NillaShadow

So, I got the standard edition at about 2:00 today. I installed it before work, and started patching it at 5:00. It's been patching ever since then, and it says there's over 4 hours left to go. That's nearly 10 hours! Seriously, I doubt the patch files are that big, and I'm not getting that good speeds from the "torrent method" of downloading. I really wish SE put up a direct download option instead of this, because it's not fast at all. Am I alone in this? How long did other people's patches take?

Broken Heroes We are born into this world without direction or purpose. Many strive to find a better life in youth, but the search seldom lasts long. After all, who alone can hope to fight against the circumstances into which they are born, as well as the prison of the mind erected over years of struggle. The multiplying vexations of the spirit corrupt even the most innocent, and when our search fails, we are left as broken reflections of the hopes we had for ourselves as children. Broken heroes, in a broken world. But then...everything changed. There have been whispers of adventurers having visions across Eorzea. Some tell of visions of impending doom, visions of destruction. Others see visions of purpose, visions of hope. Perhaps you are one of these adventurers? Perhaps you have seen this vision and finally gleaned your purpose. Perhaps you have seen this vision, and wonder if you are not alone. If so, why not seek out others, and discover together what these visions mean? Why not take up your blades, struggle once more against the tides of fate, and save this world from its inevitable destruction. Discover your purpose, discover yourself, become a broken hero, a savior of Eorzea! After all, it is not your flaws that define you, it is how you overcome them. Why are we different? We realize that heroes come in all forms, all creeds and professions. We don't restrict your personality, profession or theme, but rather allow you to become what you want to. If you have seen a vision, you may join us, and together we'll find out what it means to you. ((Once you know what kind of character you want to play, we'll agree to a context within the cannon story that fits with current events)). What is Cannon RP? Cannon RP is roleplay within the context of the main storyline. Players will create a character whose purpose is to have meaning within the main storyline, as well as a separate character for interaction with those not involved in the same cannon RP scenario. Refer to the thread here http://www.ffxiv-roleplayers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1623&start=15 for discussion of cannon RP. Rules: 1: Keep cannon RP and cannon discussion in the reserved linkshell 2: Do not under any circumstances mention any cannon material in a public setting 3: Create at least one character for the cannon setting, and one character for the non-cannon setting. 4: Maintain and keep track of each of these characters so you don't get confused which one you are using 5: In pre-set cannon scenes, your character should be an observer of the event, or not directly affected 6: Be creative, and use the cannon story without trying to be the main character (acting as the main character should be kin to god-modding) Server: Besaid Leaders/contacts: Nilla Shadow(Limsa Lominsa) Each starting area will ideally have a leader who will drive events in that area. If a player is the first to join the linkshell from an area, they become the leader of that area. A leader may also be elected by the group if a player is deemed more fit to act as a leader. RP Style: Heavy cannon style RP with an emphasis on character leveling and story progresion. Website/forum: On the web. http://brokenheroes.mmoguildsites.com/ In the pub. http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=1671&sid=70c4ffb6c9921ff8310a5dff565f333a Headquarters: Undecided. Linkshell interactions: It is possible, but unlikely to interact with other linkshells while remaining in cannon characters, because this would require the other linkshell to be in the same cannon scenario. Instead of this, if a player wishes to interact with the general community, they must create a separate general character (this can be used with the same avatar to avoid extra subscription costs) which will act as their community character. Refer to the rules for more a better description of community interaction. Application criteria/process: Post a cannon character description, as well as a general character description or a link to one (if you want to interact outside of the LS) in the recruitment thread. Join the linkshell asap. Player membership is on a first come basis, and the player cap is 12 per area (see Leaders).

Short answer, no because everyone saw that same scene in which they talked to those same moogles, and you obviously didn't all talk to the same moogles at the same time. Long answer, maybe. If the rest of the group has already established (OOC or IC) that they didn't talk to the moogles, then you could have talked to the moogles, or maybe you talked with different moogles. Two ways to handle this are to elect someone within the group who experiences the scenes exactly, or just determine that nobody experiences the scenes exactly (although I don't think this should be in general rules because that should be up to the players).

Alright, so from this discussion, it seems that there are two concerns about cannon RP groups. 1: Interference by the cannon group with non-cannon group (creating impossible scenarios and spoilers), 2: Exclusion of either the cannon group or the non-cannon group (limiting the portion of the community that a player can interact with). 1 is solved by the reserved linkshell (so long as cannon material stays within the linkshell), and 2 is solved by creating separate characters for cannon and non-cannon purposes. If a cannon group does emerge, here is a starting list of rules to ensure an enjoyable experience for all. Please give suggestions if you see something that isn't here or something that doesn't belong here. 1: Keep cannon RP and cannon discussion in the reserved linkshell 2: Do not under any circumstances mention any cannon material in a public setting 3: Create at least one character for the cannon setting, and one character for the non-cannon setting. 4: Maintain and keep track of each of these characters so you don't get confused which one you are using 5: In pre-set cannon scenes, your character should be an observer of the event, or not directly affected 6: Be creative, and use the cannon story without trying to be the main character (acting as the main character should be kin to god-modding) Thanks so much for helping me work through this issue, your input is invaluable!

Sorry for not giving cred D: Anyway, I do think the reserved linkshell idea solves a lot of problems with keeping the cannon rp with the cannon rp characters. However, this does limit the interaction with non-cannon players. This can be solved if the players with cannon characters create alt characters which are not involved with their cannon characters. Since this is strictly an RP difference, the player can use the same avatar (and therefore not have to pay an extra fee per month). If the players do this, they can interact with both cannon and non-cannon players, and no impossibility scenarios arise. For those who have done strictly text rp (like in a chat room or MUD on IRC), this would be like switching between rooms and RPing a separate character in each room, but using the same program/client in order to do so.

Alright, so an easy solution to this (working off of Satisiun said) is that you have an LS for the persistant group, within which you RP canon material throughout the storyline. Then you have non-LS interactions which involve those not necessarily at the same point in the story as you, and as such you should not discuss story events, but you can still interact as your character in order to RP with the broader RP community. It's clear that there's two distinct groups of RP, but as long as the RP in the LS stays in the LS, there should be no discernable difference to those not in the LS. I guess it would be similar to having another layer on top of IC (maybe ICC for In Canon Character). If you think about it, you already interact on these different levels whenever you RP. You act as yourself in OOC, then (as on the main page under "Linkshells") there are levels ranging from light RP to heavy RP where a certain degree of OOC is permitted/expected of you. If there were a persistent canon rp group, they could just create a linkshell and keep canon RP scenes in the linkshell. This way there's really no harm done to those outside the canon group, and those in the canon group can either create a character to RP outside the canon group, or use the base personality traits of their character to RP outside of the canon group.

Yeah, that is in interesting problem, but that's why keeping roleplay to smaller groups is a plus. If someone has already taken down the lich king, they're obviously out of your RP scenario, and you can make your character not hear them (because it would be impossible for them to exist). True that RPing canon material (likely) raises this problem routinely, but most of RP is "pretend" anyway, so in that case I would just make those characters not exist to my character within the RP. It can be annoying sometimes, but I think the payoff would be well worth it. Also, the problem of "Not everyone witnessed cutscene X in the same way," depends on who's RPing in the group. If someone is completely unwilling to compromise the fact that they saw the scene exactly, it should fall on the other members of the group to compensate their storylines appropriately (like you said, perhaps a character was on the lower decks of the ship when the sea monster jumped over, maybe they were in the same storm, maybe they were knocked unconscious and are reluctant to believe the other's story etc.). But that depends on the characters and their players. So.... anyway, back to my original intention of making this thread. Would anyone want to make a canon-infused RP group (ie. an RP group that uses the canon setting to play off of?)

When I say RP party I mean people who experience the game (ie. doing quests, story missions etc.) and work off of the content and events in the game to create a story together. This means doing RPs in towns, in the field, and while doing quests in a party. My best RP experiences have been with groups that have stuck together for a while, because you get to know their characters and your character better, and you can actually see the character development happen, and it means more when you have experienced the events which have lead up to it. As far as "exclusion animosity," I never said that it would be an exclusive group, just that there is an ideal size for RPs. Whether or not you exceed this size is up to the members of the group. Even in a single player setting, characters join and leave your party all the time, but in the end the characters who care most about the other members of the party and the goal stick around. I think it would work similarly in a multi-player setting, because if someone wants to join up for a mission, that'd be fine, but if they have other groups that they quest with, they'd have to decide which group they cared about more and manage their time appropriately. There's also nothing saying that two groups that have formed can't interact or even merge with one another if the RP scenario is right. All I'm saying is that most character development is important in having a good story and ultimately a good experience. From past experience, I've found that this character development means more when it takes place over time, and for that to happen you need to RP with the same characters often. It's also take advantage of the game's content and mechanics in order to enhance the RP.

So, as anyone who's played Final Fantasy (or any RPG in general), character relationships in the main party are what drive the story and events within. Without consistent party members, it can be very difficult to create, foster, and maintain these relationships. It is then necessary for there to be some kind of organized structure for creating RP parties (such that everyone can play at the same time), maintaining them throughout the life of the character, and allowing for other characters can join/leave the party within the context of the RP. Was there anything place in FFXI that allowed for this? If not, can we create something? It can be as simple as a dedicated part of the forums for people to post RP parties, timeslots when these parties are online, current area, and a log of activities for story/character development. After this is established, characters can join the party in the RP setting until a maximum (ideal for RP) party size is reached. As a game designer myself, and one who plays games mostly for the story, I think it is really important to have this if we are to create unique stories, and have our characters have epic meaning (ie. context within the story).

Yeah, I think SE made a pretty bad decision with the pre-order items. I was going to get the collectors edition (mostly because of the leather-bound concept art book, also because it's only $10 more considering the 30 days of free play), but then I saw that the standard edition came with EXPERIENCE BOOSTING GOGGLES. Umm, so even if the collector's edition gets to play 8 days ahead of time, that can be easily made up with those goggles. Not sure how much they boost XP, but in an MMO where you'll be devoting a lot of time, it's a clear decision.