Full or Compact - A question for PC users

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?

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!

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

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Originally Posted by 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?

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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.

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.

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...

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

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 :<.

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

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Originally Posted by Unaisis

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

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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.

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Originally Posted by Canadian

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.

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I agree but some people like a controller I am just not one of them. I find them to be just another thing to juggle as a I play they slow me down unnecessarily.

Think it depends what you are used to. Years of playing FPS on PCs is likely to give you a different opinion to someone who has been using controllers since the days of Alex Kidd in Miracle World!

Xbox wired controller all the way for me, even as a PS3 boy. (curse you Microsoft and your 64 bit version of windows 7!!)

I have 3 accounts and play this on 360, PC, and Laptop. My daughter plays on the Xbox and dual on PC and laptop. my main toon is played on laotop and i much perfer the compact KB over the full KB. You should try using a controller, I find them much easier to control. I use a Logitech PS style controller.

I've been using controllers since like the late 80s playing NES. Controllers are easy to play games with on consoles only because there was never a keyboard option. For FPS games, I prefer using mouse and WASD keys but that setup sucks for FFXI because you aren't always just running around. Whereas using only keyboard, you can just keep your hands on the keyboard at all times. F-keys get to your macros, keypad for running around/resting/targetting, arrow keys for camera angle.

Everyone finds different methods that work for them. For me, FFXI - full keyboard, FPS games - mouse + WASD, Console - controller

I played on the PS2 with full keyboard setup, and it worked for me. Now I'm PC playing in windowed mode with a gamepad and keyboard in "compact" mode, and I customized the IJKL buttons to control my menu directions instead of the camera. It helps to move and control menu directions more accessible when I'm switching between windows on the PC. I have a delay with the game pad when I switch. You just adjust to what best suits your needs.

I've a keyboard with a numberpad, but I keep it set to compact, since FPS has taught me to navigate with WASD.

As for the controller debate - I've tried hooking up an XBox controller and it felt slow and awkward, especially the macros, compared to using the keyboard.

I really find using the numpad and arrow keys both with the same hand very intuitive, so I use the full keyboard mode. Generally, my thumb controls the camera, back and target switching, index for left and auto run, middle for forward and heal/ lock on, Ring for right, menu, and chat log, and my pinky for enter. Because my hands are massive, this means I can use my left hand for macros or perhaps drinking while my right hand deals with moving. The only beef I have with it is there's no way to go back in menus outside of Escape, meaning I gotta put down my beer to get out of my item screens or cancel dialogue. I wish that numpad delete did that.

Compact mode is so much better, once you get used to it.

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Originally Posted by Djinnrb

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

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Same here. I hate the full keyboard setting.

I've also had best experience with a compact keyboard. Keyboard in general has better/faster macro access than controller, but sometimes the navigation options make the controller a better choice (for example for seperately moving camera and menu cursor, and analog control for movement and camera). But compact keyboard has proven to be the best overall choice for me, but maybe that's 'cause I'm also a FPS player, so I'm kinda used to the WASD layout to move around. Also you don't have to move your hands as much when you switch between controls and typing.

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Originally Posted by Arcon

(for example for seperately moving camera and menu cursor, and analog control for movement and camera)

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Holding shift will always let you control the camera, regardless of how many menus you're in.

You can also re-bind some keys (I use IJKL) to ONLY control the camera, and not the menu cursor.

I play on a desktop, but the only time I ever touch my keyboard is to type, either the chat window or to type out a command. Most of the action I do is accomplished through a USB controller that logitech makes which is the exact same shape, size, and number of buttons as a Playstation 2 controller.

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Originally Posted by 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!

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Sounds to me like you didn't change the config settings in FFXI for your laptop. If you go into the Config settings you can easily set it to use wasd to move and such. This gets rid of having to use the FN Key.

Back to Topic: I have used both full and compact. Before my computer blew up I used Full. Back then I would have said Full atw. But now I play on a netbook. Have it set to Compact and since I have been playing games with wasd more and more lately, this feels much more natural to me. As a few ppl have stated though, it all depends on what feels more natural to you. I don't believe there is a difference in performance between the two.

I use the full keyboard. My partner uses the compact keyboard. We each hate the other way and refuse to play each others characters because of it.

i use compact. i see some people are disliking the "fn+num:" functions, but my kb has a numpad built in so i dont have that problem. i have access to both, but i prefer compact cause of the ease in manuvering and chat