Kitsune
05-17-2003, 09:26 AM
Well, it looks like Square is definitely dedicated to bringing FFXI to the masses in the rest of the world now, so by the end of the year (for PCs) and early next year (for PS2) you'll have a chance to play it.
I played FFXI last year for a little while, because one of my friends is an incredible Square whore who buys every little thing they put out and he let me have an account. (Each character costs money, is this how they usually do things?) I didn't much like it. Square has always forged their own path with FF, but what was on display seemed too much like every other MMORPG I had heard, it was a bit disappointing not to see Square do something more pioneering or interesting. (I'm not terribly interested in an online games except Biohazard Online.) So maybe its just not my thing and I was doomed from the start not to like it. There were some good points, I had a grand old making furniture and decorating my mog house, pretending to play house with girls like I did as a kid. And riding across the gorgeous landscapes on Chocobo's trying to evade Marlboro's and Bombs was a good deal of fun, as were the incredibly ornate ships and airships. I liked travelling and seeing new place. I also enjoyed tinkering with crystals, which I mostly gave to my friend to help him. But not enough to buy the game myself or keep playing it.
Well, I went online again recently with my old character (my friend kept him up when he felt like it, as I gave the guy over to him when I wasn't interested). And now I have to say I'm even disappointed, despite the expansion pack making things a bit more exciting and upping the amount of interesting design in the game: Japanese players have ruined a great idea, if you ask me. When I first played FFXI last year, it didn't seem like I was in Japan -- I'll give Square the benefit of the doubt, it really did seem like an immersive fantasy world. Other than the fact that, for instance, you could tell you weren't talking or dealing with Americans, because of the familiar protocol going on with communication, it wasn't terribly transparent.
Now though, its a bit icky. Ew, even. I'm not sure whether I just ran into the problem people and situations, or whether its huge, prevalent and widespread, but let's just say, the behavior is lacking. FFXI gives you the ability to make several characters that look strikingly familiar to popular idols in Japan. Now whenever I see one of these look-alikes, the in-joke seems to be go up and shout the lyrics of the idol-in-question's song in an obnoxious way and then run away before they can catch you. Similarly, I got an reaction from character, who asked, "You actually trust me?" There's no real competitive aspects to FFXI, its mostly cooperative, so I wondered what that was about. I soon found out, that when Koreans started playing, almost immediately people began to suspect they were in it more for the rankings than the fun of it all and started calling them the Hive Mind. So Koreans changed their identities so you apparently you can't tell they are Koreans anymore. Except, now there's list of traits everyone knows that identifies that them as "Korean" even if they aren't, and "what to do if you see one." To be fair -- it is a bit annoying, I suspect you're all familiar with how Japan's multiplayer scene is heavily arcade centered, while Korea's is heavily online. I think both sides are can be irritatingly competitve, but since FFXI is online, some annoying Koreans do have the tendency to come online and show how much they can "own" Japanese players by interrupting carefully planned party based combat and snagging experience for themselves.
While its true that this typical behavior of our culture makes sure the bad players do get appropriately ostracized -- the Hikikomori and the Right Wing players, I have to say are fiendishly ignored and tormented and I have to give a high five to the way Japanese players have collectively snubbed those obscene, disgusting jackasses. Then again, there wouldn't BE Hikikomori in real life, if Japanese didn't act the way they do and if we changed our society for the better.
Bottom online: you can't go anywhere without a reminder that you are in Japan, playing with Japanese players, while last year, it truly seemed like an interesting world with rules separate from Japan's. One player I talked to about this (obviously no one's going to admit it) who was pretty frank said there's nothing that can be done about it, its the way of the world. That, its similar to if Japanese moved to a different island or country with completely blank slate -- they'd probably still be Japanese.
Not that I hate my own race, I know I myself have many of the same tendencies -- and realistically, not all of them are as bad as they are cracked up to be that some say. But it would have been nice to see ourselves be more friendly and less stubborn and suspicious online, as another step to increasing comfortability with other ways of life. Alas, it does not seem like it was meant to be. At the very least, the Square employees still maintain this ideal -- the quests and stories they think up to give to players, continue to be imaginative and ignore all these petty things that go on.
I suspect that even though the game is set to translate whatever you say into different languages, if any of you pick it up, you're going to instantly recognize a Japanese player from all the stereotypes you've heard or experiences you've had. Oh well, we've never been all that good at diplomacy. ;)
-Kitsune
I played FFXI last year for a little while, because one of my friends is an incredible Square whore who buys every little thing they put out and he let me have an account. (Each character costs money, is this how they usually do things?) I didn't much like it. Square has always forged their own path with FF, but what was on display seemed too much like every other MMORPG I had heard, it was a bit disappointing not to see Square do something more pioneering or interesting. (I'm not terribly interested in an online games except Biohazard Online.) So maybe its just not my thing and I was doomed from the start not to like it. There were some good points, I had a grand old making furniture and decorating my mog house, pretending to play house with girls like I did as a kid. And riding across the gorgeous landscapes on Chocobo's trying to evade Marlboro's and Bombs was a good deal of fun, as were the incredibly ornate ships and airships. I liked travelling and seeing new place. I also enjoyed tinkering with crystals, which I mostly gave to my friend to help him. But not enough to buy the game myself or keep playing it.
Well, I went online again recently with my old character (my friend kept him up when he felt like it, as I gave the guy over to him when I wasn't interested). And now I have to say I'm even disappointed, despite the expansion pack making things a bit more exciting and upping the amount of interesting design in the game: Japanese players have ruined a great idea, if you ask me. When I first played FFXI last year, it didn't seem like I was in Japan -- I'll give Square the benefit of the doubt, it really did seem like an immersive fantasy world. Other than the fact that, for instance, you could tell you weren't talking or dealing with Americans, because of the familiar protocol going on with communication, it wasn't terribly transparent.
Now though, its a bit icky. Ew, even. I'm not sure whether I just ran into the problem people and situations, or whether its huge, prevalent and widespread, but let's just say, the behavior is lacking. FFXI gives you the ability to make several characters that look strikingly familiar to popular idols in Japan. Now whenever I see one of these look-alikes, the in-joke seems to be go up and shout the lyrics of the idol-in-question's song in an obnoxious way and then run away before they can catch you. Similarly, I got an reaction from character, who asked, "You actually trust me?" There's no real competitive aspects to FFXI, its mostly cooperative, so I wondered what that was about. I soon found out, that when Koreans started playing, almost immediately people began to suspect they were in it more for the rankings than the fun of it all and started calling them the Hive Mind. So Koreans changed their identities so you apparently you can't tell they are Koreans anymore. Except, now there's list of traits everyone knows that identifies that them as "Korean" even if they aren't, and "what to do if you see one." To be fair -- it is a bit annoying, I suspect you're all familiar with how Japan's multiplayer scene is heavily arcade centered, while Korea's is heavily online. I think both sides are can be irritatingly competitve, but since FFXI is online, some annoying Koreans do have the tendency to come online and show how much they can "own" Japanese players by interrupting carefully planned party based combat and snagging experience for themselves.
While its true that this typical behavior of our culture makes sure the bad players do get appropriately ostracized -- the Hikikomori and the Right Wing players, I have to say are fiendishly ignored and tormented and I have to give a high five to the way Japanese players have collectively snubbed those obscene, disgusting jackasses. Then again, there wouldn't BE Hikikomori in real life, if Japanese didn't act the way they do and if we changed our society for the better.
Bottom online: you can't go anywhere without a reminder that you are in Japan, playing with Japanese players, while last year, it truly seemed like an interesting world with rules separate from Japan's. One player I talked to about this (obviously no one's going to admit it) who was pretty frank said there's nothing that can be done about it, its the way of the world. That, its similar to if Japanese moved to a different island or country with completely blank slate -- they'd probably still be Japanese.
Not that I hate my own race, I know I myself have many of the same tendencies -- and realistically, not all of them are as bad as they are cracked up to be that some say. But it would have been nice to see ourselves be more friendly and less stubborn and suspicious online, as another step to increasing comfortability with other ways of life. Alas, it does not seem like it was meant to be. At the very least, the Square employees still maintain this ideal -- the quests and stories they think up to give to players, continue to be imaginative and ignore all these petty things that go on.
I suspect that even though the game is set to translate whatever you say into different languages, if any of you pick it up, you're going to instantly recognize a Japanese player from all the stereotypes you've heard or experiences you've had. Oh well, we've never been all that good at diplomacy. ;)
-Kitsune