Free Trial Player with Questions

[Arcon]

So my question is how exactly does this encourage any player base growth?

By allowing people to reach Lv.99 easily. As the game has been around for a long time, more and more content that was released is catered to endgame players, people who have maxed their characters. Hence, the bulk of the content these days centers around Lv.99. Now, if people would take a long time getting there, they would be excluded from participating in that content. Hence, quick leveling allows people to get through the overhead quicker and reach the relevant content faster.

You need to understand that, while leveling up may seem like an essential part of an RPG to you, it's not what FFXI is focusing on. I like to tell new people that the game only really starts at 99. EXP is not the only way to develop your character, as you will quickly realize as you progress through the levels.

Would you say it's worth subscribing to this game until 14 comes out?

Despite what you said in the first paragraph, XIV and XI are two very different games. If you like XIV you may not like XI and vice versa (I feel that is the case for most people playing each game, but that may be just my perception). XI is an old MMORPG, one that requires some commitment. You may get some enjoyment out of it, but unless you plan to play it for a while, you may be overwhelmed with everything that's available in there. I'm not saying you won't like it, as I know several casual players that did, but personally I feel this game only gets really good once you get into it a bit more, and I'm not sure if the time until XIV comes out will cover that.

Am I going to be able to find people at whatever level it is that I need to start partying at?

Level Sync removes that concern. You just party up with anyone within 30 levels of you (and only because higher levels will usually level in different places, otherwise they could join as well).

And I'm assuming my server is somewhat more active then it appears, but is the game dying down? Or are players just power leveling in whatever area that is at in game?

See above, most people simply want to access the actual game content, which does not really become available (or at least viable) before level 90 or higher.

As for what server is most active, here's a database of active characters:
http://www.ffxiah.com/database

Class wise I was starting a mithra thief but stopped after trying to understand a certain combo. Could someone clarify how SATA is properly performed to me. Do I activated the 2 skills behind the tank first then go around to CC a monster? OR Am I suppose to be using a ranged weapon of some sort to pull this off? Thanks to whoever is able to help me with this.

Once you active SA or TA, you get a certain buff. That buff will enhance your next melee attack (it will not work on ranged attacks at all). SA will only activate if you attack an enemy from behind with that buff active, while TA will only activate if someone else is standing between you and the enemy (again, only with the buff active). So you need to activate Sneak Attack, then run behind a monster and attack it, and you'll see your first hit doing significantly higher damage.

One concern I have is the game sometimes crashes on me, I'm currently playing windowed but I started out full screen. Usually the crash happens when the level up effect pops up, like the game gets overwhelmed.

This should not happen, and unfortunately I can't explain why this is occurring. Maybe someone else can provide better insight into this.