10 Questions from JP Players

[Valisk]

Are fruits in general on the fence of being part of the lunch or snack or is it specifically the banana? lol. If other fruits are considered lunch then the banana is lunch. If other fruits are considered snacks then the banana is a snack. If the banana, specifically, is on the fence then I'd consider it lunch since you have limit to the amount of yen you can spend on snacks. I assume kids would rather have desserts and candy rather than a banana.

[Viq]

1 - I've had stuff like this happen a lot. As a result, my /blist is huge.


2 - I seem to remember seeing something like this on Alla Sylph server boards back in the day, but I might just be remembering some people tossing JP players into the Sylph Whitelist thread.


3 - I virtually never make pts (princess brd, etc.), but I have no racial preference for the pts that I join. As long as someone can play their job well and isn't going afk every few minutes, then I don't care where they live or what language they speak.


4 - In all honesty, the vast majority of my experiences with JP players has been positive. The only real negative experiences I've had have been with JP end-game shells, but that's mostly the result of the competitive nature of king camping and Dynamis not being instanced. I've had the exact same negative experiences with NA and EU players in those situations.


5 - The auto-translate shouts serve multiple purposes. First, it's substantially faster to type using auto-translate than it is to actually type out everything manually in English. Second, we can target anyone that is familiar with the mission/assault/whatever. Let's face it, if you know how to cast Dispel for Lamia 13 then I don't care about a language barrier. I've had plenty of success both inviting JP players and answering JP shouts for assaults and some of the simpler BCNMs (everyone knows how to run a RDM, NIN, NIN Under Observation for example). If you are familiar with an event that you see being shouted for, then by all means send a /tell. Chances are, the person shouting will be glad to have you along.


6 - There are far too many narrow-minded people in the world, and it's inevitable that some of them will find their way into Vana'diel. Please don't let the small minority of ignorant foreign players spoil your idea of us as a whole.


7 - Very few, from what I've seen. Most of the new people are familiar with games like WoW, and expect to be able to solo through the levels. When they find out that they have to pt, they typically lose interest and quit.

8 - We will usually say this person either has no life, or needs a girlfriend.


9 - RMT are universally despised. 3rd party tools is a bit a trickier subject. Things like Windower and the various plugins for it are debated, but for the most part they are accepted. Programs that allow a player to speed hack, or bot are almost always looked down upon publicly, however it's understood that nearly every LS that is involved in king camping has at least a couple of people that bot. While I personally have never botted, I'd be lying if I were to say that I haven't received gear from camps where I know people in my LS were botting.

10 - PLD AF1 body, maybe?

BONUS - Clearly the banana is neither lunch nor snack. It is a telephone

EDIT: Additional comment - Thanks for Daisuke Matsuzaka.

[Talisien]

1
Have you ever had someone from your own country do something bad to you? For example, they invite you to replace someone, and when you get there, they just disband. Do you hold a grudge against the person who invited you in that case, or do you think “Oh well,” and just forget about it?

If a leader invites me in good faith and does their best to inform me quickly if the PT is disbanding, I don't hold a grudge. If I get out to the party, join, and immediately see three other people say [I'm sleepy] then I'm frustrated at the leader for dragging me all the way out there.

I would rarely hold a grudge against a leader who works hard to keep the party together, the responsibilities of a party leader are many, and I appreciate them taking the effort to do so.

2
I heard that on foreign boards there is a list of useful Japanese players that will help people out. Do you really have such a list?

I've never heard of one, no.

3
I don’t go out of my way to invite NA players to my party, but NA players often invite Japanese players. What are the benefits and drawbacks of inviting a Japanese player to your party?

I find Japanese players on the whole more respectful than the typical NA player, and typically better geared at lower levels. I rarely find a Japanese player who would say "But it's just my sub" as they walk around semi naked at level 30 searching for a party. The Japanese typically, in my experience, do not complain about the rate of xp, whereas many NA members in my experience do. That's frustrating to hear as a PT leader who worked hard to get the party to an area.

The drawbacks of inviting a Japanese player are difficulty of communication during battle, and the discussion of certain battle tactics (anything more complicated than a SATA can be difficult to explain).

4
Has there been a time when a Japanese player has hurt or insulted you? Also, what are some actions that are normal for us that you find disagreeable? I’m interested to know and would like to hear your thoughts.

I used to be very interested in the Promyvion-ENM battles for the 3000 XP bonus. I often see Japanese parties shouting for them in Whitegate and tried to join once. I am a veteran of those fights and have led many myself, but when I tried to join the Japanese party, I was told "NA [No Thanks]" even after I tried to explain I was a [Veteran] @ [event].

I can't think of any "normal" action that I find disagreeable. I dislike any person who is rude to me however. One thing I will mention is that in a 5/6 Japanese party I really appreciate when the Japanese leader takes the time to mention important things in the auto-translate, and don't mind when the rest of the conversation is Japanese. Example being - [Jumping to new Area], [Skillchain], [Battle Tactics] etc. I don't want to be a part of the decision making process in an all Japanese party, but appreciate being informed.

5
Lots of NA players exclusively use Auto-Translate when recruiting for Assault and other activities. Does this mean that you are targeting Japanese players as well? I’m fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Missions and Assault, but I barely know any English, and worry if I should even send a tell.

I think many people use the auto-translate for assaults cause some of the zones are hard to spell! ^_^ I would be happy to have a Japanese person send me a tell, but for very complicated Assaults I also would be nervous trying to explain what I wanted them to do. In general I like working together, and a simple tell stating that you don't speak much English but are interested and/or knowledgable in the event gives me a great starting point to plan my party, and see if you would fit in to it.

In short - send the tell, if you are polite and explain your concern, many of us NA players will respond in kind.

6
I’ve had a foreign player say to me, “I hate Japanese people.” But Final Fantasy is a Japanese game. If you hate us, why play?

NA players in online games sometimes don't act as they would in real life, they think it is a game, and therefore act irresponsibly, as though the characters aren't real players at the keyboard. I don't know why someone who hates the Japanese would play this game, but someone who said that would lose my respect immediately.

7
A lot of time has passed since service began in Japan, and you barely see any new subscribers coming in. Are there new NA players still joining?

I think so, the Xbox360 release helped a lot. But no, I think the game has peaked and you don't see that many brand new players. It's always nice to see them though, hunting in the newbie grounds, or running around town I try to help when I can.

8
In Japan, players that play long periods of time, have many Lvl 75 jobs, possess tons of high-level equipment, and who are usually filled with prejudice and contempt are called 廃人 <[ ( hai jin ) " High Level person but disable from living real life " ]>. Is there a similar name you use for NA players who are like that?

"Hardcore" I think is a good word to match "haijin".

9
Is there opposition against the practice of RMT or the use of third party tools? What do you do if your friend or Linkshell uses them? How do you feel about RMT業者 (gyou sha) or gil farmers?

Yes there is a general opposition to RMT, though not as much in Japan I feel, because other games (World of Warcraft) allow it, or have allowed it in the past. Everquest2 lets you RMT directly from the company itself! If a friend told me he RMT'd I would support him, but I don't consider it something to brag about.

I think gil farmers are people doing a job like anyone else and try to stay out of their way if they stay out of mine.

10
In Japan, there are some people who are huge subligar fans. Are there any amongst foreign players, or is there another piece of equipment that is especially popular?

lol, Elvaan Subligar /panic. I like the animal hats personally, or the special caps, they look cute.

[Additional Notes]

I play on Hades and whenever we lose the Astral Candy it always seems like a Japanese group gets it back. I never know who that is but I've heard rumors that there's a sort of Social Linkshell that exists to get it back of many players. Whether that's the case or not, I'd just like to say thank you to all of those players who do get it back, we all really appreciate it, and NA players constantly joke when the Astral Candy is gone that the Japanese have to get it back for us.

[[Vax]]

1

Spoiler: show

Have you ever had someone from your own country do something bad to you? For example, they invite you to replace someone, and when you get there, they just disband. Do you hold a grudge against the person who invited you in that case, or do you think “Oh well,” and just forget about it?

There are plenty of times throughout the years where someone I know and trust would do something bad. Friends stealing rare items used to be a big problem, so now I don't lend out things anymore (same as most other people)

As for party invites where the PT disbands when I get there... sometimes it's not the person who sent the invites fault. I would get mad at the people who left without getting replacements. It's always nice for a leader to tell you if the pt is thinking about disbanding though.. or ask if anyone else is leaving before bringing new people to camp.

2

Spoiler: show

I heard that on foreign boards there is a list of useful Japanese players that will help people out. Do you really have such a list?

I've really never herd of such a thing... and as I read, you understand that a lot of NA players are greedy. If you give them a list of people who will help them, the nice people would get asked non-stop and never have time for themselves or their regular friends.

3

Spoiler: show

I don’t go out of my way to invite NA players to my party, but NA players often invite Japanese players. What are the benefits and drawbacks of inviting a Japanese player to your party?

A long long time ago..(4+ years) the benefit to having a JP player in the party was that they had been playing longer and had more experience and usually better gear.

Now, I usually don't mind what language a player speaks. I can easily get the point across in the (TAB) function... but I guess most of you don't like that? Maybe I should work on my japanese. I do want to learn.

4

Spoiler: show

Has there been a time when a Japanese player has hurt or insulted you? Also, what are some actions that are normal for us that you find disagreeable? I’m interested to know and would like to hear your thoughts.

I've always wondered why Japanese players think it's ok just to say ([I'm Sleepy]) and disband without trying to find a member to replace them. Is it just because you don't know how to ask if you should get a person to replace you?

5

Spoiler: show

Lots of NA players exclusively use Auto-Translate when recruiting for Assault and other activities. Does this mean that you are targeting Japanese players as well? I’m fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Missions and Assault, but I barely know any English, and worry if I should even send a tell.

For us, the Auto-Translate function is just a way to type faster. When we get good at it... by only typing a few letters of a word and hitting tab, we can complete it faster. I also wouldn't mind if a Japanese player asked to join... usually battle tactics are easy to explain with the tab key (For me anyways).

6

Spoiler: show

I’ve had a foreign player say to me, “I hate Japanese people.” But Final Fantasy is a Japanese game. If you hate us, why play?

I think that person was just 1 bad person. Maybe they were just frustrated with 1 experience with a Japanese person and generalized that into a stereotype.

7

Spoiler: show

A lot of time has passed since service began in Japan, and you barely see any new subscribers coming in. Are there new NA players still joining?

I've only met about 2 true newbies in the passed few months. I wish there were more so maybe I could offer help or something to them.

8

Spoiler: show

In Japan, players that play long periods of time, have many Lvl 75 jobs, possess tons of high-level equipment, and who are usually filled with prejudice and contempt are called 廃人 <[ ( hai jin ) " High Level person but disable from living real life " ]>. Is there a similar name you use for NA players who are like that?

I would just call them a looser. If anyone choses the game over real life responsibilities.. they should get help

9

Spoiler: show

Is there opposition against the practice of RMT or the use of third party tools? What do you do if your friend or Linkshell uses them? How do you feel about RMT業者 (gyou sha) or gil farmers?

There are 2 types of 3rd party tools in my opinion. Some that make things that make the game better for everyone.. then the ones that hurt others for personal gain.

I like when other people use Windower. It's easy to preform Skillchains or not interrupt a samurai's solo SC when you can see their tp. It's good to know the distance from your target if you're a ranger or there are particularly bad TP moves that only go a certain distance. This is helpful to everyone.

Botting and using hacks are bad though... sadly there is a lot of that going on anyways. It really doesn't impact my relationship with them though. I just tell them not to and tell them that they will be caught eventually.


10

Spoiler: show

In Japan, there are some people who are huge subligar fans. Are there any amongst foreign players, or is there another piece of equipment that is especially popular?

Hume F RSE pants. I don't like them... but most people have them if they are hume F.
Subligars are more of a joke to me. I only wear them to be funny. And yes, the white ones are better!

Bonus:
Banana's are both! They should be counted as 1/2 their value added to your snack total~!

[Bor]

#5
This one really kind of stuck out in my eyes. After reading how Japanese players enjoy it when English speakers try and speak a little Japanese, I would think they could understand that we enjoy it as well. I love having a Japanese player in my party that is speaking so called "Broken English". To me its a sign of respect that s/he is trying very hard to communicate with you even if they cant speak well. I know that many (not all) Japanese players can speak a little English, enough to get by. They shouldn't be so hesitant to speak it just because they aren't perfect at it. I mean, 90% of the English speakers in FFXI can't speak it properly! They shouldn't be so concerned about, it just a refreshing to us as it is to them when English speakers try to speak Japanese.

[Jememy]

1
Oh well and just forget about it they don't deserve me.

2
I haven't seen one.

3
You don't go out of your way because you are racist, admit it. Benefit of a japanese player in my party is the spot is filled. A draw back is I will never speak a word to this person unless they speak english.

4.
It is insulting to me that japanese players do not use the auto-translate why bother putting it in? SE implements something useful to transcend borders but still JP players choose to mingle amongst themselves.

5.
Personally I just want to get the Mission, Quest, Assault, etc over with. If we could share that view somehow wouldn't the game be more fun. *idea* Auto translate!

6.
I play for my friends. I don't play because the game is Japanese.

7.
It's a big world there probably is.

8.
No life zombies! gogo gilgamesh

9.
It's called MPKing and you GM us for it. Thanks hypocrite.

10.
Adaman Hauberk. The debate will never end.

[meeeeeep]

1. Yes, I have had someone from my own country do bad things to me, and it does discourage me from wanting to do events and accept invites from them again.

2. No, there isn't, however some servers do have their own "white list" of people that are generally helpful and are generally nice people.

3. I generally see no drawbacks to partying with a Japanese player aside from the fact it is often difficult to communicate with just auto-translate, I do however enjoy partying with Japanese players as many of them have different play styles to how I have seen NA players do things, such as party camps, and tactics.

4. I have personally never been hurt or insulted by a Japanese player, in fact I find them to be the nicer and more polite than most NAs from personal experience.

5. Yes, if I were to shout for a mission such as assault, I would be very open to participating in an assault with a Japanese player, provided they also knew what they were doing.

6. I do not hate Japanese people. But there are some people who are generally arrogant and narrow minded towards things, such as language differences.

7. I haven't really noticed any new NA people joining, most NAs seem to prefer World of Warcraft to Final Fantasy, at least the people I live near do.

8. Generally I would say this person would need to "get out more"

9. I personally hate RMTs and gilfarmers, however the server I am on is a very heavy third party tool user and a large quantity of the end game players have bought or do buy gil regularly on my server.

10. The majority of my friends tend to dislike wearing subligars, however I personally do not mind them, and as far as an NA popularity goes, I find that most people enjoy the event equipment.

[Xeres Celestia Highwind]

1
Have you ever had someone from your own country do something bad to you? For example, they invite you to replace someone, and when you get there, they just disband. Do you hold a grudge against the person who invited you in that case, or do you think “Oh well,” and just forget about it?

Most of time I'm a "oh well" and move on. There is the time every now and then when i do get upset but usually I let it go the next little bit.

2
I heard that on foreign boards there is a list of useful Japanese players that will help people out. Do you really have such a list?

I don't know about that, but i remember reading somewhere on Killingifrit that there was a good and bad player list but I'd rather make my own judgment.

3
I don’t go out of my way to invite NA players to my party, but NA players often invite Japanese players. What are the benefits and drawbacks of inviting a Japanese player to your party?

Often times I find that Japanese players are fairly skilled and know how to play their jobs well. Also, I like trying to figure out sometimes what is being said.

4
Has there been a time when a Japanese player has hurt or insulted you? Also, what are some actions that are normal for us that you find disagreeable? I’m interested to know and would like to hear your thoughts.

Yes, I joined a very nice party once. I was on my white mage at the time. Just recently hit 56 and spent a whole month farming for raise 2. At the time the price was out of control. Anyways, we died, I deleveled. They booted me from the party for not having Raise 2 anymore.


5
Lots of NA players exclusively use Auto-Translate when recruiting for Assault and other activities. Does this mean that you are targeting Japanese players as well? I’m fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Missions and Assault, but I barely know any English, and worry if I should even send a tell.

Yes, at least, that is why I do it. I wish to include anyone who can participate.

6
I’ve had a foreign player say to me, “I hate Japanese people.” But Final Fantasy is a Japanese game. If you hate us, why play?

I don't, but for those that do, they only see what is in front of them and not what the world truly has to offer.

7
A lot of time has passed since service began in Japan, and you barely see any new subscribers coming in. Are there new NA players still joining?

I think, that we do have a very very VERY small amount. But no where near the amount leaving.


8
In Japan, players that play long periods of time, have many Lvl 75 jobs, possess tons of high-level equipment, and who are usually filled with prejudice and contempt are called 廃人 <[ ( hai jin ) " High Level person but disable from living real life " ]>. Is there a similar name you use for NA players who are like that?

Elitist. Hard-Core Players. Snubs. Egomaniacs. No-Lifers. etc.


9
Is there opposition against the practice of RMT or the use of third party tools? What do you do if your friend or Linkshell uses them? How do you feel about RMT業者 (gyou sha) or gil farmers?

Hate them with a passion!! They hacked 3 of my friends already.


10
In Japan, there are some people who are huge subligar fans. Are there any amongst foreign players, or is there another piece of equipment that is especially popular?

Not subligar per say, but I think heavy armor and more scantly armor on females. Personally however I love the robes.



There is a problem argued from old days in Japan.
This problem is not yet settled.
It is "Is the banana included in a snack?".
Ex, "The snack expense of the excursion is less than $5"

Do you think the price of the banana is included in a snack expense or not ?

A banana is a very good healthy snack I think. So yes. It should.

[Priran]

10: Purpleberk and Goblin/Qiqirn hats on taru.

Bonus: Three fifths of the banana's price should count towards the snack fund.

[Eleidon]

1 - In a case like this, I try to find out why they acted in the way they did. Sometimes behavior like that is motivated by factors beyond the player's control, and in this case, I forgive that behavior. However, if the person gives insufficient justification or appears to have acted out of spite, then I will be more likely to hold a grudge.

2 - I have never heard of a list like this. If such a thing does exist, it is certainly not widely used.

3 - I don't think that inviting a Japanese player has any inherent drawbacks or advantages that inviting an English-speaking player doesn't also have. I think that a Japanese player is just as likely to be a valuable party member as an English-speaking player. Although the language barrier can make things difficult at times, and I personally do not know any Japanese, I am very willing to do whatever I can to make a multilingual party work.

4 - I cannot think of a specific Japanese player who has offended me, but it disappoints me to hear that the Japanese player community as a whole has a negative perception of the NA community, and I feel frustrated when I or someone I know is denied a badly needed party because of the language difference.

5 - Yes! When I shout for members to do Missions or Assault, I love to work with knowledgeable players no matter what language they speak. If everyone knows how to perform the task at hand, I find that things tend to go smoothly even with a minimum of communication.

6 - As many others have said, this view is not shared by most of the NA or EU community, and often people will exaggerate due to frustration when they are turned down on the basis of language or race.

7 - There certainly aren't as many new subscribers coming in as there were a few years ago, but there does seem to be a slow, steady flow of new players to balance out the departures.

8 - I don't think that we have a specific term that fits that meaning exclusively (elitist is often used that way, but I personally don't because some players who act like that do not actually have the skill to be called elite!), but we are certainly familiar with that type of player. Some NAs have adopted the term "haijin", although it is not widespread within our community.

9 - On the issue of third party tools, we have embraced the Windower and many of its functions, such as viewing party members' TP, because they only add to the player's convenience and are thus not regarded as cheating. Tools that give one player an advantage over another, like claim bots or speed hacks, are seen as cheats. Speaking specifically about claim bots, I used to see them as the most harmful possible way to cheat. However, bots are so widespread now that although I do not personally use one, I feel that it is now unfair to look unfavorably someone for using one since it is extremely difficult to claim many HNMs without doing so.

10 - I can't think of a specific type of gear that has reached the same sort of popularity among NAs that the subligar has among JP players, I think that the Qiqirn hat looks very funny or cute, depending on the character model.

Additional comment - On the /SAM vs. /NIN issue, I do not see use of /SAM as hurting the mage for the benefit of the melee, but rather as enhancing the party as a whole to earn faster EXP or merits for everyone's benefit. I regard mages constantly holding excessive amounts of MP as a waste of potential, and /SAM is not a dangerous sub when used appropriately and in the correct situations - I merit as DRG/SAM very frequently, and I die very rarely or not at all.

[ayako]

1- Things like being a replacement and the PT disbanding before I get there, or even the PT not being informed I was coming to replace someone are fairly common occurrences. No grudges, maybe a mental note of the players involved. Just have to roll with it.

2- Never heard of such a list.

3- For leveling up it is just a matter of finding the right jobs, regardless of nationality. Benefits and drawbacks are the same as anyone, some are very good, some suck, some are in between. My Japanese isn't great but it is good enough to get me by in exp party situations, so I don't personally feel the communication issues other may find to be a problem

4- I was pretty offended by the old Ragnarok gaijin hate lists that were on 2ch a few years ago (2002-2004 I think). A lot of times players were just lumped in with others as MPK/Coffer monopolizers simply because we were all non-JP, when it was not the case at all. It was really an example of the JP ONLY mentality that

5- I don't shout very much. If I do, I don't use the translator. I have no issues joining or inviting Japanese players on missions and such.


6- It's a global game, as has been said. But, people are people. Comments like that are just immaturity showing.


7- I don't think so, no.


8- I call them haijin too.

9- Personally I am not a fan of RMT, and since I play on ps2 version I can't use any 3rd party tools. Generally RMT is frowned upon and anyone who is known as one is shunned, but things such as windower and it's plugins I would find very useful if I could use them.

10- Aqueducts/Sacrarium panties style subligar and opaline always seemed very popular. I like the Qiqirn hat myself.

Bonus: Snack, definitely a snack.

Additional: I was an importer and played when it really was JP ONLY. When the NA release came I was so accustomed to the Japanese style of play I was one of those who continued to seek as if I were JP to avoid NA parties. I would have probably done that differently if I had to do it over. JP and non-JP playstyles are still very different and come with their own pluses and minuses, but neither one is right or wrong.

[Jakson]

1
Have you ever had someone from your own country do something bad to you? For example, they invite you to replace someone, and when you get there, they just disband. Do you hold a grudge against the person who invited you in that case, or do you think “Oh well,” and just forget about it?

Yeah, it happens to everybody. It sucks, but I get over it.

2
I heard that on foreign boards there is a list of useful Japanese players that will help people out. Do you really have such a list?

I've never seen a list nor heard of one.

3
I don’t go out of my way to invite NA players to my party, but NA players often invite Japanese players. What are the benefits and drawbacks of inviting a Japanese player to your party?

I see no drawbacks, nor benefits other than the person wants to do what I want them to do. I've had great jp players, and I've had terrible jp players.

4
Has there been a time when a Japanese player has hurt or insulted you? Also, what are some actions that are normal for us that you find disagreeable? I’m interested to know and would like to hear your thoughts.

I've never had any negative experience with JPs personally, though seeing /seacoms that say JP only is, in my opinion, a little offensive. It's like saying "You're not good enough to pt with me, only other JP are."

5
Lots of NA players exclusively use Auto-Translate when recruiting for Assault and other activities. Does this mean that you are targeting Japanese players as well? I’m fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Missions and Assault, but I barely know any English, and worry if I should even send a tell.

I think a lot of people use Auto-Translate because they want to include everyone simply because the larger the pool of players you draw from, the more likely it is that you're going to get what you want done quickly. Delaying your mission or xp pt because the member you need doesn't speak English (when communication is relatively unnecessary for things like xp pts or common assaults) is a waste of time.

6
I’ve had a foreign player say to me, “I hate Japanese people.” But Final Fantasy is a Japanese game. If you hate us, why play?

A chalupa combo at taco bell isn't mexican food, that doesn't mean I'm not going to go there when I'm hungry. This being said, hating Japanese people in general is just as stupid as thinking all NA's feel the same way.

7
A lot of time has passed since service began in Japan, and you barely see any new subscribers coming in. Are there new NA players still joining?

I can't help you there, but I did convince a friend to start playing. He is interested in leveling Bard.

8
In Japan, players that play long periods of time, have many Lvl 75 jobs, possess tons of high-level equipment, and who are usually filled with prejudice and contempt are called 廃人 <[ ( hai jin ) " High Level person but disable from living real life " ]>. Is there a similar name you use for NA players who are like that?

No.

9
Is there opposition against the practice of RMT or the use of third party tools? What do you do if your friend or Linkshell uses them? How do you feel about RMT業者 (gyou sha) or gil farmers?

I think third party tools are going to be used as long as there are kings, etc. RMT will be around as long as there are players. Getting angry about them is useless.

10
In Japan, there are some people who are huge subligar fans. Are there any amongst foreign players, or is there another piece of equipment that is especially popular?

I love silly hats. Nomad cap, Denali bonnet, etc.

[Saitoe]

1. i've had people from my own country do something bad to me In real life, it is no different in game. TNB (urban dictionary that lawlz)

2. i have never heard of a list such as that but i made a very close japanese friend from when i first started the game. he started off by giving me 3 stacks of fire crystals when they were worth a lot. we leveled up several jobs together and i helped showed him several spots to solo his blackmage from 55 to 75. he became one of my best friends in the game. if there was such a list then Gonti from Pandemonium would be on it.

3. i never go out of my way to invite anything in particular. if im looking for a job and it is available, it doesnt matter what they are.

4. the only time i ever felt offended was when i was told JP only, the person eventually came through when i showed him i speak my fair share of japanese so there was no damage done. As for the second half of the question, nothing that japanese people do is offensive or disagreeable to me.

5. When we use auto translator we just want anyone who fits the criteria. country of origin doesnt make a bit of difference.

6. i don't hate you, i love you. i love japan. i love final fantasy. i love gonti. that summarizes my life

7. a few, but mostly friends of people who already play.

8. we call those people "fucking losers" pardon my chinese

9.for the most part, gil buying is looked down upon but there is a group that still do so. if i find out a friend baught gil i wouldnt dislike him for doing so, i just wouldnt think as highly as his achievements. i feel bad for gil farmers because they do that to live their lives, but they ruin games so forget that!

10. anything with a white box around it is the gear i go for!

P.S. you guys are awesome. tell Gonti from Pandemonium Saitoe says HELLO!

[Fareal]

1- Usually not bothered by it, unless its a "far" away place. Like Sky, Lufaise, for those who remember meriting there. Nyzul Colibri would probably fall into that also, since its somewhat bothersome to get back from there.

2- Never heard of that, I just have notepad of nice Japanese people I run into during campaign, exping, and meriting.

3- I usually stay away from people if they have "NA/english No Thanks" or "JP only" in comment. Otherwise in the past (many years ago) I would try to invite Japanese mostly due to the more experience in the game at that time. Now I just invite whomever to fill out the party. The communication is somewhat hard, though I can understand basic Japanese.

4- I enjoy how Japanese parties stay together till they compleatly disband. It's bothersome to constantly look for replacements. Otherwise, I am only offended when I get replys such as "NA No thanks." to my invites. (I would just perfer if people would leave it at "No thanks" instead of putting the region into it, as if that means I am a bad player)

5- When I do that, I welcome anyone into my parties regardless of what language they speak. It would be nice if you have experience in the event, to come along and help.

6- I don't understand why someone who hates Japanese would play this game.

7- I don't believe many new NA's are joining now. Its very easy to find copies of FFXI in stores.

8- I would call them "Hardcore", I've only seen very few who have let the game disrupt their real lives though.

9- I'm against RMT, though everyone's situations are different. If I found out one of my friends was an avid gilbuyer I would frown upon it, but wouldnt care otherwise. It is their money. (If their job say left them "no time" to spend farming, ect. But they loved the game.) Though if I come across Gilfarmers I will try my best to MPK or just plain annoy them.

10- I'm not a fan of subligars.

Bonus: Neither, Its a phone.
Joking aside, I say bananas are apart of lunch.

[Pickins]

The other questions have been answered more than enough times to give a fairly good overview of NA player's feelings, so I won't bother with that. Instead, I wanted to give my take on why "JP ONLY" is considered so insulting to most "western" players (NA/EU).

Although people talk about comments like "NA = {death}" , "{English} {Too Weak}" and other obvious insults from the (few) gaijin-haters, I think the average non-JP player realizes "JP ONLY" is a result more of a desire to avoid communication problems than it is a race issue. Unfortunately, this still seems rude to most of us. The reasons why are complex, and ingrained into our culture.

Speaking only about the U.S. for now, although it applies to most western nations just as much: Our culture was founded on values which included openness, acceptance, and a willingness to come together to achieve common goals despite our differences. I won't lie to you and say that we have always followed those values perfectly, but overall we have continually progressed in reducing the acceptance of exclusion and discrimination.

At the root of this is the (not so good) history of race relations here in our own country. Since the civil rights movement of the 1960's ended racial segregation, Americans have been ingrained with the message that diversity is one of our strengths and that excluding people on the basis of race or culture is ignorant, backwards, and insulting. We are taught that although we should take pride in our local or ethnic culture, we should be willing to make an effort to work with people of other cultures. And really, in our society it has to be this way. As large and diverse culturally as we are, this is the only way to foster common ground among the people. (and avoid open hostilities... ~.^ ) I'm not saying this is the only correct way to feel, just that it is what works for us.

On a related note: Please, please, please don't be shy or ashamed to try your limited english skills around us. I know of nobody that would laugh at a genuine attempt to bridge the language gap. And if they do laugh, then don't listen to them... They're not worth anybody's time.

[Vlax]

1) Yes this has happened to me numerous times but I don't let small things bother me if I can help it. Then again as a drg im used to it lol

2) Never heard of it

3) I feel that Japanese players helps the party because the few that I've had the chance to level with play their job very flawlessly. I also like joining Japanese parties but dont usually get the chance to.

5) When I use auto translate its open for anyone that wants to, I'd love to welcome any Japanese player into a mission. Trying to speak english is awesome and I always enjoy a Japanese player that does their best to speak english and I wont laugh at them for it. I enjoy talking with Japanese players.

6) I <3 Japanese players^^

7) Theres a few from time to time but not nearly as many as when I first joined.

9) RMT and 3rd party tools are bad, like giving drugs to a baby.

[Nekio]

4. I agree with others that "JP Only" comments can be offensive. The American culture, at its core, revolves around being receptive to other cultures and integrating many different nationalities into one community. It's somewhat insulting to express that desire and willingness to include foreign players in my parties/events and work around the language barrier only to find that they have no interest in playing with me.

5. I use auto-translate specifically to target non-English speaking players in the rare event I'm using /shout to look for members. My Japanese is extremely poor, and I don't want to convey incorrect information by trying to translate by hand. I'm happy to receive replies from Japanese or other foreign players, and it's not terribly difficult to convey strategy using the auto-translator. I think it's worth the effort to include a non-English speaker if they are interested in coming along.

BONUS. The banana is part of the lunch. Fruit is good for you, and should not be discouraged! As they say in the USA: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

[Pyree]

8. I always heard NLP on my server, for No Life Player. But that doesn't seem to be a very popular answer in this thread. I've never heard haijin.

[KerithKitty]

1
Have you ever had someone from your own country do something bad to you? For example, they invite you to replace someone, and when you get there, they just disband. Do you hold a grudge against the person who invited you in that case, or do you think “Oh well,” and just forget about it?

I think people who do this are very rude and stupid, probably very young, and I get very angry. For this reason I refuse to replace people, and only party with people I know. But other NA players have done a lot of rude things, especially this one HNMLS on our server. We used to always /random for the next LS to get the HNM next if the people who claimed it wiped, but they began jumping in to steal it. So now no one has manners - everyone tries to crowd, tries to get the mob to switch hate, and SO MANY BOTS! Our LS is the last to ban botting outright. If we find out you do it, you are kicked from the LS. Other LS's have secret bot forums, or just don't care. I think it's sad.


2
I heard that on foreign boards there is a list of useful Japanese players that will help people out. Do you really have such a list?

I have not seen such a list, nor would I bother someone unless I know them personally as a friend.


3
I don’t go out of my way to invite NA players to my party, but NA players often invite Japanese players. What are the benefits and drawbacks of inviting a Japanese player to your party?

Japanese players are willing to party the whole time and won't go AFK to do something dumb like smoke pot (do they smoke pot in Japan?) Japanese players are much nicer, and usually know how to play their jobs better. Plus it's a chance to be nice and prove that not all NA are bad people.


4
Has there been a time when a Japanese player has hurt or insulted you? Also, what are some actions that are normal for us that you find disagreeable? I’m interested to know and would like to hear your thoughts.

Yes. I think things like JP ONLY are eletist, racist, and rude. I can usually tell the difference between JP and Chinese RMT, but not always. If they are rude, I assume they must be RMT. Also, saying {Excuse me...} can sometimes be taken as rude. I have also had JP players get frustrated and break party because they are unable to communicate, or say things like "NA {Too weak.}" This perpetuates the idea that all JP hate all NA for no real reason. We know that many NA are rude and stupid, and don't like them either. Judge the player, not the group.


5
Lots of NA players exclusively use Auto-Translate when recruiting for Assault and other activities. Does this mean that you are targeting Japanese players as well? I’m fairly knowledgeable when it comes to Missions and Assault, but I barely know any English, and worry if I should even send a tell.

Auto-Translate is usually easier to use than typing out all the words. Many NA also use them to make inappropriate jokes to LS mates. I think you should try just for the experience. Usually, though, you'll find they have to /shout because other NA know not to help them because they are probably inept. If they are a good player, they should be able to get help from their LS.


6
I’ve had a foreign player say to me, “I hate Japanese people.” But Final Fantasy is a Japanese game. If you hate us, why play?

Because in the US, it is an American game. We have it all translated here, and many of us have played from FF1-12 and love the series. We would rather play this MMO than any other MMO. FF has the best storylines of all RPG, and beautiful music and characters. We never knew it was a Japanese game.

PLEASE tell them - WE DID NOT KNOW IT WAS JAPANESE FIRST!! Some may have known it was released in Japan first, but always knew it would be released in the US eventually. We didn't know that you didn't know that we were going to play with you. We thought Square Enix told you. It's bad that they didn't, and their fault that the Auto-Trans is so bad and that the integration went bad.

7
A lot of time has passed since service began in Japan, and you barely see any new subscribers coming in. Are there new NA players still joining?

Yes! They released FFXI for new game systems, PS3 and XBox360. Many new players are joining every day. We have invited our family and friends to join with the new Gold World Pass, and they are still low level.

8
In Japan, players that play long periods of time, have many Lvl 75 jobs, possess tons of high-level equipment, and who are usually filled with prejudice and contempt are called 廃人 <[ ( hai jin ) " High Level person but disable from living real life " ]>. Is there a similar name you use for NA players who are like that?

Meara. Although she's not on Shiva anymore.

9
Is there opposition against the practice of RMT or the use of third party tools? What do you do if your friend or Linkshell uses them? How do you feel about RMT業者 (gyou sha) or gil farmers?

Our LS absolutely hates RMT and botting. If we find someone using it they are kicked from the LS. Some leaders have become more permissive, allowing account "trading" between real life friends, because NA are usually too busy to level all the way from scratch. Square Enix also does not allow two characters to become two accounts, so if you have a family member or spouse who also plays, and you become high level and both want to play together, you can't. This leads to people borrowing/trading accounts or purchasing them and other bad things. NA also do not have 3 hrs to spend in party all the time, because of work and school and family. Many are adults with children and have just a few hours' play time or have to go AFK because of this. But still, others are young and have no life. That's off topic, though. I think it's very bad and NA can be very lazy and want for themselves instead of take the time to enjoy and explore and get to know different people. We are the last NA LS on our server to kick people for using RMT or botting.


10
In Japan, there are some people who are huge subligar fans. Are there any amongst foreign players, or is there another piece of equipment that is especially popular?

We used to have Slick, a JP player in our LS. He was the {subligar} {man}. He taught us about flip table! LOL! He quit though. Mostly, we think they are funny-looking, like the kind of thing you see in gay male bondage magazines.

[Kisetai]

I pretty much never post on these boards but this is definitely an interesting enough thread/experiment to warrant a response.

1. Being rude has nothing to do with where a person is from, I've had people from a multitude of places do bad or rude things to me in this game. I don't hold grudges but if I happen to remember their name I won't party with them again.

3. I don't look at where a person is from or what language they speak when I invite someone. I can speak some Japanese so I don't consider the language barrier a problem typically.

4. I think I was called a stupid foreigner once a long time ago. In the United States it is generally considered very taboo to judge someone based on their nationality or language before you get to know the person, so for most NA players it is very offensive to be told "JP only" when asking someone to join an exp party.

5. Generally we use the auto-translate in hopes that anyone who speaks any language would read the recruitment message and be interested in joining.

8. I've heard the term "no-lifer" used a few times, but there's no specific term for it. One way to refer to those people is to say they live in their parents' basement.

10. Most of us don't like subligars, or at least not on men.