Yesterday we posted up a few bits of information that we were able to get from the recent Development Team interview. Elmer the Pointy over at BG has been kind enough to translate the full interview and has allowed us to post it here to share with you. Thanks Elmer!
Must see Final Fantasy XI Development Team Interview! Packing with Info, From Campaign Mechanics to New Game Elements!
As a special treat, we give to you our interview inside Square Enix Headquarters with the FFXI Development Team. In attendance were Wings of the Goddess Director, Ogawa Hiroichi; Planner, Saito; Planner, Ito Mizuki; Planner Gondai Mitsutoshi. It was a long interview, lasting two hours. Producer Tanaka Hiromichi was also in attendance, for what little time he was able to spare.
The interview focused on Wings of the Goddess content and story with Ogawa and Saito. Campaign elements were discussed with Ito. Job and Battle related questions were posed to Gondai. “Things you didn’t know about Campaign,” new job and battle elements, the future of Balarhn’s secret weapons and other must-see content is packed within, so please enjoy.
Wings of the Goddess 6 Months Old, Constructing Massive Background Material, Mission/Quest Relationship
What are your impressions now that Wings of the Goddess has been out for over six months?
Ogawa: We added so many new elements at the beginning, I think players had a hard time figuring out where to begin. We’ve reached the point where they have settled into the content. Now I think we have to focus on achieving balance. At the same time, we are looking towards expansion. We are going to add a lot more in line with the current content.
Certainly, jumping into Wings of the Goddess you face many bewildering new things.
Ogawa: Yes, it is quite jarring at first. (laugh)
Looking at the story as a whole, it’s not only Missions, but continuous Quests as well. This is a new technique, isn’t it?
Ogawa:Wings of the Goddess is set in the world of the past. There are already various Missions for the established 3 nations in the present, and now we’re talking about the state of the world during the Crystal War. To start, we drew up some Missions. These served as the ‘bookends’ to the expansion. In between, there is a collection of events that can be experienced, regardless of affiliation with a particular nation. Players can enjoy the quests of any nation they choose. Missions are the core story of Wings of the Goddess, while Quests make up the personal experiences of the characters.
In actuality, would you say the Missions and the Quests for each nation make up four separate stories?
Ogawa: I guess that’s right. (laughs) We wanted to keep the amount of content in check, but in the end, it ended up being vast. It’s tough to keep control of that stuff.
As the story progresses, will the focus be on completing series of Quests to in turn complete Missions?
Ogawa: Yes, I believe so. Basically, in between each Mission, there are a series of Quests related to each nation, and that’s how it’s being developed.
I want to ask about the story throughout the Quests, but the story of the Crystal War Era seems to be fraught with hardship. There’s an immense amount of background material to deal with, isn’t there?
Saito: Yes, there is. I think everyone’s been suffering a bit putting this one together.
The Vana’diel Tribune on the Official Site chronicles the deeds of some famous NPCs, but was a lot of the detail made in the beginning?
Saito: Some of it was, like the Windurst Missions in the present time explored the history of the Crystal War. However, Sand’Oria and Bastok barely touched on the Crystal War at all. Looking at the chronological timelines that lay out the setting and history of the world, we’ve really had to dig deep and imagine what exactly happened at what point in time, paying careful attention not to cause contradictions. That’s how we’re doing it now.
So if you are working to avoid contradictions, that means we already know the outcome of the events in the past.
Saito: That’s right. (laughs) The overall setting, or backbone, is already well known, but the specifics of “this happened this way” and such are unknown to the player community. There are especially knowledgeable people who point out some mistakes, but we continue to strive to eliminate any plot-holes we can. In rare cases, we just have to use what fits bests, and perhaps slightly ret-con a situation.
Is there anything told to us one way that we will find out actually happened differently?
Saito: That will all be told within Wings of the Goddess. It isn’t recorded on the timelines, but the results of the intervention of adventurers will be revealed.
Tell us about the story concepts behind the three nations/
Saito: Each nation has different people in charge, and received various different stories. First, Sand’Oria has the pure-hearted children concept. During the Crystal War, the children band together to oppose the adults. It’s a coming-of-age story. However, they are still reckless children with that common frustration with the status-quo. (laugh)
Excenmille and Rahal of the Young Griffons must have had many other experiences afterwards to get where they are now.
Saito: Well, yes, they are two of Sand’Oria’s finest. (laughs)
Rahal especially had many events happen to him afterwards, such as being awarded the current title of “Dragon Slayer.” Will that be explored as well?
Saito: That is discussed in the Dragoon Artifact Quests, so Wings of the Goddess will not delve into it. It’s difficult to decide how much to tell without encroaching on the Dragoon quests.
It feels like Wings of the Goddess was very difficult to make. Were there a lot of difficult considerations to make?
Saito: We did not just have to weave a story, but take into consideration the complex history. We had to make sure every step was checked and double-checked. All those little checks really added up.
Comparing it to the other expansions, would you say this was the most difficult?
Saito: Original content likeTreasures of Aht Urghan is different, because here we had to avoid contradictions with existing content as well as allow new players to jump in and enjoy the game. New players who start with Wings of the Goddess can then play the original stories and think, “Ah, so that’s what happened.” We had to keep it consistent. As a result, we felt we could not violate already established stories, but show you things you had never seen before. For example, you can look forward to learning more about what happens between Excenmille and Rahal of the Young Griffons.
Let’s move on to Bastok.
Saito: The Missions in the present era tell of the rift that exists between the Galka and Hume races. That problem also exists in the past, firmly engraved upon the Mythril Musketeers in the form of rivalry between Volker and Zeid. It’s a serious theme and the person in charge of Quests agrees. Bastok is a serious story with heavier subject matter. It’s also a time of war, and Bastok’s storyline will move into the battle. Now, the story has revolved around politics and such, but will continue like Windurst into the war itself.
Bastok certainly has a heavy theme, rife with politics and corrupt maneuvering behind the scenes.
Saito: It’s a time of war, but there is a lot of other trouble brewing. We’re looking to develop a lot of startling revelations to surprise players.
The Scholar Adelheid seems to enter to picture a lot. Will there be more story devoted to her in the future?
Saito: I wonder? (laughs) She participates in Campaign battles, and therefore will not become a key player in scenarios and such. For example, there’s no way we could bump her off as part of the storyline. She is standing around town and in Campaign battles, after all. It’s tough to say how far we’ll take the character, but we can only do it a little at a time. We wonder if maybe we overdid the appearance of this character a bit. (laughs)
Next up, is Windurst. We’ve seen the full effects of war, and the resulting state of the city as it progresses.
Saito: That’s right, “it’s war!.” The capital had been invaded from the start, so it’s in a state of poverty and disrepair. The person in charge wanted to create a scene of constant action and upheaval; a daily sense of drama and chaos. We want adventurers to become key players and affect history in ways that could not be imagined previously.
It’s the opposite of Bastok, in that they have made those opening moves and developed into a full-scale battle. Or at least that’s how I see it.
Saito: There is still much to tell regarding Windurst. There are more surprises in store, as well as some events that have been foreshadowing in both the past and present.
A lot of material for this has been there since the beginning, right?
Saito: The fascinating cast of characters has been established, and we can now detail their actions in the past. It’s a chance to explore what these people, with whom you are already familiar, had happen to them. Windurst has many characters with a strong sense of justice, so new faces like Warlock Warlord Robel-Akbel and Lehko Habhoka will appear.
Robel-Akbel looks like a villain at first glance. He’s quite mysterious.
Saito: He’s motivated by his own sense of justice. You will see more of that in the future.
Finally, a male Mithra, Lehko Habhoka has made his appearance. What was the concept behind this character?
Saito: Mithra females are generally active and energetic, and we wanted males to be a contrast to that. Mithra males are more aloof and easygoing. In fact, we had the image of a male escort in mind, at first. (laughs) It’s nothing big, but that’s how we got to the form they took. He will play more significance in the future.
Will he be limited to Windurst Quests and not appear in Missions?
Saito: I wonder… (laughs) We cannot say for sure at this point. He appears with Robel-Akbel, but there are some things that will happen with him.
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