Beta ends October 14th

[Haplo]

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/news/news761.shtml

[Toggy]

Sounds nice. The transfer thing scared me a bit I started thinking character heh :)

This pretty much assures that we will ahve the full client in our hands by the 28th.

Think they will have any downloadable versions of retail for people not exactly in NA? I am in Florida..just wondering about this for a couple buddies.

Also about the "Carry over"... I wonder if they will let you subscribe a week or so before hand?

[Yossar]

The PS2 people get screwed by the PlayOnline transfer. They state that they will save your info so long as you subscribe by January '04, but PS2 people, like me, won't get there retail until March '04.

[l0rdza0n]

game. over.

http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/news/news761.shtml

..once more to the beach dear friends.. if this be our last days in vanadiel, let it be of such glory that they shall sing of our deeds until the world's end!

:(

[Haplo]

Also about the "Carry over"... I wonder if they will let you subscribe a week or so before hand?
Well, didn't it say that you "Carried Over" as an option in the retail version? I think so, at least.

[l0rdza0n]

umm guys.. there is no carry over.. only for pol

============================
FINAL FANTASY XI
============================
FINAL FANTASY XI character data CANNOT be carried over from beta service to live service.

You must purchase a Content ID and create a new character after registering the software. For more details, please refer to "Starting the Game" in the FINAL FANTASY XI section of the owner's manual included in the retail package.

[Haplo]

Yeah, I knew that, but... maybe I misread other guy. It's nice to know that I can keep everything as it is though, maybe I can even get the character name Haplo too, instead of a different POL name and FFXI name.

[Sindarkus]

I almost cried when I saw that... lol

[Toggy]

Ya I udnerstood about the characters. I jsut wasnt sure if the button was going to allow you to just jump to retail version by purchasing directly from them online and using your beta CDs and such. I seen this in many games out there today.

But if I do read into it a bit more. It is nothing more than a registration issue and that is it.

On a side note I wish you beta testers would really tell me your opinion of the game. I am really interested in knowing it. Its pretty much your guys feedback and what I read as my guide to buying this game.

[christophe]

so we're(the ps2 beta users) all gonna cry until we get the hdd backsometimes in march?

or is there a chance that we get something back before?
even a free chocobo coffee mug?
:(

[Haplo]

Originally posted by christophe
so we're(the ps2 beta users) all gonna cry until we get the hdd backsometimes in march?

or is there a chance that we get something back before?
even a free chocobo coffee mug?
:(

No, I think you're just going to be crying for a long, long time. :p

[The GameMaster]

So far everything seems to be occuring as I have expected it...

This confirms one of the things that I have been saying about the beta users keeping their characters, so the bottom line is that we will not be able to keep the beta characters. However we will be able to keep the POL information (Friends list, handles, etc...) That much I did not expect, and is generally fine with me. I am glad I was able to experience this beta, as I enjoyed this more than nearly any other beta that I have played. I enjoyed meeting everyone on the Cactar beta server and hope that I will meet them in the future once more. I will take the information that I have learned from the beta and this will make my foray into the retail edition that much smoother, personally I considered this 'FFXI Training' that anything else, and was extremely valuable in that. The only thing that I will regret is that the people that I have met on the beta server I will likely not see most of them ever again, such as the ones from the Linkshells I am involved with.

This leaves only one more issue that is left to be answered...

Where will the new servers be located, and will the servers be integrated at the start of the NA retail release (IE...will everyone be forced to make a new character on existing japanese servers and have to deal with the japanese players.) This has yet to be clearly answered, while we all know both japanese and english players will be able to create characters and either servers, it is not known if they will be integrated with each other. It is my opinion that integrating the servers with the japanese servers so that all new english players will be randomly distributed on japanese servers will have a very negative result. Not only that, but issues of high latency is the other reason why new servers must be created in the US. 200+ms of ping (broadband) and 400+ms of ping (dailup) is not a very nice thing to experience. It is best to create new servers in the US and partition the servers so that all the US accounts will normally connect to the US servers and the japanese accounts will connect to japanese servers, but have the OPTION using a WorldPass to "Invite" players across the partition thus letting the english player to make a character on a japanese server and vice versa. This is how they should do this, but this is my opinion.

so we're(the ps2 beta users) all gonna cry until we get the hdd backsometimes in march?

or is there a chance that we get something back before?
even a free chocobo coffee mug?

christophe,
I feel your pain, I have been following that entire situation for over 2 years now. I saw all of this happening a long time ago, this game should of been out HERE last year on the PS2, and because of Sony procrastinating on the Hard Drive. Be thankful though that Square and Enix merged, becuase had that not happened...I really do not think FFXI would of ever made it over here, and this is because Sony would of prevented it from coming out. The PC version is what is prompting Sony to finally release it over here on the PS2, however it will be a long time before the US PS2 users will be able to experience this. Sony knows that this will completely kill EQOA on the PS2, and they are fixing to release a expansion to that game in November. This is part of the reason why they pushed it from November to March of next year. EQOA is not doing very hot to begin with and has so far VASTLY undersold from what SOE was expecting. And furthermore, becuase of this I WILL NOT give Sony any of the money that belongs to SQE over this game. I will not condone what they have done to SQE and this game, and I while I may forgive them...eventually...I will not forget what they did.

If you want someone to blame for your pain and suffering on waiting for this game, then blame Sony. Because this is all their fault for causing this situation, because Sony wants all that money that SQE is making, but they are not going to get it, because their product (EQOA) is inferior overall compared to SquareEnix's product (FFXI). This game has something that EQOA lacks, and it is called a heart.

The GameMaster...

PS...I will be here until the day it ends, I will patiently await the launch, and I will begin anew! And I hope to see everyone there!

[Toggy]

Well I look at that as one good thing still. That the only complaint I see is where the NA servers should be located and how we should be placed among them.

NA buysers this October 28th could use some easy things like

Some Unofficial/official NA(English/French/Spanish) servers
Out characters always goes to these servers if we choose an option to do so.

Then the hard thing..

A server located somewhere in NA. North Texas is always a good central point for game servers. I live in Florida myself, and I still have to take like 20 hops to get to Sony Online servers in California. I cant imagine the hops for a Tokyo server.(side point: Someone hook me up with server address?)

Still from what you are saying I am leaning more towards pre-ordering the game. It has to be the most solid MMORPG release ever being out so long in Japan for testing ;)

[Vandriel]

on the matter of PS2 testers not getting to carry over their POl info i think that it is more than likely we will get the hdd before it is realesed on store shelves because if they dont give us the chance to carry over the POL info they are evil nazis. second if you dont want to wait for the hdd just buy the pc version and carry over your info that way and if u still wanna play it for ps2 just use the hdd and sell the FFXI pc disc. but overall i think that we will get the hdd before the deadline so i dont think you will have anything to worry about :)

[Yoko]

VVAAANNNNN!!!!!!!!! HIYAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

XD!!!

Anyways, i think most of the info and POL account will be hosted on temporary servers so dont worry about losing it ^_^
Oh and yeah, our HDD's will probably be sent before release...it quite unlogical if they send them after release isnt it? ;) SquareEnix people probably arent stupid ;p

[Cbot]

YOKOOOOOOOO!IT'S ME WALU(Carmin)If you still online come to msn or send me a email.WE NEED TO TALK!!!!

[Mithrankittycat]

Crawler's nest is empty. So sad.

[Vandriel]

yea its sad the population of qufim and valkrum have gone down (although 56 for valkrum is still pretty high) it makes you wonder if the pen pushers that made this decison really know what their doin to peoples favorite thing to do since they got this kit now i know that beta HAD to end although it still makes an imapct on you. man its almost as if Vanadiel really is dying.......

[l0rdza0n]

Originally posted by Vandriel
yea its sad the population of qufim and valkrum have gone down (although 56 for valkrum is still pretty high) it makes you wonder if the pen pushers that made this decison really know what their doin to peoples favorite thing to do since they got this kit now i know that beta HAD to end although it still makes an imapct on you. man its almost as if Vanadiel really is dying.......

the people most affected by these are the mid 30's on up . ) case in point..

Crawler's Nest: population when i got there last night... 0

i had a chill go up my spine :(

[xedgex]

i wouldnt be suprised if SQE and sony made a deal for the ps2 na beta testers to get their hdd and access to ffxi way before the na release date in 2004. for a few reasons.

1) they end the beta before the initial na release, but this is not too fair to the ps2 testers if they cant get the pc version.

2) i dont think square-enix is to happy with sony right now, id imagine with the delays that sony has put upon them, they have lost money, and are getting sick of sony's crap.

3) SQE know what they are doing, and im sure that if sonys big reason for holding off hdd release is the (as mentioned before me) EQOA expansion. so if square-enix want to be fair to their testers why wouldnt they cut a deal with sony to release the na ffxi to ps2 testers only? it makes sense to me.

[syxxtekk]

It all balances out imo. PC testers get the game early, and PS2 tester get the game free.