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Time Investment?
metamer
Member UncommonPosts: 23
I'm currently considering giving FFXI a try. However, I'm probably what could be termed a casual gamer when it comes to MMOs. With FFXI, it seems that everything I've read about it indicates that it is a game that requires some fairly hefty amount of time investment. But, how much time does this mean? Will I be able to "get by" with a less frequent playstyle? Advice from those familiar with the game would be appreciated.
Comments
FFXI is one of the the most time-consuming mmorpg:s you can choose (not because you want to play alot but because it takes a ton of time to do anything).
In other words the least casual player friendly mmorpg I have played to date.
After level 10 or so you will need to set aside atleast 2-4h (& it takes 1-2h to put together a team if lucky) per play-session because you must play with a team ) for anything involving battles.
Some say you can play a beastmaster solo after level 10 but that is boredom beyond hell.
If you don't have the time to commit 3-4 hours straight to that group of 5 other people, don't even bother trying to play.
And depending on those 3-4+ hours, you might get 1 level, you might get 2 or 3 even.
On average, someone taking a non-mage job to the level cap (75) for the first time, and not buying gil online, will probably have 80-120 DAYS logged in time on the character. A.k.a. 80x24 hours played.
Other jobs will level a little faster mainly because you know how to play better, you have a cash fund behind you, you don't need to do as many quests/missions, etc, etc.
FF is a major time sink. First of all, the job/sub job system means that you will take twice as long to level your character as you normally would. You have to keep that subjob leveled properly or you will never get invited to any good parties. And if you have to level two jobs that means you have to do twice the farming in order to afford the best equipment for your character. If you could solo this game then I think you would do fine but you have to be in parties to level in this game unless you're a beastmaster and you can't become a beastmaster until you've achieved level 30 with one of your other jobs.
I'd say your best bet, if you really want to play this game, is to find a great linkshell, not a good but great LS, and level with them whenever you play. That way you won't have to waste your time trying to find a great party because you'll always have one, and they can help you with farming and craft items for you, etc. The last thing you want to do is party with a bunch of strangers, make one mistake and get cursed out. God forbid anyone in your party dies because they'll never invite you back. That's what I always hated about FF. It's so party oriented that if you get in a bad party or you party with a bunch of jerks that can't tolerrate even one mistake then it ruins the fun. So if you do get into this game then make sure you find a great LS.
Really though, your enjoyment of the game, any game really, depends on what you want to get out of it. If you want to be the uberest, then yah, you're going to have to put some time and effort in. If not, and you just want to do your own thing, then that's what you do. FFXI gives you the opportunity to do both. It's not as openended as other games may be, but you don't have to level all the time, you can craft, or fish, or work on your skills, or work on another job, or whatever. It's really up to you how you spend your time in FFXI.
As for the "boring to watch", that all depends on what you think is boring. Fighting can be quite exciting really, and IMHO, the graphics and animations are very well done.
Ultimately, as with anything, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you're a fan of the console games, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot, and if you're not, then it's worth a try if you're looking for an mmo that has a friendly community, lots to do, and solid gameplay.
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Current Games:
EVE Online - Co-CEO RTN [SOL]
FFXI - WHM 19/BLM 13 - Valefor Server
FFXI is, hands down, the most time intensive MMORPG on the market.
Period.
It takes a staggering amount of time away from you and out of your life. However, FFXI is worth the enormous amout of effort it takes to play this game.
I ultimately had to stop playing the game because of the amount of time you have to invest in the game.
In my opinion, FFXI is NOT for the casual gamer.
How quickly do like to progress in a game?
If it's really quickly and you don't have alot of time to play, then I would say FFXI would probably not be up your alley. A more "casual friendly" game, like World of Warcraft, might be more to your liking as you can generally get more done in a shorter amount of time.
If you're more into just playing and enjoying the game letting progress comes as it comes, then you're more likely to enjoy FFXI.
Final Fantasy XI is not a game for someone with a "fast-food mentality". Square-Enix never designed it to be. It's designed to be a long, steady experience with an incredible amount of depth. Those who are more into rapid progress and gratification will say "It takes too long". To me, though, it just means there's plenty to do. It's all in what you're after.
And really, like someone else said, those who play WoW or other faster-paced games don't spend any less time playing that game than those who play XI do. The difference is, in WoW you can get to end game really rapidly - and then you're left to either do the same end-game content over and over.. or roll another character and start over. In XI, those hours are filled with continuously new content and it will take the average player a *long* time to get to the end-game. I have yet to hear anyone complain about the end-game in FFXI being "repetitious" because there's so much to do.
A couple people have mentioned the game being very party-centric and that you have to party up after level 10. Well, first... like every other game in the series, Final Fantasy XI is built around party mechanics; different job/classes performing different duties in an encounter. FFXI is no different, except that your party members are controlled by other players. So, while to some it's an annoying aspect, party-centric play is a staple of all Final Fantasy games and it really surprises me how flustered people get by this. It's like walking into a motorcycle shop and complaining that all the bikes only have two wheels.
That said, the party dynamics in FFXI, especially once you get past the learning steps and really start gaining new abilities, start skill-chaining and such are matched by none in the MMORPG market, in my opinion. I've played many many MMOs from WoW to Lineage II (which, to me, is the slowest, most grind-intensive game out there... but that's my experience) and a bunch in-between... I keep coming back to FFXI, because to me there's simply nothing else that tops it.
The battle system, yes, is slower-paced, and this is more pronounced in the early levels when you're still learning -SE's not going to throw everything at a new player at once; it would overwhelm them. As you get higher in level though, begin fighting aside other players and start working on different tactics, battles become quite heart-pounding. I would hardly call them "slow" or "boring".
In all.. unfortunately there's not a trial program for the game. But perhaps a friend has it and can give you a demonstration?
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Rinic, I couldn't agree more. Besides, my only lvl 75 job (will be more soon) is WHM. And the 2 most annoying questions I get in the game is ppl begging for money because they assume that all high-lvls are rich, and ppl nagging about PL all the time. Seems like they think that a lvl 75 has nothing more left to do in the game. And PL naggers often won't take no for an answer, so they usually get a week or two on my blacklist.
OP: though I think this is one of the best games ever made, I have to agree with some of the poster, it's also one of the most time-consuming.
Is there an MMO that out there that isn't affected by Xao Ping Wang and their money grubbing macro bots?
http://wow.stratics.com/content/features/editorials/mf/
Just say no to ingame money/mob farming.... the site says it all
The economy, by and large, is now lower than it has been in a *long* time. I'm seeing items that once went for over 20 million down to 2 million. An item I bought for 450k was down to 190k last I checked. The prices have come down. The economy is fine.
As for the botters camping the mobs.. Again, out-dated and no longer relevant information. SE has made major changes to the highly sought drops in FFXI.
For example...
Valkurm Emperor, out in the ever-loved Valkurm Dunes drops the Emperor Hairpin, a highly sought item that was once camped 24/7 by gil-sellers using 3rd party scripts to get first claim on it when it spawned. During this time, it was very hard for a legitimate player to get one and the price of them was ridiculous.
However, Square changed it.
Now... Valkurm Emperor drops an "Empress Hairpin", which is rare/ex - or "bind on pick-up" in WoW terms. In other words, you can't sell or trade it to another player. This makes it absolutely pointless for the botters to camp it.. so they don't.
In the meantime, they took the original Emperor Hairpin - the one you can sell or trade - and made it a possible reward for defeating instanced arena-type battles called "BCNMs" or "Burning Circle Notorious Monster" battles. BCNMs can be entered by anyone, needing only the required number of beastman seals (which drop from all kinds of regular world mobs) to compete. Thus... the botters cannot monopolize them and anyone has a chance of getting one. As a result, the Emp. Hairpin used to go for over 20 mil. I saw it recently for right around 2 mil.
They have done this for the hairpin, the peacock charm, the leaping boots, and several other highly sought and once heavily camped/botted items.
Please people... do your research and make sure it's up to date.. or at least preface it with "Well, last time I played..." before you post comments.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Well to make a long story short..... >.<
If you are looking for an MMO that is not very time consuming, and that you can sit down and play for a half hour to an hour(not 4) this is NOT the game for you. You might want to try an MMO like WoW, CoH or CoV (i liked CoV better), or even Guild Wars(and I know Guild Wars isn't a true MMO but it's free and doesn't take a long time to do much).
{IT'S HERE}Tank and Spank: Two Gamers' Quest for a Good MMO{IT'S HERE}