4Gamer State of the alpha test. Also Lalafells

There were some problems with the latest alpha test, but that didn’t stop 4Gamer from getting another article up for us. It’s a little light on information, but you guys might enjoy all the Lalafell goodness sprinkled about the article.

Translation by SteveManly(This Post from ffxivcore.com). Source is 4Gamer.net

State of the alpha test. Also Lalafells

The third alpha test for Final Fantasy XIV took place on Thursday, April 15th, but right after the test started there were frequent server malfunctions. There didn’t seem to be a possible fix for them, so the test ended an hour and twenty minutes into it. I was personally unable to get a satisfactory play experience, so I will have to forego the play report this time.

This particular login malfunction has been going on since the first alpha test. FFXIV director Kawamoto explained the problem on the tester site, also explaining what they would do to fix the problem.

The login error seems to have been a client error that happened often when a great number of players were concentrated in one area. This makes sense, since the opening instance played just fine, but there were a lot of cases where the client shut down after entering Limsa Lominsa.

A lot of errors were taken care of in the second alpha test, but because they haven’t been able to come up with a solution for server load issues, they are having a hard time increasing the number of players able to login at the same time. This seems to be what is keeping the players from logging in, even though the total number of testers is limited as it is.

Because of this issue, the length of the test for basic controls and battle has been extended from what was originally intended, since these things can’t be tested if people can’t log in. The character wipe and character growth balance tests have also been pushed back. The next alpha test window has not yet been announced, but judging by this announcement, there’s a probability that they’ll extend it.

These sorts of login malfunctions and other problems are to be expected during a closed alpha test; in fact, fixing these sort of problems is exactly what alpha tests are for. However, it’s only natural that devoted fans (like those who made it into Vana’Fest) feel upset about being made to wait to play the game.

I can understand both sides, but I think the alpha status update from the FFXIV director himself shows their sincerity and that they are doing what they can. The forums are thick with information and tester talk, and the relationship between the testers and developers appears to be a good one.

The testers are still in a bit of a gloomy state, but I guess they’ll have to be patient a little while longer.

Even though I couldn’t play to the fullest this time around, as a tester and as a 4Gamer columnist, I can’t just write this off, so for the legions of readers waiting for new FFXIV information, I have strewn this article with Lalafell.

For those who don’t know, Lalafell are a race short in stature that are very similar to the Tarutarus of FFXI. There are the Plainsfolk Lalafells who live in the plains, and the Dunesfolk Lalafells who live in the desert. Only Plainsfolk are current available in alpha.

The differences between the tribes are mostly visual. Plainsfolk have yellow or flaxen colored hair that may remind you of the plains, while the Dunesfolk have smooth eyes that sparkle like marbles (and some that have two different colored eyes), and occasionally have a jewel decorating their forehead, among other things that give the Dunesfolk a very mystic-feeling atmosphere.

The alpha test’s Plainsfolk female had two hair types to choose from (which will increase later), so I chose the one similar to the Tarutaru ponytail. (Google Tarutaru female F5 –Manly)

Though the PC avatars for FFXI and FFXIV look similar, they aren’t exactly the same. The proportions for the Tarutaru and Lalafell are completely different, to such an extent that one can tell at first glance that they are different races. The Tarutaru proportions are almost miraculous, and one may go as far as to say that it is a unique style of proportion belonging only to the Tarutaru, whereas the Lalafell proportions are close to that of a human child. Perhaps they were designed with a universally acceptable cuteness in mind.

There are a lot of impressive things about the realism of the graphics and characters’ movement in FFXIV. Characters lean forward when running and their center of gravity shifts slightly when they enter turns, and their hair also responds to the shift. They’ve added a lot of little details like this to really make the characters come alive.

The Gamescom2009 playable version seemed a bit lacking in those areas, but the graphics have received a pretty nice upgrade since then.

This time, when targeting an enemy or NPC, not only your character’s face, but the characters eyes also turn in the direction of the target. In cut scenes, there are times when characters make eye contact with each other while speaking, and it really shows the developers’ attention to detail in the characters’ performance.

Although FFXIV is an online game, it gives off the impression that the scene performances of the characters are getting closer to the quality that you would find in a console RPG. I guess this is to be expected from the MMORPG from the company that brought us so many great console RPGs.

Since my play time in this test was severely limited, this brings my third alpha test play report to a close. As of April 17th, the next alpha test date has yet to be decided, but I plan on bringing you a much more in-depth report if all goes according to plan next test, so please look forward to it.