Quote Originally Posted by Citizen Bleys View Post
But 90% of people would rather bitch and moan and ignore the positives, even in a game that's got a high positive-negative ratio.
What kept me on the game despite the negatives was the music, and the artwork, and the cities, and environments, and places.

Pretty much exploration and playing the market kept me on the game. I got my bard to level 45 and stopped caring about lvling up and doing missions (was rank 6).
I might've missed out since I stopped playing 2 years ago, but I did a lot of exploring that most of the players don't do, or try to do because they play the game so linearly. The game itself was so Japanese as the mindset of the players were driven to at lvl 10 you must at all cost goto the dunes. I mean ignore the mazes if you're from windy. Ignore bubumuru. I mean just ignore that whole region, and take a 2 hour run out of your way to selbina to get a party in the dunes. At lvl 20 you can finally head to Jeuno and get your choco license, and then level up at Qufim. Then at lvl 25 you get to fight and brave the jungles. That's the part that decides rather players quit or keep on going. Once you hit lvl 30 the game goes a lot smoother, and once you get into the 50s the players get well less sociable unless you're in a LS and in which hopefully you interact with players that have lives because then you won't be dealing with less sociable ones.

If you want to lvl up fast play with the Japanese players, but listen to them and do it the way they tell you to do it, and don't question (use to live in Japan and had to learn to do this in Japan because trust me it's for the best and makes things easier.). It'll be a lot of work and a lot of hours, but you can go from lvl 10 to lvl 20 in one night with them because of how they cracked the game. BAsically the game was designed around their culture, and their culture is extremely group oriented. And if you don't get the invites then you really can't do anything, but of course SE made sure to accomodate its western gamers, but usually things are harder if you want to try and go about doing your own thing on here.

With that being said this game isn't all that negative. Aside from the sight seeing, the people kept me on this game the longest. NA and even EU players are really friendly. I use to play with some friends I knew when I use to live in Turkey. We had tons of fun, and it was enjoyable. Ultimately your circles (Linkshells) is what keeps you in the game for as long as you do. As we all deal with the same BS and we are more willing to be a lot more lenient towards each other, and more willing to help and understand each other. Jerkoffs and non-social people get outcast fast, and it's usually if you're extremely rude.
Also be nice and you will go far in this game because trust me you build a name for yourself on the server you play on as you progress because the higher you go up in lvls the less players there are in your lvl and rank.

I was a BRD/THF and caught a lot of flack for it. I performed better than the Brds who sub it with the usual WHM. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it if I was allowed to do my own thing, and enjoy playing the game for once instead of having to lvl up my WHM (which I didn't want to do because I hate mage jobs).

With that being said. You should prepare to work hard, and always remember that when the game gets slow. Go sight seeing. I mean travel throughout vana'diel and the near east. Go see all of the sights. This game is amazing and a large percentage of what is out there on the game goes unseen, or unexplored by many of the players because people get caught up into the rat race. I found so many places were I could secretly get access to resources that sold for a lot in the markets that I just explored and played wallstreet on FFXI. Made a lot of gil. I mean tons of it. Atleast 50 mil.