I'm Kind of a Big Deal...People Know Me

If you're based in Bastok like I am, then here's one dude that you should definitely get to know:















He's one of the guards that stands near the city gates, and it's pretty important to talk to him every time you're about to head out. He'll cast a spell called "Signet" on you that has a bunch of totally sweet benefits, including:

1. Dodging more attacks from enemies
2. Earning conquest points for every monster you defeat, which can be spent on equipment
3. Earning points for your home nation, which increases your sphere of influence around the world
4. Best of all, enemies will drop elemental crystals, which can be used for crafting or traded in for straight CASH

That's a lot of benefits for absolutely no cost whatsoever. There's really no excuse not to constantly use Signet, especially for new players who will inevitably be hurting for cash.

So that's my tip to all the beginners out there (like me)...find the guard for your nation that gives Signet and use it!

Getting My Zapp Brannigan On

Has my reputation preceded me, or was I too fast for it?

Rachel, who will henceforth be known in this blog as The Ultimate Final Fantasy (or TUFF for short), noticed a striking resemblance between Bronco and a certain Futurama character.

I'll let you be the judge:

Death By Goblin

If you want to be successful at FFXI, you'll need to master the concept of aggression, or "aggro" as it's often known for short. You see, some monsters are pretty relaxed...they don't attack until you start messing with them. As an example, see that Huge Hornet from a couple posts ago. You can stand right next to one and it will go right on peacefully coexisting...at least until you punch it in the face.

But what about a Goblin?





















As you can see, I'm just minding my own buisness yet this Goblin Thug is about to stab me in the stomach. It seems a little extreme until you realize that the beast races (of which the Goblins are one) are at war with the free peoples of FFXI. In his eyes, a knife in the gullet is an appropriate fate for an ugly Hume like me. Most of the beast races "aggro" to sight, meaning if they can see you, they'll attack you. It's an important thing to remember, unless you don't mind being surrounded by several stab-happy midgets.

Keen eyed readers will also notice that I'm not wearing any pants. As I mentioned in the Monk post, we abhor weapons and armor. Apparently we get tougher as our clothes get skimpier, so I can only assume that strippers would make the toughest Monks in all the land. All I know is that I traded in my pants for something called a Bronze Subligar, which increased my defense at the expense of a distinct breeze around the nether regions. I'd better stick to warmer climates until I find some better insulation.

I Know Kung-Fu

In FFXI, you can choose from a wide range of "jobs", which is just a euphemism for character classes. So you're selecting Warrior or White Mage, not Auto Mechanic or Massage Therapist (that would be a very different kind of game).

I decided to start as a Monk. You'd think that would mean a life of quiet, religious reflection. In the world of video games, that actually means I'm a whirlwind of violent death. Apparently Monks also believe that swords and armor are for sissies, choosing instead to use scraps of cloth and bare fists in combat. Need proof?

















In this shot, I'm about to drop a nasty karate chop/overhand punch hybrid on a very large hornet, which the designers have cleverly named "Huge Hornet". I hope that didn't take them long. Truth be told I'm not a big fan of stinging insects, so it was pretty satisfying to pummel a large number of these to death. In addition to experience points, killing Huge Hornets can net you pots of honey (yum!), wind crystals (sparkly!), and insect wings (I would want this...why?).

During my first play session, I jumped to level seven (they come fast at the start) and started a collection of random items. I also did some tasks for a town guard in Bastok, and he seemed pretty pleased with my progress. It's good to know that my genocidal efforts against the local insect population are appreciated.

Introducing Our Next Contender

There's a new hero in town:
















Name: Bronco
Race: Hume

Job: Monk

Allegiance: The Republic of Bastok
Hometown: Bastok
Sever: Cerberus (The original dog from Hell!)

I apologize for the picture here...I'm still getting used to the camera controls and screenshot functions. Bronco can do all kinds of interesting actions, emotes, and poses. Yet I've decided to introduce him with a far away shot in which he's standing like a statue, staring vacantly forward. And somehow the lighting and distance makes it look like he doesn't have a nose. I assure you that he does.

All in all, it looks a little like he accidentally wandered into a tourist's photo and is annoyed at the situation.

Anyhoo, most of those stats I listed for Bronco probably won't make a lot of sense to anyone who doesn't play FFXI. Don't worry...all will become clear over the next few posts.

Samsonite...I was way off

Uh, make that more like four to five hours for installation. I was a bit bleary-eyed while creating my character last night (or should I say, early this morning). Hopefully I won't log in today and realize that I accidentally made a blind chimpanzee.

Given the hour, I didn't accomplish much in my first session beyond watching the opening cinimatic and wandering confusedly around my home city. Tonight is going to be a different story.

FFXI: The Pre Post

After a long wait, Final Fantasy XI is finally here and currently installing on my 360. Let me say, this process is not for the feint of heart. Between setting up PlayOnline (the client FFXI uses) and downloading the game, you're looking at around two hours of setup even before you get to start creating a character or anything like that.

In the interim, Rachel suggested that I use my first blog entry to mention a few things that have me jazzed up to play this game. Here are three:

1. Deep character creation - Yeah, I'm one of those weirdos that likes to agonize over character stats in RPGs and tactical strategy games. FFXI has one of the deepest character building systems in the industry. Match made in heaven? We'll soon find out.

2. It's from Square! - Final Fantasy games are just...good. I've played a ton of them, dating back to the original on the NES, and I've never walked away dissatisfied. Square is known for making games with a ton of polish and keen attention to detail, and rumor has it that FFXI is no exception.

3. It's Bucket Time - So we have an online game where I can wander the land kicking the crap out of monsters while teaming up with my buddy Chuck? I'm sold!

And in the interest of fairness, here's two things that make me a bit wary:

1. Other players - Okay, I realize that it's a bit ironic to complain about other players in an online game, but I have a low threshold for dealing with retards. Supposedly FFXI has a higher quality user base than some of the other big MMORPGs (coughWOWcough), but we'll see.

2. The install size - SEVEN GIGS?!?! Is this thing going to run Final Fantasy or a chess competition against Deep Blue?! I actually had to delete a few things on my hard drive to make room, and I'm not overly pleased one game is hijacking most of my memory. Oh well...hopefully it'll be worth it.

That's all for now, but stay tuned for a description of my first character.

Bronco

P.S. Most of these updates won't be this long!