Full or Compact - A question for PC users

[UltraBlackone]

Coming back to the game I decided I'd let my wife try it out and see how she likes FFXI. We have been playing together for a week now and she loves the game as I knew she would. Now we both play from our laptops, though my laptop came with a full key pad where as her's did not. This of course means she has to play with the compact setup unless she uses a different keyboard w/ a number pad. So far, for someone new to the game and online gaming as a whole, she seems to be doing well with just her compact setup. Recently however in a conversation I had with a RL buddy of mine, who plays with us, he made it sound as if she were crippling herself for not playing with a number pad. Here at last is my questions I wish to put forth.

1. Which in your eyes is better? Full or compact? Why?
2. Does playing compact really harm one's ability to play? Why?

[Pufardo]

1) Full KB - Free range of both hands... However, I'm still using a Logitech PS3 style gamepad,
2) I dunno, I try not to play XI on my netbook because the compact KB bugs me, having to FN-NUM to walk then FN-NUM to go back and type... also if I hold FN-8 to walk and let go of the FN key I keep walking... so much fun when aggroing a IT++ oops!

[Gwynplaine]

Compact is better. You can effortlessly swap from controlling to chatting. I wish more MMOs used the same setup.

[Canadian]

Coming back to the game I decided I'd let my wife try it out and see how she likes FFXI. We have been playing together for a week now and she loves the game as I knew she would. Now we both play from our laptops, though my laptop came with a full key pad where as her's did not. This of course means she has to play with the compact setup unless she uses a different keyboard w/ a number pad. So far, for someone new to the game and online gaming as a whole, she seems to be doing well with just her compact setup. Recently however in a conversation I had with a RL buddy of mine, who plays with us, he made it sound as if she were crippling herself for not playing with a number pad. Here at last is my questions I wish to put forth.

1. Which in your eyes is better? Full or compact? Why?
2. Does playing compact really harm one's ability to play? Why?

I guess your question is more aimed towards laptop users, not all PC users. I don't know anything about laptops and such so I don't know what a 'compact keypad' is exactly. I took a look at my brother's laptop versus my dad's laptop and they both look the same to me.

I, for one, cannot play FFXI on a laptop though. I can only play on a Desktop PC and only with a keyboard -- no mouse and no controller.

[Dubberrucky]

I personally prefer the compact setting because I am right handed and do not use a controller it is a more natural feeling setup for me. But this is a personal preference either setup you choose to play it does not change the ability to play in the least just which keys you push to do actions.

[Unaisis]

i would recommend a ps2/3 type controller to play 11. It is soooo much easier than holding your hands in the spider position over the keys on your keyboard @.@. i used to play without a controller for the longest time and i swear i could make the Emperor's <star wars> lightning hands without even trying /zap. Playing 11 with a controller is much more comfortable and prolly reduces your risk on getting carpal tunnel <i think lol>. thats just me tho...

[Gaspee]

I, too, prefer the compact setup for laptop. In my opinion, it's more intuitive.

[Mirage]

I use compact, because I want to use wasd. I would have preferred to be able to remap every key to my liking, but that is apparently super duper hard to implement :<.

[Djinnrb]

I use compact. one hand on asdw and one hand on the arrow keys

[Canadian]

i would recommend a ps2/3 type controller to play 11

I will have to disagree with this. I connected my PS3 controller to PC to attempt to play 11 with and I have to say, it's 10x harder to play 11 with controller than it is with a full keyboard. Pulling up macro sets on controller can be tedious at times especially for mage jobs. In the time it took me to find and use 1 spell using a controller, I could have already used 5 spells with keyboard.