Morning in Vana'diel: Millions of Voices of Summoners Suddenly Cried Out In Terror and Were Suddenly Silenced.

Morning in Vana'diel is your daily dose of FFXI and all things Vana'diel. Give us your thoughts on the interesting topics of the day! Today, Ring can't figure what SE is doing and how they are going to survive the Summoner Holocaust that is currently descending on their offices.

Update day! And no word on a new Avatar. The new Avatars were announced over a year and a half ago, and restated 6 months ago, and essentially promised for the last update then this update. And still absolutely nothing. This really is getting pathetic. There are only three major items in this entire update: the NIN JA's, opening Northlands in the past, and the Union system. And it remains to be seen just how good this Union system is going to be.

I am now convinced that these mini-expansions are killing our updates. They are working on getting everything done for them and cutting out all of the meat of the updates. And Summoners are probably getting screwed the most out of this all. For most jobs you just get a JA here or a new spell there, but nothing is so definitive about the change for Summoner as a new Avatar. They are iconic and the main stay of the job. Promising them and then not delivering for a year and a half is just irresponsible to the player base.

I normally don't care about SMN outside of Summoner-burns, but they have their place in the game and they should get what is promised after such a long time. I don't know, vaporware seems to be an American tradition, but then again SE does love teasing stuff then taking forever to put it out. Not just in FFXI but all of their games. But knowing that doesn't make things any better for the Summoners that have been left out in the cold with no Alexander or Ixion or Cait-Sith or whatever.

Do you feel for the Summoners? Do you care about them outside of Summoner-burns? Do you want to see more Avatars? Or do you think that Summoners are just spoiled kids begging for new toys? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

<a href="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/Alex_2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/Alex_2.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 349px; height: 295px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Morning in Vana'diel</span><span style="font-style:italic;"> is your daily dose of FFXI and all things Vana'diel. Give us your thoughts on the interesting topics of the day! Today, Ring can't figure what SE is doing and how they are going to survive the Summoner Holocaust that is currently descending on their offices.</span><br /><br />Update day! And no word on a new Avatar. The new Avatars were announced over a year and a half ago, and restated 6 months ago, and essentially promised for the last update then this update. And still absolutely nothing. This really is getting pathetic. There are only three major items in this entire update: the NIN JA's, opening Northlands in the past, and the Union system. And it remains to be seen just how good this Union system is going to be. <br /><br />I am now convinced that these mini-expansions are killing our updates. They are working on getting everything done for them and cutting out all of the meat of the updates. And Summoners are probably getting screwed the most out of this all. For most jobs you just get a JA here or a new spell there, but nothing is so definitive about the change for Summoner as a new Avatar. They are iconic and the main stay of the job. Promising them and then not delivering for a year and a half is just irresponsible to the player base.<br /><br />I normally don't care about SMN outside of Summoner-burns, but they have their place in the game and they should get what is promised after such a long time. I don't know, vaporware seems to be an American tradition, but then again SE does love teasing stuff then taking forever to put it out. Not just in FFXI but all of their games. But knowing that doesn't make things any better for the Summoners that have been left out in the cold with no Alexander or Ixion or Cait-Sith or whatever.<br /><br />Do you feel for the Summoners? Do you care about them outside of Summoner-burns? Do you want to see more Avatars? Or do you think that Summoners are just spoiled kids begging for new toys? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

Morning in Vana'diel: We Now Return to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming.

Morning in Vana'diel is your daily dose of FFXI and all things Vana'diel. Give us your thoughts on the interesting topics of the day! Today, Ring wonders just what the fuck everyone at SE is doing to have such a completely empty and useless update. Is it FFXI? Or is it a more likely candidate.

Well, at least one day of happiness is more than none. It's back to the normal grind of complaining about SE today.

I don't even know where to start. The update is scheduled to be released on Monday and SE almost never releases new information on weekends. The update today is utterly worthless. Even those that apologize for everything SE does (me) and even those that enjoy aspects of the game that are not interesting at all (MMM, I am looking at you) have nothing at all to care about with the update notes that were released today.

So it's back to complaining for me. I could complain here about the update but I will handle that in the POL News post, so I will complain about something else: these stupid mini-expansion-scenario-crap. I think that SE really screwed themselves over with these things. Unlike working on a full expansion, which requires a lot of front loaded work before release, these mini-expansions probably require a bunch of programming for the cutscenes every update. Which means that more time is being spent on content that no one cares about or is going to be disappointed in because they are spreading themselves too thin. The state of updates are pathetic and increasingly so. I would much rather that SE just focused on improving the current content than working on poorly written, uninteresting, unrewarding and filler crap.

Are you getting fed up with this crap? Will you just take anything that SE gives you? Do you think my indignation is worthless? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

<a href="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/picard-facepalm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/picard-facepalm.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 456px; height: 300px;" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Morning in Vana'diel</span><span style="font-style:italic;"> is your daily dose of FFXI and all things Vana'diel. Give us your thoughts on the interesting topics of the day! Today, Ring wonders just what the fuck everyone at SE is doing to have such a completely empty and useless update. Is it FFXI? Or is it a more likely candidate.</span><br /><br />Well, at least one day of happiness is more than none. It's back to the normal grind of complaining about SE today.<br /><br />I don't even know where to start. The update is scheduled to be released on Monday and SE almost never releases new information on weekends. The update today is utterly worthless. Even those that apologize for everything SE does (me) and even those that enjoy aspects of the game that are not interesting at all (MMM, I am looking at you) have nothing at all to care about with the update notes that were released today. <br /><br />So it's back to complaining for me. I could complain here about the update but I will handle that in the POL News post, so I will complain about something else: these stupid mini-expansion-scenario-crap. I think that SE really screwed themselves over with these things. Unlike working on a full expansion, which requires a lot of front loaded work before release, these mini-expansions probably require a bunch of programming for the cutscenes every update. Which means that more time is being spent on content that no one cares about or is going to be disappointed in because they are spreading themselves too thin. The state of updates are pathetic and increasingly so. I would much rather that SE just focused on improving the current content than working on poorly written, uninteresting, unrewarding and filler crap.<br /><br />Are you getting fed up with this crap? Will you just take anything that SE gives you? Do you think my indignation is worthless? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

POL News: When Moogles Attack!

The Trailer for A Moogle Kupo d'Etat is now available on the mini-expansion website. It's a little better than the trailer for the last mini-expansion, but it really tells us next to nothing about what to expect from this scenario. It definitely looks a lot more silly than the last scenario, but I don't know how much more it is going to offer compared to the last scenario. The main complaint about A Crystalline Prophecy is that it was too short, had too many fetch quests and it didn't finish out the storyline at all. It was like a bad sequel to an interesting but unresolved movie that didn't really resolve the original and just made things more convoluted. Sometimes it's OK for a storyline to stay unresolved, sometimes a sequel is not what is needed. Sometimes, SE should get their ass in gear and give us a real expansion, with real content and real new areas.

A lot of SE's actions dealing with FFXI have been blunders. Mass automated bannings, failure to delivery new and interesting content, and horrible explainations and understanding of game design.

I still love this game, but it seems that lately SE has been trying to screw with me enjoying their own game.

<a href="http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/4702/4702.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/4702/4702.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 415px; height: 100px;" /></a><br />The Trailer for A Moogle Kupo d'Etat is now available on the <a href="http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/addon/">mini-expansion website</a>. It's a little better than the trailer for the last mini-expansion, but it really tells us next to nothing about what to expect from this scenario. It definitely looks a lot more silly than the last scenario, but I don't know how much more it is going to offer compared to the last scenario. The main complaint about A Crystalline Prophecy is that it was too short, had too many fetch quests and it didn't finish out the storyline at all. It was like a bad sequel to an interesting but unresolved movie that didn't really resolve the original and just made things more convoluted. Sometimes it's OK for a storyline to stay unresolved, sometimes a sequel is not what is needed. Sometimes, SE should get their ass in gear and give us a real expansion, with real content and real new areas. <br /><br />A lot of SE's actions dealing with FFXI have been blunders. Mass automated bannings, failure to delivery new and interesting content, and horrible explainations and understanding of game design.<br /><br />I still love this game, but it seems that lately SE has been trying to screw with me enjoying their own game.

POL News: Tell Me Something I Don't Know.

SE has disclosed the pricing information (that we already knew) and the pre-order date (like it matters) for the new scenario, A Moogle Kupo d'Etat. I am still slightly confused why they are pre-selling the scenario given that it is downloaded content and you can just pay for it the day it goes on sale without any difference. There are no trinkets to encourage pre-payment and it's not like they are going to run out of them, right?

I know that quite a few people are going to hold off on this one to see just how it plays out before they get it. I know that the reward for me is a lot more enticing, and ultimately that is the reason we all play the game. There are those that say that it just equates to "paying" for more gear, but that is what we do with every expansion and even every monthly bill, so that doesn't bother me that much. I am much more concerned if there is a good reason for me to get it. I still haven't done anything in ACP because there is nothing there for me. If this expansion has something I want or want to get, I will get it.

<a href="http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/4676/4676.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/4676/4676.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 415px; height: 100px;" /></a>SE has disclosed the pricing information (that we already knew) and the pre-order date (like it matters) for the new scenario, A Moogle Kupo d'Etat. I am still slightly confused why they are pre-selling the scenario given that it is downloaded content and you can just pay for it the day it goes on sale without any difference. There are no trinkets to encourage pre-payment and it's not like they are going to run out of them, right? <br /><br />I know that quite a few people are going to hold off on this one to see just how it plays out before they get it. I know that the reward for me is a lot more enticing, and ultimately that is the reason we all play the game. There are those that say that it just equates to "paying" for more gear, but that is what we do with every expansion and even every monthly bill, so that doesn't bother me that much. I am much more concerned if there is a good reason for me to get it. I still haven't done anything in ACP because there is nothing there for me. If this expansion has something I want or want to get, I will get it.

Morning in Vana'diel: Too Much for Too Many.

Morning in Vana'diel is your daily dose of FFXI and all things Vana'diel. Give us your thoughts on the interesting topics of the day! Today, what are we supposed to do when we can pick our own stats?

Ok, seriously, I can't decide. This isn't like ACP where I can look at those stats and say, hey I am going to get gear that good eventually, or I just can't justify getting that gear for a job I don't play all that often. Or I just can't be bothered to even do the missions because the reviews were so bad. Either way, I don't think I am going to pass up this expansion, for the simple reason that so many of my jobs can use this hat as a full upgrade. The real problem is that I only get one hat and I have so many jobs that could use it.

Do I get it for WHM? Just to start off the mage hat has 20 MP and a little bit of Conserve MP too. But then I can get 3% Cure Potency a little bit of Fast Cast and 6 MND. That pretty much beats anything I can get for my WHM right now. What about BLM? 6 INT with a little Magic Accuracy and Fast Cast? That's better than anything I have right now. RNG? I could get the Sidewinder-Never-Misses-Again Helm: +4 STR, +15 Weapon Skill Accuracy added with the +10 Ranged Accuracy and +5 Ranged Attack. Hell, I could just use that for TP build because I still use a Wyvern Helm because I don't have a Zha'Go's Barbut yet.

I do have to say that these items are very good, but also very well designed. Even when two complimentary augments are selection they usually won't overcome the absolutely best gear for the slot. For example, even the highest STR and Accuracy combinations aren't going to be better than a Hecatomb Cap, but it is still very good and better than Shura Kabuto, but there is a large difference between Shura Kabuto and Hecatomb Cap. These new head pieces seem to favor straight stats more than the body pieces did while the skill bonuses seem to be quite a bit lower. So I think these head pieces actually act as a better alternative to normal "best-in-slot" pieces than most commonly accepted alternatives. This makes them ideal for jobs that are not your main focus, but ones that you know you need to gear up better.

So what is a guy supposed to do? How do I decide? The ones that I want are all mutually exclusive, and for alternative jobs. How are you going to decide? Do you have a job in mind already? Should SE even be giving us these choices instead of controlling the aspects of the gear we get? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

<a href="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/kitty_decide.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/kitty_decide.png" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 499px; height: 305px;" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Morning in Vana'diel</span><span style="font-style:italic;"> is your daily dose of FFXI and all things Vana'diel. Give us your thoughts on the interesting topics of the day! Today, what are we supposed to do when we can pick our own stats?</span><br /><br />Ok, seriously, I can't decide. This isn't like ACP where I can look at those stats and say, hey I am going to get gear that good eventually, or I just can't justify getting that gear for a job I don't play all that often. Or I just can't be bothered to even do the missions because the reviews were so bad. Either way, I don't think I am going to pass up this expansion, for the simple reason that so many of my jobs can use this hat as a full upgrade. The real problem is that I only get one hat and I have so many jobs that could use it.<br /><br />Do I get it for WHM? Just to start off the mage hat has 20 MP and a little bit of Conserve MP too. But then I can get 3% Cure Potency a little bit of Fast Cast and 6 MND. That pretty much beats anything I can get for my WHM right now. What about BLM? 6 INT with a little Magic Accuracy and Fast Cast? That's better than anything I have right now. RNG? I could get the Sidewinder-Never-Misses-Again Helm: +4 STR, +15 Weapon Skill Accuracy added with the +10 Ranged Accuracy and +5 Ranged Attack. Hell, I could just use that for TP build because I still use a Wyvern Helm because I don't have a <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Zha%27Go%27s_Barbut">Zha'Go's Barbut</a> yet.<br /><br />I do have to say that these items are very good, but also very well designed. Even when two complimentary augments are selection they usually won't overcome the absolutely best gear for the slot. For example, even the highest STR and Accuracy combinations aren't going to be better than a <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Hecatomb_Cap">Hecatomb Cap</a>, but it is still very good and better than <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Shura_Zunari_Kabuto">Shura Kabuto</a>, but there is a large difference between Shura Kabuto and Hecatomb Cap. These new head pieces seem to favor straight stats more than the body pieces did while the skill bonuses seem to be quite a bit lower. So I think these head pieces actually act as a better alternative to normal "best-in-slot" pieces than most commonly accepted alternatives. This makes them ideal for jobs that are not your main focus, but ones that you know you need to gear up better. <br /><br />So what is a guy supposed to do? How do I decide? The ones that I want are all mutually exclusive, and for alternative jobs. How are you going to decide? Do you have a job in mind already? Should SE even be giving us these choices instead of controlling the aspects of the gear we get? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

POL News: The Second Coming

So SE have unveiled the next in their sequence of small "bite-sized" expansions to be directly downloaded from them. In true Japanese cuisine style, these really are mini snippets of storylines to be followed and finished in a relatively short space of time, love them or hate them they are definately a topic of conversation for all. While it seems as though the storyline is thin on content currently, with hints of undead and ghosts and a very haunted feel to the whole affair, A Moogle Kupo d'Etat is causing more of a stir due to the augmentable gear that is provided as the reward for completing this tale. The designs are definately a bold strike out and are again polarizing opinion but you can't deny the flexibility and scope of potential that the augments offer for each of the classes available, the question is, which are you going to chose?

<a href="http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/4656/4656.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.playonline.com/pcd/topics/ff11us/detail/4656/4656.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 415px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 100px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><br />So SE have unveiled the next in their sequence of small "bite-sized" expansions to be directly downloaded from them. In true Japanese cuisine style, these really are mini snippets of storylines to be followed and finished in a relatively short space of time, love them or hate them they are definately a topic of conversation for all. While it seems as though the storyline is thin on content currently, with hints of undead and ghosts and a very haunted feel to the whole affair, <a href="http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/addon/">A Moogle Kupo d'Etat</a> is causing more of a stir due to the augmentable gear that is provided as the reward for completing this tale. The designs are definately a bold strike out and are again polarizing opinion but you can't deny the flexibility and scope of potential that the augments offer for each of the classes available, the question is, which are you going to chose?

Morning in Vana'diel: Retro Chique.

Morning in Vana'diel is your daily dose of FFXI and all things Vana'diel. Give us your thoughts on the interesting topics of the day! Today, Ring wonders what is up with this new gear from previous Final Fantasy remakes? Is this like retro because it comes from older games, or is this futuristic because the design was from the remakes after FFXI was launched? OH MY GOD! GEAR PARADOX!

We will have our full coverage of the new expansion, the gear and the stats a little later today, but for now lets have a little look at the look of this new stuff! Right off the bat the new "mage" hat not only looks great and well detailed, but it pays a great homage to the design style of older Final Fantasy games. Now, I know that I will be punished for this but I haven't played all of the Final Fantasy games. You can forward your death threats to Omoikitte. That being said I have seen the design trends for the games and especially the remakes, and I have always appreciated how FFXI has integrated the older games themes into itself. I especially liked that FFXI did this in it's own way, because no Final Fantasy was ever been a true sequel to the previous numbered editions (yes, there have been sequels, but not a numbered sequel). There are themes that run through all of the games like the job system, the summons and even the crystals. These do a lot to provide a structure that is familiar to the player while at the same time allowing the developers to create their own unique world.

The homages to older Final Fantasy games should be rife in a game like FFXI because they provide the consistency and the nostalgia that gets people to play FFXI and love it, without having to worry about world and story consistency over 11+ iterations of a game let alone hundreds of developers, writers and artists. FFXI is large enough in and of itself to potential require an amount of retcon depending on who you ask about the lore. For every Final Fantasy they can create the world anew without fear of massive inconsistency or the past shirking the present. WoW runs into this problem because of the developers need to follow the storylines of the Warcraft games. The areas that you can potentially explore are already written and it becomes a choose-your-own-adventure when it comes to potential expansions. Final Fantasy has the same themes, trappings and similarities through out it's existence, and these do a great job to give you a familiar understanding in a whole new world.

Do you like the themes that flow throughout the Final Fantasy series? Is it time for SE to stop recycling the same ideas over and over? Do you think the new gear is neat? Or do you think that SE has just run out of new ideas? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!

<a href="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/BLM_hat-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff151/ringthreetheicp/BLM_hat-1.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 239px;" /></a><span style="font-weight:bold;">Morning in Vana'diel</span><span style="font-style:italic;"> is your daily dose of FFXI and all things Vana'diel. Give us your thoughts on the interesting topics of the day! Today, Ring wonders what is up with this new gear from previous Final Fantasy remakes? Is this like retro because it comes from older games, or is this futuristic because the design was from the remakes after FFXI was launched? OH MY GOD! GEAR PARADOX!</span><br /><br />We will have our full coverage of the new expansion, the gear and the stats a little later today, but for now lets have a little look at the look of this new stuff! Right off the bat the new "mage" hat not only looks great and well detailed, but it pays a great homage to the design style of older Final Fantasy games. Now, I know that I will be punished for this but I haven't played all of the Final Fantasy games. You can forward your death threats to Omoikitte. That being said I have seen the design trends for the games and especially the remakes, and I have always appreciated how FFXI has integrated the older games themes into itself. I especially liked that FFXI did this in it's own way, because no Final Fantasy was ever been a true sequel to the previous numbered editions (yes, there have been sequels, but not a numbered sequel). There are themes that run through all of the games like the job system, the summons and even the crystals. These do a lot to provide a structure that is familiar to the player while at the same time allowing the developers to create their own unique world.<br /><br />The homages to older Final Fantasy games should be rife in a game like FFXI because they provide the consistency and the nostalgia that gets people to play FFXI and love it, without having to worry about world and story consistency over 11+ iterations of a game let alone hundreds of developers, writers and artists. FFXI is large enough in and of itself to potential require an amount of retcon depending on who you ask about the lore. For every Final Fantasy they can create the world anew without fear of massive inconsistency or the past shirking the present. WoW runs into this problem because of the developers need to follow the storylines of the Warcraft games. The areas that you can potentially explore are already written and it becomes a choose-your-own-adventure when it comes to potential expansions. Final Fantasy has the same themes, trappings and similarities through out it's existence, and these do a great job to give you a familiar understanding in a whole new world. <br /><br />Do you like the themes that flow throughout the Final Fantasy series? Is it time for SE to stop recycling the same ideas over and over? Do you think the new gear is neat? Or do you think that SE has just run out of new ideas? Leave a comment and tell us what you think!