E3 2016 Interview With Naoki Yoshida Part 2
As you know, we had the chance to sit down with Naoki Yoshida at this year’s E3. Sadly however, we ran out of time before we could ask all of our questions! Yoshida-san let us send them over and we now have the answers to share with all of you!
1. What’s coming up in the future for Diadem and exploratory missions?
We are currently making progress in developing the next version of exploratory content. Based on the large amounts of feedback we’ve received from around the world, we are making big changes to what is included, and we’re working on it as though it’s a brand new piece of content. However, because we are treading carefully, and this is large-scale type of content, it is taking more development time than expected, and it is looking to be difficult to implement at Patch 3.4 timing. As such, we are planning to apply a minor update to Diadem in Patch 3.4. We plan to implement features such as the capability to match up with just other Disciples of the Land, and refreshing the items available as rewards. For more information, please stay tuned to the next Letter from the Producer LIVE!
2. Just days after Patch 3.3 I tried queuing up for Frontlines (Shatter) and was stuck in a 20 minute queue. Are there any plans to do something to help alleviate long queue times for large group content?
Immediately after a major patch release, players inevitably choose to focus on the new main scenario or PvE content. Especially for Patch 3.3, where there were new Disciples of the Hand and Land gear introduced, and more laidback content like the Aquapolis was released, which contributed to the population spreading itself out. I am beginning to think it might be better to release PvP content in a staggered schedule, and not at the same time as major updates. This is probably a separate discussion from adjusting Grand Company restrictions, and is a necessary task to investigate.
That said, I’m guessing your question was meant to imply that Grand Company restrictions were the root cause of your queue time. I would like to clarify that what I’m most concerned about when it comes to lifting this restriction is not about the lore or inconsistency with the narrative, but the moral degradation of our players. I’m mainly worried about new problems appearing that don’t exist at the moment, such as spy activity and particular teams farming for one single Grand Company.
That being said, I do plan on running some tests, so please stand by just a bit longer.
3. I love decorating my private estate. One thing that always bugs me however, is how much partitions stick out. Is there any way we can apply wallpaper to the partitions?
I’m glad you’re enjoying decorating your house! We’ve received the same sort of feedback from many of our players, so I’m having the Housing team consider whether or not we can either change the wallpaper on a partition or prepare one that matches the wallpaper. It might take some time before implementation, but I do intend on addressing this in some way!
4. A lot of people are assuming that the 3.x cycle is going to mimic 2.x and end with Patch 3.5. Is this the plan? Can you tell us what patch you plan on ending with?
The official answer has not been revealed yet (laugh).
If we were to announce it, people would start debating about when the next expansion pack will be released. It will be heavily linked to the main scenario, so if you could please stand by until Fan Festival for more information (smile).