[GcDiaz]

Seriously the lighting model in this game is outstanding, and I'm not even using HDR. I'll try it out for some screenshots later.
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Steam/PSN/Xbawks: GcDiaz

Let's bring sexy back!

[rye]

hot singles near you
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[BotageL]

I got that one a couple times last night, too.
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http://www.mdgeist.com/

[rye]

Is there a way to find the source of the FC invite?

Maybe this is all the more reason for us to found the Cheevos FC before BlackPeopleMeet.Com claims us all.

There are 13 people on our player list now!
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[8128]

i'm really upset i'm not playing with you guys
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[notbov]

hmmm

I'll be taking a break until I see if SE can fix the lag problems, mostly because I haven't used my game code yet, so no rush on that. with that said, here's hoping it's sooner rather than later
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[rye]

That was probably smart. I used mine and then realized it was probably not a good idea.
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[notbov]

surprisingly, the login stuff hasn't affected me too much, just that this lag is game killing and I can't do the thing I want to since it means trying to guess if I'm standing in a red area of death while nothing happens for 5-10 seconds. I also wouldn't be totally against rerolling on another server if/when they open more up if it means my problems go away (which is no slight against you guys, it's just that money)
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[rye]

Wouldn't you rather just wait for world-transfer to become a thing?
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[notbov]

eh, that costs additional money

I'm also totally fine with rerolling because it means I'll have quests to level up with instead of spamming fates and leves
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[LandRoverAttack]

hi guys






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[LandRoverAttack]

i love fairies


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[GcDiaz]

Greetings, salutations.



Just missed the sunset, but you can still see light shafts.

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Steam/PSN/Xbawks: GcDiaz

Let's bring sexy back!

[mauve]

http://support.na.square-enix.com/rule.php?id=5382&la=1&tag=authc

They backed down on monetization over youtube/streaming.(Wondering if they made it so they get their cut from appropriate parties.) Still can't supply your own music. An improvement I guess?
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twit

[Takashi]

So I decided to jump in but turns out Square Enix is not selling the PC version. They could like, delay the delivery of the codes for a few days or lower new people priority or something, even extend the preorder if that's the case - it's not like they are paying for those hideous moogle hats - but no, they simply aren't selling the game. Pretty sure they have become allergic to money or something.
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low-end.net | Whimsy (soon) | Serfdom 2.0

[| BLUE | BLACK | PURPLE |]

Man, you guys all make such great looking screenshots. I feel a bit embarrassed because for the first couple of days I didn't know how to hide the HUD and didn't really think about zoom and making stuff presentable for other people. Also, I'm just playing this on the standard desktop settings. But I really wanted to show what my own experience was like and talk a bit about what I like about the game.

I can totally echo geinou's sentiment ("how beautiful I find my character as well as how much I like her") and that already started at the end of character creation for me. I didn't even spend a large amount of time on it but I created several characters, several different races/clans. I like how there's two different types of clans for each race that look different from each other. I really liked the background of the human highlander and the roegadyn sea wolves. As I played around with my characters that image of a lonesome "sea wolf" giantess got fixed in my mind. Hell, fishin' and seafarin' – I want that. All those choices that you make during character creation make the end result feel like yours, even though you didn't add anything to the process that somebody else couldn't have done just the same. Someone else could have that very same character. Somebody probably does! But if there are enough possibilities and enough decisions to be made then at some point you reach critical mass and have that feeling of ownership. Especially if you chose/created somet'n real purrty (thank you, legion of Square Enix pencil wizards and mathematics geniuses)

I don't have a screenshot from character creation but silly enough, it felt a bit like I created some kind of VR Final Fantasy daughter, so I guess I named her "Blackbride, daughter of Purple"




The next thing I remember is that I spent a lot of time chasing weird creatures around. Like, weird, but not usual Final Fantasy over-the-top monster design weird. Kind of normal and adorable compared to the things you usually find in post-VI Final Fantasy. This dude was heartwarming.




I wasn't even fighting in this shot, just goofing off with the guy.



Because I picked the gladiator class I started off in basically a mashup of Middle Eastern desert city and Central African flora. Took a long time to finally get to a place that had water! And boy was I happy. Ah, the things to come...




Now the next ones you might find even more boring than the previous ones but this shows pretty well what I like about this game. Well, one part of it. I like exploring "the map". It's nice that you get XP for "mapping" all of a region but that's not why I do it. I do like filling in the blanks though, a little bit. But what I really like is seeing something on the horizon. Wondering what it is. Deciding to find out. Getting there. It's addicting, I want to do it all over again once I'm there, so I move on. At first it's big shiny or weird looking things that attract you, pique your interest.




Then you get there and it's gorgeous, it's new, unique. But it's never as good as that feeling of anticipation and the lure of the unknown. But you're still happy because of the journey. First time I saw the "colorful" starry sky (images don't do it justice) I had one of those "man, that's great, why can't life actually be like that" moments. Then I felt silly and Actually Remembered My Life. But still, super pretty for Not My Real Life.




Then you head back and the journey frames everything in a different light. You don't look for the big glowy things anymore. You appreciate the sublime in the subtle.




What I (perhaps) want to say is: this game's art is ridiculous, this games environments are ridiculous and it just makes me fall halfway out of my seat sometimes to think how many people it must have taken how many hours to hand place all this stuff. Like, this is the closest a human being can get to feeling like there is a god who made the world just for them. Untold man hours were spent combing every inch of this virtual place, from every angle, to assure that everything not just fits together and doesn't become a bottomless digital abyss because you stepped in the gap between two polygons but also that there are gorgeous vistas to be seen from every angle. What's more is that they actually, truly, really succeeded at doing so, on such a large scale. This thing is huge and I haven't seen squat yet compared to what's there.

Also, I never before played a game to "explore". I always found it silly to walk around digital worlds just to see the geometry, so to say. I always liked to explore the mechanics, the rules and depending on the game perhaps the text/cut-scenes/"plot", however it is delivered. I like to explore the design philosophy behind a game more than any single component of a game. Normally. I did like exploring the terrain in Minecraft for quite a wile but that was always full well knowing that I was being jerked off by the latex glove of an algorithm. I did come to appreciate the guy/guys/gal/gals that I felt behind the algorithm but not really the end result of it. (wait what, analogy error, do not compute)

But yeah, this.





FINAL FANTASY is a registered trademark of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
If you use any copyrighted Materials (such as screenshots or gameplay video), then you must include the following notice:
FINAL FANTASY XIV c 2010-2013 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Don't Sue.

[BotageL]

The Guild Wars 2 guys did that for a week or so around launch as well. It was pretty funny. Go to your local PC game shop, kids?

(Americans: What local PC game shop?)
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http://www.mdgeist.com/

[notbov]

I remember when I walked to the closest Gamestop and bought a brand new copy of Shadowgrounds: Survivor for a whole penny

now all they have is a bunch of full-price download codes for new releases and a Blizzard standup. even Best Buy has more of a PC game section

anyways, I lied, my fingers slipped and I used my code. I'm currently chilling on the JP servers where there's no lag or crappy routing or possible packet throttling from my ISP because they think FFXIV is a p2p program until all the fun with the NA servers blows over
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[SuperWes]

A added my characters to the google doc.

I like this game! I won't be on over the weekend though.

-Wes
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[LandRoverAttack]

[GcDiaz]

Jesus H will these nerds go outside and find girlfriends already? They need to make room for me!
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Steam/PSN/Xbawks: GcDiaz

Let's bring sexy back!

[Flylighter]

So this happened earlier:



He popped up outside Gridania. He was hitting people for 5-30k.
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I'm on Steam! ----- I'm on Youtube!

[geinou]

I heard about the Odin and Bahamut fates. Very interesting. Looking forward to experiencing them one day in the future (hopefully...).

Also, hot damn. I'm officially in love with this game now. ;__; And I haven't even been to the snow area (read: winter wonderland) yet! If may know that I just can't no to a sight like this. I really love having those moments in videogames. Can't say no to towers / castles / old buildings being placed on a quite ridiculous place that would never work in real life. Or standing on a cliff and looking at a giant tower, knowing you eventually will visit it. And of course winter wonderlands. <3









Kweh!

[GcDiaz]

So with three starting areas, that's basically 3 combat classes you can comfortably level to completion, yes? Between quest XP and all the random shit you kill en route? Are you screwed after that, depending on dailies and dungeons?
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Steam/PSN/Xbawks: GcDiaz

Let's bring sexy back!

[bza]

There's also hunting logs for each class that give massive bonuses upon completion.
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[notbov]

looking at it, I think a good idea is to level damage classes first with the story and main quests, then come back and clean up anything else with tank/healer classes, since they can lean on instant duty finder queues and can very easily cheat contribution in fates

seriously, my fate gameplan on my Paladin is:
1.Join fate
2.Spam Flash
3.??????
4.Profit!

gold medals every time. tangentially related to that, I have an extra Pdugy Puk pet if anyone wants
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[| BLUE | BLACK | PURPLE |]

I don't think I'm ever online when you guys are, so is there a way we can still help each other out somehow? Like if one of you guys is a black-/goldsmith and needs ores and if I'm a miner and got lots of them but haven't gotten into black-/goldsmithing at all yet, can we organize something there? I guess there's the option of mailing stuff around in-game. Anything else?

I don't know how companies work and what's the benefit there, either... Do you gain some kind of group XP by being in one or is it all just there to go questing together?

[| BLUE | BLACK | PURPLE |]

Well, first time I'm having trouble with the game. Yesterday evening I couldn't get into Ultros so I created an alt on the Japanese Ramuh. I looked up all the JP servers that were considered unofficial English speaking servers, made a list and then made sure NOT to pick one of those. I hope this way I'll play with people that don't talk much, don't spam gold selling and so on.

And now I've been trying for an hour to play SOMEWHERE but all I'm getting is four different error codes. Yeah, that is annoying, I get it now... siiiiiigh

[notbov]

I'm sure this has become obvious, but generally, if you manage to get on, don't fucking give that spot up for anything

need to sleep? your computer doesn't

want to do something else? multitask and chill in a sanctuary

want to play another game? blasphemy

the main thing here is to figure out the primetimes of any given server, then log on (or try to) when those aren't happening. I can get on Ultros on one try at 6-8 in the morning, but god forbid if I try the same thing 10-12 hours later
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[Faithless]

I have been running around the world and it's my favorite part of this game.
That and the hunting log. Gotta kill 'em all.
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my website

[rye]

Even though I've been playing on PS3, like many of you, I'm still pulled into the scenery and can't help but share a few screens.

I named my character Tieger, after a minor character from Vagrant Story (but it's also Tiger in german, I think).



I know some people complain about the story requiring a lot of travel, but that's one of my favorite things about hanging out in this world. There are towns and settlements scattered about at regular intervals, but it makes sense, the world looks like one where actual people live, work, and do things. Even towns made from the same "tileset" have enough unique features to make them feel different, but still part of a cohesive region with it's own culture and architectural styles.



I love those… shadow rays? I don't know what that's called.



The shroud is one of my favorite places to be in the game, at least in day.



I love hanging around Limsa Lominsa at night. I usually go there to do my crafting. I've always loved hanging out by the ocean at night in real-life too.



Upper La Noscea is one of my favorite places right now.



As I took this the guy in the foreground walked into the shot, then stood there admiring the scenery for a few moments before he moved on.



I picked the gladiator class because I wanted to be a guy with a sword, I didn't know anything about MMO archetyes like "tank" or "DPS", but I grew into the role because I liked protecting people. It's all about keeping control of chaos, communicating clearly, and trusting the people on your team. I'm getting better at it as I go.

[Faithless]

Added myself to the SB player list.
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my website

[miaou]

This place is really giving me a Shadow of the Colossus feeling....

One minute later:



That was serendipitous!

You can catch part of a rant I was having in the linkshell about how MMOs having single player stories is a really bizarre idea. Why play an MMO at all if the game is going to try to get you to ignore that the 4999 other players in the gameworld exist?

bza posted this in the IRC:

[rye]

I really like all of what you said there, miaou. I've heard there are some people that actually try to solo MMOs, which seems so bizarre to me, but also very understandable for human beings that elect to plug themselves into the net for hours at a time. I do remember reading in beta forums that people were complaining that the game forced players to party for dungeons, why couldn't the game allow them to play solo?

The approach you described is very appealing to me — that it's dangerous to go alone, take someone along. It's also very gutsy, because you're forced to rely on other players. I can't see a game like that working in the current mass-market MMO climate, but games are still relatively new and hopefully we'll see something like that come to pass in another 10 years. I think that is rather what I'd like to see these games become. My favorite moments in FFXIV so far are when I've breifly teamed up with other players out in the field – i ran into a CNJ low on health and took some aggro off him, then he ended up healing me, and we went along like this for a few mobs.

I know little about EVE, but that seems to be the game that everyone points to when these sorts of discussions come along — that the game requires real human cooperation to survive, but it also looks like something I'd never want to attempt playing (too demanding).
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[Faithless]

My problem with partying is the immersion is broken -- suddenly, people are: STNG TO TMJ/JUNCTION 5+ TO TAKE AHRO MOG! CON what are YOU DOING YOU HAVE TO DP THE LTJ from the SIDE FUCK YOU FUCKING NOOBS ARE SO STUPID

I'd be happy to go through the pirate dungeon thing with people, but every team up I've had has been a bad experience
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my website

[scratchmonkey]

The MMO that lets you do micro-transactions to allow you to play the game as a single-player RPG will not actually be that popular or make that much money; I sure as heck would pay 5-10 bucks so long as it looked like the above screens.

Which is to say, having spent an inordinate amount of time running around in the FFXI beginner areas, I wish I was playing this game and at the same really am glad that I am not playing this game.

[CubaLibre]

It is really interesting to see traditionally console-centric people give their first impressions of what seems to be a bog standard MMO (with really nice art).
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Let's Play, starring me.

[BotageL]

[| BLUE | BLACK | PURPLE |]

[bza]

Every dungeon party I've run with so far has been pretty cool and no insults thrown around when things get dicey. I figure because it's a new game people just want to get story dungeons done and maybe have a chat rather than WoW where it's rushrushrushrush gotta get my valor points oh my GOD.

Any sort of dungeon finder that puts together players from various servers is gonna result in less of a community aspect though, which bugs me.

Been posting screenshots to Steam because I'm lazy: http://steamcommunity.com/id/rawket/screenshots/
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[notbov]

Dungeon runs are pretty chill now because it's still the first time through on most of them (every group I've had past Copperbell Mines was either most or everyone's first run). People are pretty chill about learning encounters when no one knows what the hell is going on. Man, I remember when I had to drop a group because of lag making me not be able to tank, we were all bummed that we couldn't add each other because we were all on different servers.

Like I said before, give it a bit, when people start rolling alts or different classes, then you'll get the real assholes.
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