Some Questions from a soon-to-be player :)

[Jalani]

Hi all!

I recently purchased a copy of FFXI (WoW got so dull after 2 years) and just waiting for it to arrive. *taps foot impatiently* So I've been reading these forums trying to get a feel for what I'm in for and came up with a few questions:

1. Gameplay: I have pretty extensive MMORPG background having end game characters in DAoC, WoW, EQ and EQII.

a.) From reading guides etc, it seems like FFXI is most like EQ. Would you agree? I mean in terms of time investment, forced grouping, end game etc.

b.) excluding issues with the interface, is there anything I should be aware of that isn't present in other MMOs? Or will I be able to jump right into most things?

c.) I know its hard to solo for exp for most jobs. Does this mean that exp is simply not gained as fast as in groups or does it mean that there is a point where it becomes literally impossible to solo anything that gives even a small amount of exp?

2. Interface: I heard its best played with a gamepad and keyboard. Is it possible to learn to play effectively with keyboard and mouse or should I go out and buy a gamepad? If so, which do you recommend?

3. Community: I live in New Zealand meaning my primetime will be closer to Japan than the US or UK, I was just wondering:

a.) How well does the auto-translator work? Will I be able to communicate successfully with Japanese players? Do people bother to use it?

b.) I saw in another thread a screenshot of japanese players specifically rejecting english-speaking groups. Is this a common problem? Will it be hard for me to find groups?

c.) Is there a large oceanic community to make up for this?

d.) What is a linkshell? Is that the FFXI version of a "guild" or does it function differently?

4. Etiquette (I don't want to screw up!):

a.) What is the loot policy in groups? Is it common to use a need-before-greed system or just FFA?

b.) Are there "Camps"? And are they enforced officially (Like EQ) or socially (Like DAoC) or is it cut-throat free-for-all (Like WoW and EQII)?

Sorry for all the questions.

Thanks for your help!

[Icemage]

Re: Some Questions from a soon-to-be player

a.) From reading guides etc, it seems like FFXI is most like EQ. Would you agree? I mean in terms of time investment, forced grouping, end game etc.

Very similar, but more so. You really can't solo much of anything in with most jobs in FFXI. End-game is very different from EQ, however. While there are some large-scale raids, there's a lot of small-group stuff that's very fun and useful, and there are a lot of other things you can do to increase your character's potency beyond just raiding.

b.) excluding issues with the interface, is there anything I should be aware of that isn't present in other MMOs? Or will I be able to jump right into most things?

Job switching. No other major MMORPG allows you to change classes at the drop of a hat. FFXI allows you to walk into your house, and switch to any job you have access to (it keeps track of all your job levels). This largely removes the need to level alts unless you decide you want to play a character from another race or gender (race means little in terms of effectiveness, gender means nothing except for the price of some gender-specific items in the game).

c.) I know its hard to solo for exp for most jobs. Does this mean that exp is simply not gained as fast as in groups or does it mean that there is a point where it becomes literally impossible to solo anything that gives even a small amount of exp?

Depends on the job. Some jobs can solo effectively at all levels(Beastmaster), some solo reasonably well at some levels (Summoner, Blue Mage, Ninja), and others can't solo for XP at all beyond the early developmental levels (i.e. prior to level 10-15).

2. Interface: I heard its best played with a gamepad and keyboard. Is it possible to learn to play effectively with keyboard and mouse or should I go out and buy a gamepad? If so, which do you recommend?

You can do either way. Some players really like using WASD movement because it's familiar to them (Compact keyboard setting in-game). The game is really optimized for use with a controller though, and a slight majority of players prefer the controller + keyboard setup.

If you own a PS2 Dualshock controller, you can get a PSX>USB adapter from Radio Shack for about $10 US (prices may vary elsewhere). Otherwise there are a number of controllers that are recommended here (use the Search function for controllers should give you a number of hits on this forum).

3. Community: I live in New Zealand meaning my primetime will be closer to Japan than the US or UK, I was just wondering:
a.) How well does the auto-translator work? Will I be able to communicate successfully with Japanese players? Do people bother to use it?

The translator works decently if you learn how to use it properly. You have to be aware of how some phrases are translated to avoid confusion, but I'd say 95% of the translated words are pretty unambiguous, and there are a lot of translation functions.

Most experienced players have learned how to use it - there's a number of discussions on this board regarding the rules and etiquette that Japanese players in particular use. As you get into it, I'd recommend checking them out with the Search function.

b.) I saw in another thread a screenshot of japanese players specifically rejecting english-speaking groups. Is this a common problem? Will it be hard for me to find groups?

It used to be much more common, but I think the Japanese playerbase is fairly open nowadays - there's still a sizable minority that simply don't understand any English and prefer to party only with Japanese speaking players (translator notwithstanding).

If you consider it an extreme problem you might consider getting a World Pass (a code that allows you to choose a server instead of being randomly placed) to join one of the servers that has a stronger English-speaking contingent. Of the servers, the newer ones (Fairy, Asura, Midgardsormr, Remora, Hades) tend to be more strongly represented by English players, though even in the most extreme cases the separation between servers isn't that large.

c.) Is there a large oceanic community to make up for this?

I don't know enough about the Australian / New Zealander / Non-JP Asian communities to answer this question very well since I play in the United States and am not online much during what would be your "prime time" hours. I'd say there's a fair number of players from Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc. that I've met that are in that time zone bracket that speak English, but I don't think the comprise a significant majority of the playerbase.

d.) What is a linkshell? Is that the FFXI version of a "guild" or does it function differently?

A linkshell is basically a stripped down guild that basically boils down to a chat channel. Equipping a linkshell item (only one equippable at a time, though you can have many linkpearls for different shells if their internal rules allow it) gives you access to the discussion on that "channel". There is not much else in-game that is supported (no guild treasuries, etc. that are supported in other MMORPGs).

4. Etiquette (I don't want to screw up!):
a.) What is the loot policy in groups? Is it common to use a need-before-greed system or just FFA?

This is specific to the groups in question. XP groups, rarely is need-before-greed an issue - if you really need an item, just speak up and ask if you can have it and explain why and most players won't kick up a fuss unless it's a very expensive item.

For that matter, most decent players (and here you'll notice that FFXI's community as a whole is a lot nicer than other MMORPGs) will concede drops that other players need.

b.) Are there "Camps"? And are they enforced officially (Like EQ) or socially (Like DAoC) or is it cut-throat free-for-all (Like WoW and EQII)?

There's some unwritten rules depending on what you're doing. HNM (hyper notorious monster) camps tend to be free-for-all, but there's some etiquette that follows most XP camping where you should avoid going to an area if it will overcrowd it and reduce the number of kills for existing groups due to competition.

Hope that helps! Welcome to FFXI, and to FFXIOnline.com Please enjoy your stay with us!


Icemage

[Jalani]

Re: Some Questions from a soon-to-be player

Thanks for your responses they were a lot of help.

I do have a few more questions (if you don't mind) after having played for a few days now:

1. Is there any kind of mod that will allow me to have hot keys (like other MMOs) rather than using the menu option? I am aware of the macro system but would rather have something visible all the time that I could just click. I hope this is appropriate (I'm not looking to cheat or anything)

2. I have been having issues with casting, mainly because of the awkward menu system. Is there a good rule of thumb to know when you can begin casting a 2nd spell (different spell) after the first goes off?

I joined my first party today and was main (and only) healer (as a red mage at level 12 with only cure I *cries*). I found it extremely difficult to both cure and enfeeble the mob. I basically had to spam cures to keep up our tank. (are thieves tanks?) With the 5 sec cooldown between cures I figured it would have been easy to cast blind, paralyze, etc in between. However, I was often met with the error "You cannot cast spells at this time" and had to reselect them from the menu which wasted valuable spam healing time! I felt like I wasn't pulling my weight in the group Is there a good way to avoid this or something I will get used to with time? Or should I just accept that I suck and go back to soloing?

[DakAttack]

Re: Some Questions from a soon-to-be player

Thanks for your responses they were a lot of help.

I do have a few more questions (if you don't mind) after having played for a few days now:

1. Is there any kind of mod that will allow me to have hot keys (like other MMOs) rather than using the menu option? I am aware of the macro system but would rather have something visible all the time that I could just click. I hope this is appropriate (I'm not looking to cheat or anything)

2. I have been having issues with casting, mainly because of the awkward menu system. Is there a good rule of thumb to know when you can begin casting a 2nd spell (different spell) after the first goes off?

I joined my first party today and was main (and only) healer (as a red mage at level 12 with only cure I *cries*). I found it extremely difficult to both cure and enfeeble the mob. I basically had to spam cures to keep up our tank. (are thieves tanks?) With the 5 sec
cooldown between cures I figured it would have been easy to cast blind, paralyze, etc in between. However, I was often met with the error "You cannot cast spells at this time" and had to reselect them from the menu which wasted valuable spam healing time! I felt like I wasn't pulling my weight in the group Is there a good way to avoid this or something I will get used to with time? Or should I just accept that I suck and go back to soloing?

1) No mods, at all.

Macros will help streamline your most used actions. You can find the macro menu within the second main menu, and you set them up line for line:

/ma "Cure" <t> (For your target)

/ma "Protectra" <me> (For yourself)

/ma "Dia" <bt> (for your battle target, current red target)

/target <bt> (to easily target what was pulled)

/ma is for Magic
/ja is for Job Abilities
/ws is for Weapon Skills

/wait 1-60 to space your abilities out
/recast "Cure" to check the recast timer

Always put the name of the spell or ability in quotations

You can start casting a few seconds after you've finished casting.

You can use F1-F6 to easily target party members


And that's, that in a wrap!

[Jei]

Re: Some Questions from a soon-to-be player

3. Community: I live in New Zealand meaning my primetime will be closer to Japan than the US or UK, I was just wondering:

a.) How well does the auto-translator work? Will I be able to communicate successfully with Japanese players? Do people bother to use it?

I think this can be a little difficult. When searching for party members it also shows the language preference of every players seeking. And being the only english among the sea of japanese, it's possible you'll be left out sometimes. But it might not be too bad for mages, especially if you're Rdm, you are very much required in most groups.

1. Is there any kind of mod that will allow me to have hot keys (like other MMOs) rather than using the menu option? I am aware of the macro system but would rather have something visible all the time that I could just click. I hope this is appropriate (I'm not looking to cheat or anything)

2. I have been having issues with casting, mainly because of the awkward menu system. Is there a good rule of thumb to know when you can begin casting a 2nd spell (different spell) after the first goes off?

These 2 questions have the same answer I guess. Is to make macro.
FFXI is *very* macro driven.
Check out this thread, a long duscussion about macro for Redmages.
http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/red...dm-macros.html

if you look around Blm and Whm forum you'll also find more macro threads.

[Mhurron]

Re: Some Questions from a soon-to-be player

2. I have been having issues with casting, mainly because of the awkward menu system. Is there a good rule of thumb to know when you can begin casting a 2nd spell (different spell) after the first goes off?

You rarely want to be casting one spell right after another.

I joined my first party today and was main (and only) healer (as a red mage at level 12 with only cure I *cries*). I found it extremely difficult to both cure and enfeeble the mob. I basically had to spam cures to keep up our tank. (are thieves tanks?) With the 5 sec cooldown between cures I figured it would have been easy to cast blind, paralyze, etc in between. However, I was often met with the error "You cannot cast spells at this time" and had to reselect them from the menu which wasted valuable spam healing time! I felt like I wasn't pulling my weight in the group Is there a good way to avoid this or something I will get used to with time? Or should I just accept that I suck and go back to soloing?

Cure I is the cure you'll be using the most until much later. You don't have to keep everyone fully healed, just alive enough that the mob is not goig to kill party members in one shot. Untill you get the hang of things, when you main heal, you will have troubles main healing and fully enfeebling a mob at the same time. For now when you're main healing, if you can cast Dia right near the start of a battle and throw out a Paralyze or two as needed your doing good. You will eventually get a feel for timing your spells.

[JennifARGH]

Re: Some Questions from a soon-to-be player

c.) Is there a large oceanic community to make up for this?

On the Ramuh server, I've come across 5 other Australians, no New Zealanders, PNG, Indonesians, etc, so there's not a huge Oceanic community. It doesn't really matter if you're concerned about looking for a party; there will always be 2000~4000 players on your server at any time. (Just brush up on some simple Japanese and you'll be fine!)