REESTABLISHING AN OLD BLOG -
RESLASHING BACK TO VIRTUALITY
Sunday, 18 October 2009
15. A Jolly Pirate Tune
For me, the most fascinating aspect of MMOs is, not only the connection and meeting of people from all over the world, but the fact that we are linked to each other in a non-existant space. I still find it baffling to think that at the very same time individuals sitting in Japan, America and Europe are simultaneously working together and communicating with each other. In a review I had written (for an assignment) about Pierre Lévy's "Cyberculture", I accentuated his relation of how the most exciting feature of the virtual world is the interactivity itself; the most interesting - to me - of these is the third type Lévy describes, the multilogue, where several individuals can take part in communication, from several sides and at the same time, without being present physically. (Lévy, 2001).
This reminds me of my first successful Promy run! (and my last, unfortunately, as I haven't been able to finish anymore since...) It also brings to mind the linkshell called PirateCorp that I haven't yet mentioned. The LS is a close-knitted, small community of very kind and helpful members.
(Ahem, I suppose the picture below about sums up my last statement).
On a serious note, I would like to thank Vette, Dahalia, Sirpain, Audeude, Blizzardy, Lady and all who helped make this mission a success. I'll probably be getting back to them in later posts as they did help a lot in the game and in making it enjoyable. Though this Promy Holla is just one of many difficult missions, it was what I believe was my first serious achievement in the game (and as a white mage at that!) To be honest and to a certain degree, it did give me joy...ha, the trite joys a game can offer...And I suppose it is not the success itself that makes one happy, but to quote Shakespeare;
"Things won are done, the joy's soul lies in the doing".
...and when one considers joy, does it matter in what form it is given?
Posted by Serenata at 18:40 0 comments Links to this post
MONDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER 2009
When I wrote a particular post on a forum, I had not in the least considered the important role that music actually plays in online virtual games. My personal preference for classical music (and also FF music) has certainly influenced - even if subconsciously - my choice to play the game as it has obviously influenced others to make the same decision. This idea has got me wondering - what would MMOs be like without music? To what degree does music influence players to take part in these games? Would people actually play if there were no music in the background? What types or genres of music are dominant in MMO, and specifically MMORPGs? If it does, what effect does music in MMOs have on the players in relation to their gameplay and/or to their interactivity with each other? And would anyone listen to the music of MMOs without the visual effects of the game? Which influences what - does what we see visually give the meaning to the music we so prefer or viceversa?...and so forth...and so forth...
WEDNESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2009
13. A Drop of Milk: Surprise! (Spot the Drop)
1. Find Malkamilka!
Oblivious to my surroundings and concentrating diligently on my duties as a white mage (I was around level 30 and totally freaked out - scared as ever that the whole party'd die on me) I was indeed surprised when all of a sudden, literally out of nowhere (after several weeks of having had vanished might I add), that tiny drop of a Malkamilka just magically appeared beside me, seated innocently on the ground, with his head tilting from one side to the other. The first thing that came to mind after a pleasant smile was to take a quick snapshot.
The second was to converse with him a little in that habitually slow but amusing manner. The random party I was with at the time was actually very happy that it found a PL out of nowhere. Malkamilka did help out a bit, but all of a sudden...
...he just sat down again and started synthesising. Yagudo drinks. MANY of them. It was most kind of him to give them to me as gifts. We made a happy, if awkward, little pair; me healing my party, him synthesising. Very few words were spoken or understood outside those at our disposal via the "auto-translator"...this persona has little to do with the real-life individual living in Japan, of whom I hardly know anything nor is it likely that I ever will (or that I would want to learn more)...nonetheless a sort of friendship arose (short-lasted as it was for I have not seen him for a very long time) even if that friendship or rather acquaintanceship was of the very weakest sort.
The questions that arise are really very simple but all the more complex to answer. Why and how do virtual relationships come about? Do these relationships last and develop? Do they merely remain within the confines of the virtual world in which they come about? Why and how do certain players form friendships and communities? How profound are they and can this profundity only be examined and understood within the "paradigm" of FFXI or of virtuality?
Looks like Ladywise has a crush on Aspade (jk lol) - who is he anyway?
2. Malkamilka's last appearance
Uninvited yet most welcomed was MM when he found Lady and I training our new jobs in Buburimu. He partied with us for a while and gave us some useful tips and advice on fighting (I'm referring to the tips we actually understood). A very fun day it was and a pity he has not been heard of since. But another unexpected appearance would no longer come as a surprise. 
And when one looks at that ethereal sky unwilling to believe it is really no sky at all, one can only ask...is this all truly but a game?
POSTED BY SERENATA AT 22:20 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
12. The Authority of Aid (Aid to Others or Aid to Self?)
A quick note: I have decided that all numbered posts (like this one) will be sort of like chapters of events and specific happenings - and perhaps ideas related to them - that occurred a longer time ago. Any other post will most probably be random or more theme-oriented. At any rate, I will use this sort of method until I figure out a better way to categorise posts in this blog (I'll need time for that.)
I must return in time for a moment to something interesting the leader of TCK told me when he was still playing the game and leading the linkshell. There was a certain member of the shell, who was very intent on helping me finish a certain mission (I was not looking at the time to finish it actually, but my then current rank and level implied I could have done it had I received some help). I was quite surprised at his exuberant offer to help particularly because, if I remember correctly, it was my first or second day of being a member of the shell. Nevertheless, I declined the appearingly warm offer as I did not want to finish that mission in the manner in which it was proposed, in other words the "easy way of having to die to have it done". (Ok, I was still new and I didn't like having to get KO-d if I didn't have to. Now I know it's just a part of daily routines ^^')."Ha, yeah, we really want to help our newer members get to high levels as fast as possible." I think this comment was sprinkled with a few customary references to "being nice" and "loving to help noobs" etc. (It's interesting how some players accentuate their conviction of being "very nice" and "too good").
I am convinced and certain that a lot of players really DO enjoy assisting the newer ones, also am I convinced of the fact that while some players are simply bored and find enjoyment in replaying or reliving certain parts of the game, others pity the noobs and are all heart and goodness BUT the explanation that soon followed left me a little, let us say, surprised (let me add that I think the leader was in a very good or rather in a very 'elevated' mood and that the following quotation is not precise word-for-word);
"Yeah, you see, the thing is, we really want all members to get ahead and reach our levels because we need them so we can start doing stuff we ourselves want to do (such as endgame). We need the members and basically they're gonna be helping us, so when that member wanted to help you so much, he wanted to do it because of himself really. You see, he gets points for helping other players with events and that's gonna count for his endgame status."
One can easily argue the positive and negative points of this "linkshell specific rule". "Being helpful gets you somewhere" etc. That's not really what I'm trying to get at. (At least, that's not ALL I'm trying to understand.) What I'm looking at is the sort of politics behind the mask. You could just be honest and say "look, we're all doing each other a favour in this game, it's an MMO after all, you can't get anywhere alone." But then that would be touching upon democracy and honesty, whereas politics can sometimes be about anything but.
SUNDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2009
11. Access Anew to the Portal of Virtuality
In spite of my now having moved to new and different surroundings (and having access once again to my computer), that portal of virtuality, that ubiquitous internet offers me the same accustomed environment that I was so used to seeing elsewhere. This brings to my mind the question of space and time. Though in reality I am in a different space, in the virtual world nothing has changed in respect to its own space, but that is a topic I must touch upon again some other time.
POSTED BY SERENATA AT 20:03 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
THURSDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2009
Pause
Real life has taken its toll on my virtual one as I have recently been unable to continue my explorations of the latter. Though I have no intention of quitting it, I will have to find time for it and for continuing this blog.
POSTED BY SERENATA AT 22:21 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
MONDAY, 24 AUGUST 2009
We had a beautiful day today in the real world - mild weather, sun brightly gleaming, just a touch of a breeze to relieve the slightest burden of heat under that golden light mingling with the sweet scent of grass. As I sat in a park enjoying every finest detail of nature's beauty, I could not but ponder on the contrarieties of virtuality vs. reality. As technology develops and as time spent in virtual environments increases, to what degree will we be separated from the tangible world? And how will this separation affect and alter our perception of life and all its dimensions. POSTED BY SERENATA AT 19:46 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
SUNDAY, 23 AUGUST 2009
9. Elitist March (Continually updated)
"I'm really an elitist that thinks you're all beneath me.
I'm just here to lord my endgame winnings over you."
Quote from a high-level player
I'm just here to lord my endgame winnings over you."
Quote from a high-level player
In this specific post, I'd like to gather a collection of quotes or short narratives of elitist manifestations appearing incessantly throughout the game. Though many are said in jest, these, as other disclosures, reflect the actuality of that virtual gentry (I might perhaps have the liberty of calling it that) of Vanadiel. Later on, I'd like to take a closer look at this high society for at the moment I myself am still far from coming into closer contact with them.THURSDAY, 20 AUGUST 2009
Rest I
Still pondering on the exact approach I'll be taking when updating my blog. But from now on I'll be writing more on a day-to-day basis with allusions to past events, which I might deem to be of particular relevance.
POSTED BY SERENATA AT 18:38 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
MONDAY, 17 AUGUST 2009
8. Mutual Appreciation and Teamwork
A certain party I had the fortune of partaking in was one of the best party-experiences I had had in Vanadiel up to that time. It began miserably, as many parties do, with a leader who had either expected us to be proficient in a field where only one type of mob could be pulled at that level and where that group of mobs would not respawn for quite a long period or who simply didn't care about that waiting period but was far too impatient and rude to actually wait it out or who was just a bad leader. At any rate, the leader was fortunate enough to have had a disconnection and vanish for the remainder of the night, leaving my friend and I with three japanese players...which incident in turn left all five of us lying unconscious on the floor. The usual solution to such a scenario would be to return to homepoint and possibly forget about the entire party.
Didn't happen. It seemed no one really wanted to homepoint anywhere and as the three japanese players continued to enjoy their (~^-^'~) and similar emotes accompanied by writing only they could understand and as they didn't seem to understand the few questions I put up with the help of the translator, I thought it would be best (after about an hour of waiting for something to happen or someone to leave) to hp and return with my rdm to raise them all. Such was the case and gratitude was happily elucidated in its bowing, emote and smiling forms. After this, I quickly passed my leadership status to one of the japanese players(I realised much later that as no one had left after the d/c I had ended up leader but had given no commands and had only lain there happily oblivious of all my responsibilities...I'm still surprised though why they didn't leave me then and there, but language barriers and perhaps differing cultures leave many things to be understood in this game).The third leader of this party surprisingly gave me a new command. Change back to ninja and come back to tank. Now this did happen, and we made one of the best parties with excellent experience points. Despite those language barriers, we perfectly understood each other and were able to form a cohesive, potent group of five and were soon joined by a sixth. It is amazing how far patience and, in my opinion, a little courtesy and respect can take one.
Our new pets: Carby and Azure!
And no, Lady demands an apology, she's not a pet!
POSTED BY SERENATA AT 21:11 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
SATURDAY, 15 AUGUST 2009
7. {Congratulations!}
One thing I find interesting in Vanadiel, is the tradition that has developed into an unwritten code of conduct if not a universally applied rule of congratulating a player after having attained an achievement of basically any sort, regardless of that player's actual merit or contribution towards that success or act.
This form of acknowledgement actually makes one wonder of its value. Does it give the new player more incentive to work towards a goal or does it discourage the player from doing so owing to the player's belief that he or she had no part in that accomplishment.Also: would it really be important to congratulate someone after going up a single level or would it be better fit to do so after, say, that player reached level 50 or 75? Perhaps this form of a single congratulations would be of more "worth" but then again, perhaps the added-up thousands of congratulations, if each were assigned a certain numeric value, would exceed that of the single one. Speculations...lol.
(Go Lady go! You show him! {Congratulations!} lol)
And yay! on OP!
POSTED BY SERENATA AT 16:31 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2009
6. The Orchestra Part III - Chorus
1. Chorusaru
If anything, Jeuno is worth visiting to see the cutest choir in Vanadiel. I wonder what they'd sound like if they all used the bells from the latest update. Maybe they do :)
2. TCK Leader
It was a few weeks after our entrance to FFXI that Lady and I started (if only very faintly at the time) realising if we want to get anywhere in Vanadiel we'll need to attach that perpetual phone of a linkshell to our names and belong to a little community of players. But how does one gain entrance to such a little community? Our best shot was to ask for a pearl. And how to go about that? Well, not a long while back there were shouts in Jeuno advertising The Chocobo Knights LS.* (see notes) I sent a tell to the leader Selryam, whose first duty it was to ask us what we were doing, what we needed help with. He hurried to Ghelsba and after giving us the yellowish pearls, immediately assisted us with the dragoon quest.
3. Windurst - Books galore!
*Notes: regarding advertising a community. In the RL world, communities are rarely formed by advertisements. They are usually given (e.g. the community of a village or town), they come about through random encounters, common interests, etc. In the virtual world of Vanadiel, communities are synonymous with linkshells. The manner nonetheless in which one becomes a part of that community can differ. Advertising your linkshell is one way to go about. Joining one through already made friends is another...at any rate, this topic will be discussed in a separate post.POSTED BY SERENATA AT 23:04 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
5. The Orchestra Part II - Jeuno
1. Jeuno
And before us stands the famous city Jeuno.
It's difficult to tell how many of the people standing at the AH are actually buying and/or selling, browsing something, or just afk. As in the case of any real city, just standing or sitting about in a virtual one and listening to the interactions (shouts or says) of the numerous visitors/residents can be a diverting pastime in itself. It'd be quite interesting to know how many other players besides myself actually engage in this activity. Maybe it's just me being bored.POSTED BY SERENATA AT 20:55 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
4. The Orchestra Part I - First Encounters
1. Selbina
Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of the online world of Final Fantasy XI is encountering its many dwellers. Also, choice of race is of great relevance owing to many reasons. If anything, who can resist the charm of the childlike, cutest race, the tarus? From what I gather, tarus seem to communicate more openly and affably with other races than the latter do amongst themselves. Needless to add that a taru can perform the most affectionate wave to an absolute stranger, after having toddled around her a few times, if she's a taru.2. A Call for Help
Turning around to find yourself face-to-face with a turtle three times your size is not necessarily the most pleasant experience when roaming Palborough Mines, but contrary to the idea the title and picture might suggest, a certain Zoulbane was asking my best friend and I to help him. He suggested we should try to get rank 3 in spite of our assuring him that a party of three would probably end in failure.3. It did.
3. Plateau Duet
A good friend joins the lone adventurer, believing that though Vanadiel is hard to traverse alone, it might be crossable by two...
They both brave the hardships of a windy Plateau, relying in their newfound belief...
how wrong they both were...
POSTED BY SERENATA AT 20:30 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
2. Bumblebee's Flight to Valkurm
As a starter rdm (notice the intentional evasion of the word "noob") where else can one run to but Valkurm? And how many more times is Valkurm yet to be seen...
POSTED BY SERENATA AT 20:11 0 COMMENTS LINKS TO THIS POST
1. First Concerto
"Evening is a Melody
that
lulls Fantasy into Reality"
Evensong
Concerto: a composition for an orchestra and one or more soloists. (Collins English Dictionary)
Evensong: an archaic or poetic word for evening. (Collins English Dictionary) or a song sung in the evening (The American Heritage). These are the two meanings I give when using the word.
As this blog will (among others) be an attempt to follow the journeys of a traveller and her companions in the virtual world of Vanadiel, I have thought it best, owing to Evensong's name, my playing the game usually in the evenings, my particular fondness for music and the definitions cited above, to title her "Evening Concertos".
This is personally my first attempt at a blog of any sort, so I ask any reader who finds fault in the layout, format, etc. to bear with me until I myself figure out how to use them.
As for the content and the rest, I should like to first take a glimpse of the Prelude performed in a past not so long ago.
POSTED BY SERENATA AT 19:15
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