What is so bad about FFXI?

[Dreamer]

*raises her hand* I've made quite of few posts in the vein of 'I don't want FFXIV to be FFXI-2.

But it's not limited to just FFXI. I don't want FFXIV to be a copy of anything else we have in the genre. Simply put, you can't lead the genre if you're always copying someone else. The only reason WoW got away it was because A) they brought a level of polish and completion that wasn't in the genre prior to its launch and B) there wasn't nearly as much competition as there is now.

If you go to any MMORPG-focused site, the number of WoW clones is staggering. There are literally dozens. But not one of them, even the frontrunner of them, Rift, has had more than a small portion of their success. Why? Simple - why play a knockoff when you can play the real deal? Even if many players don't realize it, that's the crux of the matter.

While learning from other titles is fine, if you're just doing the same thing but with a different face it leaves you with no capacity to pull away from the other titles that you're competing with. I want to see FFXIV innovate instead of implement.

[Gramul]

While learning from other titles is fine, if you're just doing the same thing but with a different face it leaves you with no capacity to pull away from the other titles that you're competing with. I want to see FFXIV innovate instead of implement.

That's kind of what they where trying to do in the first place.
It didn't go over so well.

I don't think anyone's saying to make XIV XI-2. They just want it to take all the good stuff from XI because it made for a great experience.

[Jennestia]

I don't think anyone's saying to make XIV XI-2. They just want it to take all the good stuff from XI because it made for a great experience.

yep, no one ever says make XIV an XI-2, but what they did try to innovate, they could have while using the base foundation of XI, that way if the innovations didn't go over well..they'd have a good foundation to just optimize and make better, instead of falling flat and having to scrap it and rebuild it.

[Antonn]

Bring back the crafting system from XI. It's the only crafting system of any MMO to trump XIV in god awfulness.

[Physic]

XI is fine, but i dont want to play XI here, i left xi because i was bored with that style. This game should find its own direction and strengths, like ever other FF title did, aside from the -2s

[MANTASTIC]

Get off XI's nuts, seriously. The same design decisions that worked nearly a decade ago are not going to hold up in this day and age, especially when considering the competition and 14's terribad launch.

[Baxter]

FFXI was my first serious mmo, as such it holds a special place in my heart. I think "we don't want it like ffxi" or "we dont want ffxi-2" comes from some of the aspects that really should have been redone in it's infancy. Like the party feature, a ton of job adjustments and mechanics, content like worldspawn HNMs, storylines battles, crafting, gathering, rmt actions that should have never been, instances, inventory.. these are just a few of an ever growing list of problems that afflicted xi and scarred both long term players and short term. In my opinion it's not saying change or do not implement what has made xi great, but please do not implement the things that caused a lot of frustrations/ragequits/and for some..tears.

[Brillen]

The main draw XI still holds over XIV for me is the job system. The usage of Job/Sub is so far superior to the "use whatever skills from whatever class you want" system that XIV has implemented.
Other than that I've very pleased with XIV and just wish they would have had more direction in the main storyline, and how you explore and develop it. I find myself getting excited to do the main scenario quests, only to be let down by the quests being a mere "walk here, listen to cut scene, get xp"

[HoolieWho]

Nothing is more natural than to compare FFXIV to FFXI. I expected things that worked in FFXI to be carried over into FFXIV, and if not, then I certainly hoped the innovations would be for the better.

Seek/Search

FFXI had group formation tools that worked, but could have been better. A party recruitment feature is a nice innovation compared to FFXI, but it fails on its own. Better to seek endlessly in FFXI than to use the FFXIV tool and wonder "is this thing on?" It boggles my mind that an MMO is released without a useful means of getting in parties. A year later and my mind is still BOGGLED!

Still, I didn't expect a system identical to FFXI, I expected something better. Seek and recruit on any/multiple jobs for different types of content. An auto-grouper like the proposed Content Finder would be a welcome tool in addition to more interactive group formation tools.

Guild Leves (Battle)

A variation on the leveling mechanic compared to FFXI. I like leves for solo/duo play, but they are a disappointment for party play. Groups of monsters instead of always a solo monster and the lack of fighting over monsters in popular camps are good innovations. But it seems to me that an MMO should be focused foremost on party play and I miss the party focused leveling of FFXI.

Battle Regimes

Compare to skillchains from FFXI. A greater variety of actions building toward a greater variety of effects. I like the innovation but the requirement of entering a Battle Regime Mode took away from the flow of combat. High marks for an attempt to promote teamwork though. I would say a good innovation over FFXI in principle, but needs better implementation.

Market Wards

Quaint, but inconvenient. Convenience wins when it comes to buying/selling goods. We want Amazon.com and they gave us a strip mall anchored by Bob's Misc. Mob Drops and Amy's Weaver Emporium. I'm not sure what I would prefer over the FFXI AH.

Crafting

I prefer FFXIV crafting over FFXI. Local leves allow leveling progress without the need to create and dump a bunch of useless leveling fodder. And the crafting mini-game is more interactive than the all-or-nothing FFXI method. But the mini-game really needs Quality to mean something. It should mean something for crafting leves and it should mean something for actual crafted products.

Indirectly crafting hurt FFXIV if it influenced the creation of the Market Wards as a place for crafters to showcase their goods. It also hurt the game if it dictated the lack of challenging mission battles in order to accommodate dedicated crafters.

Plenty of other features to consider, like NM spawn conditions, loot distribution mechanisms, auto-attack, LS tools, seamless zones, etc.., but all of it will be compared to FFXI and if it doesn't compare favorably, it will be harped on. Rightly so.