Testing 1, 2, 4… oops, 3

Okay, I admit that I fooled around with a few other titles for this blog post: “The Beta Race” or even “The Quest for the Open Beta Key” but in the end, I think this one is best.

“Why?” You asked.

One word: servers.

After being delayed due to "critical issues" (probably servers), Open Beta finally opened last night, September 1.

And it started out with a bang, crash and error.

I just wish now that I had taken screen shots....

Now come one Square Enix, you released a time (19:00 PST aka 11:00pm my time) for OPEN BETA of Final Fantasy XIV and you didn’t think everyone and their mother (20-tabs each in FireFox) would be sitting there constantly refreshing the page?

Did anyone else swear at the “Please wait…” screen? Just me? I don’t think so.

False hope was the highlight of last night. After refreshing the page a gazillion times (yes, I did that along with the rest of you) the button finally popped up. Woot!

Then “Please Wait…”

Time-Out, try again.

Go back and hit the button again.

“Please Wait…”

After about 4654321543 times, you would get the log in screen.

Finally, you would think. And then:

Woot!

Put in all you information and press the log in button.

Time-Out.

Back to the beginning!

And again, after repeating these steps 14651313212054687 times you MAY actually get logged on and to the terms and conditions.

Where it will promptly time out.

Try to go again and you will get a server error 78451354130524 times.

This is when I decided to go to sleep.

My fiancé, Justin, got our codes the next morning (what kind of person wants to wake up before 6am?)

Justin also said that Square Enix “sent out warnings” that this may happen. If they knew it would happen, they could have come up with a better system, could they not?

And in the end all I have to say is: Square Enix, you are a multi-million dollar company. Invest in better servers or smarter people, please.

P.S. Made my first character. A Mi’Quote named Freyja. More on that later.

Class... I thought I was all done school!

So, I have been instructed to figure out which class I want to belong to. After much searching (and being directed to the armory portion of the site – who’d have thunk?) I managed to find all eighteen (18) currently listed classes. Just to you don’t worry now, I am doing my research and I am only going to comment on one class in each discipline: War, Magic, Land and Hand.

Pugilist – Fisticuffs of Fury


Gladiator – The Best Defense


Marauder – Lust for Destruction


Lancer – Close, Yet so Far


Archer – Notch, Draw, Loose


I may begin as a Pugilist (I love punching stuff to death, ha ha), but ultimately the Archer is where I belong. Any online gaming that Justin has ever roped me into, I somehow always end up as an archer. And I don’t mean to sound full of myself or anything – but I am rather good at being an archer as well. I don’t really dig the Robin Hood hats, but I am sure that will be changeable 

Now, the Archer ultimately has six “weapons” to choose from. They, of course, have their long/short/crossbow, but that isn’t what I am talking about. Listed on the site (so far) they have six different types of arrows with different properties for each. Some, like the Trinity Arrow, are used for multiple enemies, the Poison Arrow – obviously for poisoning, and even an all-purpose arrow made with an iron tip. I love the Trinity Arrow myself. The thought of shooting three arrows at a time is fascinating.

There are two abilities that I want to comment on: Quickstride and Retreival. Quickstride is used to increase the speed of movement. This means firing off arrows like no one’s business. It also means that if you happen to have leveled an archer, you are going to be able to move quickly. Retrieval is when you search your surroundings (consuming HP) to “find and gather projectiles”. A rock? Awesome. Aim for the head! A stick? Great. Aim anywhere! An Opo-Opo? Good Enough! Notch, Draw, Loose.

Conjurer – In one’s Element


Thaumaturge – Death is only the Beginning

Although the Thaumaturge appeals to mean in a strange way, I am not digging the weird self-mutilating magic and those robes. So, out of the Magic category, I have to say that the conjurer wins hands down. Not to mention the tiny Taru Lalafell they show on the site is just freaking adorable.

The conjurer draws aether from the surrounding and manifests that into the spell they desire using elemental magic. They concentrate this on their stick “ wand or cane made from unworked wood”. Their Guild is located with the tree-huggers in Gridana where elementals are said to be the most powerful.

The six elements that a conjurer can use: Ice, Water, Wind, Lightening, Fire, and Earth.

I can’t wait to set things on fire and blow stuff up with lightening! Anyways…

The two abilities that spoke to me for this class are: Purge and Roaming Soul.

Purge is the act of targeting an enemy and changing its “essence”. This renders the enemy’s elemental alignment neutral. That is some messed up stuff. Why not just take your hand, reach into its soul, and mess it around a bit? There, good as new…. >.<

Roaming soul is the art of learning to hum your spells so that you can move around while you cast them. This is opposed to what? Can’t manage to talk and walk at the same time? Don’t have to wave your stick wand around?

I do like the look of the wand though; they look cheap for a weapon. By the looks of the one listed on the sight, all you have to do is walk over to the nearest tree and tear a piece of the limb off. Voila! Upgraded weapon.

Miner – Probing the Depths


Botanist – The Fruits of One’s Labors


Fisher – Hook, Line and Sinker

I am not a big fisher (too much waiting) and mining is just not work I want to get into. So, the botanist was my default. And hey, I like Harvest Moon enough to get me into some farming.

Regardless, I am still not starting in Gridana. Just saying.

Anyway, the Botanist does exactly what it should do – plant stuff. Fair enough, I am cool with that.

Other than that, I guess we aren’t allowed to know more until later…

Carpenter – Going with the Grain


Blacksmith – Metallurgical Artistry


Armorer – Allies in Alloys


Goldsmith – All that Glitters


Leatherworker – Furs, Hides and Pelts


Weaver – Setter of Trends


Alchemist – Essences, Base and Divine


Culinarian – Pleasing the Palate

Because there are like eight of these, it made it the hardest to pick from – especially since I like a lot of the things they could potentially do. So, I researched my future party first. We will already (if all goes well) have a alchemist, armorer and blacksmith. So, I wiped those off of my list. Diversity is key for a party. So that left me with the following choices: carpenter, goldsmith, weaver, leatherworker and culinarian.

After narrowing it down to leatherworker and weaver, I decided on weaver. Somehow, working with animal pelts just doesn’t appeal to me – even in a fictitious world.

So, considering no other information has been offered on it, all I can tell you is this: a weaver weaves thread and makes clothes. Their primary tool is a needle – go figure.

All in all, I plan to be a weaving, magic-casting, botanist-archer in the end.

One Nation under the Gods

Now that they have update the Final Fantasy XIV website, Justin suggested that I do a post about which country I would like to start in. Intrigued, I logged onto the XIV website and began to snoop around. He had been excited about this stuff for a month or more and I just have enough time to look at it now – poor guy.


So, I head to the appropriate links wherein a nice screen kindly shows three flags and a map of what I am assuming is the world behind it. Square Enix (although they are on my black list) never fail when it comes to graphics of any way shape or form for me.

I see that there is Limsa Lominsa to the west. It has a red flag and a Viking ship. I like the name, just say it out in a deep, Viking-like voice: “Limsa Lominsa”. I could picture a lot of barbarians coming from there.

Next up is the Gridania. Yellow flag with what looks like a scepter encircled by two snakes. The shield reminds me a little of the medical alert shield, which makes me think this country might have something to do with rich doctors.

Ul’dah is the last. Its shield is darker, contrasting black and gold with a set of scales in the middle. Merchantile country? Me thinks so.

But enough with first impressions and off to research! I click on Limsa Lominsa first.

Limsa Lominsa

“No man may tread upon me, for I am the sea.”

-77th Admiral of Lima Lominsa, N’bolata Tyata

It is a marine city which gains its wealth almost solely from the marine activities: fishing, merchants, and ports – much like my own home town. It is made up of a bunch of tiny islands connected together by bridges. It is known as the “Navigator’s Veil” and is said to be blessed by the Goddess of Navigation.

Their leaders are a party lead by someone who is deemed the “Admiral”. Which would be basically fisherman-speak for President or Prime Minister.

Pirates run rampant off of the borders, despite having a formidable navy.

The scenery is beautiful and I will always be a girl that needs to be by the sea.

Gridana

“Each tree, each shrub, each leaf, each blade of grass – we treat them as our own sons and daughters. And for that we are loved by this wood.”

- Master conjurer and prophet, O-Guna-Por

A nation built within the forest. It is beautiful and intricate. They celebrate nature and nature celebrates them, basically. Home to Wood Wailers – a sentry group that has been charged to protect the land. They place great faith in the words of their Seedseers – basically prophets who predict what the forest wants.

So, the way I see this nation is this: they appear to be a bunch of tree-hugging, vegetarian hippies. I think this is a place for the elves, not me.

Ul’dah

“Everyone here is after something – fame, notoriety, power, money. Me? I’ll have the whole bloody lot.”

-self-made Lalafell and Syndicate member, Cicidoa Sosodoa

From the quote alone, I know that I am going to like this place. A nation surrounded by desert, completely fortified by walls. This commercial hub is centralized around its citadel. It is a merchantial nation, as I first predicted it would be, with fighting arenas and gambling. It is ruled by what they call the “Syndicate” which is a group of the six wealthiest men in the nation.

This place reminds me of all of the old places that used to be, how the world used to be: fortified cities to protect from invasion, battling arenas (Gladiators much?), gambling, churches and merchants. I wish this city was beside the water and not in the desert and then it would be my perfect city.

So, all in all I have decided that I am NOT going straight to Gridana, no matter how pretty she may be. As for the other two… I will let my fiancé decide and follow him there because I really can’t choose. My money is on him picking Limsa Lominsa though… I really love that name :).

Square Enix is taking over my life!~

I know I haven’t posted here in awhile, but as you can see from the title I am getting married. So, things have been hectic with the planning and meetings and so forth.


So, onto the post!

I was informed (was it a month ago?) that the release date for is September 22. I know what you are all probably thinking: ‘Yay! We finally get it! And so soon!” Happy dances.

In fact, I am sure that everyone in the world was ecstatic about this date. Many have the collector’s edition pre-ordered already (including my fiancé, who ordered two – one for me and one for him).

I am not so happy and let me tell you why. My wedding date is September 25. Yes, that is this year, and yes that is a mere THREE DAYS after the release of Final Fantasy XIV. To top it off, all of the groomsmen have also pre-ordered their collectors editions of Final Fantasy XIV. Do you see the problem? Let me enlighten you.

Picture this: September 22, we get the shiny new copies of the game in our hands. The boys are all bright-eyed and bushy tailed, just shaking until they finally get those discs home and install it on their PCs. They probably game all night and go to work the next day. I will probably get roped into the same, despite the wedding being so close.

September 23: Again, they game all day and night while I stress. But I have the next day off, so they may rope me in again.

September 24: I have the day off while the rest all go in for a long, hard day of work (NOT. They are all IT). I scuttle around doing last minute wedding stuff. They get off work and we all head to the rehearsal, where none of them listen and count down the time to get back to their online world. We go to the rehearsal dinner and they do the same. They game all night to make up for lost time.

September 25: D-Day. They have all stayed up all night playing Final Fantasy XIV and Justin (my fiancé) logs his final hours before he is a married man and has to go on vacation for a whole week away from the PC. They are all tired and near dead from exhaustion. They manage to get themselves dressed and to the church, meanwhile all talking about the game, of course.

Cue the wedding. The bridesmaids are walking down the aisle to Eyes on Me. That is right, the song from Final Fantasy VIII. Yes, I picked it out. Next comes me. What do I walk down the aisle to? Prelude from Final Fantasy IV (which I believe has been remastered for XIV). Justin picked this one out. And of course, it will just serve to remind them all that they could be playing Final Fantasy XIV instead. When we are announced as married, what song will play? Victory Fanfare. No joke. Sigh.

I can’t escape video games; I have come to accept that. I actually like video games. However, when it has the potential to cloud over one of the most important days of my life, my claws come out so to speak.

Square Enix, you are on my list black list (until you re-make VII; unless it is scheduled to be released on the day one of my children is born!)

Choosing a Character Race...

I wanted to try and figure out which race I wanted to be in Final Fantasy XIV. So, like any self-respecting person, I typed “Final Fantasy 14 characters” into Google and crossed my fingers.


And no, Google, I did not mean Final Fantasy 13, thanks though.

So onward, I thought, to the Final Fantasy XIV website. Surely there would be something there.

By the way, let me make it known that I am outraged that they use the flag for the United States for North America. I am not American, thank you very much. And Canada is kind of hard to miss. You know that massive land mass right above the United States? Second largest country in the freakin’ world. Just sayin’.

I figured that an overview of the races would be good enough for me. The first thing I noticed was the Tarus. Yes, I know their name. When my fiancé used to play Final Fantasy XI, I was introduced to the small creatures known as Tarus and the huge people known as Galkas. It was hard not to notice when his father was a MASSIVE Galka.

TARUS GO FOR THE KNEES!!

Anyways, so far, the Galkas are only males and the Mithra are only females. This makes me question their procreation methods. I mean, do they get together and whatever gender comes out happens to be that specific race? What about transvestites? Sorry, off topic a bit.

Miqo’te

I have to say that a lot of thought went into the creation of these characters. Props to Square Enix. Anyway, the first one I clicked on was the Miqo’te (which for some reason I was calling a Mithra). I like their ears, what can I say? Two clans, or tribes, or whatever – the Seekers of the Sun and the Keepers of the Moon. Gotta say, the Keepers of the Moon are what I am drawn towards – despite them being dressed like Padme Amidala from Star Wars.

Roegayden

Clicked on the Galka to find out that it isn’t really a Galka – it is a Roegayden. Go figure, same difference. There was no way I am going to be one of these thundering giants. They aren’t feminine in any sense of the word and give new meaning to the saying “thunder thighs”. They have two clans as well, the Sea Wolves and the Hellsguards. I would be a Hellsguard because their name kicks ass and they don’t look as fruity as the Sea Wolves.

Lalafell

Next onto the Tarus… which have had their names changed to Lalafell. Seriously? Lalafell? The Japanese can’t even pronounce the letter “L”! They sound like a teletubbie now: Tinkie Winkie, Dipsey, Lalafell and Poe. Despite that, these little guys are cute as sin, and according to my fiancé, now have knees. Nice upgrade. Again, two clans: Plainsfolk and Dunesfolk. The Plainsfolk look like exalted Hobbits from Lord of the Rings and the Dunesfolk look like tiny Arabs. I would have to be a female Plainsfolk Lalafell if I chose them, just because with the ponytails they are so darn cute… until they go for your knees.

Elezen

Onto the Elves, who by the way, always look stuck up no matter which situation you put them in. As a fantasy character, they are just stuck up. Square Enix has decided to name them Elezen, which is close enough to Elven t that I am not all that upset about it. Wildwood Elezen and Duskwight Elezen – stuck up, even their clan names have to have their race names in them. Regardless, they are pretty, and I like pretty because you never expect them to be the ones to take you out. The Wildwood Elezen look like they should be sipping wine and eating cheese in a Paris, so that is a no for me. The Duskwight Elezen look like warriors, you wouldn’t want to cross them on the street. Then again, I am kind of partial towards the pale ones, maybe because I am basically translucent myself.

Hyur

Humans, or known now as the Hyur. Apparently full of themselves as well, with their race name included in the Clan names. So, the choices are the Midland Hyur and the Highland Hyur. What, no Lowland Hyur? Seems like discrimination to me. The Highland Hyur look a little like Neanderthals with more muscles than brains, and there was no female sample, so to hell with them lol. The Midland Hyur are dressed as merchants, but you can make different clothes so that’s okay. I love humans (Hyur), maybe because I am one of them.

All in all, I still haven’t decided yet. I am torn between the Hyur, the Miqo’te and the Lalafell. Okay, I am not seriously considering the Lalafell, I hate being at a height disadvantage, but they are so darn cute! So, I am torn between the Midland Hyur and the Keepers of the Moon.

Background Info - My Gaming Experiences

Just as the background for this little project, I would like to start off by telling you all of my knowledge about the Final Fantasy series, Square (Soft) Enix, and my gaming history in general.


1) First of all, almost any and all of my gaming knowledge (except for a bit) is given to me by my fiancé talking about it constantly.

2) There are 14 Final Fantasy games (a bit obvious lol)

3) Final Fantasy VII has a fanatic fan base. I know the general story (second hand from my fiancé), watched the movie Advent Children (multiple times), and can pick out Aerith, Cloud, Zach, Sephrioth and Tifa if need be. Vincent, I can pick out because I watched my fiancé beat Dirge of Cerberus (and heard him talking about him a ton). I might be able to pick out Yufie, if put to the test.




4) There is a CID in every game.


 5) I know the whole story behind Final Fantasy VIII because it has been my everlasting woe since sixth grade (I am a college graduate now). Stupid sorceress taking Rinoa and straping her to her chest! I resorted to YouTube to see the ending.

6) Final Fantasy IX – I know nothing except for the main guy looked like he had a tail and apparentlt VIVI rocked.

7) Final Fantasy X – Excellent game. The only Final Fantasy that I have beaten thus far (besides for X-2 blegh!)

8) Final Fantasy XI – Online game, like XIV as far as I can tell. My fiancés parents divorced over it because his father got addicted and his mother hated the internet. Oh, and you could spend hours waiting for a “party”.

9) Final Fantasy XII – Played it. Apparently, got pretty far in it. Put it down for awhile. Forgot what the hell I was doing. The end.

10) Final Fantasy XIII – Currently 2 hours into it lol.

11) Any other Final Fantasy (Tactics, Crystal Chronicles, etc.) – not a clue about any of them.

12) Square Enix used to be called Square Soft before it merged with a company with “Enix” in its name. I am assuming the last part.

13) The guy who writes the music for Final Fantasy has a band named the “Black Mages” or something.

14) I am a pro at Mario, thank you very much. And Donkey Kong – the first one at least.

15) My mom had the original Atari in our attic and I played that a lot – with the original joy stick.

16) I have played various games on every Nintendo ever made, all three Playstations as well as the Gameboy Colour and DS.

17) I wouldn’t touch an Xbox to save my life.

And that is a little about me, so please forgive any stupid questions about gaming.

What's in a Name?

As you can see from the name “Through the Eyes of an Eorzean Woman”, my fiancé helped me pick it out. How would you know? Because what I know about Final Fantasy XIV is nil, partially because every time the name comes up in conversation I tune them out.


I decided to do this blog because:

1) it would make my fiancé happy

2) I might start understanding what he and our friends are talking about as soon as 14 is mentioned

3) It will give me a REASON to listen

4) It may encourage me to purchase the game and “party” with them in the future