Travialce's Report on the State of the Empire (03/06/2007)

[SephYuyX]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y25.../platonic2.jpg
Is she missing a leg?

[LD]

...Didn't know exactly where to put this....but uhh....

Mar. 6, 2007 05:30 [PST] From: FINAL FANTASY XI


File Size for Mar. 7 Update



An update for FINAL FANTASY XI is currently scheduled for Mar. 7, 2007 at 16:00 (PST). Approximate file sizes and installation times for this update are shown below.

[File size for clients with "Chains of Promathia" and "Treasures of Aht Urhgan" installed.]

Windows Version
Downloadable file size: 95.2MB
>>Analog modem (56Kbps) users
Volume check: 14 minutes
Download / Unzip: 6 hours, 2 minutes
Installation: 3 minutes, 30 seconds
Total: About 6 hours, 19 minutes, 30 seconds
>>DSL (1Mbps) users
Volume check: 11 minutes, 30 seconds
Download / Unzip: 22 minutes
Installation: 3 minutes, 30 seconds
Total: About 37 minutes

That's more than usual, right?
Can that all just be new mobs?

[SephYuyX]

Thats about normal.

[Eaglestrike]

Are there new areas to add? I know Taj has found the floors at the Testing grounds and such, but people here are talking about the east, additional sections of the city, other regions on the map, etc. And I'm just wondering do we have any of this that came with the expansion? Are there additional zones/maps not yet implemented that could be things like this? If not, is it likely SE would have us download this in a patch? Just wondering how likely it is that there could be some major expansions from the current areas we have without a new expansion DVD.

Edit for file size: Isn't that like twice normal?

Edit 2: The file size for Windows without CoP/ToAU is 75.5MB, so most of the update is older stuff (or stuff that is found across Vana'Diel) and most likely not new zones or something.

[Dank]

agree or disagree, i sense a snide tone.

I agree. Keep it up BRP, you'll be in banville again.

My lord, I don't know what's worse. You are either an internet version of those kids who yell "fight, fight, fight!" or worship Wafik. That comment wasn't intended to be snide, even if it it appeared so. You seem to care a lot more than anyone involved.

You miss the point entirely. It's not worth the time, though. Go ahead, keep it up though so we can see the big gay avatar by your name again.

[Rocl]

agree or disagree, i sense a snide tone.

I agree. Keep it up BRP, you'll be in banville again.

My lord, I don't know what's worse. You are either an internet version of those kids who yell "fight, fight, fight!" or worship Wafik. That comment wasn't intended to be snide, even if it it appeared so. You seem to care a lot more than anyone involved.

You miss the point entirely. It's not worth the time, though. Go ahead, keep it up though so we can see the big gay avatar by your name again.

If it weren't for you, I fear Wafik may of killed himself because BRP might of made a snide remark about him.

[crazyrabbit]

The december update that introduced salvage, kamp kweh, hot & cold game, the sky tele, the pld/cor/blu changes, the pup animations and several other things (full info) was only 27mb to download.

iirc the data for nyzuhl isle area is alrdy on our PC so i realy dont know why this update is so large x.x maybe we get some more new info on wednesday, but even if not im still excitet about this update.

[Altanass]

the problem with TAU is that most of it has been spent in naja's office....

i think perhaps SE thought TAU was a great story in draft, but the story is in no way unique and now they cannot get away from the cliches.

The characters are already in their state of maturity at the start of the story. For example, the grand vizier puts his stance across pretty much when u first meet him. There is little room for his character to expand. I compare him to Wolfgang of the ducal guards in COP, but wolfgang developed over the course of several chapters despite being a minor character.

It also seems as if SE purposely drew in Shantoto so that some of her glory could shine off the new characters.

It is good to see that flow chart however. Perhaps SE is going to give the new characters their due.

The regional map so far, is large enough, and practically none of it is used storywise so far anyway.

i do feel however that the fareast will be involved in this current expansion. It would be a bit silly if we only focus on the current area, the empress or whoever gathers all the astral candies, blows up the world with alexander or whatever se has planned... and only then we focus on the far east, i mean the empress can just stomp the far east with alexander in chapter1 and game over lol.

[LD]

Most of the last couple of updates floated in the 16-40MB area.
This is at least twice that.

I doubt all the crap they announced can ammount to that.
Bit of racing may be added here, but why wouldn't they just make a normal sized update for that at the end of the month?

Edit: What the Eagle and Rabbit said.

[Akiyama]

Or it could be new mobs and areas gaiz! ....Right.

We'll probably get something on the day of the update as well so meh.

[LD]

They might surprise us with the Pit, but I severely doubt that.
Rabbit already poited out that it couldn't simply be new mobs (unless they're adding a fuckton).
We already have a bunch of locked areas that would only need mobs added, so I think it makes sense to wonder. :x

[Not Kuno]

That dl is HUEG LIEK XBOX

There has to be like an entirely new zone and lots of new mob models and stuff.

[Matricide]

don't assume that it's all "new content"; a lot of things have to be updated when they implement large changes, so we're probably going to get a lot of files that we already had vs actual new files. even if the update to the file is one sentence of text..

that's my assumption anyway.

[BRP]

i think perhaps SE thought TAU was a great story in draft, but the story is in no way unique and now they cannot get away from the cliches.

I have never seen this point of view before, almost everyone's(and I'm one to know a lot of people who would care about it) opinion on the storyline is very positive. I'd have to say you are pretty alone on this one.

ToAU's storyline is very different from CoP's. CoP was more of an epic storyline, something of a comicbook crossover event meets Lord of the Rings. On the other hand ToAU is kind of like a pulp comic which introduces odd and foreign elements while keeping the characters very interesting, if not personal. For example, ToAU actually uses the element of surprise which would be otherwise pointless if you went and spoiled it on a website or something(Trion appearing from out of fucking nowhere was awesome, and hilarious). I can't think of many examples of that happening in CoP, only the big and epic twist at the end.

Speaking about missions... ToAU seems to think this approach: two mission lines: one with the core of the story and the other with the core of the action. CoP was both of these combined into one and RoZ was this like CoP cut into four pieces(four mission lines). The problem is if you cut out of the timesinking, you are going to blow through these cutscenes pretty fast.

They either need to add in more timesinks(something resembling a challenging battle, or better yet, several of them) or add more cutscenes/lore so that it appears to be equal to how much action we get from Assault.

[Jahuran]

don't assume that it's all "new content"; a lot of things have to be updated when they implement large changes, so we're probably going to get a lot of files that we already had vs actual new files. even if the update to the file is one sentence of text..

that's my assumption anyway.

One sentence of text shouldn't increase filesize immensely. Either that or SE changed all their files to *mdb files which only require you to open them for them to inflate .

Perhaps the whole flooring / token system for the Nyzul Assault area is whats taking up space? I wonder if all the Nyzul floors are already on our ps2s/pcs or that some extra maps are released.

Or they grabbed azarils windower stuck an SE logo on it and packaged it into their current gui. One can dream.

[LD]

don't assume that it's all "new content"; a lot of things have to be updated when they implement large changes, so we're probably going to get a lot of files that we already had vs actual new files. even if the update to the file is one sentence of text..

that's my assumption anyway.

That is a pretty solid theory, but I wonder if they have to change that much for just that signet change? :/

The more I think about it, the more it seems less likely that they'd change about 50mbs worth of info for a signle update, but that makes more sense than sneaking in Colosseum or half of Choco Racing.

[Rocl]

That dl is HUEG LIEK XBOX

There has to be like an entirely new zone and lots of new mob models and stuff.

I want an xbox

[SassiAsura]

I'd say it's the puppets that controls Aphmau... or at least drag her around. As for the eastern thing I bet that story will be developed at the end of the upcoming patch.

Having never actually seen the acronym tl;dr I looked it up and found an interesting picture on encyclopedia dramatica. http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com...ooooongcat.JPG
some of it is NSFW... but that's like a small percentage of the picture.

[Rocl]

You've never seen Longcat before? You poor soul.

[LD]

I can't help but call it an awful picture, mostly because of the part with the chick being...tunneled....



but I am not one to deny awesome.
Good show.