FFXI

[ThePainMaker]

This has to be the best online only game that has ever happened to xbox
If you got it then you should be glad you got it

[beatrixkiddo]

I've only heard bad things about it, really.

[ThePainMaker]

no its great

[D~ONE]

FF XI was a good game for its time actually I have heard that the engine has improved alot since i last played the game on my PS2 + COP xpac me exo dgo wattari we had some good times on their.

I have nothing negective to say about FFXI except that they should have implemented the current changes way way way before they actually did.

[AC9breaker]

If your name was ThePaintaker, it would make absolute sense why you seem to be so enamored with the game.

[jShazBot]

I have a questions about FFXI.
Whether your playing it on PS2, PS3, PC, or Xbox 360, they are all linked. Right?
How do you log into them? Username and password? What if I played the game on PS2 for a long time then one day felt like playing it on Xbox 360. Could I still use the same account?

[AC9breaker]

Yes, you could play it on PS2 on the condition of owning harddrive for it, which meant you could only play it with the older models since they phased out the HDD add on with the PS2 Slim. You could use the same account weather on PC, Xblock, ps deuce, w/e. I guess if you have a PS3 that could play a ps2 game its feasible to play it on the ps triple.

Yes, all consoles are linked. FFXI followed sony's every platform approach. So Sony fag can play with MS fag and play with PC fags!

As for how it worked, Squenix was trying to push a unified online service in which their games could be managed played. Think Xbox live. It's called PlayOnline and was is used for FFXI, Dirge of Cerberus (JP ONRY), Front Mission Online and a few other games. Oh yeah Tetra Master, olo. As long as you can download the software to access playonline, you can log into your personalized ID. You're even given an email address when you first start the service.

[Omega_Weltall]

FF11 is cool, just cant do a thing by your self once you hit lv 15 and even at lv 10 its hard to do stuff buy your self. LFP for 2-3 hrs stay in said party for 4+ hrs or find a replacement quickly. they'er trying to combat that though. havnet relay been on in a while

[Kent]

...Sony doesn't have an "every platform" approach - that'd be counterintuitive to their business model (but I guess their business model isn't really working all that well, anyway).

But regardless - yes, all of the platforms play together. You need a username (PlayOnline Account) and at least one password (you can have multiple passwords required to get into your account), and you can log into said account from any platform you choose, so long as it's the latest version of the game.

Having played the game for something like five years, I'd say I'm pretty familiar with it at the very least. There are a lot of things it did well, and a few things not so well - but one major trend that happens with random idiots that try the game then subsequently go about blasting flames regarding how much they hate it, is the fact that they often focus on just one or two of the things that, yes, could be better... While ignoring (or perhaps not even being aware of) all of the great design decisions that set it apart from the rest of the MMORPGs out there.

A good example would be how the game focuses on story - something you don't see much in MMOs. It progresses the story much like how a Final Fantasy game would; there are certain points where you will get cutscenes and conversations with really interesting details in them, usually preceding or following big story events such as boss fights. Every expansions has, of course, added in a new storyline that you can follow, all of them being sort of paralell to each other.

And as would be expected from Square Enix, the stories aren't anything paltry - they're actually very well-done... But part of the problem can be getting through them, which leads to the other big thing people who hate the game can't really understand:

It's an MMORPG. You're not supposed to be playing it all by yourself - people complain that, after a certain point, it becomes difficult (or in many cases, impossible) to gain experience or complete quests on your own. Yes, soloing has its place in the game (but really, that's called "between levels 1 and 15" - though most people start grouping at closer to 12), but it's meant to be played with other people - ideally with friends with which you can group regularly.

There are a few things in the game that I don't really agree with, design-wise. Yes, it would be nice to be able to solo things more often, yes, it would be nice to get rewards for the thousands of quests out there in the form of some experience (though really, that doesn't fit within the context of how the job system works) - but what I don't particularly like are the crafting system (which is neither intuitive, nor is it fun - it shouldn't feel like real work), and how, when you're talking about character statistics, the game is essentially a math geek's wet dream of wet dreams.

When it takes hours of study and people majoring in mathematics to figure out exactly how simple things like Strength and Attack work in relation to each other, I think there might be a slight problem with how hardcore the min/maxing community needs to be... Especially since there's no extremely-casual-friendly thing like in World of Warcraft, where you can just look at your Attack Power and see what it's contributing to the numbers that pop up when you thwap a rabbit somewhere. Comparatively-speaking, equipment choices require a lot more theoretical knowledge backing your decisions.

Now, I don't really mind that in and of itself, the fact that the numbers are how they are - it's the fact that the game doesn't tell you how stats are affecting your character in any way other than... stating what the numbers are.

...Of course, they have done a few things that I would consider to be just downright brilliant from both the perspective of a designer and that of a player.

Such as the newly-redesigned level cap system. Basically, many instantiated areas have a level cap imposed on them - to prevent people of a ridiculously high level from coming in and stomping progression bosses flat for you. It wouldn't be any fun if you could do that, because it'd take out any potential challenge. Level-capped instantiated areas are a problem, however, when you need to carry around low-level equipment that you can use while you're in the areas, and it was an issue for a long time - especially among people who were attempting to clear the Chains of Promathia expansion, which had its progression based entirely on level-capped instances.

However, at some point down the line a few months ago, they decided to get rid of this problem all together. Not by removing level caps, but instead, they decided to make it so your equipment scales down alongside your level when your level is capped for any reason... And this was included coinciding with an update to alleviate another concern for players: If your party was too diverse in level, people would get lesser amounts of EXP per kill. So, the solution now, is that the party leader can now impose a level cap based on the level of one of the party members, so that everyone is now of that level (or lower, but I imagine you'd set the cap to the lowest-level person in the group) so as to receive optimal EXP for everyone in the group. It's really something I'd like to see implemented in more games (level-capping and gear downscaling for WoW dungeons, anyone?).

[Puppet_Papaya]

I quit FFXI becuase I didn't have time for a second full-time job.
Otherwise, I liked it. I had some good times.

[joefro]

I hate FFXI, honestly; but I just can't quit it. I've had an on-again-off-again relationship with the game for two years. I really don't have or want the time to get any character to 75, but the game can be fun. I think that I have quit for good now, but I've said that many times. If anyone would ask me my opinion of the game, I would say to just wait for Square's next MMO, I really think that they will get it right from day one, if they have learned anything from FFXI.

Here's hoping to a Rapture release date at E3. ;-)

[Zorafim]

Nothing more fun than going LFG for four hours. Yup, best game ever.

On the other hand,
[spoiler-box]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/Zorafin/LeviaFeline.jpg

At least it was pretty.
[/spoiler-box]

[Mewnie]

However, at some point down the line a few months ago, they decided to get rid of this problem all together. Not by removing level caps, but instead, they decided to make it so your equipment scales down alongside your level when your level is capped for any reason... And this was included coinciding with an update to alleviate another concern for players: If your party was too diverse in level, people would get lesser amounts of EXP per kill. So, the solution now, is that the party leader can now impose a level cap based on the level of one of the party members, so that everyone is now of that level (or lower, but I imagine you'd set the cap to the lowest-level person in the group) so as to receive optimal EXP for everyone in the group. It's really something I'd like to see implemented in more games (level-capping and gear downscaling for WoW dungeons, anyone?).

City of Heroes has been doing that for years.


FFXI was pretty, but everything was a grind. Combat, crafting, even TRAVEL. Not to mention combat was coma-inducing levels of boring.

Coming from PC-centric MMOs, the UI was total garbage.

And the endless LFP. Ugh.

I gave up while trying to do my second level limit thingy. It was just not fun. At all.

FFXI is the catass' ultimate paradise.

[Niered]

I guess my biggest flaw with it is...
...its an MMO.

Which in this day and age apparently translates to something like wallet-raper, or time-destroyer. Maybe even "holy-shit-this-gameplay-is-generally-mediocre-but-look-at-all-the-people-playing-it".

In all seriousness, my big gripe with MMO's is that they bear so much resemblance to rougelikes, but at least most people have realized that rougelikes are a terrible branch in dire need of pruning from the tree of RPG'dom.