M. Hamilton (DJplaeskool / Syara ) (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} syaradj) wrote,@ 2009-04-15 11:39:00 |
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A Crystalline Progeny
Teleidoscopiks Episode 6
Gaming
-FFXI
A Crystalline Prophecy...what to say...what to say...
First off, I'd like to personally thank the JP group that took me in to complete the Ode to Life Bestowing BC. Slow and steady usually wins the race, but sometimes a good zerging goes a long way. Was all that frustration over the past couple of days worth the Mirke (A Platinum Ore, Morbol Fiber, and some ghetto ダイアリング augmented with MP+6 and Fire Resist -30)? I say yes. The Mirke is super sexy and will serve me well on MNK and DNC, and serve as my new Quick Draw macro piece (hi2uAGI+5).
Anyways, overall, I'm not mad or anything over spending $10 on ACP...however I am disappointed at several of the facets of its execution. There's no curve at all. 90% of it is all doable pre-40, then bam, moderately difficult, then very difficult BCs almost back to back.
The the mission requirements themselves...uggggh.
SE knew people were looking forward to completing this, and should have known better than to have random drops from standard mobs involved. It will be about another week until it calms down to a reasonable level, but even still, the drop rate were maddening at times, but hey...this is FFXI. Nothing dorps.
For reference:
Jugner Orc: 1/16 - Passhow Quadav: 1/3 - Meriphtaud Yagudo: 1/32
Battalia Gob: 1/12 - Sauromugue Gob: 1/19 - Rolanberry Gob: 1/47
I almost wanted to just quit during this little tribulation...a combined 10 hours of camping and running in circles will make anyone go crazy. (protip: I will never own an Ace's Helm).
The FeiYin afterglow hunt was not that bad, 'cept for the first time I tried it, I wasn't paying attention for a moment and got tentacly violated by CC.
The cutscenes were mostly forgettable (and kinda cryptic in a literary sense as I was reading in JP, will have to rewatch them in English this weekend), though the prologue and epilogue were pretty cool. New BC music is highly remixable *winkwink*
In the end, I think the reward was my sole reason for putting up with this. I don't see myself getting any relevant body pieces for a long time, so this was a good thing to complete, as now I don't have to save my Sky LS points on a Shura body. Also, I know once new content has been out for a while, it only gets more difficult to gather people to complete it, so I had to push through to ride the wave of participation, and finally providence. I was expecting a lot more based on SE's claims that even
Overall...I give it a 5/10.
It's short, aggravating, and mostly uninspired, however the reward is worth the frustration. Putting on the Mirke for the first time was a transcendent experience. As if to say,
"I have weathered your storm SE. Do your worst, and I will weather it again."
-AION
Big ups tomcclane_ for tipping me off on this one.
Was playing in the CN beta with a rather well done English patch.
This is a game I have been waiting to play for a long time, and i'm glad I got a chance to rock it, even if it was only a few days.
I'll just go through some pros and cons from what I've experienced:
(legend: +++ > ++ > + > = > - > -- > ---)
+++Character Creation
AION has the single most robust character creation system I've ever seen in an MMO. It literally rivals, if not bests, those from recent single player ventures from Bethesda or Bioware. Each gender has about a dozen and a half face/eye archetypes, which are then bolstered by two dozen facial sliders, a dozen body type sliders, 40+ Hairstyles, 20+ Facial markings, and a dozen tattoo styles. The beta didn't have voice selection enabled, but there were options for up to 4 or 5 different combat voice types as well.
+++Graphics
AION makes beautiful use of the CryEngine. It's one of the first games I've seen that pulls off the look of vast lush, prismatic landscapes without the need for excess bloom. Even with bloom off, the everything is crisp, clear...and fast fast fast. Admittedly, I have a VERY powerful PC and a powerful laptop as well, but the game is extremely detailed, and flows flawlessly even at the highest options. It chucks a little when there are a bazillion other players on screen (as goes with most MMOs). The thing I like about it most, is that you can see every detail on every character in the field. All facets of environment and your character are subject to physics, eg. when you turn your character, their hair flows accordingly... stuff like that.
++Music
As with the quintessential NC Soft vehicle, Guild Wars, AION has a superb and professionally orchestrated soundtrack. Very soothing, though at times it crescendos to Zimmer-esque intensity.
+Gameplay
It's very much like many other MMOs out there. Here's a quest, do some stuff, kill x of these, bring me y of these, so forth and so on. Two things push this from =meh to +cool:
1) Experience rewards for crafting and harvesting. I didn't notice at first, until after harvesting an Angelica plant, I suddenly leveled up. Definitely a welcome perk.
2) Chain combo system. The flow of the chain system is very much akin to the one from Everquest II than others. Certain actions can be used in concert with visual cues activating when they can be accomplished. Also, if you time a skill activation right, you will combine your next autoattack with the skill, resulting in additional damage and additional critical hit chance, on top of a cool little bonus animation of the attack then skill. eg. If you just use a weakening strike, you do a little spin and upward slash. If you time it with an autoattack, you first do a horizontal slash, then spin into the weakening strike, resulting in additional damage. Cool stuff.
Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the PVP or flight aspects of the game yet, as I didn't get any character up to that point, but the game seems to revolve around the conflict between Elyseans and Asmodians. Hopefully I can comment more on this in the future.
-7th Dragon
Given recent developments in other games, I haven't picked this up much over the past couple weeks. Though I think I'm getting a better grasp of the game post-first major boss. I'm down to about 580 Dragons left >_>
-Beat Blox
If you've got an Xbox360 and 200 MS points, I encourage you to try out this little XNA Community game. It's like a mix between Lumines and Yoshi's Cookie, you race the clock and the music switching color panels to make chains and using "Beat Blocks" to clear the field. My track "梅雨Fresh" is featured in one of the stages.
Music
-New Intro for PFA will be done by the end of this week.
-Have a mix and a new Teikuu track coming down the pipes slated for the end of this month.
-I think I've been gaming too much and not working on music enough...as I have about 7 partially done tracks I have to complete...but I have to take my time...have to take my time...I don't yet have the feeling of necessity to complete some of them yet. Others are pulling me in a direction that I'll let it go and see what comes out.
Movies
-Not sure really what movies I should be excited about this summer...
It all seems like a wasteland of sequels I'll end up eventually seeing with friends anyways (though I'm getting a little tingly about Star Trek), but I'm really looking forward to a couple of fall movies...notably, 9 and Where the Wild Things Are, one for it's originality and overall coolness, another to appease my inner-child and nostalgia.
Life In General
-Work has come home, as I now have some limited on-call responsibilities. This has been taking a fair amount of my gaming and social time, but not so much as to genuinely affect it...
-Considering relocating within Atlanta. I don't think I will, as I've grown to enjoy where i live now, but the loss of proximity to work is a small, but noticeable hassle.
Gaming
-FFXI
A Crystalline Prophecy...what to say...what to say...
First off, I'd like to personally thank the JP group that took me in to complete the Ode to Life Bestowing BC. Slow and steady usually wins the race, but sometimes a good zerging goes a long way. Was all that frustration over the past couple of days worth the Mirke (A Platinum Ore, Morbol Fiber, and some ghetto ダイアリング augmented with MP+6 and Fire Resist -30)? I say yes. The Mirke is super sexy and will serve me well on MNK and DNC, and serve as my new Quick Draw macro piece (hi2uAGI+5).
Anyways, overall, I'm not mad or anything over spending $10 on ACP...however I am disappointed at several of the facets of its execution. There's no curve at all. 90% of it is all doable pre-40, then bam, moderately difficult, then very difficult BCs almost back to back.
The the mission requirements themselves...uggggh.
SE knew people were looking forward to completing this, and should have known better than to have random drops from standard mobs involved. It will be about another week until it calms down to a reasonable level, but even still, the drop rate were maddening at times, but hey...this is FFXI. Nothing dorps.
For reference:
Jugner Orc: 1/16 - Passhow Quadav: 1/3 - Meriphtaud Yagudo: 1/32
Battalia Gob: 1/12 - Sauromugue Gob: 1/19 - Rolanberry Gob: 1/47
I almost wanted to just quit during this little tribulation...a combined 10 hours of camping and running in circles will make anyone go crazy. (protip: I will never own an Ace's Helm).
The FeiYin afterglow hunt was not that bad, 'cept for the first time I tried it, I wasn't paying attention for a moment and got tentacly violated by CC.
The cutscenes were mostly forgettable (and kinda cryptic in a literary sense as I was reading in JP, will have to rewatch them in English this weekend), though the prologue and epilogue were pretty cool. New BC music is highly remixable *winkwink*
In the end, I think the reward was my sole reason for putting up with this. I don't see myself getting any relevant body pieces for a long time, so this was a good thing to complete, as now I don't have to save my Sky LS points on a Shura body. Also, I know once new content has been out for a while, it only gets more difficult to gather people to complete it, so I had to push through to ride the wave of participation, and finally providence. I was expecting a lot more based on SE's claims that even
Overall...I give it a 5/10.
It's short, aggravating, and mostly uninspired, however the reward is worth the frustration. Putting on the Mirke for the first time was a transcendent experience. As if to say,
"I have weathered your storm SE. Do your worst, and I will weather it again."
-AION
Big ups to
mcclane_ for tipping me off on this one.Was playing in the CN beta with a rather well done English patch.
This is a game I have been waiting to play for a long time, and i'm glad I got a chance to rock it, even if it was only a few days.
I'll just go through some pros and cons from what I've experienced:
(legend: +++ > ++ > + > = > - > -- > ---)
+++Character Creation
AION has the single most robust character creation system I've ever seen in an MMO. It literally rivals, if not bests, those from recent single player ventures from Bethesda or Bioware. Each gender has about a dozen and a half face/eye archetypes, which are then bolstered by two dozen facial sliders, a dozen body type sliders, 40+ Hairstyles, 20+ Facial markings, and a dozen tattoo styles. The beta didn't have voice selection enabled, but there were options for up to 4 or 5 different combat voice types as well.
+++Graphics
AION makes beautiful use of the CryEngine. It's one of the first games I've seen that pulls off the look of vast lush, prismatic landscapes without the need for excess bloom. Even with bloom off, the everything is crisp, clear...and fast fast fast. Admittedly, I have a VERY powerful PC and a powerful laptop as well, but the game is extremely detailed, and flows flawlessly even at the highest options. It chucks a little when there are a bazillion other players on screen (as goes with most MMOs). The thing I like about it most, is that you can see every detail on every character in the field. All facets of environment and your character are subject to physics, eg. when you turn your character, their hair flows accordingly... stuff like that.
++Music
As with the quintessential NC Soft vehicle, Guild Wars, AION has a superb and professionally orchestrated soundtrack. Very soothing, though at times it crescendos to Zimmer-esque intensity.
+Gameplay
It's very much like many other MMOs out there. Here's a quest, do some stuff, kill x of these, bring me y of these, so forth and so on. Two things push this from =meh to +cool:
1) Experience rewards for crafting and harvesting. I didn't notice at first, until after harvesting an Angelica plant, I suddenly leveled up. Definitely a welcome perk.
2) Chain combo system. The flow of the chain system is very much akin to the one from Everquest II than others. Certain actions can be used in concert with visual cues activating when they can be accomplished. Also, if you time a skill activation right, you will combine your next autoattack with the skill, resulting in additional damage and additional critical hit chance, on top of a cool little bonus animation of the attack then skill. eg. If you just use a weakening strike, you do a little spin and upward slash. If you time it with an autoattack, you first do a horizontal slash, then spin into the weakening strike, resulting in additional damage. Cool stuff.
Unfortunately, I cannot comment on the PVP or flight aspects of the game yet, as I didn't get any character up to that point, but the game seems to revolve around the conflict between Elyseans and Asmodians. Hopefully I can comment more on this in the future.
-7th Dragon
Given recent developments in other games, I haven't picked this up much over the past couple weeks. Though I think I'm getting a better grasp of the game post-first major boss. I'm down to about 580 Dragons left >_>
-Beat Blox
If you've got an Xbox360 and 200 MS points, I encourage you to try out this little XNA Community game. It's like a mix between Lumines and Yoshi's Cookie, you race the clock and the music switching color panels to make chains and using "Beat Blocks" to clear the field. My track "梅雨Fresh" is featured in one of the stages.
Music
-New Intro for PFA will be done by the end of this week.
-Have a mix and a new Teikuu track coming down the pipes slated for the end of this month.
-I think I've been gaming too much and not working on music enough...as I have about 7 partially done tracks I have to complete...but I have to take my time...have to take my time...I don't yet have the feeling of necessity to complete some of them yet. Others are pulling me in a direction that I'll let it go and see what comes out.
Movies
-Not sure really what movies I should be excited about this summer...
It all seems like a wasteland of sequels I'll end up eventually seeing with friends anyways (though I'm getting a little tingly about Star Trek), but I'm really looking forward to a couple of fall movies...notably, 9 and Where the Wild Things Are, one for it's originality and overall coolness, another to appease my inner-child and nostalgia.
Life In General
-Work has come home, as I now have some limited on-call responsibilities. This has been taking a fair amount of my gaming and social time, but not so much as to genuinely affect it...
-Considering relocating within Atlanta. I don't think I will, as I've grown to enjoy where i live now, but the loss of proximity to work is a small, but noticeable hassle.
