Oh, and Draylo can still shut up...

Got some interesting news from the "agents in the field" just before I got XIV.

Draylo finally got banned for RMT??

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

(if true)

I Said I'd Never Do It, and I Was Wrong

(Though I will admit it took getting it as a gift...)

I said when XIV launched that I'd never play it.

Well, one of my main XI friends bought me the PS3 version for Christmas.

I haven't been able to put it down since.

Only real problem so far (and the real "fun" doesn't start til 50...) is the RMT spam.

The RMT spam...

And more RMT spam...

Started within five minutes of first login.

Hasn't stopped since.

Otherwise, the game action is basically non-stop!  No auto-attack and go off and do something else once you've proced the Dynamis mob here.  Oh no...

Gil is a premium.

Just, wow.  They got it right.

May actually non-vacation take the XI character down for a bit to see what they'll do with XI now that Adoulin is finished on the storyline.

Hey Draylo, SHUT THE FUCK UP...

You want a great example of why Final Fantasy XI is a dead shell of itself there only to make a few extra bucks for Square-Enix now?

Here's the latest missives from the elitist fuck camp, in response to a Matsui article in the Official Forums...

After a fairly peaceful first page, the fun begins with this post by Olor on page 2:

"Mules are only usable in place of real players in serious content because of 3rd party programs. Frankly, it's part of the "not taking" people problem. The problem boils down to people being selfish though. SE shouldn't let people blatantly brag about cheating with zero consequences, it's certainly doing nothing to help the game. Yeah if the only way to get content done is to use 3rd party programs and have 2 accounts it does nothing to attract and keep new players playing. It's toxic."


That's the idea, Olor.  There's nothing more nor less to say about it.

What these people have been saying is that bots and illegal play are the only realistic manner in which the game ever has been remotely playable.  Without them, there is not only no player-base, but no game.

"I recognize that banning everyone who uses 3rd party tools at this point would annihilate the playerbase - and I know my viewpoints on them are not popular, but there needs to be some action taken so that it doesn't devolve further into "no 3rd party tools? No invite" than it already has."

This is one of the main reasons I don't complain about the current soloable state of Final Fantasy XI.  Because, barring that, you can't play this game without being a Draylo or a Thornyy or some other RMT/3PP piece of shit who needs to get belted up side the face.

"Or they need to just link to windower from the official website and make it clear that in order to play competitively you'll need to use it. The status quo, where spellcast and other 3rd party tools that automate gear changes are officially against the rules but people feel comfortable enough breaking the rules to all but brag they are using it on the official forum... it's not sustainable. Those tools are a big part of what's dividing the playerbase. "



Again, it's a question of what the player-base actually is:  Is it a bunch of cheating pieces of shit who are sustaining a game which needs to be shut down as a legal fraud, or is it a bunch of people who are trying to fight this shit and, because of economic reality, is hamstrung because the game is being built for the cheaters, and perhaps by them as well.

--

As one might expect, Draylo came to town with it:

"Don't speak for me you idiot. Alliance content opens up more challenging fights by design, compared to 6 man (legion was 10x harder than Delve 2.0 at release.) Alliance content lets you include MORE jobs and people to play with. With the current delve it actually penalizes you for bringing anything more than what is necessary to win (three people lol.) Any new person you add that might need to clear the zone for KI or just to have fun is adding 68k HP.... The drops are the exact same as if you went with three people and you have to share all of it. It's hardly me asking for EXCLUSIVE content just because I wanna be special, its asking for fairness. Divine Might was a perfect system but SE didn't follow through."

Here's your "fairness", you piece of shit...

If you believe the way you play the game and the illegal tools you use are that necessary for the game, then you get banned from the game any player who does not use them.  Period.

And, because you are a fucking moron, you don't realize you have the means by which to make that charge.

There is no "fairness" under a system which rewards outright criminal behavior.  It doesn't matter what the system is...

Criminal behavior begets criminal behavior, Draylo.  You and Thornyy, personally, might want to keep that in mind in the near future.

"You sound like a gimp idiot who detests windower and "cheaterz" because you aren't a good player. Nowhere in my posts have I stated I two box or that I cheat, I simply said that you can "trio it with mules". That is hardly saying anything. For your information you don't need "cheatz" to two box, most of the jobs in this game are extremely easy to play like BRD where you cast 4 songs and afk."

You admit it in this paragraph, you fucking jackass...

Being a "good player", in your opinion (and you've made a career on FFXI doing this), requires Windower.

Anyone who, through gear of legal type or illegal type, is not optimized is a "gimp idiot" who "[isn't] a good player".

"So they should remove all the lore and quest from the game because some person quit for FFXIV and is now coming back because that game is boring? Do you know why its boring? EVERYTHING is handed to you, the quests right now are exactly as you say, go to Point A, then B, then get reward. They aren't hard to do, and certainly aren't "time consuming" they take like 10~20 minutes per job or AF quest. The game is more accessible now than it ever has been, you can get to any area incredibly easy."

Why not, if they're going to allow you to have everything in the damn thing handed to you because you have illegal tools and they either won't or can't do anything about it?

This game ain't big enough for you and me, and one of us needs to have serious legal action taken against us for our conduct with respect to Final Fantasy XI, Draylo.

Trust me, Draylo, with your mouth, I can make my half of that happen real good and quick.

Non-XI: Oh... My... Fucking... God...

Mario Marathon 7 has been DDoSed.

Let me repeat that:  One of the largest video-game marathons on the Internet, the annual Mario Marathon 7 from Indiana, has been hit with a DDoS attack to stop people from being able to donate to Child's Play.

(There are actually three such marathons going on this week -- The Speed Gamers is having their week-long Pokemon event, and the Games Done Quick people start their summer event tomorrow...)

But someone, some point this evening, successfully got taken down the Mario Marathon website, and halted all donations until a workaround was created.  The general idea of the marathon, where donations determine it's length, has probably been scrapped.

WHO THE FUCK DO YOU ANIMALS WHO DO THIS KIND OF SHIT THINK YOU ARE?

SERIOUSLY...

So is this what was needed all along, or an admission and bowing to the frauds?

Some of my friends are saluting some of the updates being made on June 16-17.


It's either the day legitimate players have been waiting for, or the day the Windower cheats can admit Square-Enix bowed.


I'm not sure which, and it probably is far too late in FFXI's shelf life for it to matter.


Basically, the main thing which has the legitimate players excited is real, first-party viewing of the MP of the entire alliance, as well as it's TP.

This has long been a luxury afforded the cheats, and something I've long said that, if we were entitled to it, we'd have gotten it already.


Well, this update, we finally become entitled to it.


There are also several other updates as well with major quality-of-life improvements (crafting kits for certain items, a massive weaponskill update, other UI adjustments, etc.).


I'd like to be opening the champagne on this one -- as it might well cause real Windower UI problems, yes -- but I'll need to see them actually break the device a bit more before I start the celebration.


But the bubbly is on ice, ready to go...  ;)

12th Anniversary Has Started, and That Means Mog Bonanza...

*grumbles about the Outer Ra'azkanar run-through for the mission there -- they're going to have to seriously tone down those Colonization Reives*

But that's another post for another time...

In addition to TWO bonus rings this year (one for XP, one for Job Points, same mechanic for each), another Mog Bonanza.

So off we go to what I won't win.

Level 6, which I will "win" by matching no other prizes:

Bonanza Ball

No (material) change, yawn.

Level 5, match the last number of your marble to the single number drawn for that level...

Two additions:

The music situation now adds music from Rise of the Zilart to your orchestrion.

You can also win a single Lebondopt Wing, which is the one from Outer Ra'azkanar Skirmish.

Probably get the music thing to add the Zilart music.

Level 4, match the last two numbers to the numbers drawn...

Deletions:

The Sacred Kindred Crest Orbs
Bomb Masque
Chocobo Masque
Chocobo Suit

Demotions:

Kupon W-EWS:  Empyrean Weapon Skill weapon, one choice -- from Level 3 to 4.
Kupon AW-WK:  One Wildskeeper Reive drop from any of the six Wildskeeper Reives -- from level 3 to 4.

Holdovers include the S3 (Simulacrum L3), E+2 (one piece Empyrean +2 Armor), De (one old-delve non-boss upgradable armor with three Airlixir +2s), PK109 (one piece Bayld +1 armor) Kupons.

Not sure on this one.

Level 3, match the last three numbers to the three numbers drawn.

Gil options remain the same.

Holdovers:  I-S5 (Simulacrum L5)  Kupon.
Galley Kitchen
Speed Belt
HQ Behemoth, etc. pops (at Level 3, since you can get one for 3,000 login points?????)
Arise
Meteor
119 weapon upgrade box (~20 or so inside)

Important change:

The AF-109 (1 stack of any Rem's 1-5 Chapter) Kupon now is any chapter 1-10!  And it's saying all 10 stacks???  That cannot be right.

Additions:

Plumb Boots -- Inside the Belly prize.  Level 99 All.  Phys. Damage Taken Down 5%, but you lose movement speed in the tradeoff.
Frayed Sack H1 -- 12 Wailing Stones +1 (upgrade items for Outer Ra'azkanar Skirmish, I think)

Probably a 6-10 stack, whichever one I need at that moment.  If it's all 10, sweet...

Level 2, match the last four, yadda yadda...

Gil here too.

Most of the non-Kupon stuff holds here.  Still have no freaking idea WHAT the Alza'daal Table does!

Mog Kupons:

A-DeII (holdover):  Delve Boss Drop - Armor
W-DeIII:  Delve Boss Drop -- Weapon

(these might be first-level Delve only, though)

W-Job (addition):  One of the 119 weapons gotten through Oboro.  I already have the axe.
I-Mat (addition):  One high-level crafting material, be it Delve 1, Delve 2, and others.  (Blat.)
AW-Mis (addition):  One high-level mission BC weapon/armor drop.

Leaning W-Job for the dagger.

Level 1, match em all.

Gil option, natch.

The usual suspects:  K-Club, D-Ring, 10K currency piece, Ebisu Rod, Relic/Mythic/Empyrean Weapon Kupon at Level 90, 300 of whatever you need to turn your 99 R, M, or E to 119.

Two additions:

Judgement Day:  It's a painting of the fight between Odin and Alexander.  What could possess something like that to be Level 1, I dunno.

and an item only represented by three question marks, and that's how it's going to stick for a while.

Basically, it's an item (one of several which will be needed) to get an Ergon Weapon for RUN or GEO.

Tough call again.

Elitists and the Concept of Game Disruption: SE Misses The Boat Again

Have posted nearly nothing on this blog for quite a while now.

I still play FFXI, but I think it's clear that the migration of the bulk of the FF MMO community to XIV:ARR will result in the near-term shutdown of XI.

That said, there is a subject I've been meaning to blog about for some time, and I think that, for both elitists and casuals, SE has completely missed the boat on the entire process.

I think I can clearly base this on the concept of a response by Matsui regarding Solo Play, Barriers to Party, and Community Enhancement, from the Official Forums:

" I feel that there are three groups of players: those that want solo growth elements, those that want to join parties more easily, and those that want a way to be able to practice and learn content."

He's wrong.  Though those three groups exist, there are at least two more, which do have an intersection:

• People who wish to make money at the game (RMT)
• and people whose only existence in the game is to clear content and control who else can.

And it's for these two sets of people (who can easily nab top-level content and control it (we've got one such jackass on Leviathan who has basically run off most of the other players on the server)) that Matsui and Square-Enix do not get two ugly facts:

First, casuals and hardcores cannot co-exist on Final Fantasy XI.

Second, only one group has the right to play on Final Fantasy XI.  Square-Enix just needs to get a set and determine and enforce which one.

Why do I say this?

First, Siviard calls Matsui out basically immediately:

"The bolded section is the most inaccurate piece of blabber I think I've ever seen by Matsui. Sadly, the opposite is true. Players who have better gear and are "ahead of the game" do their best to REJECT players who are behind and won't allow them to come along for endgame content.
Don't have Aegis/Ochain on your Paladin? You're not wanted. Don't have Gjallarhorn or Daurdalba on your Bard? Leave now. Don't have Annihilator 119 on your Ranger? Don't bother responding. etc. etc."

Worse yet, if you aren't a:

• Monk
• Ranger
• Bard
• Corsair
• White Mage
• or Paladin

FOR-GET - IT.

Maybe the occasional BLM.

But, again, Siviard's statement doesn't take into account that the vast majority (on the North American side, effectively ALL) elite players cheat, demand cheating and do everything in their power to ensure they are the only ones who can -- and since they can clear the content, they inflate the difficulty of the game for everyone else.

Let's take a look at a Term of Service that I think these hardcores refuse to use to their advantage...

Prohibited Activities, 3.2:

3.2  Disruption.  You may not in any way disrupt or interfere with the Game experience of other players, including the disruption of SQUARE ENIX’s computers and servers.

Note that, by saying "in any way", this is in no way limiting the discussion of Game Disruption to physically disrupting the game/Internet, Square-Enix actually has opened the door to do the following in response to Byrth's response to some of these concerns:

"It's being cast as a community issue, but really it's not.
* You want a job that can survive essentially anything? You want an Ochain and Aegis PLD.
* You want to fit two buffers into one party slot? You want a Daurd/G-horn BRD.
* You want a competitive DD that won't pull hate off a Paladin? Your options are either a Yoichi RNG or Anni RNG."

Essentially, if I were an elitist fuck like Thornyy/Comeatmebro or the other scum who have polluted the community beyond all semblance of repair, I would do the following:

Refusal to play an optimized job, and optimize that job completely, disrupts the Game Experience of any player who is meaningful to the game.

Refusal to use bots/third-party programs, attempts to play non-optimized jobs, refusal to gear your job "properly", should be an expulsion offense, to these players.

So, what of it, Square-Enix?

Or is Siviard's call what you have wanted all along, and, now that FFXI means nothing to you, you can let this happen now until the game shuts down:

"In essence.....FFXI has become BlueGartr "

But Square-Enix didn't like what she said, soooo...

Here it is...

In response to the person bitching about Trust, Tohihroyu said:

"Here's a novel Idea! now this might be ever so difficult for a hiveminded eletist sheep like you to comprehend, so I will word this as slowly in your special language as I can so you can get a grasp on it: 

 

Do not participate in trust, don't talk to ANY of the following NPC's: Clarion Star, Wetata, or Gondebaud for they will burden you with the always gimp Trust NPC's, I mean they don't even gear swap every second just to swing their weapons (which are also gimp because they are not from delve OR iLevel RME!

 

how GASTLY! its makes your butt want to clench! how DARE they do that?! not to mention Ayame! what a gimped sam! she dose not use meditate or hasso! (and even if she did she dose not gear swap! oh noes!) and how they look on parser? UNACCEPTABLE! just like gimps if they are not up to par according to third party tools they are no better than the gimp casuals who pollute your precious air! since they don't use windower or bot! how terrible! how awful! 

 

even though those silly GM's say use of 3rd party tools is not allowed you disregard that, your e-penis growth is far more important then rules, right? Guffaw! how DARE people not bot (aka triple+ box) how DARE they use something thats useful for the low levels that you shit for brains would never help on unless they bought gil and paid you a million gil for getting things done or levels? and of course pay for the leet gear too, oh wait SE got rid of FC's!"