We do apologize for the problems you are having with the game. The lockup / crash you are experiencing could be caused by a video card or display related problem. When you encounter a video card or display related problem, please check to make sure of the following:

1. You have a compatible video card, check system requirements on the game packaging or www.playonline.com
2. You have the latest video drivers in the correct language and for the correct operating system.
2a. nVidia - http://www.nvidia.com
2b. ATI - http://www.ati.com

Adjust the Resolution:
To change display resolutions, use "FINAL FANTASY XI Config" before running the PlayOnline Viewer. To access this program with the Steam version, access the Start menu from Windows, and go to "Computer," "Your local disk drive (Default is C", "Program Files (x86)" ,“Steam”, “SteamApps”, “Common”, “FFXI”, “SQUARE ENIX”, “FINAL FANTASY XI”, “ToolsUS”, and then "FINAL FANTASY XI Config." By altering the background graphics and overlay resolutions, you can run FINAL FANTASY XI at higher resolutions. 64MB of texture memory is recommended for these settings.

Frame Rate Issues:
If you are having issues with the frame rate, try changing the following options in the FINAL FANTASY XI Configuration Tool.

"Screen Size" Tab
- Overlay Graphics Resolution (Default setting: 640 x 480)
- Background Resolution (Default setting: 512 x 512)
The frame rate will increase by decreasing the size of both resolutions.

"Textures" Tab
- Texture Compression (Default setting: Low)
- On-screen Maps (Default setting: Uncompressed)
The frame rate may increase by adjusting these settings.
(Results may vary by hardware.)

"Effects" Tab
- Enable bump mapping (Default setting: Unchecked)
- Environmental Animation (Default setting: Normal)
The frame rate may increase when you disable bump maps and environmental animations.

Turn off bump mapping in the FINAL FANTASY XI Config utility:
1. Click on Start, navigate the Start menu and go to Programs or All Programs, then PlayOnline, then FINAL FANTASY XI, and click on FINAL FANTASY XI Config.
2. Click on the Effects tab, and un-check Bump Mapping.

Turn on Fog Table Emulation in your video card software.

These steps vary, based on which card you have. The software provided by the video card manufacturer is used to make setting changes. You should be able to find something called Fog Emulation Table, and you want to make sure that is turned on.

If none of these fixes resolve your issue, please reply back to this thread with your DirectX Diagnostic so that we may further investigate your issue.