I logged on about 9 AM. (I forgot about setting the clocks ahead last night, so I slept an hour later than I otherwise would have. I needed the sleep, so that was okay.) Logged off 7:30. Time played: Only 9.5 hours. (It really does feel like 'only'!)
Signs I've been playing more than not playing: Out of habit, I'm now moving my mouse with major caution -- in the game, it makes the camera angle swing wildly if I'm not careful. Big pain!
Since wild rabbits and tunnel worms were no longer a challenge, I started the day by venturing out a little further than I had yesterday. Almost immediately, I died. Eek! Big bug got me. Munch, munch, yummy white mage snack! I didn't bother waiting for anyone to raise me (since it was a low level area), and went home and took the XP penalty (which turned out to only be 100 or so XP, not bad at all!).
Once I got back outside, Aurina (
loneguardian) came by for a visit! This was uber cool as she was way, way higher level than me and nothing in the forest could eat her! We battled sheep and goblins and orcs together (with me hitting them and her keeping their attention to try to keep them from hitting me back). Zoomed up fast! Finished the level I was working on, and got a whole additional one! Woo! I'm thinking it must have been about 1,500 XP I got with her help! Possibly more! (Things today blurred together a lot.) As of logging off tonight: Level 7 (about halfway to level 8).
Also, she gave me a much, much better weapon (no longer do I look like a black-challenged goth! No more using a giant cross to beat things with!) AND a fishing pole! While fishing was one of the very first things I wanted to do in this game, I still haven't tried it out yet. *sniff* I need to find the bait-seller first. (Needing to find an NPC -- that could be the motto of this game for me!)
The biggest "excitement" (FRIGHT!) of the day came a few hours after she left: I was innocently killing bugs when this nasty goblin came up behind me and started attacking me! From behind! While the bug was attacking from the front! EEK! So after one round I saw I had no chance in heck of winning this, so I turned tail and ran. Of course, the two monsters followed me. Then something happened that I handled poorly, and knew I was doing so at the time:
While I was running, suddenly the goblin was alternating its hits between me and someone else. I hadn't seen this someone else (he must have saw me running with them behind me). Just yesterday one of the people on the linkshell (non FFXIers: a comm system set up for a small group of players) told me outright not to run when I was being chased and someone was trying to help, and I figured that this new person was trying to kill them for me... but I was scared of dying and so I kept running. (Part of me said it could be some other new person who got in the way by mistake, but most of me figured he was killing them for me.) Finally he told me to stop running, and at that point I did. He killed each of the two monsters in a blow or two. While I thanked him twice, I still felt bad that 1) I made it harder for him to help me, and 2) if I had been correct and it was some other new person, I had been leaving them to die in my place. I don't know how it is for everyone else who plays, but sometimes the emotions feel so real! All I could think about was that I was going to die, so I just ran ran ran. Oh well...
That spooked me for a while (and made me feel like I owed something), so for an hour or two I stayed close to the doorway and healed people newer and weaker than me, as well as killed a couple monsters chasing people. (I hate to admit it, but the sight of someone fleeing a wild rabbit made me giggle.)
Funny, I've only been playing the game for two days, but already I'm able to help people. I showed one person how to use his map, and two where to find things. If all new folks were nice/good, I think I might be happy staying in the starting town and just helping people. It's the new people who go "ne1 got gil i can have" and "SOME1 GIVE ME MONEY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!" that make me want to leave that town and never come back.
Oh, this is getting long and I still need to clean the catbox, take the trash out, and do other stuff tonight. I'll end this with some screenshots. (I tried one third-party screenshot taker, but it lagged me to heck and back so I had to stop using it and go back to the default system. Sorry these are small, I'll try the other screenshot taker tomorrow.)
While this picture doesn't do it much justice, the sunsets and sunrises can be so so so pretty! You can't really see the details there because it's so small, but it's just totally wonderful to see.
I wish I could have gotten a better shot of this! I *think* it's a Dragoon (sp?) guy. I'm guessing that's how the dragon that they get looks? *DROOL* I want!
Another environment shot. Look at that sky! This game just totally amazes me: You can watch the clouds move! I've watched the stars come out! You can see the grass and leaves blow!
Aurina and I sheep-killing: Dark out, but pretty sparkles! and light out (me with my old weapon still).
Last one: Smite the rabbit! I took this one to show off my new weapon, but the angle is wrong and you can't see it well. But you sure can see its effect on rabbits! (Also, my clothing is different now. I found a robe with a little higher protection that I could wear. Sure, I look even less like a fighter now, but at least I don't look like all the other new people running around!)
Rrrr, want to log back on and play more, but must do non-game stuff. Must!
Signs I've been playing more than not playing: Out of habit, I'm now moving my mouse with major caution -- in the game, it makes the camera angle swing wildly if I'm not careful. Big pain!
Since wild rabbits and tunnel worms were no longer a challenge, I started the day by venturing out a little further than I had yesterday. Almost immediately, I died. Eek! Big bug got me. Munch, munch, yummy white mage snack! I didn't bother waiting for anyone to raise me (since it was a low level area), and went home and took the XP penalty (which turned out to only be 100 or so XP, not bad at all!).
Once I got back outside, Aurina (
Also, she gave me a much, much better weapon (no longer do I look like a black-challenged goth! No more using a giant cross to beat things with!) AND a fishing pole! While fishing was one of the very first things I wanted to do in this game, I still haven't tried it out yet. *sniff* I need to find the bait-seller first. (Needing to find an NPC -- that could be the motto of this game for me!)
The biggest "excitement" (FRIGHT!) of the day came a few hours after she left: I was innocently killing bugs when this nasty goblin came up behind me and started attacking me! From behind! While the bug was attacking from the front! EEK! So after one round I saw I had no chance in heck of winning this, so I turned tail and ran. Of course, the two monsters followed me. Then something happened that I handled poorly, and knew I was doing so at the time:
While I was running, suddenly the goblin was alternating its hits between me and someone else. I hadn't seen this someone else (he must have saw me running with them behind me). Just yesterday one of the people on the linkshell (non FFXIers: a comm system set up for a small group of players) told me outright not to run when I was being chased and someone was trying to help, and I figured that this new person was trying to kill them for me... but I was scared of dying and so I kept running. (Part of me said it could be some other new person who got in the way by mistake, but most of me figured he was killing them for me.) Finally he told me to stop running, and at that point I did. He killed each of the two monsters in a blow or two. While I thanked him twice, I still felt bad that 1) I made it harder for him to help me, and 2) if I had been correct and it was some other new person, I had been leaving them to die in my place. I don't know how it is for everyone else who plays, but sometimes the emotions feel so real! All I could think about was that I was going to die, so I just ran ran ran. Oh well...
That spooked me for a while (and made me feel like I owed something), so for an hour or two I stayed close to the doorway and healed people newer and weaker than me, as well as killed a couple monsters chasing people. (I hate to admit it, but the sight of someone fleeing a wild rabbit made me giggle.)
Funny, I've only been playing the game for two days, but already I'm able to help people. I showed one person how to use his map, and two where to find things. If all new folks were nice/good, I think I might be happy staying in the starting town and just helping people. It's the new people who go "ne1 got gil i can have" and "SOME1 GIVE ME MONEY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!" that make me want to leave that town and never come back.
Oh, this is getting long and I still need to clean the catbox, take the trash out, and do other stuff tonight. I'll end this with some screenshots. (I tried one third-party screenshot taker, but it lagged me to heck and back so I had to stop using it and go back to the default system. Sorry these are small, I'll try the other screenshot taker tomorrow.)
While this picture doesn't do it much justice, the sunsets and sunrises can be so so so pretty! You can't really see the details there because it's so small, but it's just totally wonderful to see.
I wish I could have gotten a better shot of this! I *think* it's a Dragoon (sp?) guy. I'm guessing that's how the dragon that they get looks? *DROOL* I want!
Another environment shot. Look at that sky! This game just totally amazes me: You can watch the clouds move! I've watched the stars come out! You can see the grass and leaves blow!
Aurina and I sheep-killing: Dark out, but pretty sparkles! and light out (me with my old weapon still).
Last one: Smite the rabbit! I took this one to show off my new weapon, but the angle is wrong and you can't see it well. But you sure can see its effect on rabbits! (Also, my clothing is different now. I found a robe with a little higher protection that I could wear. Sure, I look even less like a fighter now, but at least I don't look like all the other new people running around!)
Rrrr, want to log back on and play more, but must do non-game stuff. Must!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 08:51 pm (UTC)Umm...stupid question, but how much is the storyline like the other Final Fantasies? Is there a storyline?
no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 09:20 pm (UTC)That's not a stupid question! There's sort of a "meta-storyline" -- it's influenced and evolves through player action. You don't see the evolution because it's big and slow, but it's there. Plus there are smaller storylines, like inner-city stuff. Lots of quests seem to have storylines behind them.
Only having played FFX I'll say this: There's not as much storyline in FFXI, but I think I'm having a better time in XI than I had in X. Interacting with real people is just so cool! Sometimes great, sometimes not so good, but always cool and new and interesting!
I highly recommend it. :)
no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 09:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 09:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 09:21 pm (UTC)...I'll stop using Scar icons now. o.o
no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 09:30 pm (UTC)Hopefully we'll meet up sometime!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 11:56 pm (UTC)Draque and Eadwyn are San d'Orian, I think the rest of us are Bastokan. XD And we're all Hume 'cept Noluenn, the silly elf. :3 Well, Ceruceru's a Mithra and Windurstian, but she's a mule/crafting character, last I checked... >.>
Anyway, feel free to /tell any of us if ya need any help :3
no subject
Date: 2004-04-05 07:03 am (UTC)Oh, I meant to ask you about Kelen! I saw a player online with that name, but he/she didn't reply when I asked if they knew LJ you, so I wondered if it was the same person or not.
Cool, thanks! I will!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-05 07:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-05 08:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-05 03:41 pm (UTC)Cerulean/Ceruceru here! I'm not on FFXI much these days due to schoolwork kicking my butt. ^_^
See you there, though, hopefully.
(This is also that loser with the IC LJ for Edward Elric. Shh~!)
no subject
Date: 2004-04-05 03:47 pm (UTC)(This is also that loser with the IC LJ for Edward Elric. Shh~!)
*snicker* Not loser! Cool!
no subject
Date: 2004-04-05 03:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 10:22 pm (UTC)*sigh*
We miss you! But glad you're having fun. ^^
no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 10:58 pm (UTC)Anyway, sorry you're missing me! Bedtime! *Zoom*
no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 10:27 pm (UTC)Actually, the monthly cost issue will probably keep me away well enough on it's own. But damn if this doesn't look cool. ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-04-04 10:56 pm (UTC)Heh heh heh! ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-04-05 12:49 pm (UTC)But nope, monthly cost sucks, I don't think my computer will run it, and you made me think I'd like FFX too and I hated it.
Must resist. Must resist...
no subject
Date: 2004-04-05 01:09 pm (UTC)As for your computer being able to run it or not, there's a little thing you can download to test it out:
http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/multimedia/download/bench/index.html
Plus you get a demo with it! And just a hint: It rated my computer as only a little above average, yet I can play it with all the graphics and effects and such at the highest level without problem -- I think the benchmark lists your machine as a little weaker than it is. I think.
The monthly charge is only $12! What's that, a single movie ticket for one person? A couple rentals at Blockbuster? A book, maybe two? And for that charge, you get *unlimited* play! AND the first month is free!
It's really an amaazing game. Everything is so realistic! And cool! Even if there was nothing to kill and no jobs/quests to do, I could still be happy just watching the sky and running in the water and just *seeing* everything! It's totally amazing, and I'm dying to log on tonight! :)
I can't wait for my upcoming vacation, so I can play all day and all night!