Final Fantasy XIV hasn't quite gone free-to-play yet, but it looks like Square-Enix still doesn't intend to charge subscription fees for it anytime soon. This should be good news for the people out there who like the game.
[Link]
Final Fantasy XIV hasn't quite gone free-to-play yet, but it looks like Square-Enix still doesn't intend to charge subscription fees for it anytime soon. This should be good news for the people out there who like the game.
[Link]
more like the extended the beta test lol. I keep saying this but SE should not have launched an incomplete game...
FFXI Character name: Shadowneko Server: Quetzalcoatl Main Jobs: lvl 76 THF, lvl 95 Summoner, lvl 39 Dragoon
My VAPS Entry,
i'm just glad i get to play for another month for FREEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Show me an MMO that isn't patched left right and centre within 3 months of launch. Then we'll talk.Originally Posted by Shadowcat
And please, do not say FFXI. It had dozens of patches in the time between launch and when we got it.
At least SE is trying to get it running properly. I don't know if I'll be picking it up, but I'm glad that they're putting effort into this for the people who already have.
FFXI had plenty of patches after the NA release, too... >.>
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Wait... people don't get paid to play this game?
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"I remember back when FF9 was coming out. People were rejoicing because it was actually a fantasy game and not a sci-fi game like 7 and 8. It's especially hilarious given modern context, with everyone wanking themselves to dehydration at the thought of an FF7 remake." - Masterchief
The only launch I remember going smoothly was Dark Age of Camelot, and that was forever ago.
It's a good move by them. They admitted their mistakes and stated that they're giving another month so that it would give people a fair chance to try out the new patches coming out... which is a surprise coming from a company like SE.
Yeah, this really seems like a different beast, Paws. Not the usual "bunch of patches" which is absolutely to be expected. This seemed like more of a "let's try to fix this broken game". Not saying people are wrong to like or enjoy it. I'm sure the enjoyment is genuine and I wouldn't knock that. I'm just pointing out that it looks a little silly to try and defend the game saying that it isn't busted. It was a little irresponsible of SE to release it before it was ready, so it's great that they're offering no subscription for the time being. They wouldn't be doing that if they themselves thought the game was worth it.
Lusipurr's Fountain of Perpetual Disappointment - The game I'm making
Sorry, but that's bull. There was a higher level of expectations because it's SE; that doesn't mean they shouldn't be held to the same measuring stick as Blizzard. Beta stopped at 40. Scarlet Monastery Cathedral was end game! Nobody knew how the hell to get into UBRS, because the drop rate on the key pieces was 5%. They launched with broken abilities, busted quests, horribly unbalanced classes, incomplete zones (some, like Azshara, are only JUST NOW being completed, or in this case redone). They pulled out numerous features -- thankfully, we've seen most of them return or be streamlines (I'm still waiting for my Open Door ability back on my Mage *shakefist*) There was a massive dead zone between 35 and 40 where there was nowhere to quest, and Blizzard's answer was "Run SM some more, k?" And that's just off the top of my head without any research.
It's definitely true DAOC had a good launch; they took the smart path and took a huge step back to what they could put into the game at launch that was finished and polished. However, I can only imagine SE was leery of what ended up happening to the game: It's a good title that never got great, possibly because the content was added back to the game so slowly (and no doubt for other compelling reasons like competition from too many sources).
Yeah, that's different than a broken interface. Content within game =/= game mechanics. Again, there's nothing wrong with adoring the game. I'm just saying it comes across as bad journalism to not admit that the game came out before it should have. I'm not talking about the nit-picky things you are.
Lusipurr's Fountain of Perpetual Disappointment - The game I'm making
The problem isn't so much that Square Enix is being held to a higher standard; everyone has been held to a higher standard since they're competing against World of Warcraft in its current state. And even with its many flaws at launch, WoW's basic systems were pretty accessible and the game was fun to play... and it has only gotten more polished and accessible since launch.
Most of the comparisons I've seen with FFXIV haven't been to WoW, though, they've been to FFXI. I've mostly heard fans complain that FFXIV took out many of the good systems that its predecessor had, and that seems like a geunine problem that can't be blamed on launch issues.
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Blizzard has an accessible basic interface that's been improved over the years by user-created tweaks. It's one of the reasons I'm curious why XI and XIV never allowed modding.
As for the UI, tedious isn't the same as broken, but we'll agree to disagree on that one. The problem with the FFXI users was they whinged and hollered XIV had damn well better be different and now everyone else wants to know why it isn't like XI. Can't win for losing
Ocelot: I compare it to WoW because people look back at the launch with rose-tinted glasses. Even the most successful MMO ever had a crap start.
They rushed the PC version, plain and simple.
They wanted to beat Cataclysm to market, and it screwed them.
The plan was to originally release both the PS3 and PC versions at the same time worldwide, and honestly if they had kept working on it another 6-7 months from launch until the PS3 version does release, it would be better.
However, a lot of the changes are coming from customer outcry, and I'm glad that they did rush the PC version, then when I get the PS3 version in March, it should be a vastly different experience from some of these changes.
At least no one can use the tired "paying to beta test" complaint.
My problems with both XI and XIV completely revolve around how terrible the UI is for both of them. Having played both, I can excuse XI for when it came out, but XIV? I can go play any of a huge number of F2P mmos that have a better UI, and that's just sad. I shouldn't prefer keyboard based camera controls over simple mouselook.
Now, I might be out of date on XIV now, since I played the beta, but it was a jarring enough issue that I couldn't make it far enough into it to test any decent amount of content. Have the controls gotten any better, or does it still feel like you're fighting through horrific lag to shift the camera with the mouse? By which I mean, does it not have acceleration/deceleration when you shift it around?
the whole mouse/lag issue has been resolved with release. i had a smiliar problem in beta, and ended up running around like i was drunk.
but no, you still have to move the camera with the keyboard. however, ffxiv still has a better camera then *cough*aion*cough*. it would be excellent if you could move the camera like in ffxi, where you just move the mouse to the direction you want the camera.
in cases of UI.. i like FFXI's much better, only cause it's a lot cleaner and i don't have to hit the spacebar first to chat. the menus are a lot faster and equipment changes are also a lot faster. in FFXIV, the equipment menu is very sluggish and slow. i don't mind the UI in ffxiv.. there are just things i like and don't like.
Paws I refuse to compare 14 to 11 but I did expect SE to launch the game with the complaints from the beta test more or less taken care of. The main two complaints I keep hearing no matter where I go are that the targeting system is totally broken(makes it near impossible to target party members) and that the crafting system is somewhat broken and it makes hard to work/overly complicated. Also with the current market system in place it also makes it hard to find raw materials and in a game where you're pretty much required(don't argue..I've been in this discussion before) to craft to maintain your equipment this is bad!(sorta goes with the somewhat broken crafting system too) These were also complaints in the beta test...Blizzard has an accessible basic interface that's been improved over the years by user-created tweaks. It's one of the reasons I'm curious why XI and XIV never allowed modding.
As for the UI, tedious isn't the same as broken, but we'll agree to disagree on that one. The problem with the FFXI users was they whinged and hollered XIV had damn well better be different and now everyone else wants to know why it isn't like XI. Can't win for losing
Ocelot: I compare it to WoW because people look back at the launch with rose-tinted glasses. Even the most successful MMO ever had a crap start.
The content complaints I sorta ignore as that always gets added by updates ^^
FFXI Character name: Shadowneko Server: Quetzalcoatl Main Jobs: lvl 76 THF, lvl 95 Summoner, lvl 39 Dragoon
My VAPS Entry,
The crafting system issue (failing too often) was fixed within 3 or 4 days. The menu system for it is receiving an overhaul next month, actually -- adding the much needed most used recipe list. Also, I don't craft and I maintain my gear just fine. It's called the economy; there's plenty of full time crafters who repair for mats (and that's outside my linkshell, not people in it). Yeah, in Beta that would have been different, as the pool of people would have been too small to support that function.
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