I guess we weRe asking too Much To expect real change...

The RMT fuckers are at it again -- at least three messages a day the last two days, and, I would presume if I'm able to be on long enough today, I'm sure I'll get my three messages (and three GM "thank you for reporting, but we just don't have the time" replies -- maybe if Square-Enix actually shut down these idiots, maybe you'd have more time to deal with other problems too).

I was hoping that, with the gardening bans and all that stuff, that Square-Enix was finally going to nip some of this crap in the bud.

I guess we were asking too much...

This might be a new record -- 3 GM calls within an hour...

First, let me throw this missive I just sent to the Special Task Force on these matters:

===============

This game, and your “efforts” in cleaning it up, continue to frustrate me.

I was on for a little more than 2 hours this afternoon, and made no less than *THREE* GM calls in that time-frame.

Two were RMT-tells (you STILL haven’t dealt with the core problem -- and that’s GETTING RID OF THESE LEECHES FROM THE GAME ONCE AND FOR ALL).

The first came within 30 seconds of my logging in to the game. This makes me believe that there is also some botting (third-party software) going on with these RMT outfits as well, as they use bots to find out when prospective clients log in to the game.

The second was more normal to the process.

The other GM call came about 15-20 minutes after the first RMT-tell, and I would like to report third-party software usage, but I’m not sure which player or players are doing it.

I recently made an effort to level my White Mage to 38 so I could start a Tele-Taxi -- I quested all five relevant scrolls and the like -- and then I noticed something when I started responding to shouts in Whitegate this afternoon (7/13, about 12:45).

I could not even invite the people, even though I immediately began to /search for the parties the instant I saw the shout seeking the Teleport.

In the time for me to type in the /search command for the player and try to physically invite the player, the player had already been in the process of being invited, in such a time-frame in which it would be _impossible_ to complete this process without the aid of a piece of third-party software.

I do not know who is doing this, but (as was made clear to me in a response to my blog), this is apparently common usage of Tele-Taxis all over Vana’diel, and it needs to stop.

I report third-party software usage with respect to that they can have players asking for Teleports to be already invited in a manner in which it would be impossible to do within the bounds of the Terms of Service. This has apparently been a continuing problem, but I report it with respect to actions in Whitegate on Leviathan server this afternoon between about 12:30 and 2:15 PM PDT.

I also report third-party software usage with respect to these RMT tells, which can seek for prospective clients as they log in to the game.

===============

Oh, what a day this was, to start off with. I have to log off the game to assist my roommate to her first therapy/splint situation for her finger today, but this was not fun.

I can understand the concept of competition, but I am glad that I went into this knowing that there was the possibility that this conduct (Tele-botting) was going on.

But it seems like every time I log on to the Internet, I feel as if I've been literally dropped on my head in Bizzarro World.

It's like: Can you fuckers even breathe, in this game, without having bots do it for you??

I mean, I'm on not 30 seconds this afternoon, and RMT-tell #1. How do they know I'm here to pull their RMT shit without a bot?

Then I start the Tele-Taxi, and it's clear from the word "Go" that someone is automating the process (as, as I said, someone here warned me about). Basically, all one has to do is to call for a teleport with the Auto-Translate function, and the bots basically take the matter from there, making it impossible to even search for the person to invite legally before the person is already being invited someplace else. And I have it known that this happens with me watching the process cleanly (and at least one person telling me that the gap between shout and invite was "a couple of seconds", and then admitting that the process was, in effect, automated), with no delay between seeing the /shout and starting the /search.

Competition frustrates me, but, as I've said in real life, I can't stop legal competition. If someone could do it legally and beat me out, it's their gil and I can't stop that.

This, however, is not legal -- not at that speed. Not basically with the amount of time the game has to load up not only the search for the player, but then have me invite the player.

So this matter has been both GM'ed AND sent to the Special Task Force. Fuckers.

Another week down, and, well...

... a bit less play-time, as I postulated last week, due to my friend's surgery and her recovery. Get well soon (more for her sanity and the hard work she's doing next week -- Second Life's Relay for Life is next weekend for the American Cancer Society -- SL has raised over $180,000 already, and is goaling for a quarter million)...

As for me:

WHM 37-38 (First three Teleport spells quested for, doing the next two quests tonight-tomorrow (both require a Japanese Midnight delay) -- Starcade's Tele-Taxi should open for business next week!),

Windy Fame 9 (now maximum Fame in all four cities),

working on both RDM 64 (in Besieged) and DNC 66 (through Elite Training NM fights),

Sunday Dynamis: Bastok. Ran out of time due to slower pulls. Got a wootz and the DNC AF2 (3/5 DNC now).

Wednesday Dynamis: Sandy. Ran out of time due to extreme low-man. Had to leave to help roommate during lots. Only 1 AF2 dropped in the entire run (and we were getting close to Mega Boss) -- and that was BLU!

RL stuff clearing up some. We'll see how that impacts my time in Vana'diel going forward.

====

I think the biggest story is that it sounds like they are RMT-banning low-level or trial-account gardeners.

Why not just get rid of the trial accounts completely??

I mean, let's face it -- FFXI is already dead, and Square-Enix's relations with the player base all but prove it, as I said earlier. I have every indication that Square-Enix is probably going for the more mainstream (read: WoW) crowd, and both me and my roommate have already decided to pass on FFXIV completely. (Especially that we both believe it'll be about two months from release before the cheating fucktards rip the living crap out of the game, just as they've done, more and more, to XI.)

But why continue to recruit players to XI, when it would actually be better to let XI go (quickly!!) and concentrate your efforts on a new playerbase (especially here in North America) for XIV??

More job adjustments...

More job adjustments for July.

First is a general update that, with the streamlining of levelling with Fields of Valor, they're going to similarly streamline the process of combat skill levelling for low- and mid-levels.

Frankly, it's overdue, and the basis for that is seen when I've been levelling WHM the last few weeks to open up Starcade's Tele-Taxi (coming soon!!). Everything is capped except for Staff skill and Divine Magic -- and those can be a pain to level too, especially in Fields of Valor. This should be a welcome change, if they do it right...

*insert audience laughing here*

Circle Abilities are getting a massive upgrade, apparently.

Good. Because of what other use are they if they are so weak and so short??

Two more Blue Magic spells are being added too... Yawn.

A couple of thoughts, including another game mechanic Square-Enix needs to remove from FFXI...

Several thoughts on a Thursday while I have the time:

First: It's time for Square-Enix to get rid of Gardening -- for the same reason I felt they should've ridded themselves of Salvage almost six months ago.

Reports have been filtering in that, because of what we all suspected (a massive RMT gardening ring), that the Special Task Force has been eliminating even some legitimate gardeners from the game because of their ties to the RMT tree (the RMT PWNER 1.337, anyone??).

I think people at Square-Enix are missing the point: Not unlike Salvage, the cheating of a massive number of characters in this game has rendered the entire game mechanic of Gardening obsolete and, effectively, seizing control of the mechanic for it's own ends.

At that point, at minimum, the mechanic needs to be taken down and "fixed" ("nerfed", if you like). It probably needs to be removed.

Why? Because of the hundreds of thousands of Dispose-a-Characters which have destroyed the game mechanic -- and, apparently, taken a few legitimate players with them.

The fact is simple: You have to, as a player, keep an eye on what they might be looking for and understand that, after a certain level of work, if you continue to work to that level, you might be flagged for review or banning.

And the thing is, they never need an actual reason to ban you. They could toss me tomorrow for no reason -- yes, I'd ask why, but they have no real need to actually have a reason to do it.

Second, Square-Enix, FFXIV, and their customer service

My continued contention is that they want an entirely new audience for FFXIV.

I can come up with two main reasons for this:

1) They don't trust us any further than they could throw a train full of us.

2) They need a much larger audience to actively compete with the likes of World of Warcraft.

Our Dynamis leader and I had a talk last night after our run -- and he noted that many of the players who have played aren't doing so anymore. I think it is clear that not only does Square-Enix consider FFXI dead, they consider the FFXI player-base dead, as well, as far as customer service goes.

And that's why you are seeing an increasing number of players finally just throwing in the towel and leaving. Frankly, I don't think Square-Enix cares that much -- because if it finally gets to the point that FFXI is no longer supportable, they can just drop it and do what I truly believe they have wanted to do for a while now -- devote all their energies to FFXIV, with an entirely new player-base.

Hence, you're hearing a lot of complaints about their customer service. The experiences I and my roommate have had with UPS would bear this out too -- to have good customer service implies you want that person as a customer. This, however, works both ways.

What if Square-Enix does not want the current player-base (especially the North American players)? Has anyone considered this possibility, other than me?

I mean, I think they know the score that the greater number of players cheat their asses off.

And I don't think they like it.

Why would, if I were a company, I want a customer base which only exists to continually undercut my ass??

Think that over a bit.

Finishing the weekly update, more packages smashed, and insults can be the sincerest form of flattery...

Well, I did get the chance to do some more this week (didn't think I'd be able to, as of the last post):

WHM 32 (might get 33 tonight)

Couple of more runes with the MMM...

----

My roommate has one nerve left, and if the illegal fireworks don't do it in tonight, UPS might.

The company decided to ship out a second order for the one package which UPS damaged (worse than we thought at first).

The second package was intentionally damaged. One of the sides was basically bashed out. It looked like the package had been directly kicked on the package label. Everything in the replacement shipment -- damaged.

So, next week isn't going to be pretty either. Hoping the replacement for the monitor comes in OK. And then we have to try to cut United Package Smashers out of the loop while we consider suing them.

----

And then there's this little ditty, as a follow-up to the earlier post on Feiwong and his fucking idiocy.

I want you to listen to BluGartr forums' Astarael from about a week and a half ago:

"Yeah, that guy isn't really much of a shining example. If feiwong is the extreme example of RMT idiocy (which I 100% agree he is), then this guy is the outspoken anti-RMT equivalent. I mean really, he says anyone in an endgame shell can't be there without "some degree of illegal, unethical, or immoral activity (or more than one of the above).", and he implies anyone with a relic had to RMT, and says outright anyone with 4 or more did.

Could be being epic-whoooshed, but isn't he just doing the same thing as Feiwong, and calling RMT on anything he can't achieve?"

http://www.bluegartrls.com/forum/75936-batsu-aka-feiwong-siren-3.html

First post on the page.

Nice try.

I could start to say that this guy is paying me a compliment, but then I see what he actually is trying to say here, and I have to say that there are a couple of inconsistencies.

I've already addressed the italicized statement: Take one look at the conduct of a lot of the endgame linkshells, with their bots and their Windower crap and all that stuff, and I would say my statement probably has been proven correct.

Also, view the recent JP Button NA players survey, where the players who use Windower illegally surveyed 3 times as many players as those who use the legal Windowed Mode.

The facts don't lie. The statement stands.

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

I do have grave question as to how many relic-holders RMT, because of the sheer amount of time, energy, and work which go into gaining a relic.

But, yes, the player who got 4 relics (and then got banned 1/22/09) had to do some form of RMT and duping and God knows what else...

Because, as surveyed, the amount of time he would've had to have been in Dynamis just to attain the amount of Ancient Currency required makes this feat impossible in the 6 1/2 years the game has been going on.

Don't believe me?? Check out FFXIAH's take on the subject of how much it would cost you to obtain the required amount of Ancient Currency.

Using a low-end estimate, the cost of a relic would be somewhere in the area of 128-180 million gil.

If you want to tell me the guy who had four relics got them legitimately, I will laugh in your face.

Doubly, since we know he cheated his ass off and got banned in January.

You damned right I am calling him RMT.

But the last statement that Astarael made got me thinking: He's accusing me of screaming "RMT!" at anything I cannot achieve.

Given the number of relic-seeking players who probably are RMT, I can see why says this to discredit me. (And to say I'm no better than Feiwong, who basically calls "RMT" to anyone who doesn't suck his dick.)

That I would say that is not true. The problem is that I openly _DO_ wonder how many of the relics are legitimate (and I'd guess far fewer than most would). But the fact is that I call things as I see them. After a lot of what I have heard and seen as conduct within the game, there are parts of same I want no fucking part of.

But it's not "I don't have it" = "I think you're RMT if you do".

It's "The vast majority of end-gamers cheat their fucking asses off" which makes me question whether there's more RMT involved than most might care to admit.

Deimos: Again, I would assume that the only correct conclusion is YOUR conclusion, right??

Moron.

And Feiwong's still apparently at his shit... With how many bought/stolen characters, I have no clue.

Might as well do the update now, because I don't know when I might get the chance for the foreseeable...

I usually do a weekly update come about Saturday or Sunday, but -- between the July 4 weekend and a lot of other shit -- I decided to do it now.

31 WHM, and going to try to increase that as applicable.

Finally got 65 DNC.

Sunday Dynamis: Ice -- last one before our leader takes three runs off for the holiday and for his classes. Killed 11 NM's (about our running average) and got 1 AF drop. Blech.

Wednesday Dynamis: Tried to low-man a Jeuno. Ouch. Funny story: Free lotted a MNK AF for myself, and checked to make sure I had the space. I had one space left in my inventory.

Just before that, I win a 1-Byne which ran on the same drop. Congratulations to Teraphim, the owner of a new MNK AF.

Eek.

====

And it's been that kind of week RL too. My friend's surgery physically appeared to go decently.

Trying to get my friend through the next 1-6 weeks (it'll take 6 to heal the tendons -- but the right hand is completely splinted and mummified until we see the surgeon again in 1-2 weeks) without the functional use of her right hand (not even to type) is going to be the hard part.

So my playtime will be continued to be reduced.

My roommate works on Internet projects. Frankly, about the only real "joy" my friend gets due to a great loss in her life about a year ago.

It's all these goddamned frustrations that she has to deal with (griefers on the Net, shitheads outside, California deteriorating so she doesn't know when the riots might start, my court date on Tuesday versus an agent provocateur piece-of-shit excuse for a cop in this town, etc. and so forth and so on) which make her not want to wake up again.

As I keep telling her, it's the same stuff I talk about here. The same frustrations, anger, etc. and so forth.

The problem is, it's easy for doctors to say all this stuff about doing things one-handed and the like. The only problem is that one has to go through with it.

(FWIW, I just typed that last sentence one-handed. Good luck to my friend on it.)

I love my friend as a friend, and will help her as required - and a lot more will be required. The problem being: How much more does she have to put up with?

So, if you try to party with me, and I'm even more adamant about "(I'm sorry.) (I'm playing solo right now.)", please understand.

============

Various odds and sods from the TTTO:

-- An interview came across with the designers of the two Ultimate Monsters in the game: Pandemonium Warden and Absolute Virtue. (Several posts on the subject.) And they basically DID originally intend for PW to be a multiple-alliance fight and that some would be able to go back to town and change up as conditions permit.

If I'm a legal entity looking to limit the play on MMO's on the basis of negligent conduct on the part of their creators, I'd take a look at this. As I said during the controversy on the 18-hour PW attempt, it's too fucking long.

Of course, should this be surprising, coming from a country where there is an actual name for the addiction to MMORPG's, and, additionally, occasional stories about people dying at their computer because they just - can't - get - away.

This degree of irresponsible behavior will finish Square-Enix, if it's not addressed.

And then, of course, their testing appears to assume maxed-out equipment, including relics and mythics... *rolls eyes*

--

Does FFXI promote healthy or harmful competition? (http://katarzynafromcerberus.blogspot.com/2009/07/does-ffxi-promote-healthy-or-harmful.html)

Do I really need to answer that question??

Really??

I mean, the absolute requirement of a bot to do much of the ultra-level stuff is addressed in the article.

The fact is that Square-Enix needs to demand the same things it says it demands:

-- No bots or third-party software, which my roommate clearly agrees with me is infrastructurally disrupting the game.

-- Their own words asking that we not forget our jobs, school, friends, family, etc. (See above on PW/AV.)

-- Some degree of cooperation between groups of people. (By this, I am talking the likes of small groups ninjaring Dynamis (or individuals ninjaring lots) for amusement and "profit".)

--

More on these and others another time, as more ideas permit. I've got a roommate recovering from surgery to look after, at least as much as she'll let me.