Slow Expansion

November 21-25

This Log will summarize the progress I made over 4 days of owning the Vana’diel Collection for 2008. It has every expansion in it so it’ll allow me to finally be area-complete. And since it has a brand-new expansion, I’ll finally get to explore new areas right along with everyone else. In theory, anyway…

Wednesday, en route to Tennessee, we stopped in Columbia and headed to Best Buy. It took some searching and head-scratching, but I finally found the game. Their computer had said there were FOUR in this store but they were still on a shelving cart I was lucky to find. I asked Ape if I could rub the game on my privates, a’ la Gabe but she threw cold water on that idea.

I really just have to wonder how many people Sony and Square-Enix expect to walk into a retail store and grab this (or the WotG expansion). Random gamers who think it looks nifty may or may not have the necessary gear and the manual I got didn’t helpfully suggest PS3 owners can easily get in on the fun. I wonder how many people are going to unwrap the case and realize they’re boned.

We got in late Wednesday and I didn’t get a chance to install until Thursday because it requires some net access and I didn’t have the condo WEP key until the morning. Media install was fast, at about one hour for everything, but then it wouldn’t connect to register.

It wouldn’t connect that night or Friday afternoon.

It wouldn’t connect Friday night either.

During a 2-hour Wii marathon with Josh I tried over 30 times and managed to get Wings and Promathia registered but not ToAU.

I did get Ninja most of the way to 11 in Giddeus though. I also started the DNC (yes, they went with DNC instead of DCR…) job quest but missed a chat and therefore wasted 720 gil on a bird in La Theine. And all of this on keyboard only.

I didn’t bother Sunday morning since we had to pack and drive. Upon returning home at 11pm Sunday night, a message from the support staff indicated they had fixed the reg server problems, previously detailed in 6 earlier posts. Sure enough, ToAU registered almost instantly. /sigh

I played for about 90 minutes before turning in. I returned to Jeuno, properly flagged the Dancer quest, and went to San d’Oria for that leg of the run. While sitting AFK helping Ape unpack, Crippler PMed me asking for PL assistance for – get this – 20k to get him 2.5k XP. I wasn’t going to but figured on an Empress Band that should be maybe 15 kills.

While waiting for him to meet me I did the Sandy part of the quest – “dance” on the Lion Springs’ stage. It’s an unwinnable event wherein you look like a tool, but later the pro dancers in Jeuno hear of your strong spirit despite lack of talent and take pity. Ha! Then we set off for La Theine.

He picked on an assortment of mobs that he said were T (and likely DC and EM as well) and it didn’t take too long to get the ding and a small buffer. He then proceeded to try to trade me 20k. I told him I thought he said 2k and said that if he insisted to make it 4. He went 10 instead which I went ahead and took.

I told him I was just happy to see a Dancer in action and to get a feel for how they melee. Turns out, pretty well with their endrain dance.

As he left, a BST that picked on the wrong Akbaba got flattened and I was out of XP to stop it. I raised him when able and watched over a couple other players waiting for his weakness to pass. When it did I topped off his HP and buffed, then went back to Jeuno to continue the Dancer quest. Apparently now I get to travel into the mists of history.

I fixed my search comment to reflect my new all-access pass, and I did get a blind invite earlier (before Crippler’s offer), but I had to turn that down.

I’m beginning to wonder if I can whore myself out as a PL for the new wave of Dancers and Scholars. Might be easy money and a good way to skill up my magic. I’ll have to wait and see I guess.