Good afternoon all. Today we’re going to take things in a different direction & answer some of the questions posed by the Japanese FFXI community over at JPbutton.
1. Do foreign players have a lot of interest in joining social Japanese Linkshells? (Especially ones with only JP members) I ask because when I recruit for my shell in Japanese, I get a lot of tells from foreigners looking to join. Personally, I feel like even if they could understand my /shout, it still would be hard to keep up with regular conversation. They wouldn’t understand pop-culture references to old TV shows, for instance.
A. To be honest I feel the language barrier is the largest obstacle for many NA players such as myself from joining a social JP linkshell. Being able to effectively communicate with fellow members is key to having a good social setting, and for someone like myself who doesn’t understand more than a few very simple phrases it would be difficult overall.
2. Parties that cycle in replacement members seem to be popular amongst foreigners, but a lot of times the party will just disband once the replacement arrives. Of course, there are times when the replacement is contacted before they get all the way there, but there are many instances when no one says anything. There are also many cases where inappropriate jobs are invited and the party can no longer function well.
To me, this is a big reason behind some of the negative images Japanese players have about foreign players. What do you think about this?
A. Yeah, it’s happened a lot to me as well. And it does tend to paint us as NA players in a bad light.
3. Why does it seem like many foreign players don’t bother to bring medicines and potions to Missions and BCs? Many Japanese players make sure to have Vile Elixirs, Hi-Potions and/or Reraise Earrings.
A. I think it’s more an issue of the extremity of the preparation. For myself, I will always bring standard medicines such as echo drops, poison potions, food, and RR hairpins. But to bring items such as dozens of hi-potions and/or elixers seems to be complete overkill for most situations.
4. Sometimes I see foreign pick-up parties recruiting for members using Auto-Translate, but then when I join the party, all the conversation and battle planning is in English. I’ll ask for them to {Please use the Auto-Translate function.} but nobody ever does. If you are going to /shout for help with the Auto-Translator, why not use it in the party? It feels like I was tricked.
A. There’s a very good reason I tend not to form my own parties, and this is one of them. I feel if your going to invite JP players (or those whom may not speak English), then you owe it to them to make the effort to effectively communicate to the best of one’s ability.
5. How many NA and EU players do Campaign? Any thoughts about the recent nerf to Fortifications?
A. For myself, I try to do Campaign as much as possible to keep buffer experience for several jobs, as well as the added motivation of having allied notes to spend on ANNM battles. As for the fortification nerf, I think the changes made were excessive to a degree. As attacking fortifications are an important aspect to controlling a region, the impact of this change was immediately felt on our server, with several areas falling to the beastmen within days of the update.
6. What equipment do you think has great stats but horrible looks? What equipment do you think has the best graphics?
A. I can’t really think of any gear that is great stat wise but looks horrible. As for the best graphical look, their’s several I’d like; Morrigan’s, Goliard, and Nashira gear all look terrific and really stand out with outstanding stats. My personal favorite though is the Argute attire (Scholar relic gear).
7. Outside of your normal party gear, is there any equipment that you go out of your way to get strictly for looks? What are your favorite pieces of casual equipment?
A. Unfortunately, I don’t go out of my way for gear that just looks good. Having multiple mage jobs makes managing inventory a challenge, and leaves little if any room for more personal comforts.
8. I’m a Mithra, and I find that a lot of foreigners seem to be into Mithra fashion. They examine me and ask where I got my equipment and such. Do you think male players enjoy dressing up their Mithra in cute outfits?
Uhm… Uhm… /blush… no comment. (You try being in a linkshell with a majority of Mithra. ^^;;; )
9. I wonder if you calculate the XP/hr of parties, and if so, do you think that Skillchain/Magic Burst or Weaponskill spam produces the best results? Before parsing became widespread, Japanese players used to think Skillchain/Magic Burst was the best.
Depends on the camp, but a good party at the Greater Colibri camp can usually pump out 18-20k per hour. Unfortunately, that same camp was much of the reason for the surge in melee burn style parties, and the effective dismissal of the traditional skillchain/magic burst setup that was prevalent in the old days. Personally I would wish SE would give us camps that would give similar benefits for a wide range of party setups.
10. How come it seems like so many people don’t utilize Search Comments properly? Why don’t they write their camp location for others to see? Also, it’s strange to see so many people seeking without basic information written like available jobs and where they can access. Don’t you want an invite?
A. My thoughts exactly! If you want a invite into a good party, weither JP or NA you should at least make the effort to show leaders that your qualified for the role. Also, in terms of access to areas; I think it’s more a presumption amongst experienced players that a person has made the effort needed to be able to access essential areas (all staging points, campaign warps, etc… etc…).
11. If you know you are going to be busy, how come you don’t alert people at the beginning of the party instead of surprising everyone at the last minute?
I think I’m one of the few exceptions to this rule where I’ll give the leader advanced warning of time remaining. Yes, it’s irritating to have people just suddenly cut and run from a group.
12, Honestly, the largest difference in thinking between Japanese and foreign players exists in the Merit party. You often say 5 DDs and a RDM is so good, but having a single, solitary healer is hard on the RDM. Japanese realize that healers can be in short supply, so we make sacrifices to lighten their burden, like subbing a mage job, or using Utsusemi. I feel like many people don’t show proper respect to healers.
When we say JP ONLY, it isn’t always an issue of language, but the fact that we feel there are other dangers and demerits associated with a non-JP party, stemming from our different play-styles, that we wish to avoid. This key difference in thinking, more than any race or language issue, is what really sets us apart as players. They are just looking to sit back, relax and earn some decent XP.
A. Now here’s a question I can answer from experience, as I’ve helmed several burn-style parties as the Red Mage before. Personally I don’t think it’s all that difficult, provided I have the tools needed to be successful. Just give me some refresh, a few DD’s that know what their doing, and I’ll heal all day long if I have to. In that particular style of party, I feel the Bard has the most stressful job of all being able to manage the responsibilities of pulling mobs, singing songs, and keeping enemies under control.
As for the idea of JP ONLY parties, I can certainly understand the feelings toward foreign players, but all I ask is to give me a goal of some sort and the ability to have a good time for a few hours, and I’ll prove we’re all not as bad as you think. =D
Recent Comments