Ask Massively: Shopping for new computers edition

I'm not having a great year for computers. Back in January, my much-loved netbook passed. I'd been having trouble with my desktop for quite some time after I bought it, and I'm pretty sure the processor is the root of the problems, but at this point it's just going to need a replacement. The plus side is that means that I have a large enough budget to afford a much better machine than I could when I bought this one, so it's almost a blessing in disguise.

Of course, I'm writing this installment of Ask Massively on a computer, so clearly I'm capable of using such a device for important duties. Important duties like explaining why Final Fantasy XIV isn't offering players a free trial and why our comment system is experiencing a truly humbling bug. If you've got a question for a future installment, leave it in the comments below or mail it along to ask@massively.com. Questions may be edited slightly for clarity and/or brevity.

Aaran asked: Any idea why Final Fantasy XIV isn't offering free trials?

The chief reason is probably the upcoming version 2.0 revamp, which is going to bring large changes to several game mechanics. Offering a free trial right now would involve showing off a large portion of the game that won't be relevant in a few months.

Beyond that, there's Square-Enix's habitual fear of anything related to free trials. Final Fantasy XI was particularly bad about this for years, offering only limited-time trial applications. Fortunately, at the moment it's easy to pick up a copy of either game on the cheap if you're curious, and both of them do offer a free month. And if you buy Final Fantasy XIV and decide to just wait for 2.0, you will get another free month when that goes live.

Andrew asked: Is there any particular reason why you are using the Livefyre comment system but do not allow people to login with their Livefyre login?

It's a known issue that's hopefully being addressed soon. Yes, it should have been working when the comment system launched, but as we've previously discussed, that's not at all under our control.

Looking for some advice on which class is best for soloing in Aion? Not sure who this Raph Koster fellow is? Curious about the release date of NCsoft's newest MMO? You've come to the right place! No one knows MMOs like we do. If there's anything you'd like to know about the MMO genre or the site itself, Ask Massively is here to help every Thursday afternoon. Just ask!