This is getting stoopid! XD
Hi, me again. Yeah, yeah, I know I haven't updated in a while. Get over it. XP
Anyhow, I don't have TOO much to talk about. Work is the same as usual, nothing really changes being a cashier, lol. They showed us some dumb video about how we're not supposed to work "off the clock". For those of you who don't know (although I'm sure you all do), that means working when not punched in, and not getting paid for it..... Now, who the FUCK would be stupid enough to WANT to work off the clock?! No one's gonna work for free. I guess it's big enough of an issue to adress if they bothered to make a video about it, eh? XD But in any case, it's just common freakin' sense, people. I mean, you punch in when you get to work, then maybe forget to punch out when you leave at night. That I can *totally* understand, even I'VE done that. But that's not "off the clock", because you're still punched in. You can just call back and have someone punch you out. And yes, MAYBE it's slightly possible to forget to punch in before work, but again, this is a rare occurence, even among all the people I work with. We barely ever do something like that. And none of us... I repeat, NONE of us, would ever work there without being paid.
Oh yes, I'm sure the baggers would just looooove to push carriages around in the snow without getting paid. And I'm sure my fellow cashiers and I would just adore getting yelled at by the random idiot customers each day. Oh yes, that's so the high point of my day, Shaw's Supermarkets! ...Gimme a break, you fucktard corporate executives, no one is going to work in a supermarket (no matter WHAT department you're in) without getting paid for their hard work. Especially not the guys in grocery, those guys have it the worst.
In any case, I'm very horrible at keeping rants short, aren't I? XD Well, time to move on.
FFXI Update:
H'okay, leveling THF should NOT be as tough as it is right now. I got to 45, which I'm SO happy about. Treasure Hunter II is my savior, and Hide is just nasty to use, it's such an unfair advantage for me. XD But as of late, I've just been farming with my seek party tag up, and a warp scroll in my inventory. And still, no parties. I wait in Jeuno... Nothing. This is getting stupid. There's not even that many THFs on my server, so you'd think the demand would be high. But I knew when I got into the job, that I'd be struggling for parties compared to RDM and BRD. But I didn't care, all I really wanted to do was farm and make gil, leveling was just a route to farming faster.
You all may remember me as a Bard. Which, for a time, I was, and I enjoyed being. No shortage of parties, and I'm not a useless asset. Parties are definitely better off WITH a bard that withOUT one, that's for sure. BRD + RDM is an unstoppable team in a party that can almost totally cut off the need for a WHM, after level 40. But a few weeks ago, maybe a month or two.... I quit. Not FFXI, but I quit being a BARD. Why? Several reasons. First, I liked helping people, but no matter how much good I knew I was doing, it always felt like I was dead weight. Which I wasn't, I knew this myself. But not only that, I had people nearly scolding me when I quit bard, because they loved me in their parties O.o; Second, I hated not DIRECTLY being able to do damage. I mean, I'd buff up everyone else in the party (including me) but I'd only be doing a few points per hit, and I couldn't take more than a few smacks myself. But with my songs, I could buff the damage pool up to 150% of what a normal party without a bard would be doing. So I knew I wasn't useless.
...At least, not to them. Me, I see things in a damage perspective. (I love doing damage myself, I can't just sit and watch others do it.) The faster you can damage a target, the faster it will fall. Simple. Of course, you can't deny the need for a tank, or the healer. That'd be stupid. As stupid as inviting a MNK/RDM to your party. But, getting back to the damage aspect. So, you've got your tank, preferably a PLD. A NIN will do good, once they pass 37 and get their second blink ninjutsu, Utsusemi: Ni, which allows for almost continuous blink-tanking. Next, you've got your healer. I'm gonna keep this simple and make the healer a WHM, and preferably WHM/SMN or WHM/BLM.
...That leaves 4 slots open. Four slots which can be filled with almost anything, now that you've got the tank and the main healer down. Don't get me wrong, 4 WHMS and one PLD is NOT a good party. He'll never die, but you won't get fast EXP, either. So, the logical thing to do would be to get some damage dealers (DD). Now, there's so MANY DDs that it becomes hard to choose a good combo. To make this simple for you, I'll go ahead and add the first two which ANY party should have, after level 33: Samurai and Thief.
Why? Simple. Samurai have all the tools to not only successfully start a skillchain, but to END one as well. And don't you even DARE say ninjas can do the same. Ninja can't even touch what SAM can do. Ninja are good for starting, but suck for ending skillchains. Ok, so, Samurai get all these nice weapon skills, with at least one keyed to each element. Some probably overlap but also do other effects. Anyhow, the point is, they not only can start a skillchain on a good note, but end on a good one, and sometimes with themselves too.
And now we come to Thief. Now, I'm not just glorifying THF because I'm currently playing as one. If you've played FFXI for any amount of time, you know THF is the best DD until level 60, and now that Assassin has been added, even AFTER that level we're still better than most. The reason I picked Thief--IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAMURAI--is because THF is probably one of the best closers of skillchains. Two words: Viper Bite. This one little WS can close dozens of skillchains. And no, it WON'T always be Distortion, which is what you WANT, but that's not my point. Think about it: This ONE weapon skill can close that many skillchains. That's a good party member if I've ever seen one. And I'm talking about THFs who use daggers, and who are level 33+, not the ones who use swords and are pre-33, because they don't have Viper Bite yet.
Again, I picked THF and SAM together, not seperate. Together, they'll be doing about 70-80% (or more) of a party's total damage. Seeing as Viper Bite can CLOSE almost any skillchain which begins with a greatkatana, and Samurai can OPEN literally any skillchain with their weapon skills, it's a natural combo.
Time to rack up the damage from this one chain here. Keep in mind, this is in regards to my level (45).
{Tachi: Enpi} -> {Viper Bite} = {Distortion}, MB: {Ice}/{Water}
(200+) + (500+) + (200+) + (200+ if water, 300+ if ice) = 1100-1200+ damage.
H'okay, that's a shitload of damage. And that's not over a period of time. The time frame for that is like, 15 seconds, TOPS. And at the rate that SAM gains TP with their job abilites, and the rate THF gains TP with their low-delay weapons (and maybe a crossbow or a bow), you're talking 1100-1200+ damage twice a battle. That's in-fucking-SANE. I may be off a bit, I have a feeling I should tack on a bit more for the magic burst, but you get the idea. The point is that SAM + THF is quite possibly the best skillchain combo, and I've only given you ONE example. I could do more, if you wanted :P But I'll spare you.
So, back to the party setup. you've got a PLD/WAR, WHM/BLM(or WHM/SMN if you're lucky), SAM/WAR(SAM/THF sucks ass, don't listen to anyone who says otherwise), and lastly, the THF (THF/RNG, THF/NIN, and THF/WAR all work fine. I prefer THF/RNG, higher TP gain than the others, with my ranged weapons).
PLD
WHM
SAM
THF
....
{Hmmmm.} We have 2 slots open, don't we? Okie dokie. Ideally, you'd want a hard nuker next, right? Right. Again, to keep it simple, I'll give this "virtual party" a BLM. I'd say RNG, but RNGs draw more hate because they don't moderate their attacks like BLMs do. Black mages HAVE to moderate, because they can't take hits. Rangers can. So, rangers feel like they can pump shot after shot into the mob, because as far as they're concerned, that's all that matters. But I can't stand rangers myself, because they pull hate off the tank(s), and make it harder to skillchain (Missing SATA blows hardcore). And yes, my sub IS ranger, but I only leveled it for a sub, not for anything else. I just want free and fast TP. XP
Anyways, the nuker for this particular party shall be a BLM, most likely BLM/WHM. Not only for the nuking aspect, but also because only THEY can MB with full damage potential. A RDM can MB, but it'll be shitty compared to a BLM's. So that takes care of the nuker. Now, what do you fill the last slot with? Well, you've already got your required tank and healer, your two melee DDs, and a nuker.
What's left? Hrm, well, we COULD add another nuker, but that'd pull hate off the tank even more than the melee DDs. Could add another WHM, but that'd be pointless with the PLD there, he can take care of himself pretty darned good too. Another melee DD? Again, pulling hate off the tank, but it's do-able... So, looks like it comes down to the wire, here. With all the above options taken, the best thing to do would be to take someone who can do ALL of those things. Sure, he's not the "best" in the fields that he encompasses, but it's a nice mix. A "jack of all trades, but master of none", as they say in D&D.
And what fills this description, you ask? Why, the RDM, of course! Yes, folks, you knew it was coming. The Red Mage himself is the very embodiment of diversity and versatility, being able to do everything that the others can, and more. Like I said, he's not the best in each of those areas. But, to be the second-best nuker, the second-best healer, and a formidable force in melee all at the same time, that's no easy feat. And it's one that no one else can match.In the early levels, they may seem like an experiment to create the "perfect class" gone horribly awry. But, once they get around level 30-40 range, RDMs really get the tools they need, turning them into a whole different type of magic user. Passing level 40 is like the RDM's orgasm. (sorry for the visual.) They're no longer worried about being so dependant on their limited MP. It sure as hell isn't "limited" anymore. Healer low on MP but the melees are starting to hit the yellow after a pull in the nest gone wrong? Not a problem! {Convert} -> {Divine Seal} + {Curaga} = Instant party recovery! No resting and wasting away your TP there, melees, for the RDM is here! Finding the time between pulls to be too long? Not anymore! Slapping {Refresh} on that poor Cured-out WHM should bring the party back into the EXP chains.
So, recapping!
PLD
WHM
SAM
THF
BLM
RDM
Almost a perfect party. Of course, the players themselves must be good at their particular job, otherwise the party is doomed to low exp and long battles.
And so ends my FFXI rantage and update. :D
WoW Update:
Okay, have you SEEN this shit? Blizzard.com doesn't have any copies of WoW. BLIZZARD IS OUT OF THEIR OWN GAME. How?! Apparently, they're waiting a while to spread things out while they make new servers, they don't want to get overcrowded too fast. Which is a smart idea, and something Square-Enix and Sony should have thought of with FFXI, and Everquest II. But... DAMN, it's taking a long time. I want my friggin' Dwarf Gunsmith! XD Well, anyhow, no use in whining. I'll just wait for it, should be worth it, though I'll be WAY behind the curve.
Life update:
....{Huh?!} {What?} {Where?} {I don't understand.} Life {Can I have it?} -> {Reward}! XD XD XD
Nah, not much is going on. Work's the same, school is boring (though we haven't started yet lol), and I have a wonderful time traveling around in my car all the time. :D So yeah, I'm pretty much content right now. I'm trying to work on the comic Lyla and I are supposed to have up by now, but it's tough when I can't even think of one idea >_o; *twitch* Oh well, something'll happen in time. I know it.
For now, I'm out. Nice to be back on LJ, and I'll catch you all some other time. Oh, and JC, you still have your damn WoW account? I may take it off your hands if you don't want it anymore >_> I already have a time card on hold XD So gimme a ring. For the rest of you, adios!
-->Matt out.
Anyhow, I don't have TOO much to talk about. Work is the same as usual, nothing really changes being a cashier, lol. They showed us some dumb video about how we're not supposed to work "off the clock". For those of you who don't know (although I'm sure you all do), that means working when not punched in, and not getting paid for it..... Now, who the FUCK would be stupid enough to WANT to work off the clock?! No one's gonna work for free. I guess it's big enough of an issue to adress if they bothered to make a video about it, eh? XD But in any case, it's just common freakin' sense, people. I mean, you punch in when you get to work, then maybe forget to punch out when you leave at night. That I can *totally* understand, even I'VE done that. But that's not "off the clock", because you're still punched in. You can just call back and have someone punch you out. And yes, MAYBE it's slightly possible to forget to punch in before work, but again, this is a rare occurence, even among all the people I work with. We barely ever do something like that. And none of us... I repeat, NONE of us, would ever work there without being paid.
Oh yes, I'm sure the baggers would just looooove to push carriages around in the snow without getting paid. And I'm sure my fellow cashiers and I would just adore getting yelled at by the random idiot customers each day. Oh yes, that's so the high point of my day, Shaw's Supermarkets! ...Gimme a break, you fucktard corporate executives, no one is going to work in a supermarket (no matter WHAT department you're in) without getting paid for their hard work. Especially not the guys in grocery, those guys have it the worst.
In any case, I'm very horrible at keeping rants short, aren't I? XD Well, time to move on.
FFXI Update:
H'okay, leveling THF should NOT be as tough as it is right now. I got to 45, which I'm SO happy about. Treasure Hunter II is my savior, and Hide is just nasty to use, it's such an unfair advantage for me. XD But as of late, I've just been farming with my seek party tag up, and a warp scroll in my inventory. And still, no parties. I wait in Jeuno... Nothing. This is getting stupid. There's not even that many THFs on my server, so you'd think the demand would be high. But I knew when I got into the job, that I'd be struggling for parties compared to RDM and BRD. But I didn't care, all I really wanted to do was farm and make gil, leveling was just a route to farming faster.
You all may remember me as a Bard. Which, for a time, I was, and I enjoyed being. No shortage of parties, and I'm not a useless asset. Parties are definitely better off WITH a bard that withOUT one, that's for sure. BRD + RDM is an unstoppable team in a party that can almost totally cut off the need for a WHM, after level 40. But a few weeks ago, maybe a month or two.... I quit. Not FFXI, but I quit being a BARD. Why? Several reasons. First, I liked helping people, but no matter how much good I knew I was doing, it always felt like I was dead weight. Which I wasn't, I knew this myself. But not only that, I had people nearly scolding me when I quit bard, because they loved me in their parties O.o; Second, I hated not DIRECTLY being able to do damage. I mean, I'd buff up everyone else in the party (including me) but I'd only be doing a few points per hit, and I couldn't take more than a few smacks myself. But with my songs, I could buff the damage pool up to 150% of what a normal party without a bard would be doing. So I knew I wasn't useless.
...At least, not to them. Me, I see things in a damage perspective. (I love doing damage myself, I can't just sit and watch others do it.) The faster you can damage a target, the faster it will fall. Simple. Of course, you can't deny the need for a tank, or the healer. That'd be stupid. As stupid as inviting a MNK/RDM to your party. But, getting back to the damage aspect. So, you've got your tank, preferably a PLD. A NIN will do good, once they pass 37 and get their second blink ninjutsu, Utsusemi: Ni, which allows for almost continuous blink-tanking. Next, you've got your healer. I'm gonna keep this simple and make the healer a WHM, and preferably WHM/SMN or WHM/BLM.
...That leaves 4 slots open. Four slots which can be filled with almost anything, now that you've got the tank and the main healer down. Don't get me wrong, 4 WHMS and one PLD is NOT a good party. He'll never die, but you won't get fast EXP, either. So, the logical thing to do would be to get some damage dealers (DD). Now, there's so MANY DDs that it becomes hard to choose a good combo. To make this simple for you, I'll go ahead and add the first two which ANY party should have, after level 33: Samurai and Thief.
Why? Simple. Samurai have all the tools to not only successfully start a skillchain, but to END one as well. And don't you even DARE say ninjas can do the same. Ninja can't even touch what SAM can do. Ninja are good for starting, but suck for ending skillchains. Ok, so, Samurai get all these nice weapon skills, with at least one keyed to each element. Some probably overlap but also do other effects. Anyhow, the point is, they not only can start a skillchain on a good note, but end on a good one, and sometimes with themselves too.
And now we come to Thief. Now, I'm not just glorifying THF because I'm currently playing as one. If you've played FFXI for any amount of time, you know THF is the best DD until level 60, and now that Assassin has been added, even AFTER that level we're still better than most. The reason I picked Thief--IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAMURAI--is because THF is probably one of the best closers of skillchains. Two words: Viper Bite. This one little WS can close dozens of skillchains. And no, it WON'T always be Distortion, which is what you WANT, but that's not my point. Think about it: This ONE weapon skill can close that many skillchains. That's a good party member if I've ever seen one. And I'm talking about THFs who use daggers, and who are level 33+, not the ones who use swords and are pre-33, because they don't have Viper Bite yet.
Again, I picked THF and SAM together, not seperate. Together, they'll be doing about 70-80% (or more) of a party's total damage. Seeing as Viper Bite can CLOSE almost any skillchain which begins with a greatkatana, and Samurai can OPEN literally any skillchain with their weapon skills, it's a natural combo.
Time to rack up the damage from this one chain here. Keep in mind, this is in regards to my level (45).
{Tachi: Enpi} -> {Viper Bite} = {Distortion}, MB: {Ice}/{Water}
(200+) + (500+) + (200+) + (200+ if water, 300+ if ice) = 1100-1200+ damage.
H'okay, that's a shitload of damage. And that's not over a period of time. The time frame for that is like, 15 seconds, TOPS. And at the rate that SAM gains TP with their job abilites, and the rate THF gains TP with their low-delay weapons (and maybe a crossbow or a bow), you're talking 1100-1200+ damage twice a battle. That's in-fucking-SANE. I may be off a bit, I have a feeling I should tack on a bit more for the magic burst, but you get the idea. The point is that SAM + THF is quite possibly the best skillchain combo, and I've only given you ONE example. I could do more, if you wanted :P But I'll spare you.
So, back to the party setup. you've got a PLD/WAR, WHM/BLM(or WHM/SMN if you're lucky), SAM/WAR(SAM/THF sucks ass, don't listen to anyone who says otherwise), and lastly, the THF (THF/RNG, THF/NIN, and THF/WAR all work fine. I prefer THF/RNG, higher TP gain than the others, with my ranged weapons).
PLD
WHM
SAM
THF
....
{Hmmmm.} We have 2 slots open, don't we? Okie dokie. Ideally, you'd want a hard nuker next, right? Right. Again, to keep it simple, I'll give this "virtual party" a BLM. I'd say RNG, but RNGs draw more hate because they don't moderate their attacks like BLMs do. Black mages HAVE to moderate, because they can't take hits. Rangers can. So, rangers feel like they can pump shot after shot into the mob, because as far as they're concerned, that's all that matters. But I can't stand rangers myself, because they pull hate off the tank(s), and make it harder to skillchain (Missing SATA blows hardcore). And yes, my sub IS ranger, but I only leveled it for a sub, not for anything else. I just want free and fast TP. XP
Anyways, the nuker for this particular party shall be a BLM, most likely BLM/WHM. Not only for the nuking aspect, but also because only THEY can MB with full damage potential. A RDM can MB, but it'll be shitty compared to a BLM's. So that takes care of the nuker. Now, what do you fill the last slot with? Well, you've already got your required tank and healer, your two melee DDs, and a nuker.
What's left? Hrm, well, we COULD add another nuker, but that'd pull hate off the tank even more than the melee DDs. Could add another WHM, but that'd be pointless with the PLD there, he can take care of himself pretty darned good too. Another melee DD? Again, pulling hate off the tank, but it's do-able... So, looks like it comes down to the wire, here. With all the above options taken, the best thing to do would be to take someone who can do ALL of those things. Sure, he's not the "best" in the fields that he encompasses, but it's a nice mix. A "jack of all trades, but master of none", as they say in D&D.
And what fills this description, you ask? Why, the RDM, of course! Yes, folks, you knew it was coming. The Red Mage himself is the very embodiment of diversity and versatility, being able to do everything that the others can, and more. Like I said, he's not the best in each of those areas. But, to be the second-best nuker, the second-best healer, and a formidable force in melee all at the same time, that's no easy feat. And it's one that no one else can match.In the early levels, they may seem like an experiment to create the "perfect class" gone horribly awry. But, once they get around level 30-40 range, RDMs really get the tools they need, turning them into a whole different type of magic user. Passing level 40 is like the RDM's orgasm. (sorry for the visual.) They're no longer worried about being so dependant on their limited MP. It sure as hell isn't "limited" anymore. Healer low on MP but the melees are starting to hit the yellow after a pull in the nest gone wrong? Not a problem! {Convert} -> {Divine Seal} + {Curaga} = Instant party recovery! No resting and wasting away your TP there, melees, for the RDM is here! Finding the time between pulls to be too long? Not anymore! Slapping {Refresh} on that poor Cured-out WHM should bring the party back into the EXP chains.
So, recapping!
PLD
WHM
SAM
THF
BLM
RDM
Almost a perfect party. Of course, the players themselves must be good at their particular job, otherwise the party is doomed to low exp and long battles.
And so ends my FFXI rantage and update. :D
WoW Update:
Okay, have you SEEN this shit? Blizzard.com doesn't have any copies of WoW. BLIZZARD IS OUT OF THEIR OWN GAME. How?! Apparently, they're waiting a while to spread things out while they make new servers, they don't want to get overcrowded too fast. Which is a smart idea, and something Square-Enix and Sony should have thought of with FFXI, and Everquest II. But... DAMN, it's taking a long time. I want my friggin' Dwarf Gunsmith! XD Well, anyhow, no use in whining. I'll just wait for it, should be worth it, though I'll be WAY behind the curve.
Life update:
....{Huh?!} {What?} {Where?} {I don't understand.} Life {Can I have it?} -> {Reward}! XD XD XD
Nah, not much is going on. Work's the same, school is boring (though we haven't started yet lol), and I have a wonderful time traveling around in my car all the time. :D So yeah, I'm pretty much content right now. I'm trying to work on the comic Lyla and I are supposed to have up by now, but it's tough when I can't even think of one idea >_o; *twitch* Oh well, something'll happen in time. I know it.
For now, I'm out. Nice to be back on LJ, and I'll catch you all some other time. Oh, and JC, you still have your damn WoW account? I may take it off your hands if you don't want it anymore >_> I already have a time card on hold XD So gimme a ring. For the rest of you, adios!
-->Matt out.