Is the MMO and single player FF fanbase divided?

[Derio]

I have played all of the single player FF games. I didnt play XI due to me primarily being a console gamer and the only MMO I had played during the time XI was released was Runescape and Runescape 2.

When I heard FFXIV was being released for PS3 I tried it out and fell in love with it from the FF aspect of it and the idea that I could create my own character look and appearance in a FF world, rather than the standalone titles where I just rename the main character.

The MMO and single player FF fanbase is slightly divided, but I think most of the people who play the MMO version play the stand alone titles as well and not the other way around.

[Evaddaragon]

I've been a fan of the series since FFII (IV in the US SNES days) back in 1991. I have played and beat them all except for II (the real one) because my save got glitched on the way to Pandemonium.

I'm a former XI player as well, as this one was my first MMO. Also played Aion before playing XIV. Therefore, I get all the past FF references (hahaha) but I still like MMOs to a point.

[Gilraen]

I think the biggest split in XIV isn't between the single-player and MMO fans but rather between the Final Fantasy fans and those coming from other games, like WoW or Aion. Final Fantasy fans know that this game, and XI before it, is story-centric with every player a hero in their own right. It's why the PvP feels tacked on, it pretty much is. Hard to justify players killing eachother when we're supposedly all on the same team. There's a push pretty much every month to expand the PvP beyond the Wolves' Den, but these are invariably by those coming from WoW or Aion where the PvP is intrinsic to the game world. These calls are usually met with derision from Final Fantasy fans who like their games without the headache of kids pinging them for duels.

[MagiusNecros]

How stats and abilities work and even game design is completely different between this MMO and other FF titles which based it's roots in Dungeons and Dragons. In XIV everything is pretty streamlined and cookiecutter and some job classes suffer from bastardization and serve as novelty jobs that play differently from the name they are trying to relate to in order to adhere to their jaded MMO Trinity system. Story however is decent for once albeit predictable.

[Jim_Berry]

People seem to get into XIV either because they like the FF series or they like MMO games but are done with World of Warcraft or whatever they came from.

I'm one of the people who didn't really play online games much in the past but I gave XIV a chance because I'm an FF fan. Yes I would have preferred Fira, Firaga kind of spell names.

A big part of what makes XIV work for me is the cross-hotbar interface which is very friendly to people with a more console gaming background. I couldn't easily play MMOs from other companies without a similar level of controller support which they do not provide. Cross-hotbar is one of XIV's greatest features.

Final Fantasy XI was my first MMO. I'm a FF fan, although I'll admit that I have very little memory of XII, as I would play that an hour a day, then get right back on XI. As far as the cross-bar, I was able to use it right away because of DC Universe being my first MMO that used it.

Yes, I started with FF on NES, but I skipped II but eventually got back to it. Oddly, Crystal Chronicles on Gamecube was a big deal for me. I even meddled with the Legends games and stuff.

[Enkidoh]

I have played all of the single player FF games. I didnt play XI due to me primarily being a console gamer and the only MMO I had played during the time XI was released was Runescape and Runescape 2.

When I heard FFXIV was being released for PS3 I tried it out and fell in love with it from the FF aspect of it and the idea that I could create my own character look and appearance in a FF world, rather than the standalone titles where I just rename the main character.

The MMO and single player FF fanbase is slightly divided, but I think most of the people who play the MMO version play the stand alone titles as well and not the other way around.

Sadly there is a significant group of FF fans (not FFXIV players) who have never accepted FFXI and FFXIV as MMORPGs - to these fans they are not 'true' FF games but just paywall-blocked spin-offs. Most of that contempt though is just sour grapes at the fact they are P2P/sub based and thus they have to pay a regular fee to play, often adding to this arguement as a result "Why should I have to pay to play a game I already paid for?" (in fact, I remember seeing on one forum I go to a member actually whined and complained that "because of this I'll never be able to claim I have finished every FF game now!" I mean, seriously?).

Luckily though with ARR's resounding success even a lot of these FF fans are now re-evaluating this position, but there are still a few die-hards out there who simply refuse to play FFXIV (or FFXI too for that matter) simply out of principle - because it's a MMORPG that requires a regular subscription to play. To me though that's just cutting off the nose to spite the face, but that's fandom for you.

[Dualblade]

I can confirm those people's thoughts, for I thought that once upon a time of XI. I was also much younger, as in young enough that I couldn't have a job even if I wanted one, so the whole paying per month part seemed like a stonewall to me.

Grew out of it before XIV was a thing atleast, but still.

[Antonio_Xul]

This is my 1st FF game & 1st MMO. I have played DCUO, but I soloed the whole game. I didn't know what an MMO was, all I saw was a free game and once I got 30, the max at the time, I quit because I had no idea what to do next. FFXIV could learn a thing or 2 about glamour from DCUO, though.

I got into this game because my nephew wanted me to play it with him, so I did. I bought my wife a copy as well as she is a FF fan, so we started together. My wife quit almost immediately because it wasn't like the other single player FF games. My nephew had been off and on, but I've been continuously subscribed non-stop. My wife recently picked it up again once she started to see how the story was going as she watched me play, so at least that got her interested again.

[Xlantaa]

I played Final Fantasy sincethe first one in the NES/Famicom. I always enjoy, ones more than other (I was very dissapointed on FFVII, but, you cannot said that on internet or people will jump to your neck). When I saw that a online game was the XI, I said for myself "Why don't call it simply Final Fantasy Online?" But after played it, for me, it feels like any other Final Fantasy. On FFXIV ARR launch (I played 1.0, but I stoped quick because was horrible) I felt the same.

I am not those who think that FF should only turns and never explore any other kind of gameplay, and must be always with a party group instead of single hero, of be story focused and nothing about social-like approach. For me the online ones are FF. Lore, story, character, themes all looks like any other FF. Who cares the damn turn based system? FF is not only turns o 1 min long summons, or something like old FF. I don't like when people said that FFXV is not a true FF because it has no turns... okay, this is a stupid argument. Every new thing about FFXV I see, I feel like any other FF game. No one said that Xenoblade was bad game, but Xenogears and Xenosaga were turn based. It is Xenoblade a bullshit because it has no turns? Obviously not. SO, why this people says FF if not FF is doesn't have turns?

People are very superficial sometimes. Final Fantasy XI and XIV are Final Fantasy like any other. The universe, the story, characters and all. Focus only on the gameplay is not argument enough to say is not a Final Fantasy.

[LadyVal]

I play this because I'm a Final Fantasy fan, I first played 8 and it still remains my favorite (for the story; everyone hates the draw system, we know) and as I got older I ventured out and played the other games.

I have limited MMO experience. I played White Knight Chronicles I & II because it was more like, "Oh you finished the entire story mode but hey, now you can keep playing online with a bunch of other people for free," so I decided "Why not?" and gave it a try and loved it. I also played DDO, but because I'm a fan of D&D. The entire concept of MMOs never really fascinated me, like I've never been one to be like "Oh I need a new MMO to play." So really this game drew me in because I didn't play 11 and just wanted to see how FF would do an MMO, since I love old FF, and I've been pretty happy with it since.