Final Fantasy XI

 I'm not sure how kosher this topic is, so if these things are generally considered "bad" by the community, I'll drop it right here. I've heard around that supposedly there are client side texture mods for improving the look of some zones and, of more interest, a mod to increase the draw distance. I can't find anything on those texture mods at all, but I seem to have found the draw distance mod in association with the questionable "windower" program. I'd prefer not to use a 3rd party program for anything, but is that the only way to bypass the draw distance cap?

There are prolly other ways, but Windower is the easiest. I have never messed with texture packs myself. Wouldnt say windower is "questionable", its awesome.

Most people dont care if you use Mods to enchance visuals, as long as you are not cheating then its all cool.

Originally posted by korvix

There are prolly other ways, but Windower is the easiest. I have never messed with texture packs myself.

Most people dont care if you use Mods to enchance visuals, as long as you are not cheating then its all cool.

This is probably going to seem like a dumb question, but do you have to be in windowed mode with windower? I'd like to be able to use fullscreen and have delicious draw distance from time to time. I'd find out myself but I'm still grabbing the files. Don't care too much about the textures, someone just mentioned them to me at some point. Draw distance really gets at me though. Nothing like a big grey wall to ruin some nice scenery. 

Yes it lets you play in full screen without frames.

~HappyGaming

Windower is a 3rd party program and is against the user agreement of FFXI. That being said there are tons of other places where you find this information. Oh and for texture enhancing I'm pretty sure you're gonna have to use windower I don't know of any packs you can download to help increase the look of the game. And for the other question about Windower, though I don't use it anymore, when I did use it you could have in full screen. The main feature of windower was the fact that you could minimize it while keeping the game running. It wasn't until later on that all these mods were added. Once SE found it in their infanite wisdom to add a windowed mode to the game though I stopped using windower.

Originally posted by k11keeper

Windower is a 3rd party program and is against the user agreement of FFXI. That being said there are tons of other places where you find this information. Oh and for texture enhancing I'm pretty sure you're gonna have to use windower I don't know of any packs you can download to help increase the look of the game. And for the other question about Windower, though I don't use it anymore, when I did use it you could have in full screen. The main feature of windower was the fact that you could minimize it while keeping the game running. It wasn't until later on that all these mods were added. Once SE found it in their infanite wisdom to add a windowed mode to the game though I stopped using windower.

Yes I'm quite aware, but while it would be within the right to do so, I don't think SE is going to be anal enough to ban off people because they increased their clipping plane. I would be more than happy to not use it, if they offered the option themselves, and they very well could considering apparently the 360 version does have a higher clip plane, they just appear to be stubborn about it.

Originally posted by Kordesh

Originally posted by k11keeper

Windower is a 3rd party program and is against the user agreement of FFXI. That being said there are tons of other places where you find this information. Oh and for texture enhancing I'm pretty sure you're gonna have to use windower I don't know of any packs you can download to help increase the look of the game. And for the other question about Windower, though I don't use it anymore, when I did use it you could have in full screen. The main feature of windower was the fact that you could minimize it while keeping the game running. It wasn't until later on that all these mods were added. Once SE found it in their infanite wisdom to add a windowed mode to the game though I stopped using windower.

Yes I'm quite aware, but while it would be within the right to do so, I don't think SE is going to be anal enough to ban off people because they increased their clipping plane. I would be more than happy to not use it, if they offered the option themselves, and they very well could considering apparently the 360 version does have a higher clip plane, they just appear to be stubborn about it.

They can, they will, and they should. As stated windower is against the EUA. It is a third party tool, it is a cheat. If all windower did was make the game windowable, I would not have much of a problem with it, but it ends up modifying the game in a way that the game designers did not wish the game to be modified. Even something as simple as changing the lighting is a cheat when/if you have a dark corridor with holes in the ground that if you end up seeing too easily if the lights are on. This gives an unfair advantage to anyone using the program and creates an inbalance with people who are not cheaters and are doing the right thing. If you can't play the game as the designers intended, don't play the game. Simple as that. If that means you won't play FFXI because you want your Orcs to be pink, (/goodbye)

And just as a point of fact. The reason FFXI was not orignally windowable was a deterant against third party tools so someone couldn't start up FFXI then start up some tool used for cheating. Since there are legitimate reasons to want the game to be windowable (checking a walkthough for a quest, chatting on an instant messanger, pr0n) people were moved to this program which opened up a whole avenue for extended cheating. It is kinda like a colliation between the law of the land and pot. People probably wouldn't use pot nearly as much if it weren't illegal to do so.

Originally posted by ic0n67

Originally posted by Kordesh

Originally posted by k11keeper

Windower is a 3rd party program and is against the user agreement of FFXI. That being said there are tons of other places where you find this information. Oh and for texture enhancing I'm pretty sure you're gonna have to use windower I don't know of any packs you can download to help increase the look of the game. And for the other question about Windower, though I don't use it anymore, when I did use it you could have in full screen. The main feature of windower was the fact that you could minimize it while keeping the game running. It wasn't until later on that all these mods were added. Once SE found it in their infanite wisdom to add a windowed mode to the game though I stopped using windower.

Yes I'm quite aware, but while it would be within the right to do so, I don't think SE is going to be anal enough to ban off people because they increased their clipping plane. I would be more than happy to not use it, if they offered the option themselves, and they very well could considering apparently the 360 version does have a higher clip plane, they just appear to be stubborn about it.

 

They can, they will, and they should. As stated windower is against the EUA. It is a third party tool, it is a cheat. If all windower did was make the game windowable, I would not have much of a problem with it, but it ends up modifying the game in a way that the game designers did not wish the game to be modified. Even something as simple as changing the lighting is a cheat when/if you have a dark corridor with holes in the ground that if you end up seeing too easily if the lights are on. This gives an unfair advantage to anyone using the program and creates an inbalance with people who are not cheaters and are doing the right thing. If you can't play the game as the designers intended, don't play the game. Simple as that. If that means you won't play FFXI because you want your Orcs to be pink, (/goodbye)

And just as a point of fact. The reason FFXI was not orignally windowable was a deterant against third party tools so someone couldn't start up FFXI then start up some tool used for cheating. Since there are legitimate reasons to want the game to be windowable (checking a walkthough for a quest, chatting on an instant messanger, pr0n) people were moved to this program which opened up a whole avenue for extended cheating. It is kinda like a colliation between the law of the land and pot. People probably wouldn't use pot nearly as much if it weren't illegal to do so.

EDIT: Ok, after cooling off a bit, yes, I'd agree with you on the general principal in that it can be used as a program to cheat the system. I don't like botters/scripters either. However, as they are unwilling to increase the draw distance on the PC even though they clearly can given that they have already in the 360 version, it serves as the only means to this end. I don't think the fact that it windows the game in itself really defends the game at all from 3rd party hacks as that is sort of a lame duck defense to such things, but given the other things that Windower can accomplish, I can see where you're coming from. As I said before though, if they increase the clipping plane naturally in the game, I would be more than happy to stop looking into it. If you can provide another option such as modifying the config, I would also be happy to hear it. 

I find the registry changes improve the graphics enough for me. Dont need a 3rd party program for that.