Who's all going to play FFXIV A Realm Reborn when it gets released?

[Jimmyvolt]

I used to play FFXI for many years. I have never played FFIV. I want to get back into FF online again. I miss the gameplay, story lines and mostly linkshells and parting with friends. I tossing up the idea of buying a xbox and getting FFXI again, but starting from beginning is a little scary. I wanted to see how many of you all are going to play reborn, so i can join a linkshell with everyone. Plus many of you have played FFIV before. I'm excited.

[Raistlin]

There's a number of us who will be playing, including myself, Loony BoB, smittenkitten, Ouch!, among others (including some who do not post here regularly). Due to the creation of regional servers for ARR, EoFF's players may end up split between an NA and European server -- the details of which will probably be determined as the game gets closer to launch. Feel free to join us on either server.

[Mirage]

I'll be playing. I'm in Europe but will most likely be playing on an US East server.

[Bahamut2000X]

I'll be playing when the game comes out. And wherever I am people shall follow to catch a glimpse of the awesome I bring to the game.

[Del Murder]

I will play this eventually. I'll probably be on either Loony BoB or Ouch!'s server, depending on the regional thing and how much of a bribe they can afford.

[Ouch!]

Hmmm. How much is Tmoney worth to me?

[Mirage]

More than he's worth to me.

[Ouch!]

I'll start the bidding at one gil. Going once. Going twice.

[Axem Titanium]

I'll be playing! Server undecided... I have so many different groups/LSes/communities which might all be fragmenting D:

[SkyRender]

I've been considering playing this game as well. I've never really been able to enjoy an MMO though outside of Guild Wars, so I'm hesistant. Does FFXIV feel like a Final Fantasy? I really want to feel like I'm in a FF World with creatures, magic, locations, summons and NPCs.

[Raistlin]

I think you'll be pleased with FFXIV then, at least from what we've learned so far. Yoshi-P, the producer of FFXIV: ARR, has made it a priority to give FFXIV a bigger FF feel. To that end, there will be a bunch of FF-related content, including a Crystal Tower dungeon, new FF-specific creatures, and FF items (such as Magitek armor).

[SkyRender]

Thanks for the reply, Raistlin. I was doing some more reading and some of my initial concerns went away. I was confused over the generic class choices I read about. I didn't realize they could upgrade/evolve/change into recognizable FF classes. Now I can't decide if I want to be a Dragoon or a Summoner (btw I love FF4).

[Ouch!]

I've always felt that both FFXI and FFXIV 1.x did a very good job of feeling like a Final Fantasy game--often moreso than some other recent titles like FFXII and FFXIII. That said, one of the explicit goals of A Realm Reborn is to really dive into the best of the series as a whole. Obviously summons, enemies, abilities (mostly spells), and similar elements are common to (almost) all the Final Fantasy games, and FFXIV: ARR has them in abundance.

But they're really taking it a step further. The Crystal Tower--the final dungeon from Final Fantasy III--will be returning as a group-raid dungeon in ARR. They're even going so far as to bring back old bosses from that dungeon such as Amon (whose concept art has already been revealed). They've hinted that the final boss for The Crystal Tower will be the Cloud of Darkness. The other group-raid dungeon at launch is the Great Labyrinth of Bahamut--and if you've seen the End of an Era video from early November, you'll know that Bahamut (like the other summons--called Primals or Eikons depending on who's talking in FFXIV) is very important to the game's story.

Additionally, there are, of course, moogles and chocobos. Moogles were uncommon in FFXIV, but it looks like they're more prevalent in ARR, taking up their role as mailmen from FFIX. Chocobos, aside from being mounts, serve as combat companions. Speaking of combat, although the class system features playable classes mostly new to the series, each class gains access to a job (basically a specialization) at level 30 that are series staples (white mage, black mage, warrior, etc.). And speaking of mounts, the Empire in 1.x already used magitek armor, but they've confirmed that we'll all get our own magitek armor mounts in ARR.

tl;dr - Yes. It feels like a Final Fantasy, probably moreso than some of the other numbered games in the series.

[SkyRender]

Thanks for the info. I've been interested in trying this out for a long time, but the general dislike of MMOs and the bad reviews kept me away from this one. When it relaunches though I'll definitely check it out.

[KH-Cloudy]

I've never played any of the Final Fantasy MMO's, but I'm willing to try this one out. (Especially since their company may become even worse if this fails)

[Goldenboko]

I'm pretty heavily considering it, especially now that my budget for the next 6 months is more clear and I know I can afford an MMO in my life.

[Khaotic]

I will be for sure.

[Aulayna]

Same. Though the way MMOs usually go with me is "play it to death for the first month" then "never touch it again."

Exception: WoW
2nd Exception: The Secret World because I lifetime subbed xD

[Rostum]

Of course, I was already playing it for a few months this year anyways. :)

[Freya]

Hopefully I'll have a new computer built by the time it is released and I sure as hell will be playing it ^_^

[Loony BoB]

I'll be playing. I'm in Europe but will most likely be playing on an US East server.
The feeling amongst people who have looked into the quotes on server locations is that it will be likely that the American servers will be in Square-Enix's existing datacenter in Los Angeles for multiple reasons, mostly to do with having an existing team in this location capable of dealing with servers and the ease of maintenance and security.

I will play this eventually. I'll probably be on either Loony BoB or Ouch!'s server, depending on the regional thing and how much of a bribe they can afford.
Hopefully we can all be on the same server, but until they give us finer details about how it's all going to play out (server transfers, lag etc) we won't really know what to do. The good news is that the general feeling amongst all players is that there were no problems during Alpha when it comes to lag unless it's very forced. The new servers are being designed to counter any lag issues that troubled people in 1.x, and it should also be noted that in many cases lag was not the issue as people in Japan were struggling as well with the same things Europeans were struggling with. Fingers crossed, it won't matter which region the server is based in. Those that focus on PVP might want to have a server in their region but I honestly doubt it will matter a huge amount to those dealing in PVE - at least, if things continue to be as stable at release as they have been so far.

I'll start the bidding at one gil. Going once. Going twice.
I think I gave some new starts on our Linkshell from EoFF 100,000 gil, which equates to 10,000 gil in the new game. I have a habit of giving out useful mid-level materia-enfused items for birthdays, too. I can probably scrummage that together, but the main bonus from being in our LS is that we can craft anything you want because there are a lot of L50 crafters in our crew who are always more than happy to get stuff sorted. We have a few Americans, too, so it's not like they'll never be on when you are. Still, I'd advise you hold off on any decision until more is known about how the servers are going to work.

In addition to what Ouch! mentioned in his long post, they are also going to (eventually) have a Golden Saucer-styled area.

[Aulayna]

I am actually ridiculously excited about this. I can't make my mind up which role I want to play though.

[Loony BoB]

Play all of them. :) You can switch role extremely easily in FFXIV and most people I've played with have more than one role they're capable of playing effectively (although we all have our preferences).

[Aulayna]

So does it have classes like WoW which you are locked into or is it different?

For example from the cinematic thing I liked the look of the lady with the bow and the one with the stave and the headdress overlooking near the beginning of the trailer. Though I have no idea what they translate into class/role/whatever wise.

[Ouch!]

You can switch between classes at will by changing your equipped weapon. The only restriction in version 2.0 will be that you must first reach level 10 and complete a quest with your first class before you can switch to the other classes. At level 30, you can unlock a job for each class, which is basically a specialization. The bow is used by the class archer which gains access to the job bard. The The lady with the headdress is an important NPC (if you're referring to who I think you are), who is a white mage (base class conjurer).

[Loony BoB]

A little extra clarification on the above - while you switch between classes/jobs by changing weapons, you still have to level the different classes/jobs up seperately. So you can have a Level 50 pugilist/monk, a level 15 conjurer, a level 37 blacksmith, etc. all in one character. Also, to unlock jobs you not only need to be L30 in one job but also L15 in another. For example, gaining access to the Paladin job requires L30 Gladiator and L15 Conjurer - similar to FFTactics Advance (and perhaps the original FF Tactics, not sure as I've never played it). Finally, just to add to all that, Jobs level up with Classes. They each directly link between the job and the L30 class that unlocks the job. So if you level up Paladin, you also level up Gladiator. If you level up Gladiator, you also level up Paladin. The subjob does not level up, so leveling up Paladin will not level up Conjurer. Jobs are designed to be better for group play, classes are (supposedly, although this isn't always the case) designed to be better for solo play.

[Aulayna]

So say for group content I wanted to be a healer - would it be worth starting out as a White Mage, or instead starting out as something else and then working into healing? i.e. If I'm a healer am I going to be severely limited in what I can do outside of group content (i.e. will it have the WoW side effect of taking three times as long to kill a normal mob compared to what it'd take as a DPS class)

[Loony BoB]

If you're really keen on being a WHM for most group parties, then it's best to start off as a Conjurer because in ARR, the first class you have will (so we're told) be easier to level than other classes. The intention is that by playing through the main storyline's quests, you should be able to level your first class up to L50 easily enough. The other classes may not be as easy to level up, I'm not sure.

However, in the long run it won't really matter that much. For example, I started out as a Marauder (axe) and then by the time I was L27, I had started working on Gladiator (sword). Gladiator quickly became my main class, and Paladin was the first job I unlocked. I got that up to 50 long before I got Marauder's job (Warrior) unlocked and up to L50. So you can do it in the order you feel like at the time, and so long as you're enjoying yourself then you're doing it right.

[Ouch!]

I think the idea that your first class will be easier to level is based on the wealth of quests and missions available to you, which provide exp. in chunks. A majority of these will be non-repeatable. Each subsequent class you level, then, will have fewer and fewer quests available to them as a means of leveling up. That means for additional classes to 50, you will have to rely on repeatable levequests as well as traditional solo or party level grinding. Given that in version 1.x party grinding was the fastest way to level from 35 to 50, I think that the first class being "easier" to level is a misnomer. Rather, you will just have more options available to you regarding how you wish to progress while subsequent classes are more likely to become monotonous.

That said, if you want to be a healer, level conjurer first. All of the base classes are more versatile than the associated jobs. Conjurer natively gets a number of spells including cure, raise, protect, and stoneskin which certainly play to the healer/support class archetype. However, conjurer also gets access to offensive spells such as stone, water, and aero. I identified jobs as specializations because they are geared specifically toward a traditional party role. Classes, on the other hand, are designed to allow players greater versatility and thus the ability to solo. Every class has defensive and offensive tools at their disposal. As conjurer, you are not limited to healing in group scenarios.

[Loony BoB]

I think the idea that your first class will be easier to level is based on the wealth of quests and missions available to you, which provide exp. in chunks. A majority of these will be non-repeatable. Each subsequent class you level, then, will have fewer and fewer quests available to them as a means of leveling up. That means for additional classes to 50, you will have to rely on repeatable levequests as well as traditional solo or party level grinding. Given that in version 1.x party grinding was the fastest way to level from 35 to 50, I think that the first class being "easier" to level is a misnomer. Rather, you will just have more options available to you regarding how you wish to progress while subsequent classes are more likely to become monotonous.
Oh, yeah, perhaps I misworded. Leveling through quests is the fastest way to level, however from what we have seen/heard so far, the high-experience quests are generally non-repeatable. So, should you stick to the main storyline when leveling up your first class, it will be easiest to level your first character. If you grind your first class up to 50 on random mobs and save the quests for your second class, the second class will be fastest to level.

It has been stated that unlike in 1.x, grinding on mobs will not be as efficient as leveling through quests.

[Ouch!]

It has been stated that unlike in 1.x, grinding on mobs will not be as efficient as leveling through quests.
That will be a problem for more than just leveling, though. Maybe for the earlier levels, mob grinding still won't be effective, but if we can't go out near cap with a party of eight and wreck stuff? That's going to affect soulbonding parties pretty heavily--which may be what they're looking for. But that'll really upset people. I suppose we'll find out when beta hits phase three and we can bring in our capped characters.

[chionos]

I will be playing. I was on the fence for a while, but the game just looks too awesome to ignore.

I can't imagine them nerfing xp from mobs to give questing a leg up instead of simply boosting quest xp. In other words, just because grinding isn't as efficient as questing, it doesn't mean grinding won't be viable. And of course, coming from SE, it could just be a lie to silence the whiners.

[Ouch!]

That would make more sense. I misread Bob's statement and interpreted it as a nerf to experience from regular mobs rather than a significant boost to experience from quests. The quest exp. in the alpha made leveling from monsters look like nothing by comparison, but they also said that there was still significant balancing to be done there.

[Mirage]

I'll be playing. I'm in Europe but will most likely be playing on an US East server.
The feeling amongst people who have looked into the quotes on server locations is that it will be likely that the American servers will be in Square-Enix's existing datacenter in Los Angeles for multiple reasons, mostly to do with having an existing team in this location capable of dealing with servers and the ease of maintenance and security.

Feeling, huh.

Isn't the population greater on the east side of the US than the west? I have a feeling that there might be servers on both sides of the continent.

[Loony BoB]

Yeah, it's by no means concrete information, but having datacentres in each of the existing HQ's does make sense for a lot of reasons, and if the lag is decreased as much as people are hoping then it shouldn't make a massive difference.

One person mentioned Montreal as a possibility due to SE having staff there, too. :p

[SkyRender]

Well, if SE decides to expand and put a Data Center on the East Coast, I hope they use EMC equipment. It would be cool to setup their servers! I'll try to harass their SAN team for some beta keys... if only I could be so lucky.

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

One person mentioned Montreal as a possibility due to SE having staff there, too. :p

They do have both an Eidos studio here (which was here before their purchase of the company) and opened up a SE proper studio. So it would make sense!

[Mirage]

Yeah, it's by no means concrete information, but having datacentres in each of the existing HQ's does make sense for a lot of reasons, and if the lag is decreased as much as people are hoping then it shouldn't make a massive difference.

One person mentioned Montreal as a possibility due to SE having staff there, too. :p

Lag will definitely be reduced for both americans and europeans with datacenters on each of those continents. The reason I want US east servers is mainly because I want to play with some american friends, and then it would be a sweet spot for all of us if we played on US east, seeing as from europe to US west, I'm looking at latencies in the ball park of what I currently have to Japan. Likewise, if my friend in arizona is to play on an european server, his latency would be terrible too, but if we all are on an east coast server, it'll be acceptable for all of us.

[Loony BoB]

What I was getting at is that if they improve the server structure and performance as much as they are suggesting, the latency issue will no longer rear it's ugly head and people will be able to get off whatever Ifrit-plume-esque timing based things that Square-Enix throw in there. So hopefully people playing on different servers won't really notice any issues regardless of which server they are playing on. It's also worth noting that while people might go on about being on their own server, the fact that instanced content is planned to be cross-world (so people from different servers can join up together and fight in the same instance) suggests it could end up being on a different server altogether anyway, meaning effectively they won't be choosing where the server is for those instances and could end up with the same latency issues no matter how close they are to their chosen server. :S Unless I'm understanding the idea behind the worldless content finder.

When all is said and done, though, most of my LS are hoping that the latency issue just doesn't come up because of the optimised servers, meaning we can remain on our existing World no matter where it ends up. Latency was a major concern for Yoshi-P (he's a big PVP fan) so it makes sense that he'll do what he can within reason to get everyone on a fairly level playing field.