Crash test dummy: Eorzea rebooted

So phase 2 of the FFXIV beta has drawn to a close with the third phase to start later this month. In spite of its laundry list of issues (weapon bugs, poor interface and balancing issues), it is still a solid game. So far the only two classes I've explored all that much are lancer and gladiator while dabbling in a bit of pugilist and marauder here and there. I'll share a few points that I feel are worth mentioning after the past couple of weeks.

The good

1. Beautiful landscapes really bring the world to life (this sounds some song-and-dance SE would use).
2. The ability to customize stats and add abilities acquired from leveling different classes is a very nice touch. To an extent this reminds me of RO, where being able to divvy up stats as you saw fit was one of the game's strong points. Of course, if you messed up somewhere and wanted to change things, you had to re-start from level 1 but I digress.
3. The guildleve system, which provides a means of making money and gear via short quests.
4. Ease of transportation thanks to aetherite crystals.
5. A separate physical level for which you can get exp by doing things other than killing monsters (such as mining or crafting).

The bad

1. The concept of equipment decaying with use. Now I realize just what it is they're going for with this here, but still it gets irritating. I shudder at the thought of repairing rare endgame cutlery with super-pricey crafting materials (think imperial wootz used for salvage bodies). I can see this getting very expensive very quickly.
2. Anima, or rather how super slow it recovers itself. Though this could just be from the beta. I know it's to prevent people from zipping around the world so quickly, but you're screwed if it gets too low. It could get problematic for those having to move from one end of the world to another. I can see it now; "Fifty DKP minus for not having enough anima to warp to the dungeon entrance!"

It was somewhat difficult to come up with these without crossing into "it's just beta" territory. Unlike with FFXI however, my anticipation for this is nowhere near "frothing" status. When FFXI was first announced in 2000, I was extremely excited. I hung onto every piece of info I could. As a result though, it fueled very high, if not unrealistic expectations of the game once it finally came here. That also led in part to my not giving it a fair shake in the beginning. Being more mature than I was at 21/22, I look at XIV for what it is -- a brand new game that happens to have the name "Final Fantasy". Yes, it has the familiar elements of its predecessors, but in a fresh new world. This is, for the most part, what keeps me coming back over the years.

Will XIV rise to the same level of grandeur as XI? We shall see in the coming years. I do hope that SE has learned from the many things that worked and didn't work with XI. So far with some of the things in place and those that are planned, it looks that way. Though my cynical side tells me "it's SE - they'll find some way to ruin it."

Crash test dummy: FFXIV

So early last week, I had the (somewhat dubious) honor of being chosen as an FFXIV beta tester. Oddly enough, I did not think I would get in since my PC was about 4 years old at the time I signed up. How is it so far? I've only been able to get in maybe a couple hours of solid gameplay. So far each test day has gone like this:

1. Servers open up.
2. Try to log in. Timeout city.
3. SE says, "We know the servers are getting hammered."
4. Get booted off, try to log back in, timeouts persist.
*a couple hours later*
5. SE: "Down for the day. Servers are too screwed up."
*a couple days pass*
6. SE: "OK I think we got this. Did some internal tests, yadda yadda... Gonna try again probably tomorrow."
*another test day arrives*
7. SE: "Yeah we got this. Here's a patch."
8. Repeat step 1.

"How long before SE pulls the plug?" has become a running gag of sorts.

At this rate, we're probably not getting this game at the end of September, let alone this year. Are they really that desperate to get a head-start on Blizzard and Cataclysm? Yeah I know the core game is there, but plenty of games have been pushed back due to network issues.

Descent

So last month's update brought us a cornucopia of new spells and abilities as well as a host of new weapons and armor to go along with our new-found power. However, one thing stands out in my mind: was this done too late? I just can't help but feel that this is "a day late and a dollar short" so to speak. I don't like the direction this game's headed. When does one say enough is enough?

Back in Hazhalm

So last week, after a nearly 7 month hiatus, it was decided that we would venture back into Einherjar no matter what. This past Monday and Thursday we made good on that. To ease us back into things, we started with a tier 1 room. As with some of our past sorties I was pulling on BLU. Monday's encounter had us pitted against ghosts with Morbol Emperor as the boss. Things were going OK until I got a little too close and pulled the boss prematurely. We were pretty good on time but having the big pink bastard in tow threw a monkey wrench into things. It just felt good to be doing it again after so long. Last night's run found us greeted by dark elementals with a buffalo boss. There I was, {Blue Mage} {Fisherman} once again except this time I had a pretty good rhythm down. In spite being screwed up by sleeps and what not from the elementals, we managed to win rather handily.

No events all next week because of the (very hefty) update Monday.

Also, medal of Altana today. I'm hoping they don't put out something that shits all over nocturnus head/body, otherwise I will be sad. At least it should be somewhat easier to get zones now.

Here we go again

Looks like it's time to dust off the old Magus Bazubands once again.

Looks like we're getting Plenilune Embrace (AoE heal spell), Animated Wail (AoE Haste), and a new water-based breath spell to name a few. There could very well be more in the second phase.

Here's a video showcasing the new effects so far. Here's hoping Animated Wail isn't a dumbed down version of refueling. You know the recast is going to be balls either way. Plenilune embrace seems to have potential, but I'm not sure about the whole moon phase thing. The healing effect is most powerful during a full moon. That ability is part of the reason I like moonfang campaign battles so much. Those things are practically immortal, meaning shitloads of EXP/AN. One of the few times I enjoy campaign. Speaking of which, I need to re-cap my BLU buffer.

Just kill me now...

Here we go, possibly our last encounter with Kirin before the big update. But something is amiss.... WHY WHY WHY are we kiting a Kirin (let alone three of 'em) in 2010!?!? The numbers were indeed available to TP burn the bitch. I know it was togi city last summer every time we zerged. Ironically enough, when I got my w.legs back in October, it was on a kited one. We did two that night and both put out. So we try that again on subsequent encounters and get worse results than d-body. So yeah, just kill me now.

Wait, why do I still have this Nuevo with fast cast and enmity+5 on me?

Eve of the revolution

Vana'diel shall be rocked to its very core! OK, well maybe not THAT dramatic, but this is some pretty big stuff coming down the pike. So in preparation, many of us have been hitting East Ronfaure (S) rather hard. Nothing is at 49 here yet, but NIN is close at 47. I figured I'd take that one to 49 first given that it's always been my least favorite. I'm sure there are many folks with BRD/RDM/WHM/BLM/SCH/PLD that plan to leave one or more of those parked at 75 after this update. I know I may fry for this, but my PLD is staying parked at 75. Nearly two years of having it at 75 and I still suck at it. I really don't use it that much outside of campaign and I just don't really care enough about it. If it's something where atonement isn't viable then a RDM is usually the better option if there's someone more comfortable playing the job that way. If it IS an atonement-friendly fight, a SAM could do it better. Even then, one could still defer to RDM. No I'm not exping RDM. Blow me.

As for which of the three remaining that will go past 75 first, definitely BLU. Of course I'll probably end up soloing most of the time. And the hang-up with SAM and DRG will be the fact every melee DD and their mother will be flagged up for the first few days/weeks. It will be interesting to see how congested exp camps get. But god help you if you don't do things during the "January sale rush" that is the first few days following an update. Which reminds me: I won't be able to go to walk of echoes on day 1! Oh noez! A few friends and I were doing Wings missions around early-April, but we stopped around "Crossroads of Time" for some reason. Shouldn't be too bad getting to that point with the level caps going up. That is, assuming the BC fights aren't capped at 75.