KingAlkaiser wrote:
when you buy the game from hat web site considering its DL only pc version do you have to download it from that web site any time you want to re-install?
I sense you may be concerned regarding the longevity of your purchase?
While I can't speak for Steam or Gamersgate, after I downloaded my purchased copy from GameFly, the complete FFXI game was just sitting on my hard drive (in the directory:
C:\Users\{My Username}\Documents\GameFly\downloads\{Random-looking number} ). There were a total of 4 files: an executable un-packer plus a 7zip archive split into 3x pieces.
The installer apparently works without any internet connection or validation required; as long as I keep the file and keys backed-up safely, I don't see any reason it shouldn't work as long as the FFXI servers are still around. I don't even need to run the executable; 7zip apparently decompresses the entire 3-part archive properly, revealing the contents to be SE's PlayOnline and FFXI installation files.
Try looking around your hard drive after downloading from whatever merchant you choose; during the installation, the FFXI installation files are almost certainly stashed on your drive someplace.
Edited, Apr 23rd 2013 9:20pm by Guppie