Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

[Gman]

Hey guys. I'm really in need of some advice from people who have kept up with the game. First of all, I wouldn't want to come back if I couldn't have my old character back. I didn't delete it, I simply cancelled my content ID. Last time I played was way back in March 2007 on PS2. Now I don't have that PS2 or the game anymore, so I'll have to buy it for Xbox360 or windows, but I have long since forgotten all my account information. I never really planned to come back to this game, but games these days just don't satisfy me, and FFXI still stands as one of my most memorable and enjoyable experiences (even though I'm well aware it will be much different now with a much lower population, much higher level cap, and changes to gameplay mechanics that will probably make my head spin.)

For $15 price of the game, if I decide I don't want to play it, well no big deal, so it's a low risk, high reward venture for me.

Some questions, if someone is kind enough to answer them.

1) Once I buy the game and install it, what do I do first? Do I have to apply for a character reactivation? If so, how do I do that without knowing my account info? All I know is my character's name.

2) Do I get to choose what server I come back to, or will it automatically put me on Shiva (was on Alexander) and charge me to switch?

3) Is there a way I can find out if I can get my character back BEFORE purchasing the game?

Thanks guys. If all goes well, I look forward to playing!

[Squiggs]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

I doubt you'll be able to get your old account back without your information. I don't think they'll take you're word for it. If you do get it back, you will be on the world you were on before. Sending an e-mail, calling, or live chat with customer service should clear all that up.

[Gman]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

I doubt you'll be able to get your old account back without your information. I don't think they'll take you're word for it. If you do get it back, you will be on the world you were on before. Sending an e-mail, calling, or live chat with customer service should clear all that up.

Ok, I should clarify that I would still have my old CC number I used for billing, and of course my email address, etc. I just don't know what my POL ID was, or my password. It's just been too long. Any idea what their customer service number is? I looked on their site and couldn't find it.

Edit: I sent them an email explaining the situation. After 5 years, it's only natural for people to lose that stuff, especially if they never planned on playing again, so hopefully they have an alternate way to help me.

[Squiggs]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

If you have your CC number and e-mail address, you may be in luck. /em crosses fingers

[Gman]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

Ok, all set to go.... got my POL ID back, transferred it over to S-E account, and my characters are there, ready for re-activation. Now the only problem is acquiring the game again lol. Might have overlooked that part. I ran the benchmark on my laptop, and it only scored a 2600 on high settings, so that's out. Looks like xbox 360 will be the way to go for me. Anyone know of a good place to buy it cheap? I'd be looking for the ultimate edition if possible that includes WotG and the Abssea/episodic content like the Shantoto side story. I think Steam has it for digital download, but again, PC is out due to crappy benchmark score.

[Squiggs]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

I think the most recent XBox version was the Vanadiel Collection 2008, and I think it's out of production. But I could be wrong.

[Gman]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

Apparently they made an ultimate edition of the Xbox 360 one, but judging by the prices I'm seeing, it's very rare (going for $90-$180 on most sites). I was going to buy the version that had the main game plus the 3 first expansions, but I realized it was used (can you even register a used copy?) and I wanted the complete collection anyway. Looks like it will have to be PC if I want to play it. Only problem is my laptop is a bit weak. I scored a 2600+ on the benchmark, with Intel I3 2.53Ghz, 6GB DDR3 RAM, but the weak part is in the Intel HD integrated graphics. (wonder if I can upgrade that). Anyway, if I can make that laptop into a gaming one, is Steam my best bet to grab the full version of the game?

[djose]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

Hmm, you can always buy a pc version and run on low settings?
I got the ultimate collection for £17.99 from steam

---------- Post added at 01:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:47 AM ----------

Amazon.com: Final Fantasy XI: Ultimate Collection Abyssea Edition [Download]: Video Games
Save 50% on FINAL FANTASY XI Ultimate Collection - Abyssea Edition on Steam

[Oniwabanshu]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

Your cheapest bet would be to get the pc version as you can get a copy with all expansions and all the add-on for $20 but if you want the xbox version amazon ffxi ultimate 2008 edition has a used copy for about $35 with shipping but you won't have all the add-ons and would have to buy them sperately. I think they have a bundle for all the add-on if i remember correctly though

[Gman]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

Bought the ultimate abyssea edition off steam but the bastards ran out of product keys so now I have to wait until they get more. They must have had a lot of sales this weekend with the price being $9.99.

[geogolem]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

The game is actually on sale for 9.99 on amazon!

Amazon.com: Final Fantasy XI: Ultimate Collection Abyssea Edition [Download]: Video Games

[Gman]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

Interesting. Says the download is 4.3GB. The download from steam was over 8GB for the same package. Is it true that after I get into the game, it will be about a 10GB patch download? Ugh.... this is turning out to be more trouble than its worth.

[geogolem]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

Interesting. Says the download is 4.3GB. The download from steam was over 8GB for the same package. Is it true that after I get into the game, it will be about a 10GB patch download? Ugh.... this is turning out to be more trouble than its worth.

Download the patches from this site and follow the instructions: TehKrizz.net - Your source for FFXI and FFXIV downloads.

If you follow the instructions properly the downloader just thinks that the updates you extracted to the specified location have already been downloaded and continues from there.

I didn't know about this when I installed FF XI but it worked fine for me when installing and updating FFXIV though I don't yet have a subscription to FF XIV so I haven't been able to log-in and play.

[Gman]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

Download the patches from this site and follow the instructions: TehKrizz.net - Your source for FFXI and FFXIV downloads.

If you follow the instructions properly the downloader just thinks that the updates you extracted to the specified location have already been downloaded and continues from there.

I didn't know about this when I installed FF XI but it worked fine for me when installing and updating FFXIV though I don't yet have a subscription to FF XIV so I haven't been able to log-in and play.

Thanks but I'm a complete noob to all of this... when I last played FFXI it was on PS2 5 years ago. This will be my first time playing on PC, and Steam was the only place I could acquire the game (Canada) and it's also my first experience with steam (not a positive one so far - I still don't have my registration key, so I can't even launch the game yet).

[geogolem]

Re: Thinking of playing XI again, but it's been a long time....

I was in the same boat as you, but even worse off, since it was my first time even playing FF XI. I also bought it on Steam (which was my first time even attempting to purchase and play a PC game since the Windows 98 days).

Steam kept giving me an error regarding the license server for a few hours. I e-mailed Steam support regarding the issue but the issue resolved itself before Steam support even got back to me. I guess it just takes a little while for the system to process your order and deliver your license key though the error message provided wasn't very useful. Once you get the license key it then took me about 6 hours to update the game in the POL viewer. After that everything has worked smoothly since and its been just over 1 month.

One other tid bit you might find informative and useful: Once you get the license key through Steam and are able to actually load the game (POL viewer) and update you will need to go through the process of registering for a square enix account and PlayOnline ID. I think I read above you are a returning customer so you might be able to bypass most of that or already have experience with it; however one of the more confusing things regarding buying the game off Steam (or possibly elsewhere) is that you still need to purchase a content ID from square enix and provide your credit card information even though 30 days are included with your steam purchase. I didn't really find this information anywhere but eventually just tried it and it worked. They didn't charge me until after the first month (which is supposed to be included) passed.

I was reluctant to actually buy the game and install it. I really only wanted to try it out since I have been an FF fan and missed FF11/12 and wanted to see what I missed. Once i purchased it and had my initial problem with the Steam license and long updates, I kind of regretted it, declaring it too much trouble; however once I actually got into the game met some people and started playing I was glad I actually decided to try it out. I have really been enjoying it so far.

I'm in Canada too btw: we can still buy things from Amazon.com without problems especially digital content like e-books, software and video games. You just use your regular Canadian credit card etc. Last week Amazon.com had a great deal on, where they were selling (1 per credit card) a 10$ Gift Certificate for 5$. I bought two and now have 20$ amazon.com credit sitting in my account. My cards got charged $5.08CAD for $5US making the exchange/difference somewhat negligable IMO.

You can also order physical items from amazon.com though the shipping/duty charges may kill you and I would reccomend amazon.ca but for digital content you shouldn't have any problems with amazon.com. In retrospect if you had known about the GC deal at amazon.com last week combined with the fact FF XI is now on sale for 9.99 you probably could have ended up getting the game for only about $5. Likewise, if I didn't buy it a month ago I could have also gotten it for the low price of $5. Oh well.

Just to add as well, after the initial hurtles I am quite impressed with Steam. At first with the license issues etc. I felt it was an annoyance but it seems to be quite reliable and robust. I don't have any experience with amazon.com or EA's origin store for games though I have bought a few kindle books from amazon.com.

Also how do you plan on playing the game on your PC? i.e. with mouse/keyboard? I use my dualshock 3 PS3 controller with the motioninjoy drivers. It seems to work really well. I couldn't get it to work with my integrated bluetooth or Microsoft bluetooth dongle, but it worked flawlessly over usb. I then bought a really cheap bluetooth dongle from dealextreme.

Ultra Mini Bluetooth 2.1+EDR USB 2.0 Dongle - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

Its really tiny, cheap and works perfectly with the motioninjoy driver and dualshock 3.