Zane

DISCLAIMER: I've never played Puppetmaster, so if I'm wrong with how anything, please forgive me. I ran into the same problem at first since I only ever had 1 PC make a puppetmaster, and it was only for one session before they decided they didn't feel like playing that character any more. NPC Puppetmasters are very few and far between as well, so I never completely hashed out the rules on them to a point where I believed they were balanced. Firstly, you can buy all of the attachments at a shop and equip the attachments any time outside of a battle. Likewise, you can choose to equip them with any of the different frames. The hardest part, for me at least, was to figure out the Automaton's base stats so it was neither broken or stupidly weak. Much like my issues with Dragoon's Wyverns. I've quickly learned that Pet Jobs seem to be the most powerful in my current system, but even the smallest tweaks and they're suddenly the weakest. Here is a sample character sheet for Akah: A few things to note: - Akah does not actually use Nunchuks. I haven't implemented Hand-to-Hand Claw type weapons, but there are a few weapons that can be used with Martial Arts, and Nunchuks are one. They're only there to serve as a stat boost until I finish balancing Hand-to-Hand weapons properly. - He currently has negative points because of job tweaking I did with Puppetmaster in an attempt to balance it more. During ability cost tweaking, I let character get up to a -40 in points before I make them start scrapping abilities simply because the nature of ability cost tweaking may see that number go up and down over a short period of time and I don't want to have people keep buying and scrapping the same abilities until I get it right. - I equipped Midge with all of the different Puppetmaster Attachments/Weapon skills in Alphabetical order to test them, since Akah is the only reliable Puppetmaster NPC that appears in the game. Once I test all of the different attachments I'll equip Midge with more abilities that actually make sense. As far as attachments, you can only equip a certain amount of attachments to your automaton based on your level. Some of the attachments needed to be re-worked so they actually worked with the system, but I tried to give each separate attachment some usefulness. As far as controlling the automaton, rather than make it so your actions/health total/Automaton's health total/attachments/etc. determined it's actions, I decided to just give the person controlling the automaton free range to use it as they see fit, just as Dragoons can command their Wyverns, and Beastmasters can command their pets in this system. The main reason I believe the PC was not given the ability to control their pets in XI were game limitations, where as in a table top game, one can have direct control over both and suffer no consequences to the game engine. As far as actions are concerned, as I said before, I use a battle system much like Final Fantasy Tactics. You get one Movement, and one "Attack" Action per round. However, Buff moves (Such as Berserk, Warcry, Aggressor, etc.) follow a slightly different ruling. It's similar to swift (If I remember correctly, those were the free actions taken on your turn, but can only be done once per turn? Or am I thinking quick?) where you can use one buff on your turn with no penalty. However, you also have the choice to use your "Attack" action to apply a second buff on yourself. I found this really speeds up the game and makes buffing abilities more useful, since before characters would rarely waste an attack action on buffing unless it was pivotal to the encounter. Finally, as for a Burden/Overload system, I haven't tinkered around with that enough yet to make it work properly. If I had more PCs interested in playing Puppetmasters, I'd probably give it a little more thought. Seeing as Akah is the only Puppetmaster character that sees the light of day in the game at the moment, and he usually only shows up for the tournament or the occasional Mass battle, Puppetmasters don't get much field testing time.

I never heard of the Zodiac system before. I know there are D20 rules floating around the internet with a Final Fantasy rule set. In fact, I think one of my friends gave it to me, so it's on my computer but I'm a bad DM and never looked at it. We originally tried doing the Final Fantasy campaign pure D&D style, but at the time I was running my Final Fantasy game (Named FD&D) and a regular D&D campaign as well as attending a third D&D game with some of my friends. The final fantasy setting was the most popular, and I had already changed how a few things worked in the game to better suit a final fantasy atmosphere, so I just overhauled the entire system and made my own game engine. (Something I don't recommend doing btw unless you have experience at it, or have a lot of patient friends willing to see the game engine change and help you work it out. I know my friends have wanted to kill me on multiple occasions for it, and I think even now they get a little peeved when I make minor adjustments to different abilities. )

Well, it's time for the annual tournament for my table top game. This year many of the NPCs in the roster are filled by people who I've played with in FF XI, so I thought I would post up what the match-ups will look like. For those of you curious, the tournament functions much in the same way as the "World Martial Arts Tournament" from DBZ. It's a flat open area, non-lethal combat, and only the best of the best in the world's fighters are allowed to enter after many preliminary contests. You win by knocking your opponent out of the arena, or by KOing them. Below the match up chart I'll include a short description of each character in case any of you are curious what the character you're up against is like. Also, if any of you want, feel free to give me a theme song for your character in case a PC winds up facing you. Brytor: Brytor and Aegis have been undefeated in battle, leading troops to victory against Lefein. The shield has seemingly protected him from all harm on the battlefield making him truly invincible. If Batgroob is to have any hope of stopping Coneria's onslaught, this man must die. But how do you kill that which cannot be killed by any army? (Job: Pld/Rdm) Castian: Captain in the Onrac Army under Lieutenant Colonel Armads' jurisdiction, Castian has not had the opportunity to make a name for himself on the front lines yet. However, his strength in battle cannot be underestimated. His qualification in the tournament is testament to his combat prowess. (Job: Old School Dark Knight) Grant: Grant's rage grows day by day against the Kingdom Coneria. Through innumerable losses, he has honed his hatred into a powerful weapon. Grant has vowed to kill Brolic and Dragon at any cost, but perhaps there is another more deserving of his undying rage? Will Grant burn the world to find the answer to the silent question buried deep within his heart, and will there be anything left by the time he comes to that realization? (Job: Drk/War) Dyterium: Lieutenant Colonel Dyterium now leads the Pravokan arm of the front lines along with Armads in a push against the Lefeinian army. With his home recovered and morale at an all time high the wielder of the legendary spear, Gungnir should make a very good showing at this year's tournament. After all, he once claimed second place only to lose to the infamous Batgroob. Now that he is unable to compete, there is little that can slow his ascent to the top. (Job: Drg/Sam) Zarik: Zarik is currently the highest ranking officer in the Shin army. While wandering the world trying to find a purpose to believe in, he was picked up by the one of the old heroes. Using his charisma to it's fullest, he recruited many hidden talents across the continent into Shin's fold and soon earned the highest rank within it's army. Only he knows the power he holds within the kingdom, for without him, there would be no Shin. (Job: Old School Red Mage) Clint: With Nikolai's death as head of the Lefeinian forces against Coneria, the mantle falls upon Clint to lead Lefein against Coneria. Amidst espionage, intrigue, and distrust Clint's future is in peril and he knows it. Kaien grasps for loyalty, and Fuma shuts Clint out from the rest of the officers. Will their actions set a man loyal to Lefein into a collision course with destiny through their self fulfilling prophecies, or is Clint just a man forever caught on the winds of chance as he searches for truth in a world of lies? (Job: Rng/Cor) Kaien (PC): Kaien now sits at the crossroads of his life's journey. It almost seems as though everything in his life has led to this one moment, but which path will he embark down? Will he remain a loyal subject to Coneria - pushing the war effort against Batgroob and Lefein ending the war swiftly with cunning genius? Will he return to liberate Pravoka, and lead the country now in shambles back to some semblance of prosperity it once held? Or will he rekindle his old dream of establishing the group Holy Orders? His actions may determine who lives and dies in the months to follow. (Job: Smn/Blm) Renay: Captain in Onrac's military, Renay was often over looked until she was hand picked to join an infiltration mission into the heart of Lefein. When the mission went awry, it was Renay who risked life and limb to recover a missing agent and the information he recovered. Since then she has held a more prominent role in the offensive against Lefein. (Job: Whm/Mnk) Brolic: Leader of the now defunct Hunter guild of Dark Knights, his strength and combat prowess are renowned the world over. Few individuals are willing to fight him, and even fewer can last more than a minute face to face with him. (Job: Drk/War) Vyvian: Often seen around the Conerian capital as an adviser to the throne, her combat ability is largely unknown to the rest of the world. Soon to be deployed to the front lines with the main force in an effort to take Jeuno from Lefein's clutches, it was decided she would make her premier at the annual tournament - a scare tactic against Jeuno's would be defenders. While it's known she is in possession of Spharai, it's raw destructive power will only now be making it's debut along with it's wielder. (Job: Mnk) Fuma (PC): The loss against Coneria left a great distaste in many a Lefeinian. As soldiers leave Batgroob's fold to fight in Dragon's holy war, and distrust among officers is at an all time high, one man in Batgroob's employ does not seem phased. Fuma knows what this loss against Coneria means, and relaxes in confidence with the knowledge of the times to come. For Fuma has not lost faith in Batgroob. He does not fear the darkening skies and the uncertain future. He embraces it. (Job: Blm/Nin) Jagan: Jagan shares one distinction from the rest of the Lefeinian officers, which has led to the unexpected friendship between himself and Fuma. Meandering through life without reason, he's begun to learn how Fuma's mind works and the confidence he displays in the current situation tells him that things are about to become very fun. The higher the stakes get, the more his twisted heart leaps with joy. Are Jagan and Fuma the catalyst to the events to follow? (Job: Drk/Nin) Akah: A regular here at the tournament, Akah brings Midge in the hopes of finally claiming the grand prize. (Job: Pup) Kofi: Kofi is Shin's second highest ranking officer next to Zarik, and is often used to gather information from Lefein and Onrac to help guide Shin's foreign policy. Although captured several times, he often uses his wiles and incredible luck to get himself out of what may otherwise be a certain death situation. Very easy going, he is very slow to anger, sometimes forgets to collect his pay, and enjoys oranges. (Job: Brd) Jack (PC): Assassin for hire who recently decided to formally join the Allied Empire of Onrac. He's been a competitor at every single tournament since it's recent re-emergence, and while he almost always makes a good showing, he has yet to place in the top four. (Job: Nin/Thf) Hayai: Ex-member of the Altepa Bandits, Hayai joined Onrac when he found out his leader Amutiyaal was secretly working for Lefein. Recently released from the hospital after his injuries sustained during an espionage mission on Lefein, Hayai competes to honor his girlfriend who died fighting in the tournament. (Job: Rdm/Nin) Armads: Lieutenant Colonel of the allied empire of Onrac, Armads has proven his combat prowess on several occasions. Between his relentless offense and nigh-impenetrable defense, his first appearance at the tournament should make a lasting impression. (Job: Pld/Nin) Bola: One of the leaders of the Dark Knight rebellion, Bola fights with an unusual weapon - a massive Dark Steel ball attached to a chain which he flings around with ease. Physically the strongest competitor at the tournament, he's suffered numerous humiliations as of late losing to opponents many thought stood no chance. Can Bola regain his pride at the tournament? Or will he suffer more unfortunate losses. (Job: War/Drk) Elfhelm: A member of the Pravokan branch of Onrac's military, Elfhelm is making his debut at the tournament this year. (Job: Rdm) Fiend: A captain in Onrac's military, the man referred to as "Fiend"'s name and origins remain a mystery. What is known about him however, is that he is an expert in infiltration and heads many of Onrac's black ops missions. One would think the tournament's open field would work to his disadvantage. Unfortunately for his opponents, Fiend has remarkable combat ability, and will be showing off his famed weapon "Death Penalty". (Job: Cor/Nin) Shenjiro (PC): A Paladin from Pravoka, he serves Onrac faithfully out of love for his home nation. With a great many deed under his belt, he comes to the tournament once again in hopes of reaching the top four and beyond. (Job: Sam/Pld) Seraphine (PC): Seraphine's faith renewed, and a new determination to stem the tide of darkness growing in the heart of the world, she embarked on her first mission as a soldier of Coneria - the liberation of Pravoka. With it's success, and Pravoka returned to it's former rulers morale is at an all time high within the country of Onrac. As the war rages on however, one thing quickly becomes apparent: Seraphine is the thread that will ultimately decide the outcome of this war, for better or worse. (Job: Pld/War) Amelia: Amelia has forsaken her roots as a Dark Knight and trained under Dragon and Seraphine to become a powerful Paladin in her own right. Now the time has come to serve Coneria on the front lines against Lefein. What will happen if she meets Grant on the battlefield? Are Dragon and Batgroob playing a dangerous gambit with unpredictable results, and who will ultimately pay for this? (Job: Pld/Drk) Sabastion: With Nikolai's death, a new officer is inducted into the inner Lefeinian war council. Known as the Battle field Reaper, Sabastion has begun to carve a reputation across Lefein's battlefields. The inevitable battle between Sabastion and those who he once called friends draws near. Will Dragon kill his one time brother in arms if it's the only way to get to Batgroob? Can he? And where will Kaien stand in this titanic clash? As the tournament favorite, many predict Sabastion will become the first champion in the wake of Batgroob's departure from the tournament scene. (Job: Drk/Thf) Baronwolf: Baronwolf has ever been the defender of the Conerian throne since he joined the military. Now, more than ever however, the world needs someone with a purely good heart to resist the times. As Baronwolf loyally follows Dragon and leads Coneria in war against Lefein his bravery and strength of character is one of the few bastions of hope for a new age of peace. Can this man who has cheated death so many times continue escape it's cold embrace? Or will the shadow of the underworld finally take him? (Job: Bst/War) Hunter: Brother to the savior, and left dead over twenty years ago, he was recently brought back from death - the first instance of such an occurrence in a forbidden ritual conducted by Batgroob. Never having the chance to repent in life, and after suffering twenty years in the underworld, he seeks to defy his past and redeem himself for his past misdeeds by fighting against the very Empire that brought him back from the dead. (Job: Drk/War) Velecic: Velecic is currently a Major in the Allied Empire of Onrac. No one knows how she came into possession of Apocalypse, whether through a difficult quest, dumb luck, or some demonic pact. Only two things are certain - She is a terror on the battlefield, and at least thus far, can control the immense powers of Apocalypse yearning to be free. Should Velecic worry for her life, something Amutiyaal has no hesitations in taking even in a non-lethal tournament, or does the wielder of Apocalypse have everything under control? (Job: Drk/Sam) Amutiyaal: A ruthless man, feared throughout the continent for the mark he's carved into this land's history. Losing once to Velecic on the battlefield, Amutiyaal has vowed to get his revenge. Now, as luck would have it, he is given the opportunity in the first round. Will he redeem himself for his previous loss, or will the results be the same? (Job: Drk/Nin) Damien (PC): Star pupil of Brolic and rival of Bola, Damien has demonstrated his worth on numerous occasions. Denied a place in the top four during three separate tournaments, will his luck change this time around? (Job: Drk/Sam) Volke (PC): A student under the old hero, Kore. Volke has offered his services to helping the kingdom of Onrac. Talented - but still learning - the arts of magic, Volke often performs better under a supporting role. (Job: Rdm/Whm) T.J.: Terrance-James was a prodigy of the paladin guilds of Pravoka, far surpassing his peers. For a long time, he was the young face of the new generation of heroes who would fight back the evils of the world and claim glory for the nation. That all changed when Pravoka fell, facing a force much larger and stronger than his own, T.J. was convinced by Fuma to surrender his force and join the Lefeinian empire. Though his life was spared, the decision to abandon his comrades and ultimately the fall of Pravoka weighs heavily on his soul. (Job: Pld/War) Larsus: Another leader of the Dark Knight rebellion, Larsus's role perplexes many even today. A man of honor, and a skilled combatant - it was a surprise to many when he joined the likes of Jagan and Bola when he rebelled against the Empire of Onrac. Even today he retains his views on honor and while he laments his fall, he carries with him an air of no regrets. (Job: Drk/Thf)

I was talking more about the subtle type of villain. While there's no arguing that individual can clearly be considered a villain, definitely not my type of villain, and probably not the best choice for a player's main as a villain in the Role-Playing community.

The first and very superficial draft of that character began in 2003. He's since evolved as I've played him in my table top game and fine-tuned my story. So... 7 years in the making, though he was 90% complete after about two years of tweaking.

Let me use the main "villain" of my story and current Table-top game as an example. Apparently, he's become so famous as a character within our table top games, his reputation has spread to other games that I'm not even a part of as an awesome character/villain. Many people vehemently portray him as the main NPC hero of the story, and this is OOCly. The only thing I don't like about him... is his name. "X" is a man who used proxies to insight a rebellion, crushed the rebellion he caused to gain fame, poisoned his queen, ordered the deaths of his comrades that became suspicious of him, and when all else failed took his country's best officers and usurped a neighboring country waging war against his home country. He did all of this, and everyone sees him as a hero because of his charming, friendly attitude. Rather than see him as a back stabbing ambitious cut-throat, he played the world to make him seem the part of the resistance fighter, fighting for people's freedom against an oppressive government. After all, if you get in his way, he will kill you by one method or another. But, he knows how important it is to have competent people he can trust. For any one that isn't against him, or better yet, with him in his vision he works well and cooperates to make sure he accomplishes their mutual goals. And he does so in a very friendly open manner. He views killing as wrong - but necessary in certain circumstances. He's very human. His greatest flaw is viewing himself a step above others, but his greatest strength is making others think they're on the same level as him. While some of you may be wondering just how that could happen, I could explain it all, but it would take up way too much space. Let's just say it took a lot of work and planning and no one ever saw it coming. Also, "X" is not his real name. I'm keeping his real name secret in case I decide to role-play a character like him at some point.

Oh, and to clarify, I don't really care whether a server is high population or low population. I personally prefer mid population servers. I was just pointing out that if we choose a server that is likely to be High population or low population, it might be good to open up the discussion on whether it would be best to go to a high, mid, or low population server.

The only thing they've announced regarding launch server names was that it would be a theme familiar to Final Fantasy Fans.

Something like that would work as well. The only problem would be that the first few servers on the list, as well as the last 2 - 3 are the most likely to become high population servers. Choosing servers that are off center would give the lowest population (Unless that server's name is Sephiroth!) Which means I should take back what I said about not knowing what would be the most popular servers. My personal suggestion, if we were to go that route would be to pick the first server, chronologically. That is, the server who's name appears first within the Final Fantasy series. A few examples giving a theme and then a name: Villain -> Garland/Chaos Boss -> Garland Town -> Coneria Job Class -> Fighter/Warrior (It's equivalent) Summon -> Chocobo (Shiva if no Chocobo) Airship Names -> Uh... I'd have to look and see if the FF I or FF II airships had names. >.> Hero -> Warrior of Light Enemy -> Imp (Goblin for the updated versions.) And... I can't think of any other themes. Only problem with that method is those that are unfamiliar with early Final Fantasy games may have trouble deciphering which is first unless they came to the forum to find out the official word from a forum member first. That way there's no guarantee where in the queue the server will fall, and what the population will look like. It's the closest to a randomly selected server demographic wise without randomly selecting one we can get.

Here is my situation, I briefly explained it in my first post, but I'll go into detail here: I have 9 RL friends that I plan on playing FF XIV with at launch. Convincing those 9 friends to go to a particular server shouldn't be that hard, even up to the moment the game is launched. In addition, I plan on playing with my friends from my current Linkshell in Final Fantasy XI. Coordinating that group to go to the same server as the RPC when none of them have any interest in Role-Playing may take some effort. The longer the RPC takes to pick a server, the harder it will be for the two to wind up on the same server. Even so, it still falls within the realm of possibility. Now, the tricky part. Of the 9: 3 currently play on my server and have the same group of friends I have. No issue. 1 currently plays on my server, but has a different group of friends they are interested in playing with. If this friend wants to play with his friends in XIV, he's going to need to tell them a server before they decide on a server. 3 currently play on a different server in FF XI, and have yet another completely different group of friends, different linkshells, and they too would like to play with their friends. Telling them a server early is key to allow their friends to play. The last two both play WoW. They both play on the same server, but again, two different groups of friends. For one, he may only have one friend coming to play so that's no issue, but the other is a very connected individual who is friends with over a dozen people that plan on migrating to XIV. Not to mention the friends in my Linkshell have friends in other linkshells they would probably like to play with. That's just the first few layers of this migration. I do not know if these friends have their own friends they want to play with, but essentially, it boils down to this: These 9 individuals are looking to me to organize this group and get them all on the same track, which includes selecting a server for them to go to. It's up to me to make sure that as many people in this group can continue to play with their friends in XIV as possible. It's for that reason that I joined the RPC - I have a great many friends here that I enjoy Role-playing with and hanging out with OOC and I want to give it the best shot I can to hang out with them too. It's for this reason that selecting a server at the earliest possible moment is pivotal, so that no one has to hear "Oh, well, Mr. Bob and Gregoroth Smithersworth are going to Y server, so I won't be able to play with you guys on X server." Call it unreal expectations, but I know all too well what it's like to be unable to play with your friends in an MMO you've been anticipating all because of poor server distribution. I won't let it happen because of poor planning. I've already done nearly everything I can until news on a server list comes to light. I've set up forums, and pointed my friends in that direction. I've encouraged them to invite their friends to streamline this process, but I can't say many of my friends are... driven. >.> As soon as a server list is released, most of us will get in vent, discuss our options and decide, probably within an hour. Also, picking a random letter probably wouldn't be a good idea since, as mentioned, the chosen letter may have no servers that start with that letter, or there may be multiple servers that start with that letter. If a method like that would be used, I would turn towards Castiel's suggestion on "The first alphabetically after a specific letter." I'll assume the first question was answered from the above, but to answer your second question: I do care about it or I wouldn't be here voting. I enjoy Role-playing, and have many friends here that I Role-Played with in FF XI. I enjoy hanging out with them IC and OOC. Unfortunately, during my time in FF XI I learned that I have always preferred progression over Role-Playing. The same is true for Final Fantasy XIV. I'm going to want to blitz through the story and grind to max level as quickly as possible. I'm going to want to research gear and aim for Best in Slot as soon as I hit max level. But I do enjoy role-playing and would like to have the option of role-playing with my friends when I need a break from the endless grind. If Role-playing was my number one prerogative, I can assure you, I wouldn't care what server the RPC decided on, or how it decided on it and I would be going to that server to Role-Play. Please don't confuse me for some rogue leader of a Role-Playing guild that is intent on doing his own thing. While me and my friends all Role-Play, (Every Monday in fact), almost all of us care about progression over Role-Playing. On the same token, all of us are interested in Role-Playing as something to do casually for fun but we're not willing to risk losing the ability to play with friends for the chance to occasionally Role-play.

I'm a freelance RPer, and I can almost guarantee unless I get to cast my vote, there is a very good chance I won't be playing on the same server as the rest of you unless you happen to pick the server I'm going to by sheer dumb luck. I'm not going to let my group get scattered to the winds due to a delayed response in mobilizing by waiting for the server selection outcome. That is just not an option. The best I can do is cast my vote and hope that's what wins. I mean don't get me wrong, I have no illusions that just because I said I'm going to X server the RPC will go to X server. But I'd like to at least feel like I had some say regardless of the outcome.

I would have to agree with this to a point. I think we should vote on a server out of the listed RP servers and go to that server. We should also think about expanding the RPC to accommodate Cross Server support, as Mythis suggested. If there are multiple RP servers, I have no doubt that guilds blissfully unaware of the RPC's existence will pop up after launch, and it would be nice to include them in what the RPC has to offer. At FF XI's launch, you were randomly assigned a server, but, you were able to delete your main character and remake it hoping to land on the server of your choice. Your Account specific server wasn't locked until you created a second character. So... I believe it would be best if everyone that was getting the Collector's edition for PC got into a chat room at launch and everyone kept trying to get into the chosen server. Once someone was in, they would attempt to retrieve a World Pass while the others continued to create and delete their characters hoping to land on the server. Eventually, they would all get through. Next, I would suggest a thread be created to list the names of the individuals that will be buying a copy of standard on launch. The day before (Since World Passes had expiration dates) I would highly recommend everyone joining the next day, giving out World Passes, or mods to the site can be on hand to update a sticky'd thread with lists of names that need World Passes. Since World Passes had limited uses, and we don't just want to post a million World Passes, I suggest the list of names be sorted alphabetically, and the first World Pass posted is assigned to the first five members on the list (Or however many a world pass would support this time around) and so on and so forth. Since the players on XIV had an entire week to play, there should be no shortage of World Passes, so people who's names begin with Z won't have to worry that there won't be a world pass available to them within an hour or so of the first world passes being posted. The Moderators would just update the OP with who gets what World Passes to alleviate any confusion. You will not have to worry about that at all. If they were able to do this at launch with FF XI, they most certainly will with XIV. In fact, the Beta will be cross-platform as well once they add the console gamers. The reason why it is taking so long is the PS3 is the most difficult platform to program for. It has it's own development tools, and doesn't just have a way to import C++ code like the 360 does. Square Enix is probably the company most familiar with the PS3 developer's kit next to Sony themselves so you can be assured of a quality launch. My theory for the launch is as follows: The Alpha step took longer than originally thought to complete, so as the team was re-evaluating their progress in the project, it was determined there would be no way they could complete the PS3 version by the end of the year. Originally, I believed SE was planning on a much later launch with the PC version coinciding with the PS3 version when complete, but now given a choice between fulfilling their promise and launching before year's end or delaying until next year and having a simultaneous launch, they decided having the PC version launch this year was best. After all, Cataclysm comes out October or later this year, and The Old Republic is slated for March of next year from what I heard. Those two titles are XIV's main competitors, and when it comes to MMOs, the earlier you launch (Assuming you didn't leave any glaring bugs in the game) the better to secure the biggest fan base. A launch in September may get some WoW players that are tired of the Ice Crown Citadel grind, as well as some players that were planning on playing ToR when it comes out but now have nothing to do for 6 months. Eventually, those players will leave XIV to play their intended game, but the impression XIV left on them when compared to the new game might bring some of them back.

My PSN is: Paladin John Don't remember my 360 gamer tag because I don't feel like paying money to play online.

First of all there is nothing to say we wouldn't hang out with non-rpers, I personally enjoy that from time to time, as I am sure others around here do. As for the people who want to roleplay but also want to be with their friends on another server, I say after making sure the person knows what we are trying to do, and then asking if his or her friends wouldnt mind just heading over to our server instead if that is possible, (if they havent officially joined a server yet I don't see why that would be a problem). If that is'nt a possibility then maybe we ask the person if they want to create an alt on our server for RP? If none of that works, I guess it's a lost cause, they will either follow their friends or if roleplay is important to them they will come to our server. What will be will be I'm afraid. This is the boat I am in currently. As of this moment, I currently have 9 RL friends who will be playing with me. Several more have expressed interest in playing FF XIV. All of the 9 are Role-Players to some extent. We may not end up on the RP server though, and here's why: Within hours of an official starting server list being made, my friends and I will have picked a server, so each of those 9 can tell their friends, who can tell their friends what server we are going to start on. Everyone needs to be on the same page from day 1. Include in that the fact that I will be -hopefully- playing with my current friends in FF XI who will have to tell their friends, who tell their friends. While voting for a server is going on here in the RPC, all of us will have already decided which server we will be playing on. Lest all of the different groups of people that want to play together splinter off onto different servers and I get a repeat of what happened when I started playing XI. Of course, I hold no hopes that all of these people from the far corners of the world are all going to start on the server that we choose. However, there can be no arguing the sooner we set this in motion, the less likely it is for individuals to "Fall through the cracks." I imagine that's why the RPC was put together so early too - to keep everyone on the same page. I will be casting my vote for the server my friends and I choose, and hope that the RPC winds up on the same server I am going to. Of course I understand there are probably a few people here that will be in the same situation I am in, and with a large number of servers, there will probably be a conflict of interests. Either way, I believe that what ever server is chosen will be best for the RPC, whether it winds up being the same as mine or not. I've talked it over with my friends for the past few weeks, and we've decided if we are on the RPC server, the guild we run will be progression focused with very casual RP elements. (I.E. No role-play will take place on-shell, but with a heavy population within the guild of people that roleplay to some extent, role-playing will happen in private, OOC relationship and team building taking a focus over IC story development.) Or possibly forming a friendly relationship with a more hard-core Role Play group that is accepting part time members so that those members of my guild have a place to go in order to Role-Play. Also, at $3 a character, I probably would not be able to justify the money spent for the time invested in a character on another server unless I become much more well off than I currently am. To touch on a few points I saw mentioned: - Most likely they will not keep any of the Beta names. In XI all of the server names were based off of villains and they didn't carry one server over to release. The naming convention was also, obviously, changed. - There is no way to tell what will be a Low, Medium, or high population server at launch other than skimming through forums - such revelations coming after the RPC votes any way. Even when selecting a server on launch day, if it lists server population, is highly subject to fluctuating and changing until probably April the next year after everyone who is getting this game settles. - If SE does designate an RP server (Unlikely, but of course possible), I believe it would be in our best interest to start on an RP server. Even though I really do not like the RP crowd on Role-Playing servers, you will generally find more people tolerant (If not accepting) of it. In some games, there is much stricter rule enforcement from GMs as well. Usually those Role-Players that have garnered a notorious reputation for PDA only hang out in the starting areas and maintain relatively low levels so they're easy to spot. When you journey out from those areas, the Role-Players you encounter can be a very rich experience.

Some of you people who play magic need to come to New Jersey and join my Ice Age Block Tourny! No body here wants to participate because I won the last 2 tournaments and they don't want to play me any more. Y~Y As far as Magic and RP... Gerrard Capashen all the way!

I doubt it comes with any thing for FF XIV, sadly. We got the games in at work on Friday, and I curiously turned the packaging every which way to look inside and didn't see any additional inserts other than the instruction manual. Unless the Code is on the back of the instruction manual, I believe we're out of luck. I, however, am really excited. I'm going to be picking it up tomorrow at midnight, and no one will see me until I beat the game.

I wouldn't mind posting my rules. To be honest, almost every essence of D&D got scraped out of my table top game at it's current version. Really, the main focus of the game is Role-playing since it's an intrigue type of world, so the rules and formulas aren't as important. They are necessary however to facilitate battles, especially of the PvP variety. I'll put a brief explanation in spoiler tags since it'll get a little long (Even as a summary). Battle system is a direct rip of FFI's method of calculation modified slightly for ease of use in a table top environment, I take no credit of it for my own. Here is the breakdown: Physical Attacks: I. PHYSICAL ATTACKS A) ATTACK DAMAGE D = Damage rating of Attacker A = Absorb rating of Target L = Level Damage = Damage done by a successful Hit Xâ¦Y = An inclusive range in which a random number is generated D = STR/2 + Weapon --If target is weak to an Elemental or Enemy-Type attribute of the weapon, D = D + 4 --If target is Asleep or Stunned, D = D*5/4 A = Sum of equipped armor Damage = Dâ¦2D â A [Minimum value = 1] Critical Hit Damage = (Dâ¦2D) + (Dâ¦2D â A [Min = 1]) Both sets of Dâ¦2D use the same value B) CHANCE TO HIT Base Chance to Hit (BCH) = 84 -If the Attacker is blind, subtract 20 from BCH --If the Target is blind, add 20 to BCH --If the Target is weak to an attack (Weapon attributes match Enemy Type or Enemy Weakness), add 20 to BCH H = Attacker Hit% (H = BCH + AGI/2) E = Target Evade% (E = 24 + AGI/2) Chance to Hit = H â E If the target is asleep or stunned, it does not evade the attack. Critical Hit Rate = Weapon's Critical Hit Chance A random number is then rolled 1â¦100. If the number is equal to or less than the Chance to Hit, the Hit connects. If the number is equal to or less than the Critical Hit Rate, then that hit is also a critical hit (if the number is equal to or less than the Critical Hit Rate but higher than the Chance to Hit, the hit still misses). The number 1 is always a successful hit and a critical hit, and the number 100 is always a miss. C) STATUS ATTACKS Base Chance (BC) = 50 If target is immune to Attack Element, Base Chance = 0 MD = Target Magic Defense MD = MND/2 + (Level + 10) Chance to Inflict = BC â MD (Minimum = 1) Then roll a random number, R = 1â¦100. If this number is equal to or less than the Chance to Inflict, the status is applied. Magic Attacks: II. MAGIC A. MAGIC DAMAGE E = Effectivity --If the enemy is strong to the spell element, divide Effectivity by 2 (or reduce by 50%) --If the enemy is weak to the spell element, multiply Effectivity by 1.5 (or increase by 50%) The damage calculation has two steps: 1) Damage = (Eâ¦2E + INT/2) 2) If the spell is not resisted and succeeds in the Chance to Hit calculation (explained below), this value is doubled. B. CHANCE TO HIT (DOUBLE) NOTE: Status spells can hit or miss, which is determined by this calculation. Damage spells always âhit,â but may be âresistedâ in which case the doubling component of the damage calculation does not occur, and the spell does only half of its potential damage. Base Chance to Hit = 74 --If target is strong to the spellâs element, set BC to 0 --If target is weak to the spellâs element, add +20 to BC (if an enemy is both strong and weak, the base chance is set to 0, but you still add 20, so the chance is then 20) SA = Spell Accuracy + INT/2 MD = Magic Defense Chance to Hit = 74 + SA â MD A random number is then rolled 1â¦100. If the number is equal to or less than the Chance to Hit, the spell hits (or doubles). The number 1 is always a successful hit, and the number 100 is always a miss. Each spell has it's own parameters which I will explain with an example: Name - [Target]: Effectivity; (Accuracy); Element; {MP} Dispel - : Remove Buff; (107); Dark; {35} Name is self explanatory. The target specifies if it is [C] for Caster, for Single Target, or [A] for AoE. There are also spells that can hit the entire field, designated as [F], but those spells are far and few between. Effectivity is the effect of the spell. In Dispel's case, it's "Remove Buff". For a damaging spell, effectivity is replaced with a number that goes into the Magic Damage equation above. Accuracy is the number added to your Magic Attack in order to check to see if a Debuff lands, or if a damage spell is resisted. Element is the element of the spell. All spells have an element, with very few exceptions (Such as Non-elemental damage spells like Ultima.) MP cost is simply how much MP the spell costs to cast. Much of the MP costs are changed from FF XI's, but if you want to try this system, feel free to adjust it to your own specifications. As I said, this is a work in progress, and isn't 100% balanced yet. Character Sheet Breakdown Level: Self explanatory. This system runs off of a level 1 - 100 system. Archetype: Since I took out the job system, instead in it's place are "Archetypes". Boiled down to it's components, Archetypes are what determines the growth of the character. Below is a sample Archetype. Monk Strength: 4 Agility: 2 Mind: 1 Intelligence: 1 HP: 4 MP: 1 +1 AP per Level Martial Arts First is the name of the Archetype. Please keep in mind the name does not necessarily mean you are to be that job. In fact, only 6 of my currently 50+ archetypes are named after jobs, those being the classic Final Fantasy 6. Next is all of the different stats that make up a character. I boiled the stats down to it's necessities for ease of use in a table top format, but I am debating adding an extra stat that determines Defense. For now though, it's just the 6 stats. In addition, each stat is given a number between 1 and 6, 1 being dismal, and 6 being the best. I have a separate excel sheet that tracks stat growth which I unfortunately will not post here since it's even too lengthy to post on my forums. Essentially though, the four core stats (Str, Agi, Mnd, and Int) increase at a certain rate. If you have a 6, that means every time you level up, your stat will increase by 1 giving you a grand total of +99 at 100. If you have a 1 in a stat, it gets a grand total of I believe 20 incremental increases between levels 2 and 100. HP and MP work slightly different in that there are specific values for each number at each level. I simply have to look at the chart and assign the correct number to the character sheet. Below the stats you'll notice the "+1 AP per level". Since the Monk archetype has slightly sub par stats, it gets a boost to the amount of AP gained upon leveling up. Normal AP per level is 10 per level. With monk, the character would get 11 AP per level. This may not seem like a lot, but when you consider that's +100 AP at level 100, it adds up. The "Martial Arts" in italics is an extra ability you get for free with the Archetype. Hard Stats: Explained in "Combat Mechanics" and "Archetypes". Equipment: For ease of use, there are only five slots for equipment. Soft Stats: These are the stats you will use for most battle conditions. After you do the math to convert the stats from Hard Stats, Equipment, and abilities, this is what you'll end up with. Gil: Currency of the game. Items: Self explanatory. Job Abilities: Same as FF XI, these are activated abilities that take a standard action. Job Traits: Same as FF XI, these are static abilities that do not required to be activated, but may need trigger conditions (Such as Counter, Double Attack, etc.) Spells: Self Explanatory. Limits: There are no Weapon Skills in this system, but there are Limit Breaks. Limit Points are gained in much the same manner as TP - Hitting enemies or getting hit. Because of the versatility of Limits and the characters that use them, there are more ways to obtain Limit Points. Because of their raw power, it's harder to reach 100 limit points. Each character can have up to 8 limits, designated by a number, 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, etc up to 4-2. Those familiar with FF VII's limit system should recognize that. For every 100 limit points you get, you can use that level of limit (I.E. 100% = 1-1. 200% = 1-2, 300% = 2-1.) Points: Ability points are what is used to learn new abilities, spells, and in general enhance your character. As described in the "Archetype" section, each character receives 10 AP per level unless otherwise noted in their archetype. Here is a snipet from my Point Buy list to give you an idea of ability costs: Accomplice: 10 Activate: 75 Addendum: White: 20 Afflatus Misery: 5 Afflatus Solace: 5 Aggressor: 10 Ancient Circle: 9 Angon: 19 Animated Flourish: 3 Arcane Circle: 5 Aspir Samba: 5 Aspir Samba II: 10 Assassin's Charge: 25 Astral Flow: 100 Avatar's Favor: 50 Azure Lore: 100 Changing the point value of abilities is what directly effects character balance, and is the easiest way to adjust characters. In general, most spell caster abilities (except for the very powerful ones) will be cheaper than melee characters. In addition, spells are very cheap to help encourage melee characters to dabble a little in spells for well-roundedness and also to prevent mage type characters from feeling overwhelmed at the sheer number of spells appropriate for their character versus the few abilities appropriate for melee characters. There is no scientific way of determining an abilities point value, other than your own good judgment (Which may sometimes be wrong ). Just assign it a point value that seems right, and adjust it later if necessary. EXP: This is where I put PC's EXP. As is standard with most RPGs and Table top games, EXP determines when you level up. This number is excellent in setting the pace of your game, I recommend looking at some early FF EXP models to determine how fast/slow you want progression to be. Rank Points: This was something I had in part 2, but put on the back burner for part 3 (The current part of the game I'm hosting.) Rank Points was essentially how close you were to ranking up in your military unit. Completing tasks granted Rank Points, and failing to listen to an officer's orders would take away rank points. You can look at it as mission scoring in a way. I took it away in Part 3 since that is when I was doing an overhaul of the game engine to make it simpler for use on table top rather than using several programs I designed just to keep track of tons of info. Chain of command: I put this in here to help show how military chain of command is established within each nation. Chain of command only applies to people in the military and only shows their superiors, not their subordinates. EPICs/Mortal Strikes: When a circumstance would normally claim the life of a character, they may (depending on the circumstance) be able to take a Mortal Strike. Mortal Strikes represent the near death experiences many heroic characters in many of our favorite stories experience. You may accrue up to 3 Mortal Strikes on a character before you are unable to accrue any more. At that point, your character's luck has run out, and they do die. You can also spend EPICs on getting rid of a Mortal Strike on your character. EPICs are representation of great and heroic feats your character has accomplished. Every time you perform a truly heroic feat, as decided by your DM and peers, you will be awarded a letter, "E", "P", "I" or "C". When you spell out EPIC, you may use that for any number of things. Getting rid of mortal strikes, increasing the base value of a stat in your Archetype, Limit Breaks, or Character specific abilities. Character specific abilities and limits are designed by the player, and are unique to that particular character. Flow of Combat: This is very similar to Final Fantasy Tactic's combat system. Firstly, when combat starts every character rolls initiative (hereafter referred to as CT) with a d100. This provides their initial position. Turn order can get a bit complex if you aren't good with number crunching several separate initiatives in your head or have a program to assist you, so it may be wise to stop right there. To properly conduct Initiative however, turns have to be taken in Clock Ticks. You add 5 to everyone's initiative to determine effects (I.E. Poison Damage is dealt every Clock Tick, Duration of buffs/Debuffs is measures in Clock Ticks, and other temporary effects.) If someone's CT reaches 100, they take their turn. Turns consist of two possible actions, Movement and Standard Actions. A character can do both on their turn, one or the other, or even neither. If the character takes two actions, subtract 100 from their CT total. If they take 1 action or movement, you subtract 80, and if they do nothing, subtract 60. After everyone has taken their turn, repeat the process until it's someone's turn again. Haste and slow effect the CT gain. If you have Haste, you add 6 every Clock Tick rather than 5, and with Slow it's 4, or Slow II which is 3. If you are afflicted with Stop or KOed, your CT gain is 0. Sleep allows CT to accrue normally, but if you are asleep when it's your turn, 60 is subtracted (Since no actions were taken.). Again, this can get very difficult to keep track of without assistance, so if you can't crunch and remember insane amounts of numbers in your head or program a simple initiative program. I would recommend either taking the simple Initiative method or getting paper to keep track of everything. (Though one combat session may take up a lot of paper depending on how you take notes) That's the basics of my system, it's a very rough work in progress that can use some balancing and adjusting, but it's a start. If any one is still interested in some of the finer points of using this table top system, I can elaborate on any topic of interest via PM to avoid boring everyone with lengthy bouts of rules.

Dirant actually made an appearance. Originally, there was a rebellion against the Queen of Coneria, and the leader of the Allied Empire of Onrac. It was widely believed she was incompetent, leaving all matters of decision up to the Conerian senate and what ever general in the military had her ear at the time. Dirant joined this rebellion against the queen and became mid ranking officer due to his political savvyness and the large amounts of money he was able to lend in support of the rebellion. A few months later, Dirant discovered the rebellion was just a front to serve the ambitions of a particular officer within the Onrac government. After that general betrayed Onrac, killed the leader of the rebellion, and took most of the rebel's armies, money (A significant amount of the money once belonging to Dirant) and land for his own, founding the Empire of Lefein, Dirant left to rejoin the Allied Empire of Onrac. While he has little faith in the queen, he knows true freedom can never be obtained under the Lefeinian Emperor's rule, so he uses what influence he has within Onrac to fight against Lefein in the hopes that one day a better ruler may come into power. Also Tsumi, I'll keep that in mind. I'll probably have to role-play with you a bit to get a feel for your character and how they would act before I implement them. While I can never do the original character justice, I attempt to emulate them as close to the original in a new setting as I can. Since my Table Top game is part traditional RPG, and part War Game, I'm always in need of new officers and other people of interest. For example, the game currently has around 125ish major NPCs, of which, I probably created 75 - 80 from scratch all with unique personalities and goals. When I run out of character ideas, I turn towards others that inspired me and emulate their characters in this world. The large cast of characters is necessary to make it feel like a real war zone, but it can be a bit of a headache to keep it all under tabs. Which is why I have a forum, and three separate notebooks I use to keep track of everything on a week by week basis.

As some of you may or may not know, I run a weekly table top Final Fantasy game. It's based loosely off of the D&D rule set, but with some heavy modifications to better suit the Final Fantasy world. Combat mechanics are closest to the NES era Final Fantasy's in order to avoid the heavy number crunching that goes into calculating Accuracy and Damage with the newer games. For example, Accuracy - Evasion = % Chance to hit. It is a jobless system, with point-buy abilities, meaning that you earn points upon leveling up, and select the spells and abilities that best suit your character. The setting can best be described as a mixture of Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XII, and Final Fantasy Tactics. The characters are in a war torn world full of action, intrigue, political maneuvering, and deepening shades of gray. Many characters are officers in the various military's of the world, some are mercenaries, and others are just trying to find a way to end the fighting. Why would I bring this up? Because occasionally while DMing the game, I find that I need a new NPC, or a new story arch to keep the action fresh. People I know and their personas are my greatest muse, so, at times I've borrowed a few people I've met to insert into the game world in order to enhance the story. I thought it might be fun to post up a few character sheets I've done to see what you guys think. Unfortunately, while perusing my character sheets, I realized that there are only two people I've role-played with that I have character sheets up for despite the fact I've introduced more characters into the storyline at some point or another. WARNING: I am not a perfect game designer, and there are a few balance issues. I'm constantly tweaking my game to get ever closer to balanced. As such, do not be offended if your character seems rather weak by comparison, I can assure you I play test often and find those characters that are too strong or too weak and adjust them accordingly. Dyterium: Level: 21 Archetype: Thief HP: 674 +40 MP: 74 STR: 25 (12) +25 AGI: 30 (11) +4 INT: 23 (10) +3 MND: 17 (11) Main: Trident Sub: Elven Cloak Head: Twist Headband Body: Genji Armor Accessory: Mythril Bracers Attack: 65 Defense: 62 Accuracy: 114 Evasion: 29 Magic Defense: 38 Magic Attack: 13 Gil: ??? Items: Job Abilities: Call Wyvern Spirit Link Spirit Surge Third Eye Warding Circle Job Traits: Accuracy Bonus Attack Bonus I Spells: Limits: Points Remaining: -14 EXP: ??? Rank Points: --/-- Chain of Command: Dragon ---------- Lumineux HP: 64 Attack: 22 Defense: 12 Accuracy: 92 Dyterium is currently a Lieutenant Colonel in the Allied Empire of Onrac. Once a Major in the Kingdom of Pravoka, he was one of the few heads of the military that were able to escape after the Empire of Lefein conquered his hometown. Fleeing to the near-by kingdom of Coneria, he works tirelessly as the new leader of the Pravokan resistance along with Armads. Renowned for his skill with the lance, Dyterium has placed many times in the annual tournament and is a force to be reckoned with respected by ally and enemy alike. Dyterium was designed to be a dragoon first and foremost, with a hint of Samurai. Two things that might seem odd about this character sheet are his "Points Remaining" and Wyvern. In game, and out of game play testing showed Dyterium to be one of the most broken and powerful characters within his level range. This led to me nerfing a few key abilities by adjusting the point value of the abilities. That is why Dyterium currently has negative points, he has more abilities than he should be able to afford at his level. In regards to Lum, he's been a thorn in my side every time Dyterium goes into battle. He's either too powerful and makes Dyterium near unstoppable, or becomes so weak he gets one-shotted and becomes next to useless. Since there are no PC Dragoons, Dyterium's updates usually only occur when I suspect he may be engaging in a fight soon. Lum is currently in the weak phase until I Dyterium's presence on the battlefireld is needed once again. Then I will try to find a happy medium between super Lum and god awful Lum. Zarik: Level: 20 Archetype: Black Mage HP: 652 MP: 197 STR: 12 (7) AGI: 22 (10) INT: 33 (14) MND: 25 (13) Main: Ice Brand Sub: Leather Shield Head: Diamond Helm Body: Ruby Armlet Accessory: Mythril Gloves Attack: 35 Defense: 40 Accuracy: 107 Evasion: 31 Magic Defense: 42 Magic Attack: 19 Gil: ??? Items: Job Abilities: Job Traits: [ice Damage] Spells: Barblizzara Barfira Barthundra Blindna Blink Cure Cure II Cure III Poisona Protect Silena Silence Vanish Blind Blizzard Blizzard II Confuse Fire Fire II Focaga Focus Haste Sleep Sleep II Slow Stun Temper Thunder Thunder II Limits: Points Remaining: 117 EXP: ??? Rank Points: --/-- Zarik is currently the highest ranking officer in the Shin army. Once a nobody caught in the stream of intrigue gripping the continent, his life changed after much of the Conerian nobility, including his father, were assassinated during the first raid on Pravoka. While wandering the world trying to find a purpose to believe in, he was picked up by the one of the heroes of old, Magestic (Don't look at me, PC.) There, Zarik acted as adviser despite his low rank and helped Magestic build the country of Shin. Using his charisma to it's fullest, he recruited many hidden talents across the continent into Magestic's employ and soon earned the highest rank within his army. Only he knows the power he holds within Magestic's Kingdom, for without him, there would be no Shin. Inwardly, he has a soft spot for his previous home, but outwardly he carries with him the strict air of neutrality Magestic seeks to enforce in the Great War. Believing the answer to his father's assassination lies somewhere within the walls of the great Empire Lefein, Zarik will use his new influence behind this army to find out the truth behind the veil of lies. Zarik was designed to be an old school Red Mage rather than the FF XI incarnation of Red Mage. As such, his spell list contains many spells not seen in FF XI at all. Zarik's points are also rather high at the moment since I recently buffed spellcasters and haven't made it to Z yet to update the sheets. Those are just the character sheets I've done. There are a few other members of the Sylph RP community that have appeared throughout the game in different capacities. If any one is curious if their character was used at all, let me know and I'll tell you what they did. Also, if you guys are interested, I will post up the character sheets as they get updated. Finally, if any one is uncomfortable with me using your character in my table top game, let me know and I'll remove them. Any and all feedback is appreciated!

In the old days, it was usually best to pre-order a game as soon as possible. Now a days with Collector's Editions, and store exclusive content, it's best to wait until a week before hand and then pre-order it, just to assure that you will recieve your copy. For example, I still have not reserved FF XIII since Best Buy and Gamestop are at war in trying to snag Exclusive content for all of the popular titles. In addition, FF XII's Collector's Edition was only available at Gamestop. Add the possibility of midnight releases, and you have to very carefully select where you purchase your game. I would highly suggest against pre-ordering for that reason.

I still strongly believe that all cross-guild conflict should be first handled by the effected guilds by what ever means they decide to utilize, and then if that breaks down, and more than half of the guilds involved (If 2, then both guilds, if 3, then 2/3 guilds, if 4, 3/4 guilds, etc.) agree to have the RPC intervene, neutral members of the RPC high council who do not have membership in any of the affected guilds work with the representatives of said guilds to reach an amicable situation. The only time any cross guild arguments should be brought forth to the public for voting/action should be guilds that have permeated so much of the Role-Playing community, Neutral ground has all but vanished (Let's hope a situation like this never arises.) In which case, I believe Zarik's opinion on bringing the matter to the public is a sound one. As for the time limit on voting, I would agree with Dyterium, but instead of 24 hours, maybe make it 48 or 72? Sometimes and ill placed event could mean an officer may not even hear about an issue during the said 24 hour period, as well as people's heads might still be hot if they're voting on a particularly sensitive topic and might not think rationally when casting a vote. 48 - 72 hours would give all officers ample opportunity to cast their vote, and all to think the situation through to cast their vote appropriately. There's also the matter of a situation blowing over within that time frame. Regardless, as we've seen first hand, a time limit would help sort out problems in a timely manner.

I'll keep my suggestions short. I read over most of the posts, but did not read some in their entirety so my apologies if it's already been said. - I believe the RPC should act as an intermediary in some conflicts of interest between different Role-Playing groups, but only under certain situations. I believe that they should only offer counseling and reconciliation services if MORE than 50% of the involved guilds leaders request the intervention of the RPC. AKA: If two guilds are in a fight, one requests the intervention of the RPC and the other believes the two guilds can settle their differences, the RPC stays out. If, however, three guilds come into a disagreement and two of the three request the intervention of the RPC, the RPC will act as an intermediary ONLY. Taking no sides in the issue and helping to make all parties enter into a more amicable situation together, encouraging them to come to agreements together. The leaders of the RPC involved should only offer suggestions to correct the problems, not enforce behavior. This option will never be exercised in personal arguments of individual members of guilds unless their guild leaders elevate it to the RPC. Any personal grudges/grievances/differences are encouraged to be resolved between individuals or the individual's guilds per their separate guild rules. - I also agree that if a particular group has demonstrated it's volatility towards the rest of the RPing community, they should have their rights revoked in this order, and only as the situation calls for it: 1) Advertising Membership on the RPC forums. 2) Advertising Events on the RPC forums. 3) Recognized as an RPC affiliate guild. 4) Posting rights on the RPC forums. Posting rights should ONLY be revoked if the guild in question breaks numbers 1, 2, or 3, or begins to harass members on the RPC forums. In addition, it should be made known that each of these infractions will be removed under certain circumstances decided by the RPC at that time. (Whether it's time, or resolution of an issue, or apology.) - It should also be noted that if a cross guild problem gets elevated to the RPC, anyone on the RPC "High Council" (Or whatever it becomes named) that is a member of the guilds in question should not act as an intermediary. If they are present for the resolution talks, they should talk on behalf of their guild (and hopefully, have a more moderate, neutral opinion on the matter). - Individual members may report problems about other members or other guilds through the RPC, but the RPC will simply relay that message to the appropriate leaders. The RPC will keep the community informed, but again, will not act on issues unless specifically requested by the leadership of the guilds involved. This is simply designed as a tool for RPers that have an issue, but may be unsure who to report it to, or afraid to confront leaders of guilds about it. It is understood that anything reported to the RPC stays between the person filing the report, the leadership of the RPC, and the guild leaders involved. No one else should be made privy to the complaints unless the individual guild leadership decides to. - The RPC's main purpose should be a hub for all of the different guilds to interact, share, and learn from each other. It should be used as a tool to speak to the rest of the FF XIV community about the Role-Playing community and points of interest for non-RPers. It should also act as a means of recruitment for prospecting members to Role-Play. New RPers should be encouraged to come to the RPC and browse the guilds to apply for the guild that suits them best. (Of course, separate guilds may continue to recruit as they see fit. The RPC will not be the sole recruiter of new RPers, but should be seen as an additional one.) In essence, the RPC is the face of the Role-Playing community to Non-RPers. We should have conflict resolution built into the RPC from the beginning, but it should not be our main purpose. Conflict resolution should take place when there is a serious problem between guilds that is a conflict of interests and not a breach on ToS (Which should be reported to GMs). All guilds should be expected to take care of their own internal problems, disruptive members, and emphasis should be on the guilds own separate facilities. The RPC is not a police force, but more like a guidance counselor. All in all, I agree that the RPC should start small rules and duties wise at launch, and should be expanded beyond this only as necessary when necessary, making sure to keep within the mission statement and purpose, never to overstep it. My apologies if that was long or confusing, but if there are any questions, I would be happy to clear up my opinion on the matter.

As far as I'm aware, specs have not been released for FF XIV yet since they want to make it as current as possible with what's available at their estimated ETA. The specs during Beta may very well change before final launch if they decide to capitalize on some emerging technology. My assumption is if you are running a fairly new Windows 7 Computer with a good (Doesn't have to be excellent) graphics card, you will be able to run the game on medium settings. Of course, I have nothing to back up that statement. I am personally anxiously awaiting the specs for FF XIV because I've put off buying a computer until I know it's specs so I am sure I can run it smoothly. That, and the price of a computer that I am SURE can run it will probably be cheaper later this year as opposed to now.