Worth Coming Back?

[fairyoracle75]

Re: Worth Coming Back?

I define a ding game as one that is closing servers and even after that they are mostly empty and FFXI is not at that stage. I've been in dying games and FFXI isn't in death throws yet. Its not as popular as is once was but that doesn't make it dead.

Its funny that when the "new and shiny MMO" crowd leave a game suddenly "its dying" in most people's eyes. I still see a lot and play with a lot people every time I log on. When EQ2 came out I remember all of the "FFXI is dying" posts and its still here. Same with AOC and Aion.

To the people who sing the old "you're in denial if you don't think FFXI is dying" you're pessimists and just because everyone else isn't like you doesn't mean you can gloom and doom the rest of us.

[Rostum]

Re: Worth Coming Back?

I think the people saying the game is dying have valid concerns, though I don't think it will die for a long time. When you look at a game that is nearly a decade old and the population dwindling more than ever, you start to have concerns. For most it's just an excuse to move on, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

[Ufgt]

Re: Worth Coming Back?

FFXI will take a long time to die because there's nothing quite like the garbage UI out there. It's so uniquely terrible that people will continue to play it.

I'm sick and tired of the WoW-ified MMOs that are being pushed out, with Aion being no exception. And I anticipated Aion for 4 years.

The MMO genre is so messed up now. You're either WoW or Not-WoW, and the Not-WoW crowd is split into a bazillion different games. MMO market is super-saturated. I'm looking foward to games like Monster Hunter Tri, FFXIV, and White Knight Chronicles because they all seem to break the current MMO mold, giving a unique enough experiece so as to warrant playing them.

I play on Garuda and I still see a fair number of people running around Whitegate and Jeuno, as well as the mid level areas still have parties rolling around. And Garuda is supposed to be a low pop server.

/rant

[Grizzlebeard]

Re: Worth Coming Back?

To the people who sing the old "you're in denial if you don't think FFXI is dying" you're pessimists and just because everyone else isn't like you doesn't mean you can gloom and doom the rest of us.

Not sure how long you've been playing FFXI for so I'll explain it in the simplest way I can. Back in 2003 the population on Fenrir was between 4000-4500 at NA peak times, now I see the population drop as low as 1800 and peak out at 2600. Bear in mind, back in 2003 there were considerably less mules than there are now as well so if anything the current population numbers are artificially inflated. When a server loses over half its population. something that is repeated over all servers, it's safe to say a game is dying. It's not a case of trying to doom and gloom anyone, it's a case of answering the OP's question honestly as opposed to lying to him and letting him make his decision based on incorrect information.

[Neverslip]

Re: Worth Coming Back?

LOL... idk how to make FFxi pretty on my laptop. And I'd rather just log in on 360 than figure that out atm... I still need to buy a wired 360 controller for my laptop cuz I don't like PC controls... and the difference from 18in laptop to 42in and sitting on my couch is worth so much more than a few pixels... imHo FFxi still holds up graphically these days, especially given all the things it does besides.

[Feba]

Re: Worth Coming Back?

When a server loses over half its population. something that is repeated over all servers, it's safe to say a game is dying.

Not really. It's all about how fast the decline is, if it levels off, and if the game stays playable. Just because there's a huge drop-off in subscribers doesn't necessarily mean the game is dying-- just shrinking. The only examples I can think of right now are the KKK and Nazis, but the point is, just because a group's numbers are way down doesn't mean they're going to disappear anytime soon. A small dedicated group can survive for a very long time after the mainstream appeal and popularity has died.

[Grizzlebeard]

Re: Worth Coming Back?

True enough. It's been a gradual decline though and it is continuing to drop. It's a slow leak but a leak all the same.

[fairyoracle75]

Re: Worth Coming Back?

True enough. It's been a gradual decline though and it is continuing to drop. It's a slow leak but a leak all the same.

Declining and shrinking population is part of the normal life-cycle of an MMO but it doesn't mean the game is ready to die. What I'm arguing against is that is seems the majority of the posts I've read, and yours included, seem to sound like you expect FFXI not to be here next year. There's an expectation by some, it seems, that once FFXIV is released suddenly the game will be empty and in my experience with many MMOs is that idea is unrealistic.

Population decline only results in the death of a game when there aren't enough players to fill a server so you can't do any activities. When that happens the admins start closing servers so the small population condenses. More and more servers close as the game dies. FFXI has not had to close any servers which is a very good indication that the decline isn't as great as you believe it is.

FFXI isn't as popular as WOW but its played by a pretty loyal group so I think when it does start to die it will be a long and slow death.

A game that is in the begining stages of death, for instance, is Star Wars Galaxies. I still have friends that play it, I've long since left having gotten everything I want to from the game, and the devs are talkiing about closing from 1-3 servers since the population is so low on them. In prepation of that they've allowed people to transfer their accounts free of charge into healthier servers. When devs are doing those things on FFXI I'll know its dying and so will you. People won't be arguing over it since it will be clear.