Classic server, what's the argument against it now?

[PlumbGame]

Not that I'm arguing a classic server for FFXI couldn't be successful, I'm just not so sure that it's entirely fair to compare it to a classic server for the other games mentioned in this thread so far. I've played during the classic era on all three games (Everquest, L2, and FFXI) and I can say without a doubt that FFXI was the most unforgiving when it came to doing anything by yourself after the initial levels. From my observations through playing various private servers and the like, it seems that even mmo "vets" and classic proponents alike have a hard time swallowing a strictly group centric experience in this modern gaming age. On P99, it's common to see people asking on the forums about which classes work well solo, so that they have a choice when groups aren't available. That kind of freedom is something that many of us have come to really appreciate over the years, especially with most of us having jobs now, among other responsibilities.

As harsh as classic EQ could be, I recall most classes having a least one strategy that allowed them to solo -- albeit, some more slowly than others. In Lineage 2, I don't remember ever having a hard time leveling solo -- well, aside from it taking an eternity and being repetitive/boring as all hell (imo.) Classic FFXI, on the other hand, was bar none the most difficult mmorpg I've ever played in a solo sense (and maybe even in general.) For most classes, it seemed virtually impossible to reasonably solo anything that gave experience after a certain point, unless you were a BST. Granted I only got to around 40 on my DRK before I finally ended up quitting for that very reason, so if there were viable ways to solo with other jobs, please excuse my ignorance.

Of course, as there are classic-era private servers, there are obviously people out there that are fine doing it the old fashioned way, despite how grueling it could be when you couldn't find a group. My only question is, would there be enough to facilitate an entire official server and if so, would most of them stick around after remembering how harsh a mistress FFXI was in its heyday? Hard to say one way or the other.

Classic EQ was harder. Let me rephrase, both classic FFXI and classic EQ were easy. Classic EQ though had much more less forgiving mechanics than XI did. If you don't believe me, go to project1999 and I gurantee their roughly 2K+ pop will heavily disagree with you.

Here is just a few things.

No maps.
Corpse runs.
Far higher exp gains needed.
Far higher exp loss when dying.
Hell levels.
Racial exp negative bonuses.
Hybrid jobs having negative exp gains.
Longer respawns of raid encounters than FFXI.
NO instance content at all, FFXI had BCNMs etc...
Faction that you could destory and become KoS to guards etc or certain cities or already be KoS because of your race.
No auction house.

Did I get most of it? I'll edit maybe if I think of more.

[nekroturkey]

What makes you so sure the idea would have been criticized more?

The overwhelming negative criticism once it was announced.

Not that I care either way, I'm still looking forward to the mobile native app. It looks like it could be fun.

[Zarchery]

I'm so bored with this topic. Square Enix explicitly stated, in a very detailed post, why they were stopping development on the current, active game despite having actual numbers to tell how many people play it. Suddenly people think they're going to reverse their policy to create a new game based on assumptions of who might play it?

[Seillan]

Classic EQ was harder. Let me rephrase, both classic FFXI and classic EQ were easy. Classic EQ though had much more less forgiving mechanics than XI did. If you don't believe me, go to project1999 and I gurantee their roughly 2K+ pop will heavily disagree with you.

Here is just a few things.

No maps.
Corpse runs.
Far higher exp gains needed.
Far higher exp loss when dying.
Hell levels.
Racial exp negative bonuses.
Hybrid jobs having negative exp gains.
Longer respawns of raid encounters than FFXI.
NO instance content at all, FFXI had BCNMs etc...
Faction that you could destory and become KoS to guards etc or certain cities or already be KoS because of your race.
No auction house.

Did I get most of it? I'll edit maybe if I think of more.

Yeah, that's a great list and all, but you forgot the most important part of what I wrote (and really, the only reason I stated that it wasn't entirely fair to compare to those other games) -- In classic EQ, you could solo all the way up through the levels on most classes. It's not fast for most of them, but it's doable. Can you do that in classic FFXI? Not from my experience and/or understanding. I don't mind any of those extra challenges/time sinks that you mentioned, and I imagine most other "vet" mmorpg players that enjoyed the difficultly of yesteryear games would either. It's not being able to do anything solo that really sucks. That's the only thing that can and does single-handedly turn me off from playing a game -- even if I like everything else about it. That's what I was arguing, and the only thing I was arguing.

[Alhanelem]

Can you do that in classic FFXI? Not from my experience and/or understanding.

You could, it just took forever. More forevers for some jobs than for others.

[Prrsha]

Some money is better then none. The server would be easy to make since it all contains OLD content (and SE said they are no longer making NEW content). It would just be a rollback of patches. The time and effort it would take would cost little money in the grand scope of things, so the server would quickly pay for itself in subs.

As for playing FFXI level synched currently to relive old days... to all whom have said that... THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE

Why you ask? The main part is that many characters now DO NOT have any low level jobs to even start a level synch party to begin with. You'd first need a change to the existing code allowing players to "Self level cap" themselves to a certain level.

The second flaw to this idea is that the exp rate per mob you kill is 500% what is WAS in the old days. We'd still have problems of people zooming to lvl 75 in no time (which gets pointless quick). If you happen to be a person who liked the old style of leveling, you'd reach cap too quick to really enjoy each zone.

[Roja323]

So to be the devils advocate...

What is it about classic FFXI that people miss?

1) Waiting for a dunes group for 4+ hours on a job that wasn't ideal?
2) Getting into said dunes group, just to realize the war is naked and has no sub and the whm instantly drops?
3) Spending months to get to 75, just to realize your not a sam, rdm, or brd and thus have no hope of ever getting into an elite merit party that gets maybe 2-3 per hour?
4) Joining a ls to build 1 person a relic/mythic and basically screw over the rest of the ls?


People say they miss classic ffxi but not a single thing in classic ffxi hasn't been made better/easier/more approachable with modern conveniences.

Anyone who says they miss the challenge...tell me why, even during the classic period were so many high end LS were doing stuff like the infamous salvage dupe that got SOOOO many people banned....If they enjoyed the challenge, shouldn't they have been avoiding things that speed up loot distribution? Or killing AV with exploits? Or using bots to claim land kings? Or using fish bots to make gil?

When i think back to classic FFXI the first happy time I remember is when they added level sync, and when they added abyssea, and suddenly all the less popular jobs could be leveled easily. People love to hate on abyssea, but that was the first time good loot became available to people who didnt want to spend months in a LS hoping it would drop, and they would win it.

[nekroturkey]

If they enjoyed the challenge, shouldn't they have been avoiding things that speed up loot distribution? Or killing AV with exploits? Or using bots to claim land kings? Or using fish bots to make gil?

There are always people looking to circumvent the system, even now. You said it yourself, the game's been made easier and more approachable, so why do people continue to use exploits? Why do people still buy gil, despite it being so easy to obtain? On that same note, if there was a way to instantly take a level 1 character to 99 with capped combat stats, some people would do it. If there was a way to get the best i119 gear from killing worms in Gustaberg's starting area, some people would do it.

There are always going to be people looking for the easiest way out.

1) Waiting for a dunes group for 4+ hours on a job that wasn't ideal?

That was your problem, you were waiting for a group when you should've tried making one yourself. As someone that took only melee jobs up to 75, the secret was asking everyone in your level range, even if their flag wasn't up. I'd start by asking mages, and if I got those, I'd start recruiting other melee jobs. Worked most of the time.

[detlef]

Some money is better then none. The server would be easy to make since it all contains OLD content (and SE said they are no longer making NEW content). It would just be a rollback of patches. The time and effort it would take would cost little money in the grand scope of things, so the server would quickly pay for itself in subs.

There it is Plumbgame, here's someone who thinks it's easy to do.

[nekroturkey]

There it is Plumbgame, here's someone who thinks it's easy to do.

To be fair, no one knows how relatively easy or difficult it would be until Square gives the official word.