FFXI for PS3 (not yet ; ; )

[Izzy]

The point of releasing it on PS3 would be so the hardware limitations of the PS2 no longer existed.

[spooky]

Suuure. A 7 year old game, running with the same graphics on PC since it started and a Xbox 360 version that was ported from PC in like 15 minutes. But they will totally enhance it when bringing it on PS3! Because PS3 is the most sold console platform on earth.

In comming PS3 is better than xbox debat!

EDIT: Izzy is some kind of posting ninjar!!!

[Riki]

In comming PS3 is better than xbox debat!

The poor 360 port has nothing to do with the hardware, but more so with SE not putting much effort in it.

The point of releasing it on PS3 would be so the hardware limitations of the PS2 no longer existed.

You can't force every PS2 player to buy a PS3. And assuming the PS2 players still generate them a significant amount of their FFXI profits, it would be stupid for them to drop that playerbase.

[Shade]

The point of releasing it on PS3 would be so the hardware limitations of the PS2 no longer existed.

Well... Considering the price point of the PS3, I would say that most of the people who've been clinging to the PS2 version after all this time are unlikely to pick up a PS3 if they didn't grab a 360 or have a PC.

[Shenrien]

You can't force every PS2 player to buy a PS3. And assuming the PS2 players still generate them a significant amount of their FFXI profits, it would be stupid for them to drop that playerbase.

I don't see exactly why it's so hard to just drop the PS2 support, its 2008 by now I'd be actually surprised if someone didn't have a PC in their house with internet that wouldn't be able to run this game.

[Aselin]

Not to get everyone's hopes up but didn't an interview a year or two ago a question about a PS3 version of FFXI would be made was asked?

And, the answer was that they are pretty much unwilling to reprogram from scratch to make it work for the PS3. This is about the same line of attitude when asked if they will update graphics for FFXI, and that they answered similarly-- unwilling to upgrade it to DirectX 9 as it will be costly and complicated. That by the time they do finish to do either, a new MMO would be more feasible to release instead.

As for Windows in Linux on PS3 or WINE in Linux on PS3, from what I've read on various forums-- It will not work. The Cell processor isn't an x86-type processor and because of the hypervisor in the PS3, Linux is DISALLOWED direct access to the 3D acceleration of the RSX GPU. There goes 3D hardware rendering out the door.

"Didn't they release a 360 version?" you ask. Well, the 360 games are programmed in C++/C#, isn't it? And, if having a Windows version already made, wouldn't porting to the 360 be a no brainer? They'd probably have to change several lines of code, but porting from Windows to 360 would be a lot easier.

Unfortunately, the PS2 and PS3 are wholly different structurally, and programming for the PS3 is vastly different than the PS2. They would have to manage a 7 core processor and a very different GPU, and have the code work with that. I've read that the PS2 uses GCC and the PS3 uses something called Cg, and I'm unsure of the differences between both since I'm not a programmer. If it's two different programming languages, wouldn't one would have to rewrite the entire code from scratch to make it work for the PS3? It'd be trying to translate the Bible from Swahili to Russian, without touching English in-between. (Ok, I admit, slight exaggeration...)

But, let's not overlook one important fact: SE's FFXI developers are lazy, ignorant (though maybe a little less nowadays), and stubborn.

Do you really think with that kind of attitude SE would put the money and time to have the FFXI developers reprogram FFXI for the PS3?

That's the million Gil question.

[Cutriss]

I've read that the PS2 uses GCC and the PS3 uses something called Cg, and I'm unsure of the differences between both since I'm not a programmer. If it's two different programming languages

GCC is a compiler, not a language. Cg is a NVIDIA-specific language used for GPUs, but it's not for coding full applications. There is a similar GPU language available for the 360 called HLSL.

[Snprphnx]

But, let's not overlook one important fact: SE's FFXI developers are lazy, ignorant (though maybe a little less nowadays), and stubborn.

Do you really think with that kind of attitude SE would put the money and time to have the FFXI developers reprogram FFXI for the PS3?

That's the million Gil question.

As always, aselin brings up very valid points. However, SE does dump money into stupid, point stuff, like the majority of seasonal events, inventing unbeatable NMs, changing those NMs, then changing again once ppl find a valid way to win, and paying their 99% useless GMs.

I can only hope they deem a PS3 port as useless, maybe then we will get it

[Aselin]

GCC is a compiler, not a language. Cg is a NVIDIA-specific language used for GPUs, but it's not for coding full applications. There is a similar GPU language available for the 360 called HLSL.

Thank you for clearing that up Cutriss. I'm not much of a programmer, and I could only get what I got from Google.

Anyone with better programming background could explain this better: 360 vs. PS3 vs. PS2 language.

[nitsuj]

Thank you for clearing that up Cutriss. I'm not much of a programmer, and I could only get what I got from Google.

Anyone with better programming background could explain this better: 360 vs. PS3 vs. PS2 language.

360 = PowerPC processor, DirectX for 3d, HLSL for shaders

PS3 = Cell Processor, GL-based 3-d, NvCG for shaders

PS2 = dead and not worth looking up

Basically, you need an intermediate layer to your code something like:

FFXI::DrawPixel()

this function would not be platform specific, but would make the correct call to the Xbox/PS3 depending on what platform you are compiling for.

So you could write all your core gameplay logic using these custom engine functions and not have to change a single line of code, since it's all higher level. Then you'd have branched underlying engine code that make the game run on each specific platform.

And while it's true that they said they wouldn't make a PS3 version, that doesn't mean BizDev guy from SE didn't go to Sony and make a pitch that got approved. If Sony said "here's 15 million dollars, make us a PS3 version that looks like the PC", you think they wouldn't do it?

That's how the game industry works. Cancelled projects become active projects and active projects become forgotten projects. All that matters is where the money is.

[Cephius]

Listen. People. Pay attention to what nitsuj and Aselin are saying. Then realize, porting the game to the PS3 will not "up" the graphics. You can't "patch" the graphics of a 7 year old game to make it look like Crysis. Stop assuming that a PS3 release, even if it happens, will make FFXI look any different than it currently does. It won't.

[Gergall]

Man this would be pimp if it ran well. I'm afraid if monkeys fly out of my butt I'll have to actually get a gaming PC to support it instead of just using my iMac with bootcamp which works fantastic right now. Not that I'm really worried about monkeys flying out of my butt any time soon...

Fixed

[Izzy]

Listen. People. Pay attention to what nitsuj and Aselin are saying. Then realize, porting the game to the PS3 will not "up" the graphics. You can't "patch" the graphics of a 7 year old game to make it look like Crysis. Stop assuming that a PS3 release, even if it happens, will make FFXI look any different than it currently does. It won't.

I'm not really looking for a graphics adjustment. I'm looking for a performance adjustment on the consoles. It's virtually impossible to do anything with more than 10 people on the screen on the console versions.

[Mayareira]

Yeah, especially on x360. Its pathetic :/

[Flight_93]

Yeah, especially on x360. Its pathetic :/

This.

PS2 is heads and shoulders above 360 for performance. Which makes (some) sense.

[Sonomaa]

itll probably be a port of the 360 version, which is a port of the pc version, which was a port of the ps2 version

the only "lets remake this properly to work right" was the original xbox version that got denied by sony and had to be destroyed

[Shenrien]

SF Console Game Examiner: Final Fantasy XI being ported to the Playstation 3

still more news about it. :X

[xopher]

PS3 is only regionless for PS3 games. It still enforces the region lock on PS1 and PS2 games. SInce there is no PAL release of PS2 FFXI, you can't play it on a PAL PS3.

You can use a controller on a PC, There are plenty of USB controllers or USB converters for console controllers out there. The noise of your PC depends on the fans you have installed in it. They've got many near-silent PC fans on the market now, if you bother to get and install them. I'm currently using a PS2 controller on my PC with a SUper Joy Box 5 Pro, though I do prefer to play on PS2 for stability, and because my PC is never just running FFXI. My current ISP doesn't work with the PS2 version though.

Is there an echo in here?

And even if there was a PAL release of FFXI it still wouldn't work on PAL PS3s.

[Kriz]

SF Console Game Examiner: Final Fantasy XI being ported to the Playstation 3

still more news about it. :X

Click the link he has for some lulz.

On topic, kinda, I once read that before the PC launch, they wondered about making a Mac version. Obviously never happened. I like to think that anything nice involving FFXI on new machines is a ploy to disappoint me.

I'm just waiting until I can use virtualization on my Mac for FFXI 100% (it's good, but not 100%)

[Seanr]

....instead of using some pisspoor PS2 hardware...

Hey Hey! Y'all weren't saying that 9 years ago....

then again, make that 7 years ago