Ald Demo

The End of an Era

The king is dead

I feel as if a chapter in my life just closed. Five years is a long time for anything, especially a show like this, but it's finally over. I already feel a little empty inside and it's only been over for a few minutes now. It's been my favorite show from the get go and it's definitely been a weird journey but it was a show right up my alley.

The question of what would you be willing to do for your family, knowing your time left is limited, just hooked me right off the bat. Once i engrossed myself in that simple yet unbelievably complicated scenario, i knew the places the show might go and was not only on board but in the front seat and ready. Much like Walt, I've never felt more alive living vicariously through the show and Heisenberg himself.

The transformation of Walter While on the show and the character role versatility of Bryan Cranston is something to be appreciated as well.

From:

To:

Then:

And finally:

Breaking Bad's cinematography seemed almost made and designed with gifs in mind. So many memorable scenes forever saved to this ridiculous yet somehow perfect format. Starting with the infamous roof pizza and spanning almost every episode.

I'll miss you but it's better to go out on top than sink into obscurity.

Lightning Returns

10:45 PM Final Fantasy XIV

No not that Lightning thankfully. I'm talking about weather effects of course and those specifically in FFXIV. They're simply amazing to look at and really add to the atmosphere, as they should.

During my normal running around like crazy to get as much done as i can, i had one of those "stop and smell the roses" moments. It happened while i was at Camp Bronze Lake overlooking the ruins. I'm not even sure what i was doing there to begin with but I'm glad i was. A thunderstorm broke out in the middle of the night and i couldn't help but just admire the view. I must have stood there for at least 15min before i realized what i was doing. It was one of those rare moments, that doesn't happen as often as they used to, where i get completely lost in the game world. (Directionally speaking, i get lost all the time!)

Sci-fi Spaceships

9:35 PM Sci-fi Spaceships

Thought this was absolutely amazing and had to share. DirkLoechel over at deviantart created a huge collage of almost every sci-fi related spaceship you could think of. From Star Wars, Star Trek, and EVE to WALL-E, Robotech, and Warhammer 40K. I can't even imagine how much time this took but as someone that spends hours on random photoshop projects, i am in awe and extremely impressed.

I recommend going to his page for the original 3985 x 4442 image as it's much easier to read and zoom in for individual ships. All credit to him of course.

A Relic Reborn

9:31 AM A Relic Reborn , Artemis Bow , Final Fantasy XIV

One of the perks of starting A Relic Reborn right after hitting 50 is that you essentially have to do a lot of the tasks on the quest chain anyways to progress towards The Binding Coil of Bahamut raid dungeon. Killing two birds with one stone instead of having to redo the primal fights for this quest does save a lot of time and frustration the first go around. It's exactly the path i went right after hitting 50 on Bard and decided that was the class/job that i wanted my first relic on.

I spent a lot of my time during this process running dungeon after dungeon in order to get myself some Darklight gear for the Titan fight. Unfortunately this gear required the same tokens as the relic weapon did. I figured I'd continue upgrading armor first and worry about the weapon when i got to it. Not expecting to beat Titan so quickly, i was left with a finished quest without the 900 tokens required for the final part. I'd never spammed so many Castrum Meridianum runs back to back (9 to be exact) in order to finish the quest but my mission was accomplished and i received my first relic!

Having completed my relic i couldn't help but compare the process to the legendary weapon quest in GW2. While that process took me almost 6 months when compared to what can essentially be done in one day in FFXIV, i think SE was more on track with what a relic/legendary quest should be. To be honest, a player need only purchase a bunch of gold in GW2 and have a legendary within a few minutes since they can be purchased off the auction house. I thought the process and that aspect in particular was a complete joke at the time and i still feel that way.

I would have preferred a really long and difficult quest chain instead of the short one we got in XIV but at least all the tasks are tied to completing content instead of to how much money someone has. The only aspect i think GW2 got right was world completion and a few dungeon requirements being mandatory for completion. Relics and legendaries should always be tied to content instead of money. I'm glad XIV got that aspect correct, even if the overall process was rather short.

Titan Falls

1:13 PM Final Fantasy XIV , The Axe of Crags , Titan

My last obstacle, boss fight wise anyways, to completing all the hard mode primals and completing my first relic finally goes down. After countless hours and numerous wipes to Ifrit and Garuda, thanks to really poor pick-up groups, i was able to snag a FC group with experienced players and take Titan down in no time. Much to my surprise after checking my inventory a few hours later, i had won the roll on the warrior axe that dropped. Once equipped, i felt like i was in a Flintstones episode or something. This thing is beyond ridiculous!

Magitek Armor

9:03 PM Final Fantasy XIV , Magitek Armor

Main scenario quests complete! With the completion of the story, players are rewarded with a magitek armor mount. That's only two mounts at this time for me which makes for an easy decision as to which one to roll with. I mean how could anyone not want to ride around in one of these? OCP, I'm coming for you and your ED-209! Let this be our final battle. Onwards to the relic weapon quest i go.

The Song Remains the Same

9:46 AM Bard , Final Fantasy XIV

Definitely not, after hitting 50 on my bard which is my second class/job to max level. I'm not sure i would even consider this class a real Bard to begin with. I take that back, i am 100% sure it's not really one. Don't get me wrong, this job is a lot of fun from a damage standpoint and from a ranged standpoint. There's no denying that, but it's missing something.

I love ranged bow classes that do not use pets since i find pets more of a nuisance than anything. I also love Bards and enjoy playing one for what they normally are. Somehow combining the two seemed like something i could get on board with but I'm just not feeling it. I think I'd have preferred Archer to split into a Ranger if anything and leave a full fledged Bard on it's own.

The Archer part feels right on the money for me. The ability to constantly move and fire shots without being rooted to the ground is something i did not expect after FFXI. The Ranger class in that game was about as mobile as a brick wall so it was nice to see a different approach this time around. I really enjoy Archer.

The Bard aspect is what's really lacking and it's a real shame. I would have loved a full support Bard that, you know, actually sings songs. Not this one song at a time and DPS the rest of the time nonsense that we got. I enjoy buffing, debuffing, CC'ing, weaving songs, off-healing, and occasionally throwing out some damage when i can. I'm not sure how this could be accomplished without a rework of the party system to allow for a larger and more well rounded party size, but it would have been nice to see.

The Good the Bad and the Ugly XIV

10:07 PM 4 Final Fantasy XIV

I planned on doing an overview of what i thought of ARR a week ago but decided to wait until i hit max level. It really is the only fair way i felt i could do it. The game deserves that at least after three years of rework and a complete overhaul. I'm also going to ignore the log in issues and downtime since they've been discussed to death and frankly they're to be expected. Also being played down is the lack of PVP and housing, which are coming in the next patch i believe.

The Good

It's Final Fantasy - While this might sound like a silly reason to anyone not a fan or that didn't grow up with the franchise, i can assure you that it's an important aspect that can't be ignored. I've missed playing in this realm since i stopped playing XI and it's nice to be back in it. While i am by no means a fan boy since i have zero brand loyalty, it's still nice to step foot in this world.

The Art Style - A hotly debated aspect of MMO's recently, with the unveiling of EQNext. I've always loved the art style in Final Fantasy and XIV doesn't disappoint. I'm a fan of the realistic style over stylized or "cartoony". Hell, it's the reason i couldn't get into WoW at all. If i don't like what I'm looking at then it doesn't matter how great the combat or content is. FFXI still looks amazing after 11 years and looks better than a lot of MMO's released since.

The Class System - By far my favorite aspect of Final Fantasy MMO's and one i wish more devs would adopt. I'm not a fan of alts, never have been and probably never will be. The ability to level everything on one character and one name is important to me. It means everyone on your server knows you and your reputation and there's no hiding behind alts of another name. I believe this is quite important for a community.

The UI - It's clean, slick, and customizable. As someone who likes a minimalist look with little to no screen clutter, i find this UI almost perfect in it's current form. Up until a few days ago, i didn't realize that elements can be resized as well, which just adds to my enjoyment of it. Sure it could use a few more options here and there but it's nothing i absolutely need right now.

Character Creation - This was a tough one for me so i decided to do an overall impression of it and leave what i believe is lacking for the Bad section. I found the separate available sections rather thorough and some options like tails were more than i expected.

The Client - I'm not sure how they did it or what they did to make the game run so well. I'm serious! A game that looks this good should not run like butter, yet it does. Even when I'm surrounded by dozens and dozens of players, i experience no hitching and very little FPS loss. This was the firs thing i noticed back in beta and it still amazes me.

Armory Chest - SE, i love you for this. Anyone that played XI knows how absolutely frustrating our inventory issues were and are when you have to carry around gear for all of your classes. While not as extreme as that game was, what with having 6-8 gears sets for every class, it's still a simple solution to an inevitable problem with the class system.

Mounts - As someone that loves collecting them, this is a nice addition to the online franchise. Lets hope that future options remain grounded!

The Trinity - Normally this wouldn't even be discussed but i was sorely missing it after GW2. It's unbelievably less stressful than having to do everything myself just to keep the group alive, which i found myself doing quite often in PUGS in GW2. While in the Good section, it does need to be expanded on to include support and CC.

The Bad

The Classes - While i love the class system, I'm not in love with any of the classes themselves. This is without a doubt my biggest issue right now. I'm sure this is mostly due to my favorite classes completely missing from the game and may not be a problem for most but it bugs me. I strongly identify with Dark Knight, Samurai, and Thief as they were the classes/jobs i enjoyed from XI and my other MMO's. Had they been included in the release, i believe my enjoyment would increase exponentially. I won't even go into how Bard isn't really even a Bard.

The GCD - Some seem to herald this 2.5 second abomination as more laid back or strategic, but i see it more as a hindrance. I'd be fine with it as is if the auto-attack was sped up a bit to overcome it but even that is way slower than it should be. Some reactive abilities are even tied to the GCD, which makes no sense at all, and should be corrected. That 2.5 seconds seems like a lifetime if you happen to be a tank and manage to lose threat.

Fates - I love love love the concept as I'm a huge fan of a dynamic events system over the old boring quest hub system. GW2 leveling was very enjoyable for me because of that system. Unfortunately the implementation in XIV is on par with the rift system, in Rift of course, which is the definition of boring. I hope they expand on this concept and take it to the next level because i would love for it to be more dynamic and involved.

Fast Travel - What can i say except i wasn't a fan of this in GW2 and I'm not a fan of it in XIV. I'd have preferred if the crystals at the camps were handled more like they were in XI where a reliance on specific classes was needed in order to teleport around the game world. Need a teleport? Well then hail a White Mage for that and don't forget to tip! Perhaps this is too old school for today but it certainly did open up the lines of communication a lot more than what we're seeing today. I also realize that the ability to swap to whatever class makes this trivial but at it's core i look at it as a community building option.

The Dye System - In short, it stinks. Going from GW2's system where i have over 400 dyes which i can apply at any time from my character sheet, to this NPC based system with few options is very disappointing. I love dyes, i love collecting them, and i love changing up my appearance quite often. The current system leaves a lot to be desired.

Lack of Appearance Slots/Wardrobe - I'm one of those dorks that likes to play dress-up and look the way i want to look. I can seriously spend years collecting certain gear specifically for this option, so to not have this is very disheartening. I'm hearing this may be coming soon but didn't see it in the 2.1 patch notes so i decided to include it.

Hair Options - They're lacking, to put it nicely. While i enjoyed the overall character creator, this option could have and should have been doubled in options. How is it that Aion, which released four years ago, still has over 50 hair styles when every other MMO struggles to come up with half that number. Some of the options in XIV are exactly the same but with different colored accessories. Again, this is dependent on hiding the head armor slot, which i do!

Invisible Walls - While not as prevalent as in XI or even 1.0, they're still all over the place. As an explorer, i hate running into these blasted things. Some of them even seem to discourage exploration. They're like a big tease that show me a nice cave or nook that i want to go into but cannot. Some of them are even on silly spots like stairs and walkways.

Quests - Maybe it's because I'm tired of them or maybe they're just poorly implemented, but i dislike them in XIV. I lost track of how many times i was sent across the entire zone, only to be sent right back and then back again. There's absolutely no flow to them at all. They seem to try to inconvenience players as much as possible. The fact that there's not enough of them to level on beyond maybe 1 or 2 classes is also an issue.

Levequests - Glorified dailies are what i like to call them and i hate dailies with a passion. I'd have preferred if these quests were just turned into more normal quests for leveling or even transitioned into dynamic events.

Class Based Cities - The cities themselves are gorgeous but basing them on classes instead of races is not something i like. It would have been amazing if they separated the main cities by race instead which could have opened up so many more possibilities.

Mount Interaction - Or the lack there of. Having to mount and dismount every time i want to turn a quest in seems like a minor annoyance but adds up after a few levels. An auto dismount for attacking mobs would be nice as well.

Tab Target - It's god awful. Instead of the target right in front, it tends to go for the furthest possible mob away and sometimes goes completely randomly. I've found a workaround by binding the nearest target option but that had limitations as well.

One Weapon - I don't mind having abilities tied to weapons but give me options when it comes to weapon selection. Where's my dual wield option? Perhaps when more jobs get implemented this will be expanded on.

Item Link/Preview - Again a fairly common aspect of modern MMO's completely missing.

The Ugly

Party Size - Burn it with fire. I can't stress how much i hate the Light Party size. Four is just a bad number which leads to many issues ranging from composition to exclusion. When you only allow 2 DPS per tank/healer, then you leave a very large pool of players sitting on the sidelines waiting for a party. I've previously stated how much i hated the 4-man size in TOR and it's no different here. I really wish SE stuck to the 6-man size that was absolutely perfect in XI. That size allowed for more roles than just tank, healer, and dps. It encouraged support and crowd control which are not only missing but aren't even required for content. Sure you can still CC, but the options are limited and comes at a sacrifice to group efficiency.

Main Scenario - The quests themselves are fine and seem to be rather enjoyable to most players. The aspect that absolutely stinks is the reliance on completing these story quests to unlock every damn thing in the game. I found it very difficult to play with friends that were on different stages of their story. Multiple friends on different quests? Forget it, may as well play solo until you catch up to each other. I'd have preferred if the quests to unlock chocobo's and dungeons were kept separate from the main story.

I may have gone overboard over analyzing every little aspect of the game but it is what it is. I feel the game needs another patch or two before i can really say whether or not I'll be playing it for years like i did with XI. Housing for sure is something I'll be spending a lot of time doing and a lot of money maintaining. I'm looking forward to that patch and future ones to come. Until then, my current opinion stands as undecided but excited.

Warriors Come Out To Play

5:21 AM Final Fantasy XIV , Warrior

My trusty bird Sirdidymus

My first max level class/job, after a few weeks of super exciting Fate grinds, is of course my badass Warrior. I have a serious love/hate relationship with this job. On one hand, I've always enjoyed the heavy armor classes with big 2-handed weapons. On the other hand, i retired from tanking four years ago when i left FFXI. I just don't enjoy tanking any longer, especially in pugs.

Mid level purple warrior!

I was fully aware what the class was before i started leveling it though, so it's not like i didn't know what i was getting into. I guess nostalgia bit me in the ass since i loved my warrior from XI. I had so many options with that class not only role wise but also weapon wise. I feel like i have zero room for options in XIV, yet it's the only class that i enjoy. Warrior just fits my play style i suppose. Run into a pack of mobs and go crazy while someone else keeps my butt alive. What's not to love?!

I just wish i had the option to queue as a DPS in dungeons. This is an issue that a friend and i ran into over the weekend. We were unable to play together in a dungeon because i was a warrior and he was a paladin. The Duty Finder would not allow us to enter with 2 supposed tanks. Obviously this won't be an issue later on when we have more classes/jobs leveled, but what about new players starting out that only have one? The Duty Finder needs an overhaul to accommodate more play styles and class diversity.

Full AF warrior

In reality, the game just needs more classes and jobs. I cannot wait for my beloved Dark Knight, Samurai, and Thief. Those have always been my favorite classes and what i feel are largely missing from XIV. I'm also a huge Bard fan but that current iteration leaves a lot to be desired as well. I'd love to see more full support classes, like an actual Bard! This would need a revamp of the party system though, which I'll get into in another post. For now, warriors...come out to play...

Pride and Duty

9:58 PM Final Fantasy XIV , Pride and Duty

After some confusion as to what was actually necessary to acquire and unlock my first job, i managed to have the classes leveled that i needed and unlocked Warrior. There were some rumors of Pugilist being thrown in the mix, which i didn't have leveled, but they were false of course. I forgot how much i enjoyed actually having to unlock classes/jobs instead of just starting out as anything i wanted. The quest was pretty simple, as you can imagine, but at the end i could call myself the Purple Warrior. What could possibly be scarier than coming face to face with a purple clad iron beast?

Bowl of Embers

4:56 PM Bowl of Embers , Final Fantasy XIV

What better way to get pumped up for my first encounter with Ifrit, than to do so to one of my favorite 80's montage tunes. There's really no other way to prepare oneself for such an encounter to get get the juices flowing. The fight itself is of course way too easy but it is a level 20 story quest so i suppose I'll let it slide for now. I was more excited at the fact that i got to dps as a Marauder instead of being forced to tank. Fix this SE! Allow me to queue as a tank or dps instead of only having one option on this particular class. Ifrit obviously has no pre-battle montage.