Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

[Deci]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

coming back to FFXI is always fun. sometimes a break is all you need^^ i know when i quit i never planned to play again, but here i am lol

[teakbois]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

This is a con?

Some of your con's and pro's are pretty uh.. dumb. "Seeing Warcraft in 3d" isn't a good thing and isn't a bad thing... thats like saying "Sky is blue", which is just awesome I'm sure, but its pretty obvious. Play with mouse is barely a good reason, and you didn't even list FFXI can be played with a controller. I don't know what is the deal with your camera, but i've never seen for myself a 'slow' view with a 'mind of its own'. The only time I could imagine this happening is when you park yourself against a solid wall. You might want to check your computer if it can run FFXI correctly. A person with level 13 RDM shouldn't be listing the pro's and con's of FFXI.

Coming from EQ and WoW I can see where he gets the camera issues from. In WoW I rarely, if ever, had to adjust the camera. In FFXI I have to toy with it here and there (playing in 1st person isnt bad, 3rd person view is what needs work).

And I think the play with a mouse pro is really more of a pro of WoW being a very, very good UI. Which on top of that is customizable. FFXI's UI was designed to work with a controller though which is why its not as flexible.

IMO most of the rest of his pros are really cons. Very easy to reach max level means its a lot less of an accomplishment. The fact classes can get by with just 1 or 2 moves would be a con if it werent ultimately false for many classes. And the easy to level tradeskills are a mixed bag. Its nice to be able to level your tradeskill and wear the items you make in many cases, but again its just not a big accomplishment to get any tradeskill to max skill.

Also IMO many of his Cons are actually Pros...

particularly
-Unfinished game, Blizzard mentions all these "new features" coming, which basically means we are playing an unfinished game while they plunder our credit cards to pay for finishing an undeveloped game, yay

The fact that blizzard is expanding the game at a VERY fast pace compared to other MMOs is impressive. Yeah they skimped on some things that were expected to be in the original version, but they are more than making up for it. If you add up all the free updates wow has done over the course of a year (not even) it amounts to really getting a free expansion.

But none of this means the poster is wrong in his pro/con list, just different people value things in different ways.

In the long run they are two completely different games and both have proven to be very popular. Both are worth at least trying so you can make your own decisions...

[Blood Red Poet]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

All MMORPGs are like that. They add a lot of updates worthy of expansion packs. That is what justifys the monthly cost.

[DakAttack]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

The fact that blizzard is expanding the game at a VERY fast pace compared to other MMOs is impressive. Yeah they skimped on some things that were expected to be in the original version, but they are more than making up for it. If you add up all the free updates wow has done over the course of a year (not even) it amounts to really getting a free expansion.

They aren't really expanding it. They've limited themselves to two islands thus far, with no real lead in to add extra content or areas. All they do is add more dungeons and more equipment, and more "raid encounters." Maybe they'll expand the world to more islands, but knowing Blizzard they'll attempt to make what content they're adding seem better than it is, or pretend it was so hard to make it.

I'm continuously surprised by what we get from major updates and expansions in FFXI.

[teakbois]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

3 battle grounds and at least a half dozen instances, plus a lot of new quests in various different areas...things like the arena and fishing events in STV are nice touches too.

This completely blows away all the free content that EQ has seen in 6 years, and in about 1/8 the time.

That said, the upcoming expansion is definitely make it or break it for WoW. Because of what is a small world to begin with, and the fact that the level cap is easy to reach AND theres no charcter advancement past that, the expansion needs to add a good deal of areas to explore and some kind of charcter advancement of some sort. It could really stand some new classes too as 9 is a fairly low amount for a MMORPG. Basically it needs a Luclin sized expansion. Luclin added a new class, new race, tons of new zones GOOD FOR ALL LEVELS (this is key for WoW), and if memory serves AA was also introduced in Luclin as well.

That said, i dont see myself going back to WoW no matter what. If I wanted a PvP game id go play DAoC. IF I want PvE Ill be in FFXI or EQ. It seems WoW is trying hard to cover both aspects but comes up short in both cases.

[DakAttack]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

I updated the first page with something extra.

[Blood Red Poet]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

You should write "A lot more" for the WoW con's...

[Nilo]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

i dont know about it

[Caspian]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

Pretty interesting Imp, who wrote it? It can also be taken to more than video games and posed as a question of whether or not people are willing to take risks. The greater the risk the greater the reward, though that is a question for another forum.
I cant say anything for the mind-numbingness of WoW seeing how I've never played it, but when I do occasionally zone out playing rng, I do find I dont play quite as optimally as I do when I'm paying attention. Sure ctrl+d is easy enough. But I find myself planning ahead with a SC > Barrage > WS, that I usually forget about when I'm on the phone or watching tv while I play. Now, a job like war/mnk? I usually pay attention enough to voke when I need to and hit the SC, other than that, I'm usually watching a movie while I play.
I suppose its part of why Myst is such a fun game to me....atleast the first time around.

[Fandyien]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

Hmm. You see, WoW has four end-game instances that require 20-40 people, and no overarching story arc. I'm considering coming back to FFXI; in fact, the only thing keeping my WoW account active and my XI disks dusty is the class hatred and economy issues.

WoW is something you don't have to 'commit' to, in a sense. It's extraordinarily fun - more so then FFXI, even - for about three to six months. After that, it gets boring. FFXI, on the other hand, is a social endeavor that rewards teamwork and punishes (harshly) very small mistakes.

I would say this, after having played both games-

FFXI: Pros
- Legitimately rewarding. When you level up in FFXI, you feel good. You feel as if you've commited time and energy to something worthwhile.
- Absurd amounts of content. I mean, I'm honestly intimidated by the amount of things to do in FFXI; it's a game that could absolutely keep someone's attention for years.
- I like the graphics. FFXI has a very unique visual style, and I think it's charming and an interested break from the general tedium provided by more uniform visuals in MMORPGs.
- Friendships. While it may not be part of the actual mechanics of the game, you're going to end your FFXI career with people you legitimately consider friends- not so with WoW. Beleive you me, FFXI builds trusting internet friendships, and WoW has piles of ninjas and jerks.

FFXI: Cons
- "I need six more hours to level! C'mon, my homework can wait, almost level 20!" An extraordinarily slow leveling treadmill. Even if the time spent is enjoyed, that doesn't make it take any less time- FFXI is a time consuming game.
- Economy: The economies are ubiquitously fucked up on every server. It's the worst economic situation in any MMO.

WoW: Pros
- Also has a unique visual style. There are some seriously cool moments in WoW.
- Fast leveling speed, low pressure environment. You can level up in about an hour, quests are fairly fun and easy, and theres very little pressure to play the 'right' class, or have the 'right' equipment.
- PvP is fucking amazing. BGs may get stale after a while, but open-world PvP never gets old. It's one of the most thrilling WoW aspects.
- Customized racial mounts. Your own raptor > rented chocobo.
- Soloability. If you can't find a group, you can solo for a while; not so in XI.

WoW: Cons
- Player community. While it's really not that terrible, it is worse then FFXI, especially on PvP servers. When you've got as many people playing one game as there are in WoW, the douchenozzle rate almost doubles.
- PvP system. The PvP system is mediocre right now; the honor system is inventive and (in the beginning, anyway) fun, but eventually it turns into a rather pathetic grind to reach X rank to get X armor.
- Serious problems with immersion. 90% of the time, WoW doesn't make you feel like you're a brave adventurer in a fantastic world. Theres an indefinable quality about it that makes it feel more plastic than FFXI. Of course, thats subjective, so take my opinion as you will.


Right now, I'm playing WoW. However, my interest is dwindling, and I have plenty of fond memories regarding FFXI, and my interest is most certainly rekindled.

I'll most likely lurk about for a while, and then purchase it rashly, and hopefully stick with it this time.

[DakAttack]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

I have to contest most of your WoW pros, sorry. =/

Do you mean seriously cool moments in WoW pertaining to the visuals? I never really saw anything breathtaking or anything that would require me to take a screenshot. The skies would turn sunset before the sun had actually set, the same textures were reused even in regions that had no geographical ties, everything had a low budget quality to it.

Fast leveling is right which I see as a pro as well, but it sort of works against itself. Honestly the class selection was weak, in fact I sampled all jobs to 20 within two days and it felt like a joke. They took the most basic concepts of job classes and cranked out one class each. It's okay to have more than one job that deals damage, or more than one job that tanks. The talent trees were like cheap booze, ineffective and stale after five minutes.

I found PvP quite lame. It was basically centered around certain jobs while others were massive failures. Let's take warrior for example, the "ultimate toe to toe fighter" really sucked at PvP. Ultimate fighter nothing, you're bound or sheeped over half the time. You have to spec Arms so you can get an MS off on somebody because that's really the only chance you get. Mages were gods in PvP, while Rogue and Shaman also did well. Most of the other jobs were just fodder.

Racial mounts were retarded. -_- Let's sit back and imagine in our heads an undead priest riding around on a raptor killing people in one hit. Are we done? Can we tell what was wrong with that picture? Well it wasn't just the raptor. It would make sense that different groups might ride different mounts, but what's stopping a human from taming a raptor and riding it? Why can't I ride that giant tauren pack mule that I actually lead around in one quest? How did I just pull my horse out of a tiny cage and stuff it back in? Chocobos are universal, everybody can ride one.

Also, WoW community really is that bad. -_- Just check their official forums and others.

Please feel free to contest back. :|

[Fandyien]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

I can certainly see what you're saying. Most of these are entirely relative opinions that would be rather pointless to debate, but I can concede regarding PvP. However, in WoW's current state, the classes are actually balanced fairly well; of course, now that guilds are farming the epic instances, a lot of PvP comes down almost entirely to gear.

A mediocre warrior who's gotten an entire set of tier 2 epic items will incinerate an amazing warrior who's using green items. It's rather sad, really. Classes, though, are slowly crawling towards balance. The class balance has gone through a lot of positive changes, but WoW's end-game is almost entirely devoted to grinding instances for phat lewt to pwn n00bs in PvP.

Also, the mounts thing is something I really like. Owning your own mount is efficient, flavorful, and neat. The racial mounts are all tailored towards their races; I mean, a troll on a raptor fits with the games lore and visual style. And, I suppose, from a lore standpoint, an undead on a raptor could make sense- I mean, in order to obtain another races mount, you have to do a great deal of work to acheive the required status.

And when you consider World of Warcraft's community, don't just look at the forums. When you have that many people playing a game, there are bound to be heaps of jerks. Of course, on the other hand, there are also lots of engaging, fun, kind players. Sadly, the ratio of jerk to good player is like 6:1, and theres very little respect when the entire game can be completed in two months.

I don't want to advocate WoW this entire time. I think that WoW is lacking the 'soul' FFXI seems to have; the real feelings of friendship and accomplishment.

[Blood Red Poet]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

I think that WoW is lacking the 'soul' FFXI seems to have; the real feelings of friendship and accomplishment.

Thats the key point in this dicussion and forever more.

[Fandyien]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

That's why I have really fond memories of reading this webpage eagerly every day before the game was out in America, and of my first days in Windurst.

I don't really have any fond memories of WoW. I just remember rerolling a lot due to lack of satisfaction with any character.

[vilencia]

Re: Thinking of quitting WoW for FFXI? Check here.

I'm continuously surprised by what we get from major updates and expansions in FFXI.

Chains of promethia... hmm... I think that added like 3 areas for 30bucks? Not exactly worth it. I'm waiting on this new expansion pack to see what it offers before I personally decide to come back. WoW hasn't died out yet but I can see it happening soon. I actually have memories of FFXI, and some good times with online people. WoW, well I can't say the same for it.