Final Fantasy XIV Digital Sales Halt, Servers Melting Under Strain

[aramisx]

This is the REVERSE problem often associated with MMO launches. Wherein in they were trying to be HUMBLE with their player number goals and ended up being overwhelmed. Recent MMOs were over eager, having tons of servers, which helped on released, but resulted in mergers down the road (Rift, SWTOR, etc). SE was trying to avoid that, but with a lot of hype, and wouldn't you know it, great feedback from beta testers that stated it was a GREAT game, they were duely warned during open beta the type of interest their game was getting and they were ill prepared.

Still, I'd like to think it's a good problem to have. "Crap! Our game is more popular than we anticipated. People actually LIKE and WANT to play it!"

 

[KeyMaster45]

I'm absolutely loving this game. I got in for the end of beta phase 3 in July and was, quite frankly, blown away. Since they stopped wiping character data in phase 4 a few weeks ago (the 3 day open beta) I've managed to level thaumaturge to 27, conjurer to level 10, arcanist to level 10, and last night took about five hours to level archer to 15 so I can roll black mage at 30.[footnote]Your character is required to have leveled thaumaturge to 30 and archer to 15 in order to pick up the job quest for black mage[/footnote]That's actually what I probably like best about this game; with enough time put into your character you level every class to 50 without making an alt.

It's just a good, solidly made mmo that didn't try to reinvent the wheel. Yes, the thing that probably makes this game so good is that it took things from other mmos over the years, mostly learned from their mistake, improved some of them ever so slightly, and then gave it a beautiful wrapping of a great FF game. As it stands, the biggest thing driving people away right now is frustration with having a hard time getting into the servers. SE has been working on fix that almost non-stop since beta 4 and early access started, so the problem has been seems to be getting better with each passing day.

I would encourage anyone looking for a new mmo, or anyone who's never tried an mmo, to give the game a shot. Yes, the game has a subscription[footnote]Make your peace with that now because FF11 didn't go F2P and they've said they'll shut this one down before it ever does.[/footnote], but in my personal opinion it's the first game in a very long time that is worth that subscription.

 

[Church185]

I find many of the abilities I get (archer, marauder are what I've leveled past 20) just aren't worth using on normal enemies. They're meant for long lasting boss battles and such. Spamming dots and such on regular enemies is a waste of time and energy for the most part. Just use a small cycle of your strongest abilities and that's that.

But I'm an Arcanist, if I don't DoT everything and use all of my abilities it will take me a year to kill a monster. D:

 

[Barciad]

I just had a look at the UK site. It gave me the 'access denied due to heavy traffic' message. Seems like us round here might be onto something.

 

[IndomitableSam]

I find many of the abilities I get (archer, marauder are what I've leveled past 20) just aren't worth using on normal enemies. They're meant for long lasting boss battles and such. Spamming dots and such on regular enemies is a waste of time and energy for the most part. Just use a small cycle of your strongest abilities and that's that.

But I'm an Arcanist, if I don't DoT everything and use all of my abilities it will take me a year to kill a monster. D:

When I duo with @Miyenne, I usually lay Bio, Aero(Conjurer ability I've carried over), Bio II now and then throw in Ruin, because otherwise if I take time to add on Miasma and Lightning(Thaumaturge ability) it's dead before I finish casting. If it's an easier monster it's usally just Bio and Aero as those are instant cast and then start casting Ruin.

Gotta say, though, an Arcanist with Topaz Carbuncle and an Archer really, really bring things down quickly and safely.

The only complaint I have about the game so far is.... it goes too fast. We shouldn't be in our mid-20's already. I find leveling far too quick and I feel a bit rushed. I have to remind myself to stop and look around. I wish levelling was maybe about 1/3rd slower because even now I only need to run through maybe a dozen quests and I've levelled. Less if there are FATE's around.

I'm hoping it really slows around 30+... but maybe it's just me as well and I need to take a breath and enjoy the time I'm spending in the world a bit more. It's stunning and there are NPCs everywhere who have something to say or do and you miss so much if you keep your head down.

I absolutley love that there are multple outposts and towns in every zone - it makes the world feel really alive. No more barren empty zones filled with monsters and nothing else - every corner of the world has people in it and reasons for them being there. It's great. Dig site in Wow? Empty and abandoned. Dig site in ARR? Multiple tents, a campfire, and NPCs walking around or taking notes or stoking the fire... that kind of thing. They dont' move around as much as I'd like, but I'll give it time - they rebuilt a game from the ground up in so quick a time there are still many things to do.

 

[ThunderCavalier]

This is kinda ironic. FF14 releases initially and is one of the hugest bombs in recent MMO history. FF14 ARR launches and it's so big that Squeenix can't handle it.

At least, though, it's a good game. Hopes are high that this doesn't end up like TOR and people lose interest in it half a year into the game. I'm not one for MMOs, but if the hype keeps building on this game, I might look it up.

 

[Church185]

The only complaint I have about the game so far is.... it goes too fast. We shouldn't be in our mid-20's already. I find leveling far too quick and I feel a bit rushed. I have to remind myself to stop and look around. I wish levelling was maybe about 1/3rd slower because even now I only need to run through maybe a dozen quests and I've levelled. Less if there are FATE's around.

I'm hoping it really slows around 30+... but maybe it's just me as well and I need to take a breath and enjoy the time I'm spending in the world a bit more. It's stunning and there are NPCs everywhere who have something to say or do and you miss so much if you keep your head down.

I absolutley love that there are multple outposts and towns in every zone - it makes the world feel really alive. No more barren empty zones filled with monsters and nothing else - every corner of the world has people in it and reasons for them being there. It's great. Dig site in Wow? Empty and abandoned. Dig site in ARR? Multiple tents, a campfire, and NPCs walking around or taking notes or stoking the fire... that kind of thing. They dont' move around as much as I'd like, but I'll give it time - they rebuilt a game from the ground up in so quick a time there are still many things to do.

I disagree, because this game actively encourages you to do everything. Level every combat class, level every crafting and gathering profession. It's silly to look at 1-50 on your main class as going through the game too fast. That being said, I heard that the level process really grinds to a halt around level 35.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

This is kinda ironic. FF14 releases initially and is one of the hugest bombs in recent MMO history. FF14 ARR launches and it's so big that Squeenix can't handle it.

At least, though, it's a good game. Hopes are high that this doesn't end up like TOR and people lose interest in it half a year into the game. I'm not one for MMOs, but if the hype keeps building on this game, I might look it up.

Here's a quick "checklist" for you if you ever feel the need to try the game:

1) Do you enjoy typical Final Fantasy Music? [ ]
2) Do you like iconic Final Fantasy staples such as chocobos, airships, crystals, materia and moogles? [ ]
3) Do you generally prefer class and job based characters, a la Final Fantasy Tactics? [ ]
4) Would you like all classes, jobs and item creation skills on ONE character? ('Cause you totally can, if you wish.) [ ]
5) Do you prefer soloing or partying? (Either or does not detract from the overall gaming experience.) [ ]
6) Like little minions to trod along side you? (I have a wind-up airship as my minion.) [ ]
7) Do you like customization? [ ]
8) Want a myriad of quick travel choices? [ ]

If you checked the majority of these, I humbly suggest you find videos of the game on-line at the very least. I was skeptical at first, and the instance servers crashing did kind of dissapoint me, but the game is otherwise a great addition to the Final Fantasy name. IMHO, more so than the other two Final Fantasy MMOs combined.

 

[Fox12]

Finally, I've been waiting the better part of a decade for Square to get their act together. They used to be my favorite company, now I haven't bought one of their games in almost ten years. With FF15 coming out, and KH3 on the way, their pulling things together. Firing their old president was the best thing Square ever did.

 

[Comocat]

For those having login issues (1017), I recommend:

1)Download autohotkey
2) Configre a script to press {Num0} every 1 sec (basic programming if you know, otherwise google it)
3) Run FFXIV in windows mode (so you can disable the script, do mess this up otherwise you get in but cant disable script!)
4) Go eat dinner
5) Come back and you should be logged in

Since there is no queue at the moment, brute forcing the login is the only way to get in at peak hours.

 

[Karoshi]

Damn, Square Enix fails at life again. Why in the world is this an issue. They already launched it once, did they forget what an MMO launch is like. I figure you need to plan on how many servers you need, then increase that number by 50%. They can be consolidated later if it's necessary (which it will be).

Honestly, was there ever an MMO that did NOT go through long wait times at launch? WoW has wait times almost every expansions, so did SWtoR and many many others.

I'd be surprised if it didn't happen, it's a bit like expecting a Bethesda game not to be riddled with bugs on launch.

 

[Miyenne]

But I'm an Arcanist, if I don't DoT everything and use all of my abilities it will take me a year to kill a monster. D:

Well Arcanists are different. Sam and I just tear through things as our duo, we usually double or triple up the mobs, even things 5 levels above us. I take one, carby takes one, and Tiu takes one, or she has carby hold both. If I need a heal she tosses me one, but I have a self heal from pug as an ability as it is. I need to level gla more too to get more abilities, I've kinda run out of abilities to pass over!

 

[Lilani]

To be fair, they hit over 187,000 concurrent connections, which is well over what any other Japanese MMORPG has ever achieved at launch. The previous record was 150,000 which was also achieved by ARR during the open beta.

 

[SecondSince]

An online game that has massive launch problems? No way!!! Who could have foreseen such drama?!?

Just another example of a poorly handled launch. Sadly, i've come to expect nothing less.

 

[Lilani]

An online game that has massive launch problems? No way!!! Who could have foreseen such drama?!?

Just another example of a poorly handled launch. Sadly, i've come to expect nothing less.

Poorly handled? The open beta alone broke the record for most concurrent connections in a Japanese MMO pre-launch, and I highly doubt they projected that number to INCREASE by 37,000 in actual pre-orders. This wasn't poorly handled, this was a matter of the launch going way better than they projected.

 

[Lilani]

Add this to the long list of reasons why the idea of a 'digital only future' can go fuck itself. I'll stick with my discs and games that you actually buy and own and shit, ta.

This is an MMO. It kind of HAS to be online, that's how they work.

 

[ThunderCavalier]

Here's a quick "checklist" for you if you ever feel the need to try the game:

1) Do you enjoy typical Final Fantasy Music? [ ]
2) Do you like iconic Final Fantasy staples such as chocobos, airships, crystals, materia and moogles? [ ]
3) Do you generally prefer class and job based characters, a la Final Fantasy Tactics? [ ]
4) Would you like all classes, jobs and item creation skills on ONE character? ('Cause you totally can, if you wish.) [ ]
5) Do you prefer soloing or partying? (Either or does not detract from the overall gaming experience.) [ ]
6) Like little minions to trod along side you? (I have a wind-up airship as my minion.) [ ]
7) Do you like customization? [ ]
8) Want a myriad of quick travel choices? [ ]

If you checked the majority of these, I humbly suggest you find videos of the game on-line at the very least. I was skeptical at first, and the instance servers crashing did kind of dissapoint me, but the game is otherwise a great addition to the Final Fantasy name. IMHO, more so than the other two Final Fantasy MMOs combined.

Is it F2P or sub? If it's the latter, I might not bother with it, but if it's a former, I might give it a shot.

 

[IndomitableSam]

Here's a quick "checklist" for you if you ever feel the need to try the game:

1) Do you enjoy typical Final Fantasy Music? [ ]
2) Do you like iconic Final Fantasy staples such as chocobos, airships, crystals, materia and moogles? [ ]
3) Do you generally prefer class and job based characters, a la Final Fantasy Tactics? [ ]
4) Would you like all classes, jobs and item creation skills on ONE character? ('Cause you totally can, if you wish.) [ ]
5) Do you prefer soloing or partying? (Either or does not detract from the overall gaming experience.) [ ]
6) Like little minions to trod along side you? (I have a wind-up airship as my minion.) [ ]
7) Do you like customization? [ ]
8) Want a myriad of quick travel choices? [ ]

If you checked the majority of these, I humbly suggest you find videos of the game on-line at the very least. I was skeptical at first, and the instance servers crashing did kind of dissapoint me, but the game is otherwise a great addition to the Final Fantasy name. IMHO, more so than the other two Final Fantasy MMOs combined.

Is it F2P or sub? If it's the latter, I might not bother with it, but if it's a former, I might give it a shot.

Subscription, and wil stay that way as the director has stated. Massive content updates every 3 months, also. Not expansion packs, content updates. I've supped for 120 days to save a bit of money - we'll see what they come up with. Housing should be out next patch. Yeah, housing. Been a while since an MMO did that.

 

[Zeckt]

Bought the game, fully intend to play it in a month or 2 because playing mmo's at launch for me has been a frustrating experience.

 

[Nilanius]

I've been playing this game since beta phase 3. And I have to say I am very happy with my purchase. Yes launch saw the game being too popular and servers filled up fast. But Square Enix has been hard at work to fix the overloads. And they intend to extend the server capacity to accommodate more players. I could even see them opening a few additional regional servers. Not many mind you, maybe one or two tops. But I don't believe they will go hog wild like a certain other company *cough*Blizzard*cough* did.

Gameplay wise, it is simple yet challenging. Yeah there's been a couple quests I failed a couple times, but they only made me desire to run back and try a different tactic each time. Classes are simplistic and seeing as you can be any class/job and be able to mix your other class skills/spells, you can quite literally hybridize yourself. No easter egg quests that I've found at least, which is good, because the story writers have some amazing story telling going on in the questing. The only easter eggs I've found is names seen in other final fantasy games.