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Possibly great game severely limited by it's user-UN-friendliness
Vhayne
Member UncommonPosts: 632
I played FFXI for about 2 months when it was released years ago. I guess, because I was used to playing archaic games like EQ1, and Anarchy Online, I wasn't too put off by the "menu" control scheme.
I decided yesterday that I would download the trial and see how the game is today (I mean it's been what, 4 years? There has to be alot of improvements on the system).
Where to begin. Download was about 2gb I think, and only took perhaps 1.5 hours or so. No biggie. Then I start installing....
What's this? Oh, I remember this...PLAYONLINE! While the music brought back memories, those memories weren't exactly great. Playonline needs to burn in hell. You have to fill out so much crap just to get the game STARTED to patch. Page after page of info. Yes, the interface is smooth, and the little sound effects and music are nice, but really, is this necessary in today's world?
So after fighting with Playonline, I start patching. This process took a couple of hours. Expected I guess. Fast Forward to this evening when I finally get to sit down and play.
I had been daydreaming about it all day. I couldn't wait to get home and get on FFXI. Well, once I logged in for the first time, I was greeted by the most blocky washed-out graphics I had seen in a LONG time.
I remembered reading something about graphics options so after finding the post, I had to mess around in the REGISTRY just to get them changed!! Holy God that's insane. Not only that, but I had to look up a decimal to Hexidecimal calculator just to figure out what in the hell I was supposed to enter.
So, when I tested it out, I was shocked to hell when I saw the "new" graphics. WOW, they were SO much better than before. It really makes me wonder why these options couldn't have been easily changed in the FFXI config. Ridiculous if you ask me.
So I'm logged in again, and I begin trying to figure out how to move my character, move the camera, etc. Remember, I haven't played in 4 years, and my brain has been set to WASD and mouselook by now. What I find is something I had completely forgotten about. FFXI is designed to use the keyboard 95% of the time, and the mouse VERY rarely. Now, I remembered having to go through menus to cast a spell, etc. But just moving around and messing in the menus was extremely tedious.
So I had a great idea. I'd fix this control crap really quick. So i broke out my WIRED 360 controller and plugged it in. FFXI didn't recognize it. I found some info a few minutes later. Some guy actually made a PDF file with pictures and a complete explanation on how to make it work. Unfortunately after 3 hours of trying and trying to reconfigure drivers, and getting it setup, it still won't work.
I finally gave up on the controller and decided to try to stick with the keyboard. I lasted about 10 minutes before I found myself completely lost in Bastok (couldn't figure out how to bring up the map), and constantly struggling with the controls.
So I give up for now. Perhaps I'll install a copy on my 360 and try it that way, but that really shouldn't be necessary. I'm just appalled that SquareEnix hasn't re-designed the controls "just a little" to make it easier for the newer crowds of people that are curious about this game.
I pray FFXIV will have more streamlined controls, and a MUCH more user-friendly interface.
Comments
i started playing right after the zilart expansion was released, well not long after, maybe 8 months. anyway I played on PS2 for near 2 years, moved to PC for another year and finally had to give the game up because I had switched so many times and with thier shitty character servers unable to stop playing for a few months and come back that making a new character up to 75 at that point seemed rather time consuming again and again. About 8 months ago I tried it out again since I had some free time and remembered how much fun I had playing in parties and heard some changes where in the mix for their exp system. I ended up in the same place as you, confused by the menue and lost in sandoria, I made it out and fought some bats for a while and I barley made it out of the town the next couple days when I logged in.
My main problem was getting use to controls on keyboard knowing last time it took me a few hours to reotient from moving from Ps2 to PC. And on top of that the graphics where utter crap even on my high end PC. Please I am thinking of trying it again now that the changes are in game, but I really want to know more about how I can tweak my screen resolution and draw distance and anything else to make textures and models look smoother.
EDIT: I played Warhammer Age of wreckoning trial and found there a program to connect my xbox360 controller and play with, but it requires a xbox 360 gamecontroller reciever to connect to the windows PC that information was no where in the warhammer controller setup. I went and bought a reciever and was able to kick back and blast magic at gnolls and goblins in WAR, and it would be great to do the same in FFXI (I played XI on my xbox 360 for a short time, I owned it on all 3 platforms) I assume the drivers you tried not work because the windows didnt understand it was trying to connect to the controller, I am hoping this would be the solution.
the only buttons that dont work on the 360 are the two trigger buttons at the back, and i use xpadder to make it work, i asighn the alt+cntrl buttom to them for macros.
March on! - Lets Invade Pekopon
I have to agree with you. I recently installed the trial and gave this game a try for the first time. Setup was one of the worst I've experienced and the default UI along with what looks like its configurable options are very limited for a computer game. After finally getting in game and getting some grasp on what I'm doing I can tell this game is not for me. If i had gotten it back in the day on my PS2 using my controller it probably would have made more since to me but after all the other games I've played recently it really does play like a relic on a PC. I really did like the look of the game, I think it holds up well and from what i have seen it looks like players are in for a lonngggg pve experience.
This game was designed for the PS2 console. The menu system is very friendly to a console where you don't have a mouse to point and click. The limitations on this game are because of the PS2 because SE wants all versions of the game to have the same experience (which is the right thing to do).
I don't know about the trial, but I bought the game straight out and I did this odd thing called read the book. It is fascinating how everything I'd need to know would be in the instruction manual. Even if you didn't have it, I'm sure you can find a PDF of the manual somewhere online or even go to the numerous websites dedicated to this game that are run by people who want you to enjoy the game. Just because someone is used to doing things one way and is adverse to change doesn't make the different way wrong. Frankly having all my movement keys mapped to the number pad like they are defaulted to is, imo, very cool since I can do just about everything with my character other than chat and macro with my right hand.
You are not required to like this game. You won't find anyone here that won't tell you at least one thing about this game that they won't like to see improved, but we take it for what it is and enjoy it for that reason. If you want to try and enjoy the game and need some questions answered you are more than welcome to come here and ask away and someone will be able to help you. If you don't like the game and are coming here just to point out all the reason why this seven-year-old game is inferior to your point and click mmo de jour, just leave.
This game was designed for the PS2 console. The menu system is very friendly to a console where you don't have a mouse to point and click. The limitations on this game are because of the PS2 because SE wants all versions of the game to have the same experience (which is the right thing to do).
I don't know about the trial, but I bought the game straight out and I did this odd thing called read the book. It is fascinating how everything I'd need to know would be in the instruction manual. Even if you didn't have it, I'm sure you can find a PDF of the manual somewhere online or even go to the numerous websites dedicated to this game that are run by people who want you to enjoy the game. Just because someone is used to doing things one way and is adverse to change doesn't make the different way wrong. Frankly having all my movement keys mapped to the number pad like they are defaulted to is, imo, very cool since I can do just about everything with my character other than chat and macro with my right hand.
You are not required to like this game. You won't find anyone here that won't tell you at least one thing about this game that they won't like to see improved, but we take it for what it is and enjoy it for that reason. If you want to try and enjoy the game and need some questions answered you are more than welcome to come here and ask away and someone will be able to help you. If you don't like the game and are coming here just to point out all the reason why this seven-year-old game is inferior to your point and click mmo de jour, just leave.
Hehe, believe me I'm not trying to say the game is horrible, or that the people that play it are stupid. I have alot of respect for FFXI. But if you read the title of the thread again, then apply that to my original post you'll see that what I'm complaining about isn't the game itself. It's the complicated, unfriendly-to-newbie interface that is a solid brick wall for lots of people that are curious about the game and download the trial.
I'm not opposed to learning a new interface. And I'll say it again, "I've always known the game had a menu-based control scheme". But character and camera movement is pretty unfriendly to someone who just jumped into the game. I wanted to be able to use the 360 controller to control it. But for some reason, you have to jump through numerous hoops and hold your tongue just right to even get that to work as well.
With all of that said, I haven't removed the install from my PC just yet. Perhaps I'll make another attempt this weekend when I have more time and patience. Or I might just install it on the 360 (I have a copy, but never played it -- got it for free). I just hate giving up the keyboard for typing, and much worse, giving up the graphic options that I tweaked on the PC version.
I use a xbox controller for pc to play this game and i dont have any prob to make it work , by the exeption of the trigger like Sgtfrog had already said. O yeah and i cant activate the rumble (force feedback).
Anyway if you want to play with the keyboard and use the w,s,a,d control just go in the config and change the keyboard to compact mode.
This game was designed for the PS2 console. The menu system is very friendly to a console where you don't have a mouse to point and click. The limitations on this game are because of the PS2 because SE wants all versions of the game to have the same experience (which is the right thing to do).
I don't know about the trial, but I bought the game straight out and I did this odd thing called read the book. It is fascinating how everything I'd need to know would be in the instruction manual. Even if you didn't have it, I'm sure you can find a PDF of the manual somewhere online or even go to the numerous websites dedicated to this game that are run by people who want you to enjoy the game. Just because someone is used to doing things one way and is adverse to change doesn't make the different way wrong. Frankly having all my movement keys mapped to the number pad like they are defaulted to is, imo, very cool since I can do just about everything with my character other than chat and macro with my right hand.
You are not required to like this game. You won't find anyone here that won't tell you at least one thing about this game that they won't like to see improved, but we take it for what it is and enjoy it for that reason. If you want to try and enjoy the game and need some questions answered you are more than welcome to come here and ask away and someone will be able to help you. If you don't like the game and are coming here just to point out all the reason why this seven-year-old game is inferior to your point and click mmo de jour, just leave.
Hehe, believe me I'm not trying to say the game is horrible, or that the people that play it are stupid. I have alot of respect for FFXI. But if you read the title of the thread again, then apply that to my original post you'll see that what I'm complaining about isn't the game itself. It's the complicated, unfriendly-to-newbie interface that is a solid brick wall for lots of people that are curious about the game and download the trial.
I'm not opposed to learning a new interface. And I'll say it again, "I've always known the game had a menu-based control scheme". But character and camera movement is pretty unfriendly to someone who just jumped into the game. I wanted to be able to use the 360 controller to control it. But for some reason, you have to jump through numerous hoops and hold your tongue just right to even get that to work as well.
With all of that said, I haven't removed the install from my PC just yet. Perhaps I'll make another attempt this weekend when I have more time and patience. Or I might just install it on the 360 (I have a copy, but never played it -- got it for free). I just hate giving up the keyboard for typing, and much worse, giving up the graphic options that I tweaked on the PC version.
At first is SEEMS like the game is unfriendly with using the keyboard etc but it's actually not.
As noted above you can use WASD movement en keep using the keyboard for typing. Just set the keyboard layout to 'Compact' and WASD is enabled. After that you can set every key to what you want. Just tap the / button to start typing. I ( Personally ) think it's just a matter of getting used to. I set the E button as the action button ( Target thing in front of you or use it as a select button in menus. )
I never have problem with controls.
Infact i found the game to be very similar to World of warcraft.
I walk with WASD, i use - to open menu and use mouse to do the rest.
I set up all the macros. and Ctrl 1-0 and alt 1-0 do all my stuff. I have X for healing.
What else you want? beside those button? maybe Set U for "I win button" ?
Seriously, people search around, there are manual on how to set up, and picture of the keyboard layout.
I personally hate the xbox 360 controls and ps2 control MORE. The keyboard + mouse setting is the best.
none
This was my experience as well. Having heard so many positive things, I so much wanted to try this out. I was a little put off by the number of steps I had to go through just to log in. But I would have been glad to deal with that if I could have figured out and gotten comfortable with the movement controls. Trying to move just became so frustrating that I gave up very quickly.
If they ever address this, I would definitely love to try it again.
You CAN use WASD controls. Just go to config, misc 1, and select COMPACT keyboard. Problem solved!
I Much prefer FFXI's controls to that of WoW's
Honestly I hate how you have to use mouse, and I also hate everyone who clicks to use abilities...
Makes people slower and stupider if they don't have to type they just have to click.