5 years and still going

[Miasma]

Of course, if you don’t want to think, yeah you can go play WoW.

Well you certainly have lots of time to think playing FFXI, there's all that idle time LFG, the huge amount of time spent mindlessly grinding out levels, the time making up terrible xp loss from a single death, the time spent levelling up again for the second class of the same character, the time wasted waiting for rare spawns that everyone needs to progress, the travel time, the time needed to finally login in to the game through all that square launcher crap, the time growing plants in game, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Pardon me for wanting to actually enjoy my free time instead of having a pointless virtual job¹ when I get home.

1) Pun intended.

[grunk]

Of course, if you don’t want to think, yeah you can go play WoW.

Well you certainly have lots of time to think playing FFXI, there's all that idle time LFG, the huge amount of time spent mindlessly grinding out levels, the time making up terrible xp loss from a single death, the time spent levelling up again for the second class of the same character, the time wasted waiting for rare spawns that everyone needs to progress, the travel time, the time needed to finally login in to the game through all that square launcher crap, the time growing plants in game, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Pardon me for wanting to actually enjoy my free time instead of having a pointless virtual job¹ when I get home.

1) Pun intended.

yeah, this is a wow... "I want it now site". Thats cool. As far as you sucking and getting killed a lot, well thats your problem. As far as harsh travel times? there is something called outpost warps. but the NPC who will warp you all over the map, he doesnt have a phucken gold dot over hes head. Yeah, i get it now... Oh, those are Tarus, not "men".

[Sky]

yeah, this is a wow... "I want it now site". Thats cool. As far as you sucking and getting killed a lot, well thats your problem. As far as harsh travel times? there is something called outpost warps. but the NPC who will warp you all over the map, he doesnt have a phucken gold dot over hes head. Yeah, i get it now... Oh, those are Tarus, not "men".

Hi. You're a fucking retard. There, I said it.

I should've made you wait longer for it, you seem to dig that.

[HaemishM]

Hey Grunk... that site full of douchebags you can compre e-peens with?

It's over there.

Go talk to them. I'm sure they'll love you, and not be so emo about punitive game systems or the wankery that is FFXI. Now fuck off, the adults are speaking.

[Morfiend]

Paging Ironwood. This thread needs you.

[angry.bob]

FFXI must have popped grunk's cherry.

It popped my cherry, and like most first times it seemed great until I got with an experienced partner.

This post won the internet, or at least the parts of it involving MMO's.

[Venkman]

Heh.

As far as the lack of solo play, thats also not true. I have a friend who soloed hes blm to the high 60s (by killing pets). I really would rather no have the whole WoW debate

There is a world of difference between solo play and solo grinding to the level cap. The former is where WoW shines. The latter is what has been technical feasible since EQ1 launched. The problem is in that difference. A game that requires you mindlessly grind to the level gap and a game that has no solo play are pretty much the same thing.

IMO, this guy, who logs on for 2 hours a day. He doesnt exist

And yet the vast majority of growth in the genre has been for people who play even less.

I'm not going to dispute FFXI as a good or bad game. If an MMO is still active, it's good for enough people to be worthy of respect. But it's built on conventions that have been evolved out of both the core genre as well as the emerging browser-based one. This is because FFXI did not expand the genre in ways so signficant that others had to emulate. The genre is changing, and splitting, and the vast majority of time and money are going to capturing everyone else. You ain't getting these people with death penalties nor spawn camping.

[Ironwood]

Paging Ironwood. This thread needs you.

So this Masochist goes into the club and says 'Hit Me, Hit Me, Hit Me.'  The Sadist says 'No.'

Seriously, I'm convinced this is a high level posters Gimmick account.  It's that fucking crafted.  It's like a shrine to First Post Retardery.  Not even mutilated limbs, lobe damage and being Hrose during the bad times can excuse this silliness.

[Lantyssa]

Short of a skill-based system, it's job system is the best out there.  I like Mithra.  The Star Onion Brigade rocks.  FFXI is a great game until level 10.

That's my thoughts on it.

[Soukyan]

IMO, this guy, who logs on for 2 hours a day. He doesnt exist.

Oh, I can assure you I exist, and I sure as hell don't play FFXI any longer.

[Miasma]

yeah, this is a wow... "I want it now site".

If by "it" you mean "fun" then yes, I want to have fun immediately and constantly.

If you thought this was a WoW site, even though it is only has a subforum here, why didn't you go to a FFXI fan site?  I'm sure there must be... one, maybe two of them.  The only reason I can imagine for you posting here is that deep down you are worried your shitty little grind fest is dying and you want to toot its horn in the hope that others will come and prop up its crumbling user base.  You went about this in the worst possible way, being arrogant about such a weak game and then insulting the people who play the most successful MMO in history isn't going to win you any friends or new FFXI subscribers.  Even your thread's title is telling since you omitted the last word - "strong".  You are scared.  You are scared that all the hours you wasted grinding might go poof if they pull the plug and you are desperate for new people.

[Signe]

[Ironwood]

We should probably Den this before it gets outta hand.

[Krakrok]

Nah EQ was my first.

I meant your OTHER cherry.

[Avatard]

Grunk.

Don't you have to notify the rehab clinic when you start saying insane shit on the internets?

[murdoc]

Hey guys, what's going on in here?

[Vanifae]

This thread is going places.

[Murgos]

This thread is going places.

All the way to page 50.  Replete with charts and amusing pictures of Cosplay Sephiroths.

[Abelian75]

Miasma, that "thinking man's game" pic was priceless.

What is up with this bizarre "WoW is for lazy losers who want everything handed to them" backlash, anyway?  It's pretty weird that the idea of assigning moral righteousness to MMO choice sounds like a reasonable concept to people.

As far as harsh travel times? there is something called outpost warps. but the NPC who will warp you all over the map, he doesnt have a phucken gold dot over hes head.

Word is still out, however, on whether or not he has an adorable little button for a nose.

[Slayerik]

That was the first screenshot I'd EVER seen of FFXI

From the responses in this thread I'm glad I didn't play it.

Praise be Grunk.

[Morfiend]

This thread is going places.

All the way to page 50.  Replete with charts and amusing pictures of Cosplay Sephiroths.

[Hutch]

In terms of gameplay, there's one thing you can point to in WoW and say, "This is better than FFXI", and that's the fact that you don't have to have a perfect group of 6 to gain xp. FFXI slavishly follows the tank-healer-dps paradigm, and once you're level 8-12 or so, you can kiss solo play goodbye.

In terms of technology, of course, SE limited themselves (imo) by making the game cross-platform to the PS2. I hated the keyboard interface in that game.

Outside of that, I thougt that it was a great game. I tend to agree that nothing has come out since that's better at what FFXI does (i.e. forced-grouping diku-descended mmog).

your dead wrong about the perfect party stuff. No, you do not need a perfect party, you do need a balanced party. and what i would define as balance is 3 back line and 3 front line. Now it doesnt matter what they are, as long as they are of that arch type.  As far as the lack of solo play, thats also not true. I have a friend who soloed hes blm to the high 60s (by killing pets). I really would rather no have the whole WoW debate.

Yeah, I'm going to have to call shenanigans now too.

First off, you're wrong, you need a tank and a healer and four other toons to make a good xp group in FFXI.
You can rename the archetypes however you want, but I'm not convinced that you ever played.

Second off, you've been playing FFXI for five years? The game debuted in NA in November of 2003.
You're fluent in Japanese, or it never happened.

Entertaining trolling though :)

[Yoru]

[Miasma]

Just a hint of offcial Mithra furry cosplay.

[Joe]

I see you made a beeline toward bishi sephiroth at 21 places visited.

Interesting. Interesting indeed.

[Nonentity]

'KILL 100 LEVEL 1 RAT THINGS WITH THIS SWORD... AND THEN YOU ARE TRULY A DARK KNIGHT'

Christ. I spit on the corpse of this game. No matter how many times I try to fool myself that I had good memories of this game, I AM NEVER RIGHT.

[Chimpy]

On a side note, what kind of name is "grunk" anyway?

[pants]

You are funny!  And witty!  I like you!

Since you are cool and funny, I am going to share with you this awsome video I just took while I stumbled to the mcdonalds for a mega mac. 

I was so disappointed that wasn't a rickroll...

[WayAbvPar]

Grunk.

Don't you have to notify the rehab clinic when you start saying insane shit on the internets?

[Oban]

[jlwilli5]

   I dont know whats sadder, me bothering to post, or how fast everyone got sucked in by the FXII employee....that registered today.
Made me almost read the whole thread..almost.

[voodoolily]

Posting to keep in the gizzame.

Though, I notice since grunk was outed for being in rehab he hasn't made a peep.

[CmdrSlack]

Posting to keep in the gizzame.

Though, I notice since grunk was outed for being in rehab he hasn't made a peep.

Or for working AT one.

I still haven't seen proof beyond an assertion.

[Krakrok]

I was so disappointed that wasn't a rickroll...

Yeah I thought it would be a rickroll too so I didn't click it.

[Margalis]

Most of the information in this thread is horribly outdated. Travel times in FFXI are greatly reduced compared to how they used to be, as is levelling. Not only were XP requirements lowered, new areas were introduced that make levelling easier and a ton of things were added like XP rings (essentially a rest system), NPCs you can call to fight with you, faster healing rates and other changes to make solo play easier.

As far as requiring the perfect party, that is also no longer true. 3 years ago people played that way, nowadays not so much. Hell the other day my NPC tanked for my group for a while, quite successfully. There are at least 3 jobs that can play the role of healer (WHM, RDM, SMN), anyone subbing NIN can tank in a lot of parties as well as main NIN, PLD and even BLU. Most people who complain about LFG are simply too lazy to form their own parties.

Solo strategies are much more refined as well compared to a few years ago.

The game does have a lot of quest cockblocks but now that most people are higher level getting help on those is not a problem at all.