Goals for February!

I posted the answer to the riddle I posted on Friday.






January was a very 'meh' month in general in terms of getting goals done. I'm hoping February can be a little better, so here's what may be in store as per goals I want to accomplish before March!

Video Game Development Projects:

-Continue working on the Codename: EPIC project. (More details will be posted publicly in February.) If you're interested in joining the project, message me with your talents and credentials and I'll invite you to the development team.


Games:


-Get a shiny Suicune from GameStop

-Complete Chrono Cross

-Complete Final Fantasy XIII

-Start up a company in Final Fantasy XIV and get all of the aetherial gates that are legimiately possible.

-Complete Dissidia:Final Fantasy


BETA Cinema:'

-Film a 'special' February 14th movie. (At least I'm hoping to get it filmed.)

-Finish up "If Jon Ruled the World" to get it posted on YouTube.

-Start production on some new skits.


School:

-Less procrastination on Physics work.

-Aiming for 70% or higher on most (if not all) assignments. (Don't be alarmed, it's a B on the grading scale.)

-Get a good handle on the JavaScript language for the AlgorithmA project.

-Start using Unity3D tutorials to start practice for developing Shadow Kid sometime in the future.


_


I hope you all had a great first month of the year, and hopefully you all will have a great February! Eat lots of candy and spend time with your significant other(s)!


(Give me the leftover Valentine's Day candy!)



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The Tale of Two Loves: A riddle. (Updated with answer)

Pre-blog side note: Someone anonymously mentioned that the link to the newest Dojo Adventure link from December was broken, so I've re-uploaded it and posted it on two different websites. Filefront and MegaUpload. I've also uploaded the instruction booklet in a printable PDF format and the game will give you a starting game bonus of 100 Magic Shards if you start a new game with the new version. Details here.

Oh, and I made a cruel YouTube Doubler. Check that out at your own discretion.




Okay, /end off-blog tangent.

_



Some people may find this riddle easier to figure out than others.


So I have two loves. I was going to use initials, but then it would have been a clear giveaway.

My first love, has been very good to me for the longest time. She was never considered by many to the most popular one in the bunch, but she was very beautiful in her prime. Sometime in the last few years, however, her beauty waned and she had an serious attitude change to try and appeal to be more popular. In my opinion, this was the downfall of what set her apart from her contemporaries. It's probably a sign of the times, but it's a shame that she couldn't stay the same and how she changed to what it is now. So much that I can't even stand to be around her anymore.


My other love I met fairly recently. Although she contains a vast amount of beauty, she lacks definition and a personality. Some people think that I (and many others) should give her a chance, and that people who claim to know her, don't really take the time to appreciate her for who she is. Some other people unfortunately think she'll never change and will always remain beautiful but without a personality.


Can you guess the names of my two loves?


(Answer below.)










Love #1 - Vana'diel
Love #2 - Eorzea





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Late-January Updates

I exhausted all of my creative resources to make my last blog entry. So this post is more of a re-cap of what's going on in my life lately.

BETACinema:

New movies this month:














We also have some interesting skits planned for February, so stay tuned for that!


Final Fantasy XIV:

I'm planning on doing some linkshell re-structuring that's going to take place at the end of this month. More info will come on that as I can announce it publicly.

Also, quests are coming in early-February! I can't wait! I'll need to get this laptop fixed to be able to enjoy it fully. I have some loose USB ports that need repairing. Just don't have the time to go around and do it. I'm in no big rush, though.




We also recently went on a world expedition and got a lot of hard-to-get aetherial gates, It was a lot of fun.











Also, one of my friends is planning to start FFXIV, so I'm looking forward to helping her get started later today.

See also: Naoki Yoshida

Untitled RPG Project:

I just made a huge announcement with this game project in my last post. Please take a look if you're interested.

Shadow Kid Project:

Currently on hiatus until further notice.


_


I'm sorry that this wasn't more thoughtful and informative as my usual posts are. I'm very tired and stressed out.

Codename: EPIC

IMPORTANT!!

If you would like to join the development team, please join the Facebook group (this link here) and message me with your talents or credentials!


^ Screenshot of a game developed on VX engine.

( See also: New RPG Project )

Note: This blog post omits some details for the sake of people not stealing the idea. Please keep this in mind when reading this blog post. Hence the use of codenames and omitting random details. You can call me paranoid, but I call it making it more difficult to plagiarize.

Earlier this month, I made an announcement that I was developing a new role-playing game project on the engine, RPG Maker VX. I have talked to some of my artistically talented friends about the project, and tried to gauge their interest on maybe working with me on the development of the game. I promised I would shed some light on some of the "unconventional characters" that will be involved within the storyline. As of now, only three characters' personalities have been developed while I've been fleshing out details on world and map design, which will come in a blog post later this week.

The names are going to be "codenames" until actual names are developed for the characters.

Characters:

Codename: Mage (Age: -- ) - Mage is the main male protagonist of the game. He is an overconfident ex-magic school dropout who throws away the conventional rigorous educational lifestyle to be an adventurous vagrant. The game starts when Mage and his best friend Knight go to a nearby cave in order to find some treasure in a get-rich scheme.

Starting Abilities: Fire, Heal

Codename: Knight (Age: -- ) - Knight is the main female protagonist of the game and Mage's best friend and confidante. Knight is an experienced and talented swordsman. Unlike Mage, who dropped out of overestimating his mediocre abilities, Knight is a gifted student who graduated from swordsmanship-training two years early. Provides a main-character foil and a serious contrast to Mage, who is overenthusiastic and a "nothing-can-go-wrong" attitude.

Starting Abilities: Blueblade Slash

Codename: Oldman (Age: Really Old) - Provides comic relief for the game and the plot. Oldman is an interesting fellow who provides tips, vehicles, and equipment and treasure (as well as being a party member at times) throughout the story. He can seem to be able to do or get anything for the party, but cannot provide a reason of how or why he got it. (He blames it on his senile dementia, but something else may be the reason.)

Starting Abilities: TBD

Basic Introductory Story/Plot (In Development: Needs Expansion)

The game starts with a lengthy/humorous cutscene in which Mage and Knight are running through a cave in search for some treasure. The game introduces the characters and Knight explains to Mage that he's being an idiot for dropping out of school to go on this quick get- rich scheme. After the introductory dungeon and story sequence, they return home to find their town taken over in a coup d'etat from a rival country across the sea. Angered by the take over of their home, Mage and Knight take off on the adventure to re-claim it.

The game will operate like an old-school RPG with clear homages to several games developed in the 2D SNES era.

Looking for Positions:

[X] Denotes that the position has been filled.

-Ruby programmers
-RGSS Scripters
-Logo Designer [X]
-Voice actors for the characters.
-Game Musical Composer/Director
-Character Artists [X]
-Sprite/Battle Artists
-Map Designers
-Dungeon Designers
-Storyline Writers [X]
-Monster Artists
-Protagonist Artists [X]
-Antagonist Artists [X]
-Title Screen/Game Over Screen Designers [X]

Inspirations:

Interested?

If you're interested in joining the team, please leave a comment here or message me via Facebook. It will be a for-profit RPG project (unlike Dojo Adventure, which wasn't). So there will be a plan for commission from profits, which will be discussed at a later date.

Naoki Yoshida "Yoshi-P" Part II

(See also: Part 1)

Naoki Yoshida (or "Yoshi-P" as he wants to be called) is awesome enough for me to make another post about him, the second time this month.

Last week, he had an interview with the popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, about the current state of FFXIV and changes that are to come. (English Translation of Famitsu Article)

Yesterday, he started a "Letter from the Producer" series that was, truthfully, the most comprehensive post I've ever seen on a Final Fantasy Online title.

Seriously, this is an unprecedented move from a company who, after having spent the last eight years of playing their online games, didn't seem to give a damn on what their players think, and now with this new guy thrown at the helm, he seems to be very vocal about the changes he wants to bring to their players. It took them terrible, pis-pour reviews for them to get the point, but now it's happening, and we players are very grateful.

I went from cautiously optimistic to extremely optimistic about the future of this game, and according to the letter, we're going to start seeing quests and updates in February. I'm very excited about going adventuring and finally putting my character to some use! >:)

But seriously, 6-8 years from now, I'm hoping this game will serve me the same great memories and adventures with all of the new people I've met in-game since September. I already feel that Eorzea has been my home for this last couple of months, but this bland world needs much more adventure and content, and this guy seems dead-set on doing whatever it takes to keep the players happy and encourage people to continue on. I like this guy's style and it's very refreshing to actually lead my linkshell knowing things are coming on the horizon. (And I'm not talking about the aetherial camp.)

Keep it up, Yoshi-P! You're on my list of very inspirational game designers.

Codename Responses from Facebook.

There has been a lot of negativity that has been directed towards me lately. So instead of spewing negativity back, I wanted to take the higher route instead. So I asked some of my Facebook friends to message me a Codename, and I would respond to that codename on this blog post with how we met, what I thought of you, and what I like about you. Thanks to all who participated. (I'm sorry for the people I don't know as well.)

_

Codename: stargirl

How did we meet: Church sometime in 1996. (I think?)

What did I think about you: We didn't talk too much until the fourth grade when I led the Sandcastle Club at Arroyo Verde. And surprisingly, I didn't even remember that until you brought it up. I totally forgot about that club. Fun times!

What I like about you: You aren't afraid of what other people think of you. Even though we stand at almost polar opposites of the political spectrum and don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, I'm really glad we're friends. Not a lot of people can say that about their friends. They only talk to people that are exactly like them in philosophy, and sometimes it's really important to understand others point of view.

_

Codename: Dr. Captain Morgan

How did we meet: Math 211 in my Sophomore year of College.

What did I think about you: We didn't really talk much until after Math 211 ended when you ran into me after getting out of your Visual Basic lab.

What I like about you: You aren't afraid of a challenge. Though, I don't know how you can manage Data Structures with the most difficult professor in the university, Physics, and maintain four part-time jobs. That's dedication.


_


Codename: Roanwake

How did we meet: Friend of friends I met (err, have Final Fantasy discussions with) on the internets!

What did I think about you: You were friends of friends, so naturally I had to add you (due to some strange rules of Facebook, or maybe it's just me. Yeah it's just me.) I wish you guys would post more Dissidia videos, I miss those.

What I like about you: You like Final Fantasy, is there really anything more to be said? Okay yeah there is. I haven't looked into it, but I'm hoping the next Dissidia game actually has online capabilities so I can have matches with you all.

(Sorry I couldn't elaborate. I don't know you all that well so please forgive me!)



_


Codename: Boyman

How did we meet: Second semester of junior year of high school in Spanish 2.1.

What did I think about you: We never really talked much until I brought out my Nintendo DS when we were bored during class period and no one took the teacher seriously.

What I like about you: You're a very chill person. You can get along with almost anyone, and that's really an awesome trait to have. Oh, and 12th grade Mueller's class when we tried to do a spoof on Hamlet and we both just bursted out laughing much to the confusion of the class. Oh, and the first bottomless fries competition when we were both having some life issues. That was fun. Second bottomless fries competition is soon!


_


Codename: BowtiesAreCool

How did we meet: Viva Eorzea Linkshell invitation on Facebook (also fiance of an old FFXI friend of mine)

What did I think about you: Not much, I didn't know you or get to know you that well until you volunteered with making the website with Ricocant.

What I like about you: Well, you're part of the leadership of the linkshell, and I admire that you're willing to speak up if you don't agree with something or are left out. I take your responses seriously because a lot of times they give honest feedback and a different perception on the problem that the LS is having. It's kind of lame when the leaders agree with each other 100% of the time, because then there's no point of having multiple leaders.


_



Codename: smooth

How did we meet: 9th grade. I think it was at lunch when Geno was introducing me to you and Matt.

What did I think about you: It took me forever to remember you and Matt's name. I'm terrible with names. Always have been. It wasn't until 11th grade when you guys were forced out of the library when we all started hanging out at the bottom of the library and started playing video games and what not.

What I like about you: "TOONTOWN!?" No, I mentioned this last time. Not doing it justice. You pretty much pulled me "out of the river styx" as you jokingly call it when I was in severe depression over my last breakup, thanks for that. You're the clear reason why they have the saying "bros before..." never mind.


_


Codename: Alphadeltaniner

How did we meet: It's funny, we never really met.

What did I think about you: We agreed with each other on some stuff on a discussion we were having between mutual facebook friends.

What I like about you: You're flippin' persistent. Most people I help out with issues that you have had either give up or just get frustrated and stop. You're not one to give up though, and that trait is very admirable. In games and in real life.

(Sorry I couldn't post more. I just don't know you all that well.)


_



Codename: Fuzzy Bunny Slippers

How did we meet: WereStillWithYellow social linkshell on Titan server. (FFXI)

What did I think about you: I remember you being a very awesome Red Mage in the game for the stuff we did group up together for. (Which wasn't much.) I usually kept to myself while a member in WSWY.

What I like about you: You (along with your fiance), and Rico are the main reason why we are a very successful LS on XIV. We are able to work together to keep the LS going. (Even though the faction idea didn't really help much at the beginning.) I'm hoping that in the future, we can get the idea for your crafting linkshell/company up and running as a subsidiary of Viva Eorzea!

Square-Enix PDD1 Conference / FFXI Confirmed and Rumored Changes

There's really not much to blog about today.



Square-Enix PDD1 Conference:

UPDATE: NOOOOOOOOO!








Square-Enix is doing their PDD1 conference today. PDD1 is the team that does Final Fantasy XIII, Fabula Nova Crystallis, Kingdom Hearts, and Dissidia. I'm interested to see what they have in store for the series, though I don't particularly like the team in general, they're far too experimental with the FF formula. (See: FFX, FFXIII)

The PDD3 conference (FFXI, FFXIV) is what I'm looking forward to. I'm interested to see how they plan on shaping XIV further so people can actually enjoy the game.



Final Fantasy XI Confirmed/Rumored Changes:

Although I don't play Final Fantasy XI anymore (See: FFXI Retirement), I still like to see what changes they're doing to Vana'diel to observe and comment on how they're changing my online home of eight years.

On their new official Twitter, this was mentioned via a message:

To all the followers, thank you for following us!

We would also like to thank many of you for sending various feedbacks and cheerful messages!

With questions and feedbacks we have received, we will go through them and try our best to answer them in the topics on the official site.

Since the official Twitter has been launched, we are considering about holding an official event using Twitter.
Some could be answered right away but in most cases, we will take a look and discuss them with the Dev. team.

With congestion of Port Jeuno caused due to the positioning of Abyssea NPC, we are starting to discuss the countermeasure.

Also the UI on Atma selection menu and how to receive Traverser Stone are being discussed as well.

With auction house, we are considering to merge them to make it more convenient so please look forward to it!

Also, this is a loose translation with XI's new director that was loosely translated on BlueGartr:

Abyssea is end, but SE adding something in Abyssea for EXP after cap raises to LV95(June),I guess new spells from chest or something like that. again, SE adding/fixing Abbysea FOR EXP. next update will be March,LV cap stay at 90. Itou(FFXI Directer)said about this year. Itou:we are fixing old contents,and we may adding hard version. about next update, we are adding mobs/reward in ZNM, because ppl not doin'g em. also,adding crest BC. I loled..who loves ZNM?... all Sauce is: http://kamome.2ch.net/test/read.cgi/ogame/1294903665/ it's japanese, developer interview, NO.254,259,271,278,285,

I'm glad they're done with Abyssea. That was the thing that led me to leave the game in the first place. It became a repetitive grind in the same 9 zones that were just another iterations of the same zones I've traveled through for eight long years. I still don't plan on coming back until they introduce new storyline content, though. I don't play Final Fantasy for gear or e-peen, I play for a compelling storyline.







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Secret Agent Yachiru / February 14th Special / Untitled RPG Project Updates / MLK Day

Secret Agent Yachiru: Reloaded :



We have a "new" movie up from BETACinema. Okay, it's not exactly new, it's actually a re-edit of the first skit we've ever done. But due to a change in group management and YouTube channels, the video had to be re-edited together from scratch as the original video itself was lost in the shuffle.

Although Shadoe edited the original version, I used her original version (well, what I remember of it) and added my own style to it to put the skit up to the standards of our later videos. If you watch it, you'll notice that the quality of the skit itself is not as good as our newer material filmed in the last few months. We came up with the idea of the movie that day and winged it together without a script.




Oh, and bonus teaser of "If Jon Ruled the World" posted from Jon himself. (JodinWindMaster on YouTube)









February 14th Special:

I'm currently writing up an idea for a BETACinema February 14th special (I hope you know what that day is). I can't really put what my ideas are out here in the public (since that will spoil the idea of a special, right? Right!?) But I hope you guys will find it to be quite humorous!


RPG Project Updates:

I was able to recruit one of my artistically talented friends to join the development team for my upcoming 2D RPG project. I should be able to explain some details about the game and more of the setting in a future blog post by the end of the week. There may be some character concepts I'll be able to show sometime in the near future as well.

See Also: Upcoming RPG Project Announcement.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day:

I want to conclude the blog post by mentioning a true hero for civil rights. Some people just treat this upcoming holiday as a free day off of school or work or what have you. But many generations now and for the future are indebted to this man's sacrifice, his integrity, and his determination for a true echo of freedom and civil equality.

Thank you, Dr. King.


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Final Fantasy XIV : R30 Storyline Quest - "Toll of the Warden" Observations/Discoveries. [SPOILERS!]

Two days ago, I went on an adventure to do more of the Final Fantasy XIV R30 storyline. I was accompanied by two of my linkshell mates: Oren Ishii, and Fuzen Hikaru. I don't think neither of them is this far in the storyline, so we were unsure whether they could even help me or not.


The storyline chapter involved saving the sylphs in Thanalan (desert region) from these ogres and Ixalis (Lizard-like creatures, see below).



As you can see in the cutscene above, apparently they can. Which is something that XIV has going for it. Other party members can help you with your boss battle, even if they don't meet the storyline requirements. However, they will not get the cutscenes or credit for winning, they just appear inside the boss battlefield.

Below is my awesome NPC companion, Shandomina. When you get to Rank 20 in the storyline, you have the option to create and name the NPC companion who talks for you in the story. Can you take a guess on who inspired my NPC creation? :)







Anyhow, the boss fight was against these Mamool Ja-like creatures called Ixali. They weren't too difficult and we were able to trio them with relative ease. I did have to toss some Cure II's around, however. The NPC-companion also helps you out with Cures and buffs if needed. (Though it is kind of random.)




After the boss fight ended, I was treated to a cutscene that hinted that the next chapter in the storyline I get to fight none other than Ifrit himself! I can't wait!



One also interesting thing to note is that we were greeted by these people: Ascians. (See below)

Apparently they'll be one of the antagonists in the XIV storyline, they look pretty damn cool, if you ask me.


I want to thank Oren Ishii and Fuzen Hikaru for taking time out of their schedule to help me out with this. I really appreciate it, you two. :)

I'm lucky I have time to breathe!

So, I started up classes this last Monday.



As denoted by my poorly drawn diagrams above, I'm taking the classes that are circled.

CSE 313 - Machine Organization (4 units)
CSE 455 - Software Engineering (4 units)
PHYS221 - General Physics I (5 units)
GEOL101 - Introduction to Geology (5 units)

= 18 units

And this is the first quarter I've had where every single class gets a lab section.

Despite this, I'm holding up quite well, I've given myself Wednesday mornings and Fridays off to chill and relax or catch up on homework, so I'm not completely overwhelmed. My professors are also laid back and understanding with said workload. It's part of the reason why I love this university so much.

I'm going to be meeting with some friends in the morning to discuss game design for an hour or so and then come home and get some shut eye. I'm really not that much of a morning person, and I love how most of my classes are situated in the afternoon or evening this term, when I'm actually wide awake. I'm hoping I can match or exceed my 3.1 GPA I got last quarter while keeping my sanity. But damn, that's going to be difficult.

_

Also, I want to thank anyone who's been lurking the last post and took the time to see "The More You Know". I really appreciate anyone who has taken the time to watch it and I appreciate my friends who didn't mind posting or sharing it!

_

I'll be returning to Final Fantasy XIV later today to start the next set of class quests and do the rank 30 storyline! I'm looking forward to it!

My two days away from Eorzea is hopefully enough to get a decent chunk of anima back so I can teleport to get said cutscenes!

Will report on possible findings or disappointments on this next blog post!

_


See also: Made an addendum to the personal relationship thesis.

January-February BETA Projects

Hello, blog! Goodbye, Winter Break!

We here at BETACinema have been very productive this past weekend!

We had our monthly collaborative meeting, appropriately titled the "Jolly January Jamboree" which we filmed at Crafton Hills College this past weekend. We filmed a new skit called "The More You Know" as a parody of the public service announcements NBC used to put up in the 90's.

You can see it here: (And it can also be watched on the banner at the top in future/other blog posts.)





Personally, I find this skit to be my favorite thus far, and I think everyone did a great job with ideas and contributions to the skit! It was fairly simple to edit, too!

We also have a short we filmed at last month's meeting, appropriately titled the "Drizzly December Damnation" where we interviewed an Austrailian Jon at a Baker's Drive-Thru.

You can see that here:





Future Skits:

Talking With Jon / Jasmine Jonny (Season 0) --- Approx Release Date: January 2011

If Jon Ruled the World --- Approx. Release Date: February 2011

Special February 14th Movie --- Approx. Release Date: Before Valentine's Day

Secret Agent Yachiru (Season 0) --- Approx. Release Date: Spring 2011

CSI: Traverse Town --- Approx. Release Date: Spring 2011

Final Fantasy XIII Music Video --- TBA

If Jon Ruled the World Trailers:










_

And since we have a good skit up, it's time to sign up on Kickstarter! Revenue!

Five Years!

Okay, five years and one day. (The anniversary came yesterday. I don't post on my off days.) But my first blog post ever was on 1/7/2006. Taken from a repost from my old Xanga blog.* My rant was three sentences long:

"Today we got our butt whooped by the Ark Angels! o.o They were tougher than I expected lmao! We decided to do a rematch next week, so meh next week it is!"

It's still hard for me to believe that five years passed so quickly (and that I wrote so badly). I don't look any different, I don't act any different, and I certainly don't feel any different. I'm not really sure if that's a good or a bad thing.

A lot of things happened though, but time feels like it passed in a blink of an eye. When I was younger (much younger), a year in itself felt like forever. And when I was in first grade, kindergarten felt like a forever ago, and so on.

Now, I'm almost a senior in college and I felt like I was in 8th grade yesterday. I think that's the real reason why I leave these entries so often, I want to keep mental tracks to make sure I'm actually progressing in life, because it sure as hell doesn't feel like it. It's kind of saddening to find that time goes faster as you grow older, or it's just me. (I hope it's not just me.)

Five years from now it's going to be the year 2016, here's hoping things don't change too much between now and then. Well, I welcome good changes, but not bad changes. I don't like bad changes.

And five years from now I'll refer to this post and comment on how terrible this layout looks, because, heck, my layouts looked terrible then as compared to now. At least improvement is shown there!

Until 2016!


*

First Blog (January 7, 2006-August 2006 - Defunct/Destroyed)
Second Blog (August 2006-February 2008 - Overlap with MySpace Blog)
Third Blog (February 2007-November 2010 - Grover's Semi-Daily Rants)
Current Blog (November 2010-Present - Grover's Semi-Daily Rants)

New RPG Project!

The following screenshot (above) is a sample picture from the program RPG Maker VX, by Enterbrain. It's a newer program that was released within the last couple of years that allows beginners and programming veterans to produce a role-playing game. While its predecessor RPG Maker XP placed emphasis on making interconnecting areas, outdoor areas, and indoor areas, VX streamlines the process by allowing creation of a traditional RPG World Maps, and randomizing dungeons.

It also allows the use of Ruby Scripts for those who are knowledgeable with the Ruby programming language.

_

This brings me to this blog post. Those who know me or stalk this blog know that I have a project developed on the RPG Maker XP engine, Dojo Adventure. However, I don't have a game for its newer engine.

Well, I am putting together a team for a new project that will be developed for this engine. I don't want to shed any important details for the project in this post since I'm still writing a notebook full of ideas (and have been throughout the past three weeks). But I can state four main points about the upcoming project:

New Project Details:

1. This new project is going to take place in the same world/universe as Dojo Adventure, but the story and exploration will be in a different part of the world, so this allows introducing new characters and storyline unrelated to the first game project. The game will contain the same kind of atmosphere and technology as said game.

2. This new project will place more emphasis on storyline and character advancement as well as cutscenes. It will have more of an engaging story and protagonists that speak and interact with one another.

3. The game will recycle some of the abilities from my first game project, which means production of abilities and animations won't take as long.

4. I want to try new things with this project and take the best ideas from old school role-playing games that came out in my childhood and mix them with new circumstances and characters. An old-school experience with a non-cliche set of characters. When creating Dojo Adventure, I took a lot of my favorite games I liked at the time and mixed them together to create somewhat of a unique game that lacked personality but still contained depth. In this new project I want to have an original game that's, while not as in-depth as Dojo Adventure in terms of gameplay, remains to be an enjoyable game/story in its own right.

Looking for Team Members:

-Ruby programmers
-RGSS Scripters
-Logo Designer
-Composer
-Character Artists
-Sprite/Battle Artists
-Map Designers
-Dungeon Designers
-Storyline Writers
-Monster Artists
-Protagonist Artists
-Antagonist Artists
-Title Screen/Game Over Screen Designers


Personal Project Goals:

Although I'm officially taking a course in software engineering, I want to see how well I can manage an actual team using people remotely to work on this project. I developed Dojo Adventure with a 2004 mindset, I wasn't really considering releasing the game to an audience like I ended up doing anyway, I just wanted to see if I could do it.

Now I'm taking it a step further, I want to see if I can accomplish a whole new game project that starts almost from scratch and create a new game from that.

Inspirations for New RPG Project:

Lufia and the Fortress of Doom (SNES)
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals (SNES)
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Final Fantasy VI (SNES)
Breath of Fire III (PSX)
The Legend of Dragoon (PSX)
Final Fantasy VII (PSX)
Chrono Cross (PSX)
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (DS)

2011 Linkshell Address (Tentative Rough Draft)

Note that this address has yet to be voted on and needs a 3/4 passing from Leadership and Senior Officers to go into effect. Here is a proposal I plan on submitting to the other leaders.

2011 Linkshell Address:


2011 Viva Eorzea Administration:

Leader/Shellholder:
Grover Eyeveen

Co-Leader:
Ricocant Tribal

Senior LS Advisers/Officers:
Nekovivie Uhlrahzi
Bellock Uhlrahzi

Recruitment Officers:
Manny Fresh
Crevox Shadeseer
Sean Helios

Viva Eorzea Members:

Viva Eorzea Linkshell Member List (September 22, 2010-January 3, 2011)
Viva Eorzea Member List (January 3, 2011-Present)

Linkshell Website:

Viva Eorzea Linkshell/Company on GuildPortal
Viva Eorzea Linkshell/Company on Facebook

Shift of Linkshells:

Due to the original linkshell capping at 128 members, we were forced to rebuild on a totally new linkshell, simply called "Viva Eorzea" rather than "Viva Eorzea Linkshell". This was done to weed out the inactive* players that have quit the game, make room for new players that want to join, and to maintain enough room for PlayStation 3 players that join later this year when that version is released.

From the shift in linkshells, there was no change in leadership positions for active members. Any inactive recruitment officers have been demoted, and will return to regular members if they return in the future.

Viva Eorzea's Objective:

Viva Eorzea was developed in July of 2010 to make a fun linkshell for any and all members willing to play Final Fantasy XIV. It was gathered by a Facebook invite to many different people who came from many different backgrounds as means to play together at launch. We welcome those of all skill levels, job levels, crafts, what have you. We are all in this for the long haul while the game goes through this year of transformation, and hopefully we see this game bloom into something special and memorable!

New Recruitment Policy:

The linkshell expanded in September to include people of Figaro Server and has a policy of open recruitment. At first, we were willing to accept any and everyone as long as they follow simple online courtesy, but due to the uncovering of the unfortunate 128 member linkshell cap, we have a new policy of having members seek us out rather than seeking for prospective members. For this reason we will no longer shout for members, but still welcome new linkshell members, friends of current members, and those who find us from online websites such as ZAM, FFXIVCore, and the like are encouraged to join.

Prospective Recruiters:

If you are interested in becoming a recruitment officer, please talk to a leader, co-leader, or senior officer. You may be subject to an interview by leaders and/or officers, and if 3/4 agree, you will be promoted to a recruitment officer. Recruitment officers do not get any special rules except to welcome members upon request or free will. Please do not shout for recruits. (As per the new recruitment policy.)

Unless asked to by a leader, senior officer, or another member, recruiters will be held responsible for the people they invite into the linkshell. Excessive rudeness among new members is not tolerated. Excessive 'trolling' of new members is also not tolerated.

New Linkshell Policies:

*Subject to change depending on how Companies will be implemented in the future.

Unless it's a dire emergency*, suggestions for ways to improve a linkshell should be sent to a leader or senior officer. It will then be considered and if it passes by 3/4 of the leaders and senior officers, it will go into effect.

Dire Emergency - One of which takes immediate action.

Can include (but not limited to):
-Banning/Suspension of/Forced Removal of Linkshell Members*
-Moving to another linkshell (Immediate)

*Removal or banning of any current linkshell member means that a reason must be submitted in writing to the linkshell leadership the day the event took place.


Inactivity:

Viva Eorzea's definition of 'Inactive': Any linkshell member who has been inactive for two months or more is considered to be inactive. Inactive members may be removed from the roster unless a notice is given ahead of time. Inactive members who are removed from the linkshell are welcome to return to the linkshell at any time if they return given that the 128 member cap is not reached.

This rule may change in the future when better linkshell options are available for the game. This section may be revised in the future.

Rule Changes:

The Viva Eorzea Linkshell Leadership (Includes: Leader, Co-Leader, Senior Advisers) has and reserves the right to modify these rules at any given time, given that the changes pass with a 75% majority with leaders.

Naoki Yoshida

Note: If we get any more information or interviews regarding Naoki Yoshida, I will edit this post accordingly.

This picture (above) is a drawing of Naoki Yoshida. Last month, in a widely publicized shift by Square-Enix, this relatively unknown person was chosen/hired to replace Hiromichi Tanaka (now former producer) and Nobuaki Komoto (former director -> now lead game designer) as the new producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV.

(Although it's not explicitly stated, he is most likely now leading Square Enix Product Development Division [PDD] 3 as a result, as well.)

Last month, when he took over as producer and director, he released this statement:

I would like to take this opportunity to greet all of you—those currently playing FINAL FANTASY XIV, those who have taken a respite from playing, and those awaiting the PlayStation 3 release—and offer a brief word by way of an introduction.

No doubt there are very few, if any, among you who have ever heard the name Naoki Yoshida. To be sure, I have never been in the fore on any of the titles I have worked on in the past. I am, however, honored and privileged to work alongside many talented and inspiring colleagues, and with their support have enjoyed making games for a number of years. I am aware that a great many people will think the responsibility of leading FINAL FANTASY XIV is far too large a task for someone so unknown. After all, even my very best may seem no more than a drop in the bucket when considering the sheer scope of FINAL FANTASY XIV. But working together with me are the very talented and very capable development and management teams, whose dedication and motivation are unwavering. I would like to ask you to please put to rest uncertainties that you may have.

Now, more than ever, myself, the development team, and Square Enix as a whole, are committed to furthering our efforts to provide a quality service.

Everything we do will be for our players and customers.

FINAL FANTASY XIV Producer/Director, Naoki Yoshida

Naturally, this sparked curiosity within online forums. A lot of us gamers have never even heard of the guy. A lot of us were (and still are) worried about his direction/experience with producing a game. Sites such as ZAM even posted an editorial in an attempt to find out details about who he is.

According to the article, we only knew that he joined Square Enix in 2004, and worked on a Dragon Quest Monster Battle Road game series, which was a card game played on arcade machines.

A few days ago, 4Gamer.net had an interview with Yoshida on the future of the game. Here is a translation from Eorzeapedia:

4Gamer: Interview with Naoki Yoshida: Part 1
4Gamer: Interview with Naoki Yoshida: Part 2

I'll try and pinpoint the stuff I found notable:

He wants to have more of a transparent team that talks to the players often, as well as make things much easier to understand. He seems to invite player feedback rather than shrug it off or mad that we as players cannot understand their system.

(See: Tanaka Frustration Incident from August 2010)

He compares the relationship with a development team and its players like a close friendship. He goes on to state that there can't be broken promises this time around. They plan on regaining trust for their players.

There are some nitpicky details he does go into, but I can be sure of one thing from this interview. The man knows his MMOs. He's well aware of MMO industry standards that FFXIV has a notable lack of and is willing to be much more flexible with adding them for PC players. However, it comes to a cost because it set an outcry to the forums that PS3 players will get an unfair disadvantage.

I'm not sure how Yoshida plans to even the playing field for these platforms, but this is the most vocal I've ever seen a Final Fantasy development team, and I've been playing Final Fantasy XI and then XIV since October 2003. That in itself says a lot. We're coming a long way from the old development team that had their set vision and were unwilling to budge and/or even listen to players. Or even worse, send a Community Representative around once every few years to say a sentence and then disappear after a couple of weeks.

I'm happy these times are behind us.


Let me begin by wishing a happy new year to all players and fans of FINAL FANTASY XIV!

The last few weeks of 2010 were tumultuous times for us all, what with the announcement of the development team restructuring and multiple version updates. Still, I hope you are all enjoying your winter vacations and holidays, and had truly memorable Christmas and New Year's Eves and Days.

As part of the new direction promised, we here on the development and management teams have adopted four new keywords for FINAL FANTASY XIV: fun, live, reboot, and rebuild. Forgive our translators if these buzzwords seem a bit cryptic or cliché, but I am using these English words as-is in the Japanese, and insisted they use the same words for a global resonance.

To get things rolling right away, I am asking for your cooperation with our FINAL FANTASY XIV Player's Poll the First—a brief questionnaire being issued to give you the players another means by which to have your voices heard.

Well, I would be lying if I said I was writing only to wish you the best in the coming twelve moons. Truth be told, the realm is all aflutter just now—the air thick with anticipation and excitement. In fact, an ancient verse of prophecy was delivered to my person by a messenger from Eorzea not moments ago. But I've never been much of one for poems... Perhaps some of you will have more luck decoding it than I have.

(Link to the poem.)

Again, I wish all of you a happy new year, and ask that you all look forward to what we have in store for FINAL FANTASY XIV in 2011!

FINAL FANTASY XIV Producer/Director,
Naoki Yoshida

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Sorry, this is on my 'off' day for semi-daily ranting, but in any case. I hope you all have a spectacular year! Best wishes!

Also, I hope you like the new permanent change on the look of the blog! I like this vibrant blue scheme much more than the Watercolor one I used for November and December (before the temporary Holiday overlay).

I've also added YouTube movies to the header and an "About Me" to the footer!