I have had a bit more of a chance to experiment with the Blue Racing Silks and the Sky Blue Racing Silks with my digging lately. The reason for this is primarily that 200 successful digs can take a while longer than I really have to spend on work nights. So, I often get about 60-70 free digs before switching to the Sky Blue Racing Silks to finish off the remaining 45 fatigue digs for the night.
Last night turned out pretty decent for my moderate level of digging skill. I netted two gold beastcoins, a handful of silver, two petrified logs, a few ebony logs, an oak log, some mythril ore and a mythril beastcoin and other miscellaneous items. Oh, the 6 danceshrooms were a nice sell-to-vendor treat. I definitely paid for my greens! The moon was 69% and a few of the zones I tried were near barren, it took a while to finally get in that haul. I'm glad I had the patience to see it through.
The Blue Racing Silks are definitely good for zones where the incidentals are beneficial. Digging in Tahrongi gets me a lot of pebbles and flint stones for my free digs with the occasional surprise. Digging in the jungle, however, brings in a nice flow of bone chips, which I send to my mule in Windy to level bonecraft. Just hit level 9 tonight and am ready to start making gelatin and glue here soon. A few years ago those stacks of chips would have sold for 10k easy, but nowadays they only go for 1k. There's really no point in trying to list them, I'd just as soon get some skill off them and keep the AH stocked with my more profitable digs.
I'm enjoying synthing the logs I get and receiving the occasional HQ. I haven't lost any of my lumber yet, which is always a risk with crafting in FFXI, but I'm sure it's bound to happen sooner or later. I suppose that's the gamble. You win some, you lose some.
I'm still not sure what the Sky Blue silks are doing for me. Is it increasing the skill of my bird temporarily to artificially boost my digging skill? That would make it easier to pull up those harder items if I get them in the treasure pool, but there's really no way for me to know client-side. I really wish these things weren't quite so ambiguous.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Chocobo Digging
Well, I picked up my FFXI chocobo digging recently and finally made it to the rank of Initiate. That means that I have slightly better accuracy than someone just starting out and I can dig every six seconds instead of every sixteen. Wahoo! My area wait time is at 50 seconds, meaning that I can't start digging until 50 seconds after I've zoned. This is down from a full minute when you start out.
I raised a digging chocobo with the Bore and Burrow abilities to increase the rate of successful digs. With maxed out discernment I'm finding that my successful dig rate is way better than I had ever encountered before and I can stay competitive in the jungles without a problem. With 67 woodworking skill, I synth the higher priced logs into lumber and have been surprised with a few HQ's that result in more lumber than logs and increase my income. At this point in the game, though, I'm still aiming to pay for my digging sessions. Anything extra is just a nice surprise.
I think I made a mistake by getting the Sky Blue Racing Silks. It seems, after doing some reading, that it is rather inconclusive what they do for your skill. Sure, I get the messages that my chocobo has gained knowledge from digs quite frequently, but what does that mean exactly? I still haven't found any comprehensive arguments that can say with any certainty that this is actually directly improving skillup rates to cut down the time required to level up your digging skill. Why is that so important? As an initiate I see a slightly better accuracy rate and I can dig quicker. The next rank is the first one that really starts setting you up for the big leagues. Players will often refer to the Novice rank as A45. The reason being is that, of course, your area wait time drops from 50 seconds after zoning to 45, but furthermore, this is the first rank where you receive 0 delay between digs. So, instead of waiting six seconds to dig again, you can basically do it back to back. Going on with this, each successive rank contiunes the decrease in area wait time by five seconds while maintaining the 0 delay between digs. On and on it goes until you finally reach the rank of Expert with an area wait time of 10 seconds. This rank is often referred to as A10, catching on?
Aside from the obvious benefits of ranking up your digging skill, higher ranked players also gain access to digs that would be impossible for newbs like me. We're talking about elemental ore, orichalcum ore, adaman ore, and precious metal beastcoins plus other hard to obtain items. This is where all that hard work starts to pay off. You no longer worry about whether you're going to break even on greens, now we're talking about putting the little Tarus through college. That's the idea, anyway. The problem is that after the anti-RMT actions instituted into the game, the fatigue system will only allow you to dig up 100 items a day, which resets at midnight in Japan. From everything I've read, that puts you on schedule to obtain your A10 rank after a mere 20-22 months of digging to cap every single day. That's right, no holidays, no birthdays, no anniversaries off, digging every single day to fatigue. Bleh!
I suppose that's why I had such high hopes for the Sky Blue Racing Silks. With the idea that I could shorten that time, well, I was pretty stoked. I have since learned that I may be much better off going with the Blue Racing Silks, which increase the number of successful digs per day substantially. Hmm, immediate payoff. If FFXIV weren't right around the corner I might be tempted to just stick it out and see how these Skill + silks work out, but the truth of the matter is that I really don't have the intention to stay in this game for that long. Sure, the quest for 99 sounds like it might be kind of fun, but let's face it. I have become a loner in this Final Fantasy game. My friends have moved on or only log on once in a blue moon and it gets lonely. I work full time and I've got a family and I just don't have the time to try to foster new friendships. Let's face it, in this game it's always been a crapshoot of hit or miss and generally these things include helping other people with the things they MUST have in the hope that they reciprocate later on. In my experience, I end up spending a lot of time helping others who are quick to forget the good deed. New addons or not, I think it's time for me to move on. Until then, though, I'm having fun seeing what I can dig up in my old stomping grounds.
Last night I got a few gold beastcoins and some choice pieces of ore and logs. I made more than I spent on greens and, who knows, maybe I got a few good skill increases somewhere in there. I'm already halfway to getting my new racing silks to increase my successful digs and I suppose I'll keep the others in my storage in case some new information comes to light later on down the road.
My experiences so far have left me hoping that an improved version of chocobo raising and digging find themselves in Final Fantasy XIV. I also hope that the developers find better ways to mitigate RMT activities than dictating what real players can do with their time in game. There will always be other ways around it. And really, what's to stop an RMT joint to bot up a few more mules and keep the dig botting going around the clock? All it really does is make it harder for real players to track competitors. I would much rather avoid a zone always occupied by a single player who dig bots than try to keep up with his many alts. But, alas, we digress into the topic of how Fishing and Digging have had their noses cut off to spite the face -- and that, my friends, shall be for another day.
Until then, happy digging!
I raised a digging chocobo with the Bore and Burrow abilities to increase the rate of successful digs. With maxed out discernment I'm finding that my successful dig rate is way better than I had ever encountered before and I can stay competitive in the jungles without a problem. With 67 woodworking skill, I synth the higher priced logs into lumber and have been surprised with a few HQ's that result in more lumber than logs and increase my income. At this point in the game, though, I'm still aiming to pay for my digging sessions. Anything extra is just a nice surprise.
I think I made a mistake by getting the Sky Blue Racing Silks. It seems, after doing some reading, that it is rather inconclusive what they do for your skill. Sure, I get the messages that my chocobo has gained knowledge from digs quite frequently, but what does that mean exactly? I still haven't found any comprehensive arguments that can say with any certainty that this is actually directly improving skillup rates to cut down the time required to level up your digging skill. Why is that so important? As an initiate I see a slightly better accuracy rate and I can dig quicker. The next rank is the first one that really starts setting you up for the big leagues. Players will often refer to the Novice rank as A45. The reason being is that, of course, your area wait time drops from 50 seconds after zoning to 45, but furthermore, this is the first rank where you receive 0 delay between digs. So, instead of waiting six seconds to dig again, you can basically do it back to back. Going on with this, each successive rank contiunes the decrease in area wait time by five seconds while maintaining the 0 delay between digs. On and on it goes until you finally reach the rank of Expert with an area wait time of 10 seconds. This rank is often referred to as A10, catching on?
Aside from the obvious benefits of ranking up your digging skill, higher ranked players also gain access to digs that would be impossible for newbs like me. We're talking about elemental ore, orichalcum ore, adaman ore, and precious metal beastcoins plus other hard to obtain items. This is where all that hard work starts to pay off. You no longer worry about whether you're going to break even on greens, now we're talking about putting the little Tarus through college. That's the idea, anyway. The problem is that after the anti-RMT actions instituted into the game, the fatigue system will only allow you to dig up 100 items a day, which resets at midnight in Japan. From everything I've read, that puts you on schedule to obtain your A10 rank after a mere 20-22 months of digging to cap every single day. That's right, no holidays, no birthdays, no anniversaries off, digging every single day to fatigue. Bleh!
I suppose that's why I had such high hopes for the Sky Blue Racing Silks. With the idea that I could shorten that time, well, I was pretty stoked. I have since learned that I may be much better off going with the Blue Racing Silks, which increase the number of successful digs per day substantially. Hmm, immediate payoff. If FFXIV weren't right around the corner I might be tempted to just stick it out and see how these Skill + silks work out, but the truth of the matter is that I really don't have the intention to stay in this game for that long. Sure, the quest for 99 sounds like it might be kind of fun, but let's face it. I have become a loner in this Final Fantasy game. My friends have moved on or only log on once in a blue moon and it gets lonely. I work full time and I've got a family and I just don't have the time to try to foster new friendships. Let's face it, in this game it's always been a crapshoot of hit or miss and generally these things include helping other people with the things they MUST have in the hope that they reciprocate later on. In my experience, I end up spending a lot of time helping others who are quick to forget the good deed. New addons or not, I think it's time for me to move on. Until then, though, I'm having fun seeing what I can dig up in my old stomping grounds.
Last night I got a few gold beastcoins and some choice pieces of ore and logs. I made more than I spent on greens and, who knows, maybe I got a few good skill increases somewhere in there. I'm already halfway to getting my new racing silks to increase my successful digs and I suppose I'll keep the others in my storage in case some new information comes to light later on down the road.
My experiences so far have left me hoping that an improved version of chocobo raising and digging find themselves in Final Fantasy XIV. I also hope that the developers find better ways to mitigate RMT activities than dictating what real players can do with their time in game. There will always be other ways around it. And really, what's to stop an RMT joint to bot up a few more mules and keep the dig botting going around the clock? All it really does is make it harder for real players to track competitors. I would much rather avoid a zone always occupied by a single player who dig bots than try to keep up with his many alts. But, alas, we digress into the topic of how Fishing and Digging have had their noses cut off to spite the face -- and that, my friends, shall be for another day.
Until then, happy digging!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
FFXI and the Level Cap Increase
How do you feel about the announcement of the impending level cap increases for Final Fantasy XI? By the end of this year the max level will have raised from 75 through several increments to 99. Of course, many players will have left the game by that point if Final Fantasy XIV, the new FF MMO, releases on time. I suppose when you put it into that perspective, it will only be the die-hard XI fans that will remain. Well, I suppose those who simply have no desire to move on to the next MMO will also remain.
Will the mass exodus call for more server consolidations? I imagine that some might say, "Big deal, let them go, who cares if SE consolidates the servers? At least there will be less people sitting in town whining about lack of invites or that no one will help them." Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about this. It just brings up some interesting concerns.
For example, if only the truest of die-hard XI fans remain and they consolidate servers as they are doing this month, then players will again face an undesirable side affect that will undoubtedly come as an unpleasant surprise after the March 2010 update. The thing with having a character on a long standing MMO is that you get used to them, you develop a connection to this online persona that you have been attached to for so long. So imagine waking up one morning, driving to work, and then as you walk into the building you're given a message that indicates that you can no longer be Bob or Bill or Sam or whatever it is that you call yourself. It turns out that Accounting just merged with Outside Sales for who knows why and there already happens to be a Bob or Bill or Sam, or what have you, in their block of cubicles. Darn the luck, you now have to come up with a new name, a handle to which people will refer when desiring to communicate in your direction.
I know, to some it won't be an issue. It's just a name and your friendlist should still function just as it used to. If you're one of those guys whose account has been jacked up for who knows how long, well let's face it, you're screwed. But there are those minor annoyances. Like making sure you send mail to the right person. Wouldn't it be awful to send all your gear to the wrong Mrshineypants mule? Next thing you know some galka with a fetish for meat dishes is parading around town in YOUR underwear. Imagine the embarrassment.
The real point I'm trying to make here is that there will undoubtedly be a lot of changes in store for FFXI in the coming months and not all of them will be gameplay alone. Another thing to consider is that the folks at SE do seem to have a plan for taking FFXI into 2011 and perhaps even years longer than that. This should be great news to those fans who see the game as their long time home for gaming entertainment.
Will the mass exodus call for more server consolidations? I imagine that some might say, "Big deal, let them go, who cares if SE consolidates the servers? At least there will be less people sitting in town whining about lack of invites or that no one will help them." Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about this. It just brings up some interesting concerns.
For example, if only the truest of die-hard XI fans remain and they consolidate servers as they are doing this month, then players will again face an undesirable side affect that will undoubtedly come as an unpleasant surprise after the March 2010 update. The thing with having a character on a long standing MMO is that you get used to them, you develop a connection to this online persona that you have been attached to for so long. So imagine waking up one morning, driving to work, and then as you walk into the building you're given a message that indicates that you can no longer be Bob or Bill or Sam or whatever it is that you call yourself. It turns out that Accounting just merged with Outside Sales for who knows why and there already happens to be a Bob or Bill or Sam, or what have you, in their block of cubicles. Darn the luck, you now have to come up with a new name, a handle to which people will refer when desiring to communicate in your direction.
I know, to some it won't be an issue. It's just a name and your friendlist should still function just as it used to. If you're one of those guys whose account has been jacked up for who knows how long, well let's face it, you're screwed. But there are those minor annoyances. Like making sure you send mail to the right person. Wouldn't it be awful to send all your gear to the wrong Mrshineypants mule? Next thing you know some galka with a fetish for meat dishes is parading around town in YOUR underwear. Imagine the embarrassment.
The real point I'm trying to make here is that there will undoubtedly be a lot of changes in store for FFXI in the coming months and not all of them will be gameplay alone. Another thing to consider is that the folks at SE do seem to have a plan for taking FFXI into 2011 and perhaps even years longer than that. This should be great news to those fans who see the game as their long time home for gaming entertainment.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
FFXIV Beta Invites - Advice for testers.
Well, the first round of Final Fantasy XIV Beta invites went out around the 1st of March. The lucky folks who were on the receiving end of those emails will start downloading the first version of the test client, which will be the first of many versions that are pushed down in the coming months of testing. As a previous Beta Tester for World of Warcraft, WoW: The Burning Crusade, and Warhammer Online, I am no stranger to the testing process. Unfortunately, I wasn't selected for this initial round, though I still have hope that my invite will come later.
For those of you who got in on this phase, and any subsequent phase of testing for that matter, you can probably expect download congestion, spotty connectivity to the Beta site, and people complaining about connection issues or download/client install issues or game bugs in a non-constructive manner. This is pretty much par for the course should be an expected part of the testing process. Don't get excited or stressed out, these things have a way of working themselves out and you'll be playing and offering beneficial feedback before you know it. Another thing to keep in mind is that testing usually breaks after a few days to a few weeks to load new testing content on the servers and make certain changes based on community suggestions and feedback. Once you're in, you're in for all of the remaining phases -- unless your conduct does not meet the standards expected of valuable testers as determined by the staff of the game you're testing.
If you didn't get your invite for this initial round of testing, don't worry, there will be more invites being sent out as the testing progresses. Also, I believe testing for the PC version kicks off first, so if you signed up for the PS3 version or indicated that you intend to play on that platform, it may impact when you will receive your invite. I cannot confirm that, however, it's just speculation on my part.
Another point of interest for those of you who are willing to do ANYTHING to increase your odds of getting into the Beta, Final Fantasy XIII has hit the stores and inside these first-run shipments is a product registration card that gives you a code to enter in on the Beta application form. Already applied? It's okay, when you apply again, this time indicating the code you received when you registered your copy of FFXIII, it will overwrite your previous application. The application site specifically says this, so there is no penalty for re-applying as your latest application will overwrite any previous entries.
Regardless of whether you got in this time or if you get in later, it is important to use your opportunity as a beta tester wisely. This can be done by experiencing many different facets of the game environment instead of just the things you enjoy doing as a part of your normal gaming routine. A good Beta tester does not view this time as a way to merely preview the game and pass judgment, he or she sees it as an opportunity to make suggestions that could forever alter the way the game plays and feels to possibly hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of players from around the globe. They report bugs with constructive comments and participate in surveys that pop up concerning quest objectives or other interactions instead of closing them to get on with playing the game.
Just remember, the rest of us are counting on you to help make this the best game it can be. Don't let us down!
For those of you who got in on this phase, and any subsequent phase of testing for that matter, you can probably expect download congestion, spotty connectivity to the Beta site, and people complaining about connection issues or download/client install issues or game bugs in a non-constructive manner. This is pretty much par for the course should be an expected part of the testing process. Don't get excited or stressed out, these things have a way of working themselves out and you'll be playing and offering beneficial feedback before you know it. Another thing to keep in mind is that testing usually breaks after a few days to a few weeks to load new testing content on the servers and make certain changes based on community suggestions and feedback. Once you're in, you're in for all of the remaining phases -- unless your conduct does not meet the standards expected of valuable testers as determined by the staff of the game you're testing.
If you didn't get your invite for this initial round of testing, don't worry, there will be more invites being sent out as the testing progresses. Also, I believe testing for the PC version kicks off first, so if you signed up for the PS3 version or indicated that you intend to play on that platform, it may impact when you will receive your invite. I cannot confirm that, however, it's just speculation on my part.
Another point of interest for those of you who are willing to do ANYTHING to increase your odds of getting into the Beta, Final Fantasy XIII has hit the stores and inside these first-run shipments is a product registration card that gives you a code to enter in on the Beta application form. Already applied? It's okay, when you apply again, this time indicating the code you received when you registered your copy of FFXIII, it will overwrite your previous application. The application site specifically says this, so there is no penalty for re-applying as your latest application will overwrite any previous entries.
Speculation: They were disappointed with the number of PS3 Beta applications and decided that this would be a good way of bolstering the number of players willing to test on that platform.Another bonus that comes with registering your copy of FFXIII is that you can enter it after you purchase your retail version of Final Fantasy XIV when it comes out and you will get a special in-game item! They haven't said what that item will be, but I imagine that this may be your only chance to secure whatever it is.
Regardless of whether you got in this time or if you get in later, it is important to use your opportunity as a beta tester wisely. This can be done by experiencing many different facets of the game environment instead of just the things you enjoy doing as a part of your normal gaming routine. A good Beta tester does not view this time as a way to merely preview the game and pass judgment, he or she sees it as an opportunity to make suggestions that could forever alter the way the game plays and feels to possibly hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of players from around the globe. They report bugs with constructive comments and participate in surveys that pop up concerning quest objectives or other interactions instead of closing them to get on with playing the game.
Just remember, the rest of us are counting on you to help make this the best game it can be. Don't let us down!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Chains of Promanthia Progress!
Well, it took quite a few hours of shouting in Whitegate, but I finally put together a team to tackle the Airship fight and then Tenzen. I'll write more about these specific fights soon. Actually seeing Sea for myself left me much more impressed than I had expected. Was it worth the days of agony spent fruitlessly trying to get a group formed? Eh... I'm not sure.
I don't have a whole lot of friends in the game anymore, most of the people I interact with are closer to acquaintances. Asking for help is a joke, even though most would gladly accept any offer of my time for their own pursuits. Now that I have Sea, I really don't have much I can do in there. My BLU is now 73, just shy of 74, so it won't be long before I can solo some of the mobs there without too much issue by subbing NIN and having Utsusemi: Ichi and Ni available. Coincidentally, that's also the time when Imps become a much safer soloing option as well. I still need a few spells in the area, though, so I'll probably go hand out and try to learn them before leaving for better experience points.
With Disseverment finally in my spell list, I tried flagging up for a party the other day. Nothing. I'm not even sure where people group at 73 these days. Another issue is that BLU is one of those jobs that can just be plain amazing in a party if played right, however few players actually take the time to learn how to maximize damage and factor in party beneficials. This leaves BLU in a somewhat bad position when it comes to forming up experience points parties. People just automatically assume you're stupid.
So, instead of just sitting around town I have taken to campaign a bit, but have spent the majority of the last few days doing Fields of Valor in Sky as BLU/BST. It's odd though, I am finding that even with the same +CHR gear that I was using as RDM/BST, I am getting a noticeable increase in failed charms. Nothing too bad, yet, but it is a little annoying. Funny though, I also notice that I seem to fail more when I neglect to refresh my metallic body and zephyr mantle. Yes, it could be a statistical anomaly, or maybe the game really does hate us? ;)
I've read that the first rounds of Beta (or Alpha, as some insist) invites were sent out on the 1st of March. I am admittedly a little disappointed that I did not receive one. Now, no need to panic. There will be additional invites being sent out as the testing progresses in stages. That means that just because you or I weren't invited to the first stage, it doesn't mean that we will be precluded altogether. There is still hope!
I don't have a whole lot of friends in the game anymore, most of the people I interact with are closer to acquaintances. Asking for help is a joke, even though most would gladly accept any offer of my time for their own pursuits. Now that I have Sea, I really don't have much I can do in there. My BLU is now 73, just shy of 74, so it won't be long before I can solo some of the mobs there without too much issue by subbing NIN and having Utsusemi: Ichi and Ni available. Coincidentally, that's also the time when Imps become a much safer soloing option as well. I still need a few spells in the area, though, so I'll probably go hand out and try to learn them before leaving for better experience points.
With Disseverment finally in my spell list, I tried flagging up for a party the other day. Nothing. I'm not even sure where people group at 73 these days. Another issue is that BLU is one of those jobs that can just be plain amazing in a party if played right, however few players actually take the time to learn how to maximize damage and factor in party beneficials. This leaves BLU in a somewhat bad position when it comes to forming up experience points parties. People just automatically assume you're stupid.
So, instead of just sitting around town I have taken to campaign a bit, but have spent the majority of the last few days doing Fields of Valor in Sky as BLU/BST. It's odd though, I am finding that even with the same +CHR gear that I was using as RDM/BST, I am getting a noticeable increase in failed charms. Nothing too bad, yet, but it is a little annoying. Funny though, I also notice that I seem to fail more when I neglect to refresh my metallic body and zephyr mantle. Yes, it could be a statistical anomaly, or maybe the game really does hate us? ;)
I've read that the first rounds of Beta (or Alpha, as some insist) invites were sent out on the 1st of March. I am admittedly a little disappointed that I did not receive one. Now, no need to panic. There will be additional invites being sent out as the testing progresses in stages. That means that just because you or I weren't invited to the first stage, it doesn't mean that we will be precluded altogether. There is still hope!
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