Revamped Graphics for Windows/Xbox

[xceed8685]

I was thinking if FFXIV can get a whole new engine and be revamed with better graphics and a whole new sytem. Why can't FFXI get a revamp of graphics for Windows/Xbox players? Making the game less appealing for new users to come into a game that looks like ps2 graphics hurts business. Even shutting down the servers to do this I think would make a lot of players who are dedicated players happy campers. Yes, I know shutting down the servers would make some people go nuts, but in the long wrong it will make the game more pleasant.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

I was thinking if FFXIV can get a whole new engine and be revamed with better graphics and a whole new sytem. Why can't FFXI get a revamp of graphics for Windows/Xbox players? Making the game less appealing for new users to come into a game that looks like ps2 graphics hurts business. Even shutting down the servers to do this I think would make a lot of players who are dedicated players happy campers. Yes, I know shutting down the servers would make some people go nuts, but in the long wrong it will make the game more pleasant.

Because XIV was a massive cost, and if they let it just die they'd have wasted untold money. Fixing it at least restored a little of the players trust in the company.

They have no need to do the same for FFXI especially with the restrictions of a 10 year old project.

Besides, the way the XIV story is going it's basically going to end up FFXI V2.0 anyway.

[Dusty41288]

I think hes right i have been playing xiv but if they re did xi id spend more time playing it they totally re do xi to xiv grphics and keep adding on to the game

[ManaKing]

I'd much rather play XI than XIV. I don't think I'll go back to it ever. XI has content, XIV has shiny things. I'm much happier with content and things I've grown accustom to over many years. XIV would have been a different story if it wasn't such a debacle at launch, it essentially made me appreciate XI more.

So do I want to play the game I like, or a game that was created to replace my game and failed at it? Why start over when I can just enjoy playing what I have and look forward to new expansions?

Add more jobs that already exist in XI to XIV? Or would you rather see XIVs graphical support be funneled into XI?

I'm just saying if you have a relic, mythic, or empy, why would you want to start over?

[Mirage]

Huh. That's some kind of strange logic there. You wouldn't start another game from scratch because you've maxed out your gear in a different game? That sounds extremely monotonous.

[Komori]

It's a perfectly human trait not to like change. It's different when you find a "new" game that catches your interest, but FFXIV was to be XI's remake effectively. It's pretty much all the same characters, just in a different storyline and a new world or whatnot.

[Mirage]

It is actually pretty different. I'm going to play both.

[Sarick]

It is actually pretty different. I'm going to play both.

Enjoy the game best of luck. I on the other hand I won't be paying 4-8 bills to pay for upgrades. I'm also not planning on paying a bill a month for multiple accounts on multiple online games. I see it like this. If I'm paying for multiple subscriptions and I'm not playing both a part of that money is wasted.

It's like having more then one car you pay license, insurance etc. on them but in reality you can still only drive one at a time. In today's economy this extra waste is like buying cable tv for the channels without a mufti-recording DVR system. Why spend $50 a month on top of internet when you can just buy internet+netflix and get on demand movies and shows.

Onward to topic:

The end result of eye candy is nice but it's not the most important factor to a good game. FUN is whats really important. If people need shiny graphics to have fun then they're very shallow. Some of the best games I've played looked like crap but I have fondest memories playing those games. Good graphics are not the end all factor in a good game they just make it shine more if the it's already fun. After all, there is no substitute for fun factor unless you're being paid lots of money or something else to enjoy it.

[Mirage]

4-8 bills to pay for upgrades? Not sure what you're talking about here now.

I think you are looking at things a bit one sided, though. There are plenty of reasons for some people to have several cars, for example. It is not always a waste to have them, even if it is for some people. Not all cars are suited for all sorts of uses.

Maybe some people would want to not pay for extra luxuries in todays economy, but there are still a fair amount of people who still have decent incomes, so why shouldn't they?

My turn to be on topic:

While gameplay is the most important part, of course, I don't think there is any reason for a game to not look as good as the budget allows (while still spending enough on gameplay). In FF11's case, it is not just about the graphics, though, but also the performance. The game runs very inefficiently on many of today's systems, because newer and newer cards care less and less about keeping the compatibility with old games up, leading to loss of performance in some of them, which FF11 is a good example of.

The game can still end up outputting 20 fps in port jeuno, even if the total poly count, textures, and special effects are *waaaaay* lower than in any modern game that would easily run at 60fps. This is something an engine overhaul could fix. 3D models, textures, etc would remain the same, while the game just managed to render them a lot more efficiently.

Additionally, an engine overhaul could allow for 60 fps gameplay, which really is pleasant to look at, even in games where gameplay is slow, such as FF11. Battle animations can still have rapid movement in them, and 60 fps would definitely be noticable there.

As I understand things, recreating assets (textures, 3D models, etc) is what usually requires by far the biggest amount of resources in the graphics department of a game. Improving the graphics engine, for so to reuse the already existing assets, is a much smaller undertaking. This is why practically all "HD editions" of old games only see a resolution increase with antialiasing, and not more detailed character models and textures.