Why is it so scary!?

[Freya]

It seems that at least with most FF fans, the whole transfer to MMO's is a big step. We spend hours and hours and hours in these other worlds by ourselves and just the NPC's. We go to find things and we grind until we're high enough to beat a boss! Yet when we change that over to an MMO's it's scary and most wont go for it.

Why do you think is this?

Do you think that XIV might be able to snatch those FF fans that are big scardey cats?

[Ouch!]

Most people I know will be transferring from FFXI to FFXIV with little hesitation, so I'm not quite sure what you're on about!

[Vermachtnis]

Maybe cause you don't actually own the character in the same way you do offline. If they get rid of the server your character is just gone and there is nothing you can do about it. And you have to put up with other people, gross.

[Del Murder]

Most people I know will be transferring from FFXI to FFXIV with little hesitation, so I'm not quite sure what you're on about!
She means the transfer from playing offline RPGs to online ones.

When FFXI came out I had no interest in ever playing it. I thought, like many people, 'Why make it online? What a waste.' I think the main thing was that I didn't want to play with others in an RPG, something I always considered an individual experience. RPGs focus on story, battle, and character development, and I thought those items would be sacrificed for the sake of 'player interaction'. I was wrong. FFXI is one of the best FFs ever and it didn't lack in any of these departments. It has one of the best uses of the job system (second only to FF Tactics I'd say), a very involving plot if you pay attention to it, and some of the most memorable NPCs (Shantotto is one of my favorite NPCs ever).

Before FFXI most of my multiplayer experience was with fighting games and racers, stuff you just pick up and choose your character/battlefield, then beat on each other. Never anything cooperative. It's hard to transition into a cooperative mindset but it can easily be done, and it doesn't take much from your enjoyment of the game at all. It also really helps to start up the game with a friend who will be by your side from the beginning. I know I definitely would not have stuck with (or even started) FFXI without the companionship of Eleni.

[Freya]

Most people I know will be transferring from FFXI to FFXIV with little hesitation, so I'm not quite sure what you're on about!
She means the transfer from playing offline RPGs to online ones.

Yeah that!

[KentaRawr!]

It's like when Metroid Prime came out. :p

[Rostum]

I always figured it was because kids couldn't convince their parents to pay monthly for a game.

And honestly, when you're talking about a huge company like Square-Enix you really don't have to worry about servers just disappearing. It's been 8 years and still no sign of them shutting it down (they have at least a year or two more worth of content in development).

In either case I look at it this way: I know so many people that pay much more than $15 on games per month that only really give you 12 hours experience with not much replayability. Now I'm not saying don't buy those games because some of them are amazing, but they'd still use the excuse that they don't have the money per month for an MMO.

On the other hand, some people just don't like the general game play of an MMO.

I for one am welcoming the new addition to my addiction that will ruin my life.

[Mo-Nercy]

I'm not scared! I just don't wanna, OKAY!?

On a serious note though, I just don't like to involve myself with online gaming to a large degree. I'm quite anti-social in that respect and I believe gaming should first and foremost be a solo experience. I know this is going to be a mindset that is going to be harder and harder for me to preserve because more and more games have online features these days.

It's not that I don't dig multiplayer. I play a lot of fighting games (albeit, more often in arcades than online). MMOs just carry this implication that you have to devote a lot of your time (and money) to them. And I play games fairly sporadically. Having said that.. FFXIV does look awesome so far. I'm more impressed by it than I was by FFXI when talk about it first started. So who knows? Maybe I'll be seeing you guys. xD

[KentaRawr!]

You'd better or you're never gonna be a banana.

[Jiro]

My internet is bad and I don't like the monthly fee. That's the reason I'm not into MMOs

[NorthernChaosGod]

Games are supposed to end. :colbert:

[Madame Adequate]

For my part, because whilst I absolutely love co-op with a good friend like Barry Manilow, I have serious, crippling difficulty in playing with people I don't know. That's why I've played WoW so much; I can solo. I miss content, but I get enough to enjoy the game a lot.

[Rostum]

Games are supposed to end. :colbert:

Says who?

[Mezlabor]

Maybe cause you don't actually own the character in the same way you do offline. If they get rid of the server your character is just gone and there is nothing you can do about it. And you have to put up with other people, gross.
It's very rare that servers close completely. most major mmos merge servers rather then shut them down and erase your character. Even Ultima online and Everquest are still running a few servers. That being said a few mmos have failed and closed completly. Auto assault, Matrix Online and tabula rasa but it's rare for an mmo to close down completely.
I never minded the shift to online when xi camer out and I am anxiously awaiting XIV

[Mirage]

Good thing FF11 can be considered to have an end then :p.

[Rad Bromance]

Because the game never actually ends and the story ends up taking a back seat to grinding/buying new stuff. The entire reason I play RPGs is for the narrative, getting to the next point to see what happens, and then sitting back and watching the conclusion once I've defeated the big baddie.

If FFXI and FFXIV had a storyline with an ending, I would play them. But that will never happen because the games would lose so much profitability.

[Mezlabor]

XI may have an ongoing story but it has a very good ongoing story. And its by far the most story based MMO on the market. FFXIV will be similair. The story taking a backseat to grinding and getting gear is a choice the player makes.

[Rostum]

Actually, FFXI's stories actually do have endings, and they are probably the best stories in the series. But RPG's aren't all about narrative. It's only recently some have become that.

In any case, if the game play doesn't suit you then there's no need to force yourself to play it. If you've never tried it just because of what people have told you, I'd recommend at least giving FFXIV a go (seems like it's going to be breaking the trend of other MMO's in recent years).

[Quindiana Jones]

The story taking a backseat to grinding and getting gear is a choice the player makes.

That's hardly true in FFXI. You can barely progress in the game world, let alone the story!, unless you grind like a bitch.

[Rostum]

The grind isn't that bad anymore, to be honest. There are many shortcuts that Square have introduced to make it a lot easier. But you still have to remember the generation FFXI comes from is extremely old (older than WoW), so it's unfair to compare anything new to it.

[Loony BoB]

Murd hit the nail on the head for me - it all comes down to whether or not you have someone to start with you. When you're on your own - especially in a game that was released some time ago - it's hard to get your head around the idea of joining parties with strangers and actually enjoying their company. To have a friend to communicate from the get-go means that you can always have someone, and that made the difference for me when I started playing with Danielle and Lev. I'm hoping that when FFXIV is released, we all get onto the same server somehow. :D

[Mezlabor]

You will be able to choose your server in xiv you can choose it now in XI.

[oddler]

I agree that playing from the beginning with someone you know will be a big factor on whether or not I play this game. Maybe it won't be the end-all decision on playing because I've heard that XIV will be much more friendly to solo play but it'd still be nice to go about it with people I know. I like the idea of a dependable static team and knowing each other in real life or previously online would make setting up times to play so much easier.

[Loony BoB]

You will be able to choose your server in xiv you can choose it now in XI.
Yes, but whether or not everyone remembers to get the same server is another story. ;) Hopefully we'll know a few days in advance what the server names are so we can all plan it out here before diving in.

[oddler]

And every single EoFF member that plays should no doubt play on the same server. :up:

[Loony BoB]

Darn tootin'.

[Freya]

I think that's a great idea :D That way right from the get go people can hop in with the eoffers. It wont be as scary that way and it'll all be new to everyone so it wont be like someone is having to waste their time explaining something to you.

[Rostum]

I'd be happy enough to join a server that EoFF is on. My main excitement is that I'll have Australian friends playing this time, so I have someone online during my peak time. That was always a problem with FFXI.

[Mezlabor]

Now the question is how do In convince everyone I know across all the different forums, my linkshell, my ffx friends, and my real friends to get on the same server!

[Rantz]

You could just decide beforehand to go for the 6th server alphabetically or something! ;)

[Levian]

Yeah, we definitely have to make a big deal out of which server we all should choose before everyone is scattered in 20 different servers.

I want to play FFXIV with you all. :colbert:

[Rostum]

Even me?!

[KentaRawr!]

Even me?!

No one wants to play with some midget who tries to block with their face all the time. :mad2:

Edit: You see, the joke is that Paladins block attacks with their face.

[Mezlabor]

Anybody have linkshells for 14 yet?

[Del Murder]

Well that would be hard since the game isn't out yet!

[Mezlabor]

Shells have already formed at a few fansites.

[Jessweeee♪]

It's a different experience. Not necessarily a worse experience, just different. Just because I like A doesn't mean I like B!

The monthly fees are another thing. I won't feel like I'm getting my money's worth if I don't spend enough time playing, and "enough" means "more than I should spend" what with all of the other things I need to be doing. I also have an obligation to keep up with my friends as far as level grinding goes, but that's just me. It puts too much pressure on me to play. That said, I do plan on playing again when I settle into a routine.

[kotora]

I don't play MMOs because there's a monthly fee and because the gameplay is based on grinding over and over again to get that sense of instant accomplishment people don't get in real life. Ragnarok Online was fun for me on one server because of the people there (rip TwilightRO) but aside from that I don't feel like chasing a fake sense of accomplishment like most MMO players do, in the same way a donkey chases a carrot dangling in front of him.

[oddler]

About the grinding, this is just my opinion from FFXI since it's the only MMORPG I've ever played... but, I think that if you take advantage of all the cool sidequests and things to do while you're at an appropriate level or stage in the game, then you really don't need to sit in one spot for eternity killing the same old things non-stop. Yes, statistics are a huge part of the atmosphere but they don't have to control your playtime so horribly.

Also, there were rewards I found for not jumping straight into the "Man, I've got to level up or I'm going to look so lame," mindset. Going through often-overlooked quests and hunting NMs for the fun of it, I got a lot of cool stuff that tons of people I partied with were like, "Dude, where'd you get that?!" I remember the Van Pendant neck equipment made me a badass tank in early levels because it gives ungodly defense compared to other comparable equipment at that point in the game.

Basic point is just do what you feel like doing if you play. Don't feel pressured that you have to spend as much time as possible playing because then it will affect your life albeit maybe in small ways. Just go with your particular flow, whether that's hardcore grinding or leisurely exploration. And have fun. :)

[arcanedude34]

Too much money that I don't exactly have at the moment, being a jobless hobo and all.

[*Devore*]

I don't find it scary to play MMO's, I just cant afford them in the past. But I'm a big boy now, with a big boy job so I'll definitely start playing as soon as possible. Hopefully, by the time I start playing, you guy will not be at such a high level that it would look like your babysitting me.

[Loony BoB]

I find babysitting to be one of the more fun sides of the game. =x It's like having a break from constantly attempting to level my character. Also, if it's anything like FFXI, players can always switch to lesser jobs (or in this case, equipment?) and level that up alongside your lower level character.

[Rostum]

I find babysitting to be one of the more fun sides of the game. =x It's like having a break from constantly attempting to level my character. Also, if it's anything like FFXI, players can always switch to lesser jobs (or in this case, equipment?) and level that up alongside your lower level character.

Hopefully there will also be some form of level sync, which greatly improved things like this in FFXI. Though I'm guessing the game is designed completely differently so we won't need something like that.

[Aydin]

i don't think it was really the factor of fear. It's just that most of the players they were targetting in FFXI really didn't have access to a credit card.

When FFXI came out, my mom was so skeptical about paying 15 dollars a month when really, it's not that expensive... >.>

Anyways, that was my dilemma...