I have to say out of all the MMO's i have played FF online has got to be be one of my favorites. But sadly my friends moved on to different games and though i have tried to play it again its not like the first time i played it through. So now im having a hard time trying to find a game that captures my attention as well as FF did.

what i do like

crafting

lots of customization

grouping

solid graphics that are ecstatically pleasing

lots of things to do in the game other then simply lvl grind

i don't mind pvp but i don't wont to play a game where i'm forced into it ( WOW's battlegrounds are a good example of the kind of pvp I don't mind)

raiding

solid pleasant online community

interesting and diverse classes

challenging game play

pve

what i don't like

forced pvp

boring repetivie combat ( you know the kind of combat where you end up clicking 3 buttons over and over again from lvl 1 to lvl 456748 =(

huge lvl grinds with nothing interesting to break it up in between

bland graphics and character customization (i dont want to look like 34785 other people)

     I dont mind either free to play games or a game that requires a monthly fee.

what i have already tried so please don't sugest =)

WOW

LOTRO

AOC

GW

Atlantica Online

FFxi online (naturally)

     One game that I have yet to try that is tempting is EQ 2. I have seen some other people suggest it to former FF players as well. But the question is how much grouping is there really? Is it grouping to do a quest or grouping to lvl? I dont mind forced grouping to lvl and i actually enjoy it.

     If anyone has some sugestions on a MMO i would greatly appricate it =)

Originally posted by Lamashtu999     

     I have to say out of all the MMO's i have played FF online has got to be be one of my favorites.

     One game that I have yet to try that is tempting is EQ 2. I have seen some other people suggest it to former FF players as well. But the question is how much grouping is there really? Is it grouping to do a quest or grouping to lvl?

I'd have to agree that FFXI is also my all time favorite MMO, and its a one-of-a-kind gem, but sadly nothing else out there is even remotely close.  I too have been searching for a very long time since I stopped playing {dunno why I did...} but anyway I went back to JRPGs on the 360 for now until something gets released thats worth it!

The only MMO {F2P} of recent that I played and kinda liked was 4Story which resembles FFXI, but is more than likely quite a grind and falls into the typical F2P trap...I only got to lvl 9 then got bored of MMOs, and went back to consoles for now!

I also gave EQII a try throughout all of Dec '08; came back for the newest expansion as I hadn't played since launch and my PC at the time could barely run it.  My current one runs it all on maximum so it looked really good, and it was rather fun for awhile.

You say you don't want to just hit the same 3 buttons and look like everyone else, well EQII is also plagued with that problem.  While it does have a ton of lore to delve into which is quite good sometimes and the voice acting is top notch IMO its been adapting to the easy-mode style of play.  About 95% of the overworld and I'd say 25% of the instances are entirely soloable.  You will no doubt solo almost the entire time and when you do come upon the plethora of group quests, most players I ran into never wanted to group and told me to just level until the quest is almost grey then solo it, or just skip it entirely and race to the cap and just raid, then farm AA points to max out your char.

Now don't take this the wrong way...I had fun, but after 1-58 solo it started getting really boring just doing quest after quest after quest of kill x amount of Y, and return to Z, or dumb delivery quests over and over...I couldn't take it anymore.  The collections are great to hunt down...the shinies or glowing ? all over the ground and there are more than you'll ever find and complete.

I'd suggest you get yourself a 360 if you don't already have one and all or several of the great JRPGs and play the waiting game for something else, cause I've been where you are atm, and trust me...nothing comes close too or will satisfy you like FFXI did...

Great 360 JRPGs I highly recommend:

• Lost Odyssey
• Blue Dragon
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope
• Infinite Undiscovery
• Tales of Vesperia
• Last Remnant
• Eternal Sonata
• Enchanted Arms
• Spectral Force III
• Phantasy Star Universe

Other RPGs, some are good, some are blah:

• Fable II
• Mass Effect
• Fallout III
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Two Worlds
• Operation Darkness
• Zoids Assault

Coming out this year:

• Sacred II {May 12th}
• Dragon Age: Origins
• Alpha Protocol
• Divinity II - Ego Draconis

Then of course next year so far:

• Final Fantasy XIII
• End of Eternity
• Mass Effect II

Then of course if you like platformers of pure fun:

• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
• LEGO Indiana Jones Trilogy

...and there are a ton of other good ones out there too, but I'm an RPG junkie and stick to those mostly!

Give the Dungeons & Dragons Online trial a go, has excellent twitch combat (I love being able to move behind scenery and have the arrow hit it and not me through it), massive amount of build options and really good group focused PvE content (no PvP worth mentioning). The things it doesn't have are wide open random spawned areas, noddy collect, kill, deliver quests and the crafting is not up to much.

trust me...nothing comes close too or will satisfy you like FFXI did...

I agree 100%

Yeah I used to play FFXI and since then struggled to find anything to compare. But I believe Aion will be the godsend that we have been waiting for. In the meantime I'm playing Lotro and enjoying it but yes

AION is the game that is bringing back the excitment I felt with FFXI.

I can't agree more. I loved ffxi and remember it fondly with a kind of romaticized nostalgia. I've played guild wars, ddo, wow, aoc, war, and now lotro. None are like ffxi.

I love the group play of ffxi, having to group to level. DDO perhaps does this best out of the games I've played but doesn't have anywhere near the game-depth ffxi does. Like crafting, or end-game content (which I enjoyed). I also enjoyed having reasons to be in low level zones even at level cap, like camping NMs. I like having random NMs also, or special mobs that drop unique loot. The customization of ffxi was amazing as well. By the time you've leveled all your sub classes viable for your main, you're so attached to your character you don't want to leave it.

I'm having fun playing lotro atm (as is my wife, whom I met on ffxi btw ^^) but I don't forsee the attachment to my character that ffxi gave me. I'm looking forward to aion and rapture.

nothing beats FFXI for Oh crap feeling when you get agro. I have always liked how deadly the mobs are in FFXI.

It gives a sense of accomplishment that is sorely lacking in most other MMO's,  as well as the drive to play your best and strive for perfection.

Originally posted by grndzro

nothing beats FFXI for Oh crap feeling when you get agro. I have always liked how deadly the mobs are in FFXI.

It gives a sense of accomplishment that is sorely lacking in most other MMO's,  as well as the drive to play your best and strive for perfection.

I couldnt agree more. I remember running away from mobs in every zone as i leveled dreading getting my ass handed to me. Current mmos lack any kind of dread. I havnt played FFXi since right after Chains came out because of time constraints but man i sure do miss it. Heres to praying that Aion will provide solice for everyone trying to escape the Behemoth that we know as WoW.

---

Originally posted by Lamashtu999

  If anyone has some sugestions on a MMO i would greatly appricate it =)
 

---

Aion has a Chinese beta out now that some former FFXI players are trying and they say they love it. There is some type of way to understand the language through some addon or something.

If you go to the Aion site here, you can see threads regarding it. So far, everyone who played FFXI seems to be having a ball.

I'd skip over there and look around.

EDIT: If this doesn't get you excited as a former FFXI fan, nothing probably will. Nice review. :)

Why not play it again? If nothing beats it, play FF11 again. New content will be coming for that game.

You might want to try EvE, it has alot of what you are looking for, though there is a sort of 'forced' pvp in the fringe zones (well not forced, but you can get pked by others in low LE zones, and you do not have go to those areas).  You might also want to wait for 'Rapture' which is Square Enix's next MMORPG.  Not much is out, and it is probably 12-18 months out, but since you liked FFXI, it might work for you.

While it might not be your cup of tea, if you're looking for a game with a number of non-combat related activities, I would suggest that you at least take a few minutes to read up on Nexon's Mabinogi, which I, personally, have been playing off and on since its launch a year ago, and I've been playing it nonstop for the past six weeks by itself, so it certainly has the ability to stand on its own for at least a little while.

Mabinogi, while it does provide a plethora of solo-content, also has group content that is forced (some dungeons require a minimum of four people in a party as a prerequisite before access is granted). Not to mention that the game does have a storyline that you can follow, although this requires three party members during certain chapters, which is also a bit reminiscent of FFXI.  Granted, the community is absolutely atrocious, so I'd recommend that you try to entice a couple of friends into playing with you. Crafting is also an integral part of this game rather than being an afterthought as it is in other MMOs.

But the only caveat here is that it's also a sandbox type of game where you build your own class via skills, and as a fan of the pre-CU version of Star Wars Galaxies, I find this facet of the game to be highly appealing; however, I realize that this might not be the case with former FFXI players.

In-game time/days of the week have a strong impact on the gameplay itself, just as it does in FFXI. Certain types of travel are only available during specific hours of the day (in-game), and there are different activities, such as crafting or loot drop rates, that are also heavily influenced by the day of the week, which really piqued my interest since I get bored quickly with most themepark games.

You can also fish, farm, own a house, become a cook (you can experiment with recipes in a manner that seems to flow in the same vein as The Sims, which I found to be really enjoyable in contrast to the crafting present in games such as WoW). You also have a second set of levels called "exploration" levels, which really splinters the monotony present in other MMOs by granting you both regular combat xp and exploration xp for completing exploration-related quests, which involved searching for artifacts, sketching dangerous species, using a metal-detector like object known as the "L-rod" to hunt for ancient treasures, and other non-combat related activities. Exploration levels also boost your combat-related stats, so it's beneficial even if you're only concerned with your combat prowess.

Essentially, as I said before, Mabinogi's gameplay certainly deviates from the typical gameplay of most western MMOs, but it also has very cartoonish graphics (e.g. Zelda: The Windwaker) along with a soundtrack that seems to have been ripped from another era. If you can get past the graphics/soundtrack and try to envision yourself playing a PS2-era JRPG, I think that you'll find it to be a highly enjoyable -- even if temporary -- diversion while you wait for another MMO.

While what I'm saying is certainly subjective, a couple of friends of mine who liked FFXI have also really liked Mabinogi, and it reminds all of us of a Japanese console RPG in many ways. But rather than inundating this thread with a dissertation-length post of pablum, I suggest that you simply try it out for yourself and see what you think. It is free, after all, and with the recent expansion (Pioneers of Iria) and the addition of free rebirths, the game has become really enjoyable for me while I wait for something else.  No, it isn't going to satiate your hunger for another game like FFXI in its entirety, but, then again, as others have said, it could be some time before something else will.

Originally posted by Cypt1

Text....

After reading your like review.. I got Hyped for the game, So i went to nexon reg a account and downloaded and updated the client.

So now i was ready to play this promising game.

Login in to the game.....

"Not in your service area"

*facepalm*

So to my suprise its only for the NA. That kinda of sucked... Fucking Nexon.
 

Originally posted by grndzro

nothing beats FFXI for Oh crap feeling when you get agro. I have always liked how deadly the mobs are in FFXI.

It gives a sense of accomplishment that is sorely lacking in most other MMO's,  as well as the drive to play your best and strive for perfection.

I tried the chinese beta of Aion and those critters there, even in the newbie zone, smack you around like you're their b*tch!

So if you are wanting tough critters, amazing graphics and customization, try that one out when it's released.

I believe you played a sorcerer?

Originally posted by tsukts

I believe you played a sorcerer?

Nope, I was playing a scout. I also tried a Priest, and it seemed over powered in the newb zone.

Have you checked under the bed? Sometimes I find stuff I've looked for forever...under the bed. I'm just saying.......

The Chronicles of Spellborn.

If you're US then http://spellborn.acclaim.com/

If you're european then http://tcos.com/en/index.html

Just try it, it's free to download - leave your PC on overnight and the next day you'll know if it's your thing.

Huge customisation of clothing and armour that does not affect stats.

A unique (yes really) combat system, which actually encourages group play.

You get a boost (like a buff)  the longer it is since you died. This is a unique and effective system to make you actually want to avoid death.

Different crafting system.

A very unique look that just seems to get better and better. At the character generation I thought it looked kinda ugly - it's not.

There's just something different about the game, it feels fresh after all the WoW clones I've played recently.

Ok 1st off I have say I grew to hate FFXI. Back in 2003 I picked it and played for 3 months.
Finding a group was a pain, and the time I played didn't help...
So that really turned me off to games that were basically Group only like FFXI.
Don't get me wrong Grouping in the game was fun for awhile... but even that got old, and felt like a grind to me, after a while.
On top of that where the hell where the quests? So to do the quests I needed to grind 1st, then get a group to do them... ugh.
I really don't bad game, just hated that I have to group to do anything...
I didn't like the crafting system, either...
Then WoW hit and I loved it.
Not having to Group to do everything plus quests which lacking from FFXI. Awesome.
4 years later, I kinda bored of WoW, and even I think it's a little to easy for it's own good.
 

I'v been playing the Chinese retail of Aion for a little bit, it's kinda like WoW, quests based and you can solo ok.
(note: you can skip the regular quests but the missions (Story line quests) you have to do... as they unlock stuff for you class)
The mobs are easy enough to solo, but hard enough you would want to group up for...
Cause you get like 2 of them on you, either you're going to die or you need to run. 

If you liked FFXI, and WoW and may like Aion... only issue is the game won't be out in the NA/EU until this Fall.
Even if you like Aion, it really isn't going to replace FFXI.

 

I've only played the FFXI free trial but I loved it too.  If I had been able to find a group for stuff I would still be playing it now.  I was actually prepared to buy all the expansions on the spot.  Alas, I got into the game and ended up hitting a wall where I couldn't really solo but couldn't find a group either.

Now I'm waiting on Aion.  From Aion I'll be moving to The Secret World.

Dungeons and Dragons Online is the ONLY choice if you like Final Fantasy 11 and care for a game that can pose as much challenge as that game.

D&DO is about grouping in 90 % of your gametime, and not grouping in a traditional way..D&DO has some real tough quests to beat, and your group need's to be alert at all times...

the only game for you would be FFXI, sure it feels boring to you know, but of course it does, you played with your friends before

you can't just magically recapture that feeling

apparently group finding has become much less tedious now as well, so... there is that.

I played FFXI, and liked it. So much so that it didn't matter that I was left out of groups because I played the dragoon class.

I had to leave due to financial reasons, and with the economy as shot to hell as it is idk if i can get back T.T

The best feeling I had, the best moment aside from meeting new people(who were not middle-schoolers on sprite), was the feeling, the tingling in my body after the grueling 1-1 fights for avatars. good times ^^

I hope ot return to fill the gaping hole in my heart where that game seems absent

What makes ffxi unique is ( 1 char for all jobs ) which gives :

1) You care about your name(char) reputation

if you keep doing bad things ... everyone will know about youi, and you'll quit sooner or later ( SE messed up this unique feature by implement Server-Transfer ) That's why ffxi community is unique

2) You do not do all quest over and over for all jobs, just your 1st then you done ;p

3) Quest in ffxi for rare/ex reward, which you must do to get it ;-) 

4) Mission is so important to unlock new contents/zones ( sky / sea ... etc ) 

5) lving in ffxi is not really that bad ... I got from 1~ 75 in less than 3 weeks ( brd ftw ;p )

6) PTing can be hard if you new to ffxi, later on, so easy to find pty based on your job tho

7) Your friend in FFXI is your key to victory ... without friends, you are too weak

I love ffxi, but am done with it .... I won't back ... cuz I hate the customer support ... they suck as hell

example: X-Player stole Y-Players Kraken Club, the GM found X-Player Guilty, GM ban X-Player for 3 days, but will never give the item back to Y-Player O.o ~ /goodbye ffxi