Fellowship of the (Ear)Ring

(Teamwork is infectious!)

Today wasn't much more than Sufhi-time. I spent a lot of time double-checking the requirements for the Past Reflections quest, then grudgingly plunked down the 25k to buy the six items. I must say, that meal for the Minister sure did look good!

The ending cutscenes took awhile but it's clear this whole AF series is meant to be a continuous plot. We'll have to see just how intersting all this gets as time goes on. The final reward for all this taru feeding and CS-viewing is essentially a Fellow Bond limit break: I can get Sufhi's bond up to 50 now, essential for hitting the 33-35 needed for a Tactics Pearl.

Assuming I had to be 30 to get the quest, I took Sufhi out to SSG again. She hit 35, meaning I should have gotten 2 points in Bond instead of one. This is of course assuming each use, level and chat is 1 point - not a certainty in Squenix's decimal-filled world. She also stuck around for 20 kills this time, so now each run is 4k XP for her.

I then chatted with Sufhi but other than the new headgear option, she didn't mention the Empty quest. Maybe Friday will be the day.

There was some chatting in GD (send Aleu some Naruto info) and in RDB. Dark was headed out with Fhox and Isa to work on level 50 jobs. I think I may have irritated Dark though. He has a couple of interesting "Found it!" macros, one involving "belly-button sex". He was using it repeatedly and I warned him jokingly not to try it with Aerin. Then he stopped talking. I guess I harshed the buzz...

Also, Fhox earned a slap and maybe worse when he was chatting about Roman history. Caligula, Tiberius and Claudius came up. Fhox = Claudius and I = Tiberius. He went on to explain Tiberius' notoriety for "thinking of the children". WTF?! I don't know if I dare Google Tiberius - I migght wind up with burned retinas!

Fhox did get his wireless for the PS2 but he hasn't configured it yet. I wished him luck, but that was before he called me a chester.

Beginning Besieged Belays Basty Beastie Barbecue

(Don't say that 5 times fast - just...don't...)

When I logged in, I was right next to the wight room in the Ruins. I grabbed as many skeletons as I could and began nuking and swinging. These guys are so much easier than the bones in SSG it's laughable. I cleared the room twice and got tests, one gravity, and two daggers.

I then moved on to SSG for more Sufhi fun and reached the 15 kill limit easily. She says she's close to dinging *35* already! Watch out Raka!

Meanwhile, I chatted with GD, as no one from RDB seemed to be on yet. Derf was getting set to tackle Rank 3 and the dragon in Windurst (Yes, I know, I said Bastok above). Stoik and I were supposed to meet Archer, Aleu and Yalto but as luck would have it, both of us got trapped by Besieged. Stoik was already in Whitegate and was a little surprised when Shihu-Danhu was not present. I exited my AU mog house only to find the fun just beginning.

I haven't done Besieged in ages and I didn't feel like trying to get to Jeuno any other way. I really wanted to drop off all the loot I was holding before the barbecue. I figured as things usually go in FFXI that they'd still be moving into position at or near the end of Besieged.

During Besieged, Stoik tried shouting vainly for a tele and wondered in shell if it was possible. I told him not likely, as any mages in the area were likely skilling up healing and enhancing and gaining XP (like me). Some less-friendly fighters ripped Stoik in shout but didn't realize he was serious about trying to leave.

Maybe halfway through the melee, Derf announces his Rank up. Stoik and I both congratulate him and express our disappointment in missing the fun. Well, there's some more fun to be had: Other GD members need it too.

I checked in again with RDB but still empty. So I headed off to Jeuno to sell my junk and check in with Luto and the Fellow points guy. Finally, I have "Past Reflections" active. A little more work and I can use Sufhi in Empty zones and get a Tactics Pearl!

Oh speaking of skillups, I hit 190 on Healing, and gained a level in Evasion. Many of my C5's were hitting for 811, which I initially thought was from the skillup. More than likely, it was just my Medicine Ring... /sigh

Updates Welcome

(Now that's more like it!)

Last night, while not nearly as long as I would have liked, was still fun and productive. I was on for maybe an hour and I used that time to level Sufhi to 34 and test a theory about RMT gob-farming in the Ruins.

Sufhi and I had no trouble this time because this time I was sane and pulled only three or four skeletons at a time. Banish and Earth Crusher made short work of them and rarely did I have HP issues. And since these guys are in the low 40s I can level Sufhi here to at least 38. It's a fast camp to reach, it's always open and I'm leveraging Aer's natural divine talents at undead deadifying.

As for the Ruins, I wondered if what the RMT's were after in the gob room was crystals or synth mats. I wiped out at least 10 if not more of the little bastards and I got a single drop - crappy holly shoes. Not one crystal and nothing else besides maybe 350 gil. So either I'm doing it wrong or the RMT's have really low standards for what they consider return on their time (well, their bots' or slaves' time).

I logged out just outside my usual Ruins farm and will try to grab tests and gravities when I log in later.

Conversationally, I hung out with both GD and RDB, starting with GD. Yalto did find my guide and apparently tried it out with Taco. I hope it went well! Also, I got some positive feedback on the "walk down memory lane" aspect of my blog. As I said then, that's honestly its main reason for being. I have done a lot both game-wise and people-wise that I don't want to forget. And I do hope at some point someone gets an insight or at least a laugh out of it.

That said, my PL guide is not written in stone. If anyone uses it and thinks it needs tweaking, please feel free to let me know. I'm not a terribly-proud Mithra, and comments, corrections, and constructive criticism is welcome!

I then switched over to RDB where it turns out Fhox is hard at work arranging some high-level brotherhood between shells. Chewy of TidesofFate is working with Fhox to get Brigaders over the last few humps into the 70's. Fhox is there now, Isa's gaining fast, and I'm almost there. Puma already has one 75 and I don't know about Kitty, Star or the others. I think Fhox is continuing his vision of a high-level, helpful shell that isn't an endgame group.

He's also working on his Matt fight strategies. We both discussed Maat as the reason we haven't been leveling our mains lately, and both of us want to skill up various stats before going toe to toe with the old man. I really, really want to make a solid effort as a melee WHM rather than the turtle-cure route.

I was under the impression that RDM has it easier than many as long as the prep and execution are solid. Maybe I need to re-read and see if things have changed over the last several updates.

And speaking of updates, September brings a new feature that is going to be more abused than the Nomads in Selbina: Level Sync. Apparently there will be a way to form a party of any level mix, choose one player as the "level setter" and all those above him will be capped at his level, with the cap moving up automatically when he levels. Everyone gets capped-level-appropriate XP but I have to assume dings will be based on your real level's XP meter, not the capped one.

Work is being done to make it possible to keep your good gear on and have the stats scale down, rather than needing to have separate sets. This, like Tron in KHII, is very likely the most important thing that has ever happened. Not only will finding parties be a different, and hopefully less-frustraing experience, but I can ditch a ton of gear if the "gear adjuster" code works cleanly.

Thanks to Vagu'Stae for the tip, and /welcome to her as she joins the BlogSpot family. Now if only I could figure out why my posts on her blog don't show up!

Argle Bargle

(Must...control...fist...of DEATH!)

During the frustration that was being stuck in a gravel pit, I got to verify I had the necessary tools in the trunk of my car for towing, etc. This car doesn't have regular tow-loops under the bumper. It has concealed holes in front & back where a long rod with a loop on the end goes. Look closely at the rear bumper of many upscale cars and you might see one or two rectangular covers. Probably the same thing.

Anyway, at 4:30 I got off work. At 5:30, my BIL was still held up. My dad had arrived and we tried putting sheets of heavy cardboard under each wheel, but no dice. Also at this time, a security guard comes up and informs us my company pays for stuck cars to be towed. I could have put the call in on arrival and been free for lunch! How many "Angry Cartmans" can I make before Blogspot objects? ( >< ) ( >< ) ( >< ) ( >< )

Tow got here at 7pm and I was freed at 7:30. I didn't make it home until just after 8 and by then It was too late to eat *and* play.

Today's not looking so good either because it's Y night which means I'll have to leave home close to 7 and won't be back until about 8:30. I'm going to try giving Sufhi some attention and maybe some chat-time with my LS friends but I doubt I can do much more.

Tomorrow however I need to take WAR out and see if I can get 23 or 24. There's some good gear that NIN, PLD and WAR can use at 24. I plan to be at 24+ on these jobs by the weekend.

Also, I rethought the car name - It's now Shiroma, which is an accepted abbreviation for White Mage (shiromadoushi) but could probably also apply to White Magic (shiromahou). Also, it's short enough to put on a state license plate.

しろまどうし - Shiromadoushi

(Is it time to buy a "My other ride is a Chocobo" sticker?)

I have a new car! I didn't get a chance to log into FFXI yesterday because I spent the day getting my new car from a rural dealer about 85 miles from home. I am now a member of the Rotary Club, as I am driving a pearl white Mazda RX-8. It's an '05 but it's in fantastic shape. And I don't think I'll ever forget buying it.

* It rained almost all day and was storming as we reached the lot, some 2 hours away.

* Not 20 minutes in to our journey, I got a speeding ticket driving my dad's car. I thought I was in a 55 but it was 45 at that point. 55 was one more traffic light away... ><

* Halfway there I tried to save a turtle crossing the road but in the time it took me to pull a u-turn, it got squished.

* At the lot, I checked out the car, in the rain. Other than two minor clearcoat chips, worn rear tires, and a loose piece of chin-spoiler, the car appeared to be in great shape.

* During the test-drive, Dad and I had to RTFM to see how to engage Reverse, as we had pulled into a small parking lot away from the dealer to check out the car. I knew these things have lockouts on them but I hadn't encountered this kind yet.

* I bought the car for a ridiculously-low price, IMHO. * Drove it home and showed my loving wife (this was *her* pick!), the boys, and my BIL.

* Dropped Matt off at school, and got stuck in my company's gravel lot.

* Yes, stuck. I'm waiting now for a tow. And I don't want to hear it, Fhox... RWD {Amateur}, stick-noob, none of it!

What a crazy 18 hours! I still have to see what my insurance is going to change to with a newer car.

Now, for the "Is he really that mental for FFXI?" analysis. While waiting for the test-drive, I noticed the car is white on the outside, with black and red leather trim. I've been car-shopping for almost a year now and had already thought about a custom plate reading either "BAI BAI" (think roomaji) or "WHM BLM". The title of today's post is going to be my car's name, unless I go for しろまほう - White Magic instead.

And yes, I do plan to get a Windurst sticker for the side window. But probably not the chocobo one. I'm not *that* cuckoo for FFXI.

Windy Weather

(Windy as in Hurricane, not Federation)

August 21-23

What a three-day rush this was... Hurricane Fay decided to stall over central Florida so we just got another day or two of heavy rain added to the already-lengthy total. When it did move north, the winds picked up and we were getting gusts close to 50 MPH at our house. Thank God we didn't have any tree issues. There were a number of saplings in the area (mostly new trees in the road medians) that simply fell over from the wind and soaked earth. Our neighborhood is about 30 years old so our trees have had time to dig in.

Actually, Thursday we were let off early from work and the first thing I did on arriving home was to cut down some limbs that overhung our house brushing against the roof and chimney. I figured if the winds picked up I didn't need these whipping away at my brand-new roof. Also, you're not supposed to let any greenery touch the house to help keep bugs from eating it.

Friday was the worst, with a pair of twisters touching down not very far from us but they weren't as bad as we've had in the past. The first alert came to us while most of our family was in a movie - The Longshots - and so as word was passed down about the twister sightings I couldn't help but get the creeps remembering the drive-in scene from Twister.

Enough about that though - you don't come here to read about this stuff. Do you?

In Vana'diel I had three major days of activity. Thursday and Friday night were back-to-back parties with Fhox and Isa (and strangers to fill out the rest). I was NIN24 for both and while I take my WHM Amateur status as a sign of teasing respect, I think I may be headed for a new title - lolNIN. I sucked at hate-holding. Really, really sucked. I was hitting zeroes or whiffing way too much despite my new Att+ gear.

To be honest, we started Thursday night in Qufim but with most of us 24 or 25, it was decided that we'd skip the tower and go to the jungle. Mandies were OK but kills took awhile. The real problem is that Fhox was having trouble on pulls the same way I did earlier. Too many links/adds and too many deaths.

(I told Fhox I was going to get him back for face-sitting me earlier!)

Puma had come on his MNK25 but eventually dropped out and switched to PL. I can't help but wonder how often he PLs because HP got critical a number of times and we still died occasionally. It was still great having him on cure support though! This is the main reason I don't like NIN/WAR - I can't do a damn thing to help if I can't hold hate.

Both parties, Isa was our White Mage. More than once she commented on how she doesn't think she's getting it. I gave her plenty of encouragement because she was doing as well as could be expected given the toughness of the area. I think she's doing WHM as the sub for her RDM main. Thursday was also her turn as leader and we traded notes a couple times.

Other than Aydin being a touch eager to call for pulls when we weren't ready the parties were enjoyable. Budeko was in both on his DNC and he helped out a lot in cure panics and with Gob bombs. XP was slow though, mostly because of the death-delays and lack of chains.

I closed out Friday night by crafting. I was getting ready to sell a stack each of Lightning and Earh crystals when I took another look at the crafting guides on FFXIclopedia. I had already passed the productive level for Hachimaki, and with what I had littering my Storage unit, the next best thing was linen synths, at 19 and 22. I didn't expect to have much luck but I did OK - I jumped form 9.3 to 10.9 in about an hour and 15 minutes of work. I spent a pretty penny on flax seed and some threads I needed, but I got somewhere. I also tried a couple of other synths too: Slops and Cotton Headgear. The slops are useless but the Cotton Headgear is level 23 gear and is getting into Cotton Doublet territory.

Oh yeah, almost forgot. Took Sufhi out to SSG again and discovered a room packed with Ghasts. I slipped into "farming in the Ruins" mode and got killed badly. I think I managed to get a whopping 1 mob total (from this room; had 4 earlier) before getting pounded. To make matters worse, I was able to reraise and start healing but a skeleton came over and bopped me a good one. Double-death. So, WHM is back down to about 13k XP into 68.

Saturday I logged in and was welcomed warmly by the folks in GreenDeath, as I had logged out in that shell. Turns out Arch, Aleu and Yalto had wiped trying yet again for Archer's PLD AF sword. It took some running but I made it to them deep in Ordelle's Caves. After the raise I was brought into the party and we decimated the earth elemental guarding the sword. We chatted a bit and then I headed out to get my PLD on. I am *not* going out again on NIN until I figure out why I suck at it. I'm going to try using -ton ninjutsu for hate and damage - maybe it'll be worth it.

Around 1 I got my PLD party, with Exodus, headed for Qufim. This time my tanking would suffer, but for a different reason. I couldn't get the DNC or BLM to stop healing! I did ask at one point if they minded since it was affecting my hate-hold but they didn't alter their strategy much. So I chose not to care if they didn't and I got 2 levels on my Pally. Exodus would leave about halfway through, repping himself with a WHM. I worked on SC timing with the DRK Antigod and we pulled off a few nice ones. Also some lolPLD ones.

At one point, I lamented to the group about my low damage, and they said, especially against crabs, everyone has these issues. Hmmm.

Late into the night Yalto asked me in shell about PL advice, as he wanted to start PLing in the Dunes. I joked about my guide and said I'd help any way I could. Later still, he asked if I was serious about a guide. Here now, is a (paraphrased) snippet of text that earned Yalto "Quote of the Week" honors, and a shot at the monthly title:

Yalto > Did you say something about a guide earlier?
Me > *dthump* *dthump* Is this thing on? Where do you think all the screenshots go?
Yalto > I don't know - into frames hanging on the walls of the basement you play FFXI in?
Me > (laughing too hard to type)

I think everybody in-shell lol-ed at that one. Funny man, funny man. Next raise is gonna cost ya! Besides that comedy gold, I discussed with Aleu optimal stacking strategies for adult beverages, as she was using singles instead of stacks.

Saturday I only chatted with Fhox briefly since he was getting ready to log out as I was coming on. He asked for networking advice for using a PS2 with a wireless AP. I told him what I could, remembering at one point somebody was selling a gaming product that did exactly this. I missed one detail though, he mentioned plugging into the USB port instead of the network jack.

I don't know why he'd want to do that since there's a perfectly good net-jack on the back but I did leave him with one point: If it isn't something that automatically configures, make sure it can be set up by PC before moving it to the PS2. This'll be especially important if he uses any kind of wireless security.

Calm Before the Storm

(Hurricane Party Time)

No, not really. It seems Fay isn't going to do much besides dump a lot of rain and maybe throw a few gusts here and there. Fhox made it through fine and I'm doing well too.

I logged in at 8-ish with definite plans only for Sufhi. While trying to work out good bones camps for Sufhi, I chatted a bit with GD and then Fhox joined in. Also, Matt had some DS issues he wanted help with. And then there was dinner to sort out. Fhox was probably wondering why there was so much lag between my responses!

Wiki suggested Beaucedine Glacier would be good, but the skeletons were spread too thin, so I bailed and went back to SSG. Xarcabard is another camp - but its skeletons are 42-45 and I figure that's higher than it needs to be even if they are better clustered together. And after rereading the AF leveling chart, it seems mobs +3 to Sufhi giver her the max, so I can maybe try some other lower-level groups.

In any case, while in SSG, Sufhi hit 33 and I ran into Geligely again. I think she's farming leeches for a SMN ruby because that's all I've seen her kill. I threw her a couple buffs while looking for our targets.

Then it was time for another Promy-Dem run, but this time Puma was coming. After dumping loot I met up with them. Because of a shortage of WHMs in Bastok, Puma had no ride so Fhox left the crag to get him. I wandered in alone and was able to beat down pretty much anything on the first floor, with max TP easy to hold.

The boys watched and asked me about the different color "balls" inside the Empty beasts. I explained about the elements and their colors, and then we went looking for all of them. I think the only one we missed was Wind. Fhox dropped Puma off and went back for Isa, so the two of us duoed and man, we were getting drops galore! His WAR skills with my healing meant no downtime and we just waded in and started swinging.

Once Fhox and Isa arrived we planned to hit the 4th floor for the map, but it was taking too long to get off the second and everyone needed to get sleep before work. The timing was good because I wanted to hit Jeuno and check in with Luto on AF quests. But I forgot to bring a warp scroll so I had to take a bird.

In Jeuno, I resisted the urge to go WHM for tele-taxis ad instead met up with Luto. As of now, the only things I can do is provide Sufhi with weapons and unlock AF points. The AF points become available after a super-easy quest upstairs in Ru'lude Gardens, and the man who handles the points and AF items is conveniently lurking near that floor's Rendezvous Point. I chatted with the NPC, got my new point total (just over 10k!) and went back to see if any more quests were open, but Luto didn't offer any.

By now, it was after midnight and bedtime.

S-E Customer Service Likes Me

(They really really like me!)

I really wonder why it is Squenix's customer service department ([GM] Dave notwithstanding) gets such a bad rap. Maybe I've never had the kind of problems they aren't helpful with. Maybe some of the people who dump on S-E got the treatment they got because their "Is a douche in-game" flag was set. Maybe I'm just really, really lucky.

In any case, I was able to call last night just before closing time. I believe I spoke with Daniel, and he was very helpful. Well, once I verified a gazillion details about my account and recited a few atomic weights for him. I explained the "cust-serv fail" of emailing someone whose email is down. He reset my password and I was able to log in to POL and update it and get my mail.

However, the two outbound messages I saw must have been something besides the screenshots I had queued earlier because I don't have them now. One more day, GD!

Once the email config was sorted, I found myself in my MH and Fhox immediately asks me to farm. This time, he's in Castle Zhavl Baileys with Isa beating on demons and elementals. I figure, why not? Maybe Sufhi can get some XP while we're at it. In fact, that was Fhox's point from the get-go. He and Raka were working together and soon Sufhi joined them. Unfortunately Isa left her Signal Pearl in storage. I said I'd get a screenshot of all three of us and our lil' buddies next time.

Despite the somewhat longer kill-times on the various demons, Sufhi got 14 of 15 kills, all at max. She said she was close to leveling. I spent most of the time chain-nuking, getting me hate for most of each fight until Fhox and/or Isa dropped some of their fancy sword weaponskills. A number of times we managed to pull off chains. I even got a few decent ones at over 210 + 80 damage - lolWHM melee. And staff went up three levels too.

Not long after Sufhi bailed saying she was tired, Stoik PMs me for a raise. I ask the group if it's OK and with their blessing I kick off Tele-Holla. I'm too busy chatting with Stoik and Fhox to realize both Fhox and Isa are standing right near me... Oops! They wait very patiently while I fix Stoik, but not before I get my {Amateur} from the Boss. I'd say I deserved this one ^^

After the raise, Stoik asked me if I could help him kill the NM Ram that had wasted him. I told him I wasn't sure but that I'd be glad to try. But the big sheep wasn't in the zone any longer. So he thanked me for the aid and I went back to the others and took us back to Xarcabard. Puma met us at the crystal and the four of us beat down a few more demons before I had to go.

All in all a good time with a lot accomplished!

Now, for the evening weather report:

Just so anyone who reads this knows, I may be offline for a day or two depending on what Hurricane Fay decides to do. See you on the other side!

Rescheduling

(Trying to stay positive in a sleepless world)

Today was a short 'n sweet because my car died again. Thankfully I was almost home and after a short walk, got a ride from my SIL who was passing by. The Honda is almost certainly in need of a timing belt. And this particular one also has a balance belt. Prices are anywhere from $450 to $530. This, after blowing over $500 on erroneous repairs earlier this year on a car worth -$200. So we're trying to work out a loaner and see if I can get my new ride by this weekend.

With all this car-stress, including getting my BIL to help tow me back home, I only had about 45 minutes total. I logged in, chatted with GD for a bit and took Aerin and Sufhi back to SSG. After a brief chat about PLD and Yalto's discovery of my "Why I Like WHM" post on Dreams, I said my goodbyes and switched to RDB for the duration.

As for Sufhi, leveling here is easy - if I can remember to keep Stoneshin and Haste up. I pretty much find the three nearest mobs and aggro them all with Dia II and -ga spells until Earth Crusher is ready. Lather, rinse, repeat until MP is gone. I need to check other bones camps because they go down faster than the Ironshell crabs and with mage skeletons, I take less damage because I resist a lot of their junk.

Fhox was explaining the AF leveling chart and I acknowledged that I'd seen it. Unlike that guide, I don't care about mobs with AoE's. If I'm dumping -ga after -ga on them none of them should ever target Sufhi directly, and when she does get whacked with some collateral damage, I can fling a C3 or Regen on her. Honestly, as fast as an all-skeleton group dies, it's not too much of an issue.

Fhox and I chatted some more about RDB and aside from the new members we're breaking in, he wants to continue exploring Promyvion zones and maybe ToAU missions. *That* sounds like a plan to me!

I logged off at about 10:15 and spent another half-hour reading about the AF bond and quests. Sufhi should be getting close to the first bond upgrade and I can give her new weapons now, too. She hit 32 today and should be 33 by Thursday. As soon as I get a Tactics Pearl (bond 33, not level 33, d'oh!) I can really go to town on mobs as low as +4 over her level since until 50, that gives her max XP.

Screenshot Update

Some posts went up before I had the screens transferred from my system. When I added the screens later, I didn't usually note this fact, and if you read the post before I edited it, you may be missing out on some visual entertainment.

These posts were edited after-the-fact for image addition. If you care, they're linked here for easy access.

Aug 05 - "Don't Kill Me Fhox!"

Aug 02 - Vacations are Fun

Jul 13 - {Sleep} {Can I have it?}

Mar 30 - Random Internet Quiz States Obvious

Confusion

(Unexpected Leveling)

August 15-17, 2008

Once again, my memories are a blur. And for the next several days I'm gonna have more recollection defections. My family is now on a new "school time" schedule, wherin ALL of us have to get up at about 6:15am. Many of you may look at that and wonder what the big deal is. Well, last year, only Ape had to get up that early, while the rest of us could sleep in an extra hour. Because of one kid being in middle school and the other still in elementary, the logistics are more complicated. But whatever. I'll be getting off work earlier too and may switch to pre-dinner partying since bedtime for all of us is 10 ~ 10:30pm now ><

Friday, after Tropic Thunder (massively funny, BTW) I logged in and both Fhox and Isa were still on, so we planned to hit Promy-Dem again. Before I headed out though, I told Fhox I was going to see if anyone bit on my flag, and I also needed time to sort gear. Isa was most helpful in tracking down Windy's Event Item storer so I could free up some storage space.

Once I had enough room in my Gobbiebag, and with no party requests, I outposted. Taking the Valkurm route was faster, and a lot less annoying. I did get held up a bit when I assisted the same player *twice* after he got aggro he didn't want. Dancer FTW!

Farming went well, although it was a lot shorter this time. We headed for the second floor almost at once and took on a half-dozen mobs before Fhox and Isa yawned their goodbyes. I didn't stay much longer and warped home.

Saturday started rough but would turn out fine. I got an invite while seeking on NIN22. Joshctc wanted to party in Qufim and once I made it in-zone he invited me. He was still building the party and having a bit of trouble. Zane, the only other partier so far, was offering advice. I asked Josh in PM if I could help and he replied he was going to help me. He had already said n party-chat that he was gonna hook me up with parties. Ummm... He was also WAR25/WHM07. Not very encouraging. If he hadn't already been wearing a pearl I'd have offered him one.

Fhox jumped on and asked what I was doing and I told him I was hopefully going to be leveing Ninja. I really wanted 23 so I could use Hojo and free up more inventory. As luck would have it, Fhox was *in* Qufim and came to a timely rescue when Josh and a Wight came together.

After more trouble with the party roster, he says he's going to bed and disbands. Then five minutes later, he's back. He grabs Nava and the Japanaese Taru that came in just before the bedtime announcement, then promotes Nava to leader and bails again. Thankfully, Nava was up to the task and we soon had a full roster of 6. She was a little concerned about not having a main healer and when I saw she was a Dancer, told her that she was it ^^. We also had two Blues and a Bard.

I offered to pull since no one else answered Nava's call, and I wasn't the tank (thankfully!). Omni, on PLD, took care of that. Even so, XP sucked. We were a spread of 22-25 and Qufim can really peter out at 23, even in a level-tight party. I voted we head to the jungle and everyone else agreed, once the 22's hit 23. We had an interesting time, with a little Wight and Banshee aggro but we did fine making our way back to Jeuno and the Airship.

Once there, we took the very first camp behind the wall and I was still pulling. This wouldn't go as well because there were no other parties in the area. Normally, having a zone all to yourself is teh win, but since nobody else was taking any gobs, I ran into adds a few times. I died twice (reraise, and a raise from Gunts - random PL) and zoned once or twice. But thankfully, I didn't get anyone else killed. Nava died once when a gob wandered into camp well after the pull. I don't think anyone noticed at first because she took a lot of damage before we reacted.

Our BRD seemed to be getting impatient with my pulling and he grabbed a couple on his own. Hey, it sucks but that path from the fort to the drop is narrow and there were two gobs roaming that stretch... Anyway, we stayed on for almost three hours and I had a nice time and got two levels.

After splitting up I did some shopping. Beetle Earrings (for NIN, DNC, PLD, WAR and BST) will add +6 Attack, and a Federation Knife will add +5 more to DNC. I didn't see any katana for NIN that would add anything besides low delay.

Sunday was an early on kind of day. I managed to pull the macros and screens from TheAlmighty, and then, other than some chatter with GD, not much. I leveled with Sufhi in Sea Serpent Grotto. This was MUCH better than bugs in the desert! Aside from the fact that Aerin is a natural bones-breaker, I think the mob levels were much closer to ideal than in Altepa. I got through 15 targets lickety-split and in fact, Sufhi bailed on me when #15 dropped and I was left with #16 and #17 (I was intentionally careless with -ga and AoEs).

I grabbed some more -ton ninjutsu while in the area and dumped my goodies on the Jeuno AH. I also asked Aleu to pass on my compliments to Nava on her party. And they mey be trying for another BCNM run once they analyze and strategize. During the reflections on the beating we took the first time, I joked about having screenies. They seemed a little surprised and I told them once I pulled them I'd post. Someone suggested the post be titled "GreenDeath gets Spanked". I would have used that, but the post was already written!

Also, I finally found out from Arch why he called it what he called it. It was simply his liking of the color green combined with the group's liking of mob elimination.

Oh, GD, the screens will be delayed because I can't send POL mail from my PS2 yet. I have no clue what my mail password is since I set it 18 months ago on my PS3... Once I get a response from S-E I'll post.

P.S. If I ever meet George Lucas, can someone make sure I kick him in the balls? Clone Wars wasn't as bad as people said, but damn. Battle droids should not be used for comic relief that way. Srsly. Jar-Jar? Sure, he's a living, sentient dork. But not droids. Please?

Angular Momentum

(I'm back from the dead and I just read something romantic)

Important note - while I am in fact, back from the dead of downtime, I am not a zombie. Please do not try to put me down with headshots or large appliances. Thank you.

When I got home last night I checked on TheFunMachine's status - everything worked! So I logged in, pulled down my macro set and started playing. Immediately I notice three things: I did lose some macros - my killer SCH set for both /WHM and /BLM isn't there. The PS2 is slower reading from the hard drive (and noisier) than the PS3 - it's really noticeable when paging through macro lines. And the PS2 graphics are underwhelming. I'm normally charitable to the PS2 jaggies but after about 18 months on PS3 it's very obvious how smoothing and a better video connection improve the look.

I checked RDB for activity and finding none at 7:30, I jump over to GD and chat a bit. Aside from Enz trying to find a party in the 30s, I didn't see anything going down. Anxious to get some action, I change to Ninja and flag up. Five minutes later Aleu is talking about a BCNM run at 9. Whoa - I ask for an invite and take my flag down.

It took some doing, and a delay waiting for everyone to assemble, but near 10 we were lining up outside Ghelsbpa Outpost. I don't think they really knew how BCNM's work, especially orbs and drops, so I worked with Arch to get the framework set. I explained YOYD but said as organizer he was free to do it however. Also, I think there was some surprise about only using one orb at a time, meaning several fights if everyone brought theirs.

The chosen fight was Toadal Recall, which has a scroll of Utsusemi: Ni as a possible drop. Four funguars versus six adventurers. Conventional wisdom is to go in with 3 RDMs for kiting and three DDs to take on the free funguar. Some groups use 1 less RDM in favor of more DD or mage support and that's what Archer opted for.

I recommended we /random to see who traded orbs first because I expected the early fights to go down hard and at the end we'd pick up better experience and tactics, meaning the front-runners would be more likely to lose out. Everyone agreed, we rolled, and Aleu won (lost?) and got us in for the first fight.

I'll have to remember to move the screenies over, but the fight did not go well. Yalto and I were the designated RDM kiters and we each held onto a funguar, but 4-on-2 doesn't work. If I were to take a stab at the plan I'd see if we could use more /NIN and have 3 RDMs and 3 heavy melees. And use pots (or some /WHM) for status cures rather than giving up a whole slot to a backline mage.


It was fun and educational nonetheless, and the dead body avalanche is always fun to watch. Narsil was nearby after having raised the last group who wiped, but was AFK and did not answer our request for a raise on Enz. By then it was after 11 and most of the gang wanted to go to bed anyway so we all HPed. They may try again Friday night but I'll be off with Ape for our last summertime date-night: dinner, "Tropic Thunder" and...

Just before we had entered the Outpost, Fhox came on and we chatted briefly. He asked if I could farm with him and Isa in Promy-Dem after the BCNM and I told him I'd stop by. He said he had something personal to discuss but that it would wait until we met up. I mistakenly assumed the topic he was mulling over... One day, maybe I'll be right ^^

In any case, I swapped shells, changed into my dancing shoes and made use of the freewarp to reach Bastok instantly. They were already in Promy-Dem so I thought Windy > Bastok > Choco > Dem would be the best way. Not by a long shot =><= The freewarp lands you in Port Bastok, so it's two more city-zones just to reach the birds. Then three more zones to the crag. Fhox tells me after my blunder that he and Isa OP to Valkurm and walk. I /sighed.

It took a little doing to "seal my memories" of Promy-Mea and to find the right Apparatus in, but thankfully Fhox and Isa were near the entrance. I tried calling Sufhi but later learned she has to be 33 and I need a Tactics Pearl to summon her in the empty zones. Turns out we wouldn't need her help - the three of us, RDM, RDM, DNC cleaned house and got many valuable drops quickly. As creepy as the empty zones are, they're kind of intriguing too. I want to progress through these missions soon.

Since I came /NIN I was able to tank occasionally, voking off Fhox when he got roughed up and holding hate with cures. Aside from me not understanding the danger posed by memory receptacles, we had little trouble with anything we fought. And since the drops came fast, I wouldn't mind doing this more often.

As for the convo Fhox wanted to have, it basically sums up like this: RDB and GD need to stay separate. I do not wish to get between either shell and it's pretty clear that I'm the only person crossing borders by going back and forth. If either group is still with me in this post, please don't put me in a position of having to choose one set of friends over another. I'm fine with keeping each side separate, and I think I understand why that needs to be. But my friendships are more to me than the color of my pearls.

Now, for something a little lighter and sweeter:

Anyone who knows me IRL knows I'm a romantic kind of guy and also a huge nerd, so this just hit the spot.

In-game, anyone who knows me knows I'm just a little strange, and I reinforced that by showing the BCNM crew how Aerin watches tennis. Many lols and then Aleu agreed I was strange ^^

Better Off Dead?

(Getting somewhere - whew)

Tuesday night:

Mom lent me her laptop for a couple days as reward for fixing it. I immediately set to work getting a DS3 to function in FFXI. It took some doing to get the driver working and the buttons all mapped but I did it.

Using full keyboard and pad on her machine, I logged in after 11:30. I didn't do anything but farm and two taxi runs. And my goodness, her machine is s-l-o-w-w-w. I don't know if it's a detail settings issue or if Gateway just hates me, but anyway I got a little hit of Vana'diel.

Wednesday:

I spent the evening tinkering with TheFunMachine. I was going to try yanking parts out of my Japanese PS2 (it doesn't have a name) but then I remembered using a "PS2 laser adjustment" FAQ to get CD games working again a couple years ago when HL refused to play. So that's what I did and I'm thrilled to say, TheFunMachine is back online and my .jp unit is still in one piece.

Right now, I'm installing VC 2008 and I know it's gonna take awhile. I don't care. I just need to play. If I can get TheAlmighty online long enough, I want to dump my macros and the last few screenies and then I can worry about fixing it later. Yes, I do have a fairly new macro set backed up to POL but I think I've made a couple tweaks since then.

April's first day as a teacher at her new school is tomorrow and she went to bed before 10:30 (instead of 1am like me). It's going to be rough going for awhile, and I expect to be distracted a lot but hopefully I'll be on this weekend to catch up on all I've missed.

And, before someone posts (PLEASE, SOMEONE POST!!!eleven!) I know "The Fun Machine" was the catchy slogan for the beloved Nintendo 64. Goldeneye FTW! My PS2 version is so named because it's given me so many faithful years of service and I've played so many games on it. And I have many yet to play - boxes filled with sealed or unplayed discs clutter my garage.

{See you again!}

Slightly Less Pathetic

(Mood Improvements)

Well, I still don't have a working console, but Mom's lappy is back among the living!

Basically, this is what I did over the last two days:

* Searched for others with "lsass.exe - System Error Security Accounts Manager initialization failed because of the following error: The handle is invalid, Error Status: 0xc0000008"

Relevant results I could find almost always suggested Sasser infection. Sasser was what? 2004? In any case, I yanked the laptop's drive, shoved it into my 2.5" enclosure and scanned the whole thing. Clean. Next step...

* Kept searching, and results from other desperate types suggested corruption with either the SAM or Security registry hives. One post said to swap in the %windows%\repair copy of SAM. Another said to try Security.

Attempts at this failed and so I wondered if Windows was fighting me, either in hidden files or System Restore controls. I dug up a minimal Linux live-CD with NTFS support, called PartedMagic, burned it using the Win2003 ResKit tool called cdburn, and tried the SAM/Security copy thing from Linux.

Aerin's Linux desktop skill rises 0.1 points!
Aerin's Linux CLI skill rises 0.3 points!

But it didn't work either. However, the error message changed. "lsass.exe: When trying to update a password the return status indicates that the value provided as the current password is not correct"

* Searches for this new error led me to a Microsoft KB article that seemed helpful: How to recover from a corrupted registry that prevents Windows XP from starting.

THIS time, after grinding all the steps in that KB, the system booted and restored to a point only 7 days before the screwup.

So now, at least I have one way in to FFXI!

Pathetic

(Desperate measures...)

If you look in the dictionary for the word "pathetic", somewhere near the bottom of the list of definitions will be one that looks like this:

"15. Playing Armagetron Advanced and chatting with players (who may in fact be bots) because their damn PS3 won't work at all any more."

This is not a sleight against Armagetron. It's actually a pretty well-done game and I've had quite a bit of fun with it (although finding low-rubber servers has been hard). And many thanks to Penny Arcade for implanting that subliminal notion in my head. But it's no FFXI and I haven't played for almost 4 days now. The last time I was off that long I was on vacation and couldn't take my PS3.

Bear in mind my mom's laptop is *still* dead. Curse you, Catch22 (you know who you are). Whatever happened while you were surfing really dorked this machine up (Don't worry - we know it was IE's fault, not yours ^^). Mounting the drive in a 2.5" enclosure shows the drive itself is intact, and the data is fine. But Windows seems to be having a really hard time with either the SAM or LSASS security components. Attenpts to patch or use "repair" copies of key files has not worked so far, and I don't have a vendor-neutral repair disc for XP Media Center.

So trying to play on a gamepad-less laptop was already desperate. Now I sink once more. I'm trying to get TheFunMachine (PS2) operational again so I can install there. I still have the Sony 40GB drive and both the original core + Zilart and Collection 2008 discs. FunMachine's problem is that either the laser or the spindle motor is toast. And that thing has waaay more time logged than TheAlmighty did. So no surprise.

Web searches for drive assemblies suggest I should just go to a pawn shop and buy another phat PS2 and either install straightaway or pull parts. I also have my Japanese PS2 (10000) which works but I have no idea how compatible its innards are with a later-spec NA unit (30001). I might try that tonight after the Y and if that fails, go pawn-shopping tomorrow.

As for my friends, well, I miss all of you and hope to be back online in a couple days. And as for Sufhi? I hope Aerin's been feeding her in my absence. I don't want to find a dead Mithran on the steps of my Mog House and a citation from the VSPCM tacked to the door...

Oh, almost forgot. My jonesing is so bad I'm *dreaming* in Vana'diel now, and I don't mean the website! Fhox, Archer, and I (others? not sure) were doing our best to stay alive among dangerous mobs in an area I don't remember seeing in-game before. I kept doing the raise/reraise thing but we were set upon by a number of bones. And of course, in my dream, this is when my system froze again leading to a wipe.

Starting to Get the Shakes

(Is crack this bad?)

After a very late start Friday (completely missing the GreenDeath static) I managed to get an invite to the Dunes on SMN. Pulce wanted me to rep him, and on my arrival, he pointed me out to his leader, Thedarkduke. We never really got things rolling because half the party took off after less than an hour of action. Gidgidoni was in this one and wanted to carry on. I was given lead and as luck would have it, Aleu and Valmorten were looking for a party in this level.

I was able to round up two more players, a PUP and NIN. After a wait for them to arrive, we got to work. This was another mercilessly slow party but overall I think things worked out. Aleu was tickled at my politeness, and in fact, I may need to get a little more assertive and depend less on groupthink. Not that bad decisions were made, but sometimes I wanted to go in a particular direction and felt like the rest of the group wasn't with me.

Also, Aleu, a career warrior, has been getting more and more into WHM. We chatted about that and she mentioned when we lost our tank that shew understood my WHM guilt. I confessed my growing attraction to tanking so some role-swap lols were had.

As for Saturday and Sunday, TheAlmightyImpotent wouldn't work at all. I need to call Sony and see if repairs are still possible. Also, Mom's laptop seems to have a major issue affecting the LSASS component. All searches suggest a virus-type issue.

Virtual Pets

(/pet <pet>)

After a rushed but successful PL trip to the desert with Sufhi, I had an odd thought last night while falling asleep. I'm real IRL but play with an artificial avatar in a game. I take care of her, and since she doesn't really *need* anything, it's not as bad as living with a Tamagotchi. But now, *Aerin* has a pet too. A virtual-virtual pet? I think my head asploded right before I drifted off...

The leveling trip was rushed because I got home ahead of Ape and she and my nephew were coming to pick me up for dinner. I was able to get enough kills in for Sufhi to ding 31. And since I was on so early, I beat the Brigaders on and switched over to GreenDeath for a bit.

Aleu was organizing a static in the 11-13 range and I couldn't go :( Well, honestly, I don't have any jobs that level anyway. We chatted a bit but then we all kind of concentrated on our own things and then it was time to go to dinner.

Maybe RDB can get back to the static thing on Wednesdays and if GD catches up I can finally get SMN moving. And maybe BST.

Remind me to ask Archer why the shell is called "GreenDeath". Or better yet, someone get him to read this and post!

P.S. My interview went well - I hopefully will have excellent news to report by Tuesday! Wish me well!

Some Orcs are Dorks

(Quest-item repop timers suck too)

The only thing I did last night besides drop some junk off at Jeuno's AH was work with Fhox and Isa on her RDM AF weapon quest.

We combed Davoi for over 2 hours and the pattern Isa needs to find never turned up. We got skillups here and there (hit 148 on club but didn't get new skill - WTH?) and covered all the points at least once.

And once again, I managed to get aggroed and run the wrong way, dying in a swarm of high-end orcs right at the edge of their camp instead of safely dead in a passage. Thankfully, before Fhox and Isa had to risk their health bars for me, Brockx and Katy showed up and made Orc loose-meat sammies. MNK/DNC seems to be an awesome DD setup.

At least I did get a little more experience dealing with bad fights/links.

I had to leave at 12:15 (was supposed to leave at 11:30 and got more Wife aggro...) but I think they stayed longer. Here's hoping they had better luck!

"Don't Kill Me Fhox!"

(Relationships, relationships...)

Last night I finally caught up with Archer. He was downstairs in Port Jeuno and I asked if the offer of membership still stood. It did, and I met him for the trade. I chatted with the GreenDeath gang for a bit and then flipped back to RDB.

In the meantime I alerted Fhox, just to make sure he had full disclosure from me, and to once again assure him I wasn't leaving. Besides, Ryu had been on recently and Darkanda (I know that name from *somewhere*...) joined up. And Star was on, desperate to get her Sunbreeze swimwear.

I told her I'd help and I took her to Bastok. She and I worked our hardest but the crowd was thin and syncs were slow in coming. I eventually begged off since I already had the NQ set and wanted to get started on the HQ set. This required trips to all three nations and winning the minigames there.

While I took out the three games (Shooting Gallery, Spot the Difference and Chocochick Roundup) Star finally got enough syncs for her set. I even grabbed a screenie of her, Isa and me in the rather nice gear. Isa had stopped by on her way somewhere else.

Also, the Spot the Difference really sucks. The timing on the emote and nodding events bites. Waiting past those scenes really helps!

I ended the night by leveling with Sufhi. This was much better than before although Antican Decurios wanted to ruin things. She's still 30 but she's got to be close to leveling.

Wizard Needs Console, Badly

(About to play "Will it blend?")

Sunday I couldn't log in at all because TheAlmighty either locked up instantly or wouldn't deign to respond to my polite requests to power on.

Yesterday I got in and had to wait for about 2 hours for all-worlds maintenance to finish. To be fair, it was announced in advance, and even though the end time slipped, the revised update was informative and they held to their new ETA.

All I got done was some AH chores and one mob with Sufhi. She died when the linked Gob Reaper actually targeted her over me. I somehow missed the damage in the log and didn't properly voke off her. In Jeuno, I called for her at the rendezvous point and she let me set combat style. My Bond shouldn't be 35 yet - Hmmm.

I asked her to switch to healer. The mobs we're grinding off of are too hard for her to damage and the voking isn't helpful. At least as healer she can keep me alive a little longer and allow me to spend some MP on nukes to finish fights faster.

Ape asked me to run to the store for some stuff after our dinner party disbanded. I left Aer in Jeuno not wanting to risk a shutdown and restart. But when I got back it was locked. Fhox had ben trying to reach me but I don't know what for - I could only see one line of the log. I hope my tells reached him. I'll hopefully be able to get on again tonight and see what's up.

My search for a broken PS3 to part out for TheAlmighty's repair isn't going so well. Two I've been after have gone past 50 bucks, not including the 20+ for shipping. Nothing on CL either. And the local game store that does repairs doesn't do PS3 repairs ><

I guess if I have to I'll buy another system but I really liked the idea of having back-compat done in hardware and not software. I think I'm going to try emailing Sony to see if there's any word on a possible cause and/or remedy, but Google searches haven't been the most helpful. I found cases of others with identical problems but so far no real answers....

Vacations Are Fun

(Hard work rewarded)

July 28 - August 2, 2008

Wednesday night I actually got a party on WHM. It's been a very long time since I took Aer out in her WHM finery to a real party. And I wasn't really flagged up for it either. I started the three-quest series to unlock an Adventuring Fellow of my very own. I suspect parties are going to be harder to enlist for with my work/sleep schedule about to change for the worse in about a week. So, at least with a little buddy, I'll have a few choices of time-wasters: Campaign, leveling LB, skillups for Club, and crafting.

I had finished the first AF quest while flagged but on finishing it I took down my banner. I then headed out to the Necropolis for the NM fight that caps the second quest. On the way, Chikorin got ahold of me and asked if I would join them in Caedarva Mire. I accepted even though it was a little after my party "time window" - I really wanted to get back the XP I lost with Aleu and Aegis.

The party itself went pretty well. I think I was only one of two English speakers but we did all right with auto-trans and simply knowing our places. And this time I didn't even have to fight Tarbou, our RDM, for -na casts ^^ As you know, the Mire is full of True Sight Imps, in addition to Jnun. Now, go look up "schadenfreude", apply it in the context of me trying to bail the RDM out of unexpected aggro, then guess how the party would end.

The one on one fights with either Imps or Jnun were no sweat. When I needed MP, I could usually rest safely and nobody would take any serious damage, given that I'd make sure both Tarbou and Diorie (PLD) had sufficient MP. Things got complicated however, when Imps took a liking to Tarbou, four times. He'd be trying to enfeeb an add and the puller would return with the prey we expected to fight. I don't know why no one called him off or announced links, but the RDM would bite it twice as a result of too much mob and not enough adventurer.

I did my best to keep him and the rest alive and was doing well between Curaga pulls and a well-timed Benediction. And then the inevitable. *I* got aggro while resting, not long after raising Tarbou and being really low on HP. We basically wiped. I had already alerted our leader to my time remaining and the wipe happened with about 20 minutes left on my clock. I homepointed and then she called for a DB. Our puller was left dead in the Mire so I risked my neck solo to raise him and as I warped out he got taken out again. I told him to {Take care.}, hehe.

I was just about to go back once more but he either HPed or got another raise. He was talking in Japanese and not auto-trans and for the most part I kept up - It was really basic Japanese. So, with him sorted, I went to log out. Tibia, the rep who came for our monk (and an English speaker) chatted with me for a bit about the sudden end (she came late). I explained that we had already been rolling for close to an hour and a half when she was called in. As for the sudden end, I guessed it had to do with me being done anyway and no main healers looking for adventure.

Thursday, I was in Orlando, for the last major outing of the 2008 Funfest. We did both Universal Parks and totally raped the lines with our Fast-Passes. And finally got some rollercoaster riding in the dark!

On returning Friday night, I wrapped up the AF quest and got to meet Sufhi Uchnouma. She's Mithran (duhhh), brown hair and yellow eyes, and is the "small" version. I guess for Mithra the model difference is like 2 inches' height between sizes. I took her out to Western Altepa and got her XP by beating down beetles and Gobs. I tanked, despite her earnest efforts to steal hate, and threw cures her way as needed. I missed the 15 mob limit by just 3, and should have been getting max XP per.

Saturday I did two Campaign battles with Fhox and Isa. I felt bad for the Feds since I was technically fighting in Bastok, but we're all an alliance, right? Neither battle went well since there weren't enough players pitching in. We all died a lot despite our best efforts. There weren't any reinforcements in the first battle, so that was like total suicide against the amped-up quads. At least for round 2 we had some NPC support.

After that I gave the new summer event a go and was rewarded with a very nice beachy top for Aerin. After that I headed to Garlaige to try skilling up. I had to log out after a particularly good run and didn't get back in until very late that night but I went from 132 to 146 just by beating on the Fort. And then during the third battle there, I guess no one else came because I was surrounded by Yagudo. And this time they noticed me. I almost missed the death - I took like 7 hits in less than a second. And it took awhile before I felt safe enough to pop reraise. I was down for about 15 minutes and then the Yags went somewhere else. I quickly came to, raised Brothermist who had died nearby and then warped out.

Back in Windy, I went back to Huntsmans' Court and waited for Mumor to begin a show. And through spectacular levels of fail, managed to piss away 29 syncs. I got 15+, warped back to my MH to grab the top, then found out that you can't warp. Starting over, I got what I thought was 16 syncs and went to cash out. Nope, I miscounted - only 14. But I did get some fireworks >< One more pass and I finally got the bottoms. Now to make sure what I need in order to get the HQ set and the Bibiki teleport item.

Sunday, I haven't been able to log in because TheAlmighty is being stubborn.