what makes the monthly free 12 dollars?

[sage40]

Is it that expensive to run the MMO servers to ping locations and player actions? Not sure where to research that type of thing. Or is it just they know people will pay it because they built up characters they want to keep?

I remember owning this on the PS2, would be cool if I could still play from there. When I got it used I hadn't realized it required internet and never figured out how to connect PS2 to the internet.

[⭕TheSodaman]

Originally posted by SCAP:

Is it that expensive to run the MMO servers to ping locations and player actions? Not sure where to research that type of thing. Or is it just they know people will pay it because they built up characters they want to keep?

I remember owning this on the PS2, would be cool if I could still play from there. When I got it used I hadn't realized it required internet and never figured out how to connect PS2 to the internet.

Cost Question

I can't answer specifically how expensive it is for Square Enix.

There is a cost associated with keeping servers running, customer support, and having a team to maintain and/or develop the game.

And then on a smaller scale, if I wanted to host a server for a non-MMO, say... Minecraft, and I wanted at least 10 simultaneous players to run around comfortably, I'll be incurring a cost one way or another.

Bought Used

And if you bought the game used before, there was a chance your product key was already used and you would not have been able to play even with the PS2 hard drive and internet connection. The store that sold it to you was unaware of MMO and/or Deluxe Edition returns yet.

Trial and Sale

And for those players still looking to get into the game now that the Steam sale is over, there's a 14-day trial from the Square-Enix web site that doesn't require payment information.

There is also a sale via Square-Enix until at least August 31, 2022 at 1:00 A.M. PDT (timezone). However, before purchasing the game, I would STRONGLY recommend the trial first. And if after a few play sessions, you've got yourself situated and got things setup to where you are enjoying yourself - then you're a stronger candidate for the purchase.

Below is a link to Square-Enix store that has the game and the trial: https://store.na.square-enix-games.com/en_US/games/franchises/final-fantasy-xi-online

Or alternatively, an internet search for "final fantasy 11 square enix" may lead a player to the same location.

[sage40]

Are there any comparisons between 11 and 14 you'd recommend reading to explain the diffs between the two MMOs in the FF franchise?

[Pulptenks]

Originally posted by SCAP:

Is it that expensive to run the MMO servers to ping locations and player actions? Not sure where to research that type of thing. Or is it just they know people will pay it because they built up characters they want to keep?

I remember owning this on the PS2, would be cool if I could still play from there. When I got it used I hadn't realized it required internet and never figured out how to connect PS2 to the internet.

The easy answer is it's a live service that still is updated on a monthly basis and now receives content free of charge still 20 years later. That is why there is a sub. And that is the only payment there is to that game, every new mount are free of charge.

[sage40]

do quests get more interesting compared to the free lev 20 tutorial?

[Dariken]

Originally posted by SCAP:

do quests get more interesting compared to the free lev 20 tutorial?

Yes, in fact the expansions have some of the best stories out of any MMO ever.

[sage40]

so FF11 has better quest stories than WOW ?

[Dariken]

Originally posted by SCAP:

so FF11 has better quest stories than WOW ?

I've only played a little of WoW so I can't say, but the expansion stories are on par with that of a lot of single player RPGs.

[ChaseFace]

Just a reminder that FFXI has a classic fan server Horizon opening on December 17th 2022, which is basically going to relive FFXI from it's 2004 launch up until current content with a permanent level 75 cap, meaning the game-ruining 99 level cap set after Abyssea will be regeared to function entirely with level 75 gear, so all of your gear will be relevant forever. It's gonna be massive, I highly encourage anyone who missed the original FF11 boat give it a shot!

And it's free! And Square Enix isn't interested in pursuing a classic server (since it would cost too much and be too much work and FF14 already makes infinite money from casuals), so you don't have to worry about losing anything in a cease & desist order. And the folks working on it are very talented programmers who have been doing this for years on other private servers.

[sage40]

Hopefully I will remember to look into this Horizon thing. Free sounds good.

Will my PS2 disc (I've never been able to connect that thing to the internet btw) be of any use here? I have nothing against using a ROM or Emulator since I legally own the base game even if I've never used it or subscribed.

Just wondering how the programmers will cover the fees needed to run this game, I'm fine with viewing ads.

[Jubejubes]

Cost of paying customer care (assuming there are 100 employees world wide ) $1500 - $2k a month each - $200K
Cost of utilities at each of the server locations or rental of servers ? Unknown, but best guess is $20k/month each (there are at least 10, there's anothr 200k)
Cost of paying upper staff (developers) unknown, but you can assume it's not minimum wage so best guess is $10K/month each. There are at least 5 of them thats $50k per month.
Emergency expenses (replacing broken hardware etc) guestimate of $5k per month set aside, probably too low
OTher costs (website with e-mail server, advertisign, other unknown expenses) best guess $1k - 10k per month

Total guestimated expenses - about $500k, probably closer to $1M USD per month to operate this game (that's $12 million a year..which is within reason for costs of a video game these days).

Your contribution from buying hte game 6 months ago on sale for $15 - meaningless

Alternatively, we could all pay $0/month and the whales can fork over all the cash to keep the game afloat while we get harassed daily to login, spammed by a neverending list of battlepass quests with mediocre pointless rewards and half arsed content shoved down our throats that feels soulless. All the while, customers who pay these companies are essentially promoting child slavery and work place abuse and not giving a hoot.

Ya , you enjoy your free game. Hope lil timmy doesn't grow up to have ptsd and a durg problem.