Debating Buying

Hey,

I'm not exactly sure if this is an ok topic to start, i know some forums have pretty specific rules/users who grow annoyed at the smallest taboo.

Nevertheless, I'm looking for some opinions/info and this looked like the best spot.

I used to play ffxi online and i really liked it. However, I found I do not have the free time to really play a game like that and get my money's worth or even keep up with some of the more "casual," and i mean that in the loosest sense, players. This game stood out because there is no fee. However, I still wonder whether I will be able to get anything from it if I dont invest massive amounts of time. Granted, even if I can't, this will cost much less than ffxi.

Another concern I have deals with the player base of the game. I can tell from the recent posts that people obviously still play but my question is, are there enough to keep the game alive(sorry if this seems obvious/offensive to some, I really did try to find info elsewhere) and if so, are they all on a specific chapter?

My final question is whether or not I need additional gear such as a headset(I heard something about this but it was vague) or strategy guide (some sites say the interface/combat system is poorly explained in game).

Any links or info or opinions will help greatly, I just dont want to make the same mistakes I did with ffxi and end up dissapointed and down a lot of cash.

Thanks

I played FF11 for a couple of years, off and on, so I think I can answer some of your questions when compared to that experience.

1) Very very very easy to play and advance on a casual basis. Experience is easy to get by completing quests, and the level cap is relatively low; level 20. But there are a LOT of skills to get, and you'll spend some money on weapons and armor (but not nearly as much as other games; only for prestige items). Most missions take <20 minutes to complete. Some quests can take longer, depending, but a lot are easy and help you explore the game and find new towns and missions.

2) Player base: depends on the campaign. Factions is pretty paltry, and I'd steer you away from that. The original campaign, Prophecies, is probably your best bet for an active base, with Nightfall close behind. Weekends are, of course, the peak time for any of the campaigns. And PVP is super-active all the time.

3) Headset/microphone depends on if you want to PVP or not. If you don't have any interest off the bat.. no worries. Later, if you decide to join a guild and do a lot of team PVP, it'd be a good investment (a servicable mic shouldn't cost you more than $10-$15 USD) so you can run ventrilo or teamspeak and strategise in real-time.

And your one-shop-stop for all game information once you're playing should be http://gw.gamewikis.org ;D

So, onto FF11 comparisons..

First, travel is dead-easy. At any time you can press M and bring up a world map, and click on any town or outpost (and there are lots of them) you've been to before and be instantly warped there. No long running times or waiting for airships, et cetera.

Everyone can resurrect. Non-monks generally carry a special one-use skill that recharges any time you defeat a boss, so having a monk die in some random field battle isn't the end of the world, and not everyone needs to sub a "healer" job just to be able to do that.

GW uses something sorta-similar to FF11 jobs, and calls them professions; your primary job can't be changed, but you pick one secondary job at character creation and then later get the chance to unlock the rest of them, and can switch whenever you're not in an exploration (monster) zone or mission.

Ahh.. what else. From the first city you have access to NPC henchmen you can add to your party, including a monk/healer. So you'll never be stuck in a town waiting for "just the right party member", you can always get an NPC to fill for you. And they're actually pretty competant. I've run most of the missions in all three campaigns with these henchmen in one form or another. "Soloing" the PVE content is very possible, and there's even a special kind of PVP battle now just using a special kind of henchman.

Summary: GW's meant to be casual, pick-up-and-play-and-then-do-something-else-with-your-day; it's only a timesink if you really feel like it.

I agree with nunix and would like to add that Prophecies has a lower learning curve but it will take a little longer for your character to lvl - Nightfall lvls your toon faster but is a little harder just starting out. I really don't care for Factions much anyways -> no flames just my opinion.

Mac

Eventually you will want to purchase all three campaigns. (I think there exists a bundle of all three for a reasonable price) I think you should start off in prophecies, because it contains a vast amount of different environments, and I played it first. Still, the need to acquire skills, titles, etc., will lead you to purchasing the other campaigns.