doctorgalactic

This. +1

I've been wondering the same thing myself! Not that I'm dis-satisfied with the current selection, but I love having more options. Rumor mill is that Yoshi-P eventually wants to include a salon in game to allow you to change things like hairstyle and possibly face-paint.

That's actually a really good point, taking BC into consideration it isn't mentioned unless it applies, and then it would just be noted at the end of the abbreviation. Makes total sense to me.

I almost posted my question on this thread but I think it may be a bit off topic. I've seen a lot of dates flying around, and with all of the work that people are putting into history and lore (fantastic stuff, btw) it dawned on me that we don't have a common calendar dating convention in place that isn't long hand. Now, I know it's fun and feel grandiose to write out dates this way, but it's not very practical. Let me give you an example: Kayle's birthday: The 19th day of the 5th Astral Moon in the year 1554 of the 7th Umbral Era. Now, this is great, and looks good on the character profile pages, is clear to everyone what date we're talking about, but it can be a bit tedious. Now, I'm not talking about is what the meaning of A/U Eras are, or when the year cycle is determined to reset. I'm looking more for an abbreviation of terms to make dating much easier to use, as I'd imagine it would be in texts of Eorzea as well as ease of use in RP. In the US, we use a version of the Gregorian Day-Month-Year, most commonly written out as something like 09/18/1980, which would typically be said aloud as September eighteenth, nineteen eighty. I'm just wondering if anyone is interested in trying to help come up with an abbreviated calendar system. I'd like to be proactive, so I'll list out a few examples below to submit for your review, but keep the ideas and opinions coming! Looking at the same date first listed, we might be able to discern something like: 5A/19/1554-7U to follow the US system, but adversely... 19/5A/1554-7U seems to make a little more sense verbally (note: these are starting to look a bit like UPC codes...) or perhaps 19-5a-1154.7u 19.5a.1554-7u Just some ideas to throw around while we wait. Thoughts, suggestions, opinions? ps: I'm not very forum savvy, but one day I swear my posts will look prettier... Just wanted to state that after spending some time mulling them over I'm quite fond of this one: 19.5a.1554-7u It's easy to read, simple to write out, and using lowercase lettering makes the A/U's stand out a bit more so as to not confuse them with numbers and/or mixing up "Months" with "Days". My 2 gil anyway...

It's not your imagination; the landscapes in 1.0 were much larger and more seamless, but at a cost of copy-paste terrain, no terrain/tileset variation, no landmarks, barrenness, etc. ARR breaks things up into smaller individual zones, but in doing so the developers are able to fill each zone to the brim with variation, landmarks, and activity. Thanks for clearing that up! I'm not discontent with what I've seen in the beta so far, but there was definitely something to be said for the vastness that existed in 1.0 However, I completely understand why the dev team made the decisions they did, and it shows!

This sounds daunting but with a massive payoff in the end. Something like this was requested in the SE Official Lore forum HERE a while ago, but seems to have lost some traction. Maybe the community here can get something going? I'd be interested in assisting what little I can.

Maybe. I'm not holding my breath. I think we're getting off base here a bit. Kayle's intrigue into the Dragoons, and potential inspiration to become one are his own. Your understanding of the lore essentially only allows Uther (or anyone else who exiles or otherwise excommunicates themselves from pre-game Ishgard) to be the "true" Dragoons. The fact of the matter is, the majority of people who will be playing that particular job will not have a back story identical to yours. Or, they will bandwagon and a lot of of them will, which depreciates the unique qualities of your character that you very clearly worked hard to develop. I've given my character an aspiration beyond what his current situation enables him to do. Mincing words about what it means to be a real Dragoon is something that in my opinion should be saved for RP purposes, not game defining stances.

I completely agree, and definitely look forward to seeing how SE handles all of it. My intentions for Kayle are to have him try to make a living and name for himself working in Ul'Dah, but his gaze is drawn north, both to his birthplace and the Tower of Ishgard. He'll be a Gladiator, and probably a Paladin out of duty. To himself, to his ideals, and for the ones he cares about. But for him, eventually it means eventually taking the road north.

I hate to say this, as I am absolutely loving this discussion, but isn't this lore-abiding view of Dragoons a bit... elitist? Trust me, I am fully aware of what an ironic statement that is. But we have to look at the gameplay mechanic as well as backstory to make any of this work. To become a Dragoon, in game, you have to level your Lancer class. I don't think anyone will disagree with that. Uther, I read your backstory, and it's interesting as hell with one caveat: the only way that your story works (and by proxy, the Dragoon class) is if you were already a Dragoon before the events of the game. All things being equal once ARR rolls out, how do we explain the masses of folks that have the same intentions and aspirations that you do (to become a Dragoon) without the backstory of them already being one? I hate to point out the obvious, but excluding RP, Ishgard is not a starting city-state, and as far as mechanics go, if you want to fly into the Dragoon class swiftly, you're starting as a Lancer in Gridania. Now, you can RP that you're a Dragoon in the meantime, but for me personally, that doesn't allow for RPvE opportunities, which is something that appeals to me. It seems that taking a 'you don't know what it means to be a real Dragoon' approach to anyone who works towards that Job without a lore-centric background could potentially make things difficult in the future. This is an honest question: How then, IC, would Uther explain the multitude of other players running around with the Dragoon class? OOC,as far as I know the jobisn't some random scripted in-game event that selects random PC's to be worthy of the title, it's something that has to be initiated by the PC. It is something to strive for. Of course people are going to strive for it, that's not confusing to me at all. I get the analogy of the Mongolian Swordsman wanting to be a Templar, and it's a good one, but that's not what this is. Which indeed brings me to my point. Kayle isn't a Dragoon! His father wasn't a Dragoon, his step-father wasn't a Dragoon. (resolved in a previous post) It's a childhood aspiration. I could have just made him a Lancer, like his father before him, and worked my way up the ladder to becoming a Dragoon, as the gameplay mechanics demands. But instead I forced another role upon Kayle due to circumstance. Does that mean he still doesn't have aspirations? Of course not. To play off of your analogy, let's say some kid from the slums who's great a basketball has dreams of becoming an astronaut. That doesn't strike me as odd at all. Does it mean he'll become and astronaut? Not necessarily. Does it mean he can't become one? Absolutely not! I am aware that there are in game restrictions to the Dragoon, and to be honest, Kayle has no idea what they are. To him they are childhood stories, mythical figures that are rarely seen in public. And that intrigues the hell out of him.

I have to somewhat disagree or rather, clarify my statement. The times you pointed out are correct, but still correspond perfectly well with his story: Kayle was born in 1554, 3 years before The conquest of Ala Mhigo (1557), which is when they started to leave the area (whether by sail or trail). The Battle of Silvertear Skies happened in 1562 as you stated, making him 8 by then, definitely old enough to remember. Kayle's mother simply wants to avoid the Empire altogether, and if in fact the Garlean Empire moved from Ala Mhigo to Silvertear, that would put the invasion fleet flying directly over Gridania (where they potentially would have stayed for some time after the conquest) and the southern tip of Gyr Abania. Carteneau Flats was in 1572, as you stated, making him 18 at the time, when his stepfather went to fight. I merely meant to imply that he would have experienced these events in one form or another (adjacent to the Garlean invasion fleet, and I'm assuming everyone in Eorzea knows about Carteneau Flats). I think you took it that their departure to Ul'Dah was immediate and swift, and I meant to imply that they wandered for some time as they weren't certain where they were going to end up. But as the events unfolded around them they moved further and further south to avoid the conflict until it was literally unavoidable.

This is great feedback! I' have to be honest, I didn't click all of the links, nor watch the video as having not played 1.0 I don't want to have any spoilers. And monkey wrench's are fine, that's what I'm here for! I asked for help with development, not a soapbox to be praised for my "awesome" ideas 1) I agree that the concept of his Father being an actual Dragoon may be bit far fetched. I've read though that Ala Mhigo was known to have a strong Lancer's presence, along with the Monk's. The concept was that Kayle's father (and step-father) told him stories about the dragoons when he was little. I know that him being 3 when his father died may be to young to have these memories with him specifically, WIP. However, it could have been his father's dream to become one, or his dream that Kayle could one day become one, etc etc. Kayle may feel that it's an obligation to his father's memory to at least seek out information regarding the legendary Dragoons. 2) He doesn't particularly have an aptitude with anything at the moment. I really want this to be a true coming of age story for him. This is the equivalent of him going off to college and having to afford to live on his own by whatever means he deems himself capable of. I don't know if you've read any of his 100 Question Survey, but he states that he tried his hand at mining, and a bit of Goldsmithing as well. (I treated the 100 Questions like it was the entrance interview for a GC, or a guild membership)I want to be able to continue gameplay while developing his character, so I'm not sure which profession he's going to fall into. As far as the physicality of him protecting people, it's kind of toying with fate vs desire. He wants to be a Dragoon, and would potentially be more than capable of it, but that's not where necessity has dropped him. OOC, the concept here is that I usually play a DPS in mmo's, and typically a lancer-type. I've personally always been fascinated with Dragoon's in fantasy, but I wanted to challenge myself this go-round. I wanted to play a character with aspiration beyond what he's currently involved in. Who is circumstantially unable to achieve his goals, but for the benefit of others. I started phase 3 as a GLA and enjoyed it more than I thought, but it way outside of my typically comfort zone. I decided that I wanted someone who, for me, had gameplay aspirations beyond leveling his first class to 50 and being satisfied. Most people play the game by starting as the class they want to play. I'm doing it a little differently this go round. 3) This one I haven't fully developed either. Potentially his family cannot afford housing within the city (which can be assumed as Little Ala Mhigo is populated with several families of refugees from Ala Mhigo proper). I also hinted that his step-dad was recently injured, and quite seriously, requiring full attention from his mother. 4) Excellent question, and the latter is correct. This is the first time that he's branched out completely of his own accord. Again, this is probably due to his step-father's injury (potentially from battling prior and leading up to the Calamity). This is his first go at the 'real world', but he's a total boyscout. Loyal, honest, hard working, and probably more than a bit naive. 5) We know the pilgrimage thought the Shroud wasn't a pleasant one, it's where he got the scar across his left cheek. As far as the Gridanian's on a whole go, are we saying specifically that all Gridanians hate Ala Mhigans based on a failed invasion that happened a hundred years ago? Kayle's mother is a midlander from Gridania, his father is a highlander from Gyr Abania. And they certainly aren't the only ones who made the trip south from Ala Mhigo. The other concept I'm toying with however is that rather than passing through the Shroud they sail from the Velodyna River along the coast and eventually landing in the Bay of Dha'Yuz. A great departure from the previous concept, but it's kind of one or the other. How did the rest of the higlander's get to Ul'Dah? Keep in mind that as they are travelling, the Battle of Silvertear Skies and the war at the Carteneau Flats in Mor Dhona all happen. Kayle's mother is under the 'never again' mentality, and urges her family to flee. Assuming that the Garleans came from the 'recently' occupied Ala Mhigo when they made their way west to Mor Dhona, that would put Kayle's family directly in their path, pushing them further south and both physically and emotionally further from his dream of visiting Ishgard. He basically resigns himself at 23 to being the proverbial man of the house. tl;dr - I still have a few more weeks to fix my backstory to match lore without having to research all my decisions until I spoil all the things that I want to learn as I play the game. Keep the input coming, I crave this stuff! However, we know that they DO leave Ishgard, as there are PC's running around with the job. Like I said, I don't know all of the 1.0 storyline, but I have to assume that if/when I login to a Legacy server for the first time there's gonna be more than a couple lvl 50 Dragoon's running around Eorzea, and if not there eventually will be. Which begs the question: are the PC's actually becoming true Dragoon's or some bastardized version of it? Granted, we all can't be the chosen one, but you simply cannot pretend that there aren't guys running around in Artifact armor... Please keep in mind, I'm not questioning your sources, nor your logic. I'm simply asking open ended questions for the sake of understanding. In regards to Kayle's father, I can see reworking his history into a Lancer rather than a Dragoon. Per the SE page on Lancers: In former times, the longspear saw the most widespread use, due in great part to the influence of the proud lancer legions of Ala Mhigo.

Thanks, I really can't wait I didn't play 1.0 either, only open beta, and a completely different character.

I've mulled it over for quite some time now, but I think I'll be settling on Gilgamesh as well. My long/short term goal is to definitely have some RP, and to start a linkshell / FC with other like-minded adventurers who want to explore the Realm through lore, roleplay, and exploration. I know that they will be expensive, but I want to eventually acquire a Company Hall to use as an RP hub. I know they're going to be outrageously expensive, but I truly believe that with some teamwork and the right people we can make this an amazing adventure for anyone, no matter their experience with MMO's and RPing. Let me know if this sounds interesting to anyone else, help me flesh it out! I know it's ambitious, but I am dedicated to the game and the community, and hopefully can contribute to the amazing atmosphere that's already in place.

I've posted a couple of these in the Gallery, but here goes. By far my favorite shot of Kayle so far. This was a very proud moment for me Preparing to head into Thanalan A moment to reflect (and show off Redwind's barding!) The scenery is just amazing... A friend taking a rest from a long day Conjuring Coordinating a final run through Thanalan in Phase 3 Finishing up my final watch See you in Phase 4 / Early Access!

One of the things im glad hasnt changed from 1.0 .. the scenery. While i dabble in several mmos depending on my mood, only a few really possess the setting/scenery to really draw me more into the game when i play. this was one of them lol. everything about the game is wonderful and pretty to look at. I wonder, if i'll b able to find a way to save my character data if tweaking it on the pc, then later if i decide to load up the ps3 if i can load the saved character data cross platform or not.. hmm. as for the UI, i will hit that up in due time, since i plan to tinker with the game on both pc and ps3 i'll have twice the UI to play with. I have no level goals, never have any, never plan to start lol. Everyone will always 'progress' faster then me the way i play. Very casual, enjoy as much as i can as I go, etc heh. This wandering adventure gets more out of the journey then he would by setting a goal at the 'end' of the journey If I remember correctly, once your character is created you'll be able to play them on any system as long as you've purchased the software. As far as you and Desmond's playstyle goes, I completely agree. There are some things that I am very eager to accomplish in ARR, but I'm going to slow down and enjoy the work that SE has put into the game. Read all (and I mean ALL) of the dialogue, immerse myself into Eorzean lore, and revel in the experience they've built for us.

Kayle would probably make sure his daily duties were taken care of, and then take his trusted Chocobo Redwind for a ride out to Little Ala Mhigo to visit his mother and step-father. He'd bring gil, food, and goods, as his parent's can't afford the bustling lifestyle of the city just yet. He still hasn't made many friends in Ul'Dah, but if he had more he'd probably spend the day exploring the wilderlands or discussing historical events with anyone willing to listen. Maybe waxing poetic with the Thaumaturges and trying to meet more people in the markets.

I played the open beta for 1.0 for as long as I could, and I was torn. That game looked AMAZING, but the mechanics left it nigh unplayable for me. I rebuilt a character I'd played in XI and ran around for a bit. Leve's made no damned sense to me, and the game seemed to limit what I could do at any given time (including putting on armor... that menu was awful). That being said, The land seemed a bit more... -open- to me. While the scenery that I've seen so far in ARR is stunning, it seems that they've scaled down the explore-able areas quite a bit. Is it just me? Like I said, I wasn't able to play that long, but I seem to remember some wide open spaces that aren't there in ARR. Thoughts/corrections?

Here's the link with what I've done so far: http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=2688&pid=35709#pid35709

Here's the most that I've been able to complete in the past several hours. I'll come back an finish but I wanted to post what I've got. Comment and criticize, ask away! Part 1: The Basics Part 2: Growing Up Part 3: Past Influences Part 4: Beliefs And Opinions Part 5: Relationships With Others Part 6: Likes And Dislikes Part 7: Self Images And Etc.

For anyone reading this, I'm working on answering the 100 questions survey as well, and I'll link to it when I've gotten that finished for a bit more insight. Thanks again for reading, all comments and criticism are welcome.

I love this idea!

Thank you! I read up on Desmond's information, and I definitely see them running into each other more than once (for better or worse). I have long term goals for him both with game achievements and milestone directly and in character, including (and against what appears to be all odds) starting a Free Company with like minded individuals who want to explore, discover, and defend the realm.

Absolutely. I want to make him a character that cherishes family and friendship over all else, and he becomes a gladiator out of necessity. His dream is to become a Dragoon, following in his father's lancing footsteps, along with the stories of Dragoons his father would tell him when he was younger. IC, regardless of his desires, he learns the hard way that the strongest thing one can do is sacrifice for the better of others. He feels obligated to care for his family, to DEFEND them. His patron will be Azeyma, as he swears to Her when his father dies that he won't ever allow anyone he loves to be hurt again. I want him to make this pledge when he's young, so it is a bit naive, but it becomes a part of who he his. OOC, I've always played a DPS character and wanted to try something different. My original intention was to just nab some of the early skills to cross-class stuff with Lancer, but I really ended up liking it, and the small crew I met while playing said they really liked how I was playing it (healer never took a hit!) At that point I realized that from an RP perspective a character's strength doesn't necessarily have to rely on his chosen discipline, but rather how he implements himself into WHATEVER role he is in.

'Allo everyone! I've been watching the forum for some time now, but only joined recently. After loremongering for a while, Ifinally feel like I'm ready to branch out and start fleshing out my character's back story. I want to RP with a few friends to start, abut really hope to get engrossed in the community as I find more and more people with similar interests and goals. So with my introductions out of the way... My understanding is that the 'current' year as of ARR is 1577, or year 5 of the 7th Umbral Era ushered in by the Calamity and Bahamut's release from within Dalamud. That would put the invasion of Ala Mhigo at or around 1557. I've decided to have my character born in 1554, 3 years prior to the invasion, during the short reign of Theoderic. There are a few potential concepts here: 1) His father and father's best friend ("uncle") were involved in whatever resistance there was during the Garlean invasion (they were known for having a strong presence of lancers in Ala Mhigo), and his father perished while his father's friend returned with his broken lance and helmet. They fled through Gridania and spent some short time there where he made some friends. 2) His father survived the skirmish and the group of them fled along with a few others to Gridania where they stayed for some time. In 1562 his father and 'uncle' were called to arms during the Battle of Silvertear Skies, where his father perished. (not sure if this is probable as I'm not sure much of the world was involved in that battle; most records indicate it was a skirmish involving Garlean airships and dragons) 3) They survive (or are uninvolved) in the Battle of Silvertear, and continue to migrate southward with the other highlanders. Then the Calamity strikes, father dies, etc etc The concept here is that I don't want him to be old enough to remember anything much about Ala Mhigo so as to not RP and invent fan-lore that could be broken if/when Ala Mhigo becomes accessible. But it -would- allow him to "remember" Ala Mhigo if and when we are able to visit. The concept of his father dying at a young age is prominent and important to his character as well, as his 'uncle' returns with his father's spearhead and helmet. As they flee their homeland, his 'uncle' and mother form a relationship and eventually marry, thus his father's best friend becomes his stepfather. He has dreams of becoming a lancer like his father, but the devastation pushes them further south into the Southern Twelveswood and into Thanalan/ Little Ala Mhigo. Those dreams are dashes the further south he goes as he increases the distance between himself, the guild in Gridania, and the legends surrounding Ishgard. His step-father may have been injured and never recovered, and his mother works where she can. At this point he realizes that he needs to step up and become the man his father was. He makes his way into Ul'Dah to look for work to provide for his mother and stepfather, swallowing his pride and dashing his dreams. Before he sets out, his stepfather gives him a gift... he had refashioned his father's spearhead into a dagger, for protection and to honor his father's legacy. Thus begin's his entrance on a carriage ride on his way to the gladiator's guild... There's lot's more floating around in my head about this character, but frankly I'm not sure how much information is too much (tl;dr) and I'm a bit shy about sharing ideas as it's my first post. PLEASE, feel free to ask questions, comment, criticize, etc. I'd love to talk more about it, but I want to make sure that the people I'm telling want to hear it first...

I joined the site as a member just to let you know I thought this was FANTASTICALLY written. The opening and closing lines sent chills down my spine. Fantastic, just fantastic.