Life as a Brick Wall

Have I ever told you all how much I love Dynamis? I'm kidding.

I have no idea what the hell the good old people at Square-Enix were thinking when they came up with the concept of this event. Putting an alliance of people in a completely darkened alternate reality version of areas and numb their senses by playing the most boring music known to man for several hours just doesn't seem fun to me. We don't even have to go into the whole drop rate of items because that will just make me want to kill someone.

Despite my feelings of the whole event, I got to experience it from a completely different perspective last night. Actually, it was so different...I almost enjoyed it.

I tanked.

Stop laughing. It's true.

I really did get a kick out tanking here.

At first, I thought it was because maybe someone had read my earlier post and figured they would give me a shot. It was more of the fact that none of our main Paladins were online. Still, I got the chance to do what I've always wanted to, and it was such a drastic change from the norm.

I didn't know a damned thing about which enemies to fight first. I was trained in the ways of enemy selection as I went through the zone thanks to Davik, Mili, and Amey sending me tells as things went on. I did make a couple of mistakes but tried to correct them as soon as I realized what was going on.

Note to self: Never, ever, ever depend on your mages to keep you alive. Bring potions.

I was amazed at how busy I was while tanking. So busy that I never had a chance to browse the treasure pool to see if there was anything I wanted to lot. I couldn't tell you what dropped during the whole time I was there. I saw a bunch of "Congratulations!" but have no clue what it was for. As soon as an enemy was near death, I was scanning the area to find the next target to kill. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to wait around or not, so I just charged the next enemy I saw. I always felt bad while waiting for the puller, because I just imagined that people were getting impatient or upset for not having anything to fight.

Victory is ours!

All in all, I think I finally found a way to enjoy an event that I've always hated. Or maybe I enjoyed it simply because I didn't have the time to think about how much I hated it. Of course, the chances of me tanking again are strictly dependent on the possibility of none of our tanks showing up, so this was probably a once in a lifetime thing. It was fun while it lasted.

Fail Party is Fail

Well, I decided to take my Scholar job that's been sitting at 27 for several months and start leveling. Yes I know, I just finished RNG and should be meriting. Eh, I'll get to that in a bit. It's all part of a master plan to get some damned inventory room. At least, that's what I tell myself.

Anyway...

So I recently hit 40 and was invited to party at Crawler's Nest yesterday. Not sure if I mentioned this before, but I am seriously tired of Fields of Valor. Over 10,000 tabs. 8k from Ranger alone. Because of this, I will jump at any party offered to me for now.

We had a good setup from what I saw. PLD, DRK, RNG, WHM, BLU, and SCH. I made it to the camp and we got started. Was a little bumpy at first due to me still learning the job and the crawler's spamming Cocoon all the time so my Addendums always got messed up. Shortly into the party, our BLU uses Healing Breeze at the start of one of the fights. The problem with that is everyone was at 95% HP or more. After his cast, he stopped moving. We finish the fight and unfortunately get a link during the next pull. The BLU still didn't move. Sleeps got resisted and a wipe was imminent. Several calls were made, but still no response. After the massacre, we get up and recover.

Ten minutes pass. Then the red dot of death appears and he vanishes seconds later. Fortunately, another DRK was seeking and he was glad to take the invite.

Just as our new DRK enters the zone, the PLD gives his 20 minute warning. Definitely considerate, but don't you think it would have been nice to say this before we invited the 6th? Getting DD for a party usually involves very little effort. Finding a tank; however, is not always so simple. Anway, our DRK makes it to camp and we begin. We get a few fights in and then a couple of people need their smoke break.

Now the PLD has to go and we start searching for a new tank. Since we're still basically in the lower levels, our leader figured a WAR/NIN would work. I was asked to stay on Light Arts as much as possible and only use Dispel when absolutely needed. Not surprising to know that I wasn't on Light Arts very much as a result. We found that our new tank was still at the AH in Whitegate and would be a few minutes. This would be fine if our DRK didn't have a Salvage run in 30 minutes. Instead of just standing around for the entire time, we decide to level sync to a slightly higher level than my own and just low-man the party.

We continue on until our DRK has to go, and our tank still hasn't arrived. We find a MNK to replace the DRK but she was in Whitegate as well. So, another short break is declared. A few minutes later, the tank enters the zone. Things are getting better, right?

Tank: {I'm Sorry} AFK {Short Time}

I'm a patient person, and so was the party, but this was getting a bit silly. We figured he made it to the zone, so we would give him a few minutes. Fifteen minutes later, he's still not back. Thankfully, the MNK doesn't take nearly as long. The leader finds a NIN to replace our WAR. Turns out the NIN is our leader's son, so we had a bit more faith that he wouldn't pull the same stunt that our newest tank has done. Just as we were about to boot the tank, he appears at camp. Rather than wait for the Ninja to show, we decide to start fighting since enough time has been wasted. After we kill our first Crawler, we get awesome news.

Tank: {Taking a break}
Leader: How long?
Tank: {Long Time}

Somewhere inside my head, I felt a blood vessel explode.

No time was wasted in kicking him from the party. The NIN was getting a chocobo but our WHM finally had enough. Despite pleas from our party leader, the WHM warped out. Personally, I was ready to leave as well, but I am too nice for my own good. Just so happened that another SCH friend of mine was online and I asked if he'd be willing to party. He came out quickly and so did our NIN. Finally, we have a stable party. One thing was missing.

Our NIN didn't have any offensive tools and also didn't seem to understand Yonnin and Innin.

So yeah, I love Fields of Valor.

A Mass of Recollections

Basically, a bunch of pictures. Jaci's Emo Week is over, so now it's back to the normal routine. I meant to post a blog about my experience with getting Vali's Bow, but the short version is that I simply hate the Eastern Shadow.

I. Hate. You.

A lot of things have been going on since my last blog, but to post everything would take days and I already talk a lot as is. So for now, just take in the mass picture spam and I'll fill you in on all the details by Sunday. ^_^

We're starting to make a routine out of doing ZNMs now. I really should get get some Zeni. >.>

Who needs a GM when you have Odin watching your every move?

I needed some new town gear, so I did this year's Sunbreeze Festival event. Shining Summer Samba!

You standard ugly NM in Limbus. I almost have enough coins for a Boxer Mantle!

We were warned not to aggro, so I ran under it and aggroed. What, I was bored.

I was late getting out of work, but congrats to Vermiliono and Yuna!

Helping Bhin during a Nyzul run. I don't remember if I got anything. Probably not.

Cape Terrigan: A Place for Pups.

Having fun in Promyvion with Karyn and a new friend. Karyn just hit 68!!

Me, doing what I do best as a BLM.

Would've been cool if we had someone from San D'Oria here. Well, maybe not.

Finally, I have access to Dynamis - Tavnazia. Really not sure what's so special about it though.

Let's see. I've also hit 75 Ranger and have a few merits saved up. I haven't seen a ranger in a merit party, so it looks like I'll either get my merits through campaign or using RDM / SAM in a party. Who knows.

I am so tired right now. Taking a nap, and I'll see you later.

Pigeonholed

I think this week is going to be called "Jaci's Emo Week," because I'm just in a griping mood lately. First one of you to make a PMS joke gets an arrow to the brain.

Moving on...

I like Black Mage. It's one of the main reasons I started to play this game. Well, that and a friend of mine convinced me to sign up. Regardless, I've always been attracted to flashy spells and big kabooms. Nothing booms more than a BLM, plain and simple.

Let's skip the whole "woe is me, for no one parties with a BLM" rant for now. I think we all know about that. I got over that ordeal and made it to 75 anyway. What bothers me now is my role within my LS.

Again, I like Black Mage. Actually, I really like the job. Definitely among my favorite, even though I'm little more than a glass cannon most of the time. Cast a couple of spells and then patiently wait for a raise. It's what I do. What I don't enjoy is always being a BLM. Like anything done excessively; it loses its appeal over time. Just like when you got a license and you drove your friends around. It was fun the first 5,000 times. Then it got old, and now you don't feel like giving your friend a ride to the hospital after they were shot in the heart.

One of the fun things in FFXI is being able to level multiple jobs. This is true for any MMO, I'd imagine. Considering that I have yet to see a single person in this game level one job and only one job, it's safe to say that nearly everyone has several at their disposal to fit any given situation. Sounds reasonable, yes?

So for the love of all things holy, why am I constantly stuck in events as a damned BLM? Why? Really, I do know about other jobs. I'm no expert yet, but I'm not an idiot with my other classes either. You need something blown up, then sure...BLM it is. You need a tank? I got that. How about some sliced mob on a platter? SAM to the rescue. By the end of today, I'll be able to do long distance poking as a 75 RNG. Hell, I'll even change to WHM if I have to. (Please don't ask me to though; I die a little inside when I'm a WHM.)

It drives me nuts to have the ability to do so much, yet rarely get to do any of it. Over time, you hear about people needing to be more diverse so we can cover each other and fill in the gaps. Learn different jobs so you can appreciate what the "other side" has to go through. There are more things, but I'm certain you've heard them all before.

Now, I would be lying to say that I never get to use my other jobs during events. I have. I've been a Paladin during an SCNM once. It was fun. I had even learned Atonement prior to the event, just so I could be a bit more useful. Did the same with Death Blossom for RDM. Figured there would be times when we were going to fight a fairly magic resistant enemy. Smack it with some flower-power and proceed to /pwn. That doesn't happen though.

I've done a lot of things in this game. None of them for the sake of showing off, but so that I could be more useful to my shell and friends. Several months ago, a serious inner conflict caused me to leave my shell because I felt useless. Now I've returned, with more jobs, gear, money, spells, and knowledge than before. Yet that feeling is still there. Not because I haven't improved, but simply because I haven't been able to show anyone that I have. In my eyes, that's practically the same thing.

Yes, I know that we do things we don't always enjoy for the sake of the shell. Grin and bear a few things to increase the prosperity for everyone involved. I get that. Truly, I do. At the same time, when the welfare of the shell continually holds a higher priority over the enjoyment of the individual, then the "game" is no longer a "game."

Then you have to ask yourself: What exactly is the point of playing a game that stops being fun?

We all know the answer to that one.

For the record, no this isn't some goodbye post. I'm just venting. Told you this is my emo week.

E-peen Nonsense

For anyone about to view this, please understand that this is a rant. Not a bitch session where I briefly gripe about something silly, but a full-on rant. If vulgarity offends you, close the page and come back when I make another post.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

Why do people have to be such assholes in online videogames? The direct relation of anonimity to rude behavior is astounding. Lately I've witnessed a few people getting put down by people who call themselves "career veterans."

I'm trying to be serious as I type this, but it's a little difficult.

Are you for real? This is what you believe? You're a "career veteran." Doesn't use of that term usually indicate something along the lines of...well, a job? For anyone who believes that they are a "career 'anything'" here, you do realize that this is a videogame, right? You don't get paid to play this. GMs do, and you're no GM. No outside employer gives a damn that you spent two years to fully upgrade a relic weapon. That HNM shell you helped create doesn't mean shit after you sign off. Your family doesn't run around boasting to their friends that you and your buddies killed Khimmy last night and a Hauteclaire dropped. I'd be surprised if they knew what that was to be honest.

I am flat-out amazed at the amount of virtual dick that gets flung around in this game like it means something. Whatever amount of awesomeness you think you posess as a result of things accomplished in FFXI needs to be discarded. Know why? Cause it doesn't mean a goddamned thing. No really, not a fucking thing.

When you hit 75, did you physically change in the real world? Did you get increased agility, or a heightened sense of awareness? Are you able to suddenly scream and enhance the strength of youself and surrounding friends? Did you get this ability to take extreme amounts of physical punishment and brush it off like it's nothing, or maybe you can control the weather and cause a flood just by waving your hands?

Something tells me that none of that happened.

So until it does, do everyone a favor and shut the fuck up. You are not special. You haven't done a damn thing in this game that someone else hasn't done. As a matter of fact, boasting in FFXI is extra stupid because most shit in this game that's remotely impressive can't be done alone. Which means you need someone else's help. Oh shit, the uber person that thinks they are all that actually needed a helping hand. Better keep that a secret or your e-peen might shrink.

Really, what the hell are people thinking nowadays? You seriously think you're better because you happened to get an item from an NM? I remember seeing a forum post that read something to the effect of "if you don't have a Defending Ring and Aegis, you're not a real Paladin."

I hate people like that. People who will do their best to make others feel like they are worth less just because of the gear they may or may not have. Yes, gear helps a person's performance. Anyone who's played this game is well aware of that. However, gear doesn't make the performance. You don't get gear and suddenly become a FFXI god or goddess. That Deulist's Tabard doesn't make you some RDM powerhouse. Having a Valor Surcoat doesn't mean you can go tank Tiamat.

You want to boast about something? Go solo the Pandemonium Warden or Absolute Virtue. I'm sure they'll be happy to delevel your stupid ass. And you know what? On the ridiciously off-chance that a person ever did solo them, the end result would always be the same.

It means nothing.

Not a thing.

Because in spite of all the accomplishments made in Vana'diel, there is still one undeniable truth:

IT'S A FUCKING VIDEOGAME!!

God I used to be such a nice person before I started playing this. Maybe I need a break.