[tazirai]

Originally Posted by AKosygin

OFFICIAL FFXI Windowed Mode Support Announced!
02 MAR 2007 - El Segundo, CA
At the Final Fantasy XI Premier Site Summit today, the Vice President of Community Relations of FFXI announced that they will soon be implementing and making available the option to run Final Fantasy XI in Windowed mode without the use of any illegal third party programs. However, no specific timeline or time-table for the implementation was available.
The additional features comes after vocal support and demand by the community (YOU) to allow a built-in window mode option, announcing to the Premier Community Sites that the FFXI Team hear your requests and opinions and have responded.
Further coverage information of the FFXI Premeir Site Summit is available here.

FINALLY after 5 damn years

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by Omniblast

While a official windower is great, I'd rather see them update the engine with better graphics, and a higher frame rate. I don't like to be limited to 29 fps, and would really like to see the graphics in 60 fps, with additional details when you zoom in.

Its nice you'd rather see that, but why?

Its not an aspect of the game that is in need of a major change. Gameplay adjustment, strengthening community elements, RMT countermeasures, preventing cheats and adding new content are vastly more important to lifespan of an MMORPG than improving graphics for the PC user base

[Vyuru]

While a official windower is great, I'd rather see them update the engine with better graphics, and a higher frame rate. I don't like to be limited to 29 fps, and would really like to see the graphics in 60 fps, with additional details when you zoom in.

Depends, some of us still use dialup, so long as the lag is kept down and I can play like normal I don't mind.

[Legal Fish]

SE is doing a lot of streamlinging to processes that might seem insignifigant or irrlevant to you, but it doesn't change the fact that these changes are needed. No matter how small any of the future changes seem, they will have a profound impact on how the game is played.

Actually adding complexity to the Linkshells would be the opposite of 'streamlining'. And from memory of what I read, aside from the windower, only the change on the search system would have a profound effect on how the game is played.

Why is Allakhazam saying they "said it first", when SE said they were looking into the windower back in summer? I normally wouldn't scare, but someone bragged "we got something before BG".

[Jei]

Originally Posted by Vyuru

Depends, some of us still use dialup, so long as the lag is kept down and I can play like normal I don't mind.

Better graphic is more work on client side. Nothing to do with connections really. The amount of data transfering from server will still be the same

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Originally Posted by Legal Fish

Actually adding complexity to the Linkshells would be the opposite of 'streamlining'. And from memory of what I read, aside from the windower, only the change on the search system would have a profound effect on how the game is played.

So being able to simply tranfer leadership of an LS is more complex than having one member start a new LS as leader, redistribute pearls and resack officers?

One option is simple, they latter is complex and what we currently have to do. The former is indeed streamlined.

Why is Allakhazam saying they "said it first", when SE said they were looking into the windower back in summer? I normally wouldn't scare, but someone bragged "we got something before BG".

Its Allakhazam, they don't need a reason. Allakazham is for the noob. KI is for the endgame noobs. The rest of them are either elitist, self-absorbed or much more polite about things, the key difference is they lack the noob factor.

[Hyrist]

BBQ:

One of the reasons why I like DiV best out of all the fourms I explore in is the fact that for the majoity of the posters here AND the admins do their best to keep flames down to a dull simmer.

They don't support outright insults of other people, ideas, or forums. They don't like trolls or flaming, and tend to ban those who go too far with it.

Its Allakhazam, they don't need a reason. Allakazham is for the noob. KI is for the endgame noobs. The rest of them are either elitist, self-absorbed or much more polite about things, the key difference is they lack the noob factor.

What saddens me about the above quote is how much like Allakazham and KI it looks like. What sort of example are you displaying for other members in this community which prides itself on maturity and intelligent civil discussions?

Could you please just tone down the insults? I don't want this site to end up like either of the aforementioned sites and neither do I wish to be reminded of the bad aspects of those sites here.

[Yeargdribble]

Originally Posted by DurkaDurka

All these pouring of GOOD news about FFXI... Is SquareEnix being desperate about people leaving the game for other MMO's? Who knows, but this and not being able to solo is the reason I temporarly left it.

In all my cynicism, this is exactly what I think is happening. SE has been arrogant and passive for a long time. "We have RMT? Well, we still have a lot of people paying for subscriptions so meh." I think in the last year SE has started to lose some serious numbers and now they are desperate. They've started actually cracking down on RMT and started really listening to the playerbase and implementing their ideas to keep what is left.

I remember a thread on Alla a while back where several GMs came in and banned some obvious fish bots right in front of someone. That's all well and good, but why only now? Why did it takes years and years of RMT corrupting the game before they could act. They used to say, "We can' just ban them without proof," but now they show up and ban 20+ players without batting an eye? What took so long?

I am frustrated because SE really hasn't been connected with their game. What about the Ulli fiasco? It became so hard because Ulli is such a bottleneck in sky, so instead of making it a shorter spawn, or a forced spawn or something like that, they actually made it HARDER for legit players to claim.

Most of what they are doing in fixing the game now seems to me a bit too little, too late.

[DurkaDurka]

I 100% Agree, i've been lurking this site for INFO for last few months and it's been BEST reading and least hassling and off topic message board I've ever ran into. The only thing this place needs is some type of database or wiki setup perhaps. It's easy on the eye and love how the forums are setup! Very mature setup keeps me coming back.

[Hyrist]

Ooops, deleted my comment

Anyways, Short and Sweet

I don't think it's SE is panicing cause the game in going bad as much as SE is getting over it's scared from being new in the MMO field.

They've been doing good for a year straight now and I think it's just going to get better from here.

[Yeargdribble]

Originally Posted by Hyrist

I don't think it's SE is panicing cause the game in going bad as much as SE is getting over it's scared from being new in the MMO field.
They've been doing good for a year straight now and I think it's just going to get better from here.

Perhaps you have a point, but I guess I see it differently (more cynically). It's kinda like when a guy takes his girl for granted and then when she's on the brink of walking out on him, he starts acting right. He buys her flower, compliments her often, does more around the house, takes her out to nice dinners etc.

FFXI plateaued long ago and is now on the slow decline population wise. Any influx of new players isn't enough to replace the old players leaving. I remember when I could /sea all for 3500-4000. Now I /sea all for 2000-2500 during peak hours. This isn't only on my server either. Across all servers numbers are on the slow decline.

I don't think the game is really dying and almost definitely has another 5 years in it, but I also don't think that all of SEs sudden attention in the last 6 months comes at the time that their plateau is dropping off by coincidence. I think they realize they are losing number due to their arrogant and passive attitude and are trying to fix it.

Before when they had RMT I doubt it bothered them because they probably told themselves, "Every game has RMT, and we're not losing significant numbers of it so meh." However, now they are losing significant numbers on the broad scale and they are finally stepping up.

[IfritnoItazura]

Originally Posted by Yeargdribble

Much of the hardcore community (which is really a sizable amount of the playerbase) has gotten used to their windower with features like TParty for the sake of not spamming "Zomg!! I have TP!!" in Ventrillo or worse, in PT chat. In addition to that, most RDMs, BLMs and BRDs (as well as some other jobs) almost rely on extended macros to save them from having to hit 4-5 separate macros to put their gear on between different things (full enfeebling, dark skill, elemental skill, damage sets).

They can get used to working w/out TParty and other plug-in's; I commented it out of the config file myself, along with all other plug-in's. Also, I don't use the Windower macros--strictly 6 lines of commands per key press for this Lv.67 Red Mage. No RDM or BRD in my LS uses Windower macros, to my knowledge.

Besides looking better, I only want two advantages over my PS2 using friends:
1. I'd like to run a parser, and switch back and forth between FFXI and that.
2. I'd like to take high res screenshots with chat text. (People in my LS sometimes say "interesting" things. )

Originally Posted by Yeargdribble

It's ridiculous for a SMN to need a stopwatch next to them to calculate between their BPs.

I don't understand this; does /recast not work for BP's? (I haven't played SMN.)

Originally Posted by Yeargdribble

It's ridiculous to fill up PT chat with TP calls.

Change /p to /tell partner and it's all fixed. Some of my static party members play PS2's--they don't seem to mind a few TP calls. Heck, the windower users in my static don't mind, either.

It may a nice feature, but it'd cramp the PS2 screen further. It's a reasonable design trade off to exclude that from the GUI, when keeping UI experience similar for players on all platform is a goal.

Let's not make a mountain out of a few mole hills? ^_^;

[AKosygin]

Originally Posted by DurkaDurka

I 100% Agree, i've been lurking this site for INFO for last few months and it's been BEST reading and least hassling and off topic message board I've ever ran into. The only thing this place needs is some type of database or wiki setup perhaps. It's easy on the eye and love how the forums are setup! Very mature setup keeps me coming back.

We had a Wiki for a short time, but FFXIclopedia beat us to the punch of implementing a Wiki (instead of a staff runned Encyclopedia). They contacted us about our Wiki and we mutually decided that FFXIOnline.com would focus on the forums and let them handle the Wiki.

We have some improvements in the plans, but there are some minor details that need to be worked out before we move forward with it.

[AKosygin]

Originally Posted by Omniblast

While a official windower is great, I'd rather see them update the engine with better graphics, and a higher frame rate. I don't like to be limited to 29 fps, and would really like to see the graphics in 60 fps, with additional details when you zoom in.

This was actually mentioned in passing, any modifications of graphics, frame rates, addition of character sprites is not a limitation on the PC and not a lack of desire by SE to implement in itself. The problem lies in that the PlayStation 2 has memory limitation that prevents SE from implementing the new graphics. Until PlayStation 3 can replace PlayStation 2 in the market almost completely and that Sony ends support for the PlayStation 2, SE cannot "force" PS2 users to upgrade.

This situation is similar to Windows 98. SE could only "rightly" terminate support for Win98 only because Microsoft terminated their support for Win98.

[Hyrist]

I don't think the game is really dying and almost definitely has another 5 years in it, but I also don't think that all of SEs sudden attention in the last 6 months comes at the time that their plateau is dropping off by coincidence. I think they realize they are losing number due to their arrogant and passive attitude and are trying to fix it.

Before when they had RMT I doubt it bothered them because they probably told themselves, "Every game has RMT, and we're not losing significant numbers of it so meh." However, now they are losing significant numbers on the broad scale and they are finally stepping up.

To be honest, I think this is a mix of both of our ideas, simply because both of ours truthfully make sence.

Yes we have had a decline in players leaving, but this is also partly due to other reasons. This is the first FF MMO on the market, and many people who were not a part of the market usually sorta jumped into it because it was fad. A lot of the people who are leaving left because of the lack of endgame content after they had rushed themselves to 75, or that FF wasn't the style they had.

I wont contribute all the losses to SE directly, but their lack of response has been a factor in many of those players leaving as well.

But despite the reason, there's no sense in criticizing SE for finally making the attitude move we've seen of late. An "About time" is all we really can say. I think the focus is now is to help SE improve the game as much as we can by giving positive, and CONSTANT feedback so they know where their players would like to take the game.