Final Fantasy XIV will in fact be making an appearance on the PC

In response to praise regarding the quality of the trailer, the developers admit

there was a lot of work put in to making an epic presentation, and are unable to

comment on how exactly everything will be utilized in the game world itself (such as

those flying totem poles).  As the trailer implied, the atmosphere of the game will

mix high-tech and fantasy elements.  Unfortunately, speculation about the giant sea

serpent’s identity (Leviathan, perhaps?) was met with no comment.
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Sure to please Chocobo fans, players can expect those speedy, yellow birds to appear

in Eorzea.  The developers relate how the audience erupted in excitement the second

they appeared during SCEA’s presentation.  Apparently, everyone had been a little

confused up until then, but once a Chocobo graced the screen, everyone knew they were

in for another Final Fantasy title.  In this way, Chocobos are practically

inseparable from the series and need to be included.  However, just like the races,

they will be looking to develop a new incarnation of Chocobos unique to this title.

Unfortunately, it is causing them a bit of worry regarding how exactly to do this.

Originally, thought to be a PS3 exclusive, Final Fantasy XIV will in fact be making

an appearance on the PC.  The developers delve into this a bit, mentioning Crystal

Tools, a development platform that will also be used for Final Fantasy XIII and is

designed to allow them to port more smoothly to multiple systems.  In regards to the

PC version, the game will utilize the current version of Direct X that is out when

beta testing begins.  This goes for Operating System as well.  Similarly, they do not

specify Vista or Windows 7 as an operating system, saying again that it will depend

on what is out at the time.  For those of you looking to prep a new PC, Tanaka claims

they are really looking to get on the cutting edge of technology with this

installment.  Like Final Fantasy XI, the game specs will be extremely high for the

time, but in about 5 years, an average machine can run it on max settings with little

to no issues.  Tanaka also expressed interest in making a benchmark program

available.

To compose the musical side of Eorzea, Uematsu was tapped for his extensive work in

the Final Fantasy series.  Tanaka was a little nervous that Uematsu’s busy schedule

would not allow for him to bless the world of Final Fantasy XIV with his

compositions, but luckily he was happy to oblige.  Although there were a few snags,

being as this is an online game, they are researching the effective way to deliver

Uematsu’s work in full 5.1 channel surround sound.