Final Fantasy XI Then...

[mikewl]

Im sorry guys but I dont think I can make the BCNM Sunday.

I have stuff to do all day.

If you can find another Bard go on ahead without me, otherwise I can do it any weekday evening from 6pm.

Sorry about this.

[Vanicent]

Last night in Dangruf Wadi was good fun.

I offered to help Rare with the Geyser Lizard, he monitored one spawn point, I watched the other, and whichever point it spawned at, that player would alert the other (nice and simple in theory).

However, after hanging around for at least an hour, Rare suddenly started heading towards me, and warned me to get ready. I thought he'd aggroed the lizard at the other point, and was brining it my way so we could kill it.

How wrong was I?

What he actually did, was bring a few friends along, resulting in a furball:





Completely stupid, very reckless, but a ton of fun in the end.

Rare, please warn me next time you plan to do something like that.

[Magnakai]

Haha, splendid!
I'd been doing that with Mist Lizards a bit while partying in Valkurm. But that's a buttload of goblins. Did you get yourself out of it?

[Vanicent]

Yeah, we survived, much to my surprise.

[Bayan]

After Spending Most Of My Weekend In That God Awful Place (Garliage Citadel) I Now Have My Bomb Coal And Coffer Item - Old Gauntlets [For AF Gloves Quest] Back To Levelling. Anyone else Need To Kill Darkspark? Let Me Know Soon So I Can Sort Out A Trip To Slay Him
Also Lets Sort Out A BCNM Time, More Exp Per Level Just Means More Arrows ><

[mikewl]

After Spending Most Of My Weekend In That God Awful Place (Garliage Citadel) I Now Have My Bomb Coal And Coffer Item - Old Gauntlets [For AF Gloves Quest] Back To Levelling. Anyone else Need To Kill Darkspark? Let Me Know Soon So I Can Sort Out A Trip To Slay Him
Also Lets Sort Out A BCNM Time, More Exp Per Level Just Means More Arrows ><

Did you do BCNM on Sunday?

[Bayan]

No We Didnt No One Was On ><

[Tobal]

Sorry, went out to watch the football, with the intention of coming back home before 7-8, anyway that didn't happen thanks to the drink

[C']

Every LS member should read this now:

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=1092018027506923691

It kind of reminds me what I went through about a month back yet luckily I was quick to see the mistake I was making. I have always felt a certain tinge of sadness when I hear about people who view this game as a race to level 75. Occasionally I will see a friend who I partied with in one of the earlier levelling zones and they could be 10-15 levels higher than me and I'll admit that my first initial instinct is a tinge of envy and jealousy (if he achieved that could I have?) then I realise that in the grand scheme of things level 75 means precisely jack**** to me. There is a massive world here and you see but a fraction of it when you level as there is a kind of communal gathering at specific areas at specific levels.

On occasions I will simply drop whatever I?m doing and head out to an area I haven?t seen properly yet. I remember I did this in Davoi (and accidently got the key item for the PLD quest) or Beaudecine Glacier (in order to find Fei?Yin). I remember one time I was doing this and I received a /tell from a non-LS friend asking what I was up to. When I told him I was exploring his response saddened me somewhat.

?lol, that sounds so boring, what do you do that for. Go and level?

Maybe I have the luxury of the NIN job that enables me to do this. As long as I have Ninja Tools I can safely tackle and Even Match aggro that I may pick up and if things do go awry I have my 2 hour to get me out without any EXP loss.

I want to see this game from the same perspective as those Japanese players (and early western adopters) who didn?t know where they were supposed to go or what they were supposed to do. They just did what they wanted and discovered things as they did so. When the time comes to fight the Shadow Lord, I don?t want to do it with some high level people who basically beat him for me whilst I watch on from the sidelines. I want to do it with my LS, with us all at level 60, all battling him for the first time. Not really knowing what to expect but hopefully enjoying the experience.

You know one of the most enjoyable nights I had with this game occurred a few months back when we, as a linkshell, explored Castle Oztroja. Mihki, Mahlory, Toxicforce, Halfpint, Tobal and myself were all there for the first time (I had never even heard of the place before then). To me it didn?t matter that we weren?t pulling in massive experience points, I thought the actual experience was more important of partying with friends in a new area was ten times better than another EXP PT in Kazham or wherever.

Another example is those pics that Van posted above. Sure it?s Dangruf Wadi so it ain?t exactly a new experience for me, but when I pulled that train of gobs (when I checked the log we killed 32 gobs in that instance) and we both drew our weapons and started hacking away, it felt 10 times more exciting than any EXP party battle. Whilst all the mobs were many levels lower than me, the sheer volume made the battle more difficult and when we were done we were both down at around 200hp and I?m sure there were moments when we both felt maybe I?d bitten off more than I could chew. What was great about this was that it was an experience that I had expected when we both decided to get the game late last year (in case anyone doesn?t know me and Van are real life friends). Here we were, fighting alongside each other in a genuinely exhilarating battle and it didn?t matter that we were 20 levels apart.

It was simply? FUN.

What do you guys think? Am I overly romanticising the game trying to find things that aren?t there? Is it simply impossible to go against the grain in the game when the flow of the majority tide is so ingrained in the consciousness of the players? And if so, could the 70 new areas due to be introduced in Chains of Promathia re-introduce this element to the game, even if only for a short time?

I guess I read that story and feared that the same thing could happen.

[Tobal]

I felt jealous of all those above me, just like you before and went and tried to close the gap between myself and you,tox and Halfy. And in doing so missed out on the type of fun party i having with Mah and Mih right now, we've even made friends with some people around our lvl like ayviur and will people who i would have just forgotten about had it been another drop in party, its also opened up new areas to level in, in the last 8 levels we've barely touched crawlers, and i'm when nbk get back online thursday/friday we can have a crack at the King Tomb in East.ron, until i had alook around i had totally forget that there for more than beetles and crawlers to kill, thank god.

As for today when i get home, i gonna go have look for the Xarcabard crystal, and whack a few demon eye thingys on the way, the 1st time i ever felt proud of my demon killer trait, and been able to use it and try make some money peddling prism powders, my idol Mastersword's wealth and fame make me really jealous

[Vanicent]

Another example is those pics that Van posted above. Sure it?s Dangruf Wadi so it ain?t exactly a new experience for me, but when I pulled that train of gobs (when I checked the log we killed 32 gobs in that instance) and we both drew our weapons and started hacking away, it felt 10 times more exciting than any EXP party battle. Whilst all the mobs were many levels lower than me, the sheer volume made the battle more difficult and when we were done we were both down at around 200hp and I?m sure there were moments when we both felt maybe I?d bitten off more than I could chew. What was great about this was that it was an experience that I had expected when we both decided to get the game late last year (in case anyone doesn?t know me and Van are real life friends). Here we were, fighting alongside each other in a genuinely exhilarating battle and it didn?t matter that we were 20 levels apart.

It was simply? FUN.

It definately was fun. Still, 32 Gobs I didn't realise it was that many.

Oh, and you're right, there was definately a few times when I thought you had "bitten off more than I could chew". I'm just glad we didn't choke and managed to swallow. (Ok, crap metaphor, sorry about that ).

Let me know if you want to try that again Rare, I'm up for another furball in Dangruf Wadi anytime. Just warn me next time bofore you come charging out of the tunnel with your 'friends' following you. Ok?

[Vanicent]

I read an interesting description for Seraph Mentors on the Allakhazam forums earlier:

On Seraph server, "Mentor" generally means "Self Important Prick Who Sucks At The Game But Has Just Enough Time Logged To Be A Mentor".

I've never actually spoken or worked with anyone who is a mentor on Seraph, so I have to wonder if this is true or not. Can anyone comment on it?

Btw, I hope it's not true...

[C']

The problem with the mentor system is, it encourages exactly the sort of person who shouldn't be a mentor in the first place. By singling out mentors, it completely encourages the kind of wannabe uber player who like to single themselves out and parade their lvl30 advanced job and generally stick themselves on the pedestel above 'lesser' players (usually they are a level 30 DRK wearing Leather armour ?_?).

I'm sure there are some good mentors out there but the really helpful people, the ones who will go from Castle Zvahl to Ifrit's Cauldron for you (see what I did there? Ends of the world 8) ) often won't have mentor status but will help people.

Take the members of the Linkshell. All are intelligent (I think), considerate (occasionally :P) players who have already in game, and will no doubt continue to do so, help other plays.

None of us are mentors.

Myself will help anyone as long as:

1. I am capable of doing so (there's little point in asking me to help you fight the Shadow Lord right now)

2. The 'help' doesn't involve the transfer of gil from my pocket to yours.

[Magnakai]

I've partied with a few mentors in the dunes, and they are almost always very helpful and friendly. A couple have been no worse than a fairly decent player, and a couple have been extremely helpful.

[Magnakai]

That story at Allakhazam was lovely.
Yesterday was the first time I saw a foggy day in Bastok. That was quite memorable...
The first time I explored the Highlands, I stood there watching the sun set between the windmills.
That put a genuine smile on my face.