Check out the hottest topics from the past week of the FFXIV general forum.

This feature has always been a time to recap the most humorous, enlightening or bizarre discussions of the past week -- but right now there’s only one topic worth discussing, and it has little to do with Final Fantasy XIV.

The massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan last week has been felt around the world. The natural disasters were so powerful that even the fake worlds we spend so much time in -- Vana’diel and Eorzea -- were temporarily shut down. The world has held its collective breath, and will continue to do so until the aftershocks stop and the ongoing nuclear crisis is under control.

Despite these hardships, the development team for FFXIV appears to still be working on the game, as indicated by producer Naoki Yoshida’s most recent Letter from the Producer. However, Yoshi-P indicates many on his team are working with weary eyes or heavy hearts.

“Tokyo, where our development and operation teams are based, has suffered minimal damage from the earthquake and its after effects. We have confirmed the safety of all our team members, but there are those with family in the affected regions. Due to this, the concerns of the nuclear plants, and the ongoing aftershocks, we are not at our best.”

The servers for Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV were scheduled to be down for one week. If this schedule remains intact, both games will be playable again this weekend. However, the intensity of the situation in Japan right now is beyond many of our comprehensions. If the servers aren’t reactivated as scheduled, then Square Enix deserves our encouragement, not our criticism. The situation in Japan is much, much bigger than the drama surrounding Eorzea. This is a time for compassion.

To the development team at Square Enix, I would like to say on behalf of the ZAM community that all of you are in our thoughts, and for more reasons than just a game. We hope your loved ones are safe, and that any losses can be overcome.

For anyone reading this who would like to donate to the disaster relief effort in Japan, you can donate $10 through the American Red Cross by sending the text message “REDCROSS” (without quotations) to 90999. For more information on donating to the Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief funds, visit the Web site of the American Red Cross.

Here’s hoping for better news between now and next Thursday, and for the fastest possible recovery for the great people of Japan.