Posting updates that I didn't catch but that I think are relevant that are in the official thread here!
Raubahn
There will be a story about Raubahn's past, and Pipin will also be making an appearance.
Q1: I would like to know the details of the house moving system! I would appreciate if you could let us know how the feature works and the steps required.
A1: Players will not be able to purchase housing at the launch of 4.0; however, they will be able to visit the housing area. The moving feature will be implemented at the same timing that the housing plots become available for purchase.
As for the steps, players will access the sign board of the plot and select the option to purchase the plot, next they will be presented with an option to move, so they will just need to select that option. You will then be required to purchase the land.
Also, there’s a new storage, so you’ll be able to store outdoor furnishings, so please use it as a storage space.
The moving feature will transfer the personal chambers, company chest, company workshop, and airship voyage status, so players will just need to prepare the fees for the new plot.
Q2: Is the timing for purchasing plots in Shirogane the same for free companies and individual players?
A2: We are currently in the middle of investigating how much of the player population owns housing, so this is still being decided.
Q3: Gosetsu looks like a Roegadyn, but also looks like a big Highlander. Which race is he?
A3: He's a Roegadyn, but one from the lands to the East. Rather than a Sea Wolf, he's closer to the Hellsguard tribe.
Q6: Will the island of Thavnair (Radz-at-Hahn) make an appearance?
A6: Travel to these locations will not be possible yet in Patch 4.0. However there are areas in preparation where you can enjoy the feeling of Thavnair, which you can visit starting in Patch 4.05 once travel is available.
Q9: I believe there are lots of NPCs in the Doman area with Asian-themed hairstyles. Would players be able to use these hairstyles? I want a top knot!
A9: There will be two new hairstyles, but there's no top knot. If there’s a lot of request for it, we'll consider it.
Q10: With the additional jobs being implemented, it will likely become increasingly difficult to receive the desired equipment pieces in raids. Will the raids in 4.0 also be divided by a tier system, similar to the Alexander raids?
A10: The new raid won’t be available upon the release of 4.0.
The equipment pieces that drop in Savage are divided by role, and the raid tier system will be continued. Of the 8 players, at least one player will receive the weapon they need. We would like to expand on this sometime before we introduce the Savage raids.
Q12: We’d like to hear any stories about the selection and development of red mage and samurai!
A12: Red mage was announced first, but during the development we chose samurai first. In terms of roles, there were already 3 tanks and 3 healers, so we decided to prioritize balance, and added a STR and INT DPS.
Because the story was already determined to take place in Doma and Ala Mhigo, samurai was determined relatively quickly.
The red mage in the FF series uses both “white magic†and “black magicâ€, so we debated how to implement it. We were also considering Mystic at the time, but we thought about how often we were asked “please add red mage!†at events, and decided to add a red mage that was FFXIV-like.
Q14: During The Rising event in 2015, there was a mention about red mage in the Eighteenth Floor. Was red mage already confirmed to be implemented at this point?
A14: If you read the first letter of the each line from Yoshida’s dialogue in the Eighteenth Floor, it reads “thank you.†If you were able to figure this out, it may have given an impression that it was a fake message just to achieve this hidden meaning; however, lots of players believed that red mage was indeed coming, and it made us worry. I got scolded by the project manager for this. I will never do this again... Also, at that point in time, it was just a high probability and wasn’t confirmed.
Q15: In Patch 3.0 we had the Specialist system. Are there any plans to add new features for Disciples of the Land and Hand in Patch 4.0?
A15: There won’t be any new system, however, we have made overall adjustments based on feedback we received.
Q20: If there are any currently existing mounts that will be available underwater, please let us know.
A20: All flying mounts will be able to go underwater. We will gradually allow more ground mounts to fly.
Ground mounts will also be undergoing major changes, with the addition of two more levels of speed. The current speed will be lowest. Clearing each area’s main story quest will unlock the second tier of speed in that area. Afterward the third tier of speed will be available upon doing a certain something. Because it is the main scenario quest, players who are finished with the story up to 3.0 will automatically be able to use the second tier of speed in all ARR/HW areas.
Also, we will be removing the skill cooldowns for when changing classes in non-sanctuary areas. Additionally, sprint will no longer consume TP. Tanks and melee DPS will be able to more easily use sprint in raids.
Q21: We’ll finally be able to visit Doma, but will there be any Eastern-styled emotes?
A21: Japanese people pay respect, and so it’s important to show courtesy for anything, so we’ll add emotes related to this first. If you have any requests, be sure to let us know on the forums.
Q22: This year makes 30th anniversary for the FINAL FANTASY series. Are there any plans for a anniversary event in FFXIV?
A22: We’re planning to hold a FINAL FANTASY series projection mapping collaboration event with the city of Yokohama in June. The projection mapping for FFXIV will be done on the wall of InterContinental Yokohama Grand Hotel. This is a large-scale event, so if you have a chance to visit, please be sure to check it out. *Video showed slide with an image.
Q24: The Aldenard region, where the adventures up until now have taken place, and Othard, the region including Doma, are very far apart. Will there be different time zones, similar to real life?
A24: From a lore perspective, there are time zones; however, we have Eorzean time ("ET") as the local time, so please think of ET as that area's local time when you teleport to that zone. Basically, don't worry too much about it!
Q25: During the Fan Festival, you mentioned that there are plans for PlayStation®4 Pro support, but is this planned for Patch 4.0?
A25: Yes. There will be two modes available.
One mode will retain the current resolution while increasing the frame rate. With this mode, you can expect a stable 60FPS even in scenes with many people.
The other mode retains the current existing frame rate but increases the resolution.
You will still be able to enjoying playing without a PlayStation®4 Pro, so please choose the best option for you.
Q27: In an interview, I read that the number of data centers for Japan may change. I'm currently gathering members to run the Omega raid, but are there any plans to change portions of the Elemental or Mana data center?
A27: For the Europe region, the Chaos data center population is increasing a lot, so we may open up one or two new Worlds. For North America and Japan region, we see deviation to the population on different Worlds. Instead of shuffling the players around to different Worlds, we’re considering to prepare incentives such as removing the gil restrictions for players that transfer to specific Worlds. We’ll make an announcement on the Lodestone at a later date.
Q28: There was an announcement regarding inventory slot expansion, but we would like to know which inventory (inventory/Armoury chest) is being increased and by how much!
A28: We received comments that the Armoury chest and inventory could not be expanded due to PS3 limitations, but the two are separate issues. When players move areas or go into instances, all item data is being moved along with the character, so if we were to add additional item slots without much thought, the amount of data being transferred could become ridiculous, network usage would skyrocket, and servers could go down.
With this in mind, in Patch 4.0 we will implement the first inventory expansion, take a look at the state of the servers, then prepare for additional expansions.
The Armoury chest will receive 10 extra slots for each category of equipment, while the item inventory will be increased by 40 slots.
* During the stream we showed off images of the updated UI.
I am also discussing with our server programmer Kasuga whether we can utilize other methods to efficiently increase inventory space.
Raubahn
There will be a story about Raubahn's past, and Pipin will also be making an appearance.
Q1: I would like to know the details of the house moving system! I would appreciate if you could let us know how the feature works and the steps required.
A1: Players will not be able to purchase housing at the launch of 4.0; however, they will be able to visit the housing area. The moving feature will be implemented at the same timing that the housing plots become available for purchase.
As for the steps, players will access the sign board of the plot and select the option to purchase the plot, next they will be presented with an option to move, so they will just need to select that option. You will then be required to purchase the land.
Also, there’s a new storage, so you’ll be able to store outdoor furnishings, so please use it as a storage space.
The moving feature will transfer the personal chambers, company chest, company workshop, and airship voyage status, so players will just need to prepare the fees for the new plot.
Q2: Is the timing for purchasing plots in Shirogane the same for free companies and individual players?
A2: We are currently in the middle of investigating how much of the player population owns housing, so this is still being decided.
Q3: Gosetsu looks like a Roegadyn, but also looks like a big Highlander. Which race is he?
A3: He's a Roegadyn, but one from the lands to the East. Rather than a Sea Wolf, he's closer to the Hellsguard tribe.
Q6: Will the island of Thavnair (Radz-at-Hahn) make an appearance?
A6: Travel to these locations will not be possible yet in Patch 4.0. However there are areas in preparation where you can enjoy the feeling of Thavnair, which you can visit starting in Patch 4.05 once travel is available.
Q9: I believe there are lots of NPCs in the Doman area with Asian-themed hairstyles. Would players be able to use these hairstyles? I want a top knot!
A9: There will be two new hairstyles, but there's no top knot. If there’s a lot of request for it, we'll consider it.
Q10: With the additional jobs being implemented, it will likely become increasingly difficult to receive the desired equipment pieces in raids. Will the raids in 4.0 also be divided by a tier system, similar to the Alexander raids?
A10: The new raid won’t be available upon the release of 4.0.
The equipment pieces that drop in Savage are divided by role, and the raid tier system will be continued. Of the 8 players, at least one player will receive the weapon they need. We would like to expand on this sometime before we introduce the Savage raids.
Q12: We’d like to hear any stories about the selection and development of red mage and samurai!
A12: Red mage was announced first, but during the development we chose samurai first. In terms of roles, there were already 3 tanks and 3 healers, so we decided to prioritize balance, and added a STR and INT DPS.
Because the story was already determined to take place in Doma and Ala Mhigo, samurai was determined relatively quickly.
The red mage in the FF series uses both “white magic†and “black magicâ€, so we debated how to implement it. We were also considering Mystic at the time, but we thought about how often we were asked “please add red mage!†at events, and decided to add a red mage that was FFXIV-like.
Q14: During The Rising event in 2015, there was a mention about red mage in the Eighteenth Floor. Was red mage already confirmed to be implemented at this point?
A14: If you read the first letter of the each line from Yoshida’s dialogue in the Eighteenth Floor, it reads “thank you.†If you were able to figure this out, it may have given an impression that it was a fake message just to achieve this hidden meaning; however, lots of players believed that red mage was indeed coming, and it made us worry. I got scolded by the project manager for this. I will never do this again... Also, at that point in time, it was just a high probability and wasn’t confirmed.
Q15: In Patch 3.0 we had the Specialist system. Are there any plans to add new features for Disciples of the Land and Hand in Patch 4.0?
A15: There won’t be any new system, however, we have made overall adjustments based on feedback we received.
Q20: If there are any currently existing mounts that will be available underwater, please let us know.
A20: All flying mounts will be able to go underwater. We will gradually allow more ground mounts to fly.
Ground mounts will also be undergoing major changes, with the addition of two more levels of speed. The current speed will be lowest. Clearing each area’s main story quest will unlock the second tier of speed in that area. Afterward the third tier of speed will be available upon doing a certain something. Because it is the main scenario quest, players who are finished with the story up to 3.0 will automatically be able to use the second tier of speed in all ARR/HW areas.
Also, we will be removing the skill cooldowns for when changing classes in non-sanctuary areas. Additionally, sprint will no longer consume TP. Tanks and melee DPS will be able to more easily use sprint in raids.
Q21: We’ll finally be able to visit Doma, but will there be any Eastern-styled emotes?
A21: Japanese people pay respect, and so it’s important to show courtesy for anything, so we’ll add emotes related to this first. If you have any requests, be sure to let us know on the forums.
Q22: This year makes 30th anniversary for the FINAL FANTASY series. Are there any plans for a anniversary event in FFXIV?
A22: We’re planning to hold a FINAL FANTASY series projection mapping collaboration event with the city of Yokohama in June. The projection mapping for FFXIV will be done on the wall of InterContinental Yokohama Grand Hotel. This is a large-scale event, so if you have a chance to visit, please be sure to check it out. *Video showed slide with an image.
Q24: The Aldenard region, where the adventures up until now have taken place, and Othard, the region including Doma, are very far apart. Will there be different time zones, similar to real life?
A24: From a lore perspective, there are time zones; however, we have Eorzean time ("ET") as the local time, so please think of ET as that area's local time when you teleport to that zone. Basically, don't worry too much about it!
Q25: During the Fan Festival, you mentioned that there are plans for PlayStation®4 Pro support, but is this planned for Patch 4.0?
A25: Yes. There will be two modes available.
One mode will retain the current resolution while increasing the frame rate. With this mode, you can expect a stable 60FPS even in scenes with many people.
The other mode retains the current existing frame rate but increases the resolution.
You will still be able to enjoying playing without a PlayStation®4 Pro, so please choose the best option for you.
Q27: In an interview, I read that the number of data centers for Japan may change. I'm currently gathering members to run the Omega raid, but are there any plans to change portions of the Elemental or Mana data center?
A27: For the Europe region, the Chaos data center population is increasing a lot, so we may open up one or two new Worlds. For North America and Japan region, we see deviation to the population on different Worlds. Instead of shuffling the players around to different Worlds, we’re considering to prepare incentives such as removing the gil restrictions for players that transfer to specific Worlds. We’ll make an announcement on the Lodestone at a later date.
Q28: There was an announcement regarding inventory slot expansion, but we would like to know which inventory (inventory/Armoury chest) is being increased and by how much!
A28: We received comments that the Armoury chest and inventory could not be expanded due to PS3 limitations, but the two are separate issues. When players move areas or go into instances, all item data is being moved along with the character, so if we were to add additional item slots without much thought, the amount of data being transferred could become ridiculous, network usage would skyrocket, and servers could go down.
With this in mind, in Patch 4.0 we will implement the first inventory expansion, take a look at the state of the servers, then prepare for additional expansions.
The Armoury chest will receive 10 extra slots for each category of equipment, while the item inventory will be increased by 40 slots.
* During the stream we showed off images of the updated UI.
I am also discussing with our server programmer Kasuga whether we can utilize other methods to efficiently increase inventory space.