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no trial for a game gasping for air

I know, I give my meat of my posts away in the title, but that's because I don't want to needlessly waste someone's time, who doesn't care... so now that you care, this is what I'm saying:

FF is no spring chicken, and it's gruesomely difficult learning curve is enough to scare anyone away from it's initial commitment, without knowing if it is their "thing" or not.  I knew a guy with the kraken club and all of that, and I was still very hesitant to even endure the huge download to try this game out.

I'm glad I did, because there were some very large pluses, but I would never recomend a blind investment in this game, just because it will irritate 1 for 1 of those it pleases.

I think this game desparately needs a trial to make the "goes-ins" to equal the "goes-outs"

Elite poster by 82

Comments

  • GreenHellGreenHell Member UncommonPosts: 1,323

    I think they may not have a trial because FF is no spring chicken, and it's gruesomely difficult learning curve is enough to scare anyone away from it's initial commitment . Once you buy the game you are more likely to take the time and try to learn how to play it. A trial would probably just scare more people away.

  • curiindicuriindi Member Posts: 488

    I was wondering how long it would be before Smitty makes a post with "this title is dying or will die" notion for FFXI - just kidding!

    FFXI has a trial version, but it is not free (I think it costs 2 dollars). If you're still enjoying FFXI, I am glad that you've made a decent blind investment!

  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,435

    I don't agree with free trials quite honestly.  If a game is worth anything it will take a good month or more of playing it (20 hrs a week avg) to really get a feel for the gameplay and its depth.

    A simple 10 day trial (or less) just isn't enough time to really put a game through its paces.  Buying the game encourages you to give it a fair shakedown.

     

     

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

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    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

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  • smitty0356smitty0356 Member Posts: 368

    I agree that a truely good game has to age a bit to fully develope it's flavor.  BUT, it should also be fun from the character creation...  Balance is key to any mmo.  If they are hitting you with a grind at level 5, what do you think you have to look forward to.

    I think a teaser will tell you a number of things:

    1.  Will my computer run the game?  I think this is most important.

    2.  How does this game look & feel

    3.  Is it something I can get into, or do I uninstall the trial after one night of play (MxO style).

    If either of these are a turn-off, then the game is a waste of money for you, and thus a trial is key for the consumer, since best buy won't exchange a garbage game if it has been opened.  Honestly with fanboi forums and misleading reviews with a financial motive, you can't trust anyone but people you personally know, or doing a trial.

    I buy very very few games that I haven't looked into a lot, since being a bit older, I have been burned more than most people with fad-mmo's. 

    I'm pro-beta, and pro-trial for games that need to start a buzz or revive a playerbase that can choose from a new market of games that may not have been available when FFIX game out originally.

    Adapt or die...  Look at WOW

    Elite poster by 82

  • pussaykatpussaykat Member Posts: 791

    Originally posted by Kyleran


    I don't agree with free trials quite honestly.  If a game is worth anything it will take a good month or more of playing it (20 hrs a week avg) to really get a feel for the gameplay and its depth.
    A simple 10 day trial (or less) just isn't enough time to really put a game through its paces.  Buying the game encourages you to give it a fair shakedown.
     
     
    How long a trial would you neet to judge say super mario 1 if it came out today as it was released back then?

    Just saying sometimes you're sure. No matter the time it took.

    image

    -Would you like cheddar or swiss cheese?
    -Yes.
    -...

  • ArchendrusXArchendrusX Member UncommonPosts: 46

    A free trial might be a good idea.  But then again, the whole game along with Chains, Zilart, and Aht Urghan is only $20.  And if that's not cheap enough I'm pretty sure you can pick up just the basic game without expansions for $5.  That's almost free, lol.

    3.  Is it something I can get into, or do I uninstall the trial after one night of play (MxO style).

    LOL, I played MxO for 2 and a half years ;_; It was my first MMO and I was so completely into the concept of this new-found genre that I was able to overlook the grind, and the grind, and the griiiiiiiiiiind XD

  • popinjaypopinjay Member Posts: 6,539

    I don't think a trial would be a very good idea for this game.

    It's not so much that the curve is too big (it really isnt), its that in the 1-2 weeks most trials give you, you won't be able to accurately get the flavor of this game. It really doesnt start to take off until you get your subjob, which is after level 20 I think. And level20 isn't a quick trip really.. (Valkrum Dunes, ugh).

    This game really shines after that, when you start to develop relationships with other people. This game is BIG on relationships. If you don't make friends easily, you will NOT like this game. So the trial would be kinda of a detriment I think. Tough to make "friends" that quick on a trial in any MMO.

    The owners of this game want a more mature crowd who will add to the community. Offering trials really will probably get more younger people which they really wouldnt want (see: kids). They wouldn't know what to do (without the manual) and they probably would spam all day asking for help, like most trial games. When they wouldnt get a lot of it due to rudeness, they would say this game sucks and probably spend the last days spamming kid stuff just to annoy, which the community wouldnt tolerate, being more adult minded.

    The day they start offering trials for FFXI, is the day the main subscribers will probably quit soon after. It will be too much for them to handle probably.

  • WSIMikeWSIMike Member Posts: 5,564

    A trial for this game, to me, is a double-edged sword.

    On the upside it does get more people to potentially try it out and of course, the more people who try it, the more chance there is for them to "latch on" and go with a full sub.

    On the down-side. I really don't think FFXI is a MMO where you can truly get the full flavor of the game in a short trial period. The beginning steps are fairly rapid and very basic . I personally know many people who couldn't get into it just for that. I've tried explaining "just stick it out... hang withit, it gets more involved in a bit; they're just starting you out slow so you can learn". But it doesn't make a difference. They're used to going out, killing and being level 10 within 30 minutes.

    Also, FFXI doesn't really appeal to a stereotypical "Western" mindset. The game is built around the concept of cooperation and grouping up for the greater good. Us "Westerners", commonly, are all about "looking out for #1".

    We don't want to "cooperate", we want to "pwn".

    We don't want to team up and work with others to achieve goals and share the successes, we want to do them all ourselves (ie. soloing), leave others ("competition) in the dust and be one of the first to do/see/get something - or do/see/get it better than "you".

    We're not generally interested in how we can help you - unless we're getting something out of it. We *are* interested in how you can help us.

    We don't generally want to expend time or effort to achieve something.. .we want it *now*, or as soon as possible. "We paid for the game, we should be able to have what we want when we want it".

    Very generally speaking - of course there are exceptions - it's a very competitive "me first" mindset here in the West and FFXI simply isn't geared toward that kind of gameplay.

    If you look at the game for what it is - don't judge, don't compare, don't opine; just look at the design of it and how various things are implemented - you can tell what kind of experience SE wants FFXI to be. And what that is, is most decidedly not a "get to end-game and grind raids for months". It is not a "me me me" game. It's not a game really focused on competition, although there are some forms of it. So.. you take a game that's primarily based on cooperation and release it to a player base mostly geared toward competition, and you can see the conflict before it even happens. "How can I pwn people if I need their help to progress?"

    Though there are things that can be done solo, including xp'ing in some cases, FFXI is very much about "we". And personally, that's why I think it doesn't do better here in the U.S. - or at least part of it. It's not "tuned" to our way of thinking.

    Coming back around to the original point - that's why I don't know if a trial is that great an idea for FFXI. I think it takes longer than a free trial would likely permit to really get into the meat of what FFXI is about. All they'll see is it's not "fast enough", the quests don't give xp and you're best off joining a party after a while; three would-be deal-breakers for someone looking for your typical "Western-style quick-and-frequent-gratification" type of experience.

    Word-of-mouth being what it is, if someone does the trial, plays it for a week or two and at the end decides they hate it based on what they saw - even though they really saw very little and haven't really begun to experience the game fully, that's all they're going to base their opinion on, and that's what they're going to tell others.

    So I don't know... Were it one of your typical "Western Style" quick-gratification MMOs, I'd give an immediate "yes, it would be good". But for a game, like FFXI.. eh.. not so simple.

    FFXI reveals its depth and brilliance little by little, over time. And I'm not sure a free trial period is really enough to experience that.

     

     

    "If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road,
    and the cash shop selling asphalt..."
    - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops

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  • popinjaypopinjay Member Posts: 6,539

    Good news/Bad news for FFXI gamers:

    After doing a little research (took a trip to a local Gamestop) I noticed on the shelf a, yup, FFXI trial starter disc for 14 days.  And the price?  A whopping $1.99.

    Well, I guess I was wrong about the makers wanting to not expose the game to potentially the things I mentioned above.

    I guess its a good thing for the potentially added subs, but if I were still playing (stopped 2 yrs ago) I might view it as a bad omen.

    Guess its all how you look at it.

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