The truth is we need a remastered XI or a follow up

[Ransu]

Ok not gonna try to be that guy but its kinda hard to have that awestruck sense of wonder experience in FFXI when you have to follow a leveling and content guide because the game is so archaic than classic WoW in its MMO design.

At least for me, I enjoy the game when I know what to do next. Doesnt help that plot points from other expansions keep interfering when you travel unlike the digestable linearity of FFXIV' design.

I only love FFXI for its gameplay and music since Im a fan of the old school anyway. But I second the game's recommendation, its an interesting world but please follow a guide

lol I have great memories of pissing my dad off because I printed out dozens upon dozens of pages of information because back then the game would not let you alt tab as the game would immediately close and force you to log back in. It was their extreme way to prevent hacking so you had to turn off any kind of instant messenger or anything that would pop up and minimize your screen. Ah the good ole days before the windower addon came about.

[R041]

Ok not gonna try to be that guy but its kinda hard to have that awestruck sense of wonder experience in FFXI when you have to follow a leveling and content guide because the game is so archaic than classic WoW in its MMO design.

At least for me, I enjoy the game when I know what to do next. Doesnt help that plot points from other expansions keep interfering when you travel unlike the digestable linearity of FFXIV' design.

I only love FFXI for its gameplay and music since Im a fan of the old school anyway. But I second the game's recommendation, its an interesting world but please follow a guide

If you can't figure out how to level or do the quests, then I think you need a baby game to hold your hand. I'd still suggest a guide for the super confusing shit though. It puts an emphasis on player interaction, which involves team discussion and deduction.

XI so far is playing more closely to oldschool CRPGs where they tell you to go do a thing, and don't explain shit. So for example, 1 quest you have to look for a suitable partner for the prince. They give you details on the kind of person to look for then just throw you out of the castle to do your thing. (It wants you to find another player)

If that quest were in XIV, they'd give you a wide AOE quest marker with 3 people to find, 1 of them hiding behind a house, and that would be the one.

I kinda prefer the one that makes me use my brain a little bit. If you get frustrated easily, and aren't really a problem solver.. Then yeah I guess I wouldn't suggest XI. lol

[Enkidoh]

I wanna give some appreciation here - This week I started playing XI for the first time.

I'm blown away - everything about the game is amazing and extremely engaging. I never wanted my hand held in XIV, I never wanted choices made for me, I never wanted my rotations pre-planned, and I sure as hell never wanted a visual novel forcing itself on me for hundreds of hours.

XIV has kinda just felt like a museum of FF, which was OK but difficult to get truly immersed. Mostly feels like I'm watching a movie of FF where they just stole old FF assets and put them in new stories.

XI has challenged me in almost every way possible so far, and it feels like an actual open world Final Fantasy mainline game. It's pulled me directly into a universe of it's own design.

If you've only played XIV like me, but absolutely love FF - Do yourself a favor, push past the initial install/setup woes and experience it. (Use a controller)

That's great you're loving FFXI... except, one small thing. You're clearly running addons/mods such as a minimap to impove the experience, which FFXI does not have by default (to say nothing of you may want to remove that image too for that very reason, as even with FFXI SE are very strict when it comes to showing images using mods). Deactivate those addons/mods and play it the real way, and I'm certain you'd probably quickly change your tune (to say nothing of you getting a potential ban for use of mods). Yes FFXI should have those functions, but it doesn't and never has.

Modern FFXI is also nothing like 'classic' FFXI where you were stuck in the 'dooms' for ten levels facing five hour+ long waits for EXP parties. Nowadays it's much much easier to level, the EXP climb is much more forgiving and the hated "EXP loss on death" has been neutured so that it only starts to really have an effect later in the game. And Trusts completely killed EXP parties, or parties for any story content save for Adoulin content.

FFXI is an amazing game, and I have some wonderful memories playing it since I first began my journey in it at the start of 2005 (current playtime is over 365 days), but I also remember the grief and frustation of it - the infamous 'dooms' and the struggle to find EXP parties (I once wasted an entire night waiting for a party invite that never came), that goddessawful EXP loss on death aspect which is still in the game, and many other issues we just accepted as 'part of the experience' back then, but nowadays show just how long in the tooth FFXI has become, despite the improvements like the Trust system.

I can't be too hard on FFXI though - I met my boyfriend while playing it back in 2007, and we're still together after all this time, so that counts for something. We moved here to FFXIV long ago and are happy here - XIV is now our home. XI started our journey, but XIV is continuing it.

[R041]

That's great you're loving FFXI... except, one small thing. You're clearly running addons/mods such as a minimap to impove the experience, which FFXI does not have by default. Deactivate those addons and play it the real way, and I'm certain you'd probably quickly change your tune (to say nothing of you getting a potential ban for use of mods). Yes FFXI should have those functions, but it doesn't and never has.

Okay?

And XIV today is nothing like 2.0, and everyone uses mods for every little QOL. Who cares, I'm explaining that I'm enjoying myself today. I'm playing XI more like a single-player game anyway, Trusts have been amazing.

Also I use the full-size map more to check coords, wouldn't really change much how I play if minimap was disabled. Other than the minimap, the game is just Retail. Weirdo.

Funny how you try and shame me for some reason, when I can guarantee you have XIV mods. lol

[Amenara]

...

Play the "real" way? Would that be like making yourself exit the game every single time you want to alt tab?

...

I agree with it not holding your hand but some of the quests are just so bad at even trying to explain that I'm pretty sure the only way they were figured out when they were current content was through dumb luck. Like the quest description says to talk to this NPC in Windurst but then the NPC will make an off-hand remark about Buburimu but the quest needs you to click a shiny in Maze of Shakrami... It can get a little convoluted for even those who are good at those things.

[Kes13a]

Modern FFXI is also nothing like 'classic' FFXI where you were stuck in the 'dooms' for ten levels facing five hour+ long waits for EXP parties. Nowadays it's much much easier to level, the EXP climb is much more forgiving and the hated "EXP loss on death" has been neutured so that it only starts to really have an effect later in the game. And Trusts completely killed EXP parties, or parties for any story content save for Adoulin content.

FFXI is an amazing game, and I have some wonderful memories playing it since I first began my journey in it at the start of 2005 (current playtime is over 365 days), but I also remember the grief and frustation of it - the infamous 'dooms' and the struggle to find EXP parties (I once wasted an entire night waiting for a party invite that never came), that goddessawful EXP loss on death aspect which is still in the game, and many other issues we just accepted as 'part of the experience' back then, but nowadays show just how long in the tooth FFXI has become, despite the improvements like the Trust system.

do world boss fights still take... hours? I seem to recall that was a thing as well

[Skivvy]

Okay?

And XIV today is nothing like 2.0, and everyone uses mods for every little QOL. Who cares, I'm explaining that I'm enjoying myself today. I'm playing XI more like a single-player game anyway, Trusts have been amazing.

Also I use the full-size map more to check coords, wouldn't really change much how I play if minimap was disabled.

Funny how you try and shame me for some reason, when I can guarantee you have XIV mods. lol

I feel like it's better now, but it used to be that mentioning anything positive about XI on the forums would usually be met with a lot of backlash and people telling you how much that game sucked, or you're simply viewing it with rose tinted glasses, etc. I take it back. It's still bad. lol.

The game is definitely a breed of its own, and it's not going to be for everyone, but it's always fun to see people new to the game actually enjoying themselves. You do you.

[R041]

I agree with it not holding your hand but some of the quests are just so bad at even trying to explain that I'm pretty sure the only way they were figured out when they were current content was through dumb luck. Like the quest description says to talk to this NPC in Windurst but then the NPC will make an off-hand remark about Buburimu but the quest needs you to click a shiny in Maze of Shakrami... It can get a little convoluted for even those who are good at those things.

Oh it's definitely got some jank. But I needed something fresh and challenging.

What's funny is that some of the quests are SO BAD, that they wrap right back around to being good. If I'm super confused, I'll check out what people are saying online. And yeah, they're just as confused, and have been arguing for a decade. lol

I feel like it's a better now, but it used to be that mentioning anything positive about XI on the forums would usually be met with a lot of backlash and people telling you how much that game sucked, or you're simply viewing it with rose tinted glasses, etc.

The game is definitely a breed of its own, and it's not going to be for everyone, but it's always fun to see people new to the game actually enjoying themselves. You do you.

I ultimately just wanted to play a 'new' FF game that could let me explorer and kick my ass. I've done mostly everything I've wanted to in XIV, so I'm enjoying my time exploring XI.

It's got about the same vibe I was feeling while playing XII, but more challenging and more.. Cryptic?


Anyway, these people acting like I'm trying to sell XI over XIV, calm down, ain't nobody gonna take your precious night club business away from you.

[Atelier-Bagur]

If you can't figure out how to level or do the quests, then I think you need a baby game to hold your hand. I'd still suggest a guide for the super confusing shit though. It puts an emphasis on player interaction, which involves team discussion and deduction.

XI so far is playing more closely to oldschool CRPGs where they tell you to go do a thing, and don't explain shit. So for example, 1 quest you have to look for a suitable partner for the prince. They give you details on the kind of person to look for then just throw you out of the castle to do your thing. (It wants you to find another player)

If that quest were in XIV, they'd give you a wide AOE quest marker with 3 people to find, 1 of them hiding behind a house, and that would be the one.

I kinda prefer the one that makes me use my brain a little bit. If you get frustrated easily, and aren't really a problem solver.. Then yeah I guess I wouldn't suggest XI. lol

Leveling is a no brainer although you still have to do some outside research to understand the gearing systems available to you because a new player coming into the game will not be aware of the sparks system or casting signet or telling you how to warp or how to setup objectives for grinds. The game cares very little in attracting new players because it doesnt care to explain shit when you start or teach you how to play the game.

Like I said, I love playing FFXI, its a fun game once you get over a bunch of "quit" moments but saying you need to be a problem solver to understand exactly what to do is such bs because the game itself doesnt make it obvious enough on how to do the content on your own.

Thats why its a "guide" game.

[Enkidoh]

Okay?

And XIV today is nothing like 2.0, and everyone uses mods for every little QOL. Who cares, I'm explaining that I'm enjoying myself today. I'm playing XI more like a single-player game anyway, Trusts have been amazing.

Also I use the full-size map more to check coords, wouldn't really change much how I play if minimap was disabled. Other than the minimap, the game is just Retail. Weirdo.

Funny how you try and shame me for some reason, when I can guarantee you have XIV mods. lol

Okay, lets try this again. I wasn't trying to 'shame' you, I was merely trying to warn you against it because too many players have been caught by it and suffered SE's wrath as a result (especially posting images of mod use). But, as you said, you do you.

And for the record, I have never, ever used mods, neither here in FFXIV or FFXI, and never will, but that's beside the point.