Never Forget San d'Oria: Hiromichi hints towards FFXI on the Vita

Recently, Hiromichi Tanak (Final Fantasy XI's former lead designer and producer of Final Fantasy XIV) informed Famitsu that Square Enix is considering making the PS Vita the next platform for its long running MMORPG, Final Fantasy XI. Initially, I was very happy to hear this news; I have been a sporadic player of the ongoing online adventure for years and a handheld alternative seemed like the perfect fit. However the more I daydream about this match made in Heaven, I am starting to realize that it is really a terrible accident just waiting to happen.

The appalling realization I had shortly after this information was revealed via Kotaku was that playing Final Fantasy XI on a five inch screen would not be my ideal resolution at all. I still have trouble playing the title on anything other than a PC or an Xbox 360. Now I will be forced to play on a screen with a smaller resolution than on the original PS2 version? This certainly is not where I would like to see the game spend its golden years, before eventually fading away into MMO obscurity. The other problem with this possible port would be the lack of a keyboard device. In my occasional time in Vana’diel, I have always controlled my Tarutaru with a keyboard. Using the number pad to navigate the world has been second nature. Previous attempts at controlling my miniature avatar with a controller have proven unsuccessful. Now with a portable version of the game in the consideration stages, I wonder how such a text-heavy game like Final Fantasy XI will be possible on the Vita.

Text-based communication is essential in Final Fantasy XI. Whether it’s setting up macros or asking for a Teleport-Holla from a White Mage, using a keyboard in some form is a requirement. How will it be possible to shout in town or communicate with your party on a Vita? I assume they would utilize the triggers to access macros, similar to how it was laid out on a 360 controller. However you still needed a keyboard in order to accomplish other objectives in the game. This I believe will be the main reason why the Vita version of Final Fantasy XI will end in disaster. A port would not be possible in my opinion, and a remake would be profitless for Square Enix.

I hate to be the voice of doubt in this situation; in most instances I would be happy that Final Fantasy XI could be available to a larger audience and that the game could be more successful than competing MMORPG titles currently on the market. However I cannot approve of this potential merger of a complex online adventure on a portable system. It just would not work in the way that it deserves to, and for that reason I say “No thank you”.

I acknowledge a lot of Andrew’s concerns but ultimately I have to disagree to rejecting the overall aspect of a Vita port and here’s why. Text communication is indeed essential within the navigation and movement of Vana’diel but there’s several ways of going about it. Between short-handed jargon and auto-translate shortcuts through the flick of the thumb, any adventurer, can get by through the simplest of interaction even when starting out anew in the land of Vana’diel. The technical specifications of the PS Vita’s screen dimensions come out to 5 inches. Now if we do a compare and contrast to say, the Apple iPhone which has dimensions far smaller at 3.5-inches, this device can manage to pull off complex touch-qwerty keyboard application with the greatest of ease. With that said, I see no reason to doubt the implementation of a touch-qwerty keyboard that can utilize the PS Vita’s touch-screen feature. The vita can handle the resolution of 960 x 544, considering that textures no more complex than that of the Xbox 360 port can be easily rendered than what is not to say that you can’t retain the details of the Final Fantasy XI HUD? The size of Vita’s screen can still provide the combat log and various action menus without sacrificing any detail to the resolution and innovates further by making menu navigation seamless with the possibility of touch-screen control.

 Final Fantasy is blessed with one of the best communities an MMO can hope to obtain, with its install base, the game has gone on to survive the odds that stack against it. Be it competition with the MMO giant World of Warcraft or keeping up with time itself, the cross-platform community is ultimately the game’s strongest point. Final Fantasy XI can only benefit with the Vita port as this can give the community to expand yet again. Capcom has proven with Monster Hunter that having a Lan-party experience through a portable format can be done right with its pseudo MMO RPG and Final Fantasy XI may possibly redefine the experience, how can nit possibly do this you ask? Easy, it’s the community that continues to play. The same cross-platform install base that spans multiple communities between two consoles and the PC for the last eight years will now be able to experience the same magic through the added benefit of taking it on the go with the Vita and encouraging new players to journey to Vana’diel.

Whether the allusions are true or not, we'll be eagerly awaiting any new details for any possible develpment to happen.