So not much has changed since closed beta then....
There is definitely a learning wall, but once you get over it (having in a PS3 controller really helps), things do start to make some sense... still doesn't fix that the world feels so lifeless though.
My prediction is that after 6 months, the only people left playing this will be those who played and loved FF11.
Errrr...yes Mr.Sherlock because thats the main subscriber base SE is targeting---> FF fans and there are loads of them.
Oops my bad then. I figured fans of the game would like to see it grow and stabilize a larger fan base than what FF11 is currently running with.
400K tpo 500K subs for FInal Fantasy 11 is not bad at all. Not every MMO needs million players in order to grow and stabilize. FF doesn't cater to masses and fans like it the way it is.
500k subs x50$/euro + x k blind preorder perchuses = 30kk $++
someone asked why release new game read this
so 30kk - shiping - publisher - shop profit = ~~10kk pure profit
and all know that all new games like aion sold 1kk+ boxes
From reading here, I can get so mad that it's not illegal that they will be releasing another game such as this and get away with it.
Think about how many un suspending people that will buy this game off the shelf. Because it's all about the box sales.
I'm so mad about the garbage games that had been out in the past, I almost feel like going to my local EB Games on opening day and talk people out of purchasing this game.
I could barely play the game at the lowest settings. My computer isn't the best anymore, but I figured I could at least play on low settings. I could barely move at all. I thought it might be because so many players were on. I tried this morning and it just wasn't happening. Maybe I will try the PS3 beta if they have one... because I have no intention of upgrading my PC at this point.
I played XI for all of 15 minutes before it was uninstalled due to the horrible controls. After reading all the complaining that XIV was just as bad, I was expecting the worst, but was determined to give this one a real try, even if I had to use a gamepad.
When I finally got a beta key, I was shocked to find that the default controls were EXACTLY the way I like them. Even to the point where the A and D key were move left/right instead of turn left/right like it is in most games - which is just the way I like it.
If anyone is on the fence over the controls issue, I'd say definitely give it a shot before you judge. Though I will say they definitely need to add hardware mouse support since that's what's causing the laggy mouse. Supposedly, they are working on it and that will make the menu driven system a lot more useable.
After two days of playing this game, I have to say I'm impressed. Yes there are mouse lag issue, but I have gotten over that by using my 360 controller. The controller works perfectly with the UI. The keyboard also works great with the UI and navigation!
The initial learning curve is relatively high when compared to the likes of WOW or LOTRO, but again, I'm ok with this. FFXIV is most certainly not a WOW clone. The devs have created a very different set of systems for this game. Once I got a couple of the Level Up animations I was smiling and having a ball with this game.
Read through the manual when you touch a Aetheryte and it will give you a ton of info. Also just start asking around. I have found the beta community to be very similar to FFXI's community--helpful and courteous (for the most part) :P
Again...if you've set your heart on not liking it or were expecting something a bit more mainstream...then yes, you won't get into this game. As it stands, it doesn't have any hand-holding in the form of a guided tutorial. You do have to just figure some stuff out...but seriously...ask your fellow in-game players!! /shout a question if it's well mannered and well intentioned. Don't be a jerk and they'll happily give you some pointers!
Anyway, the class system is brilliant, the world is wonderfully realized and incredibly detailed and I'm happy the devs decided not to go full WOW clone on this one. This decision will obviously keep some of the mmo crowd away...and that's ok!! There are other fish in the sea!
I disagree, but whatever. Everyone has an opinion and it is worth exactly what you paid for it. Please take a minute to actually play the game, pay attention to details, and look around at how much amazing stuff was put into the game before saying things like it is half-assed, mediocre, etc. just because you don't like the UI and control scheme. Look up some of the making of Eorzea videos and look at how much was put into the game.
I think this game is going to be huge on console. Right now is the perfect time for an MMO on a console with how many are online and how well the hardware can now support a MMO. With FFXI it required 100$ worth of peripherals. I think a very large new audience will be brought into FFXIV on PS3.
Think about it. 99% of the whining and empty preorder cancelling threats come from the UI which is made to support both PC and Console, but clearly was designed by a Japanese company which favors controller based gameplay. The other complaints are largely things that won't exist or will be perfect on console. Things like alt-tab and such. They are making a game that is for PC and Console to be played on the same servers. Of course it will be different.
There are plenty of people that obviously can't learn a new control scheme or get past a UI that isn't the exact same as every other MMO on the market, and maybe a large % of those are the type that would register on a forum just to post a negative review or troll a game, but there are plenty of people that don't mind spending a day or two to learn a new scheme and UI with an MMO that they may spend hundreds of hours playing.
On PC I am sure the game will just do pretty well with a very strong following like FFXI, but on PS3 I can see a very large new audience coming into the genre.
There are 2 sides to everything. I bet plenty of people in Japan play western MMO's and say, 'WTF No controller support? Fail.' Just like people over here do when a game comes out that is built to be played very comfortably with a controller. If you can't get past that to see the gem of a game underneath the UI, and you can't try the game with a controller if you hate the keyboard/mouse then you are only hurting yourself in my eyes.
Troll, flame, post doom and gloom, and none of it will stop this from being a very successful and long running MMO that hundreds of thousands will enjoy. In the meantime you can stick with clone after clone. It makes no difference.
Mouse was actually perfectly playable for me on my system...but, really dudes...a gamepad costs no more than a mouse so if frustrated why not buy one and give it a go. Mouse worked best for desktop applications like Office and point and click games like starcrat 2.
You can get an Airflo gamepad for like 12$ that has the same buttons as a PS3 with a little fan that blows out from inside the controller if you turn it on to cool your palms. I have had one for over 5 years now that I used to play FFXI and am now using on FFXIV. Can't recommend it enough.
One huge gripe I have with the OP: Still no ! or ?...wow, just wow...I'd have to lean toward the annoying 'immersion' folks - sometimes a name & a general area does it fine, you don't need everything handed to you.
That's not what he wrote. He said there was NO NEED for ! / ? but he was hoping for something to look for like a different colored naming text or a shop sign. At least bother to read what the OP wrote before you flame him.
I'm not FF fun and didnt play any FF game before but FFXIV awesome game. I really feel like playing "real" RPG-Adventure game.Story,cutscenes,visuals,character devolepment are perfect.
In short - after playing OB yesterday I can only say one thing - I'm not FF fan enough to deal with this game. If You are looking for game with beautiful graphics, story and player friendly gameplay LOTRO is having free to try launch very soon, wait and try, save Yourself frustration.
And the longer version
The bad:
1. Software mouse has the feel of moving in mud, making the whole experience laggy.
Your graphic settings are set to high. i had the same problem when checking settings for my computer. In my case turning AO off solve the problem of the mouse (although still a bit slow, like any sofware mouse)
2. Controls - while wsad and left button works(laggy as wrote above) interaction with everything(items, mobs, NPCs) isn't via right click, but through menus. This with software mouse makes PC controls just a nuisance, rather then comfortable. Plugging pad helps, but hey this is a PC!
Forget mouse to navigate menus, use cursor keys and enter
3. Menu here, menu there. Devs must have been obsessed by windows 98 start menu. But, but shortcuts for inventory, quest log, character screen and right clicking items/NPC to use them aren't unique enough(sarcasm!)...Not to mention it's all laggy making each NPC menu coming after 1-2 seconds.
4. No tutorial for movement, camera handling, basic combat. No tooltips for stats, indication for level up. Nothing. Go read fan made websites. There is hand holding and there is basic player friendliness. This game is unfriendly and says buzz off and stop playing. A nice example is learning through fansite that crafters have no combat skills. Sweet to know after 40 minutes of gameplay.
If you need tutorial for movement and camera handling, i think you should be doing another thing instead of playing games. Two minutes clicking keys and watching what happens on screen tell you all you need to know about it
About basic combat...click or tab to select target, get at distance and use the hotkey (1-10) for the attack you want to use, i think its easy enough
The thing about crafters not having combat skills, well it seems you still didnt catch how the characters work. you are not a crafter or anyother thing, you a a character that could do many things based on what he have in the hands. You want to fight? put a weapon in them instead of you crafting tool and you fight (and if you dont want to change you have two skills in you crafter class to throw rocks at the mobs, althoug i still dont try them, so couldnt talk about their capacity)
5. Shops, important NPC are yet another guy with green complicated name. Again no need for easy mode with quest tracker and !/? above NPCs. A different name color, a signboard over NPC booth would be enough. Till now I do not know where to buy anything useful, like say better equipment?
I not sure how things are in you starting town, but in mine there are two zones with about 6-8 shops in them (you know its a shop because the npc have a stall with merchandise in front of him) plus 3-4 other shops and the various guilds places with big signs in the map, so easy to find them. You dont need !? above the heads of the npc. talk to them to know what they said and you will find them
6. Death via some sweet looking creature, while shocking isn't really bad. But frustration with dead body and wondering what to do now is. No message, no pop up. Go look on fan website how to respawn. JUST DON'T DO ALT+TAB.
no need to check on a website, not difficult to find. open menu and choose return do it (took me around 15 seconds to find it)
7. Alt+tab or win key in fullscreen mode. I get idea that they don't want those to work. So what to do? Normal devs would just disable those. But hell no here. Game will crash to punish stupid players. Another "uniqueness".
8. Random crashes and bugs. Enough of these to be noticeable. Black screen after SE logo, crash when servers are down, when alt tab and some random game crashes(i.e. when teleporting after completing guild leve). All sort of errors 10300. A simple message - servers are busy try again later or servers are offline or could not connect to server would solve stuff. Also some minor stuff like non-translated Japanese words.
only one crash for me ( at this moment) but i think it was a server crash, which it is the purpouse of open beta, to push the server to test how much they could be on without crashing
9. Downloading patches and installing those. Making people to read fan websites to use torrent clients to download patches in somewhat comfortable way is not customer friendly. Also I never seen longer 4 GB patch applying, ever.
I agree with you here, the upgrader should handle torrents as good as any bittorrent client, but as it didnt do it, its not a problem for me to use the bittorent instead of the updater
The good.
1. Graphic of course. Though with hardware requirements it should be awesome. And it is. Cut-scenes are really nice looking. So are avatars and NPCs. Though more main NPC voicing would be nice.
2. Music. Very nice and definitely adding a level of additional immersion.
3. Story. Polished and nice. This is where true potential of this game lies.
4. Many unique features - crafting, repairing, class changing and many more. Definetely some refreshment here.
Final words
I'd gladly pay and play this game if it's gameplay was at least a bit user friendly. But it is not. It's just opposite way. And fanboism in comments below won't change it. "Fairness in controls for PC/PS3", "no hand holding", "unique design", "it's SE game", "it's beta", "go play WoW". I've seen those comments enough times already but those are just poor excuses. And one final note, this is just my opinion mixed with some facts about UI/controls, not the ultimate truth about game. I'll give it a shot after half a year as I hope this is enough time to finish the half baked game.
Im not a fan of FF franchise, never played ffxi and only try one of the ff games. but i am playing mmorpgs since 1998 and i though its a good game, a little slow paced for what the mayority of the current new players want, but im enjoying it
I disagree, but whatever. Everyone has an opinion and it is worth exactly what you paid for it. Please take a minute to actually play the game, pay attention to details, and look around at how much amazing stuff was put into the game before saying things like it is half-assed, mediocre, etc. just because you don't like the UI and control scheme. Look up some of the making of Eorzea videos and look at how much was put into the game.
I think this game is going to be huge on console. Right now is the perfect time for an MMO on a console with how many are online and how well the hardware can now support a MMO. With FFXI it required 100$ worth of peripherals. I think a very large new audience will be brought into FFXIV on PS3.
Think about it. 99% of the whining and empty preorder cancelling threats come from the UI which is made to support both PC and Console, but clearly was designed by a Japanese company which favors controller based gameplay. The other complaints are largely things that won't exist or will be perfect on console. Things like alt-tab and such. They are making a game that is for PC and Console to be played on the same servers. Of course it will be different.
There are plenty of people that obviously can't learn a new control scheme or get past a UI that isn't the exact same as every other MMO on the market, and maybe a large % of those are the type that would register on a forum just to post a negative review or troll a game, but there are plenty of people that don't mind spending a day or two to learn a new scheme and UI with an MMO that they may spend hundreds of hours playing.
On PC I am sure the game will just do pretty well with a very strong following like FFXI, but on PS3 I can see a very large new audience coming into the genre.
There are 2 sides to everything. I bet plenty of people in Japan play western MMO's and say, 'WTF No controller support? Fail.' Just like people over here do when a game comes out that is built to be played very comfortably with a controller. If you can't get past that to see the gem of a game underneath the UI, and you can't try the game with a controller if you hate the keyboard/mouse then you are only hurting yourself in my eyes.
Troll, flame, post doom and gloom, and none of it will stop this from being a very successful and long running MMO that hundreds of thousands will enjoy. In the meantime you can stick with clone after clone. It makes no difference.
I cannot agree more, it is the bigger picture that matters and this game will deliver a game .....not something we see with most of the current crop of MMOs...
________________________________________________________ Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
If the game truly was built only for the fans then why is it there was so much dev-speak about opening the game up to a much wider audience & even going into details on what will be changed from XI to XIV in order to achieve that?
Surely all this dev-time pumped into a new game would have been far better spent if they had concentrated on making improvements & content to the existing FFXI game if they were only bothered about targetting existing FF Fans...
I think SE are going to be looking at a massive missed opportunity through their dogmatic approach & this new title is only doing minor evolutions & wrapping it up in a new engine to warrant a new title & that's kind of cynical of them I think.
This game has slipped off my radar for now, I think it will be at the back of the class for the 2011 releases, it will depend on future developments whether or not this game ever gains my attention.
I agree with this statement 100%.
I've been very displeased with how much 'progression' has been done over all. Truly, if the same developers of FFXI were working on this project, maybe we'd have gotten some better results. But since it just feels like very basic changes slapping inside of an extremely powerful graphics engine doesn't appeal to me at all. The game just feels awkward, and honestly I really don't enjoy the graphics. I really loved FFXI's look, and it still bothers me people consider that beautiful game 'dated' - my god people are so spoiled.
I could barely play the game at the lowest settings. My computer isn't the best anymore, but I figured I could at least play on low settings. I could barely move at all. I thought it might be because so many players were on. I tried this morning and it just wasn't happening. Maybe I will try the PS3 beta if they have one... because I have no intention of upgrading my PC at this point.
This was my main problem too - despite having a decent mid-range computer, and getting an acceptable score on the benchmark, the game itself runs terribly on my system. Not to mention, it doesn't seem to matter even if I use the low res with the lowest settings; it literally makes no difference in performance (well, it actually runs a bit better with AA turned ON believe it or not, but aside from that, it's negligible.)
It just doesn't make any sense to me. This computer hasn't had even the slightest problem handling games like AoC, Vanguard, EQ2, and Warhammer at close to max settings (usually always stays within the 50+ fps range) but with FFXIV, I'm lucky to stay in the 35-45 range while even in sparsely populated areas. Don't even get me started on dense areas with large crowds - I usually hover at around 15-20 in those situations.
The game is beautiful, but c'mon, it's not THAT beautiful - visually, AoC put's it to shame on just about every level (although I'll admit I like the style of FF better), and despite that it even runs close to flawless. So why does FFXIV seem to be such a resource hog in comparison?
Aside from that, the UI does seem a bit on the mediocre side, but it's not a bother for me since I used to play FFXI, and I'm comfortable using my gamepad. As for the rest of the game (the story, gameplay, music, etc) I've really enjoyed what I've seen and heard, and if it wasn't for the poor performance, I'd have it pre-ordered. Alas, I can't afford any upgrades, so it looks like I'll be waiting for the PS3 release .
For those of you planning to play it later this month, I hope you all have a blast.
The one part I agree with is the slow menus. Im thinking that even if I buy an xbox 360 controller thats not going to fix the fact that after you choose a menu item it takes up to 5 seconds to create the new menu. This is not a mouse issue as it does the same thing if I use keyboard. Nor is it my machine. The game otherwise runs pretty well.
I disagree, but whatever. Everyone has an opinion and it is worth exactly what you paid for it. Please take a minute to actually play the game, pay attention to details, and look around at how much amazing stuff was put into the game before saying things like it is half-assed, mediocre, etc. just because you don't like the UI and control scheme. Look up some of the making of Eorzea videos and look at how much was put into the game.
I think this game is going to be huge on console. Right now is the perfect time for an MMO on a console with how many are online and how well the hardware can now support a MMO. With FFXI it required 100$ worth of peripherals. I think a very large new audience will be brought into FFXIV on PS3.
Think about it. 99% of the whining and empty preorder cancelling threats come from the UI which is made to support both PC and Console, but clearly was designed by a Japanese company which favors controller based gameplay. The other complaints are largely things that won't exist or will be perfect on console. Things like alt-tab and such. They are making a game that is for PC and Console to be played on the same servers. Of course it will be different.
There are plenty of people that obviously can't learn a new control scheme or get past a UI that isn't the exact same as every other MMO on the market, and maybe a large % of those are the type that would register on a forum just to post a negative review or troll a game, but there are plenty of people that don't mind spending a day or two to learn a new scheme and UI with an MMO that they may spend hundreds of hours playing.
On PC I am sure the game will just do pretty well with a very strong following like FFXI, but on PS3 I can see a very large new audience coming into the genre.
There are 2 sides to everything. I bet plenty of people in Japan play western MMO's and say, 'WTF No controller support? Fail.' Just like people over here do when a game comes out that is built to be played very comfortably with a controller. If you can't get past that to see the gem of a game underneath the UI, and you can't try the game with a controller if you hate the keyboard/mouse then you are only hurting yourself in my eyes.
Troll, flame, post doom and gloom, and none of it will stop this from being a very successful and long running MMO that hundreds of thousands will enjoy. In the meantime you can stick with clone after clone. It makes no difference.
In short - after playing OB yesterday I can only say one thing - I'm not FF fan enough to deal with this game. If You are looking for game with beautiful graphics, story and player friendly gameplay LOTRO is having free to try launch very soon, wait and try, save Yourself frustration.
And the longer version
The bad:
1. Software mouse has the feel of moving in mud, making the whole experience laggy.
This i agree with.
2. Controls - while wsad and left button works(laggy as wrote above) interaction with everything(items, mobs, NPCs) isn't via right click, but through menus. This with software mouse makes PC controls just a nuisance, rather then comfortable. Plugging pad helps, but hey this is a PC!
I really don't have much of a problem with it. Sorry that it doesn't feel like WoW/Lotro/Whatever?
3. Menu here, menu there. Devs must have been obsessed by windows 98 start menu. But, but shortcuts for inventory, quest log, character screen and right clicking items/NPC to use them aren't unique enough(sarcasm!)...Not to mention it's all laggy making each NPC menu coming after 1-2 seconds.
Laggy. It's almost like they are stress testing or something.
4. No tutorial for movement, camera handling, basic combat. No tooltips for stats, indication for level up. Nothing. Go read fan made websites. There is hand holding and there is basic player friendliness. This game is unfriendly and says buzz off and stop playing. A nice example is learning through fansite that crafters have no combat skills. Sweet to know after 40 minutes of gameplay.
If you really can't figure out movement or camera handling, you need to stop playing MMO's altogether. They're VERY self-explanatory. Also, there is a brief combat text tutorial when you start the game in the chat box. Maybe you didn't see it because you were having problems figuring out WASD? And there is an indication for leveling up. How you miss them is beyond me.
5. Shops, important NPC are yet another guy with green complicated name. Again no need for easy mode with quest tracker and !/? above NPCs. A different name color, a signboard over NPC booth would be enough. Till now I do not know where to buy anything useful, like say better equipment?
Maybe this is because you're actually supposed to think and explore the world a little? If you read the quest journal, they tell you right where to go, and many times you are put into an instance with a few difference npcs that you are able to talk to. Finding the right one isn't hard, either. For instance, the Limsa Lominsa one that has you go to the Musketeer's Guild or whatnot, I went straight to the person behind a desk. Voila! That was the person I needed to talk to. Uncanny! And equipment is crafted or received from Guild Leves. What, you think a 10 inch long mouse is going to drop a 60 lbs axe and people are going to throw it up in a bazaar?
6. Death via some sweet looking creature, while shocking isn't really bad. But frustration with dead body and wondering what to do now is. No message, no pop up. Go look on fan website how to respawn. JUST DON'T DO ALT+TAB.
Wow. This was incredibly self-explanatory for me and took me 20 seconds tops to figure it out. I'm sorry that this isn't WoW and has arrows pointing to your UI every 3 seconds showing you what exactly you need to do to even breathe.
7. Alt+tab or win key in fullscreen mode. I get idea that they don't want those to work. So what to do? Normal devs would just disable those. But hell no here. Game will crash to punish stupid players. Another "uniqueness".
Why not just play it in Windowed mode? I've started to hate playing all MMO's in fullscreen. Just much easier in Windowed for me.
8. Random crashes and bugs. Enough of these to be noticeable. Black screen after SE logo, crash when servers are down, when alt tab and some random game crashes(i.e. when teleporting after completing guild leve). All sort of errors 10300. A simple message - servers are busy try again later or servers are offline or could not connect to server would solve stuff. Also some minor stuff like non-translated Japanese words.
I crash maybe once per day (which is to be expected during beta, especially in a game that uses a lot of resources). I don't know what YOU are doing. Maybe your computer just sucks? I've never crashed while teleporting. The only time I crash is when I've been tabbing back and forth in windowed mode to talk to people on IM or something.
9. Downloading patches and installing those. Making people to read fan websites to use torrent clients to download patches in somewhat comfortable way is not customer friendly. Also I never seen longer 4 GB patch applying, ever.
This i also agree with. Their patcher is ridiculous.
The good.
1. Graphic of course. Though with hardware requirements it should be awesome. And it is. Cut-scenes are really nice looking. So are avatars and NPCs. Though more main NPC voicing would be nice.
2. Music. Very nice and definitely adding a level of additional immersion.
3. Story. Polished and nice. This is where true potential of this game lies.
4. Many unique features - crafting, repairing, class changing and many more. Definetely some refreshment here.
Final words
I'd gladly pay and play this game if it's gameplay was at least a bit user friendly. But it is not. It's just opposite way. And fanboism in comments below won't change it. "Fairness in controls for PC/PS3", "no hand holding", "unique design", "it's SE game", "it's beta", "go play WoW". I've seen those comments enough times already but those are just poor excuses. And one final note, this is just my opinion mixed with some facts about UI/controls, not the ultimate truth about game. I'll give it a shot after half a year as I hope this is enough time to finish the half baked game.
Nope. Pretty sure those "excuses" are spot on. (well, except the SE game thing and the fairness in controls) It is a beta in that things are still being worked on. It doesn't hold your hand. A game that does that kind of just insults my intelligence honestly. And you have to realize that many of the people that complain about this game are from WoW/Lotroor a similar game and that they ran to this game because they were bored and fed up with the current monotony of their game. They were looking for something different, but ironically they get upset because it's not the same as what they know.
There are plenty of people that obviously can't learn a new control scheme or get past a UI that isn't the exact same as every other MMO on the market
...
Troll, flame, post doom and gloom, and none of it will stop this from being a very successful and long running MMO that hundreds of thousands will enjoy. In the meantime you can stick with clone after clone. It makes no difference.
If you think every other mmo is a wow clone just because they don't support gamepads then you haven't played enough other games. EVE is nothing like ATITD is nothing like Lineage 2 is nothing like WoW. There are many different control schemes out there that take some time to get used to if you come from another game. But none of them took too very long to get used to.
This isn't about thinking outside the box. This is all about how any program should support the hardware that it is written for. The PC version of this game should support standard PC hardware, just as the console version should support standard console hardware. That's all. If they also want to support non-standard hardware like gamepads on the PC version because some perfer it then that is great also. But they should first support the standard hardware for that platform. What SE has done is to try to force people to use PC hardware as if it was a console with all its particular limitations. That is foolish. Don't try to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Make the game hard not the game controls.
I want to play "FFXIV" not "learn how to play an mmo with a gamepad"
I disagree, but whatever. Everyone has an opinion and it is worth exactly what you paid for it. Please take a minute to actually play the game, pay attention to details, and look around at how much amazing stuff was put into the game before saying things like it is half-assed, mediocre, etc. just because you don't like the UI and control scheme. Look up some of the making of Eorzea videos and look at how much was put into the game.
I think this game is going to be huge on console. Right now is the perfect time for an MMO on a console with how many are online and how well the hardware can now support a MMO. With FFXI it required 100$ worth of peripherals. I think a very large new audience will be brought into FFXIV on PS3.
Think about it. 99% of the whining and empty preorder cancelling threats come from the UI which is made to support both PC and Console, but clearly was designed by a Japanese company which favors controller based gameplay. The other complaints are largely things that won't exist or will be perfect on console. Things like alt-tab and such. They are making a game that is for PC and Console to be played on the same servers. Of course it will be different.
There are plenty of people that obviously can't learn a new control scheme or get past a UI that isn't the exact same as every other MMO on the market, and maybe a large % of those are the type that would register on a forum just to post a negative review or troll a game, but there are plenty of people that don't mind spending a day or two to learn a new scheme and UI with an MMO that they may spend hundreds of hours playing.
On PC I am sure the game will just do pretty well with a very strong following like FFXI, but on PS3 I can see a very large new audience coming into the genre.
There are 2 sides to everything. I bet plenty of people in Japan play western MMO's and say, 'WTF No controller support? Fail.' Just like people over here do when a game comes out that is built to be played very comfortably with a controller. If you can't get past that to see the gem of a game underneath the UI, and you can't try the game with a controller if you hate the keyboard/mouse then you are only hurting yourself in my eyes.
Troll, flame, post doom and gloom, and none of it will stop this from being a very successful and long running MMO that hundreds of thousands will enjoy. In the meantime you can stick with clone after clone. It makes no difference.
I strongly believe you're being a bit too optimistic about the PS3 and MMOs. Obviouslly, this is what Square in banking on, but we're still uncertain of the overall quality of the PS3 version. Already it's been stated that the Final Fantasy XIV as it currently is for the PC, was just too much for the PS3 to handle. We don't even know if it's really going to pan out, Square still may drop the project entirely or just post-pone it another year instead of just six months.
I can see the PS3 being an ideal platform for this game, while it feels more comfortable to play it on a PS3 - this is because you won't be too concerned about over heating your computer which costs dramatically more - there is still a bit of 'my this is gunna be good some day' attitude is a bit lacking. Don't try to draw up assumptions of the masses purely on your own opinions. While the game may work out on PS3, I don't think it'll be a 'big hit' or even bring in a 'massive audience'. These are my feelings, and in no way should be considered fact.
My opinions of the PS3 version of this game are completely different from the PC version. Right now, people are worried about and dealing with the PC version. So keep on topic, and don't sing sweet songs about a version that no one has seen or has yet to play - that is largely unwelcomed and is purely hypathetical nonsense.
If the game truly was built only for the fans then why is it there was so much dev-speak about opening the game up to a much wider audience & even going into details on what will be changed from XI to XIV in order to achieve that?
*Snip*
Dev speak is dev speak. When Toyota set out to conquer the car market, they switched the steering wheel from the right side to the left side for cars in the US. They are generally are not required to, but they wanted to, and they hit number one carmaker in the world at some point.
SE, on the other hand, advertises this game to be fully cross platform, is even releasing it for the PC first, and they can't be bothered to get a hardware mouse at release, if ever. If asked, they are also not going to state that customers should buy a controller. It's their business decision, and they have a right to it, but it is all talk.
As for why cannibalize FFXI, they have multiple measures to encourage FFXI players to keep two accounts. One is the promotion to link accounts. Two, is the fatigue system.
There are plenty of people that obviously can't learn a new control scheme or get past a UI that isn't the exact same as every other MMO on the market
...
Troll, flame, post doom and gloom, and none of it will stop this from being a very successful and long running MMO that hundreds of thousands will enjoy. In the meantime you can stick with clone after clone. It makes no difference.
If you think every other mmo is a wow clone just because they don't support gamepads then you haven't played enough other games. EVE is nothing like ATITD is nothing like Lineage 2 is nothing like WoW. There are many different control schemes out there that take some time to get used to if you come from another game. This isn't about thinking outside the box. This is all about how any program should support the hardware that it is written for. The PC version of this game should support standard PC hardware, just as the console version should support standard console hardware. That's all. If they also want to support non-standard hardware like gamepads on the PC version because some perfer it then that is great also. But they should first support the standard hardware for that platform. What SE has done is to try to force people to use PC hardware as if it was a console with all its particular limitations. That is foolish. Don't try to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Make the game hard not the game controls.
I want to play "FFXIV" not "learn how to play an mmo with a gamepad"
+100 for you.
I play PC because I love PC controls in my games. The mouse+keyboard combination is fast, precise, and easy. I can upgrade my PC. I cannot do that to a console. I should not be forced to buy a controller to play a game made for PC. That makes no sense. If you're going to do such a half-ass job on converting your game to work on PC, just don't bother. To add to that: why are you releasing it on PC first???
/endrant
EDIT: There are many games guilty of terrible ports to PC. This post applies to them as well!
Maybe the game is great with a gamepad - but if it is *only* great with a gamepad, they should never have created a PC version, because creating a PC version that doesn't function with PC controls makes them look lazy, incompetent, or both. Personally, having tried the beta, I would have to say that from the standpoint of designing for the PC, it is an abyssmal failure.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.
Reviews like this are why game companies need to discontinue Open Betas. And any review that tries to definitively evaluate a game based on Beta is senseless and silly. Just one example, after closed beta SE stated in at least one interview that they were aware of dissatisfaction with the mouse by some players and they would be improving that. Not surprising that they didn't get it in the week before open beta.
A game review might be worth something once there is a live game. This is only a review of a beta test.
Comments
So not much has changed since closed beta then....
There is definitely a learning wall, but once you get over it (having in a PS3 controller really helps), things do start to make some sense... still doesn't fix that the world feels so lifeless though.
500k subs x50$/euro + x k blind preorder perchuses = 30kk $++
someone asked why release new game read this
so 30kk - shiping - publisher - shop profit = ~~10kk pure profit
and all know that all new games like aion sold 1kk+ boxes
From reading here, I can get so mad that it's not illegal that they will be releasing another game such as this and get away with it.
Think about how many un suspending people that will buy this game off the shelf. Because it's all about the box sales.
I'm so mad about the garbage games that had been out in the past, I almost feel like going to my local EB Games on opening day and talk people out of purchasing this game.
Their screwing people !
I could barely play the game at the lowest settings. My computer isn't the best anymore, but I figured I could at least play on low settings. I could barely move at all. I thought it might be because so many players were on. I tried this morning and it just wasn't happening. Maybe I will try the PS3 beta if they have one... because I have no intention of upgrading my PC at this point.
I played XI for all of 15 minutes before it was uninstalled due to the horrible controls. After reading all the complaining that XIV was just as bad, I was expecting the worst, but was determined to give this one a real try, even if I had to use a gamepad.
When I finally got a beta key, I was shocked to find that the default controls were EXACTLY the way I like them. Even to the point where the A and D key were move left/right instead of turn left/right like it is in most games - which is just the way I like it.
If anyone is on the fence over the controls issue, I'd say definitely give it a shot before you judge. Though I will say they definitely need to add hardware mouse support since that's what's causing the laggy mouse. Supposedly, they are working on it and that will make the menu driven system a lot more useable.
I'm an FF fan. I am, however, not a fan of mediocracy. I'lle pass this one (Atleast untill they get their act together).
I am a bit biased as I loved FFXI.
After two days of playing this game, I have to say I'm impressed. Yes there are mouse lag issue, but I have gotten over that by using my 360 controller. The controller works perfectly with the UI. The keyboard also works great with the UI and navigation!
The initial learning curve is relatively high when compared to the likes of WOW or LOTRO, but again, I'm ok with this. FFXIV is most certainly not a WOW clone. The devs have created a very different set of systems for this game. Once I got a couple of the Level Up animations I was smiling and having a ball with this game.
Read through the manual when you touch a Aetheryte and it will give you a ton of info. Also just start asking around. I have found the beta community to be very similar to FFXI's community--helpful and courteous (for the most part) :P
Again...if you've set your heart on not liking it or were expecting something a bit more mainstream...then yes, you won't get into this game. As it stands, it doesn't have any hand-holding in the form of a guided tutorial. You do have to just figure some stuff out...but seriously...ask your fellow in-game players!! /shout a question if it's well mannered and well intentioned. Don't be a jerk and they'll happily give you some pointers!
Anyway, the class system is brilliant, the world is wonderfully realized and incredibly detailed and I'm happy the devs decided not to go full WOW clone on this one. This decision will obviously keep some of the mmo crowd away...and that's ok!! There are other fish in the sea!
Cheers and good luck!!
I disagree, but whatever. Everyone has an opinion and it is worth exactly what you paid for it. Please take a minute to actually play the game, pay attention to details, and look around at how much amazing stuff was put into the game before saying things like it is half-assed, mediocre, etc. just because you don't like the UI and control scheme. Look up some of the making of Eorzea videos and look at how much was put into the game.
I think this game is going to be huge on console. Right now is the perfect time for an MMO on a console with how many are online and how well the hardware can now support a MMO. With FFXI it required 100$ worth of peripherals. I think a very large new audience will be brought into FFXIV on PS3.
Think about it. 99% of the whining and empty preorder cancelling threats come from the UI which is made to support both PC and Console, but clearly was designed by a Japanese company which favors controller based gameplay. The other complaints are largely things that won't exist or will be perfect on console. Things like alt-tab and such. They are making a game that is for PC and Console to be played on the same servers. Of course it will be different.
There are plenty of people that obviously can't learn a new control scheme or get past a UI that isn't the exact same as every other MMO on the market, and maybe a large % of those are the type that would register on a forum just to post a negative review or troll a game, but there are plenty of people that don't mind spending a day or two to learn a new scheme and UI with an MMO that they may spend hundreds of hours playing.
On PC I am sure the game will just do pretty well with a very strong following like FFXI, but on PS3 I can see a very large new audience coming into the genre.
There are 2 sides to everything. I bet plenty of people in Japan play western MMO's and say, 'WTF No controller support? Fail.' Just like people over here do when a game comes out that is built to be played very comfortably with a controller. If you can't get past that to see the gem of a game underneath the UI, and you can't try the game with a controller if you hate the keyboard/mouse then you are only hurting yourself in my eyes.
Troll, flame, post doom and gloom, and none of it will stop this from being a very successful and long running MMO that hundreds of thousands will enjoy. In the meantime you can stick with clone after clone. It makes no difference.
You can get an Airflo gamepad for like 12$ that has the same buttons as a PS3 with a little fan that blows out from inside the controller if you turn it on to cool your palms. I have had one for over 5 years now that I used to play FFXI and am now using on FFXIV. Can't recommend it enough.
That's not what he wrote. He said there was NO NEED for ! / ? but he was hoping for something to look for like a different colored naming text or a shop sign. At least bother to read what the OP wrote before you flame him.
I'm not FF fun and didnt play any FF game before but FFXIV awesome game. I really feel like playing "real" RPG-Adventure game.Story,cutscenes,visuals,character devolepment are perfect.
*I dont like only one thing in-game, laggy UI
Im not a fan of FF franchise, never played ffxi and only try one of the ff games. but i am playing mmorpgs since 1998 and i though its a good game, a little slow paced for what the mayority of the current new players want, but im enjoying it
I cannot agree more, it is the bigger picture that matters and this game will deliver a game .....not something we see with most of the current crop of MMOs...
________________________________________________________
Sorcery must persist, the future is the Citadel
I agree with this statement 100%.
I've been very displeased with how much 'progression' has been done over all. Truly, if the same developers of FFXI were working on this project, maybe we'd have gotten some better results. But since it just feels like very basic changes slapping inside of an extremely powerful graphics engine doesn't appeal to me at all. The game just feels awkward, and honestly I really don't enjoy the graphics. I really loved FFXI's look, and it still bothers me people consider that beautiful game 'dated' - my god people are so spoiled.
This was my main problem too - despite having a decent mid-range computer, and getting an acceptable score on the benchmark, the game itself runs terribly on my system. Not to mention, it doesn't seem to matter even if I use the low res with the lowest settings; it literally makes no difference in performance (well, it actually runs a bit better with AA turned ON believe it or not, but aside from that, it's negligible.)
It just doesn't make any sense to me. This computer hasn't had even the slightest problem handling games like AoC, Vanguard, EQ2, and Warhammer at close to max settings (usually always stays within the 50+ fps range) but with FFXIV, I'm lucky to stay in the 35-45 range while even in sparsely populated areas. Don't even get me started on dense areas with large crowds - I usually hover at around 15-20 in those situations.
The game is beautiful, but c'mon, it's not THAT beautiful - visually, AoC put's it to shame on just about every level (although I'll admit I like the style of FF better), and despite that it even runs close to flawless. So why does FFXIV seem to be such a resource hog in comparison?
Aside from that, the UI does seem a bit on the mediocre side, but it's not a bother for me since I used to play FFXI, and I'm comfortable using my gamepad. As for the rest of the game (the story, gameplay, music, etc) I've really enjoyed what I've seen and heard, and if it wasn't for the poor performance, I'd have it pre-ordered. Alas, I can't afford any upgrades, so it looks like I'll be waiting for the PS3 release
.
For those of you planning to play it later this month, I hope you all have a blast.
The one part I agree with is the slow menus. Im thinking that even if I buy an xbox 360 controller thats not going to fix the fact that after you choose a menu item it takes up to 5 seconds to create the new menu. This is not a mouse issue as it does the same thing if I use keyboard. Nor is it my machine. The game otherwise runs pretty well.
My thoughts exactly. +1 for you!
If you think every other mmo is a wow clone just because they don't support gamepads then you haven't played enough other games. EVE is nothing like ATITD is nothing like Lineage 2 is nothing like WoW. There are many different control schemes out there that take some time to get used to if you come from another game. But none of them took too very long to get used to.
This isn't about thinking outside the box. This is all about how any program should support the hardware that it is written for. The PC version of this game should support standard PC hardware, just as the console version should support standard console hardware. That's all. If they also want to support non-standard hardware like gamepads on the PC version because some perfer it then that is great also. But they should first support the standard hardware for that platform. What SE has done is to try to force people to use PC hardware as if it was a console with all its particular limitations. That is foolish. Don't try to fit a square peg into a round hole.
Make the game hard not the game controls.
I want to play "FFXIV" not "learn how to play an mmo with a gamepad"
All die, so die well.
I strongly believe you're being a bit too optimistic about the PS3 and MMOs. Obviouslly, this is what Square in banking on, but we're still uncertain of the overall quality of the PS3 version. Already it's been stated that the Final Fantasy XIV as it currently is for the PC, was just too much for the PS3 to handle. We don't even know if it's really going to pan out, Square still may drop the project entirely or just post-pone it another year instead of just six months.
I can see the PS3 being an ideal platform for this game, while it feels more comfortable to play it on a PS3 - this is because you won't be too concerned about over heating your computer which costs dramatically more - there is still a bit of 'my this is gunna be good some day' attitude is a bit lacking. Don't try to draw up assumptions of the masses purely on your own opinions. While the game may work out on PS3, I don't think it'll be a 'big hit' or even bring in a 'massive audience'. These are my feelings, and in no way should be considered fact.
My opinions of the PS3 version of this game are completely different from the PC version. Right now, people are worried about and dealing with the PC version. So keep on topic, and don't sing sweet songs about a version that no one has seen or has yet to play - that is largely unwelcomed and is purely hypathetical nonsense.
Dev speak is dev speak. When Toyota set out to conquer the car market, they switched the steering wheel from the right side to the left side for cars in the US. They are generally are not required to, but they wanted to, and they hit number one carmaker in the world at some point.
SE, on the other hand, advertises this game to be fully cross platform, is even releasing it for the PC first, and they can't be bothered to get a hardware mouse at release, if ever. If asked, they are also not going to state that customers should buy a controller. It's their business decision, and they have a right to it, but it is all talk.
As for why cannibalize FFXI, they have multiple measures to encourage FFXI players to keep two accounts. One is the promotion to link accounts. Two, is the fatigue system.
+100 for you.
I play PC because I love PC controls in my games. The mouse+keyboard combination is fast, precise, and easy. I can upgrade my PC. I cannot do that to a console. I should not be forced to buy a controller to play a game made for PC. That makes no sense. If you're going to do such a half-ass job on converting your game to work on PC, just don't bother. To add to that: why are you releasing it on PC first???
/endrant
EDIT: There are many games guilty of terrible ports to PC. This post applies to them as well!
Maybe the game is great with a gamepad - but if it is *only* great with a gamepad, they should never have created a PC version, because creating a PC version that doesn't function with PC controls makes them look lazy, incompetent, or both. Personally, having tried the beta, I would have to say that from the standpoint of designing for the PC, it is an abyssmal failure.
Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
Reviews like this are why game companies need to discontinue Open Betas. And any review that tries to definitively evaluate a game based on Beta is senseless and silly. Just one example, after closed beta SE stated in at least one interview that they were aware of dissatisfaction with the mouse by some players and they would be improving that. Not surprising that they didn't get it in the week before open beta.
A game review might be worth something once there is a live game. This is only a review of a beta test.