We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update regarding the congestion of the Square Enix Account Management System.
At this moment, congestion has eased and the issue is starting to address.

Our technical staff will continue to monitor the situation closely and work to resolve this issue. However, in case you are unable to access the Square Enix Account Management System, we ask that you please wait and try again later.

As part of countermeasures against the congestion, we have temporarily restricted the acquisition of registration code for the FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test. However, this restriction has been lifted.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may be causing.

Currently, certain worlds are congested due to the high volume of characters being created. As a countermeasure, character creation on congested worlds will be temporarily restricted.

Upon world selection on character creation menu, a Chocobo icon is present next to the name of the world. The number of icons shows how congested the world is. If the number of icons is low, the world is fairly vacant. So if possible, please create your characters on vacant world.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing and thank you for your understanding.

Regarding the error message: “50002 You do not have a right to create new character”

This message may appear and players may find themselves unable to create new characters. We are continuing to conduct an investigation and implement measures. However, it is expected that it will take some time for this issue to be fully addressed.

As a temporary countermeasure, we may be required to remove service accounts from affected Square Enix Accounts. If an error message saying “50002 You do not have a right to create new character.” appears, we ask that you please wait a while and re-register the service account for FINAL FANTASY XIV to your Square Enix Account.

Also, on Sep. 2, 2010, we had announced that players did not need to re-obtain their registration codes. However technical difficulties prevented some users from using their registration codes. This issue has been addressed and, as of now, you should be able to use your original registration codes. There is no need to obtain a new registration code if you already have one.

We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing.

Yup, they’re back! Register now whilst you can at the following link:

Final Fantasy 14 Open Beta Key

Another update from Square Enix (I bet they do this for fun!)

At the following time, a new update for the FINAL FANTASY XIV Beta Version went live.

[Date & Time]
Sep. 3, 2010 at 1:00 (PDT)

[Important Update Details]
- Now the game client will automatically shutdown in case the software client is not being latest version and you receive an error while making a login attempt from title screen or character creation menu.
If you happen to receive an error message saying “13101 Error occurred while connecting to the lobby server.” and the game client shuts down, please restart FINAL FANTASY XIV and log back in after completing the version update.
- An issue where users may not be able to log into the game once the number of connections reaches to a certain number below the intended login limit has been addressed.

There is a few update for Final Fantasy 14 for you to download. Here are the details below:

[Date & Time]
Sep. 2, 2010 at 11:30 (PDT)

[Affected Services]
FINAL FANTASY XIV

[Important Update Details]
- An issue wherein a player may fall through the terrain if they change equipments while moving has been addressed.

- An issue wherein a player would not be able to progress with the quest “Fire in the Sky” if they disconnect from the game during a certain event has been addressed.

- An issue wherein the screen may remain blacked out after the completion of a certain event has been addressed.

- A counter measure has been implemented to prevent an error from occurring when a player moves near the Conjurer Guild in Gridania.
* Due to this measure, certain graphical effects will be limited in certain areas.

Also Square Enix has this to say about server congestion and registration codes:

We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update regarding the congestion of the Square Enix Account Management System.

Currently the Square Enix Account Management System congestion is ongoing and we apologise for the inconvenience. If you receive an error please wait a while and try again as our technical staff are doing their best to solve the problem.

In light of this we have decided to temporarily restrict the number of FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test registrations codes being given out. If you are unable to receive a registration code please wait a while and try again later.

Once again we apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

A little notice from Square Enix

We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update regarding the congestion of the Square Enix Account Management System.

Due to heavy server traffic, we are continuing to experience Square Enix Account Management System congestion. Currently, players may not be able to log into the FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, or acquire registration codes for the game.

Our technical staff is monitoring the situation closely and working to resolve this issue. As a countermeasure to the congestion, we are currently limiting the acquisition of registration codes for the Open Beta Test. If you cannot acquire a registration code, or if you are unable to access the Square Enix Account Management System, we ask that you please wait and try again later.

Here’s a nice new update from our friends at Square Enix. Need I say more? Follow this link now: FF14 Beta Test

FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test Will Start on Sep. 1!

We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update regarding FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, which was announced to be postponed on Aug. 31, 2010.

Along with the completion on investigation and correction of the critical issue, we have decided to begin FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test on Sep. 1, 2010 at 19:00 (PDT).

Starting on Sep. 1, 2010 at 19:00 (PDT), acquisition of registration code required for FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test will be available.

We are looking forward to your participation in FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test!

It looks like the beta testing will at least take a few days before being resumed, with Square Enix issuing a statement but declining to give any specific date, or even a time-frame as to when they will be up and running. Let’s hope that it’s sooner rather than later!

Square Enix have posted the following on their website:

FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test Postponed: Follow-up

We would like to take this opportunity to provide an update regarding the FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, which was announced to be postponed on Aug. 31, 2010.

A critical issue where the client software for the open beta test would not respond on certain rare occasions has been addressed. As of now, we are in the final stages of preparation for the start of the FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test.

A new schedule will be released at a later date. Until then, we ask for your patience in this matter.

Well that lasted long didn’t it? The Final Fantasy 14 Beta Test has been postponed to a later, unspecified, date. A email from Square Enix told us of the following…

FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test Postponed

FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, which is scheduled to begin at 19:00 (PDT) on Aug. 31, 2010, will be postponed due to a confirmation of critical bugs. New schedule will be releaseｄ at a later date.

Along with the postponement of FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test, the issuing of registration code for FINAL FANTASY XIV Open Beta Test will be postponed as well. With the download of client software’s installer, it will be suspended at 19:00 (PDT) on Aug. 31, 2010.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Below is an email sent from Square Enix regarding the Final Fantasy XIV Beta Test. I wont waffle on but instead leave you to digest. Exciting stuff!

You can download the client directly from Square Enix here

In preparation for the official release of FINAL FANTASY XIV on September 30, 2010 and the early release on September 22, we will be starting an open beta test to help put the finishing touches on the game. We ask that all users who can participate in the open beta test apply from the following website.

1. Access the following URL.
   http://entry.ffxiv.com/
   * The page will become accessible starting at 19:00 on Aug. 31, 2010 (PDT).
    
2. Log in with your Square Enix account and have a registration code issued.
   * Depending on the access status, we may temporarily suspend the issuance of registration code. If you cannot have registration code issued, we ask that you please wait a little while before trying again.
    
3. Register the registration code you received by e-mail on the Square Enix Account Management System.
   Click “Select Service” from “Services and Options” on the left menu. Select “FINAL FANTASY XIV” from the services available and then “Add a service account.” Enter the registration code you’ve been issued and proceed to the end of registration.
    

The Square Enix Account Management System: Link

As stated above, Open Beta Test requires a dedicated registration code and the login to Beta Test Site will become unavailable starting at 0:00 on Aug. 31, 2010 (PDT).
Once the registration code is registered, you will be able to log in to Beta Test Site once again.

Transferring your Character Name from the Open Beta Test to the Commercial Release
As long as the World you choose in the commercial release is the same as the World you chose in the open beta test, you will be able to transfer your character name. If you choose a different World for the commercial release, your character name will not be transferrable. For details, please refer to the beta test site.

To PlayStation 3 Version Applicants:
This test phase will deal only with the Windows version of the software. Details regarding the test schedule for the PlayStation 3 version will be released by e-mail at a later date. If possible, we still ask and encourage you to take part in the testing on a Windows PC.

Note:
・The open beta test is being conducted on the Windows version of the game only.
・Latest news and notifications will be periodically posted on the forums of the tester site.
・The game to be tested is under development, and may differ from the commercial release.
・Please direct all inquiries regarding FINAL FANTASY XIV to the Square Enix Support Center ( Link ).