FFXI sequel (Edit: NOT) in the works

[Regenshire]

I remember an interview where an SE rep was asked about updating the graphics engine in FFXI for Computer and xbox 360 users. He replied that SE updating the graphics engine would take a while, and that time would be better spent on a new MMORPG.

That being said, if this is currently in development, then we probably have at least 2 years before release. I wouldn't be too concerned about 'wasting your money' because its about to become obsolete. These games take forever to developed, and this does not appear to be an official announcement, so it is unlikely it is close to being finished yet.

Also, I highly doubt they will allow people to import their lvl 75 characters. You would not experience the game if you were able to import your characters. I would assume the systems will be somewhat different (as all Final Fantasy titles use different systems), and if it is on the same world, it will likely be a different age or time period. I would think (and hope) that it wouldn't just be a re-release of FFXI with improved graphics.

[Manayan]

If SE doesn't plan to stop support for FFXI after they release this sequal, then they should do what Sony did. Sony made a subscription you can pick that gave you access to all the SOE mmos for $22 a month. If SE doesn't want to stop support for this game then they should do something similar for those that want to play both.

[hamiko]

wooooooow, this was unexpected...suddenly i want to play ffxi again



EDIT: here's to hoping S-E will make this one solo friendly

[M_X]

I'm betting it'll be a big rerelease of all FFXI content (game w/expansion) and a new graphic engine. Possibly a new expansion thrown into the mix.

[Herrisa]

Here's hoping it's just a new age of Vana'Diel instead of a completely new world. It just wouldn't be FFXI without any tarutaru punting going on.

After watching the movie... water.. birds... trees... hmm... looks like Windurst. Only problem is all the humes... you don't think the demand for tarutaru sauce was taken too far do you?

Or could it be Humes have restored the environment around Gustaberg? Nah.. I didn't think so either....

[durecellrabbit]

The video did'nt look like anywhere I've been in the game and it also had a ballon in the background.

[Neomage]

Currently I have had FFXI for two years, and my highest level is BLM 64, nd I'm on ZM 5 and CoP 5-2. When the new expansion is released I hope:

1. The game is still party-themed, but more solo-allowable(rewards increase while solo, but not enough to match a party's x6 or whatever)

2. The world is still Vana' Diel, but in a new age.

3. The controls are still simplistic but allow many commands, many a game I dislike the sequals(Sims 2, Harvest Moon, etc.) because the sequal is TOOOO realistic.

Give me those SE and I'm content. I think it would be neat if SE let you transfer your charaters over, and keep your hard work, but I also like the idea of starting from scratch(with everybody else) and being a newb all over again. Mabye SE makes the game PoL based, and when you start FFXI2, your character's level/gil/item value(SE determined, sellable items = NPC gil) gets converted into points to spend on gimmiks that are cool to have, andmake give you a small boost, but not a large one.

EDIT: Such as;

EXP earned/2 + Gil/10,000 + Special Item Value = points

For instance a character has a 75 job and a 37 subjob and a 18 subsubjob, 1 million gil, 10 million in items and say, the ZM earring;

whatever EXP toatal(I don't have a chart), then 1,100 from gil, and mabye SE assigns the ZM earring a value of 1k. Minus the level the player has 2,100 points to spend on starting items:

10 points - Ansestor's Robes(Yukata/Toga type thing, just for fun)
100 points - Ansestor's Charm(Lv 1, HP +3, VIT +1, STR +1)
100 points - Ansestor's Amulet(Lv 1, MP +3, INT +1, MND +1)
100 points - Ansestor's Badge(Lv 1, DEF: 1, AGI +1 DEX +1)
1000 points - Aura Sash(Lv 10, DEF: 2 Enimity -2)
1000 points - Spirit Sash(Lv 10, DEF: 2 Enimity +2)

Or something along those lines, I just made those up off the top of my head without balancing the cost/reward.

[Manayan]

To me the gameplay movie looked like an updated Jueno with more focus on the sea.

[Stooky]

Well if they are saying they are using the new MMORPG engine and they meen ffxi for xbox360 which is just the normal engine at higher resolutions I will be angry. It will need to be near the trailer they showed (The awsome looking preveiw for ffxi for 260 which ffxi for 360 looks nothing like that >>) or the engine being used for ff13.
Also they really need to be able to make it ffxi Sequal not a whole new game. Most sequals tend to have the same things as the orginaol but a new journey etc... Usally have the same land and concepts. A number 2 would be used to describe a whole new adventure, or usally is with games and movies.
Lets put it this way, they should not make a whole new game, they should just make a updated version of vanadiel with same races and everything, and hopfully the same time period. But what will be bad is if it is a whole new game than ffxi, many ffxi players will not want to put there years of adventuring in vanadeil to waste and just start over. If it is a sequal I would like to be able to start with somthing I know not a new world with nothing to do with the first ffxi. It will somehow have to have sometihng similar to ffxi becuase if its totaly new its not a sequal. yes I would like to countine my old charchter In a new world but I do not think that will happen. It has to be like return to vadiel once again, or somtihng along those lines. A very interesting thing could be like the parts of vandiel we know were destroyed by a war and you return there on a adventure as well as going to new lands. Right now I am sort of angry and excited since I just recently started ffxi again and need to get all I can done before this new one comes. Lets just hope it meets our expectations.
~Stooky

*also sorry if I have a bunch of typos ^^*

[Shopee]

I certainly hope it's in the future or something with a lot of changes to the setting.

Why?

Unless they allow a character transfer system, I would not want to play through what is essentially the same game with a graphics update.

[Drive]

My question is if they can pull it off? Afterall, there really hasn't been a greatly successful sequel to a MMORPG yet. Welll, maybe EverQuest II...

That isn't entirely true with Lineage 2 being one of the most successful MMO's to date. Lineage 3 will probably improve on that as well.

[Maju]

I hope SE has learned from their mistakes with FFXI.

1. They need to make a more flexible game engine. FFXI is somewhat clumsy and it's very limiting for content design.

2. No more semi-useless abilities and effects please. Nobody gives a damn about increasing their resistance against sleep when it does jack shit anyway.

3. Need simpler and better working damage formulas. In FFXI defense soft caps way too early and VIT does almost nothing at all.

4. Make all high level items EX to prevent serious RMT and implement a way to attain these items fairly painlessly. Having the whole server camp Behemoth for their L70 armor piece would suck. Perhaps mimic WoW's instances, which while dull after repetition, are a somewhat working solution.

5. Spot ability abuse before it's too late. SE added NINs and now look what's happened. There are mobs that can't be tanked without being immune to their hits, not to mention all the other problems Utsusemi brings. This point is also has to do with point 3.

6. Need....more....storage...space. All these mog lockers, mog storages and armor storage NPCs are horribly inconvenient! Why not simply give us 300 mog safe slots and 100-slot backpacks?

7. Need a better UI. Why can't I see my party's and my enemies' buffs and debuffs and so on?

8. When I tell a GM of a party of rank 1 L22 subless morons, he/she's supposed to ban them for being fucking RMT characters and not just give me the "we're investigating" BS.


But SE also did some things right and I hope they keep that in mind.

1. The mission storylines rock and CoP rules supreme. No other MMORPG has so far been able to rival FFXI in this.

2. The animation is fabulous. Some WS animations are simply drool worthy and all those little gimmicks like mithra ear twiching add to the atmosphere. Just compare this to the ascetic style of WoW where you're only shown as much as is necessary to get an idea of what's happening.

3. FFXI is probably the least buggy major MMORPG I have ever played. Compare this to the early versions of Anarchy Online where nothing worked as intended or WoW, where new bugs appear constantly and new content is never tested at all before going live (Blackwing Lair, anyone?).

4. The LFG tool, while inadequate, is still the best I've seen. At least it beats WoW and it's shout spam. Now just add ways to seek separately for missions/quests/etc and exp and let players also simultaneously seek on multiple jobs and for multiple purposes and we're golden.

[Stooky]

I agree with Maju, If they can make the needed improvments they can make a game like ffxi but new and better. But I still want them to tie the old game in some how in the story or somthing like that.

[Pai Pai Master]

Just a warning, don't take this news too seriously.

The Nikkei Net News may be a source from Japan yes, but nowhere does IGN state that Square Enix has confirmed this information.

Since well before E3, Hiromichi Tanaka (producer of FINAL FANTASY XI) has been mentioning that Square Enix has been working on a new MMO, a successor to FFXI. Originally, this project was planned for PS3. At E3, Tanaka added that the title would also be released for Windows Vista. Now, apparently, this same MMO has been expanded to the Xbox 360.

However, at E3, Tanaka himself claimed that the title may not be related to FFXI in any way. The Nikkei Net News, apparently, does not mention Tanaka or any Square Enix representative, assuming IGN would not be smart enough to mention that in their article. (That is, however, assuming a lot.)

For that fact alone, I'd say not to get your hopes up (or crushed if you're not happy with the news) just yet, because it would appear unlikely that the devteam would move on to a direct sequel in only five years (assuming a 2007 release).

Chances are, this unconfirmed rumour has come from a mistranslation from the original Nikkei Net News source. If I were psychic, I'd say the article mentioned FFXI because it was SE's first MMORPG venture, but did not say whether or not this new MMO was related to it at all.

Secondly, don't worry too much if the game does turn out to be a sequel to FFXI. It does not, by any means, mean the "death" of FFXI. FINAL FANTASY XI is currently the fifth most successful MMO title in the worldwide market as of this time, behind Runescape, Lineage II, Lineage, and World of Warcraft. It's highly unlikely SE would abondon the game in any way, especially when they've said time and time again that they would continue supporting the game as long as there was interest. (And their refusal to let the PS2 version of the game die is proof of their tenacity, I'd say.) In addition, it's highly unlikely that the userbase of FFXI would completely evaporate into thin air if a sequel were introduced. Take into consideration that this new title is not being released for any current-gen platform. PS3, Xbox 360, and Vista only. That's three rather expensive platforms that won't be widely adopted by the gaming market for another couple of years, at least not so much as the current userbase of PlayStation 2 owners and Windows 1998, 2000, ME and XP users.

Furthermore, history has shown us that sequels rarely mean the death of the original because of the vast amount of time that longtime players have put into such a title. For example, Everquest is still more successful than its sequel. Chances are, a huge percentage of EQII players are still playing Everquest. In addition, sequels aren't always able to capture the success of an original. Asheron's Call II has been cancelled, yet the original Asheron's Call lives to this day.

This post has already grown longer than intended, but I'd just like to get my thoughts out and reassure people about this news. Yes, there's a great chance that SE is in fact planning a true sequel to FINAL FANTASY XI. However, there's just too many circumstances (lack of an actual source from SE, possible mistranslations, etc.) to truly believe this single IGN article.

Try not to get to worked up as yet. We'll likely find out in September at this year's Tokyo Games Show.


On a sidenote, if this game is going to take place in Vana'diel, pleeeease let it be in a science fiction age! I want a good sci-fi MMO, please!

[GereOfRemora]

This won't necesarily end ffxi, after all, everquest 2 didn't end everquest.