Newbie questions FTW :P

[TrueMOD]

Ok well since you can finally access the game and check it out via the 14 days free trials I was finally able to do so...was waiting long enough for that opportunity...
After hours of downloading the client I could finally install it...yeehaa...off to play...nope...update 18.238 files...ETA: 8 hours...awesome! Why it is not possible to put a decent client on the servers? From all the sites where the client is mirrored I could read in the comments that people got pissed and stopped the trial even before they could play which in my opinion is more than understandable. Anyway...after hours of more waiting and waiting I could check out the game...I was a bit disappointed by the quality of the intro movie...not the movie itself...that was a nice one but the quality...come on even the graphics from FFI dont look that blurry...anyway...as a hardcore FF fan I kept on and just enjoyed the intro. When I came to the main title screen I was like WTF? Ok where the heck are the settings...needa turn on highest settings since this is more than fugly...couldnt find any settings -.-
Thus I made a character which was actually hard due to the bad graphics and kinda non existent help during creation...what is really nice is when you chose your home city...the one in the middle (which I assume its from the humans) has a sun in the background which makes the whole screen very bright and now try to read white letters on that background really smart.
Finally ingame I pressed escape which usually brings up the options but what happened? menus on my screen acted strange and my chat became smaller and smaller thus making me unable to read introduction from that one npc...smart! Ok I couldnt find any settings in there which in my opinion is kinda sad. I wasnt even able to find out how to move lol...the usual ways (mouse and wasd) didnt work...and no1 around me was willing to help me out -> task manager -> END PROCESS
I googled for how to change graphic settings and guess what...I got plenty of results of people asking how to do that...if that isnt obvious that something is wrong in this game I dunno...having to launch a config tool reminds me of of the 80s where you had to do that to setup games on old 286 PCs...ok one more burden taken lets get back to the game and enjoy some FF online...
After trying the numkeypad I was finally able to move...but that was it...I met a girl named Reet who told me to do simple stuffs like talking to a guard and thats it...I talked to the guard, ate some meat that he gave me and now thats it...I was looking for people who could give me a quest but more than once I found myself clicking other players instead of NPCs...would be nice if the difference was more clear
also...I never read manuals...and never ever did that before for any MMORPG, not even EVE Online or Anarchy online and I was fine...now this game really beats 'em all...I had to press every single key to figure out what key does what and even though I figured that out now the game plays like a cramp for me...the keys are spread too frar from each other...running with 8,4,6 and 2 while opening a menu with - than swithing to arrowkeys to select stuffs and using escape to close menus...wow...I came to the conclusion this game was designed to be played with a pad and nothing else...
I will try compact keyboard settings later but for now...this is more than complicated and useless keybindings...
also the menus that open are like in chaos...one opens top left corner, one in top right corner...another in bottem left or right corner and some you can even switch with the arrow keys to bring up another menu...this game seems to be designed for consoles and nothing else and has been ported to the computer in a really bad bad way...or please just tell me that I didnt find the secret keybinding yet to switch to PC mode like ctrl+alt+left arrow key+*+Enter
After I somehow managed to manage all those keys I wanted to do something (well at least in those moments where I wasnt fighting the camera)...now where the heck do I get quests? Are there any quests? Or is this game pure grind? No help from NPCs, no help from players, no tutorials...
I remember the first time I played a mmorpg which happened to be DAoC and even that one had tutorials, simple to understand and logical interface and symbols to mark NPC wether they have quests for you or not.
This game kinda gives you the feeling of being dropped alone into a city...no friendly environment (or simply wrong server? well dunno since nothing but names of server appeared for selection)
Where is the story in this game that all FF games are famous for? Where are the tutorials?
Don't tell me this game is old or something...I know older games that have more comfort to offer...
While we are talking about comfort...I have to approach mobs and check them every time for the rest of my life? Why is there no simple way to see what lvl a mob has?
You might misunderstand this thread as a rant topic but actually those are just my first impressions and while I was seeking for answers on google I saw that Im not alone with these impressions...and I was wondering why this game has to be so beginner unfriendly or is there something people like me are missing?
Guide me, help me, direct me, convince me if you can...I would really like to get to this game and understand the strange mechanics in here but for now Im just more than disappointed by this game. Show me answers to my questions and help me find the fun in this game...

Btw...is it true that there are bosses in this game that take 18+ hours to defeat?

Edit: Wow more text than I expected...if you read all this - respect

thx for reading

Ben

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

Wall of text FTL.

Also,

Btw...is it true that there are bosses in this game that take 18+ hours to defeat?

No. Anybody who says otherwise are referring to mobs that now disappear if engaged for any more than two hours straight.

. . . Not that it matters, as one of them can rape you in seconds anyway, and the other is some kind of extreme puzzle boss that, if anybody has solved him yet, they sure aren't coming out about it.

But still, nothing for you to worry about in the slightest as a newbie.

[Mystiqsoulchild]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

Ok the setting to make your game look better should be somewhere on your PC try going to Start > All Programs > FFXI. If it is the trail version however it might not have config settings. The chat getting small you can change by going to Config on the main menu of the FFXI screen try pressing ctrl + - (that seems to work for me.) But, you cant stop the text screen from completely going down. There is also a way to make the text screen bigger so you can scroll all the way up to read the text that you might of mixed. Also, I would just rather by a controller to play FFXI on the PC rather trying to use the mouse, or the game pad. To play with the mouse you simply click your character like you do everything else then you drag it up or down to go straight or or whatever, vise vursa. Also the difference, between characters and NPCs is clear Players are white, and NPCs are green. I dont know if there is a way to change the color or not though. There are quests, and you just have to go around talking to NPCs, it seems like to me you are getting mad at the wrong things if you ask me. FFXI is not a EASY game, and it will only get harder as you keep going on threw it. I would just go out and buy a controller most people that play FFXI on the PC dont bother with the mouse or the gamepad because its confusing, and makes things harder to do. You can also try, looking around the rest of this site, by looking around in other threads, to answer some of your questions, if you really want to know how to play FFXI just go to. FFXIclopedia They should have ware you can do quests and missions. (and yes they are different.) Quests are gave to you buy the citizens of the certain city that you are in. Missions are Missions that are gave to you by the state, try talking to the guards by the gates that you go out of to do battle with.

[Haroldo]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

First of all, I never played the game myself yet, but I've been reading boards and tutorials for a long time. If anyone call "bollocks" at something I say, feel free to disregard what I've said.

Well, I can't really blame you for not reading the manuals as recent games pretty much don't require that. But now, take sometime to do this. This game was designed for gamepads, and though is played on the keyboard many people (most I guess) use both.

There are plenty of tutorials for new players in this board concerning farming, leveling, jobs, etiquette, starting cities and game set up. I recommend reading some and posting your doubts. If there's too many, try numbering them so It's easier to read and answer.

Welcome aboard, mate.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

PEOPLE!!! Hit enter once in a while and make paragraphs!! /sigh

This game was made for a PS2 5 years ago, ok? They won't push the graphics on this game because people still use the PS2 to play and the PS2 can't handle the tweaks that a PC can. So get over the graphics or go play something else if it bothers you that much.

And if you don't read manuals then isn't that your problem and not the game? The game comes with a manual FOR A REASON! Not all games are the same, especially this one! As I mentioned before, this game was made for the PS2 and then ported to the PC and not the other way around. Hence the wonky control setup, because the game was initially made to be played with a controller.

Seriously? You are asking where you get quests? Come on if you've played any RPG, online or not, you know that you have to walk around town and talk to the npc's. It's that simple. RPG's, online or not, take time and there is a lot of grind. There are npc's with fetch quests in every starter city.

Category:Quests - FFXIclopedia - a Wikia Gaming wiki

MMO's don't hold your hand and there is no "guide" like an offline RPG. It's not everyones cup of tea. There are many hardcore Final Fantasy fan's that have tried Final Fantasy XI and found that it just wasn't for them and there are many that have found that its like crack and they just can't stop.

It sounds to me like you got into this game and played it for a short bit and want it all. Thats not how a MMO works. They want you to play for a LONG LONG time. Thats how they make their money! They don't give you anything, they make you work long and hard for it but when you do finally get a bit of it.......it sure is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! If you don't like hard work, then you are playing the wrong game.

My advice to you is that you sound like an offline RPG kind of guy so if you own a 360, go and buy Tales of Vespera (and a guide cause you sound like a guy that likes to use them). If you own a PS3, well sorry then you're sorta screwed cause they don't have much of a good rpg selection. I'd say go with Oblivion (again don't forget that guide and its a whopper!). If you have a PS2, you are in luck! There are a plethora of great rpg's out there! The Shadow Heart series, Final Fantasy series, Kingdom Heart series, Persona series, Rogue Galaxy, Dragon Quest VIII, ICO, Suikoden III, Odin Sphere, yadda yadda, yadda, (all of which come with guides I'm sure)....

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

Paragraphs and then maybe I'll read it.

[Ameroth]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

Yeah I'm sure there's some questions myself and others would be more than happy to answer, but I won't strain my eyes more than needed to find the questions.

[Mystiqsoulchild]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

For some reason the paragraph thing was not working, because I pressed the space bar and stuff, it didn't work and i don't know why, but yeah, yall gave some great advice!

[Haroldo]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

because I pressed the space bar

I think you meant "enter" ou "return"

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

Paragraphs and then maybe I'll read it.

Please don't read it. Please. You'll rip him a new one, the lemmings will follow, and yadda yadda yadda.... /sigh

[Ameroth]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

Please don't read it. Please. You'll rip him a new one, the lemmings will follow, and yadda yadda yadda.... /sigh

You're probably right. Scanning over bits and pieces of it leads me to assume it's another "angry newbie bashing FFXI while still asking for advice while demanding forum members convince him to actually waste his time playing a video game he has no real interest in learning how to play" post.

Or something...

p.s. To OP: FFXI is not EVE, Anarchy Online, WoW, Everquest, AoC, or any other possible MMO you can name off to make you sound like you are above the learning curve required to play FFXI. Good luck and RTFM or stfu.

[TrueMOD]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

@Yellow Mage
thanks a lot for your straight and direct answer, I appreciate it and it takes some worries from me

@Mystiqsoulchild
Thanks but like stated I found it already...just the way to change them is really old fashioned...those config tools were used in the 80s. Thanks though for the usefull website. I will check it out

@Haroldo
Yeah that was what I was guessing...the game has been entirely designed for consoles and been ported to the PC really bad

@TheGrandMom
Wow Im actually pretty shocked...not because of your answers but the fact this kinda answers come from a mod on this forum.
1. What does changing graphics on PC client have to do with graphics on PS2 client? absolutely nothing! Did I ask for anything like this? No! Whats your point of saying this?
2. Seriously? Who are you answering to? I probably played more MMORPGs than you and I already played when you were still in your diapers...of course I know that NPCs will give quests. My question was regarding to "How to know if a NPC has a quest or not" since there is no optical marker on them. Now considering that MMORPGs in the 90s already had those markers this is kinda bad and unusual for new players which will be unavoidable due to the free trial.
3. The last part of your answer is more than insulting/offending. How the heck could someone like you become a mod?
I dont want a MMO to hold my hand geez what kinda statement is that. I was just wondering if I missed something because in this game you feel like youre dropped into a city without any guidance what your "role" in this game actually is. Im sorry to destroy your illusions but a lot of games, even developed 5 years ago or earlier dont leave the player alone like that.
Someone who was actually willing to help could have just told me "hey you gotta talk to this NPC in the beginning, you prolly missed it out" (due to my chat problems in the start) or even "well you just go out and grind, quests are rare and different from other games" you know...something helpfull
Youre trying to give me advice? You think Im an offline RPG guy? You didnt read me at all...you dont understand anything...My advice to you, since youre some kinda guy who thinks being a super mod grants you all rights: relax and chill. Read what new people are actually asking. Dont prejudge people without actually understanding them. Also wouldnt it be good to act more like a representative as a super mod? Sorry sir, you failed all of them.
Im not surprised subscriptions on FFXI go down when people like you are "welcoming" the newbies.

@Ameroth
Wow youre so smart...you think scanning over bits and pieces of text will actually give you the knowledge about the content of it? Never heard something dumb like that. I was not naming those games to show off. I was trying to explain that I have a MMORPG background (well at least you understood that part unlike TheGrandMom). This in normal cases is usefull for communities to see where you have to start to explain difference compared to other products. Do you have to start at zero or you can build up on something so you have to explain less?
Nice to say something like STFU in your first conversation with a new player to the game.
If I had no interest in learning, why would I have wasted my time to write such a long essay about my first impressions of the game and the ways I would need help or improvements?
You think Im bashing the game? Im actually just criticizing the newbie friendlyness...which is non existent. In my last paragraph Im stating that Im trying to get to the game and searching for the fun. So you are saying Im a liar? You dont know me at all and just prejudge me for reading "bits and pieces" of my actual request. Thank you -.-


In my post I havent been insulting or offending, just describing my first experience with the game and asking for others to show me what I did wrong...for some guidance. The way this community reacts is more than shocking...especially considering the super mod.
Now that the free trial is available (an attempt from sony to bring some more people to the game since its dying - this is not insulting but the truth...check out monthly appearing subsrcibtion numbers that lead to the top of the MMORPGs) you will have to deal with more newbies asking questions which for you might be obvious but for others like me who are used to more comfortable GUIs will find it hard to control the game although they want to learn it because its FF.
I still didnt give up on the game...I was trying and trying...figuring out things on my own thanks to this "awesome" community
I got the impression that almost everyone on this forum is waiting for other people to insult. Work on that...communities can destroy games. You dont actually want this game to grow again, huh?

Im thankfull that people like Yellow Mage, Mystiqsoulchild and Haroldo are still normal human beings willing to help others on their first steps in this uncommon and much different MMORPG.

If there is still someone left who is willing to help me I would appreciate any answer here, that is if some specific mod doesnt close this thread . For now Im off to read those sites the above friendly people have directed me to and than head back to game.

Thanks for reading

Ben

PS: yeah Im am angry and have no interest in this game and write these long answers just to waste my own time for no reason[sarcasm=off]

[Mystiqsoulchild]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

Responding to the Markers, Diablo 1 Diablo II and the new Diablo III wont have markers on them so you can tell what quests you have to undertake. Also, I dont think WoW or LOTR, or even SWG even has that. (I have tried the free versions of those games.) I honestly don't know why you cant just talk to people and find out what to do. (I am sorry if I am coming off rude or misunderstanding.)

[Durahansolo]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

[sarcasm=on]
@TheGrandMom
Wow Im actually pretty shocked...not because of your answers but the fact this kinda answers come from a mod on this forum.
1. What does changing graphics on PC client have to do with graphics on PS2 client? absolutely nothing! Did I ask for anything like this? No! Whats your point of saying this?
2. Seriously? Who are you answering to? I probably played more MMORPGs than you and I already played when you were still in your diapers...of course I know that NPCs will give quests. My question was regarding to "How to know if a NPC has a quest or not" since there is no optical marker on them. Now considering that MMORPGs in the 90s already had those markers this is kinda bad and unusual for new players which will be unavoidable due to the free trial.
3. The last part of your answer is more than insulting/offending. How the heck could someone like you become a mod?
I dont want a MMO to hold my hand geez what kinda statement is that. I was just wondering if I missed something because in this game you feel like youre dropped into a city without any guidance what your "role" in this game actually is. Im sorry to destroy your illusions but a lot of games, even developed 5 years ago or earlier dont leave the player alone like that.
Someone who was actually willing to help could have just told me "hey you gotta talk to this NPC in the beginning, you prolly missed it out" (due to my chat problems in the start) or even "well you just go out and grind, quests are rare and different from other games" you know...something helpfull
Youre trying to give me advice? You think Im an offline RPG guy? You didnt read me at all...you dont understand anything...My advice to you, since youre some kinda guy who thinks being a super mod grants you all rights: relax and chill. Read what new people are actually asking. Dont prejudge people without actually understanding them. Also wouldnt it be good to act more like a representative as a super mod? Sorry sir, you failed all of them.
Im not surprised subscriptions on FFXI go down when people like you are "welcoming" the newbies.

@Ameroth
Wow youre so smart...you think scanning over bits and pieces of text will actually give you the knowledge about the content of it? Never heard something dumb like that. I was not naming those games to show off. I was trying to explain that I have a MMORPG background (well at least you understood that part unlike TheGrandMom). This in normal cases is usefull for communities to see where you have to start to explain difference compared to other products. Do you have to start at zero or you can build up on something so you have to explain less?
Nice to say something like STFU in your first conversation with a new player to the game.
If I had no interest in learning, why would I have wasted my time to write such a long essay about my first impressions of the game and the ways I would need help or improvements?
You think Im bashing the game? Im actually just criticizing the newbie friendlyness...which is non existent. In my last paragraph Im stating that Im trying to get to the game and searching for the fun. So you are saying Im a liar? You dont know me at all and just prejudge me for reading "bits and pieces" of my actual request. Thank you -.-


In my post I havent been insulting or offending, just describing my first experience with the game and asking for others to show me what I did wrong...for some guidance. The way this community reacts is more than shocking...especially considering the super mod.
Now that the free trial is available (an attempt from sony to bring some more people to the game since its dying - this is not insulting but the truth...check out monthly appearing subsrcibtion numbers that lead to the top of the MMORPGs) you will have to deal with more newbies asking questions which for you might be obvious but for others like me who are used to more comfortable GUIs will find it hard to control the game although they want to learn it because its FF.
I still didnt give up on the game...I was trying and trying...figuring out things on my own thanks to this "awesome" community
I got the impression that almost everyone on this forum is waiting for other people to insult. Work on that...communities can destroy games. You dont actually want this game to grow again, huh?

Im thankfull that people like Yellow Mage, Mystiqsoulchild and Haroldo are still normal human beings willing to help others on their first steps in this uncommon and much different MMORPG.

If there is still someone left who is willing to help me I would appreciate any answer here, that is if some specific mod doesnt close this thread . For now Im off to read those sites the above friendly people have directed me to and than head back to game.

Thanks for reading

Ben

PS: yeah Im am angry and have no interest in this game and write these long answers just to waste my own time for no reason[sarcasm=off]

*Fixed

Since you missed your [sarcasm=on] tag I added it for you

[Aksannyi]

Re: Newbie questions FTW

PEOPLE!!! Hit enter once in a while and make paragraphs!! /sigh

Thanked for this.

Now, to the OP:

You seem to be coming off as a bit ... bitchy. (Best term I could think of, I'm aware that you're probably male, but bear with me, it was the best term I could think of.) You came to the forum, and wrote a wall of text rant, which is still pretty "wallish" if you ask me. (Not sure if you've edited that or not.) Please don't misunderstand me when I say that all of us, yes, ALL of us, had to start the game from the bottom up, with little to no help from anyone else. The game is pretty newbie unfriendly. The tutorial NPC that you spoke of is new. Coming to a forum before you started might have alleviated some of your stress.

A lot of the stuff you are complaining about is part of the way the game works. You're talking about the /check function for mobs? Seriously? Yeah, that's how the game works. It's meant to be a challenge. You don't like the menus? Really? That's how this game works. I'm trying not to be a bitch here, but you came to this site to rant to us about something over which we have no control. Really, we don't. This site seems to get a lot of people who think we're a direct link to the dev team, but we're not. I'm pretty sure it's privately owned. And not only did you rant about something that we didn't have any control over, but you're acting as though the entire user interface is wrong because it doesn't work for you.

Um, what?

I do believe everyone who plays or has played this game had to get used to the UI and how it works. They had to get used to the quirks of this game. Now, I don't generally play keyboard/mouse games, I'm more of a gamepad girl myself, but if I can't figure out the controls after a few clicks or a button presses, I'm going to check the manual to see what I'm doing wrong, not come to a forum where people come to socialize about this game and write a lengthy rant about why it's wrong because I couldn't figure it out. You see how that might rub some people the wrong way?

Then, when you get responses on par with the way you blew into this forum, you act butthurt? What the hell do you expect from people, to bend over and kiss your ass?

Okay, that was a mean thing for me to say. But seriously, blowing in here and making your first post a huge wall-of-text rant is not the best way to win yourself some sympathy.