SoA or any future boxed collections

[Alhanelem]

the technical term for GigaByte is NOT GiB it is GB

They are both technical terms- they are used to distinguish between different calculations of byte size. Windows reports a Kilobyte as 1024 bytes, megabyte as 1024 Kilobytes, etc. However, hardware manufacturers and some other operating systems report bytes as 1 Kilobyte = 1000 bytes, 1 Megabyte = 1000 Kilobytes, etc.

This is why there is a significant discrepancy in how windows reports the capacity of a disk vs how the disk manufacturer reports it (It is not just because of the space used by the filesystem itself)

The term "Mibibyte (MiB) and Kibibyte (KiB) etc refer to the former. The term was created to disambiguate between the two different calculations, but the terms are not in wide use by the general populace at this time.

[Catmato]

Incase it helps anyone. They are releaseing a new combinded disk. As for having all you want on it, youll jsut have to wait and see.

Following that link, it says "Windows® PC (Digital Download) $39.99" which suggests they aren't currently planning to release a physical copy.

Face it whenever you guys dislike it or not, the installers from the "Collection" versions only have half of the game data and you have NO CHOICE but download the other half of the game from POL using the update function.

If you'd reread the OP, you'd find that is what this thread was addressing. It only (slightly) later derailed into physical vs. digital distribution.

A bunch of irrelevant crap.

That has nothing to do with this thread. Please take it elsewhere.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

The size of a single sided 2 layer DVD under the DVD-9 specification is 7.95 GB (or more accurately GiB). What are you trying to say. (1 side 1 layer DVD-5 is 4.37 GB)

Very good! Now, care to explain why you believe that S-E would both pay to ship DVD's that are (at least) half-empty and pay for the bandwidth to upload thousands of copies of the information that could have been pressed onto said half-empty DVD's? If nobody else, I'm sure S-E's shareholders would be very interested in what can only be described as a gross mismanagement of corporate funds.

Are you just trying to be an ass again? I guess you didn't read the part about not trying to insult me?

Allow me to explain with your own words:

Because, people don't get it, and I'm making an apparently futile effort to help them get it?

It is is a physical unlikelyhood that there is so much overlap between each individual expansion/game disc that we can condense 8 GB worth of data into 3GB.

Unless, of course, much of the information contained on each of the discs applies to older content or is otherwise redundant. Y'know, overlap.

Otherwise, S-E could spend about 2 yen more per unit to press dual-layerd PS2 DVDs and call it a day instead of ZOMG bandwidth costs.

As I said before, there is a simple way to determine how much overlap there actually is, and that's by the data downloaded in the update process.

So simple that you haven't tried it yet? C'mon, this is your big opportunity to put me in my place and maybe get me to shut up!

1. Back up your macros and settings.
2. Uninstall the game.
3. Take note of data sizes:
   • on the install media
   • after a fresh install, but before updating
   • after updating
4. post your results, for science!

But i'm not sure why you even started talking about this in the first place.

Face it whenever you guys dislike it or not, the installers from the "Collection" versions only have half of the game data and you have NO CHOICE but download the other half of the game from POL using the update function.

This thread is asking for new collection discs/installs to include a fuller amount of the game data so you dont spend several hours updating

1. And then someone responded saying it wasn't possible for the entire game to fit on a single disc, because the '06 collection disc and the WotG disc don't add up.
2. And then I pointed out that all the original (PS2 NA) discs add up to considerably more than the '08 collection, with lots of room to spare.
3. And then you came in with your precocious little routine of trying to sound like you know what you're talking about, failing to do basic math in the process.
4. And then I pointed out the absolute fiscal irresponsibility of your conjecture.

And here we are! Wasn't that fun?

[Jackstin]

What about multiple disks?

/hides

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Guys, I have an JPN PS2

Which brings up an interesting question: do you know if one can mix and match JP and NA discs on the same PS2/3 without having to muck about with hacks and/or other such third-party tools? Or are you just playing with straight JP hardware and software?

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

What about multiple disks?

That's pretty much what they've always done in a sense, at least for the PC version. Ultimate Collection Abyssea Edition has separate installers for:

1. PlayOnline Viewer
2. Final Fantasy XI
3. Rise of the Zilart
4. Chains of Promathia
5. Treasrues of Aht Urhgan
6. Wings of the Goddess

and a seventh, meta-installer to walk through the whole thing. It's pretty much a straight 1:1 copy of the original release discs bundled into one package, because cheap/lazy.

[Catmato]

a seventh, meta-installer.

Are you referring to the autorun program that has all of the expansions and DirectX listed as buttons to click? Or is there something that's more automated than that?

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Are you referring to the autorun program that has all of the expansions and DirectX listed as buttons to click? Or is there something that's more automated than that?

FINALFANTASYXIUCAE.exe is a ~2.3 MB application that first unzips the three data files it comes with into seven individual directories (DirectX, POL, FFXI, 4 expansions), presents the user with a screen with the seven individual packages as list of checkboxes, and then automatically walks through the individual installers the user checked, from the top of the list to the bottom.

It's still not exactly fire-and-forget, but it's considerably more robust than the autorun splash screen that came on my original 5 CD set.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

I should contrast this with the console versions. There, FFXI and its add-ons must be installed from within the PlayOnline Viewer itself (via an "install software" option on the POL login screen). After loading the disc and selecting that option, you're taken to a splash screen where you can opt to watch the introductory movie (the one that PC players are shown every time they start FFXI by default), install the software, or watch the credits (or something like that, been a while).

If you choose to install, the player then gets to watch a crystal spin around for an hour or so while all FFXI software on the disc is installed; even if a disc has more than one package bundled onto it (e. g. FFXI + RotZ), there's still no option to pick and choose what to install.

So it seems at least some effort is made on the console end of things to mesh things together into a seamless whole when it comes to these collections, versus "cram 7 CDs and 2 DVDs into a ZIP file with a fresh coat of paint" that PC seems to get currently.

(On the other hand, this means that, outside Japan, only PC players can see what FFXI looks like with no expansions installed, if you're into that sort of thing.)

[Alhanelem]

Now, care to explain why you believe that S-E would both pay to ship DVD's that are (at least) half-empty and pay for the bandwidth to upload thousands of copies of the information that could have been pressed onto said half-empty DVD's?

I don't? Quote where I expressed this belief? I do not personally feel they should offer a pressed disc at all. The primary clientele of this game is more than able to just download it.

Unless, of course, much of the information contained on each of the discs applies to older content or is otherwise redundant. Y'know, overlap.

You could, y,know, actually go check the contents of the CDs and compare the files and see just how much overlap there actually is, instead of just flinging snarky sarcasm at me and trying to insult me?

There might be "plenty of room" for more data on a DVD, when you account for some hypothetical amount of overlap you haven't shown or proven (The one bit of data that absolutely must overlap is monsters/enemy models/sounds/etc introduced in a previous expansion but used in the next one, in case you do not install the expansions in order or do not install all of them) but there's still not enough room on a normal DVD to include all of the most current data, as the total size of FFXI far exceeds the size of a standard DVD. You would still need at least 2 discs for that. So, what you are asking for is still less practical/probable than you want us to think it is.

I don't understand why this is such a big deal in the first place. Yes, it's annoying, but it's something most people only need to do once. It's not rocket science, either.

So simple that you haven't tried it yet? C'mon, this is your big opportunity to put me in my place and maybe get me to shut up!

Sorry, too lazy. I already reinstalled the game a week ago because I got a new SSD and had to reinstall my OS since disk cloning didn't work. Maybe when we're fighting over something that won't take as long to analyze. Next time!