I _really_ didn't want to do a post today, but they did hype up MMM...

Oh dear God, April 1, April Fools Day... Bleh...

I usually boycott the Internet today over all the tomfoolery, but...

So FFXI has a legitimate report about MMM...

Basically trying to make the synthesis mazes worth something...

I'll take MMM more seriously when they make it more soloable without gimping the monsters beyond repair. Otherwise, it's not worth it.

Another rough week...

Started out with such promise too... And my friend got the most wonderful Christmas present I can think imagineable -- and then her glasses broke and I had to talk her off the ledge again. *dammit -- can't the world just lay the fuck off my friend for several millenia now??? PLEASE??*

Well, not much play this week:

Both Dynamis days didn't go off. They did Dynamis-Beaucedine on Sunday, and Wednesday, everyone was nestled with visions of sugarplums.

Then, I get in league with a couple of dicks in Moblin Maze Mongers, and then promptly get my Dynamis LS leader killed in another maze. *dammit again*

At that point, I took a couple days off FF11 and played some FF12.

Now, some promy runs and a double Besieged tonight, and hopefully a lot of rest for a weary friend.

Not a good week, sadly...

And next week probably isn't going to be much better.  Jury Duty (though with a wireless connection -- FFXI at the courthouse??  :) ), Holiday Burnout (can someone please tell both me and my roommate when the holiday season is over?  Seriously, the way we're going, we might not make it!), and all the other stuff has kinda drowned out FFXI.

But, here's how the week went:

Sunday:  Part of Dynamis-Windurst.  Not a bad run -- not sure if they won or not, but had to leave before my friend's broadcast.  Promy animas were dead on the Auction House all week until they finally appeared to clean out today.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday:  Haven't had three so blah days in a long while.  First MMM run:  Bleh.  Basically cycled Fields of Valor-Xarcabard to 61 Dancer (and eventually 60 Dragoon).

Wednesday Dynamis:  People need to show up on time.  Period.  We're lucky we're not losing zones to RMT or something with how late we get.  Not enough DD = no chance at Bastok.  Sunday might just be an attendance day (and, if it isn't, it's probably Dynamis-Xarcabard anyway).  Probably taking a week off to get more people on the Dynamis LS.

Thursday:  Another online idiot sends my friend to the edge for the sixth time in three weeks (as if the Post Office isn't fucking around enough).  If this shit don't stop, someone is going to get f-ed up seriously.  And if these punks online want to take that as a threat from me, go right the fuck ahead.

I've had it.  I've had enough of watching this world get taken over by a bunch of fucking punks who would more likely punch a homeless man on a bench (and that's happened to me too!!) than help anybody.  It's all about being more bad-ass than anybody.

Straight outta Rikers, punks.  Straight outta Rikers.  You don't want none.  I've taken far worse than any of you.  And it's only by the grace of God I'm still here to help my friend.

There's a reason I call anything talking about my friend's experience (or mine) which bring us both to the breaking point "Those Who Fight Further".  It's getting there.  And, if they keep pushing, and I ever get into that space that I was in on Memorial Day of 2007 (don't ask), pray I still have something to lose, like I did then.

Friday:  Group of 5 runs at MMM.  I win 2 runes in my Lootbox.  Woo hoo...

Saturday:  A Besieged gets me close to 57 Red Mage.  Farming in the Promies.

Next week:  God only knows...

Well, at least the update went smoothly... (or did it??)

Before I begin...  (Warning:  There will be foul language in this post.)

I don't know who the rat-fuckers are at the local post office, but either this shit stops, or I'm looking for a new place to live.

About two weeks ago, I used one of my rewards programs to "purchase" a decent set of headphones for the computer I use.  (I have them on right now.)  But the package was clearly damaged (and marked as such) by the United States Postal Service en route.  Fortunately, the outer box was far too big for the actual shipment, and the headphones came OK.  The box that it was shipped in, however, looks like someone kicked it with a steel-toed boot.

But that's nothing compared to the crap my roommate has been through this month (and that's over and above the grieving the holiday season causes her).

First, as I remarked earlier in this blog, her check (when it clearly says on the envelope to send it on the third) came on the fourth, as if the postal dorks decided they wanted to send it whenever they damned well felt like it!

Then, there's a small matter of an order that my friend had sent from New York (it's not that important as to what it is, as she has had various other orders either damaged or basically outright destroyed by the USPS).  That order was scanned "Received" by the USPS on December the 10th.  (She got the shipping number when she contacted the company she ordered from.)

My friend has not received it, and probably will not receive it -- she is out over $60 on an order that she now has to replace.  All this while she's trying to save money to go to Puerto Rico in February!!!

Needless to say, too much more of this, and my roommate will have had it.  If that happens, I wish to go on public record to say that I will not be held responsible for what happens, because I don't even want to think about what's going to happen if my friend finally loses it for good.  I love my friend as a friend, but she can only be expected to take so God-damned much.  My friend only has a very small sliver of life left in her, and I don't want the rest to go now.  She still has that trip to take in February, which means everything to her right now.

Formal complaints have been filed with the post office (one for the package, several more for the attitudes of the people she's had to deal with!), but neither of us expects that to go very far.  My friend got word this morning that, with the company she orders from, apparently there have been quite the number of complaints similar to this with the shipping of these orders through the USPS, which has led us to but one conclusion:

We know that the USPS is laying off workers due to the economy.  We're beginning to get the very sick impression that the United States Postal Service is full of people who are stealing whatever they damned well feel like from people's mail, and damaging whatever they don't feel like stealing.  I'd suggest anyone shipping Christmas presents find another way to ship it, or track your packages very damned carefully.

(And now we both have to wonder what's going to happen with next month's checks for my friend...  If she doesn't go to Puerto Rico, for whatever reason, I'm done here, because she's done -- period.  This shit stops.)

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

Had to get that off my chest, because apparently the update didn't go so well...

I had actually begun this to actually say the update had gone smoothly.  It was not that large of an update, and Moblin Maze Mongers was in the game for about 2 1/2 hours.

The actual physical update of what they put in the game this morning went OK.

From there, complete cluster....

Basically, this is how it works:

-- You go to Lower Jeuno, to Muckvix' Junk Shop (some may know this as the location of the Gobbiebag expansion quests) and talk to the Moblin Goldagrik.  He will give you a rundamentary Tabula, a Maze Voucher, and two Runes.

You can only do one maze every 24 hours, real time.

-- You then use the Voucher on the Tabula to mark the Tabula.  At that point, you place runes on the Tabula to set up the parameters of the maze.

-- Once satisfied, you walk over to the Chocobo Stables (in Lower Jeuno), and trade the tabula to the shopfront.  At that point, you will be asked to confirm the tabula, and pay a construction fee (in my case, 100 gil).

-- At that point, request for entry is considered, and might take a while if a lot of people are trying it out.

-- Once inside, you have 30 minutes to set up and complete any and all objectives to win a treasure chest with XP, maybe some items, and Moblin Marbles (used to buy runes, Tabulae, music sets, what have you...).  You can talk to one Moblin to buy some support items (if you set the rune for _that_) and to set what music you will use in the maze.

-- Talking to the other Moblin there starts the maze itself, and, from there...

-- I died rather quickly, because Square Enix, though it says it wants to allow solo play in the mazes, doesn't want people to solo in this game, so everything in the maze was about five levels above what I sent in there (luckily, I changed my mind at the last moment and sent my level 18 Ninja rather than my level 58 Dragoon).

-- ... because you can and will lose XP in the maze if you die.

That was bad enough.  What made it worse was what I saw about 30 minutes afterward, after I Home Pointed, changed to Dragoon, and went to Fields of Valor-Xarcabard (again):

A system message.

Moblin Maze Mongers has been suspended due to technical difficulties.  See the Information for more details.

What the Hell is this???  You've had a year to get this ready, you've already delayed the release once.  It's clear this thing still appears buggy as all get-out.

I know we're impatient, but at least give us a timeline, for God's sake...

Sorry, been a long day already.  Hopefully Dynamis will go a little better tonight...

Sounds like MMM wait is almost over...

Nice blank post I almost put there...

Log on today to find another maintenance and update on Wednesday (the 17th). Also, from the Update episode on Pet Food Alpha, we find out that the FFXI people knew that Moblin Maze Mongers was going to be delayed -- and "word is" that this update will get us that gameplay.

Why didn't they tell us last Saturday?!?!?!??

Anyhow, didn't see anyone posting on it, so I thought I would throw it in.