The Future of LPS×S

Lately I've expressed misgivings about whether I shall continue this project. After giving it some thought, I've decided that no, I shall not; the format of episodes and recaps and all that is just...getting to me. I had much more fun posting the little tweets to give updates about my progress than I did writing up in-depth posts for the blog.

And so, that's where I stand: Instead of the large-format LPS×S blog, I'll continue to tweet about whatever it is that I happen to be playing. You can expect to see a lot of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, specifically XI and I for now, and anything else that I happen to pick up and play for a moment. I'll keep non-gaming chatter to a minimum, just because that's not really the place where I want to talk politics or religion for the most part, so if you follow me for games and you don't like what I say, just ignore it; I won't say it much. I'm @x_loto, and I'll be around. Thank you for reading! ...Of course, I never said this blog will be completely abandoned. Maybe we should all keep an eye out...just in case.

Sigh...

Somehow my cats dragged the laptop off of its cart yesterday and cracked the casing around the monitor portion. It still works, however, so that's good.

At the same time, I've had a strange error occur twice this past week. Suddenly, both times while I was trying to watch review footage for the Dragon Quest blog, the computer just...stopped. Still running, but the screen just shut off and it refused to respond to anything. I don't know if maybe it's overheating or something, but it felt hot to me when I was trying to figure out the problem. I have a window fan set on high one inch away now, just in case.

I'm really starting to question whether I should continue this blog. I know that someone, somewhere, is interested in this sort of thing, although I knew that I wouldn't have a large audience to start--or, more likely, ever. That doesn't bother me. The time involved isn't really an issue either; it really doesn't take that much longer to write the blog after playing the way I was going to play anyway. And I hate that I so very often do not finish what I start. If I pull the plug now, that leaves Dragon Quest about half done, and I just started a side project with FFXI. Maybe I'm just starting to get burned out on video games; I hope not, I still have a backlog of maybe 30 that I was excited about at the time, and I'd still like to see them.

So I guess I'm just kind of bummed about the computer possibly starting to die, questioning whether it's worth it to try to save the files and notes and whatnot involved in writing this. Either way, I'd better get to backing up files...just in case.

UPDATE: Well, I don't think it's the cats that did it, but there's definitely something wrong with the laptop. It died on me again while I was playing FFXI just now. At least it's an MMO this time and I didn't lost my little progress.

Final Fantasy XI #001: Trial of FREEDOM!

Welcome back, readers! After countless (well, not really, just double-digit) hours of installation, update, and config tinkering, I finally got my first taste of what Hiromichi Tanaka, XI's producer, called "the most Final Fantasy of all the installments." Or as I prefer to phrase it, "the most Final of all Fantasies!" So there's that.

Moving right along! I've created two characters so far for the trial, but I'll likely only keep playing one. I decided to make my main a Tarutaru, the diminutive race which was designed to be the magic-users. It was a kind of tough choice, since I didn't really want to play as a kid-looking dude, but meh, it's growing on me. I moreso didn't want to play cross-gender right now, and the female-only Mithra was the only other class that interested me, so Tarutaru it was. I started as a BLM (the abbreviation of Black Mage), since I want to have some decent magic power to start with, and win battles at the same time. I think eventually I'll switch to RDM (Red Mage), and if I get that far I'll tack on /BLM (an abbreviation meaning Black Mage as sub-job; the full abbreviation would then be "RDM/BLM"). I'm not looking too far beyond my 14 days for now, so I may not pass the sub-job quest yet.

Starting out, I was given a little history of the Federation of Windurst, a wonderful land of trees and magic where small children and sexy catgirls live. Upon seeing my character, I was told by some NPCs that I should seek Selele for guidance, and the Gatehouse for missions, both at the eastern gate leading to Sarutabaruta. I also saw that I had a ring and a Stone magic scroll, so I equipped and/or learned each of those. Most of this first session was just spent speaking to NPCs and getting the feel of the city. This was partly because many of the PCs whom I met ignored me. Oh well, it was expected. One very helpful NPC told me all about elemental defense, and pointed out that many status ailments are associated with elements. For example, if I have Ice resistance, I'll be less susceptible to paralysis. This is something I would not have expected, and I'm glad I found that so early.

During my exploration of the town, I met a Porter Moogle who had a heck of a lot to say, and none of it very useful to me. During his long speech, a Hume (I think) player named Cordareo came along and cheered me on! I appreciated the nice gesture, and rushed through the remainder of the Porter's dialogue so I could greet him in return. After some fumbled attempts at chatting, I said hello and explained that I was new, and trying to figure things out. His reply was classic: "Well, this moogle is not for you sir." Not for me, indeed! At that time he invited me to join his party; at that time my son woke and began to cry, so I had to go. However, he stayed with my character long enough to leave a fair amount of info behind, going so far as to look up info and give me more precise directions to Selele. Speaking of that, I forgot to check out the Field Manual he told me about; I'll get it next time. So if you happen to read this, thank you Cordareo; you are exactly the kind of person I hoped I would meet on my adventure!

It wasn't too long after this that I was given my first task by Selele, to raise my Weapon Skill to 5. Doing this, of course, requires using my weapon. Which is a staff, because I'm a mage. So I began by simply fighting to raise my Level until I could survive better while using my staff. My first two battles: I killed a Tiny Mandragora, and then another Tiny Mandragora killed me while I was confused by the battle system. How about that, killed by a Slime. </DragonQuest> At least I didn't lose any EXP. What can I say? I tried to run away, and I didn't realize he was still chasing me when I stopped to heal! My thoughts on camping to heal: Too. Slow. 30-40 seconds wasted if you need to recover significantly, though I suppose it's better than draining all your gil into healing items. Speaking of those, treasure chests are pretty fun. If they are locked, you get several chances to try to determine the combination based on simple clues. It's not easy--I succeeded only once, out of three, maybe four locked chests--but it is interesting. And time-consuming. Also, if there are more than one item in the chest you have to acquire them individually; no "Get All" command in this game. Anyway, it wasn't long before I'd forgotten why I was fighting but reached Level 5 regardless. My thoughts on battles in FFXI: So far, they appear to move kind of slowly. though it did seem to pick a little once I realized where to pay attention for gauges and timers associated with spellcasting.

Sometime during all that--during the time between dying and leaving town again, no doubt--I found a place with a bunch of PCs all standing together. I commented that it was the most people I had seen together so far, but no one paid me any mind until a Tarutaru named Dyoko arrived and waved at me. I took the opportunity to ask about emotes, and received some more helpful advice. Thank you, Dyoko!

Well, that's about it. I went back out and raised my Weapon Skill to 5, got some stuff as a reward along with a new assignment, and sat down for a break. Final thoughts for this post: There has been extremely little story so far to make me feel like something is actually happening, but knowing the nature of the game, it can't help but have a slow start. I'll definitely continue to play through the trial period, and we'll see what happens by the end of that.

By the way, if anyone reading this happens to play on the Bismarck world, my name is Bartholomey, so go ahead and look me up! ^_^

My Progress
Level	BLM 5
Total Time	02:56
Deaths	1

Let's Play Final Fantasy XI: 1-Sided: Introduction

Welcome, Readers! Today I have a treat for you: I decided to go ahead and begin my side project of playing "the game that got away," Final Fantasy XI, a little bit early! As I've mentioned in a previous post, I didn't think I'd ever actually sit down and play this, and I'm not sure how far I'll get, but here it is, and here we go!

But first, we have to install it! I decided to start by going through the 14-day free trial available from Square Enix's website, and of course the downloading is Step 1. Well, not long ago I had gone to my ISP and reduced my broadband speed to the lowest level possible to save some money. I hadn't been watching a lot of YouTube lately, and it had been quite some time since I'd had to download anything substantial, so for a time it was worth it. But RIGHT NOW, it's making a 1-hr download take EIGHT FULL HOURS at 768 Kbps.

Step 2 was bringing my speed back up. That will take effect on Tuesday. Sigh.

Well, finally the 2GB file is mine! I run the install file, and of course I have to install the PlayOnline viewer. Okay! Then I have to update it...? ...Okay! So after maybe 10-15 minutes of that I arrive at the point where I need to register at PlayOnline...and all it does is say I need a Square Enix account. Huh? I made one of those yesterday, ahead of time! Why is this option here if it doesn't work?

So I went ahead and skipped that step for the mo, and I started installing FFXI proper. The install took a while, but it wasn't ridiculous or anything. Then running the game...brings up the PlayOnline viewer. No luck there, so I go to the Square Enix website and finally figure out this PlayOnline ID thing! I enter the registration code for the free trial, and voila! We're online!

So I start up the game, and I see this:

A Word To Our Players

Exploring Vana'diel is a thrilling experience. During your time here, you will be able to talk, join, and adventure with many other individuals in an experience that is unique to online games.

That being said, we have no desire to see your real life suffer as a consequence. Don't forget your family, your friends, your school, or your work.*

*Emphasis added.

...Is this really necessary~! O_o I mean, I'd read about that disclaimer before, but actually seeing it was just...wow.

Next step is to play the game! ...Except instead we have to update the game itself now. FOREVER. As of this moment, there are 26033/28909 files remaining to update. Insert "over 9000" joke here.

...I'm going to go play Dragon Quest.

Let's Play...an MMO?!

Loyal readers! As you may have realized, this project of mine will eventually include every main Dragon Quest game, at least up to the currently released IX (and many spin-offs as well). It's not much of a stretch to assume that I'm also including Final Fantasy (especially if you saw my long-running poll before votes started expiring), and that I intend to do the same with that series, at least up to XII; I don't currently have a system to play XIII on, but we'll see.

That seems straightforward, but one game has been in question: Final Fantasy XI. It's a polarizing title. Is the play style so different that it should have been a spin-off? Does it deserve to be a "numbered" FF game? Even people who have played and enjoyed it don't all agree on that. I myself used to be of the camp that believed it should not have been called "XI," though I admit that was largely because I regretted that I likely wouldn't be able to play it, and it would always be the "missing" FF to me.

Or would it? It's been 10 years since the Japanese release and it's still running, with a fifth expansion soon to be released. I have a better computer than I did at release time, so I don't need expensive hardware for the PS2. The price has also dropped considerably. I think...I think I can do this!

I intend very soon to download the free trial from Square Enix's website. If I decide to keep it up, I won't be able to LP it "Side × Side," so Final Fantasy XI will get the "1-Sided" treatment. And since it's only 1-Sided, I'll continue the Side × Side main LPs alongside it, so no worries there!

But I'd like to close this out with a question: If anyone reading this has played FFXI, what would you suggest for a race? I'm assuming it can't be changed after starting, and I can't make up my mind! ;-)

Dragon Quest #04: Cave of DARKNESS!

Hi again! Small note here, I've gone and renamed the first couple posts of this blog to match the format I seem to have started. I'm also going to try a different method of writing, doing a little bit after each leg of the journey, so you may notice a change in the flow of the blog. Anyway, it's been long enough since last time, so let's move along, shall we?

First, our goals for the evening:

1. Loot the Rocky Mountain Cave repeatedly until I have enough money for a Large Shield.
2. ...That's it.

So let's begin!

Marching a little bit north of the castle and then west to the coastline, and turning south to cross a bridge, one soon comes to a small patch of swampland to the east, around which a majestic mountain range looms merrily over...well, everyone, I'd suppose. East of this swamp is a cave which I do not believe has ever been officially mentioned or named in any version of this game, but which is commonly known as the "Rocky Mountain Cave." Inside, as in Erdrick's Cave, we are welcomed by a comforting blanket of TOTAL FREAKIN' DARKNESS, and unlike Erdrick's Cave, the warm embrace of MONSTERS TRYING TO KILL YOU.

Let's start with the original set of releases. On the first floor we encounter a new foe, the Druin, which dies. There is also an Herb on the first floor, in the northeast corner near the stairs leading downward. Be careful, as there are two sets of decoy stairs which lead to dead ends in the northwest and southeast.

The second floor is not so friendly. All of the monsters are stronger here, comparable to Scorpions and Skeletons from Kol, only worse because they're worse. One, the Poltergeist, would very much like to HURT you. The Sleep spell comes in very handy down here, unlike Hurt which is already starting to lose its utility due to hey, we're getting stronger now and we just bought an Axe. I'd recommend not sticking around if you don't have MP to spare for Sleep castings; Warlocks and Drolls are as capable of making you die as Skeletons (which caused my first NES-U death), and Drakeemas are the first monster we've met which can Heal itself, so Sleep can save you a lot of trouble!

For the intrepid explorer, there is much to find in the depths of the Rocky Mountains. Along with a common Torch and a small sum of Gold, there is the Fighter's Ring and a large sum of Gold. First the Ring: Unless you just like having useless things (which I admit, I do...), sell it. It's worth 15 Gold to you gone, and nothing to you on your finger. It has been discovered that there are only two places is the game code that check for the presence of the Ring. One is a man who changes his dialogue if he sees it. The other portion checks to see if you're already wearing the Ring when you go to put it on. It doesn't increase your Strength, and it doesn't make monsters run away (although it may seem that way, since wasting your turn gives them another chance to try).

Now, the large sum of Gold: There's a 1-in-32 chance that you actually get something other than Gold here, namely the Death Necklace! If you do, JACKPOT!, it's worth a lot of shiny. Just don't use it!--it's cursed! What does that mean? Oh, nothing important...you just won't be allowed into the castle because of the evil stench rolling off of you, so you won't be able to SAVE YOUR GAME. Even intentionally dying doesn't work, because the King will revive you just enough to kick you out of the castle with 1 HP and 0 MP. Now, if you do happen to accidentally put on the Death Necklace, there is a man in Brecconary who will remove it for free...but you'll lose the merchandise. Better to sell it!

Now for something that I didn't expect: While running through the cave on the MSX version, I actually succeeded in obtaining the Death Necklace! Called しのくびかざり [shi no kubikazari], it is worth a whopping 1200 Gold, more than enough to buy the Large Shield and end that leg of the journey. It was fitting that I received it on that run as well, since a Warlock nearly killed me twice with Sleep just beforehand, and then I was immediately ambushed by another before grabbing the treasure, which left me with only 2 MP and no Herbs remaining to escape the cave with my booty. Thankfully, even if I'd died the equity in my Necklace would have remained, but I managed to escape anyway so I was pretty lucky all around! ^_^

But most iterations of my journey were not so fortunate. Even so, after only two or three trips in and out of the cave, noble Egbert had enough money for the Large Shield sold at Garinham. Let's go get it! ...and then we're done.

But now it's time to talk about the remakes. I stated in previous blogs that I expected all the caves would look the same. Boy, was I wrong! The Rocky Mountain Cave in particular has been vastly redesigned for the SNES, and the same new design was carried over into the GBC. Instead of heading toward the northeast, we are forced to take a circuitous route along the outside edge of the cave moving clockwise, stopping for a small treasure behind a pool along the way. The amount of Gold? ALMOST 350. Sure beats 14, right? Our goal, by the way, is the stairway in the northwest corner, unless you're coming here late and you have a key to open the door which has shown up in the southwest; both lead to the main area of the lower level. Also, for some reason the メーダ [mēda] are drawn as floating in the SNES edition--that's the monster called "Druin" in North America.

Or is it? Here's an interesting tidbit: Although the Japanese names never changed, the monster originally called "Druin" was renamed "Eyeder" for the GBC. The reason? Who knows, but it probably had something to do with the "Warlock" being renamed..."Druin." O_o

As different as the upper level was, the lower level is much more so. Along the north wall are several rooms, one of which contains a large amount of Gold (OVER 670!) which I promptly lost by putting off healing in a battle with a ドラキーマ [dorakīma]. Forgetting that the battle system was now shared with DQII on the same cart, I also forgot that in each round the monster now actually has a chance to go first if it's faster than I am. I learned the hard way to heal ahead of time! However, even after losing half I still had 657 Gold, which is pretty dang good this early in the game.

Anyway, back to that long hallway. After the big chest of Gold is one which contains a Torch, or perhaps the Death Necklace if you're (un)-lucky? No, you'd be lucky! ^_^ Going around the east end of the cave brings you to a section where you can turn west and enter the central chambers. In various rooms around here are a 鉄の盾 [tetsu no tate], ちからのたね [chikara no tane] to increase STR, ふしぎなきのみ [fushigi na ki no mi] to increase Max MP, and displayed very prominently, the 戦士の指輪 [senshi no yubiwa]--you know, the ring that does nothing. But wait, that "tetsu" thing...that's actually the "Iron Shield," which is the same as the Large Shield we were here to earn money for. That means we're done! Banzai! Head back to town, and if you have over 1000 Gold (you probably do), put it in the Vault at the Inn before saving.

Next time we'll try to journey on to Rimuldar. Will we make it, or will we laugh in the face of failure and try again until we make it?!

My Progress
Version	NES (U)	MSX (J)	MSX2 (J)	NES (J)	SNES (J)	GBC (U)	GBC (J)
Level	8	8	8	8	8	8	8
Total Time	02:10	02:22	01:57	02:09	01:27	01:24	01:22
Deaths	1	1	1	0	1	1	0