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Pikko

Well, more news about the big update coming up in FFXI.
None of this is as exciting as the level sync feature, but I thought it'd be worth posting. New storage feature for Beastman & Kindred seals, armored chocobos in the past, and additions to fellows. For people who don't play FFXI, a "fellow" is an NPC partner that you can level up, set different battle styles for, etc. They act a little like pets, but they have access to spells and abilities that PCs have.

Anyway, here's the full article.

September Version Update Preview (08/29/08)

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for more streamlined adventuring—the September version update is just around the corner! Continuing in the tradition of enhancing creature comforts in your Vana'dielian lifestyle, we're proud to introduce a number of adjustments and additions scheduled to take place.

Seal Storage
Previous version updates have ushered in numerous improvements to in-game storage, with the Mog Locker and the Mog Safe having been bestowed with increased capacity and several furnishings receiving enhancement tweaks thus far. But that's not all we have to offer!
In next month's update, the development team will take the hassle of storing beastmen's and Kindred's seals out of your hands, and put it into those of orb-dispensing NPC Shami. Through the natural course of gameplay, adventurers will come into possession of not inconsiderable quantities of the abovementioned seals which take up storage space like all other items. From the next version update, however, adventurers will no longer need to leave stacks of seals scattered about their Mog House, waiting to be stepped on by unwary guests to grimacing, painful results. So, whether you have just one or hundreds, swing over with all those cumbersome seals to see Shami at his usual hangout in Port Jeuno and he'll take care of the rest.
*Shami will hold onto seals traded to him with white-knuckled tenacity, but will gladly furnish adventurers with lovely orbs as recompense.

Getting Around in Past Vana'diel
At present, the dominant mode of transport in past Vana'diel is the teleportation service requiring payment in Allied Notes. However, the NPCs based in the three nations offering this service would prioritize their own safety and go into hiding during Campaign battles, greatly inconveniencing adventurers wishing to travel outside of town.
In addressing this issue, the development team has decided to bolster up these NPCs with a much-needed dose of courage so that they will no longer abandon their posts in the face of a beastman invasion.

In addition to the above, rental chocobos will finally be made available for use in areas introduced in the Wings of the Goddess expansion. Players who fulfill the three conditions below will be able to pay Allied Notes to rent a chocobo at their leisure, regardless of the current war climate:
1) Be level 20 or above.
2) Be in possession of a chocobo license.
3) Be affiliated with an allied nation.
*Please note that chocobo whistle usage and digging will not be possible in past Vana'diel.

More Fellows!
Fellows will be receiving tweaks and improvements for the second consecutive version update. On the menu of changes are new armor pieces and a simplified customization system that will allow greater ease in changing your fellow's attire to suit your needs. An exciting new chapter of adventuring with your fellow awaits you!

hyarume

Ill add a bit, to make it a bigger topic okay


New Level Sync Feature to Change the Way You Party! (25/08/2008)

The FFXI development team is proud to announce the "Level Sync" system, a revolutionary new feature in the upcoming version update that will allow all players—grizzled veterans and novices alike—to adventure and gain experience together regardless of level differences!

The Concept

The development team has been listening intently to feedback from players, and working hard to address concerns such as the following:
"I can't party effectively with my friends or linkshell members because our levels are too far apart!"
"I invited one of my friends to play FFXI with me, but we can't party together because we don't have any jobs at similar levels!"
"I can't find anyone close enough to my level to party with!"

The new Level Sync system is the result of extensive discussions on how to resolve these concerns, while preserving game balance and avoiding abuse and ************** by RMT groups. It addresses the issues that have resulted from a steady stream of new, low-level players joining an existing game world populated by scores of high-level veterans, and is part of the ongoing effort to clean up the FFXI community and remove players in violation of the users' agreement.


At the heart of the feature is the new ability for members of a party to "power down" to the level of a designated target player. Now friends will be able to adventure together and gain experience as if they were all the same level!

With the introduction of this system, there will also be major changes to the way equipment is handled in regard to level restrictions. Rather than automatically unequipping items if a player's level is reduced below the item's minimum level, the attributes of high-level equipment will be scaled down proportionally to the reduced level.
This will apply not only to the Level Sync system, but to all level-restricted areas and missions. This means that players will now be able to participate in various battlefields, Assault missions, and Ballista, and also to adventure in level-capped areas such as Riverne without the hassle of having to switch equipment!

Read on for more details about how the Level Sync system will work, and examples of how equipment and experience-gaining will be affected.

How it Works

When Level Sync is activated, the level of all party members will be temporarily reduced to that of a target player designated by the party leader. For as long as the Level Sync remains in effect, all party members – regardless of their original level – will be able to gain experience as if they were actually the lower, restricted level.

e.g. With a party containing characters of Levels 75, 48, 46, 30, 12, and 11:
If the target character is Lv. 11, everyone will become Lv. 11.
If the target character is Lv. 12, the Lv. 30-75 party members will become Lv. 12.
(the Lv. 11 character will remain Lv. 11)
* If the target character gains a level while Level Sync is in effect, the other characters' levels will automatically adjust to reflect the new target level.
* Level Sync cannot be used in areas or events where a separate level restriction already applies.
* The Level Sync settings are easily accessible from the main menu.

Three simple restrictions will be implemented to ensure that the Level Sync feature is not abused and does not provide an excessive advantage over traditional leveling.
1)The minimum target level that can be synchronized to is Level 10.
2)The party leader and target player must be located in the same area.
3)There will be a buffer period of thirty seconds when deactivating Level Sync.

Gaining Experience

When Level Sync is in effect, players will gain 100% of the experience and limit points possible to gain at their reduced level. Be aware, though, that no EXP will be gained if the target player is unconscious, removed from the party, too far away from the battle location, or otherwise unable to receive EXP at the time the monster is defeated.
In addition, the amount of EXP lost when rendered unconscious will be calculated based upon the player's reduced level.





Equipment

As mentioned above, equipment will also be temporarily powered down to match the player's reduced level. Attributes that will be affected include: DMG, DEF, HP, MP, Status Effects, Accuracy+, Attack+, Ranged Accuracy+, Ranged Attack+, Magic Accuracy+, and Magic Attack+.
* The current plan is for other special properties (including Evasion, Enmity, enchantments and ability bonuses) to be negated entirely.

Ex. 1) Centurion's Sword (Lv. 30)
DMG: 19 Delay: 225 Accuracy +3 Attack +4

Ex. 2) Askar Zucchetto (Lv. 75)
DEF: 23 STR+4 DEX+4 VIT+4 Haste +4%
Set: Max HP Boost

Ex. 3) Goliard Clogs (Lv. 75)
DEF: 19 DEX+4 INT+4 MND+4 CHR+4 Evasion +5
MP recovered while healing +3 Magic Accuracy +2

* The attributes in red will be scaled down relative to the player's level.

Also, low-level players need not be discouraged! Statistics on higher-level equipment (including HQ and rare items) being scaled down will be comparable to those of common items at the target level. This means that lower-level characters who have obtained special equipment via quests, notorious monsters, or HQ syntheses will still have the best gear available at their respective level!

There are still more exciting new changes that will be introduced, so keep an eye out for the full details to be posted on the day of the version update. Until then, happy adventuring!




AND there's more comming



The Campaign Continues! (15/08/2008)

In the ever-present attempt to render Campaign more agreeable to the player palate, the September version update will play host to a veritable smorgasbord of additions and tweaks, adjustments and tunings!
And now is as good a time as any to let the players in on some of what we've got in store.

Beastman Confederate Stronghold Notorious Monsters

In a turn of events that bodes only ill, a new class of beastman elite will be garrisoned at each of the strongholds located in La Vaule [S], Beadeaux [S], and Castle Oztroja [S]. Each group is comprised of a total of eight notorious monsters, their very presence mocking the Allied Forces' efforts from behind well-defended walls.

Defeating these new NMs will result in a marked decrease in the defensive capabilities(*1) of the strongholds under beastman control. In addition, they may drop treasure items which can be used by players to increase the defenses of the Allied Forces' own strongholds. Thus, their significance in the outcome of the war can hardly be overlooked.

Further, amassing a collection of eight Key Items by felling all of a stronghold's NMs will grant players the opportunity to enter a battlefield (*2) where even more dangerous foes await...

*1: Defensive capabilities refers specifically to a total of eight Campaign-related factors, such as funds, tactics, reconnaissance, etc. These statistics can be checked by either talking to the proper Campaign NPCs in any of the three nations, or from the Region Info option under the Main Menu.
*2: Only one of the members entering the battlefield is required to be in possession of the eight Key Items.

Influence Over Areas

It has been noted that the trend on many servers since the implementation of Campaign has been for the Allied Forces to fall well behind the Beastman Confederate in terms of influence over areas, with the disparity being quite difficult to overcome once in place.
Therefore, the coming version update will usher in several changes that will make it easier to win influence, with the goal of increasing the likelihood of areas changing hands as the war rages on.

Another area of the Campaign system which will see further enhancement in September is that of freelances. To take just one example, players can look forward to a new wandering scholar NPC who, once recruited, will take up residence in your nation's capital and aid the war effort by readily dispensing invaluable information.

Campaign Battle Performance Assessments

The judging of player performances in Campaign battles at the hands of Campaign Arbiters will see several adjustments. These changes will focus primarily on the use of enhancing magic and songs, though there will also be adjustments to the methods of calculation, as well as limits placed upon single assessments.

Simplification of Campaign Evaluation Standards

The requirements needed for each medal become more and more stringent as a player progresses in rank. However, recent trends indicate that as the conditions necessary in the upper ranks become more demanding, considerably more time is demanded of players to either maintain their current rank, or to advance via further promotion. The end result is an inability for players to enjoy the ease of participation and simple battle system as originally intended.

In response to this, players can expect the standards of Campaign evaluations to be simplified in order to make the entire process more agreeable and accessible.

New Campaign Ops

New Campaign Ops focusing on the wartime training of physicians are also in development. Successful completion of these Ops will ultimately serve to ease the strategic defense of the Allied Forces' areas, and hold the Beastman Confederate at bay.


And more



Merit Points Group 1 for Dancer and Scholar! (13/08/2008)

Dancers and scholars, rejoice! The job-specific merit point category, Group 1, will finally be coming to you in the upcoming version update!

With this addition, dancers and scholars alike will be able to reach new heights by spending acquired merits points on upgrades such as reducing ability delay and enhancing the overall effect of their job-exclusive abilities. The group maximum ability increase and the individual maximum ability increase will be 10 and 5 respectively, in line with the other jobs.




And more.



Dynamis and Limbus Get a Makeover! (04/08/2008)

The September version update just keeps getting bigger and better! We would like to take this opportunity to announce our intentions to implement some all-new features to both Dynamis and Limbus, as well as a few adjustments brought in by popular demand!

Blue mage / Corsair / Puppetmaster Artifacts and Relics

The wait is finally over!
At long last, the highly anticipated relic gear sets of the blue mage, corsair, and puppetmaster jobs are here! Rounding out the standard 5-piece sets, the more recently added back and waist items will also be added to September's version update. Players with these jobs can now look forward to obtaining the ingredient items required to temper their artifact and relic gear with even greater enhancements!
When considering how to best introduce this equipment, the development team weighed many options, including the possibility of entirely original methods. In the end, however, the decision was made that such means would be largely unfair by rendering only players with these jobs capable of accessing new game content. Therefore, all of the above items will be procured in the same way as their predecessors, namely via exploits in the Dynamis and Limbus areas.

Drop Rates

Great care has been put into assuring that current drop rates will see no negative impact from the introduction of the new blue mage, corsair, and puppetmaster gear sets. Players can rest easy knowing that any and all necessary adjustments to the drop rate ratios have been considered and implemented to maintain a fair and balanced game experience.
Furthermore, the overall drop rates of select Dynamis areas, covering the relic gear of all jobs old and new, are set to be raised as well.

Entry Fees

In light of the additions and adjustments detailed above, the entry fees for both Dynamis and Limbus were also brought under careful reconsideration.
Thanks in part to the ground being made by the Special Task Force in combating RMT-related activities, and subsequent normalization of the game economy, the following reduction in price to entry items will be implemented in the upcoming September version update.

Timeless Hourglass: 1,000,000 gil -> 500,000 gil
Cosmo-Cleanse: 30,000 gil -> 15,000 gil







Wings of the Goddess Nation Quests (31/07/2008)

The storyline for the episodic quests introduced in the Wings of the Goddess expansion pack is set to continue in the upcoming September version update. Adventurers will find themselves thrown into the midst of furious struggles for the continued survival of each nation.

San d'Oria

Having borne witness to the real horrors of the battlefield, Tavnazia-bound Excenmille makes the executive decision to disband the Young Griffons in the interest of his friends' safety. Bitterly disappointed at their captain's sudden change of heart and eager to prove him wrong, the ever-zealous remaining members embark on an ambitious mission that will see them come face to face with a fiendish Orcish plot...

Bastok

Trouble is brewing in the republic as Galkan discontent towards the Hume government and the imperious military police threatens to boil over into all-out civil war. To make matters worse, fueling the fire of rebellion is an unlikely culprit—a sworn brother of the proud Mythril Musketeers. With the unity and morale of the citizens crumbling and the security of the nation compromised from within, will Bastok's defenses be able to hold out should the unthinkable occur...?

Windurst

Although victorious over the Yagudo Theomilitary at Fort Karugo-Narugo, the Windurstian Forces have been left nursing grievous wounds to their ranks. The Mithran Mercenaries, however, could not have chosen a more inopportune time to engage in internal feuding. Old rivalries are reignited as Cobra Command transforms from the city's last bastion of defense into a savage battlefield...

The dark underbelly of the Crystal War will be revealed to adventurers brave enough to answer the call. The future of Vana'diel rests in your hands!

There's more


The Myriad Arms of Balrahn, cont. (29/07/2008)

The next version update brings with it a number of additions and adjustments to the highly anticipated "Myriad Arms of Balrahn," those mysterious weapons of myth and legend.

Arms of Balrahn Quest Adjustments

One of the uncountable legacies left by that most famous of Aht Urhgan emperors, Balrahn, was his unparalleled collection of what have since come to be known as "Mythic weapons." Much like their Dynamis counterparts, the relic weapons, these weapons were designed with the intention of being markedly difficult to obtain, as befits their value as prestige items. There are several points of departure between the two weapon groups, however, including both the series of questlines required to procure them, as well as the weapons' attributes themselves. Whereas the successful upgrading of a relic weapon demands that a player repeatedly participate in Dynamis runs, and subsequently requires a potentially large sum of gil, the mythic weapons are tempered by players fulfilling a series of conditions over a prolonged period of time. Though the means of acquiring relic and mythic weapons may differ greatly in many respects, a number of factors were taken into account before the introduction of the latter to ensure that the eventual time required for obtaining them would be roughly equivalent.
That being said, it has since come to our attention that one of the prerequisites, namely that concerning the amassing of alexandrite, has greatly surpassed the original intentions of the development team. At present, the number of pieces of alexandrite required is recognized to be in excess of a reasonable amount.

A general survey was conducted to ascertain several important facts regarding Salvage and the alexandrite drops within. These included, but were not limited to, considerations such as how many instances of Salvage were being run by players, which routes were being taken and which enemies fought most frequently in each area, and an overall gauge of player progression through Salvage. From this data, an estimation was extrapolated of how much alexandrite would drop server-wide on any given day. Following the introduction of the mythic weapon quests, we were able to confirm that the alexandrite drops were occurring on a par with what was assumed would be the case. The overall amount available for distribution, however, was judged to be overwhelmingly lacking.

In response to these findings, the version update will usher in a reduction to the total amount of alexandrite necessary for the completion of the mythic weapons. Also, new means of obtaining alexandrite will be introduced in an attempt to ease the gathering process.



Arms of Balrahn Quest Additions

Supplementing the amendments listed above, the coming version update will also introduce a new battlefield to round out the Arms of Balrahn questline. Victory in this battlefield, along with successful completion of the relevant quests, will cause the mythic weapons first obtained in the ruins of Nyzul Isle to transform, recalling their original powers and rendering them capable of devastating new job-specific weapon skills.

These weapon skills will also be obtainable by players not in possession of finished mythic weapons via completion of weapon skill quests, also new to the upcoming version update. Once unlocked, they will be available for use whenever a player equips a weapon of the same type on the appropriate job. Though the destructive power of the attacks themselves will remain unchanged regardless of the quest completed to obtain them, only execution with a mythic weapon will grant the powerful Aftermath effects. The new weapon skill acquisition quests were developed with the aim of affording all players the ability to enjoy some the exciting new content we have planned, while at the same time not diminishing the value and prestige of the completed mythic weapons. Whichever path you may choose to embark upon, we wish you the very best of luck on your adventures!







ALL this in september lol

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DProxy

LOL; yay thanks (:

more reason for me to re-join final fantasy XI

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Seiyuuki

too... much...updating
Looks good, and I'm gonna have to call you bastards for bringing this to my attention and tempting me massivly to play again

must... save.... money... but it looks... so good

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Walruz

Damn I wish I had a credit card...

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hyarume

And i get de-repped because i copy'd and pasted.. YOU CAN'T COPY LAY OUT , lol.. i was thickning every title and stuffz, and i add like EVERY announcement of the update to the post.


/cry

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ZormaX

Lol at this

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Craven

yeah, i saw it this morning, and i decided to come back, oh ffxi how much i have missed you.

although my character got deleted, i will still rejoin, and be united with the bliss that is FFXI!

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crespoking

Ive never played the game but i bought it a while ago and lost it lol so i gotta go rebuy it when i get money

Morris-POE

like noone is on nemore lol i havent been able to get on for a while myself been so busy D:

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