Final Fantasy 14 has two housing overhauls lined up for its Evercold expansion, director and producer Naoki Yoshida said during a media Q&A at the MMO's Berlin Fan Festival.
Asked how the team intends to modernise a housing system long criticised for limited plot supply and an awkward interface, Yoshida raised the obvious comparison himself, telling reporters he assumed the real question was about World of Warcraft's own housing system.
The Final Fantasy 14 system is regularly criticised on two fronts: a supply of plots that has never matched demand, and an interface for decorating them that players find obtuse. Only the second of those drew a firm commitment.
Blizzard’s MMO has recently taken its first pass at player housing, and said it had looked to Final Fantasy 14 and set out to surpass it. Yoshida said the acknowledgement was an honour.
We have immense respect for the World of Warcraft team.
Yoshida said he had gone hands-on with the World of Warcraft system and described it as a good source of research. Both of Final Fantasy 14’s planned overhauls are expected to arrive during Evercold.
The first targets the housing interface, which Yoshida acknowledged is technical and not very accessible. The stated goal is to make it easier for casual players to build elaborate interiors without specialist knowledge or third-party tooling.
He was more guarded about the second change, saying only that it remains in planning on the development side, that it may ship ahead of the UI update, and that players will be happier to hear about it than about the interface work.
Yoshida added that once the team can share details, the change will be close to the top of the list of things players have been asking for. He did not say whether it addresses plot availability, freedom of item placement, or another part of the system, and neither overhaul has a date beyond the Evercold window.
Join the conversation — sign in to comment.
Sign in