Final Fantasy® XI

You will find this game much easier with a gamepad than with the mouse and keyboard.  If playing with a gamepad, be sure to use the 3rd person view (which is the default view).

I am using a Logitech® Rumblepad™ or Cordless Rumblepad™.  The game's configuration lists the buttons as 1, 2, 3, ... but the gamepad is X, Y, Z, A, ...  What are the mappings?

Why isn't the gamepad working in the PlayOnline™ viewer or Tetra Master®?

The FFXI® configuration is only for FFXI® itself, not for the PlayOnline™ viewer or Tetra Master®.  For Tetra Master®, see the FAQ entry here.  For the PlayOnline™ viewer, you can enable and set up a gamepad by following these directions:

• Click START on your Windows taskbar.

• Go to Programs->PlayOnline->PlayOnline Viewer->PlayOnline Viewer Config

• Check off Use Gamepad

• Configure the gamepad by clicking on Gamepad Configuration

Note that you will still need to type in your password, so you cannot do this entirely with a gamepad.

I have a hard time going up and down in menus -- the menus keep going left or right!

FFXI® is very sensitive to the direction you push.  You have to press down or up directly.  It is easy to accidentally press a diagonal which may cause you to go left or right instead of up or down.  If this is a problem for you, you can use the option to operate menus with movement controls.  First, you need to assign this function to a gamepad button using FFXI®'s gamepad configuration program.  While in the game, hold down this button and use the movement control (usually the left analog stick) to navigate menus.  You may find this easier than using the directional pad.

How do I enable a gamepad?

The enable a gamepad in general, follow these directions:

• Click START on your Windows taskbar.

• Go to Programs->PlayOnline->FINAL FANTASY XI->FINAL FANTASY XI Config

• Select Gamepad Settings(P)

• Checkmark Enable Gamepad

• Checkmark Use hat switches (to enable the directional pad)

• Test the gamepad in Test Gamepad(T)

For a Logitech® Dual Action™ gamepad, merely use the Default Setup(D).  You do not need to use Logitech® Profiler.  The FFXI® gamepad configuration tool also has settings for older types of gamepads that have fewer buttons.

For a Logitech® Rumblepad™ or Cordless Rumblepad™, the setup is a little more complicated because the game thinks the throttle control is the x-axis on the right analog stick.  You can see this when you test the gamepad.  See the section below, "How to set up Logitech® Rumblepad™ or Cordless Rumblepad™".

By the way, you can also play this game fairly easily with a joystick if you have one, although you will have to experiment to get a setup to your preference.  The setup is basically the same as with a gamepad.  The difference is in whether you prefer the throttle for move forward pushing the stick forward for moving forward, or for which axis you want for looking.  

Does this game support rumble effects?

Yes!  If you have a Logitech® Rumblepad™ or Cordless Rumblepad™, you can have rumble effects in the game.  You can get a rumble while executing certain abilities.  Rumble is not enabled by default, though.  To enable rumble, follow these directions:

• Click START on your Windows taskbar.

• Go to Programs->PlayOnline->FINAL FANTASY XI->FINAL FANTASY XI Config

• Select Gamepad Settings(P)

• Checkmark Enable Force Feedback

• Test the gamepad in Test Gamepad(T)

Is Logitech® Profiler required for this game?

Logitech® Profiler is not required for this game because you can configure everything with the game's own configuration tool.  If you do use Profiler, be sure to make it a persistent profile.

How to set up Logitech® Rumblepad™ or Cordless Rumblepad™:

• Click START on your Windows taskbar.

• Go to Programs->PlayOnline->FINAL FANTASY XI->FINAL FANTASY XI Config

• Select Gamepad Settings(P)

• Checkmark Enable Gamepad

• Checkmark Enable Force Feedback

• Checkmark Enable Slider.  You must do this or else the camera y-axis will not work.

• Checkmark Enable hat switches.  You must do this to enable the directional pad (aka hat switch).

• Test the gamepad in Test Gamepad(T)

• Notice the throttle is controlling the looking x-axis and the right analog stick's x-axis is controlling the looking y-axis.  We need to fix this so that the right stick's x- and y-axes correspond to looking.  Click OK to go back to the configuration window.

• Before you calibrate, make sure the throttle is centered.  Otherwise the calibration will read the throttle data instead of the right stick data.

• Click on Camera under Directional Control Devices.

• Follow the on screen directions, using the right analog stick's UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT.  Button A is considered Button 1.

• After the calibration, test the right analog stick for looking.

• Now that you have the right analog stick fixed for looking, take a look at the button configuration.  The default button layout is not the best since the default layout is designed for a PlayStation®2 type controller, which has four buttons on the right front side rather than six.  Furthermore, the buttons are designated as 1, 2, 3... rather than X, Y, Z, A... like it is on your Logitech® Rumblepad™.  Here is a suggested layout: