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LOTRO Vs FFXI... sorrry?
PenGs
Member Posts: 23
Well here is what happened. My videocard's heatsink collected so much dust that the fan in it got stuck in the dust and messed up the whole heatsink. Yes I am serious and please do stop laughing. So what does that have to do with these two games? Well I'm in the middle of the LOTRO trial when it happened and by the time I get my new heatsink... I will not have anymore trial left (and I only played 2-3 hours worth).
So unless I go buy the game, I have no idea what is going on. FFXI on the other hand, I have a copy of that $2 starter set in front of me, waiting for my new heatsink. Well I will try out FFXI but I need a bit of info to see if its worth trying LOTRO. Now many of these questions I understand are opinion but that is what I ask from you guys, your opinions.
Which do you guys find more fast paced? More team-orientated? Which feels like you have more options? Is the fact that FFXI has been out A LOT longer reflect the amount of content and community as compared to LOTRO? And of course, the opinion of all opinions, which do you like more?
Comments
If you are unsure, then fix your video card and get another LOTRO trial.
The community in LOTRO is great (IMO). FFXI, has a pretty good community as well (from what I recall), but at one point, you can't advance if you don't group up. I haven't played FFXI for almost 2 years now, so that may have changed (to be fair).
Best bet, fix your heatsink. If you need a trial key, msg me and I'll hook you up.
Despite FFXI being out alot longer I found myself enjoying LOTRO alot more. It has a great community and the content is alot of fun. Unless you're a final fantasy die hard (not likely if you're just now getting into it) that you'll have more fun in LOTRO.
However I have a better suggestion, Tabula Rasa!
Don't know much about LOTRO, but I know enough about it to know that it's very different compared to FFXI, which is on the extreme side of the genre.
FFXI is one of the slowest to level... There are also a lot of almost mandatory quests that are hard and require help. It is definitely more group focused than almost any other game. All of these are in the old asian grind style, which LOTRO is not.
There are a lot of options, probably for both, although I don't know what type of options you want. If you like modern western style games (fast easy leveling, solo-able) then you won't like FFXI.
Well it depend on what you seek in a mmo. FFXI is a very good game but two of the big prob,one is the time you sepnd only to find a party and the second is the hardcore player who dont want to party with you if you dont stick with there rules (ex: the warrior fight with a axe and not a sword). Thjere is no place for freedom in this game (my experience so far so dont light the fire on me).Dont forget FFXI is a grind game (you find a team, you find a spot and you kill, kill and more kill). LOTR is more a quest game and you can play solo. Well for LOTR just take another trial and you will see by yourself.
So if you are a hardcore player FFXI is for you if you are a casual player i suggest LOTR.
I greatly appreciate everybody's help and I greatly appreciate being reminded that I could just get another trial key using another name and email or whatever for LOTRO.
I will not lie, some of the things you guys told me about FFXI scares the crud out of me, is it really that much dedication? Its just that I can understand FFXI but for the life of me I can't wrap my head around LOTRO. I have heard in some review somewhere that its pretty much no rush to level. You continue this main story that is supposedly really good at an unbelievably comfortable rate but its just that none of it sounds like an actual MMO. Am I just stuck in a specific mindset here and need to realize that whatever LOTRO does works well?
some things the people said about FFXI are over-exagerated. Being a level 60 Elvaan Samurai/Warrior, I never seeked longer than 2 hrs... and in them 2 hrs i was really working hard on my crafting, thus making currency to help out for the upcoming endgame stuff, which is EXTREMELY VAST. This is the game to go to if you like group work. Also, you can EASILY set up a perma party 1-75. It takes a perma party roughly 2 months to reach max level if they know what they are doing.
I also used to play LOTRO, it felt way more like a grind. Like I had to force myself to get stronger. With XI it just flowed for me. The problem with LOTRO was more like... everyone looked the same, i couldnt differentiate that well. Whereas in XI i could see a guy walking down the main city of Aht Urgahn, and pick him out of the crowd later, because each armor set looks almost completely different.
The content in XI is numerous, even at low levels. I played the game since JP beta almost everyday (give or take a few breaks I had) and I still dont have a max level Job, simply because there is so much to do. The world feels alive. You can look up in the sky, see all the clouds, birds, tree tops. When it rains, you will sometimes see a rainbow. In the desert you see tornado's and heat radiating off the sand. Go to the Icelands called Xarcabard where you will spot an aurora borealis (Northern Lights as they are more commonly called, google it if you dunno what they are.) stretching across the entire northern part of the map. The graphics are especially amazing for how low the system specs have to be.
Just my two cents. This is all my opinion of course.
American game give more grinds then japanese games does in reality.
Infact American games "force" you to grind and hit high as fast as possible, while japanese MMORPG never really does (i am not speaking for korean's type...those are suggest grinder).
Japanese made mmo are completely different from the rest of Asian's so don't be mistaken. I have played several japanese made mmo and i don't feel heavy grind as community is always pioritize and alot to do for all level.
FFXI is similar, there is no need to be 75. Most missions give a "level cap" where you must be specific level when doing these missions. While many things are forced "level cap" hence you can get groups to do those as you level (of course, if you want). Also note the Biggest differences, FFXI have 4 unique FF-based stories which no other MMORPG did. No MMO actually give a proper tear breaking story... (i was crying when lion die...)
Meanwhile, because FFXI is group-oriented, you won't feel the grind as much as soloing when you trying to solo the "same" content until end game. If you think doing the same "genre" of quests is not grind, you are blinded by them. I always feel doing the "kill x number of time venom spider @ level 10" is same as doing the same "kill x number of time of acid spider @ level 11"...
FFXI is group oriented hence, you WILL NEVER see the same people, and everyone wear different things, different gears, play differently, and act differently. Making the game alot more enjoyable.
Of course, you will have groups with "assholes" and groups with "geneous" and groups with "elitist" while often "Noob" as well. That's what make FFXI fun compare to many MMORPG out there. I can't stand soloing doing the same old quests runing around and feeling the same for next 10 in-game day.
FFXI is all about strategies, great strategies make leveling easier, as i posted on the forum "someone did reach 75 (max level) within 5 day of the new job release", hence leveling is never hard.
The problem is... will you sit around 6 hour waiting for someone to pick you out of 50 people seeking OR will you start yourself and sell yourself to others and start leveling.
none
If i listen what you saying here it wow, lotr, everquest, eve online.... etc are all grinding but FFXI, Lineage 2.... etc are not grinding game?? This is what you are trying to say? Well sorry but i cannot agree with that and dont take me wrong i dont say FFXI is not a great game and dont have a lots and lots of thing to do in fact this is surely one of my best mmo i ever play but you cannot deny the fact that for leveling you have to find a group and kill the same mobs at the same spot for hours and hours..... That is for me a grind game.
You say you cant stand to soloing doing the same old quests running around and feeling the same for next 10 in-game day but what do you think you do in FFXI? This is even worse you stay at the exact same place without moving. In quest game at least you move and discover landscapes.
You say hence leveling is never hard and that true but only if you have friends to help you power leveling.
And you say you WILL NEVER see the same people, and everyone wear different things, different gears, play differently, and act differently. Making the game alot more enjoyable. Well lol sorry but that a big lies. All dradoon player will have they purple armor, all warrior will play with an axe etc. So please dont say all player are diferent in this game.
have you even played the game? obviously not, since most warriors dont even use Axes. Alot of Dragoons, don't even where the AF armor past 65.
LoTRO is a much easier game to get into and for newbies to the MMOG scene is an ideal start. It's also solo friendly.
FFXI is a hardcore game and I'd only recommend it to more experienced MMO fans. Newbies are better off looking elsewhere at the likes of LoTRO and WoW.
Raymondo
I've had a love/hate relationship with FFXI. The stories are great, the skillchains are great, the sieges, though I can't remember the exact name for them atm, were pretty fun also, the world is pretty cool, there's really just so much to do that you could actually enjoy. The problem I always had with FFXI is that you are forced to group up, you're forced to do quests to unlock classes, class skills, class armor, and even your next 5 levels periodically throughout the game. It's also a pretty bad grind, but the combat is active enough that you tend not to notice.
These quests are just ridiculously difficult and take a ridiculous amount of time because, in the case of the genkai(level unlock) quests especially the items you need are so rare you can literally spend an entire day trying to get the drops, and to have to have a group to do this you'll need at least 5 each. I don't think I ever finished one, group or not, without getting the aid of at least one person who 10-20 levels above us. Working up to the point where you need to start doing this stuff is a blast but it is one hell of a roadblock, if you ask me, for mid-game.
The wait times for groups are probably not an exaggeration either, everyone is telling the truth. When I first played the game around release I was a dragoon/warrior with thief and dark knight as second and third subclass options, I was also pretty well geared as I had a static party and a high level White Mage to help me out through most of the game. Still whenever my partners weren't on I would be standing around for 4-5 hours waiting for a party. Most of the time the invite would never come. When they quit I eventually quit too, because that's just a little much.
When I went back about a year ago I made a White Mage/Black Mage instead, and just leveled them up evenly. I never had to wait more than 20 minutes for a party as a White Mage, and my Black Mage would never wait more than an hour. The reason being that they're classes that are always useful or always needed. Dragoons, especially when I played them, were useless against things like skeletons that people liked to fight at higher levels, and they probably did the least damage out of all the melee DPS classes because the Wyvern died so much. Anyway, I hit level 50 on that WHM/BLM in case you were wondering, started the first genkai quest, and then quit again. Seriously, it's one hell of a roadblock.
I am probably a tiny bit bias because I've been playing games and into gaming forever and to me WoW is a very shallow game saved by it's great world PVP (oops they took that out). So when it comes to LoTRO which is a crappy version of WoW PvE which in my most honest opinion is a horrible implementation of the huge IP they had to work with.
On the other hand FFXI grabbed me and wrapped me up in it's world for many years. Since it came out until today i've never taken more than 3 to 5 month break and it will always be the deepest, most complex, and most second-life/social experience i've ever had in a game.
It will take some time starting now but there are always people around due to the class system and people leveling lower jobs especially with the expansion coming out. A lot of people will be leveling the new jobs. If you go FFXI i'd suggest Asura server.
Anyway if you want a casual game to waste some time in and not really get lost in a world then play LoTRO. If you want to lose yourself i'd suggest FFXI. Good luck with the heat sink.
Woo boy, much has happened since my last post. I ordered the heatsink but only god himself knows when it will come. So I popped in my old Radeon... 9600 SE... and since I can't play LOTRO with that card (surprising huh?) I went and bought the FFXI Starter set. Oh my... WTF is going on? This game will take some darn time to get used to and I figured thats what the 30 days trial is for
.
I am playing on Remora right now but I'm only lvl 3 and would love to create a character on another server with people that might actually help out explain what to do when it needs to be done. But yeah, man were you guys not kidding that FFXI is some serious stuff. My only concern is that I have not seen one person chat about anything in the game so far.
At around level 12 you will be grouping for the rest of the game. Due to this chat is always in groups, or in the major cities in the game. You will go to he first one around level 20. If you make it this far you will start to experience what FFXI is really about. Also the servers are mixed across Europe, US, Japan, etc. so it is almost always a prime time. It is pretty fun dealing with the language barrier in game. Good luck! Make sure to go to FFXI config and max out the graphic settings too.
Go with Lotro.. That still has hope into being turned into a great MMO..
FFXI, I played for 2-3 years, Square-Enix ruined it for me.. Just wait for Square's next MMO..
Thanks Impyriel for the sig^^
Hi, read that you wanted to try the FFXI starter pack, I had ago at playing it for about aweek, decided it wasn't for me and went thru their cancellation process, or so I thought and stupidly trusted, WRONG.
here's the trans-script of the chat I had with them, only thing I left out was my personal details, also sorry for the spelling mistakes, I had to wait up till about 3am to catch them to get this chat so i could get them to stop charging me $22.00au a mth. they charged me so far about $45au
*START OF CHAT*
Thank you for contacting the PlayOnline Information Center, a representative will be with your shortly!
You have been connected to SEL Agent Eleanor.
SEL Agent Eleanor: Hello how may I help you?
Redcap036: Hi my credit card has been over charged for a game I only played as a trial
SEL Agent Eleanor: OK did you cancel the game?
Redcap036: yes, approx 3mths ago, have been charged for 2 months
Redcap036: game is final fantasy XI
SEL Agent Eleanor: Ok I am looking at your account in the database and you have not cancelled your content IDs, which is why you are still being charged.
SEL Agent Eleanor: If I take some verification info from you I can cancel them for you now.
SEL Agent Eleanor: Just give me as much of the following as possible:
SEL Agent Eleanor: 1) PlayOnline ID
2) Full Name under which you have registered
3) Birthdate
4) Complete Home Address with the postcode
5) The last 4 characters (letters and/or digits) of the PlayOnline Registration Code that you can find at the end of the booklet.
6) Credit Card information used - first 4 AND last 4 digits only
(PERSONAL INFO DELETED)
SEL Agent Eleanor: This account has never been cancelled, therefore we cannot offer you a refund.
SEL Agent Eleanor: I am cancelling the content IDs now.
Redcap036: well it was your web site that led me to believe it was cancelled.
SEL Agent Eleanor: OK they are cancelled now and your reference number is 783498
SEL Agent Eleanor: You cannot cancel through the website sir
SEL Agent Eleanor: Only through the game itself or through us.
Redcap036: far as I could tell the ingame website thru the lurncer and this site are the same, nor is it easy to even find a way to get in contact with you.
SEL Agent Eleanor: What do you mean the website through the lurncer?
Redcap036: sorry I mean the playonline viewer
SEL Agent Eleanor: Yes but that is still the website the PlayOnline Viewer has a cancellation section, but this is not through the website.
SEL Agent Eleanor: Our contact details are in the back of your manual and available on our website.
Redcap036: the program that installs by fore the game installs, that lets you set up your account.
Redcap036: the one i thought also cancelled the account.
Redcap036: so it only looks like it cancels the account but doesn't, is this what you just told me?
SEL Agent Eleanor: Ok I see what you mean. Well the account was not cancelled. If you wish to try and get a refund you will need to contact my manager, as I do not have the authority to refund.
SEL Agent Eleanor: You will need to apply in writing to:
Redcap036: put him on please.
Redcap036: or her
SEL Agent Eleanor: SEL European Customer Services Manager
SEL Agent Eleanor: Square Enix Ltd.
SEL Agent Eleanor: 2nd Floor
SEL Agent Eleanor: Castle House
SEL Agent Eleanor: 37-45 Paul Street
SEL Agent Eleanor: London EC2A 4LS
SEL Agent Eleanor: United Kingdom
SEL Agent Eleanor: All refund applications need to be in writing. It is our company policy I am afraid.
Redcap036: very easy I see, considering I live in Australia!
Redcap036: how about a phone number?
SEL Agent Eleanor: You will be told the same thing on the phone. You need to apply in writing.
*END CHAT*
so far to date, I'm still waiting for the mail to deliver my letter, personally I think this a big scam by Playonline, never again will I trust playonline, If your smart, you should wait till your V-card's heat sinks fixed and go back and try LOTR, never had any problems with Turbine like this or even PCsoft.
I've left out the trails I had to go thru just to get in contact with them, which involved me posting on MMORPG just to find out how to get in contact with them, that put me in touch with the US branch of Playonline, who then gave me the web address for the euro branch, which turned out to be in Great Britain and to get in contact with them I had to go thru a list of conditions as to how I could contact them which boiled down to get someone on the chat window,( took me four days) or ringing them via international phone call, but only at certain times.
hope this helps you make up your mind as to which game company to play with...and trust!
I dont play LOTRO anymore, but thats cuz im a PvP whore... but you wont find a community like the LOTRO one....
LOTRO has one of THE best and most mature communities ive ever seen.
First yeah i play the game for alomost one years.
Secondly it you who obviuously dont have play the game and i will not argue with you anymore.
If you don't mind sharing your character name, I can help you out.
That would be pretty sweet.Its Bryantus.
I was recently playing the LoTRO trial with a Radeon 9250. I couldn't take advantage of the wonders of the high res version, but it was quite playableon low settings, if you just want to see how it plays.
I had trouble meeting people when I first started playing FFXI, but after a few days, I met someone out in the field who helped me out. I hope you find lots of helpful people. It seems like a complex game, but I ended up quitting after my first month. (Nothing wrong with FFXI-- I went back to playing EQ with my husband. That man is impossible to shake out of whatever game he's playing seriously at any given moment.)
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.