Linkshell vs Companies

[drake2k]

Not Grand Companies, I know what that is.

 

Could someone explain in plain English what the difference between a 'Company' and 'Linkshell' is?  I've read what I could scrounge up from the loadstone or the official website as well as the last 2 hour long video Q&A.  I'm still a tad confused.

 

Is a Company the same thing that other games would call a 'Guild'?

 

If so, what's the use of a Linkshell then?

 

If not, then *scratches head* what is it?

[Eva]

From what I gather, more information about Free Companies may be forthcoming so this could be subject to change, however this is kind of my take:

 

Free Company = Your guild.  You can only join/belong to one and I think there will be some sort of group building to which everyone may contribute/participate.

 

Linkshell = A communication device used to keep in contact with others who hold the same linkpearl.  You can join/belong to more than one of these (eight in 1.0) and can listen to conversations on multiple linkpearls concurrently or may use the chat config options to filter them however you wish.

 

 

There is probably a bit more info out there about FC's and I'm sure someone more "in the know" than I will elaborate a bit.  :thumbsup:

[Aysun]

Basically, in 1.0 we had linkshells (which people from XI called LS's, people from other MMOs called guilds). Actual guilds were things like the Miners' Guild and the Adventurers' Guild in game.

 

In ARR/2.0 we will have linkshells and free companies, as Eva said. She pretty much summed up the differences, I just wanted to add some info from 1.0.

 

So yea.

 

Linkshells will be for communication and whatever else you want to use them for (endgame, RP, etc) just like 1.0 but they don't have any bonuses.

 

Free Companies will probably be more strict (only one per character?), have bonuses such as housing associated with it (think guild hall), may be involved in major endgame functions, and will cost a lot to establish (I think?).

 

Guilds to me will always just be the guilds in game, however I'm sure people will call FC's and linkshells guilds forever.

[Rhostel]

In simplest terms:

 

Free Company: Guild

Linkshell: Invite-only chat channel

[drake2k]

That makes sense.  All three responses do actually.  I'm quite familiar with XI's LS system and 1.0's, but I left 1.0 before anything called a free company was out.  Either that I just never saw it when I played.

 

So, let's assume they don't completely change everything (Since EVERYTHING is subject to change), wouldn't it be better if I were to try to recruit for my Free Company instead of Linkshell?

 

I'm bringing a few folks from Tera with me to 2.0, as well as a few folks from XI and a few other misc games.  We decided on a name and such, but I figured I had better find out what the difference is before I screw it up. 

[Aysun]

If you plan on making a free company, I think that you should be very sure that making your group a free company won't actually DISCOURAGE people from joining. If things go as we are being lead to believe, and we are only allowed to have ONE free company, then it could lead to people being very choosy over which they join (I know I will be).

[Adventurer]

If you plan on making a free company, I think that you should be very sure that making your group a free company won't actually DISCOURAGE people from joining. If things go as we are being lead to believe, and we are only allowed to have ONE free company, then it could lead to people being very choosy over which they join (I know I will be).

 

Going to echo Aysun here!

 

Until I know more about the different Free Companies on the server and such, I'm going to hold out on joining one. When I finally do decide on one, I'm going to be very picky. It might be for RP, or it might be to experience other sides of the game. I just can't decide until the situation actually arrives. 

 

The bonus of making your group a linkshell is that people aren't restricted to just one, so it opens up your option of getting more members overall!

[drake2k]

That's understandable.  Then again, when I consider that the people I'm bringing with me are more familiar with guilds then they are linkshells, it won't matter as much.  In other MMO's you can only be a part of one guild.

 

Thinking back to what the last two posters are saying, if someone joins a Free Company, can they not leave it if they so desire, or is it permanent?

[Adventurer]

I imagine they can leave. I can't see them making it a permanent choice, just in case Free Companies go inactive and such.

 

The thing with Free Companies is, as far as I'm aware, there's certain content that you can only do as a Free Company. Examples include the Company Housing and such. Which is why people will want to be quite picky with the Free Company they go with.

 

The Linkshell, on the other hand, gives you a way to stay in touch with many other plays (much like a guild chat), but you're not tied into just one.

 

It depends if you want to experience the certain content (I'm not sure what else will be Free Company required yet) with those certain people, or if you're happy on just being able to talk in a channel similar to guild chat, really!

 

Some people might want to focus on PvP or End-game PvE and join a Free Company that specifically targets those areas. 

 

Others might want to join a certain RP Free Company to experience their HQ (Company Housing) and attempt content with them, etc.

 

A Linkshell means people who have different aims can still all be together in a single channel and talk as if they were a guild. 

 

So if you've all agreed on certain content you want to do at end-game, then perhaps Free Company is the way to go! If you know you have people into many different things, then perhaps Linkshell! It's not 100% certain how different PvE and PvP will be, but in most MMOs these days a 'divide' does seem to happen at end-game on people's focus.

[Eva]

I would imagine they would make some allowances for people to leave one Free Company and join another, perhaps with some restrictions.  I don't know if I've heard any official word on this though.

 

I also believe I recall reading somewhere that company housing can be opened up to those from outside your Free Company...  I went and did a little digging.  What follows is from the THIRD LIVE LETTER FROM THE PRODUCER Q&A:

 

@1:21:34

Q: Can you give us more details about Free Companies?

 

A: First, you'll need a group of four people. Then, you'll all need to join a Grand Company, whichever you prefer. Afterwards, you can form a Free Company under that Grand Company by visiting the Grand Company desk.

 

Free Companies each have a shared box for storing items and transferring them between members. However, imagine I’m the free company leader. If I want, I can configure it so that only I have the authority to remove items, and that the other three members can only deposit items.

 

We’ve created a very detailed system of permissions. Free companies will also have a point system that is similar to exp, which will allow Free Companies to grow. By completing quests, defeating monsters, and conquering dungeons together, the company can grow to level two and so forth.

 

Leveling allows for greater customization of your Free Company. Players will have more options when designing their company crests and decorating company headquarters, and they can even increase the size of their building. There are also special Free Company achievements. Unlike linkshells, which are more relaxed, Free Companies are more like organizations with shared goals.

 

Also, if you have a solid group of 8 people and there’s another Free Company you’re friends with, since it’d be difficult to merge Free Companies, we’ve designed an alliance system that allows Free Companies to work together. You’ll be able to utilize a shared discussion area on the Lodestone, and company leaders can control who has permission to post. It’s quite a complex system.

 

If you’re the type of player that doesn’t want to interact with people on a daily basis, but you have some interest in joining, you can join as a guest. Also, by inviting new people and helping them out, you will be rewarded with items that will help your free company grow more easily. We’re still considering how to implement this. We don’t want to make things too strict, but we don’t want to allow unrestricted access—especially since there is item sharing.

 

HTH~  :thumbsup:

---

Sorry for the double-post.  I had a little downtime.  Here is some more information from the 4th, 5th, and 6th Live Letters from the Producer about Free Companies and the housing system that may be relevent to this discussion:

 

 

 

Fourth Live Letter

 

 

[0:45:55]

Q: Will houses be personal or shared?

A: First it will be joint housing. A house of this size is going to require everyone to dish out some dough. It’s pretty expensive.

 

You can make furniture available to people of the same free company, or, if you want, you can set permission levels so all of your friends can use the furniture and what not. There are quite a few settings.

 

The reason why we’ve decided to establish them as free company bases first is because inside of the houses there is a new kind of system that involves parks and towers.

 

Parks would give a bonus to everyone in the free company, like an extra 25% to experience points earned. It could make crafting faster to level, or maybe give success bonuses for HQ crafting. It's a system that allows members to add things that will give boons to the entire free company. You’ll be able to increase the size of your house, and also your company can rank-up through free company points, allowing you to place more parks and towers around.

 

 

I’d first like to create a strong community within FFXIV. When new members join, you’ll be able to get more points, and we’d like to establish a system that encourages people to support new players coming into the game. Once the community has had time to come together we will then allow players to have their own private housing and branch out from there

 

Even for an MMO, I believe it’s nice to have a place to call home.

 

*The video shows off housing art for each region.

 

 

[0:48:48]

Q: Isn’t the largest size house almost too big.

A: With it being so big, you have so much room to put lots of neat stuff. For example, if you defeat Ifrit, you can place his skull on the wall above the fireplace.

 

 

[0:49:58]

Q: Roughly how much will housing cost including the furnishings and interior designs?

A: I think that maybe 4-5 players, each with one level 50 class could probably buy a house if they put all of their earnings together.

 

From there it will be possible to buy more land and rebuild, things like that. There will be lots of things you can do like have the roof changed to a different style, and then paint it whatever color you want.

 

 

[0:53:11]

Q: Can someone who is affiliated with a different Grand Company join the same Free Company as you? Could you give us more details about the Free Companies, please?

 

A: Regardless of which Grand Company you belong to, you can belong to the same Free Company. If we were to put strict limitations on this, then it would be hard to add people who want to play casually and it wouldn’t be possible to play with friends who already belong to a different Grand Company.

 

I was wondering if players would do some role-play with this. For our overseas players in particular, I can see people identifying with the military structure in-game. So maybe, for example, you have a group whose members are devoted to the Maelstrom Command, and everyone has the same motivation to get the Maelstrom Command to the top of the three Grand Companies – some kind of role-play like that. If this becomes the norm, however, you have to consider that casual players will have a hard time joining in, or that a player's friends may have joined different Grand Companies

 

For example, if we compare this to society – this starts to break into reality a little too much, but anyway – let’s say that the parent company is the Immortal Flames and we made a subsidiary company, a free company. But if we get contributions from players of three different Grand Companies, our reputation will vary depending on where we choose to focus our efforts. It should be easier to build a reputation if we devote our energies to one company, and swear to fight for that company only. So there could be this whole "reputation" concept – I'm sure the naming will change though. If you rise higher within the Immortal Flames, you could get a special title, or something like that, which would allow both casual and hardcore players to participate in this kind of role-playing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fifth Live Letter

 

 

[0:14:24]

Q: What's the difference between Free Company housing and individual player housing?

A: Free Companies will be able to purchase an estate to use as a base of operations. Once set up, they can expand the house by adding a variety of parts to it. When setting up individual housing, the same features will be available, so there will be no fundamental difference between them. However, for individual housing, additions to the house will only benefit the individual player, while for Free Company housing all of the members would receive their effect.

 

 

[0:15:22]

Q: How much will the housing and land cost?

A: We'll be keeping this a secret until the official launch of the game. Please wait until we're able to introduce the specifics on what you can do with housing.

 

 

[0:16:14]

Q: Will housing be implemented at launch?

A: We plan on releasing housing in the first major update after launch. Housing will cost quite a bit, so we were concerned no one would be able to afford housing if we released it at launch, resulting in an empty housing zone. However, around phase 4 of the beta test (open beta), we'd like to show off the housing areas and perform stress tests.

 

 

[1:25:31]

Q: What type of Free Company rewards and achievements will there be? How will the ranking system work? Are there benefits to forming a Free Company?

A: We're planning to introduce a variety of achievements related to Free Companies (initial formation, membership numbers, quest or FATE completion, etc.).

 

As for rewards, we don't want to force players to form Free Companies or punish players in small Free Companies, so there are currently no plans to introduce rewards based on Free Company performance in battle. However, there will be benefits for those who have maintained a Free Company for an extended period of time. As players continue using a Free Company, its rank will increase, and this will lead to rewards—more color/pattern customization options for your Free Company crest, more available features for Free Company housing, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sixth Live Letter

 

 

[0:08:26]

Q: What kind of bonuses will players receive by using housing?

A: I've mentioned a couple of things here and there in the past, like placing items such as towers on your property. By placing various items around the house, players can receive a variety of different enhancing effects. As an example, you and your friends or free company members can receive a two-week-long EXP bonus or a bonus to gil received. Of course, we won't create anything that pressures players into buying a house, but they will still have benefits.

 

 

[0:09:27]

Q: If you buy a small house and piece of land, when it starts to get too cramped will it be possible to upgrade to a larger house?

A: We're working on a system for moving that will be introduced in a patch. Also, depending on lag and stress on the servers, we may allow players to own a second house. But yes, you can be sure that when we're finished, you'll be able to upgrade to a bigger house.

 

 

[0:10:11]

Q: Will it be possible to sell land deeds in the market ward or other places?

A: Yes, it will be possible. They can also be traded. Just as an example, you could give a house to that special someone in your free company as a present.

 

 

[0:10:53]

Q:Is it possible to have multiple houses? For example, to have a primary residence in Limsa Lominsa and a villa in Gridania or Ul'dah?

A: Right, it's just like what I was talking about before. Having a main house with another house located in a different country. Once we have a better understanding of the burden this will place on the servers, we might be able to implement this.

 

 

[0:53:48]

Q: Will we be able to craft furniture for housing?

A: We've prepared this kind of furniture.

*Furniture artwork is introduced in the video.

 

So let's say you start a free company. You have a group of guys within the free company dedicated to battle content. You might also have a group of guys who only do crafting or gathering. One day the battle team defeats Ifrit and obtains material needed to build something. The high-level crafters can then use that material as a base, the gatherers can go collect other rare materials that are needed, and together they can finish building the trophy. You’ll be able to create all kinds of stuff, and we're sure you're going to love it!

 

 

[1:15:53]

Q: You've stated before that crests for linkshells and free companies can be freely designed by combining various parts. Can you show those parts now?

A: *Examples of free company crests are shown in the video.

[Aysun]

What makes me nervous about FCs is the talk of RPLSs wanting to make them. I personally couldn't join one, because I'd like my FC to be more for in-game content rather than RP purposes.

[Adventurer]

What makes me nervous about FCs is the talk of RPLSs wanting to make them. I personally couldn't join one, because I'd like my FC to be more for in-game content rather than RP purposes.

 

This is me, as well! Well, sort of.

 

I have nothing against joining an RP Free Company (I join RP guilds in other games all the time!) but I would still like to experience in-game content as well, so it'd have to be one that RPs but also puts some (doesn't have to be much!) interest into the actual game itself.

 

But this is why I'm happy there's both Linkshells and this system in the game. If I find I can't join a Free Company that suits my RP and game needs, I can always grab an RP Linkshell and still get my RP fix!

[Aysun]

What makes me nervous about FCs is the talk of RPLSs wanting to make them. I personally couldn't join one, because I'd like my FC to be more for in-game content rather than RP purposes.

 

This is me, as well! Well, sort of.

 

I have nothing against joining an RP Free Company (I join RP guilds in other games all the time!) but I would still like to experience in-game content as well, so it'd have to be one that RPs but also puts some (doesn't have to be much!) interest into the actual game itself.

 

Great idea in theory, I just haven't had a good experience with it in practice. It's hard to find a group that is both into heavier RP that I prefer and cares about EG/can do EG, or a group that is good at EG that doesn't do just super light RP. It seems like when you choose one, you sacrifice another.

[Eva]

I wish we had more specifics. I don't know that endgame itself will be important for this. It almost seems like this is just some sort of enhancement on the player residence thing and less about content. I can see where it could be valuable for RPers who want to establish some sort of physical base of operations from which to RP - but there will also need to be people working together on whatever progression-driven content is required to "level up" a Free Company in order to make it into something greater. I admit I like the idea in theory but I don't think there's really enough information yet. Hopefully as beta progresses we'll get a more complete picture of how this system will be implemented so that we can decide which of these two paths best serves the interest of our guildies.

[Rhostel]

I've been in good RP guilds who did solidly at endgame in WoW. Three of them, in fact, and been friends with members of others. None were hardcore at both, but that wasn't a matter of sacrifice, just shared preferences.

 

But I'm not keen on endgame. It's something I can be pulled into, but not something I can devote myself to. I don't like myself when I do. I really do want an RP-focused Free Company.

[Adventurer]

I've been in good RP guilds who did solidly at endgame in WoW. Three of them, in fact, and been friends with members of others. None were hardcore at both, but that wasn't a matter of sacrifice, just shared preferences.

 

But I'm not keen on endgame. It's something I can be pulled into, but not something I can devote myself to. I don't like myself when I do. I really do want an RP-focused Free Company.

 

Yeah! It depends on what you're after, but I'm similar. The thing is I still like to see the content and experience it with people I get along with (namely people I become friends with through RP!).

 

I raided 'hardcore' once before in WoW and I didn't like the amount of stress it puts on you. And even when you do well, to me it makes the game feel a lot different and not as fun. I much prefer to focus on RP, but dip my toes into content when I have the chance. Looking at recent examples in MMOs (mainly WoW and Rift, I'll admit), the most I ever do on them now is Normal mode raids with roleplaying friends. 

 

If I can find a Roleplaying Free Company that 'casually' tackles end-game content then I'm going to be one happy bunny. I always lean that way more than end-game guilds that have a really light RP theme, for example.

 

Plus I want to build a purdy house IC! :lol:

[ArmachiA]

I run a guild that is both RP and endgame, and have for many years. There is a bit of sacrifice involved... mostly on the endgame side though, not on the RP side. Since RP is mostly done in downtime and endgame has to be coordinated way way more than just running to a tavern to RP with some friends, we find we have to be more casual in our endgame raiding if we want to do RP at all. Finding dedicated endgamers is fine and all, but they usually want to be faster than we want to.

That doesn't mean we aren't good at endgame, our guild on Emerald Dream in WoW was in the top 20, we just move at a slower pace than Hardcore guilds. Honestly, I think if we dedicated ourselves to one or the other ("Hardcore" Raiders or "Heavy" RPers) we would get pretty bored pretty fast.

 

I love finding people who love to do both endgame and RP but it's actually really hard, so a lot of the time the guild is split between Casual Raiders and RPers. A few people in our guild are both though, so that's good.

[Anehki]

I've been in good RP guilds who did solidly at endgame in WoW. Three of them, in fact, and been friends with members of others. None were hardcore at both, but that wasn't a matter of sacrifice, just shared preferences.

 

But I'm not keen on endgame. It's something I can be pulled into, but not something I can devote myself to. I don't like myself when I do. I really do want an RP-focused Free Company.

 

I've quit WoW recently, owning an RPPvP/PvE guild which had around 100-ish members at it's peak, it was so much fun, we always had things to do and I'm certainly making a Free Company which is RPPvP/PvE in ARR, we are already working on guild story and the likes.  So look out for "Lockheart Legion" hopefully, myself and guildees are so hyped for this game!

 

I am so looking forward to RPing in the new locations, the possibilities seem endless compared to other MMO's. (I've always been an FF fan at heart!)