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Kerrzhe
Nov 5, 2008

i'm actually pretty torn between FFXIV and Monster Hunter World not gonna lie

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Ibblebibble
Nov 12, 2013

Lord_Magmar posted:

To give the example for Stormblood, if you're playing Heavensward blind and knew that the next expansion is Stormblood (Crimson Liberator), might cause one to change thoughts on how patch 3.4 and 3.5 play out narratively.

People would have known that the next expac was called Stormblood by around 3.3 though, that's when they usually announce the next expac's name.

Mordiceius
Nov 10, 2007

If you think calling me names is gonna get a rise out me, think again. I like my life as an idiot!

Ibblebibble posted:

People would have known that the next expac was called Stormblood by around 3.3 though, that's when they usually announce the next expac's name.

Stormblood wasn't announced until after 3.4. Usually, expansions are announced between x.4 and x.5, so it's only in the final patch do you have any good idea of what will happen next.

Schwartzcough
Aug 12, 2009

Don't tease the Octopus, kids!
Anyone who has played the game the last year would've seen the names of the two most recent expansion packs every time they logged in... Like, they're right on the title screen. But okay.

Sanguinia
Jan 1, 2012

~Everybody wants to be a cat~
~Because a cat's the only cat~
~Who knows where its at~

LP News: I've nearly completed the first five chapters, which was my goal before beginning regular updates. The current plan is to post one chapter every three days starting on Wednesday. A bit slower than when I was hitting my stride in HW, but hopefully more easily sustained.

jalapeno_dude posted:

Separately, to give the OP something they can actually read:

Sang, I'm curious about what you think of the title 'Heavensward' itself.

...

But I wonder what you think about it as it relates to the expansion on a more thematic level.

Bonus question, of course: given the relation between HW's title and its plot/themes, what do you expect from an expansion called 'Stormblood'?

One of the things about Heavensward that consistently got me to crack a smile was how they kept finding new ways to Title Drop such an esoteric word and each time that it had a new meaning.

On a thematic level I think there's absolutely at least a triple meaning going on here, which in turn connects with the three most prominent ways the word is used in the story. The three meanings that stuck out to me were 1) Looking toward the 'heavens,' as an abstraction for the concept of desiring salvation, be that physical or spiritual 2) the act of traveling toward the heavens serving as a symbol of the effort to become a better person and 3) defending, or warding, heaven, as in the places that exist among the skies

There's tons of ways these three themes are expressed, sometimes being mixed and matched together, and I comment on them throughout the HW LP. As early as the opening movie Meteor Survivor has his eyes downcast for his whole walk onto the bridge, then literally looks HEAVENSWARD to see his savior, the Dragoon, who is literally WARDING the actual sky (and Ishgard, the kingdom that sits on its stone pillar among the clouds) while he sits on that flagpole. The people of Ishgard are extremely religious, invoking Halone's will constantly, and the questions about what faith actually means and how it saves you (or fails to save you) run through dozens or stories. When you go to Asyz Lla, that's Warding Heaven from the intruders that mean to abuse it. When Ishgard begins its renaissance Edmont concludes his book by talking about we must go ever further Heavensward as a metaphor for leaving the corrupt ways of the Dragonsong War behind. You yourself mentioned how Nidhogg's ultimate ending involved his soul literally rising upward away from the body that was in many ways a physical expression of his evil, and that ascent accpanying words of peace. I could go on but it's late and I think you get the gist.

As for Stormblood, for a long time I had no idea what to think of the name. My guess was that it might have something to do with a metaphorical storm in the blood, some kind of power within that needed to be awakened or emotions that needed to be tamed or unleashed for the sake of the wars to come. But the intro theme making the key phrase Storm OF Blood was certainly unexpected, and an eyebrow raiser. But lets not get too far ahead of ourselves.

And just to end the argument:

Yes, I know the expansion names, they're not spoilers. No, I didn't know about the colors thing, so thank you to the person who put the colors for the next two expansions into spoiler tags, you did exactly the right thing.

Sanguinia fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Jun 14, 2022

Runa
Feb 13, 2011

I just try to avoid talking about future expacs to avoid awkwardness, either from accidentally posting a spoiler, which is absolutely against the spirit of things, or saying something that absolutely isn't a spoiler but that someone else has managed to convince themselves it is.

Where we get to the awkward situation where explaining how something isn't a spoiler is closer to actually spoiling something just by virtue of eliminating possibilities.

Just as goons cannot help but talk about spoilers, goons cannot help but insist that everything is a spoiler, and so we get situations like... whatever the hell this is.

E: Sorry Sang, didn't realize you were about to post, that's quite enough out of me on the topic of posting about posting today.

Runa fucked around with this message at 08:36 on Jun 14, 2022

Sanguinia
Jan 1, 2012

~Everybody wants to be a cat~
~Because a cat's the only cat~
~Who knows where its at~

Runa posted:

I just try to avoid talking about future expacs to avoid awkwardness, either from accidentally posting a spoiler, which is absolutely against the spirit of things, or saying something that absolutely isn't a spoiler but that someone else has managed to convince themselves it is.

Where we get to the awkward situation where explaining how something isn't a spoiler is closer to actually spoiling something just by virtue of eliminating possibilities.

Just as goons cannot help but talk about spoilers, goons cannot help but insist that everything is a spoiler, and so we get situations like... whatever the hell this is.

E: Sorry Sang, didn't realize you were about to post

I honestly blame myself for opening the thread a week early to celebrate my anniversary, y'all get a little stir crazy when I don't give you the updates :lol:

Hogama
Sep 3, 2011

Regalingualius posted:

No, it’s about Gilgamesh Greg and his never ending quest to find the legendary Heavensword.

He just missed it, here it is, the Heavensward.

kitten emergency
Jan 13, 2008

get meow this wack-ass crystal prison
emmalian and honorits new rap album, Heavensward Up

SirPhoebos
Dec 10, 2007

WELL THAT JUST HAPPENED!



I can't believe none of you remember the scene where you were here Greensward in the Churning Mists where Cid is showing you how to fly the Millennium Falcon, and some guy pops in and says "I am so sick of this Heaven Sward".

FuturePastNow
May 19, 2014


Heaven's Ward? More like Dead Ward

Rogue AI Goddess
May 10, 2012

I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees.
That was a joke... unless..?
'Heavensward' is an anagram for 'Dawn Save Her', foreshadowing that the Scions would reunite without Minfilia.

hazardousmouse
Dec 17, 2010

SirPhoebos posted:



I can't believe none of you remember the scene where you were here Greensward in the Churning Mists where Cid is showing you how to fly the Millennium Falcon, and some guy pops in and says "I am so sick of this Heaven Sward".

they just couldnt name it "big dick island?"

Qwertycoatl
Dec 31, 2008

hazardousmouse posted:

they just couldnt name it "big dick island?"

"Mother of the Sheave" is the closest the mapmakers thought they could get away with

Quantum Toast
Feb 13, 2012

SirPhoebos posted:



I can't believe none of you remember the scene where you were here Greensward in the Churning Mists where Cid is showing you how to fly the Millennium Falcon, and some guy pops in and says "I am so sick of this Heaven Sward".

I'd genuinely forgotten there was grass in that zone; all I remember is weird half-melted-looking trees and some kind of floating balloon things around Moghome.

Schwartzcough
Aug 12, 2009

Don't tease the Octopus, kids!

Hogama posted:


He just missed it, here it is, the Heavensward.

It appears to be an ordinary sword of legend.

OhFunny
Jun 26, 2013

EXTREMELY PISSED AT THE DNC

kitten emergency posted:

emmalian and honorits new rap album, Heavensward Up

They send all haters to the Burn Ward.

Craptacular!
Jul 9, 2001

Fuck the DH

Sanguinia posted:

But the intro theme making the key phrase Storm OF Blood was certainly unexpected, and an eyebrow raiser. But lets not get too far ahead of ourselves.

I think in the space between the early planning and marketing ideas for this expansion and the actually putting it into coding that the writing team broke out of a Game of Thrones obsession. The opening cinematic world map thing is straight up a GOT opening credits sequence, and the launch window "buy this game now" marketing hype tagline for this one was Hells Open, Heavens Weep. That phrase isn't completely without context, it's a lyric, but it sounds more M Night Shaymalan than it should.

Sanguinia
Jan 1, 2012

~Everybody wants to be a cat~
~Because a cat's the only cat~
~Who knows where its at~

Chapter 1: Take Me Home, Country Roads

Kheris walks into the Rising Stones just in time to witness the arrival of an official missive from the Eorzean Alliance. General Raubahn and the unified Grand Company task force have secured Baelsar’s Wall. They now request assistance from the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.

The nature of this assistance is political, not military. The Alliance is attempting to curate its image to avoid the appearance that this is an invasion, even though they've seized control of the border. They want the Scions to liaise with the Ala Mhigan Resistance to add legitimacy to this effort. The idea is for the Alliance to treat them as a government-in-exile of sorts. If they greenlight the invasion of Gyr Abania, the Alliance can plausibly claim that they have a mandate from the people of Ala Mhigo to liberate their lands.

Who better than the Scions for this job? After all, we’ve got the daughter of one of the Resistance founders right here!



One could reasonably ask why they’re bothering with this. After all, we know from previous events that Emperor Varis is actively hunting for a casus beli to launch another invasion of Eorzea. If he wants this war, surely he won’t care about any explanation the savages offer for attacking Garlean territory. He’ll respond with maximum force, right?

Well, maybe not. Another thing we’ve learned, although it’s been subtle and infrequent, is that the Empire does have its share of domestic political friction. Varis had to fight a modest Civil War to win the throne, after all, and even though he is now secure in that position, he’s no dictator. We were told that some factions within the Empire are resistant to renewing the conquest of Eorzea and that the greatest danger to the Alliance would be if these factions were silenced by evidence that our subjugation is necessary.

That’s why the Scions were so worried about the enemy getting wind of Shiva. News that the ‘less savage’ nations of the continent were summoning Primals and not just the Beast Tribes was the one thing we were sure would get everyone in Garlemald back on the warpath. After all, fear of the Primals drove the previous Emperor to turn his eye to Eorzea in the first place. That’s why he was willing to activate Operation: Meteor even after the Dravanians crushed his airship fleet. Many leaders would have cut their losses after a disaster like that, but the Primals were so concerning he felt the situation couldn’t be left alone.

An ‘unprovoked’ invasion of an Imperial Province could just as easily unify all the Garlean factions. But an attack that the natives invited despite the ‘civilizing’ force of Garlean culture being at work for twenty years? That might muddy the waters enough to keep the Empire squabbling and give us the window we need to boot them off our shores.

All of this is implied rather than spoken in the Scions meeting, of course, but that’s a sign of how effective the writing of the Garlean subplot has been. I don’t need Alphinaud to lay it out for me; I just needed to pay attention so I could connect the dots myself when we reached this point.

We divvy up our duties. The away team will consist of Kheris, Lyse, Alphinaud, Alisaie, Y’shtola, and Krile. Thancred, Urianger, and Tataru will remain behind to lead the B-Team in case any problems arise behind the lines.

Speaking of the B-Team, they’re in good spirits, looking forward to the adventures that’ll come with holding down the fort. Even the old men, Homei and Isildaure, look forward to helping with local problems, though they regret that they’re not young enough to sail to Doma with Yugiri and Gosetsu. Only Coultenet is in the dumps, as he’s still in mourning over Papalymo’s death. He laments how he lacks power compared to the lost master thaumaturge and worries such power might be needed sooner rather than later.

Hoary and Ocher console him. In their view, even if they lack the raw strength to face the same threats as the senior Scions, they still have a purpose in the grand battle for the fate of the world. They’ll embrace it without reservation.




As for Team Doma, they take a moment before departing to express their sadness that they won’t be around to help us in Gyr Abania. With the immediate threat resolved, Gosetsu’s message regarding their Lord’s distress can no longer be put off. But they promise Lyse we'll meet again and celebrate our victory when the fighting is done. I hope that’s not a Death Flag…



We get one last surprise before we depart, though ‘surprise’ is being generous. It’s time for Lyse to get her wardrobe upgrade from Tataru! But it’s not the one I’m expecting.



Rather than the fancy red silks from the intro film, Tataru has prepared this sporty number. The outfit seems to evoke FF7’s Tifa between the fingerless gloves and the sports bra/hot pants combo, which is fitting for the group’s brawler. Regardless of whether the reference was intentional, it’s easily the Most Nomura design we’ve seen on a Scion. Kudos to the art team for restraining themselves to a mere six belts. Still, it makes me curious about when and why the intro outfit will show up.

We ship out to the Shroud, where there’s a pause for everyone to reflect on Papalymo’s sacrifice one last time. Then it’s off to the lands beyond the Wall.




Lyse provides the narration here, and it’s… weirdly not good. After the tremendous performance of Lyse’s VA (Laura Aikman) during the “Far Edge of Fate,” MSQ, the poor delivery caught me off guard. Maybe it was bad voice direction? Regardless, this was a pale shadow of the previous times they’ve used this narration gimmick, which is a shame.

~*~*~

We enter Castrum Oriens to the tune of "With Giants Watching." Or rather, we enter the outer gates of Castrum Oriens since we already saw a big chunk of the base when we went through the Baelsar's Wall dungeon. The Alliance forces are under Raubahn’s direct command, seconded by Serpent Marshal Brookstone, the last of the three Grand Company leaders I’d yet to meet. His presence and position are sensible, given the Twin Adders have asserted a degree of jurisdiction here. They've taken responsibility for the army’s logistical needs and the perimeter guard. They even deployed a specialist to study the status of the forest on this side of the wall.

It makes sense that they’d want authority. We’re on the Gridanian border, so all supply chains must go through their territory. But one NPC gives another reason why the Adders might be trying to exercise some control over this expedition. One hundred years ago, an Ala Mhigan king attacked their borders in an attempt to annex part of the Black Shroud. This conflict soon escalated and eventually led the other City-States to unite into the first incarnation of the Eorzean Alliance to bring Ala Mhigo to heel. They named this event the Autumn War, which some of my more eager commenters discussed long before this first-ever in-game mention (:argh:).

So, the people we’ve come to rescue from imperial subjugation have a history of imperialism themselves. How ironic. On the other hand, they were fighting against the Elementals, so who’s to say who the REAL bad guys were? More seriously, one hundred years is a long time, but if there’s one thing you can trust Gridanians will do, it’s hold a grudge. Their motives for wanting a position of relative primacy in the chain of command might not be entirely honorable. It’s Something to keep an eye on.

Luckily, as I mentioned, the overall command belongs to Raubahn. He’s ensured that Flame, Maelstrom, and Temple Knight troops are also providing plenty of manpower to the Castrum, and he’s given them one of the most crucial jobs, cataloging all Magitek the garrison left behind and refitting it for use in the field. Cid is on hand to help with that, although he’s devoting most of his energy to the hunt for Shinryu and Omega.



So far, that hunt hasn’t turned up much, though he does remind us that he sent Omega a shut-down code, so even if the Garleans have it, it should be useless. Still, the sooner we’re in contact with the Resistance and have our justification for advances into Garlean territory, the better. Kheris doesn’t need to be told twice. Since Nero isn't currently handcuffed to Cid, it’s safe to assume he’s doing something related to that robot we need to be worried about, even if the Imperials aren’t.

With Raubahn’s blessing, the Scions sally forth with Lyse leading the way. She’s named our destination as Rhalgr’s Reach, headquarters of the “most influential,” of all the Resistance factions. Our first step is to pass through East End, the small portion of the Shroud found on this side of the wall.

East End has a bittersweet, autumnal feeling. It's as if this place was once vibrant, but that time is long past. Though living creatures abound, there is a distinct sense of stillness despite them, backed by the melancholic violins of "Beyond the Wall." The forest floor is covered in a bed of dead vegetation, and the leaves on the trees are starting to change color in anticipation of winter. A brook runs so gently through the area you’d think it was stagnant, and in the distance, you can spy the moss-covered ruins of an abandoned town. Scattered throughout this landscape are the decaying remnants of Garlean machina.



These have been here too long to be the product of the fighting over the Castrum, especially since Raubahn stated that the enemy has been avoiding serious engagements since we seized the Wall. Krile makes an off-handed comment that this area was once Gridanian land. The logical conclusion would be that the Garleans went out of their way to seize a chunk of the Twelveswood before they built Baelsar’s Wall.

That seems like the exact sort of plan Gaius van Baelsar would have endorsed. What better way to quiet dissent among a newly taken populace than to show them that being conquered has perks? Like the vindication of a hundred-year-old territorial dispute at the end of an Imperial gun barrel? He promised the rest of the Alliance more or less the same with Ultima Weapon when he tried to get them to surrender. Of course, we can see how empty that promise was regardless of the Legatus’ intent. The Ala Mhigans may have taken the land on a map, but they certainly didn’t gain any prosperity from it, given the place feels like a graveyard.

The next obstacle is the Velodyna River, which we’re forced to ford because the only bridge was fortified into Castellum Velodyna. It’s the administrative and logistical nerve center for the entire region, not to mention symbolic, thanks to that mile-high Garlean banner. Our crossing is a dangerous proposition despite how far up-river we are from the bridge. The shallow part of the river is entirely exposed in every direction. Thankfully, Lyse has enough knowledge of the local patrol routes that we can take the time to razz Alphi for not knowing how to swim. Thank God we brought Alis on this mission.

The last leg of the trip takes us across some badlands, where we find more Garlean wreckage and Ala Mhigan ruins to match them. The remnants of the conquest, no doubt. Most noteworthy is a crashed gunship, which is the only wreck still burning. Perhaps it’s the one Shinryu shot down? Regardless, we come to a dead-end canyon, which Y’shtola quickly identifies as illusion magic. On the other side of the spell, we find the home of the Resistance.



Yes, it’s the very same place from the intro movie. A bit less lush and green than we saw there, but to be fair, the deserts outside were a bit less desolate and lifeless. Alphi explains this place was once home to “The Fist of Rhalgr,” whoever they are. We don’t get a chance to discuss it because the next thing we know, we’re surrounded by armed sentries.

The guards are led by M’Naago, Lyse Miqo’te friend, Meffrid, the leader of the Shroud Resistance group Kheris helped get medical supplies long ago, and the man we’ve come to see.



Alphi gets to business after a few pleasantries, announcing that we’re here on behalf of the Alliance to proffer formal military aide. Lyse jumps in (after offering an apology for serving his command under a false name, which he assures her is not needed) and helps the sales pitch. She tells him this Alliance offensive is the best chance Ala Mhigo may ever have for liberation. Conrad seems less enthusiastic, off-handedly referring to the situation as the Resistance being used by the Alliance as a proxy because the Empire’s forces are superior. Then again, M'Naago seems enthusiastic, so maybe he’s just posturing. This is politics after all.

We’re given leave to poke around the base while the Resistance Leadership discusses things. In sharp contrast to the lifelessness outside, Rhalgr’s Reach is bustling with activity. We find soldiers working lances, blades, and bows, maintaining heavy weapons, and even raising a purple breed of Chocobo as cavalry mounts. They’re also playing cards, telling stories around campfires, enjoying meals, and haggling with some merchants who’ve risked their necks to bring in the goods the Resistance needs to keep the fight alive. (That includes folks from Rowena’s House of Splendors. That lady never misses a chance at a profit.) The musical theme "Impact," is as energetic as the people, making heavy use of sitars to set a lively tone.

Yet you can’t help but notice a dusting of snare drums in the song, which reminds us this is a military encampment. By the same token, you can’t help but take in some of the more grim details, which illustrate this rebellion isn’t all fun and games. The guard near the Aetheryte notes his job is to destroy the thing if the Garleans ever overrun the base. The doctor in the medical tents mentions they’ve thinned out the healing potions so much that they’re barely better than alcohol for numbing pain. One supply officer says they can’t keep a steady stock of bandages, or another says he got the job because he’s one of the few in the camp willing to tell people no regardless of their sob stories. And, of course, there's the depressingly full crypt.



Lyse points out that Highlander Hyurs make up less than half of the Resistance. Seekers of the Sun like M’Naago and Hellsguard Roegadyn from the high mountain regions are a big part of their forces. They’ve even recruited a local Beast Tribe, the snakewomen of the Ananta.



She does confess that the faction fighting with them is a small one. Most Ananta see Ala Mhigans as no different than Imperials. Guess that tells us relations between Mankind and Beastfolk are just as bad on this side of the wall.

On the topic of history, Lyse shows Kheris the statue of Rhalgr and the shrine at its base. Myth teaches that Ala Mhigo was founded when their patron god sent a comet during the Great Flood, which ended the Fifth Astral Era. This light in the heavens guided them to safety, and in return for their salvation, the people of Gyr Abania pledged to “devote themselves to great works without and within.” The Fist of Rhalgr, mentioned earlier, was the order of monks that built this place in accordance with that decree. They also left a message before they were burned out of their Temple and butchered by the Mad King Theodric sometime before the Garlean invasion:




It’s not just a title drop; it’s a valuable insight into Ala Mhigo’s spiritual core. They’re a nation born in disaster, and their god saved them so they could prepare themselves for the day the next disaster came. A very "Winter is Coming," way of looking at life. Lyse’s next comment underscores this fatalism: if this war is the “Storm of Blood,” the monks spoke of, she believes that everything the Scions have been through prepared us for it, and that means we can’t fail. This is destiny.

~*~*~

With our tour complete, we return to the command tent, where Conrad and the other leaders have finished their deliberations. The good news is they’re prepared to accept the Alliance's offer. The bad news is that the only support they can offer for now is their own. As we’ve been repeatedly reminded, this is only one Resistance faction of many, and while it may be the most influential, that doesn’t mean every group will follow their lead.

Not only that, there’s the additional problem that their operations are in shambles, thanks to Ilberd. When the Griffin and the Masks proposed their attack on Baelsar’s Wall, they drew a lot of support from the existing factions. Some of Rhalgr’s Reach’s best were part of that massacre, and now they’re stuck trying to rebuild themselves from a crippled state.

So, the Scion’s first task will be to do what we can to get the Resistance back on their feet. Alphi intends to return to the Rising Stones and see if there’s anyone from the Scion’s lower ranks we can recruit to shore up their numbers. Krile and Y’shtola will lend their skills to the infirmary to see if they help some of the wounded back to the front lines. But the most critical tasks fall to Alisaie and Lyse. The former will escort M’Naago back to Raubahn with Conrad’s official terms for military cooperation. The latter will head out on a recruitment mission to try and get fresh troops from the outlying settlements.

Kheris is given the option of which task to help with first, a pretty shrewd move by the devs to try and split the players into different directions at the start of the expansion, so they’re not all doing the same activities on launch day. My character doesn’t have a strong preference, but I do once I hear the irresistible hook on the recruitment mission. We’re not just going to any old town looking for folks to enlist. We’re going to Lyse’s hometown!

Sanguinia fucked around with this message at 11:27 on Jun 16, 2022

Cythereal
Nov 8, 2009

I love the potoo,
and the potoo loves you.
[Modnote: This strayed a liiittle too close to spoiler territory. Remember not to reference content that hasn't been mentioned yet]

Somebody fucked around with this message at 01:18 on Jun 16, 2022

wokow6
Oct 19, 2013
Ilberd may have gotten what he wanted, but his actions have made the situation for those who had been fighting a lot worse.

Leraika
Jun 14, 2015

Luckily, I *did* save your old avatar. Fucked around and found out indeed.
drat, Aenor, calm down

Hellioning
Jun 27, 2008

Leraika posted:

drat, Aenor, calm down

Her thirst is unquenchable.

NyoroEevee
May 21, 2020

Hellioning posted:

Her thirst is unquenchable.

A man stranded in the middle of Southern Thanalan for a week would be more satiated by comparison.

Sanguinia
Jan 1, 2012

~Everybody wants to be a cat~
~Because a cat's the only cat~
~Who knows where its at~

You all probably noticed that I've edited some, though not all, of my screenshots. I hope they're not too bright, graphic design is NOT my passion. But lately I've been noticing just how easy it is to loose detail in dark places or when events happen at night. You don't really notice it at all while you're playing, but in screenshot form, especially if the screenshot is resized in any way... well, I thought it was worth the extra work. The next few chapters you'll see me experimenting with how much labor and time I was willing to put into it because I have to adjust the colors around the text boxes or they get screwed up. I eventually settled on a much lazier method than these first products. :P

1stGear
Jan 16, 2010

Here's to the new us.
The game has gotten less horny since ARR but that's because Aenor has been absorbing all of it. Get her to close to some crystals and she would probably summon a primal.

Lord_Magmar
Feb 24, 2015

"Welcome to pound town, Slifer slacker!"


1stGear posted:

The game has gotten less horny since ARR but that's because Aenor has been absorbing all of it. Get her to close to some crystals and she would probably summon a primal.

The Knights of the Rounded asscheeks.

Regalingualius
Jan 7, 2012

We gazed into the eyes of madness... And all we found was horny.




It’s funny that you mention how they split up the starting experience into two zones to drive down launch day congestion, since the point right after they converge again is still infamous for… causing a lot of launch-day congestion. :v:

Bloody Pom
Jun 5, 2011



Regalingualius posted:

It’s funny that you mention how they split up the starting experience into two zones to drive down launch day congestion, since the point right after they converge again is still infamous for… causing a lot of launch-day congestion. :v:

I can only imagine how magnificent the hunt for a certain pair of sightseeing spots was on launch week :allears:

Hogama
Sep 3, 2011

Sanguinia posted:

You all probably noticed that I've edited some, though not all, of my screenshots. I hope they're not too bright, graphic design is NOT my passion. But lately I've been noticing just how easy it is to loose detail in dark places or when events happen at night. You don't really notice it at all while you're playing, but in screenshot form, especially if the screenshot is resized in any way... well, I thought it was worth the extra work. The next few chapters you'll see me experimenting with how much labor and time I was willing to put into it because I have to adjust the colors around the text boxes or they get screwed up. I eventually settled on a much lazier method than these first products. :P
If you haven't gotten around to it already, you could try playing around with a reshader, too. XIV is by default rather low on saturation, which can make it look drab in screenshots - though that in itself can be useful for making out damage markers when the floor's already bright as is. Not that you need to feel pressured to use third-party tools, though.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!

Leraika posted:

drat, Aenor, calm down

You ask the impossible.

Feldegast42
Oct 29, 2011

COMMENCE THE RITE OF SHITPOSTING


A++ name btw

And while it will never look as good as the cinematic, they did good with Gyr Albania and Rhalgr's Reach -- the vibe matches the ruggedness of the country pretty well.

Feldegast42 fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Jun 16, 2022

DoubleNegative
Jan 27, 2010

The most virtuous child in the entire world.

Sanguinia posted:

You all probably noticed that I've edited some, though not all, of my screenshots. I hope they're not too bright, graphic design is NOT my passion. But lately I've been noticing just how easy it is to loose detail in dark places or when events happen at night. You don't really notice it at all while you're playing, but in screenshot form, especially if the screenshot is resized in any way... well, I thought it was worth the extra work. The next few chapters you'll see me experimenting with how much labor and time I was willing to put into it because I have to adjust the colors around the text boxes or they get screwed up. I eventually settled on a much lazier method than these first products. :P

This is a problem I routinely had with ARR and other, similar, fantasy games. I eventually settled on using GIMP's Exposure tool to jack up the light on particularly dark screenshots.

Rythian
Dec 31, 2007

You take what comes, and the rest is void.





I highly recommend GShade to improve the look of the game, but yeah it is something outside of the game to install. It's absolutely effortless and very self-explanatory, but a lot of people prefer just to run the game purely 100% vanilla.

hopeandjoy
Nov 28, 2014



I personally find GShade is too hard on my computer and that its hard to get the game looking more saturated without also searing my eyeballs, but some people swear by it.

Sanguinia
Jan 1, 2012

~Everybody wants to be a cat~
~Because a cat's the only cat~
~Who knows where its at~

I doubt I'll bother modding the game, as I said while I'm playing I don't even notice the relative darkness. The recommendations are appreciated though. :)

Craptacular!
Jul 9, 2001

Fuck the DH
I think the saturation of GShade looks like a TV at an electronics store, but replacing the game's janky ambient occlusion with the MSAO filter does make it look a tad better with no additional overhead once you turn the built-in one off.


Anyway, you maybe did or didn't notice, but you can mount up (but not fly) in Rhalgr's Reach, unlike most settlements that exist as their own dedicated zone. The only other place that's done this until now is Idyllshire.

Craptacular! fucked around with this message at 02:22 on Jun 16, 2022

Lazy Fair
Sep 23, 2019

Sanguinia posted:

I doubt I'll bother modding the game, as I said while I'm playing I don't even notice the relative darkness. The recommendations are appreciated though. :)

Try adjusting your in-game gamma settings. FFXIV's gamma tends to add a lot of grey to the image, desaturating colors and making things look washed out which is particularly noticeable at night. I ended up setting mine to 0 from the 50 default.

Lazy Fair fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Jun 16, 2022

Zomborgon
Feb 19, 2014

I don't even want to see what happens if you gain CHIM outside of a pre-coded system.

Yeah, things definitely looked a lot less washed out once I noticed that setting.

That said, Rhalgr's Reach is just kinda *like that* in particular, for whatever reason. Maybe being inside a giant cliff circle.

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FuturePastNow
May 19, 2014


I don't see any need to mod the game's graphics, personally. There are some neat gshade effects but I can barely turn gpose on. And all the character model replacements look awful.

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