Just bought the game, a few questions for those kind enough to answer :)

[rbrock387]

Hi everyone. I want to start by saying I appreciete all the experienced players who come to the part of the board to help us newer players, not everyone does things like that and I feel you are really servicing the community be educating new/soon-to-be players on some of the concepts of the game, rather then having them dive right in clueless.

Let me introduce myself first. My name is Randy and I'm 19 and from the US. I have some amount of MMORPG experience. I started on Everquest but only played that for a few months because it was on a friends account. Currently I have been playing World of Warcraft, I really enjoy playing it but it's getting somewhat repetitive and the community doesn't seem that supportive. I am helping lowbies on a regular basis but no one will help me when I need it It just doesn't seem like there are too many players in the game who want to do anything that's not for themselves. A friend from work was telling me about FFXI, and some of the things he talked about really caught my interest. He talked about how this game was much more community based and it is much more structured than WoW, not through rules set by the creators of the game, but by morals and ethics set by the players. That really interested me. But I'm babbling and I'm sure most of you won't read this. If I plan to be a big part of the community though I figure I should get my foot in the door the right way though. Anyways here is a few of questions I have:

What is the general idea behind this game? In WoW it's raids, PVP and soloing. Is this game any different?

I heard a lot about the storyline in this game, how does that work into the gameplay?

What are some of the commonly used accronyms so I won't be so confused when going through the board.

Is it going to be a major change going from WoW to FFXI or will it be a smooth transition?

What are the different servers(I think you call them worlds) like? Are they all pretty much the same or are there signifigant differences between them?

Which world/server would you recommend for a player like me?

I appreciet all those who answer these questions and I hope to see you in the game. Catch you later!

[valru]

Re: Just bought the game, a few questions for those kind enough to answer

1. Community Interaction, generally no soloing past level 10
2. Story is very much interlaced, beyond grinding.
4. WoW is the polar opposite of this game
5. Servers are assigned randomly(unless you have a code from a player on a server), all the servers are even pretty much.
check this faq for new players
http://www.ffxionline.com/forums/gen...lz-sticky.html
everything you should know starting out, is in there.

[Jei]

Re: Just bought the game, a few questions for those kind enough to answer

I am helping lowbies on a regular basis but no one will help me when I need it It just doesn't seem like there are too many players in the game who want to do anything that's not for themselves.

hmm that's a really common case in any online game. In FFXI, you will need far more help than WoW to get your stuff. But that applies to everyone else as well. At the end imo it will depends on 2 things: if you have luck meeting good people and 2 if you have made good friends with them.

As my personal experience in FFXI, I should say I am lucky to have made at least 5 *very*good people and have become very close friends with them. We keep contact even outside of the game. I also am in a very friendly LS with at least 20 members I can call for help. We all eventually get to know each other IRL and hang out together too.

So yea, it's both your luck and your interaction combined. Anyway I would say that it's easier to run into helpful people in FFXI. Because, as I say, *everyone* playing FFXI will need help at some point. We all know how frustrating the game can be when you're stuck not being able to progress.

What is the general idea behind this game? In WoW it's raids, PVP and soloing. Is this game any different?
- drain your money.
ok (XD) well that's true for every game I guess lol.
First thing, the game progress slow. 1 month of playing you won't even make it to level 30 if you're completely new. Some players spent a whole year just levelling up to 75.
But don't worry. It is fun. And the game provides you with many other things you can do, not just grinding exp. (can't deny tho that grinding is a huge part still)

Story lines
FFXI is a world with loooooooong history. Just like previous FF, you have lost civilization, lost technology, ancient legends and stuff like that.
There are this thing call "mission" that as you progress through, will reveal you both the history and the current situation that's going on in the world.
And there's not only 1 mission. There are many missions, each intervining each other, kinda like different books you can read seperately but all connect together at some extent.

major change..... the speed. FFXI is like a slow-motion WoW. And no more soloing, no no. Be prepare to log in at least 4-5 hours if you want to exp, you will need all the time to find parties and travel to hunting ground.

servers are pretty much the same. Play where your friends are.

[Bricklayer]

Re: Just bought the game, a few questions for those kind enough to answer

What is the general idea behind this game? In WoW it's raids, PVP and soloing. Is this game any different?

You could focus on a lot of things, including 1) Leveling, 2) Equipment, 3) PvP, 4) Economy, 5) Linkshells, 6) Crafting, 7) Exploring, etc.

What are some of the commonly used accronyms so I won't be so confused when going through the board.

LS = Linkshell
AH = Auction House
WS = Weapon Skill
PT = Party
JA = Job Ability
GS = Gil sellers

Not sure how many acronyms carry over from other games...? You'll learn a lot of acronyms simply by playing.

Is it going to be a major change going from WoW to FFXI or will it be a smooth transition?

Very different experience. I started with FFXI, then moved to WoW, then came back. I would say the major difference is that FFXI is less user-friendly, but much more rewarding. Take crafting, for example. In WoW, you always know which items to craft to skill up, and you never ever lose mats. And, you can only craft things you KNOW how to craft (recipes anyone?) In FFXI, you can, theoretically, craft anything if you know the combination of mats required, i.e. no recipes required. However, if you craft an item that is too high for your level, you will lose your crystal, and you will most likely lose some mats. Leveling crafting is slower, too, because you only get skill for items above your ability, and sometimes skill-ups are few and far between. So, FFXI is more painstaking than WoW.

You will party for most of the game. Unlike WoW, where partying becomes necessary only for instances and elite quests, you will find soloing after level 10 to be fairly agonizing. Positive: people actually form parties regularly, Negative: you may have to wait to get a party -> reach your goals.

What are the different servers(I think you call them worlds) like? Are they all pretty much the same or are there signifigant differences between them?

If you mean, does FFXI distinguish between PvP and PvE servers, then the answer is: No. All servers are exactly the same, except for the people that inhabit them.

Some servers may have different mixtures of players from Japan and the rest of the world. Some may have more active populations, or different economies. I've only been on Ramuh, so I have little perspective to offer in this respect.

Which world/server would you recommend for a player like me?

*shrug* I don't think server will dramatically affect your gameplay. If you have a friend who can give you a world pass, that may be the best way to go.