Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

[Hilde]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I really like the select the race of your jockey or Chocey idea. I also this it would be nice to name the NPC jockey.

Then I could watch Racer X & Speed Racer in the Chocobo races.

Having the jockeies have a similar interaction system to the NPC's would be nice, would feel like we have a little more control over the races than the automatic system seems to imply.

[Ritual]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

ok heres my word in

cups will be fantastic especialy if theres special cups that get desplade in a case in the tracklike have a championship threw the festivals and at the end who ever wins gets to have his/her name and his/her chocobos placed on a mural or a cup at the races for all to see and watch out for.

there should also be race advancements like in ff7 the better you got the harder the compatition and the races will get but the better rewards.

i think you should be able to watch races from the stands if your just a spectator it would be call to sit in the stands with some of your friends mybe your ls and relaxe before the race starts then watch one of your friends leave everyone eles in his/her dust

as for bets i dont think it should be a strong system maybe just get 100 gill if you winyour bet and maybe get an item or maybe just items from winning.

a manager system would be good, maybe a couple of managers in each city who will sponser you in the races and maybe even make it a quest so that they will put you up.

and now for the best bit in every race when its your oposition unloyal chocobos, maybe you dont spend enough time with it or it just dont like you it chould just mope around the track wandering around aimlessly maybe pecking at the ground a little and just refuseing to race beacuse the owner didnt so a very good job

Rank system: maybe haveing a system showing whos chocobo is in the top in each server and/or city. not adding every chocobo of course that would take to long to scroll threw maybe when you race you have to sign up (for free of course) so that your name and your chocobos name will show up on a board at the track and also have an event rank system showing whos 1st in the summer breeze festival race and whos last etc, what they won maybe

jockys i would love to have a jocky who you could also train up a little to suit your perticuler style of raceing, maybe put him in a customisable suit with your own colours (maybe images and numbers on his back) and also haveing customisable sadles for the chocobos would be great too.

[Nekaru]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Two more suggestions I'll toss in there would be, maybe instead of, or in addition to furniture style trophies, winners of big races could get neck item gear that increased chocobo riding time, or helped with chocobo digging, etc.

And I would love to have the music for the race be similar to the music in FFVII's chocobo races. To this day once I hear that tune I can't get it out of my head.

[Anaki]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

alright er alotta reading so im not gonna read all the posts and say my idea :D

team races :O yknow where each choco on the team runs a distance to the next choco and so on..

gambling.
2 ways i think one is each racer pets X gil winner gets all the gil in the pool - a % like 10% of the gil you bet is put to so you can bet it in a race wih 10 chocos winner gets 9X his gil if he wins this puls out alotta gil from the economy i think

other way is bet on wnner and then if u win you get an item ff7 style ;P in no way should gil be a reward for this :x that will screw the economy.

FEEs i think a 1k fee to enter a choco in the race its like riding choco in the end it builds up alot

Rewards. different choco classes. heck higher fee for higher class. rewardsa re all FURNITURE :D i want a gold trophy in the shape of a chocobo in my mog house that would be cool imo

joy ride. the ability to have free rides on the courses where you can ride you own chocobo on the track without it being a race. heck you can have it where this lets your chocobo know the course better and increases its winning chance

[Darkhound]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Will they include a decent gambling system?

[Herrisa]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I was a little disheartened at first when it was said that we won't be able to ride our chocos in a race, but after a while I have to agree that non-player controlled racing is the best route. I don't want to be running a fair race while another person with a faster computer clock speed or speed hacks cheats their way to victory.

- Having one racetrack on the initial release is ok, but I would like to see more racetracks added later. Not just in Aht Urgan(sp?), but in other cities as well.

- I LOVE the idea of having weather effect race track conditions. Having some chocos more attuned to a certain weather condition is also a great idea.

- Gambling for Racing Points, which can be used to purchase items, would be a wise course. Having it set up like how Assault Points are spent would mean players would get some nice equipment while not encouraging RMT.

Additional ideas:

Aht Urgan Racing Circuit - Initial Release
This is your standard race track with no weather conditions affecting it. Chocobo owners are allowed to enter a race of their choosing from a drop down list from a npc. While selecting a race the owners would be able see who else will be racing against them. A maximum of six are allowed to race, but only four players-owned chocos are allowed. The two empty slots are filled with computer-generated racers as soon as the entering time closes. Allowing two npc racers in each race will make it harder for players to fix a race. If no player-owned chocos have joined then the race is cancelled.

These should be considered beginner races. Winners of these races move up in the ranks and, with enough wins, they are rewarded by being able to move to different circuits (and different prizes).

Altepa Racing Circuit - Future Release
The Altepa Racing Circuit consists of long, endurace races through the hot Altepa desert sands. Those chocobo with either fire affinity or earth affinity will benefit from any weather events that might occur while racing. Endurance is best here. [Think Baja racing]

Elshimo Racing Circuit - Future Release
The Elshimo Racing Circuit consists of short sprints with sudden turns through the muddy jungle ground. Those chocobo with either water affinity or fire affinity will benefit from any weather events that might occur. Agility is best here. [Think Formula One racing]

Mhuara Racing Circuit - Future Release
The rocky shoreline of the Mhuara Racing Circuit is ideal for fast, straight-ahead sprints. Chocos with wind or water affinity would benefit from weather effects. Speed is the primary focus. [Think drag racing]


I could go on and on... but I hope you see what I'm trying to express. Can't wait for it to be released. I'm already growing my greens.

Edit: Addendum

If you do have npc racers filling in the empty spots, it would be fun and exciting to have a 'NM' racer to contend with every once in a while. A npc-racing combo that's tougher to beat than the standard npc combo. Gambling odds would certainly shift into their favor, but would certainly spice things up.

Just like in all animal racing, it might be good to put some downtime in between races to let the chocobo rest. This will help prevent die-hard player's from trying to race in every race and not allowing others to get a slot.

[Jamesdaman]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I want to be able to name my chocobo >.> or can you do that? I haven't been following this a lot <.> but it'de be nice to name them.... not just choose from a list either

Yeah that would be a cool idea. I would like to name my choco that I raise and race also. Also, I do like the idea of you not controlling the choco. You do not control what you do during combat. I mean you do run and stuff like that but you don't hit a button to swing your weapon so it basically is going to be clicking a button if you want to do a certain move and sprint. I don't know what options they will have but it sounds fine to me.

[Aeni]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I could go on and on... but I hope you see what I'm trying to express. Can't wait for it to be release. I'm already growing my greens.

I'm just hoarding seeds because I know they're gonna be inflated. >.>

But my own addition to this thread is that I'm in support of a non-controlled (player) race. Gambling is cool, another way to remove gil from the game (And legitimately too, unlike those shoddy casinos in towns) Removing gil from economy = a good thing.

[Ramsey]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I hate to spoil this but...

"I think there should be this/that kind of track or X number of tracks"

I'm afraid at initial launch of thie racing anyways there will be only one track, apparently accesible from all major nations.

http://www.ffxi-atlas.com/nav/?act=s...hocobo-circuit

I stated this earlier but it appears no one read it, anyways.

"I think the music should sound like this/that"

Buy the OST, both the chocobo lounge and chocobo racing tracks have already been composed, I like both of them, not sure if I like it as much as the FFVII chocobo racing theme, but thats a little techno wierd in the FFXI setting.

I really liked the idea of either having a personal jockey or having a variety of jockeys with back stories and different styles.

Reiterrating:

Put the track on the map, don't make it an arbitrary zone, even if you can't manually access it.

Allow players to sit in the stands and watch the races, very important.

[Gwynn]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I think the idea of gambling is a very good one... it will give players more incentive to race chocobos because they'll actually have something to show for their efforts.

Also, what about having special Rare/Ex items that you can buy with Racing credits (or something like that... similar to the Battle Arena prizes from Final Fantasy VII). If you did this, and made the items very useful and sought after, it would give players even more incentive to use the Raising/Racing feature.

[Herrisa]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

I hate to spoil this but...

"I think there should be this/that kind of track or X number of tracks"

I'm afraid at initial launch of thie racing anyways there will be only one track, apparently accesible from all major nations.

http://www.ffxi-atlas.com/nav/?act=s...hocobo-circuit

I stated this earlier but it appears no one read it, anyways.

I believe people are thinking of future updates to racing. Most of us understand that this won't be possible to be finished in time of the initial release. We're just expressing what we would like to see in the future of racing.

Currently, we only have one race track available from all main cities, but what's to stop them from adding additonal race tracks available from all main cities? All they have to do is give us a menu to select where to go and build another map. The racing system will already be there.

[Karinya]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

* At least 2-3 races per Vana'diel day - maybe as many as one per Vana'diel hour, depending on how long they are. Any given chocobo can only enter once per Vana'diel week, or something like that. This allows a variety of different chocobos (and thus players) to participate.

* If the next race is full, the registration NPC should tell players when is the next race that has an open spot and allow them to sign up for it.

* Any race should be allowed to fill completely with player chocobos if there are enough entries; otherwise NPC chocobos should be added to fill it up.

* Different divisions for still-growing and adult birds, or different ranks that an individual bird advances through based on his/her record a la FFVII.

* Points awarded to all places, not just the winner. Or at least all places other than last. 10, 5, 3, 2, 1, 0 for a six-chocobo race perhaps. (x2, x3, x5 for higher ranking races?)

* Some kind of chocobo racing prizes would be good, but they should mainly be chocobo-related or vanity items. No spectacles, peacock charms etc., please. Maybe free chocobo whistles (but there should be another way to get more chocobo whistles; racing should never be the *only* way to get any important item).

* Why? Because chocobo raising is largely non-interactive. A "mini-game" that you watch instead of playing, that is also necessary to get something important to your progress in the game, can become extremely annoying. Some players will want to race, some will want to watch and bet on races but not put in the time to raise their own racing bird, some will not want to spend time on it at all; please try to be fair to all three groups.

* Please, more like FFVII, less like Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. SE:TtEoT is a really great game, but bunny racing almost made me quit it altogether, it was so boring. (Different design teams, I know. I'm just pointing out what not to do.)

* Chocobo racing shouldn't be used as an attempt to solve all the game's problems as some on this thread have suggested. Yes, further changes to the pop mechanics of Behemoth, Fafnir, Adamantiose and Ullikummi (in particular) would be a very good thing, but I don't think chocobo racing is a good way to answer these.

* No gil prizes. Minimal or no gil entry fees. For at least the first few months, the races will probably be essentially completely packed. Any net gil gain/loss will affect the economy.


* If spectators can wager on races, I suggest letting them wager Imperial currency and win items, so the gil supply isn't affected. (Not chocobo racing points - those are for contestants!) People without TAU can still get Imperial currency via the AH or bazaars, but people who wager often will want to get the expansion so they can earn their own. People who have a bird in the race shouldn't be allowed to also bet on it.

* Third-party wagerers should be given at least the name of the chocobos and the names of their owners (if the owners are PCs). Maybe some stat information too.

* One wager per person per race. If wagers to place/show are allowed they should obviously give less valuable rewards.

* Wagering a higher denomination of currency means you win better items. Originally I imagined potions and ethers and (vile) elixirs a la FFVII, but that would undercut alchemists. Giving away *materials* supports crafters and has a similar effect in the long run - more materials means more items made out of those materials, which is good for everyone. Most or all of the new job AF materials should be available this way, too; several people are upset about being "forced" to buy them.

* Or possibly, wagering on a higher ranking race both requires a higher currency *and* wins you better items; this makes it hard to "fix" high-stakes races because your chocobo has to be good enough to qualify for the rank in the first place: you can't just raise a bunch of Fat Chocobos and enter them in order to have your friends bet against them. On the other hand some people wouldn't be able to afford to bet on the big races, and some would disdain betting on the small ones; allowing each player to choose his/her own stakes would avoid this problem.

* Possibly there should be a chance of winning something *really* rare and valuable like divine log, philosopher's stone, any of the hard-to-get JSE ingredients. The chance of any one person getting one would be low, but with many people all over the server trying, it could be a significant (and scalable) additional supply source. Just a few people getting this kind of "jackpot" prize will spread word through the player base and generate a high level of interest in betting on the races... and when more people watch, more of them will want to participate, too.

[Ramsey]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Yeah I know this, and if you read the origonal time I mentioned this I said though it would be nice to see, and we hopefully will see more tracks, but it is likely based on the poularity of racing among the player base.

"please try to be fair to all three groups."

Why? Seriously, some people don't want anything to do with HNMs, some people don't want anything to do with Limbus, or Dynamis, or Assault, or crafting etc etc etc. Why should those players who want to be involved with Chocobo's be screwed over in "fairness" sake. Your using this word incorrectly, because it would acctually be unfair if there were no unique prizes. It would also greatly lessen the popularity of the event. I'm sure you know there are quite a few people who do not like end game or do not have time for end game, and you want to screw them over further by not allowing them to get anything remotely good from something they can acctually do and enjoy doing it?

* No gil prizes. Minimal or no gil entry fees. For at least the first few months, the races will probably be essentially completely packed. Any net gil gain/loss will affect the economy.

I agree with no gil prizess, however, saying now entry fees, especially when it's packed is silly. Of course it will affect the economy, that is the point of NPC fees, to take gil out of the economy, now naturally it shouldnt be anything ridiculous, but it should definatly be a small fee. Anything that takes gil out of the economy is very good.

* If spectators can wager on races, I suggest letting them wager Imperial currency and win items, so the gil supply isn't affected. (Not chocobo racing points - those are for contestants!) People without TAU can still get Imperial currency via the AH or bazaars, but people who wager often will want to get the expansion so they can earn their own. People who have a bird in the race shouldn't be allowed to also bet on it.

Again, taking gil out of the economy is a good, not a bad thing. Though I do agree that regardless of what currency is used for betting, points should be different for racing than for betting. Perhaps have two seperate point systems.

It could be like this:

Betting

Buying a Chip Box (Key Item) 5000 gil
*Comes with 50 chips at start

Free Bet (0 chips) Reward: 10 chips
Small Bet (50 chips) Reward: 150 chips
Medium Bet (200 chips) Reward 800 chips
Large Bet (500 chips) Reward 2000 chips

The larger the bet, the more rewarding, but also the more dangerous. Only one bet per race per chocobo. And of course this is just sort of a baseline, odds etc would have to be taken into account taking and adding %s from the bets, its just an example

As for the racing, this I can't really say it depends if there are different leauges and cups.

For the betting rewards, I don't really have any specific ideas, which rewards should go into which catagory but somet nice things would be like. And of course since you wont be riding these things note that the equipment would apply to riding around on the chocobo, not racing it.

Racing Rewards

Gear
*The most expensive rewards

Jockey's Stirrups
[Feet] All Races
Chocobo Speed +2%

Cross Country Stirrups
[Feet] All Races
Chocobo Riding time +6

Hunter Wellies
[Feet] All Races
Improves Results of Chocobo Digging

Riding Jodhpurs
[Legs] All Races
Chocobo Riding time +8

Racing Gloves
[Hands] All Races
Chocobo Speed +2%

Jockey's Helmet
[Head] All Races
Chocobo Speed+1%
Chocobo Riding time +3

Riding Jacket
[Body] All Races
Chocobo Speed +2%
Chocobo Riding time +10

Racer's Crop
[Ranged] All Races
Chocobo Speed+3%
Chocobo Riding time -5

Greens and Nuts
Cheap disposable rewards, providing intrest for those who have already obtained the gear they want, as well as aiding in raising your chocobo. Greens are fed and have a lasting effect on your chocobo's growth, wheras nuts are eaten in the field to temporarily improve attributes. Only one nut can be in effect at a time. Nuts come in packs of 3 and stack to 12

Krakka Greens
These slightly bitter greens grown in southern Mindartia are an essential part of a strong work-bird's diet.
*Good for building your chocobo's stamina

Tantal Greens
Grown in the northern forests of the Mindartia continent, these greens have long been a favorite food for racing birds.
*Good for building your chocobo's speed.

Pahsana Greens
Hot hot hot! Imported from Elshimo Isle, these greens will give your chocobo an extra kick!
*Good for improving your chocobo's digging capabilties.

Mimett Greens
Indigenous to the La Theine Plateau, Mimett Greens were once the wild chocobo's staple food source.
*Good for improving your chocobo all around.

Sylkis Greens
These delectible rare greens grown only in the mountains of the far east.
*The ultimate greens, an expensive reward but a great treat for your chocobo.

Kupo Nut
These strange nuts make a sound similar to the Moogle's distinctive "Kupo" when broken. A Moogle's favorite, but chocobo's like 'em too!
*Temporarily improves digging cooldown.
*Duration: 5min

Carob Nut
These salty nuts grown in southern Quon are often used as treats to aide in chocobo training.
*Chocobo Riding Time +2
*Duration: 2min, after the nut wears off the riding time goes back to where it was *before the nut was eaten, only one Time increasing nut can be eaten per chocobo *ride.

Zeio Nut
These hardy nuts grow in the harsh deserts of Zepwell Island. It takes a strong beak to crack these nuts!
*Improves the results of chocobo digging.

Panol Nut
These soft and chewy nuts grow in the marshes of the Arrapago Islands. A favorite pre-race snack.
*Chocobo Speed +2%

Kwehk Nut
These crunchy nuts are often kept as snacks for chocobos on long and trechorus trips.
*Considering I have no idea what chocobo stamina would do outside racing, this is of *course subject to change.

Gambling Rewards


Gambling Rewards

Gambler's Overcoat
[Body]All Races
Def:36 Critical hit rate 3%
Enemy Critical hit rate -3%
Gilfinder +
Lv.50 All Jobs

Chocobo Mask
[Head]All Races
Def:5
Enchantment: Dispense Gyshal Green
Lv.20 All Jobs
<1/1 0:30/[4:00:00, 0:30]>
*Appears like a chocobo's head similar to beastmen hats
*Dispenses 12 greens

Kupo Kap
[Head]All Races
Def:2
Enchantment: Dispense Kupo Nut
<1/1 0:30/[4:00:00, 0:30]>
*Appears like a hat with a moogles pom-pom
*Dispense 1 Kupo Nut

Track Schedule
A magical track schedule that updates itself with each new race.
[Inventory]
Use: Allows to view upcoming races from anywhere

Chocobo Ring
[Finger]All Races
Enchantment: Teleport (Chocobo Circuit)
<1/1 0:30/[6:00:00, 0:30]>

VIP tag
[Neck]All Races
Reduces chocobo rental fee by 10%
Obviously these are just some reward suggestions, who knows what they'll add, but I'd like to see some stuff similar to this ^^)v


Also, a bit off topic, not in the racing but in the chocobo general department. I think I speak for "most" people when I say, we'd rather have to pay to call out our own chocobo than wait some ridiculous amount of time between calls. Don't give us another 16 hour or 24 hour item to call them.

Make chocobos callable in non chocobo accesible but outdoor zones. I.E. Beaucedine Glacier. The fact that one of the earliest FFXI trailers featured players riding chocobos in the glacier still pisses me off today XD

*Perhaps make only certain chocobos calleable in certain areas, similar to how in past games certain colors could scale mountains, certain colors could swim etc. For instance a normal yellow chocobo couldnt get to the glacier maybe, but if you had a black or green chococobo you could call them. Etc. etc. Based on the intervening topogrophy.

[Hyjynx]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Raising:
I don't think it would be a bad thing for the raising system to follow digital pet norms, as far as the high level of interactivity interms of feeding, cleaning, and general interaction with their pet. However players shouldn't have to worry about losing their pet if they go on vacation or their real life becomes too busy, the way you lose the fruits of your labor when gardening.

Riding:
Too long have the denizens of Vanadiel been forced to spend countless wasted hours traveling from point A to point B.
Chocobos need to a RELIABLE mode of transportation. Forcing us to wait 30 minutes or even 15 minutes between calls will totally defeat the purpose. A 5 -10 minute recall timer is more than enough. The actual time it takes to call a chocobo should be decently, lets say; the time it takes to log out of the game, so players aren't able to abuse the system. There should also be a cool down time before players can once again interact with the game prior to dismounting their chococbo.

Racing:
The reasons for chocobos not being under our direct control is obvious.
There are many hacking programs out there that could be used to cheat the system if they were.

I do think that not putting Chocobos under our direct control is a good idea but I also feel that it needs to be more interactive that things are usually allowed to be.
Too often I think the Devs forget that FFXI is a GAME TO BE PLAYED and not something to waste countless hours of our day waiting for things to happen or watching things happen. Waiting for an NM or waiting for an invite or sitting around grinding the same thing over and over again like crafting or fishing isn't exactly "playing a game" in order to have fun. Yes, these things are fun for some but they really amount to work. Some people work all day then they come home to the game to "work" some more.

Chocobo racing needs to be interactive enough to keep players entertained. FFXI is a game after all, and its main goal should be entertaining its players.
We need to be able to give commands to our chocobos and fast enough to make it feel like we are in control, we don't need a chocobo racing sim...

They also need to add decent rewards outside of "making our chocobos better" and many of these rewards should be of the consumable kinda. This will in a sense "keep people coming back".

[Balodoth]

Re: Feedback, Chocobo Raising (From SquareEnix)

Queueing commands seems to be popular. I think we should combine three forms of it. The first would be a general behavior. For instance, you tell your jockey to get and hold 3rd place until the last 1/4 of the race. From there you can give specific instructions on how to get there and how to win. So you could command a "Launch from the Gate" followed by "Pull Inside" then "Dash Until. . ." At this point you have the "Hold 3rd" command followed by "When 1/4 Remaining. . ." you follow up with "Cut Outside" and "Dash Until. . ." then "Hold 1st" and finally "Dash" to extend that lead. In other words, instead of a series of commands, you can define a method of operation. This allows you to pace your chocobo as soon as it meets your requirements, but also allows it to dynamically alter tactics if another chocobo threatens it. Beyond that, you also have the ability to cheer it on from the sidelines. Anybody can do this, not just the owner. So you could /rally your favorite or /boo the contender making his move. You could even /warn your favorite to help make them aware of a threat. This would be the weakest method of control, but it would encourage or discourage the chocobo and its jockey, subsequently altering the chance of success. S-E could even tie sounds to this, so the excitement as the underdog (underchoco) comes up on the race leader is palpable. With the odds calculated before the race, the cheering helps him more than it would the leader and is exactly what he needs to push that dash one second longer and win the race!

As for gambling, I don't gamble so I couldn't give many ideas on that. From an economic standpoint, however, it makes sense to introduce no new money. Therefore, it might be useful to cap betting amounts, depending on the race and participation. Some races could even sport special items in lieu of money. One way to sidestep restraints on this would be to leverage "house fees" for payoffs. In other words, fees to enter the grounds, wager, etc would be pooled in an account. This way money could be removed from circulation and introduced later at a larger event.

For chocobo owners, it would make sense to reward them with points according to their placement. Then as they accumulate points, they would be able to exchange them for equipment--both for the racing circuit and in normal gaming.

One other thing I think would make it more interesting would be to be able to tour the stable pre-match. Somebody already brought out visiting with the jockeys. Another thing that would be cool would be able to check each chocobo's gate to read up on their stats, history, etc. For instance, if their dad won the Chocobo World Cup last month, that might be something we would want to know.

One other thing that would be cool would be training. S-E could track certain stats for choco's that affect racing. Think of it as X attributes and Y points to distribute among them. Then we could train the chocobo for quick starts at the gate, quicker dashes, following the jockey's direction, competition (motivation when tied), etc.

Anybody interested in rare (very rare) chances of chocobo or jockey injury?