Why was FFXI so great?

[Eagleheart]

From what I read, it seemed that your major complaints were of balance (Not getting invites for playing certain jobs), time sinks (Waiting long term for a party), and pace (Fighting one mob at a time). Those are all valid complaints, but I don't feel that's what the core of XI consisted of. When I think of an "XI style game", I think of a game with large amounts of open world content, a focus on party as opposed to solo play, a long and very fleshed out story line (More so than most other MMO's), and a variety of "side grade" gear. Those are the core concepts I, and I believe most others think of when remembering XI. I would think it more than possible to create a game with those concepts without falling into the same traps XI did. Better class balance, better and faster party seeking implementation, and a game balanced around fighting multiple (But still challenging and unique) mobs are all possible in what I would consider an "XI style game", and that's what I truly would like to see from XIV. I doubt there are many here, even among the die hard XI fans, that really want to see XIV full of the pointless time sinks and balance issues that XI had, they just want a similarly styled experience with improvements to the formula, and really, is that so much to ask for a game that presented itself as a sequel to XI?

It was never presented as a sequel to XI. (>.> ) And the die hard fans DO want those pointless time sinks. Please read the FFXIV or FFX-2 thread in its entirety, and be astonished.

[Eagleheart]

I completed every single End Game event, (Save Limbus. SCREW Limbus) nearly every story line, and NM hunt on PUP.

Don't even begin to tell me how this game is unbalanced when I proved to every person I ever partied with that the *worst* perceived job in the game was actually one of the best

That, sir, is wholly irrelevant.

Let me break it down for you.

Don't even begin to tell me how this game is unbalanced when I proved to every person I ever partied with that the *worst* perceived job in the game was actually one of the best

There, it's broken down. (>_> )

[Jocko]

It was never presented as a sequel to XI. (>.> ) And the die hard fans DO want those pointless time sinks. Please read the FFXIV or FFX-2 thread in its entirety, and be astonished.

I would say directly ripping XI's races, using the core "every class on one character" concept, and implementing a number of other XI terminology and battle concepts, is enough to make most consider XIV a "sequel" to XI. Whether it's intentional or not, you can't blame others for being drawn to the game as such

[Zaaku]

It was never presented as a sequel to XI. (>.> ) And the die hard fans DO want those pointless time sinks. Please read the FFXIV or FFX-2 thread in its entirety, and be astonished.

Like HELL it wasn't!

"Hey loyal fans who've been paying us for years! We're going to annihilate your world and destroy every shred of accomplishment you've ever felt by invalidating all your efforts and struggles over the year for the sake of letting people beat the sum of the game in 2 month"

"BUT DON'T WORRY! We got this *new* game coming out! It is a Final Fantasy MMO! Also look here, see this?! YOUR RACES FROM FFXI ARE ALL HERE! Come join the fun!!"

The moment they put FFXI races into the games was the moment they created a sequel in the minds of the players. Don't even try to deny this Eagle, there is no way to get around this fact. If they wanted FFXIV to be a completely different experience from FFXI then they should have made it with FFT races or SOMETHING else. Not the exact models they used in a similar game just years before. That is like saying Blue is Green even though the color you are pointing too is clearly Blue.

[Eagleheart]

I would say directly ripping XI's races, using the core "every class on one character" concept, and implementing a number of other XI terminology and battle concepts, is enough to make most consider XIV a "sequel" to XI

The similarity in races was to ease and encourage the transition.

What battle concepts might those be?

And playing multiple classes on one character is in no way a 'sequel' to XI. Please see: Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy Tactics, Chocobo's Dungeon, and probably others that I've forgotten.

Also, Tanaka.

[Eagleheart]

The moment they put FFXI races into the games was the moment they created a sequel in the minds of the players. Don't even try to deny this Eagle, there is no way to get around this fact. If they wanted FFXIV to be a completely different experience from FFXI then they should have made it with FFT races or SOMETHING else. Not the exact models they used in a similar game just years before. That is like saying Blue is Green even though the color you are pointing too is clearly Blue.

I can, I did, and I will continue to do so. You are attributing your own inability to find a community niche as the fault of Final Fantasy XIV, and it is unfair, inaccurate, and deceptive all at once.

[Jokerz]

It is the community and that isn't an issue the dev's can really fix. More then likely it will affect this games success. As a newer player to this game it already feels like everyone is already established. Idk what can be contributed to it...the ease of clearing dungeons or the lack of needing people to complete content but for some reason there doesn't really feel to be a significant community in this game.

[Jokerz]

And yea..it was never marketed as a FFXI sequel...similar race designs were used to draw in vets but it was never a sequel

[Eagleheart]

Abyssea with my LS. :3 and me havin' a spot o' fun.

[Wynn]

I would say directly ripping XI's races, using the core "every class on one character" concept, and implementing a number of other XI terminology and battle concepts, is enough to make most consider XIV a "sequel" to XI

I try to bite my tongue on these forums, I swear...

Ok, first of all, don't take this personally because this has been burbling in me for a while now and is directed at everyone really.

The job system, battle concepts, and the terminology are not native to XI. They are part of the entire FF franchise. There were FF games before XI, certainly games after, and there will probably be even more down the road. XI is a dirt mound in the path of the Final Fantasy legacy. Just another bump in the road.

Secondly, the race thing is a total crap argument. How many games out there have elves and dwarves? That does not make every game that comes out later with those races to be a sequel to the game that came before it. It is a terribly feeble argument used by people who have nothing better to bring to the table on the topic.

In the end, XIV and XI could not possibly be more dissimilar. SE developers shouted very loudly for years XIV is NOT a sequel to XI. The only people who still believed that were deluded XI players who had a hard on for the idea of a graphical update for their favorite game. Not gonna happen. Ever. So people need to get over it.