Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) have really changed the way people look at RPGs. World of Warcraft alone is a phenomenon in and of itself. However, with all of the good MMORPGs have done for the videogame industry, they're also hurting things in a way. I've never been a fan of MMORPGs, so I didn't do the whole EverQuest thing, and
I don't play World of Warcraft either. I'm strictly a console gamer, so when Final Fantasy XI started beta testing on the Xbox 360 I figured I would give it a shot. I definitely enjoyed playing the FFXI beta, but now that things have moved from the beta server to a public server, things have changed a bit.
Final Fantasy XI
is an enjoyable game, whether you're playing on a sheltered beta server, or on a live public server. However, when you take an MMORPG that's been on the market for years like FFXI, you tend to get players who think they know everything there is to know about the game. These players, while definitely more experienced than myself or some of the other people who have only been playing a few months, do not know everything and are not the final word on how to play the game. But when popular opinion spreads, it can ruin the gaming experience for a lot of other people.
While there are many ways these "experienced" players ruin the game for others, in many cases you can ignore or avoid them. Unfortunately for Final Fantasy XI, the game is based heavily on partying up with others. In fact, leveling up by yourself would take a ridiculous amount of time. So while you can avoid these players, when it comes time to get some experience and level up your character, you'll inevitably face them. When you throw in
the myriad of players who are simply clueless about how to do well in an MMORPG, it becomes a complete mess. Here are some of the primary instances where know-it-all players and stupid players can ruin the game for others.
Party Etiquette
Since Final Fantasy XI deals so much with partying up with others, there are certain courtesies that you should offer fellow players. Parties in FFXI can last all day if you find a good one that's getting solid experience at a steady rate. However, if you lose an important member of the party (your primary healer for example), it can derail the whole party and force you to either disband the party, or take an extended break while you search for another member to replace the person who left.
Due to the inconvenience of having to search for another member and stopping the party from fighting for extended periods of time, it's common courtesy to find a replacement before you leave. If you can't find a replacement, notify the party leader at least 15 minutes in advance so they can find a
replacement before you leave the party hanging. The longer the leader has to find a replacement, the easier it will be.
Unfortunately, this is not the case a vast majority of the time. People will say they have to leave and immediately disband without any kind of forewarning and without finding a replacement. Sometimes it will be an "experienced" player who
simply doesn't care about his lower level job or the party he's in. Sometimes is will be a stupid player who just doesn't care at all. But no matter the reason, leaving a party with no forewarning and no replacement can seriously derail a party and discourage other people from playing the game.
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Article Source: www.gamedaily.com.