Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

[Malacite]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

They already have run out of space, that's why a few updates ago they changed the way updates are applied so that it removes the old files first, then adds the new ones or something like that.

Of course, if SONY hadn't dropped PS2 support the way they did...

[cidbahamut]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

Is it really so terrible to want Final Fantasy XI to outlive the PlayStation 2?

[Murphie]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

Not at all. I hate to see MMOs die. It doesn't actually happen that often, but even though I'm not playing right now, FFXI brought me a lot of enjoyment over the years, and I'd like to see those good times continue for other players.

---------- Post added at 05:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:37 PM ----------

Oh right. Gamestop. You do realize I'm more or less callous to that talk given I hear it fifty times a day?

Stop rubbing sticks together and get some matches if you're going to flame.That wasn't even a burn.

You're hilarious.

[Malacite]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

XI still has some interesting stuff coming up that I'd like to see, such as "The Final Stand", whatever the hell that is

I just found the last update (lv 95 implemented) to be so underwhelming, and the requirements for the 95 Empyreans to be utter, supreme bullshit. That, coupled with the usual nonsense (Thunder V selling for 5~7 million at the time) just drove me away.

But some of the stuff in the pipes now has be intrigued, such as Relic Armor +2. What about AF+2 SE? And Limbus/Nyzule augments? Another 100 floors of Nyzul?

So many cool possibilities. I have to try and balance that with XIV though, as XIV is really starting to pick up at long last. I especially want to finish the story and nab those unique achievements that are only available pre-2.0


SE finally fixed the billing as well, sort of, allowing us to specify exact amounts of Crysta at last. Still waiting for them to find a way to resume direct-billing though. I really don't care for jumping through hoops with a 3rd party, even with paypal.

[Rostum]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

It's not so difficult to think that Square Enix could potentially upgrade the engine running FFXI. The game is basically a PS2 port running under an incredibly old DirectX wrapper. Once that becomes unsupported then it'll stop running on newer OS's sooner than you can say pumpkin.

I'd be interested in seeing what they do with the Vita version, as that uses OpenGL and so they'll be required to do a lot of engine rewriting anyways. If so, then that'd pave the way for future expansion of the game.

In my humble opinion, it's not so much a graphics upgrade that I'm wanting but more expansion on the world of Vana'diel other than just re-skinned zones with some far-out-there story to try and make it seem like a legit move. I want to see other continents of the world, new cultures, and more interesting storylines. If that means dropping PS2 support then I'm totally for it. The game at the moment seems to have a steady user base, but if they were to try and market and cater towards newbie people with engine changes in mind, then they could potentially increase the user base with little financial investment compared to what they're doing with FFXIV.

Also keep in mind many old MMORPG's have since upgraded their tech to keep up with the latest trends and to ensure future expansion be possible - like Eve Online and World of Warcraft.

[Armando]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

I'm not gonna hold my breath but I'd still love to see a Far East expansion that addresses Tenzen's unresolved problems.

[Malacite]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

At the very least;

We still have the Orcish Empire to the North, the Mithran Empire to the South, and the Western Continent as well (which supposedly is Native American-themed, or at least that's what some of the lore & gear implies)


Given what a major let down WotG was towards the end, and the high % of JP users who are still on PS2, I don't see it happening

[Rostum]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

[Ketaru]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

As and MMO expands and remains subscription-based, the endgame or hardcore players will eventually be the majority and the beginner and intermediate levels will dwindle, leaving dead zones and underutilized content.

Endgame and hardcore content are what the players who continue to stay in the game want. It shouldn't be so surprising with FFXI because that's what the history of the game has been all about. The people behind the game have demonstrated time and time again that they do not know how to create compelling low-to-mid level content. Garrison was a huge flop. MMM appealed to a very small minority of the game. People never did Assault missions at a capped level. And let's be serious, nobody went to Sacrarium because they wanted to enjoy the bliss of being level 50 again; they avoided the level capped zones unless they absolutely had to go there.

That's why there was always the big push to get to high levels and why, at one time, job balance discussion centered around what jobs were successful in EXP parties. WHMs and BLMs were always jobs that were successful endgame jobs, but they were viewed as redundant EXP party jobs. Hence, why a lot of job complaints in the past were about why some jobs were not successful in EXP parties. There are still complaints, but the emphasis has shifted to the endgame content instead since EXP is so easy to come by now.

Not to say you're wrong. FFXI will not attract new blood unless you're a new player that has some connections to an already established player who can hold your hand through the leveling process. It does feel a little cheap that there will be no fun to be had until you're at the capped level. Low level EXP parties have all but died except for people that form them simply to experience them. But, before the level cap increase, wasn't that already happening? Did not people just level 2 to 5 main jobs then just sit on those jobs, leaving the game top heavy and lower levels impossible to progress through? That's why they added features like Level Sync and Fields of Valor. But those didn't suddenly make low levels an attractive state to be in. Just tolerable.

Maybe FFXI is dying now. But it was dying to begin with, not because of some recent change, but because of all of the flaws that came before that were never truly corrected. The drop system of the current endgame, Voidwatch, undid everything that actually made Abyssea reasonable and is, in fact, worse than all the endgame that came before it. If an activity is unpopular, they're content to leave it unpopular. Oh, and job balance is still a joke. Just different winners and losers now.

Unless you're a DRK, in which case you will never, ever be a winner.

[Raydeus]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

XI's problem was that it was (still is?) extremely unfriendly towards new players unless they were (still are?) willing to take weeks to learn the game, and most players aren't.

Pretty much everyone I knew in game in my days as a noob was only playing because they were either big Final Fantasy fans or had someone else (who was a fan of the series) taking the time to show them the ropes.

And for a time it was good.

But then people started quitting once the novelty wore off and SE didn't ease the requirements to get things done. Note I'm not implying making the game easier, just not as rigid when it came to completing missions and quests. The impossibility to complete things in a less traumatizing way drove way too much people away from the game.

After that, well I've told the same story many times before (like a proper old hume), so yeah. The rest is history.

[Armando]

Re: Dropping PlayStation 2 Support

But then people started quitting once the novelty wore off and SE didn't ease the requirements to get things done. Note I'm not implying making the game easier, just not as rigid when it came to completing missions and quests. The impossibility to complete things in a less traumatizing way drove way too much people away from the game.

Pretty much everyone from school that started the game shortly after me in 2004 quit because we couldn't do anything together. Having Level Sync from the start would've done the game a world of good.