I Know We Said This Game Was Dying Before But....

Is that supposed to be a substitute for actual content this game should have available? Gear up impracticable job combinations just for the sake of mixing it up, and call it fun?

Wow.

No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying if RNG is your favorite job, develop strats for it. If you love DRK, figure out a way to tank WoC on DRK for shits and giggles. If you love BST, gather together a horde of BSTs and get ***done. I'm not saying gear impractical jobs....I'm saying don't let cookiecutter ls's dictate your fun.

I used to be able to look forward to what I class as good games on the PS2/PS3 every now and then. Adventure/RPG/Action games such as Darksiders. They were great burn-out remedies. But for the past 10-15 years its just been FPS after FPS none-stop, and I can't stand them. No more devil may cry, no more god of war, no more fable..even the FF titles went south in my opinion after FF12.
I have FFXV still in its plastic wrapping. Had it 2 weeks before release and just can't bring myself to open it or bother trying. The reviews I read told me this game wasn't for me.

This. For instance, if you want to play MNK, go outside IRL, shout "BOOST!", proceed to stand there until you've forgotten you shouted it in the first place, and then punch the nearest tree.

The reason games seem to be getting shittier and shittier is that the gaming industry is big business now. It's not about making games that you want to play for years, it's about making games you want to buy and then get tired of and buy the next one. All the AAA manufactures want to make disposable games. The best way to do that is to make a game attractive at face value, so the wrapping and outward appearance of the game is usually pretty while the core gameplay mechanics are bland and repetitive.

You can also try out a lot of the "pointless" content just for fun even though it doesn't really get you much. Trying to figure out and make pankration work was pretty fun. Monstrosity actually makes leveling fun... just kind of sad there basically is nothing else to it. Go out and try to get all the RoE done. Had a friend trying to finish every quest in the game. Afterglow a shield or instrument :p

Ever picked up an old game you loved, play trough it and said "oh boy this is a shitty game "?

Just take a break and play something else.

Single biggest mistake I see people do is burn themselves out by making FFXI the centerpiece of their life. That's extremely bad and leads to burnout, depression followed by anger.

Right now I'm playing,

Final Fantasy III on DS
Final Fantasy I / II DoS (with rom mods)

Planar Conquest / Master of Magic
Might and Magic IV / VI / VII

Final Fantasy XII International Zodiac version with English Translation patch

And then picked up Dark Spire for DS and rolling a new party for some hard core dungeon grinding.

When I get some time I'll be finishing Legendary Heroes Trails in the Sky Chapter 2 in preparation for Chapter 3. I also have at least another dozen games I can jump into for a different experience.


They key is to constantly have different experiences and never get too wrapped up in FFXI.

This is why I have a large library of fun games I can play, and why I'm so into vintage gaming.

I used to be able to look forward to what I class as good games on the PS2/PS3 every now and then. Adventure/RPG/Action games such as Darksiders. They were great burn-out remedies. But for the past 10-15 years its just been FPS after FPS none-stop, and I can't stand them. No more devil may cry, no more god of war, no more fable..even the FF titles went south in my opinion after FF12.
I have FFXV still in its plastic wrapping. Had it 2 weeks before release and just can't bring myself to open it or bother trying. The reviews I read told me this game wasn't for me.

I think I'm done with gaming after FFXI.

The game just seems more dead than it's ever been, and there isn't anything hopeful to look forward to.

If you are looking for new content and kill ***all the time, then maybe give FFXIV a try. The way they design it is that, they bump up the content level every couple of months. So the players are constantly grinding newest gears, and do the newest content.

It feels like the purpose of the gear in ffxiv is to unlock your access to newer content so you get to kill newer ***. And the entire purpose of the game is to kill ***, gear is just there to boost your gear score so you can do them.

FFXI has a lot more different elements that it's not just about raid. These elements includes social and connection building, extreme level of min maxing a job(gonna get all 2 billion gil HQ+DM augs), quests for additional stats bonus(soa +1 rings, cheer effects, all vorseals unlocks etc), experimenting new play style or setup, and so much more.

All of these activities can take massive amount of time but it's not required for progression nor raid. You can skip all of them and still beat T4.

Therefore if kill ***/raid/progression is all you want but you don't enjoy other gameplay element in FFXI, you may run out of things to do very fast.

I can tell you 10 things that you can do or try in FFXI but probably haven't done. But it's not going to help if you don't enjoy doing them to begin with.

My biggest in game goal is probably beating SL MT as RDM main healer just to prove it can be done, but idk if I can ever convince people to let me try that without another 300hr of connection/trust building and practicing .-.

And yes, 8 whm meleeing T4 is fun as hell, FFXI allows player to do things like this is why it's my favorite MMO.

This. For instance, if you want to play MNK, go outside IRL, shout "BOOST!", proceed to stand there until you've forgotten you shouted it in the first place, and then punch the nearest tree.

People often assume a game/show/band has changed, rather than themselves. You see it across all genres and mediums.

Maybe you just aren't as entertained by a pointless video game for hours on end as you used to be? Maybe your attitude to effort vs. reward has changed? Maybe a million things that aren't related to the game.

People almost never look to themselves for change, which is bizarre because we adapt and learn and change all the time.

It's OK to change and wake up one day and think "Damn, FFXI is pretty boring/pointless!"

"real life."

If only they added mounts, home point warps, ah in every town same. Etc etc years ago when there were 300k players this game would have been loved and played by all who played.
Anyone returning now will feel sick at how sadistic SE treated us for years having to run around like idiots!

The thing that frustrates me most about this thread is the impression I get from some, "If this game is boring, it is your fault!"

Look, sure, we change, but it is the developer's responsibility to keep pace with the wants of its customer base if they want to keep making money.

If you like the game, keep playing and paying.
If you don't like the game now, you aren't likely to like it later. I only waver from complete certainty due to a blind hope that despite the three consecutive months of utter trash downdates something big is coming around the bend. But if it isn't here by November (the 11th month of the year), nothing is coming. In which case, I expect many to jump ship and not look back for considerable time.

But, if a game is bland, it isn't a user's responsiblity to find some way to choke it down. So, no, if you think the latest downdates and stupid 15th crap is horrible, you shouldn't think you need to up your medication until you like it.

Your choices are:
1) Stick with it because you are a slave to FFXI despite your distaste of it.
2) Stick with it for a self-determined amount of time to see if it'll get better.
3) Drop it like the dead weight it currently is.

I have a theory about their timing - didn't stormblood the FFXIV expansion come out around the same time SE stopped giving XI quality updates?

I think the fools are trying to sabotage XI in hopes people will jump ship to XIV, again!

Japan needs to catch up with the rest of the world and become marketing oriented - meet your customers' needs/wants and stop trying to make your customers want what you're selling.

Wasn't following this thread closely but wow. It's amazing how people equate "not having a real life" with "I wish there was a better update or content coming around soon".

I don't even recall saying the game itself wasn't fun, but that the last year we've seen one major battle content installment, which is kind of lame. It would be nice to get an update for something new to do. The campaigns are about the only thing that keeps a fresh cycle of things to do. Stop kidding yourself.

Everything else people have listed is what we've been doing, 90% of it isn't even high level content level, but the point I was making was they could bring something new to the game. It's been a while. All we've heard is "new battle content is coming" but every update is extremely lackluster. Something new would be good right about now besides the silly 15th campaign and the regular 'spin-the-dial-on-what-to-implement' campaigns.

How did this turn into 'take a break from the game if you're not having fun anymore, go live life'?

rl these days = going out with a bunch of friends and sitting there silently while they all stare at their smartphone screens.

People who were on 5-7 year hiatus from ffxi, coming back and are astonished at how the game has changed.

People who were on 10-15 hiatus from RL, going back out and shocked at how little human interaction there is anymore.