Final Fantasy XIV stream details response to recent DDoS attacks, benchmark updates

During today’s Live Letter update stream, director and producer Naoki Yoshida sat down to discuss the recent string of DDoS attacks aimed at Final Fantasy XIV, along with more changes planned for the Dawntrail Benchmark.

On the subject of the DDoS attacks, Yoshida acknowledged that the recent string of attacks against Final Fantasy XIV has been not only the largest scale attack in the game’s history but also the longest. Despite this, Yoshida reassured that there is a dedicated and talented infrastructure team working around the clock in shifts to protect players during these attacks. 

Not only is this team working internally within Square Enix, but also with external vendors to figure out the best way to deal with these attacks moving forward. Although there is massive packet loss at times, occasionally with more than 2,000 players losing connection at a time, there has been no critical damage as a result of these attacks.

He went on to thank players for their kind and encouraging comments on social media during these attacks, apologizing for any inconvenience experienced due to disconnection.

Moving on to the Dawntrail Benchmark, Yoshida shared some rather impressive screenshots detailing what the development team is trying to achieve. In these screenshots, it’s clear to see that the lighting effects are looking better over the current game and even the current version of the Benchmark, with shadows falling much more naturally and character details shining through.

Yoshida also took a moment to discuss Miqo’te canine teeth. Well, more than a moment, if I’m honest, but the news was definitely welcome. Previously, in the current Benchmark, Miqo’te players had noticed that their characters’ canines were much smaller than they were used to. This, we were informed, has been rectified and Miqo’te players are looking vampire-esque once again. 

In further detail, Yoshida said that while all Miqo’te characters will benefit from this change, certain face types will have to have slightly smaller canines due to the shape of the face. Keeper of the Moon females, mostly, will suffer from this issue, with face types 1 through 3 having longer canines and face type 4 having slightly shorter ones. 

Lalafell players are also receiving a small tweak to their teeth. After feedback from the community, Lalafell teeth will now fit the shape of the mouth much better, rather than sitting bizarrely in the middle of the jaw. 

Smile lines have also been addressed. With the new lighting update, players were noticing that their characters had newly developed smile lines. While these, I’m reliably informed, are a sign of a life well lived, many players were unhappy with their sudden appearance. Yoshida stated that the development team has made slight adjustments, essentially giving characters some filler in the area. 

There’s still no set date for the release of the updated Benchmark, though Yoshida tentatively stated that they’re aiming for May 31, or sometime around that point. We were promised that as soon as they have a set date, they’ll make an announcement. Until then, Yoshida is making his final checks of both the Benchmark and Dawntrail itself, all while undertaking a Media Tour at the same time.