The auction house has subsiquently been shut down due to this. This has kept the in-game economy from sky rocketing. Square has since regularly banned accounts for violating the terms of service. Square-Enix permanently banned 700 accounts, and 300 billion Gil was removed from the game. This drove the prices of everything in the game way up. However in early 2006, Square-Enix discovered a group of players found a way to generate game currency, and exchange it for real currency. Things such as taxes, transportation, storage, and other minor things were used to remove Gil to prevent inflation. There was a great many things to keep the currency from going into overload, or people hoarding it. Gil is the currency of XI, as it has been since VII. Also the players level is factored into the new item created. The new items vary on the items used, as well as the quality of the item. (Why does this not surprise anyone?) There is also a synthesis system, similar to that found in Kingdom Hearts, where players can combine items aquired in their battles. The most popular seems to be the racing, and breeding of Chocobo's. So if you are a level 50 Warrior, and wish to have a secondary job as a White Mage, it will only be at level 25.Īnd there are a great many Side Quests, and Mini Games found in XI. The support job though, will be at half the level of your main job. This gives you the ability to learn additional skills, and try out a host of skill combinations. You can also combine jobs with a support job, once you reach level 18. You are able to change jobs any time you wish by visiting your Mog House, or rental house. With the vast amounts of Jobs, it is difficult to get bored with characters. There is also the introduction of two new Jobs not seen in previous titles, in the form of Puppet Master and Corsair. There is a total of 20 different Jobs to choose from in XI, ranging from a warrior, Summoner, and Blue Mage, to a Bard, Dancer, Dark Knight, and Thief. This gave it more depth, than that of any previous title in the series. The scenes were vast, in an almost epic style.
The backgrounds, scenery, and sprites are full of detail, and richly colored. (This was going to say awesome.that was until I saw the graphics for XIII.) But for a MMORPG, they are still stunning. Technicallities aside, let's take a look at the game itself.įirst off, the graphics for the game are very good. Square also allows for players to converse back and forth via text message, while playing the game online.īasically there is just too much good stuff in this game. Players are given the ability to choose what gets placed in the Log Window, with filters that are set up for it. The "Log Window" at the bottom displays the messages placed by the system, battles, and other players.
There is a "Heads Up Display", that consists of a log window, menu, and a few game information elements. Basically they were out to hit every type of player out there. For those who are not a keyboard/mouse lover, (like myself) Square even set it up for use with a controller.
If these items are accessible, they can also be used on the Xbox systems and the PS2. If you are using the PC, you will be in the use of the keyboard and mouse. The interface for the game is also fairly simple. But for some reason, people createt a new character for a different server, then they can swap items and equipment between their two characters. Players have the ability to move between the servers, rather than being limited to a certain one. The servers themselves are fondly named after iconic summons of Final Fantasy, such as Ifrit, Diablos, Shiva, and others. Each having a host of servers, that can handle 15-20,000 players. There is a total of 32 public game worlds. This was something not seen very much in the world of MMORPG's, and has made the game far more accessible than that of oher titles. This is what made it a great purchase for a lot of people.įinal Fantasy XI also has no region, or system specific servers, thus enabling the communication of many different cultures, who were playing the game. The Xbox 360 does not require an Xbox Live Gold account either. It has subsiquently been released on the PS2, Xbox, and the Xbox 360, as well as the PC. Released in 2003 to America, it has gone on to be a very successful online gaming experience.įinal Fantasy XI is also the first MMORPG to go cross platforms.
Final Fantasy XI is Square's first MMORPG.