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06-14-2013 04:04 AM

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Gildrein

Community Rep

[dev1152] Equipment Help Text

Pieces of equipment introduced in the March 27, 2013 version update will have their levels displayed in their help text.

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06-17-2013 02:51 PM

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Camate

Community Rep

Item Levels

During the Test Server update on June 14th, we made it so that item levels are now displayed on items that have been added since Seekers of Adoulin.

I’d like to explain a bit more in detail about how this will work.

What are item levels?
As mentioned previously, as we move forward, player growth will occur through the procurement of equipment, instead of levels. (We are planning to have new merits, but from a level perspective players will not go above level 99.)

As such, there will be differences between the item stats that can be equipped at level 99, so we've arranged the "item level" system to display the strength of each item.
(Item levels for accessories will not be displayed.)

The level of the items you can obtain from content will become higher as the content level increases as this is demonstrated below:

119	20	Delve (Boss Monsters)
118	19
117	18
116	17
115	16
114	15
113	14	Delve (NM Group 2)
112	13
111	12
110	11	Delve (NM Group 1)
109	10
108	9
107	8
106	7	Wildskeeper Reives
105	6	Skirmish
104	5	Colonization/Lair Reives
103	4
102	3
101	2
100	1
Item Level	Content Level	Up to April 2013

Item level display
Item levels will be displayed on the very bottom of a piece of equipment.

For equipment that can have enchantments or augments applied to it, the item level will be displayed as if the item were at its maximum value.

For example, if you had an item that could be augmented and it displays an item level of 113, augmenting it with the highest value possible would make that piece of equipment each its full potential at item level 113. (This rule is the same for both random augments and for Delve's rank type system.)

Displaying monster strength when "checking" them and the amount of experience points received
The strength of a monster that is displayed when using "check" and also the amount of experience points gained when defeating monsters will vary based on item level, not on your character's level. The fundamental rules will not change.

Based on the combination of the various equipment you are wearing and their item levels, your ultimate level will be tallied, and this is what will be referenced. However, accessory slots, grips, and items equipped in ammo that are classified as accessories will not have item levels and will not be referenced for this level.

The main reasons for switching to this is due to the fact that if we kept it the same as it is currently, regardless of how strong a monster is introduced the message displayed when you "check” would be inaccurate and we are aiming to change this. We are also aiming to make sure the amount of experience points gained from defeating enemies, as well as the pace in which they are obtained, do not become unbalanced.

Adoulin mission difficulty levels
Missions and quests will basically become unlocked through coalition assignments, and we plan on balancing it such that they can be undertaken with a single party, which has the strongest items at the time that can be purchased with Bayld.

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06-17-2013 04:14 PM

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Slycer

BG Translator

Mocchi: Follow-up Frenzy

Item Level

In the test server update the other day, the item levels were not added to the shield or accessories. Also, the item level for Manibozho Beret says 113, which I think is incorrect.

Thank you for your reports. I will relay this information about Manibozho Beret and the shield to the person in charge. For accessories, there is no plan to display the item level. This is because we do not want the item level of accessories taken into consideration for checking monsters and for determining EXP yield.For augments added in a random fashion, how will the different item levels be applied to equipment? How much will the item level go up? I'm a bit worried about this.

The item level will be based on the highest possible performance that can be granted to the item. This will be the same whether the performance is random or set (as with Delve armor).

For example, if you have an augmentable piece of equipment with item level 113, it means that with the highest possible performance, the equipment's item level is 113.

[[Quote 1:]] The idea of item level notation seems somewhat complicated. If you're equipped with just one piece of high-level equipment, it could make an opponent seem easier than it really is.

[[Quote 2:]] If you decide to go this route, it should be based on the total of the item levels rather than on the basis of the individual highest item level.

I was not able to thoroughly express the idea above, so please let me elaborate here.

For these criteria, it is not simply based on one piece of equipment. The weapons (main, sub, ranged), and armor (head, body, hands, legs, feet) are referenced, and the final level will be determined by a mechanism.

Equipment on ears, fingers, back, waist, neck, grips, and non-throwable ammo will not have displayed item levels and will be excluded from reference to the target.

Is there any plan in the future to add some kind of content which references item level as a minimum requirement for participation?

While it is possible, for now, we do not anticipate adding any content which will use item level as a condition for participation.

Is equipment at item level 119 supposed to be indicative of the equivalent player level?

Yes, that's the implication. The item level is basically an indication of the strength the player as if they were at that level.
It's not that any one piece of equipment at level 119 would mean you're equivalent to level 119, but by equipping, for example, head, body, hands, legs, and feet at level 119, it would be as if your character was level 119.

The battles in Seekers of Adoulin are balanced with the assumption that player levels have reached their maximum value. The item levels are used as part of this balance.

Since item level 119 is the highest at the moment, if we want to introduce high level content in the future, it would be balanced for equipment with item levels up to 119. We could also increase the variety of equipment available at level 113, or fill the large gaps in item level with new additional equipment appropriate for each level.

[[Number of questions about content level/item level, and checking monsters.]]

Thank you for your comments.

Check system/item-level reference
If we leave the check system as it is currently, monsters will appear much stronger than they really are. Additionally, as players get stronger and item level rises, the available amount of EXP will increase significantly as kill speed increases, and we want to adjust this as well.

For example, if we add new areas without implementing this adjustment, you will be able to get 1,000 experience per monster, and even more with the effects of dedication or chain bonuses. We believe that this is too much, so we want to make an adjustment.

Content level/item level comparison with content difficulty
If a player's equipment is not aligned with the content level, the content may be more difficult than expected. Rather than adjusting the content difficulty, we can add more items at individual levels in a sideways fashion.

On another note, once a newer top-tier content is implemented, we will make adjustments which make it easier to clear existing content. At that time, we would be making adjustments to the difficulty of the content itself.

[[Post talking about the accelerating trend of "seasonal content" in FFXI since Abyssea, where new content constantly outdoes old content, and people can very quickly be left behind as if they miss some Adoulin updates, their equipment may be totally outdated. Same stuff many of us have been complaining about.]]

I want to reference two specific points you made:

In the future missions and quests, please allow them to be completed even at lower item levels.

Quests and missions (and their rewards) are balanced with bayld equipment considered to be the strongest necessary armor. Basically, all you'd need to do is coalition assignments, and they would be balanced for one party with this type of equipment.

The main problem I see is that people who do not quickly climb the ladder of Adoulin content after its introduction may feel so totally left behind that they will be excluded from all types of new content.

The content that has been introduced with Adoulin has not been introduced in a smooth fashion. When we added content all the way up to content level 20 (item level 119), the jump was steep, and we're sorry for any anxiety that this caused.

Based on the old post from Matsui:

We will give priority to add new content for solo and small groups.
We will be adding a variety of content to cover individual item levels.
Will will enhance the spread at each content level in a lateral fashion rather than vertically.
After releasing new top-tier content for the top players, we will continue to adjust the other high-level content for players who follow.

We will continue to work closely with everyone to make sure that the content is as player-friendly as possible.

[[Questions about new equipment base parameters with item level, etc.]]

I've already discussed previously about examining monsters and EXP yield, but I want to respond to the item performance.

First of all, I understand that the item level and its value to an individual player may not match.

For the equipment that will be added in the future, there will be certain basic parameters which are always granted. It's partially dependent on the equipment slot, but things like attack (and ranged attack), accuracy (and ranged accuracy), evasion, magic attack, magic defense, magic accuracy, STR, DEX, VIT, AGI, INT, MND, CHR, and physical damage taken will be adjusted for the equipment's level. (This may fluctuate for particular equipment, and the parameters above may not always be granted.)

I also think that the value of each piece of equipment will be different to different players. We've received a number of different opinions regarding the perforamnce of equipment in Seekers of Adoulin, and we would like to give the item level display so that players have a better way to understand.

Translated by: Slycer

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06-20-2013 10:32 AM

[BG source]

Slycer

BG Translator

Mocchi: Item Level Follow-Ups

I tried checking a Chapuli in Ceizak on the test server with a level 113 dagger equipped and it still gave the "Tough" message - is the new system for checking not implemented yet? Also, is it only the EXP that changes, or does it change the level correction value as well?

Thanks for your feedback from the test server. Here are responses to your two points:

Test Server Checking
I can confirm that on the test server right now we've only added the item levels. Increasing or decreasing the EXP values and changes to the messages received are still in development and were not implemented on the test server yet.

Level Difference Correction
Level difference correction will not be applied due to item levels of equipped items. Furthermore, there is no level correction applied in Adoulin areas.

Can you comment on enemy abilities which strip equipment? As the item level of equipment rises, these strip abilities will effectively level down players and they will be overly powerful. Additionally, will pets be affected by item level in the same way as players?

Thanks for your contributions. I'll respond to your two points:

Enemy Techniques
We will continue to avoid implementing techniques which strip equipment and prevent re-equipping as much as possible. There may be a select few cases where abilities like this can still be used, but we will devise a way to make them avoidable.

Pet Strengthening
Matsui has previously responded to this, but we are planning to strengthen pets in ways which correspond to each job. If you haven't previously seen the post, please check it out.

Are all items obtained from one content level implemented with the same item level regardless of the equipment slot, etc.?

For Rare/Ex equipment that cannot be passed on to other players, the item level will always match the content level. For equipment that can be passed on, such as synthesized equipment, the item level will be slightly lower.

If you change armor during combat, will the experience value be corrected for the maximum item level during battle? For example, if you have item level 119 at some point during battle, but item level 110 at the time the enemy is defeated, will you get the experience for level 119?

Yes, that's right, it would be similar to a level 1 and level 20 player partied together with the experience based on the level 20 player. Also, when the EXP goes up and down by item level, it will not be based on just one equipment slot. It will be a combination of weapon (main, sub, ranged) and armor (head, body, hands, legs, and feet), calculated my a mechanism which references all of the item levels and determines a final level. Ears, fingers, back, waist, neck, grip, and non-throwable ammo (treated as accessories) will not have the item level displayed and will be excluded from this reference.

Equipment with Item Levels
For equipment tailored to higher item levels, uniform stat increases based on that item level will be granted (for example, item level 10 may grant STR+10, etc.). The stats will also differ by equipment slot (for example, it might be STR+10 for head but STR+5 on hands).

The parameters associated with item level will always be displayed on the equipment as normal statistics. This will increase the amount of statistics being displayed, so we will look into adjusting the display.

Regarding EXP Obtained from Lower Level Enemies
We are concerned with Trial of the Magians being affected by this, so we will make an adjustment to prevent this from happening. The EXP obtained from monsters at level 99 or below will remain intact; the item level adjustments will only affect EXP obtained from monsters at level 100 or higher.

Translated by: Slycer

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06-21-2013 11:58 AM

[BG source]

Slycer

BG Translator

Mocchi: Item Level, Weapon Skills, and More

For item display, how will it show up? For example, will the item level represent the strength of the stat enhancements (say, +20), without individually being listed on the item?


	We plan to display all stats. The display may become a little lengthy, so please forgive that!

If player level is changed when equipping these items, how will it affect other level-related things? For example, how will Lv 5 Petrify be treated?


	To refer to your specific example, a level 99 player with item level 105 will still not be affected by Lv 5 Petrify. Additionally, any specific equipment triggered by level will reference the player's level, not the player's item level.

Upon calling a pet, will it be based on the player's level or the item level?


	As we stated previously, the levels of pets will not change, and we will carry out any pet enhancements with new or updated equipment.

What happens for jobs that don't have a ranged weapon, jobs that single wield vs. dual wield, etc.?


	Because this description is a bit complicated, if there's a specific point that's difficult to understand, please let us know. For weapons to be added in the future, weapon skills will be adjusted for the increased level. On existing weapons, although the main weapon's DMG value is independent from the sub weapon's DMG value, for future weapons, the weapon skill's value will also be calculated independently. Here's our reasoning for this. Let's assume that you are equipped with Dual Wielded weapons with high accuracy and attack values. When you have one equipped alone or with a shield, even though you only have a main weapon, we still want to maintain the same attack power and hit rate. So, for weapon skills and additional effects, the hit rate element will be calculated as a function of the weapon skill, with the hit rate raised to the corresponding level. Additionally, I wanted to touch on hand-to-hand weapons separately from the above concern. Unlike other weapon skills, with hand-to-hand skill, as hand-to-hand skill rises, the DMG value rises. For hand-to-hand weapons that we add in the future, we will add weapon skills like with other weapons, and we will continue to update the DMG value by taking this relation to skill into consideration.

Although there will be equipment implemented in the future, will any of this be added to the existing Delve?


	We plan to continue to add top-tier gear (= equipment from boss monsters) as part of Delve.

For the rising parameters on gear, how will it work? Will it be just by level, or also correspond to armor type/jobs, individual equipment, etc.?


	The numerical values will not be the same for all equipment, but we do plan to have a pattern to some extent.

Can you give us a rough approximation on the stats that will be added per level?


	I'm sorry I can't really respond to this, but please reference the existing equipment and the equipment to be added.

Are you suggesting that HP and MP will not be rising with the future "levels"? HP and MP are parameters that typically increase with level.


	We are moving in a direction to reduce damage taken by adding more magic defense bonus and physical damage taken reduction. In the future, as monsters become more powerful and the DMG value of those monsters rises, we will continue to increase HP present on gear. On the other hand, since the MP consumption of spells won't change, we won't be increasing MP to the same extent (though that doesn't mean we won't be adding any MP gear).

Right now there's an existing cap of 50% reduction on physical damage taken which can already relatively easily be hit with Earth Staff and some other accessories. Do you plan to increase this parameter with the "level" rise?


	There will be no change to the 50% cap. We will add different amounts of physical damage taken between the front-line and back-line jobs.

As usual, jobs like WHM, BRD, COR, and GEO don't really benefit from any of these step changes in equipment. Are they supposed to just skip over the middle level ranges and go right for level 119 equipment?


	If you don't require all of the intermediate equipment, you can go ahead and try to challenge whatever you think you're capable of. That being said, we would like to increase the attractiveness of equipment for all jobs.

Depending on the job, there is certain equipment which cannot be removed. For example, Treasure Hunter+ gear on THF. For equipment which can't be removed during combat, are you planning on doing anything to update it?


	I'd say Treasure Hunter equipment is in trouble. [[I think this is what he's saying anyway, his response confused me here, but seems to indicate they're either adding new/better TH gear.]]

I think an adjustment needs to be made to enemy moves which strip and encumber. Now, it's likely that these moves will have an additional effect of reducing a player's level to 99. Are you planning anything?


	We will try to avoid implementing techniques which strip and encumber as much as possible. Although they might be used rarely, in those cases we will have methods to avoid them.

Translated by: Slycer

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Slycer's Translation

06-25-2013 01:28 PM

[BG source]

Slycer

BG Translator

Matsui: Content Level and Item Level

Hello, it's Matsui.

Thank you for all of your feedback on item levels (= content level).

In the past, I told you that I would have more information about content levels and item levels as we approached the update, so I would like to talk about that now.

◆About Content Level
In Adoulin, players will become stronger and align their equipment with more and more challenging content that becomes available over time. The play cycle is designed so that players can start from the base, and improve their equipment from there. For Adoulin content, as an indicator of the difficulty of completing a content's objectives, we have established Content Levels.

The content levels so far are as follows:

[[Same table you've probably seen 10 times already with the content level of individual Adoulin content]].

◆Why not just raise the player level cap?

To be completely honest, raising the level cap was simply not an option. Therefore, we considered two proposals.

1. Increase the variety of gear available.
In the traditional style, add a variety of coexisting top tier equipment, maintaining the pre-established hierarchy with Relic, Mythic, and Empyrean weapons remaining at the top. Gear would be selected appropriately based on the situation and the player level would remain 99.

2. Extend the variation of equipment vertically.
This is the path we chose. Here, the player level still remains 99; however, the player will continue to grow through newly added equipment.

We received many opinions at the time, such as those which said that the performance of the items did not match the difficulty of the content. We also received comments that many different pieces of equipment have similar performance in many situations.

We also had to consider that if we continue to only add a spread of equipment with little to no vertical growth, we would also be limited in increasing the strength of monsters. If this was the case, it would be difficult to create a new progression of content, so we did not think that the results of simply adding new similar gear would be desirable.

As a result, after many studies in which we considered the current status of the game and the future prospects that we had, we decided to stretch the variety of equipment vertically.

By the way, there are a couple of reasons that we did not have the option to raise the level cap. As you know, the level of the support job is currently restricted to 49. By allowing you to increase past this, we would have to put partial restrictions on job traits and job abilities. We would also have new balance issues and would have to work through further increasing the levels of job traits.

Additionally, the current FFXI UI is not designed to be able to display higher than level 99. In order to display parameters above level 99, we would have to recreate various components of the UI.

◆Item Level (Part 1)
By choosing growth via equipment as our design basis, there was a major difference from the past. In the past, parameters increased with new equipment available, as well as with the player's level itself. Now, the approach is to grow the player through equipment alone. As a result, the performance jumps on the equipment are larger than before, but the basic concept remains the same.

In the past, gaining the experience to defeat stronger monsters was accomplished by increasing the player's level and collecting powerful equipment. In Adoulin, to take on more challenging content and monsters, you will grow by just collecting more powerful equipment.

To put it succinctly,

Growth is not accomplished by level.
The strength of equipment based on equippable level is not set by the same conventions as before.

For these reasons, the strength of equipment does not depend on equipment level, but on the challenge level of the content involved in obtaining the equipment.

◆Item Level (Part 2)
I want to discuss in a bit more detail how the strength of equipment is dependent on content level rather than equipment level.

The strength of monsters which appear in Adoulin content is designed to match the corresponding content level. (In order to have a hierarchy between the content, the designed strength between the content levels varies significantly.)'

Next, by calculating the parameters which are required for players to be able to compete with these monsters, the parameters of the Adoulin equipment were set, using "Item Level" as an indicator of the strength of the equipment.

◆Meaning of Item Level and Content Level
Essentially, we want you to use item level and content level as indicators for you to determine when you are ready to take on new content.

However, in addition to this, with the way varying strategies evolve, and unique properties that can be gained from other equipment, we do not want you to think that you have no chance in the new content if you do not have equipment of a certain item level.

It intended only to be interpreted as a guide to some extent.

Some of the equipment added earlier in Adoulin exceeds item level 100; however, at present it is somewhat difficult to judge. Once we add labeled item levels and new, higher level equipment, it will be easier to understand.

For equipment which has been granted augmented statistics, we originally intended for the item level to be determined by the values of the augments. However, this is difficult given the current mechanism, so for equipment that can be augmented, the item level displayed assumes that the equipment has been granted the highest possible augment values. I apologize for any incovenience this might cause.

Also, item levels and content levels were established so that everyone has an index and can more objectively understand the strength of monsters and the performance of equipment when new content and equipment are implemented.

In part, this will help us determine content level and items based on the difficulty when new content is added. It is also important that we establish item level so that we have a reference for establishing new items or content at the same content levels.

As an example, with these defined values, it will be easier to determine whether the performance of items truly does match the difficulty of the content from which they are determined. It will also be easier for us to see when we need to add to the variety of equipment available for a certain level, or to decide when and whether we need to adjust the difficulty of particular content.

◆Summary

Up to this point, I've discussed the reasoning and concepts. We've seen that there have been two main criticisms regarding item level and content level.

1. The concept of content level is not functioning well.
As part of this, I will quote a post I made last month.

[[Self-quoted post about the large gap in content level to delve bosses and the need to fill that gap in, as well as add content for solo and small groups.]]

Also, please review the overview of reive adjustments. We will continue to review and adjust existing content like this. (Please allow me to explain in more detail in a future post.)

2. We cannot play this content in small groups.

When choosing to play in small groups, there are not many options available for obtaining new equipment, and I believe this situation needs to be addressed. We will continue to work on the development of adjusting and introducing new content for solo or small groups with high priority.

In the next version update, we will allow for small group support in Reives, along with the addition of newly available Bayld equipment. Some items have not been fully completed at this point, but will become available later, so I'd like to apologize for that.

We have also received a lot of feedback that players who do not have top tier gear find it difficult to participate in the highest content level content, and are having difficulty in obtaining the new equipment.

We do not plan to make any adjustments so that the same equipment is available with different, easier methods, but we plan to add new equipment which closes the gap as time passes. Then, later on in the future, we will adjust the difficulty of the content for everyone in order to make the content easier to complete for varying play styles.

Please continue to share with us your ideas about content level and item level; I will be happy to continue to answer your questions.

Translated by: Slycer

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06-25-2013 9:02 PM

[source]

Akihiko Matsui

Community Rep

Matsui here.

Thanks so much for all the feedback about item levels and content levels.

I've been answering questions on this topic and have discussed this in the past, but I'd like to take this opportunity to talk more about it.

Content Levels
For Adoulin, we've set a basic repeating play cycle which entails procuring stronger equipment to challenge harder content, which will yield even stronger equipment.

In order to indicate difficulty for Adoulin content in a way that is displayed in an objective fashion, we have established content levels.

The below is a chart representation of this:

20	Delve (Boss monsters)
19
18
17		New Wildskeeper Reives
16
15
14	Delve (NM group 2)
13		New Skirmish
12
11	Delve (NM group 1)
10
9		New Colonization/Lair Reives
8
7	Wildskeeper Reives
6	Skirmish
5	Colonization/Lair Reives
4
3
2
1
Content Level	Up to April 2013	Upcoming version updates (July and August)

Why not increase the level cap?
To be extremely frank, increasing the level cap was never an option.

So then what were our options?

Below are the two plans:

Expand equipment variation laterally
This would be preserving the original style of the game up until now.
Keeping relics, mythics, and empyreans at the top, add gear that can be used depending on the situation without creating higher tiers of equipment. No changes to the level 99 cap.
Boost equipment variation vertically
This is the current plan.
Add equipment that surpasses relics, mythics, and empyrean. Player level cap of 99 remains unchanged, but growth takes place via equipment.

I believe that there were quite a few who recall that there was a lot of feedback in the past about content difficulty and item stats not matching up, and a lot of equipment having similar stats.

We had come to see the limits of continuing to expand equipment variation laterally, and due to the fact that it wouldn't be possible to change monster strength without character growth as well as the fact that it would be difficult to make a variety of exciting content, the result would turn into only expanding areas, which we did not think was desirable.

As a result based on thorough discussions, while considering the current state of the game as well as the future, we decided to boost the variation of equipment vertically.

There were also a number of other reasons why increasing the level cap was not added as an option.

As I am sure you are all aware, increasing the level cap would cause a number of balance related issues to arise, such as whether the support jobs would remain at 49 or if they could be allowed to go higher, limitations on job abilities and job traits, and also how high the staged increases of job traits would go.

Also, the current UI system used in FINAL FANTASY XI was not created for levels to go above 99, so in order to display parameters for levels over 99 it would be necessary to completely reconstruct portions of the UI.

Items Levels I
With a growth system that takes place via equipment, there is one large aspect that differs from what we have seen in the game up until now.

The aspect is moving from two growth patterns: parameters that grow by leveling and parameters that grow from equipment, to just one: parameters that grow from equipment. As a result, equipment stats have come to look much larger; however, the fundamental thought process up until now will not be changed.

Just like up until now where you would gain experience points by defeating strong monsters that you were able to challenge, level up, and continue to grow by procuring strong equipment, in Adoulin as well you'll be challenging strong monsters and content, and progressing growth by gathering powerful equipment.

Put simply, due to the below reasons we've made it so the strength of equipment does not rely on the level you can equip them, but instead relies on the content level you can obtain them.

No growth from levels
No indicator of equipment strength via the level they can be equipped

Items Levels II
I'd like to go into more detail about the strength of equipment does not relying on the level you can equip them, but instead relying on the content level you can obtain them.

The strength of monsters that appear in Adoulin content will be decided on the content level. (Since we will be building a solid hierarchy between content, we’re making it so just 1 level difference in content level will be extremely noticeable.)

We've also calculated the necessary parameters you will need to combat these monsters and decided the stats for Adoulin equipment, which is why we've established item levels to make them references for equipment strength.

The meaning behind content levels and items levels
Basically, we would like you to use content levels and items levels as a reference when challenging content.

Though it's a reference, we understand there are aspects that can be covered by certain strategies and ways of playing as well as equipment that is used/collected for their special stats and properties, so this is NOT something that is saying "you definitely cannot do this content without this item level."

We'd just like this to act as a gauge where you can consider what kind of equipment you should gather and what kind of content you can go do.

Amongst the equipment available before Adoulin, there were items that exceeded item level 100, and while there are aspects that make it difficult to determine, it will become easier to understand as more and more items with item levels are introduced.

In regards to equipment that have augments added to them, we had originally wanted to have individual item levels depending on the specific value of the augments, but with the current system it was determined that it would be difficult, and we will be making it so the item level displayed is for the highest augment value possible. We apologize for this and appreciate your understanding.

Also, similar to how we would like you to use content levels and items levels as reference, it also makes it possible for the person implementing equipment and content to grasp the strength of equipment stats and monster strength more objectively.

In the event that the person implementing these things were to change, it’s extremely important for them to prepare the proper content and item stats following the content level difficulty and stat curve.

As an example, as a response to feedback that mentioned content difficulty and item stats did not match, it will now become possible to accurately assess this, and it will also be possible to judge more accurately what kind of content is being implemented for a certain level, whether more variations are necessary, and what content's difficulty needs adjusting.

Wrap-up
Until now I have been talking about the concept and purpose for content levels and item levels.

I'm aware that the negative feedback in regards to content levels and item levels is largely split into two categories.

The concept of content levels does not work properly
This is something that I discussed in a post I made last month.

Akihiko Matsui said: »

With the release of the end of April version update, we've implemented Delve and have completed the battle content that was planned for the launch of Seekers of Adoulin.

I feel that the flow of content that we planned where players would take on higher tiers of content (content level) by progressing in stages is not going as smoothly as we'd like.

Specifically, I would like to adjust the fact that it's difficult to do colonization reives and lair reives in small numbers, as well as the fact that it is difficult to start Skirmish.

For the time being, Delve (the boss battle) has been set as the highest content level.

With this current state, I feel priorities should be placed on implementing and adjusting content for low-man or soloing more than adding further higher tier content, and I would like to work hard while heading in this direction so that a larger amount of players can enjoy the game.

After this I also made a post about Reive adjustments, but besides only reives we will continue to make adjustments as needed to coalition assignments and other existing content. (I will make a separate post to explain about this.)

It's not possible to play with a small amount of people
I understand the need for the option of being able to play with a small amount of people as well as the need for ways to obtain new equipment with a small amount of people, and we are putting a very high priority to implement and adjust content so that it be done with a small group of players or solo over time.

In the upcoming version update we will be adding support for low-manning reives and adding new equipment that can be exchanged for Bayld, as well as other ways to address this, but I would like to apologize for not being able to have these ready yet.

We've also seen feedback posted which mentions that top players are clearing the high level content and seeing players obtain brand-new gear is upsetting because it's not possible to play all the time and it won't be possible to obtain that equipment.

We will not be making adjustments so that equipment can be obtained at the same time and pace as the top players, but we will be adding elements where you can obtain equipment close to it by spending a bit of time, and also once some time passes we will be adjusting the content difficulty, making it easier to clear. We would like to make an environment where it's possible to play with a variety of styles.

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06-28-2013 05:53 PM

[source]

Akihiko Matsui

Community Rep

Hello, Matsui here.

Thank you for all of the replies.

I'm not quite sure if I will be able to explain this properly by writing it, but I would like to make a follow-up post to my previous comment.

Many of you that continue to play and enjoy FINAL FANTASY XI have at some point in time cast off your shyness and became players who made a breakthrough by forming parties and participating in pick-up groups.
　
At the current point in time, Delve is the highest level content (from both a difficulty and reward standpoint, as well as a cost perspective), but whether we should make this content something that needs an alliance is definitely something that has been discussed within the team.　

Players feel like the threshold for entry is set quite high when taking into consideration the current trend of how people play now. However, since there were suggestions to make content similar to Dynamis, we ultimately decided to proceed by making alliance-based content.

Of course, with recent MMOs, it's possible to reach high levels while playing solo and players aren't spending a lot of time making parties because of the ability to auto-group up for large battles. While it definitely makes it easy to play, we are lacking too many things to be able to reach that point.

We have two goals in mind:
Create content that will excite players enough to join up with others again.
Create content that lets you discover the fun aspects because others are with you.
From the beginning, and with these goals in mind, the staff strove to make Delve into this type of content.

With that said, in regards to Delve, there is no need for all players to be able to clear it at the same exact time. Once the top players have played through it, the staff would like to make it so a larger number of players are able to complete it as well.　
　
On the other hand, we feel it's necessary to increase the amount of content for solo and low-man groups immediately, as well as supplement them with equipment that is not exactly on par with Delve but is of a significant content level.

The gap between players that have been playing this content and those who are trying to catch up is increasingly widening.

With that said, instead of rushing to add on to Delve, our highest priority is to spend that time to create other variations of content to supplement the content (item) levels (similar to how there was a variety of content at level 75 and 99 in the past). Also, we feel the need to first create content to revamp (enhance) relics, mythics, empryeans, and job-specific armor.

While I'm repeating myself, we would like to fill in the gaps that have been created by adding content where you can achieve your goals by putting your time in, and adding content choices so you can progress with the play style that suits you (for example, skipping content that you're not interested in).

While it's important to proceed with the original plans, I feel it's also extremely important to prioritize implementation based on the feedback of those that are playing right now, so please let us know what content you would like to play solo or low-man and other feedback as well.　

We really look forward to reading your sincere opinions.

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