Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

[Melody]

I've run into a problem. I got FFXI off steam, I've had it for quite some time. Just haven't bothered with the transition to the PC via my Xbox. Is the PC version worth it? I've heard about it and the only reason why I'd want it is to post screenshots of myself doing silly things in-game. If anyone would like to give me a clear run down on the differences or the pro's and con's of PC Versus Xbox that'd be nice. I also hear that PC has a variety of 3rd party tools used to help keep track of in game days such as the weathers and boat times, stuff like that. From what I've also seen you can edit the .dat files to whatever you want and switch up the game for a more comfortable feel, it's just my hands are used to a controller, but I wouldn't mind trying out the PC version. Is it easier to manage your hotkeys on the PC since I have Controller+Keyboard Combo. I wouldn't mind sitting here late at night and I think it'd be easier on my electric bill, due to a smaller amount of electricity usage. Considering I have to use not only my 360, but my Flat Screen as well, which is quite large and chews up a lot of electricity. My computer is this as follows


Manufacturer:Toshiba
Model: Satellite C655D
Rating is a 2.8
Processor: AMD C-50 1.00 GHz
RAM: 3.00 GB
Operating System: 64-bit OS Windows 7 Home Premium

So can one of you Geek-Squadesque people help me out here if my computer would be able to run XI.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

Pros - You can actually use your 360 for other games or Netflix again.
Cons- Now its harder to play other PC games because you're using it for FFXI.

There's no real inherent advantage between controller and keyboard and mouse here and I'm pretty sure there are options for 360 and Dual shock style controllers. You'd have better luck finding such controllers at a Best Buy than a Gamestop, though. Its usually a cold day in hell when the Gamestop I work at stocks any PC controllers.

What mods end up being useful is mostly subjective. Some people swear by them and others get by just fine on instinct. The only real benefits aside from mods are the higher resolution options and the blessing of being able to turn weather effects off.

Other technical stuff, I couldn't really help you with.

[Raydeus]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

Nice avatar BBQ.


And count a vote for Keyboard onry gameplay. It takes a bit of time to get used to (but not as much as you'd think) and once you have gotten comfy with it there's really no turning back. Just make sure the arrow keys on the right side of your keyboard are as close as possible to the num pad.


PS > If your system can run Windows 7 it can run XI, just don't expect to blaze through it with that processor. But I seriously doubt it will run worse than the Xbox version anyway.

[Icemage]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

For FFXI, the PC version wins hands down over either the PS2 or Xbox 360 version, assuming you can run it.

FFXI does support controller use on PC - for years I used a USB converter for my PS2 Dual Shock 2 to play FFXI, and it works great since the PC version is basically a high-res port of the console version. You don't really get "better" hotkey configurations on PC without 3rd party programs - everything you can hotkey in-game normally on PC can be done in either the 360 or PS2 versions using a USB keyboard.

As for whether your PC will run it, that largely depends on the graphics card in your system. Per Toshiba's spec sheet on that laptop, you're running a ATI® Mobility Radeon™ HD 4250, which is a ho-hum integrated graphics chip that depends heavily on system resources (CPU and memory) to function.

Your best bet is to download the FFXI Vana'diel Benchmark 3 and see what score it gives you:
FINAL FANTASY XI Official Web Site

Any score higher than 1500 or so should indicate performance that should equal or exceed what you're getting out of your Xbox 360.


Icemage

[Melody]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

For FFXI, the PC version wins hands down over either the PS2 or Xbox 360 version, assuming you can run it.

FFXI does support controller use on PC - for years I used a USB converter for my PS2 Dual Shock 2 to play FFXI, and it works great since the PC version is basically a high-res port of the console version. You don't really get "better" hotkey configurations on PC without 3rd party programs - everything you can hotkey in-game normally on PC can be done in either the 360 or PS2 versions using a USB keyboard.


Did it on low resolution scored 1682.

As for whether your PC will run it, that largely depends on the graphics card in your system. Per Toshiba's spec sheet on that laptop, you're running a ATI® Mobility Radeon™ HD 4250, which is a ho-hum integrated graphics chip that depends heavily on system resources (CPU and memory) to function.

Your best bet is to download the FFXI Vana'diel Benchmark 3 and see what score it gives you:
FINAL FANTASY XI Official Web Site

Any score higher than 1500 or so should indicate performance that should equal or exceed what you're getting out of your Xbox 360.


Icemage

I scored 1682 on low resolution. Not sure if that's good, I had a funtastic time lagging through like 6 thousand Taru's on one screen. Other than that, like in the areas where there was a small amount of Taru's no real lag or issues. This is with Skype/MSN running in the background which ate up the CPU memory.

[Raydeus]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

Ouch.

[Melody]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

Not sure if that's bad or good, he said 1500 was 360 quality right? I can run Oblivion on this PC with no problem though.

[Raydeus]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

Nah, that's still better than the Xbox. You'll probably have to tweak some thing here and there to get the best performance, but should be ok.

The ouch was because it's still relatively low. Also, you should still get the trial if it's still available, sadly being able to run other games well doesn't guarantee XI will perform as expected due to it's paleolithic client. For instance back when I was playing I used to get these laggy conflict due to driver incompatibility even though I scored above 5000 or something at the time and could run games like Crysis at at the highest settings.

Either way, while you'll probably have to tweak stuff around to get the best out of your rig you will definitely be better off playing on a PC than on an Xbox.


PS > You'll probably want to reduce the number of characters on screen right away to improve performance. Specially while visiting Jeuno, considering you lagged the most on the taru infested parts of the Bench.

[Feba]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

honestly, the benchmark is fairly useless. Real game situations are so different from it; and it completely lacks an online component (your connection can make a bigger difference than your actual hardware, not to mention times when the servers themselves are overtasked).

Besides, I managed to run FFXI above max specs (as in, max game settings plus resolutions mods) on a GeForce 2 with no major issues. Running FFXI is more a question of how good your drivers are, and it's been like that for the past five years.

Oh, while we're on the subject of graphics improvements mods, DrawDistance; if that hasn't been incorporated into the official client already. it's absolutely insane that SE had such a limited "maximum" draw distance in the default settings as to block clearly intended vistas, like the Castle Vahzl approach.

[Melody]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

I tried out FF XI last night, updated to this morning and I'm running on the PC! :D I'll post a screenshot if someone wishes to show a thread of a possible spot to put up screenshots.

[Janay]

Re: Melody's Problem: PC or Xbox 360

I have FFXI on my laptop, Xbox 360, and PS3 (using the PS2 version).

- For my laptop, I have a PS2 controller and converter, so I play just fine. And I like how I can manage some things, like weather, the amount of people who appear on screen, etc. However, I can't run it smoothly with higher resolution, so the game looks blurry or bad, depending on settings.
- For my Xbox 360, I use a combo of controller and keyboard. I only use the keyboard for chatting, though... Everything else is done on the controller.
- For my PS2/3, I actually hate it. The visuals look like a choppy Wii game, and I can't see names until they are close on me (this is bad for avoiding NMs).

Overall, I am more pleased with my 360 version for multiple reasons:
1) Xbox Live Party Chat.
2) Better-looking visuals than the PS2 version.
3) I'm an Achievement whore