A big difference from FFXI and some advice to new playersFollow

One thing I noticed during my first couple of weeks playing is that, compared to FFXI, you really don't party very much. During my time in FFXI (though I quit some 6 years ago), I met a lot of people in game and made a lot of friends in game. It was very social, and even at lower levels or just starting out, it was common to spend more than half of your first two weeks playing in parties.

In FFXIV, the social aspect which I enjoyed so much only really started the past couple of days since I joined an FC. Even in fate burn parties, there isn't much chit chat the way I remember there being in a lot of FFXI exp parties. This social aspect is not only, imho, a very enjoyable part of playing an mmo game, but is also critical to advancement in the game without hassle, to getting to know crafters and gatherers with skills compatible with yours, etc.

So I my advice to new players would be to find an FC soon after getting started. Be wary of anything that seems ill-advised, like those FCs which send random spam invites. Talk to some people with FC banners after their names. Do dungeon runs more than once, they're your best bet for being able to meet and evaluate other players. Find some good people and get together. You'll be glad you did!

I just wish we still had <call> so I could use the whistle ever time I provoke something.

I won't mind, if they give us a way to control the volume down from EAR SPLITTING SHRILLNESS when you have headphones on.

I'm kind of used to it. I'm very social but it seems people in MMOs these days aren't very social anymore. So I'll say hi, but I won't say anything else, because 95% of the time, it falls on deaf ears.

And the last three years I played in FFXI, I didn't have any friends. Good bit of them had quit, while others faded away when they got in HNMLS's.

Edited, Sep 7th 2013 3:45pm by TwilightSkye

They already have calls. You need to be in a Party though.

<se.1> to <se.16>

See a lot time ago this is how mmorpgs were. There was slower combat, very long progression where grouping up and farming harder mobs was the best way to do things.

People grouped up, chatted during combat since it wasn't super fast spammy action combat and made friends/enemies based on more than seeing some random guy in global.

Then the mmorpg world opened up to other gamers, gamers who didn't like RPG games or socialization beyond 4chan style chat. They didn't want progression or forced grouping. They wanted endgame and the best gear and they wanted it NOW. Then one certain game came along and appealed right at these people, and in came the non RPG crowd, swelling this games ranks to untold numbers.

Other game makers quickly ditched their games and tried to make a game just like this game only targeting the famous games only obvious weakness, graphics. For the next 5 years+ you would see nothing but a continuing trend of games for sarcastic and angry isolationists, mad that there was this game in the way of them getting the best gear and highest level so they could dominate noobs and feel some self worth.

So now, even a game like FFXIV, which does this all very well, tries to be old school, the bar has been lowered so far that a game like this actually DOES feel old school.

Big problem is that a game that doesn't cater to the ADD crowd wont make billions, which is close to what it costs to make a modern and quality mmorpg these days, at least one that wont get laughed at by the world, skimped on Q&A testing and bug free/polished, and have stunning graphics.

So to make a game with the modern qualities you need to appeal to the ADD crowd.

The ADD crowd likes Fates over group work. Why? Because you don't need to talk, coordinate, or know what you are doing to get that all important gold award (which should mean you did really well, but doesn't) and also a faster trip to endgame without having to read words.


Yeah I think perhaps, at a minimum, making FC mob farming groups viable would be smart, boost that battle cry xp bonus. I think the game already progresses FAR too fast...but its the only way youll get others to participate.

With the pace of this game, by the time an "XI veteran" managed to train a new player, that player would be closing in on level 50 from solo-quests and silent auto-parties. Seriously, it takes all of a week or two to reach cap -- under such circumstances almost nobody's going to so much as glance at the social teamwork ways of yore. :\

Sad but true, most of those (including myself) that played FFXI, were indeed young, but now most likely have more responsibility: family, jobs, a life lol. The thing is, it was definitely fun and made that drag on of a game extremely fun, but I have come to grips that, that was the past. The now is different and it is what you make it. I'm sure the friend making abilities we had are too old to use in this game and that is fine. Since the game isn't as slow paced, I can adapt and move on with it. I doubt I would find any of the people I played FFXI with anyway. But, it was fun back in the day. I quit FFXI before the cap was raised to 99 or was it 100? So it has been a while since I played a mmo... I will wait to play FFXIV until later this year once ps4 comes out and see how the game is progressing then.

So far the community is about a billion times better than WoWs ever was so that is a big plus.

I also hate forced "play nice" gameplay. It is how I end up having stuff stolen from me or feeling the need to punch someone in the face. Its much easier to know who the jerks are and stay away from them then try the guessing game.

The reality for me in FFXI was more that as I levelled in exp parties, and ran into some of the same people over and over in parties and slowly would get to know folks - particularly those who were good at the game and seemed cool - and LS's formed and those LS's grew up into HNMLS's in time as we reached cap and got decked out and became more experienced. With the way FFXI was, you really were bound to run into the same people over and over again while leveling up in exp parties, and those would be people who played during the same timeframe that you did, and it would all kind of fit together conveniently. At least, that's how it worked for me and I suspect a lot of the other end-game HNMLS crews in FFXI.

Joining an FC, or guild, as it's more commonly referred to, is your best bet for any meaningful conversation. Most of general chat has become so meaningless that I have become accustomed to turning it off as one of the first settings while configuring my HUD. There are always going to be FC's tailored to your needs, and FF is one of the few MMO's that still have more of the "social" type communities. It may take a little work to find one since the majority I've seen recruiting are hard core/endgame variety. But they are out there. Speaking of FFXI, I remember that what made fishing so enjoyable was that there were always people having quality conversations in general chat, and I could spend hours enjoying them while fishing. Or, having conversations with other fishers while fishing on the Ferry.

Edited, Sep 9th 2013 8:16am by SistinasAria