Profile: WSIMike
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• • Want To Return, but I Cannot Get Game to Re-install!

  • Originally posted by jackeccs
    

    i heard that if you don't play after a while you have to go out and buy the whole damn game again.

    what a crappy business model.

     

    ... and this has what, exactly, to do with the OP's situation?

     

  • Posted: 12/02/08 11:32 AM
    Final Fantasy XI
• • If I start playing...

  • Originally posted by Suplyndmnd
    

     

    Speaking of rough accomplishments.. I recently  finally got to wipe for the first time on Divine Might lol. 18 of us dropped in barely 2 minutes XD.

    If you want to know what Divine Might is... Click Here for info on it :). It's basically a notoriously difficult mission-related fight to complete.

     

    HA! This was my accomplishment. I finally passed that damn thing and got my earring.  I probably told you already, not sure.

    @OP What is your character name?  I'm free atm if you get this soon i can come visit ya.

    
    Nice :)

    How many attempts did it take you?

    I wonder, does anyone actually just do the 6-person version of it?

     

     

  • Posted: 12/02/08 10:35 AM
    Final Fantasy XI
• • If I start playing...

  • Originally posted by tebian
    

     

    ---

    Originally posted by kakari
    I restarted two days ago.
    I am currently level 15 red-mage now, and I had to solo most of time. I did find a few English players who refused to form a party. Japanese players, however, were willing to party. Communication wasn't great though.
    In short, there are barely anyone in low-level area. You are pretty much on your own.
    Good luck.

    ---

     

    Welcome back to FFXI but that is the funniest thing I have ever heard. FFXI is notoriously full of Japanese players who have refused to play with English speaking gamers since day one. Most will tell you right to you face "Japanese only" ...

     

    To provide another side... I've had numerous parties where I was the only non-Japanese player in it, and they were fine. Most of those parties went for 3+ hours and I went up at least 2-3 levels in them. Overall, they were very courteous and friendly and we each tried our best to communicate so it wasn't like this wall of silence the whole time.

    I think the picture forming here is that no one person's experience can be taken to represent how it is for everyone.

  • Posted: 12/02/08 10:31 AM
    Final Fantasy XI
• • If I start playing...

  • Originally posted by Suplyndmnd
    

    Originally posted by scott21493
    

    This has been the most frustrating thing getting this started on my 360.  Its not really much to do with the game itself but with my 360 only having 5gb free and having to delete things to free up the space.  Listening to this cheery song for the past hour while its installing is starting to get a little annoying also.

     

    OMG Someone knows Frank Grimes. LOL.  I would reccomend Pandy or Bismarck.  Bismarck is my server for the past 3 years and i love it.  It seems to have the right amount of people on it and no matter what time I play, i seldom have issues finding someone to party with.  Also, if you come, i can try to assist you in any way possible.  I've played on Pandamonium as well (still do) but my character is only like level 7.  However, WSIMike playsthere and i'm sure he'd be willing to help you out also and give advice.  The population on Pandy is a bit more than Bismarck I think just from what he's said but IMO still in that "sweet spot" range.  Also, yes, this game is far from a breeze to get going but I dont regret it at all.  I think it's a great way to test if you have the patience to play the game because there are some aspects of it, that will make you feel frustrated.  It's when you feel frustrated that you will find out if the game is for you or not.  If you like a challenge you will like this game.  If you get frustrated easy, you wont.  Stick with it man.  I beat a mission last week that i've been trying to get for quite some time and i still am high from it lol.

     

    /wave

    Heyo!

    Shanree here :-p Well.. WSIMike here.. Shanree in FFXI.. Umm... See.. I'm one name on here... but... another... on..

    Yeah...

    ;>.>

    Okay anyway...

    I second Suply's comments... Though I haven't made a character on Bismark yet I'm sure their pop and Pandy's aren't too different. There's a healthy population on Pandemonium; plenty of players of all level ranges and, now with level sync... "level range" is sort of a meaningless term, since a level 75 can sync down to any level, unless it's under level 10. Levels 1-10 are really the "newbie training" levels and are intended to be played solo.

    As Suply said, there will be times when FFXI can be frustrating, but as he says... stick it out. It's those really tough accomplishments that can make you want to pull your hair out that seem to be the most satisfying when you finally do.

    Speaking of rough accomplishments.. I recently  finally got to wipe for the first time on Divine Might lol. 18 of us dropped in barely 2 minutes XD.

    If you want to know what Divine Might is... Click Here for info on it :). It's basically a notoriously difficult mission-related fight to complete.

    Also finally unlocked Dancer tonight - have just had the last step to complete and finally got around to it. Pretty cool storyline to that. Though the dancing Galka still gives me the willies.

    But yeah.. one thing about FFXI... You will likely never run out of things to do or new goals to set. So long as you keep your options open and don't get stuck on the leveling treadmill, it'll always provide you with some new challenge.

    In many MMOs I've played, I have a hard time finding something to do to keep me entertained / challenged. In FFXI I'm usually going through a mental list, trying to figure out what to do first. That reason, among many, is why no other MMO can keep me interested and why I always come back to FFXI.

     

  • Posted: 12/02/08 12:35 AM
    Final Fantasy XI
• • Does this game play like FFXI?

  • Originally posted by Printscreen Is pvp optional in this game or better for me, even avoidable at all costs?
    

    Is it a challenge game that gives you big long term rewards for your hard work?

    Ans: It used to be. Honestly, there was a time when high levels meant something but now the game is almost entirely corrupt with cheaters, botters, farmers and people who buy adena (currency like gil) using thousands of real dollars, i have seen proof...people actually pay thousands and thousands to "be the best."

    This aspect is sad to me as well because, honestly, anything in the game *can* be obtained if you're patient and use your head a bit.
    
    I've completely earned my entire setup for BD on my own efforts... +3/+4 Tallum Heavy, +8 Tsu/SLS with Augment and full +3 Maj. Jewels, plus tats. I know A grade isn't the best anymore, but I'm sure the same holds true of S grade; I know people who've gotten their full S grade set on their own efforts as well.
    

    Problem is people are lazy and impatient and want everything "now". So they cheat and then make up excuses about how "the game makes it impossible otherwise". That's a load of crap. The game provides everything you need to get anything you want; all it requires is the effort and persistence.

    If you play legitly, you may feel some reward now, but when you compare yourself to the cheaters who've gained much more than you and in a shorter amount of time and can therefore "pwn" you in pvp in every which way, you can't help but feel a sense of defeat.

    I never saw it that way. I see it as "great... so now I see what I have the potential to do, only I'm not going to cheat to get there". To me, their "victory" is lessened because they cheated. I guess it's a matter of perspective.

    Is it a Slow leveling but enjoyable experience with lots of people working together?

    Ans: Lineage 2 has one of the longest grinds ever in a mmorpg. You can solo or party and no, its not like FFXI where you can chat friendly...in L2 its kill kill kill. The only one i know of that has the most or longest grind used to be a old 2d isometric game called Redmoon where the max level was 5000 and getting to 1000 levels took over a year of 16 hour a day playing...not to mention deaths took 50% exp...no lie. That was  my first mmo, and I was a beta player in that old game...so i'm used to grinding.

    Hmm.. I dunno, I always saw grinding levels in L2 as "something you're doing while talking to friends", be it in-game chat or on Ventrilo. For that reason and, I guess, because that's basically what the game mostly consists of, I never saw grinding levels in L2 quite the same as I would in other MMOs.

    Are there still tons of players on this game?

    Ans: In NA? no. the strictly NA servers like aria or phoenix or whatever have maybe around 2000 average...and half of that is bots and player shops.

    I hear murmurs of another possible merger... one of the remaining low pop servers with Phoenix. Again.. just a murmur. But yeah, the L2 population has come down drastically in the NA market compared to where it was a few years ago.
    
    I blame NC's failure to take botting more seriously early on when it could have made a difference. Those who didn't adopt an "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude, got fed up and moved on to other games.
     

    Is the PvE content strong, ?

    Ans: Yeah...somewhat. its nots like FFXI where it takes time to kill mobs (not burn meripos at endgame). In L2, you blaze through the mobs with soulshots/spirit shots, these double or quadruple your damage at the cost of money.

    Hmm.. the PvE content in L2 is mostly limited to quests that you'll typically do for a specific reward - be it a class change, get a pet, etc. There are some other quests that some people will do for other reasons (the coins one in Hunter's Village comes to mind), but questing is not something L2 is particularly noted for.

    Are there cinematics and really strong emotional story moments in this game like in FFXI?

    Ans: There are no cinematics in this game like FFXI whatsoever storywise. FFXI wins hands down in that category. Square-Enix after all, very large RPG king.

    I agree here.  FFXI is in a league all its own when it comes to depth of stories, cinematics, etc.
    
    And it's sad in a way. If you read the lore of L2 on the official site (in the Library) it's incredible. So deep and detailed, but it has such a low profile in the game itself. I guess this sorta ties into it being more of a PvP game than a PvE one. Other than providing a setting to play against, all that lore really doesn't have much influence in the gameplay itself.
    

    Hopefully it's given a bit more presence in the game for Lineage 3 (if/when that ever comes out)

    Is the battle music in this game inspirational?

    ans: There isn't really battle music like FFXI, the music if you hear any( in some places) come from the envrionment.

    The game does have beautiful music though. It's all performed by a live orchestra. Their original theme song is up there with "To Zanarkand" from FFX and the Morrowind Theme as one of my favorites.

    are people willing to help in L2 as much as in FFXI or party oriented games ?

    Ans: Maybe...that would depend. Honestly though, i would say no but there are friendly people at low levels...its a personal experience which varies.

    I've found people in L2 to be generally quite willing to help with things, primarily because so much in the game really can be a grueling experience (grinding faction in Varka comes to mind XD). I've seen people actually get ticked if you *don't* ask for their help in L2... which is rather rare in my experience.

    How is crafting in this game? what are the crafts?

    Ans: Crafting in this game is horrible.

    You craft weapons, armor,  and jewelry. They require certain hundreds and thousands of materials which most are sold by farmers. They also require recipes 60% and 100% to make and you need a dwarf with that particular recipe learnt to be able to create the item. If you fail in the 60% crafting, you lose alot of your materials.

    I think the crafting and, more specifically, the material requirements are part of why the RMT has been so out  of control. Hardly anyone wants to spend the time working the manor system or otherwise farming the hundreds or thousands of materials you need for some single crafts in that game... only to have them fail and have to start all over.
    

    It's hell for a normal player with limited time to play, but a goldmine waiting to happen for a RMT company who can just automate the process 24/7.
    

    This is one area that I do think NC would have been wise to adjust - either lower the material requirements per craft, or make the materials more abundant. That's just my theory, of course.

     

     

  • Posted: 12/01/08 4:25 PM
    Lineage II