Mac Client

[Avenger]

I'm looking at the fact that I'm potentially going to have spent £240 on this expansion by the time all is said and done, £80 of that is is for the ability to multi box with my mac..

Maybe wait for a sale on Steam or something. I snapped up an upgradable PS3 version for $10 when it was on sale on PSN.

It seems that Lexia is saying that even if you are playing on another platform and have the client installed (e.g. downloaded for free trial) you still have to buy an unlock code. I can't verify this but I do seem to have unlock codes for three platforms registered on Mog Station, so maybe FFXIV doesn't allow subscribers to log in unless they have the unlock code for the platform they're using.

Incidentally, why are you paying £80 for the OS X download version? I see it listed for 44,99 € in the Euro store.

(Note: I already play FFXIV on my Mac but I'm looking forward to not having to boot Windows to do it!!)

One thing that's clear however is that the CE bonuses apply to your *account*, so you only need one CE (inc. digital version.)

[Sebazy]

Incidentally, why are you paying £80 for the OS X download version? I see it listed for 44,99 € in the Euro store.

Two accounts

£130 for a boxed CE and £40 for the mac client for my main
£30 for a regular expac+£40 for the mac client for the alt.

And yeah, whilst I've had to stump up the RRP for the CE, I'll be holding off on the rest as they will no doubt be dramatically cheaper elsewhere.

[Avenger]

Hmm, I figured you'd have to buy it again, so I ordered it already! (I also thought there might be an early access period for the Mac version, but the download section says "this product will be available on: 2015-6-23.")

It would be nice if it were a free download - so far I've purchased it on PC, PS3 and PS4. Haven't bought it on Steam yet though, hahaha!

It is funny though since I already play FFXIV on my Mac, but I have to boot my "game OS" (Windows) on it first.

One thing I don't entirely understand, however - with the free trial of FFXIV, you download the client for free, so if you already have a subscription can't you continue playing without having to buy and install a new copy?

If they implement free trials for Mac, you may be able to download the Mac client without paying and continue to play using your existing character and subscription.

Reference: "Start your Free Trial" button on http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/
which leads to the oddly named (but apparently legitimate) http://www.ffxiv-freetrial.com

[Lexia]

One thing I don't entirely understand, however - with the free trial of FFXIV, you download the client for free, so if you already have a subscription can't you continue playing without having to buy and install a new copy?

If they implement free trials for Mac, you may be able to download the Mac client without paying and continue to play using your existing character and subscription.

The thing about XIV is it not based if you have the client only if you have the key attached to your account for that platform so even if you use the free trial client or get the data from your friend it not useable unless you buy the key or already have it for that platform attached to your account.

[Avenger]

The thing about XIV is it not based if you have the client only if you have the key attached to your account for that platform so even if you use the free trial client or get the data from your friend it not useable unless you buy the key or already have it for that platform attached to your account.

Really? If you already have the client installed and are paying for a subscription, what is the justification for having to buy an additional unlock code?

If I understand you correctly, you are saying that someone with a subscription cannot use the trial version (e.g. on someone else's PC, or their own) unless they purchase an unlock code, and that upgrading from a trial period to a full subscription also requires purchasing that code. <That's too bad.>

[Lexia]

Really? If you already have the client installed and are paying for a subscription, what is the justification for having to buy an additional unlock code?

If I understand you correctly, you are saying that someone with a subscription cannot use the trial version (e.g. on someone else's PC, or their own) unless they purchase an unlock code, and that upgrading from a trial period to a full subscription also requires purchasing that code. <That's too bad.>

Yes if you playing on PC and decide to play on PS3/PS4 then you have to buy a key (the game) again and same if you play on PS3/PS4 and want to play on PC you would have to buy a PC key, your subscription will work for any platform as long as you have that platform key on your account.

[Riardon]

If you have money to buy a MAC then you have money to buy a MAC game. Mac is another platform so you need to pay to play the game in that platform. Different platform means different licensing fees for the company and I won't count the different optimizations the game might need to run properly on a different platform. Plus the company needs to make money after all. FFXIV is not a free to play game so do not expect them to hand over free cookies to you. The PS3 to PS4 free upgrade campaign was very cool and lasted very long. Mac is a completely different story.

[Sebazy]

If you have money to buy a MAC then you have money to buy a MAC game. Mac is another platform so you need to pay to play the game in that platform.

Everquest = No charge for additional platforms, it's all covered under a single subscription fee
World of Warcraft = No charge for additional platforms, it's all covered under a single subscription fee
FFXI = No charge for additional platforms, it's all covered under a single subscription fee
EVE = No charge for additional platforms, it's all covered under a single subscription fee
GW2 = No charge for additional platforms, it's all covered under a single box charge
ESO = No charge for additional platforms, F2P
LOTRO = No charge for additional platforms, F2P
FFXIV = ~£30+ charge per platform

The main mmo exceptions I can think are Destiny (Uses a completely different server base for each platform) and EQOA which was really a completely unique game (No assets besides game lore were shared with regular EQ).

Who's the odd one out here?

Different platform means different licensing fees for the company

This is a code being sold via SE's own store, there are no additional licensing fees there that are not already covered by the PC release (Aka Havoc etc).

and I won't count the different optimizations the game might need to run properly on a different platform.

I'm going to sig this if/when the rumours of the mac client simply being an open source wrapper turn out to be true.

Plus the company needs to make money after all. FFXIV is not a free to play game so do not expect them to hand over free cookies to you.

Pssst, don't forget those subscription fees! I'm not expecting a free lunch, but I'm also not happy about being ripped off by this expansion.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, SE could easily smooth this issue over by bundling in some game time with each expac code, or dropping the per platform expansion requirement (Aka you only need the original ARR box per platform). But it's plainly obvious that's not going to happen.

This is SE trying to extract F2P style money out of a retail box product by inflating sales unnecessarily.

In conclusion, stop being a white knight pls, you're defending the undefendable =(