We're wrapping up this week with a review of all the great stories from the past seven days. If you missed any of the major news this week now is the perfect time to catch up!
A brand new columnist joined the ranks this week. Check out the news article for his introduction to the site. His first column was also posted today so give it a read.
Our screenshot coordinator was able to get us some premium screenshots for this week's update. If you missed out on their beauty we'd suggest reading this article.
This week PlayOnline cracked down on gil farmers and other Terms of Service Breakers. If you want all the numbers involved please check out our news story.
Billing Reminder from PlayOnline Early in the week a billing reminder came around. It's pretty standard stuff but if you're still confused about when you will be charged or how the cycle works then this out.
Columnist Calion7373 has posted his latest column The Role of Party Members. As the name implies this column deals with the various archetypes that a player can assume during a party adventure. We've got a small snippet for you below:
The first role I would like to discuss is the tank. The role of a tank is a very important one. Their primary objective is to focus all of the hate (Or the mob’s attention) on themselves. That allows all of the other members of the party to go about what they are doing. In an effective party, there will be one main tank and a damage dealer who can take over as a secondary tank if need be. The tank should always be the person who can provoke and has the most HP in the party. If at any time, while you are fighting as the tank, the mob changes it’s attention to elsewhere, immediately provoke it! If the party members elect you to be a tank, don’t fight them. It’s not that hard to be a tank, and if everyone does their job, it shouldn’t be hard at all.
I would like to put a little side note right here before I mention any of the other roles in the party. No one who can deal damage or even the tank should have to heal themselves in between battle. It is the Mage’s prime objective to keep everyone alive. During the downtime between battles, Mages should heal everyone; that way, no one has to lose the TP they gain in battle.
We've got a brand new Adventurer of the Week interview posted for your reading enjoyment. This week we interview another Mithra, Mugetsu710. Check out a little of what he had to say below or click "read more" for the full article.
FF Vault: Please introduce yourself to the community. How long have you been playing FFXI? Give us some the general gist of things.
Mugetsu710: I am known as Nisei, the Mithra Thief on Asura. I've been playing FFXI off and on for about 2 years. I first started 2 years ago, I played for about 6 or 7 months on Lakshmi and got my Elvaan Thief named Trog to level 46 before I quit the game. Fast-forward to late May of 2006 and I had a sudden urge to play this game (that, and I was waiting for Vanguard: Saga of Heroes to be released, which is getting released on January 30th). I played from late May until mid-July getting my Mithra Thief (Nisei) to level 68 before taking a 3 month break. To this day, I am a level 75 Thief, I hit level 75 on January 21st.
Another week means another forum digest! We're here to bring you the latest happening the community. We've scoured the VN Boards and IGN Boards to bring you this list of active threads.
PlayOnline Cracks Down! Print News | Mail News | Category: News Recently PlayOnline has taken action against many players who have broken the terms of service. Every hoodlum from RMTers to circumventors has been affected by PlayOnline's decision that enough is enough. PlayOnline reported an estimated number of how many players were banned today. We have the full notes below:
We would like to report the termination today of multiple accounts held by players involved in the usage of third-party tools or cheats, or engaged in RMT (Real Money Trading) activities.
Over 6,100 accounts were permanently banned due to terms of service violations. Details of the violations are as follows:
- Usage of tools that allow enhanced character movement.
Approx. 2,300 cases
- Usage of tools that circumvent game mechanics with respect to the timing of ability use, etc. in certain areas or at points where Notorious Monsters appear.
Approx. 850 cases
- Accounts from people that were previously confirmed to have RMT connections, or that had violated the user agreements but re-subscribed to PlayOnline.
Approx. 1,850 cases
- RMT-related activity
Approx. 1,100 cases
The termination of these accounts has led to the removal of approximately 17.2 billion gil from circulation.
We would like to remind players that as well as adversely affecting game balance, the use of third-party tools or cheats can also have consequences that are not immediately obvious, such as introducing damaging viruses, and comprising the security of private account details. Usage of third-party tools will not be tolerated within FINAL FANTASY XI, and we will continue to severely penalize any players found to be in violation of the PlayOnline Member Agreement.
We would also like to announce that the issue where players could illegally obtain gil through the Quest "An Explorer's Footsteps" has been fixed as of the maintenance work that was carried out on Jan. 16th. We have also taken action against any accounts that were confirmed to have participated in illegal acts related to this issue.
As we continue to ensure a fun and balanced environment for FINAL FANTASY XI, we hope that our players enjoy the game as it was intended and take care to avoid involvement in activities that violate the PlayOnline Member Agreement.
Thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding.
Since the beginning of service, FINAL FANTASY XI has only been available in English or Japanese.
However, starting in March, we will be offering a language conversion download for players using the European software that will make it possible to play FINAL FANTASY XI in French or German!
Towards the end of March, we also plan to release language-specific FINAL FANTASY XI packages for new French and German players.
We look forward to welcoming you to the ever-changing world of Vana'diel!
We have experienced several technical difficulties in some areas on the Alexander World, but the recovery process is now complete. Thank you for your patience.
[Date & Time]
Jan. 24, 2007 from 8:20 to 8:38 (PST)
[Issue Details]
Unable to access to the following areas.
hank you for your continued use of PlayOnline service.
We would like to remind all of you that the registration server maintenance will be held in the near future. This is when the normal monthly billing cycle will occur.
Please be advised that you will not be able to register or unsubscribe PlayOnline accounts, review or update your member information, or review, purchase, cancel, or reactivate Content IDs during the maintenance period. Please ensure you have cancelled any services you no longer wish to be charged in advance.
You may also be disconnected from PlayOnline services during the maintenance if there is a problem with your payment method. To avoid this, please complete all necessary billing changes in advance.
At the following time, we have performed a version update of FINAL FANTASY XI.
* This update consists of a version upgrade of the client program. When you press the play button after the time stated below, the version upgrade will begin automatically. Please follow the instructions on the screen.
[Affected Period]
Jan. 23, 2007 23:00 (PST)
[Affected Services]
FINAL FANTASY XI
[Important Update Details]
An issue where an auto-disconnect message displayed in German on both US and EU clients has been addressed.
We've updated our screenshots database with three fresh screenshots thanks to mana_sword. These screenshots can be viewed as previews below. Clicking one of the thumbnails will bring the screenshot in to full view:
Light Elemental
At the following time, we have performed a version update of the PlayOnline Viewer (Windows and Xbox versions).
* The client software has also been updated at this time. The version update process will automatically begin upon login after the time stated below. Please follow the instructions that appear on your screen. (There is no update for PlayStation 2(R) version.)
[Affected Period]
Jan. 21, 2007 23:00 (PST)
[Affected Services]
PlayOnline
[Important Update Details]
An issue wherein the game would freeze while receiving mails has been addressed.(Windows and Xbox versions only)
Another week means another great topic to discuss. This week's topic might seem a little general but it brings to mind what many players (and non-players) have come to expect from Final Fantasy XI. They all expect a great community and boy does our game deliver.
What are your favorite aspects of the community? Have you played with friends recently? Go on any interesting LinkShells? Let us know with this week's topic!
We Welcome 'The Ghostwriter of Bastok'[ Comment ] Print News | Mail News | Category: Site News Starting this week Final Fantasy Vault will be brining you a brand new column The Ghostwriter of Bastok. Our new columnist has taken it upon himself to write an introduction. We're happy to share it below and watch out for his first column this Friday.
I am a new columnist for the Final Fantasy Vault. I would just like to take time to introduce myself to you. I’ll be referring to myself as the Ghostwriter of Bastok. Odds are, at one point or another, you’ve seen me. I may have been just another face on your way through the city, or when running to the Valkurm Dunes. We may have shared a party, had a trade, or even simply shared a kind word or two. But you may never know it was me…
I refer to myself as the Ghostwriter for many reasons. I make my observations in the game without announcing myself to others around me. I’m not one character. My views are not a physical being. I am words. I am a thought. I am what you hear whispered about late at night by old Humes, and rumored about in the daytime by brave Galka. I’m not bound to one town in particular, but hail from Bastok. I do not deny my roots to Bastok and do not have a sense of anger or hostility towards any of the ruling nations. I am an observer by nature. Things that do not occur to many players stick out to me. As I walk through Vana’Diel, the subtleties of life pop out to me. I immerse myself so deeply into the game that I feel that every sale completed, every battle fought, every distance traveled, is a piece of art to me, so much so that I enjoy every minute of playing this game.
I believe that is enough about myself for now. I would like to start my columnist career by telling you all what I am here for, my mission statement, if you will. I would like to help the Final Fantasy Vault in any way that I can. I would be more than happy to help add to the accumulative knowledge which the Vault holds. By writing informational columns, observational, humorous happenings, and other things that I think may perk some of your interests, I believe that I can add to the greatness of this place. I would also be happy to help anyone I can with any knowledge of the world that I have. Like everyone else, I still have very, very much that I can learn from and about it.
As my final issue, I ask all of you for one and only one favor. Learn. If I write about how I observed a level 10 Warrior die from fighting alone in the Valkurm Dunes, don’t go out and try it yourself. If I write about gil farmers and their negative impact on the economy, do not go and try selling gil. I’m here to help and if my advice falls on deaf ears, what good am I? I simply want to make this game an even more enjoyable experience for everyone.
Once again, I hope I live up to the expectations that you have for me as a columnist.
The first week of our blog contest is now officially closed. We would like to congratulate cptwtf for his blog entry about his first few days in Final Fantasy XI. He's won one week's worth of VIP on the VN Boards.
If you're going to be playing this week please post a blog entry. It will enter you in to this great contest. If you need further details click here.
The weekend: Ultimate Good and Ultimate Bad
So I finally get Final Fantasy XI for the PS2. Installing the drive was so purely simple I was suprised. I was expecting cables and what not, but it was just a simple slap in and I was done. So I went to check my network settings, as I noticed it was having problems connecting.
That's when all hell broke loose....
Yes, someone had come into my apartment and stolen my laptop. Why did the network not work? The culprit powered off my router, which once plugged in everything worked just dandy.
I reported it to the police, nothing much there, let my neighbours know about it and that was it.
So anyways, about the good part wink . I started playing final fantasy XI.
Day 1, 2 hours in: Finally figured out most of the controls.
Day 1, 2 hours in: First party friend
Day 1, 3 hours in: My first linkshell
Day 1, 4-end of day: Leveled up to almost level 10, nearly done with my first mission (finally decided to go to sleep). Thanks to Sniffle, Arkane, Tie... I'm not even gonna try, that's hard to pronounce, Aulbin (I think?) and I kid you not, the 10 healers I met along the way haha.
Ok seriously, I attract healers like magnets. I've been revived twice, and healed a total of 35 times (most healers had 10 hp, which I had almost 120 so :P). This was all on my first day mind you wink . Can't wait to hit it again after work tonight.
At the following time, we will be performing PlayOnline registration server maintenance.
During this time, users will receive an error message when attempting to register or unsubscribe PlayOnline accounts, review or update member information, or review, purchase, cancel, or reactivate Content IDs.
Thank you for your patience.
[Date & Time]
From Jan. 22, 2007 23:00 to Jan. 23, 2007 3:00 (PST)
*Maintenance completion time may be subject to change.
Further Login Issues Print News | Mail News | Category: News Today the Final Fantasy servers were experiencing some login difficulties. Do not worry though, as Playonline realizes it, and is trying to rectify the situation.We've got the full notes below:
We are experiencing login and logout difficulties with FINAL FANTASY XI. The issue is currently being addressed and new updates will follow as additional information becomes available.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
[Date & Time]
From Jan. 21, 2007 at 14:27 (PST)
[Details]
- Login and logout difficulties with FINAL FANTASY XI.
- Issues with searching and auction house.
Login Issues Cleared Print News | Mail News | Category: News If you had issues logging in to FFXI yesterday evening please don't fret. PlayOnline was aware of the problem and how now fixed it. We've got the full notes below:
We have experienced login difficulties with FINAL FANTASY XI during the time shown below. The recovery process is now complete but we will continue to investigate and maintain best service possible.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
[Date & Time]
Jan. 19, 2007 from 19:15 to Jan. 20, 2007 1:10 (PST)
[Details]
- Login difficulties with FINAL FANTASY XI.
- Issues with the search function and auction house.
Final Fantasy Vault is pleased to announce a brand new feature Weekly Adventurer. This new feature showcases members of the community, their characters and other Final Fantasy related content.
Our firt interview is Kdadam from the Final Fantasy Board (IGN). This player has been playing FFXI for a long time and has some very detailed stories about his chracters.
Read our interview with him to learn about his characters, adventures and his excellent photo gallery. If you know someone who you'd like to see featured on Weekly Adventurer please let us know by emailing Sparky[at]vaultnetwork.com
FF Vault: Tell us a little bit about your MMO experience. How did you come across Final Fantasy XI and how long have you been playing?
kdadam: FFXI was my first MMO. I've played Final Fantasy games since FFVII on the first Playstation. Since then, I've played all of the subsequent releases as well as the mighty Final Fantasy Tactics and a number of the older games. When FFXI was announced, I was interested in it, but slightly concerned due to the MMO design. I felt it might be the kind of thing that I would have a hard time playing in moderation. I held off for a long time, but eventually succumbed and decided to give it a shot in August of 2004. I was hooked immediately, although happily my fears were mostly unfounded as I have resisted being consumed wholely. I'm able to play (and even complete) other games on a regular basis while still having fun in Vana'diel.
We've updated our screenshots database with three fresh screenshots thanks to mana_sword. These screenshots can be viewed as previews below. A link to the full resolution images is included at the bottom:
View the full resolution imags here.
