Would you recommend coming back to FF11?

[Ivve]

I've quit and tried to come back a few times. This is what I've generally found:

- My real life always suffers, to some degree, as a result. Sometimes it affects my social life, sometimes it just affects other priorities. Play FFXI or do laundry? Play FFXI or go to the post office? It's hard for me to do the things I should in the order I should if I'm playing FFXI.

- It's hard to catch up to others. Most of the people that I know and trust have already separated into groups/pairs to participate in things like assault, salvage, new missions, etc. As a result, it can be hard/frustrating to get into the new content you may be coming back for.

- All the shit you hated is probably still there.

- A ton of your friends have quit, but pretty much every asshole you remember is still there.

There are of course some upsides, but that's what has ruined the experience of returning over and over again for me.

[Shade]

Stay away. If you're not missing it now, you have little to gain by coming back.

Some people seem to be able to play casually (me, I like to hang out in LS chat and go to Limbus 2x a week but not much else nowadays), but most cannot (my friends either still play almost all the time, or quit outright).

There are just too many expectations from friends who need you around for x y z events, and your own goals that always seem ever so close, but end up requiring many hours... I think WoW requires less time invested than FFXI does, in order to get things done, but in the end they're both huge time sinks.


Break out the console games! I finally got a chance to go through Shadow of the Colossus, and it was amazing. Next up, I'm gonna actually play Twilight Princess and MGS3.

[6souls]

WoW kills little Chinese girls.

FFXI is powered by alla.

its lose/lose.

[MF Perm]

Stay away. If you're not missing it now, you have little to gain by coming back.

Some people seem to be able to play casually (me, I like to hang out in LS chat and go to Limbus 2x a week but not much else nowadays), but most cannot (my friends either still play almost all the time, or quit outright).

There are just too many expectations from friends who need you around for x y z events, and your own goals that always seem ever so close, but end up requiring many hours... I think WoW requires less time invested than FFXI does, in order to get things done, but in the end they're both huge time sinks.


Break out the console games! I finally got a chance to go through Shadow of the Colossus, and it was amazing. Next up, I'm gonna actually play Twilight Princess and MGS3.

^
QFT


In the end any MMO is going to suck you in. You get involved with your char and you dedicate time to get this or that. And any good gamer goes for the good stuff. FFXI especially was built around dumping time into every individual piece of gear, every mission, every quest.

Looking back it's no big deal, but starting over... remember the dumb shit? Genkai 1-5, all the stupid quests from
port crystals to AF. Then doing Zilart again, and CoP. Etc etc etc.

If you can score a high level character for endgame and such then it'd worth it for doing occasional endgame stuff here and there. Not worth it to start from no subjob on up.

[Cheerios]

Aren't people still killing the same HNM's they were killing over 3 years ago, and getting sidegrades with every expansion? I just don't see a sense of progression in FFXI anymore from when I used to play. The gear that was the best a few years ago still is the best.

[Correction]

what would make you recommend WoW despite warning against FFXI? is WoW less addictive/consuming?

what shooters would anyone recommend? I really liked Tribes 2.

By now I've spent about equal time in both game's endgame content. In terms of time invested/reward, WoW has more to offer. But in terms of time invested/actual friends made, FFXI still wins. In either case top-tier endgame still can tie up between 4-6 hours a night, nonstop. FFXI just gives you more afk time is all.

The trouble is that for all the new content in FFXI, people still camp the shit out of 3 kings and that's never ever going to go away. For every new sexy content release the first thing your LS will continue to do is take timers in Dragon's Aery for the next Nidhogg pop. And the turbovoking jp hnmlses have been replaced by a mixture of turbovoking NA hnmlses and chinese gilsellers who teleport-kite mobs and bring 60 blms and mnks in full AF to every behemoth window in existence.

Good luck actually trying to enjoy the new content in FFXI is what I'm saying. The only way you're going to is if you get into/back into an LS that's actually done, really done, with kings ("ok that's enough Ridills and e.bds guys lawl").

[Gares]

Don't go back to FFXI, stay far away from MMORPGs. I quit FFXI and my life has improved 10 fold. I'm eating well, I'm exercising, I run twice a day and do hundreds of reps. I look and feel better than I ever did when I was playing FFXI for 8-10 hours every single day. I don't have back pain from sitting hunched in front of a computer all day. My life is real now, it matters a lot more than a game. Looking back I also realized FFXI, from a critic's standpoint, is ok at alot of things, not great at anything. The work / entertainment ratio is ridiculous. I realize now the main reason I played so much is because the FF series was the first series I got into and identified with as a gamer, and I figured I had to play every FF title and do it as good as I possibly could.

Plus from a gamer's standpoint you're missing out on a lot of other great games by spending all your time in one MMORPG, that, let's be honest when broken down has ALOT of holes in it. I got an xbox 360 and was able to experience great titles like Gears of War, and Oblivion, which I would've never played had I kept all my focus on FFXI. I realized as far as gaming goes I'm 80% RPG 20% shooter, with xbox live I can play Halo 2 online and I get that competitive aspect and FPS fulfillment which is a really good change of pace from just RPG only. And I can play for 30 minutes, kick tons of ass in that 30 minutes, and walk away feeling like a champ.

Oblivion rocks my socks off. It was a great way to replace the RPG gap that FFXI left, and imo Oblivion is 10 years ahead of FFXI from a technical standpoint. It has it's flaws but they don't burn through the enjoyment and realism factor. It tailors to the AD&D player I am, you can personalize your character down to naming your actual job, naming your weapons, creating and naming your own spells, good or evil, it's great fun, more than FFXI ever was at its peak moments for me.

To sum it up, you can play video games for short amounts of time and get a lot more fulfillment than if you base your life on playing games. You can spread out what kinds of games you play, and in order to quit addictions like FFXI you need to replace those time slots in your life with new habits, if you can make those healthy habits, you will not miss FFXI.

Also for your viewing pleasure, Oreo Cheesecake:

http://www.uploadhouse.com/fileuploa...08c4b0b78a.jpg

[gandorf]

Buy a Xbox360 and pick up Lost planet. Imo Lost planet is way better, There is nothing more enjoyable then hearing someone call you a wanka.

FF got worst over time Joft. To put it in a simple way think back, you would see a noob once in awhile or a shitty player and you would be like meh Ill just ignore them. Well now 60% of player population is shitty. You got rank10s that don't understand provoke you got people in sea that shouldn't be there and you got people still sucking at gods.

If I was you I would avoid FFXI like the plague and enjoy my nice tan non pasty skin.

[iCelerity]

FFXI can be more casual with all this LImbus/Salvage/Einherjar/Dynamis/Salvage/Besieged that you can catch up "Every now and then" when you log in, but if it's going to be a point to focus on; get the best gear from it, you'll probably need dedication and eventually you'll get sucked in. But "If" you are only going to help out and kill time during a boring sunday night before bed time, or waiting for your GF to come around, then it doesn't looks that bad. It all depends on your self-control though.

I wouldn't recomend coming back though, Bahamut server still sucks, same old people camping the same old things, for their 5th-8th job. Like Ivve said, most of the cool people quit, and only the dicks stayed

[dilbert]

Since you don't have your character, your fucked.

You could probably ease your way back into FFXI if you had your old character waiting idly¹ by for your Courageous² return it might be different. Yeah, you'll get all the new cool items pretty quick, you will meet up with old friends and make some new but FFXI gets old quicker than Yoda's babysitter, Shit will hit the fan rather right at the peak of your interest

On the other hand.. It takes way ( I can't emphasize this enough) WAY to much time to get back up to the pedestal that you were on before you quit the game. Social Lives are always more important than a game (in your case). But hey, If your really into it, dive head first into the dry pool.

My Fity..err Two Cents


¹. Antonym: Banned
². Not very smart.

[BRP]

If you didn't like FFXI for it's more memorable traits, things you wouldn't find in WoW or some other MMORPG, then you are better off not playing. For example: if you were playing to chat or just for the RIDILZ, then don't come back.

And starting a new character isn't as painful as people make it out to be. Maybe starting a new character when the game started, but things are different. I don't know much about you, but you were posting on BG forums so you were probably level 75? You know your stuff and help isn't hard to get. I'd more miffed that you didn't come back for Anniversary Ring.

But anyway, this doesn't matter, as FFXI is too expensive for a college student who lives alone and supports himself and pays his own way through college.

[iCelerity]

Joft was the first NA in Bahamut to have a Dalmatica in 2004? I think.
He's BG's first generation of players.

[Akiyama]

tl;dr

Also for your viewing pleasure, Oreo Cheesecake:

http://www.uploadhouse.com/fileuploa...08c4b0b78a.jpg

Is it wrong I skipped through your entire post just to look at the cheesecake? Oh my fucking god.. it's like an orgasm in my mouth. I want that right now.

[Elcura]

It looks moldy. I'd be hesitant to eat it...

[Steveon]

I've quit and tried to come back a few times. This is what I've generally found:

- My real life always suffers, to some degree, as a result. Sometimes it affects my social life, sometimes it just affects other priorities. Play FFXI or do laundry? Play FFXI or go to the post office? It's hard for me to do the things I should in the order I should if I'm playing FFXI.

- It's hard to catch up to others. Most of the people that I know and trust have already separated into groups/pairs to participate in things like assault, salvage, new missions, etc. As a result, it can be hard/frustrating to get into the new content you may be coming back for.

- All the shit you hated is probably still there.

- A ton of your friends have quit, but pretty much every asshole you remember is still there.

There are of course some upsides, but that's what has ruined the experience of returning over and over again for me.

Definitely hits the nail on the head. If you do get into another MMO, old habits will probably rise again. Playing WoW for a short while, I realized that I was playing it like FFXI, grinding most of the day. Since there is little to no real social aspect (you don't need to party to level) in WoW, it got boring quickly.

The one good thing is that when you're able to break your "addiction" once and leave the game behind, it makes it so much easier to quit again. And you get a good feeling when you uninstall FFXI and see how much space you have generated from that one thing

[Matricide]

I would NOT recommend it. My experience is like others have said. Your social life goes up, you start paying attention to your friends and family again, eating better, getting things done like you should instead of dicking around and putting it off. If you absolutely need an MMO to keep you busy in your 'spare time' i would definitely check out WoW. You just have to be careful not to play it like you used to play FFXI. Some close friends from my old shell play and just casually log on for a bit to say hello and run around when I got nothing else to do but watch TV. (I'm still in my 20s after several weeks of playing).

Otherwise, dust off your consoles if you need a game (or pick up C&C3, i hear it's really fun, among other games). Enjoy the fact that you're done with FFXI and have no 'reason' to come back.

[Deejay]

It looks moldy. I'd be hesitant to eat it...

!?

ur moldy

[Gulkeeva]

I might play FFXI again someday... probably be awhile still, theres alot things in WoW I like more then ffxi and alot things I like in FFXI.

My accoutns still active on FFXI even after a year soooo... whenever I can go back and have all my stuff like my 1000 game days!

[Iono]

But anyway, this doesn't matter, as FFXI is too expensive for a college student who lives alone and supports himself and pays his own way through college.

Wha?

As long as you don't buy gil or have sex with too many Mithras(kitten support is a bitch), FF is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment. It's what 13.95 a month? That's a tad more than one visit to the movies(however many movies you watch on that visit is up to you), not including popcorn and shit. That's cheaper than two combo meals (not including 99 cent menu). When I quit FF I wasted so much money on DVDs(porn), games, and going to the movies. Not to mention the meals, I actually started eating, instead of being in front of the monitor all day.

This is all assuming you already had ID codes once, even then it's not much of an investment.

That being said, MMOs can drain your life away. So up to you.

[Totien]

FFXI hasn't been worth playing in a very long time imo. I tried for a month or so to play again, but it's way too time consuming and lack of soloability completely fucking sucks. Not to mention the necesity(or howeverthefuck you spell it) to be online at specific times to claim HNMs.

WoW is entirely different. Soloing is entirely possible and leveling isn't nearly as mindnumbing. All you gotta worry about endgame is being online for raid time, which is usually set.. don't need to worry about when something is gonna pop, or whether or not gilsellers/buyers will claim it.