Ok. I played FFXI since the NA release. My main job was PLD, then I switched to Monk after PLD AF made me want to cry @_@;;
I just picked up EQ 2. I played a few other jobs as well, and came from a large linkshell (Whispering Winds on Ramuh, roughly 70 registered members) Here's my opinions so far;
Price:
Almost the same base price. BUT I can have as many characters as I want on EQ2 with no extra cost. Bad part? It looks like the "mule" system doesn't work quite the same here. Yes, you can have a mule... but the send system is through a banker, and my mule would cost money for housing. I might not even make one, I'm not sure yet.
Graphics:
FFXI go for anime style Graphics. After all this game was originally based towards a Japanese audience. For anime fans, this is a great and good thing. The graphics aren't bad, IMHO, but the problem is FFXI is built for what will soon be an outdated platform: PS2. Graphics can never make leaps and bounds in future updates or expansion pack upgrades. EQ2 - as mentioned- is actually geared towards future hardware. My comp is by no means gimp, I built it myself... but I'm thinking of upgrading my RAM and my Vid Card so I can run EQ2 better. I think the graphics in EQ2 are very intense, and more realistic. The emotes (called Socials in EQ2) are very much geared towards RP and there are a lot more of them, and everyone comes with movement and even facial expressions. The dance emote is down right hilarious.... if you try it on a Troll. Ha! ^^
Races:
In EQ2 you have a ton of races, and you can customize them really nicely. Some races - Iskar (which is what I play ^^) and Trolls all tend to have somewhat similar features and colors, while some races like half elves and humans and the like... you can come up with countless combinations. I always liked looking unique, so to me this is a big plus over FFXI, and the sheer number of race choices is cool too. Instead of Elvaan, Hume, Galka, Mithra, Taru.... now I can pick between a variety of races... Trolls, Iskar, Ogre, Humans, Wood Elf, High Elf, Halfling, Kerra (sp?? lol) Dark Elf, Half Elf, Ratonga, Gnome, Dwarf.... and unlockable Froglocks. Pretty sweet.
Jobs:
Ok I'll break this down a bit. I like a lot the sub job idea in FFXI. I really think that is great, and it does nothing but benefit your main job (unless you're... mnk/smn lmfao ~_~ I've seen them don't laugh) I also like how you can have multiple jobs and switch whenever. But here's the problem. The party structure really really cheated out a lot of people, because it was so rigid! Damage Dealers sat around for days and sometimes weeks waiting for an exp party, while mages were so scarce once yours left in a party you were pretty much done for the day. It got so at higher lvls you'd better either have a Paladin tanking or a good Ninja Tanking, or there was no party.
In EQ2 so far I've noticed that multiple jobs can play multiple roles, and it's MUCH EASIER to make a party, because you can basically just toss almost anyone in. And there are lots of mages, equal to DD's... because mage in this game doesn't look boring at all. I'm sorry, but mage in FFXI was really boring to me. Stand back, hit a macro, watch HP bars... no wonder there were so few of them!
Con system:
Oh FFXI...the woes you have put on so many people that /checked that Easy Prey goblin and got their *** handed to them. The book says, Plain and Simple... Mobs that are Tough will probably win, Mobs that are Decent Challenge will be a nice fight, Mobs that are Even Matches are a dangerous fight, but if you're skilled you can win, Mobs that are Incredibly Tough are going to kick your butt, and Too Weak won't give any exp. So why can't I take out an E.P. Goblin at lvl 55 pld??? Because, at about lvl 20 or so it seems the con system somehow switches from solo to group /check. Not cool, really, because it's fooled a lot of people and no where is it stated in any guide that at this lvl, mobs are conned by group consideration and not solo.
EQ2 tells me if I can solo the monster or not, how hard it will be, or if I should be in a group to try it, and how many members would be good for the group for this type of monster. Much nicer, and so far very accuarate. Not that I haven't already bitten off more than I can chew in EQ2 ^_^;;; but that's just my style, anyone who knew me on Ramuh knows Ivven dies a lot. Old Paladin instinct I guess haha. Looks like poor Kaitar is going the same way, but I'm taking him Shadow Knight I think...not Paladin.
Gameplay:
This is kind of split. There are some things I love about FFXI gameplay. Skillchains! They are awesome, and you can Magic Burst on them. Very good idea. I like the macro system so you can tell everyone in your party what you're doing, what your health is, if you have status effect etc etc. In short, FFXI battle system is VERY tactical, everyone must be doing their job exactly or there's a good chance you and your whole party will die. It's even stressful at times, ....which can be a downside to it. But over all I think Skillchains and Magic Bursts, and /p Macro alerts are a great idea.
However, jobs are SO rigid in what they MUST be doing it nerfs party make up, as I said before, and it can be very hard and frustrating to make/wait for a party invite. Games should be fun before they are anything else, and this aspect of FFXI is NOT fun.
In EQ2 the battle system is just.... kill the thing. Lol. I don't know, maybe at higher lvls there will be more strategy involved, but so far I find myself tanking a lot (^^ haha) by using Taunt, which is a little like Provoke in FFXI. Seems to work pretty good, not quite AS good, but mages aren't quite as frail either so if they take 2 or 3 smacks...I'm not going to freak out. Luckily all my time as a PLD on FFXI makes me pretty quick on the draw to Taunt multiple enemies towards me and tank them, whether or not I'm supposed to be doing this...I'm not sure. @_@ Seems like a good idea though haha. Anyway...EQ2 battle systems are indeed chaotic, but kind of fun because they are so chaotic. It's like a big brawl, instead of what I like to call the Robot fighting FFXI style where everyone stands in a certain spot, goes through a certain macro cycle, gets their exp...pull, repeat. That can get tedious! As long as the PT is good, every fight is pretty much predictable.
As for the rest of the game play, I like the delivery system in FFXI better. I love the AH...but prices on Ramuh were getting INSANE. So far in EQ2 I've been able to afford some nice gear without having to farm and craft for days and days. So while I miss the AH and stuff, I do like the fact that I get a decent price from NPC vendors for my goods, and can afford what I need without being afraid of inflation and crazy rising costs at the AH. (emp hairpin up to 500k @_@;;;)
Lotting system and Lotto system are pretty much the same, IMO, so no big change for me there. I like looting the mobs - cuz I'm evil that way hehe- and I like how things autostack in eq2,and I like it when I get an alert telling me my inventory is full but if I take an accidental something extra, it doesn't dump it...so I have time to go sell or put away my stuff without loosing my loots. That's nice, I don't know how many times in FFXI I've lost a goblin helm or something while farming because I didn't know my inv was full, and it just threw it out <_<;; That's 1000 gil!
I like Sprint in EQ2...because I can haul my *** to run away from agro monsters that I didn't intend to agro. They definately need to have something like that in FFXI, because when I get chased down by a CRAB .... ok, my long Elvaan legs should be able to run pretty fast, but man...have you ever seen Goblins tearing after an Elvaan on their stubby legs? Something's not right. hehe.
Other Things:
I'm a dork. I RP and I love to tell stories and do dorky things like that. In EQ2 there are RP preferred servers. ^_^-b /hurray To me this is great. I've already gotten into a party for the Orc quest on the Isle of Freeport before I left for actual Freeport... and we rp'ed the whole thing, and it was really fun and funny, and in lightens the mood A LOT. Of course, like I said, I'm a big dork.
FFXI rp? Nihl. Which is strange, since FF series is an RPG series, and yet you'll never see a person rp'ing on FFXI. Why? It wastes time. Leveling time. You don't RP in exp groups because the leveling grind is so intense people are sometimes silent, surly, and pissed if they don't get that chain 5. Not fun. Not that I haven't had really fun and funny parties, but the mood is still all about EXP, fun is secondary. Especially at mid and high lvls, it can be down right frustrating and .... really depressing.
Mob drops! In EQ2 they are much better and you can make money much faster and easier. And common mobs even drop treasure boxes with nice stuff inside you can either use or sell for a decent price. This is WONDERFUL! I don't have to camp NM's anymore. I've fought a couple "nm's " so far with a party, and they have better drops... but the spawn time is very fast, and with normal mobs dropping halfway decent items and stuff you can sell, there's no need for the horrible camp competition of NM's you see in FFXI @_@. Also, certain mob boss fights - take for example the boss fight for rank 4 in D.'s Tower in FFXI... if you have 20 people in there at once, it's a whoever gets the pull first... in EQ2 these are either triggered by a quest event, or you go into your own seperate zone with you and your party to fight, so there's no competition. That is sweet.
Quests:
FFXI Quests: LONG!!!!!! FRUSTRATING!!! no exp rewards or much money, no cool items unless AF quest or low lvl quests... most of the time it involves you, and a group... using Sneak and Invisible to get into some place super dangerous for your level, multiple deaths, and countless hours trying to build a party for it. Genkai 1 and Genkai 2?? FUN? No. Sorry. Rank Missions FUN? The dragon fight was fun...after you finally GOT to it @_@, Rank 5 was boring and horrible and tedious to do... no great fights, no nothing really but sneaking around to get a magicite. Shadow Lord fight seems fun, but the majority are just a hassle and the rewards don't equal the trouble of the quest. Fame? Fame is nice to have, I have hero fame in SandO... but that's it. Hasn't ever effected me not to be a Hero in other cities *shrug*
Quests in EQ2 you get cool items, you get money, you get exp, you can do them casually while you level, it's easier to toss together a party for a party quest. And you're almost always fighting something in a quest, so it makes it more interesting than just "sneak, invis... touch Magicite...watch cutscene...run back to Jeuno.... repeat" The best thing though, is the rewards of them. Money, Exp, Items. That's enough incentive for me to do as many quests as I'm able, where in FFXI I try to avoid them because they usually aren't worth it, or are incredibly hard and take a huge alliance of people.
I know I sound biased against FFXI, but after a whole year, and knowing such frustrations as LFG for hours and hours, AF woes, Genkai woes, the EXP grind... I can honestly say it's worn me out for the most part. Everyone says END GAME is the reason to endure leveling and quests and Genkai... but why should I wait fr 75 lvls before a game gets fun? I loved playing PLD, I met some GREAT people on FFXI, but if EQ2 continues to be so open and fun...I'll probably eventually cancel my account. FFXI is great for some people, hardcore fans of the FF series and of strict leveling and fine tuning party effeciency... but I don't have the time or energy to pump 8+ hours a day into the game anymore... EQ2 seems more casual player friendly too, which is another bonus. So...that's my humble opinion. I'm not bashing FFXI, I had lots of fun on that game for a long time... but after so long the fun is turning out to be more like a job than a game lately.
Edited, Sat Nov 13 17:24:50 2004 by Ivven