tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70463778216243947562024-03-13T03:08:45.855-07:00The Adventures of Pawkeshup DamourWith the addition of the world of Eorzea, Pawkeshup has new adventures to write about, and a new format to do it in. I hope you enjoy this new format, and the continuing adventures of my characters in the fictional universe created by Square-Enix.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-29436295496255019552013-05-30T21:14:00.002-07:002013-05-30T21:15:16.217-07:00Why I quit being a Beastmaster<div class="MsoNormal">
The thrill is gone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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That is pretty much the tl;dr of this post. I was once a
career BST. I loved the job, and was excited to see Squeenix give it a major
boost, even if they crippled what I found to be the most powerful tool in the
BST’s arsenal. So what happened? How did improvements to a job I love make me
hang up my axes?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am no longer a special, unique snowflake!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Yea, yea, QQ more you will say. But it is true. In the days
when I solo’d BST to 75, it was a mountain to climb. It was a challenge to be
met. I take pride that my deaths aren’t astronomically high, yet I leveled BST
solo. I learned so much about this game’s mechanics and about crowd control. I
enjoyed the power and freedom BST afforded me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And now all of that has been totally undercut.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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M skills are transferrable, sure. My knowledge, my
experience, but they are meaningless to the BST of today. Today, it’s simply
buy the right jug, stock up on meds, and then set it and forget it. It takes no
knowledge, no skill. Hell, I would be willing to bet I could go naked /NIN or
/WHM to give me enough survivability to send in the chosen monster du jour, and
then sit my ass, half AFK while I wait to see if I need to heal my pet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Granted, there are still places where BST has to work, and
has to fight, but really the challenge of being a BST is little more than
farming gil. My axes help, as does any gear I acquire. But why invest time in a
job when someone can burn it to 99 in 3 days and have the exact same power
level as me? I felt gutted when I realized this. All my work was now undermined
by simply giving BST power in a pot.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So what is there left?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zIYE6gIPUo/UagjfBFdK8I/AAAAAAAAAQc/fmG9D3jLTO0/s1600/pol+2013-05-29+20-29-49-33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1zIYE6gIPUo/UagjfBFdK8I/AAAAAAAAAQc/fmG9D3jLTO0/s400/pol+2013-05-29+20-29-49-33.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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DAT PUP!<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-3515522110998598092010-10-03T08:07:00.000-07:002010-10-03T08:07:03.854-07:00Why FFXIV is setup for failureTonight, my LS got chatting about the pros and cons of the most recent release from Square Enix. I quickly became the voice of doom, stating the game is setup for a fall. And the more I looked at it, the more I realized there's little to no reason to have faith in this game. Let's look at the issues:<br />
<br />
<b>The Schizophrenic Game of Combining Hardcore and Casual - </b>So, on the surface, the game seems more casual-friendly. Guildleves, more solo play, and an NPC buddy for missions. But then after you scratch the surface, you find the hideous monster that is hardcore. EXP limits, tricky party mechanics while leveling, and the terrible repairs system. I'll get to that.<br />
<br />
SE needs to make up its mind. The game can't cater to both groups at this point. It either needs to foster that newbie-friendly experience, or it has to be punishingly hardcore to attract the masochistic of us MMO players. Combining integral mechanics that reward the hardcore and spurn the casual will lead to a rapid decline in numbers right out of the gate.<br />
<br />
<b>Repairing that Requires Grinding - </b>Durability of gear as a risk/reward feature is fine. Many games use it, and it is an interesting twist that once gear reaches a certain level, it starts to perform worse before it breaks and becomes useless.What is not cool is requiring that you level crafting (multiple crafts at that) just to maintain your own gear. Sure, there are NPC repairs, but not to 100%, and the expense in a player-based economy is painful beyond belief. Then, on top of that, requiring the acquisition of a particular item as well... SE wants you to pay through the nose for DARING to level in their game but not be a crafting enthusiast.<br />
<br />
SE needs to make repairs done, at a low cost, at an NPC. You can provide the bonus of being able to field repair to crafters, or even let them increase durability or performance by making repairs. Do not penalize everyone simply to enforce a doctrine you believe in.<br />
<br />
<b>Player-Based Economics - </b>One of the greatest failures of FFXI is being repeated again. No Auction House just makes this all the more punishing. NPCs sell items in the thousands of gil, yet buy items in the tens of gil. It makes it next to impossible to make enough money to survive. It would have been amazing if SE had allowed you to make money from farming and gathering that did not require you waiting for other people to grind up their pennies for your items.<br />
<br />
It's time to let go of the player-based economy SE. It nearly killed FFXI, it <b>will</b> kill FFXIV.<br />
<br />
<b>Chat Interface issues - </b>You cannot chat while crafting, any menu that comes up immediately shuts your chat window. You cannot chat easily, there are no quick shortcut buttons, you have to hit the space bar <b>then</b> the chat shortcuts work. You cannot automatically reply to tells using CTRL+R like in FFXI until you've typed the name at least once. In a game where quick, useful communication is so necessary, you are stabbing a knife in its chest by taking steps like this.<br />
<br />
<b>Player Search issues - </b>You cannot search for jobs you have not leveled, and to level those jobs, you have to buy the weapon for that job. So now you are clogging your inventory with weapons you'll likely not use, spending money you would need, all to just be able to seek people out for parties and missions!<br />
<br />
<b>Anti-Power Leveling script killing parties - </b>SE doesn't want you to power level others now, something I really don't care about happening. However, this new bit of programming is now killing parties in the field. The script triggers for no reason, causing melees to stop gaining any form of experience points so long as they keep healing. It's a ridiculously huge mistake, and SE has yet to acknowledge it.<br />
<br />
<b>The Ever Secret, Ever Ignorant Development Team - </b>SE is ridiculously secretive. Their idea of openness about their game leaves <a href="http://lodestone.finalfantasyxiv.com/pl/topics/detail?id=5542db352bb764087916b9d9200acf78650edf81">much to be desired</a>. And their firm idea that they know how to make the game, and that the player base doesn't have a clue about what makes a good game will drive this game to the grave. They need to listen to the player base and bad reviews, then make massive changes to this game.<br />
<br />
Otherwise, this time next year there will be no FFXIV.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-17123705703969479262010-10-02T10:57:00.000-07:002010-10-02T10:57:08.420-07:00No Place Like Home<object height="300" width="450"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3NO5_nJ0ibI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3NO5_nJ0ibI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="300"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Coast to Coast has always been very welcoming, and I do miss their presense in this game as I recorded this. Being an explorer is something that I do love, but it definitely feels at odds with the knowledge that I have friends lurking around the edges. Friends were always essential in FFXI, not so much in other games. I've had tons of fun in the more solo, more casual games like City of Heroes. But being in another game so much like my last major timesink, it is odd being alone in the world, in a sense.<br />
<br />
The game as a new MMO is nice, there is a lot of hand-holding and you get the feel of how to play without having to read the novel that was the original game's manual. But as a Final Fantasy, you can see the hardcore elements peering through the forest of newbie friendliness. The graphics are truly awesome, and the controls are responsive with the use of a controller rather than the keyboard and mouse. The guildleves as a replacement for Fields of Valor are decent enough, but the time limitations on getting more, and the limited number to can acquire are quite a pain. Also the fact that tutorial guildleves take the spot of experience gathering ones means choosing between learning the game and playing the game.<br />
<br />
Party dynamics are broken. To search for a class, you have to have leveled that class to some degree. And anti power leveling script in the game is causing healers to trash melee's experience gain. And overall, what you see most is tons of people soloing their exp rather than bothering to talk.<br />
<br />
The chat interface... well I will save that for my next blog entry. Instead, let's focus on the stuff I spoke about in the video for now.<br />
<br />
My initial experiences have been mostly positive, but I have seen several bugbears in the game that I know will drive me from this game, not the least of which is the lack of true interaction with my fellow adventurers.<br />
I will be going into all my thoughts on where this game is going soon, that entry is almost written (no video will accompany it).<br />
<br />
I hope you guys are enjoying this new format, any complaints or suggestions can be left here or on the video.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-11860569208211886032010-09-29T07:11:00.000-07:002010-09-29T07:11:25.378-07:00The Journey Continues<object style="background-image: url("http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/6Omzw5kTXSE/hqdefault.jpg");" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6Omzw5kTXSE?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6Omzw5kTXSE?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><p>Time for a history lesson and a bit of an explanation.</p><p> </p><p>Back in 2005, I was a part of a linkshell called The Argonauts, and began using their customized GuildPortal website. While on there, I found that there was a blog feature. <a href="http://www.guildportal.com/Blog.aspx?Blog=62949&Action=ViewSingleEntry&BlogEntry=7514">So, I started a blog</a>.It was fun to write about my time in the game, and to share my memories of the game. As time moved on, I noticed some distinctly bad features, like how it rolls the posts off the main page, leaving your blog looking like, well, <a href="http://www.guildportal.com/Blog.aspx?Blog=62949">this</a>. That combined with a lack of functions and an inability to post some forms of content lead me to creating this blog.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you shoot a glance just to the right, you can see that I did a fair number of posts thereafter... and slowly left behind this blog. The major reason is the time it takes to actually write out one of these posts. I'd rather spend that time in a game or watching videos. The Internet is a visual, interactive medium, and the written word doesn't always hold a candle to the flashy animations of Flash or the simple hilarity in home-made YouTube videos.</p><p><br /></p><p>So why did I post a video oddly devoid of commentary, then link it to a "dead medium" like a blog? Because the written word allows for contemplation and evaluation as you create your message. Because it gives people a resource to communicate back to me directly on an issue, or provide more feedback. And because I enjoy blogging.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have done vlogs before, but I find the time limits restrictive sometimes, as there's more I want to say, or an idea I want to expand on. That's where the combination of the video into this blog comes in. Vlogs are quicker to do, and can be a great jumping off point for a blog entry. It can also show you visually what the blog describes textually.</p><p><br /></p>I decided to start now because of the launch of Final Fantasy XIV. With a new world to explore, and new adventures to be had, it's the perfect time to start a new log of my adventures. I will also still be making videos of Final Fantasy XI as well, and they too will get posted here as well. I will still post videos to just YouTube, and likely make posts exclusively here, but expect, for a time at least, a combined blog/vlog here about the Ever Continuing Adventures of Pawkeshup!Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-89474489296023384522010-01-22T16:53:00.001-08:002010-01-22T16:53:26.147-08:00Pawkeshup sucks at Modern Warfare 2!<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/rvTrmQ7l-ZY' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/rvTrmQ7l-ZY'/></object></p><p>So... you're sitting there wondering why this is on my blog, right...?<br /><br />Well, I dunno why, just watch it, damnit!</p></div>Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-66419897025982509062009-09-27T15:18:00.000-07:002009-09-27T16:57:06.038-07:00Taking the Allakhazam out of... AllakhazamFounder of Allakhazam, Jeffrey Moyer, is leaving the popular MMO gaming site at the end of this month, per both his own <a href="http://twitter.com/Allakhazam1/status/4387958566">Twitter account</a> and an <a href="http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=28&mid=12501617766385985&page=3&howmany=50#m1253934991205116670">official confirmation</a> by one of the remaining <a href="http://www.zam.com/wiki/User:Kaolian">Administrators</a> of the website.<br /><br />There has not been a release to a reason why, aside from the termination of <a href="http://www.zam.com/wiki/User:Illia">Illia</a>, which was also done quite discreetly.<br /><br />The administrators that have come forward so far have stated that this will not change anything in the day-to-day operation of the website, but it is concerning that the namesake of the site is now on the outside looking in.<br /><br />As a regular of the site, I wish both Andy and Jeffrey the best in their future endeavors, and I'll be interested to see what you might be up to in the future.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-51888589791312092812009-06-07T12:53:00.000-07:002009-06-07T12:58:20.392-07:00Kupofried's Ring {mine}This happened a few days ago, but before I vanish into the black hole of my pending vacation, I wanted to post about it.<br /><br />My wife and I were farming in the Sanctuary of Zi'Tah, when she sudden gasps. I look at her screen, and she's targetting and clicking on a Mog Tablet. We both absolutely freak out! She was so excited, giggling like a little girl. She headed for Jeuno to collect her reward.<br /><br />I decided, for the hell of it, to head to Ro'Maeve. I began searching as she reached the moogle in the Gardens to pick up her ring, as well as getting a Noble's Bed. I didn't hold a lot of hope of finding one, so, I turned and headed for the zone when I saw a sparkle in front of me.<br /><br />I targetted it, and up pops Mog Tablet on the screen, I click, the tablet spins up from the point and flies off. We were both yelling and happy at the unexpected EXP windfall! And right before our vacation together!<br /><br />So, it is possible to get these rings, you just have to be in the right place at the right time.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-88041734634239546982009-06-05T17:40:00.000-07:002009-06-05T17:41:48.566-07:00Pawk's Next Job to 75 is......going to be SCH!<br /><br />O.K., this post is a bit premature. I'm still 74 as of this post, but considering I have only half of a level to go, it's going to happen very soon.<br /><br />Aside from that, the only recent ding was my birthday yesterday. I was going to post about that, but I decided not to.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-2543435089615137992009-03-18T10:38:00.000-07:002009-03-18T14:42:17.272-07:00Gee... I forgot to make some posts...Well, I recently reviewed my blog, and realized how much information I have missed entering over the intervening months of my absence of posting.<br /><br />I can't say I am the best at blogging, I have this massive tendency to wander away from posting unless I see the blog every day, as I did when I used to raid with the Argonauts and my blog was still a part of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">GuildPortal</span>.<br /><br />So, I suppose the best way to start would be with the ending of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">TeamFail</span>, or the sort of ending.<br /><br />Seminole, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">linkshell</span> holder, left the game for a while. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sparkplug</span> moved to Vegas, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Emeryk</span> started frequenting other shells. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Sukoti</span> quit. Most of the others have drifted away, since the LS lacked a guiding force. It's now another empty shell in my collection.<br /><br />With <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">TeamFail</span> empty, I moved <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">full-time</span> into Coast2Coast. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">linkshell</span> is not quite the one I need in terms on online times. Sadly, most of the big events are PST. However, as seems to be my lot in this game, I've made close friends with some of the GMT crowd that inhabits the shell during those quiet hours in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">morning</span> EST. This will be the second close-knit group of friends I'll have had the pleasure of knowing, the first being <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Pulsy</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Mojava</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Moftzu</span>, and utterly cute couple of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Phanty</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Brero</span>. A part of me really wants to enquire what my old close friends from Europe have in the way of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">linkshells</span>, because combining these old knowledgeable souls from my past could really help the new gen of friends I have.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Jiriki</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Fireballhikari</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Leeka</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Draiko</span> are all close friends, and appear to have been for some time. I'm closest to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Jiri</span> and Fire, since we wind up dragging each other into adventures, very much like I used to do with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Pulsy</span> and the gang.<br /><br />It does make the shell more cozy to have such nice people, although it's a far cry from the wild and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">raucus</span> comments in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">TeamFail</span>. I have to say, Coast2Coast come closest to the communal feel of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">OrderOfTheTaru</span>. It makes me miss my leadership role there, and my old friends from it.<br /><br />As for my in-game progress, I still have not <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">merited</span> my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">BST</span>, or purchased all the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">uber</span> gear I want for it. In the end, I made the decision that placing so much money and effort into a job I originally chose for fun and relaxation was a wasted effort. I would never be able to do the damage I desired as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">BST</span>. And I would just be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">lolBST</span> in comparison to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Arce</span>, just feeding Gods <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">TP</span> to kill our tanks with.<br /><br />So I turned to level SAM, reaching 58, but found invites drying up as I approached 60. Bored of soloing SAM slowly, I tried to find a way to get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">THF</span> to 75. In the end, after a couple short parties and a lot of Campaign, I clawed my way to 69. Frustrated, I abandoned <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">THF</span> for now. It helped that I begged an LS member to join their party as a replacement twice and they rejected me.<br /><br />During all this, I've finally begun completing some of the many undone things for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Pawk</span>. Thanks to Shin, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Arce</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Jeheritt</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Wesleydimple</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Fireballhikari</span>, I now own the dunce cap of accuracy known as the Optical Hat. And thanks to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Zalim</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Kagenoshi</span>, Ionian, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Avatarend</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Ellenzar</span>, I am now a Private Second Class Mercenary and have begun moving through <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">CoP</span> missions together as a sort of static. I don't want to call it a static and jinx it, but we meet every other Sunday when I'm off work to clear missions towards the ultimate goal of Sea access.<br /><br />The part that makes me ill though is leaving behind <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Bratia</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Anyka</span>. I wanted them to come with me on these missions, but I know <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Bratia</span> doesn't have the same level of interest in Sea. I don't know about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Anyka's</span> interest in Sea, or if she even knows really what Sea access implies. End game is not something I've really talked with her about, aside from mentions of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">Dynamis</span> and Sky events. Eventually I'll just have to straight out ask her about it. For now, she's level 70, and has defeated <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Maat</span>. Her cooking is 99, far outstripping any craft I've done.<br /><br />Beyond that, I've been leveling with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Bratia</span>, oddly her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">WHM</span> is slowly approaching level 50 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">WHM</span>, and her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">MNK</span> has now made it to 70. My previous post covers my other major activity on the game so far.<br /><br />I'll try to post more often from here on out. I doubt that will hold true, but who knows!Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-80084178334357709472009-03-17T13:35:00.000-07:002009-03-17T15:05:28.212-07:00Gettin' me sum book lernin'So I'm a mage again.<br /><br />I know, you're shocked. By you, I mean the fictitious you that reads this blog on any form of regular basis.<br /><br />In recent months I've been spending time leveling THF (acheiving 69), SAM (reaching 58), and farming for the eventual equipment that I will "need" for endgame. However, SCH has slowly but surely taken over more and more of my time. I can't help it, the job is fascinating to me.<br /><br />I started leveling SCH pre-Level Sync as a healer for one of Bratia's melee jobs. I can't recall which, to be honest. I found the job to be more or less a gimped WHM. However, as time went on, I duo'd it with my wife's BLM, and solo'd it as well. I began to see the possibilities of the job.<br /><br />This morning, I hit 55, and I am wishing this job was available 5 years ago when I started. For those unfamiliar with the job, it's similar to RDM in that it borrows the spells from White and Black Magic schools already in existance. Two places where it deviates are what makes the job so unique, and sometimes frustrating.<br /><br />The first is that it lacks many of the standard debuffs and buffs. This means no Paralyze or Slow, no Haste or Refresh, and no AoE spells of either school. They do receive Protect/Shell up to tier 4, as well as status removals (more on that in a minute), but instead they receive unique buffs and debuffs.<br /><br />You see, SCH is the answer for the cries of adding a Geomancer to the game. Geomancers, in previous incarnations, used the elements around them to cause damage and status effects. Since they did not want to replace WHM or RDM with unique debuffs replicating the effects of the standard spells, they instead gave SCHs Helixes and Storms.<br /><br />Helixes are a DoT effect that weakens a mob to an element. Storms create a localized weather effect on a friendly player, activating any latent weather effect equipment they are wearing.<br /><br />To be honest, I have not seen too much effect in relation to these abilities. I've yet to level into my first Helix, and the Storms don't do much for me yet, since I lack the Elemental Obis and since the spell to guarantee effectiveness of a storm, Klimaform, is not really that useful yet.<br /><br />No, the power comes from the second difference: The reliance on the Grimoire of Magic.<br /><br />That's the conceit of how SCH works. They use their book of magic to cast their spells. But, that's not all it does. The book can be used to enhance the spells they cast. Here's where SCH gets interesting. They can turn many single target spells into AoE spells, lower the cost of spells, reduce their cast and recast times, or increase the power of their spells.<br /><br />These effects can also be stacked, as well as combined with other job abilities like Divine Seal and Elemental Seal.<br /><br />Yea, it's pretty damned awesome. It's even more so when you add into that the ability of these effects to be applied to spells reserved for self-targetting (Stoneskin and Phalanx most notably).<br /><br />It has honestly left me torn as to how to proceed with gearing up for endgame. Do I save for all the awesome melee gear I'll want for SAM & THF, or do I leave behind meleeing for now to refocus on mage gear once again? It will be a question to face as my small fortune slowly creeps near 1 million gil...Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-80908280327821617132009-03-07T12:15:00.000-08:002009-03-07T12:23:46.039-08:00Memories - The Rough CutSo I was digging through some old DVDs I burned, and found a collection of early videos I thought I had lost. I compiled some into a video and posted it on YouTube.<br /><br />Since there is some stories behind the videos, I figured I'd post about it here, and link it in the description.<br /><br />The first part is the very first recording I ever made. It lagged me so much that I had to stop recording and adjust my settings on FRAPs.<br /><br />The second recording was a group of my old friends as lowbies just being silly on the Selbina ferry.<br /><br />The third is my first and last party in the Dunes. In one party, Bratia and I went from I think level 12 to 20. Raexn, my old THF friend, was puller in the party, it was when we first met!<br /><br />The next is a random fishing expedition, just tossed that in. Notice the lack of hunters and the mini game.<br /><br />The following clip was the original LS I joined with, RPGElite, and the leader, Dstln, was leaving ; ; Miss those guys.<br /><br />The Halloween parade comes next, it was such a totally random thing. I started walking down Lower Jeuno with Bratia on follow. And people started following us. Soon we had this huge parade going.<br /><br />The last video segment is when my static completed GK3. Not such a big accomplishment these days, but we did it as a static, all 6 of us. It was rough, being too low to kill the NMs. And this was pre-despawn days, so if you caught aggro, it trained to the zone.<br /><br />Funniest part was Ohtar misunderstood where to go, and wound up on the stairs, missing the ??? completely. We had to rescue him from up there, slowly tractoring him down while dodging mobs.<br /><br />Ahh... the memories...Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-30428333248101637612008-11-29T07:38:00.000-08:002008-11-29T08:02:30.916-08:00Fable II reviewSo, after all the ultra negativity of the past couple posts, let's move onto an actually good experience! Fable II!<br /><br />Well, I have to admit Fable II is awesome, it's far from perfect. I know, I dare blaspheme that the game is less than a perfect 10 score some places have given it. I at least have reasons why it's only an 8 or a 9 in my book.<br /><br />First, the combat is largely unchanged. You can still mash the attack button and forget blocking or counter. There's no point, since I rarely, if ever, was hurt by melee strikes. The addition of guns was pretty damn sweet, and once you lay hands on one of the legendary blunderbuss (this game's shotgun), you can just mow enemies down with little effort. I will touch on the Will (magic) "improvements" in a bit.<br /><br />Secondly, the game is riddle with bugs. Horrible, unforgivable bugs. Some are kind of funny, but most are horribly annoying. My least favorite is the "wife leaves you" bug. Randomly, even if you maintain good relations with your in-game spouse, they can just up and take off. Or your child in game can go all autistic and stop talking, which also prevented me from getting one quest for the longest damn time. Beating the game got rid of the bug, but still, not cool.<br /><br />I've also had these weird loading errors with two copies of the game now. When opening the start-initiated menu, the game spins down and stops working altogether. Again, unforgivable bugs.<br /><br />Thirdly, The Will system is <span style="font-weight:bold;">horrible!</span> Magic was marginally useful at best in Fable. Again, the combat system thrived on mindless sword striking. The only uses for Will in that game were Will-based puzzles, healing, and the occasional useful spell in a boss fight. Well now you can't heal yourself, there's no Will meter, and to cast higher level spells you need to charge them by holding the will button down. <br /><br />Gone is the ability to equip sets of spells, you now have to choose which Will power goes in what level. Also annoying is that you can select AoE or single target, but only by using the controller stick. Point at a mob, single target. Leave it alone, AoE. Often I found myself teleporting instead of freezing time because I would tap the stick after releasing the button only to find out it counted the stick movement as targetting.<br /><br />It's annoying, and really the only powers you will use ever are Raise Dead for evening odds, Time Control for slowing time and teleporting, and the fire-based one which works well in one fight.<br /><br />Point number 4: Controls are <span style="font-weight:bold;">sloppy!</span> The game introduces this arc meter that you need to use on occasion to hold emotes or to do certain mini-games. However, the trick is that the game fails to keep pace with the controller's every command. There were times I know I hit the button in time, the meter would reflect that, but the game would say no, that was wrong. Same thing for combat as well.<br /><br />Last negative: No more real boss fights. The boss fights were all jokes, if they could be called boss fights at all. The only difference between the boss and a regular mob was that the boss had more hit points and occasionally an on-screen life bar.<br /><br />But now, with all those negatives out there, why did I like it?<br /><br />For one, the story is awesome and as funny as the original. The world is well-made with NPCs again giving large amounts of entertainment by just being there. The quests are quirky and have original twists to them.<br /><br />What's also awesome is that now almost every major quest has a good and evil decision. This makes being evil worthwhile and possible. Gone are the days of getting good guy points for destroying monsters in the field (however, killing citizens earns you massive evil points).<br /><br />And while the ending is sort of lame in my opinion, it leaves the door open for a sequel or added content from Lionhead.<br /><br />Overall the game was a great, addictive game, it just could have benefited from some more time in testing and perhaps with a better magic system.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-72912863760394488092008-11-18T19:44:00.000-08:002008-11-18T20:00:06.065-08:00Steam can blow meFor those who don't know what it is, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_(content_delivery)">Steam</a> is a platform for game distribution, update, and most importantly, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management">Digital Rights Management (DRM)</a>.<br /><br />Now I'm not normally a fan of shooters, at all, but I bought the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Box">Orange Box for PC</a>. I mainly got it for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_(video_game)">Portal</a>. I played and completed the game without much incident. So, considering I had these other games I could play, I decided to try them out. I began to enjoy playing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life_2">Half-Life 2</a>. However, it's been a massive pain in my ass. Every other day, it says "The game is currently unavailable." I've run the gambit of fixes, and yet it keeps returning. Now, it just no longer plays at all.<br /><br />Oddly enough, this is an OFFLINE game...<br /><br />I've put in a ticket to their support team, demanding a fix or a refund.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-55298195709333240162008-11-12T06:41:00.000-08:002008-11-12T07:02:19.275-08:00Why I have grown to hate SporeWhen I first started playing Spore, I have to admit I was addicted to it quickly. The game is one big toy for the most part. It starts by you evolving from a single cell organism and goes onward from there to being a creature, to a tribe of creatures, to a civilization, and finally to going into space.<br /><br />At each stage, you see new challenges added. At first, it's a giant game of Pac-Man. Avoid the nasties, each food, and grow. As you grow, you get to build onto your creature, adding weapons and other items. Then, you make land fall, and redesign your critter into a land dwelling animal. Now you have new challenges. You need to eat to live, and you need to either befriend or conquer all the other races on the planet.<br /><br />With that done, you move to tribe mode. Now you no longer control just one of your creatures but a whole tribe. You manage your resources, and again befriend or conquer the other tribes to be dominant.<br /><br />The civilization mode is very similar to tribe mode, but now on a global scale. To this point, you micromanage less, macro-manage more. In the Creature stage, you need to manually get food, in Tribe, you can order others to do it, and in Civ mode, there's no need at all to do it. Simply claim a resource and move on.<br /><br />Then the wheels fall off the game once you reach space.<br /><br />In every other mode, you do not need to struggle for resources. If you are smart, and plan well, you can focus on the goal of the stage. The same is not true in space mode. In Civ mode, you begin using money as your "points" to purchase new items (in other stages, it's DNA and food). Now, you can max out your cash, which is only 999,999 Spore bucks, a very small amount in space where some items cost upwards of 3 million spore bucks... but it doesn't carry into the Space stage.<br /><br />Strike 1.<br /><br />Now, in order to make money, which is needed for everything you do in space mode, you need to manually run around to make it. You need to do missions, manually pick up and sell spice by locating the best price for it, or conquer other planets and collect the money dropped from space ships and destroyed cities.<br /><br />Strike 2.<br /><br />The final, and absolutely most annoying thing in space: Ultra-micromanagement. Often the game will throw "random" events at you. "Random" is in quotes because it's not really random. The game basically penalizes you for moving forward in the game. Spend enough time away from one part of your empire, you will find them crying out for your help. Wage war on someone, and suddenly they will attack you in the middle of you attacking them. And instead of being able to let you planet fight back or arm them to defend themselves, you often need to return to fight off the invaders.<br /><br />Now, if that wasn't annoying enough, you have to remember the goal of the game is to reach the center of the universe. So you <span style="font-weight:bold;">have</span> to leave your home galaxy. You <span style="font-weight:bold;">must</span> move inward. So that means as you try to get closer to the center, you must repeatedly return home to manually care for disasters going on in your home system.<br /><br />And, if THAT wasn't a big enough pain, the entire center of the galaxy is controlled by a hostile alien race known as the Grox, and if you do ONE THING wrong, they will go to war against you, making it virtually impossible to reach the center of the galaxy, since you need to conquer their vast empire to bypass them.<br /><br />And, if THAT RIGHT THERE isn't horrible enough... the closer you get to the center, the slower it gets. Throughout space mode, you buy upgrades for how far you can fly. except... all of that gets taken away, so now you will eventually be unable to reach the center through certain routes, which winds up making you run even more to try to complete the game.<br /><br />STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-21294001588921229882008-10-17T05:18:00.000-07:002008-10-17T05:53:22.685-07:00Even longer time, no blog!Wow.<br /><br />Yea, totally forgot about this blog. Not like I have another or anything.<br /><br />I just tend to play games more than I blog.<br /><br />Shut up, so do you, you're just here because there's maintenance probably.<br /><br />Anyway, time for more catch-up!<br /><br />Finally got <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Beastmaster">Beastmaster</a> to level 75. Don't even ask how long it took. But now I use it to own <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/NM">NMs</a> left and right. Got to love the ability to do stuff solo on a social-based co-operative game.<br /><br />So, once I dinged 75... Kinda felt lost as to what to do. Didn't feel like <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Merit">meriting</a>, mainly because it would mean avoiding what I need to do, which is get money in game to pimp out <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Beastmaster">BST</a> so it can replace my <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/BLM">BLM</a> in <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Ru%27Aun_Gardens">sky</a> events...<br /><br />...<br /><br />Yea, I know, <a href="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/kayaus/PicardWtf.jpg">lolBST</a>. In <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Ru%27Aun_Gardens">Sky</a>. Shut it. Last night I saved our claim on <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Despot">Despot</a>. Everyone was dying in our little 6-man group. I held it off long enough for Ara to get back up and hold it after it killed me. <a href="http://ffxi.mysterysteps.com/grafx/ffxi-bst-duo-by-otak-large.jpg">lolBST</a> THAT!<br /><br />Back to what to do after <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Beastmaster">BST</a>. I decided to level something else.<br /><br />I know, you're shocked. Stunned. Pawk avoiding farming? And <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Merit">meriting</a>? Impossible!<br /><br />... So now my <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/SMN">SMN</a> is 42...<br /><br />I got my <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Hakutaku_Eye_Cluster">Haku eyes</a> as well, so now I have pop items for two <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/NM">NMs</a> I'll never get to kill! Kidding. When Shin gets back I'm so totally doing <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Hakutaku">that mob</a>. I will beg him to go. I will sell my first born to him in exchange.<br /><br />I picked up the expensive ingame item too: <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Tidal_Talisman">The Tidal Talisman</a>. Look, a picture!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/osg-rpge/tidaltal.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/osg-rpge/tidaltal.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Expensive, yes. Cool, undoubtedly. And that <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Linkpearl">pearl</a> is not <a href="http://www.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=213470&TabID=1800774">WoA</a>, mainly because I am no longer active in <a href="http://www.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=213470&TabID=1800774">WoA</a>. A friend broke off and made a new shell, TeamFail. I know, name is SO appropriate. It's the rudest <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Linkshell">linkshell</a> on the server I swear. We're so awful to each other. But all in good fun. I still haven't hung out much in <a href="http://www.shinyiu.net/forum/index.php">C2C</a>, but then I tend to play when both shells are not there. Like normally now.<br /><br />I so hope you appreciate me taking time off my busy day to come here.<br /><br />I could be farming... or <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Merit">meriting</a> or...<br /><br />Maybe I'll go for a walk instead.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Yea, that made me laugh too.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.protectron.com/home.fr.html">Protectron</a> is going well. This week on, week off thing, it pretty much rules. Oh, and to mr. anon who is from there, Hi! No idea how you got here either. Not like it would be hard to figure out which person I am there. Just ask people if they play <a href="http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/index.shtml">Final Fantasy XI</a>.<br /><br />It was the same at Dell too. I was alone as a FFXI player there, same will be true for there.<br /><br />So, there you have it. In a nutshell I guess. Maybe I'll post here more often now.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Yea, no... we both know I'll be back in like a month with another of this long-ass posts. See you then!Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-1219017468698806592008-07-25T14:24:00.000-07:002008-07-28T14:35:38.678-07:00Long time no blog!Wow, lots of stuff happened so fast, and although no one reads this, I figured I'd update it anyway in case I'm famous someday and they need records of how awesome I am.<br /><br />Ahem.<br /><br />Anyway, on June 27th <a href="http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/417541">I was walked out of Dell</a> with the rest of my remaining collegues in the XPS queue. The last day, which was actually the 26th as the 27th we simply returned to get our walking papers, was a half day with a catered party. <a href="http://www.lonestartexasgrill.com/">Lone Star Restaurant</a> provided some awesome fajitas for the farewell.<br /><br />Well, now I had a lot of time to do stuff on FF! Oh, yea, and apply to jobs. Yea, definitely apply to jobs. I'll come back to that.<br /><br />For Final Fantasy, I joined a new shell for events, <a href="http://www.shinyiu.net/forum/index.php?sid=ed96925e8fb67571e4f75f5b323dc689">Coast2Coast</a>, run by a buddy from <a href="http://www.ffxi-wth.com/">WhatTheHel</a>l, Shinyiu. Shin's a great guy, and the shell is fun when he, or my other buddies I've met through other shells, are on. Most of the time I sort of feel on the outside of the group since I'm new. So I spend more time in WoA than C2C for chatting, and what not.<br /><br />C2C is highly active, and I and Bratia got swept up in it, completing up to <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Bastok_Mission_8-2">8-2 in rank missions</a> and <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Promathia_Mission_3-5">3-5 in CoP</a>. We also helped out as many people as we could, and I got to try to kite <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Charybdis">Chardy</a> (failing miserably) so that we could claim for an LS member in need of a <a href="http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Joyeuse">JoyToy</a>.<br /><br />Meanwhile, BST finally got some major loving, and crept up to 71. I also finally completed the AF for it and for NIN.<br /><br />So, back to my job situation. On my little holiday, I was hired by <a href="http://www.protectron.com/home.en.html">Protectron</a>, a large security/alarm company in Canada. I'll be moving into a tech support role there as soon as training is done.<br /><br />So life, as it stands now, is VERY good!Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-65436780075287903992008-06-11T09:24:00.000-07:002008-06-11T09:28:37.403-07:00FailblogI <3 fail blog, but <a href="http://failblog.org/2008/06/11/flying-fail/">one entry</a> doesn't belong, it should be like this.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/osg-rpge/fail-flying-eagle.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/osg-rpge/fail-flying-eagle.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-4629456816202632372008-06-10T11:33:00.000-07:002008-06-10T11:46:45.412-07:00Age of Conan censorshipHoly crap!<br /><br />So I got AoC for my birthday, and have quite happily been playing the game along with very little issue. Now I haven't updated to the latest patch yet (Final Fantasy needed patching first >.<), but apparently there's some issues with the patch.<br /><br />Now, I went through the forums to read about this, and a strange thing began happening: Posts are vanishing.<br /><br />The mods are censoring bad press.<br /><br />I'm not shitting you.<br /><br />If your post is negative and constructive, it will be deleted. If it's out and out retarded negative like "Funcom sucks", it will stay up to be flamed by fanbois who talk about how awesome the game is. What really shocked me is when one poster, CBozeman, stated that he canceled his account, and had selected Technical reasons. When he hit submit, it defaulted to Financial Reasons. I know, seems stupid right?<br /><br />Here's the thing: This kind of data can be culled, formed and presented to investors to show that <span style="font-weight:bold;">no one</span> is quitting due to technical/support/other issues, that it's in fact the player's own issue with their inability to pay.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Big</span> problem.<br /><br />Without accurate data, there will be no pressure on the devs to get things fixed.<br /><br />They deleted the post. The post was well written, informative, and there was no flame war per se. It was simply a "what the heck" kind of post. And the mods squashed it.<br /><br />Now keep in mind there is no direct email support or phone support for them. There is no way to directly voice your concerns except in the forums. And they are squashing any attempt to do that.<br /><br />Well, to that I say:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/osg-rpge/failreason.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v153/osg-rpge/failreason.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />(Note how it changed my Support Issues to Financial issues as well)Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-7825096489683504892008-06-10T08:22:00.001-07:002008-06-10T09:19:34.292-07:00A Message from YouTube: UMG owns you.Last night I checked my email and saw that one of my videos, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enr-sdfrHy4">Bringing Sexy Back</a>, has a copyright claim on it.<br /><br />Now, I'm not about to say I have any rights to the original items the video is made of. I do not own the rights to Final Fantasy XI, nor to the music included (one of the songs from Chariots of Fire).<br /><br />The copyright claim was on the music, which Universal Music Group does in fact own. It states now that they have the right to monitor the amount of views my page gets, as well as place advertisements on it.<br /><br />...<br /><br />So basically now UMG will be trolling through YouTube and nailing users who DARE use their songs....Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-78131715384047179932008-06-04T07:33:00.000-07:002008-06-04T07:41:02.139-07:00It's my birthday!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/post/37133929"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://media.tumblr.com/fSymsOGXO9tegmx3i2cmIgCR_500.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I hope <a href="http://travors.com/">Travors</a> at <a href="http://garfieldminusgarfield.net">Garfield minus Garfield</a> doesn't mind the hotlink to his comic. Perhaps <a href="http://travors.muxtape.com/">shameless promotion</a> of <a href="http://flickr.com/travors/">his sites</a> will make him not hate me.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-45576309485776781232008-06-02T05:22:00.000-07:002008-06-02T05:37:09.957-07:00Wii(aren't)FitI am a big, fat, lazy pig, as Homer would say.<br /><br />My wife saw some commercials for the hottest new Wii-ccessory, the WiiFit. It's basically a scale with attitude that is supposed to help you get into shape. Being the open-minded gamer I am, I managed to wrangle one (thanks entirely to my Dad running around in his small town and locating one when my large-scale city was out) and of course had to try it out.<br /><br />I am way outta shape.<br /><br />The games left me huffing, puffing, and coated in sweat. I did of course nearly get 4 stars (the best possible rating) on some of the more aerobic exercises. And for someone as out of shape as me, that's an accomplishment.<br /><br />There has been some pretty harsh criticism of the WiiFit, stating that it cannot be <a href="http://www.videogamer.com/wii/wii_fit/review.html">a weight loss solution</a>, and that <a href="http://wiifit.net/index.php/2008/05/24/">some of its exercises are too easy</a>. These people are missing the point. Weight across the nation is going up. People are less active. At this point <span style="font-weight:bold;">anything that gets us moving is a good idea!</span><br /><br />As for me, I intend on hopping on the WiiBoard tonight and continuing to get back into shape. I'll let you all know the results I get as I go along.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-56754307176763146122008-05-29T05:39:00.000-07:002008-05-29T07:45:46.023-07:00Awaiting the updateAs the time grows near for the next version update of Final Fantasy XI, I can't help but wonder what the new changes will do for the game.<br /><br />The moogle in Selbina is obvious: No more raise shouts. With so many people having leveled other jobs, you're bound to get someone in your party with raise on a sub job at the very least. That alone will eliminate the Dunes as I once knew it.<br /><br />When I started, the dunes were <span style="font-weight:bold;">the</span> leveling area, no exceptions. Trains could stop everyone from leveling for a half an hour or more as people zoned in and drew the train back to everyone again. Parties were plentiful and awful. And the only way home was to walk.<br /><br />Now players are on easy street, and I'm not mad about that. I'm disappointed they won't get the same experience I did. It made for some hilarious memories. However, the game should have been like this from the start. Often, the game feels like punishment, not a game. You'd spend hours trying to level and wind up losing experience points.<br /><br />So why, then, are people still powerleveling? Still baffles me with all the ease of use of the dunes now that people even need powerleveling...<br /><br />As for the new job abilities, I really don't see much in them except for PLD. The BRD ability is interesting I guess, but MNK sticking to just kicks? Huh? Who came up with that idea?<br /><br />Were MNKs in forums all over saying, "My arms are getting tired, I want to just kick stuff!" Or, "Let me sacrifice my ability to attack up to three times to just kick at a mob instead." Granted, it looks cool when you kick but... still what the hell?!?<br /><br />As for Campaign, totally disinterested in it. The long waits make it hard to keep my medals. Why they changed it, I have <span style="font-weight:bold;">no</span> idea. It was fine the way it was. Campaign was my favorite thing to do because it didn't take hours to find yourself in a heated battle. The EXP was a nice bonus, but not at all why I went. Now you sit for hours and wait at one location, or jump place to place trying to get into a battle. So I'm really not interested in higher medals.<br /><br />The new merit additions are interesting as well, I guess. I don't merit much so... meh.<br /><br />It will be interesting regardless.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-3745438168638135312008-05-21T05:50:00.000-07:002008-05-21T05:57:46.391-07:00IronyDefined as a combination of circumstances or a result that is the opposite of what is or might be expected or considered appropriate.<br /><br />As in me bitching about people asking for help, then asking and receiving help myself.<br /><br />Big thanks to Caylst and my baby Bratia for coming to assist me with BST and NIN AF runs!<br /><br />Real life rant to follow about other stuff.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-61839071241626511462008-05-19T05:28:00.000-07:002008-05-19T06:48:18.698-07:00Asking for helpIn a game like Final Fantasy XI, you need help.<br /><br />Not of the psychological type. Well, maybe that, eventually. But not usually.<br /><br />No, you need help to do quests/mission/farming items or spells. The game is so designed in order to build a sense of community and comradery. We're all supposed to be one big happy multilingual family.<br /><br />In practical applications, nice people become the bitch of greedy people. Much like in real life.<br /><br />I cannot count the number of times I have seen people go to extreme lengths to help people, only to have trouble getting help themselves or being completely screwed by the person they are helping.<br /><br />Now some might be wondering "Why Pawk, what makes you make such a bitter post?"<br /><br />Quite frankly, it has nothing to do with something that happened to me personally in recent history. It has happened before, frequently. I <span style="font-weight:bold;">did</span> run a linkshell of my own, if I never mentioned it. And as the shell owner I regularly got screwed over helping people. It would normally work like this:<br /><br />- n00b joins shell<br />- n00b asks for help<br />- I help<br />- n00b thanks me<br />- n00b ditches shell, never seen again<br /><br />Now that I didn't mind. Helping newbies to the shell can result in long term friendships and valuable shell members. However not everyone cares to be loyal to a shell that helps them. But again, this hasn't happened to me in a while.<br /><br />No, what makes me upset this time is seeing it happen to nice people I know. This almost upsets me more that it happening to me. I mean, if someone is nice enough to help, try to return the favor.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7046377821624394756.post-26237183474763236612008-04-28T09:16:00.000-07:002008-05-21T05:55:59.035-07:00Dancer rawks my sawksSo my wife and I decided to blow off some steam Sunday, forget my impending joblessness and just play our game.<br /><br />For those unfamiliar with Massive Multiplayer Online games... This entire blog is just jibberish to you for the most part. Seriously, it is. I talk so much about this genre of gaming here that if you don't play, this blog is just so much nonsense.<br /><br />For those familiar with the games, you know that class balance is this mythical creature on the line of a unicorn. No game has class balance. There's always some class that just makes a mockery of all the game's rules, that's just so broken there's no fixing it without killing the job and/or game.<br /><br />Dancer is that job for Final Fantasy XI. More or less.Pawkeshuphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05639407034382602864noreply@blogger.com0