FFXIV producer Naoki Yoshida responds to more questions from ZAM.

In ZAM's sit-down interview with FFXIV producer Naoki Yoshida two weeks ago, time constraints prevented us from asking all the questions we'd prepared. Today, we received an e-mail from Square Enix with translated responses to several of those unanswered questions, which we submitted to Yoshi-P via email a few hours after our interview. We would like to thank Naoki Yoshida for taking additional time from his schedule to answer these questions; we also thank the communications staff at SE's North American headquarters for helping to make this happen.

And now, on with the continued Q&A!

Discuss this in the ZAM forums!

ZAM: What will the markets look like (in appearance) after Version 2.0 is released?

Yoshida: We will get rid of the current market system involving a large numbers of retainers being crammed into one location. We will reveal details with screenshots closer to the release of 2.0. The new markets will be easier to use and more aesthetically pleasing.

ZAM: What about the new user interface will be most noticeably different than the current UI?

Yoshida: There will be drastic changes, but there are 3 main points:

• There will be multiple windows, and each window can be maneuvered individually.
• When using a mouse, you can select a target with one click (currently you have to click again after clicking your target, ugh…)
• Players can use add-on UIs that they or the community create

I feel like these are the biggest changes. There will be many other changes, and they will be detailed in time.

ZAM: Are there plans after 2.0 to introduce random PvE battles or events in various zones, as opposed to specific PvE events that will only happen in certain places, such as hamlet defenses?

Yoshida: Hamlet defenses are the closest thing to PvE events that we have planned for 2.0. We are not looking into PvE battles similar to Rift’s RIFT system. However, we do want to have real-time events using factions in the future. (Probably the far future! :p)

ZAM: Will there be a level cap increase either before or at the launch of Version 2.0?

Yoshida: We are looking into this quite conservatively. Even if we do implement a level cap increase, it would be after we revamp classes and introduce the job system.

ZAM: In addition to the party search function coming in Patch 1.20, are there any plans to improve the linkshell system soon?

Yoshida: Improving the linkshell system is our highest priority task after the party search function, so we plan on doing so in patch 1.21. However, it involves a very complex script (which is why we haven’t been able to make improvements yet) so we appreciate your continued patience in the matter!

ZAM: Many players think reaching level 50 should take longer, and they believe crafters take a hit because nobody needs low-level gear because of the ease of leveling up. Are there any plans to adjust the rate of experience gain?

Yoshida: We make adjustments regularly, but we have no plans of slowing down the leveling process. Under the armoury system, there are many instances where you have to use the abilities from multiple classes. Also, supporting low-level gear would involve adding more low-level content. However, as is the case with all MMOs, low-level content is completed very rapidly, so there will be many cases of players buying items from other players. We plan on increasing market usability in patch 1.20, so we expect buyers and sellers to match up better. Thus, we feel like this is not simply an issue of leveling.

ZAM: The implementation of jobs is coming up. Will job quests be similar to FFXI? Also, how will job-specific armor be obtained?

Yoshida: We are currently plotting job quests, so I cannot reveal too much. :p There will be many different stages involving different trials and stories. There will be job-specific gear obtained during the process of job quests and in battle content. All of this will be available in patch 1.21.

ZAM: How will job-specific armor compare to other high-level gear in the game?

Yoshida: Job-specific armor will have higher abilities when used by its specific job. All job quests must be completed in order to obtain job-specific armor, so they will be difficult to obtain. However, we plan on having gear created by attaching multiple materia surpass job-specific armor in quality.