FF11 Players to pay for Account Security, Bigger Inventory

In a move that has annoyed and disappointed more than a few fans, Square Enix has decided to make some changes to FF11 including charging users for an all new 'Account Security Key' USB drive that protects players from hackers and account theft.

[jay2]

F that, no way I'd be doing that, this is part of the reason I didn't get into WOW, and why I've not had LIVE for months, I pay for my ISP monthly, I pay for games once, I don't illegally download anything simple as........

[Blasphemy]

Your already paying for the game monthly. I don't see the big deal with paying an extra $10 to keep your account safe. If you don't want to loose your account and all your hard work then what's $10. That's just my take on it anyway.

But as you said this is why I don't play MMOs. I am just not down with paying the monthly fee after I have already paid $50 for the game. I actually used to play FFXI. I played for two years and decided it really wasn't worth. I haven't played an MMO since FFXI.

[Obama]

What? People still play ff11?

[Myst]

Overall it's a step up in their security but I can definitely see how it might annoy some. Currently still playing the game, but more than likely I won't be purchasing this item at least until much later (When the steak is really on the line and I have a higher level character).

Always cautious about account security since my information is pretty much on that card and a nice little boost will be really helpful. Especially since you only have 30 slots in the inventory for some things and not to mention clothes/armor take up slots to. Though I wonder if that is the only two changes that will be done due to the USB drive or perhaps more? Seems quite a few MMOs are doing this now as I believe WoW is doing it to.

[dcbronco]

When you purchase an account, security is a given. No one should have to pay extra. What happens to those that refuse. They allow their accounts to get broken into. I would never buy their products.

[Zuhk]

Everyone that plays an MMO is in danger of having their password hacked via a program that they involuntarily download from a website. They are called keyloggers and people do this to get all of the goodies on your account. There nothing is that the game company can do to stop fools from downloading these keyloggers other than providing this next step up in security to make sure that it's actually you trying to log into your account. Become educated before you reply to something you know nothing about.

[Menchi]

You're probably the only person in here, who knows what on earth they're talking about.

@The rest of you.

If you don't know what the hell this is all about, go do some research, or don't comment at all.

The article lists the thing as a USB device for Gods sake, and it isn't USB in any shape, manner or form.

It -doesn't- plug in to your PC, PS2 or 360. It is simply a small device with a button on, that generates a series of "random" numbers that you must input whenever you wish to log in.

It protects your account by preventing anyone without that device logging in. This is good. The price is very fair, for what you're getting.

SE did go one step further though. They added an in-game incentive, which players are extremely happy about.

In fact, the only people who are complaining, is those who want the in-game bonus, without buying the token.

Now, tell me, why on earth would SE want to remove the incentive, which is only helping people, so that some idiots who don't want to keep their account safe, can get shut up?

[Random_Gumby]

lolfail

bad precedent = set

[Gun_Senshi]

But since Treasures of Aht Urgat was released, its a broken game.

[Ngai]

that expansion sure did change alot indeed.
quit like 2 years ago, do miss.. but never going back. enjoying real life too much :)

[Clubptxxx]

I've never played FFXI. Nor do I plan to in the future. And this doesn't turn me away or anything, I just have to put this out there because it feels like I'm the only one who thinks this way.

If you pay for a SERVICE especially an online one, Security should be one of the things included with the account. I mean, if you pay for a pair of shoes, don't they normally come with shoe laces? I think the MMO industry really needs to change. FFXI is already on its way out, so why add features when no one is playing? Take a page from Valve's book and actually care about the consumer, not about making your pockets bigger.

[Menchi]

Truth is, as you said, you don't play the game, nor are you interested in it. So it's not exactly your fault, that you know absolutely -nothing- about the game.

Yes, you pay for a service, which includes them looking after your account, and guess what, they do. They protect your account, as best as they can, on their end.

The problem is though, that accounts are valuable. And there's a lot of people who love selling other players characters, to people who can't be bothered to level that character.

This means, that the best way, and possibly the only real way, of anyone getting that account, is to "Hack" or keylog your computer. These programs, are usually caught from doing browsing on dangerous sites only.

However, recently, there's been a slew of sites, unrelated to FFXI, or gaming itself, infected with keyloggers and trojans. The only way to protect yourself, is to disable all scripts and the like on any site that may be infected.

This means that those people, are going to most likely lose their account. At no fault of SE. The same thing happens over at Blizzard, with WoW. They've implemented the exact same measure to combat it.

The reason? It's the only way to effectively ensure that the user isn't going to cripple their account security. Of course, these devices cost money to make, and as you well know, there's not a single company in the world, Valve included, that can incur a $2 million cost to them, at the fault of their users.

So somehow, SE are these horrible monsters, when they're actually helping people like you, who know nothing at all about account theft, by giving them a way to protect themselves.

In fact, the only -reason- anyone is complaining about this, who owns FFXI, is the in-game item they have included. They don't want to have to buy the token to get the bonus. The thing is, SE want that bonus, to get people to seriously consider the purchase of a token, so they in turn, don't have to fix players mistakes over and over again.

As for your rant against FFXI, and MMO's in general. FFXI is currently running along fine, with over 400,000 active subscribers. That is a VERY healthy number for a MMO. It's nothing compared to WoW, but then WoW is an exception to the rule.

Also, considering nobody is playing the game, yet an article can be made about users being annoyed [Minority, by the way, most actually understand the benefit of keeping their account safe] it's amusing to say the least.

Valve is a business. If they had any on-line MMOs, they'd do the exact same thing.

[Clubptxxx]

Ok So you've got me here. I mean, you're absolutely right. You know Way more about the service than I do. The thing I have a problem is, is there (or is there not) a way that they could have done this in a more cost effective way? I understand SE is looking out for security, but why do you have to use their hardware? Couldn't they set up like a direct connection and permanently store the information on your own flash drive? It seems to me this could be easily done.

But Now that you have shed some light on the situation, I thank you. I just wonder if there was a slightly more consumer friendly way to go about this. Maybe just charge 5 dollars for the inventory.

Another question I had, was the $9.99 Recurring? I read it but I was tired, and I'm too lazy to read it again.