Decision time!

Ok so I've given it a lot of thought (for the past 9 hours or so) and I've decided to return to XI.

My decision was based on 2 things.

1. I want to experience the new content that is being released as it's being released.

2. I apparently never unsubscribed from the game and have been unwittingly paying for it every month (good job).

I'm not coming back to further myself personally, but to help out the friends of mine that I know still play. Namely I'm going back as a high level assistance to Jarre, Leasious, Cid and a few others.

The way I see it, if I remove the grindy aspect of the game and replace it with more of the social aspect, I can get a lot more enjoyment out of it. The things I really truly enjoyed the most about XI are all dead content that I can really only hope to experience vicariously through someone else.

This approach also eliminates the exhausting "standard" of play that I've grown used to. I never did like being told what job to come as or what to bring or what to do or where to stand or how to play my job. The majority of my over 900 hours of gameplay were spent alone. The fact of the matter was that nobody wanted a SMN in their party and nobody thought that one was every a useful option.

I want to return to the game as a SMN to experience and enjoy all the things that made me love th game in the first place all over again.

This time I'm doing it for me. No events, no schedules, no requirements, no statics... no nothing of the sort.

I might even consider spending an hour or so just riding the Mana Clipper back and forth.  Who's to stop me? It was a relaxing experience for me when I would ride on it. Any of the archaic travel mediums were a welcome escape from the GO HERE! QUICKLY!!! pace of the game.

Before I left, I showed Leasious "Teleport: Dem" and "Warp II" and she was thrilled. I think her exact words were "That was AWESOME!!!". It made me think. When did the game stop being that fun for me? I remember feeling the same way as her when I got my first teleport cast on me. I felt that way when I went to Jeuno for the first time... and I felt that way when I finally got my Chocobo Permit.

I don't know... I guess I just want that same feeling back.
  

been a while... how are you?

As some of you might know, I quit FFXI a few months back to pursue playing XIV a little more. I liked a lot of the changes they had made... and the ones that are still on the horizon. Hopefully they won't let me down, right?

...right?

Anywho. On top of playing XIV, I've also moved. Yeah! Good times. After moving, I had a chance to unpack all of my games and decided to pull out a few that I hadn't played in a really long time. I also went out and picked up a few games that I had been keeping myself from buying.

On my entertainment center right now, you'll find:

-Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten (Gearing up to face off against Mhurron this Monday)
-Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (A classic I've been meaning to replay) 
-Makai Kingdom (Because Mickey makes me laugh... and Zetta is a boss)
-Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (I bought it 6 years ago and never played it)
-Ar Tonelico 2 (I bought it last year and never played it)
-Vagrant Story (I got this on loan from a friend who couldn't believe I never played it)
and
-Metal Gear Solid 4 (Because I never finished it)

That's all stacked on top of keeping up with XIV and trying to put the finishing touches on my new house.

I'm a busy guy.

To be honest, I'm really not entirely sure if I'm going to stick it out with XIV for too much longer. I really did enjoy the addition of the advanced jobs and I'm really finding myself drawn to support jobs (as expected). I really just can't put my finger on what it is that XIV is missing. I think it's soul. The game doesn't have the same appeal as a lot of other MMOs I play.

When I'm playing EQ, FFXI, Diablo, GW or even Ragnarok Online... I find myself lost in the game for hours on end, COMPLETELY enveloped and enamored by it. I just haven't gotten that same feeling from XIV and I doubt I ever will. There's something about it's design and the way it's played that feels detatched.

I don't know... maybe I'm just being picky... but I really don't think I'm alone in this feeling.

If I don't play XIV, I'll probably stop playing MMOs for a little while and try to make a dent in my single player games for a bit... while playing against Mhurron in Disgaea now and then.

Then again, who knows... maybe I'll feel that same itch come back that has dragged me into Vanadiel every few years to renew my adventures and experience the changes once again. Time will tell, I suppose.

I can say this for certain: The announcment made today from SE on their Roadmap for XI stating that Cait Sith is definately slated as being a new Avatar for SMN makes me really anxious to hop back on and make sure I have all my quests and missions up to date in preperation for that day.

For now I'm staying clear of the game and secretly hoping that CS is going to be a huge flop and bitter disappointment. If it ends up being great, I don't know what will stop me from coming back at least recreationally.

Wow... I typed a lot. I'll leave it at that and try to post some more either tomorrow or later this week.

I have to do some light reading on the roadmap to see what other changes are in store for my favorite game of all time.

Here's hoping it's all garbage!