Square Enix Yanks Bug-Ridden Final Fantasy XIV on Mac

SHOW NOTE: THE role of “Game Released Way Too Soon,” formerly held by Batman: Arkham Knight, will now be played by Final Fantasy XIV. Waves of vitriolic gamers forced Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix’s hand, prompting the company to suspend sales of the Mac version of its online roleplaying opus heading into the holiday weekend, citing—as with Arkham Knight—serious performance issues. The long-awaited Mac version of Final Fantasy XIV arrived on June 23, but elicited jeers from sites like Kotaku (“Final Fantasy XIV’s New Mac Client Is A Joke”) and Destructoid (“Final Fantasy XIV’s Mac port isn’t great”), because the game apparently runs like a drunken donkey whether you meet the required specs or not. The game’s producer/director Naoki Yoshida outlined the issue in a 2,000-word mea culpa on Square Enix’s forums. In summary: the Mac version was released too soon, the system requirements were set too low, and boy is Square Enix ever sorry. The word “apologize” occurs seven times on the page. The Mac version of Final Fantasy XIV uses middleware developed by TransGaming to get Windows’ DirectX visual systems working in the Mac’s OpenGL environment. That, in portability parlance, is what’s known as a wrapper, and since wrappers have to translate crazy-complex rendering logic in realtime, they always induce a performance penalty. Studios use wrappers to port games much faster, lowering their development costs. But what’s interesting in Yoshida’s disclosure is his claim that a native OpenGL version would still have been significantly inferior to the DirectX version. “Taking into account FFXIV’s high-end graphics, and the need to simultaneously render multiple objects, we determined that it would be near impossible to provide the same frame rate in native OpenGL that could be achieved with DirectX,” he writes, going on to explain why, and that both cost and the low rate of native performance returns led to the company’s decision to use a wrapper. Long story short, if you want to play Final Fantasy XIV at maximal speeds on a Mac, use Boot Camp. If you want a refund, Square Enix has you covered here. And if you bought the game and plan to ride things out, Yoshida says the company plans to update the game’s system requirements imminently, continue to improve the game’s performance, and once those two points align, re-release the game for sale. Indeed, Yoshida writes that “With the adoption of DirectX11 for Mac, and the replacement of OpenGL with a new graphics API in Apple’s next OS, the fundamental gap in current performance issues may soon be eliminated.” “Soon” sounds awfully optimistic.

Final Fantasy XIV Heroes Go Retro For Final Fantasy Record Keeper

Final Fantasy Record Keeper brings characters from the entire Final Fantasy series together. The next characters to get scaled down to 16-bit sprites are from Final Fantasy XIV. Y’shtola, a Miqo’te who made her debut in the first version of Final Fantasy XIV, is a veteran crossover character. In addition to being playable in Dissidia Final Fantasy for arcades, Y’shtola will be in Final Fantasy Record Keeper. She can cast ice elemental attack Aqua Aura, defense buff Stonraskin, and heal HP plus recover negative status effects with Medicara. Thancred, a male Hyur who plays a key role in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn’s story, can join your Final Fantasy Record Keeper party too. He has skills like the Dual Blade Spin which does two physical attacks in one turn and Dancing Edge which hits for four consecutive physical attacks. A crossover event allows players to get these two Final Fantasy XIV characters kicks off today in Japan and ends on August 4. Read more stories about Android & Final Fantasy Record Keeper & Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn & iPhone on Siliconera.

Elder Scrolls Online PS4, Xbox One, PC: Tamriel Unlimited changes revealed

The new pack from ZeniMax Online Studios will launch first on PC on August 31, then Xbox One on September 15, followed finally by PlayStation 4 on September 16. The heart of the Cyrodiilic Empire has fallen to Daedric Prince Molag Bal and it is up to the three alliances to retake the Imperial City while still fighting amongst themselves. The Imperial City is the first DLC game pack for Elder Scrolls Online and has been promised to add hours of additional gameplay. New areas, quests, enemies, and exclusive items are set to be added, while pricing depends on the status of a players ESO Plus membership. The full Imperial City DLC game pack is included with an active ESO Plus membership, although if you are not an ESO Plus member, or your membership lapses, the Imperial City DLC game pack will cost 2,500 crowns in the ESOTU Store. The Imperial City will come in two parts-the DLC game pack, and the base-game patch, while everyone who owns The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited will receive the base-game patch at no cost.

All in all I couldn't be much happier with The Elder Scrolls Online

If you're not someone who enjoys playing and especially talking to others while you play, never fear! I too am not at all fond of social gaming, another reason why I've never played an MMO before this. When it comes to multiplayer, I really only play with family. I'll never be running around chatting with whoever wants to chat. But that doesn't appear to be a problem with this game. I've played far more all alone than I ever expected to be able to, which helps it to feel even more like an Elder Scrolls game. And that, my friends, is very appreciated.www.gmusd.com All in all I couldn't be much happier with The Elder Scrolls Online. It's pretty much everything that I hoped an MMO set in that world would be. Whether I'm sprinting around completing quests, finding familiar settings and books/items to appreciate, crafting like a mad man, or just taking in the beautiful scenery and music, I'm very much enjoying my time in Tamriel. It's a game made specifically for fans of the series to enjoy. And on top of that, you get to experience it all with others who share your love for the games if you so choose.www.6kfifa.com I can't speak for the hardcore MMO gamers and those unfamiliar with the series, but for those of you fans of The Elder Scrolls, many new adventures await thee!

ArenaNet responds to fan outrage over Guild Wars 2 Heart of Thorns prices

ArenaNet has responded to fan criticism regarding the way Guild Wars 2 expansion Heart of Thorns was priced. Throughout last week, large parts of the Guild Wars 2 community responded negatively to the way ArenaNet priced upcoming Guild Wars 2 expansion Heart of Thorns. The furore was mostly to do with the fact that there was no cheap upgrade option for existing owners of the base game. Today, the developer has announced a new refund policy as well as veteran rewards in an effort to placate the masses. "For our long-standing fans and loyal players, we would like to say thank you and show our appreciation. For all players who registered the core Guild Wars 2 game prior to January 23, 2015 and who upgrade their account by pre-purchasing and registering any Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns edition before its launch, we will add one additional character slot to your Guild Wars 2 account," reads the new blog post.www.gmfifa.com The developer said that the FAQ change was made in good faith, as it only wanted to clarify that Heart of Thorns is not a standalone expansion.