Snapturtle

Knowing full well the consequences of my actions, I opted to buy “Final Fantasy XI”:www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml for PlayStation 2 last Thursday. I can officially state that I am 100% addicted to a MMORPG for the first time ever and hope I don’t realize those consequences any time in the near future.

Firstly-worstly, installation of this beast is certainly no short task. After installing the hard drive, creating network settings, validating and updating the game installation, creating a PlayOnline account, creating a handle (whatever for I do not know), and creating a character I’d already spent about 2 hours.

“PlayOnline”:http://www.playonline.com/ is a very slick package but there are far too many menus and options for the begineer. I just spent 2 hours setting this all up and all I wanted to do was enter the world of “Vana’diel”:http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/welcome/ with my White Mage.

The scenery is gorgeous

Secondly, the game play is engaging. When I played Mac EQ I was bored to tears by the controls and game play. Having to type phases to NPCs in order for them to give me quests was absurd to me. I’m playing a damn game here people, not trying to communicate in bracket dialect.

One of the first things that struck me as fantastic with FFXI was the control. Being able to control my character using the game pad was far more engaging for me than using the WASD keys on a keyboard. Also, using the left analog stick to move the camera 360 degrees really allows you to see everything that is going.

Not game play related but helpful with the immersion factor is the graphics. Sure, we’re talking PS2 here so 640×480 is the course of the day, but it still looks very good. While moving, characters clothing moves which just adds to the realism. Nothing I hate more than static clothing.

Ok, so what have I done in the last 28 hours of FFXI goodness? Being a White Mage has it’s perks and one of those is the ability to get accepted into just about any group. Within the first hour I’d already been invited into a linkshell, which is basically a “clan” in the game. Being part of a linkshell is helpful when looking for people to party with as you won’t need to go any further than the linkshell chat channel.

Fun group of Tarutaru magic users and myself

While trying to figure out the games interface, which I love compared to EQ, my linkshell took me out on a few experience only mob hunts. I also played solo for awhile and was able to obtain level 9 by the end of the weekend. I’ve completed the first mission set for Rank 2 with my linkshell and I’m currently very active at the local auction house hawking my wares to gain gil (in game money) to buy more pricey items and spells.

The auction house is a very cool system which allows anyone to bid and sell items to other in game players sort of like eBay. For new players like me it’s the easiest way to make money early on in the game as veteran players would rather pay for the items that the low level mobs drop instead of killing them for no experience.

I’m also actively working on my fishing and clothcrafting skills, another fun aspect to the game instead of just hunting monsters. Hell, you can even harvest cotton or grow your own plants in various flowerpots.

All in all it’s been a lot of fun so far and I can’t wait to continue my journey into the world of Vana’diel.

And yes, 28 hours in roughly 3 days is way too much. I’m going to have to slow down some and try and limit my playing to a few nights a week. That’s going to be the hardest part for sure.