More on leveling... What the behest!?

Talking about levelling from my previous post was all about grinding and how at 20 it was like hill a SP wall.  This time I'm going to talk about Battle Warden Behests, which for us, is the new way to level.

What is a behest?

A behest is a request, that request comes from a battle warden which appears at each crystal at a camp or out in the field.  The battle warden npc will spawn every hour, on the hour at which point you can sign up by talking to them.  There is a player limit of 15 so you will need to be quick if the camp is pretty busy!  Once signed up the event will begin at 5 minutes past the hour.

So what happens?

Hopefully someone will start group, but if not I would recommend that you just invite all the people with the paper icon next to their name just for the sake of getting things going.  

When the event starts, the battle warden will start moving towards areas where the mobs are.  The even is just like a leve quest and you can see areas on the map where the mobs live.  You run around killing everything listed on the screen.  Once done more appear (usually 2 mobs), after they are delt with, the behest is complete!  Talking to the battlewarden will give you some gil, plus a chance to port back to the camp/area you started in.

Mmmmkay, sounds okay, but how does it make for good levelling?

During the behest, all the mobs that are killed net you SP as if you had just solo'd it.

Yeah, so?

If you get the maximum amount of people (15) sign up, the amount of mobs increase, which at level 20 is around 40+ mobs.  The mobs die so fast and furious in the space of 10 minutes that you can get around 4-5k SP.  In effect your getting SP from grinding roughly the amount you could in just over a hour, but in 10 minutes.  Leaving you about 45 minutes to kill which you could grind some more, or like me switch to crafting.

Conclusion

Levelling by behests will most definitely make the best use of your time, not only does it give good SP, but it also gives you a chance to break up the grind.  Take a break, craft, whatever you like in between!

As always, there is a downside.  As there is a limit to the amount of people who can join, you are not guaranteed a spot, turn up early, keep an eye out, and click fast to get your spot!

Happy levelling! 

Leveling Post Nov Patch

By now I would imagine everyone knows about the Nov update and what it brought to the table.  But what did those figures in terms of required SP per level actually mean in terms of levelling time?

It now takes roughly an hour to get from 1 to 10... It actually took me very little effort to take a DOW & DOM over level 10. The first few levels come fast and furious and it does tend to slow a little the closer you get to 10, but as long as you keep the momentum going, the levels fly by.

Ok so in terms of what was being killed? well it's very simple really, rats & beetles can take you there in no time.  Running out of limsa, I killed rats on the way south to the beetles and started killing them at lvl3.

At level 10 the levelling curve changes, and starts to slow a little.  10-12 can be done in a hour or less killing puk, then moving on to 12-16 which will take roughly 3 hours more working on Dodo's.  After 16 you are looking at much longer levelling times but still within reason easy enough to get multiple levels in a matter of hours.

The real hit is when you hit 20, as soon as that little rank up flutters about, you can kiss that 150-200 SP goodbye, you will be looking at ranges of 60-90 per mob.  The sad thing is I was soloing nanny goats and crabs and still only getting 80-90 per.  I found testing each type of mob to be best, find those who were quick to kill vs dmg taken.  Regardless after 20 you are looking at a level or 2 per level if you work at it.

Partying below 20 seems to hurt SP and XP gains so I wouldn't advise it, unless you are like the Kitn and I who just like to play together.  As a party below 20, 150 SP/XP gains turn in to 70-100.

I'm yet to group up after 20 and see if there is any benefit at all but so far it would seem that party SP/XP doesn't seem to be working very well.

So, there we have it, to recap:

1-10 : Easy as pie, face roll your way to 10 in about an hour.
10-12 : Easy enough in a hour to two.
12-16 : Looking at about 3-4 hours solid grinding.
16-20 : Talking a day or so.
20+ : Yeeeaaaahhh..... Ummmm..... Shoot, hell if I know what to do!

This didn't include any other means of SP/XP gain other than grinding.

Patch Review (November 2010)

After downloading the patch (250~MB) I was some what apprehensive, how much can change in such a small patch.

Macros

First off, if you use macros to change equipment you now need to include the HQ suffix. Naturally this makes perfect sense, and is what I tried to do after creating my first HQ items back at first launch.

/equip main "Bronze Dagger +1"

You also get a nice friendly warning that your equipment is damaged, if indeed it is. Although this message does trigger when your durability is around 70%, maybe even higher.

Disciples of the Land: Fishing

There have been some tweaks to fishing, in that once you have caught or lost your first fish (on cast). You are presented with a message "Your senses tell you that there are [fish name] above/below your position". Although I only tested this for about two hours, it does come true most of the time, and ignoring the suggested position may allow you to catch another type of fish.

Disciples of the Land: Mining / Logging

As you might expect the other Disciples of the Land action follow a similar flow, informing the player that if they change their depth or angle they might harvest that particular item.

UI Improvements

If you are playing Final Fantasy XIV like me, on what is called the bare minimum specification you will now find that the over all user interface is much more responsive. The game no longer freezes (between 5-10 seconds) when trying to: run into and new area, perform any crafting, view inventory, transfer items to your retainer, buy/sell items from shops, browse other players bazaars, view the world map, attempt to repair your items and change your equipment by the character page. Good Job :)

Synthesis

If you have not already checked out the Lodestone web site, I suggest you do. There are a flurry of changes to recipes which in my opinion should have been there are the start. Lesser rank items now require lower level materials, making them easier to make and source. As far as I am aware there have been no changes to how synthesis is performed. You still have a choice of Normal, Fast and Quality, whilst trying to keep the elements in harmony.

Retainers

Your retainer will still appear in the Market Ward, unless there is some server maintenance; where they seem to disappear. Unless I have missed it, there is no global search for items, although viewing items for sale on other retainers has improved in speed, as mentioned above in the general UI update.

Disciples of the War

Pretty much all classes that like to go out, and help keep the local aggressive monster population down, will now notice that you actually receive skill points / experience based on your class rank not your physical level. This certainly helps out when you have spent most of your time playing Disciples of the Land classes, and your physical is far higher than your chosen rank two class job. You also seem to get the skill points / experience after defeating the monster not during. You also seem to get shield skill points even if you do not actually use your shield in battle. So my tip, equip that shield or buy a very cheap one, if your job allows it.

Full Patch Update Details (11/25/2010)

In a brief summary: lots more monsters, more inventory space both player and retainers (Yay!), only NQ items and super quality (+3's) drop from monsters, ammo stack count increase to 9999, some interesting fishing changes (will test and review).

Comprehensive Version Update Detail: Check out the full list

Smallclothes no longer suffer wear!

Smallclothes no longer suffer wear, and therefore no longer require repairs.
Smallclothes which suffered wear prior to the version update have been restored to pristine condition, and all unsightly stains removed. This includes smallclothes within bazaars marked as "seeking repairs," which can be equipped as normal after they are removed from the bazaar.

Now what am I going to do with all the undergarments I receive from my in-laws during the holiday period.

Comprehensive Version Update Details (11/25/2010)

Some exciting changes to the synthesis recipes, you no longer need items found on high rank monsters or sourced by high rank synthesis items for low rank or starter items. I especially like that you are able to make smithing nuggets with shards, and not crystals.

Comprehensive Version Update Details: Check out the full list

Final Fantasy XIV: Guard / Block / Repair

First off, let me change in to my crafting gear :) You can not fight, with damaged goods! Looks like my Bronze Dagger requires some repairing... There you go, good as new. Having equip macros speeds up class changing :) All ready? Off we go. Target spotted! Start the attack, followed by a "Shield Block" You can normally get 3-4 attacks before your shield arm drops, reset it when it does... That's it, remember keep your guard up at all times :)

Final Fantasy XIV: Fishing (Finding the Sweet Spot)

You will notice that once I get a nibble, I use the "Jig" command, my remaining stamina drops a little. I then use another "Jig" command in the middle position. The stamina goes down once again, but now I am shown a message "You take in some line.", I translate this to mean I am getting close. I pick another position just to the right of the previous one, and catch the fish. Always watch your stamina bar, if it goes down in large chunks you are way off target.

New Outposts: Wineport

Jumping from outpost to outpost I came across Wineport. A small fortified location with Eastern La Noscea, boosts a small gathering of citizens and a blacksmith forge. The local citizens talk about the local soil being particularly good for growing wine, although I was unable to find a merchant in which to purchase a bottle or two. Sadly I was unable to find any merchants in this fort that I could trade my wares.

New Outposts: Wineport

FFXIV Gathering Impressions (@Tankthat)

While search the web for various information about gathering (Disciples of the Land) experiences I came across this post: FFXIV Gathering Impressions.

The post comments on the annoying lag (server delay) you can get when harvesting throughout the land of Eorzea, and the shear randomness. I especially like the comment about harvesting ore and wood. You would think that a Disciple of the Land who trained as a Botanist would be able to tell a Oak tree from a Maple tree; or a trained Miner would be able to seek out required minerals. Although, the flip side could be certain mining veins or tree being over camped.

Perhaps a possible solution could be to create prospect skill that gives you a list of the main minerals in the mining node or tree; "This mineral vein contains 40% copper ore, 5% tin ore and other minerals"*

*And by other minerals I mean: fine sand, bone chip, elemental rock etc.

I guess this could this translate into fishing, "This fishing spot contains some black frogs...". Not quite giving the game away but giving the adventure a little information to make an informed choice.

Inspect Water, anyone?

Fishing Locations: Aleport

So, some time back I found a nice little haunt where I can fish away without a stampede of adventures running through, causing my questionable gaming computer to lag a little. So here it is, Aleport.

This is a rank two area with random grub spawns along the beach, where you can practice your lancer skills with a fishing gig.

For some reason not quite clear to me, the zone has no non-playable characters that act as vendors even though there are three shop signs. We have a fishing guild, a woodworking guild and a cooking guild.

Let me in dam-it, I need more bait!

God dam-it, I need some synthesis support to make a bench to gut my fish.

Come on in the..... oh! Its closed.

Hopefully, the local government will persuade some merchants to setup shop here, or maybe if the port opened up; where you could travel to a tropical island full of amazon Miqo'te and small green people with intense yellow eyes...

Anyhow, if you don't mind running around (should do by now) I recommend this for some quiet fishing, and maybe one day you can buy some extra bait from the guild when it opens, and cook your catch at the cooking guild.

Player is away!

It has been almost two weeks since I logged into Final Fantasy XIV, sadly no sign of an Auction House yet or simple search facility (maybe that's later this month). I have also just found out that I find Gridanian Walnuts very tasty, I can't wait to try the Gil buns.

Anyhow been harvesting some more wood from the local trees, west of Camp Skull Valley (Rank 2). I have found that setting your wood cutting aim in the center produces flurry of branches and logs, ideal if you need that.

Argh! The Dreaded R0

Final Fantasy XIV Monsters: Yarzon Feeder

Its been a while since I have beating up the local monsters, so here is a tasty picture of a Yarzon Feeder, enjoy.

Final Fantasy XIV Bugs: Bag Distribution (Delay)

When you have managed to fill your inventory (most of us), items that are found via harvesting or killing monsters go into your Loot Pool. You will then have a short time in which to make space or lose the item(s).

Once you have made some space, you can access the Loot area via your menus, selecting items that you wish to ditch or save. However, you can NOT distribute items if your bag is still full, even if that item in your Loot list can stack with other items. Say for example you have a full bag (80/80), but within your bag contains 6 Copper Ore, and within your Loot list there are 2 Copper Ore. You think by selecting Distribute to Bag from the Loot menu that it would stack up, nope. You will have to wait until the auto-loot kicks in.

Ps.  Beta testing maybe over, but don't let that stop you from reporting those bugs; call it Gamma Testing.

Final Fantasy XIV Bugs: Spawning in the Market Wards

The other day I was to tired to exit the Market Wards and subsequently logged off there and then. However after rejoining the game, and checking my Retainer (which was still next to me) I headed out into the big old world of Eorzea; only to find that UI (User Interface) still thought that I was in the market wards or more acculturate Ironmongers Row. Somehow playing the game with a giant blue billboard on screen informing me that I should be in another zone made navigating around a little tough.

Update: I have since found that the only way to remove this helpful message is to zone into the market wards area and visit another ward. The do stack on top of each other but remove themselves after a little while.

Ps.  Beta testing maybe over, but don't let that stop you from reporting those bugs; call it Gamma Testing.

Final Fantasy XIV Bugs: Macros (Changing Items)

If you are very skilled or have purchased a +1 (High Quality) item, you would think that using the following macro would work [/equip main "Bronze Dagger +1"]. Not in Final Fantasy XIV, you must use the normal syntax [/equip main "Bronze Dagger"], and this will equip that high quality item.

Ps.  Beta testing maybe over, but don't let that stop you from reporting those bugs; call it Gamma Testing.

Space!!!

Random Comic: 12 October 2010

Credit: ffxiv.zam.com

Oh! Poop, I've done it again!

After a bad case of RSI (work related) i'm back in the saddle. So I picked up my mining tools and headed to the hills. Our own Yeti is madly in need of Tin Ore for his Gold/Blacksmithing crafting, and maybe the old Alumen for some dyes. Sadly I was only able to find copper, bone chips and some Limonite.

Running low on inventory space I headed back to town to sell some items; not knowing what Limonite is used for I sold that too. After a little reading I released that you can use Limonite to make Iron Nuggets. Just the very thing I was after. All the Iron Ore I find while mining went to my retainer to be processed later, and after this mishap so is all the Limonite that I find.

Additional: Also, you might want to keep all the Iron Sand you pick up, as this make Iron Nuggets.

Random Comic: 03 October 2010

Credit: pbfcomics.com

Not quite understanding high quality items when crafting

After some playing around with tailoring I created the following normal/+1/+2 items but the quality score seemed rather random.

Complete Hempen Yarn (248 Quality)

Complete Hempen Yarn +1 (182 Quality)

Completed Hempen Turban +2 (Quality 196)

Hempen Turban +2 Stats

Random Comic: 01 October 2010

Credit: pbfcomics.com

Shiney Forum Disco Signatures!

As I'm sure most FFXIV forum goers are aware of there is a nifty tool for creating a character info box which you can find here (http://www.enjin.com/tools/ffxiv-signatures)

Here's mine!

Edit: My Too :)

Disco Disco - Follow Up

Oh those shiny lights,

Following up from MelodyKitn article about different lights, sparks and strange sounds when crafting, I have come to the following conclusion from my personal crafting experiences.


Firstly, sparks are a bad sign; especially when you get them just after starting your synthesis. I have found that using the "Rapid Synthesis" option often makes things a lot worse, and proceed to use the "Standard Synthesis" option in the hope to complete the synthesis.


More often than not, when using a "Rapid Synthesis" when the gem is glowing a solid red it has met with bad results, and even more so with sparks. So "Red is Bad" in my book.


Should you be very unlucky, or badly under leveled (in crafting terms) you may lose control of your synthesis. This is show as a bubble around your glowing gem, and resembles the colour of the element that is failing. Sometimes one or two "Wait" options will gain control again, but using a rapid or bold will normally result in losing between 30-80 durability.

Crafting Guild Leve's (Local Leve's)

Repeating the daily guild leve's are a great way to get experience and boost you crafting or farming skills. When attempting a crafting guild leve at your local camp, hunt down the NPC that will offer you the camps crafting facilities. For the cost of 200 gil or there abouts, you will find your crafting results improve dramatically; and we all know that more successful synthesis produce more skill points and lots of experience.

On another point, each city has there own guilds, no one city (that I have explored) has all the guilds in one place. So heading down to your closest camp can prove very beneficial, if you need that little extra boost when making that awesome new piece of armour or cooking up some tasty treats.

On another note, you can also get synthesis support from any NPC that offer repairs. You will find them in the market areas, and most likely surrounded by lots of other players.

Player Attributes

If you fancy a change from your Melee class and would like to switch to a Magic, or a Crafter. Here is a tip, equip and mining pick or wood cutters axe, then select Point Allotment from the menu. Select Reassign, then click exit making sure that you do not set any new attributes. Start farming with whatever class you choose and check your Point Allotment from time to time; after a few minutes the "Reassign" option will be available again. Repeat this process until your starting attributes are visible. If you are unsure farm a little longer until the reassign option pops up again, note that this time your attributes in the left column will be the same as the right (see picture).

This means you have reached your base attributes, from here you can reset for your new class; and hopefully farmed some nice items in the downtime.

Arg! there be treasure!

While scouting around and completing a few Guild Leve's you may come across a chest or coffer. Simply stand next to them and select "Examine"; the rewards can be very nice sometimes.

Behold, some treasure.

Final Fantasy XIV: Lodestone

If you have not already seen it check out Square Enix mini site called Final Fantasy: Lodestone. If you have logged in to SE account area with to able to view your characters details out of game. Not only that you can access the Synthesis recipe library there too.

How I Fish! Part II (Updated)

Once you have cast your line, a depth meter will pop up. Select the desired depth and wait. From my experience you catch different fish in each position. You will also catch "Junk Fish" as I call them, which are catch at any depth.

After a brief moment you will receive one of three messages. A bite, a nibble or nothing bites alert. If you receive a nibble message I recommend that you select the wait option.

When you have selected the "Jig" option, you will be shown a swing gauge. This gauge will have a dot that moves left and right across the arch. If you stop the dot on the left side, you will pull the rod left, and vice versa. However if you stop the marker in the middle area you will pull the rod up or in a backwards motion.

Each "Jig" motion will drain stamina bar to zero, much like crafting if it hits zero you lose. In this case the fish gets away.

Here are some responses you will get when fishing:

You've hooked something but cannot reel it in.
In my experience you are very close to something but the fish to too strong for you or has not been worn down enough.

The fish is taking line.
You are most likely pulling in the wrong direction, try the exact opposite if possible.

You take in some line.
This is a mixed blessing, you are pulling in the right direction or the fish is swimming in that direction. Try pulling up, you might get lucky.

You take in a great deal of line.
Your very close to catching the fish, try repeating this position or stopping on the middle to pull back.

The fish is tired, but you cannot yet reel it in.
Very similar to above, repeat the position and you will most likely land the fish.

Stocking Up on Bait

Stack of Bloodworms, these appear to work both in the ocean and in freshwater.
99 x 3 gil = 297 gil

Stack of Lugworm, these only appear to work in the ocean.
99 x 3 gil = 297 gil

Stack of Moth Pupa, these are great for freshwater fishing.
99 x 3 gil = 297 gil

Spearfishing

After completing a few leve quests or selling some fish you will have enough gil to purchase a "Bronze Gig". With this item equipped you can use the Spearfish option when a suitable location has been found. Locations are normal glowing parts in rivers, streams and undergrowth. Simply select the Spearfish option when close to a location and stab away. You will most likely receive bugs or worms which you can use as bait. You will also get a few points in your Fishing Skill.

Swing Gauge Marker

Using the swing gauge with markers highlighted in white, you will see five possible options. Making notes of each "Jig" and depth I have caught these fish.

Legend:-
Depth Bars (from top):
Position Combo (1-5):

Fresh Water Area(s):
Depth 2, Position 4: x2 Tree Frog+2 (Caught)
Depth 2, Position 1: Brass Loach (Lost)
Depth 2, Position 2: 1x Tree Frog (Caught)
Depth 2, Position 2 > Position 4: x2 Pipira (Caught)
Depth 2, Position 2: x2 Tree Frog (Caught)
Depth 2, Position 4 > Position 2: x2 Crayfish (Caught)

Collectors Edition of Final Fantasy XIV - Arrived

Now that is a big box...

So whats in the big box. You get one of those security key fobs to make your account a bit more secure; A nice dust cloth with a map printed on one side, just encase you get a little lost in Eorzea; The game on a DVD naturally, with what appears to be a DVD documentary; A small book (A5) with some fantastic art; and a cup (aka tumbler) for coffee/red bull I guess, to keep you up at night.

Choosing a home!

We have decided to make Mysidia our server of choice!

/dance

Disco Disco

Yep.. still not sure what those lights mean.

Crafting + 1 Too!

I did my first +1 craft

....Unfortunately, I forgot to screenshot the magnanimous event. Ah well, I have a nice, shiny hard-boiled egg +1 in my inventory as we speak.

It had about 189 quality to it, whereas the previous egg I had crafted was at 133-ish and wasn't a +1.

I saw my miqo'te raise her frying pan in the air, triumphant on the finish, a super shine appear, and I was left with this edible non-delicacy. Hmm.. wonder how hard +2s will be...

Crafting +1

We've all seen the +1 / +2 / +3 items floating around our inventories and loot list.  Crafting with them though seems to be a whole different story.

I've been levelling goldsmithing on a simple recipe of 1x Bone Chip and 2 Wind Shards, and am now at a point where its about 95% success.  If I throw a Bone Chip +1 in to the mix, it's completely different, from starting on a recipe I would seem to be a few levels under, I am not a few levels below.

We have also seen an increase in starter quality and durability when using the + items.  In fact I crafted with some Sea Sand +1/2/3 which needed 6 items, and used 3 normal with 3 + items.  I started off with a quality of over 200.

I can see how using +1/2/3 item could create some really nice +1/2 items.  I for one will be on the looked out for +2 or even 3 items come release!

Abilities and Macros

As I've been trying to keep the YK Macro Maker up to date and also play the game.  I had a little trouble applying abilities via a macro, when it dawned on me.... they get set in exactly the same way as a skill!


For example, I want to switch to mining my macro would look like so:

/equip main "Weathered Pickaxe"
/equip sub "Bronze Sledgehammer"
/eaction 2 "Lay of the Land II"
/eaction 3 "Prospect II"
/eaction 1 "Sharp Vision"


Notice how the last entry of the macro is setting to slot 1? normally reserved but the default attack.  This is because it automatically knows that it should be going in to the ability slot, not the skill slot.


I'm going out on a limb and going to say I'm 99% sure that is how traits will be set via macros also (99% as I don't have any traits to test this theory with).


Happy macroing!

Final Fantasy Crafting: Shim Brings Balance to the Force

So, i have finally got my clothcraft high enough to make me a Hempen Cowl, oh the Jedi Clothcraft Masters will be proud.

The Force is Strong with this one...

Final Fantasy Crafting: Bloopers

Making two +1 in a row, amazing

Not realizing you have no inventory space left, priceless.

Macro Commands For FFXIV

Macro commands from FFXI that are working in FFXIV:

<hp>             Current HP/Max HP
<hpp>           HP Percentage
<me>            Yourself
<mp>            Current MP/Max MP
<mpp>           MP Percentage
<p0> - <p15> Your Group Members (you are p0, then count down the list from there)
<t>                Target
<tp>              Technique Points

Sadly there is no <bt> yet so it is down to manual targeting while in a group.

Macro Maker

Having had enough of typing out macros we have made a Macro Maker (the link you can find on the links menu to the right).

Hopefully it will help in creating macros or even just changing up your skills bar.

While chatting over on the FFXIV Core forums about it, one fella or gal did mention about editing the actual file which contains the macros.  I will do some investigation and see if I can find where they are and if it is a simple thing to do.

Anyhoo enjoy the Macro Maker

Final Fantasy XIV Performance Update [D2010.09.07.2001]

So after 15 patches into the open beta there appears to be an increase in performance. Yes, that right from the same (tarutaru) that found that game almost unplayable comes a patch that has dramatically increased the game speed (somehow).

I am referring to patch [D2010.09.07.2001] as it was know to the auto-updater. Lets hope this continues so that more and more performance can be had from slower computers.

Repairing Items: What You Need

Goldsmithing (Weather Chaser Hammer)

1. Weather Hora (Bone Chip x1) [Success @ Level 1]

Weaver (Rusty Needle)

1. Straw Hat (Straw x1) [Success @ Level 1]
   

Adventuring into the Unknown

A prepared my trusty backpack and slung my fishing rod over my shoulder and headed south, through the desert avoiding some nasty look creatures. The dust started to settle, and I slowly began my descent to what looked like a small town on an ocean cliff.

But low and behold, I had stumbled on the Ferry terminal at Camp Horizon. After finding the ticket office I proceed down the cliff path to the dock where a large ship was docking.

Ferry terminal at Camp Horizon

Down at the docks

Leaving Harbor

We are all ship-shape captain!

Weeeee! All I can say is "I'm on a Boat!" (soundtrack ft. T. Pain)

Time to break out my fishing rod. Using the Bloodworm bait I was getting lots of bites.

Lots of Goby+1 here :) I think I might ride the the boat for a few more runs.

The Colours May Lie

Referring to my previous post on monster colours and how hard the may be to fight, do watch out for monkeys!

At present the Opo-opo may say blue, then once you engage them they turn in to godzilla and proceed to royally whoop your butt.

That being said this may only be for the beta or they may have been designed to be a wild card.

It also raises another issue... can we trust the colour coding of mobs? for the time being I would suggest leaving Opo-opo's alone and of course avoid trying red and yellow mobs.

Added: Eorzeapedia Resource

I have added Eorzeapedia to the "Link Resources" (sidebar), thanks to MelodyKitn for finding this one. Lots of information plus, crafting tips/recipes that are actually valid.

Final Fantasy Benchmark

Ok, I have persuaded the team to post their Final Fantasy benchmark scores, and computer details so you can all get a better picture of what the game requires, or should I say wants you to have. So here goes; I consider myself a casual gamer, but also have been know to play into the wee hours of the morning (Red Bull on stand-by) on occasions. I rarely upgrade, as I feel I have more important things to spend money on; mortgages and my photography hobbies.

My Score: 1897[low] (shimada)

My Score: 1149[HIGH!!] (shimada)

Computer Spec:-
Processor: Intel(r) Core 2 DUO [6400] @ 2.13GHz
Installed Memory (RAM): 8.00GB
Operating System: Windows 7 Ultimate 64Bit
Disk Drive: 1TB Raid 1 (Mirror)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS (3870MB)
Monitor(1): Dell 27" (2707WFP)
Monitor(2): Dell 20" (2007WFP)

Game Performance (Open Beta): Sadly the game runs very slow, close to unbearable. On average my in game FPS is about 15; maxing out at 25-30FPS when facing a wall with no other players around. Running through towns and leveling zones with more than 10 players I can see my FPS drop to as low as 3. General UI delay is close to shocking at present, especially when compared to similar games. When scrolling through my inventory, equipping new items, setting up a bazaar, crafting and even type messages via chat or my linkshell I can expect a 1 to 10 second delay per action. Yes, and before you ask all my settings have been set to low/lowest/no-buffer etc. Maybe I am missing something, maybe the beta version requires a few more tweaks; anyhow that's my experience of the game so far. With the official game release approaching the question should I upgrade is ringing in my ears.

Update:

For shear kicks I ran the "High" spec version of the benchmark, apart from opening a huge window the benchmark ran ok-ish, I did notice some lag and frame dropping (if that is the right term) but was shocked at the score I got, 1149? on high. Yes, its not quite 4000-5000 but I was expecting something like 500 at best.

After spending what seemed like 2 hour tweaking my game configuration and graphics setup I manage to get another 5-10FPS... However the game now resembles a very low res version of Final Fantasy XI, but with UI lag. As you will see from my latest screen shots they appear pixelated.

Final Fantasy Game Config

Note: Changing the buffer size to anything less than "Resolution" will result in playing the game as if it were a N64 game, Zelda comes to mind.

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My Score: 3165[low] (Yeti)

Computer Spec:-
Processor: Intel(r) Core 2 DUO [E8500] @ 3.2GHz
Installed Memory (RAM): 8.00GB (800Mhz)
Operating System: Windows 7 Pro 64Bit
Disk Drive: 80GB Intel SSD (OS & Game)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 260 GTX (896MB)
Monitor(1): Asus 21"

Being a little more than the casual gamer which Shim claims to be :P my spec doesn't really reflect my gaming style. However I seem to be able to run the game fairly well with an in-game average of around 30fps. This does depend on whats going on mind you, sometimes it can hike up to 45-50 or drop down to 10 (usually in a city with lots of people around).

MelodyKitn's score is just below mine at around 3010 with the same spec PC apart from not having a SSD with the OS and Game/Benchmark

I Made That!

So, I finally managed to make something wearable with clothcrafting. I would've tried for more, but lightning shards aren't easy to come by for me.

Hmm... the about-to-rob-a-bank just isn't me...

The recipe calls for: 1x - Hempen Yarn + 1x - Undyed Hempen Cloth

This is a rank 3 recipe that's possible from out of four other choices using the same materials, but I was able to make it at weaving rank 2.

Happy sewing!

Crafting 101 + 1

All right, so I've been dabbling in the ole crafteroo game, and I've sorta kinda made sense of it, though there's still a lot of guesswork I've had to do.

I've been cooking and weaving on and off here and there, so here's a few tips on how to figure it out.

When you see white, it can go either way no matter what choice you pick. You might succeed, you might fail, it's a toss up (the harder the recipe from your rank, the more likely you'll fail regardless).

But... if you start seeing yellow, you've got a pretty good chance of succeeding. I usually head towards the rapid stuff to quickly finish up what I'm making if it's not a wearable or edible piece.


Red means you're bound to fail, however, so try to wait and see if it changes color.

I still haven't figured out the deal with the orb pulsating and the sparks, but when I get those, it usually means my crafting is going downhill fast.

So...

• white = 50/50
• yellow = you've a good chance at succeeding no matter what you pick
  
• red = wait

Repairing Items 101

Repairing items requires materials, cloth armour naturally requires threads or strips of cloth to patch up your item. Weapons also can be repaired, but this normally requires wood or metal.

Harvesting: Straw / Cotton / Hemp

Select the item you wish to repair by browsing your Inventory. Selecting the item will show you a brief summary of the stats and durability left.

Hempen Tights: 0/12510 Durability (Not Good!)

The summary shows you that this particular item requires one piece of Hempen Fent to repair it. If you have that item within your invertory you can select the "Repair". Note: You must switch to your Disciple of the Hand class before attempting a repair. For this example I choose Clothcraft as my craft.

Repairing Gloves with a piece of Hempen Fent

Item successful repaired, plus crafting points :)

Clothcraft 101

Update:You can also repair certain items with your Clothcraft skills. For example I have tested this on a nice Straw Hat that I started with. I failed my first attempt by you do not loss the item you are repairing just the materials. The second attempt worked, to repair a straw hat it costs one piece of straw.

For some reason I have amounted lots of Moko Grass and a few crystals; so on with the testing. After purchasing a "Rusty Needle" a began to craft.

I selected the synthesis from the menu (when you have your crafting item equipped), after a brief pause I knelt down; selecting two clumps of grass and clicked main hand. If you combination is correct you will be shown one or more recipes.

2x Moko Grass = Hempen Yarn x ?

x3 Hempen Yarn = Undyed Hempen Cloth x ?

Depending on your overall synthesis quality at the end you will get one or more items. I remember getting x12 Yarns and x1 Cloth (from 3 yarns).