hear ye: FFXIV open Beta test: 1st Sept

ArthurG

How are people finding it (assuming you can get in.....).

Now I'll preface this by saying I played FFXI exclusively for about 4 years, and loved the game. After taking an MMO break for 6 / 8 months, I decided to give WOW a quick blast (they have that fairly cool background download thing, so you can actually be playing the game in about 15 mins). Suffice to say I'm now playing WOW every day for the last 18 months....

I had really high hopes for XIV - new graphics, new UI and a game engine brought bang up to date.

Unfortunately what I've found is a slow, clunky, confused mess of a game lacking any sort of intuitive way of learning how to play it. Quest NPCs without markers to tell you where they are?. Hello, it's 2010 SE. A PC MMO clearly designed to use a cosole controller?. Ugh...... No shortcut keys?. No quest tracking on screen?. Help.

I'm gutted with how the game is right now. Maybe I need to spend more time. Maybe WOW's incredibly easy to use UI has spoiled me. But I fear that the fanboi's bleating on forums that 'this game is not for beginners' is not a great start. I've no doubt the servers will be overloaded at launch - but so were Aion's. The game is due to launch in about 2 weeks - I honestly don't know how it will go.

Anyway, perhaps I'm being unfair, I'll give it another shot this evening.

cherryghost

ArthurG wrote: »

How are people finding it (assuming you can get in.....).

Now I'll preface this by saying I played FFXI exclusively for about 4 years, and loved the game. After taking an MMO break for 6 / 8 months, I decided to give WOW a quick blast (they have that fairly cool background download thing, so you can actually be playing the game in about 15 mins). Suffice to say I'm now playing WOW every day for the last 18 months....

I had really high hopes for XIV - new graphics, new UI and a game engine brought bang up to date.

Unfortunately what I've found is a slow, clunky, confused mess of a game lacking any sort of intuitive way of learning how to play it. Quest NPCs without markers to tell you where they are?. Hello, it's 2010 SE. A PC MMO clearly designed to use a cosole controller?. Ugh...... No shortcut keys?. No quest tracking on screen?. Help.

I'm gutted with how the game is right now. Maybe I need to spend more time. Maybe WOW's incredibly easy to use UI has spoiled me. But I fear that the fanboi's bleating on forums that 'this game is not for beginners' is not a great start. I've no doubt the servers will be overloaded at launch - but so were Aion's. The game is due to launch in about 2 weeks - I honestly don't know how it will go.

Anyway, perhaps I'm being unfair, I'll give it another shot this evening.

I completely agree with your words. It's rubbish.I played with a 360 pad last night and found the whole experience better (not to mean that it's still good, because it's not).

VERY disappointed so far.

Kiith

I'd have to agree with the above, from what little i've played of it. Now i'll admit i've only played it for a few hours, but it just feels...i dunno, clunky. I guess i just wasnt prepared for the seemingly turn based battle system. I know it's Final Fantasy, but i really don't see myself liking the combat. I'll give it another try later, but i dont think i'll be buying this.

Great looking game though.

Ivan

Another MMO that will most likely be a victim of "If you build it, they will come" syndrome. If you release a game before it is ready, they'll still come but they won't stay and there is no coming back from bad reviews at launch. I look forward to being mistaken, but I think FFIV will be a victim of its' own mediocrity. Shame really, I said the same about FFXI and always regretted never investing a decent amount of time into it.

ArthurG

Uninstalled

Varik

Found this image of the world, seems people have been finding complete copies of towns and areas all over the world.



it not just a similar shape in the map, the area in game look the exact same.

Aurongroove

repeating graphic segments? ehh, who gives even a millimeter of a ****? Final Fantasy and every RPG and every computer game that's ever been made since the dawn of time does this.

the actual Problem is:

Lag and poor server speed making the software dependant mouse, menus, battling and game play a BIG FAT SMOULDERING ****E.
I was emagining SE would flick a big red switch by now with "beta" and "release" written on it and everything would flick into proper speed, and everything would stop sucking, but unfortunatly, everything still blows like 85% of the time. the only time the gameplay dosn't suck is if everyone in the immediate 500 virtual kilometers radius gets suddenly disconnected but you survive and the server is all yours.

I've been Beta testing for ages and so far I've had about 15 minutes proper frame rate and server speed, and as many minutes fun because the game started running at a proper speed.

this game will live and die by its frame rate and server speed and there's no point developing a (brillient if i may say so) real time fighting system if no one can experience it becasue of kluky, slow ass interface.
as it is now it's just a usless, but ever so beautiful, and nearly brillient lump of crap.

Hercule

this beta is only showing a shell of a game, (i don't believe that it will improve significantly in less then a year).

Bland and broken environments,
borderline broken combat,
hideous controls,

I advise anyone who is thinking about embarking on the massive download to give it a miss and be content in the fact that the beta in my opinion is farce and come launch will not be worth a cent.