The reviews here seem pretty even to me as far as a count between 'hateboi' and 'fanboi' analysis goes, depending on when you are looking at the forums. Plus you should probably remember that there are a number of linkshell sites opening up where members are posting only there and avoiding the public 'boredom relief' tendencies of public forums like this. Not to mention a ton of FFXIV fan sites similar to popular WoW oriented sites like thottbot and allakhazam. In fact I see that allakhazam has already opened 3 dozen FFXIV forums (I only see one for Aion) so they are expecting a pretty hefty interest in the game.
But that's not encouraging you to buy it (nor do I mean to discourage you). As stated often by many of us who really like this game, it's not for everybody. It will be very heavily (and even fanatically) supported by its fans but not everyone will like it. NA pre-orders alone would indicate that it will be successful so we aren't worried about needing people to subscribe who don't like the game. We really don't want a bunch of unhappy people running around our world.
And by all means if you think you would like SWTOR look into it. It sounds like they will have serious problems as far as finances go and will need all the support they can get. It sounds like they have done a lot of good work but it has cost them a ton of money to do. Estimates are out that they will need to maintain 2 million subscribers for quite a while to cover the $100+ million development costs. I'll be watching that one too but my main concern is that it will be the opposite of what attracted me here, modern graphic equipment support. They have stated it is being designed to run on most machines. My experience with that is the graphic resolution (and realism) never seems to be quite as good as I was hoping for. And expansions tend to be even more disappointing as I have upgraded my equipment by then and they can't upgrade the expansion to match without losing existing subscribers. But I will definitely check out SWTOR to see what it is like when it comes out (probably early summer 2011) and possibly give it a try too. But it is definitely not a replacement for FFXIV. They will be two completely different types of games so not direct competition in that sense, imo.
Originally, a long time ago, I was looking forward to playing this on PS3. But since that got delayed by 6 months, there will be a plethora of MMOs (hopefully Rift, GW2 and/or TOR), coming out at that time. And after all I've learned about this game and it's elitist community...no I will not be playing.
(Now I wait for the"good we don't need you" post to prove my point.)
I feel offended that you called me elitist. Doesn't that make you a meanie? Enjoy the other games, just please refrain from making threads here about how they are sooo much better when you play and enjoy them. I'm sure you will want to enjoy your game and not post about how much you enjoy your game. If you catch my drift.
And all the people telling me I was an idiot for objecting to the 1 character restriction were not "meanies"? Telling me they didn't need or want me were not "meanies"? Sorry but I think the FF community is insular and unwelcoming, if you prefer that to "elitist". My opinion from the responses I've gotten from FF fans.
My point was that you are painting us all with the same brush.
Its kind of difficult to discuss a "community" without lumping everyone together in one pot isnt it? By definition a community is everyone alltogether.
Exactly. I think it is self-evident that there are exceptions, and everyone is an individual. But the vast majority of responses I have received from the FF fans have led to my conclusion about the nature of the "community".
I'm buying into FFXIV, because everything coming out after XIV pales in comparison to me.
I tire heavily of having my hand held, and following a semi-predetermined path of quests and hubs with no real story or reason for doing them. {Especially quests when ya have this heavily geared NPC wetting their pants over some wolves, asking you who is far undergeared to go kill them...BS like that is well BS!} And I love heavily tactial and thought required combat which XIV provides...everything else is mainly solo AoE~Zerg~AoE~Zerg~AoE~Zerg...
Crafting is another huge part of what I enjoy, and why I'm playing XIV indefinitely. Not only have the devs said it multiple times, but I've also experienced it first hand for months, but as of now and more than likely forever, the best of the best gear will be player crafted. Not this running raid instances over and over hoping for a drop...so boring! {I mean really what is the point of most crafts in an MMO that supplies their players with better drops instead...}
Plus the MMOs I choose to play has got to have a strong story interwoven in everything I do for maximum enjoyment. It provides this better feeling of a lenghty journey and exciting side adventures with my fellow LS mates and population. And speaking of other players, I do greatly enjoy playing in parties, running around together and having fun...even if we're not gaining much XP or advancing very fast. Community is what truly makes an MMO shine, and nothing since FFXI has launched and everything after FFXIV thus far that I can tell tosses that away in favor of the soloist and instanced content...
Exactly. I think it is self-evident that there are exceptions, and everyone is an individual. But the vast majority of responses I have received from the FF fans have led to my conclusion about the nature of the "community".
Fortunately, other unreleased game's forums are much better,
Using LOL is like saying "my argument sucks but I still want to disagree".
This concept of buying an MMO to keep oneself busy for a few months until a good MMO comes out is is odd to me. The reason I play MMO's is because I can continually, possible off and on.. but regardless contunally play one for a very long time. The thing that annoys me about about single player games is they end, I do all this awesome stuff, in the case of an RPG, get all this awesome equipment and spells etc. And then I beat the game and its over. This is why I play MMO's. But honestly, to take this approach with an MMO, is just strange. Why play a game that dosent sound very good, with boring combat and a grind etc, when I know I will be quitting in a few months to play a better MMO? Just play a single player game (or multiplayer game if you really like playing with friends). Playing Dragon Age sounds much better than playing FFXIV if its only going to be for a few months. The combat, story, graphics, character development and pretty much everything else will be better when you take into account the limited amount of time.
Its kind of difficult to discuss a "community" without lumping everyone together in one pot isnt it? By definition a community is everyone alltogether.
Exactly. I think it is self-evident that there are exceptions, and everyone is an individual. But the vast majority of responses I have received from the FF fans have led to my conclusion about the nature of the "community".
You do realize it's the MMORPG.com community you're getting those responses from don't you? Judging a game community on how people act on this site is a bit short sighted IMO.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Originally, a long time ago, I was looking forward to playing this on PS3. But since that got delayed by 6 months, there will be a plethora of MMOs (hopefully Rift, GW2 and/or TOR), coming out at that time. And after all I've learned about this game and it's elitist community...no I will not be playing.
(Now I wait for the"good we don't need you" post to prove my point.)
I feel offended that you called me elitist. Doesn't that make you a meanie? Enjoy the other games, just please refrain from making threads here about how they are sooo much better when you play and enjoy them. I'm sure you will want to enjoy your game and not post about how much you enjoy your game. If you catch my drift.
And all the people telling me I was an idiot for objecting to the 1 character restriction were not "meanies"? Telling me they didn't need or want me were not "meanies"? Sorry but I think the FF community is insular and unwelcoming, if you prefer that to "elitist". My opinion from the responses I've gotten from FF fans.
My point was that you are painting us all with the same brush.
Its kind of difficult to discuss a "community" without lumping everyone together in one pot isnt it? By definition a community is everyone alltogether.
Exactly. I think it is self-evident that there are exceptions, and everyone is an individual. But the vast majority of responses I have received from the FF fans have led to my conclusion about the nature of the "community".
I'm pretty sure one of the joys of community is that we aren't all alike. Or else we'd all get very very bored of one another.
You wanted my time, so I played you. You wanted my money, I forked it over. You wanted my soul, I gave it willingly. Not to complain... but when do I get my end of the deal? And no, I don't want your flippin' carrot. If you can't do that give me back my youth and keep the change. Why don't you try chasing your own damn carrot for a change? I'll gladly hold the stick.
Its kind of difficult to discuss a "community" without lumping everyone together in one pot isnt it? By definition a community is everyone alltogether.
Exactly. I think it is self-evident that there are exceptions, and everyone is an individual. But the vast majority of responses I have received from the FF fans have led to my conclusion about the nature of the "community".
You do realize it's the MMORPG.com community you're getting those responses from don't you? Judging a game community on how people act on this site is a bit short sighted IMO.
Your getting feedback from a very small selection of the player base as most people don't frequent forums so this isn't really any going to give any indication of what the actual game community will be like.
Its kind of difficult to discuss a "community" without lumping everyone together in one pot isnt it? By definition a community is everyone alltogether.
Exactly. I think it is self-evident that there are exceptions, and everyone is an individual. But the vast majority of responses I have received from the FF fans have led to my conclusion about the nature of the "community".
You do realize it's the MMORPG.com community you're getting those responses from don't you? Judging a game community on how people act on this site is a bit short sighted IMO.
Your getting feedback from a very small selection of the player base as most people don't frequent forums so this isn't really any going to give any indication of what the actual game community will be like.
The vocal ones here are going to be the vocal ones there. My point is if you interact here with people due to your method of information gathering or prefered interaction you're going to run into the same type of people. For example, you go to a bar you meet bar people, that doesn't really change. You meet a random selection of bar people but they do form that community of people.
The other thing is, even though forum goers are "vocal" people that is likely the only thing they vary from on an average gamer, its like a control variable. If you eliminate that you end up with a normal distribution of player types. My point being its not such a bad representation of a community after all.
This! I really wanted to like this game but the UI / controls and lack of content killed it for me. I will look at this game again with it's release for the PS3 for I believe that is their true target audience.
The vocal ones here are going to be the vocal ones there. My point is if you interact here with people due to your method of information gathering or prefered interaction you're going to run into the same type of people. For example, you go to a bar you meet bar people, that doesn't really change. You meet a random selection of bar people but they do form that community of people.
The other thing is, even though forum goers are "vocal" people that is likely the only thing they vary from on an average gamer, its like a control variable. If you eliminate that you end up with a normal distribution of player types. My point being its not such a bad representation of a community after all.
How much people talk on the forums and how much people talk in-game aren't always correlative.
You wanted my time, so I played you. You wanted my money, I forked it over. You wanted my soul, I gave it willingly. Not to complain... but when do I get my end of the deal? And no, I don't want your flippin' carrot. If you can't do that give me back my youth and keep the change. Why don't you try chasing your own damn carrot for a change? I'll gladly hold the stick.
You can count me in that group. Some entertainment for a month or three, enough to get my money back out of it for sure. I'll at least follow the story and try pvp. Also going to use this game as a test for a new desktop.
Other than that, watching all the kidies scream on the forums while snotty players tell them "things will never change" is fun too.
If I hadn't played the beta and gotten royally pissed off at the clunky UI and poor engine performance I'd probably be picking this one up and I'd still play if it showed up in my mail box along with a compatable PC controller that rocked and box of condoms.
That's another thing that ticked me off. Gamepad. Everyone's saying use a gamepad, it's easier, it's not as laggy, etc. Am I the only person thinking "Well you released this game for PC FIRST...sooo is there a reason you didn't incorporate the keyboard and mouse to the most fluid form of use before you went to the console controller?" There's no reason the game shouldn't run on par with a gamepad. Not to mention, I'm a PC MMO player, the gamepad is not my style, especially for this kind of game. Why should I have to spend extra money on hardware I don't want to use to have a better gameplay experience?
This is where subjectivity and personal preferences come in.
I've alternated throughout XIV's beta on a gamepad, mouse/keyboard and keyboard only. I feel like th keyboard only approach is the most convenient and responsive. I can honestly maneuver and accomplish various tasks faster with keyboard only than I could with a gamepad. So, to me, the game is setup just fine for keyboard only. Keyboard/Mouse isn't too shabby either based on the time I spent playing that way.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
If I hadn't played the beta and gotten royally pissed off at the clunky UI and poor engine performance I'd probably be picking this one up and I'd still play if it showed up in my mail box along with a compatable PC controller that rocked and box of condoms.
That's another thing that ticked me off. Gamepad. Everyone's saying use a gamepad, it's easier, it's not as laggy, etc. Am I the only person thinking "Well you released this game for PC FIRST...sooo is there a reason you didn't incorporate the keyboard and mouse to the most fluid form of use before you went to the console controller?" There's no reason the game shouldn't run on par with a gamepad. Not to mention, I'm a PC MMO player, the gamepad is not my style, especially for this kind of game. Why should I have to spend extra money on hardware I don't want to use to have a better gameplay experience?
This is where subjectivity and personal preferences come in.
I've alternated throughout XIV's beta on a gamepad, mouse/keyboard and keyboard only. I feel like th keyboard only approach is the most convenient and responsive. I can honestly maneuver and accomplish various tasks faster with keyboard only than I could with a gamepad. So, to me, the game is setup just fine for keyboard only. Keyboard/Mouse isn't too shabby either based on the time I spent playing that way.
its a money making scheme to get everyone to buy controllers. square enix and all the controller makers are in on this together.
Tabulating our "I'm buying this because there's nothing else coming out in the immediate future" count.
Epoq: (+0) I dislike this game for the reasons you all have heard before, and believe there's a strong possibility who bought the game only did so because there's nothing else coing out for awhile.
Colddog04: (PrivateEye) How suspicious of them!
Maskedtears: (-1) Uh, hey guys, that's not why I'm buying the game. I actually enjoy it.
Svann: (TrueBeliever) I require miracles of the games I buy!
Nesrie: (-1) Buying games I don't like to hold me over doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
PerfectLife (First Impressions Count): What I learned from the open beta is that it's important to have a good beta, a compatible PC controller, and a box of condoms.
Epoq: (Sidetracked) Oh yeah, I forgot I hate the idea of an MMORPG that is gamepad compatible. Gamepads are stupid.
Maskedtears: (SidetrackedAboutBeingSidetracked) Okay, now you're just flaming the game.
Rytif: (WTF) Condoms, Perfectlife, seriously?
Palebane: (-1) No, I don't buy games I hate, duh!
Hyanman: (ThumbsticksRAwesome) Hey, what the heck has the OP against Gamepads?
Mad+Dog: (PlayingToCrushIsForLosers) Oh, there is the Darkfall expansion packing coming out soon. *nerd snort*
Maskedtears (ILikeToPlayToCrush) Hey! Ease off on Darkfall!
Senadina: (CrossDecoration) I might have liked Final Fantasy XIV, despite the fact I didn't really like it, somehow, but you just had to break my heart Final Fantasy XIV community, and I'm leaving because of you.
PerfectLife: (DogpileOnSidetrackedTopic) Controllers are awesome, buy one, you cheapskate.
Shannia: (-1) I, too, am buying Final Fantasy XIV because I enjoy it.
Maskedtears: (TookTheBait) COME BACK SENADINA, I'M SORRY.
Epoq: (CompletelyLostInterestInHisOwnTopic) Do you have any idea how unusual it is to play an MMORPG with a GamePad on the PC? It's an abomination, I tell, you, AN ABOMINATION!
Hyanmen: (UhNotReally) Uh, Epoq? Not really.
Senadina: (KittyPlaysWithHerTrappedPrey) It's too late for that now, MaskedTears, you're going to have to *really* embarass yourself for me to slightly consider coming back to that game I wasn't going to play anyway.
Hyanmen: (OhGeezeTakeThatThingAwayFromTheCatAndBuryIt) Heaven forbid you should make you own decisions on whether or not yo ushould play a game, Senadina.
Maskedtears: (BecomingSuspicious) Wait a second, why am I apologizing to you, Senadina? You should be apologizing to us for rolling us all into the same wrong-minded stereotype.
Gameguy369: (ILooveGuildWars) If GuildWars 2 was coming out, like, right now, Final Fantasy XIV would, like, totally fail. Screw the international following for the series, Guild Wars 2 RULES! SO! HARD!
Coxyroxy: (SeenItAllBefore) Yeah, I look forward to seeing you bail on GuildWars 2 as soon as people play it and the hype meter drops as it always does.
Svann: (RatherLikesWatchingCatsMaulTheirPrey) Hey, stereotypes are okay, lets keep this train rolling. As I recall, you were about to do something embarassing to make Senadina happy, maskedtears.
Dreadstone: (DeseperateAttemptToRerail) What's with all the back and forth in here?
Senadina: (Purring) Yes, you are correct, Svann.
Thepeasant98: (-1) Actually, I've got some nice games lined up just now.
Khyrmson: (-1) No, I'm not buying it to get through a dry spell. I really enjoy Final Fantasy XIV, honest, here are my reasons.
Hyanmen: (SeriouslyStopEncouragingTheCatLikeThat) Hey, isn't it about time you stop clawing up our sofa?
EndDream: (-1) You know, philosophically, this whole concept of buying a game that you don't like in order to entertain you through a dry spell is pretty wierd and doesn't suss out very well at all.
Malickie: (CatMaulingsTurnMyStomachAlso) You know, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to claim you're bent out of shape about the FFXIV community considering the MMORPG.com forums are such a poor reflection of it overall.
MaskedTears: (BoredOfBeingMauled) Yeah, and that stereotyping you were talking about earlier doesn't make any sense either!
Itchy01: (ArrivesToFindABonfireInTheLivingRoom) Woooah, wooah, hang on, who put this thing here? Obviously one forum isn't going to reflect absolutely everybody who plays an international game.
Torment1982: (TheresNotEnoughTormentHere) Yes it does, Itchy01, shut up.
Zeppliin4: (-1) As Ikkei was saying earlier, Civilization V, helloooo~?
Maskedtears: (MouseNoLonger) No, *you* shut up.
Reignjuste: (+1) Yeah, if Guild Wars 2 was released, I'd totally not buy this game, but I am because I am a Final Fantasy fan alone and that's it.
Spikers14: (+1) Yeah, it seems that I do, in fact, buy games in order to entertain myself over some period of time.
WSIMike: (LestThingsBeRerailedTooMuch) Woah, woah, woah. What's all this hubbub about a gamepad? You know, technically speaking, the game plays just fine on keyboard alone...
Geldonyetich: Alright, enough of this, lets take a count. With a score of negative seven, it looks like, no, the majority of the people here do not believe in buying a game they hate in order to pass the time. Real big surprise!
Forum threads are mighty interesting microcosms when put under the slide. (For that matter, to be fair, a fellow can be judged by how he summarizes what was written.)
To be honest, if there were other major titles coming out in this quarter, I would be less likely to give FFXIV retail a solid shot.
The game is far from perfect. The game is also "Different". The fact that it plays and feels different makes it hard to predict just how the game will wear after a month or two of play. The fact that it's "different" also makes it easy for people with out patience to come away from a short trial with a negative impression.
Will I like the game enough after a month or two to keep playing? I honestly have no idea. So, yes, lack of competition launching soon has played a big role for me in deciding to give the game a try.
That's a good perspective... I guess there's no newer games out(p2p) right now and I do wonder what split of the buyers will be "fans" and what percent will just be "playing it". The game is nice and fun but hardly impressive. Most of its features seem strangely out-dated and missing it's 'user friendly' aspect though many will try to counter argue for it being like that, I personally find no excuse. It's 2010 and my car Hud has more features and a better UI then a video game(thats just not right).
I'm sure SE or whoever is over the NA version will *try* to fix these things but it is an Asian ported game so it was meant to be the way it is for the Asian players, Anti-XP system and all. The game is quite easy to play... crafting system isnt hard, making money to craft is easy and combats hardly last longer then a few seconds even on Legion with a party of 3 or 4. So it makes me curious what amount of players are just _playing it_ and what amount of people find the features in the game somehow epic? I personally want to see what they add 1st(retail version) + all the bugs that are to come in the next month or so and how they fix and/or repair them. Customer Service will play a huge part in the future rants that I'm sure are about to happen.
I'm purchasing cause there is nothing even on the distant horizon (including Rift, Tera, SW:TOR, GW2, Vidictus etc.) which I have even a sliver of hope will quench my thirst for MMO's.
Believe me I've followed them all because I was unsure when FFXIV would ever be released, but I can safely say that for me it is FFXIV or bust. I honestly can't see me playing video games at all once my time in FFXIV is done.
The industry has in my opinion simply degraded over the years appealing to the lowest common denominator, and turning what I once thought of as a fun hobby and form of entertainment into something reminiscent of the Soma fueled moving picture scene in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.
I weep inside for the rest of you and what all forms of media seem to be becoming, but at least when I do finish my time in XIV (which I expect won't be for years from now) I know of a world outside of computers which is infinitley more interesting to me. Though who knows, maybe after a few years in the desert I will hear about a new game which promises to recapture what I used to love about gaming in general.
Hehe, lets not exagerate the "weeping for you" bit too much. FFXIV is a pretty fabulous game, but no game is for everyone, and so if it's not for them, there's nothing wrong with that (provided they don't come over here and try to convince us we're wrong to like the game). There's plenty of other games they could be playing, even if those games aren't necessarily MMORPGs.
Hehe, lets not exagerate the "weeping for you" bit too much. FFXIV is a pretty fabulous game, but if it's not for them, that's fine.
If you read Huxley you might understand the context and what I think current trends in media (stepping outside of simply discussing MMO's in particular) says about the evolution of modern society. It is quickly becoming a Brave New World indeed.
I'll see you in the desert. By which I mean Ul'dah on Selbina.
I'm buying into FFXIV, because everything coming out after XIV pales in comparison to me.
I tire heavily of having my hand held, and following a semi-predetermined path of quests and hubs with no real story or reason for doing them. {Especially quests when ya have this heavily geared NPC wetting their pants over some wolves, asking you who is far undergeared to go kill them...BS like that is well BS!} And I love heavily tactial and thought required combat which XIV provides...everything else is mainly solo AoE~Zerg~AoE~Zerg~AoE~Zerg...
Crafting is another huge part of what I enjoy, and why I'm playing XIV indefinitely. Not only have the devs said it multiple times, but I've also experienced it first hand for months, but as of now and more than likely forever, the best of the best gear will be player crafted. Not this running raid instances over and over hoping for a drop...so boring! {I mean really what is the point of most crafts in an MMO that supplies their players with better drops instead...}
Plus the MMOs I choose to play has got to have a strong story interwoven in everything I do for maximum enjoyment. It provides this better feeling of a lenghty journey and exciting side adventures with my fellow LS mates and population. And speaking of other players, I do greatly enjoy playing in parties, running around together and having fun...even if we're not gaining much XP or advancing very fast. Community is what truly makes an MMO shine, and nothing since FFXI has launched and everything after FFXIV thus far that I can tell tosses that away in favor of the soloist and instanced content...
I dont think you know this...But IIRC you cant do all story and no grinding. No seriously...You cant o.O So...
a) Solo grind quickly so you can go off and do your story. (grinding monsters,rocks, fish,crafting, w/e)
b) Do levequests in a party THEN leave party because you have to be alone for the stories. (keep in mind your class exp will level slower in varying degrees depending on your class in teams*) OHWAITAMINUTE! Class level is what you need for the story quests....rats! <- I say this(levequests only) because mages in general cant roam around unless they have a lot of money for ethers or level 20 thaum spell.
Levequests arent side quests. Youll be doing a whole more of them than story quests especially if you dont grind your way to higher levels.
Now as for the story...I prefer something else..Ill point to GW2 and SWTOR for those. Yes those kinds I like a whole lot more.
hmm...Tactical? I never once saw that o.o seriously...Ok so I just immobilized that guy with my lancer. Ok im at the edge of my range...OK HOW DID THAT FRIGGIN WHARF RAT HIT ME? o.o Mages have to manage their mp really well? Or wait no...Anyone who wants to be a mage MUST either have a ton of money for ethers or get the level 20 thaum skill. Oh hey so thats why they put classes on different surplus thingies! Because you pretty much need stuff from other classes o.o It never EVER once felt tactical to me even when in teams. It felt like slow-mo zerg (which is the main point that turned me off ff14. I was expecting tactical combat but then all there was is...Battle regiments activate queue initiate repeat! ) I hate to say it but a LOT of other games are more tactical. FF11 and WoW included.
And dont get me started on the dejavu-ness of the maps o.o thats just disturbing...
And no. No complaints on the crafting thats one of the good things they did well on I think. Others were just half genius half fail. Levequests with instanced enemies in open worlds = genius. How they handled it with the 48 hour limit and uneven exp in parties = FAIL. How its JUST LIKE other mmorpgs quests without the horridly but sometimes funny story = FAIL. -.- Great looking landscapes with a sense of dejavu when you leave cities = fail o.o
ON TOPIC ->
I was originally going to get FF14 CE for my birthday because theres nothing else to play but after beta, my gf and I were just like 'lets get city of heroes going rogue instead o.o' Everything with beta just left a reallly really bad impression with me. And as for the community well... My gf and I were asking people how to get a fishing rod for about 45 mins and one guy finally answers 'from the fishing guild' and we ask where that is and....no answer so we just found the guild after finally figuring out that we have to take the long way around linsa. 2 hours of lfg and *queues dustbowl* There were a lot of people dont get me wrong. NON RESPONSIVE PEOPLE. At least I can get a full team in City of heroes within 20 mins sometimes even within a minute >.<
Other people are prolly gona enjoy it...But not me o.o I didnt mind playing keyboard only heck i was even used to the controls already (not using the mouse at all) The combat was bearable. But the things I was looking forward to just wasnt there >.<
I may have tried the OB because there is nothing else out there I want to play, but I'm buying it because I like what I saw. Maybe when I see more my opinion will change and maybe not. But I like the UI more than FF11 and you can solo and those were my biggest concerns.
Comments
The reviews here seem pretty even to me as far as a count between 'hateboi' and 'fanboi' analysis goes, depending on when you are looking at the forums. Plus you should probably remember that there are a number of linkshell sites opening up where members are posting only there and avoiding the public 'boredom relief' tendencies of public forums like this. Not to mention a ton of FFXIV fan sites similar to popular WoW oriented sites like thottbot and allakhazam. In fact I see that allakhazam has already opened 3 dozen FFXIV forums (I only see one for Aion) so they are expecting a pretty hefty interest in the game.
But that's not encouraging you to buy it (nor do I mean to discourage you). As stated often by many of us who really like this game, it's not for everybody. It will be very heavily (and even fanatically) supported by its fans but not everyone will like it. NA pre-orders alone would indicate that it will be successful so we aren't worried about needing people to subscribe who don't like the game. We really don't want a bunch of unhappy people running around our world.
And by all means if you think you would like SWTOR look into it. It sounds like they will have serious problems as far as finances go and will need all the support they can get. It sounds like they have done a lot of good work but it has cost them a ton of money to do. Estimates are out that they will need to maintain 2 million subscribers for quite a while to cover the $100+ million development costs. I'll be watching that one too but my main concern is that it will be the opposite of what attracted me here, modern graphic equipment support. They have stated it is being designed to run on most machines. My experience with that is the graphic resolution (and realism) never seems to be quite as good as I was hoping for. And expansions tend to be even more disappointing as I have upgraded my equipment by then and they can't upgrade the expansion to match without losing existing subscribers. But I will definitely check out SWTOR to see what it is like when it comes out (probably early summer 2011) and possibly give it a try too. But it is definitely not a replacement for FFXIV. They will be two completely different types of games so not direct competition in that sense, imo.
Exactly. I think it is self-evident that there are exceptions, and everyone is an individual. But the vast majority of responses I have received from the FF fans have led to my conclusion about the nature of the "community".
I am going to wait..There are some good games coming out on the ps3 and x-box 360 in Oct.
I'm buying into FFXIV, because everything coming out after XIV pales in comparison to me.
I tire heavily of having my hand held, and following a semi-predetermined path of quests and hubs with no real story or reason for doing them. {Especially quests when ya have this heavily geared NPC wetting their pants over some wolves, asking you who is far undergeared to go kill them...BS like that is well BS!} And I love heavily tactial and thought required combat which XIV provides...everything else is mainly solo AoE~Zerg~AoE~Zerg~AoE~Zerg...
Crafting is another huge part of what I enjoy, and why I'm playing XIV indefinitely. Not only have the devs said it multiple times, but I've also experienced it first hand for months, but as of now and more than likely forever, the best of the best gear will be player crafted. Not this running raid instances over and over hoping for a drop...so boring! {I mean really what is the point of most crafts in an MMO that supplies their players with better drops instead...}
Plus the MMOs I choose to play has got to have a strong story interwoven in everything I do for maximum enjoyment. It provides this better feeling of a lenghty journey and exciting side adventures with my fellow LS mates and population. And speaking of other players, I do greatly enjoy playing in parties, running around together and having fun...even if we're not gaining much XP or advancing very fast. Community is what truly makes an MMO shine, and nothing since FFXI has launched and everything after FFXIV thus far that I can tell tosses that away in favor of the soloist and instanced content...
Fortunately, other unreleased game's forums are much better,
This concept of buying an MMO to keep oneself busy for a few months until a good MMO comes out is is odd to me. The reason I play MMO's is because I can continually, possible off and on.. but regardless contunally play one for a very long time. The thing that annoys me about about single player games is they end, I do all this awesome stuff, in the case of an RPG, get all this awesome equipment and spells etc. And then I beat the game and its over. This is why I play MMO's. But honestly, to take this approach with an MMO, is just strange. Why play a game that dosent sound very good, with boring combat and a grind etc, when I know I will be quitting in a few months to play a better MMO? Just play a single player game (or multiplayer game if you really like playing with friends). Playing Dragon Age sounds much better than playing FFXIV if its only going to be for a few months. The combat, story, graphics, character development and pretty much everything else will be better when you take into account the limited amount of time.
It's just my opinion I suppose.
Remember Old School Ultima Online
You do realize it's the MMORPG.com community you're getting those responses from don't you? Judging a game community on how people act on this site is a bit short sighted IMO.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
I'm pretty sure one of the joys of community is that we aren't all alike. Or else we'd all get very very bored of one another.
You wanted my time, so I played you. You wanted my money, I forked it over. You wanted my soul, I gave it willingly. Not to complain... but when do I get my end of the deal? And no, I don't want your flippin' carrot. If you can't do that give me back my youth and keep the change. Why don't you try chasing your own damn carrot for a change? I'll gladly hold the stick.
Your getting feedback from a very small selection of the player base as most people don't frequent forums so this isn't really any going to give any indication of what the actual game community will be like.
The vocal ones here are going to be the vocal ones there. My point is if you interact here with people due to your method of information gathering or prefered interaction you're going to run into the same type of people. For example, you go to a bar you meet bar people, that doesn't really change. You meet a random selection of bar people but they do form that community of people.
The other thing is, even though forum goers are "vocal" people that is likely the only thing they vary from on an average gamer, its like a control variable. If you eliminate that you end up with a normal distribution of player types. My point being its not such a bad representation of a community after all.
This! I really wanted to like this game but the UI / controls and lack of content killed it for me. I will look at this game again with it's release for the PS3 for I believe that is their true target audience.
How much people talk on the forums and how much people talk in-game aren't always correlative.
You wanted my time, so I played you. You wanted my money, I forked it over. You wanted my soul, I gave it willingly. Not to complain... but when do I get my end of the deal? And no, I don't want your flippin' carrot. If you can't do that give me back my youth and keep the change. Why don't you try chasing your own damn carrot for a change? I'll gladly hold the stick.
Im buying this for 2 reasons.
1st because im ff fan.
2nd because gw2 has not released yet.
You can count me in that group. Some entertainment for a month or three, enough to get my money back out of it for sure. I'll at least follow the story and try pvp. Also going to use this game as a test for a new desktop.
Other than that, watching all the kidies scream on the forums while snotty players tell them "things will never change" is fun too.
This is where subjectivity and personal preferences come in.
I've alternated throughout XIV's beta on a gamepad, mouse/keyboard and keyboard only. I feel like th keyboard only approach is the most convenient and responsive. I can honestly maneuver and accomplish various tasks faster with keyboard only than I could with a gamepad. So, to me, the game is setup just fine for keyboard only. Keyboard/Mouse isn't too shabby either based on the time I spent playing that way.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
its a money making scheme to get everyone to buy controllers. square enix and all the controller makers are in on this together.
Tabulating our "I'm buying this because there's nothing else coming out in the immediate future" count.
Epoq: (+0) I dislike this game for the reasons you all have heard before, and believe there's a strong possibility who bought the game only did so because there's nothing else coing out for awhile.
Colddog04: (PrivateEye) How suspicious of them!
Maskedtears: (-1) Uh, hey guys, that's not why I'm buying the game. I actually enjoy it.
Svann: (TrueBeliever) I require miracles of the games I buy!
Nesrie: (-1) Buying games I don't like to hold me over doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
PerfectLife (First Impressions Count): What I learned from the open beta is that it's important to have a good beta, a compatible PC controller, and a box of condoms.
Epoq: (Sidetracked) Oh yeah, I forgot I hate the idea of an MMORPG that is gamepad compatible. Gamepads are stupid.
Maskedtears: (SidetrackedAboutBeingSidetracked) Okay, now you're just flaming the game.
Rytif: (WTF) Condoms, Perfectlife, seriously?
Palebane: (-1) No, I don't buy games I hate, duh!
Hyanman: (ThumbsticksRAwesome) Hey, what the heck has the OP against Gamepads?
Mad+Dog: (PlayingToCrushIsForLosers) Oh, there is the Darkfall expansion packing coming out soon. *nerd snort*
Maskedtears (ILikeToPlayToCrush) Hey! Ease off on Darkfall!
Ikkei: (-1) Hey, there's totally stuff coming out, what's Civiliation V, chopped liver?
Senadina: (CrossDecoration) I might have liked Final Fantasy XIV, despite the fact I didn't really like it, somehow, but you just had to break my heart Final Fantasy XIV community, and I'm leaving because of you.
PerfectLife: (DogpileOnSidetrackedTopic) Controllers are awesome, buy one, you cheapskate.
Shannia: (-1) I, too, am buying Final Fantasy XIV because I enjoy it.
Maskedtears: (TookTheBait) COME BACK SENADINA, I'M SORRY.
Epoq: (CompletelyLostInterestInHisOwnTopic) Do you have any idea how unusual it is to play an MMORPG with a GamePad on the PC? It's an abomination, I tell, you, AN ABOMINATION!
Hyanmen: (UhNotReally) Uh, Epoq? Not really.
Senadina: (KittyPlaysWithHerTrappedPrey) It's too late for that now, MaskedTears, you're going to have to *really* embarass yourself for me to slightly consider coming back to that game I wasn't going to play anyway.
PerfectLife: (YeahNotReally) Hyanmen's right, Epoq.
Hyanmen: (OhGeezeTakeThatThingAwayFromTheCatAndBuryIt) Heaven forbid you should make you own decisions on whether or not yo ushould play a game, Senadina.
Maskedtears: (BecomingSuspicious) Wait a second, why am I apologizing to you, Senadina? You should be apologizing to us for rolling us all into the same wrong-minded stereotype.
Gameguy369: (ILooveGuildWars) If GuildWars 2 was coming out, like, right now, Final Fantasy XIV would, like, totally fail. Screw the international following for the series, Guild Wars 2 RULES! SO! HARD!
Coxyroxy: (SeenItAllBefore) Yeah, I look forward to seeing you bail on GuildWars 2 as soon as people play it and the hype meter drops as it always does.
Svann: (RatherLikesWatchingCatsMaulTheirPrey) Hey, stereotypes are okay, lets keep this train rolling. As I recall, you were about to do something embarassing to make Senadina happy, maskedtears.
Dreadstone: (DeseperateAttemptToRerail) What's with all the back and forth in here?
Senadina: (Purring) Yes, you are correct, Svann.
Thepeasant98: (-1) Actually, I've got some nice games lined up just now.
Khyrmson: (-1) No, I'm not buying it to get through a dry spell. I really enjoy Final Fantasy XIV, honest, here are my reasons.
Hyanmen: (SeriouslyStopEncouragingTheCatLikeThat) Hey, isn't it about time you stop clawing up our sofa?
EndDream: (-1) You know, philosophically, this whole concept of buying a game that you don't like in order to entertain you through a dry spell is pretty wierd and doesn't suss out very well at all.
Malickie: (CatMaulingsTurnMyStomachAlso) You know, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to claim you're bent out of shape about the FFXIV community considering the MMORPG.com forums are such a poor reflection of it overall.
MaskedTears: (BoredOfBeingMauled) Yeah, and that stereotyping you were talking about earlier doesn't make any sense either!
Itchy01: (ArrivesToFindABonfireInTheLivingRoom) Woooah, wooah, hang on, who put this thing here? Obviously one forum isn't going to reflect absolutely everybody who plays an international game.
Torment1982: (TheresNotEnoughTormentHere) Yes it does, Itchy01, shut up.
Zeppliin4: (-1) As Ikkei was saying earlier, Civilization V, helloooo~?
Maskedtears: (MouseNoLonger) No, *you* shut up.
Reignjuste: (+1) Yeah, if Guild Wars 2 was released, I'd totally not buy this game, but I am because I am a Final Fantasy fan alone and that's it.
Spikers14: (+1) Yeah, it seems that I do, in fact, buy games in order to entertain myself over some period of time.
WSIMike: (LestThingsBeRerailedTooMuch) Woah, woah, woah. What's all this hubbub about a gamepad? You know, technically speaking, the game plays just fine on keyboard alone...
Geldonyetich: Alright, enough of this, lets take a count. With a score of negative seven, it looks like, no, the majority of the people here do not believe in buying a game they hate in order to pass the time. Real big surprise!
Forum threads are mighty interesting microcosms when put under the slide. (For that matter, to be fair, a fellow can be judged by how he summarizes what was written.)
To be honest, if there were other major titles coming out in this quarter, I would be less likely to give FFXIV retail a solid shot.
The game is far from perfect. The game is also "Different". The fact that it plays and feels different makes it hard to predict just how the game will wear after a month or two of play. The fact that it's "different" also makes it easy for people with out patience to come away from a short trial with a negative impression.
Will I like the game enough after a month or two to keep playing? I honestly have no idea. So, yes, lack of competition launching soon has played a big role for me in deciding to give the game a try.
Want to know more about GW2 and why there is so much buzz? Start here: Guild Wars 2 Mass Info for the Uninitiated
That's a good perspective... I guess there's no newer games out(p2p) right now and I do wonder what split of the buyers will be "fans" and what percent will just be "playing it". The game is nice and fun but hardly impressive. Most of its features seem strangely out-dated and missing it's 'user friendly' aspect though many will try to counter argue for it being like that, I personally find no excuse. It's 2010 and my car Hud has more features and a better UI then a video game(thats just not right).
I'm sure SE or whoever is over the NA version will *try* to fix these things but it is an Asian ported game so it was meant to be the way it is for the Asian players, Anti-XP system and all. The game is quite easy to play... crafting system isnt hard, making money to craft is easy and combats hardly last longer then a few seconds even on Legion with a party of 3 or 4. So it makes me curious what amount of players are just _playing it_ and what amount of people find the features in the game somehow epic? I personally want to see what they add 1st(retail version) + all the bugs that are to come in the next month or so and how they fix and/or repair them. Customer Service will play a huge part in the future rants that I'm sure are about to happen.
Games I've Played: SilkRoad, Flyff, NeoCron, PlanetSide, Rapplez, UpshiftRacer, Drift City, TB, Kwonho, ArchLord, AoA, Exteel, WolfTeam, Shaiyan, WoKF, FFXIV, STO, KoTR, ESO, Defiance, Mabinogi
Games I'm Playing: Warframe/STO
Games I'm Pondering: The Secret World
I'm purchasing cause there is nothing even on the distant horizon (including Rift, Tera, SW:TOR, GW2, Vidictus etc.) which I have even a sliver of hope will quench my thirst for MMO's.
Believe me I've followed them all because I was unsure when FFXIV would ever be released, but I can safely say that for me it is FFXIV or bust. I honestly can't see me playing video games at all once my time in FFXIV is done.
The industry has in my opinion simply degraded over the years appealing to the lowest common denominator, and turning what I once thought of as a fun hobby and form of entertainment into something reminiscent of the Soma fueled moving picture scene in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World.
I weep inside for the rest of you and what all forms of media seem to be becoming, but at least when I do finish my time in XIV (which I expect won't be for years from now) I know of a world outside of computers which is infinitley more interesting to me. Though who knows, maybe after a few years in the desert I will hear about a new game which promises to recapture what I used to love about gaming in general.
http://xivpads.com/?1595680
http://guildwork.com/users/murugan
Hehe, lets not exagerate the "weeping for you" bit too much. FFXIV is a pretty fabulous game, but no game is for everyone, and so if it's not for them, there's nothing wrong with that (provided they don't come over here and try to convince us we're wrong to like the game). There's plenty of other games they could be playing, even if those games aren't necessarily MMORPGs.
If you read Huxley you might understand the context and what I think current trends in media (stepping outside of simply discussing MMO's in particular) says about the evolution of modern society. It is quickly becoming a Brave New World indeed.
I'll see you in the desert. By which I mean Ul'dah on Selbina.
Karuna, Karuna.
http://xivpads.com/?1595680
http://guildwork.com/users/murugan
I dont think you know this...But IIRC you cant do all story and no grinding. No seriously...You cant o.O So...
a) Solo grind quickly so you can go off and do your story. (grinding monsters,rocks, fish,crafting, w/e)
b) Do levequests in a party THEN leave party because you have to be alone for the stories. (keep in mind your class exp will level slower in varying degrees depending on your class in teams*) OHWAITAMINUTE! Class level is what you need for the story quests....rats! <- I say this(levequests only) because mages in general cant roam around unless they have a lot of money for ethers or level 20 thaum spell.
Levequests arent side quests. Youll be doing a whole more of them than story quests especially if you dont grind your way to higher levels.
Now as for the story...I prefer something else..Ill point to GW2 and SWTOR for those. Yes those kinds I like a whole lot more.
hmm...Tactical? I never once saw that o.o seriously...Ok so I just immobilized that guy with my lancer. Ok im at the edge of my range...OK HOW DID THAT FRIGGIN WHARF RAT HIT ME? o.o Mages have to manage their mp really well? Or wait no...Anyone who wants to be a mage MUST either have a ton of money for ethers or get the level 20 thaum skill. Oh hey so thats why they put classes on different surplus thingies! Because you pretty much need stuff from other classes o.o It never EVER once felt tactical to me even when in teams. It felt like slow-mo zerg (which is the main point that turned me off ff14. I was expecting tactical combat but then all there was is...Battle regiments activate queue initiate repeat! ) I hate to say it but a LOT of other games are more tactical. FF11 and WoW included.
And dont get me started on the dejavu-ness of the maps o.o thats just disturbing...
And no. No complaints on the crafting thats one of the good things they did well on I think. Others were just half genius half fail. Levequests with instanced enemies in open worlds = genius. How they handled it with the 48 hour limit and uneven exp in parties = FAIL. How its JUST LIKE other mmorpgs quests without the horridly but sometimes funny story = FAIL. -.- Great looking landscapes with a sense of dejavu when you leave cities = fail o.o
ON TOPIC ->
I was originally going to get FF14 CE for my birthday because theres nothing else to play but after beta, my gf and I were just like 'lets get city of heroes going rogue instead o.o' Everything with beta just left a reallly really bad impression with me. And as for the community well... My gf and I were asking people how to get a fishing rod for about 45 mins and one guy finally answers 'from the fishing guild' and we ask where that is and....no answer so we just found the guild after finally figuring out that we have to take the long way around linsa. 2 hours of lfg and *queues dustbowl* There were a lot of people dont get me wrong. NON RESPONSIVE PEOPLE. At least I can get a full team in City of heroes within 20 mins sometimes even within a minute >.<
Other people are prolly gona enjoy it...But not me o.o I didnt mind playing keyboard only heck i was even used to the controls already (not using the mouse at all) The combat was bearable. But the things I was looking forward to just wasnt there >.<
So you are saying that the more games that comes out the less are the chance of you to play a certain one of them?
You are indeed wise.
I may have tried the OB because there is nothing else out there I want to play, but I'm buying it because I like what I saw. Maybe when I see more my opinion will change and maybe not. But I like the UI more than FF11 and you can solo and those were my biggest concerns.