Linkpearls - Has anyone discussed these yet?

[SamusKnight2K]

Coming from FFXI I had always considered for RP at least, a linkpearl being a small spherical object worn in the ear or on an earring (Such as Signal Pearls and Fellowship Companions.) that would transmit only audio. But I recently found out that different groups have varying ideas so I wanted some feedback. How does the RPC typically consider linkpearls to work/function? Here's some points of discussion:

 

* How big are they? Your average pearl is 14-16mm.

 

* Do they transmit both sound and visual? (One shell suggests that they transmit visual by staring into the linkpearl closely.)

 

* Are they actually "pearls" or some other type of object? We're given a crest to design yet in FFXI all you could do is discern the color of the pearl, which displayed just that, a pearl. Linkshells were actually a form of seashell that dispensed limitless pearls.

 

Given this is FFXIV and not FFXI not everything can be applied here. So... discuss away!

[Freyar]

* How big are they?

---> Not defined.

 

* Do they transmit both sound and visual?\

---> Sound Only

 

* Are they actually "pearls" or some other type of object?

----> I tend to think of them as a pearl, but it's something I don't typically consider too hard. You could say it's a marble that does the same thing.

[DAISHI]

* How big are they?

Me pearl is as big as the size of my palm.

 

* Do they transmit both sound and visual?

My pearl transmits both audio and visual.

 

* Are they actually "pearls" or some other type of object?

It's more akin to an orb, almost like a crystal ball but smaller.

 

My orb is affixes into the top of my hand via a glove. I can look down into it and communicate visually via it to others. However, I don't have to be staring into the orb. The audio can still be communicated to my ear without me having to look into the pearl.

[Trizzip]

I'm sure there is probably some canon already in place for linkpearls. Those who are more involved in the game should be able to relay any info. That canon info would probably be a good thing to add to the wiki.

[Blade]

I think it'd be somewhat safe to assume that linkpearls are similar in their background and function to FFXI's pearls. XI's were manufactured and you can see a piece of SE artwork showing a character using a linkpearl here.

 

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/The_D ... _(Volume_2)

 

in addition to the line of text where the author writes "The steady voice of Roger, my fellow exorcist, spoke to me through the linkpearl held to my ear. "

 

Honestly they seem like fantasy cell phones to me. As for them being manufactured, Elmer (for those from XI who may have heard of him) translated that out of a Japan-only artbook where it said the first one was developed by a tarutaru and marked it as a historical event.

 

How much of this can carry over in FFXIV is a little bit unknown, given that the games have different sets of lore and whatnot. Given though that they function the same (and one of the starting Limsa NPCs tosses one at you, giving the apearrance that they are small) I think it's safe to assume that they are very similar to their XI counterparts.

 

So yeah, a pearl would certainly not be something big, even just going by one of the early Limsa cutscenes alone.

[Satisiun]

So yeah' date=' a pearl would certainly not be something big, even just going by one of the early Limsa cutscenes alone.[/quote']

 

Oh, good. So I wasn't the only one who quirked a brow at a person or two saying they are palm-sized, when that cutscene where Baderon tosses you a pearl shows something no bigger than, like, a traditional marble.

 

And while it's impossible to say one way or the other whether these have some sort of visual feed, I have a hard time digesting them having that functionality if (a) they're meant to be used in a cell phone-esque manner, (b) they're so small, and © if they were capable of that, wouldn't the game have shown something like that by now when one of the NPCs contacts you?

[DAISHI]

Mine is palm sized. My lore says it is.

 

Oh much love :love:

[Ghunzyr]

If you think about it, if a Linkpearls are manufactured like cell phones, why couldn't a bigger one with a video-phone-like function be made eventually? Just look at how fast cell phone technology has advanced :lol:

[SamusKnight2K]

Here's one reason someone might think the pearl is palm-sized... But note that it's just a comic.

 

http://www.vgcats.com/ffxi/?strip_id=1

 

By the way I'm pretty certain linkpearls weren't "manufactured" in FFXI, they originated from a special type of shall shell (a seashell) that could create infinite pearls by just taking one from it. Essentially you could create hundreds upon thousands of pearls and distribute them to anyone you see fit. Now unlike your traditional pearl, this special pearl could transmit your voice to others. I really don't think any type of visual feature ever actually existed within them. Why else would one cup one to their ear instead of holding it in their palm and looking into it?

 

As for FFXIV, I don't think SE even bothered fleshing out any type of history behind it, pretty much it's FFXIV's version of your standard guilds that many other MMOs have. Thus probably why there is a crest and no pearl or linkshell appearance. To keep familiarity they just retained the name from FFXI. Eventually when they get caught up and have time we might just see more information regarding linkshells and linkpearls. If they ever conclude what a linkpearl is supposed to look like or its size (I doubt the visual thing will ever be reflected upon.) then I have to ask: What will those who claim their pearls are big orbs or palm-sized spheres say then? It goes against lore if SE says or shows otherwise them as tiny little pearls. Will you ignore it and create your own lore? Or will you adjust them accordingly?

 

EDIT:

 

So yeah, a pearl would certainly not be something big, even just going by one of the early Limsa cutscenes alone.

 

Is there a video or picture of this? I've never actually seen anything more than them handing you an invisible object. I'd love to get a view of it myself.

 

EDIT 2: Nevermind I ran it thru Google and found it.

 

 

If you pause it at 2:59 you see a small sparkling object being caught by the player's Lalafell. Granted by the Lalafell's size it might be just under palm-sized to them, but to the other races it's really small. Well that solves the linkpearl size. Thanks for the info about that.

[Kylin]

There's never been much lore about linkshells/pearls. It's pretty open to interpretation on a shell by shell basis.

 

The visual part is mostly a remnant from FFXI's Sylph RP community. There were 15 RP shells and about 350 role-players on the server. Every single one of them used the visual aspect of the linkshell. It was mostly based on player-made lore but it greatly enhanced our RP experiences in ways that audio only would have never achieved. As a RP shell ages, it generally starts having less events than it did in its glory days. As such, people grow bored and trickle away. The visual aspect helped alleviate this a bit more and quite possibly helped keep members around. Whether Sylph's stance on this issue was partially responsible for its major success as a RP community or not, we'll never know.

 

There are various IC means of how they would display images but the images were always very vague ones. You could never see extreme details. Generally, images were transmitted into your mind via the pearl. This was either because the linkshell was enchanted or was an upgraded version of the original linkshells. You could also have had larger pearls than normal (as a result of a larger linkshell) and actually peer into the pearl to see the images. These larger pearls could have been equipped to your gear (such as Daishi's description) or worn as a necklace.

 

While most shells in FF14 will use the audio only feature, there will be some that integrate visual aspects for an "enhanced" RP experience. I kinda wish the primary shell I was in used visual as well. Heck, had I gone through with creating my own linkshell, I too would have made it audio/visual (though I would have made an IC explanation about it on the group's site to avoid confusion). As I said, it's mostly player-made lore. And there's nothing wrong with that since it only impacts the individual linkshell. And physical interaction was still never allowed over the shell unless the individuals were right next to each other (so you couldn't emote over the shell ::Pokes Castiel:: unless you were standing right next to me in game).

[Blade]

Pearls were actually manufactured in XI, although you won't find that said in the game. They most ignore it. The actual line about them being invented at all comes from the art book that Elmer the Pointy translated, and he discusses it on Limit Break radio. I think the art book is called "Life of Vana'diel" if I'm not mistaken, and it included a history of all the nations and a lot of lesser known facts about the world, like where the name Lungo-Nango comes from (a fairly influential tarutaru in Windurst's history, but you never really see him mentioned in game, aside from his name on currency). As Elmer translated it out, it comes out to be:

 

"563 â Medada invents the Linkshell. (Though not as powerful as todayâs models)"

 

This was during the fourth Yagudo war.

 

Elmer also is sort of a big deal and does a lot of English-Japanese dialogues, I think he went to Vanafest and I believe he has had some talks with the developers as well, but I'm not positive. I think he is with Zam now. So I don't think this is something that he would just throw out there.

 

Also, I'm not putting this out to say that everyone should follow the lore in their specific RP group, especially since this doesn't directly translate to FFXIV. Just brainstorming here and trying to give people ideas. Personally I side with the audio-only argument... although I do think the visual component would be nice, I try to stick pretty close to the lore myself, and until I see a visual component to the LS in game I err on the side that function doesn't exist. But to each their own.

[Satisiun]

Elmer also is sort of a big deal and does a lot of English-Japanese dialogues' date=' I think he went to Vanafest and I believe he has had some talks with the developers as well, but I'm not positive. I think he is with Zam now. So I don't think this is something that he would just throw out there.[/quote']

 

You'd be correct. I've known Elmer since before he even played FFXI (I actually got him in to playing it in the first place), and I know his abilities in translation are top notch, considering his real life activities, location, and profession. So when he translates, you can be rest assured it is going to be as accurate as possible. Probably even more accurate than the paid translators for FFXIV itself. :lol:

 

And yes, he does have a connection to some of the developers.