So whats FFXIV beta like?

U

USMC2Hard4U

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Apr 4, 2003
Messages
6,157
I want to drop WoW. This is the 3rd? time I said that now.

Anyway, I never played FFXI. But I love Single Player FF's. Really had no interest for XIV until I seen the "FFXIV benchmark" playing on a system in a store over here in Hiroshima.

It looks amazing.

So my questions are, was FFXI any good? and how is the FFXIV beta? and how might it compare to WoW?

Thx all.
 
I loved FFXI. FFXI was a game either you hated, or loved due to it's partying system and extremely in depth crafting. I don't know how FFXI is nowadays, but a few years ago you had to party for everything you did (including leveling) past level 10 or so, unless you were a beastmaster (they had pets, and could solo). Levels took seriously forever, and it actually felt like you accomplished something when you hit max level (75). I think that's one of the biggest reasons I liked the game; the sense of accomplishment. WoW you could hit max level in just a few days, but this game took months to hit 75. The leveling was all grinding too, which was a good and bad thing. Bad obviously, is it's tedious. However the good allowed you to communicate with your party and build a relationship, getting to know people on the server. I think it had one of the friendliest communities in any MMO I've played (and I've played a lot). And since leveling took awhile, you frequently played with the same people due to them still being around your level. Fishing was great in FFXI, and I hope they put it back in FF14. It was very relaxing, and pretty indepth as well, which was a nice break from grinding. The main fishing quest required you to fish up 1,000,000 moat carp (a type of fish) for Lu Shang's Fishing Rod, which was the best rod in the game. Again, sense of accomplishment.

Enough about FFXI.. FF14 seems to be going in the same direction as FFXI was. I actually haven't played much of the beta (I need to upgrade my comp) but I read a lot of the forums, and also my friend always talked to me about things that I was too lazy to figure out for myself. The races are the same as FFXI, but there are lots of new classes. The graphics were awesome (despite me barely being able to move) and the combat system was similar. That's pretty much all I know about it (not much), but maybe I gave you some detail in what FFXI was like, and what you might expect coming out of FF14.
 
Since there is an NDA still in effect, I'm not allowed to say how bad it is. However, I will say this: Wait for Guild Wars 2.
 
I was in the alpha. I guess that means I am still in it. Should I try the beta out?
 
There are a number of technical kinks to iron out and gameplay aspects to balance, however if you have a machine powerful enough to run it well and a metered amount of patience, the game is a treat. The content is very limited as of now, but I've enjoyed playing and getting familiar with all the different classes. Story quests are few, but have extremely intriguing to say the least. Much more so than the introductory quests in XI, that's for sure. Much like XI, XIV is very intentional and methodical (read: slower paced) in nearly all aspects of combat and crafting. This rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but I love the direction SE is heading with it. Still needs some fine-tuning, but that's what this beta is for.

A new beta phase kicks off tomorrow night.
 
FF14 is great if you like the ff11 if you don't why in the hell would you even think it would differ that much?
 
i did a few sessions of the beta.

I did play ff11

I kinda wish they didnt screw around with the names and just called it what it is. FFXI-2

I was not a fan of the console style commands.

Overall feeling was Meh, but I have been feeling meh about most games in general.
 
Redshift said:
FF14 is great if you like the ff11 if you don't why in the hell would you even think it would differ that much?
Click to expand...

I at least thought they would make playable controls for PC, since it is, you know, coming out on PC. I guess that was one unjustified assumption on my part. Only software mouse, feels like molasses, NO MOUSE LOOK. The controls and interface alone make it nearly impossible to play without a controller.

I would say more, but it is still beta. If you're looking for a MMORPG to play on a console, this is it. If you're a fan of PC MMOs, this is not what you're looking for.
 
I absolutely loved FFXI, so I'm looking forward to FFXIV. Already got my collector's edition of the game on pre-order.

I really hope FFXIV works well with a controller on PC like FFXI did. It was just so much more relaxing to be able to play while kicking back in your chair with a controller versus sitting up with your hands glued to the keyboard/mouse.
 
USMC2Hard4U said:
What does this mean?

Not having played 11... are you saying the game does not "Control like WoW" or any other MMO?
Click to expand...

"Keyboard turning" is often a bad thing in WoW and probably most other MMOs out there. It means that you look around and move your character by holding left/right on the keyboard (or A and D using WASD for movement control), so your character turns slowly to do a full 360 degree spin. Most average players would rather look/move around with the mouse's left/right buttons as it responds way faster.

Think of it as using an analog stick on a console to turn left/right in an FPS game, rather than having the quick turning ability of the mouse. That's another way to understand why calling someone a "keyboard turner" is an insult to their abilities.
 
Yoshiyuki Blade said:
"Keyboard turning" is often a bad thing in WoW and probably most other MMOs out there. It means that you look around and move your character by holding left/right on the keyboard (or A and D using WASD for movement control), so your character turns slowly to do a full 360 degree spin. Most average players would rather look/move around with the mouse's left/right buttons as it responds way faster.

Think of it as using an analog stick on a console to turn left/right in an FPS game, rather than having the quick turning ability of the mouse. That's another way to understand why calling someone a "keyboard turner" is an insult to their abilities.
Click to expand...

But this obviously can be changed via a setting to enable mouse look..... right?
 
USMC2Hard4U said:
But this obviously can be changed via a setting to enable mouse look..... right?
Click to expand...

I dunno as I've never played FFXI myself. But mouse look is only for looking. Players would also want to actually move via the direction they're looking with the mouse too, by using right-click instead of left-click. If it's not possible to instantly turn around 180 degrees via the mouse, you'd have to sluggishly "keyboard turn" to run in the opposite direction.
 
I played for a few hours last night. THE CONTROLS ARE COMPLETELY FIXED, NOW. The mouse and keyboard operate just like any other MMO. The only feature missing in the controls are using both left and right mouse buttons to walk. I really miss this and I hope they implement it.

  1. The graphics are stunningly gorgeous. Seriously. WOW! This game brings my GTX 480's to their knees. Of course, you can configure the graphics to meet your system hardware.
  2. I enjoy the Lancer (Pole arm) class, so far.
  3. There is a HELL OF A LOT OF LAG. All of the servers are located in Japan. When I initiate action mode (wanting to enter combat), there is a three second delay. Maybe it is because of the distance. Maybe it is because the beta servers are full way past normal capacity. I have friends who say the lag isn't always bad.
  4. The quest system (levequests) is unique and I like it a lot. When you complete a quest, a portal will open allowing you to return to the camp where you initiated the quest.
  5. The interface is totally kick ass
  6. The dialogue, so far, is the best I've seen in an MMO. There is very little spoken dialogue, however.
  7. The keyboard controls used to be awful, but the devs have completely fixed that as of last night.
  8. The mouse is software controlled and is very, very sluggish when AA is enabled.
  9. While many flaws have been reported from the Alpha and Beta, take all of that with a grain of salt. The game has improved MASSIVELY since Phase 3 started.
  10. 2D Surround is AMAZING
  11. 3D Surround is not enabled in the Beta, but it will be enabled in the future! (And be supported by the developer... they already demoed it at E3)
  12. There is a steep learning curve to figure out the quest system. But you'll get it in a few minutes. (Talk to the bar tender guy, go to the desk with the blue lights, pick up all the levequests you want, head north to the first camp, stand next to the big blue crystal, pull up the menu, click the... word for the crystal, activate the crystal to add it to your teleport list, pull up menu, click the word for the crystal again, initiate your first quest. It's easy from there out.

I'm 80% sure I'm going to buy the game... if they can fix the latency, I'll be all over it.
 
Last edited:
just read that the NDA is lifted*, you can talk all you want, share screenshots but no video..
http://www.ffxivcore.com/

Thanks for the update IRSmurf, looks like beta 3 is underway......I hope I get in to check out before release...I'm dying for a new MMO.
 
I'm seriously hoping that this game rekindles that spark for me. I've been following it since July of '09. I used to love FFXI because of the community. I could spend hours with a grinding party just talking and hanging out.

Hopefully now that the NDA is lifted I'll get to see and hear some stuff that will drive the nail in the coffin for me to buy this.

I did just build a new PC with the intentions of playing FFXIV, but some of the things I've read have been mixed, so I'm banking on playing open beta for a little while before making any final decisions.
 
IRSmurf said:
I'm 80% sure I'm going to buy the game... if they can fix the latency, I'll be all over it.
Click to expand...

Do they have enough content in there for you to get an idea of the leveling curve? How is the soloability?
 
NKDietrich said:
Do they have enough content in there for you to get an idea of the leveling curve? How is the soloability?
Click to expand...

Soloability was a design focus, so it's definitely there.
Right now in the beta, the exp gain seems to be accelerated as to get people into high level skills and content. Before that boost, leveling curve was manageable, but kinda steep.
 
Addy711 said:
just read that the NDA is lifted*, you can talk all you want, share screenshots but no video..
http://www.ffxivcore.com/

Thanks for the update IRSmurf, looks like beta 3 is underway......I hope I get in to check out before release...I'm dying for a new MMO.
Click to expand...

I highly recommend this site & forums for any FFXIV questions. I would of course say that because I am a mod there :cool:.

As for the game, it is shaping up to be very solid. I won't go as far as to say that it'll be a knock out of the ballpark amazing MMO but it is indeed much better than what XI was. I put a lot of time in XI as a lvl 70 Taru BLM/WHM on the Leviathan server. The combat speed is a major improvement over XI which is the biggest deal to me so far. The combat XI system in XI was horrible & is very much dated now by today's standards.

Also, you guys can talk about the beta, show screenshots, link to items, armors, etc. SE still doesn't want any video to be shown as of yet. That is one of the few things that is still under NDA.
 
I'm reading that the NDA was lifted, as there are a ton of sites with game play and media.

I've been busting chops trying to get into the Beta. I had a great time in FFXI, however I was one of many who got stopped cold at the 50 level break quest. I for the life of me could NOT get a group to help me with the quest. I ended up just changing jobs and levelling to 50 again.

I just purchased 2 Collector's Editions and have already requested the end of September off for the soul purpose of maximizing my early start code.

The one question that I havent been able to get answered is combat - Skillchains and Magic Bursts. This had to be THE key to having fun. Getting a group together, getting the SC's figured out and executing. A good group would rule with this setup correctly. This is where the fun was for me.

Currently the Demo scores me at 1498. This is quite annoying. I've been very selective of my purchases. 100% of the thanks goes to this site and the people that visit. I study almost daily the posts of hardware that are made to determine the right purchase for the right price. Everything has been spot on and has made my PC building almost stress free. So, my current Core2Duo OC'd to 3.6, and 4870x2 x2's are effectively useless. (the 2nd 4870x2 is my GF's - she upgraded to a 5850 due to EQ2's support stating they dont support Crossfire - turn it off and the game ran fine...)

So, thinking my Quad GPU should give me plenty of room for eye candy - I pretty much am told dont bother playing. Bleh...

I read an article from an FFXIV designer stating why they chose Corei7 as the minimum CPU requirement. That's fine...I've been wanting to upgrade for a long time, but damn...

If I could JUST get into the Beta to see how my rig runs...I'm not too excited about buying a 5xxx card if the 6xxx's will be out by Xmas. I just dont see the point of repurchasing. Until then, my 100% new rig build/purchase is on hold till I can figure out how the game holds up on what I have currently.
 
Anyone get into OB with any news to report? I am vaguely interested though I have never been a FF fan.
 
Been trying to get into the open beta since last night. First I couldn't get through, now they have "temporarily suspended" giving out keys. Of course there is no mention of when they might begin again, in typical SE fashion.
 
HammerAZ said:
I read an article from an FFXIV designer stating why they chose Corei7 as the minimum CPU requirement. That's fine...I've been wanting to upgrade for a long time, but damn...
Click to expand...
Sony did something similar with EQ2 and a lot of good did that do them.

Few mainstream consumers will sink hundreds of dollars into a new rig just to play an MMO that may or may not even appeal to them. Then again, I don't think that North America is the target audience anyway, FFXI was certainly a lot more popular in JP than in NA.
 
Hello from the Open Beta

FFXIV.png
 
Thuleman said:
Eh, looks just like FFXI, no?

Also -1 for consolitis and probably another -1 for the auto-translator (just a guess here though).
Click to expand...

While ill agree there is some Consolitis, if they spend a little bit of effort, i think they can fix this quick.

However, there is NO hardware mouse, so the mouse runs like ass.
 
No hardware mouse yet. And what's wrong with the auto translator? There's absolutely no reason why that would cause you to think less highly of the game.
 
I've been trying to get into the open beta (got the email) since it was announced with no luck.

1. Website busy
2. Website down
3. Not able to get code

I won't discuss how many times I have tried =/ They could just fucking tell us at the start there aren't any more keys - you can't imagine the amount of clicking and redirecting it takes to even find that out.
 
zervun said:
I've been trying to get into the open beta (got the email) since it was announced with no luck.

1. Website busy
2. Website down
3. Not able to get code

I won't discuss how many times I have tried =/ They could just fucking tell us at the start there aren't any more keys - you can't imagine the amount of clicking and redirecting it takes to even find that out.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat, and feel your pain.
 
What is it with these MMO's and their completely plain and boring representation of human-like characters?

Vanguard:

elves7qn.jpg



Star Wars: The Old Republic:
starwarstheoldrepublic4.jpg



Dwarves on Warhammer Online:
warhammeronlineageofrec.jpg



Dungeons and Dragons Online:
blockpartysized.jpg


Age of Conan:
33cugzt.jpg


Vashypooh's screenshot of Final Fantasy XIV from a few hours ago (no offense):
FFXIV.png








On the other hand, when it comes to non-human races, they tend to go all out and look really well done artistically

Orcs on Warhammer Online:

middle20imageqjpreviewt.jpg



Goblins on Warhammer Online:
warhammeronline21.jpg



Whenever I see an MMO that has humans as the playable race, I curl up inside due to their boring textures and design. I mean I know we look kind of like that in real life, but spice it up a bit atleast. It seems most developers fall flat designing humans.
 
It is a matter of their primary target audience and designing for majority appeal. I don't think the Warhammer and Final Fantasy fanbase is looking for the same in terms of design. For instance I remember when DOW 2 was release, a lot of warhammer fans were complaining the main character looked too much like a male model and not "gruff" enough with a lot of scarring. While if you look at most Final Fantasy character designs, what do they tend to be like? Take Korean MMOs from what I understand even if they buff the "non human" type races relative to the human ones, the player distribution in Asia still greatly favors the human races.

But funnily enough, isn't the most popular race by far in Warhammer 40k the "human" space marines?
 
HammerAZ said:
I read an article from an FFXIV designer stating why they chose Corei7 as the minimum CPU requirement. That's fine...I've been wanting to upgrade for a long time, but damn...
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? This is the minimum requirements.

Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo (2.0 GHz)
AMD Athlon X2 (2.0 GHz)

Memory - Windows XP: 1.5 GB
Windows Vista / Windows 7: 2 GB

Video - NVIDIA GeForce 9600 512 MB
ATI Radeon HD 2900 512 MB
 
I heard you can change classes whenever you want, but can you also change disciples? For example, can I start out being a disciple of the land as a miner and later switch to disciple of the hand as an armorer or blacksmith?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top