Should I even go back to FFXI?

[Grizzlebeard]

I recently returned and after the first few weeks of nostalgia wore off I found myself back to the familiar problem of finding a party on my timezone. Only now, there were severely reduced numbers of players, at least on Fenrir, to actually form parties with. I've never been one to just sit and wait for invites but when you check for members during your prime hours and find 10-20 online, half or more being {English}{No thanks} and the rest being Drk, Drg, Blm, or Pup there isn't a whole lot you can do. I do legitimately enjoy FFXI, however, I think most people joining it now will be left with the sense they're joining a game in it's autumn years.

[Lanyx]

Considering, considering, hmm... having friends is nice, but kinda pointless in the sense that the majority of the time I will probably be partying up with complete strangers anyhow. Hehhhh... going to consider all these "arguments" you fellas put forth. But anyhow, it's time for work so I'll see you all later.

[fallenintoshadows]

Considering, considering, hmm... having friends is nice, but kinda pointless in the sense that the majority of the time I will probably be partying up with complete strangers anyhow. Hehhhh... going to consider all these "arguments" you fellas put forth. But anyhow, it's time for work so I'll see you all later.

woah woah, hasty comment >_>

Friends are so not pointless. They're the people that bother to change jobs and party with you when there's no-one or not enough people already seeking/available at your level. Friends are the people who help you get the rank you want, do those limit quests you so sorely need once you get 50+ as well as much more. FFXI is not a game for people who just want to solo, to progress in this game you need to use teamwork and although you can find teamwork with strangers works just fine, having those reliable people around, friends, makes this game not only easier but so much more enjoyable.

When I get bored of leveling, and bored of crafting, just bored with the game altogether, it's the social aspect that keeps me there, talking to friends, helping them etc Friends are really not pointless, they make this game even better.

It's fun to play this game, it's even better to play it with friends.

Maybe that's why you didn't stay in the game before, I think if I didn't have good friends or a good linkshell I would be so tired of this game, it would be lonely and boring. If you find a server with a good linkshell where you can make good friends as well as progress in the game you'll probably enjoy coming back.

[Lanyx]

It's not hasty, it's something I learned. But I'll have to give you that fallen. Really don't have anything to argue with that except for the drama that "friendly" linkshells sometimes have. But anyhow, still thinking about it.

[Murphie]

Er... Not sure why everyone else is so negative about returning; must be something I failed to notice.

Because unless I'm mistaken, you have a network of friends on your server, no? A lot of us don't, and this game can be mighty lonely without them.

[Mhurron]

Because unless I'm mistaken, you have a network of friends on your server, no? A lot of us don't, and this game can be mighty lonely without them.

Um, make them. Hell I was playing pretty much on my own for a year and didn't really have a shell until just recently. People do play and you can make friends.

Looking at it that way, most people would never try any MMO and there would be essentially never any new MMO's made.

[fallenintoshadows]

If you want to play again, for the leveling and the missions etc but it's just a matter of finding the right group of people to play with, I'm sure loads of people in these forums would recommend and offer you a place on their server and in their linkshells. If you decide to return, there's a place for you on Sylph server.

[Murphie]

Um, make them. Hell I was playing pretty much on my own for a year and didn't really have a shell until just recently. People do play and you can make friends.

Looking at it that way, most people would never try any MMO and there would be essentially never any new MMO's made.

Yeah, you didn't have a shell until some people that you know from here moved to your server. Otherwise, how much longer would it have taken? Maybe it's just me, but it's not nearly as easy to make friends in FFXI as it was a while ago. But that's probably just me being jaded.

I had a really great LS. And what I thought were good friends. But I left for a month to bury my father, and when I came back, the LS that left had changed, and I wasn't welcome anymore. Since then I've been drifting. And after giving away my things, I can't even play the job that I leveled. So no LS wants me. At least, not on Bahamut. It's good times.

Anyway, my point was - Itazura is in a static and a very close LS. I don't think that puts him in an ideal position to understand just how quiet this game can be.

[Jrgsubzero]

I'll tell you what I tell everyone else.

I'll be your friend on Hades. Hugs are free.

[Raydeus]

Um, make them. Hell I was playing pretty much on my own for a year and didn't really have a shell until just recently. People do play and you can make friends.

Looking at it that way, most people would never try any MMO and there would be essentially never any new MMO's made.

Yeah, you didn't have a shell until some people that you know from here moved to your server. Otherwise, how much longer would it have taken? Maybe it's just me, but it's not nearly as easy to make friends in FFXI as it was a while ago. But that's probably just me being jaded.

I had a really great LS. And what I thought were good friends. But I left for a month to bury my father, and when I came back, the LS that left had changed, and I wasn't welcome anymore. Since then I've been drifting. And after giving away my things, I can't even play the job that I leveled. So no LS wants me. At least, not on Bahamut. It's good times.

Anyway, my point was - Itazura is in a static and a very close LS. I don't think that puts him in an ideal position to understand just how quiet this game can be.

If you ask me (and even if you didn't ) I think both are right.

Mhurron's idea is true for any situation, you just have to go out there and get to know people (thus making friends in the process).

But Murphie is also right, XI's situation is such that it seems the quality of the people you meet has gone down the drain. I can say that after all the friends I made in my first year and a half playing were gone I've found it very difficult to meet people I can connect to (and by that I mean I've met zero).

In my case most pickup parties and events where I meet new players are either kids who only want to show off their gear and talk about who's the 1337357 LS HNMLS etc. or about already closed friend circles where you can't really enter (or don't have any interest on entering because they simply aren't your style).

I would guess it's because most players have been playing for too long and lost their newbie friendlyness. Maybe it's just me but communities with too many older players seem to get too fixed on their ways, they get cranky and not very friendly.

And as time passes tolerance for new people goes down to a point where any new players will get discouraged to play since everyone around them has already been there and done that, so they wouldn't like to help a new player for long, specially in a game as complex as XI. After all, we are talking about months or even years of helping someone just so he/she can catch up where older players are.

(Unless the new player is a cute girl with a myspace account filled with cute "I'm single" pics; but that's for another topic. )

So, to end this pointless post, what we need is new blood, lots and lots of new players to change XI back to those times of discovery, otherwise the community will just keep growing older and die, just like everything else in this world.

"Everything that has a beginning has an end." and even if it's 5 years from now the truth is XI is very unlikely to go back to what it used to be, new expansions or not.

[Murphie]

In my case most pickup parties and events where I meet new players are either kids who only want to show off their gear and talk about who's the 1337357 LS HNMLS etc. or about already closed friend circles where you can't really enter (or don't have any interest on entering because they simply aren't your style).

I would guess it's because most players have been playing for too long and lost their newbie friendlyness. Maybe it's just me but communities with too many older players seem to get too fixed on their ways, they get cranky and not very friendly.

This is what I've found to be the case, unfortunately. People are either a closed group, or part of a highly competitive endgame shell. And I can't do endgame for a long time, unless I were to buy a bunch of gil (which isn't going to happen).

It's my own fault. I trusted people I shouldn't have, and refused to lower my standards at times when I maybe should have. Oh well. I'll sort it out eventually.

[Lanyx]

I'm going to play it again (famous last words). I'll be on the Midgardsormr server again. At least I have connections around that server. Maybe I'll run into them sometime. Anyhow, thanks for all your advices and I hope you all have some fun in FFXI in some form or another.

[Kirsteena]

This is what I've found to be the case, unfortunately. People are either a closed group, or part of a highly competitive endgame shell. And I can't do endgame for a long time, unless I were to buy a bunch of gil (which isn't going to happen).

It's my own fault. I trusted people I shouldn't have, and refused to lower my standards at times when I maybe should have. Oh well. I'll sort it out eventually.

[Katashi Takishiro]

So, to end this pointless post, what we need is new blood, lots and lots of new players to change XI back to those times of discovery, otherwise the community will just keep growing older and die, just like everything else in this world.

Old player thinking of returning later this year or sooner, once more info is released about "Wings of the Goddess" expansion!

My 1st thought ~ It's a prequel expansion either before or during the war from the opening CG that we all know or have seen! Obviously you can see from the WotG trailer that many zones if not all have been redone, and take place in my predicted time-period. How one is going to go about getting to/from these new zones is the mystery for now! [My guess is an NPC historian you speak with to kinda dream-warp into the new areas or something to that degree. anyway]

Seeing as all the current expansions require you to have high lvl jobs to participate, except CoP [well lvl 30 can still be rather high for new players] I think that WotG's main target is lower lvl zones to start mostly too bring back previous members not wanting to restart with nobody to play with as well as bring a host of new players with the same thoughts. [Are there very many low lvl players still around if I come back/start playing]


My 2nd thought ~ Squeenix is going to introduce at least 1 new playable race from before/during the war that was supposedly wiped out. Most likely a new continent where the few survivors fled towards the end of the war, recently discovered like the Eastern lands in ToAU. [its a very workable theory] I know in the past Squeeniz or somebody had a poll on would players restart if a new race was introduced, and it was damn near all NO responses! Its been several years since then, and I think not only new players, but alot of current players would enjoy playing a new race!

Yeah it would be a pain to restart considering you already have a character with several lvl 75 jobs, and all missions/quests complete, yadda yadda! ...but I for one would welcome a new race, restart the game, and have tons of returning/new players to form bonds of friendships with. Like the way it was several years ago during launch! I'm betting there are tens-of-thousands of ppl that would like to return/start playing FFXI if not only a new race were introduced, but also as its looking so far, new low lvl areas to play in.


My 3rd thought ~ I'm doubting if this would ever come to pass, considering how powerful a player would be if their sub-job were to ever be allowed higher than 37. I'd like to see in the future a new area where having your sub-job higher than 37 and eventually 75/75 would be required to survive. Course everything current wouldn't be changed in the least, but add a new host of zones that would allow this crazy thought! This would be the ultimate high-lvl stomping ground and really test a players skills....


[Anyway, some of this was targeted as a response to this thread on returning, and then I kinda added some off-topic theories....sry didn't mean to stray...hehe]

[Murphie]

Kirst, this reply isn't necessary.