INTERVIEW !!!!!!!!!! MAKE IT STICKY OR BURN :P

[Local]

Good interview. I'm not a pld but i was still hoping to hear something about the parade gorget and what SE's response would have been.

[phirien]

SE is completely backwards, with the exception of Bahamut v2. But the point I was trying to make is that even if they did put Nidhogg/KB/Aspi into a BC and made them harder, for the most part you would see the same LS with the items, because at least on my server, most of the LS who complain about botting can't kill them anyway.

I remember a certain LS that went from complaining about botting and wiping to Fafnir, to killing it a few times in a row under 30 mins. Everything can be done with the right jobs and right numbers and right strategy. It's not always going to happen at the very moment you fight the mob for the first time.

yeah but many of these LS show absolutely no signs of improvement.

for example: JR. When I was in JR, they were a pretty bad LS overall. 3 years later they have shown absolutely no signs of improvement. I just watched an epic 59 minute Fafnir kill by JR, with pretty much all 2 hours going off in the end. I'm sure your remember Haze too. They never got better. Haze even wiped to the last Fafnir they claimed before the LS broke up.

edit: i think you were making reference to reflect. one thing you need to remember is that the Sleep/Reflect LS was pretty much a pioneer for NAs on our server. They were fighting Fafnir on a regular basis like 2 years before any other NAeven saw it (with the exception of NAs in HiB or ICBM). Of course they were going to wipe a few times. As far as i'm concerned, wiping to Fafnir now, at a time where most LS can down it in under 20min is completely absurd.

[Eternus]

I just can't wait to see what kind of timesink SE puts in place of the current claim system that is in place for the 3 Kings. I am pretty sure it will be damn hardcore. If it is too easy to get that gear then the game will lose players even faster in my opinion.

[genome]

Great job on the interview, it asked a lot of the right questions.

Sure they didn't answer as much as we would like, but I think even the fact that they heard the right questions being asked, that they are bringing back the piece of paper with your ideas on fighting kings, etc..
It all could have a good impact in giving them a more realistic idea of what people care about and what they like or don't like.
At the very least it might improve future expansions or update changes, let's hope so.

[NynJa]

No, they're losing players because they're fed up of spending 9 hours every day camping adaman/behemoth/faf only to watch an afker claim it then red dot while their LS claims it.

oh, this is another reason why ppl are leaving:
http://www.theorderls.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11983

[shinobi_tabi]

they blew off the re-questing DM earrings because it had a question about mithras-trapped-in-galkan-bodies question in same question ;/

NIce job though, bercus

[Appie]

Well, in RL, there are varying degrees you can obtain once obtaining a blackbelt. Perhaps they can let you modify the belt even more through some diffcult quests (a la relic) so that not everyone can obtain it, very much like not everyone can obtain a relic weapon.

Hmmm this could be cool.

I could tell em Brown Belt is the best Monk Belt and they would hv said yes maybe.... or "OK!!" >.<

I think you shouldn't have mentioned the belt at all imo. Besides adding degrees that Norelco mentioned (basically a HQ Black Belt) the belt for Monk is at its cap and the game was modified long ago to make it obtainble by BC's. Something that is wanted for the other drops from kings (BRP's plan).

Monks got many ways to obtain a Black belt: Camp HNM's (trying your luck on a freeby Day 1-3 NQ Ada for example =D ), BC's, buying it/getting it for free from the winning shell. The other items you mentioned have no other ways. Abjurations are rarely/never sold and I don't think there is one shell "capped" on Ridills to warrant selling it XD So that's why I think the Black belt shouldn't be in that list. But oh well, water under the bridge, it happened.

[Eternus]

Should not have supported RMT by buying their shit in the first place if they hate them killing Tiamat so much. The whole claim botting 3 kings thing is artifically keeping people playing. If everyone had the gear due to easy ass encounters they could do once a week, then they would quit because there would be nothing left to do in this game. FFXI really does not have that much to do that is worthwhile when you look past the timesinks.

[epigram]

Here is the issue:

Dynamis and Three Kings are both time sinks.

Most ls's after two years till do dynamis every week, and a lot of ls's still camp kings after two years. Neither of these have really changed since release with the exception of adding relic shield items and the rage mode on kings.

Still after two years people are still saying that kings are retarded and broken. Dynamis has its own issues, but you can always adjust schedules to ensure you can get a xarc some time.

The thing about doing dynamis compared to doing a king is that when you do dynamis your actually engaged and you get at least coins if nothing else. When you camp a king 18 people might get something they want and everyone else gets nothing. That's why kings are broken.

You can easily lower drop rates, that's not an issue. But you need to give people something for their time, and it needs to be desirable to some extent such as coins for upgrading items that could be used for something else, something that could be very desirable on it's own like relic.

[NynJa]

Should not have supported RMT by buying their shit in the first place if they hate them killing Tiamat so much. The whole claim botting 3 kings thing is artifically keeping people playing. If everyone had the gear due to easy ass encounters they could do once a week, then they would quit because there would be nothing left to do in this game. FFXI really does not have that much to do that is worthwhile when you look past the timesinks.

I've spent MAYBE 10 hours at a kings camp in the past 4-5 months. I've been enoying FFXI so much more since I stopped going.

[Shadida]

I dont know if you are allowed to release the recording of the interview, but perhaps someone well versed in Japanese may be able to determine what they were discussing after each question?

Sorry if someone already asked this but I don't have time to sift through 8 pages atm.

- Shadida

[Don Katsu]

I don't know why you brought my linkshell into this but whatever. Haze went from wiping to every single Fafnir they claimed to killing it faster as they got more experienced. It's only a matter of time before any linkshell gets better at something. Even if they do they will still have their odd days where they don't have the right jobs there at the time of claim. You have to remember not everyone has several accounts to play on when those jobs are needed or 20+ people show up to every single Fafnir camp especially one at 2am with 13-14 people and no skillchain/decent setup.

[Norelco]

Have KS99 drop an orb that lets you get a crack at the HQ versions of the 3 Kings.

[Foustian]

The whole claim botting 3 kings thing is artifically keeping people playing. If everyone had the gear due to easy ass encounters they could do once a week, then they would quit because there would be nothing left to do in this game. FFXI really does not have that much to do that is worthwhile when you look past the timesinks.

You make it sound as if the kings drop their entire loot pool everytime they're killed. What's the drop rate on defending ring again? You could get KB every time he pops for months and still not be guaranteed a drop. As for there being nothing else to do, there's 18 jobs in this game, there's crafting, there's relic weapons, just to name a few things. Maybe some people are only playing to level a single job and deck it out and then quit, but I'm pretty sure that's a small minority.

[phirien]

I don't know why you brought my linkshell into this but whatever. Haze went from wiping to every single Fafnir they claimed to killing it faster as they got more experienced. It's only a matter of time before any linkshell gets better at something. Even if they do they will still have their odd days where they don't have the right jobs there at the time of claim. You have to remember not everyone has several accounts to play on when those jobs are needed or 20+ people show up to every single Fafnir camp especially one at 2am with 13-14 people and no skillchain/decent setup.

well i just used it as an example, because its the only NA shell i'm somewhat familiar with, considering i was a JR member a long time ago, and they are also the only NA shell who really camps anymore.

And while Haze may have gotten "better" over time, they certainly were never good enough to handle fights like Tiamat, or Bahamut2, etc. I don't think any NA shells can handle Bahamut 2 right now, unless they nerf it. My point is, alot of LS want these NMs moved into BCs, but I really doubt any of them, at least on Alexander, would be able to kill them with 18 people and a time limit.

[levish]

Should not have supported RMT by buying their shit in the first place if they hate them killing Tiamat so much. The whole claim botting 3 kings thing is artifically keeping people playing. If everyone had the gear due to easy ass encounters they could do once a week, then they would quit because there would be nothing left to do in this game. FFXI really does not have that much to do that is worthwhile when you look past the timesinks.

I've spent MAYBE 10 hours at a kings camp in the past 4-5 months. I've been enoying FFXI so much more since I stopped going.

I never found camping enjoyable and let me tell you that I'm the King of being easily amused.

BC's ENM's Missions and some Quests I've found fun, heck I even have fun helping my friends with stuff, I found the CoP Oruyu fun (despite still being stuck on it) and so on.

Content is fun ...Timesinks are not, sure the game needs a balance of both but

All NM's and HNM camping does is foster ill will

[Don Katsu]

And while Haze may have gotten "better" over time, they certainly were never good enough to handle fights like Tiamat, or Bahamut2, etc. I don't think any NA shells can handle Bahamut 2 right now, unless they nerf it. My point is, alot of LS want these NMs moved into BCs, but I really doubt any of them, at least on Alexander, would be able to kill them with 18 people and a time limit.

Does that mean they shouldn't be allowed to try?

[phirien]

And while Haze may have gotten "better" over time, they certainly were never good enough to handle fights like Tiamat, or Bahamut2, etc. I don't think any NA shells can handle Bahamut 2 right now, unless they nerf it. My point is, alot of LS want these NMs moved into BCs, but I really doubt any of them, at least on Alexander, would be able to kill them with 18 people and a time limit.

Does that mean they shouldn't be allowed to try?

no, everyone should have the opportunity to try.

but people are complaining about the difficulty associated with obtaining items, not the adventure involved with fighting a new mob. And if people wanted to just experience the fight, there's KS99 too.

now if you mean giving people the opportunity to try to kill these NMs and obtain the items, then that's a different story. but LS who can barely handle Fafnir will have no chance at a beefed up Nidhogg inside a BC.

the example i keep using is Bahamut. How many NA shells on our server have been able to take it down? I don't even think many can handle Ouryu.

[Blackbrock]

In a few months, when we're all complaining about how bad ToAU fails.. this thread will be linked 20,000 times.

"THE ENDGAME TOAU CONTENT WITH BETTER GEAR IS COMING, THEY SAID SO IN THIS INTERVIEW!"

And then we'll all go back to racing our chocobos in E.bodys and Dalmaticas.

Wins the thread

[Epincus]

I'm in agreement with a lot of people here, in that I can't stand kings camps. I consider it to be extremely poor design that the acquisition of the best equipment in the game almost demands that you cheat for a realistic or consistent claim rate, in an atmosphere which promotes mistrust, betrayal, and conflict. Hell, I only got my Fafnir Slayer title from an unclaimed Fafnir about a week and a half ago (KB/Aspido simultaneous pop, NQ Fafhogg 100%)

So seeing them take great interest in BRP's proposal, even if it doesn't potentially take the form that was listed, is encouraging to me to say the least. I 'do' agree a bit more with the idea of ENM's or BCNM/ISNM/KSNM dropping the orbs, however I'm still not sure about having 'other' timed spawns linked to fighting Fafhogg, especially with many of the ones listed controlled by RMT on some servers. This isn't the place for this discussion though.

Anyways, I wish they'd dodge the questions less, I'm skeptical at best about the degree (if any) to which they'll respond to the emailed listing, but we'll see how this develops from here. Very nice work, Bercus, and hopefully something good will come of this.