It's been a while since I posted on this blog. Honestly, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I stopped playing the game months ago. After loading it up the other day to take a peek at what's changed, I was still mostly unimpressed. Good news though, there's another update coming tomorrow (March 3rd, 2011) that quite a few people seem to be excited about. I won't hold my breath.
The going notion seems to be that the game is in a general beta state at the moment. I'd have to agree that this is true. Actually, if you're looking for an escape... the game probably isn't too shabby right now in comparison to some single player titles. In fact, to a large degree it does feel much like a single player game. Sure, there are real people walking around, but there hasn't been a lot of chatter in the areas I've been to lately. After tossing out a shout to ask for opinions of the game after months of work, I was able to connect with a player who was quite helpful. So I suppose the interaction is there if you're looking for it. Hands down, though, you can easily squeeze out more than forty hours just learning the different classes and trying out leves and missions. The update tomorrow is supposed to include side quests as well. That's always nice.
But what about the auction house in FFXIV? The developers haven't killed the idea, and may include it in the future... I really hope they do. There are some hardcore players that love the idea of the retainer market system with it's shoddy improvements. But the bottom line is that it takes far too much effort to sustain a healthy economy. Fostering player interaction? My ass. We did just fine in FFXI. I can trade off the auction house through the trade channel in World of Warcraft without much effort. I don't need the entire economic dynamic to be centered around bouncing through floor after floor of retainer areas and dealing with people bazaar'ing items in the wrong floor just to find what I want to buy or compare prices to list my own wares.
You see, to some (myself included), the economy is a very big part of an MMO. There is a whole game inside the game with comparing prices, calculating return on investment, the worth of time spent, the rates of sales, and all the intricacies of supply and demand. Just as in every MMO, the game is always full of people complaining about never having enough online currency and there will always be those who seem to have an abundance. With this comes price gouging, competition, rising and falling prices as markets are neglected or swamped. It can be invigorating.
Logging on to check your mail and see what sold is a common source of joy for many players, whether they are market barons, farmers, or the people who just sell the junk they get while completing quests and grinding.
You can argue against the auction house all you want, but it's an eventuality that must come if the game is to ever see a successful root in PS3 and further PC sales. If you are one of the ones staunchly defending the market wards, you should consider the value of broad appeal. S-E won't serve up FFXIV for free forever and I doubt that current subscriptions would be enough to sustain it -- not even counting the people who would leave if the low, low price of "free" was increased...
I can honestly say that it is a big deal to me and that I just can't see myself sticking with the game without a healthy economic system that is as simple as searching for an item and either bidding or buying with a matter of a few clicks at most.
I had planned on adding a PS3 copy to my collection so I could play between the two like I did with FFXI. So, you see, this isn't necessarily a rant post. More like a Come-to-Jesus plea for help. I was so excited for this game to have all the market intricacies that I enjoyed in XI and that I get in WoW at a very low scale. I think the basis is there between the different crafts, and the game could include a lot more complexity where it seems things were just hashed together. I'm both excited and afraid for the future of this game as a long-standing MMO title in the Final Fantasy franchise. I hope they can pull it together.
Showing posts with label FFXIV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FFXIV. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Making Gil in FFXIV: Part 3
Over the past few posts we've I discussed several principles behind making gil in FFXIV. Of course, my methods for making the gil I have so far (up over 2.3 million on my retainer right now and an additional 170k on me) have been a little different than the basic suggestions I've offered to date.
I mentioned in an earlier post that if I had it to do all over again, I'd have specialized instead of spreading my time across multiple crafts and sub-crafts. It was great money at first, when the game was new, but over time the gap between that top 5%, who work together and churn out finished products with substantial skill required for off-skill materials, and the common player has continued to increase -- exponentially. This means that by the time the casual player has had a chance to catch up, the market has been saturated and the top tier of non-crafting players are no longer paying premiums for those goods or services.
Case in point: fish glue. This was the first major bottleneck in the craft system. Most, if not all, weapons or tools required fish glue as a primary ingredient or as an ingredient required to make an ingredient. Thus, as far as most were concerned, all paths led through fish glue. The problem was that it requires somewhere in the neighborhood of level 15 Alchemy to make the glue and fishing of 10-15, depending on your fishing pole, just to catch the dark bass reliably. Therefore, the people who began selling both fish and glue at the apex of need were able to charge extreme fees, which were passed down through the finished products and to the consumer. Those looking for the most competitive edge were willing to pay those fees rather than easier until prices naturally fell. After a few weeks others started catching on, leveling both fishing and alchemy, and made a modest profit before even more players followed suit and the bottom fell out of the synths.
There is still money to be made with fish glue, but that money is typically realized by further processing materials across multiple crafts into seldomly made finished goods. By now, most modern weapons are using horn glue. The next tier will very likely use something else.
Truth be told, my income generation as of late has been significantly reduced. I just didn't have the energy to try to spam multiple crafts and I was already too far behind the curve of the power crafters. The thing that compounded the problem the most is the fact that I really don't have any friends on the server that play regularly. So while I do have a significant stockpile of gil at my disposal, I don't really have anyone to play with on a regular basis. So what's the point? Aside from the random person willing to party for their own leves, most of my shouts and says have been ignored.
What I'm trying to say here is that making gil in this game isn't enough. You've really got to foster those in-game relationships or it's all for naught.
Since you've stuck with me so far, I'll let you know what I've been selling.
Early on I discovered that brass nuggets sold relatively well, and I could make them before I could use them reliably for skill. So I ended up selling them at 1.5k each. Yeah, no kidding, and they sold like hot cakes.
Lightning crystals have been a nice boon. When I was under the misguided impression that it would be best to level several (all) crafts to provide myself with the necessary sub-items, I started farming/saving lightning crystals for clothcraft. Even this very morning I unloaded 20 for 3k a piece via someone's bazaar. They set the price, I just delivered. Easy 60k and lightning crystals are a byproduct of farming wind shards, can't beat that.
Small items such as rings and bracelets seemed to sell well in the lower level camps. I'd load up my retainer with weapons and armor and rent a stall and then I'd pick a camp and park my character there for the night. A few quick minutes to restock my bazaar in the morning before work would help make those small profit synths add up by the time I got home and was ready to play again.
Harpoons seemed to sell well for a while, but sales are slower now and the majority of lancers are moving on to higher tier weapons.
Animal glue is a nice filler when you don't know what to put in that last bazaar slot. I sell them for 450 a piece and the random sales do add up over time.
Hempen cowls sold well at first but too many idiots are selling them for well below 10k. You can't buy them all out, so the best you could hope for is convenience shoppers outside of town. This is beyond silly because it shows that a lot of crafters aren't factoring shards + time + materials into their profit equations. Really, though, it probably boils down to powerleveling a craft on finished goods, which is stupid for a few reasons with the way the game is currently set up, and then just trying to unload. I suppose this is the reason that more complex crafts held their viability longer, they were just plain inconvenient.
To be honest, most of my gil over the past few days has come from buying under-priced items in other people's bazaars and reselling them for what I believe they are worth. Profit is realized when someone else browses my bazaar and agrees with me. On the same token, if I find someone seeking an item or repair that is profitable for me, in respect to both time and gil, I'll fulfill the request. Example: I will not sell wind shards for 200 gil a piece because I use far too many to justify that price. It would cost skill increase and/or farming time. Likewise, crystals of any type are worth more to me than the standard price I've seen of 1.5k. I can now break a crystal into 16 shards for the cost of 1 fine sand. That gives me skill and shards that I can sell, it just makes more sense to hold out.
Anyway, this is reaching ridiculous length so let's stop for now. Come back soon for more FFXIV financial discussions.
I mentioned in an earlier post that if I had it to do all over again, I'd have specialized instead of spreading my time across multiple crafts and sub-crafts. It was great money at first, when the game was new, but over time the gap between that top 5%, who work together and churn out finished products with substantial skill required for off-skill materials, and the common player has continued to increase -- exponentially. This means that by the time the casual player has had a chance to catch up, the market has been saturated and the top tier of non-crafting players are no longer paying premiums for those goods or services.
Case in point: fish glue. This was the first major bottleneck in the craft system. Most, if not all, weapons or tools required fish glue as a primary ingredient or as an ingredient required to make an ingredient. Thus, as far as most were concerned, all paths led through fish glue. The problem was that it requires somewhere in the neighborhood of level 15 Alchemy to make the glue and fishing of 10-15, depending on your fishing pole, just to catch the dark bass reliably. Therefore, the people who began selling both fish and glue at the apex of need were able to charge extreme fees, which were passed down through the finished products and to the consumer. Those looking for the most competitive edge were willing to pay those fees rather than easier until prices naturally fell. After a few weeks others started catching on, leveling both fishing and alchemy, and made a modest profit before even more players followed suit and the bottom fell out of the synths.
There is still money to be made with fish glue, but that money is typically realized by further processing materials across multiple crafts into seldomly made finished goods. By now, most modern weapons are using horn glue. The next tier will very likely use something else.
Truth be told, my income generation as of late has been significantly reduced. I just didn't have the energy to try to spam multiple crafts and I was already too far behind the curve of the power crafters. The thing that compounded the problem the most is the fact that I really don't have any friends on the server that play regularly. So while I do have a significant stockpile of gil at my disposal, I don't really have anyone to play with on a regular basis. So what's the point? Aside from the random person willing to party for their own leves, most of my shouts and says have been ignored.
What I'm trying to say here is that making gil in this game isn't enough. You've really got to foster those in-game relationships or it's all for naught.
Since you've stuck with me so far, I'll let you know what I've been selling.
Early on I discovered that brass nuggets sold relatively well, and I could make them before I could use them reliably for skill. So I ended up selling them at 1.5k each. Yeah, no kidding, and they sold like hot cakes.
Lightning crystals have been a nice boon. When I was under the misguided impression that it would be best to level several (all) crafts to provide myself with the necessary sub-items, I started farming/saving lightning crystals for clothcraft. Even this very morning I unloaded 20 for 3k a piece via someone's bazaar. They set the price, I just delivered. Easy 60k and lightning crystals are a byproduct of farming wind shards, can't beat that.
Small items such as rings and bracelets seemed to sell well in the lower level camps. I'd load up my retainer with weapons and armor and rent a stall and then I'd pick a camp and park my character there for the night. A few quick minutes to restock my bazaar in the morning before work would help make those small profit synths add up by the time I got home and was ready to play again.
Harpoons seemed to sell well for a while, but sales are slower now and the majority of lancers are moving on to higher tier weapons.
Animal glue is a nice filler when you don't know what to put in that last bazaar slot. I sell them for 450 a piece and the random sales do add up over time.
Hempen cowls sold well at first but too many idiots are selling them for well below 10k. You can't buy them all out, so the best you could hope for is convenience shoppers outside of town. This is beyond silly because it shows that a lot of crafters aren't factoring shards + time + materials into their profit equations. Really, though, it probably boils down to powerleveling a craft on finished goods, which is stupid for a few reasons with the way the game is currently set up, and then just trying to unload. I suppose this is the reason that more complex crafts held their viability longer, they were just plain inconvenient.
To be honest, most of my gil over the past few days has come from buying under-priced items in other people's bazaars and reselling them for what I believe they are worth. Profit is realized when someone else browses my bazaar and agrees with me. On the same token, if I find someone seeking an item or repair that is profitable for me, in respect to both time and gil, I'll fulfill the request. Example: I will not sell wind shards for 200 gil a piece because I use far too many to justify that price. It would cost skill increase and/or farming time. Likewise, crystals of any type are worth more to me than the standard price I've seen of 1.5k. I can now break a crystal into 16 shards for the cost of 1 fine sand. That gives me skill and shards that I can sell, it just makes more sense to hold out.
Anyway, this is reaching ridiculous length so let's stop for now. Come back soon for more FFXIV financial discussions.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3
Friday, October 15, 2010
SE Gives Extended Free Trial for FFXIV
Quote from Loadstone:
Important Notices
2010/10/15 06:30 from FINAL FANTASY XIV
FINAL FANTASY XIV Free Trial Period Extension
First of all, we would like to thank you for joining us in the realm of Eorzea, and hope you are enjoying your adventures.
Since the official launch of service on September 30, 2010, we have received a wealth of constructive feedback from the FINAL FANTASY XIV community, and the development and management teams would like to take this opportunity to express their sincerest gratitude. For those who purchased the collector’s edition and began to play one week before official service began, the month-long free play period is drawing to a close. Considering the nature of much of the feedback we received, however, and the current state of the game, we have decided to extend the free trial period for all users. Please continue reading for further details.
We would like to assure players that the world of FINAL FANTASY XIV is constantly growing and evolving, and the voices of the community are essential to that process. The development and management teams are carefully considering all player feedback, and working diligently to implement whatever changes and additions will serve to make Eorzea a better home for adventurers. We humbly ask for your continued support to this end.
Today, we have released information regarding forthcoming version updates. For further details, please view the following Lodestone Topics:
・Version Updates Coming Soon! (10/15/2010)
( http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/index.html )
・Ask the Devs! (10/15/2010)
( http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/topics/detail?id=c07a85c2f170a53057f5a39f56e6fc02b03b1184 )
・Message from the Director (10/15/2010)
( http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/topics/detail?id=f2cf790e548828eb22d3c4dff5f04bf0793632b5 )
Free Trial Extension Details
Eligibility
All users who registered a FINAL FANTASY XIV service account and purchased a character by October 25, 2010 will be eligible.
*Character purchases must have been carried out no later than October 25, 2010 at 23:59(PDT).
*Accounts terminated due to User Agreement infractions are ineligible for extension.
*Holders of multiple service accounts may receive extensions on all accounts.
Extension Period
An additional thirty (30) days, for a combined free trial period of sixty (60) days.
*Free trial period end dates and initial billing dates will be automatically extended. Users are not required to take any action.
*Extensions will be for a period of thirty days regardless of billing cycle length. Regular billing will begin upon conclusion of the extended free trial.
*Should automatic renewal of options be disabled, the free trial will still be extended.
*Users notified by automated mail of either the end of their free trial period or the beginning of their billing period will still receive the extension.
*Extensions will be processed by the Square Enix Account Management System on or around October 19, 2010. An official announcement will be made at that time.
*Information regarding new billing period dates will be available via the Square Enix Account Management System.
Since the official launch of service on September 30, 2010, we have received a wealth of constructive feedback from the FINAL FANTASY XIV community, and the development and management teams would like to take this opportunity to express their sincerest gratitude. For those who purchased the collector’s edition and began to play one week before official service began, the month-long free play period is drawing to a close. Considering the nature of much of the feedback we received, however, and the current state of the game, we have decided to extend the free trial period for all users. Please continue reading for further details.
We would like to assure players that the world of FINAL FANTASY XIV is constantly growing and evolving, and the voices of the community are essential to that process. The development and management teams are carefully considering all player feedback, and working diligently to implement whatever changes and additions will serve to make Eorzea a better home for adventurers. We humbly ask for your continued support to this end.
Today, we have released information regarding forthcoming version updates. For further details, please view the following Lodestone Topics:
・Version Updates Coming Soon! (10/15/2010)
( http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/index.html )
・Ask the Devs! (10/15/2010)
( http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/topics/detail?id=c07a85c2f170a53057f5a39f56e6fc02b03b1184 )
・Message from the Director (10/15/2010)
( http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/topics/detail?id=f2cf790e548828eb22d3c4dff5f04bf0793632b5 )
Free Trial Extension Details
Eligibility
All users who registered a FINAL FANTASY XIV service account and purchased a character by October 25, 2010 will be eligible.
*Character purchases must have been carried out no later than October 25, 2010 at 23:59(PDT).
*Accounts terminated due to User Agreement infractions are ineligible for extension.
*Holders of multiple service accounts may receive extensions on all accounts.
Extension Period
An additional thirty (30) days, for a combined free trial period of sixty (60) days.
*Free trial period end dates and initial billing dates will be automatically extended. Users are not required to take any action.
*Extensions will be for a period of thirty days regardless of billing cycle length. Regular billing will begin upon conclusion of the extended free trial.
*Should automatic renewal of options be disabled, the free trial will still be extended.
*Users notified by automated mail of either the end of their free trial period or the beginning of their billing period will still receive the extension.
*Extensions will be processed by the Square Enix Account Management System on or around October 19, 2010. An official announcement will be made at that time.
*Information regarding new billing period dates will be available via the Square Enix Account Management System.
Making Gil In FFXIV - Part 2
If you caught my last post about making gil in FFXIV, we covered some of the basic ideas behind making money: buy low sell high, craft for profit, inventory stagnation cost, etc. I also made a point off mentioning that in the current system, one can adequately get by using leve gil and item rewards to outfit themselves - wearing what rewards they can, selling what they can't, and purchasing or trading for items they need. Crafting things yourself can be fun, but is not necessarily necessary.
Since you're still with me, assuming that you are if you're reading this, it's probably safe to say that you're looking for more than just getting by. As of last night I was sitting just above 1.7 million gil - and while that may not impress some, it's definitely more than just getting by with the basic necessities. Even so, my character has yet to equip rings, bracelets, or other extravagances - many of which I've sold plenty of. Those things, while important to some who may be looking for top physical or magical performance, are not important to my primary goal at this point in time. That goal, of course, is to make a sizable amount of gil prior to the market normalization. I expect that this event will likely occur sometime before PS3 release and will be greatly influenced by the recent market ward system update.
Regardless, the real thing that many new players want to know is what they can sell for good profit. And while this may be different from server to server, there are some safe bets that can help you to make gil.
The first apparent need that I ran into as a new player was manifested from a lack of fire crystals. I could not find these at all when I first started out and aside from leveling my ore-based crafts strictly from leve synths, this was a major clinching point. I soon found myself farming these by killing fireflies and glowflies in the Limsa area. I later discovered that star marmots and first-tier coblins dropped them occasionally and that the second-tier of these families dropped them a bit more frequently.
It wasn't long before I realized that another deficiency was a lack of wind shards. After a little investigation I discovered that these shards could be obtained through gathering with highest points into wind resists and by killing sheep and later puks and dodos.
The biggest thing here is to pay attention to what the crafting classes need. I can tell you that selling fire shards at the blacksmith guild shop would probably net you the most sales, while lightning crystals would sell well at the weavers guild.
If SE's previous MMO, FFXI, taught us anything it was to never underestimate the power of selling to vendor. Obviously, not everything you come across in the game will be worth getting excited about, but it would be a good idea to take some time as you clear your inventory to notice which items pull in decent returns. Marmot pelts are a level 20-ish leather synth but also sell for somewhere in the ballpark of 500 gil apiece directly to vendor. This spells instant profit if you can't seem to unload at the guild overnight for increased revenue.
Listen, if you are like some players I've run into who don't check vendor prices before bazaaring, you could be making your savvy peers some easy gil simply by buying up your junk and making a quick trip to offload to an npc.
If you pick up crafting, be aware of the full cost of attempting to churn out finished products with complex or higher tier material requirements. Sometimes it really is better to sell parts to other crafters who have bought into the misconception. You'll gain skill, make gil, and won't be struggling to put things together before you can realize a profit. Another point to consider is that once the initial supply choke point is breached, the cost of shards often dissolve in the equation of undercutting. This means that at certain points of saturation, you'll actually make more by not performing the synth at all and just listing the shards themselves. This makes for very inefficient leveling of skill for the novelty of selling a finished product. While there are few things cooler in the game at this point than the concept of armies of players utilizing your weapons, armor, and jewelry, you have to be wary of being sucked in to the mindset that many other players will succumb to. If you do, these people will become your competition - your goal should be to make them your customers.
At the risk of creating a post worthy of 'too long, didn't read,' I'll end this here. You know the drill by now, stay tuned for more musings on gil making in FFXIV.
Making Gil in FFXIV - Part 1
Making Gil in FFXIV - Part 3
Since you're still with me, assuming that you are if you're reading this, it's probably safe to say that you're looking for more than just getting by. As of last night I was sitting just above 1.7 million gil - and while that may not impress some, it's definitely more than just getting by with the basic necessities. Even so, my character has yet to equip rings, bracelets, or other extravagances - many of which I've sold plenty of. Those things, while important to some who may be looking for top physical or magical performance, are not important to my primary goal at this point in time. That goal, of course, is to make a sizable amount of gil prior to the market normalization. I expect that this event will likely occur sometime before PS3 release and will be greatly influenced by the recent market ward system update.
Regardless, the real thing that many new players want to know is what they can sell for good profit. And while this may be different from server to server, there are some safe bets that can help you to make gil.
The first apparent need that I ran into as a new player was manifested from a lack of fire crystals. I could not find these at all when I first started out and aside from leveling my ore-based crafts strictly from leve synths, this was a major clinching point. I soon found myself farming these by killing fireflies and glowflies in the Limsa area. I later discovered that star marmots and first-tier coblins dropped them occasionally and that the second-tier of these families dropped them a bit more frequently.
It wasn't long before I realized that another deficiency was a lack of wind shards. After a little investigation I discovered that these shards could be obtained through gathering with highest points into wind resists and by killing sheep and later puks and dodos.
The biggest thing here is to pay attention to what the crafting classes need. I can tell you that selling fire shards at the blacksmith guild shop would probably net you the most sales, while lightning crystals would sell well at the weavers guild.
If SE's previous MMO, FFXI, taught us anything it was to never underestimate the power of selling to vendor. Obviously, not everything you come across in the game will be worth getting excited about, but it would be a good idea to take some time as you clear your inventory to notice which items pull in decent returns. Marmot pelts are a level 20-ish leather synth but also sell for somewhere in the ballpark of 500 gil apiece directly to vendor. This spells instant profit if you can't seem to unload at the guild overnight for increased revenue.
Listen, if you are like some players I've run into who don't check vendor prices before bazaaring, you could be making your savvy peers some easy gil simply by buying up your junk and making a quick trip to offload to an npc.
If you pick up crafting, be aware of the full cost of attempting to churn out finished products with complex or higher tier material requirements. Sometimes it really is better to sell parts to other crafters who have bought into the misconception. You'll gain skill, make gil, and won't be struggling to put things together before you can realize a profit. Another point to consider is that once the initial supply choke point is breached, the cost of shards often dissolve in the equation of undercutting. This means that at certain points of saturation, you'll actually make more by not performing the synth at all and just listing the shards themselves. This makes for very inefficient leveling of skill for the novelty of selling a finished product. While there are few things cooler in the game at this point than the concept of armies of players utilizing your weapons, armor, and jewelry, you have to be wary of being sucked in to the mindset that many other players will succumb to. If you do, these people will become your competition - your goal should be to make them your customers.
At the risk of creating a post worthy of 'too long, didn't read,' I'll end this here. You know the drill by now, stay tuned for more musings on gil making in FFXIV.
Making Gil in FFXIV - Part 1
Making Gil in FFXIV - Part 3
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Making Gil in FFXIV - Part 1
So, last post I mentioned that I've been working on ways to make gil in FFXIV. This is a pretty big topic in itself, so there's really no way to cover it in one session. Instead of trying to do that, I'll start at some of the basic principles. Of course, this may prove rudimentary to some, but stick with me and we'll get to the beef of it all soon enough.
One of the neat things about online economies, such as those in massively multiplayer online role-playing games, is that they are as dynamic as the players who populate the virtual worlds of the game itself. Within these confines we often see the same behaviors, though sometimes amplified or muted based on the interpretations of individual online personas. Generally, though, we find that those who are not savvy at handling their real-life funds also struggle in-game. Thankfully, understanding the basic concepts in-game can also translate to the outside without costing you anything more than some of your dedicated leisure time.
There are some phrases that will resonate with a certain sense of familiarity: buy low - sell high, it takes money to make money, supply and demand... Thankfully, there is more than just these principles to get us by in FFXIV, though they are the bread and butter foundation to a gil making strategy.
So far, it seems that you can get by just fine in the game by playing your standard disciple of war or disciple of magic class. You can happy do your leves, collect your cash and item rewards, and supplement the rest of your gear by shopping frugally and making connections with other players. By killing mobs, you can trade materials and shards / crystals for goods and services. Or, sell them out-right for more liquidity and less restraints with your buying power.
On top of that, it is also viable to pick up one or more crafting classes as well. Here you will need to balance your efforts to avoid the obvious, and sometimes less than obvious, time sinks. These are usually dual-purposed as gil sinks as well, so keep an eye out. The finished product is not always the one that will net you the most gil per effort or time. With so many other crafters working as peers, juniors, and seniors on the supply line, you've got to examine the synths that ail make you money. You have to keep an eye on the competition. Sometimes you'll suddenly get a break in steady sales only to discover some nimrod haas parked his retainer a few feet from yours with blow out, rock bottom prices. This devalues your product, possibly saturates the market, and leaves you in a tight spot. Do you buy him out and relist the items at the going rate or do you mark down your own items and research your next product? There are several factors to consider. How rare are the materials required? How much do you already have invested? How much can you afford to lose if things don't go according to plan? And perhaps a bit more subtle, how much will it cost you to have bazaar slots taken by items that will not move - in other words, how much potential income do you stand to lose?
My next post will include a few more specific ideas on how to make gil in FFXIV, so sign up for my RSS feed or stop by again soon!
Making Gil in FFXIV - Part 2
Making Gil in FFXIV - Part 3
One of the neat things about online economies, such as those in massively multiplayer online role-playing games, is that they are as dynamic as the players who populate the virtual worlds of the game itself. Within these confines we often see the same behaviors, though sometimes amplified or muted based on the interpretations of individual online personas. Generally, though, we find that those who are not savvy at handling their real-life funds also struggle in-game. Thankfully, understanding the basic concepts in-game can also translate to the outside without costing you anything more than some of your dedicated leisure time.
There are some phrases that will resonate with a certain sense of familiarity: buy low - sell high, it takes money to make money, supply and demand... Thankfully, there is more than just these principles to get us by in FFXIV, though they are the bread and butter foundation to a gil making strategy.
So far, it seems that you can get by just fine in the game by playing your standard disciple of war or disciple of magic class. You can happy do your leves, collect your cash and item rewards, and supplement the rest of your gear by shopping frugally and making connections with other players. By killing mobs, you can trade materials and shards / crystals for goods and services. Or, sell them out-right for more liquidity and less restraints with your buying power.
On top of that, it is also viable to pick up one or more crafting classes as well. Here you will need to balance your efforts to avoid the obvious, and sometimes less than obvious, time sinks. These are usually dual-purposed as gil sinks as well, so keep an eye out. The finished product is not always the one that will net you the most gil per effort or time. With so many other crafters working as peers, juniors, and seniors on the supply line, you've got to examine the synths that ail make you money. You have to keep an eye on the competition. Sometimes you'll suddenly get a break in steady sales only to discover some nimrod haas parked his retainer a few feet from yours with blow out, rock bottom prices. This devalues your product, possibly saturates the market, and leaves you in a tight spot. Do you buy him out and relist the items at the going rate or do you mark down your own items and research your next product? There are several factors to consider. How rare are the materials required? How much do you already have invested? How much can you afford to lose if things don't go according to plan? And perhaps a bit more subtle, how much will it cost you to have bazaar slots taken by items that will not move - in other words, how much potential income do you stand to lose?
My next post will include a few more specific ideas on how to make gil in FFXIV, so sign up for my RSS feed or stop by again soon!
Making Gil in FFXIV - Part 2
Making Gil in FFXIV - Part 3
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Wednesday, October 6, 2010
FFXIV - All Things Considered.
As a purchaser of the FFXIV Collector's Edition, I've been spending a fair amount of my time in the land of Eorzea this last week. I've definitely learned a thing or two, mostly from figuring out that I had done it wrong initially. Primarily, my mistakes ended up being in the form of non-specialization and taking some of the more expensive leveling routes for some of my crafts.
It was frustrating to hit level 10 Blacksmith without having an easily recognizable finished product that I could churn out and sell for profit while a level 8 tanner (leatherworking) was able to sell me Smithy's Gloves +1 that he was able to make. What the hell? I console myself with the thought that I may see the fruit of my labors manifest in the next 5-10 levels. But this is just one of the things about new games. I could be totally oblivious to some synth out there that could help me to realize a more immediate return on my time and material investment. There just aren't any reliable guides available yet. We who go forward are the trailblazers, lighting the way for those who may follow.
******
I actually started this post a few days ago but didn't get around to finishing it. Yeah, I've been that occupied with my time in Final Fantasy 14 lately. It's been a learning process, for sure, and every day I walk away with a better understanding of the game and its many intricacies.
I'm looking forward to posting more about my adventures and shedding some light on what I've discovered so far. Most of my time has been engulfed in the creation of goods and turning a tidy profit. I'm now sitting somewhere in the neighborhood of 600k gil and I'm definitely looking to expand that to over a million while the game is still new. If you're interested in the FFXIV economy and how to make money, be sure to check back in! No, I'm not going to try to sell you a guide, I find a lot more value in an open, 2-way conversation on the ins and outs. So bookmark this blog or join my rss feed and stay tuned!
It was frustrating to hit level 10 Blacksmith without having an easily recognizable finished product that I could churn out and sell for profit while a level 8 tanner (leatherworking) was able to sell me Smithy's Gloves +1 that he was able to make. What the hell? I console myself with the thought that I may see the fruit of my labors manifest in the next 5-10 levels. But this is just one of the things about new games. I could be totally oblivious to some synth out there that could help me to realize a more immediate return on my time and material investment. There just aren't any reliable guides available yet. We who go forward are the trailblazers, lighting the way for those who may follow.
******
I actually started this post a few days ago but didn't get around to finishing it. Yeah, I've been that occupied with my time in Final Fantasy 14 lately. It's been a learning process, for sure, and every day I walk away with a better understanding of the game and its many intricacies.
I'm looking forward to posting more about my adventures and shedding some light on what I've discovered so far. Most of my time has been engulfed in the creation of goods and turning a tidy profit. I'm now sitting somewhere in the neighborhood of 600k gil and I'm definitely looking to expand that to over a million while the game is still new. If you're interested in the FFXIV economy and how to make money, be sure to check back in! No, I'm not going to try to sell you a guide, I find a lot more value in an open, 2-way conversation on the ins and outs. So bookmark this blog or join my rss feed and stay tuned!
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.0
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Min Maxing and FFXIV
Stats were a very big part of FFXI and even if you didnt completely buy into the idea of spending millions of gil for the slightest edge over the rest of the community, many people did their best to manage their stats in a way that would significantly improve their performance. I wasn't a hardcore player by any means, but I must admit that I took a significant amount of satisfaction from finally being able to afford that next big ticket item. Sure, as a casual player there was a lot that was out of bounds -- based on my commitment level and the time I was willing to dedicate to the project -- yet there were still more than enough reasons to be perfectly happy without having the very best the game had to offer those with the highest level of dedication and patience.
Even so, we're talking about an environment where at one point elitests would completely refuse to group with someone who didn't have a race that complimented their chosen job based on a few points of base stats. So, yes, there were some down sides to the system as well, but those came directly from the community and were not intended by the developers.
So I suppose that takes us to our next question, what role will item optimization take in S-E's next online addition to the Final Fantasy franchise? Will FFXIV have the same emphasis on stat stacking for specific abilities, enough to warrant complex macros to swap gear for specific spells or abilities? I, for one, greatly enjoyed having that much control over my own performance in FFXI.
So far, in Open Beta, I haven't really encountered these traits. Still, the game is pre-release and people haven't really figured much of this stuff out yet. A lot of these testers haven't played FFXI, or didn't make it past the trial if they did: based on some of the comments I've been seeing on the various forums I've been reading.
But I have hope. S-E is going to have to implement something to keep hard core to slightly-above-casual players not only occupied, but satisfied. There is the culinary profession, which will need to have some kind of demand to have a viable purpose in the game -- let alone the self-supporting economic component to make it more than just a time/gil sink. Let's face it, there has to be some kind of built on reward for spending all that time leveling up the job.
And of course, there are the Notorious Monsters, or NM's, that have made a reappearance. What would be the point of killing them without some type of reward that would justify the time spent camping/killing them?
In the end, I do believe there will be some form of min/max benefit to the game. Will it take the same shape as it did in FFXI? Maybe not, but only time and the player base will tell.
Even so, we're talking about an environment where at one point elitests would completely refuse to group with someone who didn't have a race that complimented their chosen job based on a few points of base stats. So, yes, there were some down sides to the system as well, but those came directly from the community and were not intended by the developers.
So I suppose that takes us to our next question, what role will item optimization take in S-E's next online addition to the Final Fantasy franchise? Will FFXIV have the same emphasis on stat stacking for specific abilities, enough to warrant complex macros to swap gear for specific spells or abilities? I, for one, greatly enjoyed having that much control over my own performance in FFXI.
So far, in Open Beta, I haven't really encountered these traits. Still, the game is pre-release and people haven't really figured much of this stuff out yet. A lot of these testers haven't played FFXI, or didn't make it past the trial if they did: based on some of the comments I've been seeing on the various forums I've been reading.
But I have hope. S-E is going to have to implement something to keep hard core to slightly-above-casual players not only occupied, but satisfied. There is the culinary profession, which will need to have some kind of demand to have a viable purpose in the game -- let alone the self-supporting economic component to make it more than just a time/gil sink. Let's face it, there has to be some kind of built on reward for spending all that time leveling up the job.
And of course, there are the Notorious Monsters, or NM's, that have made a reappearance. What would be the point of killing them without some type of reward that would justify the time spent camping/killing them?
In the end, I do believe there will be some form of min/max benefit to the game. Will it take the same shape as it did in FFXI? Maybe not, but only time and the player base will tell.
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Monday, September 13, 2010
FFXIV Playstation 3 Alternative?
Well, it's time for me to go back to school again to pursue my Masters, so it wasn't too difficult to persuade myself into buying a new laptop. Sure enough, one thing led to another and I ended up with a nice ASUS gaming machine that is pure over-kill for anything a degree in Information Security and Assurance could possibly throw my way. The G73JH-A1 is a powerhouse of a laptop with a 1.6GHz Intel i7-720QM Quad-Core Processor, 8GB of DDR3 Ram, and a full terabyte of storage.
But as gamers, isn't that pretty much our nature? Besides, who wants a machine that operates at the pace of a fast snail by the time the degree program is finished? Am I right?
Anyway, the laptop arrived on Friday so after removing bloatware and creating a restore image, I loaded up the FFXIV Open Beta and used the HDMI out to send it over to my 42 inch LCD TV. That, combined with my Logitech gaming controller, turned the otherwise PC experience into something of a consoler's dream.
After a few hours in Gridania and the surrounding areas, I'm more than confident that my setup would satisfy the most ardent of console gamers desires. The laptop ran cool as a breeze and the gameplay was smooth and clean. Plus, with the bluray player and the built in storage, this beast is a competent media center monster. Of course, the price is a bit up there for someone who is just looking for that console experience at the same time as PC release as promised earlier in the year. That said, if you're in the market, this is definitely the way to go.
As for school, I suppose I'll be playing as a reward for good behavior, so here's to hard work and good grades, lounging out in my free time with the kids watching the screen while I play some MMO goodness and de-stress. Cheers!
But as gamers, isn't that pretty much our nature? Besides, who wants a machine that operates at the pace of a fast snail by the time the degree program is finished? Am I right?
Anyway, the laptop arrived on Friday so after removing bloatware and creating a restore image, I loaded up the FFXIV Open Beta and used the HDMI out to send it over to my 42 inch LCD TV. That, combined with my Logitech gaming controller, turned the otherwise PC experience into something of a consoler's dream.
After a few hours in Gridania and the surrounding areas, I'm more than confident that my setup would satisfy the most ardent of console gamers desires. The laptop ran cool as a breeze and the gameplay was smooth and clean. Plus, with the bluray player and the built in storage, this beast is a competent media center monster. Of course, the price is a bit up there for someone who is just looking for that console experience at the same time as PC release as promised earlier in the year. That said, if you're in the market, this is definitely the way to go.
As for school, I suppose I'll be playing as a reward for good behavior, so here's to hard work and good grades, lounging out in my free time with the kids watching the screen while I play some MMO goodness and de-stress. Cheers!
Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9
Thursday, September 9, 2010
FFXIV - Community Anyone? Anyone? Hello?
One thing that has stricken me as odd is the shear unwillingness of a lot of the beta players to converse and share information. This isn't anything like my FFXI experience. For this reason, I can't wait until the 22nd for the Collector's Edition access to kick in. I really do think that a big part of the problem is that the beta tester population is significantly not made of people who enjoyed FFXI.
The game mechanics don't necessarily necessitate solo play, but it seems that people are very much of the mind that they just want to be left alone. Going back to the problem of locating the correct type of shards or crystals, asking in say at the camp or in shout in the city often resulted in not a single response. The same goes for asking random people if they'd like to group up to break the monotomy of grinding between levels 6-8, where it only makes sense to fight the mobs that are tough enough to make each fight a bit risky.
Maybe I haven't met the right beta testers, but the game right now seems to be even more solo than WoW is touted to be. That said, I've had a great leve group out at Camp Drybone, so I know it can be done. I guess that people just need time to figure out what works and what doesn't. That doesn't explain the radio silence, but what can you do?
All said, I'm looking forward to launch on the 22nd! Since the beta doesn't consist of /bug reports, I'm trying to learn as much as I can before the game goes live.
The game mechanics don't necessarily necessitate solo play, but it seems that people are very much of the mind that they just want to be left alone. Going back to the problem of locating the correct type of shards or crystals, asking in say at the camp or in shout in the city often resulted in not a single response. The same goes for asking random people if they'd like to group up to break the monotomy of grinding between levels 6-8, where it only makes sense to fight the mobs that are tough enough to make each fight a bit risky.
Maybe I haven't met the right beta testers, but the game right now seems to be even more solo than WoW is touted to be. That said, I've had a great leve group out at Camp Drybone, so I know it can be done. I guess that people just need time to figure out what works and what doesn't. That doesn't explain the radio silence, but what can you do?
All said, I'm looking forward to launch on the 22nd! Since the beta doesn't consist of /bug reports, I'm trying to learn as much as I can before the game goes live.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
FFXIV Dude Where's My Fire Crystal!?
One of the biggest problems I've had in the Open Beta so far is the vast limits that the game imposes on growth. Starting out in Ul'dah, I have been unable to locate a mob or activity that drops or provides Fire Crystals -- which are required for even the most basic crafting recipes for Blacksmithing and Goldsmithing. How in the world am I supposed to make nuggets to turn into ingots if the only fire I can get my hands on are shards?
It seems like the only progression you'll get right off the bat is to use the guildleves to help you level your skill, but once those are done you have to grind -- just like all of the combat or caster jobs out there. Maybe I'm just having a hard time wrapping my brain about it, but I can only see this problem compounding with retail. Allowing players to start their careers as crafters is great, but you have to give them a path to progression. Should leveling when you start out be solely contingent upon leves which can't be repeated for an additional 48 hours?
Case in point, while others told me that they were able to get wind shards by mining outside of Ul'dah, I was unable to find a single one in eight skill levels. It wasn't until I road the ferry to Limsa and mined in their areas that I began getting them in my loot. Any why did I need to get my hands on wind shards? Cooking! I found a simple recipe that would finally allow me to gain skill off my crayfish -- allowing me to do something other than vendor my fish. 1 crayfish + 1 wind shard = River Sand. As long as you can get your hands on the wind shards, this makes leveling up cooking much easier to grind.
It just seems like too many things are interdependant on one another. To cook, I can't just kill things that drop meat or fish. I have to find creatures or gathering activities that provide the right kinds of shards or worse.. crystals, which are much more rare. This may depend on the area you start out in, it's quite possible. It's just a little annoying that I can get fire and earth shards by fishing, yet not air. Is this based on weather? Time of day? Did I just not fish or mine at the correct time or the right day of the game week? My only option for prey was moles, marmots, and coblyns. None of these dropped the shards I needed.
The obvious answer then seems to be that I should head to the market ward. With no search feature, you've got to check each player and retainer manually across around 10 different areas. A smart shopper would try to compare prices. Yuck! Good luck! This is something that needs to change. I don't mind being able to trade my goods for others that may be harder for me to obtain. Maybe Botany is the way to go? If I don't want to do that, I should be able to barter the items that I can gather. Help me do that with a viable search or auction system.
It seems like the only progression you'll get right off the bat is to use the guildleves to help you level your skill, but once those are done you have to grind -- just like all of the combat or caster jobs out there. Maybe I'm just having a hard time wrapping my brain about it, but I can only see this problem compounding with retail. Allowing players to start their careers as crafters is great, but you have to give them a path to progression. Should leveling when you start out be solely contingent upon leves which can't be repeated for an additional 48 hours?
Case in point, while others told me that they were able to get wind shards by mining outside of Ul'dah, I was unable to find a single one in eight skill levels. It wasn't until I road the ferry to Limsa and mined in their areas that I began getting them in my loot. Any why did I need to get my hands on wind shards? Cooking! I found a simple recipe that would finally allow me to gain skill off my crayfish -- allowing me to do something other than vendor my fish. 1 crayfish + 1 wind shard = River Sand. As long as you can get your hands on the wind shards, this makes leveling up cooking much easier to grind.
It just seems like too many things are interdependant on one another. To cook, I can't just kill things that drop meat or fish. I have to find creatures or gathering activities that provide the right kinds of shards or worse.. crystals, which are much more rare. This may depend on the area you start out in, it's quite possible. It's just a little annoying that I can get fire and earth shards by fishing, yet not air. Is this based on weather? Time of day? Did I just not fish or mine at the correct time or the right day of the game week? My only option for prey was moles, marmots, and coblyns. None of these dropped the shards I needed.
The obvious answer then seems to be that I should head to the market ward. With no search feature, you've got to check each player and retainer manually across around 10 different areas. A smart shopper would try to compare prices. Yuck! Good luck! This is something that needs to change. I don't mind being able to trade my goods for others that may be harder for me to obtain. Maybe Botany is the way to go? If I don't want to do that, I should be able to barter the items that I can gather. Help me do that with a viable search or auction system.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
FFXIV Open Beta
Over the past few days, I've been deep in the throngs of open beta play with FFXIV. I actually got quite lucky, to be honest. I don't believe I would have managed it on my own, that's for sure. Chalk this one up to having a wife who's beyond awesome. She was actually the one who got me in. My luck, it would seem, was not as good as hers, and yet I suppose I lucked out for even having a wife who would do that for me in the first place.
The site was straight up hammered. With all the negative press from closed beta, you'd think that most players who were only casually interested in the game would have left it alone. Maybe it was more like passersby being drawn to stare at car wrecks on the freeway instead of just going on their merry way? Either way, imagine a large-scale distributed denial of service attack and that's pretty much what was happening behind the scenes with the servers. They just couldn't handle all the web traffic and login attempts. Hundreds of thousands of people were all trying to squeeze through a tiny pipe all at the same time and refreshing the page every thirty seconds - thus compounding the problem. But what can you do? It's not like they'd save you a spot in the beta for being nice and waiting until the initial rush has settled.
The surprising thing is that this shouldn't have taken SE by surprise. How many of you remember the fiasco that was the Wings of the Goddess expansion registration server crisis? Nothing like selling your customers a partially finished expansion and then making them wait to register it because your infrastructure isn't up to snuff to handle the requests. Metrics, what are those?
Does this seem like a bitch fest? It really isn't. More just light humor exposing certain trends with the Final Fantasy trademark as of late. You see, there is a lot to wade through when trying to garner info about FFXIV. You've got the haters, the fanboys, the dreamers, and the cynics.
The Haters - these guys hate the game pretty much because it exists and isn't what they are used to. Either that or because it's cool to rage about things on the internet and call people, products, and those who like them stupid. They may regurgitate valid points that others have made, but it's all just fodder for the war machine.
The Fanboys - These guys are equal opposites to The Haters. These guys love the game because there is no other option. All your base are belong to Square-Enix so shut up and play or go away. Logic fails on these people and if you disagree then you were obviously looking for just another WoW clone and don't have the intellect it takes to play a sophisticated MMO.
The Dreamers - easily mistaken for Fanboys, these guys are nearly blind in their sentiment that things will get better. No hardware mouse, auction house? Don't worry, all in due time! Anti-RMT measures that seem more like anti-player? It's all for a better playing experience...
The Cynics - these guys are the realists of the bunch. They want the game to be good, but they just can't help but see the glaring flaws. With the game so close to release, they are in a panic and try to spread the word -- hoping that their complaints get some recognition so a fix can be implemented. But is it too late?
I suppose there could yet be another category of player out there, The Realist. Part dreamer, part cynic, these players remember the Wings of the Goddess release and the unfinished expansion. They realize that it isn't beyond SE to release an unfinished product. They saw the affects of certain anti-RMT measures and the way they killed the economy and playstyles of legitimate players. They realize that SE is a company who prefers to dictate rather than listen. Yet, somehow they hope there is more. They hope that SE will listen, that the game will grow and evolve into something much more than it is now.
Of these, I hope the majority of us could be realists. There are some issues with the game in its current state, that's for sure. We can't make a company like Square-Enix listen to us, that's on them, but hopefully we can enjoy the game for what it is.
I look forward to posting more about my in-game experience, so stay tuned!
The site was straight up hammered. With all the negative press from closed beta, you'd think that most players who were only casually interested in the game would have left it alone. Maybe it was more like passersby being drawn to stare at car wrecks on the freeway instead of just going on their merry way? Either way, imagine a large-scale distributed denial of service attack and that's pretty much what was happening behind the scenes with the servers. They just couldn't handle all the web traffic and login attempts. Hundreds of thousands of people were all trying to squeeze through a tiny pipe all at the same time and refreshing the page every thirty seconds - thus compounding the problem. But what can you do? It's not like they'd save you a spot in the beta for being nice and waiting until the initial rush has settled.
The surprising thing is that this shouldn't have taken SE by surprise. How many of you remember the fiasco that was the Wings of the Goddess expansion registration server crisis? Nothing like selling your customers a partially finished expansion and then making them wait to register it because your infrastructure isn't up to snuff to handle the requests. Metrics, what are those?
Does this seem like a bitch fest? It really isn't. More just light humor exposing certain trends with the Final Fantasy trademark as of late. You see, there is a lot to wade through when trying to garner info about FFXIV. You've got the haters, the fanboys, the dreamers, and the cynics.
The Haters - these guys hate the game pretty much because it exists and isn't what they are used to. Either that or because it's cool to rage about things on the internet and call people, products, and those who like them stupid. They may regurgitate valid points that others have made, but it's all just fodder for the war machine.
The Fanboys - These guys are equal opposites to The Haters. These guys love the game because there is no other option. All your base are belong to Square-Enix so shut up and play or go away. Logic fails on these people and if you disagree then you were obviously looking for just another WoW clone and don't have the intellect it takes to play a sophisticated MMO.
The Dreamers - easily mistaken for Fanboys, these guys are nearly blind in their sentiment that things will get better. No hardware mouse, auction house? Don't worry, all in due time! Anti-RMT measures that seem more like anti-player? It's all for a better playing experience...
The Cynics - these guys are the realists of the bunch. They want the game to be good, but they just can't help but see the glaring flaws. With the game so close to release, they are in a panic and try to spread the word -- hoping that their complaints get some recognition so a fix can be implemented. But is it too late?
I suppose there could yet be another category of player out there, The Realist. Part dreamer, part cynic, these players remember the Wings of the Goddess release and the unfinished expansion. They realize that it isn't beyond SE to release an unfinished product. They saw the affects of certain anti-RMT measures and the way they killed the economy and playstyles of legitimate players. They realize that SE is a company who prefers to dictate rather than listen. Yet, somehow they hope there is more. They hope that SE will listen, that the game will grow and evolve into something much more than it is now.
Of these, I hope the majority of us could be realists. There are some issues with the game in its current state, that's for sure. We can't make a company like Square-Enix listen to us, that's on them, but hopefully we can enjoy the game for what it is.
I look forward to posting more about my in-game experience, so stay tuned!
Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.8
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
FFXIV Beta Invites - Advice for testers.
Well, the first round of Final Fantasy XIV Beta invites went out around the 1st of March. The lucky folks who were on the receiving end of those emails will start downloading the first version of the test client, which will be the first of many versions that are pushed down in the coming months of testing. As a previous Beta Tester for World of Warcraft, WoW: The Burning Crusade, and Warhammer Online, I am no stranger to the testing process. Unfortunately, I wasn't selected for this initial round, though I still have hope that my invite will come later.
For those of you who got in on this phase, and any subsequent phase of testing for that matter, you can probably expect download congestion, spotty connectivity to the Beta site, and people complaining about connection issues or download/client install issues or game bugs in a non-constructive manner. This is pretty much par for the course should be an expected part of the testing process. Don't get excited or stressed out, these things have a way of working themselves out and you'll be playing and offering beneficial feedback before you know it. Another thing to keep in mind is that testing usually breaks after a few days to a few weeks to load new testing content on the servers and make certain changes based on community suggestions and feedback. Once you're in, you're in for all of the remaining phases -- unless your conduct does not meet the standards expected of valuable testers as determined by the staff of the game you're testing.
If you didn't get your invite for this initial round of testing, don't worry, there will be more invites being sent out as the testing progresses. Also, I believe testing for the PC version kicks off first, so if you signed up for the PS3 version or indicated that you intend to play on that platform, it may impact when you will receive your invite. I cannot confirm that, however, it's just speculation on my part.
Another point of interest for those of you who are willing to do ANYTHING to increase your odds of getting into the Beta, Final Fantasy XIII has hit the stores and inside these first-run shipments is a product registration card that gives you a code to enter in on the Beta application form. Already applied? It's okay, when you apply again, this time indicating the code you received when you registered your copy of FFXIII, it will overwrite your previous application. The application site specifically says this, so there is no penalty for re-applying as your latest application will overwrite any previous entries.
Regardless of whether you got in this time or if you get in later, it is important to use your opportunity as a beta tester wisely. This can be done by experiencing many different facets of the game environment instead of just the things you enjoy doing as a part of your normal gaming routine. A good Beta tester does not view this time as a way to merely preview the game and pass judgment, he or she sees it as an opportunity to make suggestions that could forever alter the way the game plays and feels to possibly hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of players from around the globe. They report bugs with constructive comments and participate in surveys that pop up concerning quest objectives or other interactions instead of closing them to get on with playing the game.
Just remember, the rest of us are counting on you to help make this the best game it can be. Don't let us down!
For those of you who got in on this phase, and any subsequent phase of testing for that matter, you can probably expect download congestion, spotty connectivity to the Beta site, and people complaining about connection issues or download/client install issues or game bugs in a non-constructive manner. This is pretty much par for the course should be an expected part of the testing process. Don't get excited or stressed out, these things have a way of working themselves out and you'll be playing and offering beneficial feedback before you know it. Another thing to keep in mind is that testing usually breaks after a few days to a few weeks to load new testing content on the servers and make certain changes based on community suggestions and feedback. Once you're in, you're in for all of the remaining phases -- unless your conduct does not meet the standards expected of valuable testers as determined by the staff of the game you're testing.
If you didn't get your invite for this initial round of testing, don't worry, there will be more invites being sent out as the testing progresses. Also, I believe testing for the PC version kicks off first, so if you signed up for the PS3 version or indicated that you intend to play on that platform, it may impact when you will receive your invite. I cannot confirm that, however, it's just speculation on my part.
Another point of interest for those of you who are willing to do ANYTHING to increase your odds of getting into the Beta, Final Fantasy XIII has hit the stores and inside these first-run shipments is a product registration card that gives you a code to enter in on the Beta application form. Already applied? It's okay, when you apply again, this time indicating the code you received when you registered your copy of FFXIII, it will overwrite your previous application. The application site specifically says this, so there is no penalty for re-applying as your latest application will overwrite any previous entries.
Speculation: They were disappointed with the number of PS3 Beta applications and decided that this would be a good way of bolstering the number of players willing to test on that platform.Another bonus that comes with registering your copy of FFXIII is that you can enter it after you purchase your retail version of Final Fantasy XIV when it comes out and you will get a special in-game item! They haven't said what that item will be, but I imagine that this may be your only chance to secure whatever it is.
Regardless of whether you got in this time or if you get in later, it is important to use your opportunity as a beta tester wisely. This can be done by experiencing many different facets of the game environment instead of just the things you enjoy doing as a part of your normal gaming routine. A good Beta tester does not view this time as a way to merely preview the game and pass judgment, he or she sees it as an opportunity to make suggestions that could forever alter the way the game plays and feels to possibly hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of players from around the globe. They report bugs with constructive comments and participate in surveys that pop up concerning quest objectives or other interactions instead of closing them to get on with playing the game.
Just remember, the rest of us are counting on you to help make this the best game it can be. Don't let us down!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
My Final Fantasy XIV Predictions
Well, I posted my FFXIV predictions to Triond the other day. I, like many, am eagerly awaiting the announcement of closed beta invites in hopes that I may be one of the select few that get to preview the game in its pre-release state.
Take a minute to check out my article to see what might be in store with the latest Final Fantasy MMO. Of course, I could end up being way off, and I do have a few more notions that I would like to put out there, but I would love to have a few more people chime in on the things I've thrown out there. Do you disagree with some of my predictions? Great, leave a comment and let me know what you think. It's all subjective at this point, but at least we can have some fun guessing about how the game will turn out while we wait.
What's Triond? Triond is an online article publication site that pays you for articles you submit. You get paid based on the number of people that visit your articles and you get a share of the ad revenue based on certain factors. From what I've found, the articles I've written with content relating to online games have done quite well. If you like to play Final Fantasy, why not get paid to write about it? If you want to know more about how the whole thing works, let me know and I'll write up a blog post to help you get started.
-Bradybones
Take a minute to check out my article to see what might be in store with the latest Final Fantasy MMO. Of course, I could end up being way off, and I do have a few more notions that I would like to put out there, but I would love to have a few more people chime in on the things I've thrown out there. Do you disagree with some of my predictions? Great, leave a comment and let me know what you think. It's all subjective at this point, but at least we can have some fun guessing about how the game will turn out while we wait.
What's Triond? Triond is an online article publication site that pays you for articles you submit. You get paid based on the number of people that visit your articles and you get a share of the ad revenue based on certain factors. From what I've found, the articles I've written with content relating to online games have done quite well. If you like to play Final Fantasy, why not get paid to write about it? If you want to know more about how the whole thing works, let me know and I'll write up a blog post to help you get started.
-Bradybones
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