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//\//\oo · November 2004

Have finally quit this game for the 3rd time (in expectation of WoW)....

This is one of the most watered down EverQuest clones in the market:

The grind, even with a group, is relentless and excruciating (even if you play RDM, which is arguably one of the most enjoyable classes).

The content is very limited (ergo there is an IMMENSE grind for everything), so that you might find yourself contributing hours of your time just to level crafting insignificantly.

Do not expect to engage in any mouth watering combat until 6-10 hours of game-play (from lvl 1-10) where you might find a group... or not... depending on how lucky you are (and what class you choose).

This game is very unbalanced, since every group requires a whm, pld or nin and blm or rng(mnk in certain cases), but the remainder (2-3 slots) are substitutable(although rdm will be taken over any of these if there is already a rdm in the party or SMN (if rdm is not available)): SAM, MNK, DRG, WAR, THF, DRK, BRD (has precedence over any of these). So that you will find yourself with a ridiculous waiting time if you don't choose the class that happens to be in demand .

I can remember waiting for 3-4 hours for a group, which isn't fun at all, considering that the places where you group contain monsters that are impossible to solo (along with aggroing assortments of that difficulty).

The grouping dynamics are kind of interesting: You can occasionally use two weapon-skills to create a "Skill-chain" which adds significant dmg to your total dmg and allows the combat casters (BLM, RDM, SMN) to use magic spells to further augment your damage... besides this there is nothing new: you have your basic tanking abilities (provoke from warrior class), healing spells, buffs (protect, shell etc.)... nothing you haven't seen in another FF game.

The combat system is ridiculously boring: You are often given the choice of only few abilities to use during combat (since most of them have very long cooldowns) ... and a weapon skill once you get enough tp, not that it is any worse than that of EQ, RO etc. , but the grind is so intense that you will find yourself performing the function so often that you might want to stare at a wall just to relieve yourself.

The number of spells you get is also very limiting: Fire, Ice, Water, Poison, Bio, Slow, Wind, Blind, Holy, Aoe variants, Stronger variants,etc. ... there was a greater spell selection in FF7, sadly (because you could learn the creature spells )

Graphics: Very poor: Although the characer models are adequate, the landscape is as pixilated as the old FF7 battle background.

Missions: Often impossible to accomplish (post rank 2) solo, so that you will have to either have a very solid group of contemporaries or a high lvl friend from your LinkShell help you. There aren't many of these available, ironically (< 40)

Doing missions will raise your rank considerably, which allows you to purchase stronger items from your country's rank-point vendors (which saves you a LOT of gil(currency)), gives you passage to air ship etc., so that they inevitably become a necessity.

Quests: There are numerous quests... (something around 200 or so) that are generally easier than missions, but less rewarding proportional to how much time you will spend doing them.

Crafting: Almost as bad as leveling; you will need to spend days-months leveling your crafting skills before you even begin to see a profit (in most skills, this might not be true for wood-working depending on how your server's economy is). It is also boring: Click on crystal (crystal is always primer for crafting): put in stuff.... rinse, repeat. Recipes are set, but there is always a small % chance that you will craft something exceptional (indicated by a + 1 or a special item name)... the % chance becomes significant as you go up in lvl and only occurs during certain days.....which is why a lot of people don't craft

Keeping your equipment up to date: One of the greatest challenges in this game, since it requires an IMMENSE amount of time spent FARMING (whether it's hunting Bosses (NMS), bee chips etc.), CRAFTING (which requires months to lvl to lvl to make a profit). This is one of the reasons I quit; I couldn't stand farming like a mindless fool anymore.

What else haven't I mentioned.. oh yeah ... transportation: You can spend up to 30 minutes getting to where you need to go.... (which I hadn't been used to, having played AO) AFTER you get a chocobo, so that exploration is not encouraged in this game (if the dull environments don't discourage you in the first place).

I had some fun times, but these were diminished by the fact that I had to spend countless hours to enjoy them.

If your computer cannot support anything beyond this game... go with AO, Eve, EQ even, since this game's content isn't worth 1/200000 of it's weight in lead.

If you only own a PS2 .. then.... you're stuck with this, I'm sorry.

"Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say 'ni' at will to old ladies. There is a pestilence upon this land. Nothing is sacred."
MP

eosyne · November 2004

and your point is?

blastjuice · November 2004

I do have to say some of your points are valid. One thing to remember is that if you like a difficult game this one is for you. Yeah it takes a while to lvl but who wants to get to lvl 75 in one month? One thing you can count on is the great community (at least in the fenrir server). People are almost always willing to help someone out.

Psycosis · November 2004

well i have to disagree with you on the comunity side of things... tho i'm on Cerberus... it used to be better.. but these days you can ask for help, or where something or someone is for hours and no one will even bother responding...

This game has alot of potential to it.. and when ur having a good time it is really good... its just they have no solo element, and the monsters are really unbalanced, and sometimes you have to wait hours for a pt. And its really expensive (as in items and stuff).

This is no EQ... to be honest out of all the mmorpgs I have played Everquest is the best, and Freeworld has the most potential (but its still only in alpha)

It is a highly enjoyable game, and if you have alot of free time (IE no money, no friends, a broken limb, or something like that) then its very rewarding. I had the best time when i had a broken leg and could play all day and night everyday... but because of the way its set up.. and being in the UK not many people are on UK day, and eve.. have to wait about 10-11pm my time to get a pt... and if i have work the next day.. i can only pt for a couple of hrs... and there are some really stupid players in the game too.

There is beauty in everything, its just that not everyone sees it

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Was that a thought I just had, or and echo of a thought I was thinking of having?
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Hero Quest II - Development Team/Music Producer
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http://www.soundclick.com/bands/5/cannibalpsycosismusic.htm

Julik100 · November 2004

I have not played in a while but i would have to agree with most of your points on this.

As far as grouping goes i totally agree with that... I played a WHM for a long time and never had much problem finding a group... but i tried playing a Dragoon and after level 20 finding a group was pretty much just getting lucky and being the only person within a few zones seeking a group.

A big problem on the server i was on is the asian's dominated the prices of some of the crafting(if not all) so it was nearly impossible to become a high level crafter without spending incredible amounts of money or farming for weeks upon weeks.

It was fun if you didn't want to get too far into it and just want to have a good time skrewing around... but definatly play a needed class if you hope to get groups.

Free_D · November 2004

Most of your points are true. The worst thing is that you sometimes have to wait for a few h before you get a party (only sometimes)

but for the rest: the backround are only bad if you look up close. If you are looking from the side at the backround far away it's really nice.

of course it takes time. It would not be fun if you got everything you wanted in a sec, would it

about everything else: this is an MMORPG, it's ment for playing with others. that's why missions are hard. Ask your linkshell about mission. they will help.

Unknown · November 2004

heh, here is the jist of it.

if you want to have fun in a community, play and get a ls. All these things will not be as bad if you have a good linkshell.

if you want to play solo, if you want to be the one-man-army, if you want to be capable of everything. Go play a single player game. Every FF has the game centralize around 3 or 4 characters for combat you shouldnt expect much, if any, soloing.

Free_D · November 2004

Originally posted by Celadreal

if you want to play solo, if you want to be the one-man-army, if you want to be capable of everything. Go play a single player game. Every FF has the game centralize around 3 or 4 characters for combat you shouldnt expect much, if any, soloing.

That part was very good, heh. I didn't even think about it as a reply

The only real bad thing about FF is that it's very time consuming. That's all

FlamingBoi · November 2004

Originally posted by //\//\oo
Graphics: Very poor: Although the characer models are adequate, the landscape is as pixilated as the old FF7 battle background.

obviously u havent even change ur confiq and look at the textures page.. make it uncompressed..

//\//\oo · November 2004

Hehe.. tried EVERYTHING on uncompressed.... MIP on, etc....

The landscapes are SMOOTHER, but they still look incredibly bland (and pixilated if you look closely enough)

Tried these settings: MIP on

(Res to fit my screen which was incidentally high)

Texture compression: Uncompressed

On-screen maps: Uncompressed

Bump on, environ animation: smooth

Card: Geforce 4200 series

... those are the highest settings... and the landscapes still looked like crap

The character models are beautiful, (I cannot refute that (even nicer than WoW)) however the terrain is FUGLY (just go to the websites and check out the screen shots)...... and I'm a terrain kind of guy so that I find the graphics crap... just my taste

"Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say 'ni' at will to old ladies. There is a pestilence upon this land. Nothing is sacred."
MP

gthprince · November 2004

Well in all honesty? MMORPG's Are all about team work and stuff. Duh there are hard missions and duh you cant solo every thing but that is because FFXI is tring to force you to NOT be anti social and go work with either strangers or friends or even both which ever may be the case. I won't deny that waiting for a party isnt a long process but if you find it to be so hard go level up another job, or start your own party. And as far as rdm goes. they don't have any holding over a DRK. DRK are actually used more often in parties then rdm. but then again I can only spek for what i see on Ragnarok.

Game: FFXI
Server: Ragnarok
Name: Gthprince
Mos frequent job: 31Thf/14War

-=Run run as fast as you can you'll never catch me I'm the gingerbread man.=-

Crescendo · December 2004

[quote]Originally posted by //\//\oo

Card: Geforce 4200 series

MP[/b][/quote]

There's your problem right there.

Although I agree about the level grind, difficulty finding a group, and screwed up economy, one thing I have to give this game credit for is it's video and audio quality. Even with a Geforce FX5200 (which is what I originally played this game with) the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. Keep in mind if you spend most of your time in and around Bastok, it looks somewhat bland because that's what an industrial city on the outskirts of barren rocky plains is supposed to look like. All of the various environments do well in creating a feel for the area you're in. Throw in a force feedback capable controler and you've even got the rumble of the larger creatures' footsteps to add to the immersion.

Also, on a side note, I've heard others complain, about the Japanese players in the game. All I have to say to those folks is they have just as much, no make that MORE of a right to be there than anyone else considering it is THEIR game that they've allowed US into for the sake of diversity, so learn some friggin tollerance people. If you're one of the folks who doesnt like them because you cant understand them, then learn Japanese or STFU.

That having been said (and it felt goooood ::::02:: ), the game's got it's ups and its downs like anything out there. If you like the more recent string of FF games released on PS2, then you''ll likely enjoy this one. If you dont have til a week after forever to spend playing, FFXI wont likely treat you too well. And if you just plain dont like people just because they dont speak your language or are from another country, I'm currently making an obscene gesture at you right now. Have a happy ::::31:: .

Eheh, my little quote thingy didnt work right. Oh well, not gonna bother trying to fix it.

karam · December 2004

the only complaint i have in this game or those damned botters. they ruin ur chance of catching NM's. square-enix is luckily gonna do somethin about gil farmers,(and i think botters) so prices arent so high so i am looking forward to seeing this game be better ::::17::

Zordhas · December 2004

Graphics: Very poor: Although the characer models are adequate, the landscape is as pixilated as the old FF7 battle background.

-Hmm, when i read this I wonder if you ahve actually played the game.

Have finally quit this game for the 3rd time (in expectation of WoW)....

-And to think that you're looking for better graphics. Oh well, I pity you. *cough*Squared-characters-and-flat-ground-with-grass-that-doesnt-even-stand-out*cough*

[...] so that exploration is not encouraged in this game (if the dull environments don't discourage you in the first place

-Bwahahaha, dull environments? (this seems to pop up often eh?) If walking along jungles, deserts, forests, plains, mountains, marshes, caves, rich citries, canyons, beaches, volcanoes even, is what you call dull and poor, well, go sleep under a rock for another ten years and see what games come up with then.

The number of spells you get is also very limiting: Fire, Ice, Water, Poison, Bio, Slow, Wind, Blind, Holy, Aoe variants, Stronger variants,etc. ... there was a greater spell selection in FF7, sadly (because you could learn the creature spells )

- bwahahah again! If you fire materia gains a level, you get Fire2! If your Ice materia gains a level, you get Ice2! If your Cure materia gains a leveo, you get Cure2! Wow, can't you FEEL the variety? yeah, you DO have those bio, and poisons things but thats just predictible, its FF.///quotes all from Moo or somthing///

If you see me walking towards you, be at guard. If you also see my Blade, you should concider fleeing.

tanminh · December 2004

Originally posted by //\//\oo

Have finally quit this game for the 3rd time (in expectation of WoW)....
This is one of the most watered down EverQuest clones in the market:

everyquest clone? i do agree that ffxi is not good due to horrible battling system but everquest? come on now, if ffxi is crap, everyquest must be crap among crap, it so crap you can tell that it crap no more.

and one more thing, what does clone mean to you? if it mean a duplicate but better, please refer to meridian 59 online since it took credits for the first 3D mmorpg.

stse · December 2004

My say is this. If you don't like the game this much, just don't play like you said. But don't impose your standards on others. People may not be playing FFXI for your specific reasons. I agree with some of the things that the original poster stated, but I think that a person needs to try it for themselves.

If you have your preference, then follow it. How would you like to have someone impose their standards and their way of thinking to you? I don't think anyone really likes that. FFXI is different, and SE have their way of thought and what an MMORPG should be like, so just live with it.

It's not a bug in the software, it's a feature .

gthprince · December 2004

I love the way you think lol. Ist Wunderbar! =p but I agree FFXI is a different game with different Ideas ... try it out if you dont like it ... dont play it you do get a month free so try it for that month if you dont like it cancel your account and stuff and move on.

Game: FFXI
Server: Ragnarok
Name: Gthprince
Mos frequent job: 31Thf/14War

-=Run run as fast as you can you'll never catch me I'm the gingerbread man.=-

Chaos-Blood · December 2004

Quiting for the 3rd time?.............

The way you put every thing you are so upset with this game that it begs the question 3rd time? means you quit, took up again, quit again took up once more and are now quitting for a 3rd time? If you hated the game so much and were so disopionted in the graphics, gameplay, partys tasking and so on, why oh why have you returned before, instead of going on to other games that are out there?

Dark times are coming!

shawn_self · December 2004

wh ywould u want 2 play a game that u can reach lv.44 overnight and dont hate a game 4 graphics (even though the screenshots ive seen look pretty sweet) ive played GREAT games where the graphics SUCK and just because its a slight challenge dont quit cuz ur lazy and dont want to spend some time searching 4 a party and what do u mean not enough veriety in spells u named like 10 and ended with etc. plus only summoners can summon monsters and if ur a dragoon u can summon a wyvern (though it should be a dragon) so ur gonna sit here and say this sucks...yyyyeeeeeeaaaaahhhhh u go with that

-I'm not evil trust me I dare you...no really I dare you!

knives22 · December 2004

so many trollers in this forum! go play something, heh...

sygmas · December 2004

I love how people misconstrue challenge and difficulty with monotony and tedium. It's not CHALLENGING or DIFFUCLT for your brain to handle your tasks, its CHALLENGING and DIFFICULT for anyone with an IQ over 5 to justify spending time and money to

1) Work instead of play
2) Repeat the same tedious, monotonous process OVER AND OVER

Seriously, where do you people leave your brain when you log into this game? What drugs do you take? Arghhhhh..

"This game has potential!" It's been out forever -- it sucks, it will always suck, and the only reason it is still on the market is because its a EQ clone in repetitiveness and tedium, and for nerds with no lives, its their favorite kind of game because it can distract them from reality for far longer than a less tedious game.

Sit back, and just think for a moment before flaming me -- you really ARE working, not playing. Just think, don't flame.

EDIT: I Wouldnt even care to post here but I've been a Final Fantasy gamer since I was a kid and it breaks my heart to see this piece of shit carry the FF license. I'd always dreamt of continuing my journies in FF games played in the past, wish I could stay in some of those worlds. But this does not emulate that whatsoever. It emulates EQ, not what we've come to love from FF games.

knives22 · December 2004

wow, buddy you need to clam down heh.. You don't use your brain if you don't want to. If you know strategies and find out on your own about what job combinations are the best , that's using your head.I think is you the one who needs to start thinking

sygmas · December 2004

Thanks for ignoring the content of my post and making up what it said (obviously youre not using your head)

I said the game was monotonous and tedious, do you need a dictionary definition? Has nothing to do with job classes and their combos. Has to do with the core game being a JOB ..jobs the key word here..like IRL job...the GAME jobs arel ike real JOBS, perfect wording!

Zordhas · December 2004

Well, the only thing that reminds me of JOB in the FF jobs is tasks. A WHM's TASK is to heal of course, and a WAR's task is to kill. Other than that, its not a job, you just have fun. Yeah of course, when you feel like advancing, you gota kill and kill and kill, but aside that, you can do the missions you forgot to do, talk to townsfolk for some new quests, practice your synthesis. Or simply walk the land.

If you see me walking towards you, be at guard. If you also see my Blade, you should concider fleeing.

Lansid · December 2004

I strongly disagree with the original poster about the whole "This is one of the most watered down EverQuest clones in the market" comment....

... that would be EQII ^_^ Although I can agree on the "grind"

Personally though the past 3 MMORPG's I've played *FF:XI, CoH, EQ2* it wasn't so much playing the game that was the depressing thing... it was playing it with "other" people. lol I know, "Why do you play a MMORPG if you don't like playing with people?" Well to be honest it's more the "quality" of the people.

I didn't really realize it until playing FF:XI that I had a blast grouping and leveling... only with japanese players being the majority. Disciplined, organized, friendly, and effective. Most of the time however I spent grouping was a rather painful experience. My reasons are numerous, but fall along the lines of not "knowing their roles" as classes, using skillchains, paying attention, ect. Granted there's always a learning curve to everything, but when people are lvl 30-40 and still have their heads up their hind quarters, it's reeeeeeally depressing.

But it didn't stop there... City of Heroes. Not a hardcore MMORPG I know but overall a very fun experience for me. Until I factor in the majority playerbase. Again the same problem as stated with FF:XI. *insert image of caveman hitting keyboard with club* Grouping was more a "one night stand" feel... so grabbing a consistant xp group was annoying. Even more annoying was starting a Taskforce group where they can take anywhere from a few hours to, well... lots of hours to finish... and having 1/2 of your party quit 1/2 way through is annoying at best, especially if the people who quit are the main force in their "roles".

Then EQ2... which kinda reminded me of both. Moron playerbase + Skillchain-like special attacks = BUTTONMASHFEST 2K4! Getting a Heroic Opportunity off while in a group was more accidental than planned. The sad thing was trying to explain this stuff and the people not even "trying". Also the "knowing role" thing, paying attention, spamnuke/heal = happyaggro4u time.

Again, not 100% of my experiences were this, but the majority of time I've spent grouping, even at later levels, were not fun.

I mention the other two games I've played in this thread to express that the things I found I hated about FF:XI, were also things I found in other games.

I can't express enough though that FF:XI is a game VERY dependant on grouping, and that means relying on other people to "know their role". You will probably spend A LOT of time on finding people that understand this, let alone actually do it. Player economy varies so hard telling if you'll be able to make decent money or not, or buy what you need without selling a kidney or two.

In summary, FF:XI is highly group dependant. Unless you already know people/guild ingame, or have a lot of time on your hands... keep surfing for info on the game before you purchase it. If you do get it, I strongly suggest "finding" a friendly Linkshell/guild/group of people and sticking with them to learn and level... otherwise just grouping with anyone "can" be a big gamble and a waste of time and xp.

"There is only one thing of which I am certain, and that's nothing is certain."

Unknown · December 2004

FFXI is really group dependent, and in order to be successful you have to be open-minded and able to communicate effectivly. fortunatly as you start off the game is not very rigid. A thief can tank for a party if they want. But as time goes on you will see that you have to learn to do the right things, theives need to learn to be a one-hit wonder, samurai have to memorize their renkei, blm have to learn when to nuke the hell outta stuff and when to hold back, etc.

The bottomline is that this game is a final fantasy game. You will not make it though on your own, you will need partners and help. You will need to learn how to play your job combo. You will need to learn how to communicate effectivly.

While groups can be frustrating, its a very rewarding feeling turning a group of disorganized players into a group of skillchainers, exp chainers, and see them run like a well oiled machine.

also, may people complain about this game being tedious and tiresome. My advice is to not grind till the end of time. Whenever I go to a training area, I have a point that I want to train up to already set in my mind. In fact majority of my time in this game is played as an adventurer. Delving into dungeons in search of treasure, hunting down special items, completing quests for those in need, pressing my way through rites of passage, etc. Sure I dont gain much/any experience this way, but its alot of fun X)

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