If I find out...

... one of you sorry-assed motherfuckers did come down and put something through my window last night, there will be Hell to pay.

Extensions from my remarks of earlier today...

Six hours later, and still pissed off!!

I'm now certain that run was sabotaged. I have 2-3 suspects, none of whom Moira...

I forgot we also had agged the Rampart and a Mousse as well.

So we agged no less than NINE unnecessary monsters in about seven minutes (counting time in the lobby!), and this cunt wants to scream at me for using the Fireflies, knowing this run is a dump???

FUCK YOU!!! Three are dead, a fourth is about to go, a fifth is reraised already, and I'm taking agg for trying to help out one of the dead.

There is no way you bluntly agg the entire zone unless you openly are desiring to sabotage the run. And this was supposed to be a SEMI-STEALTH floor, last I checked!!

What did Edward Elric once say?

"There's so many asses that I have to kick!!"

Someone just added their name to the "deck on sight" list.

Moira, show up near me, you're on the ground.

Shoot off your mouth at me like that again, doubly so.

I don't care if you do level 60 Nyzul runs in five minutes. I don't fucking care, twat!!

Shoot off your mouth to me, and it will be a fight.

---

So how did this monstrosity start?

Pickup 16-20 Nyzul group, blah blah blah.

We don't get one floor.

16 was a "specified enemy" Qiqirn floor with the added penalty of any detection by Archaic Gears was a 60-second penalty.

Within seven minutes: We have three of the six dead, a fourth is weakened but reraised, a fifth is about to die, and I'm drawing agg too. We've agged a Bomb King, THREE sets of gears (three minute penalty), a Hellion, two Bouncing Balls...

We've basically agged the entire fucking floor, and this bitch twat decides it wants to shoot it's mouth off and call us all newbs.

FUCK YOU. And if you don't like it, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Show up in Riverside, California and back it up.

---

I'd do a weekly update, but I am far too pissed off for it, and that's saying something.

One addition to the list, and a very interesting Wed. night...

Because of an error in translation or posting, there is one additional addition to the Level 1 Mog Bonanza prizes:

The second Shadow Ring should be a Shadow Mantle (Another Dynamis Lord drop -- Rare/Ex Occasionally annuls damage from physical attacks, Darksday VIT +20, L75 All).

SPEAKING OF...

Got into a linkshell-based pickup Dynamis group last night, Xarcabard. My first Dynamis since I made the move over.

Interesting run, and, even though half the people hadn't been there more than twice, it looked like it was going to be a very productive run!

About an hour and a half in, we'd already gotten three of the five extensions and 9 of the 15 NM's needed to unlock the Dynamis Lord and his two dragon friends.

And then...

It all went to crap.

I think I understand what they were trying to do (maximize the number of subordinates to get more than the three drops (WAR, RDM, NIN) that they got).

The problem was was that they basically went on these suicide runs that basically got us all wiped, ending up twice. We didn't get the other 6 NM's, and I think the last suicide run was on that Wall of Eyes that is supposed to yield the final extension.

It really, to sound less than elegant about it, felt like about half a run that started real promising, but then went south.

I'll go with them again if they'll have me (all cost is basically absorbed by the shell, but so is all the currency -- it's a gear situation only) for Xarcabard. :)

Couple of things today -- mostly weird, but one decent one...

Start with the decent one...

Hooked up with Kimiko doing Campaign last night to start meriting DNC, and am now in CloakAndDagger, which I think Kimiko has mentioned a couple of times. :) I've already been warned that one person humps and another bites, so I'll keep the fists and polearm sharpened. :)

Here's the weird:

1) POL Maintenance yesterday, five hours worth, takes down EVERYTHING. Why? (I guess, short of actual physical server maintenance...)

2) They're bringing back Mog Bonanza, early this time. Whether this means they'll now do it twice or that they have something else planned for the next (final?) anniversary celebration...

Purchases Christmas Eve through mid-January, drawing end of January, redemption through mid-February.

45 days from creation to purchase eligibility. (Meaning you have about til Dec. 1 to buy any mules specifically for Mog Bonanza.)

Some changes to the prize list. (2009 info from the Wiki)

First, a little info:

The top gil prize for the last Mog Bonanza was about 85.7 million gil (pari-mutuel, down from the 100M flat prize from the 2008 event).

2nd gil prize was 6.23 million gil. (2008 was flat 10M)

3rd gil prize was about 712K. (2008 was flat 1M)

Looking at the prize lists:

L5: One of the in-game Statues was added, the Shadow Lord. No other additions or deletions.

L4: One addition and one downgrade here: Yoichi's Sash (Einherjar/ANNM crafting drop, rarely available, about 100K on Siren AH -- downgraded from L3 last year) and Vilma's Ring (Drop from extremely rare Marlboro types in Yuhtunga Jungle -- Rare/Ex Ring +1 to INT, MND, and CHR, Converts 25 HP to MP L40 All).

L3: Gil % the same at 27% of all sales. One change to accomodate the move of Yoichi's Sash: Vampiric Claws (NM drop from Phomiuna Aqueducts Bat Trio -- Rare/Ex Hand-to-Hand Weapon, +8 DMG +60 Delay Additional Effect: HP Drain) Beaucedine Dynamis Armor an option again.

L2: Gil % the same at 23%. One Addition to the list: Birdman Cape (NM drop from two different ToAU NM's, at least one having no known pop method and the other a possible NM pop from a quest -- Back piece DEF 7, MP +30, CHR +9, Enhances Resist Paralyze L 69 Mages and PUP -- Rarity has made it impossible to determine value, may never have been dropped), Xarcabard Dynamis Armor an option here again.

L1: Gil % the same at half the sales. There's a Mog Coupon List addition, as a third Mog Coupon has been added. (Get to that in a second) One other Addition: Shadow Ring (Rare/Ex Dynamis Lord drop -- Occasionally annuls magic damage taken (I assume this to mean an occasional complete 100% reduction.), Enhances resistance vs. Death, On Darksdays: Magic Defense Bonus)

The new Mog Coupon List appears to be the Absolute Virtue Sin trades -- effectively, AV drops.

So, there you go. Salivate, Vana'diel. :)

And the week ends...

And here's what has happened...

~ 30 SMN

~ 32 SAM

WotG: Finally finished Battle of Jeuno

Shantotto Ascension: Sisters in Arms (gathering Hexes for the final fight)

And, just about four minutes ago, before I logged off to get off the net Real Soon Now:

75 DNC!!!!!

75 #3.

Maybe not...

And then I finally get off the Battle of Jeuno!!!

Thanks to Ustav and Tulun, we trioed the Battle of Jeuno (took two tries, first didn't go so well to keep the NPCs together -- second was cake once we got the NPCs on the NM at basically full health).

So, onward on that noise...

I swear the Divine wants me to quit Final Fantasy XI...

Why do I say that today?

Two things, really...

1) The rumor in the TTTO that HNM LS's might be getting the opportunity to be most of the FFXIV beat testers.

Where do I begin with this? You show me an HNM LS who isn't cheating, and I'll question how committed they are to HNM's.

Between Windower, botting the claims, illegal tactics, blah blah blah...

And they're proposing Square-Enix is going to let THESE GUYS beta XIV?

What, so they can reverse-engineer that too???

2) Did a Nyzul run -- a 21-25 -- today. We're winning and they did win.

So I'm waiting at the Rune on a specific-enemy floor (24), the Rune comes up...

MY CONNECTION CUTS. I don't know what sick joke provoked Whatever Is In Charge to do that...

But there are days I swear God wants me out of Final Fantasy XI...

Hey, Big Guy Upstairs: I don't take hints too well.

You bring that Asura Disease shit to Siren...

... and I will make you fucking regret it.

They will have to ban me at that point.

A wild week...

So, after all of that, let's see where we're at:

Shantotto Ascension: Fountain of Trouble, gathering the Saps for the next fight. (Finished that this morning.)

Got all the buffer back on DRG, and reestablished 75 BST, but did not get 75 DNC yet.

Did get to SAM 30 -- probably at least getting to 37 soon on that for any DRG/SAM possibilities.

Dynamis shell was broken -- not enough people to continue to justify the attempts, so I'm a Dynamis Free Agent again... Oh well.

Nyzul Isle: Got 11-15 clear and my first two Boss floor runs. One Behemoth, one Adamantoise. Both cleared, Denali dropped on the first one but could not be lotted on in time with two people dead (damn AoE!). But I now have by first boss floor access, so, once I get some tags back...

A VERY interesting Tuesday...

May not need to do Week in Review at this rate!

So, we begin back in Gusgen, just after the maintenance, and 16-20 people already fighting for all the drops.

But, at least at THAT number, I get three drops (a third in case of more breakage), and then change to my MNK 62 to farm some dark crystals to try again for the Fine Parchment.

SUCCESS!

Then, the moment of truth... Synthing everything together... Fingers and toes crossed...

YESSIR!!!

So I'm out of that monstrosity.

The Avatar fights are interesting, if I don't goof around and lose 10K of my full buffer on my DRG to finish four of them and get caught by a couple of the new NMs. *grumble*

After that, it's Pankration/picture time, and I got the Blubber Eyes, the Royal Leech, and the Robber Crab.

And I notice something up top as I'm getting this done -- the Delta Sahagin who's usually behind the Ornamented Door. So I get some Steps up as /DNC and try to pull him down.

First try: Not good. Had EIGHT low-level Sahagin on my ass. Eventually dispatched them all with little incident.

Second try: Better, but no cigar. One higher-level opponent.

Third try: SUCCESS -- and the DRG Testimony drops!!!

So it's not only on the Gustav Tunnel NIN fight on Shantotto Ascension (tomorrow), but (more immediately) off to the Chamber of Oracles with my fully merited DRG.

Here's the entire fight:

Sleep to 100 TP with the Opo-opo.

Eat Sole Sushi.

Activate Blink Band.

Call Wyvern.

Proceed to the battle circle.

One hit.

Penta Thrust/Flame Breath for about 1,000 on Maat.

Maat Calls Wyvern after saying that'll hurt in the morning.

He hits me about two times. I decide to Jump and High Jump, and, a couple more hits later, a non-competitive fight ends.

DOWN GOES MAAT!

DOWN GOES MAAT!

DOWN GOES MAAT!

:) A very interesting Tuesday indeed.

It isn't just me either...

All Worlds Emergency Maintenance for another hour yet as I wake up from yesterday's debacle!!

But I want to show you that it isn't just me with all this fetch-and-craft bullshit!

For example: Kimiko has blown 5 hours and 300,000 gil and is not pleased: http://www.staronion.com/kimiko/?p=1631

I seriously believe that Square-Enix gets off on this shit and on the misery of it's players. As I said several times (including both times I logged out): THIS SHIT IS UNPLAYABLE. I said earlier that I really felt that people might rage-quit this game over this garbage, and it sounds like one of the most popular bloggers might be close.

I can understand not wanting to fall into the "Monty Haul" trap (where the game just gives you everything). I get that. BUT THIS MUCH TIME FOR THE FIRST DAMN MISSION OF THE EXPANSION??? Make the lead-up to the last fight somewhat difficult -- I get that. But the FIRST mission?

Let's go over to BluGartr:

-- People are paying 100,000 gil for the drop items. No surprise there, but those who are selling like that can FUCK OFF AND DIE IN A FIRE. And if you need me to set it, tell me so I can!

-- Cesaria doesn't like it when things go boom.

-- There's a possible "feature" in this which makes me wonder if SE is actually FINALLY! doing something about Windower. There's a part in this expansion which crashes the game, apparently, if you're using Windower.

-- Tweedle's up to five fails and 500,000 gil...

Let's see what this maintenance has. They damn well need to adjust the drop rates and adjust the crafting bullshit. This is STUPID otherwise.

And now, after TWO MORE HOURS, three fails, and no progress...

That's two more hours wasted, because of this synthing bullshit.

That's NINE HOURS now. And when I get back on this morning, I fully expect the overcamping to be at the point of ridiculousness.

FUCK YOU SQUARE-ENIX!!!

FUCK YOU HARD!!!

GO AHEAD AND BAN MY ACCOUNT IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT!!!

SEVEN FUCKING HOURS, SQUARE-ENIX!!!!

...and all I get is three synthed items of the five, and not even ready for the main synth to complete the FIRST GODDAMNED MOTHERFUCKING MISSION OF THE EXPANSION!!!!!

And now there's 45-55 people in Gusgen raping anything whose bones are showing.

Square-Enix, if you're really into getting players like me to rage-quit FFXI that badly, ban my ass for language or whatever and be fucking done with it!!!

WHO THE HELL DID YOU PLAYTEST THIS ON?

YOU _KNOW_ PEOPLE ARE GOING TO RUN THE TABLE ON THIS BECAUSE, AFTER ABOUT ONE WEEK, PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET THE GROUPS YOU MASTURBATE OVER SO THEY CAN COMPLETE THIS FOR THEIR PANTS WITH MOVEMENT SPEED.

If someone like ME can figure that shit out....

I can see people rage-quitting over the first Shantotto quest garbage...

So it's not ONLY a fetch quest, it's a synthing one as well.

And, of course, with synthing, stuff can break on a fail!

So you have to (with all the competition in place) fetch at least FIVE items and hope nothing breaks, and then synth the results (and REALLY hope nothing breaks on that one...).

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, SQUARE-ENIX??

You know what -- I've got better...

FUCK YOU SQUARE-ENIX.

You'd think they'd have learned by now...

Fetch quest madness -- took over an hour to actually SEE a Crawler in the Maze of Shakhrami (first target for the fetch quest)...

Of course, once I actually found one and was able to attack it, got the item I needed and am moving onward.

BUT STILL... It seems like they encourage people to just cock-block people completely out of progressing in these damn expansions.

And, Murdoc: 100K to progress?? YOU BITCH!!!

Quick Update, and some early thoughts before play resumes on the update...

Didn't play as much as I planned to before I left for a show over the weekend in Los Angeles.

Laid up with a small cold, so I'll be on to play the new update and expansion as soon as play resumes...

DNC 74, SAM (at least) 26 (and probably a couple more than that)

My new Siren Dynamis shell had to cancel Wednesday because we couldn't get enough people, and I don't know what happened on Sunday.

--------

Some thoughts on the posted information on the POL site with a lot of what's happening in the new update:

New quests, especially WotG...

Let's hope this gets some people off their duffs and actually progressing in the WotG stuff. Read the last Vana'diel Census for more on that. I am hoping that, maybe, access to a "new end-game area" is part of this, but it doesn't sound like it.

Nation on the Brink, LFP... Need 3 Healers and 2 DD...

Maze Mongers changes...

The best one for me is the one where you can "sell", for marbles, unused runes. I actually have my maze set up where I like it (a soloable situation), but could use a few more marbles to get more Vouchers...

Fishing maze? Meh.

Chocobo Circuit

I never saw the Chocobo Circuit as that much of a viable thing, and I still (really) don't.

Wedding Support Now Automating as of 11/18

Not a bad idea with manpower being an issue...

Several minor, though important, changes to WotG Campaign areas...

Was wondering when they might address some of the stuff going on in Xarcabard (S) to allow people to, I don't know, actually _PLAY THE ZONE_...

Gates will now remain open in Eldieme (S) to allow people to get the Union-spoil caskets easier.

And more Union spoils are now available to bribe people to actually try the campaign battles in Beaucedine (S) and Xarcabard (S).

(One side note: I still dis-believe the notion of 100-pieces dropping in Campaign battle Union spoils. I've played so many Campaign Battles, it's not even funny... Not one 100-piece yet even in the chests.)

New NM's all over the place...

You know what I'd like to see? More challenging, though soloable, NM's and BCNM's.

And they have officially nerfed the AV Modus Veritas situation!!!

Nice ninja nerf, there, Square-Enix!! But is anyone REALLY surprised???

More chat filters (for spam, offensive words, etc.) put in.

I can see it -- Hell, I've been officially warned for some of my language in-game.

The GM Call response will no longer tell you where you are in the queue.

No real surprise (that functionality went away with the addition of several modes (online on the web especially) to getting in touch with the GM's, suggestions to the STF, etc. Now they just change the message so it's no longer an issue.

And the previously announced SMN, RNG, and BST stuff... Update scheduled to end in about 3 1/2 hours. Probably go download it now.

Evolith is a mystery...

Well, we now know what the third update for this time around is going to be.

When it's going to come out is anyone's guess. I think they're still trying to beta-test it, frankly. Supposed to be for that third update, but, as of now, they schedule it at, at minimum, late November.

It sounds as if they finally admitted that the present Augment system is one masterful flop, as they've introduced the Evolith system (and all-but explained what the heck that huge data update was from last week...).

Basically, you can now slot your own augments of choice, if you can get the stones you want, into just about anything -- which, of course, raises the potential for another side effect (encouraging players to augment (and, hence, render Exclusive) their entire gear set, yanking the whole mess out of RMT's hands).

Mayhaps that's the entire point of the Augment (and now the Evolith) system, and something they might be considering for XIV.

And the all-too-predictable bribe...

Sounds to me like Square-Enix didn't get too many people interested in Shantotto Ascension, so they, as one might have predicted, they threw in something...

Buy all three expansions, and get a free item. This one is the "Nexus Cape", where, once every 40 hours, if you get in a party (in most of the zones in "Vana'diel present") and have to temporarily leave to replenish supplies, change subjobs, what have you, you can be teleported right back to either the exact field location if the party leader is out in the field, or a home point if the party leader is in a town.

This is, of course, limited to that you already have to be in a party in the first place, but...

Well, _that_ only took two days...

1) My first Besieged /blacklist victim. Asshole.

2) A building Dynamis linkshell, roughly the same times I ran on Leviathan (slightly earlier Wed., slightly later Sun.). We'll see how it goes. Participated in an attempted Behemoth camp with them tonight.

A Week of Change in the Air

Whether you choose to believe in it or not is an exercise to the individual reader...

73 DNC (almost 74), 26 SAM

Fowling Earring and Warwolf Belt, the major regular gear additions...

Sunday Dynamis (Leviathan): Ice. Previously discussed.

Final Leviathan Dynamis Wednesday: Sandy. Win. And then, in one of the three pulls for farming before time expired, I win the BST pants. 3/5 BST AF2.

Assaults: First completion of Golden Salvage, and finally got promoted out of Private Second Class.

---

If the first couple of days are any indication, it's night and day, because it's clear that there are more players than just this old curmudgeon who aren't going to accept all the bullshit which has polluted FFXI. We'll see how it goes...

I got some Assaults done already, have done two Besiegeds (ProTip: One of the reasons Siren has never lost is, if something needs people's attention, it's communicated to the entire damn field!!)...

What a concept!!! (BTW, I tried that both on Asura and on Leviathan...)

So, anyway, 75 DNC this week, starting meriting that thing, and we'll go from there to get ready for the update.

Goals, if I can find people willing:

CoP (still on 4-2)

Zilart (have never really started it)

ToaU (On Puppet in Peril, and now have all the Assault portals)

WotG (Battle of Jeuno/Nation on the Brink)

and we'll go from there. I figure, if things are as we expect them for WotG, there will be a lot more demand for that stuff in a few days.

Today will be unusual. First time in 10 1/2 months that I won't have a scheduled Dynamis at about 12 noon-12:30 PST (yes, remember to set your clocks back!). I wish Kiana and Lengendary well -- can't say too many bad words about them, except for the occasional sloppiness (and Kiana spoke to that more than often ;) ).