Post by Duke Dudeston on Feb 29, 2012 17:25:48 GMT
So, I started playing Final Fantasy XIV, when it was released as a Open ALPHA / BETA stage, and got to test out the games mechanics and how well it will run on my system and stuff like that.
I had access to a special forum, just for the game developers and the other members of the open beta, and near the end of the open beta, myself and everyone else, begged Square-Enix, not to release the game, as it didn't feel right.
So they released the game anyway, and after a month of the game going on sale, maybe a little longer (no more then 3 months) the game started to fail, (we wondered why?)
People started leaving the game, and it got old fast, reason?
As we said, the game didn't feel finished, and there was only a few things you could do, these were:
Crafting
FFXIV is a crafting based MMORPG, where it encourages people to create their own gear, and repair broken gear and the like.
Harvesting / Material Collection
FFXIV has a special group of classes (that you will have to level) to help get materials for crafting.
A Rather Rubbish Bazaar System
Yes It has a weird style system for allowing you to sell your wares, unlike in FFXI there is no auction house, so people had to go into one of 12 different market wards (a special room filled with like 100+ NPC characters acting on behalf of a real PC (to stop people having multiple accounts and filling up the servers most likley)
You had to prowl from NPC to NPC to try to find the items that you might need, and to buy them (comparing prices was a no no)
A handful of quests and story lines
The fact that you start the story line as soon as you start playing, and it introduces you how to play, which is a good thing, you can't continue the story line until level 5, then again at 10, again at 15 and again at 20 ect....
And with nothing else inbetween to do, the game was just.. dull!
Now the producers sacked the development team of FFXIV (ok they didn't sack, but they sure did put them in their place) and they put most of the original FFXI team onto the FFXIV development team to try to make a fix of this mess, and one thing they done was create the game to be "Free to Play" and will remain free to play, until they feel the game has got to their expectations...
I refused to play a "game in the making" during this time, and said I will return when it is subscription based, the reason why, is when I logged in during the "Free to Play" I found out my character had all of his original abilities stripped and everything else was changed.
(This again happened when I returned after starting to pay for the game, but not since)
So now the game has gone back to subscriptions, how does the game play?
I have to say, it works perfectly, Lag doesn't seem to be much of an issue (just the general online lag you get - no PC / connection is perfect), the graphics are still amazing, and there is a lot more to do, rather then just grinding your character, and you don't have to wait until you are like level 50 before you can start doing anything...
They have changed a lot of things, at first I was like WTF, but now I realise that they have done this to help with game balancing, when I originally left, my Lancer could heal himself by using a bit of MP & TP (tactical points - used for pulling off special moves), which is why I spent some ability points increasing my MP, which now sucks as the ability has gone! and I am stuck with the MP.
But its good, as I can level a mage class knowing I got MP for it ^.^
The Job system is still great, the fact that as long as you are carrying the equipment you can switch to a different class easily, however they have also changed it so you can't just wear what you like (well you can, but it now it gives you negative features rather then positive)
The Bazaar has had a major overhaul, now you can search for items you want (based on job or material) although because now Store NPC's stock equipment you might need, they don't seem to have much in the Bazaar's themselves.
You can travekl around the world a little easier with the thanks to the famous Chocobo's, and little airships.
The game.. in short, is somewhat playable! and I like it!
I had access to a special forum, just for the game developers and the other members of the open beta, and near the end of the open beta, myself and everyone else, begged Square-Enix, not to release the game, as it didn't feel right.
So they released the game anyway, and after a month of the game going on sale, maybe a little longer (no more then 3 months) the game started to fail, (we wondered why?)
People started leaving the game, and it got old fast, reason?
As we said, the game didn't feel finished, and there was only a few things you could do, these were:
Crafting
FFXIV is a crafting based MMORPG, where it encourages people to create their own gear, and repair broken gear and the like.
Harvesting / Material Collection
FFXIV has a special group of classes (that you will have to level) to help get materials for crafting.
A Rather Rubbish Bazaar System
Yes It has a weird style system for allowing you to sell your wares, unlike in FFXI there is no auction house, so people had to go into one of 12 different market wards (a special room filled with like 100+ NPC characters acting on behalf of a real PC (to stop people having multiple accounts and filling up the servers most likley)
You had to prowl from NPC to NPC to try to find the items that you might need, and to buy them (comparing prices was a no no)
A handful of quests and story lines
The fact that you start the story line as soon as you start playing, and it introduces you how to play, which is a good thing, you can't continue the story line until level 5, then again at 10, again at 15 and again at 20 ect....
And with nothing else inbetween to do, the game was just.. dull!
Now the producers sacked the development team of FFXIV (ok they didn't sack, but they sure did put them in their place) and they put most of the original FFXI team onto the FFXIV development team to try to make a fix of this mess, and one thing they done was create the game to be "Free to Play" and will remain free to play, until they feel the game has got to their expectations...
I refused to play a "game in the making" during this time, and said I will return when it is subscription based, the reason why, is when I logged in during the "Free to Play" I found out my character had all of his original abilities stripped and everything else was changed.
(This again happened when I returned after starting to pay for the game, but not since)
So now the game has gone back to subscriptions, how does the game play?
I have to say, it works perfectly, Lag doesn't seem to be much of an issue (just the general online lag you get - no PC / connection is perfect), the graphics are still amazing, and there is a lot more to do, rather then just grinding your character, and you don't have to wait until you are like level 50 before you can start doing anything...
They have changed a lot of things, at first I was like WTF, but now I realise that they have done this to help with game balancing, when I originally left, my Lancer could heal himself by using a bit of MP & TP (tactical points - used for pulling off special moves), which is why I spent some ability points increasing my MP, which now sucks as the ability has gone! and I am stuck with the MP.
But its good, as I can level a mage class knowing I got MP for it ^.^
The Job system is still great, the fact that as long as you are carrying the equipment you can switch to a different class easily, however they have also changed it so you can't just wear what you like (well you can, but it now it gives you negative features rather then positive)
The Bazaar has had a major overhaul, now you can search for items you want (based on job or material) although because now Store NPC's stock equipment you might need, they don't seem to have much in the Bazaar's themselves.
You can travekl around the world a little easier with the thanks to the famous Chocobo's, and little airships.
The game.. in short, is somewhat playable! and I like it!
