New FFXI private server being developed

[Hyshio]

While as a member of the windower dev team and one of the heads of the 3rd party community, I try to remain neutral to all 3rd party activity as long as it doesnt exploit players out of money and private info.

As a bit of history behind these private server projects. Half of the time SE is only involved in shutting them down is if they become a threat. The other half they get burried 6 feet under due to lack of knowledge and support.

Right now the only use I would personally use a private server for is to use something like mappy, and accurately map out everything in the game soo you can have accuracy in any map project without the risk of your account being taken.

[Twiz]

SinisterSkies FFXI Private server Formerly AzureSky

Exp rate 3x
mobs drop gil based on lvl
The ONLY server with working lvl sync
The ONLY sever with global PVP
Global shop command for player convenience!
The MOST custom content
Always running the most current DSP revision that means regular updates and ever-expanding gameplay

If your a true gamer that wants a challenge and doesn't just wanna go thru the motions you should come join us we have a bunch of great people and always accepting more so come see us at sinisterskies. freeforums. com

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT!!!!!
If you were banned by one of our previous admins feel free to come back just shoot me a msg and we will work it out we don't hold grudges here !

It really is the best FFXI private server around come check us out!

[Kiritsu]

Again, you've ignored what I said. My entire point was that the emulator wouldn't be able to replicate FFXI, due to the missing information.
You don't care? That's lovely. It doesn't make my point invalid. Stop being so childish.

The DarkStar project in terms of all the general game mechanics, feels virtually identical to retail (minus a few bugs and some on-purpose tweaked skillup rates). As probably one of the more obsessive vanilla XI fans (before FoV, Abyssea, SE destroying the legacy gameplay philosophies and mechanics etc.) I have as much to praise DarkStar for as to criticize. There is a lot of content to re-script to make it work like retail and the job so far is impressive.

It's really sad that SE won't support their own community with what they want, but instead force-feeds them what they believe they want, slowly grounding XI into the dirt and trying to get everyone on XIV. That SE has no idea how to make a good game now was clear with the first release of XIV, and the successor, ARR, aside from cleaning up the lag, menus, etc, is virtually the same shitty game -- just a more playable version of it.

[Kohan]

It's really sad that SE won't support their own community with what they want, but instead force-feeds them what they believe they want, slowly grounding XI into the dirt and trying to get everyone on XIV. That SE has no idea how to make a good game now was clear with the first release of XIV, and the successor, ARR, aside from cleaning up the lag, menus, etc, is virtually the same shitty game -- just a more playable version of it.

This must be true. After all, in the face of their own increasingly-popular FFXIV 2.0—whose subscriber numbers have already surpassed FFXI at its best—Square Enix has managed to hold onto a decent amount of subscribers for an MMO that's both over a decade old, and isn't WoW, nor a clone of WoW. They can't possibly be doing anything right! They mustn't be listening to the really important members of the community—you know, the ones whose numbers are tiny, and who aren't paying their bills!

What are they doing with themselves?

Spoiler: show

I really don't give a crap if you think the old FFXI was the best FFXI, but don't kid yourself and try to say that's what everyone wants, because, nah. You don't represent "the community." You represent the people who want that experience, and that's what private servers exist for.

[Treize Kordero]

It's really sad that SE won't support their own community with what they want, but instead force-feeds them what they believe they want, slowly grounding XI into the dirt and trying to get everyone on XIV. That SE has no idea how to make a good game now was clear with the first release of XIV, and the successor, ARR, aside from cleaning up the lag, menus, etc, is virtually the same shitty game -- just a more playable version of it.

LOL when I see people trash FFXI or FFXIV... Hell trash SE... I have to sit here and wonder what parallel universe are they living in? Certainly not this one.

Yes... SE has fucked up in the past and has paid for it but they've also done a lot of good things that has earned them respect and numerous chances. I can't help but feel that this type of criticism stems from subjectivity and emotion than anything based in rationality or fact. Ahh well folks are entitled to their opinion just wish they didn't make their bias so obvious XD.

Edit: Good luck and best wishes on the private server and to the team running it.

[Damane]

The DarkStar project in terms of all the general game mechanics, feels virtually identical to retail (minus a few bugs and some on-purpose tweaked skillup rates). As probably one of the more obsessive vanilla XI fans (before FoV, Abyssea, SE destroying the legacy gameplay philosophies and mechanics etc.) I have as much to praise DarkStar for as to criticize. There is a lot of content to re-script to make it work like retail and the job so far is impressive.

It's really sad that SE won't support their own community with what they want, but instead force-feeds them what they believe they want, slowly grounding XI into the dirt and trying to get everyone on XIV. That SE has no idea how to make a good game now was clear with the first release of XIV, and the successor, ARR, aside from cleaning up the lag, menus, etc, is virtually the same shitty game -- just a more playable version of it.

FFXI is olde, for its age its holding up pretty well, noone can deny that. They could have done what they wanted, over time every mmo looses subscriptions. Not everyone has to like 11 but the people playing it, enjoy it and thats what countds.

[CoreyX]

So how do private servers determine enemy stats such as their resistances, magic evasion, magic accuracy, weaponskill mods, etc.? I know some base stats and things like accuracy and evasion can be checked, but magic accuracy/magic evasion/status resistances and enemy weaponskills seem like it would have to be guessed. Seems like things can get unbalanced pretty quickly if the stats are too "off" and if for example the worms you're used to killing in Shakrami maze at level 16 or whatever are suddenly destroying you. Would be worse with NMs too. Seems like quite a massive undertaking to test every single monster in the game at every single level to make sure the stats are probably balanced, so there's a lot of room for guesstimated error which would make everything seem very fake or broken and unlike the original experience. That's not even counting whatever unknown mystical factors may affect FFXI that no one really knows (such as day/moonphase for crafting and drop rates) But I don't know anything about private servers so maybe they have a way around it, I dunno

[kjLotus]

So how do private servers determine enemy stats such as their resistances, magic evasion, magic accuracy, weaponskill mods, etc.? I know some base stats and things like accuracy and evasion can be checked, but magic accuracy/magic evasion/status resistances and enemy weaponskills seem like it would have to be guessed. Seems like things can get unbalanced pretty quickly if the stats are too "off" and if for example the worms you're used to killing in Shakrami maze at level 16 or whatever are suddenly destroying you. Would be worse with NMs too. Seems like quite a massive undertaking to test every single monster in the game at every single level to make sure the stats are probably balanced, so there's a lot of room for guesstimated error which would make everything seem very fake or broken and unlike the original experience. That's not even counting whatever unknown mystical factors may affect FFXI that no one really knows (such as day/moonphase for crafting and drop rates) But I don't know anything about private servers so maybe they have a way around it, I dunno

the amount of guesswork I have to do for formulas is pretty sad, but that's really because nobody has ever bothered to go figure out some of them (sometimes I just go figure them out myself).

it's actually not that hard to stay kind of balanced, there's a ton of variables you can jimmy around to get things pretty close

[Byrthnoth]

How about that NPC clipping? =p

[kjLotus]

while I'm here, I was reading the front page and kind of laughed to myself a bit. I'd just like to point out that darkstar is 3 commits shy of 6,000 total commits from over 38 contributors

haters gonna hate

[D44kpunk]

This must be true. After all, in the face of their own increasingly-popular FFXIV 2.0—whose subscriber numbers have already surpassed FFXI at its best

source on this? not trying to start anything, legit curious

[Byrthnoth]

SE noted in 2008 that FFXI had over 500k active subscriptions. In 2009, they said that there were over 2 million characters for the first time.

I see an interview with Yoshida from earlier this year noting that XIV-2 had 2 million accounts registered (500k people logging in weekly or something).

So I'm not sure you can really conclude that FFXIV has superior numbers to FFXI at its peak. SE has never been very open with their subscription totals and the only quotes they've given indicate approximately an equal amount of success between peak-FFXI and FFXIV earlier this year.

[Kohan]

Square Enix publicly reported on it last year.



http://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/ne...14q2slides.pdf

[D44kpunk]

wonder how long the peak lasted, 14 seemed much more well marketed than 11. partially probably due to the growth of the mmo community but i wonder where 14s numbers are now

[atom0s]

So how do private servers determine enemy stats such as their resistances, magic evasion, magic accuracy, weaponskill mods, etc.? I know some base stats and things like accuracy and evasion can be checked, but magic accuracy/magic evasion/status resistances and enemy weaponskills seem like it would have to be guessed. Seems like things can get unbalanced pretty quickly if the stats are too "off" and if for example the worms you're used to killing in Shakrami maze at level 16 or whatever are suddenly destroying you. Would be worse with NMs too. Seems like quite a massive undertaking to test every single monster in the game at every single level to make sure the stats are probably balanced, so there's a lot of room for guesstimated error which would make everything seem very fake or broken and unlike the original experience. That's not even counting whatever unknown mystical factors may affect FFXI that no one really knows (such as day/moonphase for crafting and drop rates) But I don't know anything about private servers so maybe they have a way around it, I dunno

Aside from what kjLotus has said, we also use community driven information and calculations / formulas that are home-brewed and heavily tested. Such as things like the cure formulas and so on, they are from the original wiki as well as the newer data from BG posts/wiki as well as various peoples LiveJournals that have done extensive theory crafting, testing, and produced ample amounts of useful and tested data that we can conclude to be worth while to use as live data and information for DSP. While the project is no where near perfect or 100% olden, it is fairly well accomplished to a point that we are proud of. It is very hard to keep it 100% original to the old CoP days when that data is not fully available anymore, as well as that the client will not suite those needs entirely either with all the patches and updates done to it. We try to mimic things the best we can to the old days though.

[Draylo]

They really barely marketed XI... like at all. There were tons of people who don't even know it exists. I forget how I found out about it as a kid but I know I didn't see any advertisements.

[Priran]

they had (minimal) TV advertisements for PS2 launch.

[Cream Soda]

They really barely marketed XI... like at all. There were tons of people who don't even know it exists. I forget how I found out about it as a kid but I know I didn't see any advertisements.

Only reason I found out about it is because a guy at work used to play it and brought him Brady Guide with him to read on his lunch break

[NynJa]

They really barely marketed XI... like at all. There were tons of people who don't even know it exists. I forget how I found out about it as a kid but I know I didn't see any advertisements.

I was playing counter strike, I died early and was talking to another dead guy and they mentioned FFXI had just came out. I had never played a MMO at that point, but I generally tried every FF game, so I ran out to get it 30 min before stores close. Halloween 2003, rainy night.

[Kohan]

They actually invested a lot in significant advertising. I'd link an article about it, but it's on a Site That Shall Not Be Named, so Google for "FFXI ad push backed by big $$$" (its title), and you'll find it.