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  1. #1
    I Am, Who I Am.
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    15,994
    BG Level
    9
    FFXIV Character
    Trixi Sephyuyx
    FFXIV Server
    Excalibur
    FFXI Server
    Ragnarok

    20 Years, Two Decades - XI is old, and so are we.

    XI is over 20 years old in JP, and will be turning 20 in just a few days in NA. For anyone still lurking, and has been around since or near the beginning, where are you in life these days and what has transgressed over these years? Accomplishes, Failures, Joys, Miseries? Families, Jobs, Hobbies, Loss?

  2. #2
    Formerly BGTemp // TERA Fan
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    4,801
    BG Level
    7
    FFXI Server
    Bismarck

    Ha ha, ok I'll chime in. When FFXI was coming out, I was debating on whether my wife (newly wed then), friends and I should have our first MMORPG be that or WoW. Ended up choosing FFXI ofc. I played for 7 years, my wife/friends for 5. Great memories and it cemented a love for MMORPGs in general for me. Wife and I are still happily married today, but sadly she doesn't play MMORPGS anymore. We have a 9 year old son who is chomping at the the bit to play FFXIV but I'm quitting at the end of this month and so in a few years when he's around 12-13 we'll start something new together. I'd hoped it would be another FF MMORPG but no signs of SE working on a successor for their FFXIV cash cow. I find it amazing the servers for FFXI are still up and running honestly but glad they are for those who still love that game.

  3. #3
    Hyperion Cross
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    8,667
    BG Level
    8
    FFXIV Character
    Kai Bond
    FFXIV Server
    Gilgamesh

    I was in my first year of university at the time (2004, October~)

    Naturally I went FFXI too. WoW? What's that.

    It was a horrible first 3 years. During my first 2 years I would get disconnected (R0) from the game in my shared house with 8 other people if there is ANY intensive activity on the router. At the time WiFi was just starting to rise in popularity and I just didn't know it was the router that we had that was shit. So it was nearly impossible to play effectively. I mainly soloed but didn't progress far into stories as partying was impossible.

    I remembered one guy in my university course, this was in 2004 still, was having lunch with us and he was telling me about his experiences on WoW. He seemed so stress out, but I take it he was one of them more serious raiders

    3rd year into the game, I was at a work placement at some other place. The house I stayed in had their wifi down in the basement, but my bedroom was on the 4th floor (the family I stayed with did say I should go to the basement but I passed as that would mean spending all my time there except bed time lol). So I got one of them data contracts (500mb!) with a sim that got built into an ExpressCard device so I can plug in the ExpressCard into my laptop:



    Thankfully FFXI hardly sucked up bandwidth so even with a 500mb contract it was enough to cover FFXI and normal browsing.

    I still remembered it being a bit of a torture whenever I couldn't play for an extended amount of time (1 day+ lol)

    I left FFXI for WoW in 2010 when I met up with an old school friend. Turned out him and his friends played WoW so they got me to play. I was reluctant, but upon experiencing it (this was during the Lich King expansion) I immediately took a liking to it. Like, why can't FFXI let me fly? Or why can't I level solo effectively. And a dungeon finder for more loot and exp? That was fun. Of course, levelling an alt sucked if I wanted to play another class but that wasn't too big of a deal back then.

  4. #4
    It's all dicks and airplanes
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    2,030
    BG Level
    7
    FFXIV Character
    Cia Mir
    FFXIV Server
    Balmung

    I was like 13 when my grandma decided to get me my first computer. I had seen FFXI in a copy of a magazine I had a subscription to from gamestop and decided I wanted to try it.

    First PC was a rental. Broken piece of shit. I had no clue how to troubleshoot or use at the time. It had ram and hdd issues. Let that go back because why pay for busted equipment? Got a laptop. Played 11 on that underperforming junk until 2010ish where my buddy actually bought a used desktop from here on BG and sent it my way. That ended up being a huge pivotal moment where I learned the insides and outs of computers because I'd eventually fully rebuild that thing. I have a single rear fan from that build that's still in use. A Noctua that was included with the original build, works like the day I got it.

    We would go on to play on and off up through Adoulin, gil cap and peace the fuck out feeling like we beat an MMO. Don't think I'll ever experience anything quite like that again.

  5. #5
    Absolute Messenger of Promathia
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Posts
    12,562
    BG Level
    9
    FFXIV Character
    Blaise Destin
    FFXIV Server
    Sargatanas
    FFXI Server
    Asura

    Damn, think I was in middle school when my brothers Alienware computer came with like, a disc of FFXI for the Beta? I recall playing the Beta for a little bit and then didn't pick it up again for a while. I remember before FFXI i used to play Diablo 2 a LOT, he eventually created an account and I didn't have my own character for a while and just played his, think I finally got mine when his was around level 30. When I finally did get mine and, damn, these memories are ancient, but I remember playing on my PS2 for a while, and eventually upgrading to my Xbox360 when I got it, until I got enough money for my own PC and finally could play on PC.

    I have memories of playing on the PS2 with my brother doing Yuhtunga and Yhoater exp parties. My Xbox360 memories are of ToAU which was the first expansion I bought for the Xbox360.

    Eventually found this website and I don't even remember how or when, probably mentioned back on Alla or KI forums and I just happened to come here shortly after. Funny how both those forums are more or less dead in the XI scene but BG still remains. Actually more than a little crazy to think just how many of us found this website because of FFXI and stuck around.

    And also what i'm learning here is that I was quite young when I found this place compared to some of ya'll lol.

  6. #6

    Sweaty Dick Punching Enthusiast

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    21,251
    BG Level
    10
    FFXI Server
    Quetzalcoatl

    Sure, I'll play along.

    I first joined FFXI in April of 2004. I was in freshmen year of community college so basically had lots of free time. I lived in a rural town without high speed internet (such as it was for 2004, anyway) but FFXI being custom made for dial-up speeds meant it was one of the few online games I could play. So I went out and bought the PS2 edition with the big fat adapter and the infamous Brady Guide. I reached my first level 75 job, RDM, in January 2005. In 2006 I moved away to university and got high speed internet! I played off and on thru college, probably spent more time in FFXI than I did doing stupid college stuff but still managed to have a good balance. In 2009-ish era my PS2 started crapping out so I switched to PC version. Played thru the end of WOTG and Abyssea, took a couple years off after graduating college. I made it to BG in 2010 because my LS got jailed for using the Wall of Justice on Absolute Virtue and I wanted to come enjoy the lulz on the forum with everyone. LS broke because the owners dipped and sold everything because of real life money troubles. XI just wasn't the same for me after that. Came back briefly for Adoulin but hated it. Got a dog. Got into FFXIV more. Finished Adoulin over the course of free time windows every couple of months. Rhapsodies came out and everyone thought it was THE END of FFXI so I came back and enjoyed the nostalgia romp through FFXI, but as we know it was in fact not the end. This was around 2015 I guess? Gave up on FFXIV for a while because my PC just couldn't handle it and I was playing awful. Around 2017 I got a PS4 and got back into XIV again with the Stormblood launch since I could actually play it well, kinda been there ever since. Occasionally I'll jump back in to XI on a free play weekend but I always feel overwhelmed just having to relearn movements and inventory. Dog died a couple years ago, that sucked. XIV is really the only MMORPG I play now and I'm cool with that. Stuck around BG for the lulz and nostalgia.

  7. #7
    BG Content
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    21,105
    BG Level
    10
    FFXI Server
    Lakshmi
    Blog Entries
    1

    I returned home from the Korean War a changed man. There was little light in my life, but the strong social pressures of the 50s still forced an unfortunate woman to shack up with my sadsack ass and whelp some children.

    The malaise lasted until the late 80s, when Japanese semiconductors became cheap enough that interesting electronic gadgets were everywhere and computers started getting more accessible for personal use. I retired around then, but picked up a part-time job at a Fry's Electronics to keep busy. I was so good at it that the manager convinced me to go full-time. They called me "that old wizard" and would send me all the elder customers with tricky TV problems.

    Through my pensions and Fry's discount, I got a 2400 baud modem, paid for my CompuServe digits, and became an early form of what would eventually come to be known as a shit poster on the early BBSs. My kids had long since left home at this point and my wife divorced me, so I had plenty of time for making elaborate, offensive ASCII art. I feel deep regret about the dark years and my subsequent relationship with my family, particularly my wife, but apologies don't fix the past and it is kinder to let them all forget me. I wish her and Larry the best.

    Anyway, Fry's eventually became too much for me, but before I left one of the young whippersnappers turned me on to video games. They aren't good for anything, but I'm not good for anything anymore either. It's perfect!

    I started FFXI around the PS2 release just shy of my 70th birthday. I met good friends and told them all I was "like 12", which was only a couple decades off. It felt like I was back at Fry's without leaving my house! Anyway, my reactions weren't the best and sometimes people suspected that I was old due to my precise spelling, grammar, and punctuation, but no one ever got me onto Ventrillo or that Discord thing to confirm it. I wasn't a swift typer and had pretty slow reactions, but FFXI was forgiving and my friends and I made it to endgame anyway.

    As I reach my 90th, I can truly say that the electronics boom brought light to my life and FFXI kept it burning for the last 20 years...

    What was the question again? Haha! Just kidding. Old man humor. Anyway, I have been on BG since idk (I don't know) when but idk (I do know) why. I came here to read salvage strategies because the community sites were updating too slowly and salvage was too complicated to figure it out alone.

    Hope you fellas have a nice day!

  8. #8

    Sweaty Dick Punching Enthusiast

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    21,251
    BG Level
    10
    FFXI Server
    Quetzalcoatl

    Can I have your stuff

  9. #9
    Motherfucking
    NOSTRADAMUS

    Vamos los Perds!

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Posts
    10,547
    BG Level
    9
    FFXIV Character
    Wulfgang Amadeus
    FFXIV Server
    Hyperion
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    Wow Byrth, that's an amazing story!

    I started playing Oct 29, 2003 (1 day after NA release) on Sylph during my first year of college when I was 18. I had never played an MMO before and early XI was frankly just brutal; I don't think I got past like lv26 for the first six months. I think folks underestimate just how ruff XI was at release; you had this deluge of folks like me who didn't understand macros, general party play dynamics, where to go / what to do, no one had maps, no one had outposts, people would afk in parties for 45m for dinner, etc. Early dunes in 2003 was such a shitshow.

    All that said, I eventually found a great starter LS (FraggleRock) then an intermediate event LS (Templars of Baldur) that taught me a lot about how to play/progress while meeting some wonderful folks. The social aspect really helped solidify the game for me. I began playing XI a lot more progressing up RNG to 75 first in ~2004, then WAR/DRK/BRD/PLD/BLM over the next few years. I eventually moved into the endgame scene with SymbiosisX/R and had a great time killing Tiamat/dargons/etc. I eventually ran Symbiosis for a couple years as a merc endgame shell and completed Apoc shortly after WotG release.

    Overall, definitely played too much XI in college, but still had decent balance with social life. I stopped playing at Abyssea with the cap raise; swapping from horizontal progression to vertical suddenly really sapped my enjoyment of the game and path of progression.

    Personally, I'm late 30s working in finance world and have spent the last decade moving around for work (Nashville, Charlotte, DC, SF, Denver). Currently live in Denver and love it here. Big skier and I get 30-40 days a year on the mountain; spend a lot of time outdoors generally. Unmarried/no kids, but hopefully someday! Still a monster Nashville Predators fan and still post in the BG NHL thread fairly regularly (thankful for that thread and miss the old guard like Bregor, Calli, Isla, Bluefan, etc.). Still look back on the peak XI days fondly even if I probably could have spent the time in a more worthwhile manner in retrospect

    And I do dabble on HorizonXI private server a decent amount. Same name (Wulfgang), holler if other folks are also poking around.

  10. #10
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    314
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Bismarck

    I started 11 back around Jan 05 not long after CoP came out. Had a friend of mine in college get me started into 11 and by extension playing on bahamut. I remember playing with a good share of the og bluegartr members at the least in random parties from time to time before I decided I wanted to go try to play with the toughest 11 players there were and dragged my ass over to Bismarck. Suffice to say I ended up playing with a ls created by old members of beyond the limitation. The same btl that was in every gaming news outlet for their 24 hr av attempt. I think honestly if it wasn't for playing with those guys I wouldn't have stayed playing 11 long as I did. Had in almost 10 years on 11 before getting into 14. These days I been playing 14 since a realm reborn came out. I played like 3 months of 1.0 also but gd that was a shitshow. In the past nearly 20 years of 11 and 14 I've finished college, I'm on my Second engagement, survived too many life saving surgeries to count for various things, got myself clean and sober after become a severe alcoholic and addict for a few years to cope with my body more or less trying to kill me repeatedly and finally bout to pick up management at my job I currently have which all things hell I've lived through is one huge ass deal for me. 11 and 14 have tended to be my main escape from the hell my life tends to be. Anyone that's been In my fc In 14 or my ls's in 11 have a pretty good idea of what kinda shit I deal with.

  11. #11
    Absolute Messenger of Promathia
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Posts
    12,562
    BG Level
    9
    FFXIV Character
    Blaise Destin
    FFXIV Server
    Sargatanas
    FFXI Server
    Asura

    Spoiler: show
    Quote Originally Posted by Byrthnoth View Post
    I returned home from the Korean War a changed man. There was little light in my life, but the strong social pressures of the 50s still forced an unfortunate woman to shack up with my sadsack ass and whelp some children.

    The malaise lasted until the late 80s, when Japanese semiconductors became cheap enough that interesting electronic gadgets were everywhere and computers started getting more accessible for personal use. I retired around then, but picked up a part-time job at a Fry's Electronics to keep busy. I was so good at it that the manager convinced me to go full-time. They called me "that old wizard" and would send me all the elder customers with tricky TV problems.

    Through my pensions and Fry's discount, I got a 2400 baud modem, paid for my CompuServe digits, and became an early form of what would eventually come to be known as a shit poster on the early BBSs. My kids had long since left home at this point and my wife divorced me, so I had plenty of time for making elaborate, offensive ASCII art. I feel deep regret about the dark years and my subsequent relationship with my family, particularly my wife, but apologies don't fix the past and it is kinder to let them all forget me. I wish her and Larry the best.

    Anyway, Fry's eventually became too much for me, but before I left one of the young whippersnappers turned me on to video games. They aren't good for anything, but I'm not good for anything anymore either. It's perfect!

    I started FFXI around the PS2 release just shy of my 70th birthday. I met good friends and told them all I was "like 12", which was only a couple decades off. It felt like I was back at Fry's without leaving my house! Anyway, my reactions weren't the best and sometimes people suspected that I was old due to my precise spelling, grammar, and punctuation, but no one ever got me onto Ventrillo or that Discord thing to confirm it. I wasn't a swift typer and had pretty slow reactions, but FFXI was forgiving and my friends and I made it to endgame anyway.

    As I reach my 90th, I can truly say that the electronics boom brought light to my life and FFXI kept it burning for the last 20 years...

    What was the question again? Haha! Just kidding. Old man humor. Anyway, I have been on BG since idk (I don't know) when but idk (I do know) why. I came here to read salvage strategies because the community sites were updating too slowly and salvage was too complicated to figure it out alone.

    Hope you fellas have a nice day!


    You reminded me of a friend I met on Asura in my earlier days, Leedono? He had multiple accounts, mules, following the same name structure. Leedono, Leedona, Leedone, etc. He was in his late 60's when I met him. All his characters were Mithra. He played for years, and had multiple crafts if I recall, and kinda just enjoyed doing that and fishing. Very chill, very friendly, helped me a lot when leveling, just one of many friends I met in the old social LS i had OrderOfTheShield. He was a good dude, he'd be in his 80's now, if he's alive, I hope he is.

  12. #12
    I Am, Who I Am.
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    15,994
    BG Level
    9
    FFXIV Character
    Trixi Sephyuyx
    FFXIV Server
    Excalibur
    FFXI Server
    Ragnarok

    Wow, Byrth had us all fooled.

  13. #13
    Relic Weapons
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    314
    BG Level
    4
    FFXI Server
    Bismarck

    Speaking of older players. My ls over on Bismarck had Glen wheaton playing with us. Same Glen wheaton that was one of the heads of project jedi for the military and is one of the inspirations for George Clooney character in the men who stare at goats. I feel like there was a lot of players hiding being well into or over 60 playing 11. Had the opposite extreme too. Several people in some of my ls's that were as young as 10 that had more maturity too them then most 20 to 30 year Olds I knew where we thought they were least 20 somethings til we found out their real ages lol.

  14. #14
    i should really shut up
    You can safely ignore me I am a troll

    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    6,750
    BG Level
    8
    FFXI Server
    Asura

    I have neither a story fabled enough nor a response BG enough for this thread.

  15. #15
    Because She's the woman Blue Gartr deserves, but not the one it needs right now.
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    3,665
    BG Level
    7
    WoW Realm
    Zul'jin

    I love reading these because I've seen a lot of people "grow up" through different online platforms and MMORPGS. Keep the stories coming.

    My story is I followed everyone I knew from EQ to WoW , but should have chosen FFXI. Talking to several people I've met in the last 6 years my life might be very different now.

    Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

  16. #16
    Relic Shield
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Posts
    1,551
    BG Level
    6
    FFXI Server
    Shiva

    Started around 6 months after NA release with a bunch of my high school friends. 8 of us doing a Lan party and rerolling characters until we all got on the same server together. Eventually half of us were on Shiva and made the unlucky ones keep rerolling for an eternity. Played entirely too much, doing the exact opposite of what the Playonline warning says.

    Played up until abyssea then walked away for a very long time. Eventually went back to speed run to 99 with trusts and finish the wotg story but it didn't feel like the same game anymore at all.

    Discovered private servers and have been on Eden in a much healthier capacity since the beginning of covid.

    35 now, happily married, and much better at managing my time then I was when my brain was childhood mush

  17. #17
    Smells like Onions
    Join Date
    Oct 2023
    Posts
    1
    BG Level
    0

    I think I figured out how to beat AV but need someone to test it

    CCB Polymer Pump gives Amnesia to it for 60 seconds only. I don't know if that works or not.

    Clues are: it has 66,000 HP. It's likely meant to be a zerg that lasts 60 seconds. You need to do 1100 damage per second. It's an item from the CoP storyline. If theres a gap in CCB renewal it likely does meteor or some battle ending ability. I doubt they overlap. Ninurta's sash has 6% haste 6 attack etc.

    60 seconds from CCB
    66,000 hp
    60% bracelet mode
    60 casts to lower regen during JoL

  18. #18
    Kevin Chang
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    9,661
    BG Level
    8
    FFXI Server
    Sylph

    Started in 2003 because my debate partner was playing. Never had the time or interest to take it seriously. For a year or so I just beat up on like 1-2 Lizards a day. After the AP tests and debate season was over in my senior year and no one gave a shit about doing anything else is when I really started playing and got hooked. Finished the grind from level 30 to 75 that summer, joined a linkshell and made actual in-game friends vs. just people I knew IRL who played (and who had never really finished the grind either).

    After being 75, I started really wanting to do end game rather than just level more/new jobs. Always been a completionist/min-maxer in other games, so I wanted that Hecatomb Cap and Subligar. Went on that long four year journey that lasted all of my college years. Graduated with a triple major and still felt I put way more blood, sweat, and tears into XI than anything else.

    Took a gap year between undergrad and law school, still attending every single HNM camp I could despite already getting my gear. Didn't matter I already had my shit; I put in blood to get my stuff and anyone else who argued they shouldn't have to do the same deserved to be denied. Eventually got a D-Ring and a Mandau, things I never set out to accomplish or obtain, just because I had that much DKP.

    Then Mizuki Ito fucked the game. Stuck around hoping things to get better, but Voidwatch assured me that HNMLS were never coming back so I finally quit.

    I looked for alternate outlets but nothing could ever replace the high of HNM camping. Everything else was arbitrary and full of ways in which the deck was stacked -- old money, family connections, networking over resumes, etc. Nothing was as pure and beautiful as the sole dedication of a group willing to lose sleep to be the first ones to tag an HNM. I've spent more time away from the game than I spent on the game, and I still miss 75 cap era. Not FFXI generally; I don't miss leveling, meriting, craft... HNMs are what I miss. The sleepless nights, skipping everything to make sure I was at the King window.

    The ONLY thing that scratched the itch was a brief period of playing Aion Classic, during the original 50 level cap, where the Ridill of that game forced everyone to camp a contested world spawn every six hours. I didn't get anything from this mob, but I lived at that island for three months. It was the only time in the last 13 years where I felt a reprieve from depression. Then the level cap was raised and people stopped camping. The only PvE was instances and PvP was a joke because of hacking, ganking, class imbalances, etc.

    Nothing I've done over the years has matched up to my Hecatomb Subligar. I coached the national champions in debate, graduated law school, settled first case, relationships... The biggest lost in my life, the central trauma of my life, remains Mizuki Ito ruining FFXI with Abyssea.

    Changed careers to coaching debate exclusively because I want to prevent what happened to FFXI from happening in debate. Just like the casuals whined for a reset button, a bunch of progressive debaters are using their socio-economic positions to whine about why they shouldn't have to follow the rules of debate and that instead of talking about government action we should talk about racism/sexism/transphobia/etc.

    Just hoping one day there's an actual XI classic or a private server that knows you cannot have a true FFXI if you compromise the HNM grind and no-life sacrifice required. I will live the remainder of my life in Aery/Dominion/Valley of Sorrows/Attowa Chasm camping and be the maximal happy I could ever be.

  19. #19
    i should really shut up
    You can safely ignore me I am a troll

    Join Date
    Sep 2011
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    6,750
    BG Level
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    FFXI Server
    Asura

    Quote Originally Posted by Gredival View Post
    Just hoping one day there's an actual XI classic or a private server that knows you cannot have a true FFXI if you compromise the HNM grind and no-life sacrifice required. I will live the remainder of my life in Aery/Dominion/Valley of Sorrows/Attowa Chasm camping and be the maximal happy I could ever be.
    Leaving the rest of that aside because—whew-boy..—is Eden server not appropriate? It's the closest thing to 2007 around.

  20. #20

    Sweaty Dick Punching Enthusiast

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    19,316
    BG Level
    9

    better to have loved and lost eh Gred

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