Best experience in FFXI? Read here ----------

[Vittra]

So yesterday I had just logged in to Asura (was about 1am EST), literally 10 seconds later recieved a tell in Japanese. Of course I'm thinking "ahh crap, what am I gonna do", so I replied with one of the phrases posted on the sites that meant I can't speak japanese and he replied later with "PT ok?". I said sure and went to go meet him, turns out the other 5 were Japanese also and thought I was doomed. I noticed the layout of the party seemed strange, but we were headed to Korroloka so it worked. We were Dark Knight (me), Ranger, 2 white mage, 2 black mage... I assumed I played the role as tank so I sorta knew what to do without communication.

Using the translator I could be like "Attack?" and they would reply with "go" or "ok" and that was it...

What surprised me about this though, was that it was the best group I had ever been in.... The japanese REALLY know how to play, the mages took great care of me and always kept my health high. I died twice, but they got raises for me in record time. The final time I died they all replied using the translator that they were sorry, so I take it they don't lose people very often. They have an experienced way of running parties and healing that I never saw in NA groups. getting 200XP every single mob and leveling twice in less than 2 hours was incredible and I'd party with those guys ANY time I could. The Japanese rock and we need to learn from them!

I was also real polite, so I think I represented NA players pretty well. It caught me off guard that they would want to group though, I hear from a lot of people that Jplayers wouldn't waste their time with us

I used other phrases that I picked up to congratulate them all and display some questions I had, otherwise they helped by using the translator when they could...I didn't really need to see all of their communication if i could understand it anyway


anyone have good experience to share?

[Court]

Well my first car ever was a Dodge Shadow. It was a total piece of shit, ugly, unstable, and it eventually broke down.

Now I drive a 2000 Mitsubishi, and it rules.


Oh I'm sorry was I supposed to comment on the game? :)

I agree with you. I found Japanese players to be curteous, friendly, respectful, and helpful.

Glad you had a great experience. Thanks for representin' yo.

Us Americans are rude fatbodies.

It's true. It's true.

[Vittra]

Yes we are, and we love our imported vehicles just as much as our imported video games

[Kil'jaden]

Originally posted by Vittra
So yesterday I had just logged in to Asura (was about 1am EST), literally 10 seconds later recieved a tell in Japanese. Of course I'm thinking "ahh crap, what am I gonna do", so I replied with one of the phrases posted on the sites that meant I can't speak japanese and he replied later with "PT ok?". I said sure and went to go meet him, turns out the other 5 were Japanese also and thought I was doomed. I noticed the layout of the party seemed strange, but we were headed to Korroloka so it worked. We were Dark Knight (me), Ranger, 2 white mage, 2 black mage... I assumed I played the role as tank so I sorta knew what to do without communication.

Using the translator I could be like "Attack?" and they would reply with "go" or "ok" and that was it...

What surprised me about this though, was that it was the best group I had ever been in.... The japanese REALLY know how to play, the mages took great care of me and always kept my health high. I died twice, but they got raises for me in record time. The final time I died they all replied using the translator that they were sorry, so I take it they don't lose people very often. They have an experienced way of running parties and healing that I never saw in NA groups. getting 200XP every single mob and leveling twice in less than 2 hours was incredible and I'd party with those guys ANY time I could. The Japanese rock and we need to learn from them!

I was also real polite, so I think I represented NA players pretty well. It caught me off guard that they would want to group though, I hear from a lot of people that Jplayers wouldn't waste their time with us

I used other phrases that I picked up to congratulate them all and display some questions I had, otherwise they helped by using the translator when they could...I didn't really need to see all of their communication if i could understand it anyway


anyone have good experience to share?

>>We were Dark Knight (me), Ranger, 2 white mage, 2 black mage...

This is exactly correct pt structure, as I said in many other posts we jgamers have gaming down, and we know what works and what doesnt in parties. DK for meat shield, Ranger for puller, 2 white mages for redundant heals and buff/debuff, 2 black mages one for attack other for finisher <redundant magic>.


>>The japanese REALLY know how to play, the mages took great care of me and always kept my health high. I died twice, but they got raises for me in record time. The final time I died they all replied using the translator that they were sorry, so I take it they don't lose people very often.

This too is typical of jgamers, we play as if we are right there, really in the game. Nobody gets left behind, and we work very hard to make sure nobody dies. And if they do we all feel bad, and look to how we could have done something different.


>>I was also real polite, so I think I represented NA players pretty well. It caught me off guard that they would want to group though, I hear from a lot of people that Jplayers wouldn't waste their time with us.

Dont believe the hype, listen to me! ^^ As I have said before we want to play with NA gamers, but we wont just help everyone. In our eyes you must be worthy, just like most people. You wouldnt help someone who is disrespectful and beligerant, would you? ^^


>>I used other phrases that I picked up to congratulate them all and display some questions I had, otherwise they helped by using the translator when they could...I didn't really need to see all of their communication if i could understand it anyway.

You did very well, nice job. I congradulate you for your effort and bravery to not just listen to all the negative hype about playing with Japanese.

,,^^,,

[foobar]

DK for meat shield

Huh?

[pxlshftr]

yeah that makes absolutely no sense to me... why would you let a drk take damage? I think the party might have been good at dealing damage... but in PTs i join, people rarely die, and we still gain decent xp by having a real tank ie: pld, war, nin.

[Miriamel]

Ever since I changed my job to Whm, about 60% of the invites I get are from Japanese PTs. Despite the language barrier I'm happy about those invites, because I know that it'll be good EXP for me, that skill chains will work and that the melees will pay attention to my MP bar before they pull.

NA players new to partying (there are a lot of those in Valkrum) just don't usually know about macros etc right off the bat. I enjoy helping, but it's increased risk for me. Not saying that NA parties don't work, I've been in a few that were very good.

But anyway, I really enjoy partying with Japanese people, for example because I get to see more advanced jobs in action. They often seem to be more polite than NA players too, and I get to pick up on some Japanese. If they do happen to know some English, they usually gladly teach me new words. *^^*

[Vittra]

Originally posted by pxlshftr
yeah that makes absolutely no sense to me... why would you let a drk take damage? I think the party might have been good at dealing damage... but in PTs i join, people rarely die, and we still gain decent xp by having a real tank ie: pld, war, nin.


I thought about that too. Maybe they figured a DRK would deal more melee damage since they had healing taking care of, or I was just the only guy in the area

[Thark601]

Originally posted by Court
Well my first car ever was a Dodge Shadow. It was a total piece of shit, ugly, unstable, and it eventually broke down.

Now I drive a 2000 Mitsubishi, and it rules.




I hope u mean suped up lancer...
If not I'm sorry... someday you'll get a real car

[Nonchan]

The best group I have ever had were alos with Japanese players. I started this game 6 months before NA FFXI was released. With experienced players like most Jpn players who have played for more than a year, getting 150 - 200 exp per kill is not a problem at all. Most of them are very polite and respectful, and this is the manner that maybe some of NA players need to learn from them. One typical example... why do NA players like to EXAMINE other people?? I very rarely had players examined me before the NA released... but now I get examined by others all the time even when they just running passed by me.

[Bishop]

JPs in rag tend to not like Na players -_-
If you speak to them in bad romanji or in English, they usually don't invite you at all. I was surprised you died twice, because the parties I've been in, there is usually only 1 death maximum.

[bloodblaze]

Is this not obvious enough as it is? Japanese players are much better at the game, of course... Because they have had the game a lot longer. I agree that they are generally more polite in the game, but they will have better groups because they have played quite a bit longer. Giving them a MUCH better understanding of the game. Allowing better experience.

[EverJams]

well not against Japanese, havn't played much with them but I get in NA parties all the time too and get teh same 150-280+ xp per kill too. if the party starts with the normal load of 35-80 xp per kill I try to help them learn the game too. I do send tells to Japanese too to see if they want to party. 90% of the time they say no english at first so I use the translator and say are you sure you don't want to party. and most of them do but some will not. Just like some of us English people will not join them. works both ways.

One of the best parties I was in was BLM, BRD, WHM, DRK, PLD, and THF. MP and HP regens are great and lower the downtime for the party.

[Kil'jaden]

Originally posted by Vittra



I thought about that too. Maybe they figured a DRK would deal more melee damage since they had healing taking care of, or I was just the only guy in the area


Yes. You have the most defense as dk out of given group, you are summarily, meat shield. ^^

[KuroiOokami]

In that group. the Dark would be the tank. Contrary to popular belief, dark's defence isnt that bad until much later, like 30+ when you use skills that lower your defence in conjunction with each other. For example, Last Resort, Berserk and Soul Eater -> if a dark got hit with a monster's special attack with all this one, there's a good chance he'd be one-shot. It's almost happened to me before. >.<

[Macht]

Yes, DRK used as a Tank is fesible. Of course the DRK has to be very selective on what skills they use as being the tank.

EDIT:

I know I'm misspelling a lot of words, just having a bad day with that so far >_<.

[lionx]

I dont see the problem with examining u or browsing your bazaar unless they do it 10 times in a row. How is that offensive? Especially when they check your bazaar goods? I can sorta see it but i dont see the point....

[Macht]

Checking someone to look at there bazaar isn't offensive. A message saying that you are looking at their bazaar and when you leave their bazaar is given. What is offensive is looking at someone just to see what they are wearing, it's partly taking how you'd feel in real-life into the game and partly because of experiences with people asking a million and one questions about equipment you have on (Some also being persecuting or insulting in some ways).

[lionx]

I never ask about equipment...i usually look at their lvls and stuff more....-.- but i can sorta see it, tho i dont see why its a big deal unless as u said u get spammed.

[KuroiOokami]

I find it rude to check people. If you want to find out their lvls, use a search->name.

[Miriamel]

I don't see how it's a big deal at all, but I respect if other people don't like it. So I stopped examining people altogether.

[Kil'jaden]

:thumbsup:

[Vittra]

I don't know, but I thought it was kinda weird when the Japanese players examined me after reading all about it on this site.....Is it respectful to only do it once being in a party? I checked nobody that night :biggrin:

[Klumps]

FFXI isn't rocket science to play. As far as knowledge of how to kill things, by the time you hit the upper tiers of Qufim groups, most NA players know *how* to play pretty much as well as JP players.

What separates the JPs from the NAs isn't knowledge of the game, for the most part; it's that, more often than not, the JPs you group with are leveling a lower level job, but have a main job 60+; in other words, the amount of cash it takes to completely tweak out a lower level character is peanuts compared to what they have invested in their main job, while for a NA going through that area for the first time, they likely have far worse gear than is possible for their level.

So, they have vastly superior gear, they're eating their expensive pies, drinking their melon juice, eating their meat chiefkabobs, etc., which all add up to a far more efficient party. I, for one, can't afford to eat meat mithkabobs; dropping 600 gil per hour on food in a zone where I make zero money is just not economically feasible.

I don't think the JPs avoid (using the term loosely) NA players so much because of their lack of knowledge of the game, or even the language barrier, so much as the extreme gear gap. If you're in a party of yourself and five JP players, and you're rank 3 while they're all rank 8-10, you can pretty much guarantee yourself that you only got the invite because no one else was available.

Lastly, you'll see the same sort of discrimination when NA players are hitting the higher ranks and need to go back and level up a subjob or a new job. I know I've done it myself back in Valkurm when I was 18 and had my subjob leveled up to 9, when I was leading the group, I wasn't too keen on inviting people that didn't have their subjob yet, because I knew they'd be less effective.

[Vittra]

Great points! All of them! It sort of implies that they play better because it's true they've had it way longer than us, that's not what you were saying, but there aren't too many americans that have reached past lvl 50 I believe and are in their position to throw money around. Discrimination will come both ways, but oh well, it's just a game :biggrin: