I haven't been able to spend a lot of time playing recently. I'm back to work full time after my vacation, so my nights of staying up till 5am talking to every npc in Windurst are over (for now).
I guess the honeymoon is over? I've hit level 20 and my progress has slowed a little. Monsters are getting tougher, while finding a party isn't getting any easier. Combine that with my new work schedule and I think my progress is going to slow waaaaaaaay down.
Oh well.
I'm not quiting. I'll just have to play smarter.
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Hi there Keelut! Came across your blog link while browsing the Allakhazam forums randomly ^^. Definitely enjoyed reading about your adventures! It's a brilliant idea to start a blog to accompany your adventures in Vana'diel too. Back when I started in August of '07, I had started a blog on FFXIclopedia.org (great resource if you haven't heard of it before) and maintained it for quite sometime. Then I kind of got stumped with schoolwork and what not so unfortunately it went down the drain T_T. I'll probably restart one though, as reading through all of your entries reminded me of how fun it is to record one's adventures. Now, I hope you don't mind me posting on your blog here, as it's great to see new adventurer's popping up ^^ (especially those who are literate. I have a bad habit of being a grammar nazi, that I do >.>). In any case, I'd like to just share a few of my experiences being a new player myself, back in August of '07 ^^. (I do apologize if it ends up being longer than your blog entry XD I'm quite a talkative little taru, that I am, and I also feel somewhat surprised that no one has commented on your blog o.0)
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I honestly admire you for starting out as a WHM and soloing quite a fair bit of it. WHM is a tough job, though very rewarding when played correctly ^.^, it's glad to see that you're enjoying it. I had started off as a Tarutaru Red Mage in Bastok (now I've opened my eyes and have rejoiced with my fellow Windurstians). Unlike Windurst, Bastok's map wasn't too difficult to learn, as I had started there in '04 as a Hume Warrior. (I quit after a month mind you XD, I was stuck on the PS2 and trying to type with the controller wasn't...the most spectacular experience.) And don't feel bad about not knowing Windurst right off the spot XD, all of my Linkshell members who started in Windurst or transferred from another Nation have all struggled through it...I suppose its just a way of the nation welcoming you hehe. Red Mage is a very enjoyable job as well, and it currently sits at 34 on my job list. Very flexible, and it definitely offers the jack of all trades that it advertises. Keeping up to date with your spells on any Magic User job can definitely be a challenge. Sometimes it's a matter of cost (100,000 gil for a scroll of Absorb-Dexterity on Dark Knight?! O gosharu! -Please excuse my random tarutaru outbursts hehe. And sometimes, it's just a matter of finding it, some of the more popular scrolls are pretty competitively fought over, from what I've seen in Valefor. But don't give up. From what I've read, it seems like you will succeed with flying colours in the realm of magic. But of course, don't let this keep you away from trying other jobs, like Warrior! (Warriors with an axe are taruiffic!). Now, at this point, I expect you to go "This person seems to have way too much time on their hands...>.>..." And the answer is, yes, I somewhat do XD. It just makes me happy really, to find new adventurers in Vana'diel who are as enthusiastic and heartfelt about the game. It's always a rough start in the game for most, and usually a lot of people give up before even hitting level 20, so you can definitely pride yourself on that! The world of Vana'diel is a beautiful one (as I'm sure you saw on your tour ^^), and there are people who you will meet that will definitely make an impact on your life, even without you realizing it really. And this is where my real story comes into play ^^.
Post #1 (Curse the character limit!)
As I mentioned, I had adventured in Vana'diel since August '07. Originally, I had joined because a good friend of mine from another MMO, Guild Wars, invited me and promised that he'd teach me all that I would need to know so I wouldn't run off like most players coming into FFXI from other MMO's did. I was rather reluctant at first, because I had joined the FFXI community on Hades back in '04 with disastrous results. But this time, I decided to give it a shot. Luckily around this time, Square Enix had released the 2007 Vana'diel Collection, so all the expansions were there...all the awaited me was the update process (>.> oh yes, the wonderful update process). When the updates had finally finished, I was extremely excited to make a new character. I had done quite a bit of research and decided for the path which I was going into, the Tarutaru race would be a nice fit, and a good change from the Hume I had chosen last time. As promised, my friend guided me through the newer days of my life in Vana'diel. He taught me a variety of different things like community etiquette, macros, hate control, etc. I really am grateful to him, and I do believe he is part of the reason why I am able to be a competent little Taru. But of course, real life must always take priority over a video game, no matter how fun it may be, and he ended up quitting for personal reasons. He left me with a few of his treasured items (those that were not Rare/Ex), and some gil to keep me going, despite me telling him there was no need to. He was a mentor to me, and for that I'll always remember him as my first true friend in Vana'diel.
ReplyDeleteWith him gone, I was left to fend for my own. And at the time I was leveling RDM. This was far before level sync had been implemented as well as the Fields of Valor system and experience boost from Easy Prey - Decent Challenge monsters. So in the teens, you were pretty much stuck with the Dunes. I crawled my way through the Dunes, picking up more partying experience as I went along. But there was something missing. None of my friends in real life played the game, due to the mentality of "I don't want to have to pay for a game where I can play other games on a private server somewhere...blah blah blah". And thus, I was a "rurouni" lol (Wanderer ^^, if you didn't know). Throughout my time in Valkurm Dunes, I was invited into many Linkshells, by players who I had befriended. Of course, I was always brought into the large type of Social Linkshell where there are about 20-30 players on at once but it's absolute chaos. Every time I would type something in the Linkshell chat, I always received agitating remarks like "n00b, you aint lvl75 jajajajajajajja", and it really discouraged me. Now, the FFXI community isn't as horrible as some others out there, but there are jerks everywhere >.>. Eventually, I ended tossing those pearls out into the waters of Windurst Waters. I longed for a real linkshell. And for a month or two, I thought I had found it. I was once again recruited into a Linkshell from someone who I had partied with in Valkurm Dunes. this time though, it was different. I actually knew all of the people in the Linkshell (there were about 10 of us). I really enjoyed those times. It was a small group but a fun one to be with...little did I know, there was a hidden conflict that had emerged between the leader of the Shell and his best friend, a fellow sackholder. This conflict completely destroyed the Linkshell and once again, I was left Link-less. Now, at this point, you may be wondering "Why didn't you just make your own?" or "Why didn't you post some sort of application for hire on a FFXI forum?". The second, I had tried, multiple times. And as for the first, I wasn't sure I would be able to find the right people (I'm highly against the method of mass/bulk/blind recruiting).
Post #2
In January of 2008, I finally decided to just make a Linkshell, and try and find those "right" people. And so it began, the search. I searched for months, until while questing on the shores of Gustaberg in the Bastok region, I bumped into a Mithra who was doing the same quest as I. I had been leveling Warrior. The Mithra was clearly a warrior too. But there was a big difference between us, and that was how we perceived Warrior. Little did I know that the person I bumped into was a veteran of game, who had been playing since the Beta release in Japan. I had blindly been using a sword for Warrior, while all along Axe and Great Axe were much superior choices that I had turned a blind eye to. The Mithra commented on how I had been playing WAR to a lesser extent, and with the facts he provided, I whole heartedly agreed. I then noticed that he did not have a linkpearl next to his name. Impulsively, I asked him if he was interested in creating a Linkshell with me, a place where players could become family, where at the end of the day it wasn't just about the game anymore. I think I shocked him a little bit and maybe I came off a little strong as well. Had I been wise in being so impulsive? The answer to that, is absolutely, and more so, luckily hehe. At the time, the mithra, named Sharii, had been mentoring another player, a hume female by the name of Nahabed, who was rather lost being just thrown into the game without direction (as you had pointed out in one of your earlier entries XD). The three of us built the foundation for that which we hoped would someday grow into something wonderful. We partied with one another almost everyday from the point the Linkshell was made. We exchanged e-mails and frequently voice chatted on Skype too, discussing our daily lives and a lot of other out of game material. It has been a year and a half since that day I met Sharii. The linkshell has grown, though we are still quite small (about 6 members). We had more at one point, but of course, as Sharii would say: RL > Game. Now, you're probably wondering why I've written all of this.
ReplyDeleteThe point that I'm making here is that...when I first started off in Vana'diel, I wanted to have the gear, the levels and so on. But now, the reason why I play is because of the friends I've made. People, who have made such an impact on my life that they've become some of my closest friends! I think that this is the greatest part of FFXI, its ability to bring people together in such a way. I hope that you, Keelut, as you have already joined a Linkshell I believe, will experience this feeling one day as well, if you have not already. I hope that you will continue to update this blog, as I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your entries, and sharing my story with you. I have left the link to Linkshell Website as well, in case you are bored one day and want to have a look around ^^. I'll also leave my e-mail here, so if in the future you would like to contact me (questions about the game, etc) or just plain out chat about our adventures some day, I feel as if that would be grand. I sure hope you have enjoyed reading this post as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I wish you all the best.
~Koshinaeru
Dark Knight of Valefor
e-mail: sasaraixiii@hotmail.com, sasaraixiii@gmail.com (some people prefer one over the other XD, I use both.)
EDIT: Oh dear taru-goodness. I'm so sorry for taking up so much space o.o. Didn't realize how large my "Comment Archive" was until I posted al of it piece by piece since there was a limit on the characters. T-T.
-insert taru /laugh emoticon- I just noticed the 18 comments on your one entry regarding FFXIV XD boy, my Taru eyes are starting to wear out...XD
ReplyDeleteHi. Kosh! Thanks for posting. It's really nice to hear about someone elses experiences going from a lost new player to a comfortable veteran with a good group of friends. I also really appreciate you posting, just so I know that I'm not aloneout here!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to play most of this week (and probably won't be able to for a few more days), and I've been afraid that the whole thing is starting to slip away from me.