We had all (well almost) forgotten the release of FINAL FANTASY XIV in MAC version. This outing did not go as well as expected! Naoki Yoshida left a message on the forum to warn users that the mac version has been temporarily withdrawn from sale, while the teams get the look they want!
What we do note here is that it is quite rare for a producer to apologize for a problem that arises when the game is released!
For unhappy users, a refund form has been put in place for those who purchased the game from the SE store.
Refund
To see all the explanations (they are quite long) I let you read the entire post below after the excerpt from the small paragraph of excuse:
On behalf of the development and management teams, I would like to extend our sincere apologies to the players who eagerly awaited the Mac version and ordered it, and to the distributors for the inconvenience our mistakes have caused.
When we have finished preparing everything, including explanations of the product and the announcement of the recommended configuration, we will resume selling the Mac version.
We would also like to apologize to the players who play this version with an optimal configuration.
Rest assured that we will continue our efforts to make FINAL FANTASY XIV the game you deserve.
Mac version
About the Mac version of FFXIV
This is Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of FINAL FANTASY XIV.
We have received many messages telling us about the disappointing performance of the Mac version of FFXIV, as well as the lack of clarity regarding the product that has been released for sale. We were able to confirm these issues and decided to take action to address them.
This note is quite long, so I would like to start by telling you that we take your opinions and comments regarding the performance of the Mac version very seriously due to the lack of communication on our part. We therefore decided to reimburse dissatisfied customers.
■ Refund of the Mac version
People who bought the Mac version and want a refund can do so by contacting the store where they purchased the game.
* Note that reimbursement methods differ between resellers.
Customers who have purchased the game through the e-STORE are requested to use the form below:
Square Enix Store Refund Request Form for the Mac Version of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online
http://sqex.to/aEx
We contacted the resellers offering the Mac version and we made sure that the refund went smoothly. If, however, you should encounter any problem during the procedure, please contact the Square Enix Support Center using the form below:
Refunds consultation form for the Mac version of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online
http://sqex.to/hVi
People who wish to request a refund and who have already used prepaid cards to purchase game time are welcome to contact us through the form above. Our customer service will check the status of the service account and refund the Mac license.
Now I'd like to tell you about the issues surrounding the release of the Mac version as well as its future.
■ Lack of information on system requirements
The situation we are facing today mainly comes from the lack of information before the product goes on sale as well as various communication errors after the release. All this meant that you could not have the adequate information at the time of making your purchase.
Let me explain what happened.
We adjusted the performance of the Mac version until the last minute. Because of this, information about the minimum and recommended configurations could not be communicated to you until the last moment in the form of a “system requirements”.
Development and QA teams tested all existing Mac models, but we couldn't make an official announcement until the game version was finalized. So we prepared several drafts and waited until the performances were final to choose the message that would suit best. Unfortunately, our teams were overwhelmed with the expansion's release, and the ad that was released before the game's release contained incorrect information, which remained as it was after it went on sale.
This is clearly a mistake on our part. No one in the management and development teams noticed that this information was wrong, and I neglected to verify with my own eyes before giving the green light to release the Mac version. You see me deeply sorry.
Because of this error, many people bought FFXIV when they did not have a machine powerful enough to run the game in good condition; and as the performance was not there, they complained (rightly) on the forums.
If the system requirements information had been correct, it is obvious that many people would not have purchased the Mac version. This is why I consider it normal that dissatisfied customers are reimbursed.
Once again, please accept our apologies and contact your reseller to be refunded for your purchase.
■ Problems during exit
We discovered a few bugs just before the game was released and planned to fix them with an update that included the final tweaks at the end of maintenance on June 23 at 18 p.m. (JST).
However, following a communication problem, the stores put the Mac version on sale on the 23rd at midnight (JST). Even though elements of the expansion were not available, people were able to download and play with the non-final - and therefore unstable - version of FFXIV.
Because of this error, some of you have had a particularly frustrating gaming experience lasting several hours, and I apologize to all of you.
■ Temporary cessation of sales
As the information surrounding the Mac version was incorrect and insufficient, I have decided to temporarily withdraw this product from sale.
The game will be released for sale when the product explanation and required image setup and resolution have been corrected and described in more detail.
I apologize to those of you who thought about getting the Mac version of the game, but tell yourself it's a bad thing for a good.
Of course, players who own the Mac version and have no problem with it can continue playing as normal.
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≪Mac version development policy≫
In an effort to avoid further debate based on guesswork or misinformation on official forums or other third-party sites, we've decided to give you more details on our development policy for the Mac version as well as our plans for the future of it.
■ Differences between Windows (BootCamp included) and Mac versions
As Hideyuki Kasuga, our chief programmer and technical director, previously explained, the Mac version of FFXIV was developed to run directly on Mac OS, not on Windows via a bootstrapper like BootCamp.
To do this, we used middleware from the company Transgaming (now NVIDIA) which allows programs using DirectX (Windows) technology to be converted to work with OpenGL (Mac) technology.
As most of you already know, BootCamp is a software which allows to create a partition to install Windows on a Mac, and thus to use it like a PC. If FFXIV Windows version is then installed this way, it is the DirectX technology that is used on Mac hardware that functions like a PC.
For this reason, it is not correct to compare the performance of the Windows version of FFXIV installed via BootCamp and that of the Mac version, as the technologies implemented are fundamentally different.
■ Differences between DirectX and OpenGL
DirectX technology, supported by Windows, is dedicated to applications such as games. It was developed by Microsoft for machines using its OS and therefore cannot be used on Mac computers.
OpenGL is a graphical programming interface (API) with a 3D interface vocation and can be used on various platforms. As it only provides API functions, the performance of the game is highly dependent on the implementation on the platforms.
FFXIV is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game with an extremely high graphics load, especially due to the simultaneous display of different pieces of equipment from a large number of characters and many other objects.
Developing the game as is for Mac OS using OpenGL would show a performance difference of around 30% when compared to DirectX.
(This is a difference based on the peculiarities of FFXIV, and not a comparison between DirectX and OpenGL.)
As a result, the lower the capabilities of the Mac computer used, the more noticeable this difference. Even when comparing to a Windows version running on a low-end machine, these flaws of the Mac version, notably the drop in the number of frames per second, would be obvious.
With this difference in game performance between Windows and Mac OS, even with computers having identical components, it is impossible in the case of FFXIV to obtain the same rendering because the operating system and technologies do not. are not the same.
Mac users are well aware that there are few high-end 3D games on Mac compared to those sold for Windows (the cost-benefit ratio being low, the producers do not release exclusive versions for Mac), and therefore , many people resort to installing Windows through the bootloader that is BootCamp to play Windows versions.
■ Interest of releasing a Mac version and use of a middleware
After reading the above, some Windows users are probably wondering what is the point of making and selling a Mac version knowing that the performance will be poorer. It is true that Mac users can play Windows version through BootCamp.
But even if the game runs on these computers this way, it is using the back door way of Windows, not Mac OS.
And despite the performance issues under Mac OS, we wanted to meet the demand of gamers who want to play FFXIV in Mac version and don't mind slight differences as their computers have excellent capabilities.
Unfortunately, we made many mistakes, especially when announcing this version, and there was a significant gap between the level of performance we wanted and the configuration needed for it on the one hand, and your expectations on the other hand. This has been a huge disappointment to all Mac users, and for that reason I would like to apologize to you.
To put it bluntly, the reason we chose to use middleware over native OpenGL adaptation comes down mainly to development costs.
As I said above, very few games are sold on Macs, and users of these computers are not interested in games (at least that's the general idea), so the risk in development case is very high.
Likewise, given the graphics load of FFXIV, one would expect that a native adaptation for OpenGL would have great difficulty in achieving the same level of performance as with DirectX and it would not have been easy to achieve. .
We found that with the high graphics performance or simultaneous handling of many objects that FFXIV requires, it would have been very difficult to achieve the same number of frames per second with OpenGL as with DirectX.
Moreover, even by making special adjustments for a Mac port in order to increase the frame rate, it would have been necessary to lower the quality of the game, by reducing the maximum number of characters displayed or by simplifying the rendering mode, this which would have given the impression that the adaptation for OpenGL was less well made than with DirectX. The impossibility of obtaining performance at the height of the necessary costs is therefore another reason why we did not choose to make an OpenGL adaptation.
For the reasons stated above, we felt it was best to bring in engineers more familiar with Mac computers and use their specialized middleware to create the Mac version of FFXIV.
They will continue to update and improve their middleware.
As Kasuga explained recently on the forum, the development team will also continue to improve the Mac version of the game until the end for better performance.
The adaptation of DirectX 11 for Mac and the new graphics API which will be introduced with the next Apple OS should make it possible to obtain a technological evolution compared to OpenGL and therefore to reduce the fundamental differences in performance.
Once again I want to say that in order to run a game with high graphics and a large number of 3D models like FFXIV as stable as DirectX with OpenGL, it is necessary to have a machine with very high graphics. good abilities.
We are deeply sorry that we were not able to explain it to you beforehand and we will do everything possible to ensure that such an issue does not recur.
■ About performance feedback
You have given us a lot of feedback regarding the Mac version of the game, but since there is no official format for messages, it is difficult for us to obtain precise information on your systems and configurations.
As explained above, as the announcement as to the required and recommended system requirements could not be made on time, we are very sorry that such information was not released until after the game was released and created a such confusion among players.
We will communicate to you shortly the operating requirements, the recommended configuration and the graphics resolution. We would ask you to check them carefully and inform us of any problems encountered in the operation or performance of the game through a form created especially for the Mac version. If this is a problem with a configuration for which operation is guaranteed, we will take care of dealing with it as a priority.
In addition, although only the standard Mac input method (IME) is currently usable, we intend to allow the use of the others as and when the next updates.
■ In summary
On behalf of the development and management teams, I would like to extend our sincere apologies to the players who eagerly awaited the Mac version and ordered it, and to the distributors for the inconvenience our mistakes have caused.
When we have finished preparing everything, including explanations of the product and the announcement of the recommended configuration, we will resume selling the Mac version.
We would also like to apologize to the players who play this version with an optimal configuration.
Rest assured that we will continue our efforts to make FINAL FANTASY XIV the game you deserve.
