HorizonXI – Era+ 75 Cap FFXI Server Launching December 17th, 2022

[Spicyryan]

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[Kipling]

For the people asking about population, which is a very real concern on private servers, we just hit over 3,000 registered accounts on our website. So we are expecting a pretty big launch with lots of folks to play with.

[Bippin]

I see on the site level sync is TBD. Any more info on that? any plans to have it at some point?

[Kipling]

I see on the site level sync is TBD. Any more info on that? any plans to have it at some point?

It needs to be updated, but I made a video explaining our system. Please keep in mind that this is our launch system, and it is designed to encourage players to go to level appropriate camps and move out of low level camps to allow for newer players to have places to level. We will adjust it over time, but our goal is always for players to level in level appropriate camps, rather than stay in 2-3 spots until level 75 as happens on most private servers.

[Obsidian]

BRD is a concentrated support class - it has a clear niche, and it can't do anything on it's own. They shine in a group. The BRD buffs are incredibly minor, and are designed to throw a bone to a class that is notoriously pitiful at doing things on its own, like farming.

In contrast, RDM can: (i) use it's existing kit to have incredible mana efficiency that no other job even comes close to; (ii) tank hard content, (iii) provide support buffs no other class can, (iv) solo heal hard content if needed due to its self sustain, (v) provide debuffs at the strength of no other class, and (vi) it can solo harder content other classes simply cannot.

You have to look at the entire picture of each class across all content to fairly evaluate it.

A) As a career RDM I can literally never think of a time in this game's entire life (up until recently in retail thanks to Master Levels) where RDM was a better healer than WHM in any situation that wasn't an EXP/Merit party. They don't get access to the more important -na spells, they have no HoTs for enmity management, and they have functionally no AoE curing. MP management and debuffs are the job identity. It can't really melee, it's not a nuking job in that era, and it's a very bootleg healer.

B) I don't know which support buffs you're talking about other than potentially Phalanx II (but I can't remember when that was added as a GRoup 2 merit). WHM and SMN can both cast Haste, BRD can give Refresh through ballads. It doesn't have Protectra or Shellra, it doesn't have aoe Bar spells or Stoneskin.

C) Dia and Bio are good but not game breaking, Slow is accessible to WHM and BRD's Elegies are just as good if not better. Paralyze is good. It can't AoE sleep like BRD or BLM. Obviously RDM is a good debuffer (its class identity), but trying to pretend the potency difference is massive at 75 cap is asinine. The strength is in role consolidation because it has access to both Light and Dark-based enfeebles.

D) Tanking and soloing hard content at 75 cap required so much specialized gear, time, and skill that it's insulting to use as an argument. How many RDMs did you know tanking Jailer of Love and Ouryu? How many did you know soloing Sky pops/gods? And if you really want to stop it from happening, just make the simple tweak to mob AI to stop people from pinning.

You're right that you need to look at the entire picture when you're trying to balance something. I just don't know why you'd say that and then do something like give the best support job in the game the ability to swap weapons without losing TP so it can melee better. SAM was carried by strong single-hit weaponskills with Attack bonuses and Hagun so I doubt anything you're trying to do there is going to matter at all. Whatever you're doing to RDM's MP economy (based on the blurb and other comments here, I assume increasing spell costs and/or removing the Conserve MP traits) isn't going to make other unpopular jobs more desirable, it's just going to make BRD even more important than it already is, which is silly.

I have no interest in playing a 75 cap server in the first place so I'll probably just dip out of here to stop shitting up the thread, but it just feels really gross to be trying to cash in on the nostalgia people feel for that era while making something that's going to be nothing like it.

[Kipling]

I feel like your confusion only makes sense if you didn't glance at any of our materials posted where we state we are going for the era 75 feel with a new approach to it. If you didn't read any of it, then I understand why you are confused, but I can't really make you read it either.


Additionally, you realize BRD was able to change instruments (I can tell you also didn't read this) on retail without losing TP, right? We actually debated on including that at all in our job cards, but that feature is actually broken on most private servers, so we included it as we get asked about it a lot. That's not even a custom buff, it's just us fixing normal private server jank. As for your SAM comments... read the SAM card.

[Bippin]

It needs to be updated, but I made a video explaining our system. Please keep in mind that this is our launch system, and it is designed to encourage players to go to level appropriate camps and move out of low level camps to allow for newer players to have places to level. We will adjust it over time, but our goal is always for players to level in level appropriate camps, rather than stay in 2-3 spots until level 75 as happens on most private servers.

Thanks for sharing. Interesting way to handle it.

Regardless of my feelings or anyone else clearly seems the team has put a lot of thought into things.

[Druin]

but it just feels really gross to be trying to cash in on the nostalgia people feel for that era while making something that's going to be nothing like it.

This feels pretty unfair. They've been very clear that they are going to be changing things and it isn't like people are getting 'tricked into anything.' I am as skeptical as the next person, but to say this will be nothing like standard 75-era just shouts that you haven't read any of their stuff before deciding to shit all over it.

For the people asking about population, which is a very real concern on private servers, we just hit over 3,000 registered accounts on our website. So we are expecting a pretty big launch with lots of folks to play with.

I think this is really cool and amazing so please don't get me wrong. But retention is always what I'm worried about not launch numbers. FFXI's problem isn't getting people interested enough to make a character. It's when those players realize running from one end of Bastok to the other takes like 6-8 minutes and to hit cap level you need to put in 50+ hours of mindless NOTHING that they bounce SO FAST, is the problem. Though to generate this kind of buzz for THIS game lol, congratz.

[Kipling]

Also in regards to the phrase "cashing in" - we make no money from this. We collect no ad revenue, we do not charge a subscription, and we do not take any kind of donations. We do not financially benefit from this project in any way. This is an entirely free volunteer driven project. In fact, we are losing money because this is just a bunch of nerds paying for things like hosting costs to get this off the ground.

[NynJa]

My memory may be hazy, but RDM's soloing shit is only a problem if you give them all the time in the world to fight shit. Between refresh/haste/utsuichi/ni/fastcast, etc etc, they have all the survival tools necessary and its just a battle of attrition. Slap a very generous 20 minute depop timer on all those NM's, and RDM/NIN soloing things is no longer a problem.

[Obsidian]

I feel like your confusion only makes sense if you didn't glance at any of our materials posted where we state we are going for the era 75 feel with a new approach to it. If you didn't read any of it, then I understand why you are confused, but I can't really make you read it either.


Additionally, you realize BRD was able to change instruments (I can tell you also didn't read this) on retail without losing TP, right? We actually debated on including that at all in our job cards, but that feature is actually broken on most private servers, so we included it as we get asked about it a lot. That's not even a custom buff, it's just us fixing normal private server jank. As for your SAM comments... read the SAM card.

I did read it but since that is how things have always worked in retail and the MO for this server seems to be "intentionally obtuse for the sake of 'discovery'", I assumed you actually meant weapons. I also read the SAM card, dunno how any of it is meant to change anything.

I read the whole release, in fact. The reason people are asking a bunch of questions you won't answer is because they all recognize "the feel of the 75 era with a new approach" is paradoxical.

This feels pretty unfair. They've been very clear that they are going to be changing things and it isn't like people are getting 'tricked into anything.' I am as skeptical as the next person, but to say this will be nothing like standard 75-era just shouts that you haven't read any of their stuff before deciding to shit all over it.

Plastering "75 cap era" everywhere while also saying "also we're changing a lot and we're not telling you what" is a rug-pull, and you can see that just by all the attention it's already getting. It's invoking the nostalgia feeling from everyone with no intention to deliver on it.

It is definitely attempting to cash in (not literally) on the oldschool brand of the game to get itself off the ground, which I'm not a fan of. I hope people do enjoy it and the effort pays off because I'm sure the sure the hosting costs aren't cheap.

[Salodin]

Can you just tell me exactly what the RDM changes are lol

I was actually interested for a min, but nerfing rdm while giving it nothing is kinda silly; it wasn't the be all end all of mages. Whm can outheal it, has better regens, better revive, etc. The only thing it had going for it was debuffs which were situational, and refresh which maybe you nerfed? Idk. Anyways, no info is sometimes better than some info fyi but cats out of the bag so just tell me whatcha did

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[Tymon]

Have you considered giving incentives to players trying new camps and otherwise not taking the meta routes for leveling?

This is actually something I did in retail and every time I did it we all loved it. Going off the beaten path.

[Druin]

FFXI would absolutely benefit from FFXIV's Armory Bonus system. Every job you have at 75 gives bonus exp (not merits) for leveling other classes

[Tymon]

Also does open beta transfer to release?

[Kipling]

Have you considered giving incentives to players trying new camps and otherwise not taking the meta routes for leveling?

This is actually something I did in retail and every time I did it we all loved it. Going off the beaten path.

We think players will get rewarded for exploring and finding the new camps we've littered throughout the world.

Also does open beta transfer to release?

No it does not. Open beta is purely for stress testing and bug hunting - but we are offering cosmetic only items for people who report bugs. Once the beta is over, your beta characters and names are wiped - but you will still keep your website account for launch. We will announce when everyone can make their launch characters.

[Julian]

What traditionally stopped private servers from editing items and abilities was the fact that they could not alter dats to change the text in game to let players know what had been done. Someone on our team was able to figure it out, and we can make custom dats for anything we need to. Due to this, the loot obtained in some encounters/battle content have been altered. However, we are asking players to go find these changes themselves and share the results as we will not be revealing anything officially.

? lol

edit: This isn't some huge secret difficult thing. The knowledge to do so has been freely available for as long as PolUtils source code has been available, which, fuck, I don't even want to guess how long ago that was.

Also, not sure if just weird phrasing but, editing loot tables is completely server side and has nothing to do with editing dats. If you meant items were modified, then, yeah, but really weird way to phrase that.

edit2: Not trying to be a dick. While I'm not interested in your project (I think eras are boxes, and while some of the custom stuff is refreshing, you're still limiting yourself to a box. There's so much more you could do), I do wish you all the best, especially if you're committing code back into whatever the fuck dsp/topaz/whatever is called now. But. This is BG. Comments like the one I quoted might impress people on reddit or whatever, but that stuff wont fly here, lol.

[Spicyryan]

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[Salodin]

But. This is BG. Comments like the one I quoted might impress people on reddit or whatever, but that stuff wont fly here, lol.

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[Falisa]

? lol

edit: This isn't some huge secret difficult thing. The knowledge to do so has been freely available for as long as PolUtils source code has been available, which, fuck, I don't even want to guess how long ago that was.

Also, not sure if just weird phrasing but, editing loot tables is completely server side and has nothing to do with editing dats. If you meant items were modified, then, yeah, but really weird way to phrase that.

edit2: Not trying to be a dick. While I'm not interested in your project (I think eras are boxes, and while some of the custom stuff is refreshing, you're still limiting yourself to a box. There's so much more you could do), I do wish you all the best, especially if you're committing code back into whatever the fuck dsp/topaz/whatever is called now. But. This is BG. Comments like the one I quoted might impress people on reddit or whatever, but that stuff wont fly here, lol.

I feel like you are completely missing the point of our server with your last edit. Completely era servers I agree with box themselves into a specific type of thing, which is their prerogative and a decent amount of people specifically want that. I would ask your opinion of WoW classic too with your comment, which I assume you personally wouldn't like, but obviously a lot of people do.

This is the style of the game we like, but we are also removing some of the "box" era servers put themselves in and allow us to make changes we consider to be needed for the balance of the game, and also introduce content that era servers would never see in the long run. We understand its not going to be for everybody but this is the kind of game we want to play, and we prefer the difficulty and forced socialization that the 75 cap era brought with even the leveling process. We wanted to share our passion project with this forum since we really enjoyed chatting on here back in the day but if you don't want to play, that's okay!