Black

Admittedly, I kind of winced when I seen this. I mean no offense, but why Superman? I've honestly never been able to understand people's interest in him. Let's be honest, he's a plot device of a character, claiming to have this golden compass of a morality code, but in all honesty, when do you actually see him doing things other than fighting of meteors and strange super beings? It's almost like the little stuff like purse snatching and murderers are too beneath him to bother with. So, is it just because you grew up with him? What is it that you like? Tell me; I NEED TO KNOW. I am going to take a different approach from what many people that reply to you said and assume you won't pick up these issues (or the recent animated DVD movies that are based on them) and just answer you...although this is my perspective. To me, Superman isn't a favorite/favorite, but he is still pretty high on the list of characters I like. I come at him from a different angle (and some of this is covered under All-Star Superman series). Superman is basically a man, with the powers of a god, that wants to be a normal man. Since he can't be that, he takes up the responsibility to use his powers for the greater good of mankind and doesn't impose himself on others. There is a common failing in many folks and the saying of, "Power corrupts...." and that is not true with Superman. He is a role model of non-corruption, or tries to be. He is not always perfect, but tows the line and doesn't let his power color his view of himself. Really, in his inner monologue to himself, he considers himself, "Clark" (or "Clark Kent"). He is not "Superman" or even "Kal-El". He is "Clark". A country boy raised by good parents who respects his fellow men and does not impose his own will or law on them. He is something to strive for. A role-model. Sometimes, even with someone with his powers, it is very hard to respect others as he does and that is part of the character. A guy that wants to be a guy, but can't. Admittedly, he can be hard to write for, but when someone writes him well, he "sings". And really, like I said, I really enjoy him and appreciate him, and I am more into "anti-heroes" (I think you also stated as such, too). To me, he is in a different class of character and I have room for all varieties. :ahriman::bomb:

Maybe this will or won't answer some of your question: http://ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=2550http:// In any event, I will, but it may not figure much into my actual story because...."amnesia" and all that. :ahriman::tonberry:

KAp9sFVdERQ :ahriman::chocobo:

Everybody Dance Now!!! uIHNUcIOaRQ :ahriman::moogle::cactuar:

Just know that there will always be people that are like-minded with you around to play with. Don't let it kill your enthusiasm. Truth. Says who? Where is it written that a cameo has to go by some preset criteria that can't involve interdimensional travel? Perhaps it doesn't suit your tastes that they chose to have the REAL Lightning cameo into the game, rather than just a Hyur with her likeness appearing, but that doesn't make it any less of a cameo. Hell, even Yoshi-P exists in the game in the form of the Wandering Minstrel. What Aysun's saying is that she doesn't want to see every FF character ever interdimensionally travel to this world. She's not saying that eastereggs/nods to past games and such are bad. I'm with Aysun, having it in the lore (not just a silly event) that Cloud Strife is in this world doing Cloud things is just lame. LET'S BRING ALL THE STRONGEST FF CHARACTERS EVER TO THIS WORLD! Yawn~ Bring their costumes? Yeah! That's cool. Lots of points here. I am of two minds on this. I also tend to dislike cross-overs that do not "fit" my sensibilities : Zorro meeting Lone Ranger is a stretch but it fits better than Zorro meeting Superman and Mickey Mouse. I also like to keep it separate. I am a bit of a student of comics and Pop-culture in the US and Japan, although I only got my degree from the "University of Armchairs", I have traveled and pondered the "why" of things. (This is going to get technical and maybe does not pertain to some views or will change them, but I just want to explain something I've seen for a few years.) I think most of us know Japanese tend to adopt things and concepts and change them around in a way that they like. Before a certain period of time, I never saw many dimension-traveling or alternate/parallel-dimension stories in Japanese literature/manga, only in America (DC comics notably made the concept popular in the Silver Age and when they "abandoned" it, Marvel picked it up and ran with it). At some time around when Dragonball became "serious" and less "funny" as it added a "Z" then a "GT" then continued, I noticed a few concepts leaking over to Japan. Death became less meaningful (the Dragonball series turned it into a highway bypass with Fast-food attractions...figuratively speaking). American comic characters were already making it a habit to "come back from the dead" and Dragonball Z just escalated it. It also introduced Time-Travel and sons/daughters coming back into the past to meet their fathers/mothers without said fathers/mothers needing to worry about diaper changes of childbirth (X-Men did this with Rachel Summers and Cable and...I think the Summers also had a pet dog? ) Since then, I've seen dimension-hopping and parallel universe exploration in so many manga and films (The very inspiration of my own character whom I derive from the OVA series, "Shin Getter : Armageddon" has one scene that fairly yells during the finale that these characters we've seen may be a part of some larger parallel universe as they run into a huge starfleet of parallel characters...It's over-the-top and a bit ambiguous if these are the "real" crew we've been watching the whole series or so something else.) I've seen this exploration of parallel worlds in other series, too. Cheesy? Yep. I do love cheese but I sometimes cut down on it (I used to create Parmesan mountains on my spaghetti! ). I think this "Zeitgeist" to explore such concepts has hit Japan hard and while we in the West consider things "old" since we've already seen them, not in Japan. I also think, in a weird way, it does tie into the first themes of the FF series of dealing with "death" as someone sees or runs into a parallel universe character who died in theirs. Again, I prefer "old-school" where death meant something in older anime, but I do see this trend here. Also, to add to Vanschiver and others...this thing is more cross-promotional than you may think. ppvcqxfmPOE I also like to mention our own start-cinematic. We find ourselves floating in time-space and a voice calls out to us. Later we return to it. Could this be "The Void" that is mentioned elsewhere by others. That right there pretty much suggests a dimension that can crossover to other areas. But let's look at this reasonably, especially with the YouTube link I provided. I feel this is just a small piece of cross-promo fluff. I don't think it will have too big an effect on things. I could say this is massively cross-promo and I feel, it will be optional. Needless to say, there will be RPers who will do their RP with this in mind, even without such an event. You may feel this weakens their character concept, but sometimes these players are young and are learning the ropes. Sometimes they just want an X-Men crossover. With or without, it won't make much difference. You might say it "legitimizes" cross-over RP but we are dealing with different perspectives here and there really will never be a consensus. Sure, there might be friction if ever these two parties meet, but it is up to both to be calm and decide their styles of RP clash and move on. You don't have to promote any "elitism" and just say you don't agree with it. One is free to ignore this event or include it. It is the same if I decide if my character was at the final v1.0 battle or not for v2.0. RP is what you make of it. You don't have to agree, just understand. No harm, no foul. :ahriman::chocobo::at::arrow:

Totally agree with this! Well, you have to "open" the Dungeon first on the Duty Finder list. The first dungeon tends to have a quest attached that you have to walk/travel there and then talk to an NPC that lets you in. So initially, you have to discover such a dungeon first, through quest or other (I couldn't find the NPC in my area for it, but I read there were other NPCs in other areas that gave out the same quest ; Dungeon Stahasha (sp) ). Also, if you notice in the video, some of the lower lists are greyed out and they have a "Lock" icon at the start. So yes, ultimately, you first have to travel to the dungeon the first time. Second or more would allow for sign-ups from anywhere. :ahriman::idea:

Also to point out to all, I am also an effectively low-levelled, poor Legacy character who has no ties and no previous RP with anyone on this site or Beta Forums in regards to this game. Even so, I plan to be on Balmung. I may alt on Gilgamesh, as well, sooner or later. We'll see. I got my own character's take on his history. I didn't care if I got my name in the credits: I just wanted to support S-E because they've shown such character during this reboot...and the discount and Chocobo doesn't hurt (Well, I haven't seen it yet, not having a whistle, but hopefully it is waiting for me...) So, even if I am coming in "cold" into an already established Balmung (whose players have asked for new blood, as any RPer would), I don't foresee any difficulties, either clique or Economy-wise or even personal-character-story-wise. :ahriman::!:

Although any of the openings of this particular OVA series from Japan could apply, this is the main one I listen to that drives me and puts me "in character" and ready to kick monster butt! :bomb: S9b06JueIwo :bomb: (This song and the others in it is about focusing your passion and might and "going for it" with no limits to stop you! For those of you who need a basic translation or want to get the gist of the song.)

Heh! They said " Doody !" 8Rh-Pslcw8Y :bomb: On a more serious note! This is Freakin' Awesome and a bag o' Cheetoes!!! I know people have a problem with cross-world things, but the potential to lightly try out playing with Japanese players just is very cool in my book. Also, this is neat and now we don't have to hear the lonely strains of people asking for Classes over in the zone with the Stasasha (sp) dungeon! 8-) :bomb:

I am gonna go Balmung at the start and see where I go from there. I'll probably dip a toe or so over at Gilgamesh and maybe Behemoth. Also, I am a bit curious to try out a Japanese server, but I am not too fluent in Japanese and expect some hard times and perhaps me running/screaming from the server. I sorta have my eye on Masamune. Although, I do notice some folks with Japanese-names and typing Japanese on Balmung (and probably elsewhere). I just have a feeling they are just as curious as I am. Or maybe they are not Japanese and are just using the font/names: Doesn't matter! I be going exploring! :bomb:

We should not have to feel like we need to hide from other players. It's ridiculous. Those who dislike roleplayers will dislike roleplayers, and there's naught to be done for it save laugh in their faces and keep on roleplaying. The name thing you kind of blew out of proportion, as it was only one point out of many that I made (and not, I think, the most compelling). An RP tag would also allow GMs to discipline those who would grief roleplayers, as a side note however. Again, just trying to let you see both sides of this. I hope that you got my other example: Players who didn't even consider Roleplayers or who looked at unfavorable stereotypes/tropes and made a decision based on that. Sure, there are those that do dislike roleplayers "just because..." but I have seen other players turn against RPers because of how some past RPers treated them. One example was names, but there are other examples (like the X-Men-in-my-Fantasy thing I also alluded to). I don't think you are lumping all players into one category and "laughing" at them, at least I hope not. But maybe my style is different. I am more patient and try to "win" over the person...or at least make them walk away with an understanding and hopefully douse the flame of that particular person/troll. I don't think you are seeing my point and looking at things on the other side. Again, I wouldn't mind the label but GMs disciplining is not an exact science and neither is the basis of people filing reports against a person that may have to be investigated. Actually, my main point is this : Not every RPer is going to agree with the way someone else RPs. It may be a name or it may be their theme (X-Men) or just something else that the viewer doesn't agree with. These type of people have been reported on in past MMOs and when they are for relatively benign reasons, they get angry and turn on the RP community, in most cases, calling them "Elitist". I feel that understanding is a two-way street. It may be a harder road to travel, but I get more reward out of it in the long-run. I have seen the dark-side of both communities. Also, GM-enforcement would require staff to look over it. Maybe they could or maybe new people would have to be hired. This is one of the big reasons, among many, I do not see so many "RP" labelled servers. Again, I know some MMOs do label, but given past resistance of S-E, who seem to be talking about it for this length of period of time...I dunno... I have to ask, "What is the hold-up? What is the concern on their part to not slap on a RP label, especially since it's gone on for this long?" I know Kylun and others are trying to convince them, but others in the company need convincing. Their may be reasons you do not see. In fact, stepping-back, I would say my whole response(s) to you were triggered by your comment of, "It's 2013. That shit is kind of basic." because it may not be basic. I know RPers are a segment of the player population, but how do they stack up against casuals? Heck, from all the server sign-ups that have opened/closed, I see S-E is a bit more concerned with balancing their population evenly across all servers: You can see that some servers are/have been closed to new players. They may be thinking one server would be ill-proportioned population-wise while their other servers are free and empty but no one is joining. That may beS-E's real concern atm. Simple spreading out of the player population, as could be the concern of any MMO company trying to fill all their servers with enough players. From that end, it seems like a good reason and "basic". Maybe if this was the reason or we understood it more, one could convince S-E to be more forthcoming with a RP label?

Shit, I would. I fucking love the X-Men. Well, I like X-Men well enough and I do like the occasional cross-over, but I tend to be very "Meat and Potatoes" with this kind of thing: I eat my meat separately, swallow, and then work on the potatoes (although I do alternate bites but usually leave the taste buds to savor one item or the other, not both at once).

They would be making a big mistake. Not labeling the server doesn't benefit roleplayers in any way. It makes it difficult for new players to find the RP communities. It makes it near impossible to enforce any kind of RP-friendly rules (such as naming conventions). And it marginalizes an entire group of people as not worthy of having their own server, when roleplayers are often some of the most dedicated players in an MMO. This makes it extremely difficult for devs to judge the activity of roleplayers in their game, which could have impacts on development time spent on RP-related content (such as a wardrobe function). Any MMO that doesn't have an RP-tagged server is doing a wonderful and loyal playerbase a massive disservice. I do generally agree, but you have to look at this from many ends, RPers AND the common/casual player. There are RP servers that claim they have naming enforcement, but such enforcement is sporadic or not consistent. Also, it boils down to a matter of different perspective with names. I have seen people name themselves something totally benign, but I've seen Roleplayers take them to task on their chosen name, because it does not fit their personal view of how the virtual world should be. As per my PvE example earlier, these people were complaining that RPers can be "elitist". That may not apply to anyone here, but let's suppose, some players...maybe they are 12 years of age, decided they wanted to do their own storyline about how the X-men came into the FF universe. Well, I wouldn't like it, but these folks ARE roleplaying, even if I don't agree with their roleplay. I tend to leave them alone or be friendly enough if they ask for help, but I have seen some people take them to task. I believe such folks can and should be nurtured with patience and understanding, but some don't do it. Again, I have seen some examples of RPers dictating terms to these "casual players". As I agree RPers have seen this from some groups, the opposite has happened, too. I am generally a fan of, "Live and Let Live". In some ways, certain people marginalize these casual players and create a bad image, especially if they log in next time and see they were reported and the reason for it. It is hard to read the intent of folks sometimes, even those with bad names. I've seen some folks who had bad names bowled over by the community, they rename their character and join in...Of course, there is the opposite, too. Again, I see your points and agree: Having an RP label to the server would be grand and draw interested folks to it, but on the same token, one has to be cognizant that RPers also have a bad reputation of elitism among a segment of general players. In fact, this may be the root of the reason we are seeing on the Beta Forums of some people not liking the concept. From a casual/PvP-lover perspective, it show preference to one segment but not another. So, why not make server labels for them? Maybe it divides the player base? Heck, really, beyond Legacy servers, there is no real current difference in rules-set (code-wise) between servers. They are basically all the same. Perhaps more GM enforcement is needed, but remember, that is segmenting the work-staff of S-E to look at one server. Sometimes this naturally happens and no harm/no foul...but outside this, you may have grumblings from other players not on the RP server. They may not like certain names either or have a bug affecting them. In some ways, they may just point and say this proves RPers get too much attention and they don't. :bomb:

Yep, there is. You have to check it off in your "Options" menu. Currently, it's supposed to update in your Lodestone, but it can take awhile: For some, it does not update. Awesome! Er... what's a lodestone? It's basically a Blog/Public Gear page for your character/s. You sign in using your log-in details. This is a new Lodestone for v2.0 so there are still a few bugs, but it works pretty well. Here's the link: http://na.beta.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/topics/detail/4a1c7058f3ddd58a2881f2158037691569b92288http:// :bomb:

You would think, but it was pretty "basic" when v1.0 launch. It was also "basic" for other MMOs that decided not to make such labels. There might be social reasons they do not do it; I remember on WoW, when one PVP server went down, many of those folks headed over to a popular RP server I was on and started spamming chat-channels "for fun". It could just be they don't want to create an obvious target that brings out folks that just want to ruin other people's online experience. Conversely, I have also played on PvE servers (Beta and Launch) and have heard some of the chatter on that end regarding RPers: There are still segments that have a "bad view" or "bad taste" toward RP because of either exaggerated rumors of running into RPers who tried to enforce their will upon others. Things like, names they didn't like or what-have-you. So these players were actively avoiding RP. Now, that point could work : There would be a label on the server and they could avoid it, but again...you get the same problem of "painting a target" on the server. I personally do not mind an RP-label, but it could be that management is just trying to not label such servers for the benefit of the players that have decided to play on such servers. :bomb:

What I've seen in other RP communities that weren't sure if server names were changing is that they'd announce the unofficial Beta server, then just say something like: "In the event of a server rename, the unofficial RP server will be the first NA server that starts with the letter B moving up." Or something to that effect. So, if you make a rule like that, that put Balthier at the top of the queue in case of server renames! >.> Then again, if the don't make a Balthier server you might get stuck on something like "Bartz" server. I'd be real careful about assuming that. I was part of the drive to organize an unofficial server when DCUO launched. I was on a pretty popular site and there is an old rule that many don't seem to know (maybe younger generations) and that general rule was that the unofficial RP server of any game would start with the last letter alphabetically. In CoH's case, this tuned out to be "Virtue". The reason for this was that servers tend to be alphabetically listed by default, unless you click an option to list them by some other criteria, like population. Most "newbies" and especially "Trolls" would just happen to choose the first shown on the list that has a cool name. While some people remembered that general rule, many have forgotten. I was also thinking that if I had no previous Legacy character but wanted to RP, I would remember "Besaid" and think to myself, "Well, there is no Besaid server, but it must be one starting with B." Actually, for that reason, I would think "Behemoth" would be the logical choice. I even created an alt on Behemoth because I thought this. So there is that. Behemoth may end up with many players initially, if they think like me. Again, this tends to even out sooner or later, either because people decide to migrate, server mergers, or other reasons.

Yep, there is. You have to check it off in your "Options" menu. Currently, it's supposed to update in your Lodestone, but it can take awhile: For some, it does not update.

Aaa, but if a rich man goes bankrupt he ceases to be rich. When a count goes poor, he's still a count. Ho ho ho. Good point. Edit: But wouldn't he still lose his title because it requires money to hold a position such as that? I could be wrong as I admit I am not an expert on all this hooty tooty rich people stuff Nope, they still keep their title. They can voluntarily relinquish their title/status, but even then, you still keep your friends and former connections and those folks still afford you a bit of dignity. There are other considerations, too, especially dealing with marriage. Don't forget, there are many actresses and actors that get Knighted because of accomplishments, not money. That title can, of course, be used to gain contacts and generate wealth of a sort, but that's a side-benefit and not reliant on the title. There are many examples for other titles, too. Dame/Dukes have been Middle-class or lower and have jobs, but they have privilege of royalty and the right to attend the queen, irrespective of financial status. But it can get pretty complicated; some are "honorable titles" and given as a courtesy, but you are still granted some privilege/status, even if you are poor, just because of your current/former associations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courtesy_titles_in_the_United_Kingdomhttp:// :bomb:

Sheesh... Well, I guess picking up a pet will come much later for me, when the creds gil start rolling in more than they currently are for me. Too much other things to buy atm. :surprise: :bomb:

Okay, during the last play-weekend, I came from Limsa Lominsa into Gridania. It is there that I spotted a "Pet Store" of sorts. I am not sure why there isn't one in Limsa Lominsa; maybe these particular pets hate the water? Makes sense: One seems mechanical and could rust in the salt-air, the other one is firery and probably hates ALL water and the last...well, I guess even Baby Chocobos need to learn to swim. So, anyway, I spied people with these pets and the cost is about 2,500 gill or thereabouts. Now, I remember some commentary on a video showcasing the controller and how it would be used (Japanese-translated-to English subtitles) awhile back and in it they stated that these pet companions would help you fight enemies, even if in a limited fashion. They would eventually "grow" and help you fight better. Is this true? Or are the pets merely cosmetic? Also, I may have heard a comment at least on the baby Chocobo that once he grows, you can use him as your mount. Is that still the case or did my hearing pick up the sounds of a depraved chicken farmer next door?

Well, I am not a a professional lore expert, but I play one on stage and screen, so I may be able to clarify this particular point. I've only played this from the Limsa-Lominsa/Marauder angle side of things and while I do think the game pretty much treats you as an "Echo-using-Warrior-of-Light", it is ambiguous and vague enough to make you wonder. This is standard in many "modern" Japanese stories on TV/Media...at least a number of years ago. Basically, the Japanese like ambiguity in their endings of stories. While the game does do this, it is for each person to decide if they truly are or not. I have also seen some scenes where, if you are not a "Warrior of Light" from 1.0, the game is setting you up on a path to be something similar anyway (if not the same thing...just a "new warrior of light). Again, this is up to individual players to embrace or ignore in their vision of their characters in the world. Also, I want to add it is not out-of-question that players new to 2.0 are also "Warriors of Light" from the get-go. Since there is this world-wide memory loss at a specific point in time (the climatic end battle of 1.0) a new player coming in is basically "discovering" his past and ties to it. Basically, you are also amnesiatic of events. This opens a wide blanket to all and doesn't shut anyone out of being a "Warrior of Light" unless they choose to do so in IC-RP interactions. Still, you are going to get the cinematics for such. I am a bit goggier on the Echo, but as Jonexe points out, I feel every player should have it. Again, it is up to the players to decide if they have that or not. The game's storyline seems propels you through as propel you through as if you have, similar to my "Warrior of Light" statement. 2) Yes, the same. The opening cinematic for new players, it is exactly like the "Hear, Think, Feel" mantra. So, that means that new players do get it. TL;DR : Yes, everyone is a yodelling Fighter of changing bright lightbulbs. ;P

Very eclectic choices down below: Be fore-warned! d81qFaoe010 1MuaJTqV6Ck xDubkigPUco vLvQYePzsyU DNRoGh6iOVQ BawCr1xjK8Y kfTWJzBSgas :bomb:

Well, from my perspective, it is pretty obvious that all Player Characters are the Warriors of Light. Of course, an RPer is free to ignore that, but the game cinematics and some missions seem to hint at that. I've also seen cinematics of certain NPCs in charge, but not directly involved in fighting. I am pretty sure those cinematics are solely for the benefit of the player (not their character) to remember/fill-in details. It is mostly for the "benefit of the viewing audience". It is unclear if the NPCs remember these events or not, possibly not, although I can see some "fuzzy memory if they should ever run into a certain masked black-clad antagonist. The mantra about most MMOs is that *you*, the *player* are important and "the hero" so from that perspective, it would be natural to envelope all players in this blanket that they could be a "Warrior of Light"; the FF series re-uses concepts and in different forms, so the "group of 4" could definitely expand. Also, look at the last cinematic: The Iconic people in that fight that got saved by Louisix (sp) are more than 4 and could definitely be considered "Warriors of Light". By the same nature, those Iconics should represent "us". That's just how these cinematics on these MMOs work.

I would submit that everyone remembers their family and friends. If you had a sister/brother that went into battle, you remember them, but you don't necessarily remember they went into battle (and from in-game convos, they would be unsure if they went as well). It is not really A,B, or C. It is basically (IMO) we all have a moment in time that has been suppressed/forgotten. To complicate matters, I would even think that many people who participated in the battle remember they were in it (and also the loved ones remember them going to battle) but as the battle started/raged...no memories. I don't think the world sees that everyone who went into battle were/are the "warriors of light": Only a select few are that but that "few" can be implied to be "Player Characters". So, the army cooks and the guys who polished spears and toted water? Yeah, they were at the battle and are not "WoL": They know they were in a battle, but not the details. Even who won or ultimately lost because "memory gap". Same with the generals on the sidelines who led things. "WoL" is pretty vague and ambiguous; anyone could be one, even some NPCs. Heck, people could lie about being one and not many would know (unless someone remembered he was hiding). Basically, all people remember their lives before/after the battle/calamity but not during the epic/finale.

I lament for those people in some far-off jungle or tribe of people who never, ever have even seen a computer or any technological device. How unfair their advantage must be as I can type circles around their useless, child-like hunting and pecking on their keyboards. Would they even know to plug in the computer or console? Maybe they will be too busy kneeling down before the lit monitor and praying to their new god as I am rounding about Stasasha dungeon in the finery of my Onion Helm? And in addition, I will also save some tears to creatures of the world, both woodland and domesticated, that cannot even fathom computer usage and would probably just sleep next to a game console for warmth. EAT MY UBER-NESS IN-GAME YON KITTIES/DOGGIES/BIRDIES/HAMSTIES/LIZZIES/(Insert your favorite animal/pet here) !!! I HAS OPPOSABLE THUMBS and THOMAS EDISONS OWNS THE LIGHTBULB FOR MANKIND!!! :bomb: