Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Open Beta Experiences: Volume 3

      I decided to write up a post for all the newcomers of Eorzea including some of the most helpful links I have found over the past month or so. Personally I plan to play in windowed mode to as to maximize my productive time spent here and minimize unnecessary running around. I will be pulling from any available resources to compile this reference list.
      
First things first- Once you decided you are psyched to start playing FFXIV you should probably make sure your computer is equally as psyched as you are to run it. This game is very much a resource hog and the graphics are such that it demands a higher functioning processor and video card then any 5 year old PC you may still be using (like myself). First off run a benchmark test to make sure your PC can handle this game, if you successfully meet the requirements you may want to check the list of where your PC is gonna land performance wise. After all what is the point of playing this game is the graphics are gonna look like the PS2 version of ffxi. If you feel comfortable with your PC system and are ready to start up the game, take a minute to adjust your settings and get familiar with the options that will give you the best gameplay. Adjust your settings first because they cannot be changed once in game.
Link to official benchmark
See what tier your graphics card stacks up
See what tier your processor stacks up
Settings for FFXIV
Graphical settings discussion



Ready to get started?
     I can just hit play and start making my character right? Wrong. First you need to set up a Square Enix account if you did not previously have one for FFXI. You need to choose your future pay options and this is a good time to enter any redemption codes you may have (like for FFX 13 for asuran armguards). In addition if you have a FFXI character and want those hermes shoes that give a run speed bonus you will need to double check a few things first, namely your account needs to be active and have a character ID you are paying for. Want your Onion Helm or cool red goggles? Better register your codes before making your character.
Guide to creating your Square Enix account
Setting up your payment options
Character name transfer, redeeming in game item codes and pre-release information
How to register your FF 13 item code

Can I play yet?
If you went ahead and resolved all the previous issues, you are now ready to start the daunting task of creating your character. FFXIV has some very detailed customization and you will be faced with many choices and decisions. Relax, sit back and enjoy the options. Once you feel satisfied you will be faced with options about what kind of class you want to play. Disciple of War (DoW), Disciple of Magic (DoM), Disciple of Hand (DoH) or Disciple of Land (DoL). You will get some nice previews of the starting armour for each class. After you make your decision (don't worry you can always change easily later) its time to name yourself, and decide a birthday and guardian deity. So far not much is known about the guardian deities, so don't stress over making the right choice. After this we must settle on a city to start in. Will it be the lush city of Gridania, the pirate city of Limsa Lominsa, or the desert area of Ul'Dah. Finally we pick our server and are ready to enter the game!
Character creation basics
Wiki Discipline overview
FFXIV Core Discipline forums
Gridania
Limsa Lominsa
Ul'Dah

Decisions have been made, now what?
     Congratulations you have made many big choices today, pat yourself on the back. You are ready to enjoy your first cutscene in FFXIV and revel in some amazing graphics. However, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the game controls because you will be asked to fight your first monster during the initial cutscene! After you complete the fightscene you are allowed to see the rest of the cutscene and begin your adventures! So yeah....what is this UI, how do I move and what is going on here.... Personally I find use of a PS3 controller/XBox or PC rumblepad to be superior to the keyboard.....but to each his own.
Controlling your character
Understanding the FFXIV UI
Communicating with others
Inviting others?

Uhhhh...Can we make macros and shortcuts in this game?
Yes you can, in fact until SE fixes it later in a patch you must use macros to equip your abilities when you want to change classes, because they will be erased every time. Creating some quick macros can save you time and frustration later. A few people have compiled some useful macro sets for various purposes in this game.
Basic Text Commands
General Tips and Panic macro guide
Class change macro guide
Macro Guide for visual learners
General Macro Guide

Thats all for now, I will be adding more later after I sleep :)

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