they've done horribly wrong (IMO) in FFXI...and modernize their MMOs with this new one.

I have a tech buddy who got to do some serious beta testing of Vista, and Kenji got to play with it at his old job. yeah see the only difference with XP and vista is everything. Here is the simplified low down:

1) 3rd party control for system repairs.
2) system hog, most people will need a new computer just to run the OS comfortably let alone do anything. Just moving the mouse can be an ordeal.
3) Almost nothing is compatable. You'll need to rebuy your software or download a LARGE amount of patches. which may or may not work anyway. (Note: Windows wants it this way, because the OS is a completely different system, so little support in this matter will come from them....but we all know how window's support goes anyway)

Huge companies aren't going to be thirlled that they have to buy new machines (new servers and such too for compatability folks). Though they might find it nice that they can cut half the IT department. And at a new system release, it's usually schools and companies that get it first.....except for die hard techies.

Basicly in short is this, the technical definition of vista is spyware.
They are going to way of apple, before they started opening up their system.

It's sad to see the PC closing it's doors to being completely user friendly and the MAC is going to be the new easy self repair system.

Oh and Microsoft has even devised a way to force everyone into their new system promptly too, called the Windows Genuine Advantage Tool.

You think, that's just a perk for legal users, not anymore. There are dozens of cases and counting of people who purchased a boxed machine and now everytime they boot they are told they dont' have a legal copy and all that ensuses from that, they call tech support and they tell them their is nothing they can do, but to call Microsoft. Users call microsoft and they say, "I'm sorry sir, but you need a legal copy, you can purchase a legal key from us for $90.00" and that's just for the Home edition. These people own a legal key though because they bought it preinstalled on the machine, and they didn't mess with it. >.<

Bill Gates knew this is a bad idea, why else would he get all out? He had nothing to lose from a new big OS release, unless it was going to bomb the company.

No I'm not buying vista, I'm currently in the market looking around and deciding on a new OS for what to use after I'm done with XP (which I never really liked in the 1st place, I only use it to simplify the network). And the winner will be whatever is compatable or can be easy made compatable with windows software.

and No windows systems aren't they best, they just are the most popular and it's easy when they sign huge very restricting contracts with Dell, Gateway, and so forth. In a unbiased compairson I'd hate to say it but MAC OS X (compaired to XP) would probably win. better support, less problems, and depending on the user, more user friendly.

Yeah Vista is going to be another ME, everyone was like w00t w00t at first, but realized they caused more problems then they solved and very quickly after there will be a revamped system with a new name.

[Chadness]

Honestly, if I had the money to spend and convert over, I'd buy Macs...but I don't, so.... >_>

[hazina]

admin said:

I hate to burst anyone's bubble but the pictures from the 2nd link (the detailed ones farther down) aren't from any new MMO. That was from a tech demo done by SE to demenstrate what a next generation MMO would look like. As for the less detailed pictures at the top of that thread (one that has an airship and a castle). I can't be sure, but I think that's from Fantasy Earth. Another MMO by SE, but one that prolly won't make it state side.

And...dunno about the first link ; ; Didn't work for me /cry

^^ You're not bursting anyone's bubble, I said the pictures MAY be what it looks like. And it may just have been used, but as any designer will tell you, you don't have something that detailed simply for show, those pictures are taken from a footage of yes what an mmo would look like, any mmo, but you don't throw away such work without having some project going for it. Wether it is the next SE mmo no one knows, but it's fun to speculate especially with all the obvious similarities. For example there's Aion:The Tower of Eternity, that was to be an expansion pack for Lineage 2, a project that started in 1998-2000ish. A lot of the orignal concept was dropped and the expansion became something else and was renamed. But a team developed it further and now it's been released in Korea and will be in the rest of the world soon as it's own game. (Free flight zomg!)

The first two pics on that post have been said by the author that they are the original demo pics for FF11 from 1998 I think.

But it still stands SE is working on a new mmo as announced at E3 by the team that made FF11, not sure if it's another FF or not, none the same I hope it's cool ^^ Also I've read new rumors that this new mmo will NOT be on the xbox 360 but the PS3.... But waiting for official info on that, it might take a while..

[Chadness]

The first three pictures in that post linked to above look like they're from FFXII. The interior shots look like the Aerodome in both Rambnastre and the place you first travel to on Balthier's airship (I can't remember its name). The clothing of the "NPC" there also looks very similar to clothing designs in FFXII.

The picture of Sephiroth, as everyone should know by now, is from Advent Children.

[hazina]

It is possible that they copy and pasted FF12 development footage and left it at high poly counts, the footage was also for the xbox 360 which is odd, because afterwards there was a media leak reporting that SE is in fact working on a new MMO that will be playable on 360, PS3 and Vista and that new MMO would be FF11-2. SE denied that it had made any statement resembling what had been reported on Nikkei, but that they were working on a completely new MMO for next gen consoles.

And then a little later when talking about Ath Urghan they then let slip their new MMO is being worked on by the FF11 team... O.o Which is probably where Nikkei got confused in the first place. Now another thing is that when FF12 was being hyped another gaming site let slip that SE had plans for next gen consoles, and what SE have to say about that? They denied it ^.^

The thing is there won't be any news until 2007 when Ath Urghan has had the chance to be played with enough, they won't hurt their expansion sales by announcing anything detailed about a new MMO, and I don't think they were planning on announced it so soon either..

I fixed the gamespot link on my first post as well, apologies!

[Chadness]

Putting the FFXI team on a "new game" is a bad move, that pretty much tells you their interest in their MMO is dwindling in favor of the new game they're developing. However...FFXI is six years old (in Japan), so it's nearing the later stages of its lifecycle. But, then again, games like Everquest (the original) are still going, so who knows.

It just strikes me as odd that they'd openly say they're using their FFXI development team to work on this new game, as that automatically requires them to take time away from FFXI development and support.

[hazina]

I don't think that support for FFXI is going to dwindle right away, this new game will probably come out by 2008 or so at which time many players will have moved on or will be ready to. There are a lot of players already quitting, or quitting and coming back ^^, so obviously SE knows there's a demand for something new that still has SE elements.

SE has recently been hiring new GM's so I don't think they are going to completely abandon FFXI. Like you said it's like EQ, people still play EQ and others play EQII as well.

EDIT: After some more digging I found an old 2003 online RPG that SE was working on called Ambrosia Odyssey, it was supposed to be released in 2004-05 on the PS2 but then information about it just died.. It was a FF meets Phantasy Star game that looked pretty cool, but it looks like it got cancelled or perhaps is being now made for the PS3? Dun dun dun..

Admitedly those screenshots are pretty crappy >.>