Classic Server

[Kalimairo]

Well, as you say there are risks but its something I think should be tried anyway. If it doesn't work, whats the worst that could happen? They shut the classic server down and ppl go back to the current ones. Personally though, I think theres a lot of potential for this to work, as there being only 1 server there would likely be a few people from all the current servers that swap over and I think we would even draw in some returning players who long for the old school ways. As for the level sync, while I was not a fan of it when it was added I think it should stick for this classic server on your point actually that we may have fewer players there so having tools like that may be needed. I think that still supports the classic but makes it approachable with lesser means which is more mandatory now than when it was originally added.

Its easy you keep Level sync, But everything is the same and u slowly add content by year, Maybe Rise of zilart for 2 years ( NO ORIGINAL 50), COP for 2 and TOAU 2/ WOTG (STOPS) PRE abyssea. (i prefer no WOTG) Dancers and scholars ruined the game ok bye.

[Kalimairo]

They wont do it for 2 reasons:

1- It will cost them time and won't get any money for that

2- It will split an already low game population which will be VERY bad for the standard game

it wont split the game there i said there is already 2400 players playing in private servers, Just adding one P server is enough and make it subscription and not linked with the live version.

[Alhanelem]

it wont split the game there i said there is already 2400 players playing in private servers, Just adding one P server is enough and make it subscription and not linked with the live version.

it will split the game. I mean, it's *already* split with the private servers that aren't even legal. How many of those are even going to be willing to pay to play something they're already illegally playing for free? Not too many I'd wager.


The game doesn't have a big enough community to be split up with different server types. It's healthy enough for SE to continue to maintain it with updates, but it's not a big game. Even at its peak, FFXI was far from the biggest MMO in the sea. WloW is big enough to pull this off, FFXI isn't.

[Seish]

I don't agree with that and the fact this is continuing shows the want for something more classic. Just send C&D's to those servers and reign in the players who want more. Those that play on private servers will return to a classic and those who want both a classic and current can still do so. Seeing how alive this thread is goes to show the need for this to be looked into--and the discord between both sides--will help better understand the interest.

[Seish]

how is it not possible when there are 2 private servers emulating it already 1 with 500-700 and the other peaks 800-1.2k?

i would honestly pay 30 dollars a month for a classic server.

Truth. I've said in detail what everyone has. And the fact this is brought up again demands attention from the Devs--especially after how successful WOW classic is.

[Alhanelem]

I don't agree with that and the fact this is continuing shows the want for something more classic. Just send C&D's to those servers and reign in the players who want more. Those that play on private servers will return to a classic and those who want both a classic and current can still do so. Seeing how alive this thread is goes to show the need for this to be looked into--and the discord between both sides--will help better understand the interest.

A couple people on a barely-posted-on official forum doesn't show much of anything. The skeleton crew keeping this game running doesn't have the resources to develop a classic server, again nobody can really agree when classic is, and the game is too small (it was too small even at its biggest point) for it to be financially worth. All of the games that have done classic servers were far and away bigger than FFXI ever was and thus had big enough playerbases that the community split wouldn't significantly damage either side.

The number of people playing on illegal servers shows more, but again, most people already playing for free aren't going to want to pay up to do something they're already doing.

The point is also moot because this idea was essentially rejected by SE quite a while back. It is not going to happen, no matter how much you bump this thread.

[Alhanelem]

Truth. I've said in detail what everyone has. And the fact this is brought up again demands attention from the Devs--especially after how successful WOW classic is.

Again, WoW is a massive game compared to FFXI, even at its peak. even 5-10% of their playerbase wanting to play vanilla is a large number of people compared to FFXI, so the risk-reward ratio was good or them.. FFXI does not have the base to back something like this. It will not be revisited by the devs, it was already shot down a long time ago.

That aside from the fact that whle classic serervers pull a nice crowd draw ehen they come out, those players dry up when they realize there won't be any updates, after they've already done everything to death.

[Seish]

Not really no. Your latter post contradicts the former. This game already has the hardware support, as it was a dev outspoken requirement if this game would be supported to 2021. Now that they have it, no hardware limitations that would have existed are no longer a constraint. They have all the resources there for it and without cost. As far as the fracturing that you keep venturing into, that's not valid either. Players can have both a 99 character and a classic one. If anything, that's an extra dollar for current players in SE's pocket on top of the 13 dollars a month for every returning character.

As far as it fizzling away is concerned, Ninja said that if a classic FFXI were released he'd play it 17 hours a day in a tweet a year ago with a plethora of likes and replies supporting his comment. And we know whatever Ninja does or goes, his huge following will follow. So it seems to me there is this opportunity and more so if SE were to sponsor this man to play. Now, I will then get into your last point that this game is stagnant on player growth and unless something drastic is done we will not be able to continue unless something is done. And while content may be a concern--though we won't know til after proposed classic comes out--the greater concern is to give fans of the game what they want and to increase revenue. That way, both classic players and current players like us will be able to enjoy it.

[Alhanelem]

Not really no. Your latter post contradicts the former. This game already has the hardware support, as it was a dev outspoken requirement if this game would be supported to 2021. Now that they have it, no hardware limitations that would have existed are no longer a constraint. They have all the resources there for it and without cost. As far as the fracturing that you keep venturing into, that's not valid either. Players can have both a 99 character and a classic one. If anything, that's an extra dollar for current players in SE's pocket on top of the 13 dollars a month for every returning character.

This paragraph is a bunch of gibberish. Best I can tell, You seem to be living in a fantasy world where there would be no cost associated with developing a special version of the game for special people with special desires. They do not have old verisons of the game on file (at least not all the way back). They'd basically have to take the current version of the game and strip out features and rework things. There is a development cost and it requires resources they don't have, as all of those resources are being used to further the current game and give *current* fans what they want (at least sometimes...) over giving people who played the game once upon a time something they THINK they want (and I know this from people i've known to play classic versions of MMOs t hat are out there- a game frozen in time that doesn't get updates just doesn't have the longevity to keep those players indefinitely- one of the reasons I chose NOT to try WoW Classic, aside from the fact that I had specific reasons for wanting to and one of those reasons was NOT grinding up to level 60 again).

This concept isn't something that can be made to just magically appear to magically create more $. It requires time and development that would have to be taken away from the current game and what loyal following it currently has. And you can be sure there are players here today that would not be happy with the proposition of a "classic" server coming at their expense.

This is al aside the fact that you don't really need anything special under the definition of "classic" I hear most often among friends, which is simply pre-abyssea or pre-Wings. All you have to do to get that is start a new character, grind with like-minded friends, and not complete the 75->80 cap quest. you'll be capped at 75 doing things a 75 is capable of doing, and not a lot of that has changed other than Dynamis and some higher level monsters being plugged into some older areas. You don't need a special server, you can use level sync to let others less committed to the idea play with you, etc. FFXI even today gives you plenty of tools to play the way you want to play. And if you hate modern QOL features, well just don't use the home points to teleport and don't use the new mounts.

[Seish]

I will work backwords with your comments as that is the best way to make sense of your weak and incohesive argument. The aspect of lv sync at 75 rrequires that one of the jobs are 75 to begin with. I am sure you are aware of this. Bundle that with the lack of HNM's, JA behavior, Job adjustments, food adjustements, armor augmentation, as well as HNM and NM behavior adjustments make what you say impossible. While in theory you can sync, not many players are at lv75. You are missing that this game isn't just about banding with friends and doing old lv75 content as you'd like. It's about the journey there and the challenge. Current retail does not allow for this challenging journey for many players and which is why trying to do it on a current server to be impossible as people would remember it. Not because it's impossible theoretically, anyone that still has a 75 job could get a lv sync. Rather, it's the way the game is now and how the jobs are adjusted. There are too many changes to players that would prevent that.

You've said in other posts about splitting the community and I've stressed that it wasn't. I've also pointed out, with you conceeding this fact, that you are emotionally tied to the game as it currently is and your current experience--that tie is emotionally clouding your judgment here and it shows. As I've said before, they have the version log history and the origional build of the game exists--which is NOT THE SOURCE CODE. Those are completely different and unrelated things. They have it, unless a Dev or a moderator comments otherwise, it's fair to assume they have the original build. From there, they can go back to a point in time--let's say RoTZ--and start there as that's when most the NA players came on board. Ok cool. Now you mention content, well they continue release content until ToAU and see what happens. All of this, mind you, has already been done. None of this is reinventing the wheel and which is why I made the comment of this not being the source code. If they wanted to redesign the game from scratch while keeping heavy elements of the core itself, then they would be forced to use the source code. This isn't that at all and above all, little manpower in development, if any, would be required. The most expensive part would be to do a study as to how far back this server should go. The servers they already have--if they didn't, we wouldn't be playing now would we .

So unless SE says they don't have the original build, I would suggest you stop that argument here and now. The original build IS NOT THE SAME AS SOURCE CODE. As you said in a previous thread you have mistaken the original build for the source code prior to me educating you the romor dealt with the source code and listed examples as to what that meant. But even you conceeded that you said it was heresay and something you couldn't verify prior to continuing that argument. But let's say that article of the source code was correct, it wouldn't matter because the original build is not source code. If you want to learn more, I'd suggest googling what source code is.

Now that we got that out of the way, there is absolutely no reason why they couldn't. And trying to equate to what someone could do in current retail won't play out quite the same as how the game was "In Era". Now I suggest unless you have some more information about this, such as an article that actually says SE lost the builds too--which I doubt with version control that would ever happen--then everything excluding dividing the community lays flat. But seeing the post above hasn't addressed that after I addressed it prior, I guess you conceded this fact? But if you have not, I repropose my example of Ninja and his following eager to play a classic FFXI. Or those that play in private servers itching for something more. There is a market and you cannot deny it. And this gets to your last point about limited resources. While you state that, having a classic server would only generate revenue. Even you said there would be a short following and interest in the post prior to my last one. So a game that is stagnant couldn't hurt getting the resources it needs. If there's an interest, why not capitalize on it? With what I read so far, you have not clearly shown me where significant resources would be required to create a classic server.

But better yet, and as I've said in another thread to you and others, is that it keeps being brought up BECAUSE there is a necessity for it. Just because you do not see a need doesn't mean others don't. I am sure at the end of the day though, you won't change your opinion. But unless it's something substantial, you shouldn't flaunt it around as fact. This thread is proof that the discourse between both positions on a classic server is not only alive, but something to consider.