Final Fantasy XI Then...

[C']

No, not at all. No deaths, one Koga Hakama dropped but I miscalculated how many people needed it so by 3:30am I was just a tired idiot who wanted to go to bed. If 2 more had dropped I would have got one but I doubted it would happen.

You know what annoys me the most? This should have been my first run in main NIN lotting group and the winning lot (2 people lotted) was 4XX That means the odds are that I would have lotted higher (not guaranteed obviously). But because Virgin were crap last Tuesday I couldn't attend the run so last night was number 10 instead of number 11 ;_;

[dataDave]

I'm not sure how to take that . You do know that my main job is RDM?

Sry, thought you were offering some 'stradling me like a horse service' whilst in your shiny red+black PVC AF in an attempt to lighten the mood, wasn't on about base stats/race at all. ><

But I am pretty sure I could exp WHM naked, all I seem to do, even at 60, is Haste, Barwhatevera, Regen, Haste, CureII, Haste, CureI, and so on.... I don't seem to be even using cookies as much anymore as I make sure my parties have adequate refresh meaning we can 5-chain before healing, so it's a matter of one cookie every 5mobs which in turn justifies going that bit further and finally upgrading to (my first ever stack of) Wizard Cookies.

[talizker]

thought you were offering some 'stradling me like a horse service' whilst in your shiny red+black PVC AF in an attempt to lighten the mood

Now I get you dude - i'm lmao here

[Kerushi]

cookies! no milk?>

[dataDave]

cookies! no milk?>

Lol! Saved meh milk for solo NIN 1-12 mateh. Cheap regen ftw!!

I think I healed just once during 1-10, until me + Rep started getting frisky with some worms + Quadav.

[dataDave]

Its not so much the desire for all the best gear, its the constant belief I have that people are conspiring behind my back and talking in hushed whispers regarding my lack of said gear which gets to me.

I was going to let this rest but I can't. ><

It's totally appalling that anyone should be talking behind backs. If someone ever has a problem with my gear then I'd appreciate it that we got it out in the open and then I'd know I have something to resolve. Similar to my BLM AF vs. Shaman's Cloak discussion with Apa + Rare a few months back, the facts were laid down and it was up to me to review.

What's talking behind your back going to solve?

If these people wanted to help all they need to do is say. "Oi! You don't do it like that mate, you wanna think like this..." It's up to the individual to review the advice and act accordingly.

If I ever see a WHM wearing INT gear I'll bring it up nicely for instance. (for the record I've got one Geist + one Morion on my WHM still, before anyone picks me up on that. >< trying to save for p.rope, not waste gil on damn anti-venom gayness)

And if I ever get something wrong with my gear I really would like a bit of piss-taking out in the open plz, then I know I have something to fix rather than letting the issue linger so that it affects others down the line when it might matter.

I know the above doesn't count for anyone that posts on here, and hopefully not in the Linkshell as I know if I was doing anything wrong I'd be jumped on (and rightly so) so it's a bit of a pointless post really.

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It's a bit like having bad breath/BO IRL, I'd appreciate someone brought it up with me by taking the piss before I go chatting to some ladiez etc..

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I think you're acting a bit paranoid there Dara - we do have a laugh about each other behind backs and I do question some ppls actions sometimes which returns some funny comments from others. Just last night for instance me + Tickle were wondering what it is exactly Rargh has been doing since launch? lol, if I'd been playing since launch I'm pretty sure I'd have an Excalibur by now on a Hume PLD, or damn close to it at least, that IS if I had the patience to stick to that one target which I doubt I would tbh. or perhaps I'm still nieve to amount of work that actually goes into that.

I just can't get over wondering how P1MP Fallows would be if I carried on caning him on 360 beta, I checked my gametime on him when picking up and Anniversary Ring for him (just in case ) and it sat at just under 19days, for a 40PLD that ain't too bad. At the end of Beta I'd probably quite easily have been lvl70+ with moderate NQ gear. It's such a refreshing change (in hindsight mostly) only having one job to level rather than the two neck-to-neck.

Mage jobs aside I'd like to get NIN up to 37 (minus Utsusemi:Ni) just as a tester to see how fast I can take THF up to 75 after getting most of the R/E on BLM or whatever. Apart from the Scorpion Harness I can't really see many other tight obstacles on that.

[Tsingtao]

I think I probably stand as one of the elitists I'm afraid but that's just how I've chosen to play. I've rarely levelled without +1 or rare/ex that is the best, there are a few bits and bobs in DD I don't have but for tanking, HP and EVA I'm pretty much pimped same on RDM missing one item and HQ staves.

It's about how you want to play for me, I'd rather level more slowly and consistantly do the best possible for my job at any level. 1 or 2 points do make a difference in end game where you're fighting level 90+ mobs, it's not as noticable in xp but the really nice gear does show through things like the Merc Kris and Soboro for example.

My pet hate is people not carrying silent oils and prism powder, they can wreck whole missions and xp parties as well as kill mages. That being said the magic of I'm a mage I don't need oils or powders kills people as well!

The thing that really does stand out above all though is people who have not learned their jobs or the game. They don't understand hate, attack or defence curves, agro conditions, linking mobs, elemental relationships, elemental spell associations, how to navigate zones (almost always have no map) and mob weaknesses. These cost 0 gil to know and that for me is what makes a true n00b, you can do well in most gear but you need to know what you are doing.

Those are the ones I'm loathed to help they've made no effort themselves to know what to do, why should I fill in the blanks for them? I do try on occasion, but generally if I'm in a party I'm there to do something not to mentor.

[dataDave]

The thing that really does stand out above all though is people who have not learned their jobs or the game. They don't understand hate, attack or defence curves, agro conditions, linking mobs, elemental relationships, elemental spell associations, how to navigate zones (almost always have no map) and mob weaknesses. These cost 0 gil to know and that for me is what makes a true n00b, you can do well in most gear but you need to know what you are doing.

This I can agree with, although those things can only be learned through experience, and experience usually means lots of death and getting lost many times (unless you wanna ruin the game and read up on guides which I have to do most of the time unfortunately).

For instance, Menormaimbite (my rl bud, and lovechild of Tobal, (ie, the only other Galka in the LS) who's enjoying the game lots) told me a cracker about when he wind-milled into a Dancing Weapon on his first visit to Qufim. >< Yeah, he was a total n00b at that moment and his party went mad, but you can sure as hell bet he won't be doing it again anytime soon.

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I can't believe you were on for going through The Eldieme Necropolis on your own the other night night though mate, that exact same thing really is something I've learned from. Yeah, a casual, once-over browse perhaps but not an all out trek on my own - I've totally learned not to try that again after my Garlaige/Eldieme experiences, mainly due to arrogant players that won't help me with a damn switch that's 5 secs away.

[Daragon]

Can I just make perfectly clear that I was never insinuating that anyone from this shell is conspiring against me/laughing/talking about me negatively behind my back. The blame I place soley within AnD/other people who may have had a first hand look in a party or 2 - as I've said, I know that a few people in my current HNMLS are against me and one or two of the were quite disappointed when I managed to return to the shell after Eyedea thought it would be a nice idea to, unjustifiably remove me.

[mikewl]

You guys should see some of the gear I lvled my first jobs in, you would not be impressed >_<.

I dont think I ever worried about having the best stuff, but just enough to get by and stuff, especially before lvl 70, after that I did start try try and improve things alot, but hey, my Brd gear is still not the best that can be bought strait from the AH.

Bst on the other hand im much more satisfied with my gear but the fact is I had a 75 Character to coast by before I lvled it alot, this made it far easier to afford, yet it took me a long time to get the setup I have now and again its not the best money can buy but it works for me.

[vwilsonuk]

Wow. Is Mercury retrograde or something?

1. WHM naked - depends if you want to fail your party when they need you most

2. People are as much a mixed bag in FFXI as they are in life. Everyone comes to the game with their own expectations and context. There will always be people who take it all more seriously than you, and also those who take it less seriously - and sometimes people you know will oscillate on either side. Its very frustrating to be in a "taking it seriously" place and have people put in a lower level of committment, leech xp or drops, say they'll turn up to do things and not bother. Its equally frustrating to feel obliged to do something that is supposed to be fun, or to get criticism from random strangers when you're just trying to chill out. Communicate, manage expectations, avoid surprises.

3. Last weekend at Sunday lunchtime I'd played 2.5 days (but not all day like I sometimes used to), just the first time in a while. Nothing particularly dramatic had happened (especially not Sunday, I was mostly muling). When I logged I sat there, in my own house with nothing "real life" on my mind, watching my hand shake and feeling physical symptoms of anxiety - and knowing it was playing FFXI that had done it. Its not built to be Utopia, its built to suck you in and compel you to keep coming back and paying your $12. Seriously. It hypes you - and it hypes everyone else too. Everyone I've played with directly on this shell has got disproportionately frustrated about something in game during the time I've known them. Don't expect everyone to be at their most calm and amicable, and try to remember you're probably not either. Think of it as a house of crack addicts and your experience may be more in line with your expectations.

4. In line with number 3, balance your gameplay. Watch for signs of being "drawn in". Take a break. Get some fresh air. Decide (on a day when FFXI hasn't been on your mind) how much time you would like to spend playing, or set a percentage of recreation time you're prepared to commit, and stick to it. When was the last time you had a day where you didn't log in, didn't check this board, and didn't really think about the game?

5. There is a lot to do in this game. Look at how long we've been at this. It reads to me like you're expecting yourself to achieve what some of us have spent years working towards in a much shorter time - it hasn't just taken us that long because we're slow, its taken that long because its a lot of work. I'm not saying that to slap you down, I'm sure you can do lots of things much, much quicker than I have. Just be realistic with what you expect from yourself and the game.

6. Even when it looks impossible to make the kind of money some players do, if they seem to have it and spend it it can't actually be impossible. Its easy to dismiss this phenomena as "just gilbuyers", but sooner or later it will become obvious that this alone does not explain it all away - just like the people with big houses and shiny cars didn't all have rich parents, the class toppers aren't all just "born brainy" and that guy who just took your money at the poker table isn't necessarily blessed with extraordinary luck. Dismiss these self-defeating beliefs as quickly as you can and start to pay close attention to what these people are doing.

Everyone has bad days, and everyone needs to vent. Maybe that's really what some of these posts are all about but there is an underlying theme of frustration. Given that I find it easier now (after three years playing) to be less frustrated, I just thought it might be helpful to share some of the perspective I have gained in that time. I hope it has been.

[djtickle]

At the end of Beta I'd probably quite easily have been lvl70+ with moderate NQ gear.

Na you would be lvl 40 savin for p.rope still


mwhahaha

[Wynth]

Na you would be lvl 40 savin for p.rope still


mwhahaha

Hey um.. no bullying the tarutaru. Here's me, a random hijacker of this thread again..and see I read it to find out what happened to Rare and his Dynamis, since he was a sad nin.

Just wanted to suggest that for Davi, you could get some nice Rargh members to farm "Test Your Mite" for Geist earrings for you.

Might be lucky and a woodsman ring might drop too, can sell that for about 250k. XD

As for belts, I'm currently wearing a hierarch belt and a druid's rope, swap in for spell interruption.

oh at level 65, you can start doing dynamis if they'll accept you. ^_^ if you get a cleric's briault, you don't need a noble's.

I don't have a lot of gil when I started the game. I still don't espcially since I don't log in that often.

cheers!

and sorry if I hijacked the thread. :3

[djtickle]

haha your welcome any time wynth i still say you should get urself a Rargh LS pearl ^^

[Kerushi]

Indeed! atleast you can stroke daragons cat when your on!!! oh his cat controls daragon not the other way round