Non-Early Access Players!

[Aleth]

I was tempted to pre-order ARR in order to get early access. I already had 1.0 so would get access on the later official launch date anyway...

So in the end I didn't because I figured that;

a) I will be on a legacy server with my highest level being lv.26, so I am "behind" a great many other players anyway.

b) There will be teething issues with the servers and downtime anyway.

c) I'm poor and saving money in the "current economic climate" is a good thing!

A lot of the ARR chatter has died down as people have jumped into the game.

It seems like if people wanted to play they went and pre-ordered regardless of whether they had access from their 1.0 copy - just as I was tempted to.

So I'm left wondering if there's anyone left in the same boat? That is; waiting for official launch*?

*going crazy imagining all the fun they're missing out on?

[Kyroc]

I'm the same. 1.0 player, played all the beta's but didnt bother to pre-order for early access.

My reasons however is because I work 7 days on, 7 days off and my off week starts on the 27th so figured I could wait till then. It's killing me now however lol

[Aleth]

Heh, yeah it's like brain-poison.

I'm thinking I must have over-estimated my patience. I guess I mistakenly assumed that I'd get on and do/think about other things...

[Elites]

1)Pre-ordered from Amazon yesterday, got early access key
2)Amazon doesn't charge CC until release of the game.
3)Cancel Pre-order on the end of 25th
4)Still able to play on release since I'm a 1.0 player.
5)Profit

[Aleth]

5)Profit

That sounds a little shady for my liking... I'm surprised they didn't think of this loop-hole.

That said, I do think the 1.0 owners who never subscribed after the fees came in (ie. non-legacy 1.0ers) are exactly the people who they need to stay this time around.

If we had stuck around would they have had to go through this expensive re-development process?
My line of thinking then would be that perhaps they should have tried harder to court the people who left, yet it's the all-new players and the never-would-leave players who get early access.

I admit this sounds like it could be jealous whining especially as they generously give 1.0 CE players the in-game perks of the 2.0 CE as well as a "free" copy...

Perhaps to shoot my own argument down... One could say that they did think of the people who abandoned the original release due to it's flaws... and that's why we don't get early access but do get the game for free. Effectively meaning they see the early access as an extended beta where legacy and new players are ironing out flaws so that the 1.0 bolters experience fewer flaws on their first login. Thus they might prevent us from abandoning ship a second time.


So TLDR:

1) They should have thought more about us players who left over quality issues! By which I mean give us early access! (Waah! etc.)
2) But maybe they DID and that's why they didn't?! Early Access players are test dummies for our glorious arrival?!

I managed to cry and white-knight in one post! Not that I think I'm owed early access or that SE can do no wrong and are master tacticians. But uh you get the ideas...

[Dngnhack]

1)Pre-ordered from Amazon yesterday, got early access key
2)Amazon doesn't charge CC until release of the game.
3)Cancel Pre-order on the end of 25th
4)Still able to play on release since I'm a 1.0 player.
5)Profit

I did this as well but to be fair i did and still have a ps3 version on pre-order at gamestop so its not like i shouldn't have gotten a code just that gamestop sucks.

Also 1.0 CE holder already so there is that.

[Naiya]

You're not exactly missing out on much, servers have been down for 6 hours already for maintenence and are down again right now for another 3 hours.

[Plow]

That sounds a little shady for my liking... I'm surprised they didn't think of this loop-hole.

That said, I do think the 1.0 owners who never subscribed after the fees came in (ie. non-legacy 1.0ers) are exactly the people who they need to stay this time around.

If we had stuck around would they have had to go through this expensive re-development process?
My line of thinking then would be that perhaps they should have tried harder to court the people who left, yet it's the all-new players and the never-would-leave players who get early access.

I admit this sounds like it could be jealous whining especially as they generously give 1.0 CE players the in-game perks of the 2.0 CE as well as a "free" copy...

Perhaps to shoot my own argument down... One could say that they did think of the people who abandoned the original release due to it's flaws... and that's why we don't get early access but do get the game for free. Effectively meaning they see the early access as an extended beta where legacy and new players are ironing out flaws so that the 1.0 bolters experience fewer flaws on their first login. Thus they might prevent us from abandoning ship a second time.


So TLDR:

1) They should have thought more about us players who left over quality issues! By which I mean give us early access! (Waah! etc.)
2) But maybe they DID and that's why they didn't?! Early Access players are test dummies for our glorious arrival?!

I managed to cry and white-knight in one post! Not that I think I'm owed early access or that SE can do no wrong and are master tacticians. But uh you get the ideas...

I don't really disagree, but it's worth pointing out that it's absolutely crucial to the success of an mmo that a decent quantity of those die-hards are still there when somebody logs back in and wonders if they'll see anyone they know.

And yeah, early access to mmo's is absolutely a stress test beta to prevent some of the pain on the open launch.

[Vaspinne]

I'm waiting for regular release. I'm in no rush, having to work all weekend anyway (and a couple doubles to boot), my first day off is this upcoming Thursday anyway with Tuesday and Wednesday mornings off so I'm more then okay with waiting till then.

Edit: Also am a 1.0 CE owner myself. And I'm quite happy with the bonus items that alone will give me

[Aleth]

Plow - That's a good point.

I understand poker-sites essentially pay out a fortune in order to keep a persistent core pool of players for more casual drop-in players to play against.

Similarly, logging in to a dead server would be a bit disappointing if new players signed-up expecting bustling online multiplayer. I can't imagine hardcore MMO players getting rake-back though. Although the legacy discount could well be the equivalent!

I actually really enjoyed seeing the same uber-players ever so often in FFXI over the course of the years I played it. I mean, these were players that I would just see around and then I started to recognise their names. The ones in the gear worth millions and millions when I had just started. Or perhaps the guy who always sat in the same place in Jeuno. It was like they became sort of celebrities (to me at least) or even part of the furniture of that world. I remember getting a merit party with a mithra player who had an early relic bow years ago and it was like XPing with a movie star or something... haha.

You've made me realise that on the spectrum of players, I'm very much on the casual end... and getting more casual with time! Ouch!

I only admit that though, if you grant me that being casual is more to do with time spent and a adhering to a regimen or timetable (for group events or w/e) rather than anything to do with player-skills. I've wasted/enjoyed a lot of time gaining my video-gaming abilities!

Edit: I got the 1.0 CE too and was glad to see we weren't forgotten. Oddly my hermes shoes I got for being a FFXI player just seem to be a regular inventory item, not an account-perk like the CE in-game bonuses (like the onion helm).

[Azull]

1.0 CE here too.. if early access was next weekend and not this one I would have preordered the game for early access. Right now I am content with letting my ls mates who got the could not connect error in p4 catch up.

I do hope they sort out the issues with the NA/EU servers soon though.

And yes.. No Hermes unless I get on my 1.0 character. I do at least get my Onion Helm and FF12 gloves along with the other new CE stuff.

[Maaglin]

You aren't missing anything not being in the 90k / 10102 club.

[Chamaan]

Same boat here. Just hanging out waiting until tuesday. Getting some work done. Marathoning Botchamania episodes on Youtube and yuckin it up since apparently the servers are a real slobberknocker.

[Zelas]

Effectively meaning they see the early access as an extended beta where legacy and new players are ironing out flaws so that the 1.0 bolters experience fewer flaws on their first login. Thus they might prevent us from abandoning ship a second time.

pretty much lol. But 1.0 had a lot more issues that were just intolerable and not based on server troubles. From my experiences there are only a few minor things, outside of expected launch mmo server troubles, that seem to be plaguing the game now.


Btw, I have a spare NA early access code for anyone who posted in this topic. BG has helped me so much so I think its nice that I can give back a tattered, 10102 infested gift. PM me.

[Aleth]

Well, I came to terms with the gap between the open beta phase and full launch by telling myself I could get work done and such, but instead it's just made me more obsessed... haha.

I'd probably leap at the offer by Zelas but am over in EU-land. Oddly enough my 1.0 character was put on a JP legacy server (Durandal). Though perhaps I'm lucky in that I might not get caught by the errors the NA/EU servers are getting.

The thing that was most notable in the open beta was despite being on a server the other side of the planet, it was by far the least laggy experience I've had in any version of FFXIV to date. That's pretty amazing considering how laggy 1.0 could be.

[Draggy]

I'm a 1.0/beta player too who doesn't have early access I have mostly spent my weekend enabling husband and friends to play and then watching them get super-mad as they go through all the problems with getting codes/installing/trying to actually log on.

Whoops.

[Aleth]

Well as long as they appreciate your effort in getting them otherwise ready to go... even if they experience anguish as a result!

[Aleth]

Ok, on the official forums this thread popped up;


"Operation- Bring Down Durandal"

Also related was someone posting this.

http://www.reddit.com/r/ffxiv/commen...ont_be_stupid/

Seeing as my 1.0 character is on Durandal I'm now worried the JP player-base will be less happy to play with me due to the behaviour of other westerners there. I mean, it'd be fine if they just logged in for a taru-march or something but you know there are always going to be people who resort to stupidity or racism...

I already experienced feeling somewhat unwelcome as a westerner in 1.0 (and FFXI for that matter) , I fear it'll be worse after this.

Edit: I know I'm being reactionary, but I don't want to turn up after release to find myself a pariah because of what others did before I could even play!

Edit edit: Obviously, I have no problem with people making and playing characters there if they're going to be respectful.

[AnghellicKarma]

I did this as well but to be fair i did and still have a ps3 version on pre-order at gamestop so its not like i shouldn't have gotten a code just that gamestop sucks.

Also 1.0 CE holder already so there is that.

I did this for the PC version. Was able to cancel it once I redeemed my code.

I also have a PS3 CE still pre-ordered so I don't feel as bad.

[Aleth]

I think if I did that I'd feel so bad for it that I couldn't enjoy accessing the game. Then there'd be the guilt and living in fear of repercussions. Even if there were none I'd probably end up disliking myself more. This is probably more a reflection of my own personal issues than a judgement of who did use this method to get early access.

So I'm not saying I'm better than than those that have done this, just that I personally can't because it would harm my own perception of my worth too much.

Edit: Plus Ceiling-GM is always watching me!