What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

[Taskmage]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

My post was a quick few points answering the OP in my opinion after having played most of the big MMOGs out there. Personally, I think it is a top rated MMOG. After WoW, it's right up there and beats EQ, EQ2, and Vanguard subs combined. That said, there are many things they could do to improve their market share which includes enticing existing gamers from other MMOGs as well as pulling in new blood. One of their glaring issues is their piss poor CS and dev feedback with the players. Despite all their faults at least there is regular communication between players and developers in games like WoW, EQ, EQ2 etc. While these might yield no results or in some cases unfavourable ones it still gives the player some line of communication. With S-E we get the annual non-commital responses to questions interspersed with what they strategically decide to dripfeed the players about the next expansion.
As to the whole PS2 issue, I'd ask two questions:
1) Would you still like to be playing FFXI in another five or ten year's time?
2) Do you think it would still be acceptable for a game competing for subscriptions in 5 or 10 year's time to be using a 10/15 year old console as its limiting factor?

I agree with Grizzlebeard, and that doesn't happen a lot.

As to the questions I'd say no. Honestly, FFXI has a lot of baggage even discounting the limitations of the PS2. There's a lot of stuff that could stand to be improved such as the linkshell system that are just too ingrained into the architecture to make significant adjustments to, as I understand it. I don't know what all else falls suffers from that problem but I'm sure there are things. Then there's SE's understandable unwillingness to obsolete old content, even when that content is flawed and arguably detrimental to the game, such as kings.

As much as it would hurt to leave behind all the progress bars I've been filling up in FFXI, in 5-10 years I would rather be playing a new MMO made by SE using the lessons they learned in creating FFXI, and I hope one of those lessons will be to design with enough modularity that the lesser-powered platforms won't hold the higher-powered ones back where they don't have to.

[Rain_Blade]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

1) Major Graphics update

2) Some kind of plan to help the PS2 users who will be phased out shortly due to lack of PS3 support and older models of PS2 hardware problems.

3) How about some decent music for the areas that have none?

4) Find some way around the PS2 limitations that won't piss people off? (If at all possible. Wishfull thinking I know but it had to be said)

Although I am using a laptop, I like #2 and #4. I don't think anyone would like setbacks that prevent the game from being more enjoyable.

Example: People want new races, but SE cannot put them in due to PS2's lack of memory. However, imo, I'm ok with the races we have now, but I'm not saying I'd reject the implement of new races.

[Malacite]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

The problem is SE is being a stickler about keeping the game the same across each platform, while at the same time failing to realize that PS2 support (and even PS3 unless you own a 60 GB Model which is also discontinued) is going to crap out anyway in the near future.

So why not just focus on the next gen/PC systems and make it attractive to change platforms and upgrade the game.

[wrongfeifong]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

FFXI can't increase its population anymore...Give it few more years it might turn out like everquest or even asheron's call. (where they stop expansion)

Now the real question is... will SE extend the life of FFXI instead.

1. Make FFXI 15 ONLINE! (the ability to import all FFXI character into their future counterpart.) as the story will set somewhat in the distant future of vanadiel.

or

2. Instead of continue FF series... its time for SE to make "Square Online" where a world of every game made by SE will be feature all together online =.=

of course, i really want to see Sercet of mana online more =.= or even suikoden online (too bad)

[Feba]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

everquest or even asheron's call. (where they stop expansion)

excuse me, what universe do you live in?

[tdh]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

As to the whole PS2 issue, I'd ask two questions:

1) Would you still like to be playing FFXI in another five or ten year's time?
2) Do you think it would still be acceptable for a game competing for subscriptions in 5 or 10 year's time to be using a 10/15 year old console as its limiting factor?

1) Does anybody here think PS2 will still be an option in five or 10 years? But presently, FFXI was a PS2 original game. As somebody already stated nearly 50% of all players are still PS2 players. So, as the #3 MMO you take a huge step backwards if you dump half your fan base.

2) No, it wouldn't be acceptable, nobody would argue and say that it would be. The "graphics whores" of the world would revolt and picket somebody. Bedlam would insue, blah blah blah. But currently moving away from the PS2 is just not an option.

Trust me, a lot of the PS2 players out there, wish they had another option. Only problem is it just might not be an option. I would really like to have an X360~esque version for the PS3. Higher resolution, more processing power so high PC count areas don't cause hardware based lag. A lot of PS2 people have problems with Whitegate because of hardware based lag and not latency.

Eventually PS2 will be phased out, but it's not going to be this year or next year. When the user base moves to a 70% or higher PC, then the PS2 will phase out and perhaps a change to the look of the game will come about. But again. 3 years down the road.

[Malacite]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

Another good option would be to remove the stupid 56k cap so people like myself with fast connections can actually use them.

But from what I've heard this would interfere with the game's FPS?

[Kailea]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

sadly, if this Sony BS continues... I see FFXI vanishing, when the PS2 and 60GB PS3s are no more, and it will happen one day......unless SE prepares and does something.... get FF to another system (Wii or Mac) and redoes some of the games core coding

[Murphie]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

FFXI can't increase its population anymore...Give it few more years it might turn out like everquest or even asheron's call. (where they stop expansion)

I don't know about AC, but Everquest has another expansion dropping this month (for a grand total of 14).

[Kailea]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

I don't know about AC, but Everquest has another expansion dropping this month (for a grand total of 14).

my god......

[Telera]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

I have options to 'upgrade' FFXI wise, but I refuse to take them.

Seeing two 360's RRoD, I am leery of purchasing one; though I'd like to have it for Oblivion:GotY (so that way if it DOES RRoD I don't have to deal with idiots at XBL telling my they'll fix my licenses.. and then never do.)

My PC has limited HD space and to be quite honest with you, I still like LotRO more than this game, and I'm not taking up its space with FFXI. I'm also not buying any extra space just *for* FFXI. Nor another computer as I hate PC gaming in general and would play LotR on a console were it available.

So if they phase out PS2, I'll be done. Which isn't so bad seeing how we have the potential KotOR MMO sitting out there.

But at the same time, perhaps they never should have gone console with it in the first place. There is really no way to phase it out without risking harm to your subscriber base. But on the same token, you can't keep running this game hampered by the PS2.

[ItazuraNhomango]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

perhaps they never should have gone console with it in the first place.

At the time FFXI came out, there were already many MMORPGs competing for (at the time) limited player interests. IMO, its debut on PS2 was a key factor to its success in S-E's domestic market, as the Japanese players overwhelmingly choose the PS2 version over the PC version (which came out a few months later).

What would have S-E done if not for the warm reception to PS2 version? Well, look at its other MMORPG, and see how quickly the company got rid of it when it was a financial dud?

That could've been FFXI's history, if not for PS2.

[Manatra]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

I agree with Grizzlebeard, and that doesn't happen a lot.
As to the questions I'd say no. Honestly, FFXI has a lot of baggage even discounting the limitations of the PS2. There's a lot of stuff that could stand to be improved such as the linkshell system that are just too ingrained into the architecture to make significant adjustments to, as I understand it. I don't know what all else falls suffers from that problem but I'm sure there are things. Then there's SE's understandable unwillingness to obsolete old content, even when that content is flawed and arguably detrimental to the game, such as kings.
As much as it would hurt to leave behind all the progress bars I've been filling up in FFXI, in 5-10 years I would rather be playing a new MMO made by SE using the lessons they learned in creating FFXI, and I hope one of those lessons will be to design with enough modularity that the lesser-powered platforms won't hold the higher-powered ones back where they don't have to.

Pretty much in agreement here. FFXI, while popular, will never become more popular than World of Warcraft. However if Square makes another MMO and actually learns from the mistakes and problems with FFXI, then they have a very good chance at beating WoW. Though I must admit, SE has a hard time learning at times...

[Telera]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

That is true, Itaz, and that's why I only said 'perhaps.' There are ramifications on both ends. XI may have flopped without the PS2. But now it's being held back by it, in terms of large-scale graphical/storage/racial/etc improvements.

To phase out the PS2 now would piss people off (myself among them). To keep it forever is going to hold the game down. It's one of those 'Damned if you do, damned if you don't' things.

[Malacite]

Re: What do you think FFXI needs to bring it back to a top ranked MMO?

Hard Drive Space is a pretty crappy excuse when $50 or less can get you 160+ GB of space.
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Hard Drive Space is a pretty crappy excuse when $50 or less can get you 160+ GB of space.