A little help..

[Andahla]

I've posted here before, asking if FFXI was the game for me, but instead I chose Everquest 2, but kinda regretting it.. I just can't stand it anymore, I have been searching for a MMORPG to be the one, but I'm having an extrodinarily hard time. First was Ragnarok, ok game, but kinda boring.. Lineage 2, boring as well. World of Warcraft was fun, but once you hit 60, all you do is raid for items and once you had the items you needed you would just go to a New "Dungeon" to raid for better items. Guild Wars was a very nice game, but I hate the fact that it wasn't one seamless world, and it just didn't have a lot of content. Then came either Everquest 2 or FFXI, I chose Everquest 2. It was fun, exciting, had tons of content, BUT, the world of Norrath felt small (I like to adventure a lot) and they were seperated into "zones", which made adventuring, feel like.. not adventuring, lol.

Now I have a couple of questions (I have done a lot of searching/reading, but I just feel like I need to ask these quesitons.)

~After being through so many games, I could care less about how hard or easy the leveling is, so as long as its fun. How fun is the combat? (I know that you gotta group in order to level, which is what made Everquest 2 fun) Is the combat fast paced?
~What's the end game content looking like? Is there a lot to do?
~Is the world one seamless world? Or is it seperated into different zones where you gotta load up like EQ2 and such?

Now, if i were to get the game, would you recommend me the PC version or PS2 version? The reason I ask if because my computer isn't godly or anything, so it might not be able to run FFXI smoothly.
Compuer specs:
P4 2.5Ghz
1GiG of Ram
128MB Nvidia Geforce6200

~Thank You All, and Goodnight.
Andahla

[Atma]

Re: A little help..

~After being through so many games, I could care less about how hard or easy the leveling is, so as long as its fun. How fun is the combat? (I know that you gotta group in order to level, which is what made Everquest 2 fun) Is the combat fast paced?

FFXI has, imho, the most interactive and engaging melee combat system around, with skillchaining and all that fun stuff. Fast paced... No, not so much. It's typically about a monster every minute, minute and a half or so. Monsters you fight are generally FAR stronger then a comparable party.

~What's the end game content looking like? Is there a lot to do?

There's a lot to do at all levels really. XP, crafting, missions, BCNMs, dynamis and limbus at end game, questing..

~Is the world one seamless world? Or is it seperated into different zones where you gotta load up like EQ2 and such?

It is seperated into seperate zones.

Now, if i were to get the game, would you recommend me the PC version or PS2 version? The reason I ask if because my computer isn't godly or anything, so it might not be able to run FFXI smoothly.
Compuer specs:
P4 2.5Ghz
1GiG of Ram
128MB Nvidia Geforce6200

The PS2 version looks like utter crap compared to the PC version, IMHO. I would strongly recommend given the posted specs that you invest in the PC version. There is a benchmarking program at PlayOnline called "VanaBench" that will benchmark your system for the game.

[Andahla]

Re: A little help..

Ah alrighty, thank you. And as for the question about the world thing i might have to rephrase that. When I mean seperated into zones does that mean i will have to "load" a new zone everytime? For example, I'm in a town, i wanna go outside, do i have to "zone" out?

And another thing that has been scaring me is the fact that FFXI has been out for a pretty long time, I'm afraid that if I join now it might be "too late".

[Feenicks]

Re: A little help..

Yes, when you leave town you 'zone out', the screen fades and it loads the next zone. And you pop up in the next zone just outside town.

Also, even though FFXI has been out for a while they just released a new expansion and released on X360, so a ton of new people have joined. Things haven't looked this healthy in a while. FFXI is going nowhere, don't worry, and there are always people levelling lower level jobs so you'll never be alone in your level bracket.

[Matera]

Re: A little help..

Combat is extremely interactive. So much that unless you're fast, you can't go to grab a glass of water until you let everyone know. The truly hardcore pee in a jar duct-taped to their leg. Or a catheter, if they can afford it.

There is indeed a LOT to do endgame. Heck, there's a lot to do even when you start the game. You could very well become a millionaire without levelling for more than 6 hours total. But... You'd need to work hard for a good week or two (Darksteel Mining).

Unfortunately, the world isn't seamless, but the load times are fast.

Atma was right about PC and PS2. It's like comparing a squirrel to a leopard.

FFXI has been out for 4 years soon, and we just had an expansion AND new console join in on the fun. I don't think we're going anywhere any time fast.

As well, I had read an article a while ago that said ~56% of anybody who EVER played is still around. That's the third-best ranking of the sort out of all the RPGs in the world.

[Jei]

Re: A little help..

world of warcraft has seemless world. It's a nice touch to game I agree.

FFXI is pretty huge regardless of the zoning imo

[Slaneyder the Tiny]

Re: A little help..

You have to keep in mind that everyone you'll get input from here is extremely biased. We all play the game because we tried it, fell in love with it, and can't seem to break ourselves away from it. Not that we'd want to, anyway.

At any rate, FFXI can be one of the most intense, fun, exciting, and breathtaking games on the market. The zones are beautifully designed, the players are generally friendly, and the game is challenging enough to hold your attention. It can also be tedious, annoying, boring, and downright mean sometimes.

But the same thing goes for any other MMO out there.

I highly recommend FFXI. It's good stuff.

Hit me up with a PM if you want a World Pass to Carbuncle.

[Icemage]

Re: A little help..

I think FFXI is the most appealing of all the MMORPGs available for the hard-core player who isn't much into PvP. The end-game activities are (generally) a lot of fun and require a lot of teamwork to be successful at, and they have a lot of variety, particularly with the addition of the latest expansion.

While the game is "zoned" in the respect described, there are quite a lot of them, and I don't think you'll have any issues with feeling the world is too small, especially as there are a significant number that you have to work to get access to (and in extreme cases like Limbus, you have to work quite hard indeed, which should satisfy any craving for game difficulty you might require).


Icemage

[Feenicks]

Re: A little help..

Also the zones themselves are gorgeous ... the fact that they're not completely joined together doesn't matter.

[avhmia]

Re: A little help..

FFXI is very rich in content, and there's lots of stuff to do at various levels.

There are literally, hundreds of quests that reveal the stories of people in Vana'diel. They offer rewards like special items, money, access to advanced jobs, and expanded storage.

National Rank Missions - Each of the three starting towns offers a series of unique missions that allow you to advance from a lowly adventurer to a key player in your nation's history and politics.

Ballista & Brenner - FFXI's PvP games, which allow teams to compete with each other for bragging rights.

Burning & Kindred Circles - Challenging battles for 3 to 18 people, which can reward you with vast riches.

Rise of the Zilart & Chains of Promathia Missions - Explore the dark history of Vana'diel in two series of challenging missions that span the globe.

Treasures of Aht Urghan - Become an Imperial Mercenary! :D

Besieged - Part of Treasures of Aht Urghan: Defend the Empire against brutal attacks from murderous beastmen armies.

Dynamis - An alternate world where teams of up to 64 players battle through entrenched beastmen armies.

Limbus - A team-based dungeon-raid type of thing, rewarding very special armor.

HNMs & Gods - FFXI features an array of amazingly powerful monsters that require large teams of skilled players to defeat, for fun and profit!

Crafting - FFXI's crafting system is divided in to several guilds--

• Alchemists (Alchemy) make potions that heal, refresh, provide stealth and speed, as well as producing neat weapons that allow you to enfeeble your enemies.
• Weavers (Clothcrafting) produce cloth garments popular with magic-using classes, from simple robes made of grass cloth, to powerful enchanted items sewn from rare fibers from the far corners of the world.
• Tanners (Leathercrafting) make fine leather armors used primarily by light melee classes. Their wares range from simple, rugged armor made from tanned sheep hides, to rare items crafted from the skins of some of the most fearsome creatures in Vana'diel.
• Smiths (Blacksmithing) produce fine weapons and metal armor favored by tanks and other heavy melee classes. They progress from refining raw ore to producing magestic and beautiful armors made from exotic alloys.
• Goldsmiths (Goldsmithing) are the jewelers of Vana'diel, working with precious metals and stones. Their works range from the practical and mundane, to fine pieces infused with the power of the elements themselves.
• Carpenters (Woodcrafting) produce all manner of furnishings, as well as arrows and bolts used by ranged attackers. From the simplest woods cut from local trees, to rare petrified logs.
• Bone carvers (Bonecrafting) make a wide range of bone jewely and banded armor enjoyed by light melee classes. They can use items from simple bits of bone, to the claws and carapaces of rare and powerful creatures.
• Cooks (Culinarian) create all manner of food and drinks that strengthen their fellow adventurers. Foods can make an adventurer stronger, more enduring, increase their magical power and intelligence, and even heal and restore mana.
• Fishermen (Fishing) harvest their riches from the rivers and oceans of Vana'diel, from common carp that inhabit the local water supplies in towns, to massive legendary fish rarely seen out on the open seas.

H.E.L.M - Harvesting, Excavation, Logging, and Mining: Collect the natural resources of Vana'diel, such as plants used by chefs and weavers; bone parts used by boneworkers; logs used by carpenters; and ores and stones used by Black- and Goldsmiths.

Chocobo Digging - With the help of a trusty Chocobo, you can scour the far ends of Vana'diel in search of rare finds and rich rewards.

All of that is just a sample of stuff you can try your hand at.

[kiffkin]

Re: A little help..

One thing to add to Avhmia's pretty comprehensive post: quests in FFXI aren't just the "go out and kill 20 rats" type. Most of them have stories attatched to them and some have continuing stories throughout several quests or ones which compliment the nation missions. The more quests you do, the more fragments of plot come together. The depth of character that exists in Vana'diel is amazing; nearly everyone has a story to tell.

[Andahla]

Re: A little help..

Ah alrighty, thank you very much all. I think i will try out the game as soon as I come back from vacation.

Until then,
~Farewell
Andahla

[Centurion]

Re: A little help..

one thing i would like to add about missions and quests-

a good many of them have cutscenes, not something that one usually encounters in this type of game. it is something i enjoy a great deal.

[Regenshire]

Re: A little help..

A couple notes. If you start playing FFXI, please note the following:

1) If you start in Bastok, please note it is supposed to look barren and dusty. This does not mean the entire game is ugly. Most people who complain about the graphics start in Bastok.

2) You can tweak your graphics beyond what is available with the FFXI config program by using the registry editor. If you search the forums you should be able to find information on this.

[Andahla]

Re: A little help..

Hm alrighty..

One last question that I just have to ask thats killing me and since I'm just mindlessly walking around in EQ2..

Since there is "zoning" in FFXI, is it a quick load? Is it something that you have to constantly go through like in EQ2?
EDIT: Oh yeah, also I know that in FFXI its probably difficult to find groups depending on your class, but what would you say the average wait time is to get a group on a big server? I had problems with finding a group in Everquest 2 in the later levels since I usually woke up early and then played the whole entire day, but then again I rolled on one of the new "PvP" servers.