A "Not another some guy thinking of coming back again" postFollow

Before I start just a little bit of a disclaimer. I know this gets posted all the time, and there is usually a generic response from the community on the matter of coming back to this game. I realize I'm not the only player who started up years ago, and has come back on and off again. This game has always been something different than anything else. With that, fair warning I may go somewhat nostalgia in this post. I'm not quite sure where to begin, or what direction to take it in, so here goes!

First. I was never planning on playing this game ever. When it came out in the US I decided it would be the first game in a FF series I wouldn't play since I was against playing MMO's. I had my interest peaked later on when I walked into a game store (most likely to pick up Vice City) and they threw a free magazine with my purchase. In the back of the magazine was an article about a game I had long since forgotten about. It was an article written by called Milkman entitled "My life in Vana'diel." The article itself was very short. However, it peaked my interest. Whatever game magazine his article was published in I found myself buying it every month just to read that one article. I became hooked! Month after month after reading the magazine I ended up coming to the realization that I was going to get this game. So after getting a part time job my second year in college I collected the funds to get the modem on my ps2 (yes I played ps2) and picked up my copy of FFXI with Chains of Promithia. This all took place a decade ago!

Well. Here's me. Cherry popped on the MMO scene. After eon's of getting the game set up, patched, and account set up I FINALLY get to the start up screen. A chill went down my spine when I read the disclaimer to not forget about your family and friends. That quickly dissipated when I was in game and got to the character selection screen. With all the months of anticipation and reading about this game, I had absolutely NO IDEA what I wanted to be in game. So without really thinking about it, I started a Hume warrior in Bastok. Why not? One minute later there I was. In game. Boom. I don't really remember much. It probably took me almost an hour to figure out how to work the controls and get outside to Gustaberg. What I do remember is when I finally got there I ran into a worm and started smacking it with my sword. It was then I came to the realization that THIS SUCKS! Not the game, or the fact that it just dropped you into this super complex world nearly impossible to figure out. No. I had picked the most generic boring combination of a character I could possibly think of. With all those cool starting jobs and crazy race's, I was a Hume warrior lol. So promptly after smacking the worm around I logged out and deleted that character. After a quick re-think I figured out what I wanted to be, and that is how Mcinnis the BLM from Windhurst came to be.

The rest is really history after that. When I hit lvl 30 I played around with a few different classes and unlocked new jobs, but it didn't take me long to figure out I wanted to main BLM. It took me a little while to figure out how good I had it too. About the time I started leveling in Garliege it dawned on me that I spent substantially less time with my LFP flag up than some of my other non-blm friends. Thinking back I don't know why more and more people weren't leveling BLM. They were always in demand, and it was FUN! Of course back then, this is when to successfully gain good xp/hour your party was skillchain MB. I found myself though, always wanting to gain levels so I might explore the world of Vana'diel better. And it was this, that had me so hooked on the game. I can't even begin to count the amount of friends I made in game by going to explore some zone of sorts just for the heck of it. In fact. With that sentence I realize why I don't stay long in game whenever I come back. It's the reason why I don't play any MMO's anymore. If by somehow you have been reading this heinously long and boring post you might be able to help me out.

My dilemma is that I can't really define. I can think of a couple of reasons. Like I just mentioned it sucks to walk into places like the Maze of Shakrami and seeing it empty. There was a time when that place was booming off of low level xp parties, and higher level players farming silks. Ordelles Caves! Literally anywhere and anything that had to do with Windy! Those are some of my favorites. I could go on and on. But even with XP parties and hitting the lvl 40's. At that level there was more than one zone opening up where you could xp. Some of those zones also had limited camps, and could become unavailable. Now it seems as if all those zones are now just empty.

I guess you could say that I fell to really appreciate a different game than what exists today. Some of the stuff is still there. Whenever I first log on after taking a long hiatus is just go to East Sarutabaruta and chill. But I do miss things like when I used to XP in Kuftal Tunnel, there would be a few people there fishing for a devil manta. I miss when people used the ferry's. Often. Also the airships. There was a period of time when one could argue that RMT was ruining the game. But I loved it. It was staunch competition, but if you got lucky and got your hands on some leaping boots it was rags to riches. The inflated marked also got you a lot of bang for your beast and kindred seals. I did hate when those ******* gilsellers would snag a HNM, but I got so much satisfaction when they got wiped out by it. Zoning mobs was very very frustrating. Yet looking back it was hilarious! +note I never zoned on anyone xD. I dono. Im not even sure why I wrote all of this. I'm probably going to reactivate my account soon just to poke around. I might try to get one of my jobs to max level. I still think I'm lvl 75 on my top jobs. I might also not. I for sure want to level up some crafting. I might just purely craft. Get a job to max level if need be for farming mats. But mostly craft. And perhaps collect maps of all the zones. Endgame doesn't really suite me anymore. I've already done endgame once, and it was friggen awesome. I might just stick with those old memories.

Anyways that about wraps it up for me. You can find me I believe on Bismarck now (oldschool Seraph). I don't think I was too popular back then, although I hope I can still find one or two people that I used to play with, and that they don't hate me too much for quitting all the time. If anyone wants to chat it up or meet up in game and just do whatever it is us old *** gamers like to do hit me up.

-Mc

Oh and I guess a TL;DR:

Huge hit of nostalgia earlier tonight got me thinking about the game again. I feel like Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption when he gets out of prison. I need a hug and a support group!

Yeah, last time I was on I just hopped on my gimpy blue chocobo and started running. Running from Sarutabaruta to Tahrongi to Meriphitaud Mountains. Not a soul did I see on my journey - not even one person standing outside the Abyssea maw.

It made me sad to remember how much time I spent in that world, how many people I met, and partied with - how many strangers I raised, how many goblins I fought, how many experience points I bitterly wrested from the barren lands - how empty it has become.

It makes me wary of getting too caught up in ARR. For awhile when I first got back to XI, all I wanted was to be part of endgame - even the edge of it - to do the cool things with the cool people I knew. But now all those people are gone, and the gear I worked to get is largely gimp, and endgame is again a closed door. I refuse to get caught up in all that again. I can't afford the time spent.

I might sub once in awhile to finish up some quests (I am working on the monument one) and some missions but without friends, the game is not really that fun anymore.

Edited, Sep 3rd 2013 4:17pm by Olorinus

yeah I don't think you're missing out on much in Adoulin. Really, it is a nightmare getting started. I was trying to grind a balyd weapon out for my bst and it just bored me to tears so much. Just some horrible fetch quests or banging on a log alone for an hour. Might be more fun with a partner/friend but it just crushed my soul and made me give up on the game.

If you don't want to play or will quit just quit don't project negativity around. I was in the same boat as you guys. Came back last November. No friends nothing. Clueless friendless. I love the game so I stick around tried my best. Met a nice friend through a business deal (selling Themis orb) grew our Linkshell and last night just downed dakuwaga through several epic shark runs. (We lost on third attempt with Shark at 1 percent!!!! But won on 4th) it was actually very fun Going to battle with these 17 other individuals. We got bee last then fall update low man contents. Then future delve boss battle.

I don't really want to start a new game from scratch and this game has provided me entertainment that's worth more then 12.95 a month and saved me countless money or else if not playing this game I would squander more money doing other things with my free time. Play this game or ff14 or play no game at all if you want.