Sagacyte's BG corner

http://youtu.be/PXmQowoWcPI

Hello! Let’s all tread together the treacherous path of the final day of the work week joined by some great music!

Eorzea is deserted. Cities look like ghost towns and somewhere (in some timeline) the Elder Primal Bahamut is not destroying the world because he's too busy scratching his head wondering why no one is attempting to stop him. Yes, folks, the Manderville Gold Saucer (GS) has been unleashed upon the realm and adventurers are flocking in droves to spend their time following a suited cactuar and playing card games.

A bit over the top? Ha! Well, had fun writing that! Square Enix released Final Fantasy XIV's 2.51 patch and it includes the GS... also some stuff about Zetas, items and stuff no one really cares about. Based on the eponymous place in Final Fantasy VII, the GS is packed with mini-games ranging from the silly carnival-like "hit a thing and watch it go up" to the deep Chocobo Racing and Triple Triad, the biggest mini-game from VIII, also known as "I don't want to raid, just waste my day playing cards".

I love the music choices made by the XIV team. As you can listen above, the GS theme is a new version of the same theme from VII. Other music that has been remastered/remixed are the Chocobo Racing themes from VII. The final piece brought back is Shuffle or Boogie, the Triple Triad theme from VIII, but it hasn't been remade: it's the exact same track (smart tidbit in my opinion):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kWjJwbDF4g

"But Saga, I played VII and I don't remember this 'Manderville' thing. What is it?"

A bit of lore (yes, they justify its existence via lore): Godbert Manderville is possibly one of the richest men in Eorzea, a master artisan crafter whose creations are considered masterpieces, and the father of Hildibrand Manderville (possibly the best character in FFXIV). A man of great heart, he wanted a way to provide work and lodgings to Ala Mihgan refugees, devising a business that could serve these purposes and also entertain the rest of Eorzea. And thus he built the Gold Saucer near the Sagolii Desert, near the "money capital" of Eorzea, Ul'dah.

Why not pay a visit? Buy a lottery ticket, race a couple of tracks atop your Chocobo, or challenge one of the Triple Triad Masters! Come one, come all!

Game on!

- Sagacyte

This being on my blog is a safe bet!