Zeah Loraire

I showed up late, had a busy night, but it was a really nice get-together.

Have to check my schedule, but I am very hopeful to attend. Work's got in the way of the last few events, and I'm very festive around the Starlight Celebration. :3.

Holy cow the text limit.

Shiny as in OH SPARKLY CAT BUTT WHEE not shiny as in polished. Append: This game is not any other MMO ever. So comparing it at all to anything else as far as features and content is pointless. It's rough, all MMOs are. If this game is so terribly broken and you're worried that population decline will ruin it or otherwise, I assure you, this is Square Enix, not the small company that made APB or other Free-to-Play MMOs that don't nearly have the fanbase that SE has had for years. They know what they're doing. I don't think they feel anyone breathing down their necks at this game. They've done this before-- they had FFXI up and active and successful for a long time, and heeyyy that game started off pretty terrible, too. I'm still of the opinion that, in the future, I can look back with satisfaction at the progress and changes this game has made. And I'm LOOKING FORWARD to that day, instead of bitching and moaning now. Jus' sayin'. And the referrences to WoW are just to remind you all that game developing is a learning process. WoW has learned that it's players prefer things handed to them, where Square Enix knows it's players enjoy other things. Hence why there are so many differences between them. If every MMO was the same there would be no reason to have so many. But people have varying tastes and interests. And Square Enix has adpated to those people, and is CONSTANTLY CHANGING the game to better suit what the players want. It just takes time, they can't snap their fingers and alter thousands of lines of code on a whim, while attempting to maintain balance and dealing with any hard glitches or bugs that may occur.

Did those MMOs start out great? No. They didn't. MMOs are an ever-changing game with content being added on all the time. If you expect a brand new released MMO to have everything an MMO of 6 years or more has to offer, you're ridiculous.

Hah, I feel like my answers are going to make me look like the creepy nerd who lives in their parents' basement. 1) Over the past 10 years, how many MMORPGs have you played? a) One b) Two c) Three d) Four e) Five or more 2) How many hours do you spend online gaming per week? a) 1-3 hours b) 4-6 hours c) 7-9 hours d) 10-12 hours < Lately e) 13+ hours < Usually 3) In an MMORPG, do you interact with individuals you know outside the game? (i.e. in real life) a) Yes b) No 4) What is most important in keeping your interest in an MMORPG? Select all that apply. If you choose Other, please specify. a) Story b) Graphics c) Environment/World d) Fun Factor e) Continual Game Evolution (content patches, updates, expansions, etc) f) Community g) Other ____________________________________________ 5) Do you believe it is possible for MMORPGs to be addictive? a) Yes b) No c) Not sure 6) If you answered yes to question 5, have you or anyone you known been addicted to an MMORPG? a) Yes b) No c) Not sure 7) How important is communication with others in an MMORPG? a) Very important b) Important c) Unimportant d) Very Unimportant e) Not sure 8) Do you feel you have made valuable relationships in any MMORPGs? How would you characterize these relationships in contrast to those in real-life? Are there any differences? Similarities? Please elaborate. Growing up, most of my real-life relationships were not that pleasant. As a child I was bullied a lot and I could never really relate to people in a real-life sort of setting because of that. I'm an introverted person, so going out and being social is just not something I particularly enjoy. I have a strong passion for video games, as it provides me with a lot of intellectual stimulus, such as solving problems, story-telling, and calculating complex math problems. Along with that, MMORPGs have the unique opportunity to allow me to connect and communicate with people who share a similar interest of gaming with me. With most MMOs, as you progress, you rely more and more heavily on the other players around you to progress within the game. It makes you feel valuable as a person, and it also forces you to rely on others-- something I don't often experience in real-life. I've made a majority of my close friends over the internet, simply because it's easier for me to be social online. I have few friends from High School that I have kept in contact with, because most have moved away to different states or countries to study or to search for their careers, so maintaining a real-life social relationship is rather difficult at times. The internet provides an easy way to connect to people, even if it's thousands of miles away in other countries. To compare the friends I have made over the years online to the people I have met in real life, I would categorize them as the same. I share with them and converse with them equally, because, even though they are miles and miles away, they are still a real person to interact with. And with MMOs, it offers me a place to have experiences with them in a "world" type setting, though I do not replace an MMO world with the real world. In essence..they are the same, in that I consider them a valuable friend to me, one whom I can rely and relate to, but it is different, usually because of time differences, and lack of physical contact. 9) Do MMORPGs offer modes of communication or support you are unable to find in your geographic location, life situation, or circumstances right now? Please elaborate. Certainly-- It would be highly unlikely for me to run into an Australian on a day-to-day basis living in the US. As support goes.. to some extent, I would say that MMOs give me support in ways I am unable to find in the real world, yes. Because I relate easier to people with my similar interests, I find it much easier to talk to and confide in people I have met online or in MMOs. That's not to say I am incapable or unwilling to do the same in real-life, the opportunity is just not as easy to find as it is online. Additionally, with my current heart problems, I am struggling with activity as it is. This allows me to have a social life without physically straining myself or putting me in any trouble. 10) What methods do you use to communicate with others in MMORPGs? Please select all that apply. If you select Other, please specify. a) Friend List b) Chat Channel c) Voice Communication d) Guild/Linkshell/Corporation/Clan e) Forum f) RL Interaction (i.e. physical get togethers, internet cafes, etc) g) Other _________________________________________ 11) Do you view MMORPGs as a potential mode of story-telling, an alternative to book, film, or television? Why or why not? It's difficult to compare an MMORPG to a book, film or television, because they are so massively different. With books, films and television, it is limited to you and your experience you get out of that story. In an MMO setting, you progress through the game with others, experiencing the world together, and in role-playing communities, you write your own stories through interactions with characters that you have created yourselves. It's most definitely a mode of story-telling, though I would not consider them alternatives to the three. 12) What environments do you enjoy experiencing in MMORPGs? Why do you enjoy those particular kinds? a) Fantasy worlds b) Science fiction worlds c) Contemporary realistic worlds d) Historical worlds e) Frightening/ horrific worlds f) Other _______________________________ Fantasy is sort of a staple, and although it is a genre, there are large variances within "Fantasy". I enjoy visiting worlds that I would be otherwise unable to my real-life, because I find it boring to play situations or environments that are too similar to my real-life, and it is also easy to find inconsistencies or a sort of, "that's not convincing enough for me to be immersed" type of a feel from games that are too closely related to real-life. In a game like FFXIV, everything is made up, and you can accept things without question, because it is a whole other universe with possibilities unlike Earth's. I do, however, enjoy it when things can be analytically explained within the storyline or lore. I enjoy reading up and fully understanding the "world", and everything in it, including history, religion, philosophy, war, and politics. 13) Do you role-play in game? a) Yes b) No c) Sometimes 14) Does your in-game avatar represent you in real life, either in physical appearance, personality, conversation, or other actions? Why or why not? Typically, my characters do not have any likeness to me. Some may be similar, but I never put my personality into a character-- instead, I tend to draw from one particular area of my personality, and expand on that, creating a whole person. For example, the character I have now is timid, quiet, and otherwise shy around social gatherings, similar to how I am, though not to the extent that the character portrays. She's an intelligent person, though she is sometimes incapable of seeing when people are using her, whereas I am much more observant. Other characters of mine can be impatient, or rude, or otherwise unpleasant, and I draw those from my experiences of ever feeling frustration, or pride, or other emotions. I simply inflate those feelings, bringing out those past experiences to create a person to act as- or sometimes I remember someone from my life who behaved a certain way, and draw from how I remember them acting to create a more real character. 15) Do you play MMORPGs to avoid/cope with problems in real life (i.e. school procrastination, illness, marital problems, etc)? a) Yes b) No c) Sometimes d) Not sure Video Games are definitely a stress-reliever for me. It's similar to watching a movie or reading a book, except this offers a bit more stimulus as far as thinking and problem solving goes. 16) Do you believe that MMORPGs can serve an escapist function, that is, a coping mechanism for real life stress, boredom, etc? Why or why not? Yes, games in general especially MMORPGs allow you to "escape" from things such as stress and boredom. I hate to use this comparison, but it's similar to alcohol or drugs-- people abuse them to get away from problems and issues in their lives, but it never solves their problems, and most of the time it only creates more issues. People who rely on the game to make their lives better, or otherwise fix their problems in lives, be it in relationships, school, or work, need to understand that it is not the purpose of the game to make your life better. It's simply a hobby, something to enjoy, and it should not be allowed to take over your life in such a way that you neglect yourself, friends, or family, as is often reminded to the players in every MMORPG. I think people easily get consumed into video game worlds because of the enjoyment they get out of it. It makes them feel happy, or excited, or other good-feelings, and it's easy to forget about life, especially when life is getting you down. However, the real-world offers many opportunities to share and enjoy the same feelings you get from a video game. I love video games, but nothing could replace the love I have for my family, my pets and my artwork. 17) What do you believe is the future of MMORPGs? Please elaborate. FFXIV is, to me, a vast leap forward in the world of MMORPGs. Likely in the future I'm sure we will see improved graphics, more voice acting, perhaps even a world that is virtual-reality. I would like to see more expansion as far as interactivity in the world goes (every object interactive, more emotional expression via your character, more choices as far as race, appearance and customization ect.) It's hard to say where MMORPGs will go, there has been a massive increase in the number of free to play MMOs in the past 10 years, and I expect no different in the future.

I agree with the mass feedback message about the text character limit.. I almost sent one this morning but, I haven't slept and nothing I was writing was making any sense.

I got bored whilst waiting for the version update, and I made myself this. Resolution is 1600x900 (tiny pic resized it I guess), if you like it and want it resized to fit your resolution just let me know. (The original is like 5000x4300 somethin' pixels.)

So it seems like the general consensus so far is that they're unhappy with their progress either in RP or in game progression, or both. And I am unfortunately no exception. As far as game-time, I'm a bit limited right now. I'm still trying to figure out my current health problems so most of my day is spent in bed rest or sleeping, as I'm currently not well enough to go to work, and at times I'm uncomfortable to drive. I try to squeeze in an hour or two a day, even if it's just doing leves. Because of my moderately slow pace right now, Zeah's making some progress, however it is quite slow compared to everyone else. I'm also leveling a miqo'te for fun, and she's going to be predominately my fisher and other crafting toon, however I would like to implement her into RP one day. As for RP, I've had very few RP encounters just because of my lower level and my lack of time. Zeah is developing much like I had wanted her to. She's meant to be a quiet observer, but upon being approached she is friendly and easy to talk to. The problem is just getting her to talk. Since she's just naturally not very talkative, it's very difficult to even initiate Rp situations by myself. And since everyone has sort of formed their own relationships with other characters and things now, I'm sort of just overlooked, but in reality, that's exactly how Zeah would end up being in a social environment. So far I've "met" really only 2 people in RP, one was Renaise, because he had to give Zeah the pearl and the other was Zink, a lalafell who came up and started conversing with Zeah at a small gathering we had in the Miner's Guild in Ul'dah. That situation was actually very fun for me to role play with, and I managed to pull off exactly how I thought Zeah would react to certain things. The lalafell started off rather friendly and then gradually invited her to dance, to converse privately and even asked her to keep him company for the night! And because Zeah is somewhat average, but by no means unattractive, I had imagined her having this problem in the past. She enjoys company but for now she's young and inexperienced in romance, but I figure she's been approached before. And I sort of planned on her just being a "buzz kill" expert, just mention things that throw the conversation for a loop and just things like.. "Well enjoying a night by the fire sounds very nice, but.. I would never sleep with a fire going. It could be very dangerous." ect. Or mentioning things that have nothing to do with the direction whomever is hitting on her is trying to lead things in. She almost plays sort of dumbfounded or unknowing of the intentions of others, but it's an act she plays nicely and I think I was pretty successful in that aspect. I would like to get to know more people ICly. I'm in the Mog House so I tend to talk more OOC with everyone than IC, mostly because I don't really want to butt-in win the conversation already circulating in my RP LS, or there literally is just nothing that I could say that wouldn't sound forced or attention-seeking.

Pretty much exactly what Chveya said. I haven't had the chance to mingle in any crafting trade. I'm taking the game rather slow, honestly, so all I've been doing is leves when it comes to crafting. For the blacklist thing... It could be helpful, but there was something similar to that back in FFXI..it was a lot of rumors and you didn't know what was truth or lie from that. For myself, I don't think I'll bother with handing over mats to make an item.. I'd rather dish out the money for a completed one. It's safer and I don't risk my mats being destroyed, or stolen, in this case. Also I don't like bartering with people. It's petty and I most often fold anyway. So likely if I ever ran into a scammer it would cost me a headache and a half and a lot more gil than I would have ended up paying if i had just bought the damn item from that bazaar a second ago lol.

I suppose SE has a couple of different goals in mind when we think about why they made certain things in the game and why they didn't make others. On one hand, they want to fix all of the hindering and most often complained about features, or lack of features, in FFXI. When talking about the Aetheryte, I can most definitely assume that during discussions there was a lot of talk about making the world easier to travel. Because I agree completely, FFXI forced you as a nub, and even as a high level toon to explore. You only had like 5 places to teleport in-game, and there was maybe a handful of rare/ex items that allowed you to port directly to the major cities, and I think maybe 3 or 4 NPC's that would teleport you other places as well. I think there was like, one outpost per area in XI..? And I haven't explored too much of Eorzea, but I've already been to three camps just outside Ul'dah and I'm not even rank 10. Making the game easier to play, hinders some of the "immersion" and this exploration option. It's sorta similar with the boats, I'm sure they thought about putting in pirates and big sea monsters, especially with Limsa, but I'm sure they could see people complaining and bashing the game because "I was level 5 and I was just minding my own business on the boat and this giant Cthulhu lookin' thing beat me to hell this game sucks!!1!11!" But they had to make a compromise-- appeal to new players who've been playing WoW for their whole life or other similar MMOs, which those are significantly tailored to give you a helping hand moreso than XI ever did, or keep the long and often dangerous methods of running everywhere, that gave the veteran players on FFXI their love for the world. It's a tough call. In the long run they're just trying to keep people interested and happy, and for now they're compromising a lot of things just to make the game more appealing, easier to play and easier to pick up if you've never played XI. The number 1 goal for an MMO developer is KEEP them playing. I'm sure after a couple more patches, when they expand the world, things might be radically different. For now I'm just enjoying myself, and I'm looking forward to the day when I'll be able to say "Hey remember that time when the game was like this? Man that sucked.. Good times!".

Sadly, I feel a little similarly. However, I think I understand why I feel this way, and I don't blame the game. Granted I don't have the luxury of "seeing" Eorzea much like the rest of you do (forced into low quality, low resolution :< *sniff*) I can see the attention to detail and the thought and effort that went into making it. I too, just don't feel the "spark" that FFXI gave me, or that WoW gave me ect. And I think it's simply because... Eorzea is a new place. We don't feel that love and joy for it simply because it's a new place. We're strangers in this world and it's unfamiliar, it's easy to get lost, you're too busy watching where you're going instead of actually viewing the area, and even when I do "stop and smell the roses" I just sort of feel "meh" about everything. There were certain areas in FFXI that I frequently visited, just to BE there. Places like The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah, Heavens Tower in Windurst, The lilly-pad area in Windurst back behind the hotels, Ru'Aun Gardens during light weather.. and honestly, the only reason I feel so strongly about those places, are because of all the memories I shared in them. I think, anyway, we build up a sub-conscious sort of "good feeling" when it comes to places we've had positive experiences in, and same with places with bad experiences (Castle Oztroja, Xarcabard... Valkurm Dunes... though I do like Bard Beach in VD.) You might feel indifferent or just uncaring for the world of XIV simply because you haven't built up any of these subconscious feelings that made you feel the way you did about FFXI. I know that's why I don't feel as enlightened about it. I'm sure over time though I'll get favorite places and build new memories and find a fondness for Eorzea.

Uhg, had to take a break from Daishi's doodle. His facial structure is making me mad Can't get it looking right for me.. I suck at drawing men. Soooo instead I decided to finish up this, which I've had laying around for quite some time. I scribbled it up back when I was still waiting to get into Besaid. It's my Elvaan back from the FFXI days. Originally I had this picture and a side shot of her that was waist-up, but after finishing this half of the original sketch I decided to just leave it at this. (it's rather large because I didn't want to shrink it anymore, it was losing quality) Clicky

I worked on both of yours at the same time. I start in Photoshop and get some basic shading and stuff done and then I do all the hard work in painter, and painter is, well, I guess my process of using painter, is rather quick and sloppy but it turns out fine for me lol. I finished it a bit this morning, I went to sleep about an hour or so after the server got back up.

I think I mentioned somewhere that I enjoy drawing ect. I haven't yet posted any of my artwork so I figured I would. Plus I'm a little obligated since I doodled up some things for Renaise and Daishi while the maintenance was going on yesterday. Most of the stuff I have to show is WoW-related since that's what I was doing back when I was trying to learn painter. I didn't get any commissions but these are all sample-portraits I made from my guild-mates on my raiding server. That's all I got right now.

And yes, All Points Bulletin was shut down. I know one of the concept artists who was largely responsible for most of the character designs. It was his biggest game he ever had the opportunity to work on and he's pretty sad that it's being shut down only after a few months. I never tried it, though it looked very interesting, I guess. It was definitely a new take on MMOs, using a GTAIV sort of world, most MMOs are fantasy-based from my experience.

I agree pretty much with what's already been said. I don't understand how you can review an MMO a week after launch and feel confident it will be accurate even after the first update. I think most of us came from an FFXI background, and if you were like me who played the game before CoP was released, and continued to play all the way up until (for me) Crystalline Prophecies, you'll know how many changes, how many hours worth of updates, maintenances, and tweaks the game has gone through. And some of them were quite major and reshaped the entire game play. (Mobs de-spawning at the zone, Paladins getting their own provoke, merit system, ect.ect.) I think that's why I enjoy MMOs so much. Granted nowadays Console games do have patches here and there.. but they're not patches like an MMO patch. XIV is, and will continue to be, an ever-changing game. To review it at all is very difficult. And I wouldn't even bother to review it until at least 4 to 6 months after release, when all of the kinks and things have been worked out of it. As far as them trying to beat-out Cataclysm.. Eh.. There's a difference between a game launch, and the release of an expansion pack. To me, if they were trying to compete with Cata, I think it's silly and ill-advised to push for an earlier release just to get it out there. However, if SE plays it right, they might have a decently comparable game come Cata release (in December or something..?) Despite all this, I do think SE suffered some major brain-farts while deciding to release this game. I can live without the auction house, the chocobos ect.. what I don't understand, mainly, is the lack of configuration the game has, and the lack of just..common "DURR" things that should have been fixed. (chat text limit, certain configuration options like font colors, chat tabs, window style ect.ect.) As far as the game being "console-made".. I really don't see it. Honestly. Granted, I played FFXI for years on the PS2 and then switched over to 360 (I didn't have the computer I have now at the time) I'm sort of biased when it comes to controllers anyway. And yes, the 2nd day I had XIV I ran to BestBuy and bought myself a USB controller. However.. From what I saw while playing, the interface is..pretty...similar.. to XI's PC interface, though I only had the chance to play on PC a handful of times, so I could be incredibly wrong. But everything seemed to be the same buttons I remember using.. because if they hadn't been, trust me I would have been really stupid with the game. ("WHERE'S THE MENU BUTTON!? AAHH") I don't really know why SE didn't start XIV off with at least most if not all of XI's features to begin with. If I were going to make a sequel MMO to one of the MMO's I've been perfecting for years and years and years, I think the best starting point would be exactly where we left off. I dunno though, I'm not a game developer, so who knows they may have run into complications or some other excuse that prevented them from implementing these features right away.. but.. I'm still sort of grumbling to myself at certain things like everyone else. I tell my friends this often about FFXI-- If there's one thing it taught me in life, it's how to be patient...