I'll have to agree. Although the launch will not be official until next week, I'm thoroughly impressed with the jump from Closed Beta to Open Beta, from Open Beta to Pre-Release, and hopefully they can stay strong and have a solid official launch next week!

I'm thoroughly please.

I don't have a linkshell or anything, wouldn't mind starting one if needed, but I'm looking for some regular adventuring buddies if you'd like to join me! I'm on Istory Server, names Dihn Sahdi.

22 Not asian and played ever MMO under the sun!

I had a "home" like you mentioned in FFXI which dispanded after two years of memorable fun... I'm hope to find that in FFXIV... Anywho good luck in your search and maybe we'll cross paths one day!

Just looking for a small group to adventure with. No huge enormous linkshell with a million players. Just a small slightly RPish group who likes to adventure together, chat, and enjoy one anothers company.

I'm an MMO addict who's been waiting for this game for a long time. So I plan on spending a large number of hours in this game. Soooo a group that'll be online a good bit would be nice ^_^

In FFXI I had a small linkshell of like 12 people, we were very close and played for the first 2 years of FFXI's release and ended up disbanding when we went on to other games. I'd like to try and find that same sort of family style group. Big enough to tackle a challenge but not so huge no one knows each other and your chat screen gets spammed with Chuck Norris, Sex, and Trolling.

Some may be familiar with it I dunno, but we did a lot of "Static" stuff in FFXI, so we were all always together, around the same level. So if someone had something they needed done we all had a job somewhere in the level range... But you were always playing with your same group of friends, and not bouncing around 24/7 with pick up groups.

Oh I'm on the Istory server, character name Dihn Sahdi.

Click2Buy wouldn't take any of my working and valid cards. I ended up having to use the Crysta option anyway. But hopefully I can resolve the issue in the next couple days and get a card linked to my account.

But as far as difference between Beta and Live. I see a great number of differences. 1st, the lag is dramatically reduced. My combat is faster, my mouse is responsive, menu's can be a bit slow still but thats not a huge deal.

And I don't have any mysterious "You killed You" type issues that I had in Beta.

Personally I'm thoroughly satisfied and am glad I wishstood the beta, and don't regret one minute I spent downloading this game or one cent I spent on it.

Maybe I just have better luck, I dunno. But Every MMO I've EVER played took an average of 4-6 hrs to patch the initial download through the patcher. And almost all of them, required me to restart the patcher several times to get it downloaded.

This isn't any worse. I started about 4pm, and I'm a 98.6% and it's 7:30. So, this is actually taking less time than WoW and EQII did when I first purchased them.

What worked for me, I would just restart the patcher several times. Let it sit, if it didn't start within 5-6 minutes, I'd restart it. After 2-3 times it would connect and i'd get a good chunk done.

Actually it just finished as I type so I wish you all the best. Patience :) It'll happen.

I've been waiting for this game for over two years. Patiently waiting and gluttonously lapping up each drop of info they decide to dribble out every couple months. Why? I'm a fan, their series and games clicks with me. My brother will spend $300 on a baseball bat and glove... because it's something he enjoys and he wants to not just have a basic bat and glove but he wants a superior bat and glove with special wood and stitching.

I am buying the collectors editions (Which I have preordered and will be picking up bright and early on Wednesday Morning) and I don't feel it's a waist in the slightest.

It's all a matter of taste and personal preference.

These games are not MMO's. Why? MMO= Massively Multiplayer Online. Although they are Massive and Online they generally are not Multiplayer. Definitly not on the level required to be Massively Multiplayer (Think of how on an MMO even if you aren't directly interacting with all of the players. You're online in the same world as an entire server of people. In most of the Facebook type games you're in your own personal environment that is simply connected to the other personal environments of others.

These are actually part of a newly defined genre "Social Games" although most games are inevitably social, the genre has only recently begun to form a specific heading. Games that are not "massively mutliplayer" but are driven by social goals. These games encourage you to be social with others but rarely offer little in the way of interacting with them. You're simply rewarded for getting someone to pay attention to you.

MMO, No.

Social Game, Yes.

I'm dissapointed in how all this is happening... I was expecting SE to be a little more organized and together about all of this.

Originally posted by lethys

This is basically going to be the same exact game as everything else with some updated graphics.  MMO's are really pissing me off recently.  No unique ideas at all.

have you.. even researched this game?

I will certainly be getting it.

I don't need perfection. Games come with bugs and I accept that as reality. I'm gonna take what they give me and i'm gonna have fun with it. I love SE and their games and I trust them to release a quality product.

I probably will... but not for a while. I'm in no hurry.

Just throwing this out there:

Beta is NOT a preview, and I think its tacky when an MMO uses it as such.

Today, Open Beta boils down to nothing more than a early release for crappy games.  I'll agree that 14-Day Free Trials are a definite must for MMOs, which I'm sure FFXIV will have in time. I definitely don't think it's a "must" to have the free trials at launch, but definitely somewhere between the 6 and 12 month points. But as far as using open beta as a preview... meh not so much.

Originally posted by heartless

These retainer characters that can sell for you when you're offline... Are they going to be like those private shops in most Asian F2P games?

 

If it stays in the spirit of FFXI, then most likely it will simply be a character that can access the Auction House, and has an inventory, and you would leave the character logged in with your Bazaar open while you were afk.

My guess is they are trying to draw a distinct line between the two.

Also to everyone who's complaining the $3 for a Character and $1 for a Retainer is rediculous. FFXI has that philosophy already. It works, no one needs a new character and if you need one bad enough you add an extra $1 to your monthly subscription and you're good to go.

However, times have changed, its newer hardware and bigger budget. Things are more expensive. Most likey they are keeping the same model that is already successful in FFXI giving it a more current price for todays market, but recognizing people are still going to make characters and use them solely for storage and sales. So, they offer a retainer specifically for that to accomodate that.

This isn't some new strategy used to gouge you. It's an existing and successful strategy that they've updated to accomodate both those who wants playable characters and those who want retainers. Hell they could have said $3 for everyone but obviously they kept their current playerbase in mind.

Also, in FFXI you only get 1 character that can do everything because they try and foster a sense of pride and self in your character, they want you  to identify with it and bond. So encouraging people to create and cultivate a single character, creates a mure more fruitful social environment. They've said that FFXIV is going to be much more heavily based on constructing an individual story for your character. So I imagine they are going to attempt to take the 'bond' you have with your avatar to the next level here.

It also effectively multiplies the number of unique hours of gameply by allowing you explore different avenues with the same character instead of forcing you to continueally create a new one.

People who have lvl 80 Mage, 80 Paladin, 80 Priest, 60 Shaman, 60 Warlock... they have no sense of connection with any particular avatar. The jobs are simply tools to help them accomplish their goal.

But when you have a single character thats a 75BLM/75WHM/75RDM/75SMN/75WAR/75PLD the bond you share with that individual avatar, the pride you have in all you've accomplished is so much more!

It's not a popular philosophy and sales strategy, but it's a philosophy that already exists and works for what they want.

@ Cochran1

You're right, I had my main and 3 mules, one in each nation specifically for shoping and storage.

So i don't think it's unreasonable to pay $12.99 + $3 for my mules... instead of forcing me to pay $3 each like everyone when I wouldn't use it. See... they kept their audience in mind here I feel.

It makes me sad to see so many people up in arms against this game. FFXI had a heavy Asian influence, which contributed to it's grindiness. But the game offered a sense of accomplishment. I remember playing FFXI and when you walked around in your AF armor, it was a real bragging right. You either had great friends, a large well rounded linkshell, or a lot of patience. They were not easy, but they said something about your character.

FFXI never did anything to anyone other than provide a high quality game (for its time) to players. It wasn't perfect but it wasn't horrible in the slightest sense of the word.

FFXIV has a high budget, world reknowned designers, extremely experienced teams, and a good track record for producing successful and original gameplay. It is nothing to cry about. If you don't like it you don't like it, simple as that. Stiring up the fan base isn't a flaw in the game, but a flaw in the trolling individuals personality. It's a Bully type trait and their opinion says nothing about the game really, but is intended only to stir up the nest of dedicated fans and get reactions.

We as FFXIV Fans should spend less time attacking these trolls and fueling their fire, and more time spreading the good of the game. FFXI was a GOOD game. It pre-dates wow, catered to an expansive audience, and offered a great deal of fun and enjoyable time to millions. I could share hundreds memories I spent in FFXI that were grand, some frustrating, but the frustration in a sick and twisted way made the rewards just that much sweeter.

I have very high hopes for FFXIV and anyone who attacks it over trivial things such as the ability to jump, have the wrong mentality. MMOs are not Customer Services, they are Entertainment Opportunities. They do not cater to YOU the way a sales clerk or waiter would. They will not accomodate YOUR needs and interests and what YOU feel is important. Not adding jumping isn't lazy, it's simply not needed. End of story. Not every resaurant serves a cherry on top of vanilla ice cream.  It's an extremely popular flair and LOTS of places do it. But why doesn't everyone do it? Because its simply not necessary. Jumping is more than just code. It incorporates animations. Animations require even more programming and time. then on top of that you have to re-evaluate all the zone boundaries. We can't walk past line X but can you jump over it? It's not a simple point and click sort of thing. Why spend money developing a feature that isn't needed? Hell why would you RATHER spend your money on things you don't need, and cry when they choose to spend their time on more important issues... THAT is an interesting question.

Anywho I'm genuinely excited and no amount of trolling will make me feel otherwise.

I think i just wet myself a little.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels the tension building. Hype is accelerating in growth, but the release of genuinely new information is sparce. It's causing the current fans to get stir crazy and the opposing fans to get annoyed by the crazed FFXIV fans.

I imagine the game won't release until late october-november but the tension will people in September. The flamers will be on high, and the defenders will be on their guard ^_^ Grab you're popcorn folks, this game is gonna cause some epic waves I believe.

So I've been reading a forum post here and there, mainly during my break at work and about games I'm anticipating the release for. What I've noticed is there has been a rise in people wanting to make the 1 through blah levels easier and faster ot reach the level cap... But then I ask myself...

What's the point of levels 1 through blah?

Quite personally I think the meaty center of the game gets left behind, and neglected because far to many players rush to the end and then sit there twiddling their thumbs demanding more to do.

I however believe that levels 1 - blah should SLOW DOWN! generally speaking if a game has 60 levels, 1-50 are easy as pie. While 50-60 is a grind fest to hell and back. And that just shouldn't be.

Levels 1 - 4: Quick and simple and should be easily attainable in a single play session. Not just a series of "kill 5 of this then run here" but a general Tutorial to really help players learn the game. An open area with a million people running around really isn't a condusive learning environment.

Levels 5-10: Quick but each level should take a good chunk of play time. You have the basics from the tutorial so put them to work. Quests that really test the players endurance. Not just "kill 5 of this" but a little more involved. Such as a boss that may not kill you quickly, but also takes you a while to kill if you don't use a proper strategy.

Chronicles of Spellborn had a good handle on the tutorial. Each player was taught the mechanics in their own instance before sending them in to run around.

Levels 1 - 10 generally don't take much group effort so whats the point of having them run around mindlessly clicking the Left mouse button and hitting spacebar to watch their Avatar jump from quest giver to quest giver. So I really don't think an optional Tutorial instance or smaller starting zones would kill anyone.

Level 10-50: Each level when really grinding it should come in a single play session. I'm sorry but Quests can be so much more interactive and fun... I won't spill ideas here because it's not the point of the rant but simply putting a million copy and pasted versions of 5 different quests increasing the number of kills needed as the level goes up does not make the game interesting... why not just cut out levels 30-50 and make 20 the cap? it's senseless to fill 20 levels with the same crap different toilet.

Level 50-60: This is where you should reap the rewards of good gameplay between 10 and 50. If you played your cards right you should really be shining here. Not just shining because you are here. . .

I dunno... this rather long rant has a simple point really. Making levels 1 through blah easier and faster isn't an answer. It's a very sad solution... either cut them out and lower the level cap... or fill levels 1 through blah with something...I have ideas.. but who's really listening? hehe...

I remember when I first started, I was standing at the starting point in Port Windurst, and a little TaruTaru, Andle was his name, came running past me and I was like "HEY!... Want to be friends?" and he was like "You new?" I was like "Yeah... lets play together!" and he was like "Ok :)" and we ran out into West Sarutabaruta and we were inseperable for almost 2 years! We made so many friends, and had so many adventures together.

FFXI really did something right.

I've honestly never been more exciting for a game :D