RPGFan Interview with FFXI Developers

[RoM]

Bullshit.

SE has been cracking down on RMT for more than a year now and prices haven't been lower than they are now for a very, VERY long time. As I recall, when I first started in like october 04, Haubergeon was 500k. We're very close to returning to that price point. That's huge.

5 years later...

But i could care about that one.

Quit deluding yourself. It's obvious you hate SE on some personal level (did the bad man at SE kill your doggy? ; ; ), but don't make baseless accusations without doing some research first.

Why is it whenever someone comes at you guys with something at least approaching logic most of you degrade to drooling cavemen in defense of a company banking on a mediocre MMO at best which has ALL of it's success in name recognition only?

You WILL buy anything Final Fantasy. Just like you WILL defend it simply because it's final fantasy. Just like you WILL attempt to tell me than there's more that makes XI final fantasy than Cid and chocobos, which is utter bullshit.

You got duped and you're happy about it, great. Don't let the rest of us bring you down but don't get all indignant about it either, specificly since the first stone of innacurracy and presumption was cast, not only in this instance but overall, by you and yours.

You wonder if he's had a bad experience, i wonder why you act like freaking cult members pissed because the kool-aid isn't mixed yet.

The entirety of the point of his post was that there were baseless and factless accusations made about WoW via one of FFXI's game devs. But i don't imagine you'll be railing on about that so much. If you're so interested in facts and figures fire up outlook and get the facts homeboy was chattering on about or stuff it about how you give so much of a shit that the truth is accurately represented.

It's not as if there's been ANY subscription gains for FFXI in, what? 3-4 years? Yea... rousing fucking success there. The expansions WERE designed as much to retain the subscriptions the game has and prevent migration just as much as they were developed to further a story-driven MMO. The fact remains tho; It's a shit game limited by last gen's tech with shit developement and an even shittier community atmosphere backing it up and looking for anything they can scapegoat to those truths, it just so happens WoW is the most convinient spot to lay the animosity. Anyone outside of the your cozy little corner of the internet will tell you the same. Especially if they've got any experience with this server at length.

Don't go getting all pissy unless you can fully comprehend that which you're replying too, the first sentence of the first post by avalar told all of us all we needed to know: That it was a moot point to bring to the brainwashed masses of QCDN.

That is to say; you can either accept that XI's shortcomings aren't new to the MMO genre as a whole or you can plug your ears and deny the reality that they've existed and been popularized since the 2-D MMO's. RMT isn't something that blew wide open with WoW. RMT has simply enjoyed the same limelight and growth the MMO market has as a whole over time since the format of the f2p (mostly) text based MUDs (no RMT) to 2d games like Ultima (the gensis of RMT) to present day (widely used and accepted RMT). Placing XI's troubles on anyone but SE is just a cop out.

That aside anyone who can honestly put forth the postulation that WoW is infested with buyers/sellers has obviously never played the game or checked on gold prices lately. To Blizz's credit they counteracted it by making gold easily obtained. Which it should be across the boards for MMOs because you bust your ass long enough IRL 20-40hrs a week to pay for the damn game. Who wants to have to put in 20-40hrs amassing virtual currency after already having taken a year or better to reach endgame.

And yes, my enjoying (as opposed to obsessing) about my liesure time hobby is indeed > your hollow sense of accomplishment. For those of you staggered by my hubris.

That being said for the millionth time... i really don't know why i hang out with you folks anymore. Given the advent of transfers this place is all but a revolving door and -let's be honest- most of the folks who made it a place worth being for the random snippet of useful or enlightening conversation have long since gone by the wayside for other endeavours be they virtual or real life. Much to the joy of many of you i think i'm ready to call it. Enjoy the year, at best, of worthwhile life the site's got left in it. I'll be thinking about you when SE goes on to it's next game and tosses you folks out on your asses.

Mayhaps we'll all have learned something by then.

 

[Skaw]

The fact remains tho; It's a shit game limited by last gen's tech

This is kind of pointless to state, as even last gens tech is superior hardware to Blizzards target hardware set up, as they want the game to be ran well by as many people as possible. Sure, FFXI is limited by PS2 technology, but WoW is limited in that it doesn't even use that level.

I think most WoW users have become rather pigheaded themselves, believing multimillion subscribers is required for an MMO to be successful. Thats as far from the truth as possible, from a corporate point of view, an MMO is successful as long as the amount of users warrants further production. EQ has probably sunk under the 100k mark, and it's still yet to be placed on the backburner. Phenomenal and Successful are two very different things.

 

[Pastry]

WoW is both phenominal and successful then, I don't see why 8million+ subscribers would stay around for a shitty game, unless I'm missing something.

Otherwise yes, success doesn't mean you have to have 8million+ subscribers.

 

[Skaw]

Otherwise yes, success doesn't mean you have to have 8million+ subscribers.

That was the whole point.

Hell, Planetside can't have more than a few thousand subscribers, and they get regular patches. As well, they just put in a new vehicle and engineering items.

 

[Garvin]

I don't see why 8million+ subscribers would stay around for a shitty game, unless I'm missing something.

Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and reality television among other things would like a word with you.

 

[Avalar]

Well I gave it a shot

I see that my last few posts werent well received,..which is to be expected. I would like like Rom for atleast taking the time to actually read my posts,..instead of crusifying me because I have found some flaws with FF. In the end,...it doesnt matter which is the better MMO,..I guess it matters which you have fun with. I was only stating my opinion,..just as SE developers stated their opinion,..I have never seen statics on the rise of rmt due to WoWs heavy populated MMO. You can disect and cut apart my posts however you see fit. The only thing I am responsible for is starting a discussion,...Im not going off on an ape like rant about how much I hate FF or SE,...or disrespecting others opinions and claiming that the reason why I have a so called problem with FF is because I have had a bad experience in FF,...I just wanted to state my opinion just as they did.
SE development doesnt comeout and say "WoW is the reason for the increase for the increase of rmt",...they used a tactic used in everyday life,..its called a indirect shot. Now all you die hard FF fans that were probably thinking of trying WoW will change your mind,..because that statement was designed to target the FF players to look at WoW sideways,.since the reason why most of you complanned about the AH prices,..wasnt it? Example: FF Player: "Damn WoW seems to be the reason why rmt are destroying MMOs,...hmm and rmts are the reason why this game was garbage for awhile,...screw WoW,..I wont play that game because they are associated with rmt." Not as bluntly as that but you get my drift. Again,...as I posted in my last few posts,..I like both games,..FF was my very first MMO and I appreciate the game for introducing me to something new,..but MMOs are like girlfriends the way I see it,..your first may not be all that great,..but now that you are experienced,..the next ones wont be so bad. Food for thought,..take care

 

[Skaw]

You don't need charts or data to actually have seen the rise of RMT in MMOs over the years. Its always been around, but you could always see where the big bursts came up. Lineage was the first, now it's WoW. Small time MMOs aren't going to be the primary market of RMT. They aren't going to start up over games like Star Wars Galaxies. They start up over the giants, and simply extend their service to those. Just look around on their webpages, they almost always advertise Gold in WoW first and foremost. Before WoW, it was Adena in L2.

The reason why you cannot draw the conclusion, is because FFXI is your first MMO, and shortly after FFXI was release here in the states, WoW set up camp. You literally have no prior knowledge of RMT, so to you, it's always been this bad.

As for Popularity and Success, if we're going to hold WoW subscriber numbers as the industry standard, then screw every movie made since 1997. If nothing can break Titanics $600 Million hold on the Box Office, then it has to suck. Shrek 2? More like Fuck You.

 

[Blackchaoshero]

regardless of any other stupidty or poor arguments, suckers and addicts, a terrible game as you see it... the stupidest thing in this thread isn't tag's defence of this game, it's someone logging into a FFXI server forum made and designed for players of FFXI to tell people FFXI sucks. I'd applaud but it's been done before.

 

[KeeperX]

They never ask the 'right' questions. >_<

Thanks for posting, though, Gannon.

You have to remember, we can't all be intimately familiar with many MMORPGs. I was the only one at E3 for RPGFan, and I was the sole source of the questions, since we scheduled the interview only two or so days beforehand. Unfortunately, I've only played up to ~35 in FFXI, so I had to go with my knowledge of FFXI (which goes up to about Promathia's launch) for questions. Additionally, you have to consider the audience - not all of RPGFan's readers are FFXI players, and may be looking for a reason to add FFXI to their repertoire.

Sorry that the questions I came up with seemed insufficient - but I'm not a member of the FFXI community - I could only ask with what I was familiar with.

 

[Zaltana]

i have always seen WoW as "the easy way out" game really. and dont they have a high turn around rate, or something like that, as far a players go? many leave as much as join i think someone on here once said.

im no expert on RMT's in the slightest. and personally i dont waste my energy on the subject. but i've read the longwinded posts here and i have to say i agree with tag. Alvar simply sound like he has a bias against SE.

 

[Avalar]

I dont understand how stating the issues that exist in FF make me bias towards SE. If you read the article,..SE states WoW made rmt mainstream with its booming success,..Im for all new MMOs and the different quirks they have to offer,..but dont state in a interview that your effected by one aspect that a popular game has alledgely made mainstream,..and basically indirectly say that they suffer from that. Im a huge SE fan,..down to all the FFs and even FF Online,..but the developers know that the reason why they have suffered a huge lose was because they,to a certain degree and for a certain amount of time allowed rmt to fester in the virtual world and when the problem became to much to handle,..they start banning innocent people left to right. People that send gil,..honest gil that they farmed for, to mules,..etc,..then it seems suspicious,..then before you know it they are banned. You cant possibly convince me that individuals who are responsible for creating a game engine dont have the means of monitoring activities that violate the user agreement. If you read,..the DEVELOPERS are not directly placing blame on WoWs success for their rmt problems,its directly.From that issue a ton of other issues stem from that,...with a game hugely based on currency,..and no decent way to make it you will find yourself doing a whole lot of nothing. Bias? More like stating the obvious. Dont know how many times I state in my posts that I still like the game,..the developers are the ones to blame in all this. Why? Look at the measures they are taking now to reduce the numbers of rmt,..why didnt they do this in the beginning? Countless people report rmt,..its outrageous how rmt are in sky. Its one thing to state an opinion about certain things,..but now,..not only am I being ridiculded for my opinion,..but now I am being judged by individuals who cant formulate a logical opinion without throwing a few smartass remarks or being verbally disrepectful. My views and facts are taken from my gaming experience with FF,..I have played the game 2 solid years and I still continue to play the game til this day. Those are my facts,..think of me when your sitting there infront of your PC,..just as your about to type in LS chat "Man Im bored." Because at one point or another we all have.

 

[Romper]

I dont understand how stating the issues that exist in FF make me bias towards SE. If you read the article,..SE states WoW made rmt mainstream with its booming success,..Im for all new MMOs and the different quirks they have to offer,..but dont state in a interview that your effected by one aspect that a popular game has alledgely made mainstream,..and basically indirectly say that they suffer from that. Im a huge SE fan,..down to all the FFs and even FF Online,..but the developers know that the reason why they have suffered a huge lose was because they,to a certain degree and for a certain amount of time allowed rmt to fester in the virtual world and when the problem became to much to handle,..they start banning innocent people left to right. People that send gil,..honest gil that they farmed for, to mules,..etc,..then it seems suspicious,..then before you know it they are banned. You cant possibly convince me that individuals who are responsible for creating a game engine dont have the means of monitoring activities that violate the user agreement. If you read,..the DEVELOPERS are not directly placing blame on WoWs success for their rmt problems,its directly.From that issue a ton of other issues stem from that,...with a game hugely based on currency,..and no decent way to make it you will find yourself doing a whole lot of nothing. Bias? More like stating the obvious. Dont know how many times I state in my posts that I still like the game,..the developers are the ones to blame in all this. Why? Look at the measures they are taking now to reduce the numbers of rmt,..why didnt they do this in the beginning? Countless people report rmt,..its outrageous how rmt are in sky. Its one thing to state an opinion about certain things,..but now,..not only am I being ridiculded for my opinion,..but now I am being judged by individuals who cant formulate a logical opinion without throwing a few smartass remarks or being verbally disrepectful. My views and facts are taken from my gaming experience with FF,..I have played the game 2 solid years and I still continue to play the game til this day. Those are my facts,..think of me when your sitting there infront of your PC,..just as your about to type in LS chat "Man Im bored." Because at one point or another we all have.

Holy buckats. Enter key please use it.

 

[Pesmerga]

i have always seen WoW as "the easy way out" game really. and dont they have a high turn around rate, or something like that, as far a players go? many leave as much as join i think someone on here once said.

im no expert on RMT's in the slightest. and personally i dont waste my energy on the subject. but i've read the longwinded posts here and i have to say i agree with tag. Alvar simply sound like he has a bias against SE.

i wouldn't look at wow as "the easy way out" sure its easier but its also faster paced..made for people that don't always have the time required for a game like FFXI. the fact that you can pretty much log in for an hour, and get things done is nice. the "challenge" as they call it in FFXI, is waiting around for hours a night/day for exp parties or at HNM camps while someone bot claims. too me thats not a challenge...thats a waste of time. don't get me wrong i do like FFXI still and for the people that have the time..the effort is worth the reward..

 

[Skaw]

rotip: Very few people who are banned are innocent.

 

[Winklewil]

You have to remember, we can't all be intimately familiar with many MMORPGs. I was the only one at E3 for RPGFan, and I was the sole source of the questions, since we scheduled the interview only two or so days beforehand. Unfortunately, I've only played up to ~35 in FFXI, so I had to go with my knowledge of FFXI (which goes up to about Promathia's launch) for questions. Additionally, you have to consider the audience - not all of RPGFan's readers are FFXI players, and may be looking for a reason to add FFXI to their repertoire.

Sorry that the questions I came up with seemed insufficient - but I'm not a member of the FFXI community - I could only ask with what I was familiar with.

Well, if you actually are the gaming journalist that conducted that interview, I apologize to you. :/

I honestly didn't expect you to ever see the post; I'm kind of accustomed to such criticisms being far too distant to even dream of them being read by their targets. Kudos on you for actually keeping up on what's being said about your writing, though. You did a fairly good job, if you've actually only gotten as far as level 35.

Have you ever considered, however, polling your readership beforehand? Maybe have questions submitted, then voted upon? That might give RPGfan a better idea in general what the diverse base of their fans want to know about ... across all genres and titles.

 

[Tagrineth]

You WILL buy anything Final Fantasy. Just like you WILL defend it simply because it's final fantasy. Just like you WILL attempt to tell me than there's more that makes XI final fantasy than Cid and chocobos, which is utter bullshit.

I didn't buy a PS1 until I already owned a GameCube, and didn't buy a PS2 until two years after that. I didn't buy FFX-2 until I got a deal to get it for $5 used via a friend who managed a Blockbuster. I still haven't bought FFX despite liking it a lot. I never bought FF4 or FF6 US versions when they were released. I didn't buy FF7 for the PS1 - it was given to me. I didn't buy FF8 for the PS1 either. I bought FF9 used for $8 about two years ago.

I have no intention of buying FF13 unless it somehow creeps onto another system and gets halfway decent reviews.

You specifically responded to my post and failed at it miserably. Congrats.

The only FF game I bought on launch was FF12 because it got glowing reviews (har har) when it was released and I genuinely enjoy the game a lot. Then again I also enjoy playing FFXI. I guess that makes me a complete freak? Then again if I didn't enjoy playing this game I would've quit a long time ago.

(edit in: also I only bought FFXI because Shapatho talked me into it over the course of like a week because I seriously didn't think I'd enjoy the game.)


Oh and...

nu-uh! there's... moogles too! D=

I dont understand how stating the issues that exist in FF make me bias towards SE.

No, of course it doesn't. However, you didn't state the issues that exist in FF.

You said:

I will even go out on a limb to say that maybe half of rmt site can be traced back to SE,...cashing in on the rmt craze.

Which isn't pointing out a flaw, it's spouting complete bullshit.

 

[Calais]

Screw RMT, this is more important:

RPGFan: A lot of content in Chains of Promathia was capped at level 30, so it was available to a larger amount of players. [Since] Wings of the Goddess is for more hardcore players, does that mean that dungeons will not have a level cap?

SE: Probably there won't be any level capped areas. There might be something like Assault Missions from Aht Urghan, where you choose if you want to put the cap on. There will be things like that, but for [mandatory level caps], there won't be any.

WTS: Seers set that I've had for 2 1/2 years.

 

[pchan]

the "challenge" as they call it in FFXI, is waiting around for hours a night/day for exp parties or at HNM camps while someone bot claims. too me thats not a challenge...

Well Camping HnM concerns like 5% at best of FFXI population. The other 95% is probably mixed between seeking parties/doing xp/farming.

 

[pchan]

The only FF game I bought on launch was FF12 because it got glowing reviews (har har) when it was released and I genuinely enjoy the game a lot.

Proof that reviews suck. I had pleasure playing FF6-7-8-9-10 but not FFXII.

 

[Pastry]

That's not proof that reviews suck.. that's you having an opinion.