Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

[Jethreal]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

Well they could dicontinue all support for pc's and then console players wouldn't get badgered...j/k...however it's simply a matter of economics and player-base. When there aren't enough people playing on ps2's to pay for the staff needed to support them..they'll dissapear. So if you really want that graphics/space update..buy me a good pc, and then the next guy who plays on a ps2.

I mean think about it:
however many thousands of useres x 12.95/month...

[Murphie]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

It's not my responsibility to keep your hardware up to date though.

[Icemage]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

It's not out of the question to knock out PS2 from the equation at some point in the near future.

Consider:
(1) The PS2 HDD is required to play FFXI on a PS2.
(2) Sony has not sold or supported the HDD attachment since they released the PS2 Slim in November 2004 (over 2 years ago), since the slim version is incompatible with the HDD.
(3) Many PS2 players have shifted away from it to either PC, Xbox 360, or (now in small numbers) PS3.

At some point in time, this hardware will eventually malfunction and will either be difficult or impossible to replace. I can see it making financial sense for Square-Enix to stop supporting the PS2 once its representation amongst the user base drops below 0.1% or so.


Icemage

[eticket109]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

Most MMOs have not undergone significant engine change while keeping their title. ie: Everquest for the most part looks a lot like it did back in 1999, while Everquest II introduced an engine change and a graphical upgrade. Based on that trend, I wouldn't expect any massive graphical changes to FFXI any time soon.

As far as expansions, there are probably quite a few more in the pipeline. UO has had 7 expansions released since it came out in 1998, with another on the way. EQ has had 12 expansions released since it came out in '99 with another coming next month. This May will mark 5 years since FFXI first started so I would expect at least a few more expansions in the next couple of years.

FFXI isn't going anywhere. SE isn't giving up support on it any time soon. The game still makes money, and even with the slight decline in player numbers in the last 6 months, SE hasn't even hinted at server mergers/closures or anything else that hints towards a lack of support.

[little ninja]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

Well if S.E gave more space to store stuff in. Then they would lose all the $$ in extra chars. Right now my Char has 2 75 jobs. The ninja has around 5 different sets of gear i need in certain situations, Then i have a Beastmaster with 2 sets of gear. Then i have the consumables for the jobs. Which now forces me to sitck the CoP gear, An other jobs gear onto my mule..

[Karinya]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

That didn't stop them from introducing furniture storage and mog lockers, or gobbiebags 5 and 6. Don't see *everything* as a conspiracy theory...

Anyway, I don't think players should be required to purchase new hardware just to *continue* playing (which is why I thought the dvd-only release of TAU was a bad idea; all *new* computers have dvd drives, but a lot of people were, and possibly still are, playing on older computers). Expecting new hardware to run new software is one thing, and demanding (expensive!) new hardware just to keep using your old software is quite another.

I wouldn't expect PS2 support if FFXIII was another MMO (not that I think it will be). But I expect it to be maintained for FFXI at least until PS2s no longer make up a significant fraction of the user base, which is going to be a while.

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

It was confirmed in Game Watch months ago that development on the next Final Fantasy XI expansion had begun. Treasures of Aht Urhgan director Kouichi Ogawa is helming the project and claimed that the new expansion will be similar in scope.

Seeing as how most of the Aht Urhgan content planned before the end of 2006 was delayed starting as early as September (we haven't seen Chocobo Races, The Pit, the Coliseum, or the conclusion of the Aht Urhgan story arc), it's unlikely we'll see a new expansion until the end of this year, if not some time into 2008. Personally I wouldn't expect to hear anything about this new expansion until TGS 2007 at the earliest, alongside the announcement of Hiromichi Tanaka's new PS3/Vista MMORPG.

[Raydeus]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

One of the things that really needs to go away is the 56 kbps cap, I can understand SE and many players not wanting to displace the PS2, but is anyone still hogging their phone line with a 56kbps dial up connection?.

Even in a 3rd world country like mine (mx) you don't see dial up anymore.


That along with an emulation engine upgrade would make things so much better.

[Mhurron]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

One of the things that really needs to go away is the 56 kbps cap, I can understand SE and many players not wanting to displace the PS2, but is anyone still hogging their phone line with a 56kbps dial up connection?.
Even in a 3rd world country like mine (mx) you don't see dial up anymore.
That along with an emulation engine upgrade would make things so much better.

Where I currently live, broadband isn't really available. Not everyone lives in a city.

[Murphie]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

It's a shame they can't have an optional graphics engine update for PC, 360 and PS3 users. But I can understand why they wouldn't want to spend the resources on it right now.

Not that I have a problem with the graphics. Certainly better than a lot of MMOs out there.

[Animeangel77]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

what I'm trying to ask is when or if the PS2 users was fased out would they start support for the PS3 users with expantions or will they just stop all Play Station support altogether (were not talking about Dial up) it sounds like theres alot of people that want all the PS2 users to be fased out and where would that leave FFXI if all PS2 users were fased out? I know alot of that still plays on ps2 because they cannot afford a PC, XBox 360, I'm not a hater of any platform of gaming but I play on PS2 and I have a PS3 and I would like to know if the PS2 users were fased out would they start support for PS3 or would I be Out of luck

[Legal Fish]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

Concerning graphics, they really should upgrade textures of older zones. Some of the new zones are just extremely nice looking version of old zones.

[Raydeus]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

Where I currently live, broadband isn't really available. Not everyone lives in a city.

Then move to a city or suffer Besieged lag for the rest of your days!

Seriously though, not even 512kbps DSL? I think in this place most places with Dial up access have DSL too.

It's a shame they can't have an optional graphics engine update for PC, 360 and PS3 users. But I can understand why they wouldn't want to spend the resources on it right now.

Not that I have a problem with the graphics. Certainly better than a lot of MMOs out there.

Oh ya the graphics are better than many "modern" games, I'm more concerned about performance than graphics really.

Things like enabling AA and longer drawing distance, or better texture/p. effects handling would make the game look even better, but it's more about all the CPU overload / GPU lack of use than anything else.

[Mhurron]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

Then move to a city or suffer Besieged lag for the rest of your days!
Seriously though, not even 512kbps DSL? I think in this place most places with Dial up access have DSL too.

Nope, too far from the CO.

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: Do You Think there will be another Expansion for FFXI? If so...

what I'm trying to ask is when or if the PS2 users was fased out would they start support for the PS3 users with expantions or will they just stop all Play Station support altogether (were not talking about Dial up) it sounds like theres alot of people that want all the PS2 users to be fased out and where would that leave FFXI if all PS2 users were fased out? I know alot of that still plays on ps2 because they cannot afford a PC, XBox 360, I'm not a hater of any platform of gaming but I play on PS2 and I have a PS3 and I would like to know if the PS2 users were fased out would they start support for PS3 or would I be Out of luck

It's a good question, but I'd have to say it's very unlikely that Square Enix will ever phase out the PS2 version of the game. All other versions are built upon the PS2 game and most of Japan's player-base still plays on the PS2. It's also unlikely they'll start producing the next expansions on PS3 and not PS2, so for the time being I'd say it's safe to guess they'll keep producing expansions for PS2 so both PS2 and PS3 users can install them.