Thalen

Content by Thalen

AggroChat #52 – FFXIV Story Spoiler Show

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Since August 2013 Final Fantasy XIV has been a fairly significant part of our lives.  While we had a break in there, we have been in place for at least the last eight months soaking up every ounce of content that Square Enix can throw at us.  Throughout this game the story of the game has been a constant topic of conversation among the aggrochat crew and friends.  Each time a new tidbit of story was released it would start rampant speculation as to where the story might be going.  As we made our way through the current patches content, I think it is safe to say that none of us could have guessed how this would have ended.

As the credits rolled on the conclusion of the 2.0 storyline… the first reaction is that you absolutey have to talk to someone about it.  This week we do a complete no holds barred spoiler filled romp through the Final Fantasy XIV storyline to date, talking about its conclusion and some of the elements from previous patches that might play into the future of the Heavensward expansion.  If you have not reached the climax of this story arc, then I highly suggest you file this show away and return to it later.  During most shows we try really hard not to directly spoil any content, and we will be returning to that next week.  This week…  we need to get this out of our systems, and if you have finished the storyline, chances are you do too.

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A Prediction for Heavensward

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This entire post is CHOCK FULL OF SPOILERS for the most recent story events in FFXIV. Seriously, if you don’t want spoilers turn back now.

Not a spoiler: There will be internet dragons

Alright, so I’m going to be theorizing based on the state of things as of the end of the current storyline, and particularly one scene that shows up after the ending credits. I’m assuming if you’re reading this you already know what’s gone down, but if not you can listen to us talk about it on the latest Aggrochat podcast. The important thing for our purposes here is that the Scions of the Seventh Dawn appear to have been nearly wiped out. Yda, Papalymo, Y’shtola, Thancred, and Minfilia all remained behind and apparently gave their lives in Ul’dah to aid our escape.

What really got me thinking, though, is the final cutscene where we see Urianger speaking to Elidibus, the white-robed Ascian. We don’t see much, but Urianger appears to be ready to enter into a deal with Elidibus. My theory is about that deal and the possible repercussions.

I think Urianger, already hit hard by the death of Moenbryda, was devastated by the apparent deaths of the other Scions. Willing to do whatever it takes to save them, he enters into a deal with Elidibus, offering him the stone from Louisoux’s staff if the Scions can be returned to life. Elidibus accepts, and the Scions are restored, but not without cost. They come back in the thrall of Elidibus’ “One True God”, effectively tempered.

This would lead into a storyline where we find ourselves having to face our former friends and desperately search for a way to free them of the Ascians’ influence. I see us facing them one by one, most likely starting with Moenbryda, and collecting a dark crystal from each as we defeat them. Adding Moenbryda to the five Scions who fell in Ul’dah would give us a total of six dark crystals to collect, just as we collected six light crystals from the primals in the Realm Reborn story.

Dark Crystals, you say?

I might be entirely off base with all of this, but this seems to me like something that fits in with the sort of story the FFXIV team have been telling thus far and also hearkens back to aspects of previous Final Fantasy games (collecting dark crystals, friends mind-controlled and set against the party). I’m looking forward to seeing if I’m right.

AggroChat 51 – Awesome Outfits

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Tonight we have a bit of an unusual show considering that for the majority of the week we thought this was going to be the Bel and Ash show.  Kodra is prepping for his move to Seattle and as such flew out this weekend to look at housing options.  Tam is playing host which took them both out of the equation.  Rae on the other hand is travelling and visiting friends over the extended weekend.  Thankfully our long time friend and AggroChat.com poster Thalen was willing to step in and offer his services.  Tonight we talk about a whole slew of topics ranging from epic dungeons and dragons sessions, to the lengths we have gone to in order to get just the right outfit in a game we are playing.

Some of the games we touched upon:  World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, Axiom Verge, Darkest Dungeon, Shin Megami Tensei IV as well as covering some of our favorite April Fools Day jokes from the past week.  Hopefully the show is as enjoyable to listen to as it was to record.

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Game vs Metagame

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Tam’s recent post about solved games really crystallized something for me with regards to why I do and don’t like certain games. In particular why I will sometimes really like the concept of a game and yet end up absolutely loathing it in practice. In a word, metagame.

…game
I’ve come to realize that the existence of a codified metagame for something is a pretty good sign that I won’t want anything to do with it. If there’s a way of doing things that is the way, the truth, and the light, then I get to choose between following the crowd or trying to go my own way knowing that I’m actively not playing optimally. The former tends to lead to me getting bored quickly, particularly since the one right way rarely ever syncs up with the way I want to play, and often relies on degenerate strategies. The latter puts me in a spot where I don’t get to take joy in improving, since I’m aware that I’m actively not playing ‘the best way’.

Beyond that, I’m being forced to spend time figuring out how to play the game ‘properly’ rather than actually playing the game. Part of the problem with metagame for me is that it is, by definition, external to the game. So I end up having to look for FAQs, wikis, or even *shudder* official forums to even begin to figure out what I’m ‘supposed’ to be doing. And then, without fail, I learn that I chose the wrong class, hero, skill set, or whatever and I can either start over completely or bull on with the knowledge that I’m ‘doing it wrong’. At least if it’s a single-player game I can take comfort in playing the character I want to play even if it isn’t optimal. In a multi-player game there’s the added joy of other players more than happy to tell you that you’re stupid and wrong if you dare to step outside of the accepted orthodoxy.

My roots in tabletop role-playing, where metagaming has long been viewed negatively, may also enter into this. For me playing a game is about working within the bounds of the assumptions that are made by the system. Avoiding use of out-of-game knowledge as much as possible is part of this. If a game is well designed and things are messaged properly, I should be able to figure out everything I need to know to play well without having to resort to outside information.

Ultimately, the more time I’m having to spend playing the metagame instead of the actual game, the less I tend to enjoy myself. I want to do my learning as a part of playing, rather than as a prerequisite to even getting started.