Final Fantasy XI Then...

[C']

Get PC version.

Ask us for World Pass for Seraph.

Play with us.

WE ROCK!!!! :P

[dataDave]

Yeah, but youse lot would have to stop playing for 3 years in order for me to catch up!

I would think its highly likely that many 'casual' players won't continue once they have to pay ?40-?50 for the retail game then the ?8 monthly fee to be honest.

Which relates to my thoughts - I'm sure they'll scrap Hydra once it goes retail and then re-open it for the 360 faithful. I hope that's the case as my game now feels like a used, sweaty, training session. Even if I do have the lvl.20 Battleaxe that took me so long to save up for.

[talizker]

Yeah, but youse lot would have to stop playing for 3 years in order for me to catch up!

Its not really that bad to be honest. The best bit about FFXI compared to games like WoW is the fact that there are many jobs to level. For example, you could start playing the PC version as I start leveling SMN thus allowing us to party together. Then there are missions / zones / bcnm's that are capped at a certain levels enabling players with jobs of all levels to play together.

When I started playing in September 2004, many of the LS regulars were already between Lv50-Lv60 and I thought the same thing - I will never get to party with these folks. I am now Lv61 and have partied with everyone, both in the level capped things mentioned above, and in every other kind of situation bar Experience Point ones when they are using the Lv7x jobs.

Which relates to my thoughts - I'm sure they'll scrap Hydra once it goes retail and then re-open it for the 360 faithful. I hope that's the case as my game now feels like a used, sweaty, training session. Even if I do have the lvl.20 Battleaxe that took me so long to save up for.

Don't forget there are over 30 live servers at present and people will be distributed throughout these. As mentioned, many FFXI players are polite, courteous and friendly and it's unlikely idiots will get very far in this environment. Hopefully they will either mature into good players or quit!

[Tsingtao]

I'd have to say at the end of the Beta maybe one or possibly 2 new servers will go live but I expect the rest to be shutdown. The players will then be spread across the existing servers and 360 will be mixed with PS2 and PC SE has no intention of partitioning off the player base. The only question will come as to whether or not SE will allow beta characters to migrate. My guess is they will allow it but you will not be able to choose your server. So if you want to be on a specific server it'll be start from scratch or migrate with existing char to a random box. Just my thoughts mind...

As for party 8 - 12, it always sucks as below 10 your wasting your time partying I try not to go to the Dunes before 12 or 13 to be honest as solo xp especially with the bands is still fine. In many cases this is true all the way to 20 plus you can make a mint farming at the same time.

Additionally try to remember there are more lowbie party zone that the dunes, the koroloka tunnel, buburimu and shakrami maze are fine.

My advice if you intend to play would be to migrate to PC and get a head start on the newer guys, some of the lower lefvel resources get stretched with new releases. Personally though I will be returning to the dunes after the 360 crowd reach there for some levelling fun.

[C']

Talizker speaks the truth.

On unrelated note, current gil total stands at just over 4m with hopefully another 240k when I get home. However, the Nokizaru Hakama has gone up 1m gil with the last 2 selling for 7m

Still the farming goes on. Came to me last night that I still haven't quested my Scroll of Jubaku: Ichi, and as I learnt that spell ages ago I could sell it on for a cool 800k. Should help towards my goal.

[Darwock]

solo xp especially with the bands is still fine. In many cases this is true all the way to 20 plus you can make a mint farming at the same time.

I've actually soloed all the way to level 35 through various jobs. I partied the RDM from 20-25 but from then on I soloed it to 30, and I soloed my SMN from 30-35. This was before the introduction of the xp rings, and largely without doing any ENMs either - if you want to include the xp rewards from those then you could argue the partying thing is optional! (not that I would recommend doing this, cos you need to understand how parties work if you want to get on)

[Tsingtao]

DOH DOUBLE POST

[Tsingtao]

Darwock as always mate spot on, solo if you gear for it is possible. I'm personally starting to look at my solo set up and possible 74+ set up for PLD as well. After much thinking I've got an idea of the subs I want to 37 ready for end game. I may take a break from PLD to do these...

WHM to 42 (@27) for all Teleports...
BLM to 40 (@19) for D2 for some reason....
NIN to 40 (@20) for post 74 HNM / solo (and maybe xp party sub with joyeuse and company sword)
WAR to 40 (@34) (no brainer)
THF to 40 (@20) (flee and TH)
RDM to 40 (@10) (wondering how tanking would work with no voke but phalanx, en spells and stoneskin suspect crap but hey I'd like to know if anyone ever lets me try)

Think that covers them all and obviously shows I've got a lot to do to get there. For a change I'm think of taking RDM to the Dunes soon and doing some levelling where I actually get to see the odd ding without a week of xp.

I addition for PLD solo I've decided to go get a DD setup so the shopping list is quite extensive. I think the main item will be the Haubie but I'm also after capping greatsword which is 100 right now and I'm sure you guys can suggest some other gear. Main choice will be accuracy or strength rings.

[dataDave]

Holy ****! Do you guys actually play any other games?

[Tobal]

tsing you could always try that phalanx enchantment shield i think some pld on pld furom on Ak or Killing Ifrit said you could keep Phalanz all the time with you switched shields, you'll just have carry a fair few of them ^^, not sure what the actually cost are though. I have you used thet +7vit enchantment neck armor yet? i've seen in bazaar's for 10k for 10/10 pops at lvl 30 something, might be uses for bcnm's.

I wish some like that existed with +att or +str that was more than +base version, outside a hard to get earring for a samurai.

[Tsingtao]

I've got the momento muffler for the +7 VIT enchanment, think it has 20 uses and I tend to pull it out in any dangerous BC fight I'm in. The phalanx shields I've looked at and they do look pretty good think I have to carry 5 though to keep it up permanent. Starting to carry quite a lot of gear using a pair of +3 STR rings now as well for macro in at WS usage.

In other news I thought a map update would be good, now I only have a few maps left to get...
Promyvion-Holla
Promyvion-Mea
Any maps up in Sky (anyone know how many there are for Tu'Lia)
The aquaducts one
Uleguerand Range (got the drop for it just need to get up there)

Think there is a quest for Riverne Site A#01 & B#01 once we beat diablos and then anything in Lumoria. Once I get blighed gloom open for my NPC going to start killing the zone specific mobs in the promyvion areas to try to get the drops in Mea and Holla.

[mikewl]

I would be up for going to Sky and getting maps sometime Tsing, will come in handy as that place is quite confusing.

Going off topic again, anyone getting DoA4 today, im going to be doing a massive online evening on it tonight about 8.30pm, had a blast playing last night with a work mate, gave him too many good achievements while I walked away with the humiliating 5, 10 and 20 defeats in a row and a D grade.

[Tsingtao]

DoA4 I have ordered today from Play.com hope to have it tomorrow so not for me tonight. Soon though I'll be there and fighting games are usually my bag, have to see how this one suits me.

[C']

I?m not normally a massive DOA fan. The games are (except for the superb Arcade/Saturn original) rather light and fluffy preferring to focus on graphical frivolties such as smashing your opponent through a stained-glass window rather than a truly solid fighting engine to work with.

That being said, I?ll grab a copy on the way home to give it a blast to see if Team Ninja have learnt any lessons.

A Soul Calibur, Tekken or Virtua Fighter game would have been so much better.

Am I right in thinking that this game has a winner stays on online mode with other participants able to watch the current match in progress?

[Tobal]

As far as 3d fighting games go i prefer DoA over SC(after1), Tekken and VF. I'll be picking up after work, hopefully. Mainly cos FFxi gives me little time to learn VF to enjoy and Tekken to poke-fest **** hole with great characters. At least the new DoA seems to have broken away button mash roots.