So, I tried out the FFXI Beta the other day...

[Mortanis]

...and it was terrible!!! The Xbox Beta players are all on 1 dedicated server.

I bought the magazine with the free demo in it, but I don't have an Xbox360, so I took it over to a friends house to check it out. After like 2 hours of downloading, installing, signing up, updating, and all that we finally got in to the game. I made an Elvaan Warrior in San d'Oria, and thought to myself, "okay, let's go outside and level up a little bit". No big deal, right?

I step outside to West Ronfaure, and what I see completly boggled my mind. There were SOOOOO many people running around killing everything in sight. I did a /sea and saw that there were almost 400 people in that one zone, all between level 1-10. I tried to look for a rabbit, but when one finally spawned, like 4 or 5 players were already there trying to get claim. It was like every little rabbit, worm, and bat was an NM that like 400 people were camping. It was total pandemonium. I eventually killed a few rabbits and leveled to WAR2 after like an hour and a half. /sigh

When I started FFXI on Quetzalcoatl, I started a few months after the NA release (Feb 10th, 2004) so the server had already been established and there weren't a thousand low levels running around like swarms of bees. So there were plently of mobs for me in South Gustaberg for me to start off on. Seeing all these low levels going ape-shit was a completly new experience for me.

I think that your average Joe-schmo Xbox player who tries this game out on the Beta, will find it extremely difficult and frustrating to play, and not even bother to buy the real version when it comes out.

I have another friend who I am trying to convince to play on his Xbox when the real version comes out, but he was frustrated with the demo too, and was not impressed. Haha I always tell him how much I love this game and how great it is, but he thought it was terrible from the demo. I was telling him that if he gets on Quetzalcoatl, there won't be the thousands of low leveled players running around, and it'll be way more relaxed.

Have any of you tried the Beta yet too? If not be prepared to fight tooth and nail for rabbits and worms lol!

 

[ziphor]

i have like 4 friends doing the beta, and they all LOVE it, they find it fun(but somethimes annoying) to compete for the claims.. i went over tho their house and watched... you are completely right, there are SOOO many people competing for any thing that can give exp

 

[Answa~]

Do they have the MPK patch on the Demo? Orc MPK anyone? lol XD

 

[Rappa]

My brother's been playing the beta for some time now. He's told me all kinds of horror stories about the quality of players he has encountered and about the pain and agony of trying to level in a zone with several hundred people in it. Shit's really gonna hit the fan since apparently the real X360 FFXI comes out at the exact same time as ToAU expansion. It's going to be such a pain in the ass trying to level the new jobs with all the newbies running around. :banghead3:

 

[xena]

My brother's been playing the beta for some time now. He's told me all kinds of horror stories about the quality of players he has encountered and about the pain and agony of trying to level in a zone with several hundred people in it. Shit's really gonna hit the fan since apparently the real X360 FFXI comes out at the exact same time as ToAU expansion. It's going to be such a pain in the ass trying to level the new jobs with all the newbies running around. :banghead3:

It probably wont be as bad since all the new xbox 360 players will be spread out across all the servers, not just shoved into one.

 

[Galaika]

It probably wont be as bad since all the new xbox 360 players will be spread out across all the servers, not just shoved into one.

Plus the fact that 90% of them wont be playing when they have to pay for it.

 

[The Druw]

I do believe, the majority of most if not all of the Xbox360 Players will be pre-existing accounts, that just want to run on a system capable of better graphics than a PS2. YES I KNOW. I HAVE SPOKEN BLASPHEMY. :coco: Calm down Sony Worshippers.

 

[Tagrineth]

Plus the fact that 90% of them wont be playing when they have to pay for it.

QUOTED FOR TRUTH

I meet so many people that whine about pay to play games... but usually when someone does, I just ask them if they've played any Battle.net games lately.

 

[Cleofis]

Wont it be better as there will be more people of a dunes level to party with? Just remember we were all n00bs once.

 

[Galaika]

Wont it be better as there will be more people of a dunes level to party with? Just remember we were all n00bs once.

Yeah, but thank god, they wont all be at the dunes, youll actually be abble to get a party in the Maze!

 

[Brin]

Meh, I was a bit worried at first but now I'm actually looking forward to the new players coming into the game.

 

[Cleofis]

Yeah, but thank god, they wont all be at the dunes, youll actually be abble to get a party in the Maze!

*Remembers parties in Tahronghi at lvl 7-10 and then to the Maze for worm killing*

Lets go party in the Maze!

 

[Jakey]

*Remembers parties in Tahronghi at lvl 7-10 and then to the Maze for worm killing*

Lets go party in the Maze!

ya maze pwns valkrum if you can get a party set up. I remember lvling my first job, blm, I never even entered the dunes lol.

 

[Mokk]

People used to look at me like i had two heads when i said i solod each job i lvld to 20 via tahrongi, the maze, and bubu ... because i refused to lvl in valkurm ... should be nice to see more than tumbleweeds rolling accross those zones again.

 

[Astyanax]

They should try to get to Dragon's Aery if they have access, and get owned by an unclaimed Fafnir, and give us pics. ^^

 

[Dowzer]

They should try to get to Dragon's Aery if they have access, and get owned by an unclaimed Fafnir, and give us pics. ^^

That's pretty tough without silent oils =(

 

[LadyKiKi]

People used to look at me like i had two heads when i said i solod each job i lvld to 20 via tahrongi, the maze, and bubu ... because i refused to lvl in valkurm ... should be nice to see more than tumbleweeds rolling accross those zones again.

Soloing to 20 is easy if you know where to go. I got 1800 or so EXP in 2-3 hours as a THF/MNK level 16 in the Dunes. I even died once. I went soloing and got 3800exp in just one hour. (subbed WHM. Used juice. No downtime. Sneak Attack takes monster's HP away by 50~90%).

 

[Marajade]

ask them if they've played any Battle.net games lately.

Zergling rush!

Its funny, that can be applied to the real 360 release too...

 

[Fonzy]

Shit's really gonna hit the fan since apparently the real X360 FFXI comes out at the exact same time as ToAU expansion. It's going to be such a pain in the ass trying to level the new jobs with all the newbies running around.

translate that to japanese and I'm sure you can find that on some obscure japanese message board before the NA version came out. I'm still learning, and will never be impatient with new players for not knowing how other people deem the job should be played. I only get impatient when they are 60+ and still don't know very basic shit about how the game works in general(not necessarily MASTERING their job). I've met some very rude people recently in game that forget this game is about fun and get very nasty cause they see a RDM forget to dispel, a THF miss SATA or a WAR forget to voke. I think this all stems from the fact that they have been at high levels a little too long and expect the same kind of smooth play at low/mid levels as can be experienced higher up the food chain.

I invite the Xbox players to come join in on the fun, the more the merrier and I'll help them as best I can as long as they are willing to learn.

 

[Kaliea]

Solo lvling to 20

I wa at lvl 13 in the dunes looking for a party I just stopped and decide to solo on my own, im now at lvl 18, I stuck to mostly the Plateau and Highlands but what took me like 4hours to go from lvl 13 to 16, when I was partying in the dunes i was able to go from lvl 16 to 17 in 4hours also, its just not worth it until you get to 20 to party sometimes.