Final Fantasy XI

The eleventh installment in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XI, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is currently available for Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. Final Fantasy XI is also available on PlayStation 3, though this version of the game plays through emulation, and there is no noticeable graphic improvement playing on a PlayStation 3. Final Fantasy XI strays away from other Final Fantasy games, being the first and only Final Fantasy MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online RPG). It is also much different in the sense that you are not the only hero. Each player experiences the storylines as though they are the protagonist, bringer of great change to Vana'diel, but each must cooperate with other players. Leveling up may be accomplished solo, though at a great expense of time, but almost all quests require the help of other players. Also, battles are all real-time, taking the ATB system to a new level, which was emulated again, to a certain extent, in Final Fantasy XII.

This game has four expansion packs:
 * Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart
 * Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia
 * Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan
 * Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess

Each expansion pack adds its own story which players can choose to complete. Also, each adds new areas that are available to explore, many of which require the player to complete all or part of the story, weapons, armor, equipment, creatures, and sometimes even new methods of gameplay (IE: Assault, Campaign, or Besieged).

Additionally, three expansion chapters will be made available for download starting in Spring 2009:
 * A Crystalline Prophecy: Ode to Life Bestowing
 * A Moogle Kupo d'Etat: Evil in Small Doses
 * A Shantotto Ascension: The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born

Controls
The controls to this game are somewhat difficult to new players, particularly for users of the PC version. The game seems to have been designed with the controller in mind. Mouse functions are a little sloppy and counter-intuitive as the interface will often decide where to move your cursor inside of a very limiting field. That being said, players who play on the PC version will be able to quickly adapt to the controls and during rare occasions does one player use the mouse to control the character.

The controls are all based around the Num-pad, but can also be switched for keyboards without one, such as those built in most laptops.

Button Configuration (PC, W/Num-pad)
Num-Pad:

4 = Move Left

8 = Move Forward

6 = Move Right

2 = Move Back

5 = First Person View

9 = Zoom In

3 = Zoom Out

/ = Walk

* = Rest shortcut

0 = Select nearest target.

- = Open Menu

Enter (num-pad) : Confirm

F keys:

F1 = First Party Member (Determined on the list located at the lower right hand corner.)

F2 = Second Party Member ""

F3 = Third Party Member ""

F4 = Fourth Party Member ""

F5 = Fifth Party Member ""

F6 = Sixth Party Member ""

F7 = Target Self

F8 = Select nearest NPC (Party members' avatars in between the player and a target will prevent easy manual targeting; this targeting method enables other players a failsafe means of assisting with a single target)

F9 = Select the nearest PC.

Arrow Keys:

Up Arrow = Rotate camera (Up)

Down Arrow = Rotate camera (Down)

Left Arrow = Rotate camera (Left)

Right Arrow = Rotate camera (Right)


 * Note: When engaged in combat or in another window where Arrow Keys have an alternate function, holding Shift + Arrow Key will operate the camera.

Other Keys:

Tab = Target nearest target

Ctrl + [#1 - 9] = Use scripted "Macros" or shortcuts that the player makes to quickly cast spells and use abilities.

Alt + [#1 - 9] = Use macros #10 - 18, 10 being 1 and 18 being 9.

[Alt or Ctrl] + [Up or Down] = Change between macro configurations, good when the player decides to switch jobs or use a different macro set up.

Enter = Confirm

Esc = Back

Scroll Up = Zoom In

Scroll Down = Zoom out

Pause/Break = Log out

Jobs
Final Fantasy XI uses the concept of "changing jobs". The six standard jobs from the base game are:
 * Warrior
 * Monk
 * Thief
 * White Mage
 * Black Mage
 * Red Mage

Beside the six "standard" jobs, there are also six "extra" jobs in the game. These are accessible by leveling a "standard" job to level 30 and then completing a quest in order to unlock the new job. The "advanced" jobs are:
 * Beastmaster
 * Bard
 * Paladin
 * Dark Knight
 * Summoner
 * Ranger

Rise of the Zilart added three more "advanced" jobs to the game:
 * Ninja
 * Samurai
 * Dragoon

Chains of Promathia did not add any new jobs to the game, but Treasures of Aht Urhgan added three:
 * Blue Mage
 * Corsair
 * Puppetmaster

Wings of the Goddess added even more new jobs to the game:
 * Dancer
 * Scholar

The unique job capability of Final Fantasy XI is the ability to equip a "main job" and a "subjob" or "support job". The "support job" ability is a quest based in the towns of Mhaura and Selbina, and you are eligible for the quest at level 18. The purpose of a "support job" is to enhance your "main job" and is always half the level of your "main job"; for example, a level 75 White Mage could choose a "support job" of Black Mage, and would have all the abilities that a Black Mage has access to up until level 37 (provided their Black Mage is leveled that high). The player can typically choose what job he wants to use for his sub job, but some combinations fail to work and typically don't allow the person to get invited to a party. Since getting into a party is crucial to the game play aspect of FFXI, it is important for the player to choose what job he is going to level up to 75 and know what job he needs to level to support his main job. This makes the game rather hard for novice players to grasp and fully understand what main job needs what support job.

Story
20 years after defeating The Shadow Lord in the Great Crystal War, the three great nations of Vana'diel, the The Republic of Bastok, The Kingdom of San d'Oria, and the The Federation of Windurst experience a period of relative peace. However, the toll of the war is so tremendous that they have started relying on adventurers to do their bidding in the form of missions. During one of the missions to infiltrate a beastmen's lair, adventurers team up with Lion, a scout for an undercover organization named Tenshodo to discover that the beastmen are working to revive the Shadowlord. Distraught, Lion decides to report back to Tenshodo. Meanwhile, the embassy of each nation has requested the adventurers to be sent to Jeuno to help with several tasks.

Archduke Kam'lanaut, leader of Jeuno and hero of the Crystal War, learns about the adventurers and requests their presence in his audience room. Kam'lanaut and his brother Eald'narche ask the adventurers to infiltrate the three beastmen strongholds and retrieve magicites which he believes can be used to resurrect The Shadow Lord. They request the help of Aldo, leader of Tenshodo to infiltrate one of the stronghold. During this mission, the adventurers learn about an incident 30 years ago during an expedition to the northlands in which a female hume named Cornelia was accidently killed trying to protect a fellow member and her lover, a Galka named Raogrimm. Raogrimm disappeared after the incident while the other three members of the expedition mysteriously died as soon as they returned home. After receiving the magicites, Kam'lanaut sends the adventurers away. Their embassies send them home to report to their nations.

Upon returning to their home nations, their leaders decide to send them to check on the final seal in Fei'Yin to make sure that it has not been broken. In Fei'Yin, the adventurers meet Zeid, another hero of the Crystal War. Following Lion's investigation, Zeid goes to Fei'Yin to also check on the seal. However, they are too late. The final seal has been broken and the resurrection of The Shadow Lord is imminent. Together with Zeid and Lion, the adventurers infiltrate Castle Zvahl, The Shadow Lord's former stronghold during the Crystal War. They reached the throne room just in time to see The Shadow Lord gets resurrected. Zeid and the adventurers defeat The Shadow Lord and discover that he is actually Raogrimm, Zeid's close friend who went missing 30 years ago. Zeid lays his friend's soul to rest and Raogrimm is finally reunited with Cornelia. After escaping Castle Zvahl, Lion invites the adventurers to visit her in the Outlands, which is featured heavily in the first expansion, Rise of the Zilart.

Development
The original idea for Final Fantasy XI was conceived by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and the game was first announced in 2000 at the Square Millennium Event in Japan along with the announcement for Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XII. The very first teaser trailer can be seen here:.