1.19 Brings New Bugs, Lower Stability

Only Square Enix could hype up a patch for more than *six months* and repeatedly delay it for amost *three months* after the previous patch, and then launch it with this many beta-level issues, ranging from increased client instability and freezes to much-hyped quests and abilities not working.

• Mouseover on certain items killing the client.
• Unable to join Grand Companies, who were offering the big "content" addition to this patch with the addition of a questline leading to mounts.
• Market Wards that are broken, freezing up as you try to enter, and then not allowing you to log back in after you're stuck having to force quit.  Still waiting for a hotfix on that.
• New DirectX issues causing crashes on some systems.
• Opening the map causing crashes in Gridania on some systems.
• Patcher freezing partway in, and requiring you to force it closed and reboot.
• Macros broken due to various name changes to items and skills, as well as random changes to macro syntax.
• Hermes shoes not appearing in new character's inventories.
• Tutorial freezing up for approximately seven minutes before continuing.
• Certain abilities, like Fast Cast, simply not working.
• Final Fantasy XIV Config, required to adjust things like controller and graphic settings, no longer working on some systems.

So what do we have?  The prime source of new content inaccessible to some players, some genuine improvements, some new, game-breaking bugs and more instability in an already unstable client (keep in mind, basic things like alt-tabbing in fullscreen and UAC still crash the game).  And with this update, FFXIV finally cracks the double-digit mark for updates since March 3rd - Rift having double the major updates, and *seven times* the overall amount of significant patches.

Amusingly, yet another story broke today, reported on several news sites today quote the Square Enix CEO as reiterating that Final Fantasy XIV's abysmal showing "greatly damaged" the series as a whole.

Really, this is news?  The only people it's news to are the rabid fanbase who insist that "better" means "quality" or "fixed" or "acceptable".

One Year Later: (Very) Basic Features FFXIV Doesn't Yet Have II

With 1.19 dropping soon, but the one year mark almost three weeks behind us, I felt it was time to showcase a few more cases of FFXIV lacking very, very basic features.  One or two of these will finally be changed with 1.19, but most will not - and keep in mind, we're well beyond a year into the game's lifecycle, having released September 21st, 2010.

• Can't abandon guildleves from the Journal menu.  Even more peculiar, the function is there: you can abandon other quests from the same menu, but move down a space to Guildleves, and it disappears.

• Drag and drop functionality.  We still can't drag and drop actions.  Changing an action's location requires going Menu > Actions and Traits, then manually clicking a spot, then clicking each individual action to place it.

• Saved action bars for each job.  And in a similar vein, your action bar for a given job is not saved.  In other words, switching to a new job (one of the most touted features of FFXIV) requires you to manually redo your actions bars every single time.  The only solution is to make a macro, and it requires four or five full, ten line macros just to change.  And that brings us to...

• Instant macro commands.  Made a full macro to change jobs?  It'll still take you close to a full minute as you wait for each individual line to be executed.

Buttkick set to action slot 1. (two second pause)
Facepunch set action slot 2. (two second pause)
Etcetera.

It gets better.  If you're switching to a job with fewer actions, you need another set of macros to wipe the previous set of actions.  For example, your L50 Pugilist might have actions on action bar 3, but your L20 Lancer doesn't need that many, so you make a Lancer macro that only fills the first bar.

The problem is that your Lancer macro can't switch actions in the first line, because you have far less action points.  Since you have two more bars as Pugilist, and the game randomly decides to save actions from those lines, you need another set of equal macros to remove *the entire bar* first, pushing the process well past a minute long, just to change jobs.

And keep in mind you have to do this for everything, even crafting jobs.

• No /assist command, or any way to target someone else's target.  Want to figure out what mob is hitting your healer?  Want to assist someone in trouble with their mob?  No can do, buddy!

• No way to adjust how widgets react.  The number of bars and widgets you can adjust is very small.  You can't adjust anything that not standard (for example, you can't permanently move the "sell" menu that comes up after selecting an item to vendor to somewhere more convenient, it automatically resets), firstoff.

But it gets worse.  Say you like having your party menu in the upper left corner, as is standard for MMOs (WoW, PSU, Rift, so forth).  You can move the box up there, but the problem is, it scrolls *up*, with no way to change it so it scrolls downward.  What that means is, if it's too high up, you can't see the members of your party beyond the first one as it scrolls offscreen, with the only alternative being to move the box to the middle of a 1080p resolution.

Basically, if you only have one or two party members, instead of the upper left, their HP box is in the middle!

• No mouseover tooltips.  They finally added more icons to the minimap, but the problem is, there's no indicator of what's-what, and you can't mouseover to figure it out.

• No adjusting chat tabs without digging through menus.  Most MMOs allow a simply right-click on a chat tab to change how it functions.  Not FFXIV: you must go Menu > Configuration > Chat Tab to change things.  And better yet, you can't add your own customized tabs, you're limited to four pre-defined tabs, and you can't even attach all four to the same bar.

• Disconnecting still causes you to be removed from and fail various quests.  I mean, really?

• No mouseover info, for anything, be it tooltips or map information.  Similarly, no right-click functionality for things like buying and selling.

• Almost zero in-game configuration options.  You can't adjust your controller in game, and graphic settings are almost non-existent outside of the "Final Fantasy XIV Config" program.  Basically, to change even the smallest settings, you need to log out and quit the FFXIV program entirely (you can't even run the two programs simultaneously), boot Config, fix your settings, quit Config, then reboot FFXIV and see if the settings are now as desired.  If not, the process repeats!

• And finally, another big one: no overlapping menus.  Want your inventory open while you search for items and make purchases, so you can compare?  No can do.  Want your action palette up while you do your macros so you can match it up?  No dice there, either.  Want your retainer's bazaar window open (bazaaring being a function for buying and selling with the retainer) while your inventory and their's is open, so you can track, compare, and price items?  Nothing.

Of all these issues, the only one 1.19 will fix is the guildleve abandoning aspect.  Yes, as of 1.19, we'll be able to use a feature that's already existed in-game for months on the other half of the questlog, because that's the kind of change that should take months, to apply existing code to existing quests.

Is this acceptable a year into the lifecycle of a game that was started in 2005 from a team of highly skilled professionals working for one of the most lauded companies of the gaming world?  Absolutely not.  Better games made in a shorter span than a year have had these features, and better yet, Square Enix is working from an *existing base*, none of this is ground up, it's body work on a vehicle that already runs.

Comparing Post-Patch Fix Timetables Between XIV and Rift

The developers have been saying they would pick up the pace of patching post 1.18, and the fanboys have been shoving it down the throat of the internet.  1.18 has released, and what do we have to show for it so far?  Let's compare it to Rift's activity since their most recent major patch, 1.4.


FFXIV, since last major patch, 1.18:
1.18 (July 21st)
Minor Version Update (July 27th)
1.18a (August 8th)

(Verifiable at Square Enix's FFXIV Patch List)


Rift, since last major patch, 1.4:
1.4 (August 3rd)
1.4 Hotfix #1 (August 3rd)
1.4 Hotfix #2 (August 5th)
1.4 Hotfix #3 (August 9th)
1.4 Hotfix #4 (August 10th)

(Verifiable at Trion's Rift Patch List)



Within roughly the time it took Square Enix to release their first minor "Version Update" (a two-line bug fix), Trion delivered not just a major patch but four hotfixes, two that each individually matched the almost three week later XIV follow-up (1.18a) in scope (Hotfix #3 and #4), making the other two just insult to injury.  The first XIV patch after the major 1.18 (claimed to be the start of an avalanche of updates through a much quicker update schedule) was almost a week later; Rift's first post-1.4 patch was later that same day.  It should be noted that XIV does have an (apparently static, unchanging) event coming up, but it should also be noted that during most of this time, Rift had a worldwide event with multiple phases with changing quests occurring during this same time period, the second such they've done (XIV has yet to do any progressive events).

Essentially, it took Square Enix literally three times as long to deliver what smaller, inexperienced, financially lacking Trion did.  It should also be noted the previous major FFXIV update, 1.17, released April 14th, more than three months prior.  In literally under half the time it took to go from 1.17 to 1.18, the previous Rift update, 1.3, occurred June 22nd, six weeks prior to 1.4.

I ask again: does this really look like a company with tons of financial backing and a decade of successful MMO experience dead-set on turning XIV around?

The "Complete Overhaul" Myth

Yet another fanbot response to any criticism about the pace of Square Enix is that the development team (which has been working on it since before it's launch) is doing a "complete overhaul", and we should therefore be still be patient, a year later with little to show.

The problem is, they're not, and never claimed to be.  The phrase "complete overhaul" is another myth the fanbase picked up and ran with, without verification.

It never once appears in any of the Producer's Letters.  The term "overhaul" (which carries a much lighter connotation without the modifier of "complete") does appear on a few occasions, but specifically in regard to the battle system and a couple specific zones.  Rebuilding the game from the absolutely ground up has never been anything the development team has claimed to be doing or aiming for.

In fact, in the same letter, Yoshi-P acknowledges, "an accelerated version update... [is] certainly not to be discounted" as well as that "time is of the essence".  Yes, even the development team disagrees with the fanboy premise of "shut up and be patient, it's a complete overhaul and it doesn't matter if they take their time."

Eorzea as we know it... is remaining mostly the same for all practical purposes.  Battle changes and adjustments are planned, but practically speaking, what's there will remain.  The abilities, the graphics, the musical score, the controls, the sounds, the Armory system, most of the zones, most of the gameplay mechanics, and the general interface are all staying the same.

The "complete overhaul" is a term that's never been used regarding the game as a whole, and is just another convenient, unverified blowoff response that the dev team themselves do not support.

One Year Later: (Very) Basic Features FFXIV Doesn't Yet Have

FFXIV launched in mid-September of last year, and we're getting close to the one-year mark.  No, I'm not talking "basic" features like mounts (which are currently scheduled to appear in patch 1.19, expected to show up around the one year mark).  I'm talking the most basic features expected from a game, like being able to tab out of fullscreen without crashing it - things that have been standard in PC gaming for fifteen years.
Here's a brief list of a few very, very basic features FFXIV still lacks at ten months.

• Player mail.  Currently, there is no way to contact offline players or communicate - at all.  In 2011, Square Enix has not yet mastered this rough equivalent of "email".

• Delivery system.  Often used in conjunction with the above, there is currently no way to deliver items directly to players (or to mules and alts, which is a common procedure games like WoW and FFXI, where it's even sanctioned and promoted by Square Enix).

• Text-based search.  The Market Ward search function does not allow you to actually search for items by name.  If you're looking for, say, a Spiked Bronze Labys, you must go to the Item Search Counter, choose the appropriate market area for that item, then choose the appropriate category.  Don't know which it is?  Then you need to manually check areas and categories until you find it.  Which brings us to the next big issue...

• Detailed item search.  Right now, any class can equip most pieces of armor.  However, there's no easy to way to search for, say, all available equipment for a given level.  If you're just checking to see what's available, you need to check multiple areas (Armorfitters, multiple Tailors, Jewelers, and Clothier) with multiple categories (Helm, Full Plate, Gauntlets, Headwear, Armband, Pants, Masks, Hats, and a dozen or so more).  Similarly, you have Helms, Masks and Crowns, all for the same slot and same level range, but they are all listed in three different locations.  But it gets worse...

• Instant purchases from retainers.  Again dovetailing with the above issues, players have to manually locate a Retainer's physical presence within the Market Wards to purchase an item.  What is a standard thirty-second or less process can take several minutes  as you jump across multiple wards, multiple loading screens, and waiting for Retainers to load (only for the one you need to be on the other side of the ward, requiring another ten seconds to run to it).

• Guild features.  FFXIV has linkshells, which allows for a global guild chat, but any serious management options are not there.  There's no perks, banks or level (Rift had all three of these within three months of it's launch). 

• Tabbing out of fullscreen.  Despite being not just a very basic MMO feature but an extremely basic feature in PC gaming from the last dozen or so years, ten months later you still cannot, unless you want to crash FFXIV.  And if you accidentally hit alt + tab at a bad time and your character ends up dying, or you try to fire up another game after FFXIV crashes from tabbing out and find SE still has control over DirectX and your other game won't launch?  Ask a fanboy, it's your fault for not paying more attention, and the problem was entirely avoidable!

• In related issues, Windows UAC crashes FFXIV.  Yes, you must choose between security and Square Enix.  Ironically, the only way to play fullscreen and leave UAC on is to use third party programs - third party  programs which Square Enix expressly forbids and actively pursues!

• Tab-through targetting.  If you want to switch your targets consistently, you need to press the cancel command twice just to get to where you can adjust things freely.  And Square has done more than three slow-paced updates already on "fixing" targeting.

• On the same note, if a target disappears via things like burrowing into the ground or teleporting as part of an attack or even simply morphs into something else, you lose your target on them and must retarget them, which is especially troublesome in close fights where timing is important.

• Drawing weaponry while moving.  If you wish to attack something, the player character stops, pauses, draws their weaponry, pauses, and then allows you to move again.  Going back to passive mode is a similar affair.  (1.18, when it releases later this week, will implement this, almost a year later!)

• Point and click sales.  Selling an individual item to an NPC is literally a multi-second process.  Manually *scroll* to item.  Click item, wait a second, sales menu pops up.  Click sell.  Choose amount.  Click sell.  By default, the next item in the list then pops up, which is helpful if that's what you desire to sell, but if it's not, you must cancel out of that box and then scroll again to the next desired item.

• Extra menus.  Most MMOs allow you to default to the entire stack, and use a key command - something like Shift + Right Click - to manually bring up the extra menu as desired, but in XIV's case, you must choose "How many?" every single time, whether dealing with a sales NPC or your storage Retainer.  It's simply another random, awkward step in an already awkward process.  All in all, the process takes varying degrees of several times as long as WoW or Rift.

• In-game video settings.  FFXIV allows you to adjust some minor video settings from within the game, but even doing basic things like changing the resolution or allowing sound when the game is in the background require using a different program,  "Final Fantasy XIV Config", which can't be utilized while running the game.

• In a similar vein, you can't adjust your gamepad in-game, either - even though the interface is allegedly designed around accommodating one.  You've got to close the game application entirely to open the Config program, yet again!

Keep in mind, this is a company with massive financial backing and a team with almost ten years experience on a successful MMO which featured most of these things.  They've also said numerous times that fixing the game is a priority.  Yet, ten months later, they're missing very basic features.

The "New Team" Myth

It's been a long standing argument in the Square Enix community that FFXIV's team is a "new team", only working on the game since January.  Therefore, the rationale goes, it's okay the updates have been slow, because it's new people getting used to someone else's code and just getting accustomed to the game.

The problem is, Square Enix never said it was a "new team": by their own admission, it consists of most of the original team, with a few changes at the top level.  The idea that it's an entirely new group is an inaccuracy that the community picked up and ran with without verifying.

More precisely, what we're dealing with is a reshuffling, or, as Square Enix's President and CEO refers to it, a "restructured" team.  In his letter, he never once refers to it as a "new team", and goes on to mention that we "welcome several new leaders handpicked from other projects to work with the existing talent [emphasis added] on FINAL FANTASY XIV."

Nine positions changed, four of them filled with existing members of team.  The other five were legitimately new to the project, and installed in leadership positions.  It is of note, however, that one of these five new leaders worked on the Crystal Tools engine FFXIV is built on, implying some immediate familiarity.

In total, we have four completely new individuals - out of over a hundred total members on the development team (in January, current producer Yoshi-P roughly estimated it to be around 130).

Practically speaking, it's the old team, with a few fresh individuals acting in leadership positions.  Most of the leadership - and particularly the grunts - have been here and working on the game since far earlier in it's development cycle.  With the support of Square Enix's CEO and the simple facts to go on, let's put that tired old myth of a "new team" to rest.

Guild Wars Patches Faster than FFXIV

The occasional argument against SE's slow updates compared to Trion's is that Rift is a pay to play game, and that FFXIV is currently free (after the initial purchase).  While this doesn't change the fact that Square Enix has a ton more experience and financial backing compared to Trion and is still getting shown up by the upstart, I thought I'd take a look at another entirely free to play MMO: Guild Wars.

Note that Guild Wars is, at this point, six years old, and still getting quicker updates and bug fixes than FFXIV.  Also note that it is, and has always been, a free to play game after the initial purchase - while XIV should be updating as if it's pay to play.

That's right, a six year old free to play MMO is getting more consistent updates than FFXIV.

This list compares September 23rd, XIV's first patch, to July 7th, today, give Square a slight edge by using their patch as a start date.  Updates denoted as major patches are marked with an asterisk for clarity.  Minor patches are roughly comparable in size and context/bug fixes.  Links are provided so you may verify the content sizes yourself.

FFXIV:
http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/news/category?catId=4

Note that FFXIV switched to version numbers with .
September 23rd
September 27th
September 30th
October 8th
October 15th
October 22nd
October 28th
* November 25th * (in two packets)
November 30th
December 3rd
December 6th
* December 15th *
* December 21st *
January 12th
January 18th
* 1.15a (February 2nd) *
1.15b (February 17th)
* 1.16 (March 3rd) *
1.16a (March 28th)
* 1.17 (April 14th) *
1.17a (April 25th)
1.17b (May 23rd)
1.17c (June 15th)

Total Majors: 6
Total Minor: 17


Guild Wars:
http://www.guildwars.com/support/gameupdates/

October 5th
October 8th (in two packets)
October 15th (in two packets)
October 19th (one line fix)
* October 21st * (in two packets)
October 22nd (in two packets)
October 25th (in two packets)
October 28th
November 2nd
* November 12th *
November 18th
November 19th
* December 9th *
* December 16th *
January 6th
* February 17th *
March 3rd
March 10th
* March 22nd *
April 4th
April 21st
April 28th
April 29th
May 5th
May 18th
May 23rd
June 2nd (in two packets)
June 3rd
June 9th (in two packets)
June 10th
June 16th
June 30th
July 7th
July 8th
July 14th

Total Majors: 6
Total Minor: 29