Saturday, May 29, 2010

Week-end update and some odds and sods...

A light week today, as I'm keeping eyes out for RL stuff at the moment.

A few things:

2 Dagger merits and an Evasion merit.

Sergeant Major rank acquired and first rank point from there as well.

Dyna Sunday: Bastok. 8 AF and 6 Wootz, none of it to me.

Dyna Wednesday: Valkurm, for Tavnazia access.

Yeesh. Ow. Chainspell-Stun is important on the Mega Boss... Lost.

No progress on Verthandi nor on What Price Loyalty, though there seem to be six interested if we can get all of us on at the same time for the latter!

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Odds and sods:

-- Before I begin, read this:

Up 50-0, powerhouse team forfeits to first-time team, all parties benefit.

An all-you-can-eat buffet to a starving man indeed, Mr. Reilly. I needed that pick-me-up, badly.

-- To Kimiko: Sad to hear the big-time shell didn't work out, but, given how much a lot of these shells spend for illegal shit to even be "allowed" to "play" the endgame, am I surprised that they would want your real life to be subjugated to their HNM camping and all that shit?

They would NOT want me around. Seriously...

-- Nyzul Isle loves spitting in everybody's face.

Earlier this week: 1-5 run to help three people get started. Floor 1: Family -- three SOULFLAYERS!! We win only the one floor and take the rank points, my 1 being the 25th for rank-up! But isn't that a wonderful way to introduce new players to Nyzul Isle?

Who playtested this shit?

Friday I: A 20 run. Four puddings on 18.

Friday II: A 40 run. FIVE chariots on 38!

Someone doesn't want people to get to 100 or get the A/D/G gear, don't they?

Again: WHO PLAYTESTED THIS SHIT???

-- To reiterate: Your gear is your rep. And if they have the ability and willingness to ninjar your lots (or bot them outright, something making Campaign Unions abjectly worthless!!!), who are they to care about your perception of their reputation?

It really makes me wish I could reach through the screen and choke them out.

-- Promathia being "unchained" is a big topic of discussion lately. I'll be interested to see how it works out -- there are definitely ways it could help (including a couple of long-standing quests I've been holding off on), but...

-- Extension of Magian quests to include tweaking of requirements? Perhaps cutting the number of drops needed from VNM III's to 5? 3??

-- Will get Mog Bonanza Inventory Space -10 next week. :) (Final date for ticket purchase is next weekend.)

-- Wed. shell is getting into Limbus on Tuesdays and looking at a lot more...

Have a safe holiday weekend, and thank you to BP, for fucking killing the entire Gulf of Mexico!

Monday, May 24, 2010

"Hello, bitch!!"

Another Chinese-style day today.

The title is how I was addressed by another of the Inland Empire's greatest idiots.

The reason I bring it up is that it appears that's how most of Vana'diel views people who don't have all the gear that they do.

Frankly, in Vana'diel, your gear IS your reputation. That's why it doesn't surprise me to see someone jack a KClub and then server hop.

That's why it doesn't surprise me to see someone jack a Byakko's Haidate, get a warning put up on them in BG, then BRAG ABOUT IT like the fucking idiot did something that shouldn't have had someone reach into his RL room and wring his fucking neck!!

Without real consequences, all this stuff goes on and people are more than happy to do it.

That's why I have trouble trusting people in this game and that's why I'm not as "advanced" as people think I should be.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Go to Google this weekend -- seriously...

If you have some free time, hit up Google this weekend.

Today is the 30th anniversary of Pac-Man.

And, as Google likes to go, they have changed their logo accordingly...

Except for one thing...

Click "Insert Coin" and you can PLAY IT on the Google Logo!!

Kudos to my roomie for showing it to me.

I've had a very Chinese day today...

Guess this will probably have to do as the end of week update:

THF to 24.

Done with the Hippogryphs, and now to the 10 Eyes of Verthandi, which I presume will take about a year to complete.

Dagger skill over 250.

Final Polearm merit gotten, now on to Dagger merits.

I've gotten crap (except about average gil from the first two Moggiebag pulls) from the Anniversary event -- no, I DON'T want another Silver Moogle Belt.

Sunday Dynamis: Snow, pull got fracked up again, and I learned why we don't farm Snow after the run -- Dragons up the arse for the loss!

Wednesday (Dreamer) Dynamis: Qufim. Win. Another SCH piece (what is it with me and SCH pieces and CoP Dyna?)

Next Wednesday: Valkurm, and Tavnazia access.

Monday: More VNM's, this time starring Flies with massive AoE damage. Ow.

Still stuck on "What Price Loyalty"...

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As I said, I had a very Chinese day today.

As in, "interesting times", and cursed "interesting times" at that.

Had an interesting Net read on an asshole this morning, a confrontation with a neglecting parent this afternoon, and a tactical nightmare tonight!

This morning: Read BG some more, and tend to like watching the drama and the squirming in the "Player Warning" fora.

So, color me unsurprised when I see a name from the last weeks of when I was on Siren: Saio.

He apparently decided he didn't want to spend 50 million gil on a KClub, jacked it, jumped servers, and a GM had to be fished up to get it back.

I had my problems with Saio on a Nyzul run, then got told he was on one of the big HNM shells on Siren (little surprise the guy comes across as an abject prick), so even less surprise that he would do something like this.

This afternoon: Out in RL. So I'm walking along, minding my own business, when I hear:

"FUCK YOU!"

And we're not talking about the type of FU from a 20 year-old punk.

This punk was about 9-10 years old -- and by no means any ghetto or street attached to him. White and with the glasses that would appear to be a professor's.

His mother (wheeling a wheelchair), was trying to get the little brat to mind and come back...

The first time I heard the little idiot say that, I was looking around like Booker T would: "Tell me you didn't just say that!"

The second time: "FUCK YOU! I'M TIRED OF THIS SHIT!"

Now, as I told the mother, I'm more than willing to swear a blue streak. But this is a nine-year old brat doing this to his mom -- in public!

The only reason I didn't belt the kid 10 across the ass is because I'd go to jail.

Talking to the mother, he only reason she isn't is because she believes that's illegal even for the mother to do in California. So she has to ask God for strength (ha ha -- He's got enough keeping someone like me from going postal.)

Then, I ask her to consider what this kid is going to be like when he gets a bit older...

Then she tells me not to false witness the kid -- at which point (and I make sure both kid and mom hear it) I leave, basically telling myself that I better get out before I do something to get myself put in prison.

Basically, if I wanted to do it within the law, I'd have been tempted to call CPS on the pair.

If I didn't, 10 for the kid, 10 for the mom, 10 more for the kid.

Let's just say, in about five years, if you see a kid (about 15) in the Inland Empire murder somebody, I'd lay odds on this one, if someone doesn't (within reason) get this kid in line.

Tonight: Nyzul. (After yet another failed attempt to get a group together for "What Price Loyalty".)

First run: 2 All floors, a Chariot, a Soulflayer, and a Lamps Order floor with Gears (penalty for killing) all over the bleeping place near every lamp! This on floors 6-10!!

Somehow, we win the damn thing.

Second run: First floor (11) goes down in about 45 seconds (spec. enemy). We get two more floors, and then get an All floor where discovery by Gears is a penalty.

So we tiptoe through the tulips, our main healer dies (again!), and, once we somehow win the floor, there are under five minutes left.

Oh, did I tell you that, in the middle of the run, I was told I had to go do something?

So, odds are, we go up with a weakened WHM, we lose...

So guess how many people in the group want to exit, take the tokens and the rank point, and get something out of the run?

Me.

1.

I won't name names -- the blame is not specific.

This happens ALL THE FREAKING TIME when I go to Nyzul.

We literally suicide the run by going to the last floor with badly insufficient time.

I never understood the tactics behind it. Odds are, unless we luck out in the draw, we lose if we go up.

We get an All Floor? We lose.

Get a leader floor? Chances are, we lose.

Lamp Order? We lose.

Lamps, same time. That's what we got. We lost.

Any Gear restrictions? Probably lose.

Very few win options with about 4 minutes to go, and, EVERY DAMNATED TIME we go through this with groups, I get stiffed out of a rank point and tokens because everyone else just thinks that THIS TIME will be the Free Floor.

Never understood the strategy.

Oh, and will someone explain to me how the Kaiser Behemoth has a range of what has to be about 40 yalms on that AoE spam of his???

Monday, May 17, 2010

So I _should_ update this, with Abyssea's contents becoming somewhat evident...

So what did I do last week:

Sunday Dynamis: Windurst, of all places. We did win, a bit sloppily near the end.

One afternoon this week: Camped the Headlong Belt NM, Chonchon. Seems to be a popular little bloke. (Wonder why... His drop is a poor-man's Swift Belt!! :) )

2/3 on the pop (go or sub BST or RNG for Wide Scan -- helps a ton in finding it), 1/2 on the drop.

Wednesday Dynamis: Buburimu. Won it, and a SCH piece of equipment. Wish that damn DRG belt would've dropped for them like it did the run before that they had there!

Friday night: VNM's, featuring Urd. She's a bitch!! :)

But, once we got a PLD to properly tank the thing, it was easy. No change to the Yellow Abyssite for the one I need for Magians though. 2/3 on the earring drop, though, so both Kiana and I got that earring for our DNCs.

Also dropped about 350K on Ancient Beastcoins to finally pick up a Brutal Earring. Double Attack GO! :)

Saturday was not fun. I tried to tell my Wednesday Dynamis shell that I was no good at Ninjitsu, and they didn't listen. At least it was my orb they lost -- and they won't take me back out on UO again. Not with their uber-RDM doing the kiting.

Had my first good Besieged blow-up again -- Square-Enix needs to take that abusive bullshit skill-up situation out of Besieged and make these people either go out and do it in the field (here's a hint: Trial of the Magians for your weapons -- that thing is going to cap my dagger skill for DNC before I leave it (over 251 now)).

So, is it not surprising that I log in this morning and it's "Cure Bomb the One Remaining General" time!! Whoo-hoo!! Kiss the Candy goodbye, Leviathan, because the shitheads don't care!

(Not yet, but you know it's coming -- Phoenix, apparently, just lost the Candy with 1500 people on the server...)

Did the Moggiebag quest. Good first pull.

Will delay the "Inventory Space -10" as long as I can. Not like I'm going to win more than a Statue anyway, it seems.

Got my 7th Polearm merit -- about 9.7K to the last one, then we start Daggers.

Magians: About 20 Hippogryphs to go. Then, the decision, which I'm vacillating on. It's going to take a lot of time for me to kill 400 Amorphs, 500 whatchamacallits, and 300 Peistes. But can I get enough Verthandi groups to get 10 Eyes in that time frame?

Hmmm...

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And then, today, we get our first look at Vision of Abyssea proper.

Looks to be a third parallel world, and you will need Zilart AND Wings to purchase it.

New Cavernous Maws are going to appear, and, from the two screenshots they gave us, it appears as if the new zones will be, once again, rehashes of the current zones.

June update release, $9.99, and there will be quests in this battle add-on, but the battles are 75+ -- the quests will require a 30+ job, but the battles are supposed to challenge 75+.

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One stumper:

I know everyone's going to say that it was on POL or on the VanaFest site, but I, for the life of me, cannot find this one piece of information:

I've heard basically everybody and their brother say that Square-Enix has confirmed the June level cap increase will only be five levels, to level 80.

If so, precisely where is it so confirmed? I've checked POL, I've checked the VanaFest site -- including most of both videos on the Special Talk Session and the English updates...

So where is it confirmed for 80?

Me, I'd prefer 85...

ON EDIT: Nope, it's 80. Thank you to Volkai for pointing out the subsequent interview that Elmer posted snippets to in ZAM -- link is in his comments to my post.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

So you mean to tell me that someone actually voted for the POL Window loop-song...

Well, this was the Japanese voting on it...

"Memories of Dusk and Dawn", the 8th Anniversary music set, is out on iTunes US (as well as other places), and the votes came up with some interesting choices, including the aforementioned.

Some obvious choices:

"Awakening" (Though I actually prefer the one from one of the subsidiary games...)
"Distant Worlds" (full version,with lyrics -- the CoP ending cutscene with the partial song is epic!)
"Ronfaure"
"The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah"
"Vana'diel March" (The OLD opening screen -- and the song which implies you probably waited too long to log in now.)

Some of the more "interesting" ones:

"POL Opening": WTH is this from? Sounds like a racing theme or something...
"Shadow Lord": Main Dynamis music. Seems a bit too plain.
"Gustaberg": Maybe because I'm Bastokan, but ditto.

Some I'd have voted for:

The Movapolos theme
"Run, Maggot, Run..."

-------------------

And I see I have two Campaign bitches:

1) the guy who basically moves the monster just enough to ensure that no one can "see" the monster so that the battle is extended.

2) And I see the hiders/hoarders of the last Campaign mobs are at it in full force. That shit has to stop.

Over 250 RMT shitheads served...

So it's Vana'Versary time...

Got the ring, got the dinner tux (what, other than a small quest and two inventory slots, is that supposed to mean?), and got my adventuring info...

Most interesting? 262 GM calls.

So, I figure, that's about 255 or so RMT screams and a few other things...

---

Magians down to about 110 Hippogryphs. Probably going to cap Dagger in all this.

6 Polearm merits, going for a 7th now. After 8, then start Dagger.

Provided I get on to be one of the first 36 that can go, doing my first CoP Dynamis tomorrow with our combined forces: Buburimu. Should be vewy interesting.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Quick update and two charity efforts to report about:

First, was in Vegas for a few days for some R&R and P&Q... God, has the world gone mad...

Anyhoo, quick update on my first week back on Leviathan:

Sunday Dynamis: A real rough run through Ice -- five drops, only a few NMs defeated.

Wednesday Dynamis (Lengendary + Dreamers): Snow -- Boss pull got screwed up. Will explain policies of Dreamers later. They're pretty close to Lengendary's.

Got the Allied Ring, and have used two charges to go SAM 61 -> 63.

THF has been taken from 15 -> 20.

Will finish the Arcana level tonight on the Magians dagger.

===========

Two charity efforts to push this weekend:

1) thespeedgamers.com -- The Speed Gamers are back again, doing a Mother marathon for the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer. As of writing, at 11 PM Pacific, the marathon had gone for 7 hours even and had raised $2,420 of a goal of $10,000.

EDIT: As of the end of the marathon: $10,400+ -- Congratulations!

2) For three reasons, I post this second one:

a) Always an affinity to this performer
b) It'll piss at least one reader of the blog off
c) And it's such a unique and wonderful idea, I couldn't pass up posting it...

www.deborah-gibson.com -- the official website of Deborah Gibson -- is doing a unique auction between now and May 12th, is doing an auction: "Only in My Jeans". (Yes, she cues the cheesy joke several times in her video -- in which she also explains her "Gibson Girl Foundation", who awards tuition to an entertainment camp (not sure if it's necessarily Gibson's "Camp Electric Youth". She also tells the story about how her camps have changed the life of one 16 year old autistic youth.)

No, she hasn't broken out the closet, but she's asked a lot of other people to help her.

Yes, she did put one pair of her own up, but got help from the likes of these celebrities who autographed jeans for the effort:

-- Jonathan Knight of the New Kids on the Block
-- Rob Thomas
-- The cast of "Glee"
-- Hayley and Hilary Duff
-- Lance Bass
-- Rick Fox of the Lakers
-- Ryan Seacrest

and a number of others. By the actual auction site, it lists the closing date (and at least some of the items (if not all) do have a clearly-stated reserve price) as midnight eastern at the end of May 25th.

So, there's a second charity thing to look for...

But I do have to say: Shaq didn't get the memo.

Shaq does have an item on Deborah's auction. But, Shaq-Fu, the idea was an auction for jeans -- Shaq autographed a single sneaker and sent it for the auction. It's up there -- and has some bids on it!

Sunday, May 2, 2010

And the move is made...

I'll post more on it later, but just a quick point:

Over 3,000 people on Leviathan at 9:20 AM PDT this morning. Got the Allied Ring and added a couple more friends from C&D before I left Siren (with limited, though some, malice).

Dynamis in about 3 hours.

In the immortal words of Fang: "Unleash Hell!"