chains-of-promathia
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The Mog Log: Another course
For this week's Mog Log, I'm going to start off by making an analogy about what Final Fantasy XI needs for the future. Picture, if you will, a restaurant in which you can order any food imaginable. Sometimes the food takes a little while to get prepared, but it's always cooked just to your taste. It's expensive, and all of the chairs are broken, but it's your favorite place to eat because the virtue of getting whatever you want outweighs all the detriments. Now, let's say you go into that restaurant, sit on one of the broken chairs, and get on the phone to call Square-Enix and tell it to make another expansion for freaking Final Fantasy XI already. Seriously, Wings of the Goddess is practically fossilized at this point. We're on the game's eighth year of operation in North America -- midway through the ninth in Japan -- and boxed editions of WotG require a team of university archaeologists and possibly carbon dating to identify. I never claimed it was a great analogy.
Newest update to Final Fantasy XI is empty inside
With Halloween just around the corner, perhaps your thoughts have turned to some of the genuine horror lurking throughout Final Fantasy XI. The Emptiness that was the focal point for several parts of Chains of Promathia was genuinely terrifying, conceptually as well as mechanically, for a very long time. (The removal of level restrictions made it a bit less frightening to run through.) So it's fitting that the game has just unveiled a minor version update in time for the holiday that takes players back to the Emptiness for a few new battles. New Burning Circle battles can be fought at the spires of Holla, Dem, Mea, and Vahzl, using orbs obtained via Kindred Seals. Victories produce items that can be traded in at the NPC Shami for rewards. There are also updates to the Voidwatch battles and a few bugfixes, which should prove a nice garnish to the main course of the update's Emptiness-related battle candy for Final Fantasy XI's players.
The Mog Log: Playing in the epilogue
We still don't have a roadmap for the future of Final Fantasy XI, but now seems like a fine time to start speculating. Yes, the February update was nice, but it was only a patch on certain issues -- it makes leveling lower-level jobs far easier without giving players much of anything new to do. And while the game is at an age when running out of things to do is pretty darn unlikely, we're still going to need some content on the horizon, something to look forward to. (Especially since a lot of the older content we can do has been somewhat invalidated.) I've said before that I'm hoping for another boxed expansion, but I've also said before that I have my doubts about whether or not that's actually viable. But even if we just get another add-on trilogy (which seems more likely even if it's not what I want), we're still going to be dealing with a massive shadow that Final Fantasy XI has been living under for a very long time now. To put it very bluntly, we're running out of a resource that's far more valuable than PS2 hard drive space -- story.
The Mog Log: The fall of the ivory tower
No, I'm not talking about Delkfutt's Tower. That's cermet, not ivory, and by all indication it's still standing just fine. No, I'm looking at the ivory tower that any Final Fantasy XI fan is familiar with, that high and imposing structure from whence developers hand down their proclamations, nevermind whether said proclamations have any relation to things people would actually want. Considering that Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV have both been seeing a lot of new and open communication from the development team, it's safe to say that those days are over. Whether or not you like the content of the updates is... actually pertinent, now. The developers seem to be listening to us in a way that we're just not accustomed to. I mean, seriously, show of hands, who expected the removal of Fields of Valor cooldowns? It's a big change. And it makes me hopeful about both games, because in light of the leadership shakeups, it looks as if the new development direction is something I can really get behind. I might have a few reservations here and there, but last week's news leaves me excited.
The Mog Log: Stare too long into the Abyssea
The first of two December version updates has hit the community, and as a result I'm torn. On the one hand, this means that Final Fantasy XI has seen another major upheaval in the form of more levels and new content, which is really significant... if you're up at those levels. I am not, and consequently a lot of what I can say about those high levels is pretty darn speculative. Most of the concrete information I have heard about the update seems to concern problems with console installations rather than substantive information. But I do feel fairly confident in talking about Abyssea. The second trilogy of mini-expansions has come to an end, with a very different focus than the previous unconnected addons. I'd say that it's been both a good and a bad thing for the game as a whole, both in the way that leveling has become tied to the new areas and in what it might mean for the game in the future. So with the whole setup out of the way, let's talk about what's been done and what might be coming as a result.
The Mog Log: The verdict on Chains of Promathia
The time has finally come to finish this series of columns, which means that as much as I might like to talk about all the interesting details of the Final Fantasy XIV release date... I really can't. That's next week. This week is Chains of Promathia, and I'm standing by it. Just because Final Fantasy XI is a little bit older doesn't mean it stops mattering, and with all of the emotion surrounding the June version update and the removal of level caps, I'd like to think at least a few people have been anticipating this. For those of you who missed the first couple of installments, part one of the trial can be found here, wherein we discuss the lack of a new job and the use of the level-cap mechanic. Part two can be located hither, and talks about the storyline and the rewards from content, as well as briefly mentioning moblins. (But, really, who cares about them.) Today, we'll kick things off with some arguments from the jury, followed by our legally binding verdict. (The fact that it's only binding under the laws of this column is not the point.)
The Mog Log: For bidden knowledge
It's easy to get jaded about Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV at times, right up until you open your eyes and see how immense the worlds of both games can really be. The scope and the sweep of both games is dwarfing. One human being could spend quite a bit of time studying them to try and internalize all of the available knowledge. And I found the guy who did precisely that and stole his notes, so I can answer your questions about both games today. Isn't that special? egobrane asked: "What's with people crying about huge system requirements [for the benchmark]?" Not everyone has a hugely powerful computer, and there are a lot of fans of Final Fantasy XI who would probably like to be able to dive straight into Final Fantasy XIV. The problem is that the former has been around for eight years, and the latter is just now coming out. That's leaving aside the fact that FFXI's American release came a year and a half after the Japanese release, which meant that a computer that could run the game well was that much cheaper.
The Mog Log: The trial of Chains of Promathia, part 2
It's just as well that there haven't been any huge revelations of late regarding Final Fantasy XIV (aside from the lovely new character creation video), because we're knee-deep in the trial of the second Final Fantasy XI expansion and we've got no room for anything else. After last week's examination, which included excellent discussion and some really interesting viewpoints from the community (seriously, guys, pat yourselves on the back), we're going to dive back into the meat of the trial and try to determine the worth of Chains of Promathia via examining everything there is to examine. And that's a lot, I tell you. Last time, we examined the use of level caps and the lack of new jobs in the expansion. The former looked awful at a glance, but upon closer examination had some notable positives. The latter was... well, it was just plain a keenly-felt omission. This week we're going to dive into what's considered by many to be the biggest part of the expansion -- something so overwhelming that its repercussions are felt to this day. No serious discussion of the expansion would be complete without this most celebrated element.
Players granted a vision of Abyssea for Final Fantasy XI
Mark the date: June 21st. If you're a Final Fantasy XI player, that's your currently planned patch day, and it promises to be quite a patch day at that. After all, it's the first time the level cap has been raised in almost forever, and the level raise brings with it more story, the uncapping of several Chains of Promathia areas, and more. It also brings with it the first of three add-on scenarios centering on Abyssea -- and to help whet your appetite, the trailer for the first add-on has just been released by Square-Enix. While there are no huge revelations regarding the storyline of the add-on, it would appear that there's a good reason why the pictures we've received for the scenario have so closely resembled existing zones. Could it be that, much like the recently added Voidwalker Notorious Monsters, the first scenario will involve Abyssea coming to the adventurers rather than vice versa? We'll find out in a little under two weeks, with everything due to come together at that point. Final Fantasy XI players can also take the opportunity now to pre-purchase the scenario, with the content automatically unlocking during the June version update.
The Mog Log: The trial of Chains of Promathia, part one
When the news first came out about the removal of the level cap in several Chains of Promathia areas, Sera and I had a bit of a disagreement on the news. Or, more accurately, we had a bit of a disagreement regarding the expansion as a whole. Sera was of the opinion that it was quite possibly the best expansion in the game's history. I, as has been stated before, feel somewhat less positive about it -- which is to say that I've usually regarded it as one of the worst. The comment thread to that news showed that this divide was not unique to the two of us. Comments were sharply divided between those who would happily blacklist Chains of Promathia and forget it existed, and those who were heartbroken at something so wonderful being toned down. So I decided to go ahead and take another look at the expansion as an aggregate, both the good and the bad. Out of all the Final Fantasy XI expansions, this one was the most unique. Was it a good experiment, or was it a failure?
The Mog Log: Each answer I give you will only lead to more questions
This column may or may not contain any real answers. But it will contain a lot of emotionally satisfying climaxes, and maybe even bring back parts from columns that we've already finished. Unfortunately, there's no way to continue the analogy without making it sound like I was disappointed with the end of a certain well-known television show, which I wasn't. So let's move straightaway to the newest collection of questions and answers about Final Fantasy XI and Final Fantasy XIV. (And if we could get an island in the latter? That'd be awesome. Just saying.) Kaio asked: "What purpose does it serve to jump on top of roofs or jump off mountians with no consequence?" I've got to say that I do tend to fall with the camp that allows jumping. It's not a deal-breaker if I can't, but it's similar to people complaining about the pretty-line maps found in Mass Effect 2 and Final Fantasy XIII. Sure, it's not like it restricts much of your practical movement, but the fact that the choice is there makes you feel as if you could go anywhere you want. That having been said, it sure seems odd that every single character in most games is able to leap to Mario-like heights without even a warm-up stretch, right?
Final Fantasy XI frees up Chains of Promathia
Final Fantasy XI's Chains of Promathia was a bit polarizing for the players -- you either love it or hate it. No one can argue that it raised the bar considerably on the game's cutscenes and storytelling, but it was also restrictive in many ways and limited player access to new zones (which were the only non-storyline elements added). It's a sign of its nature that there are still many players who want to finish the storyline, even though the option has been there for several years. Lucky for players, the June version update is addressing that. Although the removal of level caps was mentioned in passing at VanaFest 2010, the most recent news gives a specific list of what areas will be affected -- all four Promyvion areas, Pso'Xja, Riverne Site #A01 and #B01, the Phomiuna Aqueducts, and the Sacrarium. The announcement goes on to confirm that mission battlefields will also be uncapped, and the monster layout and strength will be adjusted in some of the areas to facilitate characters at 75 and above. It promises to spark new interest in Final Fantasy XI's most unique expansion and the corresponding zones, which is good news for anyone in the game.
The art of the expansion
Expansions are a fact of life for MMOs. We all know it, and while we might not necessarily like the fact that at least once a year we probably have to drop another chunk of change just to keep playing the game, we accept it as the price of progress. (And if you're a Guild Wars player, it's not like you also have a subscription to pay for on top of it.) Scott Jennings has taken his most recent regular column to talk about the ways expansions work -- both their benefits and the drawbacks they have. Because as he points out, more is usually better, but sometimes more just means more. Ranging from the free large content patches used by games like Lineage II and Darkfall to more conventional expansions, and discussing World of Warcraft: Cataclysm as one of the major points of deviation in the usual expansion model, the article talks about the benefits and drawbacks of the almost ubiquitous selling model for the genre. While it's not a revolutionary look, it's something that every MMO player -- and many designers -- could do well to look at. More understanding is never a bad thing, after all, and if we can avoid another Chains of Promathia we'll all be better off.
Final Fantasy XI's mog tablet quest to become permanent game fixture
This year's addition to the Adventurer Appreciation campaign, the Mog Tablets of King Kupofried, has become such a rousing success that it will be a new permanent game mechanic for all Final Fantasy XI players.The quest involves finding 11 hidden tablets scattered throughout the world and bringing them back to the Explorer Moogle in Jeuno's Ru'lude Gardens. Once all of the tablets are recovered, three of King Kupofried's super kupowers are released all over Vana'diel for adventurers in the areas introduced by the main game, Rise of the Zilart, and Chains of Promathia, excluding Dynamis, Tu'lia (Sky), Lumoria (Sea), and Promyvion.These powers do things from providing teleportation from the capital cities to the boat towns of Mhaura and Selbina, provide the gilfinder and treasure hunter traits to everyone in affected areas, give fully healed players bursts of speed, and more. The powers will last for a week before the tablets scatter to the winds and the hunt begins once again.For the full explanation of this brand new permanent game mechanic, check out the page on it at the Final Fantasy XI main site.
EU version of Final Fantasy XI 2008 hits stores May 28th
Square Enix has announced that they plan on releasing the 2008 edition of Final Fantasy XI at the end of this month on May 28th. The box will come with the original game plus every expansion released to date. That means players will get Final Fantasy XI, Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia, Treasures of Aht Urghan, and Wings of the Goddess all in one purchase.This is nothing new from Square Enix, as they've done this the past couple of years. We would just like to thank them for keeping all the expansions purchasable in a single box, as it makes things a lot easier on newer players trying to get into the game -- or even returning players who've lost their original boxes.Update: May 28th is actually the release date for the EU version of Final Fantasy XI 2008 Edition. The US version of this bundle was released on April 15th, 2008.
