Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Sticky: Dec 8 Update Information Print News | Mail News While we're all waiting for the Maintence to be over, here's a glimpse of what will be coming up when we can all sign back in. Only a few of the more notable patch notes will be here on the front page, as always click Read More for the Whole Story!
-- A sixth Gobbiebag quest has been added. Please note that the previous Gobbiebag quest must be completed before the new one will trigger.
-- Supply quests and regional teleportation to the Tavnazian Archipelago are now available.
-- The contents of the treasure coffers in Castle Oztroja have been changed. Accordingly, certain items will now be obtainable through different methods.
-- The following adjustments have been made in Promyvion �C Holla, Promyvion Mea, Promyvion Dem, and Promyvion Vahzl:
Monster placement changes
Monster movement pattern changes
Monster level adjustments
Monster item drop changes
Memory stream appearance rates
-- A new thief job trait that increases the dexterity bonus of the ability "Trick Attack" has been added.
This trait is called "Assassin."
-- The dragoon job ability "Spirit Link" will now not only heal a pet wyvern's wounds, but also cure it of detrimental status effects such as poison.
-- The Goblin Archaeologists that are found in the Konschtat Highlands, Tahrongi Canyon, and on the La Theine Plateau can now see through the ninja ability "Hide."
That's all for now! Have fun exploring when you get the chance!
In the Fanart section we have new work from Meg, Evan, XCL, and Ignigeno. Then in the comic section we have work from Diane, Ujaja, Argent B., Mildred and Samura. Enjoy!
Regarding Real Money Trade (Dec 8) Print News | Mail News From the POL Main Site:
With respect to game titles operated by the PlayOnline service, including FINAL FANTASY XI, it is specifically prohibited to sell game currency, characters, or any other in-game items for real money or any other consideration for value (known as Real Money Trade "RMT"). This prohibition is expressly referred to in the following two clauses, which are part of the respective agreements which all registered users of the FINAL FANTASY XI and/or PlayOnline services have agreed to abide by:
*PlayOnline Member Agreement: Article 4.4
*FINAL FANTASY XI User Agreement: Article 3.1
This prohibition is due to the possibility of fraud during transaction in the real world which may lead to legal sanctions, including possible criminal sanctions, being imposed on those involved in such trade. In addition, Real Money Trade was not initially a part of the design for any of our game titles.
We are already investigating this issue and putting into effect appropriate measures for such actions within the game environment, and we will continue to do so in the future. Players found to be participating in Real Money Trade will be deemed to be in breach of the clauses set out above and will be subject to any appropriate legal sanction. We expressly reserve our rights in the event of such a breach, including the right to cancel the PlayOnline account of any user in breach of the clauses above, without any prior notice to such user.
Many of you have recently made GM calls or contacted the Information Center to report such Real Money Trades taking place at various online auction sites. Please note, however, that our ability to take appropriate action in such cases is very often dependent on the cooperation of the respective websites, which is not within our control. While we are grateful for your help, please note that it is not necessary to make a GM call or to contact the Information Center to report such issues.
While it is not possible to change our policy regarding Real Money Trades for any current online Square Enix title, it is possible that our policy might change for future titles, although no decision in that respect has yet been made.
Back from vacation and ready to post some artwork!, I had plenty of emails waiting for me when I got back, so it took me a bit to sort through them. Now that they have been sorted I can get back to the fun part of posting the artwork.
21 Images posted today!
In the fanart section we have new works from Aenkelle, Cowpewter, Grreyson, Elevaan, Famous Last Words, Fuyo, Tomo, and Yin. We also have a Work in Progress piece from Amadaun, who is working on coloring one of Diane's pieces. Then I also posted my holiday piece for this year, which is also a wallpaper.
In the comic section we have new works from Cincaiko, Devin, Diane, Excalibur, Funkymage, Makura, Merodi, and Shade. Nice work everyone and thank you for your patience with me catching up to things. Enjoy!
All Worlds Scheduled Maintenance (Dec. 8) [Post A Comment] - Print News | Mail News From the Official Site, Information on all world maintenance.
From:FINAL FANTASY XI
Dec. 6, 2004 03:00 [PST]
At the following time, we will be performing FINAL FANTASY XI server maintenance on all worlds. During this period, FINAL FANTASY XI will be unavailable.
*The client software will also be updated at this time. Once this maintenance is completed, the client update will start automatically after logging back into FINAL FANTASY XI. Please follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
[Affected Period]
Dec. 8, 2004 from 9:00 to 13:00 (PST)
*Maintenance completion time may be subject to change.
[Affected Services]
FINAL FANTASY XI
[Important Update Details]
-Please refer to the "October-December Announcements" for more details.
You can check them out by selecting the "October-December Announcements" in the Developer's Room, accessible from the PlayOnline FINAL FANTASY XI top page.
*We will be announcing the details for the version update on Dec. 8, 2004.
Vana'Diel Bench 3 [Post A Comment] - Print News | Mail News For those of you who want to give your machine a test to see if you'd be able to run FFXI, or if you just want to see how it performs in general, a new bench mark has been released. It gauges just how tough your machine really is, and even shows off some cool things like the Tavnazian Archipelago. You can get all the detail and download the file right here.
Auction Restrictions [Post A Comment] - Print News | Mail News With the upcoming patch that will increase the size of certain stacks of items, they're trying to remove the auction houses of the existing stacks of 12. Here's the full story from the official site.
From:FINAL FANTASY XI
Dec. 3, 2004 04:00 [PST]
Auction Restrictions on Certain Items (Dec. 6 - Dec. 9)
The Dec. 9 version update will raise several items' stack number from 12 to 99.
To prepare for this change, the auction of these items will be restricted, starting from Dec. 6, at 1:00 (PST) until Dec. 9 (the duration of the maintenance period). Players will still be able to bid on items already up for auction. Players will also be able to remove these items from auction if they desire.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Anti-Virus Follow Up [Post A Comment] - Print News | Mail News For those of you who have been having problems with your virus scanner saying FFXI is a virus, here's a little more info from the official site.
From:PlayOnline
Dec. 2, 2004 01:00 [PST]
Antivirus Software Issue Follow-up
As many of you are already aware, there is currently an issue wherein certain antivirus software packages will misidentify the "polboot.exe" file for FINAL FANTASY XI (Windows version) as a virus.
It has been determined that the issue can be rectified by downloading the latest antivirus pattern file for your antivirus software. After updating this file, please restart PlayOnline via the shortcut on your desktop.
*For more information on how to update your antivirus software, please refer to the manual included with your antivirus package.
If the polboot.exe file has already been deleted, there is a chance that the shortcut to FINAL FANTASY XI may not work. In the following days we will provide a version update that should rectify this issue, and provide a shortcut that will execute normally. Until then, we ask that you do NOT reinstall FINAL FANTASY XI or the PlayOnline viewer, and instead execute FINAL FANTASY XI through the PlayOnline Viewer shortcut.
Even MORE Stories Print News | Mail News Almost there...For today, we have Chapter 13 of Alban's series, From Boy to Legend. This one is called A Tale of Corruption, and here's a little bit to start you off:
Castle Zvhal, the heart of darkness. The Keep of Shadows and the Garrison of evil. That is what these four adventurers stand outside of. An Elvaan man with Purple armor that resembled a Dragon, A Galka with Black plated armor and a large Greatsword upon his back. Another Elvaan, but he wore white plated armor. Then, at last, a late middle-aged Hume with Black robes and long, light blue hair. They all stared at the Castle as the wind was roaring past them. The Dragoon called up his companion, a small purple wyvern. The Dark knight pulled out his Greatsword and brandished it. The Blackmage kept his hands in his robes and the Paladin pulled his sword and Shield out. All were ready to storm this castle and slay the evil to bring about peace to Vana�diel.
The other for today is a brand new story by Raiden, called Chronicles of Vana'diel. His first chapter is entitled The Beginning. Here's a little snippet:
Vana�diel is a world of magic, courage and technology. This vibrant, wonderful land was once engulfed in a great war between armies of enlightened people and the dark hordes of beast man forces. It was a fight for survival from which the victor would emerge in control of Vana�diel; in the end it was all thanks to a Galkan dark knight called Vyndameer, the �Hero� of Vana�diel. Our hero doesn�t see him as a �Hero�; he sees him as a �legend�. More than 4 years after the Great War our �Hero� was an outcast because he has mixed blood and this is where our story begins.
And Yet More Stories Print News | Mail News Still playing catch-up, for today we've got Chapter Four of Abriel's story, Corsage. This one's called Memories. Here's a small piece:
Pushing aside the flap to his tent, Frozen Winter stepped out into the world. Squinting, he saw that the sun was shining through the trees and felt a gentle wind blowing in from the south. Breathing deeply, the large Galka spat on the ground beside his tent. It proved to be in vain, as the bitter taste in his mouth remained. It was a lasting effect of the poison oats he�d eaten three days ago.
Our other story for today is from Blood Red Poet, and is Chapter Six of his series, The Vana'diel Tragedy, called Without Words. Here's a snippet:
Sarutabaruta�s peace was broken by draw of a Yagudo�s blade. The tan, dull mountains overlooked the crimson kote wearing Yagudo. The sky�s darkness was a lesser to the Beastman�s feathers. The moon and surrounding stars brought light to the land. He glared at a pair of his own kind, both towering a sitting Tarutaru in a simple green coat and pants. It was obvious the two were about to strike their defenseless pray.
�Q-Quu Xuchi?! What are you doing here? Kawk!� a Yagudo with a rune written red cloth wrapped around his face and two-feet long beak. In his right hand was a weathered, battle-scared club. His emotion was twisted with fear.
And On With The Stories... Print News | Mail News Nothing like a holdiay to throw you out of whack. I apologize to all you authors that sent something and still haven't seen it go up yet, I'm still sifting through all the e-mail that showed up over Thanksgiving. >< There's a lot this time around, so it's going to be broken up over a couple of days. For today, we have the return of Brin with Ch. 4of his story, Eternal Mysteries. Here's a little snippet:
Jeuno, a place of much commerce. It had been about month and a half since Brin had last been here. Each and every time he comes he is always reminded of Kao, his old mentor. It was here that Kao brought him to live. No time for past remembrances however, he had an airship to catch. Heading toward the San d�Orian boarding office Brin squeezed through the masses of people. Right as he placed his hand upon the doorknob he heard a familiar purring behind him.
The other one for today is Alacer's next chapter in The Last Tavnazian, entitled The Dawn of War. Here's a little piece:
I gazed out the window of my house as I sat on my bed. All the members of the Teratos are doing something similar to me. We are all awaiting the return of the Chief. He has been speaking with the president for what seems like days. We are anxious to learn the current situation of the city, curious as to how the beastman managed to attack the city.
I paced to and fro impatiently. I stride out through the door of my empty house into the night. Dozens of moogles crowd the entrance to Metalworks. Apparently more than one person has thought of the idea of making their moogles wait for the Chiefs news rather than themselves. I proceeded to walk through the vast stairways of the markets to the tavern at the port.
October-December Announcements Pt2 [Post A Comment] - Print News | Mail News The holiday season is here and the Final Fantasy XI development elves have been busy putting together goodies for all the good boys and girls of Vana'diel. We are planning our next major version update for Thursday, December 9. The details of the update are as follows:
Please click Read More to learn about some of the exciting changes and additions...
Vana'Diel Tribune II [Post A Comment] - Print News | Mail News That's right, a new and improved Vana'Diel Tribune now exists and they just released the first one. Note that it can't be accessed on the website, they will start publishing to the web site with the next tribune. Details on what's new and where you can find it are as follows.
From:Extras
Nov. 30, 2004 06:55 [PST]
Vana'diel Tribune II No.1 Edition has been Released
The new and improved Vana'diel Tribune II has been released! The contents of the first edition are as follows:
Lady Shantotto Exposed!
Promyvion - Memorable Mayhem
Vana'diel Profiles #1
Acheufagais R D'Oraguille - The Warking
Atelloune's Wildlife Files - Let's Talk Rabbits
A Passion for Travel
The Women of Vana'diel #28 Memorial
The new "Personals Board" feature has been introduced in beta form. This exciting new development was created to assist adventurers in their daily efforts, and it allows adventurers to recruit members for missions and monster hunts--not to mention introduce linkshells, announce bazaars, and much, much more! Try it out today and see what it can do!
The Vana'diel Tribune II can be accessed from the following:
- Extras in PlayOnline Viewer
- FINAL FANTASY XI Compendium
- From inside your Mog House in FINAL FANTASY XI
The Vana'diel Tribune II will be updated on the official PlayOnline web site (http://www.playonline.com) starting from the second edition.
October-December Announcements Print News | Mail News Just spotted this on the POL site.
From:FINAL FANTASY XI
Nov. 30, 2004 02:00 [PST]
October-December Announcements
The October-December Announcements have arrived!
You can check them out by selecting the "October-December Announcements" in the Developer's Room, accessible from the PlayOnline FINAL FANTASY XI top page.
There's already a thread going on our general boards, you can check out some of the details right here.
Hero of Bastok: Chapter 21 Print News | Mail News Just in time for Thanksgiving, it's Hero of Bastok, Chapter 21! Don't worry, it's not another sappy romance chapter, there's plenty of action in this one! This one's called The Duel, and here's a little piece to get you excited:
Thunder boomed across the sky, the rain pouring down relentlessly. The city lay in ruins, destroyed by a ruthless being. People fled screaming into the streets as the malevolent creature cackled mercilessly. Summoning fire from his fingertips, he launched sizzling balls of flame at the fleeing crowd, incinerating many. �Yes�Yes!!!! Die, die, all of you die!� he laughed manaically as he cut down the innocent with his wicked black blade. Women, children, the elderly, it did not matter; they were all prey for him.
Double Story Dosage Print News | Mail News We've got two new additions to our ever-growing many series of stories today. First up is Alban, with Parts One and Two (That's right, it's more than one) of his Chapter 12, entitled Into The Madman's Tower. And here's Part Two. Enjoy this little preview of Part One:
The wooden doors crept open and inside were three Goblins, sitting in chairs sleeping. Unlike the Goblins that roam the outside, these Goblins did not wear any masks of Helmets. The Hume walked up to one and tapped his shoulder, awakening him. His large eyes fluttered open and he looked around frantically. Once the Goblin laid eyes upon Alban the Goblin slouched in his chair. �It just be one o them Humes...� It said relaxing once again. Alban gave a weak smile as he stood there. �What? What yous wants?� Alban shook his head. �I am looking for Muckvix. Is he around?� Alban plainly asked. The Goblin�s eyes started to close and Alban just smiled. He lightly smacked him over the head and the Goblin immediately awoke again. �Gah! Why you keep botherin me?� Alban leaned over the Goblin. �Muckvix... he be here?� The Goblin looked into his eyes. �Yeah, yeah he be in da back.� Alban bowed and he pushed open a wooden door that led to the back section of the Shop.
Our other story update for today is Chapter 5 of Blood Red Poet's The Vana'diel Tragedy, entitled The Forbidden Mines. Here's a snippet:
�Goddamn it Shinato!� an elderly man told the younger Hume, hovering over a large wooden desk. Shinato wore a teal, padded vest over dirt stained white shirt. The old man dressed almost like an aristocrat, bore a big belly and flashy clothing.
�He� made fun of my family!� he tried to reason, forehands abusing the armrests. His knuckles were stained blood red: a Hume�s blood.
Dragon Quest VIII To NA [Post A Comment] - Print News | Mail News With Square-Enix's next release of Dragon Quest VIII just days away in Japan, there's now talks about translating the game and bringing it overseas. You can read up on all the details over on PS2 IGN in this article. Let's hope this happens soon, I know I'm not the only one excited about this game.
New FFXII Movie Trailer [Post A Comment] - Print News | Mail News The folks over on PS2 IGN have a brand new movie trailer of the upcoming Final Fantasy XII. It shows various cut scenes of the usual beautiful CG movies that all the Final Fantasy games have. Unfortunately there wasn't much in-game footage, but it's still worth checking out. You can download it right here.
FMO Screenshots and Profits [Post A Comment] - Print News | Mail News I just spotted around 20 new screenshots over on RPGamer of the new Square-Enix MMOG. They're all in japanese, but who actually reads the text when viewing screenshots? It looks like they have some screenshots of the character creation steps, the starting city and a few of combat. You can check out all those screenshots right here.
Also on another note, it seems profits for the 6 month period have been announced by Square-Enix and they're doing pretty good. Here's a quote.
Japanese publisher Square Enix has announced exceptionally strong results for the six months ended September 30th, with profits more than doubling thanks largely to the strong performance of the firm's online game division.
Sales during the period came to 24.3 billion Yen (180 million Euro), a rise of 23.6 per cent over last year's figure, while operating profit rose by a massive 155.3 per cent to 5.9 billion Yen (43.8 million Euro).
Much of that profit - which contributed to a final net profit figure of 3.1 billion Yen (23 million Euro), up 162.8 per cent - came directly from the firm's online games division, which saw stunning year-on-year growth.
So it looks like Final Fantasy XI is doing pretty well! You can check out the rest of the article on this page.
