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Old school FFXI LSFollow

#1 Aug 26 2012 at 2:56 PM Rating: Decent
Dear fellow ffxi party enthusiasts,

I am starting a linkshell based entirely around old-school party play, if this is something you are interested in, please read on.

Ever since the introduction of grounds of valor and abyssea, the standard 6-man experience party has all but disappeared. While most welcome this as an improvement, for some of us running or being part of a well-organized party was one of the high points of the game. I am one of those people.

Therefor, I'd like to meet and join up with people who share this sentiment. People who liked being a designated role in a party, people who liked renkei and magic bursts, people who liked camping or roaming in one of Vana'diel's multitude of areas, people who liked being an indispensable part of a well-oiled machine. As I know some of you must still exist, I hope to contact you this way.

As such, I plan to start my own linkshell, dedicated entirely to the game-play of old, the focus on exploration and adventuring with an emphasis on teamwork and group-play. This linkshell will exist purely to relive the game as it, in my humble opinion, was meant to be played.

I am not looking for “members” for my linkshell, I am looking for like-minded individuals who are willing to take the scenic route to level 75. And thus, I have this offer to make you: anyone who joins this linkshell will always be helped if they are stuck, always be pointed in the right direction if they are lost and always be welcome no matter what job they choose to level.

Of-course the intent of the linkshell is not limited to just experience parties. Missions, quests and all content that is “lost” will be organized. This includes all content that the community at large considers “pointless” since there is no longer a need for the rewards that can be obtained in that content. After all, if you have read this far, it means you are more interested in the journey than the destination :)

This leaves me nothing but the invitation:

Please join us, either via our forum or directly on Bahamut (contact Azraelle). I look forward to meeting all of you.
#2 Aug 26 2012 at 3:29 PM Rating: Excellent
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I'm not sure if you've seen my thread, a couple down from this post, but this sentiment seems to go pretty hand in hand with my own and I'd be interested in pooling our efforts. I'm not anti-abyssea/gov, as I said in my thread but I definitely miss the old, organized 6 man party. I personally have just returned to ffxi in the last couple of months after being inactive for about a year or so but I've leveled most of the jobs I'm interested in already. Nonetheless I'd be game to participate in any old school party and I'm definitely interested in tackling the "lost" content. Let me know what you think... I'd be happy to join forces.
#3 Aug 26 2012 at 11:17 PM Rating: Good
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A while back people tried this same thing; a Linkshell dedicated to old-school things like typical parties.

Can't say it lasted though, people eventually gave up and went back to modern leveling.

But good luck with this.
#4 Aug 27 2012 at 1:44 AM Rating: Good
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A Horse and Buggy club can be fun, but people wanna go over 15mph eventually.
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#5 Aug 27 2012 at 10:32 AM Rating: Excellent
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Raelix wrote:
A Horse and Buggy club can be fun, but people wanna go over 15mph eventually.


Like the Amish?
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#6 Aug 27 2012 at 10:35 AM Rating: Excellent
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Professor stupidmonkey wrote:
Raelix wrote:
A Horse and Buggy club can be fun, but people wanna go over 15mph eventually.
Like the Amish?
We're all crazy Mennonites, living in an Amish paradise
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#7 Aug 27 2012 at 1:56 PM Rating: Good
What I've found is that once you take away all the tedious leveling BS, you're actually free to enjoy the game. You can still get your skillchain action in when you're unlocking your 7th WSNM so your WAR has all the blue procs. You can still get your designated party roles when you're in a WotG static party that is merrily plowing through three year old content. You can still get your laugh-riot, death-a-minute splatfest in Besieged (which is still the best place to skill up these days.)

Your linkshell doesn't need to be dedicated to old content, it just needs to be willing to do it. And as folks are getting tired of the same dozen Voidwatch runs being shouted for in Jeuno, that's happening more and more across all servers.
#8 Aug 27 2012 at 1:58 PM Rating: Good
First things first, I'd like to make something clear: I am NOT anti-fov, anti-gov or anti-aby. Since all of these have been released, I have enjoyed myself thoroughly. That said however, none of this new content is giving me the fix I crave.

It may be hard to understand for someone who already disliked ffxi's forced grouping, but to someone like me, the grouping, the search for camp, the grinding through mobs, competing for hate, ... these were the things that gave me enjoyment. I'll be the first to admit that the wait for a party could be horrible, the disappointment of yet another 3k/hr collection of idiots overwhelming, but I gladly accepted these for the occasional gem of a party.

And it is this gem that I am currently trying to recruit people for. Not that I'll try to find the perfect setup or expect my members to be flawless and geared accordingly. I am looking for the 4 (or more) people who are willing to take time out of their busy schedules to come together and do what is necessary to make a party work.

The biggest objection people had to xp'ing was the constant repeat of camps. This was, however, never true and doesn't need to be now either. For every level range there were at least 5 alternatives which were better and another 5 which were more fun. It is these that I wish to show people.

I also have no intention of trying to replace actual aby-parties. However, if I can replace the mindlessly boring grind that is gusgen>CN>bostanieux with something that's a little bit more organized, a little bit more diverse and actually has you playing your job instead of all turning into self-healing DD's, then more power to me, don't you agree?

Thank you all for reading this far ^.^;
#9 Aug 27 2012 at 2:04 PM Rating: Good
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catwho wrote:

Your linkshell doesn't need to be dedicated to old content, it just needs to be willing to do it. And as folks are getting tired of the same dozen Voidwatch runs being shouted for in Jeuno, that's happening more and more across all servers.


Yeah my LS is putting together a nyzul 100 climb static now - which is great since I've never done it even once and I'm looking forward to getting that clear done

Also, we're getting people coming back all the time so we are always doing a good mix of things.

Personally I've just started getting into Quifim Island tier of voidwatch and I know it's perverse but I've been loving doing Akvan runs on my BLU, mostly because the guy who has been organizing them knows how to put a good group together, and he gets two BLU which is SO NICE because otherwise it's a sh#t show of swapping out spells.

I can understand the lure of focusing on older content - partially because its a lot less high stakes. Like I was seriously stressed my first few Q-I tier VW events because I'm not geared the best etc, and I was worried I couldn't perform well enough to deserve to be in the group.

But I must have killed Akvan 30 times yesterday and never once did I feel I hadn't earned my spot. So I guess what I'm trying to say is:

a) Don't write off new content as automatically less fun.

b) Keep in mind that if you don't get in on this content now it's going to a lot harder to complete later.

c) Don't be afraid to challenge yourself.

d) It's a myth that six-man exp parties have less strategy and group dynamic than new content.

Anyway I just don't see why people put out this dichotomy about old/new content as if it really matters. Do what you find fun.



Edited, Aug 27th 2012 1:11pm by Olorinus
#10 Aug 27 2012 at 3:02 PM Rating: Good
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Quote:
The biggest objection people had to xp'ing was the constant repeat of camps. This was, however, never true and doesn't need to be now either. For every level range there were at least 5 alternatives which were better and another 5 which were more fun. It is these that I wish to show people.


And here I thought the biggest objection was spending 8 hours grinding nonstop to get 1 maybe 2 levels. With the boost to exp you can cut that time in 1/2!

Sarcasm aside, Not every role in the older parties was fun. Especially the ones where you had to pay attention all the time like healer or tank. If you can keep your "Old school leveling events" down to a few hours people might have fun.
#11 Aug 27 2012 at 6:33 PM Rating: Good
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catwho wrote:
What I've found is that once you take away all the tedious leveling BS, you're actually free to enjoy the game.


This, this, 1000 times this. I _hated_ the level grind back in 2004 when I used to play - I never had regular enough or long enough playtime to get a good party, and only managed to make it to level 33 in maybe 18 months of playing. However, thanks to some very helpful linkshell members, I got to enjoy some of the storyline content and got my rank 5 for my airship pass. But eventually quit the game because once my linkshell fell apart, I realised I didn't like the game itself.

Today, I'm back, and I'm loving it. I've gotten Scholar to 99, Dancer to 95 and White Mage to 90, all admittedly with much less effort than it had taken back in the day. But now I'm actually free to go and complete those storyline missions I never got to do because I needed a full group. I took on Ouryu the other day for CoP. I've taken down 2 of the Ark Angels for Zilart (and got my *** handed to me on my third one). I'm about to get my Lu Shangs rod, and through that see the world through fishing. I've finally made it to Sky, and soon will make it to Sea. I met, fought and defeated Schultz for my LB5. I've actually started meriting. I have gil! I got my Ranking 10 for my home nation of Bastok.

Back in the 'old school' Vana'diel, none of those things would have been possible for me. I often only log on for an hour at a time unless I specifically make some time to play. I often need to duck away quickly if one of my kids gets into something they shouldn't. There are so many reasons why the old Vana'diel didn't work for casual players that have virtually disappeared today.

Sure, you can go back and level the old-school way. Or as catwho said, you can take advantage of GoV, FoV and Abyssea, get levelling out of the way, and then see the world. Do your missions. Learn the intricacies of your job in an environment where it doesn't matter if you stuff up (if you can regain lost XP in 2-4 mobs, who cares if you die occasionally?) Find the stone tablets the mayor in Selbina wants and actually read them. Raise a chocobo, call it Bob. Have fun!

Edit:
Don't take this as you shouldn't start your shell if you want to - by all means, if you can find enough people interested, then more power to you ^^ I just know from personal experience that after I came back and had done a few 'old school' 6-man parties, then discovered GoV, that I haven't looked back, and am enjoying the game a lot more as a result since I can actually play the rest of the game, not just repeatedly cure or nuke things.

Edited, Aug 28th 2012 11:43am by Drusenija
#12 Aug 27 2012 at 9:46 PM Rating: Excellent
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Telaki wrote:
Sarcasm aside, Not every role in the older parties was fun. Especially the ones where you had to pay attention all the time like healer or tank. If you can keep your "Old school leveling events" down to a few hours people might have fun.

I started in 2008 as WHM and very quickly realized that if I went with the status quo, I would essentially end up at the "back of the bus" doing nothing but throwing Cure spells for hours, and having to stay the hell away from the mob. And I also knew that I couldn't take that level of boredom. And I had a bad experience where someone basically chewed me out for not over-curing in a party, when I didn't even have a subjob yet.

So the moment I had 150MP weakened and Reraise (when it was level 37), I started doing nothing but campaign battles for 3-4 months until level 70. And it was FUN, too. Then I skilled up Divine magic without tags on (this before SE disabled it), reposed Maat, and then went to 75 by bashing fortifications in Eldieme (also before SE disabled that). I still can't believe how I ground to level 30 back when Easy Prey started at 15xp. (it's been doubled twice now to 60) I remember I dinged 30 right before the update that added Level Sync and changed the minimum xp to 30.

Yeah, I enjoy doing WHM for endgame type stuff that doesn't last more than an hour or two, but I get to run around too. And I learned a lot about positioning and stuff from healing in campaign. I learned a lot more about WHMing in CB than I would have in a standard 6-man.

And now after taking a break from grinding levels for a few months, I'm finally getting the last few jobs to 99. I only have two still under 90.
#13 Aug 30 2012 at 12:41 PM Rating: Decent
Small update for those one the fence about this whole endeavour:

So far, 3 people have swapped servers and two more are in "negotiations". This puts the total on 5 confirmed and 2 possibles, which means we will be organizing our first static in the coming weekend. However, no-one will be the seventh wheel on this ride. If people join up, more statics will be organized according to timezones and possible playtimes. This is something I will go to great extents for to make a reality.

One of our founding members is also a master of camps. As a player from the first hour (even imported the game prior to release) and as a nihongo ga hanaseru gaijin, she knows camps campsitarus hasn't even heard from. She'll be available to any static requiring assistance with camp selection. FoV/GoV optional.

Finally, for the people visiting our forum www.thatswhatshesaid.be and finding they couldn't make an account: the problem has been resolved and we are very much looking forward to making your acquintance!

Edit: I lied, we now have 6 confirmed members on Bahamut and 3 possibles!

Edited, Aug 30th 2012 3:52pm by ThePatrician
#14 Aug 30 2012 at 7:30 PM Rating: Good
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Congrats, really hope it goes well for you :)
#15 Sep 06 2012 at 11:07 AM Rating: Decent
Thanks ^^

So far, it's going better than I ever could have hoped, 11 members with a 12th incoming and a 13nd considering. Can't believe how many people are willing to create new characters or pay the $25 to move server just to join us.
#16 Sep 07 2012 at 9:42 AM Rating: Decent
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This kind of LS is something I had always been looking for. A lot of people like to go straight to top level and do all the end game content which is great if your into that, but there is still a small part of the gaming community that does like playing the old way.

Even back at 75 I was never into end game events, dynamis, god fights, etc. I liked to be in a 6 man group and just playing casually. I didn't want to do boss fights or huge events I just wanted to group and go kill the enemys of the world regardless of if the exp was slow or not. I didn't even care if I leveled at all I just enjoyed being in a party and that entire aspect of the game.

As a old RPG player it's what I always enjoyed doing was grinding on mobs as well. A lot of people would automatically put this as boring or repetative gameplay but it's what I personally enjoy. If your into endgame and dont like the aspect of leveling then the new way of FFXI is great for you, Abyssea will get you to top level fast to do those events you like to do as a player. But there are still some of us that aren't into all that stuff and would prefere to do different things.

End game isnt all that FFXI is about, there are so many things you can do and if it makes you enjoy playing the game that is what is most important. Some players would even enjoy crafting all day in the game because it's what makes them happy. There is no proper way to play the game, you enjoy what you like doing. No one is right and no one is wrong about anything you do, it's all just your personal opinion.

So to every player out there I hope you all have fun in playing this game the way you like it, we all enjoy FFXI and it's why we are here.

Have fun with your adventures in Vana'Diel!
#17 Sep 08 2012 at 8:16 AM Rating: Decent
I am on Bahamut and have tried to find Azraelle, but you are never on. I am interested in the fun of getting to the end, versus just seeing the ending. Please look for me (Nikey) on Bahamut and get me a pearl if you can, this sounds like a lot of fun.
#18 Sep 08 2012 at 9:33 AM Rating: Good
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Daegon13 wrote:
I am on Bahamut and have tried to find Azraelle, but you are never on. I am interested in the fun of getting to the end, versus just seeing the ending. Please look for me (Nikey) on Bahamut and get me a pearl if you can, this sounds like a lot of fun.


You can also contact Patrician or Krixi, one of us should be on at most times of the day or night depending on your time zone.

Look forward to meeting you!
#19 Sep 08 2012 at 2:32 PM Rating: Good
Daegon13,

Be sure to check our forums, www.thatswhatshesaid.be. We'll be sure to get you pearled and you can read all about our statics ^.^

See you in the game!
#20Prrsha, Posted: Sep 08 2012 at 3:05 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) This has been the 12th post regarding this. And it always leads to a flame war for some reason even though the poster's intent is just. As far as I know and can confirm, only 2 old school LSes are currently running. One on Phoenix and one on Ragnarok. The other 9 LSes, I have no idea about.
#21 Sep 12 2012 at 4:19 PM Rating: Decent
I'm a returned player with a fresh account seeking to join this LS. Is it possible I can join? :D
#22 Sep 13 2012 at 9:45 AM Rating: Decent
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Prrsha wrote:
ThePatrician wrote:
Dear fellow ffxi party enthusiasts,

I am starting a linkshell based entirely around old-school party play, if this is something you are interested in, please read on.

Ever since the introduction of grounds of valor and abyssea, the standard 6-man experience party has all but disappeared. While most welcome this as an improvement, for some of us running or being part of a well-organized party was one of the high points of the game. I am one of those people.

Therefor, I'd like to meet and join up with people who share this sentiment. People who liked being a designated role in a party, people who liked renkei and magic bursts, people who liked camping or roaming in one of Vana'diel's multitude of areas, people who liked being an indispensable part of a well-oiled machine. As I know some of you must still exist, I hope to contact you this way.

As such, I plan to start my own linkshell, dedicated entirely to the game-play of old, the focus on exploration and adventuring with an emphasis on teamwork and group-play. This linkshell will exist purely to relive the game as it, in my humble opinion, was meant to be played.

I am not looking for “members” for my linkshell, I am looking for like-minded individuals who are willing to take the scenic route to level 75. And thus, I have this offer to make you: anyone who joins this linkshell will always be helped if they are stuck, always be pointed in the right direction if they are lost and always be welcome no matter what job they choose to level.

Of-course the intent of the linkshell is not limited to just experience parties. Missions, quests and all content that is “lost” will be organized. This includes all content that the community at large considers “pointless” since there is no longer a need for the rewards that can be obtained in that content. After all, if you have read this far, it means you are more interested in the journey than the destination :)

This leaves me nothing but the invitation:

Please join us, either via our forum or directly on Bahamut (contact Azraelle). I look forward to meeting all of you.


This has been the 12th post regarding this. And it always leads to a flame war for some reason even though the poster's intent is just. As far as I know and can confirm, only 2 old school LSes are currently running. One on Phoenix and one on Ragnarok. The other 9 LSes, I have no idea about.


No flame wars in this thread so far.

You're probably thinking that's because I haven't participated yet...

I think it's a fine initiative but I also think it is misguided. Eventually "organizing" everyone else gets cumbersome for the organizers. It's a game. Organizers need to have fun too. Their sole purpose in gaming should not be an endless cycle of getting Johnny-come-latelys up to operating speed. Nevertheless, I applaud them for trying to do that and I hope that after a while they recognize that all paths eventually converge.

I also fear these types of attitudes because I have been in linkshells that got into this incessant cycle of doing old things and did not jump on new, better content. For my own example, a big reason I left Siren was because I was in a linkshell that was set on doing Dynamis, Limbus and Sky, despite multi-year track records of doing this content. Salvage, Einhejar, and other events came out and despite my own organization of this, the other leaders were inflexible to move to new content because of a misguided philosophy for "getting everyone through the old stuff". This excuse was used each month to go and get new recruits and members through "old school content", such as basic Dynamis wins, instead of rewarding the most loyal members with content they wanted.

So I encourage this shell to not only be an "accept all comers" but also a "reward the loyal members" type of organization.
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#23 Sep 13 2012 at 1:53 PM Rating: Good
It seems I've come a bit late to the party. This is exactly what I was seeking. I miss those days in the Yhoatar Jungle where you'd find a better spot to camp, nowhere near the other groups so you could get down to business: uninterrupted goblin slaying. I played this game from day one, and quit about a year after (don't quote me on this). My highest class was a 57 PLD, with a bit of AF1 gear. I've returned multiple times but never was as interested as I am now. I've just signed up for a free trial a couple of days ago. To my own demise, I've learned that the level cap in this trial is level 30. Likewise, I've completed the support job quest only to find that I am unable to even equp a support job, or use the auction house, or even trade with anyone. Sounds like I'm pretty handicapped, and you'd be right to call it that.

I'm going to definitely buy this game with all the expansions for 10 dollars on Amazon, I just wanted to make sure I join the right server and linkshell before fully committing. I made the mistake of joining my old home, Valefor, only to see everyone at level 99. I did a little research, rerolled, and found that Ragnorak had a lot of returning players, so I took my chances there. It's not bad at all, but after reading these posts I feel that I have once again made another mistake. It sucks, because I was going to join Bahamut, but decided to go with Rag. So now I'm kinda stuck there unless I get a Gold World pass or I reroll again. It could be possible. I got to level 30 in two days - pretty remarkable and unquestionably quicker than the FFXI of old that I was accustomed to.

So anyways. I'd like some input here. I want to know if it would be worth it to reroll. If I could get a gold world pass that would be the best case scenario. I'm sure we could make some sort of arrangement.
#24 Sep 14 2012 at 4:37 PM Rating: Good
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totally worth a reroll to be where you want to be. Level 30 is nothing.
#25 Sep 15 2012 at 4:56 AM Rating: Excellent
TheBarrister, thanks for the insightful post. And indeed, I have no time, nor any desire, for a flamewar.

Organizing things does get complicated, but there are 3 of us willing to share that load. Loving to do the things that are being organized helps a lot. And honestly, I don't feel leading this LS is different than leading any LS was back in the day.

And I do agree that all paths converge. Eventually, this LS will do all of the current day content, we just wont be skipping any of the old content along the way ^^

"So I encourage this shell to not only be an "accept all comers" but also a "reward the loyal members" type of organization."
I really do appreciate your encouragement, and I'll be sure never to lose track of this very basic truth.

JdotGreeny, it's never too late to reroll. We have indeed made new characters on Bahamut, but we've progressed quite far already. Don't let that dissuade you though. In the last few days alone we have had 3 completely new characters join, so there is plenty of low-lvl activity. Just sign up on our forums and have a gander, you might find what you look for ^^
#26 Sep 15 2012 at 11:57 PM Rating: Good
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Here's to hoping the LS is a flying success. More diverse LSes = more viarity, which is always a nice thing. :3
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