Easiest way to reach S-E

[Cantih]

So, it's been happening for a while (over a year), but lately it's just become unbearable.

During AND often just at the end of Beseiged, occasionally during campaign, rarely in Sea, and very rarely elsewhere in the game, but it does happen; my screen goes black. It's not a disconnect, not an audio/video issue, and because I use two different machines (I use PS2 and a launch PS3 to play FFXI) I doubt it's my hardware either.

Also, occasionally on zoning, I get the "downloading data..." screen, and it sticks there.

So far the only "solution" I've had, was to restart the game (Power button reset for PS2, and PS button menu quit for PS3). I tried a software reinstall also, to no avail (and with 4 expansions, don't plan to again).


I want to send this to S-E, but a GM doesn't seem right. And to send an e-mail, you have to go through so many fields and radio boxes it's retarded. I know others have some of these problems (the PS2 Sea one mainly), so I'm sure it's not just a personal problem.
I want to get on S-E's case about this, is there any way to do it easily?

[Akisu]

I've spoken to GM's about this, as my LS members seem to mass d/c in the same areas of sea/dynamis to a "black screen"... usually around the Ix'DRG pop areas, with the little glowing teleporter things. If I had to guess, there's probably a bug in the PS2/PS3, Xbox360 graphics coding for the effects, and the console systems can't handle it. Maybe a memory overflow? Seems to happen more when there's more character models on screen.

Regardless, call up SE, don't just shoot them an email, or a GM call. You actually need to talk to a SE tech, and they can log the problem on their end. I assume if enough people sharing this issue called in, it would get addressed, unfortunately, like most of my LS members, people don't feel like sitting on hold for 30+ minutes to just log a problem with them that they *might* fix sometime down the road.

I'm fairly certain the techs will tell you to do a full reinstall, weather this works or not is up for grabs. One of my members did a full reinstall of FFXI on her xbox, she hasn't had any black screen issues. Others however still do after reinstalling. Maybe a corrupt dat file could be causing it, maybe something more into the code for rendering graphics. Your guess is as good as everyone elses, lol.

[The Stig]

Bitch and moan about it and make it so it changes a statelaw:

First RPG to prompt a change in State law
Game: Final Fantasy XI
Publisher: Square Enix
When Alan Edwards of Illinois, USA, tried to cancel his Final Fantasy XI account, he soon found that there was nowhere online to allow him to do so. (LOL) This prompted his parents, Frank and Linda, to call on their friend State Representative Raymond Paul, who introduced a successful bill that forces all internet gaming companies to provide a method of online cancellation for residents of the state of Illinois.

[Cantih]

Thanks I'll try giving them a ring.

[Funkworkz]

you sure its not your internet connection? the downloading data screen usually hangs when my internet is being lame, and it kinda sounds like the two are related.

[FailureMidgard]

Pretty sure that's an issue I had for the longest time on my PC, which I fixed by forwarding the ports FFXI uses. I assume you have some sort of router...

Go to PortForward.com - Free Help Setting up Your Router or Firewall and find FFXI on the list...I see it there, but only see PC and PS2 listed. Click on the router you use on the next page, then follow the directions to forward the listed ports.

If PS3 uses different ports than PS2, you'll have to find out which, somewhere. Good luck with that.

[Cantih]

Pretty sure it's not my connection.
This never happens in other games, my connection is stable all the time, my ISP is actually very reliable.
It's happened when I've used dial-up, it's happened when I used DSL. It's happened when I use a router, it's happened when I've had the bare modem hooked up to my systems, both PS2 and PS3.

[FailureMidgard]

Pretty sure it's not my connection.
This never happens in other games, my connection is stable all the time, my ISP is actually very reliable.
It's happened when I've used dial-up, it's happened when I used DSL. It's happened when I use a router, it's happened when I've had the bare modem hooked up to my systems, both PS2 and PS3.

What I posted has nothing to do with connection, just any router/firewall you have up. Would happen on DSL/dialup/cable all the same. I'm curious as to you saying it happened with just the modem, but *shrug*. Are you sure it's the same problem?

Anyway, it sounds -exactly- like what my problem was, except I never tried without a router. Once I forwarded the ports used by FFXI, I never had another problem. I'd strongly suggest trying that out, even if it seems like a long shot to you.

[Ramses]

It's not a connection or router problem. The black screen has been a problem for ps2 since sea was put in the game. It does occasionally happen in other zones like besieged. It usually occurs when there is a lot of activity on screen. The zoning issue is a ps3 emulation issue. If you pay attention, I'm pretty sure you'll see that the zoning freeze and d/cs only happen on ps3 and not ps2. This will happen most often when you have to click something to zone, i.e. runic portals, leaving cities in the past, etc. It will occasionally happen when you zone normally, but not nearly as often. It's one really annoying problem in an otherwise smooth emulation.

[rog]

have someone from japan do it for you.

[Drunknmunky]

It's not a connection or router problem. The black screen has been a problem for ps2 since sea was put in the game.

I agree with this.

Occasionally the black screens happen to me when I am participating on sea events. However, these issues happen occasionally not constantly like 2 years ago

When I had this constant black screen issues on my play station 2 I spoke to SE and my high-speed Internet provider. Believe or not they were extremely helpful and my problem was solved.

In closing:
The tech person from my high-speed Internet provider who was very helpful and was very familiar with the issue He said that the issues is not us it is SE that is having issues in their end.

I want to get on S-E's case about this, is there any way to do it easily?

I spoke to them on the phone. I’ am sure others have done differently.