11 Questions for the Current FFXI Team
Part 1

Takashi Hisagi

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Planner (12 years)
In charge of scenario (missions, quests, etc.), seasonal events, and UI resources.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

I’m a huge cat lover, and I have a cat named Lehko Habhoka (nicknamed Lehko). That said, my in-game character isn’t a Mithra, but a male Tarutaru instead.

3.What was your first experience with video games?

Yosaku for the Cassette Vision, which I played at a friend’s house.

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

I joined the company in January 2001 when the PlayOnline project was recruiting developers. I later applied to be a game developer and transferred to the FFXI Development team.

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

I cleared the Promathia missions with a friend, but it was really tough because of the level restrictions in Promyvion at the time. I was just so overjoyed to set foot in Lufaise Meadows and eventually reach Tavnazian Safehold.

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

VanaFest 2010; I really liked how it paid homage to a classic Japanese TV show. I’m sure I still have that towel from the event somewhere... where could it be?

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

My closest friends and linkshell members leaving Vana’diel behind.

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

I’m the one who came up with the idea for Astral Conduit.

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

The vast in-game universe and its quirky characters. Working on the scenario for The Voracious Resurgence reminded me of just how amazing they are.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

I’ve been working on FFXI with for nearly 22 years. Considering that’s only about half my age, saying “FFXI is my life” might be exaggerating. But even so, it’s become such a natural part of my daily life, almost like breathing.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

The grand finale of The Voracious Resurgence draws near. I’ll be working hard to ensure it’ll be the best ending ever, so I hope you’ll be looking forward to it!

Yaeko Sato

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Planner (I’ve been working on FFXI since the launch of Ver1.0 but have been on and off the team, so I’m not entirely sure how many years it would amount to.)
Primarily in charge of creating scenarios, quests, and missions.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

I watch foreign TV dramas in my free time.

3.What was your first experience with video games?

Fire (Game & Watch)

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

I was hired as a fresh graduate after submitting a proposal document for a role-playing game. I was assigned to the FFXI team after the release of Threads of Fate, which was part of the same division.

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

Meeting Mr. Sakaguchi* in person! There’s also the time I was teased by a lead programmer because I wrote an abnormal amount of text for Windurst and caused an error or something...

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

The staged reading at Yomiuriland.* I was blown away to see that we still had so many FFXI fans.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

I firmly believe in letting go of sad experiences! (Though some might call it “being forgetful”...)

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

The Voracious Resurgence gave us a look at Mumor’s room, referred to as “Mumor’s Pigsty” within the Development team. Were you able to spot Uka’s feet poking out in the back of the room during one of the cutscenes?

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

We still receive heartfelt messages from our fans. As developers, we couldn’t ask for a better source of motivation!

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

My motivation!

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

The Voracious Resurgence scenario will be ending soon. The story granted me the opportunity of working with quite a few characters I’d never written for before.

What did you think? Did you get a different impression from it compared to my previous works? As for me, I’ve grown quite fond of those characters and it’s hard to bid them farewell... I hope you’ll be looking forward to what kind of ending awaits!

Yasushi Yamazaki

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Planner (9 years)
In charge of general resource-related aspects, designing encounters, creating events, supervision roles, and more.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

I’ve been getting into cooking recently. I’ve been looking at various recipe books to create all kinds of food.

3.What was your first experience with video games?

I don’t remember too well, but I think it was the games I received from an older relative, like Yosaku and Space Invader-like games for the Cassette Vision.

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

I was employed at another game company when I happened to see Producer Matsui was recruiting developers on the FFXI official website. His passionate words inspired me to apply, and that’s how it all started.

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

Implementing alter egos. That was my first project in the team, after all.

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

I was just another adventurer when I attended VanaFest 2012, gazing up at the event stage as the producer’s retirement was announced. That memory really stuck with me, especially considering how that day’s events brought about my current position.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

Probably making my way through Promathia missions back when they were first released... (laughs)

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

I get that sort of question regarding development quite often, so I don’t really have anything that stands out to me right now. But since we’re talking about the 20th anniversary, how about a story from 20 years ago?

Back then, I was still in school and living with my parents, so acquiring everything I needed to play FFXI was a difficult hurdle for me to overcome on my own. I pleaded with my dad and made excuses like “It’s for research!” to convince him to buy the PlayStation BB Unit and get fiber internet for our house, all so I could play FFXI. Sorry, dad! But thanks to you, I was able to become a full-fledged member of the FFXI Development team. (laughs)

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

The fact that we get a continuous experience of Vana’diel’s history, and by that I don’t mean just the lore. It fills me with awe to think that every one of our developers and adventurers have a wealth of stories to tell, enough to be considered a history of their own.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

Life itself; after all, the time between now and my first day in Vana’diel amounts to roughly half my life so far.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

Thank you all for your part in this 20th anniversary. I feel this monumental achievement was only possible because we had your support.

Nowadays, social media has made it easier for the Development and Operations teams to hear the voices of our adventurers. I believe we were only able to make it this far thanks to those voices and the massive source of strength they’ve been for us. As a member of the Development team, it fills me with joy and motivation to see our adventurers having fun, and I’d be delighted if you could continue to support and enjoy FFXI.

Iori Watanabe

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Tester (8 years), Planner (13 years)
In charge of storage slips, mounts, programming (job and equipment abilities), and constructing festival stalls both in real life and in-game.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

I occasionally do musical compositions and arrangements, but I haven’t had the time lately...

3.What was your first experience with video games?

The SG-1000.

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

Part of the FFXI team had been transferred over to FFXIV, so I was assigned in their stead.

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

On my first trip to Jeuno, I was received by a welcoming line of Galka outside the gates in Rolanberry Fields, who heartily greeted me with “Good work!” as I passed through.

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

Preparing for the SQUARE ONLINE PARTY 2002 event at the Tokyo International Forum in December 2001. I had to install the game for so many machines and it never seemed to end.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

When I didn’t make it into the FFXI beta test.

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

Back in the day, there was a strange interaction between PS2 and certain cell phones. If you received a text message while the cell phone was placed near the PS2, the PS2’s hard drive would stop loading data. (I wonder what made it do that…?)

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

The adventurers who dive in right after a version update. Even when a content is designed to be on the difficult side, they easily clear it at speeds we never even imagined.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

I was invited to become a tester when I was about to leave the company and was later offered a developer position when I was contemplating leaving yet again. Looking back on it now, FFXI seems like this force that keeps reeling me back in.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

I’m grateful to see more comments from returning players mentioning how the game has become easier to play. Now that it’s easier, I’m interested if there are any new playstyles that take advantage of this. For example, is anyone interested in doing a speedrun to the ending of Rise of the Zilart, perhaps?

Masaru Taniguchi

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Planner (17 years…what!?)
In charge of jobs, battle encounters, and items.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Games. Right now, it’s Splatoon 3. (I haven’t played 1 or 2.) I also watch a lot of TV dramas, movies, and anime on streaming services.

3.What was your first experience with video games?

Nebula and Elevator Fight, both for the Super Cassette Vision.
On Famicom, The Tower of Druaga.
On PC (FM77AV), Ys.

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

I joined the company as a planner for FFXII. I was later transferred over to FFXI after we finished working on the FFXII International Zodiac Job System version. (Prior to FFXII, I handled debugging as a lead tester.)

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

Back in the alpha version, you couldn’t run while Weakened. (Movement speed was halved.)

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

VanaFest 2012, when I was asked to appear onstage. It was a sudden request and a total surprise.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

Being put in charge of jobs around Abyssea. I took over when the previous members who were in charge of jobs weren’t around, so there wasn’t anyone I could go to for advice. It was rough, but looking back on it now, I think it was a good learning experience.

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

I will take my secrets to the grave. If I spilled them here, they’d no longer be secrets, so I have none to share! (Or rather, I feel like they only consist of things I can’t bring up, so…)

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

It’s been around for 20 years... and counting…

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

It’s the forge where I was hammered into shape.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

We were able to continue for the past 20 years thanks to the support of our many adventurers. Thank you for these 20 years, and I hope you’ll be with us moving forward as well!

Shinichi Tanaka

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Programmer
In charge of programming the servers for the Delivery Box, auctions, and zones. (Partial → Fully taken over)
Later took over the server programming for Worlds and cache (search), as well as addressing technical difficulties and log investigation requests for GM calls in general.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Playing in a band. (Synth, Sound Technician)

3.What was your first experience with video games?

HEAD-ON from SEGA (Arcade)
Galaxy Wars from TAITO (Arcade)

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

I was so impressed by FFII that when I found a recruitment ad in a magazine, I applied for an interview, dropped out of university, and joined the company in April 1991.
My first job was debugging FFIV for the NES.
I worked on another project that ended up getting canceled, and that was when I was picked up by Mr. Narita (the main programmer for FFXI at the time) and joined the FFXI Development team around 2001.

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

•Watching everyone flood into the servers after maintenance
•The winning streak records in Besieged after it was added in Treasures of Aht Urhgan
•The temporary server outage due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake in 2011

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

The short FFXI-related presentation held at CEDEC 2010*

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

We had to be on-call 24/7 so we could address any technical issues that arose regardless of where we were. Anywhere I went, I had to carry a laptop around with me and be constantly aware if there was an internet connection available nearby.

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

During the early days of launch when ADSL was still in its infancy, I kept tabs on a certain anonymous discussion board to gather information regarding (what appeared to be?) network-related issues.

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

•There was already an online platform in mind for FFXI when it was announced at the Square Millennium Event in January 2000.
•The fact that FFXI managed to create charming models and character expressions while still allowing for multiple players to be displayed on the limited hardware resources of the PS2.
•The team has never lost sight of creating a living, breathing world rather than simply designing a game.
•Although the fundamental technology is now outdated, FFXI grew robust enough to survive for 20 years.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

I spent most of my career babysitting the server, so it’s like a friend (or perhaps a frenemy) that I’ve spent half my life as a developer with.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

I always wondered how long the game would last, but honestly had no idea it would be over 20 years. Thank you all for your support. It looks like it’ll be some time before I retire from the frontlines, and I hope you’ll stick with us till the end too.

Tetsu Tanaka

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Programmer (2021 - Present)
In charge of game client-related programming.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

I didn’t have anything I could be like “This is my hobby!” so I decided to look for something I could continue for a long time and recently started gardening. So far I only water a few potted plants, but I’m surprised by how resilient they are as I watch them grow day by day.

3.What was your first experience with video games?

I grew up with an NES and don’t remember what my first game was, but some of the games I played over and over were FFIII, Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line, and Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen. There was another NES game I was particularly interested in called Barcode World where you could use a handheld device (Barcode Battler II) to scan barcodes from product packages and the like. The game would then create characters based on the barcodes for players to battle with. I was really enamored with how the in-game world was linked to the real world and was creating my own barcodes by the end of it.

Now that I think about it, my first job was in embedded programming (writing code to control machines and devices) so I may have already been attracted to the hardware side of things from a young age.

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

[How I ended up joining the company]
My previous job was developing another MMORPG that was unfortunately shut down. I was also in charge of server maintenance for that game, so it was my job to disconnect everyone from the servers on the final day; a task that still weighs heavy in my heart. I felt a mix of regret, remorse towards the players, and “I could’ve done more,” but also “Nothing beats working on an MMO!”

All of those emotions compelled me to join another MMO development team and help their game last as long as possible. From there, I thought, “Well, if that’s my goal, I might as well work on Japan’s biggest MMO, FFXIV!” By pure coincidence, FFXIV happened to be hiring game programmers, so I applied and joined the company.

[How I ended up on the FFXI project]
One of my colleagues in the FFXIV team had a second role as game client programmer for FFXI for a long time, and one day, our team leader asked if I’d like to take over their position. Now that I think about it, everything from joining the company, working on FFXI, and being present for the 20th anniversary has been a series of happy coincidences for me.

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

As a player, I was impressed by large-scale HNM battles. Only 18 players could participate in an alliance, but there were always far more people standing by, ready to replace their allies if the strategy called for it. The whole endeavor came with a thrill that I’d never experienced before in all my years of playing games. It was truly a spectacular sight to see several tens of players huddling together and discussing strategizing in front of the likes of Tiamat or Vrtra.

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

I’ve gone to official events, but some of my fondest memories were offline meet-ups. It’s been over ten years since then, but I used to hang out with some friends I went to school with and their various friends. More than ten years ago I was playing with some real friends who were also my classmates and their friends. We crammed into a small house with a single kitchen and had fun while eating hotpot or whatever. I don’t really remember why we didn’t hang out somewhere with more room, but I still keep in touch with several of those friends. Those meet-ups really made me appreciate just how amazing online games were.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

I haven’t been on the team all that long, so my stories might seem trivial compared to everyone else’s. That said, I’d say it was adding the feature that allowed transferring items between different storages, which was added in February 2022.

In the original design, transferring items from the inventory to a Mog Wardrobe required one set of functions, while transferring from a Mog Wardrobe to the inventory called for a different set of functions. But because our goal was to add several new Mog Wardrobes and also enable item transfers between storages that previously weren’t connected, we would’ve had to add new function sets for all possible scenarios. It was simply daunting to even imagine the amount of work required, and it was tempting to abandon the idea entirely! Furthermore, we didn’t have an existing function to switch between different storage menus when they were displayed side-by-side, so whether we could make it work within the old design was a really tough question.

In the end, we determined it was impossible to modify the old design within the provided timeframe and opted to drastically redesign the whole feature from scratch. It must’ve been a nightmare for the QA team to verify everything, but I truly appreciate their diligence!

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

I wouldn’t say I have any big secrets, but thinking back to the storage-to-storage transfer feature I mentioned earlier, I have a feeling I neglected to tell anyone that there was going to be major changes… I’m sure the QA team had other things to take care of, so it was a really huge misstep on my part. Sorry for completely rewriting the code!

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

We’d be here forever if I were to list every little thing I like about the game, so I’ll narrow it down to something that caught my eye when I started a new character after joining the FFXI team.

I never really noticed back when I was an avid player, but having played all the way through Rhapsodies of Vana’diel on this new playthrough, I could see how every single cutscene was meticulously designed to emphasize each character’s personality through their animations. I was simply blown away by how absolutely incredible it all was. I especially love Lilisette’s animations.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

I was in high school when I first picked up FFXI.
We had ADSL internet installed at our house after Rise of the Zilart was released, just in time for me to get a PlayStation BB Unit and start playing.
Although many years have passed since then, FFXI has entered my daily life once again.
My time with the game is nothing compared to the developers or players who’ve stayed with the game all this time.
But even then, FFXI has always been there for me when I felt like logging in to listen to the music in Ronfaure or Misareaux Coast, and it provides a sense of comfort similar to visiting my family home.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

Even after 20 long years, there are still people like me, who’ve newly joined the Development team and reunited with FFXI in a different capacity compared to when we were players. My reunion with the game was made possible by everyone who continued to enjoy their time in Vana’diel. Thank you all so much. My contribution to the team may be minor, but I’ll continue to do my best to ensure you can continue to enjoy Vana’diel for a long, long time to come, and hope you’ll continue to lend us your support.

Masato Shida

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Designer
I was a background texture designer primarily in charge of textures for the overworld and furnishings in Ver1.0, Rise of the Zilart, Treasures of Aht Urhgan, and Wings of the Goddess. For The Voracious Resurgence, I’m helping design backgrounds for the first time in about 15 years.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Throwing stuff away.

3.What was your first experience with video games?

Hydlide (1984) and Might and Magic (1987). I especially loved the map that came with Might and Magic. The in-game graphics were simple, but the map’s elaborate illustrations helped to fill in the blanks and made my imagination run wild.

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

While I was looking for a job, I heard a rumor that Square was hiring part-time positions. I tried applying and was immediately assigned to FFXI’s Background team. Lucky me!

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

I was still a fledgling designer, so more than anything, I was elated when FFXI, the first game I ever worked on, made it out into the world. My first job was designing the ground textures for the forest areas in Ronfaure. My most memorable experience was playing the game at home and being overcome with awe as I explored the outskits of San d’Oria.

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

Getting to see the original illustration of the FFXI world map by Mr. Yoshitaka Amano. Ever since I was a kid, I’d always loved reading Guin Saga for the accompanying illustrations and have been purchasing the artbooks. I never imagined my job would allow me to see Mr. Amano’s original illustrations firsthand, so I was absolutely thrilled.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

I was new and desperate to learn the ropes, so I don’t recall having any experiences that were particularly rough. (I think my more-experienced colleagues were shielding me from the really rough stuff...)

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

I don’t think I have any interesting secrets like that... I was so caught up in my work that I wasn’t paying attention to myself or what was going on around me!!

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

From a developer’s perspective, I was amazed by how many designers were assigned to the project and the painstaking care they put into creating each piece of data. I imagine the resulting quality of their lavish efforts may be one reason why our adventurers have been able to appreciate the world of FFXI for so long.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

To me, FFXI is a parental figure that taught me everything I know about my job. There’s just so much I’ve learned.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

As a developer, it’s truly been an honor to have provided enjoyment for all of you for 20 long years. No words can fully express my gratitude to everyone who has played up until now. I hope that you all will continue to enjoy your time in Vana'diel!

Yuko Tashiro

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Visual Effects Designer
I was a visual effects designer on the team between Treasures of Aht Urhgan to Rhapsodies of Vana’diel. I was assigned to a different project after that, but I‘ve been helping here and there for The Voracious Resurgence.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Lately, I’ve been into light novels where the protagonist gets reincarnated into a different world. I read through so many of them, sometimes forgetting to eat or sleep. I love those kinds of stories!

3.What was your first experience with video games?

I don’t really remember, but I think it was Mario Bros. on the NES.

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

I was working in a completely different field before I joined Square Enix, but I’ve always loved to draw and was starting to really consider doing it for a living. I got my chance when I applied to the art division at Square Enix, of whom I’d always been a big fan. I didn’t make into the art division, but the Effects team took me on as a trainee and assigned me to FFXI. I’m truly indebted to all my colleagues who didn’t give up on the newbie who didn’t even know what a polygon was and kept working with me. (Naturally, I’m grateful as well!)

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

One of my fondest memories is joining a line of Tarutaru and marching around Jeuno. Tarutaru are just so cute and adorable! I just want to give them a great big hug and pet them.

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

I was interviewed in a magazine article introducing members of the FFXI Development team, which was very memorable. It’s rare for individual developers to be in the spotlight, so it was a heartwarming moment that I only got to experience because I was on the FFXI team. I still have that issue stowed away in good condition.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

When I run out of ideas for new visual effects. It can be quite difficult to come up with new designs that don’t overlap with any previous ones when you’re working on an online game that’s been going on for many years.

As a player, my rough experiences would be getting KO’d and leveling down immediately after all my hard work to level up had paid off. (laughs) Then when I got back to running around again, another monster would find me and… well… I guess that’s part of FFXI’s charm.

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

Every now and then, we drew names out of a box for FFXI team members and the winners would get FFXI-related merchandise. To improve my chances, I had this trick where I folded my ticket into a paper crane or some other complex shape before dropping it in the box. (laughs) I was hoping the person drawing the names would reflexively grab mine if their hand brushed up against something unusual. (laughs) I’m not sure if it was because of my trick, but I feel like I won pretty often. (But it could just be my imagination!)

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

The fact that the game has continued to be loved by players and development staff even after 20 years.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

FFXI was a turning point for me. I feel that joining Square Enix and being assigned to the FFXI team is the reason why I’m still able to work as a visual effects designer even now.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

Thank you for sticking with us for so long, and I hope you’ll continue to be with us for a long time to come!

Yuko Hatae

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Visual Effects Designer
(Mostly character-related aspects, but I worked on some background effects later on.) I was on the team from the start of development to Rise of the Zilart, then worked on FFXII. I later returned to work on Treasures of Aht Urhgan all the way up to Rhapsodies of Vana’diel. For The Voracious Resurgence, I did double duty to work on additional visual effects. I’ve also worked on designing Elementals.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Watching movies; I visit the movie theater about once a week when they offer discounts or when I have coupons. There’s plenty of things I want to watch on online streaming services as well, but those tend to get put off for later because I can watch them on-demand.

3.What was your first experience with video games?

That’d be the Cassette Vision my older brother had. Whoa…

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

I was looking for a job in the typical manner, and drawing illustrations was sort of just a hobby. My older brother found a recruitment ad for Square in an issue of LOGiN magazine and suggested applying there, so I did. I remember the person who interviewed me was wearing a hoodie.

I enjoyed working on the visual effects for Chrono Cross, so at the launch celebration, I told Mr. Tanaka*, “Please let me work with you again on the next game!” He replied, “Go work on this project first,” and I was assigned to the visual effects team for The Bouncer. After that I joined up with the FFXI team.

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

I played on Diabolos and participated in the infamous “Thirteen-Day War.”

There was this other time where a cook in my linkshell asked me how to make barbecue sauce. When I started listing off the ingredients like, “1 can of soy sauce, 1 liter of sake…” the absurd quantities made him laugh uncontrollably.

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

VanaFest 2012 at Pacifico Yokohama had all sorts of mini-games, recreations of in-game meals offered by Rarab Tail Hostelry, and a concert. It was just amazing and I had a lot of fun.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

Visual effects were displayed differently on the PS2 and Windows versions. In particular, the feature that controlled display priority for background effects wasn’t working, and it was really rough going back and forth between the development machines for PS2 and Windows to make adjustments.

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

The Mithran red mage gear was originally being designed with pants, but after I noted, “Tight-fitting pants must be unbearably hot for Mithra, considering they’re covered in fur,” they ended up getting changed into shorts. They look pretty comfortable now, don’t they?

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

The world of Vana’diel has this laid back yet solemn atmosphere to it, and the music and sound effects complement that perfectly. It also feels like the monsters actually live in their respective areas. There’s never a dull moment in the game, even if you’re just sitting around.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

My spiritual hometown.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

I never expected the game to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Thank you for playing for such a long time! I hope you’ll also enjoy The Voracious Resurgence till the very end.

Yusuke Saito

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

Sound Designer
In charge of in-game sound effects in general.

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Lately, I’ve been into Japanese historical dramas, climbing mountains, and cameras. There were some trying times when I couldn’t go climbing.

3.What was your first experience with video games?

Probably “Ninja Hattori-kun” on the NES.

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

I happened to apply for a sound designer job immediately after I graduated and was luckily hired. I was immediately assigned to FFXI after joining the company, so it was the first project I worked on.

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

The first sound effect I worked on that actually saw some use was for Apkallu’s special ability in Treasures of Aht Urhgan. The first time I heard the sound effect while actually fighting in the game was very memorable.

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

I’d say it was when Ms. Tanioka played the piano at a concert.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

This might sound really down-to-earth, but I’d say it was maintaining the developmental environment. Updates were rare, but when they happened, our equipment was all but guaranteed to stop working, and we required help from a lot of people to restore everything each time it occurred… However, even I was surprised to notice that I’d instinctively remembered how to create sound effects even when these issues interrupted the process.

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

I used to use the development machines to load certain abilities into characters that weren’t meant to use them. I had fun watching the characters contort themselves in absurd ways as they used the abilities, almost like a certain elder brother from a particular shounen manga series.

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

The love from all of our adventurers even after all this time.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

There’s something quite moving about having been involved with FFXI ever since I joined the company.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

Thank you for playing FFXI for all of these 20 years. I think the sound effects have become quite unique compared to how they were at the beginning, so if you have the time, I’d love for you take a listen to these historical sound effects – especially the skill sound effects.

Anonymous

1.What’s your role, and how long have you been with the FFXI team?

QA Assistant (3 years)

2.Do you have any hobbies or interests?

Traditional non-digital games, like trading card games and board games.

3.What was your first experience with video games?

Galaxian, a shooting game called by Namco (now Bandai Namco Entertainment). I played it on the NES. (It was originally an arcade game.)

4.How did you end up joining Square Enix and the FFXI team?

I was originally in charge of quality assurance (QA) for another title. After the QA period for that title ended, I was assigned to FFXI since they didn’t have enough members on their QA team.

5.What’s your most memorable experience in FFXI?

Watching the producer and director interacting with regular users in-game. (I was watching a voice actor on a live stream on YouTube and was moved when they expressed their intentions by saying, “We’ll keep going with historical titles”.)
(When the director showed up on a voice actor’s live stream on YouTube, it made me laugh how he had too much alcohol and was drunk.)

6.What’s your most memorable experience outside of the game?

Discovering a certain website that went deep into the history of FFXI.

7.What was your roughest experience related to FFXI?

A vast number of items have been implemented over the years, and I just can’t keep track of them all. (20 years’ worth of history is quite hefty.)

8.Do you have any secrets you can share with us now that 20 years have gone by?

Sorry, I don’t have any interesting secrets to share since I haven’t been on the team for very long.

9.What do you like or find amazing about FFXI?

Hardcore FFXI players and their passion for the game. They’re on a whole different level compared to players of games that haven’t been around as long.

10.What does FFXI mean to you?

A historical record.

11.Do you have anything you’d like to say to our adventurers?

I imagine there are currently many different types of players, whether they’ve just started, have returned after a hiatus, or have been playing the whole time. Regardless of which group you belong to, FFXI will be going further beyond this 20th anniversary milestone, so I hope you continue to enjoy the game!

* Part 2 will be available on March 29, 2023.