Add IME to EU and US Versions of FFXI

[Lyramion]

Dear SE,

if you are so proud of your mixed region Servers stop blocking EU and US players from writing in Hiragana and Katakana to communicate with JP players in their native language.


Thank you

[Liseth]

Amen to that.

[Asami]

*Signs the petition*

Seriously I think they don't do it because they figure most would just make all kinds of disgusting pictures with the abundance of characters. At least... that's what I see happens when people get the capability to use these characters and don't know how to speak Japanese. Can they even tell us to get JP version if we want this? I don't think the POL accounts transfer to alternate versions do they? Otherwise I would switch to JP FFXI.

[Frenzy]

*Signs the petition*

Seriously I think they don't do it because they figure most would just make all kinds of disgusting pictures with the abundance of characters.

I once heard that they don't allow it for license reasons, they would have to pay the license fees for many accounts which generally can't communicate in the language.

Can they even tell us to get JP version if we want this? I don't think the POL accounts transfer to alternate versions do they? Otherwise I would switch to JP FFXI.

Afair, you don't need to transfer accounts, you just need JP POL (and keep your original POL handy to make changes to the account data). The IME function is in all versions of the game, but only activated in one..

[Terrain]

Licensing what though? The Japanese Language?

It's an excuse that really only extends to things like the blinking cursor. That's something that you have to pay a royalty for, but I can't imagine to whom they would have to pay a royalty for allowing access to the Japanese language for EU and NA players. This is a first party game, and unless they plugged in third party code for the communications tools (which they would never admit to) I doubt it's really a licensing issue.

[Frenzy]

Licensing what though? The Japanese Language?

The font and conversion system. You got to display the language somehow and Japanese isn't known for being having few characters.

[Lyramion]

Idc - make it an "additional Service". I would sure pay 10$ for being able to type in hiragana and kanji

[Terrain]

The font and conversion system. You got to display the language somehow and Japanese isn't known for being having few characters.

What the OP is getting at is that it already exists. Japanese can type in both languages. We can't. Whatever royalty you think they might be paying, they are already paying. There is no way that they would be able to keep track of a "per person per use" basis for charging fees like that (since people come and go and the usage fluctuates) so if they are paying something it's a flat fee and that covers the use.

I doubt that they are though, as there are free plug ins for windows that allows you to type in all other languages. Again, this is a first party product and always has been. They would have to pay a fee if they were using third party software, but why would they use third party software just for something as simple as..... Arranging pixels in a certain way?

[Frenzy]

What the OP is getting at is that it already exists. Japanese can type in both languages. We can't. Whatever royalty you think they might be paying, they are already paying. There is no way that they would be able to keep track of a "per person per use" basis for charging fees like that (since people come and go and the usage fluctuates) so if they are paying something it's a flat fee and that covers the use.

They can easily keep track of "per person per use", by Content ID and they can take the money for the fees from that.

They would have to pay a fee if they were using third party software, but why would they use third party software just for something as simple as..... Arranging pixels in a certain way?

FFXI is not your normal Windows application, Windows IME doesn't work on PS2. They need a system for that, and getting the license from somebody who has already arranged the pixels in a certain way, is easier and faster than arranging the pixels in a certain way yourself.

[Terrain]

All the contentIDs are the same alphanumeric sequence. How can they tell which ones are JP and which ones aren't, or for that matter which ones are actually using the JP client and which ones aren't?

A JP decides to stop using the JP client and switches to an xbox. Is his content ID still part of the pool? I start using my girlfriend's playstation with my ContentID. Am I added to the pool?

I know they have used this excuse to explain it away at the fan fests - but I am not buying it.

[Frenzy]

All the contentIDs are the same alphanumeric sequence.

My WoG Registration Code says quite clearly the region it'S from

How can they tell which ones are JP and which ones aren't, or for that matter which ones are actually using the JP client and which ones aren't?

A JP decides to stop using the JP client and switches to an xbox. Is his content ID still part of the pool? I start using my girlfriend's playstation with my ContentID. Am I added to the pool?

I know they have used this excuse to explain it away at the fan fests - but I am not buying it.

They can tell the same way, US IDs don't work on JP or EU accounts and the same way, you can't manage an originally JP account on an US POL.

[EagleCeres]

Maybe they don't want the rest of the world to have access to the JP Button?

[Terrain]

My WoG Registration Code says quite clearly the region it'S from
They can tell the same way, US IDs don't work on JP or EU accounts and the same way, you can't manage an originally JP account on an US POL.

But now you are changing your story - registration codes are NOT Content IDs. And we are back to license per copy sold not tracked by use.


ContentIDs can be taken between all the platforms. My JP gf has confirmed this, as she plays on a JP console in japan and an xbox here.

[Frenzy]

ContentIDs can be taken between all the platforms. My JP gf has confirmed this, as she plays on a JP console in japan and an xbox here.

She plays on a US Xbox here and can change things like CC or deactivate/reactivate her IDs?

Because unless they changed it recently, you could play no matter what system or software you use, but you can't manage your account from a POL of another region. And neither was it possible to use registration codes from one region to activate things on another regions account.

The registration codes, btw, are saved together with the Content IDs on the account. So while you can't see them, SE nows with codes have been used with which account. That's one of the way SE uses to confirm that people actually are the account holders, by asking them the registration codes used for that account.

SE knows which region your account originally belongs to and whether the take the license fee per copy or per Content ID wouldn't matter. Accounts from JP would pay the fee somehow, Account from US or EU wouldn't.