FFXI
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Square Enix will differentiate its next effort from FFXI
Details are still not released about the next project from Square Enix, makers of Final Fantasy XI but rumors abound that it will debut at E3 in June 2009. So far, all that has been said is that the new game will be "different from Final Fantasy XI." Gee. Thanks. Helpful. This is not terribly different from what they said about six months ago now regarding the new game. And according to Hiromichi Tanaka, Senior VP of Software Development, the same team that worked on FFXI will be on this next project. Given the resounding and lasting success of the Final Fantasy franchise, it may be hard to give up the name recognition.
The Daily Grind: Will the new campaign bring you home to FFXI?
It didn't surprise us when Square Enix said that the "Return Home to Vana'diel" campaign was back by "popular demand" -- old subscribers demanding access to deleted characters must be a fairly popular query for their customer service team to handle. Complaining about the policy won't do much good though, as it seems to be here to stay. In other words, if you've at all considered returning to FFXI in the near future, it would make sense to do it while the campaign is running.However, MMOs are really competing for subscribers these holidays. A number of the biggest titles have just had expansions released, and others are churning out major patches to keep up. If you are someone who would benefit from this campaign (ie., you've played FFXI before but have been un-subscribed long enough to lose your characters, and could now recover them), do you see yourself taking this opportunity before it goes away in April of next year, or are you currently too wrapped up in one of the other MMOs out there?
Join the moogles for the Starlight Celebration in FFXI
This coming Friday, the 19th of December, the Starlight Celebration will begin in Vana'diel, offering Final Fantasy XI players the chance to party with the moogles and score some presents. On one side of the equation, you can assist the moogles with giving out gifts and greeting cards. On the flip-side, you can look for the presents that they've hidden all over the place to get some for yourself -- but since they had to make the boxes monster-proof, there will probably be some force required to bust those suckers open.If you're looking for more to do, or if the moogles just plain creep you out a little bit, you can help smilebringers deliver some Starlight joy to the children of Vana'diel, or visit special merchants to pick up festive items. The official website has the lowdown on exactly where you can find these activities. Seeing as the "Return Home to Vana'diel" campaign begins on December the 15th, those that are planning on restoring their old FFXI characters will be just in time for the celebrations to kick off on Friday. The holiday will draw to a close at 7:00AM PST on December the 31st.
"Return Home to Vana'diel" is back, and Squeenix hopes you will be too
The last "Return Home to Vana'diel" campaign ended in February this year, making the decision of whether to return to Final Fantasy XI a lot easier. Now, Square Enix is running the promotion again, giving former players the chance to restore their characters and making that decision a little less clear-cut. The campaign officially kicks off at midnight on Thursday, the 18th of December, and ends at 1am on April 15th. After that point, you'll be stuck with two choices: waiting for the chance of another campaign, or starting from scratch if you wish to resubscribe.To sweeten the deal, re-subscribers will be able to obtain an Anniversary Ring which provides a 100% experience bonus. However, there are a couple of eligibility requirements:- Characters who did not receive an Anniversary Ring during the Adventurer Appreciation Campaign in May 2008.- Characters who were created before Wednesday, May 28, 2008 and have logged into the game at least once since then.*Note: Characters meeting the above requirements are able to receive an Anniversary Ring even without participating in the Return Home to Vana'diel Campaign.That's right -- if you're already a subscriber and don't have an Anniversary Ring, this will be your chance to pick one up as well (this offer also ends on April 15th). Be warned though that deleting your current ring doesn't mean you can get another one.This is a great opportunity to get back into FFXI, and we can't deny that there's a lot going on in the game right now -- but such a campaign would not be necessary if characters weren't deleted after 3 months. Is such a practice acceptable for today's MMOs?
The Daily Grind: Do you want more console MMOs?
MMOs are primarly a PC business. They started here, and they're certainly dominating the PC gaming industry, one hard drive at a time. But why must we limit the MMO to simply the PC machine? What about the untouched masses of the console market? Why must we keep our games to ourselves when we should share freely with the others?Ok, ok, controller vs. keyboard issues aside, what do all of you think about console MMOs? We already have Final Fantasy XI and Phantasy Star Universe on the Xbox 360 and PS2. We also have The Agency eventually making a debut on the PS3 and the rumored Age of Conan release on the Xbox 360, but 4 MMO games is nowhere near the many many games we have on our PCs.Do you want to log into Xbox Live or PlayStation Network and boot up your favorite MMO? Would you rather sit on your couch and raid instead of your computer chair? Can cats and dogs live together in harmony? Readers, we need your opinions!
Official Final Fantasy XI site offers review of December Update
Every few months the Final Fantasy XI drops a massive update to the game, and we were due for another one this month. The December Update saw updates and tweaks to elements of the title across the board, with new missions and quests centered in the Wings of the Goddess expansion areas one of the update's biggest selling points. The other big component is the introduction of the "Fields of Valor" system. Fields of Valor will allow players to take on 'training regimes', targetted missions to slay a number of specific enemies in a specified amount of time. Every day, one training mission will be assigned and the rewards for completing it include experience, gil, and points within the new Fields of Valor system. Points may eventually be turned in for fun bennies. Other new game elements include: dropped treasure chests for extra loot (both temporary and permanent), some quality-of-life additions to the Campaign system, minor tweaks to the Level Sync system, and a number of changes to in-game items. There's an enormous list of changes, as there is every time they do one of these, and you can find the full list of game updates on the official site.Update: Fixed to reflect that the changes have already gone live.
FFXI for PS3 not just fantasy (but no longer reality)
Hey, did you hear the one about the giant RPG powerhouse who wanted to put its flagship franchise's MMO on the PlayStation 3 ... but then the Sony representative they were talking to quit? And the company never tried to to resume talks with another rep? Man, that's funny.... what's that you say, 1UP? That's really what happened to Final Fantasy XI on the PS3? No way, you're pulling our chain, who told you that? FFXI Hiromichi Tanaka? Man, now it's even funnier, but in that sad way. We suspect he's joking, or there's a lot more to this story. Still, it doesn't sound like FFXI will be coming to PS3 anytime soon.For the FFXI players on PC, Xbox 360 and HDD-equipped PS2 versions, keep an eye out for three new expansions, each coming sometime in 2009.
Interview with Final Fantasy XI developers talks upcoming mini-expansions
During their time at the Final Fantasy XI Fanfest 2008, the 1up guys had the chance to sit down with the game developers and ask them, well, a ton of questions. The interview spans three pages and a lot of topic matter about the present and future of Square Enix's game. Not only that, but there's a rather good two page preview after the interview itself, just to make sure your mind explodes with information about the game.Much of the interview is focused on the upcoming mini-expansions, their pricing, whether or not they'll be retail boxed or digital and of course any hints of what their content may entail. There's even a very interesting question asked about whether or not the development team would be interested in creating a Bee Mage class. So check out the interview if you've got even a passing interest in the game, as it's one of the few times we ever hear directly from the development team.
Final Fantasy XI gets a fancy new price for one day only!
For today and today only, GameStop is selling their downloadable copies of Final Fantasy XI for only 10 US dollars! If you're thinking, "Well, it's probably only the original game and none of the expansion," then you would also be wrong! The version of the game that they're offering is the Vana'diel Collection 2008, which means it includes all of the expansions, even the newest expansion, Wings of the Goddess.So if you're looking for a new MMO to get into, don't have an amazingly powerful PC, and don't have much cash to spend, you might want to seriously consider this deal. It's 10 bucks for a game and 3 whole expansions, the first month free, and it's going on for today only!
FFXI announces three new expansions coming next year
Square Enix, the publisher of Final Fantasy XI, has just announced the development of three new downloadable expansions for the fantasy MMO. Each of these new expansions are said to come out next year, and will be led by Masato Kato, who worked on the original Final Fantasy XI storyline as well as its first expansion pack, Rise of the Zilart.The first of these three will be entitled A Crystalline Prophecy – Ode of Life Bestowing and is set to release in spring of 2009. The remaining two expansions, A Moogle Kupo d'Etat – Evil in Small Doses and A Shantotto Ascension – The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born will both release sometime in the following months. You can check out the entire press release, as well as some more info on Masato Kato at the Square Enix blog.
Final Fantasy XI December update preview
December is getting closer and with it comes the Final Fantasy XI December version update. Square Enix has posted a preview of some of the changes coming, most of which are aimed at improving player quality of life. Chariot, Empress and Emperor Bands will now have new recharge NPCs in locations that have recently become more traveled by players. Also, teleportation to Aht Urhgan Whitegate will be available via the Salaheem's Sentinels representative NPC in Upper Jeuno, which is something that's previously only been made available in the three nations' capitols. Finally, the December version update will cut down the respawn time for coffers and chests for those searching for artifacts and maps.Essentially all of these changes are aimed at making players' lives easier and generally less frustrating. This seems to have been the recent trend for Final Fantasy XI, which has long-since been known as one of the most unforgiving MMOs around in terms of difficulty. So, we're happy to see these sorts of changes coming from the dev team.
Final Fantasy XI Fan Festival 2008 website goes live
The official website for Square Enix's yearly fan-gathering for the Final Fantasy XI dedicated, Fan Festive 2008, is now open. This year's event is being held at the Renaissance Hollywood, Southern California and is only 54 days away with the whole thing kicking off on Friday, December 5th. There's a giveaway featuring an ultra-cute Nomad Moogle Sheild and other bits. In addition to the giveaway there will be contests aplenty. Attendees can expect a fan art contest to enter drawings and sculptures into as well as a costume contest. And finally, it wouldn't be complete without a sneak peek at an upcoming version update and a developer panel.With all the current hubbub about BlizzCon 08, it's always nice to see community gatherings for other MMOs are as strong as ever before. We hope everyone at Fan Festival 2008 has a wonderful time, although we're sure that they will regardless of our say in the matter.%Gallery-10466%
FFXI now available as digital download and free trial
Final Fantasy XI is one of the most enduring MMOs of its generation. Coming up on the game's seventh year of live service, the folks at Square/Enix are making it ever-more accessible to the average player. Recent patches have added in content like NPC allies, eased boss difficulties, and even worked to overcome the game's notoriously challenging level grind. Now the developer is working to make it even easier to get into the game, with some expansions in the client's availability.The game is now available for digital download via the Direct2Drive service! The whole game (FFXI, Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia, Treasures of Aht Urhgan, and Wings of the Goddess) is available for just twenty bucks. You can buy the game's expansions individually as well. If you're not interested in shelling out cash without giving it a go first, they've got you covered there too. There's now a 14-day trial available via FilePlanet. Head over and check out the perils and promise of Vana'diel ... them Tarus are cute!
A look into the psyche of a tank player
In a highly interesting look into the psyche of a longtime tank player, The Escapist takes us on a short, two-page journey down the rabbit hole of an MMO player's outlook on his hobby. We always appreciate a more heady approach to the how and why of class choice and this feature definitely delivers. It's a subject that can bring about lengthy time-passing discussions. What does it say about a person who always plays a healer? Why do they constantly choose to even be a healer? Everyone will have a slightly different set of reasons for playing the class that they do, which makes it such an interesting group discussion.We also have to approve of the message the article sends out at its conclusion: A positive outlook on the social aspects of playing an MMO and the feel-good nature of the guild experience. It's always nice to see someone espousing an honest take on why they enjoy the genre.
New Final Fantasy XI leveling changes detailed, scrutinized
For those of us at Massively that own Final Fantasy XI it's been a little while since we sat down and played the game. This newest version update, however, is causing us to consider a return. Our biggest gripe with Final Fantasy XI was that while grouping was a lot of fun, it was also ridiculously hard to find one. So with that in mind, the three biggest pieces of this update are Level Sync, removal of level restrictions for gear and reduction of the experience curve. Level Sync allows a party leader to bring any higher-level players within the party down to their level. It will essentially allow any low-level players to group with high levels, which is a big win for everyone, unless you really don't want to play lower-level content again -- even with your friends.Square-Enix is making it easier to not only find groups but also to level up into the end-game content, of which there is a ton. Our only worry is whether or not higher level players will really feel like playing in the lowbie zones again, even if it does mean they get to play with friends. Regardless of our worries, this is really a change that should have come a couple years ago, but we're happy to finally see it regardless. We've posted the all-important leveling tweaks after the break.
NCsoft to push evolution of Korean-style MMOs through Aion
We love The Escapist over here at Massively. Take for instance Jared Rea's recent article, "Beautiful 21st Century" -- a piece about one company's attempt to overcome the stigma attached to most older Korean MMOs that make it to the western market: beautiful but grindy. Perhaps the most notable Korean title currently played in the west is NCsoft's Lineage II which, despite being a beautiful game, has drawn some flack from gamers about its steep grind (although this is becoming less of a problem). NCsoft is working to change this perception of their forthcoming Korean-developed titles, particularly in light of their upcoming MMO Aion: The Tower of Eternity. Much of the problem that NCsoft faces is similar to what all companies, game or otherwise, face when taking their brand overseas -- being recognized as a global brand rather than seen in the limited light of their offerings in a given region of the world.
Previewing FFXI's September version update
The much anticipated September update is fast approaching, and Allakhazam has a lengthy preview of what is in store for the citizens of Vana'diel. The next patch to Final Fantasy XI will contain a number of really impressive quality of life benefits. Highlights include: The level sync and relic gear sets we've already talked about here on the site. Rental chocobo changes for both the 'past Vana'diel' areas and the areas introduced in Wings of the Goddess. New fellows! More and unique NPC assistants to help with your solo adventuring. More XP! Dovetailing with the level sync system, easier mobs will now provide more XP. Changes to high-end adventuring for your job-specific weapon. There's even more detailed in the Allakhazam posts, so head on over there to see what Square/Enix has on offer this month.
Final Fantasy XI to receive mentoring-esque Level Sync system
Square-Enix is taking another step towards making Final Fantasy XI a little bit more playable for the masses by implementing what it calls the "Level Sync" system. The feature resembles the mentoring systems found in EverQuest II or Age of Conan in that it allows higher level players to drop down to friends' levels and adventure with them while gaining experience.In its announcement of this feature, Square-Enix went out of its way to emphasize that it has built in the system safeguards against abuse by powerlevelers and gold farmers. There are also some reasonable limitations intended to keep the game streamlined, fun, and balanced. For example, equipment-based stat bonuses will scale down with each level a player drops.There are explicit details at the official Final Fantasy XI website about how experience gains and equipment scale. We approve of this addition (as if you needed us to); in fact, we wonder why certain other games still don't have it. Being able to play with friends regardless of their time commitment and experience is a big positive, and we can't even think of a substantial drawback.[Via Allakhazam]
Anti-Aliased: Scare tactics
Our MMOs are filled with all sorts of emotions -- the excitement of getting to the next level, the surprise of the item you desperately wanted dropping off of a boss, the intense rush of a player vs. player encounter, and the joy of exploration of these fantastic worlds.But there is one very specific genre and emotion that goes regularly unnoticed in our massively multiplayer gaming experiences. The genre in question isn't anything new to our gaming culture in the slightest, but it just seems that no MMO developer can make a game centered around it.
It's Pandemonium in Final Fantasy XI
News has spread of a grueling new enemy encounter in Final Fantasy XI. The Notorious Monster (NM) Pandemonium Warden is one of the strongest opponents players can face in the game. But it seems Square-Enix may have raised the bar too high, given the extremes to which players must go to defeat Pandemonium Warden. A linkshell (guild) called Beyond the Limitation recently faced off against Pandemonium Warden over an 18 hour period, but the NM was still going strong. The NM shapeshifts into multiple forms, making it even more of a challenge to defeat; Beyond the Limitations fought Pandemonium Warden through twenty of his possible forms, some of which took hours to kill. Pet Food Alpha, a Final Fantasy XI community site, quotes a member of Beyond the Limitation stating: "People were passing out and getting physically ill. We decided to end it before we risked turning into a horrible new story about how video games ruin people's lives."
