EQJunkies

About Me

I preordered the collector’s edition in July to get early access and also to get the security token.  I am by far not a “fan boy” nor a “hater”; I have played my fair share of MMOs including FFXI and WoW (the list in much longer than that, but I will spare you).  The reality is throughout the years I have spent the grand majority of my time playing Everquest One; I started playing it casually, then progressed to the 72 man raiding world.  Eventually I graduated college and didn’t have the devotion for the game that I once did…

Knowing where I am coming from may effect how you read my review; I respect that.

Collector’s Edition

When FFXIV showed up on my door on the 22nd I wasn’t overly excited to install it, but I did get to it that night.  There has been a lot of debate over whether the collector’s edition is worth the extra 25 dollars.  In my mind, just having the head start on the game is enough – the idea of getting out of the starting area before the mad rush on the 30th makes me smile.  Also, the included security token sealed the deal.  The other extras (journal and birth certificates) are cool, but not the reason I bought the collector’s edition.

Installation & Patching

The installer was as plain vanilla as them come.  To be honest, at times it felt very unpolished – some of the dialog’s look and feel didn’t even match.  This wasn’t a big deal for me…my God, it is just an installer.

The patcher has been improved dramatically from open beta.  In open beta I was using utorrent to download the patches and then simply moving the files to the right directory.  I have been using the normal patcher with the release version and have been impressed with the download speeds – it is much better!

Configuration

Unlike most other games out there, all of the graphic settings, etc. exist outside of the game.  It is a pain when you are first figuring out what settings to use – you have to change some things, then restart the game.  Although, once you have everything setup correctly it is nice because these settings do not clutter up the in-game menus.  I have a iCore7 920/4GB RAM/Radeon 5xxx and am running the game above average settings…more on that later.

Character Creation

FFXIV gives you many options for your character.  You can customize your character right down to the pupil.  That being said, the differences in most settings are very subtle.  This is more realistic; just don’t expect your guy to look crazy different from the character of the same race next to you (minus size & hair color).

Gameplay & Performance

I mentioned my system specs earlier (iCore7 920/4GB RAM/Radeon 5xxx).  I tried running the game with max everything, but was experiencing some major UI lag.  Initially I blamed this on the game/server, but once I turned down my graphics settings it mostly went away.  If you are one of those people that like to have max settings for everything, you will need a powerful system to back that up.

Say this with me: The keyboard is your friend.  One more time: The keyboard is your friend.  I tried playing FFXIV much like I would most other games – mouse driven.  It was horrible.  The UI was hard to navigate and it felt very clunky.  Unlike most other games this game is designed with a game pad/keyboard in mind.  Once you let go of your mouse (not entirely) the game becomes…well, playable.  Get to know the keyboard shortcuts and quickly you will be doing the normal stuff at lightning speed.  In particular something that is helpful is following an enemy when you are fighting; this will ensure you are always facing them, which was a major frustration for me early on.

I believe they got the quest system just about right.  They give you basic hints as where to go/what to do, but don’t hold your hand throughout the whole process.  Sure, it is annoying that you can only do 8 leves every 36 hours, but I imagine this will become less of an issue later in the game when you have more things dividing your time.  Right now most people are focusing on leveling quickly, so naturally this limit will feel very…limiting.  I like the idea that the game as a whole has a big storyline to follow – something that every other game is lacking.

It is still early, but it looks like this game will have some definite grinding in it.  I hope it does.  Like I said before, I come from the world of Norrath (1.0) where setting up camp with 5 other people for hours on end was the norm.  As you fight you will notice that FFXIV isn’t a fast pace game – it is more of a marathon style.  It encourages parties and being social, not soloing everything and having no contact with the other players.

The Marketplace takes me back to the early days of Everquest, before the bazaar was put into the game.  Again, it encourages actually interacting with other players and making deals, not simply putting something up and matching prices.  You need to work the Marketplace to get the best deal, it won’t just be handed to you.

I haven’t done much crafting yet, so I will write a followup column soon once I dig into that.

Bottom Line

There are still some UI issues that need to be worked out, but nothing game breaking.  Use your keyboard and you will do much better.  If you are after a game that spells everything out for you and holds your hand along the way this isn’t the game for you.  If you are looking for a game that is more old school difficult in nature, look no further.

Buy a copy of the game at Amazon:

Final Fantasy XIV Collector’s Edition

Final Fantasy XIV