Interacting with NPCs…

If you plan on doing anything in Final Fantasy XI you’re going to need to know how to properly communicate. I suggest all new players read over Mavi’s Etiquette Guide. Most of your interactions will be with Players. The rest off the time you will be dealing with NPCs. The acronym NPC stands for None Player Character. These are the characters that run on AI (Artificial Intelligence), they are not player controlled.

Interacting and talking to NPCs is critical if you plan on buying, selling, questing or doing just about anything. Talking to an NPC is very simple and doesn’t involve much explanation. Use the movement keys to walk up to the NPC. Pressing the “Confirm” button will automatically select the closest NPC or interactive object. If you’re targeting arrow appears above the desired NPC then press the “Confirm” a second time. If you are not within range a message will be displayed indicating you are “not within range”. If this is the case, simply walk closer to the NPC. In a case where there are multiple NPCs simply press the “Switch Target” button to cycle the targeting arrow through the NPCs on screen. Once the Targeting Arrow is over the desired NPC press “Confirm” to talk to the NPC. Remember to make sure you are within range. The response of the NPC depends on his role. NPCs have all sorts of roles and purposes.

Merchant NPCs

One of the more important NPCs is the Merchant. When talking to the Merchant a small menu will appear in the bottom left of your screen. This menu will have two options, Sell and Buy. If you select the Sell command a window will appear with a list of your current inventory. Under your inventory is your current gill and an windows describing the object currently selected. First, select the object you wish to sell. Pressing the “confirm” key will first display the price that the object will sell for. If you wish to sell the object then press the “Enter” key a second time, this will bring up a new menu. The new menu is to make sure you wish to sell the object, you may select sell or cancel.

Quest NPCs

As you explore the cities and talk to different NPCs some may ask for your help. The NPC may ask for you to deliver, collect and even find other NPCs on their behalf. Quests will start off with a small story, some even have in-game cut scenes. The story will give a brief explanation of what it is they need you to do. After reading the story explaining what to do the NPC will ask if you wish to help. At what point a menu will appear with options asking if you wish to comply or not. For more help on quests check out the Quest data base here.

Giving an Item to a NPC

Often times non playable characters are going to that you retrieve an item for them. Giving an item to an NPC is as easy as trading items with another player. First you must select the NPC you wish to give the item too. Once the NPC is selected go to the “Trade” option in the main menu. This is the same window that appears when buying or selling. The screen is broken down into four parts

• Your inventory
• Two rows if four squares allowing you to give up to eight items as well as an OK and Cancel button. There is also a Gil meter at the top incase you wish to give Gil.
• Your current Gil
• Item description screen.

Use the mouse to highlight an empty box. Once selected, press the Confirm button and your curser will then appear in the Inventory list. Press the confirm button on the item you with to give to the NPC. The item will then fill the empty box we previously selected. If you changed your mind select the cancel button to stop the trade. If you have selected the correct item and you wish to finish press the OK button with the mouse. The NPC will then accept the correct item and may then give you an item or continue on with a story.

Talking with players.

Within Final Fantasy XI there are five methods of communication with other players. Some are private, some are public others are a little of both.

Say

The most common method of communication is the Say command. When you “say” something in FFXI only the players within a close proximity will hear you. To “say” something in FFXI you need to type “/say” or press “Alt+S” then type in the message you with to “say” out loud. The say command is excellent for casual chatting and talking to people you happen to run into.

Shout

A common way for players to talk to large amounts of people is through the shout command. Shouting is a way to communicate over large areas. Shouting is commonly used by players who wish to sell some wares or to seek assistance for a party or for questing. Make sure to read the Etiquette Guide before using this method. To open the Shout command type /shout or Alt+S followed by the message you wish to shout.

Tell

The Tell command is a person to person chat. The “Tell” command is used for chatting over large areas in the game to a direct character with out any one else being disturbed. There is no distance limit with the “tell” command. The “tell” command is commonly used to contact potential party members who are not currently in the same zone. It is also used for private conversations. This is a direct person to person chat. To use the “tell” command type “/tell username” or press “Alt+R” to reply to the last “tell” message sent to you.

Party

The party command is for chatting with in the party you are currently joined with. Party chat is not limited by any distance so the party members may chat if one player needs to return to his home point or if the party is split up. The party input is accessed by typing /party or pressing Alt+P.

Linkshell

The linkshell is a chat that allows you to talk with a selected group of players. The linkshell chat is not limited by distance. Linkshells are most commonly used for casually chat as well as for forming groups with other linkpearl holders. To access the linkshell chat type /linkshell or pressing Alt+L.

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