"Pikko Pots" wrote:
If someone can write a very well thought out, neutral post about the state of the game and whether new people should play, I'd seriously consider making it a sticky so that we can lock identical posts.
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Question: Do people still play FFXI?
Answer: Absolutely.
According to the FFXI AH site Final Fantasy XI is home to around 800,000 active players (EDIT: This may include storage characters. We do not at present have accurate numbers on the exact amount of subscribers, but SE has not wavered from their 500,000 number).
While this number is quite a bit lower than superpowers like World of Warcraft- it is still one of the largest MMORPG's on the market four years after it's creation. If current trends continue as they do, FFXI will outlast Lineage and Lineage II which are on a rapid decline in membership (source). What this means is that if you pick up FFXI now (2007), you will most definitely have a large base of players and Final Fantasy fans to interact with.
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Question: Why was there been a decline in the FFXI membership?
Answer: Various.
The statistics do not lie. According to MMOGCHARTs records (now a bit older), Final Fantasy XI experienced a decline of around 100,000 members beginning second quarter 2005 through first quarter 2006. It's hard to say what caused this as Square Enix had not yet begun their massive Real Money Trade bannings. Some may fault the release of Chains of Promathia- an expansion that discouraged many players from continuing their adventures in Vana'diel due to it's steep level of difficulty. If this is the case- SE has certainly learned from it's mistakes by creating an expansion with more robust options and a smoother learning curve. Was the decline due to the original release players hitting level 75 and getting tired of limited end-game options? This too may be a valid assumption. Whatever the case, membership is at an alltime high today soaring above the peak level it experienced just a few years ago.
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Question: Will FFXI last?
Answer: Ultimately, yes.
Most MMO's experience a certain lifespan. They are born, grow and gain a following, peak, then fase back in membership until a small cult-following is left to populate a few servers. Many text-based MUDs (Multi User Dungeons) still exist today decades after being created, and Everquest (released in 1999) is still receiving updates almost 8 years later. If FFXI lasts even just as long as Everquest- it still has 3 years of life left in it (more than enough time to accomplish most of what the game has to offer).
Aside from the standard lifespan of MMOs we can also see that SE has done a lot to rejuvenate FFXI and placate it's fanbase. The release of Treasures of Aht Urhgan as well as the XBOX 360 version brought a lot of old players back and introduced a lot of new players to the game. Vana'diel's population surged during this time of growth. As SE continues adding new content and areas to explore, the new players are given new reasons to keep playing week by week and month by month. Add to that the already vast amount of content included with Rise of the Zilart and Chains of Promathia- and new players should have themselves with enough to keep them busy for years to come. This second wave was just the thing FFXI needed to maintain it's longevity ensuring that it will still be around at least as long as it already has been (around 4 years).
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Question: Is Final Fantasy XI for me?
Answer: That depends on your playing style.
If you are a Final Fantasy fan at all- you owe it to yourself to pick up the game or go to a friend's house to try it out. I can give you a 98% guarantee that you will enjoy being immersed in a Final Fantasy universe with thousands of other fans. If you have a short attention span or prefer action games with bright colors, or have a desire for quick rewards- FFXI is probably not the game for you. You already know that FFXI will be around for you when you finally decide to give it a try. The next step will be picking up a copy and getting your feet wet.
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Question: I want to return to FFXI after being gone for a long time. What should I expect?
Answer: The following.
Before anything else, please visit this page to catch up on what you have missed via updates. This will give you an idea on how the gameplay and functionality has been altered by SE.
Other things to expect: The economy has undergone some enormous changes due to mass RMT bannings- meaning you will undoubtedly experience disorientation when you look up auction house prices. Bookmark http://www.ffxiah.com
Also keep in mind that you may have to buy additional expansions. Currently there are 3: Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia, and Treasures of Aht Urhgan. You can pick up the Vana'diel Collection 2007 for PC or the standard XBOX 360 version which will contain all 3 expansions, or you can buy Treasures of Aht Urhgan as a stand alone expansion if you have the other two. SE's online store can be reached here.
Probably the most important thing to know is that you will not get a lot of specific information about FFXI if you create a post that says, "I'm coming back to FFXI- what should I expect?" These posts are clutter and really waste your time and ours. A better approach would be to start browsing through job and race forums as well as brushing up on quests and missions. Next you would want to actually start things up and begin leveling again. Finally, ask a question or raise a concern when it comes up so long as it is SPECIFIC and PERTINENT to the FFXI experience. Most of your questions have already been answered in this guide by Icinoki.
More questions will be asked/answered as they appear. Hope this has been informational to you- and I hope it will kill off or prevent any new threads of this type. Please post if any of my information is incorrect and I will edit. Please offer insight into the subject here rather than creating new threads. Thanks.
-whetstone (diabolos)
Bonus: GM Dave offers his thoughts on 'Is FFXI dying?'
EDIT: All WoW stuff taken out by request.
Edit: Here we go again!
Edited, Mar 22nd 2007 5:12pm by Pikko
Edited, May 21st 2007 11:19pm by Pikko