R.I.P. PS2
I think my Playstation 2 is finally dead. I logged onto FFXI for the first time in 2 weeks on Friday, but noticed that my PS2 was resetting every hour or so while I was playing. Saturday morning, I looked into it and discovered that the screen covering the fan on the PS2 had been pushed in, and was blocking the fan from running, causing the console to overheat. I took my PS2 apart, removing the DVD drive completely, and fixed the screen so it was no longer obstructing the fan. Apparently I must have touched something I shouldn't have while I was doing that, since when I booted my PS2 back up, the display on my TV was completely fucked up, even though the fan was running fine. After fiddling with the AV cord and rebooting multiple times, I finally gave up.
I've taken plenty of weekends off from FFXI before due to snowboarding, going to the lake, and going out with friends, but this was the first weekend I've had in recent memory where I had absolutely no outside plans and no access to FFXI. Mary was at Harvard working on a paper the whole weekend, so I basically had the whole apartment to myself. I ended up sitting on the couch for most of it, channel-flipping and watching whatever semi-interesting movies I could find on TV. I went out to a new Peruvian restaurant on Saturday and saw Spider Man 3 on Sunday afternoon with Mary, but that was the extent of my time outside of the apartment. It's pretty sad that I couldn't think of anything better to do with my time than veg out; I really need to find some new hobbies.
I think I finally understand why Mary always goes out to coffee shops when I'm playing FFXI. Our apartment is cramped, messy, and it really is an unpleasant place to hang out if you're not completely engrossed in something like video games or TV. We've made tentative plans to start shopping around for a condo or a house later this year, which I think we're definitely ready for at this point in our lives.
Anyway, I guess I need to decide what, if anything, I want to do about FFXI. My options are:
1) Buy a new laptop. I tried running the FFXI benchmark program on my current laptop, but the framerate was ridiculously laggy even at the lowest resolution setting.
-Pro's: I'd finally be able to watch TV while playing FFXI. Even better, Mary could watch TV while I play. I'd also be able to use Distance plugin and windower macros, 2 things that I'm really starting to feel the impact of not having as I do more endgame activities and accumulate more specialized/situational gear.
-Con's: I don't really need a new laptop; my current one works fine for everything else I do. Playing on a laptop definitely wouldn't be as comfortable as playing on a console; I'd either have to hunch over my coffee table or keep it awkardly perched on my lap. This is also the most expensive option.
2) Buy an XBox 360 or PS3.
-Pro's: Although neither system has any games that I'm interested in right now, I may want one of these consoles someday down the line.
-Con's: Same drawbacks I currently experience on PS2: No windower/distance plugins, and can't watch TV or movies while LFP. Both of those consoles are also fairly expensive.
3) Retire/take a break from FFXI. Well, let's face it - if I were to retire this would be a very convenient breaking point. Honestly, I've hardly felt like logging on since I got back anyway. The weather's starting to turn nice here, Mary's almost done with classes, and I'm definitely at a point where I should be starting to make more long-term goals for myself.
Jesus, that was a long post. Just seeing how much I've written here speaks volumes about how addicted I've become to this game. Right now I'm leaning towards option #3, I guess I'll see if my feelings have changed about it in a week or two.
I've taken plenty of weekends off from FFXI before due to snowboarding, going to the lake, and going out with friends, but this was the first weekend I've had in recent memory where I had absolutely no outside plans and no access to FFXI. Mary was at Harvard working on a paper the whole weekend, so I basically had the whole apartment to myself. I ended up sitting on the couch for most of it, channel-flipping and watching whatever semi-interesting movies I could find on TV. I went out to a new Peruvian restaurant on Saturday and saw Spider Man 3 on Sunday afternoon with Mary, but that was the extent of my time outside of the apartment. It's pretty sad that I couldn't think of anything better to do with my time than veg out; I really need to find some new hobbies.
I think I finally understand why Mary always goes out to coffee shops when I'm playing FFXI. Our apartment is cramped, messy, and it really is an unpleasant place to hang out if you're not completely engrossed in something like video games or TV. We've made tentative plans to start shopping around for a condo or a house later this year, which I think we're definitely ready for at this point in our lives.
Anyway, I guess I need to decide what, if anything, I want to do about FFXI. My options are:
1) Buy a new laptop. I tried running the FFXI benchmark program on my current laptop, but the framerate was ridiculously laggy even at the lowest resolution setting.
-Pro's: I'd finally be able to watch TV while playing FFXI. Even better, Mary could watch TV while I play. I'd also be able to use Distance plugin and windower macros, 2 things that I'm really starting to feel the impact of not having as I do more endgame activities and accumulate more specialized/situational gear.
-Con's: I don't really need a new laptop; my current one works fine for everything else I do. Playing on a laptop definitely wouldn't be as comfortable as playing on a console; I'd either have to hunch over my coffee table or keep it awkardly perched on my lap. This is also the most expensive option.
2) Buy an XBox 360 or PS3.
-Pro's: Although neither system has any games that I'm interested in right now, I may want one of these consoles someday down the line.
-Con's: Same drawbacks I currently experience on PS2: No windower/distance plugins, and can't watch TV or movies while LFP. Both of those consoles are also fairly expensive.
3) Retire/take a break from FFXI. Well, let's face it - if I were to retire this would be a very convenient breaking point. Honestly, I've hardly felt like logging on since I got back anyway. The weather's starting to turn nice here, Mary's almost done with classes, and I'm definitely at a point where I should be starting to make more long-term goals for myself.
Jesus, that was a long post. Just seeing how much I've written here speaks volumes about how addicted I've become to this game. Right now I'm leaning towards option #3, I guess I'll see if my feelings have changed about it in a week or two.