FFXIAH.com

Monster Playing

Monster Playing has the potential to add a whole new dimension of gameplay to Final Fantasy XI. This new system will allow player characters to physically transform into monsters and level up as a creature of Vana'diel. Some areas will be off-limits for stomping around as a baddie for practical reasons such as the physical size of some monster.

Also, those players holding out for a true PVP system have a new way to vent their aggression. A player can fight a transformed monster-player, or both players can trasnform and battle each other as monsters. However, it won't be total chaos, as developers expect to have a system in place that requires mutual consent to fight and may even limit it to certain areas.


Click images to enlarge

The Monster Playing system works like so: players start out as a basic version of the monster, and as they level up, they earn new ranks, like NM and HNM. This allows them to evolve into more powerful versions of their monster type. As a monster, players can attach abilities in the form of "knowledge," using a point system similar to Blue Mage and Blue Magic. The developers hope players will enjoy evolving and combining abilities to form their very own unique notorious monsters.

This really is just a placeholder topic until vanafest and when they release the information about this event.

05-08-2012 12:07 PM

[source]

Camate

Community Rep

Greetings!

There seems to be quite a bit of speculation as to what the "Play-as-a-Monster System" will be.
While we can’t give away much right now, I can tell you:

It has nothing to do with Windurst conflict
It’s separate from Pankration

We are hoping to go a bit in depth on the system details and description during VanaFest 2012, so please make sure to tune into the live stream!

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06-26-2012 01:41 PM

[source]

Camate

Community Rep

Correct, there will be specific areas where "play as a monster" will be possible. The main reasoning for area limitations is due to the fact that huge monsters such as behemoth cannot move around in certain areas or certain parts of areas (think small cave passages etc.). Once there is more information on this we will be sure to pass it along.

Also, just as some follow up information in regards to this new system, we have seen concerns come up after announcing the concept of “play as a monster” in regards to whether or not the possibility would exist for players to just lose or win on purpose with their friends so they can receive rewards easily.

Obviously this would make this content quite boring and the development team is already at work to make a system to prevent this type of play style. This is the reasoning for notoriety/prestige (tentative name) points , which players can actively compete for. You will not be able to receive a reward by just defeating players with low point values continuously.

We have also seen a couple of requests for battlefields that can only be accessed as a monster as an alternative to the PvP element, so players can receive rewards there instead. While this is definitely an interesting idea and can be looked into in the future as a way to add elements to the system to make it more enjoyable, the concern is that by introducing this system, the focus of this content would shift to be more battlefield-centric taking away from the main idea of creating a fun and exciting way for players to fight as player vs. monster-player in open field areas.

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Spoiler Alert! Click to view.

11-26-2012 01:24 PM

[source]

Camate

Community Rep

Greetings! (Sorry for the necrobump.)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I’d like to share a bit of information about the “Play as a Monster” (working title) content that is currently in development, so let’s take a brief look at an example…

Let’s pretend my big behemoth self turns into a different monster like this rabbit here.

The name is not the player's name as you can see, and it is displayed in the log as “Rabbit” as well.

Once you become a monster, there will be a “monster skill” option added to your action command menu. (Apologies that the below is only in Japanese, but the highlighted option is “monster skill”)

From this option you can select and execute abilities, which will require and consume TP.

Currently the rabbit’s level is pretty low, so I only have Foot Kick at my disposal, which is why I am out here fighting this mandragora. Once I level up I’ll start learning Whirl Claws and other abilities.

We wanted to become a really sweet monster and show off how you can fight against other players, but the PvP battle system is still being worked on, so we were unable to do it at this time.

It’s also possible to upgrade (evolve?) to a Black Rabbit or a White Rabbit. Depending on what kind you become the abilities will differ. For example, the White Rabbit will learn Snow Cloud.

While I am sure a great deal of players are in fact looking forward to having a new PvP aspect added to the game, those who do not fancy PvP much will still be able to enjoy this content (i.e. changing into a variety of different monsters). However, since part of a monster’s daily activity is to battle with adventurers, there is a high possibility that we will not be making it so you can completely avoid PvP on the monster-side.

Even if you are not actively picking fights, you may be attacked, so in these cases you can either try to resist as much as possible or throw in the towel. Don’t worry though, there will not be any death penalty, so just repop and keep on trucking. We would like the “Play as a Monster” PvP to be content that is enjoyable and does not disturb relationships with friends.

On another note, when becoming a monster you will not be able to form parties with other monster players or adventurers. The main reason why it will not be possible to do the former is because adventurers will not be able to defeat an alliance of fully developed monsters. We also don’t want to make it so you get head hunted while playing solo either when you are not in a party, and would like to keep it easy to play without this stress. For the latter, as I mentioned above, part of a monster’s life is to fight adventurers, so we want to keep the hostile relationship between adventurers and monster intact.

The development team is powering forward to make this content ready for testing on the Test Server, and actually a portion of the data has already been put onto the Test Server last week. We will have some more information on the overall system soon enough to share with you all!

*Please keep in mind that the above is all in development and can possibly change.

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Spoiler Alert! Click to view.

12-05-2012 02:06 PM

[source]

Iwakami

Dev Team

Hello, Iwakami here, the "Play as a Monster" lead.

We have been creating the system in a way so that regardless of how much experience you have, you'll be able to enjoy the content right away. With that said, I would like to take this opportunity to talk a bit about the basic plan.

Please keep in mind that this is based on what we've worked on so far, and there is a possibility that things may change. So you may see a lot of vague words like, "planning," "intending," and "considering" popping up, but I will be very careful to not stray away from the aspects that we are placing heavy emphasis on and aspects that we would like to pay careful attention to.
I'd really like to convey to you all what this content will be like.

Basic Plan

Being able to play the same as everyone else
Fundamentally, all players will be beginning from the same starting point, and elements such as job levels, the gear you have, and the magic you have learned will not play a part.

Because of this, players that have fulfilled the minimum requirements to participate will be able to step into the same ring as veteran players.

However, we would like to add some achievement elements similar to synthetic atma, while making it so they are not an essential aspect.
Being able to play comfortably
We will be paying careful attention to ensure the below points are realized:
- Unlocking new elements at a good pace
- The timing of when new elements are unlocked is comprehensive and exciting
- Regardless of the time and place, you will be able to pick up and start playing when you like
- Possible to stop playing immediately when you'd like a break
- Possible to play without limitation on play time or content cool down timers

The core system revolves around living the life of a monster. We would like to do our best to expand the playing possibilities of FFXI through living the life of a monster, making it possible to become a monster and traverse the fields or fight with other monsters and adventurers. Once you get used to life as a monster, you can battle with your friends to see who the ultimate mandragora is, or see which monster is the strongest. The way you play is up to you.

Additionally, system-wise, we would like to provide a wide array content that contains elements where you can play casually, hardcore, by yourself, and with others.

We won't be creating this content saying that certain elements are for certain kinds of players. The idea is to make it so there are a wide variety of ways you can enjoy play as a monster regardless of your situation or what's going on.

As a future step, we are considering to create content utilizing the play as a monster system, such as group battles or battlefield fights with multiple players, but first and foremost we are striving to make the basic system so that it can be enjoyed fully on its own. I apologize for making you wait so long, but I would like to release more information periodically from here on out. Thank you all very much.

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12-21-2012 1:36 PM

[source]

Iwakami

Dev Team

Hello, this is Iwagami, the lead developer of "Play as a Monster".

Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I'd like to share a bit more information in regards to the "Play as a Monster" system.

Battling as a Monster
When becoming a monster you will have access to the various abilities each monster family possesses, but to use these you'll need to have the required amount of TP. Furthermore, we are setting the system in such a way that when using the abilities it will only consume the amount of TP required. The objective of this was to create a number of possibilities while fighting. For example, when you save up 300 TP:

Use 3 abilities that cost 100 TP each.
Use 1 ability that costs 300 TP.
Use 2 abilities that cost 50 TP and 2 abilities that cost 100 TP.

Menu
We will be implementing brand-new UI elements specifically for "Play as a Monster" as well as adding a new item to the menu. From this menu, you will be able to do things such as select which monster you would like to become and set your monster knowledge.

I plan on sharing a few parts of that menu in the next update!

While this was only a tiny bit of information, once we're at the stage where can share more I will be sure to update you all.

Thank you very much!

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05-22-2013 01:43 PM

[source]

Okipuit

Community Rep

We're all quite excited for Monstrosity content here. Just wanted to give you guys a heads up that the development team is currently working on laying out the foundation of the system and there isn't really much graphical stuff that can be shown quite yet.

Once we're at a stage where I can show you something (i.e. defeating Behemoth Camate), I'll be sure to show you right away!

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05-22-2013 01:49 PM

[source]

Camate

Community Rep

Okipuit said: »

(i.e. defeating Behemoth Camate)

I eat moogles like you for breakfast! Bring it! :P

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05-30-2013 11:56 AM

[source]

Ryota Iwagami

Dev Team

Implementation of Monstrosity to the Test Server

Iwagami here!

I just added a forum avatar, so I'm all fired up today!

During this week’s Test Server update we will be making it possible to play a portion of Monstrosity. There are special features specific to the Test Server that will change when moving this content to the live servers, so I'd like to explain about this a bit. Also, the content implemented is subject to change.

What is Monstrosity?

Monstrosity is content that will allow you to turn into the monsters of Vana'diel and have a good time. Instead of just searching for power, try becoming various monsters and exploring a multitude of areas. You might just discover some interesting aspects that you didn't notice before!
Here is a commemorative screenshot!

While the below stats are still in-development, by attaching what is known as "knowledge" (*provisional term) you will be able to add special traits. We are doing our best to develop this content so that combining types of monsters you can change into, the knowledge you set, and other aspects turn into an awesome time.

Rabbit Knowledge 1

(HP+2% AGI+5 Attack+10 Cost: 3)

Bee Knowledge 1

(AGI+5 Attack+10 Evasion+5 Cost: 3)

Crawler Knowledge 1

(HP+3% Attack+5 Resist Slow+30 Cost: 5)

How to Start and Stop Monstrosity on the Test Server

We've setup the “=TEST=Monster Playing” NPC shown in the above screenshot in North San d’Oria (L-9), Port Bastok (J-12), and Windurst Waters (K-10). By talking to this NPC, you can get setup to try it out and hear an explanation about the content that is ready.

Once you're all set, examine the glowing object next to the test moogle and move to the lobby area.

When you move to the lobby area you will be changed into a monster, and this is when Monstrosity begins!

For the real content, we are planning to have Monstrosity begin from the three nations and then moving to a specialized lobby area.

You can return to normal from a monster via the following three ways:

Using the monster ability "Return" (*Provisional term). (Cannot be used in the lobby area.)
Examine the glowing object in the lobby area and select "End Monstrosity" (*Provisional term).
Select the "Quit Monstrosity" option that appears when you are defeated by a monster.

Content Available with the 5/31/2013 Test Server Update

With the Test Server update to take place on 5/31, it will be possible to change into a rabbit, mandragora, bee, or lizard, set knowledge and battle monsters in the field. The fields that you can play in will be 2 field areas near each of the three nations.

Content that will not be implemented yet

PvP
Unlocking of new monster types
Learning new knowledge
Adjustments to spawn locations when retrying the same area.

Content currently being adjusted

Monster stats, abilities, and magic
Amount of TP consumed when using monster skills
Knowledge stats and cost
Required experience points to level up

Features special to the Test Server

Method to select the type of monster you want to become
Method of setting knowledge

We'd like you all to check out the content on the Test Server so you get an idea of what it's like when you become a monster, as well as understand what kind of things you can do in the future with this content. We are developing this so we can continuously add new elements in a short amount of time, so please try it out and let us know what kind of things you would like to see! When submitting feedback on Monstrosity, please be sure to leave out the specialized features for the Test Server.

For how to participate on the Test Server, please check here.

Thank you very much!

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Slycer's Translation

06-03-2013 10:29 AM

[BG source]

Slycer

BG Translator

Bunch of translations below. For the most part, I left out the JP questions/comments unless Iwagami's answers/comments made no sense without them.

______

Iwagami: Monstrosity Follow-ups

I'll answer some questions.

[[Bunch of different player proposals about how to display the name of the monster/player.]]

In this week's test server update, we plan to have the monster species' name [[rather than your character's name]] to appear as a test. We would appreciate your impressions after you check it out.

There are two points we are considering regarding this:
* This could support group content in the future for ease of play.
* This could make it more difficult to report player harassment.

As an example for the former, it might be easier to understand if you imagine 30 rabbits named "Rabbit" present when you come out of town.

For the latter, when reporting that you were harassed, you might not have the proper information to report who harassed you since you would only know that you were harassed by, for example, a Rabbit in West Ronfaure. It's possible to identify the player(s) involved by reviewing the log, of course, but this will take additional time to respond to the situation. This might create situations where players just endure the harassment rather than reporting it.

In either case, we want to carefully consider deterrent measures.

_____

Healing is not possible at this time, but in the next test server update, HP and MP will recover if you do not do battle for a certain period of time. If you deal or receive damage, the recovery condition will be cancelled, and we are currently considering the rate of recovery.

_____

It's not reflected in the test server update at this time, but in the next update we plan to make it so that you will not be attacked for a certain period of time when you transfer from the lobby area as a monster.

_____

[[Apparently there's no way to cancel when you start exiting from the area?]]

Please wait a little as plan to make it possible to cancel the return from the area.

_____

You can use /ms or /monsterskill to activate monster skills.

_____

In the next test server update. The amount of experience needed for the next level is set assuming basic solo play. Additionally, we do not plan to add any death penalty, so you'll always be accumulating positive experience.

_____

Activation of monster techniques will be cancelled when you move, similarly to casting magic spells, so be careful not to move upon activation.

_____

[[Apparently some of the monsters can melee attack from a farther distance than normal PCs.]]

Please pardon this, we are adjusting the settings of the different species, and the attack distances will be adjusted to normal in the next test server update. Thanks for your report!

_____

[[One guy asks, among other things, to allow players to transform into the Lapinion style rabbits]]

The ears are fluffy! So fluffy!

_____

[[One guy comments that he saw someone running around in a Moogle costume on the test server.]]

That suspicious fellow was me, sorry I missed you.

I plan on popping on the test server today around 20:00, so I'd appreciate it if anyone else was around at the time.

_____

There were a lot of questions that we received about species and knowledge selection that may be answered by the images below. Please wait a while as this will be implemented in the test server update following the next update.

Species Setting Screen:

Knowledge Setting Screen:

You can freely customize the knowledge (within the constraints of the costs)!

Translated by: Slycer

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Like usual the community reps didn't translate everything, Slycer's post is a direct translation from the dev team, but here is the official translation:

06-03-2013 03:04 PM

[source]

Camate

Community Rep

Greetings everyone!

I hope you all had a chance this weekend to try out Monstrosity.

I have a couple of things to note about current features as well as features that are to be implemented in the next Test Server update.

Healing HP/MP

Currently, as some of you might have noticed, you are not able to heal. However, in the next Test Server update we will be making it so your HP and MP recover when you are not fighting for a specific period of time.

Monsters at the warp points

In the next Test Server update we will be making it so you cannot be attacked by monsters for a specific period of time after warping from the lobby area.

Return Feature

We're planning to make it possible to cancel the "Return" ability once it has been activated.

Buffs and Experience Points

In the next Test Server update we will be making it so when you enter the lobby area you can reset your status effects so that food or other special effects do not carry-over when you change into a monster.

Also, since this content was meant to be played solo, we aren't planning to make the experience points needed to level up as high as that of an adventurer. There will also be no death penalty, so you can just have a good time and get experience points.

Sentiencies Menu

Since I am sure many of you are curious as to how sentiencies will look in the UI, here are a couple of screenshots to illustrate how it will be:

As long as it's within the cost limit, you can customize your sentiencies as you like!

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05-31-2013 04:03 AM

[source]

Gildrein

Community Rep

[dev1141] Monstrosity

New areas will be added to Monstrosity.
La Theine Plateau / Valkurm Dunes / Jugner Forest / Beaucedine Glacier / Xarcabard
HP and MP will gradually recover when out of combat. Amounts recovered vary depending on maximum HP and MP values.
* The amount of HP recovered is subject to change.

Test Server Only

Locations where PCs appear when moving from the lobby to the field will be fixed.
The following effects will be granted to PCs when moving from the lobby to the field.
- Invisible
- Sprint
- Inability to attack

Refer to this thread [FFXIAH] for information about testing this content on the test server and ways to provide feedback.

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06-13-2013 09:47 AM

[BG source]

Slycer

BG Translator

Iwagami: Monstrosity Follow-ups

Thanks for your feedback!

I'd like to post a few replies.

For the return (temporary) command, I was hoping you could add some kind of visual indication as to how much time remains. Also, in addition to the currently available options, can you add a new choice which allows you to return back to the lobby? I haven't tried the HP/MP recovery yet since I'm still a lower level, but I'll try it out later.

Regarding the return (temporary) command:
We are considering displaying the time remaining until the player is returned in the chat log.

Regarding actions available when defeated"
We are planning to add "return to the lobby" as a temporary choice upon defeat or perhaps just make it automatic.

When you change species, are the experience values reset? One time I changed species when I was about 500 into a level, it changed to 0. I would like it if the experience didn't reset when you changed species.

Also, I was wondering if magic and items will become available in the future?

I very much like being in direct ontact with those on the development team, by the way. I know these adjustments are a lot of work, but I hope you'll implement them ASAP! (not that I want you to rush or anything)

Resetting of EXP upon species change.
Since the EXP values are not kept track of individually for each monster, when you change species, the current EXP value is reset to 0. If you resume Monstrosity as the same species you were playing last time, it will not be reset. Just be aware that the EXP will reset so try not to change species if the value is much higher than 0.

Using items and magic
Sorry, but we are not planning to implement any item usage for Monstrosity. For magic, we are planning to enable monsters to cast certain magic spells as long as they have been learned by the adventurer.

I was playing on the test server today and I noticed that the recast of the provisional return command was shared with those of SP abilities. Is this intended behavior?

I think the return command should be on a three minute separate timer... sharing it with SP abilities is a bit scary (it wasn't possible to use the return command shortly after I had used an SP ability).

SP ability and Return (temporary) command timer
We plan to separate the recast timer for the return (temporary) command so that it is not shared.

In the test server update this week we will be adding a new menu as well as additional species and new sentiencies. I think everyone has a good idea of the general play atmosphere for Monstrosity, so I'd like to get some more feedback on specific content.

Thank you!

Translated by: Slycer

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05-31-2013 04:03 AM

[source]

Gildrein

Community Rep

[dev1141] Monstrosity

New areas will be added to Monstrosity.
La Theine Plateau / Valkurm Dunes / Jugner Forest / Beaucedine Glacier / Xarcabard
HP and MP will gradually recover when out of combat. Amounts recovered vary depending on maximum HP and MP values.
* The amount of HP recovered is subject to change.

New monster types have been added.
Tiger / Sheep /Coeurl / Opo-opo / Treant / Morbol / Flytrap /
Goobbue / Panopt / Beetle / Crawler / Fly / Scorpion / Spider /
Antlion / Diremite / Chigoe / Wamoura / Bugard / Eft
Along with the addition of new monster types, new knowledge on the monsters has been added.
* Knowledge with the cost of 255 cannot be used.
* Knowledge on the monsters that has not been implemented yet can no longer be used.
“Initial Knowledge” has been added.
With an increase of the monster that is currently selected, the upper limit on the cost to set the knowledge will increase.
Which monster to turn into and which ability to set can now be selected from “Equipments” on the main menu.
* Selection can only be made while the character is in the lobby.
* After you select a new monster, the EXP of the previous monster selected will reset to zero. However the level of the monster will not drop down.
NPC “=TEST= Monster Playing” has been removed from the lobby.

Test Server Only

Locations where PCs appear when moving from the lobby to the field will be fixed.
The following effects will be granted to PCs when moving from the lobby to the field.
- Invisible
- Sprint
- Inability to attack

Refer to this thread [FFXIAH] for information about testing this content on the test server and ways to provide feedback.

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