Final Fantasy XI Windower
- 12
- Add a Comment
- No Related Post
I’m a cheater.
OK, not really, but according to Square Enix, I’m a cheater, and in violaton of their End User Agreement and Terms of Service for Final Fantasy XI.
I haven’t been banned from Final Fantasy XI, nor have I used any of the recent hacks or bots. Instead, I use a little program called the Final Fantasy XI Windower, which allows you to play Final Fantasy XI in windowed mode.
Normally, you’re forced to play FFXI in full-screen mode. I won’t get into the complexities of why this was done (because it’s all just my opinion, anyway), but the short version is that Square Enix wanted to simulate a Playstation 2 environment (no multi-tasking, single user, etc …). Well, the PC is a multi-user, multi-tasking environment, and I would like to do other things along with playing their rediculous game.
You see, when I’m playing FFXI, I usually have a lot going on in the background: stock updates, e-mail, IRC, Instant Messenger, and a ton of other things. I would love to be able to check them along with being able to play FFXI.
So, I stumbled across a little gem of a program called the Final Fantasy XI Windower.
What this program does is simulate a full-screen enviornment in a window so that your game thinks it’s in full-screen mode, but it allows you to multi-task (like you were ment to).
You want to hear something really cool? I’m writing this right now in 1600×1200 mode, with FFXI running in the background, and I’m getting a solid 30 frames per seconod.
Of course, there are some drawbacks to this:
First and foremost is that the game i indeed in a window, and can lose focus at the worst times (I had an IM pop up just as I was engaging a notorious monster – bad!).
FFXI is a hard drive intensive game – things are constantly being swapped into and out of memory, graphics are being cached, and other nasty technical things you don’t want to read about (because it’s too boring) are happening behind the scenes. So, you’re not going to be able to (easily) ue other programs that are also hard drive hogs (such as installation programs). Although saving the occasional file works flawlessly.
FFXI is also a game that assumes it’s always in focus, and always has full-screen. This means that some graphical glitches are bound to happen. You may notice the occasional flicker, or texture error. Plus, the game will always use as much of the CPU as it can – it does not assume that you multi-task.
Finally, this is indeed in violation of the Final Fantasy XI end user agreement, and terms of service, so if Square Enix finds out that you’re using the windower program, they can, legally, cancel your account.
All in all, it’s great being able to use Teamspeak and Trillian while playing Final Fantasy XI.
Now … I just hope a Game Master doesn’t read this and figure out who I am ;)
Provided by Geekstreak
12 Comments
Samus
December 6th, 2006
at 7:48pm
I also use windower, but I find this one much better. http://momupload.com/files/2255/Windower-3.23.zip.html
酒豪
December 30th, 2006
at 3:48am
Hi lockergome Im proud of you!
ice essay Kudos to you.
mentiroso
April 3rd, 2007
at 5:39pm
ok, first id like u to excuse my bad english (its not my main), 2nd id like to garts u Lockergnome for this comment, its true that we ppl that use windower r (ik it sounds ridiculous) sumtimes chased by GMs and had strong argues with em about how windower violates the game style objetve that is no other to make u feel like ur playing in a console video game, now, can any1 explain me (GM couldnt) why sum1 that has PS2 or XBOX can play and consult his PC for internet information and we dont cuz we r usin our PC to play this stupid game? y do i had to use a PC that worths 2-3 times what my old PS2 cost and have to limited it for 1 game? if u think how ffxi works u usually spent 4+ hours a day there and in that time ur PC is nothin more than a simple game console. whos fault is it? mine? microsoft for makin the expensive console video game i ever bought? (still savin for PS· ; ;) nooooo its SE’s fault for asume that ppl that plays his ffxi doesnt have nothin more than a PS2 or XBOX. finally windower came to make this game sumthin really nice to us and we have to keep it in secret, i never used cheat programs or w/e they call em and sounds ridiculus cuz i have been contacted by a GM while i was campin Mee Deggi cuz an idiot acuses me of being a RMT… i even never got a claim of mee deggi in my life as vanadiel citizen >.> but GM found (still dunno how) that i was using windower and had a long argue, now… can they check into ur PC and see if ur usin a windower or other similar programs? if thats true i feel my privacy violated (as bad as it sounds) and worst yet i always see the same ppl campin the same nm (and now im really sure they r rmts) bt GM just said: we will invistigate… fck u SE!
VIVA LA WINDOWER! death to GMs!
peace.
tnek02
April 12th, 2007
at 11:49am
HELLO I to say that POL is now making there own windower go to http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/download/media/sysinfo01.html?pageID=media
phil
April 28th, 2007
at 5:32pm
Yea iam sorry i just had too say i think it is stupid that ure not aloud to use windower… Thats the dummest shit i ever heard of. Some people would like to do research while there playing ffxi. I meen if you have a pc its rediculouse that ure not aloud to window ffxi…. Every other MMORPG as well as game in general existent to the pc universe is aloud to window… so wtf is wrong with doing it with ffxi. Honestly SE has to be spoken to about this. For PC users its only right that they should be able to window ffxi. I no longer use windower because I had to reformat my computer and now hearing about SE kicking all hackers which i dont consider this a hack … but apparently they do… and kicking all gilsellers… I decided not to install it agen. And now i have the same problem i used to… any time someone decides to Im me… and i forgot about my aim being signed on… i get kicked from ffxi server… evertime i might say get a popup … i get kicked… evertime i accidently hit the wrong key it minimzes and kicks me…. wtf is wrong with having a windower. Im seriously going to call them and complain about that. We must go on strike! lol.
asdasdas
November 18th, 2007
at 3:19pm
i can explain why they want u to play in full screen mode, it is because they want to limit the chances of you being able to hack, idk thats what i think
Dave
March 21st, 2008
at 8:56am
Im just like you. i need the multi-tasking also, but i have a problem.. With SE’s new update i cannot fully log into windower anymore, once i get to the character selection, everything just closes. is there a new release coming out for windower?? Or has it just been ban forever? Someone help me out
Mr.NoooB
June 29th, 2008
at 4:09am
please help me out … i dont know how to download that damn windower please send me E-mail for the web site at Galasli@hotmail.com . I hope any one can help me
sanjay
March 31st, 2009
at 9:08pm
nice
ritsuku
April 19th, 2009
at 6:35pm
this is a little late lol but dont download a windower, instead, open ffxi config Start>Play Online>Final fantasy 11>FFCconfig
using that there is a window mode you can select
THIS IS IMPORTANT DONT USE A THIRD PARTY PROGRAM AND GET BANNED!!
thank you
qprmanzz
July 17th, 2009
at 2:36am
the ‘window mode’ doesnt work. i selected it and it opened full screen as usual and doesnt let me minimize it.
gonna try out the windower thing, its ridiculous spending 30 mins to an hour writing down crafting recipes that ive already put into a spreadsheet on my computer.
As if levelling crafts isnt hard enough already :P
Naff8000
September 29th, 2009
at 10:18am
windowed mode does not work for me either, nor does windower. Seems I’ve struck out for the moment