[Dev] Seekers Of Adoulin Not Supporting NA PS2

So long XI in 2013

tbh you could probably get a PC that can run FFXI for free at a garage sale if you ask nicely. and a quick craigslist search for my area has dozens of laptops and desktops that can run FFXI for $100~150

I'm more of a console person @.@. I myself don't think of computers as gaming consoles but i do play mmorpgs(ffxi onry atm) on my laptop b/c they arent avaible else where

It never be more than PS2 limitations because the game is a port of a PS2 game.

I was also joking at how slow they finish storylines, but.. k.

I don't understand how people can't see WHY the ps2 holds this game back. You must have a very limited understanding of how games are developed and what qualifies as "Holding back".

This game doesnt take much to run, my smartphone could technically run this game with little issue. The fact that the developers have a limited amount of space and resources to work with when developing new releases such as this is why the ps2 is "Holding Back" the other versions of the game.


Most people that own a PC have a HDD that is vastly larger then the measly 40GB on the ps2. Hell I have a 128 GB SDD with 2 500 GB HDDs for my movies, games and back-ups. 32 MB of ram? My phone has more and my PC has 6 GB of it. The fact is the PS2 simply makes the developer work around what the PS2 has for specs and not the xbox or a standard PC. Without the limitation of the PS2 we could have had lag free areas, an updated game engine, HD textures, UI updates and various other things years ago.

I for one am glad they are dropping support for the new exp. over here. I hope they will continue to develop new expansions and updates without limitations of the PS2 in mind.

As an avid PC gamer, this is an issue well known in the PC gaming world. When developers do a PC release and make it a straight port of the console version. There is nothing more that pisses off a PC gamer then getting a sub-par, shotty, sub-HD port for a lolconsole, when our PCs can run the game smooth @ ~60fps @ 1920x1080 with 16xAA fully maxed out.

It's more about aesthetics, performance, and technical issues noted throughout the game's 9 year history.

Yes, we could have higher resolution textures BUT the older FFXI team wished to keep the PS2, PC and 360 versions within one-to-one version parity. That would also mean textures and models will have to fit the constraints of the lowest denominator-- the PS2.

Yes, we could have a higher performing game-- no 30 FPS cap, little slowdown in crowded areas-- but again we are working within the constraints of the lowest denominator here.

As such, those are the ways that the PS2 is limiting the game.

However, seeing as how the "new" FFXI team has decided to work on Windows/360-only features-- higher resolution fonts, new UI-- it's nice to see they aren't sharing the same "one-to-one version parity attitude" of the old FFXI team. So, it makes me hopeful (wishful thinking) they would give the 360 and PC versions dedicated higher resolution textures.

Performance issues? Unfortunately, like I said in my post above, it'd require a complete rewrite of the code so that the game works better on both the 360 and PC versions. I really don't see them doing that at all now or in the near future.

This is a simply business. NA retailers don't stock new PS2 titles and since PC/360 games sell at a decent rate here it was smart to make the NA/EU versions of SoA for those platforms.

As for the "windower plays the game for you etc etc" debate i read a few pages back who cares that is just your opinion. I play on 360 and I actually love windower users they make my life easier but that is neither here nor there, This thread is just to inform you of SE's decision about the NA/EU versions of the expansion. Not about the PS2 holding back FFXI.

ps2 ftw

I shocked at how many people totally read the post wrong. They are NOT dropping PS2 support. They are NOT releasing the expansion on PS2 in NA at launch. The wording is VERY clear. There will most likely be a future version available through SE directly to purchase the expansion for the PS2 for NA players. Or like I've done myself, register an expansion on the PC and let the updates for the PS2 handle the new zones.

That won't work. Updates contain specific files.

This is wrong. I am an Assistant Store Manager of a GameStop and we still carry New PS2 games. They don't sell for ***, but we carry them.

So when the new expan comes out I wanna see full increases. Everyone keeps saying PS2 has always held FFXI back. Raise your hand if you thought this game was gonna make it 5 years. Now raise it if you thought 10. All these "issues" and stuff should be fixed right away with no excuses. I play on PC I use to play on PS2 saying it holds the game back is an excuse. Because once they start doing this Max setting updates people are gonna say Xbox is hurting the game. Where does it stop when everyone has a PC? Not everyone likes to game on PC.

You're going to tell me you carry new releases? There's a different from new condition and new release.

I purchased Abyssea for my PC and NOT for my PS2 and I was still able to enter the zones just fine.

Abyssea was a digital release...

They didnt have to say it. Whats the point of playing on a system that isnt gonna get support for new content? It's like hitting your head on a wall and saying ouch this hurts.

The abyssea add-ons are fairly small compared to an actual box expansion.

There hasn't been an actual New Release on PS2 other than the more recent Sports titles. MLB 2k12 is the most recent. We're going to phase PS2 out by the end of this year or early next year for sure, because they've finally stopped producing NEW titles for it

I also did not purchase Zilart, Chains, Treasures for the pc yet my ps2 registration worked on pc. There will be JP support for the title on PS2 so most likely there will be updates, as with all major expansions, to load up the new zones and not let players actually go to them without the expansions installed. Just like when Chains was released, you couldn't start any of the quests or zone into the new areas until you installed the game.

If you bothered to watch the english stream of vanafest, they said with this expansion they went in and completely redid the coding.Can't say after the expac it was made for ps2 anymore.They said it will allow them to add more spells,job abilities and items than was allowed under the old code.

what that means is it'll just take a long *** time to do the update since every file is going to change.

I could see this game being sold through online retailers. Amazon still has a fairly large selection of PS2 games & most retailers do have online only merch (i.e. Target).
I still play on PS2 because I enjoy lounging in my recliner or laying on my couch while having the game on a big screen. Sure it looks like ***, but at least I'm not sitting in front of a PC all day. Also, I'm pretty sure 360 isn't getting any graphical upgrades. It's still a ***port of the PS2 version.

I think is Bs that SE is giving the jp and not evem the download choice for NA , i dont understand how people like to tell others how to play or where to play seriously ps2 is this ps2 is that , this game was coded for ps2 there no way they gonna change that, if the pc users dont like they can go play ff14 or wow for all i care those games are coded for pc so you will have nothing to complain about .

No way to change coding. Well, this is news to me.

so what was the point in expanding the partition size (for both regions)?

bad move SE, bad move.

You had to have installed the expansions. Your story is *** otherwise.

Do we know if they actually increased it for NA PS2?

Except the fact during day 2 english breakdown of dev panel, they said they did change the coding.

Yeah, it's always been an excuse not to improve the PC and 360 versions further. It's from their perspective, a business perspective, that it's not worth the extra development time and manpower to do so. As was said before in an older Vanafest, even doing a dedicated PS3 version would require an entirely new code because the PS2 and PS3 are entirely different in programming. Time spent doing that would have been better spent working on another game, which is more money to them.

Does SE have the resources anyway to improve FFXI on the PC and 360? I'm sure they do but it's up to them if they're willing to spend the extra time AND money to do so.

I have seen the higher resolution modded DATs from a couple years ago. The game engine is capable of it especially if you have the PC to run it. If a gaming mod community can come up with higher resolution textures for the game, why can't SE do the same?

One word: Money.

If this game is alive still in its 15th. anniversary, then yeah I do believe this game does deserve an update or a complete overhaul like what EQ II and EVE Online have done. Heck, EVE Online is already on V3 (version 3) of its shaders and models update for the game. They're already at work for V4 which may bring more improved lighting, PhysX-based effects and ship-specific damage (i.e. damaged engines or sections of the ship).

But, Square-Enix isn't CCP (developers of EVE Online). As much as I'd like them to improve both the 360 and PC versions with code that works and performs best on both systems, I honestly don't see SE doing that.

The new FFXI team does make me hopeful though. I may not have played since September of 2011 but I have kept up with what's going on the updates. The new Windows/360-only UI and fonts is a much needed improvement over the older ones. So, in a way, it does seem they're not sticking to the mentality of the old team. Until they're willing to dedicated more resources in improving the Windows and 360 code/models/textures of FFXI (in other words, a complete rewrite), we will have to deal with the 30 FPS cap, the low and medium resolution textures, and the slowdowns. Why? Because the game is still using code and models and textures made for and designed to run on the PS2. And, there are still people playing on the PS2...

... in Japan.

How much space is the PS2 HDD? do you honestly think it fair to say let PS2 players download the expansion while pc/360 players go out to buy the disk (weak argument on my behalf please forgive me).

Also can PS2 HDD for many even handle a new expansion?