**BUMP**
(yeah there's a more recent thread about FFXI but that's more about the new expansion/ultimate edition release...)
So I started playing this game for the first time just recently since it was re-released for Xbox 360. There are elements of it I really like; IMO it feels way more like an old school Final Fantasy game than FF X, VIII, or VII did.
My progress seemed very fast and fun and then it seems like I hit a wall. I'm finding that even though the game wants me to form parties for certain things, there don't seem to be enough low-level players in need of early missions to effectively party-up. I've been practicing some crafts, but I haven't even gotten one of my skills to "1" yet. Nothing I put up on the Auction House has sold... it feels like a cold world for the newbies!
But I'm still finding enjoyment and am determined to STICK TO IT until I reach a decent level!
Final Fantasy XI
Re: Final Fantasy XI
That's honestly the biggest problem with the game for the most part, is that it's so old-school. They have done a lot to alleviate a lot of that with patches and expansions, but it's still a very slow drawl to level solo. Since you mostly only gain exp from kills, there are kill groups in the game in different zones. The low level one is in the Gusgen Mines. If you go there and ask/shout, there's usually a group leveling there via Level Sync. I spent at least a solid 48 hours leveling back when I played originally and managed a Level 20 Warrior/19 Red Mage only grouping to get help for the sub job quest. But after doing the Level Sync groups in Gusgen Mines and some caves near Jeuno, I've got Red Mage at 55 (got help within the group for the Level Breaker quest) and started randomly leveling up other jobs as well. Made some decent gold too.
Now for some help with the Auction House, make sure you check the item history for what you are trying to sell first, it'll tell you the last sales for that item and what they went for, so you are pricing appropriately. Crystals are one of the best sellers in the game since they're used in crafting. Personally, as big a crafting whore as I am in MMOs, I don't craft at all in FFXI because it is such a grind.
Now for some help with the Auction House, make sure you check the item history for what you are trying to sell first, it'll tell you the last sales for that item and what they went for, so you are pricing appropriately. Crystals are one of the best sellers in the game since they're used in crafting. Personally, as big a crafting whore as I am in MMOs, I don't craft at all in FFXI because it is such a grind.
Huge RPG fan.
PSN ID and XBL GamerTag: KoLAddict
PSN ID and XBL GamerTag: KoLAddict
Re: Final Fantasy XI
It is a fairly rough game to get going on - and consider, it's much easier in a lot of respects than back when it launched 
Early levels will feel empty, but mostly because players tend to blow through them so quickly now. Years ago, the more typical progression would be to solo up in to the teens, until it got too slow to tolerate, then start looking for XP parties and the like. Even then, it was fairly rare to see people partying up for missions prior to the rank 3 fight, and only then because it had a level cap to it and was only soloable by a handful of jobs. Mission level caps have all been removed though, making a lot more of them a matter of just XP'ing a bit more first.
These days, it's a lot more reasonable to solo into the 30s/40s if you want to. When people group up, it's far less common to do party XP, and more likely you'll see alliance XP. Abyssea is one method, but that's usually less of a fit for a first job/new player scenario. The more common for someone in your situation is Grounds of Valor. There are often perpetual alliances in a handful of areas with a level-synced alliance doing pages. Show up, flag up, get XP.
There's still plenty that people need to party for, and will. Just rarely at low level. Limit break quests are almost the only thing, and those don't start until 50.
Additionally, because people spend so little time low level now, they tend not to invest much in a job until it's higher up, leaving the AH selection fairly sparse compared to how it used to be.
Crafting takes a lot of time/dedication, and for many crafts, a lot of gil as well. Can be very inventory intensive to boot. More or less, it's not a given that a player will level a craft. It's much more something to do if you enjoy it.
A couple things to keep in mind when selling.
First, in general, be in the habit of knocking a few gil off of your asking price. When someone puts in a bid to the AH, it'll check first for the lowest price listed. Then it'll go by time listed. By being just a teensy bit lower, like 991 gil instead of 1,000, your item may sell faster - and probably for the same 1,000 gil, unless someone bids 995/etc, and even then you're only out a few gil.
Second, if it stacks, it probably sells a lot more often as a stack. You do get exceptions, but usually, assume that you want a full stack of something to sell.
FFXIAH is a great resource for both crafting and for item pricing. The forums are also fairly decent, and the item commentary can be helpful, often including NPC price and the like. Can also use it to keep track of a lot of stuff for your character (if you link it to the SE character data), or look up others (my main character and secondary for examples).
They also link to some other useful sites. For older content, FFXI Wikia is useful, though it doesn't get updated as much now. There are also politics involved, leading to much of the same content being copy/pasted at one point to Gamerescape's wiki with different updates done.
If you want current endgame content or mechanics, then Blue Gartr's wiki is best, but a lot of other content is far, far less fleshed out. The forums there started as an endgame FFXI hangout, with the wiki coming later. As many of the English speaking people who would be inclined to parse out game mechanics and such frequent BG, they'll also tend to use the wiki there to display the data.
There are, of course, official FFXI forums now too, which seem to have sucked the traffic away from Allakhazam, Killing Ifrit, Gamefaqs, and other common FFXI forums from back in the day.
The game itself does an incredibly poor job of actually giving information, so getting used to utilizing outside data is par for the course. Far as I know, the lack of info was deliberate on SE's part to create/build a community for the game, and it did work.
Early levels will feel empty, but mostly because players tend to blow through them so quickly now. Years ago, the more typical progression would be to solo up in to the teens, until it got too slow to tolerate, then start looking for XP parties and the like. Even then, it was fairly rare to see people partying up for missions prior to the rank 3 fight, and only then because it had a level cap to it and was only soloable by a handful of jobs. Mission level caps have all been removed though, making a lot more of them a matter of just XP'ing a bit more first.
These days, it's a lot more reasonable to solo into the 30s/40s if you want to. When people group up, it's far less common to do party XP, and more likely you'll see alliance XP. Abyssea is one method, but that's usually less of a fit for a first job/new player scenario. The more common for someone in your situation is Grounds of Valor. There are often perpetual alliances in a handful of areas with a level-synced alliance doing pages. Show up, flag up, get XP.
There's still plenty that people need to party for, and will. Just rarely at low level. Limit break quests are almost the only thing, and those don't start until 50.
Additionally, because people spend so little time low level now, they tend not to invest much in a job until it's higher up, leaving the AH selection fairly sparse compared to how it used to be.
Crafting takes a lot of time/dedication, and for many crafts, a lot of gil as well. Can be very inventory intensive to boot. More or less, it's not a given that a player will level a craft. It's much more something to do if you enjoy it.
A couple things to keep in mind when selling.
First, in general, be in the habit of knocking a few gil off of your asking price. When someone puts in a bid to the AH, it'll check first for the lowest price listed. Then it'll go by time listed. By being just a teensy bit lower, like 991 gil instead of 1,000, your item may sell faster - and probably for the same 1,000 gil, unless someone bids 995/etc, and even then you're only out a few gil.
Second, if it stacks, it probably sells a lot more often as a stack. You do get exceptions, but usually, assume that you want a full stack of something to sell.
FFXIAH is a great resource for both crafting and for item pricing. The forums are also fairly decent, and the item commentary can be helpful, often including NPC price and the like. Can also use it to keep track of a lot of stuff for your character (if you link it to the SE character data), or look up others (my main character and secondary for examples).
They also link to some other useful sites. For older content, FFXI Wikia is useful, though it doesn't get updated as much now. There are also politics involved, leading to much of the same content being copy/pasted at one point to Gamerescape's wiki with different updates done.
If you want current endgame content or mechanics, then Blue Gartr's wiki is best, but a lot of other content is far, far less fleshed out. The forums there started as an endgame FFXI hangout, with the wiki coming later. As many of the English speaking people who would be inclined to parse out game mechanics and such frequent BG, they'll also tend to use the wiki there to display the data.
There are, of course, official FFXI forums now too, which seem to have sucked the traffic away from Allakhazam, Killing Ifrit, Gamefaqs, and other common FFXI forums from back in the day.
The game itself does an incredibly poor job of actually giving information, so getting used to utilizing outside data is par for the course. Far as I know, the lack of info was deliberate on SE's part to create/build a community for the game, and it did work.
Re: Final Fantasy XI
I finally managed to make what I consider a buttload of money through the AH. Not such a buttload that I can afford equipment appropriate to my level, but enough so that I can upgrade out of some "for beginners"-stuff.
Now I'm kind of comfortable hanging out and whittling away on the Mission that I'm up to (Fetichism). I suspect that it's going to take quite a while, but at least I'm not dying all the time! I'm drooling at the prospect of getting a Chocobo; travel by foot takes way too long.
As rough as the game is, the fact that I'm sinking so much time into it (by my standards) means it's doing something right!
Now I'm kind of comfortable hanging out and whittling away on the Mission that I'm up to (Fetichism). I suspect that it's going to take quite a while, but at least I'm not dying all the time! I'm drooling at the prospect of getting a Chocobo; travel by foot takes way too long.
As rough as the game is, the fact that I'm sinking so much time into it (by my standards) means it's doing something right!
Re: Final Fantasy XI
Is this what you guys are talking about? I used to play the PS2 version, and would love to get back into it. Do you need a certain amount of hard drive space on your Xbox to install it, or does it read all from the disc?
Re: Final Fantasy XI
That's the latest release, yeah.
The game needs to be installed regardless of platform, since the install data will get updated over time. Offhand, it's around a 12GB install on PC.
The game needs to be installed regardless of platform, since the install data will get updated over time. Offhand, it's around a 12GB install on PC.
Re: Final Fantasy XI
I'm guessing my current HD won't handle it. It's only like 20GB, so I'm at a loss if the game and community are worth the $40 and subscription. Do you find it worth your while?
I wish Gamestop had it, I have lots of powerup rewards points I could snag it with.
I wish Gamestop had it, I have lots of powerup rewards points I could snag it with.
Re: Final Fantasy XI
Checked while I was home for lunch, the back of the Seeker's Collection 360 box claims 13GB needed.
I think I mentioned in the other thread too, the game is ten years old, and hasn't been a demanding title on the PC for years. While technically prohibited by the terms of service, many PC player utilize third party extensions to the game as well, making it a much more appealing platform for high level play.
Point being more, buying the 360 version doesn't mean you can only play on the 360. Finding the PC install data will allow you to log in and play on that platform too.
Whether or not it's worth it is entirely subjective. Personally, I have a group of friends I hang out with in-game, building up/tuning character builds can be fun, that kind of thing. I tend to enjoy it as long as I don't let myself get too absorbed, since I don't have the time or inclination to be heavily involved in a lot of upper tier content.
Relative to how it used to be, the game is much, much more accessible. Which isn't to say it's on the level of the newest games out there. Compared to something like Guild Wars 2, FFXI still takes a lot more time and dedication.
However, since the level cap increase started, things have taken a turn towards solo and smaller group play. There's newer high end content, and more on the way given that SoA is intended for level 99s. But, there's still all the old stuff, still balanced around level 75 (or lower).
For someone who has the time/inclination to get a character to 99, the relative effort to then see the vast majority of what FFXI has been all about for the past decade is fairly low. As with any MMO, the fee is great entertainment value per dollar if you're putting much time into the game.
If you've got a half hour here and there to play, then it'll be an exercise in frustration to get far, and probably not worth paying for.
The community is still fairly good. Always has been, out of necessity, due to the relative lack of in-game information. Additionally, between being able to swap jobs, and the sheer volume of key items/ranks/etc that are all character specific, it's very rare to see people put much time into more than one character per account. For better or worse, server reputation is a real thing.
There are always the outliers, but the majority of players are at least civil, if not friendly. Put in effort, and be polite, and you'll likely find any help you need.
I think I mentioned in the other thread too, the game is ten years old, and hasn't been a demanding title on the PC for years. While technically prohibited by the terms of service, many PC player utilize third party extensions to the game as well, making it a much more appealing platform for high level play.
Point being more, buying the 360 version doesn't mean you can only play on the 360. Finding the PC install data will allow you to log in and play on that platform too.
Whether or not it's worth it is entirely subjective. Personally, I have a group of friends I hang out with in-game, building up/tuning character builds can be fun, that kind of thing. I tend to enjoy it as long as I don't let myself get too absorbed, since I don't have the time or inclination to be heavily involved in a lot of upper tier content.
Relative to how it used to be, the game is much, much more accessible. Which isn't to say it's on the level of the newest games out there. Compared to something like Guild Wars 2, FFXI still takes a lot more time and dedication.
However, since the level cap increase started, things have taken a turn towards solo and smaller group play. There's newer high end content, and more on the way given that SoA is intended for level 99s. But, there's still all the old stuff, still balanced around level 75 (or lower).
For someone who has the time/inclination to get a character to 99, the relative effort to then see the vast majority of what FFXI has been all about for the past decade is fairly low. As with any MMO, the fee is great entertainment value per dollar if you're putting much time into the game.
If you've got a half hour here and there to play, then it'll be an exercise in frustration to get far, and probably not worth paying for.
The community is still fairly good. Always has been, out of necessity, due to the relative lack of in-game information. Additionally, between being able to swap jobs, and the sheer volume of key items/ranks/etc that are all character specific, it's very rare to see people put much time into more than one character per account. For better or worse, server reputation is a real thing.
There are always the outliers, but the majority of players are at least civil, if not friendly. Put in effort, and be polite, and you'll likely find any help you need.
Re: Final Fantasy XI
Great post isiolia. I do have enough space on the HD, just would have to shift some stuff around.
I used to play a THF back in the day. This was 2004, before I left for college. I really am at a loss here--I loved the game and it was my first MMO, but I'm concerned it'd be nostalgia goggles or nothing resembling the game I first knew. I hear leveling is quite quick now, which is a plus.
The only reason I'm considering the 360 release is because my PC is low end with an integrated video card, and I think it'd be a struggle to get it to run effectively. It runs WoW though on the lowest settings, and gets around 18-20 FPS. Not fantastic.
I'm tempted to hold out and wait for XIV's rerelease, where they are calling for beta testing right now. Considering I could play it on PS3, which gets little use, I'm weighing it around. That being said, if there was a good enough community, I'd probably jump in.
I used to play a THF back in the day. This was 2004, before I left for college. I really am at a loss here--I loved the game and it was my first MMO, but I'm concerned it'd be nostalgia goggles or nothing resembling the game I first knew. I hear leveling is quite quick now, which is a plus.
The only reason I'm considering the 360 release is because my PC is low end with an integrated video card, and I think it'd be a struggle to get it to run effectively. It runs WoW though on the lowest settings, and gets around 18-20 FPS. Not fantastic.
I'm tempted to hold out and wait for XIV's rerelease, where they are calling for beta testing right now. Considering I could play it on PS3, which gets little use, I'm weighing it around. That being said, if there was a good enough community, I'd probably jump in.
Re: Final Fantasy XI
THF huh, I would have figured Blue Mage (BLU) =P
FFXI runs fine on remotely modern integrated graphics. It's main hangup is hardware transform and lighting, which was added to Intel integrated GPUs around 2007 or so.
Granted, performance on netbooks and the like isn't great, but it does run.
There is a 14-day free trial if you wanted to test it, though I think the actual content is the core game only, meaning you couldn't use that as your PC install for the 360 version.
I started my dual box character a year and a half or so ago. The new player experience is not all that different, just a lot faster, and a lot more viable to keep soloing a good bit further than most used to.
The BG Wiki has an article on returning to the game, though it's written more from the perspective of having played longer (and isn't necessarily up to date with SoA/etc).
FFXI runs fine on remotely modern integrated graphics. It's main hangup is hardware transform and lighting, which was added to Intel integrated GPUs around 2007 or so.
Granted, performance on netbooks and the like isn't great, but it does run.
There is a 14-day free trial if you wanted to test it, though I think the actual content is the core game only, meaning you couldn't use that as your PC install for the 360 version.
I started my dual box character a year and a half or so ago. The new player experience is not all that different, just a lot faster, and a lot more viable to keep soloing a good bit further than most used to.
The BG Wiki has an article on returning to the game, though it's written more from the perspective of having played longer (and isn't necessarily up to date with SoA/etc).