FFXI community/FFXIV transition my minor testiment (long post)

[FunkYeahDragons]

I'm new to MMO's. I remember seeing FF XI at E3 before it released and being so excited. Then I got married, graduated college, and started having to earn some real money so that my wife could finish school. I didn't have time for FF XI much less FF IX and FF X.

So when I started in with FF XIV I was so excited to finally play and get "online". I've found that my expectations have not been met. I have been playing a solo game that has brief periods of interactive play. I rarely get a hello (even from my Free Company), mentors totally ignore my mistakes and don't offer assistance as to how I can get better, I feel like I'm all alone even in the midst of a handful of people standing around the Palace of the Dead entrance. Maybe I'm to blame - I'm willing to work on my side too. I always say make yourself the perfect companion instead of looking for the perfect companion, and I'm trying to do that.

Maybe it isn't the game causing the issue, maybe it is just the new type of people who play these games because from what I have heard FF XI had this close community I was hoping to find. I guess I am 10+ years too late.

As someone who's been in a lot of FCs, don't be shy of leaving if you find people aren't talkative enough. You're not obligated to stay with them and plenty out there will appreciate new faces and a fresh perspective for something as simple as daily roulettes.

It is partly the players. There's this weird fascination when it comes to guilds that numbers are important and you need to be a big guild to matter, so even groups of old friends who don't really want to be meeting new people recruit. There's no changing people who don't want to change.

[Blackcanary]

I'm new to MMO's. I remember seeing FF XI at E3 before it released and being so excited. Then I got married, graduated college, and started having to earn some real money so that my wife could finish school. I didn't have time for FF XI much less FF IX and FF X.

So when I started in with FF XIV I was so excited to finally play and get "online". I've found that my expectations have not been met. I have been playing a solo game that has brief periods of interactive play. I rarely get a hello (even from my Free Company), mentors totally ignore my mistakes and don't offer assistance as to how I can get better, I feel like I'm all alone even in the midst of a handful of people standing around the Palace of the Dead entrance. Maybe I'm to blame - I'm willing to work on my side too. I always say make yourself the perfect companion instead of looking for the perfect companion, and I'm trying to do that.

Maybe it isn't the game causing the issue, maybe it is just the new type of people who play these games because from what I have heard FF XI had this close community I was hoping to find. I guess I am 10+ years too late.

The real problem with FFXIV is that there is no sense of community from being out side ur own Free Company. Even then sometimes that can be lacking.

[Kallera]

The real problem with FFXIV is that there is no sense of community from being out side ur own Free Company. Even then sometimes that can be lacking.

with a lack of gameplay content that can involve many members of the community and the way battle content gets invalidated, fc activities often split apart into cliques and getting communication among people is difficult unless you have voice chat, which this game doesn't have on its own.

[Triketra]

Maybe it isn't the game causing the issue, maybe it is just the new type of people who play these games because from what I have heard FF XI had this close community I was hoping to find. I guess I am 10+ years too late.

It's not you m8 it's most likely just a more END Game oriented server that your on, Fairie is nothing like that.

If your ever on Faerie check us Pekoes out, Happy to help anytime and we are a chatty bunch. Most people are on Faerie anyway. Maybe try changing your server, Never a problem getting a bit of help on ours, and we all tend to help new people when we notice they need it ^_^

And if you do Come over I'd be happy to guide you through Eorzea when needed ^_^

[Xandos]

FFXI was my first MMO as well. Before that I had only played FPS games online. I also played a Elvaan male and started in Sandy. Eventually I made Samurai my main and also spent a lot of time on Red Mage.

I do have to agree that I have never felt the same awe in WoW or FFXIV that I felt in FFXI, although Eve Online has come close many times. There are a lot of things to remember fondly from 11, like getting your Relic weapons. There are also lots of things I am glad we don't have to do anymore like waiting for 6 hours in Jeuno with your party flag up. You HAD to have a party for nearly everything so that built a really strong community. You also HAD to have a party for nearly everything so that meant waiting for people to devote a large chunk of time to something.

There were many good things about the game and there were a few bad things as well. I do miss the community we were able to build in 11 and part of that came from being confined to a single server and requiring people to accomplish goals. It is the type of people we have become that has necessitated things like the duty finder and instant teleporting.

I think this game could benefit from a blending of both ideas though. We could have our iconic armor or weapons that take a large investment of both time and people to earn and also last multiple expansions. We could also keep our duty finder and instant travel options. I do have to agree with some people in other threads that there seems to be a lack of accomplishment with the current gear grind patch after patch. I just got my PoTD weapon and I already know it will be stuffed in a backpack as soon as 4.0 comes out.

BTW, there is a free login campaign for 11 this weekend.

[Keramory]

Just a heads up if you do the free login, as someone who hasn't played in a while...ALOT has changed. People no longer use parties to level. Teleporting is everywhere. Gil is mostly no longer a thing for gear progression (except end game) and most towns are COMPLETELY empty. Most maps are COMPLETELY empty. Its a very strange world now....

[Korbash]

I've never played FF XI, WoW, Everquest, but there are other MMOs I've played who had awesome communities, like City of Heroes/Villains and Lord of The Rings Online. To me FF XIV is the least social MMOs I've played. The maps are rather small, but I have to admit the new areas in Heavensward are much larger. In CoX and LOTRO players can setup a RPG bio for their characters, have indicators showing if they're RP players or not, so RP players can RP with them. Adding elements to the game that players can do like in the MMO LOTRO where you smoke pipes and play music, and I don't know what else they've added since I left. I was on Landroval and there were often RP events like telling stories or concerts. And housing in LOTRO is zillions of time better than here.

[Magic-Mal]

I think the reason why the game doesn't seem social for some is because the game doesn't force players to be social for every little thing. It was made to be convenient so you can play at your own place.

Individual players need to actually take initiative and be social themselves to get into the linkshells, FCs, etc or else you will stay alone forever. I started this game solo all the way until Keeper of the Lake and declined all FC invited. Stumbled into people's homes once and there was a person in one. Boom, my life started.

Basically.. if you're not very social, you'll have a harder time. Because you're not forced to be social.

And I think... that's okay!

[DPZ2]

I am fairly certain that the majority of people who play in MMORPGs remember their first MMO with fondness.

That does not mean that every MMO will be a repeat of that MMO experience. It can't be a repeat -- what was once new is now become common. This is true whether you've been playing online games for over 30 years or just started yesterday.

You are most welcome to share those memories. Realize, however, that only you can generate the level of community that you so fondly remember from that Other MMO. For those desiring a group of ready-made friendly adventurers, go out and start that group and encourage others to join in. Do not bewail the perceived lack of community - do something about it.

[Geesus]

Realize, however, that only you can generate the level of community that you so fondly remember from that Other MMO.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding this comment but, if it's only you, that's not a community. That's just you. Alone. Solo. Not a community. And if you're implying that its the player themselves who "make the community", that's true for the entire community. If you're a great personable person and the rest of the community is antisocial, being you isn't going to matter. Point is, the exclusion of the rest of the world, like what we had in XI and playing with people from EVERYWHERE is not in this iteration of the FF MMO. And in my honest opinion THAT is what also keeps this game from feeling like a whole community.