How does FFXIV's story get written?

[@OmegaEnvych]

Well, youtube thing. Seriously though - this is very enjoyable and informative video, I like the fact that you did it in very to the point way without being dry and hey, the more you know. While a lot of this is not new for many (Because hey, public knowledge), it's still nice to have all this info nicely condenced in one place. And finding some info I didn't knew before. Sooo, thank you!

[@EinDose]

I always think the right angle for all this isn't to try to give NEW information, because yeah, this is all technically available, you could find all this stuff just like I did. The goal is putting it all in one place, and putting my own spin on it!

[@lampdevil]

This was indeed very informative! I knew a lot of the general facts within, being a huge FFXIV dork, but the way you've laid it all out is very digestible and engaging and fun! I'm fluent in French and have only barely begun exploring the depths of that particular localization (the game is HUGE, oh my god, I could be at it for years if I didn't just try and find a script dump somewhere) but I do find it interesting to note the Heavensward/Stormblood split as to what the script is being based off of. Though French does retain the early ARR Dalamasca references, so.... it's not 100%. If you know places online where that particular language's differences are being discussed, I'd love to know!

[@EinDose]

Unfortunately, the actual communities in other languages are mostly still a mystery box to me. I know things about the Japanese community just through conversation, and I at least know people that can help with per-textbox translation if I know I need it, but that's about all, unfortunately.

[@kitsunehanyou09]

I was so excited when this come up on Twitter! Thanks to this video, I learned more about the writing process!

[@MaxLebled]

Really great video! Thank you for your work! I have two questions, if you don't mind. First, do you have a tip jar somewhere? (If not, you should consider it. ) Second, can you elaborate on what was wrong with the Heavensward trailer thing?

[@EinDose]

I don't, but now that someone's directly said it I'm genuinely considering it! And the brief problem with Heavensward's trailer is that there's some serious errors, probably stemming from either lack of time or lack of communication; the big one is that the 'villainous dragons' in it are recolored Hraesvelgrs, for some reason.

[@dragonstaraphelion9839]

Thank you so much for this video! I think all of this really needed to be said, and is worth keeping in mind as it’s easy to forget sometimes that the writing team is more than a couple people. I definitely learned a little more about some of the content that different members of the writing team worked on, so thanks for sharing that. Super glad this video exists, thanks for making it!

[@EinDose]

Even when writing this video I was surprised by how many there were. I went 'okay here's the way to figure out how many writers are here, I know their title, let's hit the credits--THERE'S THIRTY?'

[@samniel]

One thing that I will always give props to FFXIV writers is that they're working on an on-going, serialized, story, with a team of tens of writers, and still manages to be mostly cohesive (I say mostly because by Hera there's some stuff I'm salty about, looking at you, Blessing of Light/Echo). Part of this is from that oft-mentioned way of working: "Look at what plot threads we threw at the wall during ARR, see if we can tie some together in a nice little bow, add our own plot points." I wonder if they'll take the chance to make 7.0 a complete new beggining and thus be unburdened from the 1.x/ARR by-the-seat-of-the-pants writing process

[@EinDose]

I don't think they'll ever change the approach, because for this sort of project it actually works really well. XIV's writing process seems more akin to how Marvel and DC write comics than any other game, and it kinda needs that structure to work.

[@tbeshers]

Fantastic video. I truly enjoyed the deep dive into the writing process.

[@25xxfrostxx]

I would love to see a list of all of the threads that they left dangling just for the purpose of pulling on them later if needed. Like the morse code at the end of the crystal tower.

[@EinDose]

That list would be SO LONG! Although to their (credit? detriment?) the morse code wasn't written just as a loose thread, they actually did plan to do something there that got canned. The morse code says 'it's all wrong', by the way, if you didn't know!

[@thegneech]

Very nifty, thanks for making this. :)

[@brendant.4493]

Quality discussion and content. Thank you!

[@sehrverrueckt3358]

Well, the YT algorithm wins this time. Great video, been a fan of FFXIV, FFT, and Matsuno for a long time and I had no idea that one of the major Team Quest writers was working on ARR and HW. That def explains the more grounded feel and body count. Have a like and a sub for teaching me something interesting about the stories I love.

[@EinDose]

The Ivalice team made up a lot of the ARR additions, as I've heard, but Maehiro's the big confirmed one.

[@sehrverrueckt3358]

@@EinDose Indeed, also Hiroshi Minagawa who was with Matsuno back in the Ogre Battle days(as an art director) has been working on FFXIV consistently since ARR. He also directed FFXII and the PSP Tactics Ogre remake IIRC.

[@EinDose]

@@sehrverrueckt3358 also Akihiko Yoshida, the original lead artist, but he might've been there before.

[@sehrverrueckt3358]

@@EinDose Yoshida is a weird one, I know he worked on Main Character Design for FFXIV 1.0 and is credited for such in ARR and all the expacs. However, I am not sure if he has actually continued to work on the game, or if he is being credited because his work from 1.0/ARR is still in use.

[@CH-dr1ds]

So much of this feels obvious and then I remember how easy it is to pick out in various threads those that have only a vague familiarity with writing in general, with writing collaboratively, with adding onto an existing story and working on something that is meant to be continued by others after your particular quest-line is done- without getting into writing a product that happens to be a mainstream MMO. Also that the main writers are Japanese. Also re: Banri Oda's interests- nonavian dinosaurs and other prehistoric critters crop up more in FFXIV than anywhere short of a Jurassic Park game, it shows

[@EinDose]

Yeah, a huge part of what inspired the structure of this wasn't people overemphasizing Yoshi-P, but missing the impact of localization. I've lost count of the amount of things in discussions where people being up something as what they think is huge that I have to say 'actually, in the Japanese script...' And I feel like the weird amount of dinosaurs might be more of an enemy designer thing, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Oda!

[@drarko91]

Awesome!

[@ProfessM]

No I hated the Namzu. Also the English Haurchefant is the best. Good vid though.

[@EinDose]

The Namazu are, if nothing else, of very STRONG character. It's not really possible to be ambivalent about them. I have very little opinion on Haurchefant, honestly, but I'm also of the rare opinion of liking English Dark Knight less than the original Japanese.

[@ProfessM]

@@EinDose Sure lets agree on strong. Mean while I strongly like Haurchefant, and his Japanese version ruined a man I wanted as a best friend. I know little about the Japanese take of the Dark Knight. I'M OFF TO LEARN ABOUT IT!