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Chocobo Racing Q&A Part III

Hello Zam.com community members! This is Snakeeye. I’m in charge of development for both Chocobo Raising and Chocobo Racing.

Last time, we discussed the outline of Chocobo Racing and the things we can and cannot do. Because of that, there were a few subjects that players talked about intensively after the last Q&A.

So, I picked the hottest questions from each region to give you an in-depth look at the development process.

From Japanese players:

It would be great if you could build a system which allows us to participate in races even after we log out. That way, if our Internet connection is disconnected or we can’t register in a race because of long wait times, we would still be able to participate.

From Snakeeye:

I think we will be able to take measures regarding accidental disconnections. However, it is difficult to save long-term data, race performances, and results with current memory limitations. We are discussing the issue now. Of course we’ll keep investigating this issue, but to be honest, it will be very difficult.
 
From North American players:

Is there anyway we can control our chocobos? We understand there is an Internet connection speed issue, but we still think it’ll be a lot more fun if we can control our chocobos.

From Snakeeye:


I mentioned this in the last Q&A, but the main reason why we decided to introduce auto-control was to make Chocobo Racing fair to all players. How would you feel if you prepared everything correctly but because of a lag problem, or because your Internet connection was slower than another racers, your chocobo lost the race? Whatever the cause, the reason you lost the race should be clear and you should be able to fix the problem in order to win the next race.
Someone mentioned the fact that hunting NMs isn’t built for this type of fairness. In FINAL FANTASY XI, there are systems over four years old that are still in use today. As we provide new features, we create new systems like trading items to pop NMs and instanced areas like Assault. We feel we should introduce the best race system without using the original design ideals.
I agree that it would be fun to control your own chocobo and let them run the way you want. Unfortunately, that type of system doesn’t work within FINAL FANTASY XI.

From European players:

Regarding race times, it sounds fun that there are both scheduled races and non-scheduled races. However, I’m concerned about event schedules. Usually in-game events are scheduled when it is difficult for European players to participate.
   
From Snakeeye:

We are thinking about making scheduled races occur during fixed time periods. For example, one race opens each real life hour. This way, there would be more chances to participate no matter where you are. To tell you the truth, we haven’t decided what we are going to do yet, but we’ll be sure to take carel when deciding race schedules.

I received so many questions last time that I couldn’t answer many of them. I’d like to discuss a few of these below.

Riders
Q: Give the riders strengths and weaknesses or specific features. It would be great if we could choose the rider freely.
A: This is a good idea. I’ll try my best to introduce it.

Q: I would like to see famous NPCs, my exclusive Fellowship NPC or Moogle be my rider.
A: Interesting. However, not all NPCs will be able to ride chocobos.

Q: How about if there was affinity between adult chocobos and riders, and if there is harmony, your chocobo stats reach near maximum for the race?
A: This might be an interesting requirement.

Watching Races
Q: It would be great if we can have a giant screen to watch the races.
A: We can think of many different ways to show or process the races, but mainly we want to make sure players that have the right to watch the race are able to watch. That’s what we are thinking about right now. Even if you don’t register your chocobo in the race, you should be able to watch as long as you have the right.

Q: I want to see interesting play-by-play commentary.
A: I…I’ll try my best!

Q: How about introducing a photo finish?
A: Unfortunately, we don’t have technology that allows us to take pictures instantly in Vana’diel. Even Balakaf’s “image recorder” in Aht Urhgan takes blurred images! Instead, there will be useful magic developed in Windurst which will be able to take photo finishes.

Q: I want to have cool acrobatic motions with flashy effects!
A: I’ll try my best to make it happen.

Q: Can I enter the race circuit to watch the races?
A: I would love to make it happen.

Systems
Q: I’d like to have records for each course and ranking systems implemented.
A: Yes, we definitely need to create ranking systems.

Q: It might be great if we have a few different songs in each course or race. Also, I really want a chocobo race exclusive “fanfare.”  
A: If we create many different kinds of races, we would love to feature different songs for each one of them. I also really want a fanfare!

Q: How about a Chocobo Racing-exclusive chat function which players are able to communicate with across all regions or be able to organize Chocobo Racing-exclusive teams?
A: Those are good ideas, but it’s difficult to build an additional chat system, so please use linkshells for communicating with fellow Chocobo Racers.
Q: I heard there will be lineages/pedigree. That’ll be great if we can see our chocobo’s certificates of pedigree. This will add more elements to consider when we are breeding our chocobos. Also, can we find out if another player owns my chocobo’s descendents?
A: This idea is almost possible, but also a really difficult issue. We record information about a chocobo’s lineage, however we don’t (it’s more like we “can’t”) record which lineage came from which chocobo. Unfortunately, we can’t maintain enough space to record all that information.

Q: Please make it possible to have cross-world races!
A: I’m sure the Community department staff will think about these types of events, much like Ballista Royale. ;)

Q: Some players are worried that races may be cancelled because there weren’t enough participants. Is there any plan to avoid situations like that?
A: Yes, there is. If there aren’t enough people to run in the race, we’ll add NPCs to compete against, instead of real players.

Awards
Q: How about giving strong chocobos titles, medals, trophies, gil, or chocobo raising-related items depending on what place they finish in the race?
A: Nice idea! I’ll see what I can come up with.

Q: Popular Rare/Ex equipment could cause people who just want items to act without regard for others. Could you provide something of value while avoiding these items?
A: Awarding equipment as prizes can cause people who want them to annoy other players to get them, which isn’t the ideal effect. I’ll discuss with the item team to see what kind of items to offer as prizes.

Q: I want items like decorations or harnesses that my chocobo can equip.
A: This depends on discussions with the graphic team, but if it’s possible I’ll make something.

Gambling
Q: I want to have some kind of element which helps me decide which chocobo to bet on.
A: We’ll provide some kind of materials to help with your decision.  

Q: Please introduce win, trifecta and lotto methods.
A: First, you need to bet on 1st and 2nd. We might introduce other methods later.

Q: I think you should set a maximum bid amount.
A: I agree with you. To avoid bankruptcy, we might need to set a limit (laugh).

Q: Are fixed games possible? For example, if a player makes a popular chocobo lose the race intentionally, lets someone win the big money, and they divide the gil after the race?
A: We’ll introduce automatic racing methods based on chocobos’ data, such as parameters or abilities. Therefore, it’s impossible to change the ranking intentionally.

Finally…
Chocobo Raising finally started with the latest version update!
I wonder if some of you are getting watery-eyed over your cute baby chocobos…
Someday, these baby chocobos will grow up and be able to participate in Chocobo Racing.
First, concentrate on Chocobo Raising and raise your very own chocobo.
While you are all working hard raising your chocobos, I will work hard on Chocobo Racing. :)

The next posting will be the last chance to collect everyone’s comments. If you have anything you haven’t mentioned yet, there’s still a chance for it to be implemented, so please contribute by all means!

- Snakeeye
P.S. My chocobo was a girl!

Comments

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Chocobo's
# Sep 14 2006 at 1:57 AM Rating: Decent
Diffirent abilities based on what color they are? Kind of like a 2-hour for the chocobo, but only once a day for a race or when it is called.

I have to support the Fellowship NPC idea and the rewards idea. Other than that, I think you guys got it all covered ^^b
Guides, hymnals, or outlines oh my
# Sep 11 2006 at 4:10 AM Rating: Default
I do wish that when you provide an update in this game that there would be adequate information available. Guides and such are wonderous helpful. I would buy them if they were available, but alas there are most often none to be had. So my (and many other folks) efforts are often hit and miss at best, as with chocobo raising....and further adventures in Al Zahbi, and beyond. I do enjoy exploring but with death penalties so severe in this game I really do NOT want to die every time I venture out into a new area (so knowing what creatures aggro to what would be greatly appreciated BEFORE I am lying face down closely examining the grass, or whatever other surface I face plant on after being one shotted by an unfamiliar mob). I don't need to know everything, but good gosh almighty a basic idea of what to do now and again would be mightly appreciated.
You have created a wonderful game....now create some wonderful guides to go with it!
Humbley Yours
Ailindria
aka Wrong Way Aili
Chocobo Racing Incorperations
# Sep 11 2006 at 3:15 AM Rating: Default
There should be some things to inflluence a race besides stats. otherwise theres no control over racing. Its understandable giving no steering control, but abilitys that can turn the tide of a race like a sprint ability or an ability to slow another rider down. A chocobow tackle/feather tickle move almost like a TP ws would be interesting as it incorperates the basic fundamentals of an rpg and Final fantasy(battle and strategy).
Choosing when to unleashe these and having control over that at least would be cool. Also obstacles on a track like fences you can vault over or speed up pannels on a track might be neat. We spend 1 month raising these chocobos. We should at least get some degree of control over them.
Chocobo Racing Incorperations
# Sep 11 2006 at 3:15 AM Rating: Default
There should be some things to inflluence a race besides stats. otherwise theres no control over racing. Its understandable giving no steering control, but abilitys that can turn the tide of a race like a sprint ability or an ability to slow another rider down. A chocobow tackle/feather tickle move almost like a TP ws would be interesting as it incorperates the basic fundamentals of an rpg and Final fantasy(battle and strategy).
Choosing when to unleashe these and having control over that at least would be cool. Also obstacles on a track like fences you can vault over or speed up pannels on a track might be neat. We spend 1 month raising these chocobos. We should at least get some degree of control over them.
Hmm...
# Sep 07 2006 at 8:32 PM Rating: Decent
-REDACTED-
10 posts
After much debate, I've decided to speak on the Chocobo raising/racing issue. More specifically, my problem is with the chocobo whistle. It seems silly to me to have a whistle that degrades over time. It would make complete sense to have ur whistle not degrade and allow players to access their mount at any time for any length of time. Players have requested mounts because they wish to do something that will allow them to get around faster, yet in an attempt to appease players there is this underlaying desire to force a player into perpetual gil-spending. Make no mistake, I would have NO problem with paying a moderately large fee for a chocobo that I could have full over-world access to at anytime. When i say "full over-world access" I do mean that my chocobo won't kick me off and that i can summon it at any point in the field. Every FFXI event seems designed to cause players to dump massive amounts of gil into whatever they might want to do that could even be remotely interesting over a long period of time. Why?

Basically, I feel that the chocobo's endurance should not force you to be kicked off. If it "must" have an endurance meter, that should limit how long your chocobo can sprint at full speed. The chocobo's stats should affect how fast it can move and how long it can keep moving. A chocobo that I've raised from a chick shouldn't kick me off and ride into the sunset fleeing from me.

I apologize if part of this sounds like an idle rant, but inpart it is. I don't like to see bad ideas take shape when there are obvious better ideas floating around in the "think tank"


- A concerned gamer

____________________________________
Serios ~ Kujata
Choco-jocky
# Sep 05 2006 at 6:41 PM Rating: Default
If the system is good enough I'll quit leveling and be a choco-jocky for the rest of my life!! My chocobo and I will be as known as the racing chocobos on Final Fantasy 7 !! Or at least we'll look extremely good looking >> And waste millions of gil on racing gear and all!
sports?
# Sep 03 2006 at 10:53 PM Rating: Default
why not have "magic" orbs in all the bars around the world showing the races?
but then u might run into the problem of "off track betting" hehe might be fun or might be like a casino at the AH's.
sports?
# Sep 03 2006 at 10:50 PM Rating: Default
why not have "magic" orbs in all the bars around the world showing the races?
but then u might run into the problem of "off track betting" hehe might be fun or might be like a casino at the AH's.
Chocobo Circuits
# Sep 03 2006 at 4:51 PM Rating: Decent
To keep the races fair across the board will there be different ciruits base on how many races you've won?

i.e. Have a racetrack in bastok, windy, and sandy as beginner circuits (less than 10 wins), then a circuit in jeuno for intermediate racers (less than 50 wins), and a circuit in aht urghan for expert racers (100+ wins), it would help from having a person buy all the best chocobo gear and having an unfair advantage.
Track Record
# Sep 03 2006 at 4:53 PM Rating: Decent
Are individual chocobo's gonna have a record ?

i.e. how many races won
...
# Sep 03 2006 at 2:36 AM Rating: Decent
taking to account that there are many players that buy Gil and see this as legal , as well as the (ignorent about games) media , adding anything that related to gambling will attract many unwanted attention from the (non)-Gaming community.
NPC Vendors sell Chocobo P{aste? Please!
# Sep 03 2006 at 1:05 AM Rating: Decent
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74 posts
I would love very much to see NPC vendors around chocobo stables sell certain pastes to feed your baby chocobo with. The reason why is that prices that people have at the AH and in their bazaar's is not what I can afford. (I just got this game 17 days ago and am poor so I cannot afford things others can. =( )
Gambling
# Sep 02 2006 at 1:21 PM Rating: Decent
Why not have the amount returned on a bet placed depend on the total amount that was bet on the race. That way you are not adding or removing gil from the economy rather it is just changing hands.
flying
# Sep 02 2006 at 4:45 AM Rating: Decent
in previouse FF games black chocobo's could fly i was thinking it would b cool to have a "flying" course
{/sigh}
# Sep 01 2006 at 11:21 PM Rating: Decent
who gives a rats buttocks about racing, esp if there's no input from the players directly as to the outcome of the race

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All I want is a field taxi

if I get shafted in terms of costs for the use of a chocobo I've spend a tedious month raising...

...then its Roast Chocobo at my place ! BYO {Drinks},{Desserts}
Screens?
# Sep 01 2006 at 9:46 PM Rating: Decent
In response to someone mentioning a big screen where you can watch the races. I think you should have a special building or npc in certain towns where we can view /bet on a certain Chocobo. Maybe a special item or some quest you did to allow you to view races when you're not at the Chocobo Races.
Viewing Screens & Tackmastery Craft Suggestions
# Sep 01 2006 at 8:44 PM Rating: Decent
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208 posts
Quote:
Watching Races
Q: It would be great if we can have a giant screen to watch the races.
A: We can think of many different ways to show or process the races, but mainly we want to make sure players that have the right to watch the race are able to watch. That’s what we are thinking about right now. Even if you don’t register your chocobo in the race, you should be able to watch as long as you have the right.



I like the idea of having Chocobo Racing Viewing Screens made available in the taverns (as another player suggested already). I wonder about lag issues however, as some taverns are quite small in scale. Perhaps there could be a quest created to allow membership to the "Member's Only" area of the tavern, and once the quest has been completed...players could zone into the Member's Only" section of each tavern, which could be a much larger room specifically set up for chocobo racing viewing, betting etc.

Quote:
Q: I want items like decorations or harnesses that my chocobo can equip.
A: This depends on discussions with the graphic team, but if it’s possible I’ll make something.


I like this idea as well..in fact it occurred to me that there could be a new craft created to make chocobo racing gear. "Stablery" or "Tackmastery" or something...a new craft using elements from pre-existing crafts to create saddles, bits, chocobo decorations,blankets, feed bags, chocobo comfort items like a massaging bristle brush, Racing helmets, for players etc. This could be fun, and be an alternative way for players to participate in chocobo racing and raising. (And crafting certainly could use a few new crafts).

Choco "Sports Bar"
# Sep 01 2006 at 7:19 PM Rating: Decent
Something I'd like to see are Choco "Sports Bars" in each of the major cities. There are currently taverns/inns in each city now. Put up a big screen, broadcast the races, have the barkeep take bets, NPC's could sell "tip sheets".

I think this would be a lot of fun for those who might not be in the race, or might not even be raising a choco yet. Of course, it would be fun for everyone, and I can just imagine the "trash talk" going on now in Bastok ;0)

Also, there could be new "shops" in each city. I can imagine "tack" stores that sell Choco blankets, saddles, bridles, and dressy up items for making your choco's more beautiful and handsome! In Sandy there are two buildings right across from the Armor and Weapon shops that could serve this purpose.


Gladari of Plenum
Raising LadyDiana
Garuda Server
Choco "Sports Bar"
# Sep 01 2006 at 8:45 PM Rating: Decent
*
208 posts
duplicate post



Edited, Sep 1st 2006 at 9:49pm EDT by Birkietoo
Chocobo Lineage
# Sep 01 2006 at 5:23 PM Rating: Default
It is certainly understandable that there isn't enough storage space in the game to hold every chocobo's complete lineage. However I think I may have a solution to propose for this:

Why not include a shortened lineage for each chocobo viewable within the game. This lineage could include the chocobo's parents and perhaps even grandparents. If a player wanted to see a more detailed and complete lineage for the particular chocobo, they could then look it up online on a Chocobo Geneaology Website.


I think this Chocobo Geneaology Website could work similar to your Linkshell Community Sites (Player Info). The site would pull data from the game server and store it online in a text-based format. This information would then be viewable online and would no longer need to be stored within the game. I'm not sure how much storage space this would save on, but it seems to me that this sort of content could be delivered more efficiently in the form of a new Community website. Just my thoughts anyways! ^^

~Reddhawk of Quetzalcoatl
Chocobo Lineage
# Sep 01 2006 at 5:18 PM Rating: Default
It is certainly understandable that there isn't enough storage space in the game to hold every chocobo's complete lineage. However I think I may have a solution to propose for this:

Why not include a shortened lineage for each chocobo viewable within the game. This lineage could include the chocobo's parents and perhaps even grandparents. If a player wanted to see a more detailed and complete lineage for the particular chocobo, they could then look it up online on a Chocobo Geneaology Website.


I think this Chocobo Geneaology Website could work similar to your Linkshell Community Sites (Player Info). The site would pull data from the game server and store it online in a text-based format. This information would then be viewable online and would no longer need to be stored within the game. I'm not sure how much storage space this would save on, but it seems to me that this sort of content could be delivered more efficiently in the form of a new Community website. Just my thoughts anyways! ^^

~Reddhawk of Quetzalcoatl
Raising Chocobos
# Sep 01 2006 at 4:54 PM Rating: Default
Will there be a section on tips about raising/feeding a chocobo? So far everything that's about chocobos is just about racing.

p.s. my chocobo name is Omega Nova. =P
chocobo betting
# Sep 01 2006 at 3:18 PM Rating: Default
i agree we need a maximium bet limit but not because of introducing new gil as more ppl willl lose than win over time so don't worry and this feature may take gil away from the casino traders in lower jeuno and make SE the best way to go for gambeling also i reduces the way the trade scammers ppl who run casino's but don't pay can operate

however to make this work the odds need to match the chocobo's win loss record or overall chance of winning when you have decided on rider chocogear and base abbailtys but still give the chance for an "outside odds" to win like the real races
So...
# Sep 01 2006 at 1:30 PM Rating: Good
***
1,433 posts
Quote:
How would you feel if you prepared everything correctly but because of a lag problem, or because your Internet connection was slower than another racers, your chocobo lost the race? Whatever the cause, the reason you lost the race should be clear and you should be able to fix the problem in order to win the next race.

Someone mentioned the fact that hunting NMs isn’t built for this type of fairness. In FINAL FANTASY XI, there are systems over four years old that are still in use today. As we provide new features, we create new systems like trading items to pop NMs and instanced areas like Assault. We feel we should introduce the best race system without using the original design ideals.

Quote:
Q: Popular Rare/Ex equipment could cause people who just want items to act without regard for others. Could you provide something of value while avoiding these items?
A: Awarding equipment as prizes can cause people who want them to annoy other players to get them, which isn’t the ideal effect. I’ll discuss with the item team to see what kind of items to offer as prizes.

1. Where was this kind of thinking when things like Kings were introduced?

2. If the old NM system is obviously regarded as a poor, broken one by even the game designers, why isn't anything being done to fix it?

3. Why does the left hand not seem to know what the right hand is doing? In the latest interview posted on the BG forums, they seemed to be saying that the NM is fine and dandy, and there are some items that just aren't supposed to be available to everyone. If that's okay for NMs, why isn't it okay for chocobo racing? Or visa versa.
{/check}
# Sep 01 2006 at 1:06 PM Rating: Decent
i wanna be able to /check ppls chocobos and NPCs i love checking ppls gear
Sounds Nice!
# Sep 01 2006 at 1:02 PM Rating: Default
I kinda doubt that we'll be able to do this, but I think mounted combat would be awesome. You know that tunnel in the Valkurm Dunes that leads to Bastok? Whenever I ride through there on a chocobo it feels like I'm in the Death Star and I think it would be awesome if I could skewer lizards with my spear as I ride by! (I'm a Dragoon)
frig yeah..
# Sep 01 2006 at 12:46 PM Rating: Default
did anybody besides me catch the winky face after "Ballista Royale"

cross-world ballista seems to be in development... of course knowing me i could be the last person to find out about this lol
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