AzureSkies
Member
Only for PS2/360.
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Final Fantasy XI | OT | Vana'diel Forever
- Thread starter ZetaEpyon
- Start date
Only for PS2/360.
creid
Member
IIRC, most places want your email address and password, but POL wants your username and password? It's either that or vice versa.
Grats! The finished product should be a really great OH. Bekah and I are actually doing Empy's as well. Finishing the second stage of hers today... Dragua done, Ulhadashi almost done... only shitty Chloris remains. We'll wait until the VW campaign to take it to 119, though.
Gentleman Jack
Member
The story is great. It's everywhere too, you get random lore worth watching in something as small as a weapon skill quest.
ShadowSoldier89
Member
this is somewhere FFXI exceeds basically any other game. Its side quests were witcher 3 before witcher 3. Not to say all the objectives are great as there is plenty of fetch stupid shit, but pretty much every quest has a cutscene and lore
AzureSkies
Member
Is the IHOP linkshell still active?
pancakesandsex
Member
Yeah we're still around. Hit us up when you need a pearl. We also have a discord running if anyone wants in on that. Makes it easier to communicate out of game, and we use it for voice chat.
AzureSkies
Member
Thanks for the fast reply! Could I have a PM for the discord link?
Welcome!
Look into Records of Eminence objectives and the Rhapsodies of Vana'diel missions for some guidance on major progress landmarks which should make everything else simpler.
Bartholomuse
Member
Hello everyone, it's me again, from two weeks back. I'm over halfway through my sub, with about 14 days left, and I like to think I've gotten quite a bit done in that time. ( thanks to some great tips from here ofc)
So far I've completed...
Would committing to CoP leave me enough time to try Zilart (I hear people dont really like this / is it worth it?) Aht Urghan, Wings of the Goddess and more. If CoP is too demanding I may save it for a re-sub later on. But I find RoV's story really quite interesting and a fifth trust would be nice. I'd be interested in hearing what you guys consider "essential" content for a fresh lv99 and maybe your own favorite expansions / quests.
I think I'll be focusing on story over gearing / end game, since I'm actually surprised by the quality of the story telling in this game. It's far from the MMO standard I've come to expect. Despite all the research I've been doing I somehow managed to avoid being spoiled about the reveal with the Shadowlord (something people have known since 2002!) the implications kind of shocked me and I'm assuming Rise of Zilart goes deeper into this...
Overall I'm really impressed with FFXI so far, it's always been an oddity for me, as an MMO and a Final Fantasy game, I never really knew if it was a "real" main line entry, but now I rank it squarely with other FF games. The world, the atmosphere, the music, the uncharacteristically well written characters (by FF standards at least) it's like discovering a full FF you never knew existed. Based on my time with FFXIV I assumed this would be a regular MMO which was superficially a FF game, but I'm inclined to think now that it's a regular FF which just happens to have an online focus.
Anyway, I'm rambling now. So, what should be my next step in the game?
So far I've completed...
- LV99 BST
- LV40 NIN
- Full Item level 117 with 119 weapons
- Windhurst Storyline Rank 6
- Rhapsody of Vana'diel Chapter 1
- Max capped unity and sparks and have more gil than I know what to do with
- basic QOL essentials, mount, inventory expansion, etc.
Would committing to CoP leave me enough time to try Zilart (I hear people dont really like this / is it worth it?) Aht Urghan, Wings of the Goddess and more. If CoP is too demanding I may save it for a re-sub later on. But I find RoV's story really quite interesting and a fifth trust would be nice. I'd be interested in hearing what you guys consider "essential" content for a fresh lv99 and maybe your own favorite expansions / quests.
I think I'll be focusing on story over gearing / end game, since I'm actually surprised by the quality of the story telling in this game. It's far from the MMO standard I've come to expect. Despite all the research I've been doing I somehow managed to avoid being spoiled about the reveal with the Shadowlord (something people have known since 2002!) the implications kind of shocked me and I'm assuming Rise of Zilart goes deeper into this...
Overall I'm really impressed with FFXI so far, it's always been an oddity for me, as an MMO and a Final Fantasy game, I never really knew if it was a "real" main line entry, but now I rank it squarely with other FF games. The world, the atmosphere, the music, the uncharacteristically well written characters (by FF standards at least) it's like discovering a full FF you never knew existed. Based on my time with FFXIV I assumed this would be a regular MMO which was superficially a FF game, but I'm inclined to think now that it's a regular FF which just happens to have an online focus.
Anyway, I'm rambling now. So, what should be my next step in the game?
Glad to see you're enjoying it!
Rhapsodies doesn't really demand progress in Zilart IIRC, but there are quite a few story elements common to Zilart and CoP, and they share an ending (the Apocalypse Nigh quest that requires the completion of both), so in a way reaching the real end of CoP involves completing Zilart too.
I'd say focus on CoP, but keep track of your Zilart progress - if at some point advancing in CoP requires a bigger trip than it would take to simply do the next Zilart mission in line, do the Zilart mission, and so on.
It should be interesting seeing some of their common story points developing in parallel now that it's possible to advance the story at your own pace (instead of waiting for months for a chance at getting a party that needs the same mission fights), so the smaller intervals between story scenes should make it easier to connect some story dots along the way - and clearly a lot of the core game was planned with both expansions in mind, as some structures should be able to hint at the common history behind the setting that both help reveal.
Rhapsodies doesn't really demand progress in Zilart IIRC, but there are quite a few story elements common to Zilart and CoP, and they share an ending (the Apocalypse Nigh quest that requires the completion of both), so in a way reaching the real end of CoP involves completing Zilart too.
I'd say focus on CoP, but keep track of your Zilart progress - if at some point advancing in CoP requires a bigger trip than it would take to simply do the next Zilart mission in line, do the Zilart mission, and so on.
It should be interesting seeing some of their common story points developing in parallel now that it's possible to advance the story at your own pace (instead of waiting for months for a chance at getting a party that needs the same mission fights), so the smaller intervals between story scenes should make it easier to connect some story dots along the way - and clearly a lot of the core game was planned with both expansions in mind, as some structures should be able to hint at the common history behind the setting that both help reveal.
Gentleman Jack
Member
Zilart + Chains of Promathia have excellent synergy between their storylines and it's well worth it to try to do both over any of the other missions in the game. If you only have time for one storyline, CoP is probably more rewarding overall.
Do all the stories in order. CoP events are literally started by Zilarth after-match. Zilart is very short too, especially nowadays with teleport everywhere.
Basic storyline, ZM and CoP are all built on the top of another, creating a giant storyline.
You can do Aht Urghan, Wings of the Goddess and Adoulin in any order.
Basic storyline, ZM and CoP are all built on the top of another, creating a giant storyline.
You can do Aht Urghan, Wings of the Goddess and Adoulin in any order.
So I'm going to come back to this after over a decade away. I'll need to but the ultimate collection of course. I already know I don't get a free month if I use my 12 year old character but do I have to create a new play online account too? Or is it just the content id being new that matters? This old account system is so bad.
If you're using your 12 year old character then you have to use the POL account that it's bound to. If you create a new account then your old character won't be available.
Ok so it does sound like if I want the free trial I have to make a new PlayOnline account. I knew as much about using the old play online account with my old character though. Nostalgia has me torn. Would be awesome so play as that old character even if I know it's pointless.
ShadowSoldier89
Member
id be down for this for sure. End game content is more enjoyable when its better encased in the lore anyway, plus things like delve are a full adventure unlike ambuscade, high tier battlefields, and escha NMssCredit to Dew from BG:
Very interesting if true. I am so looking forward to playing the game full time again and ambusade isn't doing itSeekers was so much fun too.
Though I would hope that in a potential delve 2.0 they would do things a little better. Less bulshit unexplainable mechanics, more fun fights. As well as make trash mobs a little more valuable than just a few currency. Dynamis and Limbus especially were great back in the day for how relevant the whole run is. Dynamis got stale in longer runs, but every Limbus run was fun
Credit to Dew from BG:
Very interesting if true. I am so looking forward to playing the game full time again and ambusade isn't doing it
Adding augments to the ambuscade armor could be pretty sweet, although I swear to god if it uses the same materials as the capes...
The 'new areas' part of the rumor seems pretty hard for me to believe, though. Unless we're talking existing area pallet swap new areas.
No clue what they could do to further buff RMEA. Maybe they'll make them easier to make? (I wish)
Gentleman Jack
Member
Oseem pls...
tell me nobody ever gave this guy dark matter for his services.
tell me nobody ever gave this guy dark matter for his services.
ShadowSoldier89
Member
I only finally started getting Reisen gear recently, and only have 3 pieces. This campaign has been proof to never ever toss dark matter at himOseem pls...
tell me nobody ever gave this guy dark matter for his services.
The producer and director of the game will be holding an AMA on /r/ffxi on the 25th:
http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/14929/detail.html
http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/14929/detail.html
$21 through the Square Enix store, guess I'm jumping on this train.
https://store.na.square-enix.com/pr...timate-collection-seekers-edition-pc-download
https://store.na.square-enix.com/pr...timate-collection-seekers-edition-pc-download
This is the only FF I don't own or have played... A part of me held back after he mentioned a few years ago that it was possible FFXI might jump to PS4 or other current-gen systems.
I might try and ask him about that. Would love for Square to make on sub cover both FFXI and FFXIV...
... I may be daydreaming a bit too hard on this, but I only just completed my FF "collection" of all the core numbered games... sans FFXI. And I'm just not a PC player...
Final Fantasy XI is never coming to any console. They're working on a mobile reboot of the game now. Console support for the game is over. Even the PC version will probably close in a few years. If you want to play it, it's now or never.
oh BK you are always so upbeat
I'm not entirely sure about that. It's still a beloved a game, a numbered installment of the series, and Square sunk a lot of work into it to just discard it to the ravages of time like it's a generic Final Fantasy spin-off like a Crystal Chronicles game or something.
I mean, sure the mobile version is being worked on, which is... something... but I do know the producers and developers would certainly like the game to get new life on both PS4 and even Vita.
... You know, I always did wonder... was there any reason it never came to PS3 like it did to Xbox 360?
Gormenghast
Member
I resubscribed for the billionth to this game I've payed for a very long time but never played (I think my record has been reaching level 14).
Of course I'm restarting once again. The last attempt was a couple of years ago, and now the game is playable even in "single player". So I know it's feasible, and it's still the greatest MMO out there when it comes to flavor and content. The time's running out, tho. So I decided to try again before the game will be lost forever.
It's amazing how Square still hates customers and players. FFXI is still the apex of everything clunky. Even making a list of everything objectively wrong with it would be way too long.
For example: servers are global but accounts local. It happens quite frequently (and of course to me as well) that you might have a US or EU account, but then make a purchase on Steam or their own shop. If you use a code that isn't in the same location of your account, it won't work. But okay, that's not SUCH a big deal. The problem this is the error code you get when you try to use the key on an account based on a different location:
"You cannot add expanded services because either the maximum number of service accounts have been added/registered or there are no service accounts to which the expanded services can be added/registered"
And not only this gives NO HINTS about what's wrong, but if you contact customer support they won't have a clue.
This confusion is added on top of a TOTAL MESS of user names, IDs, account codes, SquareEnix account, PlayOnline account and multiple passwords. It's a russian doll maze of accounts within accounts where you get lost FOREVER.
Yesterday I decided to delete "Tetra Master" because there's no way I'll play that. But if you do that, the game won't boot anymore. Just another bullet point to remember.
So I hopped back and forth on this game, yesterday I was trying to reinstall it and once again I was LOST. I couldn't figure out how to log in the damned thing. You get a screen with:
Member name
PlayOnline ID
PlayOnline password
member password
SquareEnix ID
SquareEnix ID password
WTF?!
What is what? And nope. It's not enough, because once you miraculously manage to log in you meet another layer: the USER HANDLE. Even looking just at "names", to play this you need:
member name -> PlayOnline ID -> SquareEnix ID -> Handle name -> character name (finally!)
The log-in mini-game. Just to prove you're smart enough to be worthy of playing FFXI.
So, in so many years Square just didn't do shit to clear this mess. But that's of course just the beginning. Try to install the game. There's this "modern" installer that still makes you go through multiple self-contained installations for all the expansion packs released. It takes a while. But then of course it's not even remotely up to date. (and, it takes THREE times the amount of space, incredibly, because you have to download the compressed files, then the installer decompresses them to a working directory, and installs them, so you have: the original packages, the decompressed package and the actual game install. Three times the work, three times the space, just because Square HATES simplicity)
It can take up to *an hour* just to verify the files and figure out what it needs to be patched. Once you do that it starts downloading the files, INDIVIDUALLY. A few thousands TINY files. That means the process is incredibly slow. It doesn't matter your network speed because every file is just a few hundred bytes, and the client stops and sends a separate request for each. One at a time. It WILL take several hours even if the patch itself is barely 1Gb that you could normally download in 5 minutes or less. But nope, it's not over. Because once it has downloaded those single files, then it has to patch them over. Individually again. And it takes again a long time.
This whole process is INSANE and should have been a relic of a distant past.
They never removed this Flash player log-in thing that is completely USELESS. Every time you want to boot the game you're forced through SLOW LOADING screens, over and over and over, until you finally manage to boot the game.
Was it really that hard to port over the game to a decent engine, clean all this shit and maybe provide an usable interface? Just that could have still kept the game afloat and thriving.
Look at this:
I mean, really. Everything reads as a joke. They see an increase of unauthorized accesses *in 2011*, it's STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. Four years and half later they are still training detectives to reveal this mystery!
It saddens me so much that a game so brilliant has to be BURIED under so much shit and incompetence. For many aspects this is still, by far, the best MMO out there and it would take SO LITTLE EFFORT to improve those key areas Square has always ignored.
They can port old games from other systems, FFXI still runs on DX8, and of course requires a subscription. you need to rely on external programs to play properly in a window and increase clip range and make it look a bit better. Was it really so hard to support that directly in-game? Come on. It would take so little effort, really, and for Square a small investment could produce quite a bit of money.
But nope.
Maybe after two days of fighting with it I'll manage to log in. I hope they'll let me at least pick a server since that too was a mess, requiring special codes that a friend has to purchase in the game. FFXI is a game that hates you and will do all it can to persuade you not to play. It's masochism turned into game.
Of course I'm restarting once again. The last attempt was a couple of years ago, and now the game is playable even in "single player". So I know it's feasible, and it's still the greatest MMO out there when it comes to flavor and content. The time's running out, tho. So I decided to try again before the game will be lost forever.
It's amazing how Square still hates customers and players. FFXI is still the apex of everything clunky. Even making a list of everything objectively wrong with it would be way too long.
For example: servers are global but accounts local. It happens quite frequently (and of course to me as well) that you might have a US or EU account, but then make a purchase on Steam or their own shop. If you use a code that isn't in the same location of your account, it won't work. But okay, that's not SUCH a big deal. The problem this is the error code you get when you try to use the key on an account based on a different location:
"You cannot add expanded services because either the maximum number of service accounts have been added/registered or there are no service accounts to which the expanded services can be added/registered"
And not only this gives NO HINTS about what's wrong, but if you contact customer support they won't have a clue.
This confusion is added on top of a TOTAL MESS of user names, IDs, account codes, SquareEnix account, PlayOnline account and multiple passwords. It's a russian doll maze of accounts within accounts where you get lost FOREVER.
Yesterday I decided to delete "Tetra Master" because there's no way I'll play that. But if you do that, the game won't boot anymore. Just another bullet point to remember.
So I hopped back and forth on this game, yesterday I was trying to reinstall it and once again I was LOST. I couldn't figure out how to log in the damned thing. You get a screen with:
Member name
PlayOnline ID
PlayOnline password
member password
SquareEnix ID
SquareEnix ID password
WTF?!
What is what? And nope. It's not enough, because once you miraculously manage to log in you meet another layer: the USER HANDLE. Even looking just at "names", to play this you need:
member name -> PlayOnline ID -> SquareEnix ID -> Handle name -> character name (finally!)
The log-in mini-game. Just to prove you're smart enough to be worthy of playing FFXI.
So, in so many years Square just didn't do shit to clear this mess. But that's of course just the beginning. Try to install the game. There's this "modern" installer that still makes you go through multiple self-contained installations for all the expansion packs released. It takes a while. But then of course it's not even remotely up to date. (and, it takes THREE times the amount of space, incredibly, because you have to download the compressed files, then the installer decompresses them to a working directory, and installs them, so you have: the original packages, the decompressed package and the actual game install. Three times the work, three times the space, just because Square HATES simplicity)
It can take up to *an hour* just to verify the files and figure out what it needs to be patched. Once you do that it starts downloading the files, INDIVIDUALLY. A few thousands TINY files. That means the process is incredibly slow. It doesn't matter your network speed because every file is just a few hundred bytes, and the client stops and sends a separate request for each. One at a time. It WILL take several hours even if the patch itself is barely 1Gb that you could normally download in 5 minutes or less. But nope, it's not over. Because once it has downloaded those single files, then it has to patch them over. Individually again. And it takes again a long time.
This whole process is INSANE and should have been a relic of a distant past.
They never removed this Flash player log-in thing that is completely USELESS. Every time you want to boot the game you're forced through SLOW LOADING screens, over and over and over, until you finally manage to boot the game.
Was it really that hard to port over the game to a decent engine, clean all this shit and maybe provide an usable interface? Just that could have still kept the game afloat and thriving.
Look at this:
I mean, really. Everything reads as a joke. They see an increase of unauthorized accesses *in 2011*, it's STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. Four years and half later they are still training detectives to reveal this mystery!
It saddens me so much that a game so brilliant has to be BURIED under so much shit and incompetence. For many aspects this is still, by far, the best MMO out there and it would take SO LITTLE EFFORT to improve those key areas Square has always ignored.
They can port old games from other systems, FFXI still runs on DX8, and of course requires a subscription. you need to rely on external programs to play properly in a window and increase clip range and make it look a bit better. Was it really so hard to support that directly in-game? Come on. It would take so little effort, really, and for Square a small investment could produce quite a bit of money.
But nope.
Maybe after two days of fighting with it I'll manage to log in. I hope they'll let me at least pick a server since that too was a mess, requiring special codes that a friend has to purchase in the game. FFXI is a game that hates you and will do all it can to persuade you not to play. It's masochism turned into game.
I suspect people who advocate just leveling to 99 want more bodies to help them out in endgame events - there is A LOT you can do prior to 99, especially on story missions for the nations, Chains of Promathia and Rhapsodies of Vana'diel. You can actually get bonuses in EXP gain for progressing in that.
SilverArrow20XX
Walks in the Light of the Crystal
Well, being 99 with some ilvl gear really opens up the world and allows the world and story to be explored without being stomped by everything you run into. Well, at least that's what it was like when I was leveling when Abyssea was new. Even at 99 before ilvl gear, I was often aggroing and getting killed by those pesky level 100+ mobs scattered around the world. Trusts probably make it a lot more accessible without overleveling, but those things will still crush you.
I like to think I'm realistic.
pancakesandsex
Member
Service account entry as you have guessed.
Let me know if I need to put pearls on the linkshell concierges again this weekend. I havent checked if they got wiped.
Baloonatic
Member
I think I might re-subscribe for a bit and try and do all of the story content that I missed out on. In terms of MMOs this game is still the best with that stuff I think.
Am I crazy for wanting to start a new character though? My highest job was only level 50 or something but it has been so long since I did the early stuff that I feel like starting fresh. Having said that, I kind of want to play as BLU and I remember it taking a while to unlock. Anything changed in that regard?
Am I crazy for wanting to start a new character though? My highest job was only level 50 or something but it has been so long since I did the early stuff that I feel like starting fresh. Having said that, I kind of want to play as BLU and I remember it taking a while to unlock. Anything changed in that regard?
Baloonatic
Member
Yeah, I was thinking about that. Stuff like the chocobo and airship license.
Edit: Oh shit, PlayOnline info. I have no idea.
The Reddit AMA with the FFXI devs is happening right now - or at least the initial gathering of questions is: https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxi/comments/4ulgh1/official_ffxi_developer_ama_with_producer_akihiko/
You can start asking questions to the dev team on reddit
EDIT: BEATEN LIKE A TOO WEAK TO BE WORTHWHILE LAND WORM
EDIT: BEATEN LIKE A TOO WEAK TO BE WORTHWHILE LAND WORM
demented waffle
Member
Decided to come back again lol. POL's/FFXI's updater is so slooow....
I just found about this subtitled video interview with Matsui about XI's post-Rhapsodies era:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHMLvNquyAY
There are some spelling issues, but it's pretty interesting stuff.
And here's a summary of the responses from last night's AMA:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxi/comments/4umtui/post_qa_summary_from_devs/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHMLvNquyAY
There are some spelling issues, but it's pretty interesting stuff.
And here's a summary of the responses from last night's AMA:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ffxi/comments/4umtui/post_qa_summary_from_devs/
Gentleman Jack
Member
They responded to the troll question about whether or not BLU is getting more spells.
