Testing the Waters

MysticRyu

Hey all!

So here's the deal:  I've always been very intrigued by the MMO market.  The only MMO I've played very seriously is WoW, although I've dabbled in EQ, EQ2, SWG, CoH, Vanguard, AA, AO, Crowns of Power, Knight Online, Runescape, Hellgate:London, Flyff, Fury, LOTRO, DnL, and a few others.

I've obviously been testing out the waters a bit, and I'm ready to settle on an MMO soon.  I'm getting tired of WoW, not necessarily because of grind but more repetition and lack of depth.  It seems to me that WoW is just the same things slightly rehashed in different ways, for 70 levels.  I've stuck with it for years because it's very easy, but I'm not so sure that's a good thing anymore.  I'll admit I'm not a hardcore player:  I have one 70, with only a regular flying mount, but I put quite a bit of work into it and didn't only care about levelling but having a fun time while I was doing so.

I like grouping, and in fact rarely do anything without groups in WoW anymore.  It just gets really boring for me.  I play an MMO to interact with others, not to screw around by myself for hours on end.

That being said, while I was at GameStop recently, I saw a trial for FFXI.  It's one of the few semi-recent MMOs I haven't given a try, and I've always LOVED the FF series.  FF9 was my favorite, then 7, then 12, then 10, then probably 8.  In any case, I picked up the little $2 trial there at GameStop, and installed the game as fast as I could

After playing aound for a few minutes I'm having some troubles, and I want to know what people's opinions on this are.  I take my MMO characters seriously.  No, I'm not addicted (I very often stop playing for months because the games just get so.. Boring to me), or at least if I am I trick myself very well, but I love that feeling of accomplishment one gets by progressing through everything.

As I said before, my biggest problem with WoW is the repetition.  I don't like seeing the same model with a slightly different colored texture in level 1 areas and level 30 areas both.  I like variety in quests, even if that means I have to work harder to figure them out.  I want a challenge and to feel like when I do something it's a real accomplishment, not "Okay, well there you go.  Now go do it 10,000 more times and you'll notice a slight difference."

I'm not saying I can't handle a grind.  I can if I need to, but I want to feel like when that grind is done, I've done something valuable.

I need to know if FFXI is for me.  My main concern is gameplay.  Sounds are great, graphics don't bother me in the least.  I actually like the graphics style.

My biggest hurdle so far has been the controls.  I've only played a very short amount of time, but I have a hard time even walking around.  I looked at some controls guide to figure out how to leave the game (Took long enough!  ) and went back a few more times.  I got more used to the whole walking thing, but so far I've just been walking around where I started looking and talking to random NPCs with my 10 gil.  Oh yeah, and I somehow managed to equip a sword (Yay!)  I feel like a noob haha, but I feel like the community in FFXI is great, and it's got a loootttt to offer me if I continue.  Even though I can barely move around well (and the camera controls are very much not my style) I still find myself thinking "I want to get back on and figure this game out!  It seems cooool "

So do you guys think the game is for me?  Is there any way to change the FFXI controls around, or at least a nice way to get used to them?  I don't see ANY intro to the game whatsoever, you're pretty much just plopped down from what I can tell.

Also, if anyone wants to meet me in game, that would be amazing.  I think meeting up with someone who can show me a bit about the game would really help! I'm currently on the Odin server, but I've just basically created my character and walked around town to get a better feel for the game before heading out to battle.

What do you think?  Should I keep going, or is it too repetitive and confusing, and/or too late to catch up?

 

sniperg

Originally posted by MysticRyu


Hey all!
So here's the deal:  I've always been very intrigued by the MMO market.  The only MMO I've played very seriously is WoW, although I've dabbled in EQ, EQ2, SWG, CoH, Vanguard, AA, AO, Crowns of Power, Knight Online, Runescape, Hellgate:London, Flyff, Fury, LOTRO, DnL, and a few others.
I've obviously been testing out the waters a bit, and I'm ready to settle on an MMO soon.  I'm getting tired of WoW, not necessarily because of grind but more repetition and lack of depth.  It seems to me that WoW is just the same things slightly rehashed in different ways, for 70 levels.  I've stuck with it for years because it's very easy, but I'm not so sure that's a good thing anymore.  I'll admit I'm not a hardcore player:  I have one 70, with only a regular flying mount, but I put quite a bit of work into it and didn't only care about levelling but having a fun time while I was doing so.
I like grouping, and in fact rarely do anything without groups in WoW anymore.  It just gets really boring for me.  I play an MMO to interact with others, not to screw around by myself for hours on end.
That being said, while I was at GameStop recently, I saw a trial for FFXI.  It's one of the few semi-recent MMOs I haven't given a try, and I've always LOVED the FF series.  FF9 was my favorite, then 7, then 12, then 10, then probably 8.  In any case, I picked up the little $2 trial there at GameStop, and installed the game as fast as I could
After playing aound for a few minutes I'm having some troubles, and I want to know what people's opinions on this are.  I take my MMO characters seriously.  No, I'm not addicted (I very often stop playing for months because the games just get so.. Boring to me), or at least if I am I trick myself very well, but I love that feeling of accomplishment one gets by progressing through everything.
As I said before, my biggest problem with WoW is the repetition.  I don't like seeing the same model with a slightly different colored texture in level 1 areas and level 30 areas both.  I like variety in quests, even if that means I have to work harder to figure them out.  I want a challenge and to feel like when I do something it's a real accomplishment, not "Okay, well there you go.  Now go do it 10,000 more times and you'll notice a slight difference."
I'm not saying I can't handle a grind.  I can if I need to, but I want to feel like when that grind is done, I've done something valuable.
I need to know if FFXI is for me.  My main concern is gameplay.  Sounds are great, graphics don't bother me in the least.  I actually like the graphics style.
My biggest hurdle so far has been the controls.  I've only played a very short amount of time, but I have a hard time even walking around.  I looked at some controls guide to figure out how to leave the game (Took long enough!  ) and went back a few more times.  I got more used to the whole walking thing, but so far I've just been walking around where I started looking and talking to random NPCs with my 10 gil.  Oh yeah, and I somehow managed to equip a sword (Yay!)  I feel like a noob haha, but I feel like the community in FFXI is great, and it's got a loootttt to offer me if I continue.  Even though I can barely move around well (and the camera controls are very much not my style) I still find myself thinking "I want to get back on and figure this game out!  It seems cooool "
So do you guys think the game is for me?  Is there any way to change the FFXI controls around, or at least a nice way to get used to them?  I don't see ANY intro to the game whatsoever, you're pretty much just plopped down from what I can tell.
Also, if anyone wants to meet me in game, that would be amazing.  I think meeting up with someone who can show me a bit about the game would really help! I'm currently on the Odin server, but I've just basically created my character and walked around town to get a better feel for the game before heading out to battle.
What do you think?  Should I keep going, or is it too repetitive and confusing, and/or too late to catch up?
 

Ok well as far as controls go you can customise them a bit or use a controller. They are a bit difficult to get used to them but that goes away after a while.

Intro as far as the game goes is the movie that the game begins which tells you the state of the world of vanadiel today and a small intro of your character as it is created. After that by talking to npc's and doing missions things unfold.

Ok as far as gameplay goes I think you are going to find things a bit different than you are used to.

One of the biggest differences of FF in comparison with other games is how it handles equipment. In WoW for example an item 10 levels lower than the character who uses it is considered useless. In FF such thing doesn't happen. Most of the items have a long level span so it means you'll use them for some time and many levels plus you won't feel the "purple syndrome" that WoW has:P. Also buffs in FF are much more useful and practical than many other games mainly due to the system with which the game calculates things.

Also as far as classes go, you'll notice that they are more or less very balanced and each of them plays very differently than the rest. In a way every class is very unique and as you level it, it becomes even more apparent. A similarity you may notice as in WoW is that to be effective in what you do you have to specialise in an area whether via items and/or job selection.

All in all though it's a nice experience.

Well as far as help goes, I play at Garuda server, so if you need any help just contact tymoris.

thobaw

/le sigh...

I had gone into much detail of the differences between WoW and FFXI and what you could expect from your travels throughout Vana'diel....Unfortunately, my thumb grazed the back button on my mouse and all was lost in an instant. Yea...

However, I can at least point you to the FFXI New Player Guide.

This should help you get your bearings and learn the controls, as well as showcase some of the various activities FFXI has to offer.

Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance. I'll check back to see if I can offer anything else.