Kylin

I believe it was attacked by the Garleans 15 years ago from present day. The ten years ago thing is in regards to the arrival of the Primals, a completely different enemy of Eorzea who give the beast tribes their power. Easy to get confused. There are two enemies: Garleans and beastmen. Garleans wreaked havoc 15 years ago. Beastmen (with aid from the Primals) did so 10 years ago.

I dulled the icons a bit to better match the background. You may now click on the "all" category to view the next layer there. The font size of the actual guild names will be larger in the final version and the style may change as well.

My main (Castiel) will be more of an antagonist than anything else. I've played the role of villain several times before and it took me quite some time to finally grow into the role and "master" it. The "cartoony" villain as people are calling it is certainly a no-no. If you want your character to be a murdering type, fine. But don't go around slaughtering people in public places where you would technically get arrested instantly. Or at least, don't do it in public places unless you plan to RP a rather epic confrontation/chase scene with the law. The goal is to not back yourself into a corner. This is why I love playing a villain. It's usually quite a challenge and requires some quick thinking most of the times. I didn't really master this technique until one of my later villains in FFXI, Belledora. And even then, I was still learning some tricks. You have to realize that when you do something "bad," everyone around you is going to respond accordingly. They'll stop trusting your character and depending on how severe the case is, they'll actually start coming after you. I learned these kind of things in FFXI's RP community so it's hard to really explain it all. So try to be subtle and not "omg I am evil!! Look what I can do!" You also have to remember to give your character goals and a purpose rather than just saying they're a villain. Your character shouldn't see him/herself as a villain at all.

I'd rather stay away from using any flash elements, as that makes it difficult for me to update and whatnot. Plus a lot of users have trouble viewing flash related content properly. There's actually a pretty big distinction between each. Makes a world of difference to a lot of RPers. Plus, we already voted the system into effect some time ago and it would need to go through another discussion and vote for any changes. I created a rough draft of the selection menu on the test site. Please ignore the bookmark tabs on the side >.>. As a test site, it's not always pretty . Edit: link removed due to completion of final linkshell section.

That image would be perfect, assuming that's what the Crimson Blades want. I've also decided to change the linkshell navigation menu. Instead of just listing them all in alphabetical order, you'll have the option to filter the linkshell lists based on style of RP. So you can either click an option to view all linkshells in alphabetical order or filter them based on light, casual, moderate, or heavy. Linkshells who classify themselves as "light-casual," "casual-moderate," or "moderate-heavy" will be placed in the lesser of the two classifications unless requested otherwise. Thus, a "light-casual" linkshell will be classified as a "light" RP shell.

Simple text with the image on the side would be much easier to deal with and keep everything looking neat. And yeah, those two banners are way too big :lol: . Just need a square image of 80x80 pixels.

Haha, don't worry about rushing it :lol: . I'm hoping to have the section ready to go no later than mid August so you have time. Also, those who do not submit an icon due to whatever reason will have a placeholder image of some sort (probably the one you see now in the selection list) instead until they wish to submit something different. Another idea I wanted to mention about the guild selection menu was categorization. Instead of listing them in alphabetical order, another option would be to categorize guilds by their RP style. Users could click on light, casual, moderate, or heavy and then the list of guilds that fall under that category would be shown. This would probably make it much easier to navigate since most new RPers already know what exact style they'll be going for. The issue with this is the guilds that may categorize themselves as "light-casual" or "moderate-heavy." What category would I place them under? >.> Also, the icons for the subsections (description, rules, relics) will change just so you know. I'll have to find more appropriate images. Final note and then I'll shut up: This is based on Keir's original design for the Lore section. I've adapted it to go with the Linkshell section though.

Hi guys. I've started working on the main site's Linkshell/Guild section today, though mostly just brainstorming and whatnot. I wanted to gather some feedback before continuing with any finalized plans though. None of this is actually on the main site yet. So let's start the walkthrough! After clicking on the Linskhell tab, you'll be taken to the linkshell selection menu. It'll be much cleaner than what I'm about to display and will be spread out across various pages. Guilds will be listed in alphabetical order most likely. Please click on the spoiler below to get a general idea of what it would sort of look like. As you can see, there's a picture to the left of each guild name. This will be the button to that group's RPC page. The button will be exactly 80x80 pixels and should be the group's emblem, symbol, or whatever else best represents them. Guilds can get started on this button now if they'd like. It can be of your own artistic design or just some random image pulled from the Internet if you're lacking graphical artists. After selecting a guild, you'll be taken to that guild's page. Click the spoiler below to see that. The purple text are notes to help walk you through what's what. The text fonts and locations of everything are not finalized. As you can see, you'll have the guild name along with the basic info on one page. This info will be taken directly from the group's Guild Hall thread. On the other page will be a semi-large picture (in game group shot of the guild). Under that will be subsections for the guild. The first, Description, will be the IC teaser seen on the current teaser site. Rules will lead to the subsection that lists the guild's rules, taken directly from the Administration Center. The third subsection, Relics, is still up in the air. It's mostly a placeholder. I'm not sure what else should be provided for the role-players who are hunting for the right guild. The idea behind the relics subsection was to provide historical items (artifacts, important equipment, letters, etc) that would detail the group's journeys but not sure if that's a good idea or not. Any feedback, whether positive or constructive, is welcome.

If you have any more worst-case scenarios that you think the role-players should be prepared for, please post them in Crystalâs other server selection thread. Iâm going to (eventually) organize everything into an official guide that we can look to in case SE surprises us with any of the aforementioned issues. For now though, letsâ move on to part three of the discussion: Community (which some people are already getting to anyway >.>. III. Community We may not really have a choice when it comes to what kind of community we integrate ourselves into. Itâll ultimately depend on how much time we have to evaluate everything before official launch. However, if the choice does present itself, we should at least hash out the details now. 1. Population size: This has come up a couple times already. Everyone seems to be afraid of getting on an under-populated server. I think we should also be concerned with an over-populated server as well. For those not familiar, there was at least one server in FFXI that was so over-populated that it got locked down. And when I say locked down, I don't mean for a few hours or days. It was much more long term (over a year). That is to say, nobody was allowed in. I think nobody was even able to make new alts. If I remember correctly, it was Bahamut server (someone correct me if I got it wrong). This is an issue Rpers canât afford to deal with. Role-players rely on a continuous flow of new Rpers and without that, many linkshells will fade more quickly than usual. And I donât think anyone would be happy not being able to ever create another RP character either if they get bored with their main. Youâre probably thinking, âhow can we tell which server will be low/high populated to begin with?â Two ways. Everquest, as an example, put it right up on the server list. So youâd have the server name and then in parenthesis next to it, it would say low, medium, or high for population. Granted, if they did do this we likely wouldnât have enough time to actually evaluate it since choosing a server would have to come quickly. Another way is just looking at other fansites. If Core, for instance, tries to organize a ton of their users onto the same server, itâs possible that said server will be extremely high in populationâ¦perhaps -too- high. Thus, that would be a server to potentially avoid. Ultimately what Iâm getting at is that I think it would be in our best interest to choose a medium-sized server in terms of population if we have the luxury of such an option. 2. Non-English Community: This has also come up. It would be very interesting to know whatâs going on, if anything, with the Japanese RP community (if there is one). In addition, we should consider other languages (Spanish, German, etc). If anyone here is fluent in any such languages, weâd love if you could do some research and find out if RP communities exist for the non-English speaking community. Even if most of us have no way of understanding them and vice-versa, Iâd personally still love seeing someone speaking in another language and thinking that there was a large possibility that they were Rping. 3. Griefers: Weâll have to deal with them no matter what from time to time. But even moreso since the entire RP community will be on the same server. There will be people who join the server for the sole purpose of causing grief for the RP community. I think we should come up with a guide of sorts on how to handle them as a community to help alleviate the issue as much as humanly possible.

Maybe I don't understand the guildleve system enough but I don't like the sound of this. Only one guildleve every 48 hours? That's kinda lame. Love the gear switching stuff. Always hated having an entire bag full of situational gear. Was made worse by the fact that my main was rdm and I had to swap out gear for every single spell -.-

Happy birthday Mason!! :afro:

Despite the length, I really liked this episode ^^. At times, it felt like an interview with politicians :lol: Some of those questions were tough but everyone handled them very well. Hopefully the other guilds are able to have someone in their group eventually represent them on future episodes.

*Shoots the squirrel, and then the bunny* :twisted: Here are my proposals for the issues mentioned thus far (excluding #8). 1. How do we select a server if the names have not been released yet? Select server number 7 on the list. Why 7? Based on the projected number of starting servers, this should fall somewhere in the middle of the list and thus, not be overly populated nor under populated. In the event that the server list shifts its order constantly on the selection menu (for instance, Cid server is listed first for one individual but is number 8 on the list for another as SE's method to keep servers evenly populated), we pick the first one that starts with the letter L. If no server starts with L, we continue down the alphabet (M,N,O,P, etc). 2. What if the server selection is random? People will have to reroll characters. There is no getting around this. Collectorâs Edition players can quickly select their server in a quick 24 hour period and then start gathering on said server. Mass efforts by the community to gather plenty of world passes will be necessary. 3. What if Friend Passes for server selections are more expensive then a starting character can afford? We will form a temporary RPC âbank.â Each player who purchases any world passes will be recorded on a public list along with the amount they paid. After about a week or two of having settled onto the server, the RPC will organize an in game farming run to raise the money back and redistribute it accordingly. 4. What if SE designates more than one RP server? We will vote between them. In the event that there is not enough time to vote, we select the second RP server on the list. In the event that the server list shifts its order constantly, we select the server name where the first letter is closest to the letter L. 5. What if we end up with more RP'ers then the server can handle? An overflow server will be voted on. We should have a good grasp on the number of Rpers weâll have by late August. 6. What if due to some conflict/misunderstanding/confusion/etc one or more guilds ends up on different servers? We hash out the misunderstanding immediately on the forums and get everyone reorganized on the appropriate server. There is no reason to not reroll another character on another server if youâve only been playing less than a week. 7. What if our promotional efforts don't work and we fail to mobilize Roleplayers to our servers? We stand by the RPCâs selected server and continue promoting it as the unofficial RP server. If it is ignored by the player base, so be it. 8. What if a significant amount of Roleplayers cannot convince their friends to join the same server we select as a group? In the end, we must do whatâs best for the RP community as a whole. Individuals who have non-RP friends are encouraged to mobilize their friends on the unofficial RP server in any way feasible. However, it is ultimately not the RP communityâs responsibility to mobilize those not interested in RP.

I also originally planned to create 3 main characters. Unfortunately, there's no way I can go through with that now with the pricing. This puts a pretty big dent in my RP plans since I had put a lot of planning into all 3 characters. I guess I'll just focus on two now and wait for the second one to be killed off eventually (because I have no doubt that the psychotic lalafell will certainly make a LOT of enemies >.>). Then I can bring in the third character to replace her. I'm not going to try worrying too much about it right now though. I plan to focus heavily on my main for awhile anyway before bringing any other characters into the fold.

Just as a note guys...you're all getting terribly off topic from the main point of this thread. Too much more and I'll have to do a thread split :lol:

Still listening to it (at the 20 min mark). But just to clarify on a few things so far... Prima Vista is indeed going on hold. In fact, I -just- now got a request to have it removed from the teaser site for the time being (meaning any other new group who wants the 10th slot better get in touch with me ASAP ). This does not mean the group is disbanding or anything. It's just going on the back burner for a variety of reasons. Hopefully it will rise back up before launch since it's certainly a unique and interesting concept. Slaughterhouse Dogs -does- have a teaser but it's still in the final revision stage. If I don't have it by tomorrow, I'll just put up the first draft and edit it later since the teaser site needs to go out immediately. Knight Life was indeed the very first RP group to form. Unfortunately, I know just as little about it as you guys do :lol: . Kit hasn't really been too active. Eltharian has created a topic on their forums though and hopefully their members will come up with a concept in the near future. House Serith'kar's leaders are both extremely busy at the moment. Rayah is dealing with crisis after crisis while the other leader is still finishing military duty. We may not hear much about them anytime soon but by the end of next month, they'll probably have a much stronger presence.

Famitsu Magazine has recently published a new article revealing new classes for the Disciplines of Land and Hand. The new classes are: Goldsmith, Harvester, Armourer, Woodworker, and Fisherman. Harvester: This discipline of land has quite the green thumb, dealing in the cultivation or vegetables, grains, and weaving materials, tending to fruit trees, and collecting herbs and even lumber with the help of their trusty hatchet. They have excellent trade relations with many crafters, such as woodworkers, weavers, alchemists, and even culinarians. They do much of their work in Gridania, with its excellent irrigation system. The harvester holds communication with plants in the utmost importance. Fisherman: These netpullers put their all into everything having to do with fishing. With their fishing rods, they are masters of surf-, river- and boat-fishing, taking into account the season, time, and weather when choosing their tools, fishing points and bait. Since their occupation takes them to many interesting but dangerous places, it is not out of the ordinary to hire a discipline of war as an escort. Armourer: Armourers work wonders when their raising hammers hit sheet metal. From a simple plate of metal, they can bring forth plate mail, a chain cap, or many other kinds of armors. Blacksmiths used to handle armor crafting, but as sheet-metal-handling techniques improved, masters of this craft began to emerge. It is now recognized world-wide as its own craft. Woodworker: Crafters who use their Hand Saws to manipulate wood. They have intimate knowledge of the rigidity, sturdiness, weight and value of various kinds of wood. Their craft is used in making furniture and other handy items. Woodworking developed in Limsa Lominsaâs shipyards and in constructing the high-rises of Ishgard. From the creation of gigantic buildings down to small ritual masks, Gridania, in particular, makes good use of its wealth of fine woods. Goldsmith: A Crafter that uses gold and other precious metals and gems to create jewelry. Their primary tool is a Chasing Hammer. They also have the ability to modify and strengthen weapons, armor, and other equipment with decorations. Most of the materials involved are pricy, and the trade is often high risk, high return. A keen eye for market trends is a must have. Source: http://www.ffxivcore.com/topic/7847-famitsu-article-new-dol-doh-classes-revealed/?s=405d95bb60e4ac5ae0840a912f4d3524 Not a huge surprise for some of us I'm sure but now it's official. Edit: Official names may change. For instance, I believe woodworker is supposed to be "carpenter." Time will tell though.

Phoenix actually did have a RP group. Its main one was called LightsTemplar, which was around for several years. After it disbanded, most of its members trickled to Leviathan I think. Another RP shell, Epic, was formed but it never really took off. But I digress (yay for having extensive knowledge on RP communities on every server :lol: ) We're going to keep Crystal's other server selection thread updated as much as possible in the coming month. Its purpose will serve as a guide in case SE throws us an unexpected surprise regarding server selection. That way, instead of panicking, we'll just look to the guide and say "oh, this is how we planned to handle that issue." Probably going to shift this discussion to part III in a few days (community). But feel free to continue expressing any fears or concerns relating to this delicate issue. Also, I say no to a Sephiroth/Cloud server if there is one as well >.>;

Wow, too many pages overnight :lol: There really is no need to worry. The reason I started this discussion early was to get all of these worst-case scenarios hammered out in advance so we could prepare a guide. We'll be editing Crystal's P2 thread so it's neat and we have an easy guide to follow if something terrible goes wrong. As soon as SE releases the server lists (likely during open beta), the vote will begin. There won't be any delaying on that part. There will also be various safeguards put in place to avoid abusing the voting system. So I suppose our primary issue should be over whether or not we get server lists during open beta or not. But you guys are already discussing how to handle that situation (picking a certain letter or going down so many numbers on the list). Just keep in mind that servers toward the top of the list are bound to be more populated and that's something we likely want to avoid. Regarding the mention of Aion having multiple polls: SE will certainly not make their own official poll for this. They don't even have any official FF14 forums. We should however be concerned over the premier sites (particularly Core) having their own RP server poll. I actually got into a tiny heated discussion with one individual over on Core who wanted such a poll put up. He's backed down for now but there's no telling if that will remain the case later. I don't think we'll have this issue with Zam or Eorzeapedia. Core is the only major FF14 fan site that thinks everything should happen there and acts like it's the center of the FF14 universe :roll:

Just noticed this but...some of you old forum members (from back when the forums were green) have your old custom title in your "linkshell" slot. Just thought I'd let you know so you can remove it and/or change it. The field I used was the old broken custom title field and that's why.

Done. I actually had a previous custom field lingering around from the custom rank mod installation. Should be able to edit your current linkshell affiliation in your profile (under User Control Panel). Don't really like the current location of it though. Would prefer it moved up and under the user's rank. I'll see if I can fix that later when I'm not so swamped.

Necrobump! I still want to completely overhaul the smilies but am currently at a loss as to how to proceed. I would really like more customized ones but we'd need to find someone willing and able to create an entire set. I found several moogle smilies but not enough to make an entire set based on our current ones. If anyone is willing to and has the skills to create a smiley set, that would be awesome ^^. Here are the ones I'm looking at right now. Obviously, there isn't nearly enough to replace all of the ones we currently have:

Happy early B-day Eltharian! And bah at 4th of July. Blasted kids and their loud fireworks. ::Grumble::

If anyone is ambitious enough to start on a "what if..." thread separate from this one that we can lock, sticky, and continue updating based on the feedback here, I'd love you long time 8-) . The recent forum explosion has left me rather busy :oops: That said, another possible scenario that is unlikely to happen but still possible: What if we end up with 1,000+ RPers by the time the game launches? Again, this is -highly- unlikely but I'd rather be prepared just in case. I'm pretty sure Aion's RP community didn't see that many coming but that's how many they ended up getting after their population explosion. At that point, it might be best to start looking into designating two separate RP servers. You have to figure after considering the Japanese population and non-RP population, that's a huge number to fit onto a single server.

Another video of character creation has surfaced and been posted on Eorzeapedia. You can check it out here: http://www.eorzeapedia.com/2010/07/02/a ... ion-video Elezen men are clearly male prostitutes >.>. Also, not happy about the lack of hairstyles for hyur men but I'll hold judgment until the final version.