"Oh btw, FFXIV Online in 2010"

[Margalis]

That was a strength of FFXI, the combat looked and felt like you were actually fighting instead of pantomiming. Critical hits knocked you back, there were hit sparks, you did damage in time with the animation, etc. In most MMOs the combat is so transparently fake, the enemy takes damage as you have a dance-off.

[amiable]

Grunk is our Z0DIAC MOTHER#$%^&#.  (For those who read AV club).

[tmp]

In most MMOs the combat is so transparently fake, the enemy takes damage as you have a dance-off.

This is not a bad time for a Michael Jackson Online.

[Delmania]

The aspect I don't enjoy about combat in FFXI is melee combat.   Players whack a mob until they reach 100% or so TP and then execute a style. The whole concept of skill chain and magic bursts was discarded once people realized it was faster to sub NIN, dual wield, and pass around the hate. 

[bhodi]

They really should have patched it to be more efficient then. The one thing that stands out in my mind is playing WoW, it all seemed that me and a bunch of other people weren't in a group together, we all just happened to be there all hitting the same guy. I miss the ffxi skill chains and the group-supportive dynamic that it introduced.

[Numtini]

One thing this thread is really reminding me of is how slow squeenix is to react to player behavior and issues in the game and get things back on course, which is a real downer on my enthusiasm.

[01101010]

One thing this thread is really reminding me of is how slow squeenix is to react to player behavior and issues in the game and get things back on course, which is a real downer on my enthusiasm.

Well, there has been a light, albeit faint, that this is changing. There has been some communication between SE and the community on Allakhazan - of course this is years later, but its a start.

[Delmania]

They really should have patched it to be more efficient then. The one thing that stands out in my mind is playing WoW, it all seemed that me and a bunch of other people weren't in a group together, we all just happened to be there all hitting the same guy. I miss the ffxi skill chains and the group-supportive dynamic that it introduced.

Agree, I hope this element remains in FFXIV and is the best way to level. 

[Rasix]

and is the best way to level. 

 

[Reg]

Hah, I almost responded to that too. When there's a "best way" to level it easily becomes the only way to level.  So hurray for forced grouping.  No thanks!

[Delmania]

Hah, I almost responded to that too. When there's a "best way" to level it easily becomes the only way to level.  So hurray for forced grouping.  No thanks!

Awesome, good to see people can put words in my mouth!  I said grouping should be the best way to level, it is a massively multiplayer game, after all.  In fact, one of the most complained about things my friends have about the current crop of MMO is that you are punished for grouping and thus soloing becomes the fastest way to get experience, renown, honor, realm, etc. points. 

That being said, I never said "forced grouping".  FFXIV better damn well have a viable solo leveling progression or I won't be playing it.  Part of the problem with WoW is that solo questing is the best way to level, so once people hit 80, trying to PuG dungeons is a miserable experience.   FFXI's problem is not that grouping is the best way to level, it's that, unless you're BST/WHM, */BST, SMN/WHM, or SMN/SCH there is no way to solo level at all. 

[Sky]

If people weren't such achievementtards and would slow down and play the most enjoyable way instead of the most lucrative way, mmo would be a much better genre.

[grunk]

The aspect I don't enjoy about combat in FFXI is melee combat.   Players whack a mob until they reach 100% or so TP and then execute a style. The whole concept of skill chain and magic bursts was discarded once people realized it was faster to sub NIN, dual wield, and pass around the hate. 

its all a trend. for a good few years doing a level 3 skill chain and a burst was the way to xp... thats when getting to chain 5 or 6 was a big deal. what happen was instead of fighting mobs that were it or it++ we went and killed weak mobs but we did them in volume doing chain 80's. both forms of xp'ing are and still are viable... otherwise paladins would not be able to level up. old school pt's again are very much dead but you can do it.

End game, every major boss fight will start with a level 3... yes if you got kraken drk's (like me) shit is pointless.

[koro]

From what I can see, killing skillchains and magic bursts was pretty much the handiwork of colibri and imps in the ToAU expansion. When you have the best mobs in the entire game to grind on either mimicking the magic you cast on it and blasting the ever-loving fuck out of your tank, or is incredibly magic resistant in the first place, it kind of drives away any real reason to bring anything less than a few melee DPS, a healer, and a Bard for group buffing, and just auto-attack to victory.

When I came back to the game last October, I was going to level a Black Mage as my main job until I found out that past 35 or so, you're pretty much stuck soloing until 75. And that ain't happening.

[schild]

Don't know if this was posted yet, but it's the most important piece of information, imo:

They're no longer using PlayOnline.

Let's hope the new thing isn't somehow crappier.

[Hawkbit]

That's one more reason to give this a shot, I'd wager.

[Reg]

God, PlayOnline was the biggest piece of crap associated with FFXI. If during the overly complicated and player unfriendly process of suspending your subscription you made the mistake of canceling your PlayOnline ID there was absolutely no way to ever play the game again without buying a new copy. Your characters were gone forever.

[LK]

For some reason trunk strikes me as one of those crazy motherfuckers you'd want in your gaming party but would be insane to include him in anything else.

[AutomaticZen]

1UP's got some gameplay videos from Gamescom.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid22879226001?bctid=34530375001
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid22879226001?bctid=34546032001

So pretty.

[Trippy]

Nice clipping

[tmp]

Interesting they'd already have localized German version.

It looked pretty but man, did that fight also look duuuull. And that's in comparison to both other MMOs and offline FF's.

[Murgos]

I'm impressed that even though they just recently announced they are already comfortable showing off in game footage.  For an MMO that's pretty exceptional.

[Ard]

"Recently announced" in this case equates to "been in development for at least 3 years".  At this point I'd be surprised if FFXIV isn't closer to being done than FFXIII.

[Rendakor]

It's just surprising since the current trend of MMOs is to HYPE HYPE HYPE with nothing more than concept art and rants about Vision(tm) to show for it. I'm glad they kept this quiet until they were confident enough to show it off; that gives me some hope that we might get to play it sometime soonish.

[Murgos]

"Recently announced" in this case equates to "been in development for at least 3 years".  At this point I'd be surprised if FFXIV isn't closer to being done than FFXIII.

Yes, that's what I said.  I am surprised at their self control.  I'm not sure how you got speed of development out of my statement.

[Ard]

that gives me some hope that we might get to play it sometime soonish.

They said 2010.  After seeing gameplay videos I'm more or less convinced that it'll be out in 2010 like they say.  I'm honestly of the opinion that it's date is more likely to get pushed back due to the development problems with FFXIII than anything.

[01101010]

oh god more Puks   

Here's to hoping no more god damn crabs.

[Ard]

Oh, have no fear, I'm sure they'll steal lotro's boars. 

[PalmTrees]

The archer in the first video had such a tiny little head. Wandering around a field fighting big fluffy chickens, eh, don't they have any more impressive enemies for their demo?

[schild]

The archer in the first video had such a tiny little head. Wandering around a field fighting big fluffy chickens, eh, don't they have any more impressive enemies for their demo?

Yea, because Final Fantasy sure is short on impressive enemies. 

[SnakeCharmer]

So pretty.

Other than the herky jerky movement transitions from the WASD control, it was. 

When is someone (in ANY game) going to implement something smoother?  I can't be the only one this bothers.

[Velorath]

The archer in the first video had such a tiny little head. Wandering around a field fighting big fluffy chickens, eh, don't they have any more impressive enemies for their demo?

Yea, because Final Fantasy sure is short on impressive enemies. 

FFXI certainly was.  Anyway, those videos were a bit unimpressive.  If not for the graphics, I would have though I was watching a video of FFXI.

[ezrast]

Am I the only one who thought the anime-styled PCs and buildings looked really, really out of place against the realistically-textured terrain and mobs? Maybe it was just the poor video quality but for some reason those videos gave me a strong uncanny valley vibe.

[schild]

Am I the only one who thought the anime-styled PCs and buildings looked really, really out of place against the realistically-textured terrain and mobs? Maybe it was just the poor video quality but for some reason those videos gave me a strong uncanny valley vibe.

I don't think anything Square ever makes will put me in the uncanny valley.

That said, how the hell did you get uncanny valley from buildings against creatures. That's not really how the classic definition of uncanny valley works.

[Fordel]

The combat looked very slow to me, but I assume some of that was the player not knowing what the fuck to do or being busy giving a speech or whatever.