Am i going to like EQ2 if i come from FFXI?
I just love FFXI , played for a long time and still has a lot to do in it, but i was starting to think about EQ2... What am i gonna miss from FFXI if i play EQ2?
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I'll post what i've found so far, but i haven't had much play time. Anyways the things I miss right now are how the command system is a bit different, no more alt+(key) to open a window. How you character follows one job path and can't switch. Thats it for now, I'm still at the begining and exploring so I'm sure there will be more things that I miss along the way.
lol, go buy a copy of EQ2. That's the only way you will get an answer to your question. Play EQ2 for a week or so, and by then you will know which road to take.
Good luck.
Good luck.
9 posts
You will enjoy EQ2 MUCH more. I played FFXI for a while, but it never felt... emersive. Now I am playing EQ2, and I can just wander around to a huge number of areas and still find stuff to smite.
Ok. Here's my take.
Quests:
EQ2 has a better quest system that gives experience, money and/or gear. So far they have been pretty fun and rewarding. When you first get to the refugee island you can even do crafting quests for crafting exp.
Graphics:
EQ2 has better graphics that will look great for years to come. However, it is very laggy. I find the EQ2 graphics to make the game more emersive.
Gameplay:
FFXI has much better gameplay.
Using the controller is better than using the keyboard for movement because you can move the camera independently of your direction (using asdw and the mouse is a pain).
Looting system is better in FFXI because I don't have to target the corpes and double click (or right click and choose loot) then pick the items I want to loot. If anyone knows of a way to make looting in EQ2 automatic, let me know.
Skill chains are much better then heroic opportunity wheels. The wheel is just too much of a pain to coordinate (but better than WoW's very boring combat).
Another big difference is that mobs in EQ2 often come in groups that can't be split. You must fight the entire group. Because of this targeting can be confusing. When you target a mob in a group the entire group is highlighted. The only difference is that the particular mob you targeted has a ring at the base of his feet.
Economy:
EQ2 doesn't have a mature economy, but it will probably not have many of the problems that plague FFXI. However, their merchant system blows. The AH from FFXI is far better than having to stay logged in to sell items. Imagine FFXI with only bazaars and only bazaars in the cities.
Jobs:
The classes in EQ2 seem very well balanced, but once you pick a path you are stuck with it. The hierarchy is nice, but I think they should have pushed out the first branch 5 levels to 15. Getting to 10 is pretty quick and really hasn't given you much time to decide on your course.
Partying:
You can group or play solo. Mobs are marked with a "level" and as group or solo. The level is based on its category. So far it's been easy getting a group, but it's hard to say how it will be in the higher levels.
After playing EQ2 for the last 3 days I'm giving it to level 20 to get better before going back to FFXI.
(As a side note, I also tried out WoW and it seemed amateurish. The classes didn't seem to have well defined rolls and I just couldn't really get into it. I may try again when retail comes around.)
Quests:
EQ2 has a better quest system that gives experience, money and/or gear. So far they have been pretty fun and rewarding. When you first get to the refugee island you can even do crafting quests for crafting exp.
Graphics:
EQ2 has better graphics that will look great for years to come. However, it is very laggy. I find the EQ2 graphics to make the game more emersive.
Gameplay:
FFXI has much better gameplay.
Using the controller is better than using the keyboard for movement because you can move the camera independently of your direction (using asdw and the mouse is a pain).
Looting system is better in FFXI because I don't have to target the corpes and double click (or right click and choose loot) then pick the items I want to loot. If anyone knows of a way to make looting in EQ2 automatic, let me know.
Skill chains are much better then heroic opportunity wheels. The wheel is just too much of a pain to coordinate (but better than WoW's very boring combat).
Another big difference is that mobs in EQ2 often come in groups that can't be split. You must fight the entire group. Because of this targeting can be confusing. When you target a mob in a group the entire group is highlighted. The only difference is that the particular mob you targeted has a ring at the base of his feet.
Economy:
EQ2 doesn't have a mature economy, but it will probably not have many of the problems that plague FFXI. However, their merchant system blows. The AH from FFXI is far better than having to stay logged in to sell items. Imagine FFXI with only bazaars and only bazaars in the cities.
Jobs:
The classes in EQ2 seem very well balanced, but once you pick a path you are stuck with it. The hierarchy is nice, but I think they should have pushed out the first branch 5 levels to 15. Getting to 10 is pretty quick and really hasn't given you much time to decide on your course.
Partying:
You can group or play solo. Mobs are marked with a "level" and as group or solo. The level is based on its category. So far it's been easy getting a group, but it's hard to say how it will be in the higher levels.
After playing EQ2 for the last 3 days I'm giving it to level 20 to get better before going back to FFXI.
(As a side note, I also tried out WoW and it seemed amateurish. The classes didn't seem to have well defined rolls and I just couldn't really get into it. I may try again when retail comes around.)
Graphics & sound
FFXI is a PS2 conversion with strong roots in old console RPGs. EQ2 is made for top-notch PCs and looks just like a b-grade fantasy flick. EQ is just plain better technically, people's opinions on the styles varies. Personally, I think EQ2 is the uglier game; FFXI's personality & style beats out simply having more polygons and larger textures.
Aurally, EQ2 has well-made voiceovers, which is much more impressive than you'd think. Having people actually talking to me helps greatly with immersion and is something I predict I'll really miss if I change MMOGs again. EQ2 also has more music than FFXI, though I can't really say I prefer one over the other here, both are thematically consistent.
Story & gameworld
Again, huge stylistic difference. FFXI went, to some extent, for a traditional jRPG storyline, complete with epic battles, long cutscenes and so on. EQ skips any attempt at a personal storyline and goes for tons of optional background material to flesh out the world, leaving your own part in it to the imagination. Quest-wise, EQ has gone quanitity-over-quality to an even greater extent than FFXI; almost everyone has something for you to do but pretty much no one sticks out. No Star Onion Brigades to love-or-hate here, just plenty of cookie-cutter fantasy stereotypes. The sheer mass serves to make the world seem larger than FFXI, the cities almost feel like real cities, but not much of it is very memorable. Fortunately, it looks like the larger quests - class advancement, betrayal, anything marked as a Hallmark quest - will leave more of a mark.
Beating stuff up
I can't really comment on anything later than the early game as I'm only a lowly 13 Brawler, but EQ2 seems to have much more chaos in it than FFXI. In FFXI, taking on more than one xp-able mob at a time was suicidal and miscoordinating a skillchain or magic burst in a fight was rare enough to be remarkable. EQ2's Heroic Opportunities are utterly impossible to plan and have to be done on-the-fly (however, they can be done so very effectively if you pay attention) and fighting multiple mobs tends to be more norm than exception. Also, there're not as many incentives for fine-tuning group performance (read: no xp chains) and there are typically more classes around who can do a job effectively. Effectively, it's *much* easier to get and setup a working EQ2 party, fights tend to rely much more on making quick decisions under stress and there's not such a huge difference between optimal group and sub-optimal group. Also, EQ lets everyone solo with some efficiency.
To me, FFXI got sorta boring once people started getting their act together in the 40s or so. Everyone knew what to do, did it and you got xp. If they had good enough gear, you'd get xp chain 5+ for much xp, if not, you'd settle for maybe the occasional chain 3. It was all about optimisation of a pretty static battle plan, the fights I've been in in EQ2 have been much more dynamic and therefore more amusing. 'course, this may very well change as people learn the game better and I go up in levels ... but for now, I like it.
Phat l3wt & money
FFXI's economy could require me to farm for two weeks straight to get my gear and there were certain desirable, sellable items with a ludicrously limited supply that pretty much set the game economy up for oligopoly. EQ2, so far, hasn't forced me to stretch for cash. Heck, I could comfortably get the money for a set of lvl 20 equip now at lvl 13, if I finish some quests I've got lined up. Furthermore, there seems to be a lack of overpowering unique loot and the Broker- and global-chat-centered trading system should be less easy to monopolise than the AHs. I'm confident the economy will be less of a bother here.
Of course, as other people have pointed out, bazaaring everything is a damned annoying way of selling gear. Some form of offline auction or whatever 'd be nice.
Summary
FFXI oozes Final Fantasy nostalgia, which is a good thing to most the people who play it. Most of the gameplay revolves around combat parties, where the main challenge is fine-tuning a set strategy to acchieve maximum efficiency, with little surprises in store. EQ2 is unabashed fantasy stereotyping through-and-through, with equally combat-centered gameplay. However, combat is a more dynamic affair due more random factors (types of encounters, possible party configurations, possible skillchains/HOs, etc) and effective play involves paying attention and responding to changing conditions.
FFXI is a PS2 conversion with strong roots in old console RPGs. EQ2 is made for top-notch PCs and looks just like a b-grade fantasy flick. EQ is just plain better technically, people's opinions on the styles varies. Personally, I think EQ2 is the uglier game; FFXI's personality & style beats out simply having more polygons and larger textures.
Aurally, EQ2 has well-made voiceovers, which is much more impressive than you'd think. Having people actually talking to me helps greatly with immersion and is something I predict I'll really miss if I change MMOGs again. EQ2 also has more music than FFXI, though I can't really say I prefer one over the other here, both are thematically consistent.
Story & gameworld
Again, huge stylistic difference. FFXI went, to some extent, for a traditional jRPG storyline, complete with epic battles, long cutscenes and so on. EQ skips any attempt at a personal storyline and goes for tons of optional background material to flesh out the world, leaving your own part in it to the imagination. Quest-wise, EQ has gone quanitity-over-quality to an even greater extent than FFXI; almost everyone has something for you to do but pretty much no one sticks out. No Star Onion Brigades to love-or-hate here, just plenty of cookie-cutter fantasy stereotypes. The sheer mass serves to make the world seem larger than FFXI, the cities almost feel like real cities, but not much of it is very memorable. Fortunately, it looks like the larger quests - class advancement, betrayal, anything marked as a Hallmark quest - will leave more of a mark.
Beating stuff up
I can't really comment on anything later than the early game as I'm only a lowly 13 Brawler, but EQ2 seems to have much more chaos in it than FFXI. In FFXI, taking on more than one xp-able mob at a time was suicidal and miscoordinating a skillchain or magic burst in a fight was rare enough to be remarkable. EQ2's Heroic Opportunities are utterly impossible to plan and have to be done on-the-fly (however, they can be done so very effectively if you pay attention) and fighting multiple mobs tends to be more norm than exception. Also, there're not as many incentives for fine-tuning group performance (read: no xp chains) and there are typically more classes around who can do a job effectively. Effectively, it's *much* easier to get and setup a working EQ2 party, fights tend to rely much more on making quick decisions under stress and there's not such a huge difference between optimal group and sub-optimal group. Also, EQ lets everyone solo with some efficiency.
To me, FFXI got sorta boring once people started getting their act together in the 40s or so. Everyone knew what to do, did it and you got xp. If they had good enough gear, you'd get xp chain 5+ for much xp, if not, you'd settle for maybe the occasional chain 3. It was all about optimisation of a pretty static battle plan, the fights I've been in in EQ2 have been much more dynamic and therefore more amusing. 'course, this may very well change as people learn the game better and I go up in levels ... but for now, I like it.
Phat l3wt & money
FFXI's economy could require me to farm for two weeks straight to get my gear and there were certain desirable, sellable items with a ludicrously limited supply that pretty much set the game economy up for oligopoly. EQ2, so far, hasn't forced me to stretch for cash. Heck, I could comfortably get the money for a set of lvl 20 equip now at lvl 13, if I finish some quests I've got lined up. Furthermore, there seems to be a lack of overpowering unique loot and the Broker- and global-chat-centered trading system should be less easy to monopolise than the AHs. I'm confident the economy will be less of a bother here.
Of course, as other people have pointed out, bazaaring everything is a damned annoying way of selling gear. Some form of offline auction or whatever 'd be nice.
Summary
FFXI oozes Final Fantasy nostalgia, which is a good thing to most the people who play it. Most of the gameplay revolves around combat parties, where the main challenge is fine-tuning a set strategy to acchieve maximum efficiency, with little surprises in store. EQ2 is unabashed fantasy stereotyping through-and-through, with equally combat-centered gameplay. However, combat is a more dynamic affair due more random factors (types of encounters, possible party configurations, possible skillchains/HOs, etc) and effective play involves paying attention and responding to changing conditions.
13 posts
So far no one has mentioned what I feel to be the best thing EQ2 has over FFXI. Almost NO DOWNTIME!
I played FFXI for a couple months and ended up quitting because of the rediculous downtime it took to heal and regenerate power in that game. And god forbid you played a white mage, where your boring job was to sit during the battles and hope you got a tick of mana back before someone needed a heal.
In EQ2 you don't regenerate power or hps hardly at all during combat, and outside of combat you regenerate them very fast. This means that you never have to "sit and meditate" during combat (cause it won't do you any good), and it also means you don't have to sit around waiting for the next fight for more than about 30 seconds.
This is a vast improvement in this game. City of Heroes did this first, but I am hoping this will be a common theme among MMORPGS from now on. Downtime stinks.
Indya
15 Ratonga Warrior
I played FFXI for a couple months and ended up quitting because of the rediculous downtime it took to heal and regenerate power in that game. And god forbid you played a white mage, where your boring job was to sit during the battles and hope you got a tick of mana back before someone needed a heal.
In EQ2 you don't regenerate power or hps hardly at all during combat, and outside of combat you regenerate them very fast. This means that you never have to "sit and meditate" during combat (cause it won't do you any good), and it also means you don't have to sit around waiting for the next fight for more than about 30 seconds.
This is a vast improvement in this game. City of Heroes did this first, but I am hoping this will be a common theme among MMORPGS from now on. Downtime stinks.
Indya
15 Ratonga Warrior
A few personal opinions:
What i didnt like about ffxi: I didnt make very many friends. I blame that on starting the game when the ps2 version was released, and getting involved at a time where lots of people are all moving in differnt directions (get this job to 17, this to 37, this to 75, but also this to 37 to sub with it, so i'll need that too to at least 17....). I met a lot of nice people, but couldnt really run into them to xp much.
I didnt like that some classes (rangers, ninja, etc) had to work very hard to keep up their supplies. I love rangers and play one on eqoa and eq2, but i wasnt able to put in the time in ffxi, so i ended up comprimising what i wanted to do.
Otherwise, i really liked ffxi a lot. I thought it was a good system with a good engine for the most part, and everything was very technically stable.
I started playing when the ps2 version came out, and stopped playing when CoP came out.
Now some observations about the differences:
Skillchains in ffxi were 100% better, at least so far. I cant get groups to even pay attention to the "heroic opportunities" in eq2, they only want to mash the buttons as fast as possible. I'd love to find a group of ffxi folks and try some HO's out ^^.
The auction house system was much better (although i really didnt like it at the time because of the 7 slot limit). I even had 3 bankers in ffxi and 28 slots wasn't enough for me.
I like quests much better in eq2, but i've only done quests up to 16.
I cant say for sure, but I might have liked the crafting system better in ffxi. For one thing, you can only level up one craft type.
I'm only a level 9.5 artisan right now because I'm having trouble deciding what path to take. But in ffxi, you pretty much always knew what items went with what craft, and what components made what items.
In eq2, you can substitute a lot of things for recipee ingredients. For example, if a recipee calls for a liquid, you can use water, or canine saliva (drop from wolves and kobolds) and probably some other stuff. You select the recipee from a book, and it gives you 3+ categories of items you need to mix in, and there is some leanience... instead of determining the result by what materials you combine (if that makes sense).
Dual Wield is great in eq2. I play a ranger (well, predator right now) and I just love the madman attacks i do with my dagger and hatchet.
Locked mob encounters are the same. The first one to hit it claims it.
I loved ffxi for a lot of reasons, but let me say this: I COULDNT STAND THE RACE CHOICES!! I much prefer the forgotten realms / tolkien type of feel of EQ2.
Really, i'd say the best best best possible thing you can do is wait a month and see what happens. Right now you're missing out on a lot of technical difficulties (growing pains). This is to be expected, but if you've got a game you're into, and dont need a mmo fix right now, i'd wait about a month and then see what's up. Then we'll know how the later parts of the game play, and if they released it with the first 20 levels set up correctly, and the rest still in pay-to-play beta.
I'm optimistic for eq2, and look foreward to a long term game, i just hope they get everythign running smooth so i can turn myself loose soon!
Wolfenheart 15 Predator (Crowd-moore Server)
Retired:
Blondebeard 38 WHM 37 THF 34 BLM 30 NIN 16 BST 15 WAR 1 RNG
50 Cooking 25 Smithing 25 Goldsmithing 22 Fishing
Fairy Server
Edited, Sat Nov 13 07:30:16 2004 by BlondebeardThePirate
What i didnt like about ffxi: I didnt make very many friends. I blame that on starting the game when the ps2 version was released, and getting involved at a time where lots of people are all moving in differnt directions (get this job to 17, this to 37, this to 75, but also this to 37 to sub with it, so i'll need that too to at least 17....). I met a lot of nice people, but couldnt really run into them to xp much.
I didnt like that some classes (rangers, ninja, etc) had to work very hard to keep up their supplies. I love rangers and play one on eqoa and eq2, but i wasnt able to put in the time in ffxi, so i ended up comprimising what i wanted to do.
Otherwise, i really liked ffxi a lot. I thought it was a good system with a good engine for the most part, and everything was very technically stable.
I started playing when the ps2 version came out, and stopped playing when CoP came out.
Now some observations about the differences:
Skillchains in ffxi were 100% better, at least so far. I cant get groups to even pay attention to the "heroic opportunities" in eq2, they only want to mash the buttons as fast as possible. I'd love to find a group of ffxi folks and try some HO's out ^^.
The auction house system was much better (although i really didnt like it at the time because of the 7 slot limit). I even had 3 bankers in ffxi and 28 slots wasn't enough for me.
I like quests much better in eq2, but i've only done quests up to 16.
I cant say for sure, but I might have liked the crafting system better in ffxi. For one thing, you can only level up one craft type.
I'm only a level 9.5 artisan right now because I'm having trouble deciding what path to take. But in ffxi, you pretty much always knew what items went with what craft, and what components made what items.
In eq2, you can substitute a lot of things for recipee ingredients. For example, if a recipee calls for a liquid, you can use water, or canine saliva (drop from wolves and kobolds) and probably some other stuff. You select the recipee from a book, and it gives you 3+ categories of items you need to mix in, and there is some leanience... instead of determining the result by what materials you combine (if that makes sense).
Dual Wield is great in eq2. I play a ranger (well, predator right now) and I just love the madman attacks i do with my dagger and hatchet.
Locked mob encounters are the same. The first one to hit it claims it.
I loved ffxi for a lot of reasons, but let me say this: I COULDNT STAND THE RACE CHOICES!! I much prefer the forgotten realms / tolkien type of feel of EQ2.
Really, i'd say the best best best possible thing you can do is wait a month and see what happens. Right now you're missing out on a lot of technical difficulties (growing pains). This is to be expected, but if you've got a game you're into, and dont need a mmo fix right now, i'd wait about a month and then see what's up. Then we'll know how the later parts of the game play, and if they released it with the first 20 levels set up correctly, and the rest still in pay-to-play beta.
I'm optimistic for eq2, and look foreward to a long term game, i just hope they get everythign running smooth so i can turn myself loose soon!
Wolfenheart 15 Predator (Crowd-moore Server)
Retired:
Blondebeard 38 WHM 37 THF 34 BLM 30 NIN 16 BST 15 WAR 1 RNG
50 Cooking 25 Smithing 25 Goldsmithing 22 Fishing
Fairy Server
Edited, Sat Nov 13 07:30:16 2004 by BlondebeardThePirate
Scholar
25 posts
Well been playing EQ2 for the last 2 days, played FFXI for a year now. Finding a lot of stuff I like about EQ2. One thing is being able to fight groups of mobs, with them being challenging, and not either too week to harm you, or slaughter you completely. Not losing 10% of your xp is a plus too. It felt nice that my Area effect spells are actually useful, for somethign other than farming. I mean what was the point of the ga spells in FFXI other than to get your blm utterly slaughtered, by random mobs. So far I am enjoying the Experience.
Soulcat level 10 Kerra Summoner/6 Artisan Lucian server
Soulcat level 10 Kerra Summoner/6 Artisan Lucian server
Quote:
One thing is being able to fight groups of mobs, with them being challenging, and not either too week to harm you, or slaughter you completely.
Yes. This is a big difference. Tanks get AOE provoke in EQ2 to get the attaention of an entire group. But even though these encounters are fun. They are difficult to coordinate re: scouts and backstab, etc.
While I am very much liking EQ2, it is also pissing me off. Heres why.
1) In their attempt to make sure it holds on for a while in the graphics epartment, they have to push the limit..so to speak. So Now if I want to keep playing I need a new video card and RAM.
Yep. That's pretty much my only problem with it. While FFXI was good in it's own right, there was just too much lacking. There really was no plot progression. Yes, there were missions, but at level 49 I was unable to get passed Rank 5, unable to even start the Zilart missions, and the Promathia missions were difficult to get a group together for. When I would attempt to start a group it would fall apart because of RL interferences. Well, now I don't "need" a group. Happy days.
1) In their attempt to make sure it holds on for a while in the graphics epartment, they have to push the limit..so to speak. So Now if I want to keep playing I need a new video card and RAM.
Yep. That's pretty much my only problem with it. While FFXI was good in it's own right, there was just too much lacking. There really was no plot progression. Yes, there were missions, but at level 49 I was unable to get passed Rank 5, unable to even start the Zilart missions, and the Promathia missions were difficult to get a group together for. When I would attempt to start a group it would fall apart because of RL interferences. Well, now I don't "need" a group. Happy days.
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
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
well I finally fired up my EQ2...
firstly.. it was fun being able to go out and get XP and succeed minus a full party..
quest.. as has been stated. you gain items, coin, reputation.. quest have more rewarding benefits in EQ2 than FFXI.
I've not tried a group yet, but I'm enjoying everything so far.
firstly.. it was fun being able to go out and get XP and succeed minus a full party..
quest.. as has been stated. you gain items, coin, reputation.. quest have more rewarding benefits in EQ2 than FFXI.
I've not tried a group yet, but I'm enjoying everything so far.
Lets see, things that haven't been mentioned...
Inventory. I hated the 50 item limit in Final Fantasty, especially since I was a ranger. I had 41 items before even leaving town because at later levels my arrows wouldn't quiver.
In EQ2 your equipment has weight, but has inventory slots specifically designed for it. You then have six more slots, but you can put packs in them to increase that. Small packs have 4 slots while large have as many as 12 slots.
Plot! In Final Fanasty the missions are ok. But there are fare too few of them, and most of the quests were really obscure so that you had to look them up.
Quests in EQ2 have plot. They start with simple things like deliver a message, but progress to infiltrating organizations and finding out what happened to different cities and races during the shattering.
Also, instead of going to camp and xping for 4 hours without moving you rarely sit still in EQ2. Rather than camp you explore whole dungeons fighting different mobs the whole time.
There are also instanced zones like BCNM, only they are whole zones and don't take any seals to get into. Usually they are quest triggered, and only your party can enter.
Guilds are WAY better than linkshells. Most people used linkshells as chatrooms, but no one seemed to have any real loyalty since they could come and go as they pleased. In EQ guilds are more like families, and you get perks as your guild levels.
Inventory. I hated the 50 item limit in Final Fantasty, especially since I was a ranger. I had 41 items before even leaving town because at later levels my arrows wouldn't quiver.
In EQ2 your equipment has weight, but has inventory slots specifically designed for it. You then have six more slots, but you can put packs in them to increase that. Small packs have 4 slots while large have as many as 12 slots.
Plot! In Final Fanasty the missions are ok. But there are fare too few of them, and most of the quests were really obscure so that you had to look them up.
Quests in EQ2 have plot. They start with simple things like deliver a message, but progress to infiltrating organizations and finding out what happened to different cities and races during the shattering.
Also, instead of going to camp and xping for 4 hours without moving you rarely sit still in EQ2. Rather than camp you explore whole dungeons fighting different mobs the whole time.
There are also instanced zones like BCNM, only they are whole zones and don't take any seals to get into. Usually they are quest triggered, and only your party can enter.
Guilds are WAY better than linkshells. Most people used linkshells as chatrooms, but no one seemed to have any real loyalty since they could come and go as they pleased. In EQ guilds are more like families, and you get perks as your guild levels.
Scholar
37 posts
ff11 was just getting boring the exp pt are looong and yes downtime is bad..... and yes it seems way harder ttttto be rdy to exp because no tanks and such..... i.m totally addicted to EQ2 now... graphics are better ..... pt's seems easiers..... the mages job are finally fun| ! the quest system is awesome FF11 is really boring and the reward isn.t that great.....
in ff u see a lot of the same char as yourself.... it.s really really rare to seee someone who look exactly like yourself in EQ2....... definatly better .... ^^ and yes bards are finally FUN!
in ff u see a lot of the same char as yourself.... it.s really really rare to seee someone who look exactly like yourself in EQ2....... definatly better .... ^^ and yes bards are finally FUN!
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