New Aht Urhgan Missions!(06/26/2006)

[Sykes]

Things like the airship BC should of never been implemented due to the sheer difficulty of it. Now if they want to add an airship rematch or something else with some nice drops then that would be great, but you shouldnt' force the people who paid for the expansion to spend millions of gil and get defeated many times over just to get the next CS.

The airship BC was my favorite part of all of CoP ... I LOVE the challenging battles ... it's the running around for hours on end between them, and tedious level capped crap (read: LV 50 cap Pso'Xja) that I hated. I like the battles themselves (although level caps in the battles were annoying, they did provide a very unique strategy element).

As for Naja's importance, personally I think that she plays a VERY large role in the ToAU storyline. I'm fairly confident that we've already seen her play two separate roles in the cutsenes of the ToAU storyline, we just don't know it yet (one role being the leader of Salaheem's Sentinels, the other being something else ... I won't go in to it because if it is true, I think it would be a pretty big spoiler ... though it's not too difficult to figure out what I'm talking about).

[Cephius]

Isn't there one Assault where you clear out skeletons where half the map is blocked by locked doors? I never looked into that one too much to see if there was a way past those doors, but I also remember someone saying the second Mamook Assault seems to have an extra tunnel with nothing in it, too, right? Seems to me these maps may be used for other purposes later, but just a theory.

I'm pretty sure the assault maps are the same throughout every class. Meaning the map that you did with popping chests is the same map where you do Lamia 13, there are simply different objectives and different things to do (This makes it easy on programming too, you only have to design 5 maps but they provide for tons of content as you add new assaults). The locked doors in the map you refer to, and hidden tunnels ect in the other ones, are in all likelyhood saved for assault content that will be coming in the next or later version updates.

[MisterBob]

Things like the airship BC should of never been implemented due to the sheer difficulty of it. Now if they want to add an airship rematch or something else with some nice drops then that would be great, but you shouldnt' force the people who paid for the expansion to spend millions of gil and get defeated many times over just to get the next CS.

lol....Airship BC was not THAT difficult, it was "mildly challenging" at best. You did not need to spend millions of gil on consumables. Yeah, you might have had to buy level cap gear, but that can all be resold. If the Airship BC was so challenging that you couldn't win, or had to spend millions on it, you probably didn't deserve to get past that point in the missions.

I hope ToAU missions are just as hard, in terms of BC difficulty. (Although no repeats of the retarded Snoll Tzar, please. That was one of the few CoP missions that really did exclude certain jobs from the truly viable setups). I'll be sorely dissapointed if the ToAU endgame areas are filled with retards in a week.

I'm pretty sure the assault maps are the same throughout every class. Meaning the map that you did with popping chests is the same map where you do Lamia 13, there are simply different objectives and different things to do (This makes it easy on programming too, you only have to design 5 maps but they provide for tons of content as you add new assaults). The locked doors in the map you refer to, and hidden tunnels ect in the other ones, are in all likelyhood saved for assault content that will be coming in the next or later version updates.

I'm almost positive this is false. The Mamool missions definitely take place on different maps, Periqia missions definitely do, same with Lebros. I'm pretty sure Golden Salvage and Lamia 13 are not the same map as well.

[rahskala]

The empire of Aht Urhgan has a Grand Vizier. Viziers, as we know, are never evil and never have their own malicious agenda. Personally I don't see how the ToAU storyline could possibly progress any further.

[layoneil]

I'm pretty sure the assault maps are the same throughout every class.

each Assault area has 10 maps.

[Zalius]

The empire of Aht Urhgan has a Grand Vizier. Viziers, as we know, are never evil and never have their own malicious agenda. Personally I don't see how the ToAU storyline could possibly progress any further.

i seem to recall one jafar from a movie not too long ago, sir.

[rezn0r]

(Although no repeats of the retarded Snoll Tzar, please. That was one of the few CoP missions that really did exclude certain jobs from the truly viable setups).

i beat the snoll 3 times in 3 tries with my only job higher than even 50 at the time... whm. i agree with everything else you said, CoP was not hard, time consuming yes, but not hard. it was a great expansion, and i hope what's in store for us in this new one is just as great.

[inafume]

The empire of Aht Urhgan has a Grand Vizier. Viziers, as we know, are never evil and never have their own malicious agenda. Personally I don't see how the ToAU storyline could possibly progress any further.

i seem to recall one jafar from a movie not too long ago, sir.

I believe you fell into a sarchasm.

[Septimus]

There's no rule that you have to use each and every zone in the game for leveling. I mean, you might as well complain that certain BCNMs are only used for a handful of missions, and nothing else. Why, no BCNMs or ENMs? Wasted potential!

The zones were simply there for the mission's sake, to create a challenge. Without the caps and without the True Sight mobs you would have had the same challenges you've had through all of FF XI up to that point - basically missions that could be powerleveled through or snuck through with Sneak/Invis. The missions were never scaled, and S-E wanted to make sure that new and old players were challenged by CoP, and equally.

The quests were thrown in there later to get a little extra use out of the zones, sure, but I've never understood this notion that a zone is only good if you can level in it and travel through it easily. Just think of the level capped zones as extended BCNMs, created solely for the mission.

Along a similar thought process, I will say that I've been hoping S-E will recycle Assault maps for missions/quests in the future. Pretty much the same idea there, only now it's an isolated BCNM rather than a public access area.

Isn't there one Assault where you clear out skeletons where half the map is blocked by locked doors? I never looked into that one too much to see if there was a way past those doors, but I also remember someone saying the second Mamook Assault seems to have an extra tunnel with nothing in it, too, right? Seems to me these maps may be used for other purposes later, but just a theory.

I can only think of 2 BC zones that are only used for missions: Celstial Nexus and Monarch Linn off of the level 40 zone. (Which is a shame because the Celestial Nexus is an amazing arena.) Every other BC zone has at least one other BCNM, ENM, in it quest.

But the point is, a BC zone is just a place for a BC, a whole zone that can be used for XP is a place where people can spread out and not camp on top of each other like in the Bibiki Dunes. It's another place where people can level with NPC Fellows without having to worry about parties. Zones that are just extended places for missions suffer from the problem that plagued CoP- interesting concept, poor execution.

They could easily work around the level cap garbage- when you are on the mission you have to receive a level cap status like the eco warrior quest, after you finish the mission you can choose to be capped or not when you enter the zone. And like the eco-warrior quest people who do not have the level cap status cannot cast spells on those who are level capped. I would go a step further and have it so that people without the level cap status would not be able to fight mobs or even raise people who were level capped. That way people who did their missions are rewarded and able to run to the ENM, Ouryu BC, Spice Gals, Diablos BC, Bahamut BC, Secrets of Ovens lost, etc in peace.

I know; pairing "reward" and "CoP" is a very strange concept...

[ircgeek]

They could easily work around the level cap garbage- when you are on the mission you have to receive a level cap status like the eco warrior quest, after you finish the mission you can choose to be capped or not when you enter the zone. And like the eco-warrior quest people who do not have the level cap status cannot cast spells on those who are level capped. I would go a step further and have it so that people without the level cap status would not be able to fight mobs or even raise people who were level capped. That way people who did their missions are rewarded and able to run to the ENM, Ouryu BC, Spice Gals, Diablos BC, Bahamut BC, Secrets of Ovens lost, etc in peace.

Ah, but if you've ever actually done Eco Warrior or that "All By Myself" quest, you know it's entirely possible for high level buddies to tag along and just wipe the area clear. To say that uncapped people can't fight monsters... Decent enough idea, but you know people would still bitch that you can't farm there on your high level jobs after you've completed the mission, too.

If you think about it, Assault is basically the same thing, only it's not public access this time. There's 60 singular-purpose maps in the game with Assault, where all they're good for are the missions themselves - that's what the zones were made for. The level capped areas for CoP are the same thing, only instead of it being restricted to one party, it's open to the public - tailored specifically to make the mission harder.

Basically CoP had two kinds of zones - exp. areas like Bibiki, and mission-tailored zones like Sacrarium. ToAU is using the same principles, it seems, but this time they've restricted the mission zones to BCNM access only.

[Zalius]

The empire of Aht Urhgan has a Grand Vizier. Viziers, as we know, are never evil and never have their own malicious agenda. Personally I don't see how the ToAU storyline could possibly progress any further.

i seem to recall one jafar from a movie not too long ago, sir.

I believe you fell into a sarchasm.

The bolding threw me off.


edit: wtf i dont want to be at the top of any pages

[epigram]

The kicker about CoP is that they give you the variable level ring after your done.

[Zalius]

The kicker about CoP is that they give you the variable level ring after your done.

Its so you can help people do it again, because they actually believed people would redo level cap areas.

[ircgeek]

To me, the only real downside to CoP was the whole gear thing. It's a hassle to buy capped gear, and it makes it annoying to go back and help other members complete the missions once you're done.

Level variable equipment would have been the way to go, if you ask. Some kind of gear that was only good in the capped areas that you were given for free would have solved so many hassles.

[layoneil]

Level variable equipment would have been the way to go, if you ask. Some kind of gear that was only good in the capped areas that you were given for free would have solved so many hassles.

that was my idea.

the difference between Assault zones and ToAU capped zones is that 4 out of 5 Assault zones is nothing more than an extension of the zone it's connected to (and the 5th one is Ordelle's Cave).

i love the way Riverne is designed but unless absolutely necessary, i wouldn't go there.

[Khamsin]

The empire of Aht Urhgan has a Grand Vizier. Viziers, as we know, are never evil and never have their own malicious agenda. Personally I don't see how the ToAU storyline could possibly progress any further.

i seem to recall one jafar from a movie not too long ago, sir.

I believe you fell into a sarchasm.

The bolding threw me off.


edit: wtf i dont want to be at the top of any pages

I'm hoping SE will surprise us all with a protagonist Grand Vizier that won't follow the evil teachings of Jafar, or that guy from King's Quest VI.

[epigram]

I love the look of Riverene, well they seriously should of added a floating lake and had a waterfall but besides that it's beautiful. But the whole cap thing pretty much killed it. I would merit there on beast in a heart beat but bst without light staff kinda sucks :/

[draxyl]

that guy from King's Quest VI.

Abdul Alhazred, the evil Vizier of the Green Isles.

[ircgeek]

Level variable equipment would have been the way to go, if you ask. Some kind of gear that was only good in the capped areas that you were given for free would have solved so many hassles.

that was my idea.

Well, if I remember correctly, my idea was three sets of gear (mage, tank, damage dealer) that scaled up like CoP rings as missions progressed, being able to trade in one set of gear for another if your role changed.

Your idea was same thing minus the scaling portion, with different sets available for each cap. Which is a lot more interesting, I guess, but it would involve tons of extra equipment DATs as opposed to just, like... 6-7 per set for mine.

[Jeryhn]

Riverne is most definitely my favorite zone in CoP, and no exploration allowed due to horrible level capped truesight hippogryph rape.

/sigh