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Final Fantasy XI: Is Simpler Always Better?
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com Correspondent Hebie Grate writes this article discussing recent changes to Square Enix's Final Fantasy XI making it more accessible and less difficult.
Many reviews over the years have often described FFXI as “hardcore” or “time consuming.” Whether they are professional or amateur reviews, the consensus seems to be the same; Final Fantasy XI is demanding. Many players, even I on occasion, view this as a good thing. It is, after all, the FFXI tradition, and gives an individual a great sense of accomplishment upon achieving some sort of goal. Others would disagree, asserting that many in the gaming community are casual gamers, and often cite statistics that show players only sign on for a few hours a day. Regardless, things are changing in Vana’diel.
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Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
I've been playing FFXI for about 4 years now and to be honnest, yes I do find most of the recent updates a bonus, for sure level sync probably one of the best things they did since Piannisimo :P
Campaign is also a nice bonus, getting XP while lfp is awsesome it was verry welcome when I was leveling Dragoon and I didn't have time to do 4h+ parties and I'll make use of it again if needed in the future.
I wouldn't say they made the game easier to compare to other MMO like WoW where you can achieve alot with minimal playtime I always founf quite a bit of accomplishment when getting the item I was aiming for and I still do
I have to agree completely with the author of this article. I have been out of FFXI for several years now, but I started at launch. The thing that drew me to ffxi was the fact that being well geared, well respected and skilled at your class actually meant something. It was never easy to get anything done in ffxi and simply to "maintain" (ie. level up, stay fairly geared, afford spells ect. ect.) was about as difficult as any casual MMO at its most advanced and hardcore levels. To acheive a certain level of success beyond the norm took a complete domination of the game, about 100x more than any MMO (and trust me I have become an accomplished WoW player, runescape and warhammer player (the latter two I have quit)). Seeing japanese players in Kirins Osode or Haubergon+1's always sent a chill up a veteran players back in the days when those things meant something. It is really beyond the scope who did not experience it. Respect was only earned, and respect was everything, if you made something of yourself you were allowed to walk amongst the elite, and everyone who was elite had to pay their dues. So when you saw someone who was geared up and respected even as a noob you did not curse the game or whine, you just grabbed your balls and sucked it up knowing one day you could be one of them. If you didnt have what it takes by any degree to excel in FFXI you were a blip in history, and no one ever cared about you. For those that made it, it was an experience unlike any other, not just a game obsession, it was so real because what you had to do required REAL investments of time, effort and teamwork. Im sorry this reply is so longwinded but FFXI has meant so much to me and seeing it collapse into the mess it is today is really sad. The days when you won an NM spawn because you knew how to claim, or widescan, or understood placeholders, competing against people who came to try their luck were for sure glorious and you got items because you earned them. For anyone who actually is reading this who hasnt FFXI il put it this way, in my years of playing I accomplished 2 major things, on top of the thousands of other things that most extremely hardcore players do.
I got max skill in Chocobo digging.
and I got a Kraken Club from the Lord of Onzozo.
Maxing chocobo digging required me to get on for 4 hours a night for 11 months straight. Pressing a button to dig every 6 seconds, essentially its like mining in wow but requires about 4500 times the amount of work to obtain max skill, which is why hardly any americans can claim this title.
Getting a kraken club required me and a partner to camp a notorious monster 18 hours after it was killed last. The problem was this monster could take up to 18 more hours to actually appear, every 16 minutes a chance of either the NM or a regular mob to appear. Waking up at 3am and sleeping every 16mins, giving my phone number to in game friends, competing against hardcore japanese players day in and day out sometimes for 12-15 hours STRAIGHT, JUST to claim the monster. Now when its claimed you have to win the fight, which was about 85% likely, but trust me you can die and all the work is gone. Now when you kill the monster, granted you have a theif knife theif (the days when that was BADASS) you had 3% (real statistic) chance of getting the club. I got mine after 7 months of camping and it was on my 52nd kill. Now others have been more lucky but the ammount of effort i put into it I couldve had 1000 maxed wow characters, and I have 3 right now so I know what it takes.
The danger in this type of dumbing down lies in the competition. People who already play FFXI for any prolonged time are fine with its difficulty level. People who newly join at this time are people who are charmed by others, or away from other games because of certain features, among them a higher difficulty and complexity than the more simple-minded MMOs around.
Meddling with a few of the defining aspects of a game is never a good idea that long into its lifespan.
In addition, it seems everyone wants, and ONLY wants, the casual gamer... and believes these gamers are most happy when their MMO of choice is pretty much passive entertainment, similar to most of the new WoW expansion.
Its a bit like TV. Now, the problem is, these gamers arent the sort who jump games frequently, because they barely ever hit any sort of content cap, they dont look around for other games, they dont weigh, ponder, inform themselves.... they just play.
And, frankly, they will not switch because you made your game even easier, when their current one is already super-simple.
For years now, most MMOs tried to target the casual audience primarily, the solo-oriented player with short attention span and a sizeable need for gratification. And you can see how mighty good it has done them. Aside from WoW, there simply is no big success, because frankly, these casual gamers are spoken for. They are tied up for now.
A solid niche market, and FFXI is by all accounts beyond solid, has the huge advantage of longevity, predictability, and most important, it garners goodwill and positive word-to-mouth. Huge, drastic changes away from the old almost always gets rejected and causes bad press.
I dont think the marginal gain for FFXI, if there is any at all, outweighs even the bad press, much less any leavers.
The casual pie is huge, but its not up for grabs as easily as many MMO Developers dream it to be, and subsequently fail. The casual pie is not yet really understood, and people begin to realize its not really ONE pie at all.
A player who plays Civilization 4 for years, just every so often, is a casual.... but the guy in question that I know, beyond the age of 50 nonetheless, doesnt play it on easy, doesnt expect lots of rewards, and is very, very happy with it.
The masses pay the bills, and companies don't develop and maintain MMORPSs just for fun.
While I haven't played FFXI in years, I do still have a level of respect for those dedicated people who made it to the level cap and stayed involved through the expansions. The forced grouping system, as I recall, was great in a way - it was very easy to find a party, because without one, you couldn't do very much but kill much weaker advesaries.
Significantly changing a game late in its lifecycle will typically accomplish two things:
1. Cause the dedicated playerbase to leave, as the game "just isn't the same"
2. Bring in an influx of "let's see how it is now" players who end up remembering why they didn't stay with the game in the first place
It is tough, if not impossible, to reinvent a game to be casual-friendly after being "hardcore" for years. Not to mention, the features and functionality that the MMO genre has developed since the initial release of FFXI - many people are accostomed to these features and will be less receptive to trying an older game.
A few random thoughts:
There needs to be a few tough games out there, because the hardcore folk need their fix.
The reason that I stopped playing has nothing to do with the difficulty. My problems were with the graphic engine, which runs poorly on my Vista computer, and controller issues.
If somebody really wants to reach a more casual market, they should port it over the the Wii...everyone and their cousin got one for Christmas this year. Heck, my spouse would play if there were a Wii MMORPG.
I'd better find a job so that I can reactivate my POL account and get back to playing FFXI. I'm missing out on the improvements.
I just couldn't handle this game because of the control system. I just got furious after about ten minutes. Not to mention the asinine server selection process. Not that I had anyone I wanted to be on a specific server with; I just think it's stupid.
"There are two great powers, and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit."
John Parry, to his son Will; "The Subtle Knife," by Phillip Pullman
I like to separate the terms "difficulty" and "time sink". I don't like to think that because I'm playing a game that requires waiting for hours to get a group as being more "hardcore" or "difficult". It's just time that we are talking about. Now the specifics of grouping successfully? Now we are talking hardcore and challenging, which is a good thing.
I recently came back BECAUSE of the changes, mainly because most people don't group until 12+ in the Dunes and sometimes not even then if you are a first time one-jobber.
I don't want to solo or play another WOW, don't read me wrong, I just want to speed up the time it takes to get to where I CAN group. And if the new tutorial, and/or Valor gets me to 12+ a little faster than normal while trying to trudge through all the subjobs to get them caught up..hey..I'm all for it.
the more recent updates werent in place to make the game "more easy". does it make it very slightly easyer for some...yes, but not by much at all...the point of the 2 bigger things was to help lower level jobs and newer players groups again or get them to a higher up level quick to get into groups.
the level sync was purely in mind for the people who (like myself) noticed that on most servers the lower ends have been dead (i get why) so this was a way to help the people who still want to level new jobs people to actually group with. when the games this old all the HC players focus on the vast amounts of endgame with their already multiple 75s. Yes this was also a reason to say "hey now new people can level @ ;lower lvls too!"
the feilds of valor was basicly the same idea, just a way to help you get through the lower ends quick to get up to the more filled out group lvl frame. I think this was just as much targeted @ older players because its hard enough to solo, especialy the mobs they ask you to kill, newbies would mor eoften then not die to lack of knowlage of skill and mob specs and probly give up.
has the game gotten easyer since the begging? Of course, but its still one of the more intense and rewarding (not to mention time sinking) games on the market, and with nothing else out in the last 4+years and probly a lot longer (since every has WoW-idus and cant get over not everything is for the casual) we probly wont see another FFXI or EQ (before it got kinda easy)
all we can do now is hope SEs new upcomming MMO will stay faithful to its more hardcore audience and mabey EQ3 or somthing new will relize that there is a good size group of players willing to stay for years if the game is worth the time and effort.
My first mmo ever and played it for 2 years. Enjoyed every minute of the game. Probably one of the most challenging mmos out there still. Just about everything requires grouping with people except the Beastmaster class.
I'm going to have to Agree with him here. Alot of the changes don't seem to be making the game easier... at all. It just seems to be making the pace of the game faster overall (Less Travel Time, Less Grinding to Level, getting into Parties much more quickly) Admittedly the Molasses slow pace of FFXI is my biggest complaint about the game and I personally am very happy about the changes that Square is making to make the game more Accessible.
First of all,i agree with exactly the way the OP explained everything.
I knew what two camps you were going to mention before you even mentioned them,because they are obvious simple areas.
I agree that some jobs will be even more alienated ,and it does not really help ALL jobs LFP.Now even more so you will get players with no sub job shunned,unless they can form the nucleus of the party themselves,but if they could do that ,they wouldn't need the level sync system now would they.I also do not believe the campaigns filled a void LFP,the reason is because i NEVER saw more tha n1/2 of the 40 or so p[layers actually lfp.Heck the mages would stand at the npc and just cast spells over and over,never even entering the battle.Even worse is the yoften just showed up there with little no gear at all,they didn't need any to spam cast spells,they were never going to take a hit,they were not enfeebling anything.
I do not believe the system was designed to help low level party at all,it may have actually been geared closer to the 50 range ,as points to everything else they do in the game.This would make every party on the birds want rangers,my god i hope this doesn't start some new lame ass "ranger burn" party.Imagine any LS member can go out with 5x rangers and many high levels have rangers or level appropriate for the birds,and wipe them with no effort at all.I mean tell your whm to sub /nin and have 5 rngr unleash ws lmao,you wont even need all 5,heck the whm could tank.
This same scenario could work pretty much anywhere in the game using the sync system,all you need is a LS with many active players and you can go in and wipe anything out.Heck grab 5 sammy works good at times too,you don't even need a tank just,a couple /dncr or all /nin.How about any job and 5xthf?lmao 5 fast SA on the crabs in the dunes.This won't happen for the normal casual player,but i can see how LS's can abuse this system bigtime.
Ok i am also one that likes the difficulty of things,but i do like the system for a different reason,than anyone has mentioned.The reason is it eliminates a lot of the gear upgrades,they are at times ridiculously costly in a game that has the worst economy system ever designed.
If players were smart,they would sit in noobs zones and just sync ,rather than form high level parties,it is a lot cheaper that way.This also helps new players find parties steadly and really helps promote the game.
Now i have not personally tried or done any tests on the gear scaling?I am curious as to what others have found in the scaling?is it fair?or is it much better to wear the gear for that level?or is it too good?something that would really have to be done right so the system is not totally broken.
As far as Square staying faithful,i kinda of think not.They have admitted openly,that they are expanding there game style more to the NA's,hence why they made that game using the UE3 engine.They have also opened up new studios i nthe states and are also colaborating with a states developer in a join effort.The original guy is also gone,they got the FFX2 guy working on their new engine[yay dress changes anyone?]
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
After reading this, I am tempted to try the game again as all those new changes to the game sound great! But...I don't have the patience to learn the control scheme yet again(I play on Pc) and with other games making it easier to enter and just have fun in(WAR, LOTRO, WOW) even though FFXI will always have the best atmosphere, storyline, feel of any mmorpg I have ever played.
Two things if they changed I'd be back in a flash and laughing at those "other" games. Controls(let me map WASD and let me use my stinking mouse to move and turn!) and have quests give me XP!
Both of things are possible in the game, what you do is goto settings and switch to compact keyboard mode, that allows WASD and alot of shortcut keys that are easy pickup and play with, mouse clicking to move around and target is also possible, it just isnt quite like WoW in terms of ease of use and the average ffxi player relies soley on Tab to target or F8 to target npcs, F1 F2 F3 ect targets party members. (I could have these wrong its been awhile). Either way, the controls are not the bad, in fact i like it because you only have to control it minimally, ie. its not like wow, constant control.
OP,
For real man, your article is contradictory by your own conclusion.
[quote]On the other hand, according to the most recent Vanadiel Census, the vast majority (75%) log in for only 1-3 hours a day, and only 11% of players log in for 4-6 hours a day. It’s only logical that Square Enix would try to accommodate the majority of its players and draw in players who would be interested in FFXI if they felt they could accomplish more things in less time, not only from a purely gaming standpoint, but as a business decision as well.[/quote]
So, they added more to the game, made it easier for people to start, and didnt remove anything from the original game, and its not good enough for you.
Personaly, I think your just having a rough day, and desisded to take your bitching out on FFxi...
you're missing the point above poster, what they removed was the difficulty in obtaining EXP and items. I quit because they removed the ability to obtain expensive and rare items through camping notorious monsters and replaced it with instance-type mini games that everyone can do and have equal chance at rewards. The additional content has added so much 'fluff' compared to the original game that its almost like square enix has forced their core to participate in ways of playing they were not originally attracted to, thus in a sense giving them the finger in exchange for making the casual gamers happy. When it was no longer cool to have a scorpion harness and maxing crafting meant nothing i was done
Now see I completely disagree as I find the control in WoW so fluid and perfect that most games that don't match this end up feeling...off or just downright horrible. I use tab targetting in every mmorpg I ever play, so not sure what you are saying there. Like I said, I may give it a shot again, but then I remember not being able to do much in the game without a full group of people, and waiting around in Jueno for a few hours before logging off as no one was needing my class. If this has changed, please enlighten me.
Just a response to your comment man, you can in fact use WASD if you switch to compact keyboard in the settings menu, sure you cant jump off 90 foot cliffs and dance like a deuche bag or outrun mobs I was justsaying that the control are not as bad as you make them out to be. I have played WoW for years and mouse target, so I was simply giving my two cents. To answer your question, yes its much easier to find groups with the new level sync, items are cheaper, RMT is way way down and there is an abundance of new distractions to keep you interested, however as ffxi has always been you will have some setbacks not having long established friends and linkshell members to assist with the tedious things like artifact armor and limit breaks. Your choice man, I am a huge fan of wow for what its worth, but it is by no means perfect, getting items in WoW is bland when compared to the epic Hyper Notorious Monster camps versus hundreds of players back in the glory days of ffxi, but 90% of WoW players wouldnt be into that, because theres no instant gratification. (I play WoW in exchange for ffxi but give credit where its due)
Yes, they made getting exp easier. No, they didn't make getting all items easier.
The reason they removed those items from NM's is strictly for RMT and nothing to do with letting everyone and their mom get them. Those "rare and expensive" items are still just that. The only difference now is that you need a group of people to get them if you don't want to camp the NM for the item or buy them. The BCNM's can't all be done by just any ol' group of people. That and they are still pretty rare drops anyhow.
Yes, this game has had things added to make things easier. I've been in it from NA PC release and didn't mind the things that were more difficult starting out. But, I think it's a good thing that it's easier for newbies. Especially when it's newbies are at more of a disadvantage with the lack of new players compared to times past. CoP missions are still hard if you have a party member that doesn't know what they're doing. ToAU's missions were pretty watered down compared to the ones before that. WotG is kind of following the same route, except it has more actual things to do than watch CS's.
I am a stickler for the old party styles of Skillchains and Magic Bursts. Those aren't existent in ToAU parties for sure. I think that is where the real problem lies. That and people trying to apply the "melee burn" concept into traditional parties where the mobs don't play that game and will wipe you.
Campaign and Besieged gives me something to do and get exp and not have to do merit parties. Cause I don't like them. I understand where the OP is coming from. Fortunately, a lot of the actual endgame events are still as hard as they've always been. The only thing is some things are more convienent. Just because Dynamis costs less, doesn't make it any easier. All it does is adjust to the deflation of the economy.
Geeze, this was long winded. Bottom line: I don't think they're conforming to MMO's of recent. They're just adding some things for everyone to enjoy, hardcore and casual. This is still one of the most hardcore games, I don't think that will change. They had better know better than that.
To be the best, you must help each other become the best.
FFXI Character: Satimasu
FFXI Server: Valefor
FFXIV Character: Tamorae Fonteil
Actually, compare to other games , i don't think easy game is more attractive. Since i'm a person who like challenging.So if i can get through the game too easy, i won't be able to enjoy my success
Well, I guess I'm among the minority here but I was really happy with all of the changes. I've played FFXI on and off for years since release, and while I always very much enjoyed the challenge aspect of it, having to "rely" on a group for everything was just ridiculous, especailly if you were playing a less desirable class. I remember sitting in Jeuno for hours on my DRK trying to find (and form) a party, and it was at that point that I started asking myself, "why do I "play" this game?" It's never any fun to just sit there and not be able to do anything.
So, with that said, I applaud these changes, and I've actually just recently bought the latest 2008 FFXI compilation and it's a blast so far playing again. I still get that sense of accomplishment that I got before when I complete a task or kill a mob, but at least now it's at a level that even someone with my limited playing time can enjoy. I think the difficulty is still high enough to put it in more of the "hardcore" category.
Just my 2 Gil.
I agree, its not necessarily easier to get items and fight end game monsters, what I am trying to say is that when you can get all HNM land king drops from instances now, every expensive item is rare/exd and available in BCNM now it took all the actual fun out of the game. Sure i understand the problems with RMT, i lived through it, but for an 'original' end-game player its not satisfying to see newbs have kraken clubs or abjuration gear. I mean I was in one the best HNMLS's on odin that has been raiding since the beginning of time, these days they only camp fafnir out of all HNMS because everything else is availble in einjhar. Fuck that, I used to have fun camping Lord of Onzozo hardcore and reaping the benefits, or camping behemoth and getting the claim, thats what FFXI is all about to me. Im not into the whole 'newschool' stuff, I dont even like sea, its just a hassel, I find myself more into HNM camping in the deep areas of the orginal game and zilart expansion. Id give my my right arm for ffxi to be like it was at its NA release.
Read Is Simpler Always Better?
Well if they make the game simpler and easier too get everything done then i hope they decide too come out with new expansion packs sooner and faster as well too keep those 4-6 hour game players interested as well lol
You mean like the mini expansions? The hardcores will just blow through any expansion if fully released in a few weeks to a month and then say they're bored again.
To be the best, you must help each other become the best.
FFXI Character: Satimasu
FFXI Server: Valefor
FFXIV Character: Tamorae Fonteil
Same here. I love the changes. It's not dumbing down the game at all. It's taking away the useless time sinks of running around lfg for hours only to find that by the time you get one, you're out of time. With level sync, I love grabbing a group now, partying with friends, doing a bcnm or prommie run. It's enjoying the game vs. doing laundry while waiting for stuff to happen. It does not make gameplay easier. It just alleviates the time synchs, and they've added so much to make the game diverse and enjoyable. Campaign, assaults, Nyzul Isle, etc have been a welcome change of pace.
Some of the changes they made like making Cop easier, I disagreed with, but the expansions have been excellent. I also know quite a few people who were happy the COP missions were made easier. I personally did like the challenge of getting through those before they were dumbed down, but I also had a great group of friends to do them with. I can see where players who don't have a solid group of 5 friends to coordinate Cop were happy with the change.
I've played Wow, LOTR, Vanguard, etc, and they are the same old same old. There is nothing like FFXI. These changes have just made it better.