Fan Festival 2007

Nota bene: This article is in the process of being re-written. There are currently a lot of notes and placeholder information/media.

Fan Festival 2007 was held in Anaheim, California at the Anaheim Hilton hotel from November 15th to the 17th, 2007. Pre-sale ticket prices were $85, or $100 at the door. According to Square Enix, the number of attendees was nearly 2,000. This was larger than the prior Fan Festival 2006.

Developer's Panels

Q&A

Players were given the opportunity to write down questions for the development team and place them in special container to be answered at each developer's panel. This was a very rare opportunity for Western players to bend the ear of the Japanese development team! Who knows what kind of information we would be able to convince them to impart about the mysteries of the game!

The first Q&A session was held on Friday.

Question: How does Treasure Hunter affect drops in Battlefields, Dynamis/Limbus, and even when opening chests?

Answer: Treasure Hunter has no effect on chest contents. As for Dynamis and Limbus, Treasure Hunter is active just as anywhere else in Vana'diel. For it to be active, the thief must have performed some type of action against the target, and it need not be the final blow.

Question: Are there any plans on adding new avatars?

Answer: Yes, there are plans to introduce new avatars. But we can't say more beyond that!

Question: What's the relationship between magic accuracy and magic skill?

Answer: Your magic skill has a direct effect on how accurate your magic will be against enemies. Also, stats play an important part in the accuracy of magic spells (like MND, INT, etc.)

Question: Characters walk too slow! Can you do something to help us out?

Answer: Yes! In the past, players will be able to obtain new shoes that come with charges for increased movement speed. And in fact, if players use the charge on the shoes and remove them, the effect will stay active. Then you can switch to other movement speed+ equipment (Ninja Kyahan, Strider Boots, etc.) for even greater effect.

Question: Can we have a Cheese Sandwich recipe?

Answer: Sure! It will be added in the next version update, we guarantee!

The second Q&A session was held on Saturday.

Question: When fighting with Signet active, do crystals take the place of items?

Answer: Each monster has a total of 10 items that can drop from them. First, item drops are determined and then crystals. So you will never have a case of crystals taking the spot of an item with Signet active.

Question: Why do BST pets not lose TP while resting, but Automatons and Wyverns do?

Answer: This should not be the case. We'll go back and double check and if it is happening, we will fix it right away! [This was confirmed and then fixed in a following update.]

Question: Can you make it so when you view a scroll of a spell it lists what the spell actually does instead of just the level and job required to learn it?

Answer: That's a really good idea! But it will take awhile to implement, so please give us some time!

Question: Are there any special conditions for spawning the Almighty Apkallu?

Answer: We've received this question a lot over the past few days. We'll return to work and see what we can discover and report it to the Premier Sites!

Question: Can you make it so /dance actually has a motion instead of just text?

Answer: It's possible, is that something you would all like to see? [The crowd goes wild!]

Question: Do the "luck" items like the Four-Leaf Mandragora Bud, Millionaire Desk, etc. actually have anything special about them?

Answer: There are no hidden effects programmed into these items. However, there is no way to program "luck" in real life, either.

Question: Can you tell us what the use of Nyzul Weapons will be?

Answer: While it's still a little ways off, we'll go ahead and tell you that these are part of the ingredients in making new relic-type weapons with brand new weapon skills!

Question: Why is there no Tarutaru Serpent General?

Answer: We're sure you're all familiar with the Warp Tarutaru in Al Zahbi, right? Well, we'll let you in on a little secret about his past. He was tasked with the important mission of warping the 5 Serpent Generals back home after a dangerous battle, and if he succeeded he would be given the rank of Serpent General. While waiting outside for them to finish their task, he got really, really hungry. And when it came time to warp them to safety, he sent them back into the Jade Sepulcher battleground… Thus, there is no 6th Serpent General.

Live Activities

Play WotG Jobs Pre-Release

Attendees were given the opportunity to try out Dancer and Scholar prior to their release at the event. They were allowed to fight Ladybugs in East Ronfaure (S) and Rafflesia in West Sarutabaruta (S), two new mob families from the upcoming expansion. There was quite a line for this opportunity, naturally.

Atomos Challenge

18 groups of 6-8 players created new characters on the Atomos server and attempted to compete in 3 categories: highest level, most gil earned, and a hidden category - most player defeats. Contestants played over the course of 2 days and at the end of the second, scores were tallied and winners chosen.

The winners were as follows:

• Highest Level (level 13): Team "Silver Snakes"; Leader Dysphoria of Ragnarok; Motto "We go wherever we want!"
• Most Gil Earned (21,445 gil): Team "Harpers"; Leader Wyvern of Asura; Motto "Woot"
• Most Player Defeats: Team "Harpers"; Leader Wyvern of Asura; Motto "Woot"

Carnival Games

Four different carnival games were available, inspired by the game world and seasonal events. Some prizes were given away to winners.

• Ranger Training: Aim a bow and arrow at some objects on a table to try to knock them down.
• Cactaur Capture: Toss an inflatable ring over the extended arm of cactaurs. One winner won a Cactaur plus toy.
• Knockback: Players were tasked with using a fishing pole with a ring at the end of their line to fish up empty plastic bottles resting on their sides. Players would attempt to stand the bottle upright.
• Crafting 101: Players are given 10 minutes to attempt to handcraft an item.

Heroes & Heroine's Combat

Players were challenged by the Heroes Combat and Heroines Combat battlefields.

Live Quest

Live Quest had players form groups of 6-8 people and seek out NPCs on the event grounds to win a special prize pack. There were three tiers of quests that would lead to promotions (ala Mercenary Ranks) as they progressed.

The first tier quests were:

• "An Empty Vesel": Involved word puzzles relating to the characters, areas and items from Treasures of the Aht Urhgan.
• "Lure of the Wildcat": Groups would spread the word about Aht Urhgan by sharing identity badges with other groups.
• "Purveyor in Training": Players would have to help a crafter some some difficult recipes.

Finishing 2/3 of these quests allowed players to get their first promotion of First Class.

The second tier quests were:

• "Get the Picture": Players helped an NPC journalist find specific photographic sites within the Fan Festival to complete their story on the event.
• "Royal Painter Escort": Players helped an NPC learn about the dangerous monsters by drawing out the worst mobs.
• "Finding Faults": Players had to solve Picross puzzles identifying the secret weaknesses of Beastmen foes.
• "The Beast Within": Players had to play as a Blue Mage by imitating a list of creatures from the game world for a waiting camera shutter.

Finishing 3/4 of these quests saw players promoted to Sergeant Major.

The final tier of quests were:

• "Delivering the Goods": Players helped an NPC replace her lost grocery items by duplicating the six rare foods and returning them to her.
• "Seeking Stars": Players assisted an astronomer with finding constellations hidden throughout the Fan Festival area, matching the elemental colors, and identifying where it lies in the heavens as well as its given name.

Players who completed either quest earned the rank of First Lieutenant.

Players who rose to the final rank were bestowed a "Challenge Pack," which was a prize reward code that bestowed their personal in-game character with a Cordial Invite, Martial Ball Invite, Mercenary Camp Entry Slip, and a Training Grounds Key. This was long before you could get them easily through login points and they were able to have their friends join them to experience them after the festival.

A special reward was reserved for players who completed every available quest, earning them the promotion of Captain. If they received an additional prize, it is not currently known.

Mercenary Camp

Players were pitted against the Serpent Generals in the Mercenary Camp battlefield.

Tarutaru Marathon

30 level 1 Tarutarus were given twenty minutes to dodge mobs and race to the Goal Galka in order to win the grand prize.

The 3 winners were:

• 1st Place: Chahu
• 2nd Place: Rehin
• 3rd Place: Leav

An attendee actually recorded this portion of the event and it can be seen here. It's a pretty fun watch.

Vana'diel Quiz Show

The Vana'diel Quiz Show was held for two consecutive days. Five lucky contestants are selected from the crowd. They were pit against each other in a Price is Right-style game called "The Game of Gil" where they guessed the auction market prices of items. The winner of that round would take on the a quiz round with a tight time limit.

On the second day, a game of hide and seek with a GM was held where players had 3 minutes to find them. The audience could see where the player and GM were, and the crowd would roar with cheers and jeers as it went on.

• 

  The Price is Right?

• 

  GM Hide and Seek

• 

  GM Hide and Seek

Live Concert

Hiromichi Tanaka opened the Live Concert portion of the event with a thank you to the attendees for making this Fan Festival such a success. He parted with the phrase "See you again in Vana`Heim!" This was a play on words, heim means "home" in German. The festival was held in Anaheim, CA; so he was probably banking on some attendees getting it.

The room darkened and the white curtain hanging at the end of the stage dropped to reveal the first performers, the Smash Brothers. They played their own renditions of music from the game. They opened with "Vana'diel March," followed by "Dungeon Battle #2" and "Norg."

Then composer Naoshi Mizuta took to the stage to express his appreciation for their takes on his music before turning it back over to them. The Smash Brothers then played "Fifth Ode: A Time for Prayer" and "Voyager."

At this point, Kumi Tanioka entered and played two beautiful piano solo performances of "Distant Worlds" and "Awakening," which was a new piece from the upcoming Wings of the Goddess expansion. She received a standing ovation, followed by Naoshi Mizuta returning to the stage to thank her and comment on the tracks. Then Kumi Tanioka reintroduced the Smash Brothers.

The Smash Brothers played "Selbina" and a rock version of the "Airship" music.

Once again, Tanika and Mizuta returned to the stage to thank them and prompt the audience for an encore. The Smash Brothers finished their set with a country version of "Ronfaure" and a metal version of the "Battle Theme."

All of the performers returned for a final bow, to thank the audience, and then began signing autographs for anyone who came forward.

Live footage

Some attendees recorded the live performances through amateur means. The various Smash Brothers clips are really difficult to enjoy, thanks in part to recording quality and acoustics from where they were recorded. However, Kumi Tanioka's performances were captured fairly well. It is recommended to turn your audio volume down a bit before playing the following.

Contests

Art Contest

Entries to the art contest were all displayed prominently in the foyer near the registration desk and every attendee who received a Gobbie Bag possessed two voting slips for the art contest.

Drawing Contest

The final winners of the drawing contest were:

• 1st Place: "Best of Times" by Autymn of Asura
• 2nd Place: "Yuudye" by Asrielle of Kujata
• 3rd Place: "The Longest Winter's Day" by Dreuce of Fenrir

Crafting Contest

The final winners of the crafting contest were:

• 1st Place: "Notorious Monster: Banta the Blue Beast" by Roelon of Siren
• 2nd Place: "Baby Chocobo" by Mewten of Midgardsormr
• 3rd Place: "Nesting Dolls" by Moonfall of Gilgamesh

Movie Contest

A fan video contest was held where attendees could vote on their favorite submissions. Six finalist videos were shown on the main stage screens and voting was down through gauged audience applause.

The top 3 winners were:

• 1st Place: "Invasion of the TaruTaru Zombies" by Tsunanko of Hades
• 2nd Place: "The Lost Scenes" by Cruia of Leviathan
• 3rd Place: "Crimson Blades" by Eiyoko of Caitsith

Costume Contest

A cosplay contest was held with the judges being North American Producer Yasu Kurosawa, Global Online Producer Sage Sundi, and Producer Hiromichi Tanaka. Twenty entrants were presented and quizzed.

The top 3 winners were:

• 1st Place: "Cid" by Erukk of Carbuncle
• 2nd Place: "Event Galka" by Gyudva of Fairy
• 3rd Place: "Garuda" by Sheri of Kujata

• 

  Cid - 1st Place winner

• 

  Event Galka - 2nd Place winner

• 

  Garuda - 3rd Place winner

• 

  Puppetmaster and automaton

• 

  Naked Elvaan

• 

  Dancer and Red Mage

Gobbie Bag

Attendees were gifted a Gobbie Bag after checking into the registration desk.

The bag contained a reward code for a Nomad Cap.

Merchandise

What official event would be complete without the opportunity to wait in line to buy merch?

Some of the merchandise available at the venue were the following items:

• Nation Key Chains for $15.00
• Baby Chocobo plush toy for $12.00
• Nation Rings for $100.00 (each!)
• FINAL FANTASY XI Soundtrack Premium Box for $80

Miscellaneous Live Videos to Link in Finished Article

• 1st portion of Developer Panel Day 1

Related Links

• Creator's Voice Z (Japanese)
• Game Watch Coverage: 1 - 2 - 3 (Japanese)
• Official Site via Archive.org
• Elmer the Pointy's Compilation of Japanese News Coverage on Fan Fest 2007
• Connecting with friends from every Server
• WoG 1UP Teaser
• Dead BG Links that need to be redirected
  • BGWiki Wings of The Goddess Information Depository
  • Fan Festival Pictures and Registration Day