This game used to be my MMO crack. While everyone else was on WoW, I was thoroughly hooked on this. A lot of people poopoo on it, but apparently a lot of the biggest complaints have been improved over the years (easier to transport between cities, easier to solo-level, ect). I've been having a nostalgic urge to go back to this, at least to finish the story before getting into XIV. Would anyone be interested in playing it with me? I'm hoping when the steam summer sale comes around in a week or two, it should drop to about 10 bucks or so for the ultimate edition.
[MMO] Final Fantasy XI
- Thread starter David
- Start date
GasBandit
Staff member
Is that the one with the little midgets that do the /panic emote that everybody went bananas over for a couple weeks?
Indeed.
I caved to my impulses and already bought it. What I heard was accurate; leveling up solo is fast and efficient now. In a single night of binge-playing I reached level 20; this took me weeks on my first character 10 years ago. As early as level 5 you can start recruiting NPCS who will join your party and fight in battles exactly as a human player, all without having to actually interact with real human. Which is useful because the starter areas are now so empty. Seeing another player is rare. Presumably they're all in the newer cities from the later expansion packs doing endgame content.
It has become a single-player experience that contrasts sharply with the gameplay and environment that were still clearly designed with the assumption of several simultanious users in every given zone. All now baren and empty. It's a lonely experience.
I caved to my impulses and already bought it. What I heard was accurate; leveling up solo is fast and efficient now. In a single night of binge-playing I reached level 20; this took me weeks on my first character 10 years ago. As early as level 5 you can start recruiting NPCS who will join your party and fight in battles exactly as a human player, all without having to actually interact with real human. Which is useful because the starter areas are now so empty. Seeing another player is rare. Presumably they're all in the newer cities from the later expansion packs doing endgame content.
It has become a single-player experience that contrasts sharply with the gameplay and environment that were still clearly designed with the assumption of several simultanious users in every given zone. All now baren and empty. It's a lonely experience.
The new Tarutarus (Lalafell) in FFXIV are kind of the same thing, dancing around like he needs to find a bathroom.
They introduced a system where you can temporarily get boosted in level to adventure with your friends, while still getting XP and such. This is great for friends who are getting introduced, but really all it's done is allow people to level up more efficiently. They do it just like people used to in City of Heroes: you sidekick someone into level range, then they just sit back and get XP while your farmer friends burn through huge stacks of enemies.