On the other hand, Final Fantasy XIV isn't even yet in beta, but there's already a community forming around it, as is frequently the case for new games in the series. It's attracting several people who have either been burned by Final Fantasy XI or are still fans but look forward to some new gameplay, not to mention MMO gamers hoping for something new and exciting. So let's take a look at some of the more interesting, provocative, or just plain noteworthy community threads and discussions that have been happening recently.
Who's afraid of the big bad Square-Enix?
"Plain and simple, I know some real fraidy cats. I have talked to everyone I can about Final Fantasy XIV, sharing my exuberance over Square Enix's newest title, and some people genuinely are afraid to think about trying FFXIV. The reasons they give range from monsters under their bed (stuff they imagine to be in the game but isn't) to recurring nightmares (stuff that was in FFXI and could be in FFXIV)."
I'll be the first to admit that there are certain elements of FFXI that I'd really like to see stay well within that game, a few of which I've touched upon before. On the flip side, of course, we've had clear indications from Square-Enix that they want the game to stand on competitive footing with World of Warcraft, so it's unlikely that we'll see another Absolute Virtue or the ilk. Sorry if you were hoping for it.
The SMN/WHM problem, round several million"This keeps happening to me. I spend most of my time as a SMN/BLM or SMN/RDM. I have never played WHM, either as main or sub. But for some reason, in almost every party I'm invited to, I'm asked to heal. If I'm SMN/BLM, they'll ask me to sub WHM for the party, and when I inform them I don't have any levels in it, they find someone else."
If you've ever played Summoner past level 10, you probably have a very clear idea about what's going on here. It's not the first time that it's been asked why their job has to be a healer, nor will it be the last, and it's as reasonable a question now as ever. There was a particularly insightful comment later in the thread, however:
"Remember, those awesomely powered BLMs don't get exp/merit invites anymore either. Basically how the game is today, if you can't do great solid damage non-stop you have no place in a party as a DD. That only leaves healing and buffing spots available, and more often then not, those [roles] are combined."
How are you entering the fray?
"With the jobs and crafts all being there own thing the question on my mind is how are you going into this game? Are you going to go this strategical way? By leveling Blacksmith or another craft to play the market or do your own repairs. Or are you just rushing in full force with sword or wand in hand?"
Even without the much-awaited beta having gone live, some of us already have a pretty clear picture of what we're going to be doing once FFXIV finally goes live. Speaking for myself, I'm playing a character who generally tends toward a more scholarly bent, so I expect to be putting in some quality time with Alchemist and some of the magical Disciplines... assuming I can curb my usual tendency to head straight for whatever can dual wield.
The 2010 Mog Bonanza Disappointment ThreadDoes this even need summation? Okay.
"4 characters, 10 marbles each, 1 month of inventory -10 for each, 0 prizes. /toss"
I don't think any more needs to be said.
Looking at the world
"I watch a lot of fan made FFXI videos but this one is something a little special. It simply shows the myriad of small scenery effects in the game, many of which I'm sure you've never noticed before."
Thankfully, the era of Rick Astley is past, so we can now somewhat safely return to clicking on YouTube links. Normally, I'm not one for videos, but both the linked video and the discussion about it is worth viewing. The amount of effort put into making even inconsequential parts of Vana'diel feel genuine is almost baffling. Every so often, we can benefit from stepping back and seeing the ways that our game steps out of just being a collection of zones and into feeling like a real place, and this video highlights them.
Those are the most noteworthy or interesting tidbits that have come up recently. If you have something to add for a future installment, or if you just have a question that you'd like to see answered in an upcoming column, feel free to send it along to Eliot at Massively dot com. We'll be revisiting the community again before too long, don't worry.
