Final Fantasy XIV?

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Lansiron
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Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Lansiron » Sun Sep 19, 2010 10:44 am

So. I know this game probably doesn't interest a bunch of people here, but I figured I'd let folks know anyway: if you're planning on trying Final Fantasy XIV, which launches at the end of this month, the server "Besaid" appears to have been declared the unofficial RP server. If you're into this sort of thing, click here for the FFXIV RP-organization's website.

I'm skeptical on how well this game is gonna play in the long run, but on the upside, it looks like the kind of thing that most people can actually enjoy (as opposed to being as punishing as FFXI was), and even though it's also an MMO, definitely not a "WoW clone", rather attempting to do it's own thing. Regardless, I know I'mma at least give it a shot. Naturally, Besaid's the server I plan on rolling on.

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Dravir
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Re: Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Dravir » Sun Sep 19, 2010 2:09 pm

From all the people at work have talked about, it's about as bad as 11 was, potentially worse in some ways. This is a sad thing.
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Lansiron
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Re: Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Lansiron » Sun Sep 19, 2010 3:08 pm

I've heard...differently. I've heard that it's a great deal more friendly to players overall, and that the world and gameplay setup hold enormous potential. The biggest complaints I've heard are about UI latency and a lack of content and features. Given that it's only just now wrapping up it's beta, the latency is due to the fact that most of the client's data was remotely accessed (as opposed to the entire client being installed on the user's end), and the lack of content, according to the devs, is because it was kept out of the beta as well.

Like all MMOs, it's going to have a rocky start. It will not hit it's stride for a few months, I predict. I'm not going to spend a great deal of effort attempting to debate the merits of this game, though. I posted this here, on the remote chance that someone here interested in this knows that there's an RP community forming. That is all. :)

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Bellesta
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Re: Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Bellesta » Sun Sep 19, 2010 5:21 pm

I really want it to be good.

But I'm scared. FF11 nearly ruined my love for MMOs. >.> time will tell.

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Grizz
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Re: Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Grizz » Sun Sep 19, 2010 5:29 pm

Several people I know in the beta have said it is no better than XI.

Also someone I know in the beta who had not played FFXI said that XIV is extremely unintuitive and hard to get for new players.

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Shaila
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Re: Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Shaila » Sun Sep 19, 2010 7:19 pm

I'll be trying it out, but I'm skeptical.

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Lansiron
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Re: Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Lansiron » Sun Sep 19, 2010 9:15 pm

I'm extremely skeptical. FFXI burned me...several times. However, I'm leaning on the positive side for this anyway. Like I mentioned earlier, there's absolutely no doubt that this game is going to take some time to really hit it's flow, but after having read through a rather massive pile of commentary from people I know who've been in the beta, I believe that S-E has learned from their last attempt, and is capable of delivering an MMO that satisfies (and more importantly, isn't infested with the excessive problems in fundamental gameplay that plagued FFXI, that no amount of patching could ever completely eliminate).

My coming to this expectation took a lot of sorting through some very volatile opinions, it needs to be stated, and I'm certain anyone else who's been paying attention has caught some of them, too. Anyone with a shred of experience with online "communities" knows that about 80% of feedback is violently negative (mainly because those with positive opinions generally tend to simply sit there and be content) whatever the actual situation, but even so, there isn't any doubt in my mind that this game is not going to be as universally approachable as WoW. It's adamantly solo-friendly (so they proclaim), but it looks like it's still been built on that distinctly "eastern" design philosophy that encourages patience, and looks to have very little of the instant gratification that's become inherent in WoW's gameplay. A whole 'nother debate could be spawned off of the ups and downs of that, so I'll leave it there. Point is: despite also being a fantasy MMORPG, expect a different game than WoW and, most likely, a harder, slower one.

That all said: Probably the biggest reason I still feel optimistic about this is from what I've heard from those who were trying this game out all the way from the alpha tests right up to today: a lot of the biggest complaints stemmed from earlier builds, and a majority of these problems have diminished steadily over the course of the beta. This pretty much goes to show that the tests accomplished precisely what they were meant to (despite the vitriol from many who seem to feel that "test" and "preview" should be 100% synonymous).

That's the reason I'm hopeful...that and, despite how horribly flawed FFXI was, I still want a damn FF MMO that I can actually play. :P

So, yeah. If you're interested, cool. If not, equally cool (it's not as if Cataclysm holds any less appeal up against this, though I'm looking forward to that one for completely different reasons). Regardless, new game comin' up...and back to the original statement, RP might even happen in it.

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Effie
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Re: Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Effie » Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:45 am

Grizz wrote:Several people I know in the beta have said it is no better than XI.

Also someone I know in the beta who had not played FFXI said that XIV is extremely unintuitive and hard to get for new players.


I was in the open beta this past week. Never played FFXI either, and I also found the game to be extremely unintuitive and discouraging. Fortunately I have a friend who played XI and was also in the closed beta, so I had someone coaching me through the experience, but I was put off by how unfriendly the game is toward the clueless newb.

The game is beautiful, my new gaming system should be able to handle the demands, (once it's built!) but I can't help feeling it'll just be a diversion-until-Cataclysm.

I'll likely be on Besaid. :)

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Lansiron
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Re: Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Lansiron » Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:21 pm

Oh yeah, should also mention:

If you plan on playing, get a gamepad.

For whatever reason, Square-Enix cannot devise a decent set of keyboard/mouse controls to save their life. >_>

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Caulle
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Re: Final Fantasy XIV?

Postby Caulle » Mon Sep 20, 2010 12:59 pm

Lansiron wrote:Oh yeah, should also mention:

If you plan on playing, get a gamepad.

For whatever reason, Square-Enix cannot devise a decent set of keyboard/mouse controls to save their life. >_>


That's because they primarily designed the game for console users, even though the console version of the game isn't coming out for 6 months. I've heard the best way to play it is to just use a PS3 controller. Personally, I think it's stupid that they aren't optimizing the game for PC play right now, and then once PC goes live then worrying about the console controls.

I dabbed in the Beta for about 20 minutes. It was terrible. The combat was boring. I attack. Monster attacks. LONG ASSED PAUSE. I attack. Monster attacks. Repeat. Once I got through the starter area it threw me into this huge city without so much as a tooltip. I had no idea where to go, what I was doing, where to get quests, where to train. I had to ask someone to basically walk me through getting a guildleve and then getting out of the city.

The games only saving grace is that it looks gorgeous. But I don't think it looks any better than Aion.

From what I've been reading, if you liked FF11, then you should have no troubles with 14. If you've never played 11 or didn't like it, odds are 14 isn't going to hold you for very long. With Cataclysm being released within the next 4 months most likely, I don't see a need to drop money on the game AND a monthly subscription fee when I can go play Vindictus right now for free. And the combat there is 100x faster and more entertaining.


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