Single Player Future

[machini]

That would require a colossal mountain of develpment work. As you noted, development of new content will stop, so it's extremely doubtful that they'd spend the time and resources on that. When it dies, it's just goint to die, like every other online game whose support ends.

(Doesn't mean i don't want it, of course. I'm just being realistic)

No, actually, it wouldn't. All they'd have to do is either release the server software, or straight up release the source for it. It's not that much work. There are plenty of other online games which are still going on long after the official servers closed thanks to fans.

[Alhanelem]

No, actually, it wouldn't. All they'd have to do is either release the server software, or straight up release the source for it. It's not that much work. There are plenty of other online games which are still going on long after the official servers closed thanks to fans.

There is no way in the world they'd ever release the server software, because that would allow other people to profit off their work. Also, LOL at the thought of releasing the source code. Even if they did, it would likely take years for anyone not already familiar with the project to understand it.

In most cases, private servers result in C&Ds or lawsuits.

[vienne]

Single player ffxi sounds like the most boring game ever.

[machini]

There is no way in the world they'd ever release the server software, because that would allow other people to profit off their work. Also, LOL at the thought of releasing the source code. Even if they did, it would likely take years for anyone not already familiar with the project to understand it.

In most cases, private servers result in C&Ds or lawsuits.

I think you grossly underestimate the love some people have for this game.

[Zarchery]

I think you grossly underestimate the love some people have for this game.

I don't think Alhanelem made any mention of the playerbase's love of the game. He was talking about the business and legal implications.

Why would you even want a single player offline version of an MMORPG? Isn't that what every other category of game is for?

[dasva]

I don't think Alhanelem made any mention of the playerbase's love of the game. He was talking about the business and legal implications.

Why would you even want a single player offline version of an MMORPG? Isn't that what every other category of game is for?

Because this particular one has had one of the best stories of an RPG out there. To get all those little things you never had time before to do. Like there is so much in all those random sidequests

[machini]

I don't think Alhanelem made any mention of the playerbase's love of the game. He was talking about the business and legal implications.

Why would you even want a single player offline version of an MMORPG? Isn't that what every other category of game is for?

I had a very quick reply that got eaten 'cause I said the wrong thing.

The tl;dr version is that it is actually not illegal to reverse engineer server functionality for ANYTHING. The courts have been VERY explicit on this. If you can do it without any actual appropriation of the source material, solely as a work of deduction based on client-server communication, then it's perfectly legal. There has been an EverQuest emulator project for ever 10 years, and it's still going strong, and they have not been shut down. There was an attempt, once, long ago, as I remember, and they fought it and won. Just like there is a WoW emulator project with has been going for years now, and is still going -- it's perfectly legal.

It would not be difficult for SE to package, and sell a trimmed down version of the POL server that can only handle up to 18 players, along with a POL client designed to connect to a specific IP address, along with a version of the FFXI client capable of receiving said address from the POL Client, and server binary/executable and server database information. That would seriously be a week's work, or less, for one competent programmer to do. The only possible issue is that the server software is designed for a *nix platform, in which case you'd need to be running a *nix VM or have a machine dedicated to running it. The fact that I can run, off my desktop, a WoW server that is capable of handling hundreds of simultaneous players shows that it does not take a powerful PC to do this sort of thing (this is while running the client, too, which is far more intensive than FFXI's client).

In addition, I would be willing to pay an awful lot of money for this. I'd throw down a hundred dollars if they sold such a thing when the game ended. I know other friends who would do it to. Hell, I'd buy MULTIPLE COPIES of it so other people could try it. If you're going to end a game anyway, and it would be rather minimal effort to do so, why not? How many of the maybe 250k subscribers to this game do you think would be willing to slap down 100 dollars to have a copy they could play a decade from now for nostalgia's sake? 10%? 5%? Even if only 1% of the playerbase did so, they'd be looking at pulling in a quarter of a million dollars for maybe a week's worth for one or two guys who probably don't make more than 40 or 50 thousand dollars a year. That's a big profit off of such little work. And if it's higher, as I think it would be, 10% of that playerbase forking over 100 dollars would get them 2.5 million dollars off of maybe a 80 hours of work.

I really don't think you understand exactly how much it would be in SE's monetary interest to do that. Firstly, they would make a good deal of money for next to no work -- remember, they're already getting ready to switch to PC-only development, which would greatly simply an awful lot of things that have needed fixing for a while due to PS2 limitations. Secondly, it would please a lot of hardcore, diehard fans who absolutely love this game. Thirdly, it would let them be able to say "None of our Final Fantasy games have ever died. They all live on, for their fans to be able to play them." It would show a staggering level of commitment to their fan base, a large portion of which -- not just XI players -- is starting to become very disenchanted with the franchise.

[Elemmire]

I don't think Alhanelem made any mention of the playerbase's love of the game. He was talking about the business and legal implications.

Why would you even want a single player offline version of an MMORPG? Isn't that what every other category of game is for?

Well FFXII was basically offline FFXI with shittier everything (story, characters, music, etc). People apparently love that game soooo I imagine an offline FFXI would work fine.

[chiefhunglo]

Because some people put their heart's and soul's into their character.