Smiling River

A bit overkill- but god damn!!! You are set for a few years for sure.

My RL friend said he will play as one. I am not sure if that was his vote, but if not then there is at least one other guy!

Added a couple of questions that I saw others answer and edited the layout.

I might as well mention again that I do not reject the game's lore. It's wrong to say that "well... if you aren't RP'ing the missions then... well your character is a blood thursty demon-vampire half-breed!" Let's not get carried away, this is just another extreme. It also shapes the game (ignoring the lore) around just that character, similar to someone saying the game lore declares that their character is the hero of all time... both these positions taken too far go full circle. I was just saying that it is a matter of preference, but also that it's the developers fault IMO. I mean, you can't tell me that XI did not make your character feel like the center of it all. The couple of things that were more communal (felt like a small part in a big battle) were the Conquest, Besieged, etc. But these things didn't influence the story, as far as I know. But they did change the world in which the characters lived, which was awesome. I'd prefer that to happen all the time. If your character is really a paragon, then they'd perhaps have the trust of a legion of players and be a commander of sorts... I donno. Yeah, I pointed this out- and don't you think it's ridiculous for an MMO? I mean, at the very least it's conceded. RPGs used the same formula (which I thought would go away by now) since their creation. It's more plausible in an RPG though. Mythis, I am not referring to teamwork that is required to get many things accomplished in the game. I am talking about the story. While you may need anywhere from one other person to 17+ others to defeat certain bosses, the actual story is not effected by this. IF you could solo them, nothing would change in terms of the CS or the major plot. I am agreeing with you to an extent. But I am also aware that there is a disconnect between the whole community fighting off beastmen (teaming up) and the plotline, CS, etc.. RP'ers adapt to this in different ways is the main point... but I am trying to say that the fact they we all HAVE TO adapt to it is the fault of developers who used 'traditional' RPG style of story-telling in an MMO. Either way, if you are to take your character seriously in XI, you have to make compromises. This is an example: (spoiler alert?)

I didn't like RP'ing the missions... actually I didn't really like missions period. I know the story is great and all, but it makes you feel as if you are a "hero" like no other. SE basically made an MMO full of adventurers who are supposed to individually feel like they are the sole person everything revolves around. I could never fully believe that, knowing that in reality this wasn't true. There are 3 ways for RPers to approach this: OOC missions: Simply bypass this idea of individual heroes, do the mission OOC, and IC say that you've gone on some intense adventure or what have you. OOC/IC hybrid: Basically act as if the mission took place with the people you completed it with, but don't say anything important to anyone who wasn't there. IC missions: Do the missions IC and act afterwards as if you did complete the objective and/or defeated a specific opponent, as SE would have you believe. Personally the Hybrid way of doing this doesn't seem genuine to me. If my character were to say, defeat the Shadowlord... why wouldn't he mention it to his close friends? The IC way for me doesn't work either since it doesn't mesh well with the fact that millions of players could say they defeated X boss... then my character would be freaked out lol So sadly the only possible option is to do missions OOC. Again this is just my perspective, but XI's style of making you feel like a hero didn't work. I hate when they do that in single player RPGs... but in MMOs it just doesn't make sense, even in terms of game mechanics. I hope that XIV's main plotline will be done differently, or at least have some sense of the community accomplishing goals.

Awesome. I am also busy atm but it sounds like a fun thing to do in the near future.

I don't think anyone should get offended by what Verranicus said. I don't think he is condemning all RPers who play out missions or naming names, he is just saying that it's not for him (based on previous experience). While you guys make a convincing case for CPM, it's entirely up to him to take it or leave it. There might be a great way to RP in all kinds of ways, but once a person has a negative experience w/ a certain style, even if your LS does it better and it works, it's often hard to change their opinion. This is after all just an opinion, not a personal attack against any individuals or a community. If this is to be a successful, open-minded coalition where people can express their opinions freely, we have to leave that at the door. (Unless someone is purposefully saying X LS is crap, etc etc.) Otherwise everyone is going to get offended by everyone else's different view on what works and what doesn't in RP, and our dialog will be reduced to generalities and PC statements that really don't mean anything.

hehe Alright I sent you an email reply... who ever else is interested PM/email us. We'll put up updates here for now, I guess

Heh I was just listening to my IX soundtrack, I donno if this is a good idea but I was thinking of having random intro music from various Final Fantasy games. Most casts have consistent intro music though so maybe that's the way to go... but either way, I think we can also take 5-10min breaks in-between the show and put on some RP-themed music on. I am not sure actually how people record this stuff. Do they record it all and then edit in the music breaks and such or is it all on the fly like in radio? I thought people would record, then stop to take a break and come back, then after the it's done they put in the music or w/e afterwards where that break took place. Any idea? PS As for the name... I am not as creative when it comes to that as others. As you can see from above, RPCV - not very creative

Actually I wouldn't mind discussing FFXIV news and other general stuff other podcasts might be covering. Of course it would be our take on it from RP perspective. Basically, it will still be fresh and new if it's our (RP-oriented) point of view. I think we can bring something fresh to the table, even if other podcasts are doing it. Especially if you want podcasts to be longer! Personally I like em at around 1 hour mark. I'm always a little reluctant to listen to podcasts which are 2hr+ cause I know I wont be able to sit through the entire thing. Woo! RPCV- the Voice of the Role-Play Coalition =P

Hyur, Male, Midlander. Not sure about which city, it'll depend on a few things which haven't been announced yet. If I just pick based on look/environment, Gridania.

Going to have to correct you on this. It's not that there weren't any atheists... it's just that in the last few decades atheists haven't been persecuted (although...) for their lack of belief in the US. For example, back in the day, if you didn't believe openly, you'd be murdered. That's not to say there weren't any atheists. Religious persecution has barely stopped in Europe/US allowing atheists could come out of the closet Back in the day, if you were suspicious... didn't come to church often enough or w/e, you were a witch or a blasphemer, or w/e else. There is no way to prove everyone believed in a god/gods since you can't have every persons inner thoughts on the record, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that there was non-belief for as long as religion was around. Also agnostic- lack of knowledge, atheist- lack of belief. They aren't exclusive. A 'moderate' Christian can say he/she is an agnostic theist- meaning they believe in god but they do not claim to know he exists. A gnostic position, imo, is dogmatic no matter if it's coupled with theism or atheism. I can talk about this all day My close friend assumed I was a Religion major for a very long time until I corrected him hehe, so I'll just stop here. But yeah, in Eorzia if gods are simply out there, they should be considered factual. Thus an atheist character would seem silly/delirious. If it's the same as in RL, then I guess a character can be an atheist but it's rather unlikely. Assuming the setting (era) isn't too far off from XI, in which case, common people explained everything they didn't completely understand with god or gods in mind (if we allow ourselves to equate it to our history from medieval times or so). There would have to be good reason behind it.

I'm with Eltharian here... but perhaps being an atheist is against the game lore in XIV? I always thought religion was kinda in your face in XI too, because within the world there seemed to exist clear evidence of the deities. Perhaps religion will actually be an undeniable fact in XIV...? I donno.

We'd have to work out a system. Personally I prefer 3, maybe 4 people per cast. Maybe we can do like this: Lysander (Guild A) main host: 1st and 3rd week of every month. -open space (Guild B) -open space (Guild C) -guest? (from anywhere) Mason (Guild D) main host: 2nd and 4th week. -open space (Guild E) -open space (Guild F) -guest? (anywhere) ...and we can cycle the co-hosts between each other so we don't talk to the same people every time. If you don't have enough people on your week, then maybe I can join in so that we can also chat w/ each other and vice-versa. Again this is just an example of how it can be handled. I am not saying me and Lysander will/should be main hosts. This type of set up would obviously need to change depending now how many guilds are part of the RPC.

Yeah I am down to host, assuming everything else permits it (money, time, etc). A couple of my RL friends will be playing also, so we can have guest appearances even I'd say we should try to get one person per guild to co-host so that we have stuff to talk about and it's not one sided. It's nice to know the number of people who would be willing to record, however if we all end up on the same guild it'd be pointless >_<; That being said... still nice to get a headcount!

Meh, YouTube has an 11min limit on videos (non-partners), so that could make it a pain... 4-5vids to cycle through. I haven't looked up any info on how to host a podcast yet though. I am not even sure if it costs money to have it up somewhere- like iTunes? Hmm. Needs more looking into on my part.

What do you mean by "host"? How can YT host besides having videos up? You mean just use the audio and put that up on YT?

Yes!!! I had a dream... that me and my 2 friends were sitting in my room, drinking, and recording something (not sure if it was podcast or video). We were talking about RP and what's happening across all guilds (because we were in different guilds, which made me a little sad). It seemed amazing. Anyway. I am all for this! Although to host a podcast would cost some $$$, another option is to throw out videos on YouTube. Mostly saying that cause I have a good HD camcorder and a decent webcam. Actually one of my projects was to do a movie review show on YT catered towards Role-Players. I was thinking of calling it something cheesy like Reel Reviews! That's just an aside, for anyone who enjoys movies, you can expect that soon. I listen to like 10 podcasts, and I'd love to try to host one. I don't have much experience with being on the waves heh, but I'm told I'm funny.

Other similar podcasts- FFXIV Core podcast: exclusively FFXIV related news/speculations. Chocobo podcast: RPG themed podcast, not specific to FFXIV but FF friendly! I'm sure they will cover this game, if they haven't already.

Miqo'te (for realz) These are Khajiit from Oblivion, btw.

Indeed. They kinda look like human faces drawn in anime style. If they are supposed to be cat-like, I wouldn't mind a different facial structure. Of course it won't happen, but just sayin'.

All of this just makes me wanna pick up a PS3 or a 360. >_<; Isn't there a special PS3 deal w/ the FFXIII? I've heard something about that, but the FFXIII that comes with it isn't the special box set which doesn't make any sense. If a person is willing to buy a PS3 to play FFXIII, I'd think it'd come with extra stuff.

Awesome idea! I was actually thinking down the line, if people want, I can try to sculpt the awards (if the design is simple enough) and send em out via mail to the winners. Bringing the virtual to the RL =P Also I just wanted to ask if we can only submit one design? I'd argue that the more the better, since it'd give people more to pick from.

So I guess Miqo'te will clearly have skin with no fur. I think there was some confusion in XI about that. I always viewed Mithras w/o fur. I do miss that little spot on the nose though, I hope people can chose to have it during character creation.

Thanks for the clarification. I had this in mind when I was typing out my post, but just didn't use more specific terms. I guess that's what you call bad writing? =P