About the controller thing.. Maybe when you first start, a 'PS2-esque' controller will be easier to use, but down the line, a properly customized keyboard layout is vastly superior, at the very least for the sake of macro customization. And all of those gamepad features, like using the d-pad to select targets, can be mapped to the keyboard. Personally, I use the compact keyboard layout, which allows you to assign almost any key just like a button, so I can hit 'G' for my menu for instance, w/o hitting ctrl or alt. Of course, if you want to type in the chat bar, you have to hit the spacebar or '/' first, but that's still better than having to put down your controller to use your keyboard to type.

i think it was perhaps around this time last year that i read about announcements of some moca products (i forget from which manufacturer), and i have yet to see a single device available for purchase. hopefully, this new stuff will actually end up on some shelf soon, as perhaps moca could be the answer to my networking issues.

yes, these are the kind of articles i need to read, to make me feel better about my decision to return (in the near future) to ffxi. admittedly, ffxi is the only mmorpg i've ever played, but i absolutely love it. i love the strong emphasis on teamwork, the importance of good strategy, and the general difficulty of the game. i also love the job system (mainly how it lets you have multiple jobs). i have yet to find any other game that offers these things (some1 please tell me if there is..).

i guess my biggest gripe about the game has been partying. i loved partying, but sometimes it would be so hard to make a good exp party. sometimes you'd be missing just one member (let's say you'd need a WHM and your pty is 58-60), and the only one you see out there is like lvl 62. you'd basically be screwed. or, sometimes you'd get a proper pty together, and all of the good camps would be taken (esp. if ppl in your group don't have access to sky or w/e).

now, you can pretty much pty wherever you want (except like in like east saruta), w/ whomever you want. i think that is awesome, and i am really looking fwd to it.

well let's see.. back in my ffxi days i can say it didn't really cost much to support my addiction.

the largest investment was a new lappie (it was a $2.5k thinkpad t-series). that thing was intended for schoolwork and other stuff as well, but its specs were definitely intended for my enjoyment of the game.

also, there was an xbox 360 pro (a decent client if you don't use any 3rd pty apps, which no proper gamer does *ahem*), and long before all of this, the $100 ps2 ffxi starter.

then of course there's all the little accessories -- 2 usb keyboards, some extra wireless equipment.

and of course, there were all the monthly fees associated with supporting two accounts, along with perhaps half a dozen mules, for a little over a year.

all in all, i've spent more money on ffxi than on any other video game, but i have to say, during the time that i was playing, i spent less money in general. i spent less money on grooming (a haircut mbe every 2 months, as opposed to the self-suggested bi-weekly cut), less money spent on eating out, and hanging out in general. less money spent on other video games and systems. less money spent on new clothes.

i can definitely say that, unlike some other addictions, ffxi and games like it allow you to live with less cost, unless you consider the cost of saying goodbye to your social life and all your hopes and dreams. unless you RMT, which i abhor, sanctioned or not.

yes, well.. this year will mark my return to the online game known as final fantasy xi.

/farewell RL

me

plz

both are bare, but the left foot has a shadow over it.. i was kinda thrown by that at first.

yeah that's cool and all, but i'm not gonna play the game again 'til the DLC comes out. so they need to work on that. hope it comes w/ some more achievement pts.

i for one prefer NGII's weapon selection system. it lets you take your time and select what you want, since it pauses the game, instead of letting you get your ass kicked while you take a second to choose a weapon. i just don't see what their is to find in fault with it unless you just don't like the fact that it pauses the game.