All World Maintenance Notice (Jul. 8)

From Square-Enix: We will be conducting maintenance on the Windows version of FINAL FANTASY XI at a yet undisclosed time. During this time players may experience difficulty in logging onto FINAL FANTASY XI, or experience connection issues. While the time of this maintenance has not yet been determined, we project that it will be held sometime during the afternoon (PDT). The exact maintenance period will be announced in the Information section shortly. We apologize for the inconvenience. [Date & Time] Jul. 7 *Time is yet to be determined. An announcement will be made shortly. [Affected Services] FINAL FANTASY XI ------------------------------------------------------------

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where fore art thou, windower
# Jul 08 2005 at 7:18 AM Rating: Decent
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707 posts
the loss of the widnower could be very upsetting. As others have mentioned, if SE wants to eliminate all 3rd pty programs, I completely understand. Many of the hack programs are simply absurd, and I watched a couple of demo movies that blew my mind...but i feel the windower falls under a different category.

It's so bloody handy and nice to have FFXI in a window, that even after 2 days of not using it I'm starting to notice a difference. For a game that asks (wait, DEMANDS) a fair bit of OUR time, it's a damn pain in the *** to try and seek party as a Thief (which usually equals 1-2 hours, sometimes more) or wait for a weather change with ONLY the FFXI window on my screen.

SE, Wake up! Not everyone is using these 3rd party programs to hack, cheat, or change the game. In fact, when I heard the new windower displayed TP, HP or whatever it did, I decided against downloading it. I don't want any special features, added cheats, or an unfair advantage at the game...I just dont want to put my entire real life on hold every time I want to earn 10k exp. or a couple hundred thousand gil.

Eliminate the cheats: {yes, please.} take away a 3rd party program that makes the game much more accesible and enjoyable? {no, thanks.}
RE: where fore art thou, windower
# Jul 08 2005 at 4:36 PM Rating: Decent
19 posts
Quote:
In fact, when I heard the new windower displayed TP, HP or whatever it did, I decided against downloading it.

When I saw that, I did first as well, then found there was a way to turn off the additional features. See his site for more info.
Yikes...
# Jul 08 2005 at 7:15 AM Rating: Decent
*****
12,975 posts
This update happened in the middle of the night, when a few friends of mine (Including myself) had just popped Dark Spark. We logged back on after getting disconnected, and we found the only person who didn't d/c dead. Our SMN. Poor guy. Screwed by the system. ^^;
Third party software etc
# Jul 08 2005 at 6:39 AM Rating: Decent
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574 posts
It's good SE is killing off some of the third party software probs with peeps botting etc, but why do people use windower? it's quite simple, they want to be able to just put the window aside for a moment to check on something instead of having to temp log all the time, SE should learn from this and make the game able to run in a window, the latest windower has a TParty function, you can see the TP of party members and it tells you the HP% left of your target PC & NPC(friendly and non friendly) chars.

If SE put this into the game, peeps wouldn't need to use a third party prog, there's progs which sometimes just pop up randomly and steal focus, if you're running the game full screen, you're screwed, as you have to reload the game.
my thoughts
# Jul 08 2005 at 6:17 AM Rating: Default
ok i thnik what their doing is right, first the rules are clear, no thrid-party sofeware and second everyones been getting mad since april cuz the game is not working right and everytime it's been an attack by a thrid-party program. so stop being a baby and grow up. if they didn't do this everyone would still be getting all mad cuz the game is not letting them in.
ehh...
# Jul 07 2005 at 10:49 PM Rating: Decent
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51 posts
I use a laptop for all the extra stuff. i also play on my PS2. This effects me not.
RE: ehh...
# Jul 08 2005 at 9:47 AM Rating: Decent
Congratulation! Do you want a cookie?
damn
# Jul 07 2005 at 9:59 PM Rating: Decent
My windower 3.2 is ******* up. Everytime someone on msn trys to talk to me the game freezes for a bit and whenever i try to log out it crashes. I read the info on the new version but it seems FFXI beat the windower to it. No worries though. The guy/girl will just come out with a new version tomorow like he/she always does. :) And i don't believe it is used for hacks at all.... just a belief i know nothing of the hacking type.
RE: FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 07 2005 at 1:58 PM Rating: Decent
The main reason for the update is likely the result of people using third party tools such as bots, FFact, ACtools or waypoint recorders. I'm all for the crackdown on the use of these tools.

However, I would like to see the windower stay. It is such a handy tool for flicking though your mp3 tracks, browsing the internet (nice if you need that all important map or guide to see you through your adventures ^^) or simply chating to some friends while waiting for a party invite.

Quote:
Personally, I think Windower is what allows all of these "cheats" to happen as it allows people to use other programs (that could be the source of cheating) while they have FFXI up.


I disagree with your point, you can hack a program whether it is minimised, maximised or windowed or whatever it doesnt matter. Windower simply makes it easier to tab between running programs.

Quote:
Windower doesn't allow hacks, things called "Fuel Injections" allow hacks. They are nice little programs that inject coding into games as the game is run, there is little you can do for this, although with these hacks, you can notice it through the server log, if you know what to look for.


Nearly there but no cigar. "Fuel Injections"?

Some writers use the term 'Hook' to also mean the program that gets inserted. ie, 'Injection' not 'Fuel Injection'

In programming, a hook is a place and usually an interface provided in packaged code that allows a programmer to insert customized programming. For example, a progammer might want to insert an additional capability into a game to gain an advantage. Hooks can be allocated protected memory space meaning making them harder to detect. The server log would be usless in the case of windower because you arent changing the actual game just the way that you view it and the server thinks its in fullscreen mode anyway. ^^




RE: FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 08 2005 at 11:28 AM Rating: Decent
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213 posts
Quote:
I disagree with your point, you can hack a program whether it is minimised, maximised or windowed or whatever it doesnt matter. Windower simply makes it easier to tab between running programs.


You're right, except for one thing, "hack" programs need the target program to be running in order to be able to affect them. The windower allows the "hacker" to be able to start the program, tab out, and start their "hack" program. While the windower itself may be a good thing for many, it's the enabler for the other programs, and that's why SE is cracking down on it. Kill the windower, all the other programs get a) harder to use, b) die out all together.
RE: FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 10 2005 at 10:19 PM Rating: Decent
My post:

Quote:
I disagree with your point, you can hack a program whether it is minimised, maximised or windowed or whatever it doesnt matter. Windower simply makes it easier to tab between running programs.


Skjie's post:

Quote:
You're right, except for one thing, "hack" programs need the target program to be running in order to be able to affect them. The windower allows the "hacker" to be able to start the program, tab out, and start their "hack" program.


Yes I understand what you are saying but my point was if SE decided to update it so that windowing wasn't possible, you could still hack. Yes a fix may stop basic script kiddie hacks and bots that just automate key presses only because they require the user to be able to TAB into Windows from within the game so they can start or configure them. However, a lot of well written hacks are preconfigured and use a loader to inject themselves without any user intervention, meaning you dont need FFXI to be in windowed mode. Programmers, if determined enough just change the method of running/loading their hacks without the need for multi-tasking to start and confgure them. So ultimately, banning the use of windowed mode just pisses off a lot of non-hacking windower users and makes the authors of hacks more determine to get round the fixes, which they always do given time.

I'd like to see the windower still working after the update or see SE introduce an option to run in FFXI in windowed mode. I hate having to wait 30 secs to temp or exit to do what i need to do, log in, then remember there was something else I had to do then have to do it all again. Its a pain and quite time consuming. Yay for windower, it rawks! :D

Edited, Mon Jul 11 11:25:56 2005
RE: FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 07 2005 at 3:21 PM Rating: Default
Actually Windower is dancing on the razor's edge now between simple tool and hack.

I was reading the site, and there is also a new "tool" that works with 3.2:

Quote:

Stage 1 is the external plugin interface. This allows you to send text to the game (without the game being in focus), to draw text on the screen, and also handle console commands. This can be used by any programming language or program that can load DLLs.


Sounds DANGEROUSLY like a botting system written to be used with Windower.

I think Cliff needs to kill this tool, despite the fact that it may already be too late ; ;
no time yet
# Jul 07 2005 at 11:05 AM Rating: Decent
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59 posts
Quote:
The scheduled time is announced as 7th July 3:30 to 4:30 PDT


the July 7th 3:30-4:30am update was for the 2nd patch that occured today. FYI Tomorrow's maintenance time is still yet to be determined.
Just got the update
# Jul 07 2005 at 9:18 AM Rating: Decent
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2,817 posts
Very small update, only hit a few files, including main.dll. I don't run any 3rd party ******** though, so my FFXI runs fine after the update. =P
FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 07 2005 at 6:36 AM Rating: Decent
49 posts
Since it is a windows only maint, I can only assume it would be about third party software. Personally, I think Windower is what allows all of these "cheats" to happen as it allows people to use other programs (that could be the source of cheating) while they have FFXI up. An FFXI without Windower may be a good thing because of this, however it would not be popular among the majority of players.
RE: FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 07 2005 at 11:08 AM Rating: Decent
Just because someone may be using a Windower, doesn't mean they are hacking the game. Some people seem to like talking to other people through chat clients or perhaps listen to music through the computer in the background. What weirdos.
RE: FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 07 2005 at 8:03 AM Rating: Decent
Windower doesn't allow hacks, things called "Fuel Injections" allow hacks. They are nice little programs that inject coding into games as the game is run, there is little you can do for this, although with these hacks, you can notice it through the server log, if you know what to look for.

And people don't seem to understand that PS2 players can also hack the game, they have a harddrive, they can install software and programs on it through the right cables. Just like people hack for Halo 2 and xbox live crap. They install it directly onto their Xbox from websites, and they cheat like crazy, just the other day I saw a new one, speedhack, aimhack, no/auto reload, and it gave the player the ability to shoot whatever bullets with whatever gun... It's not nice to have 100 rockets come at you in under 10 seconds from an SMG.

Also, FFXI has it's own type of windower, it's called temporary logout. Ever notice you can minimize with it? =/
RE: FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 09 2005 at 1:32 AM Rating: Decent
Just figure out the main string DLL, if you can do that, you can probably figure out those hacks also, sad really how no program or game is safe fromn these guys.
RE: FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 07 2005 at 7:36 AM Rating: Decent
Naturally the update is probably adjusting for people moving quickly/instantaneouusly through areas, which would seemingly be a directx speedhack of sort. While windowers are also associated with directx I don't think it's going to stop anyone from running a bot as you can just execute it with a keypress ingame D:
RE: FFXI without Windower?
# Jul 08 2005 at 5:58 AM Rating: Decent
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6,424 posts
The speed hack has nothing to do with DirectX. The client tells the server where the player is, and hackers found out how to change this position.
grrr
# Jul 07 2005 at 6:13 AM Rating: Default
they better not **** our windower 3.2!!!
update
# Jul 07 2005 at 5:52 AM Rating: Decent
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73 posts
wonder if this is to do with more third party software
scheduled time
# Jul 07 2005 at 5:22 AM Rating: Decent
The scheduled time is announced as 7th July 3:30 to 4:30 PDT
RE: scheduled time
# Jul 07 2005 at 7:02 AM Rating: Default
Any clue what time that is for us Europeans ? lol
RE: scheduled time
# Jul 07 2005 at 9:16 AM Rating: Decent
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242 posts
Depends on where you are in Europe.
RE: scheduled time
# Jul 07 2005 at 11:52 AM Rating: Decent
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197 posts
PDT is GMT-8
RE: scheduled time
# Jul 07 2005 at 3:19 PM Rating: Decent
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160 posts
PDT is GMT -7. PST is GMT -8
RE: scheduled time
# Jul 07 2005 at 11:34 PM Rating: Good
20 posts
could have something to do with the new windower comming out today
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