Now I understand why people were thinking I was trolling to add to BG...

... and vice versa.

http://www.bluegartrls.com/forum/ffxi-advanced-player-discussion/69638-blogger-attacking-apathy-pw-kill.html

Seven pages before the mods locked it, eh?

FWIW, I have an account on BG, but never chose to post there.  Figure I probably would last about two weeks before I got banned, but...

Many of the "usual suspects" are on there -- in fact, I think that's part of why things have degenerated so badly.  TormentorMike is on there, so are a lot of other people from the comment pages.

But it does give me a chance to explain a few things which came up in the thread:

If "using game mechanics in manners not intended" is illegal and bannable, then logging hate IS illegal.  (Logging hate through sleeping the mob is similarly so.)

Logging out is an administrative function of the game.  It is no more a part of the game itself than logging in.  Logging out to gain an in-game advantage is not legal, and is an unfair advantage under Q12652.  Square-Enix' silence on this and similar subjects (especially since the January 22, 2009 bannings) leads to questioning every tactic in the game (even those as elementary as zoning hate and kiting).  I can no longer be 100% sure that the former is even legal.  The latter probably skates by (and only as such) since the monster has the opportunity to attack if the kiter is within its range.

Nothing, basically, is now beyond suspicion.  I mean, look how proud these jokers are about the release of the illegal third-party software Windower 4.0:

http://ringthree.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-am-not-unique-snowflake.html

It really appears as if the game cannot be played without complete abrogation of the rules, isn't that right, Ringthree???

And that's kind of why I'm so pissed.  I feel spat upon and insulted for trying to play the game by the rules Square-Enix sets, knowing that, since I do, I will never see a Mythic Weapon or half the gear that you guys stroke your e-penii over.  I have learned a lot over the course of the last 90 days, none of it good.

Frankly, watching a lot of you in the Final Fantasy XI community literally makes me physically sick.

Oh, by the by, unless something else comes up in the next couple of days, the letter is done, as I said -- and I'm just trying to formulate who it gets sent to.  Once it gets sent, you guys see it too here on the blog.

Before I go to the rest of the thread about my post, here's my take on BG:

Many of them (though not all) are the same bunch of little children I speak of (those who are know who they are).  It specializes (and in a very exclusive manner) on high-level endgame.  The type of high-level endgame which I have had one other person already admit to me (and several others assert) that no one plays fairly.

But now I can see why Millionsknives (IIRC) said that I and BG fed off each other.  Because a lot of the more reasonable people on there (what few non-2chan/4chan-ers exist) actually do make some valid points about just what appears to be required to have a large enough e-peen for some of these punks to stroke.  But I never saw this thread until about 20 minutes ago, and decided to take a look just to see how much flamage these dorkusses could come up with...

So, diving in, asbestos suit on...

The Stig questions: Pretty soon doing anything in game will be illegal.

Don't be quite so flippant, Stig.  It's clear that much of endgame cannot function without Windower, illegal plug-ins, claimbots, RMT indications, and all sorts of abuses and exploits.  I will say this:  If Square-Enix wants to seriously continue this game (and it's no longer clear they do...), then everything will have to come into question.

I was not the first person to start questioning fundamental tactics of FFXI.  Square-Enix is going to have to be clear as to what is allowed and what is not.  If they refuse communication in this regard, the game is a sham.

Talint (who they thought it was at first) asserted:  "But I'm sure Starcade is going to appreciate the exposure, regardless of how stupid/insane/"QQing sandy vagina faggot" everyone here thinks he is."

Well, I can see why you'd say that, and I guess I at least am glad that people are reading and that this is going to be thrust into the forefront whether the cheating bitches like it or not.  Square-Enix will have to throw me out of FFXI to stop that.  Of course, doing that exposes their agenda, and, at that point, the game is really a sham.

(Oh, by the way, it's now February 21.  Where's the news about the March update?  You know, the one with the two new large summons you promised and the first mini-expansion?

Or is there not going to be a March update?  Get on the ball, SE...)

As for a lot of the cheating bitches, they disrespect me as much as I disrespect them.  They only respect the leet gear and the stroking of their e-penii.  That's it.  Nothing else matters to them.  And, to that end, all ends justify the means.  They respect nothing but a punch in the mouth (online or literal).

This is why I don't take this as just an in-game matter.  You're showing me who you really are.  And I don't like it.

Questionable decides to ask two points:  "Why are people like this clown so hung up on others and hung up on being fair or whatever? Are they getting WTFPWN in life so they want justice in a video game? Jesus Christ, I bet this guy thinks talking on the phone with a friend to communicate strategies on FFXI is "against the rules""

First:  I pay good money to play this game, and I demand it be adjudicated fairly.  If it is no longer possible to do it (see second point), then pull the plug.  If it basically comes down to losing one customer vs. losing a thousand, then you're at the point where the rules of the game are decided by mob vote.

That's anarchy, at that point.  That's no game.

Second point:  Not quite what the person said, but it raises a point I've heard:  More and more people (including some in my social LS) are now using voice chat/Ventrillo to do all their work for them.  (I refuse, not necessarily on rules questions, but because I can't really talk that loud with my friend sleeping in the next room at hours like this.)

Legal?  Maybe.  Does it render the rest of the rules unenforceable?  Quite probably.  (And then go back to where I pointed you here...)

Melios points out:  "Wait...this IS that guy who kept throwing tantrums during Besieged."

*Starcade takes a bow.*

Welcome to Vana'diel's Most Hated, starring Starcade.

Frankly, you guys would defect to the Beastmen (spoken for both Besieged and Campaign (we get to that later) if they bribed you well enough.  You don't care about anything but yourselves.  Therefore, you damage my play and the play of everyone who doesn't think as you do.  So those "tantrums" will continue, and, if you don't like it, then you can make sure that the Astral Candescence is never recovered and then see if you like it.

Besieged and Campaign are large-scale *TEAM* events.  Get that through your head and get out if you can't live with that.  Perhaps Square-Enix made a major mistake when they allowed skill-ups during Besieged - I have a feeling most of the idiocies would not want to even be there if they couldn't skill up.

My healing is capped at current RDM level.  Why?  I heal people in Besieged as RDM/SMN.

My dark magic is similarly capped.  Why?  I cast enfeebling spells on the Beastmen, the role of a Red Mage.

My enfeebling magic is similarly capped.  Why?  Ditto.

What a lot of you don't get is that the benefits you seek will come to you with victory, as well as without.

Okan contradicts himself, but makes my point:  "Nah, not cheating, but I'm 100% sure that isn't how the fight was designed to be fought."

The reason that I want them banned is exactly your second half of the statement.  Since it was not how the fight was designed to be fought, logging out was being used in a manner not intended.  Hence, it is cheating by Q12652.

And, in fact, to DAKPluto:  The fact that Pandemonium Warden is forced to delete players from the hate list after they log out and PW can't find them is the function of logging hate.  That's why they usually were out of the game for 2 minutes, to allow PW to wipe the hate list before logging back in and reforming.  So they clearly logged hate, exploiting the functions of PW, logging out, and the hate list by using the administrative function of logging out to gain an unfair game advantage.

Daedalus hits it square on the head:  "With such a stupid move as Astral Flow x8 (or however many lamps there are) I can see why people would do it. I'd endorse my LS doing it if I lead an LS that had a shot at PW like Apathy, but I do share the Bloggers feelings when comparing it to the recent bannings for exploiting the game. SE will ban 450 people permanently for duping Salvage drops, but then publicly declares Apathys win as legitimate. I do find that slightly concerning, mainly because, in the future, how are we supposed to tell whats illicit behavour and what isn't? 

How far can we push the rules?"

I have said, and continue to maintain, that the Salvage bannings should be reversed if the Apathy "win" stands.

I'll take you one final step further:  The only reason I would even go after RMT is the illegal sale of Square-Enix proprietary virtual property.  As a game mechanic alone, if they're going to be this ambiguous about the rules and bullshit, then even RMT should be allowed to stand, except as a function of that everything in the game is Square-Enix' property to begin with.

drwaffles brings up a point:  "But yeah, if none of this effects you in any way then why the hell would you send them a complaint?"

You miss the point:  Can this game be played legitimately at all?  I'll let you stew on that one, as I've already commented on how I feel (and have felt since I got wind of the tip of the iceberg of illegal activities on FFXI, before I even started down this road about a month ago now).

Yugl has a point to add:   "By now SE knows about logging for hate and if they were adamant about people not logging out, they would have implemented a mechanism to prevent logging out from affecting the battle."

The only way they could do that, sadly, is to not wipe the hate list on such matters, which could get to the point that LS's could use that exploit to cock-block NM's and the like -- it was probably what Square-Enix wanted to do to address some of this, but they couldn't find a way that you players wouldn't rape the game further because of it.  Does that mean that the other exploit then becomes legal by default?

Fridell sums up the bitch community well:  "The guy who wrote this on his blog is a supreme super retarded idiot and needs to die."

Riverside, CA, then...  Bring your guts and whatever weapons you can spare.  Oh, and get in that line over there -- the one stretching to at least Los Angeles.  Some have waited over a decade for their shot.

I feel sorry for the Japanese players who try to play with honor and have to suffer you shit-heads.

Sho:  "Sad but true. I have a friend that doesn't do much in game, but can be semi mad at those who actually get things done endgame wise. I mean if you want to avoid endgame it's fine and all, but just need to realize you'll forever be sub-par vs those that go out and grind to get theirs."

The problem is that no one has to grind anymore.  No one wants to grind anymore.  This is why you have the Windower this and the exploit that and the claim-bot the other.  No one wants to play the game anymore -- just game the system.

TormentorMike is hilarious.  He basically exposes himself as an idiot by his name to begin with.  Then he tries to invalidate the whole discussion by posting that I'm a 59 RDM.

Two points:  If you take it that seriously that only 75's should be heard from, then, frankly, all non-75's should be gone, in your eyes.  Second, I find that laughable for another reason:  You try to invalidate it using my fourth highest job.

Nice, real nice.  Enjoy your permanent place on my blacklist.

(BTW, unless I get banned in the next, oh, two weeks, 75X2...)

Correction:  "People have no right to be pissed at a broken, unkillable mob finally dying. It's been repeatedly pointed out that 'in game mechanics' are bullshit. On hp% triggered Rape-gas can only be anticipated if you have windower telling you the mob's health%. Without it, people would still be wiping to Bahamut v2. No existing in-game mechanic lets you recover or prevent 9 simultaneous Astral Flows, and if there's some rubik's cube of emotes and ra/ex consumables that stops it nobody wants to figure it out because it's not fun."

First, if you can't handle a wipe or two, how the Hell did you get to The Wyrmking Descends in the first damned place?  Welcome to CoP.

Second:  So that gives you the right to rip up the rulebook, eh?  Because it's not fun otherwise.  That'd be kind of like "Let's go knock over the liquor store, because paying for the stuff...  It's not fun..."

Welcome to why Square-Enix is walking away from FFXI.  It's no longer fun for them to cater to idiots anymore, like it's player-base.

One more:  Max and soloing the Campaign mobs.

Same shit with Besieged, moron.  You'd probably suit up for the Beastmen Confederate if they paid you enough.  While you're off stroking yourself by maximizing your XP and Allied Notes, you're tying up the NPC resources which the Allied Forces of Altana could use to keep and take other zones.  Hence, come Sunday, we lose those zones they can't defend.  What, you want the Beastmen in Bastok like they used to be until SE came back a bit on Campaign?

Of course, you don't care...

---

*sigh*  That's enough for now.  But I do want to make clear that I never saw this thread on BG until this morning.  Hence, nothing I posted here was in direct response to that thread.  Have fun, I'm sure the laughter will be heard.