Showing posts with label dicipline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dicipline. Show all posts
February 19, 2011
December 26, 2010
Social Engineering II
Some time ago, I was a bit bugged with a comment made by a player in-game, and set out to demonstrate a new technique for earning experience in FFXI's Campaign Battle. To do well, it was necessary to secure an enemy combatant and begin the arduous grind of taking it out. Considering that a level 75 Red Mage would need to convert at the time the opponent was just under 50% of it's hit points, it was a challenge, resulting in lots of down time.
Soloing regular "Campaign Mobs" at level 75 is not trivial, and is really only possible due to the job-ability Composure that was added before the level cap began to rise. With Composure, enhancing magic you cast upon yourself increases in duration, which makes more Mana Points available for other functions, like enfeebling the monster. Enhancement and Enfeeblement are the pillars of Red Mage, and the 150 Mana Points delivered by the classic level 40 Refresh spell were quite enough to sustain parties. Composure triples the duration of Refresh cast upon the user, for a total of 450 MP. This is quite an improvement in efficiency on the 40MP it costs to cast Refresh in the first place.
Many adjustments have been made as the level cap as been raised, and for the Red Mage job, one of the nicest has been Refresh II. Twice as effective as the original, Refresh II when under composure, pumps 900 MP into the battle over time. This is enough MP to overflow the MP capacity of my Hume character, even with the MP boost gear and merit points that have been spent on increasing the Max MP. This extra MP also has a new use, as Tier IV Elemental Magic has been released to the Red Mage as the level cap has increased.
Having gone through the 3rd update sequence that included a 5 level increase in the games level cap, I am brushing level 90 as I finish the grind at level 89. The fact that the Red Mage goes through a drought of knowledge at level 88 was enough of a psychological inducement that once I hit level 89, I no longer cared what the cost of a scroll of Blizzard IV was. Not having that scroll represented an increasing opportunity cost. I was somewhat pleased that the price had begun to fall, as one would predict in a supply and demand economy.
The financial hit is considerably small in the grand scheme of things. While it should pain you to spend more than 250,000 of anything, trading game currency for the satisfaction of producing serious elemental damage is a no-brainer, simply because that extra leverage on the battlefield can be used to increase cash flow and ultimately pay for itself. Until then, I'll take the satisfaction of being able to cast the spell.
On that Engineering thing, well, all I can tell you is that there is either a savant on the FFXI development team, or they got really lucky. While I was pleased with the ability to mow down monsters, I was lamenting the lack of strategy. What real effect would I have as a single player soling just one mob all by myself? Eventually, others calmed down, and got into the groove. They too soloed as they bulked up on experience and skill, and soon, taking down the Bosses was something to begin enjoying.
Apparently, they do take game balance seriously at FFXI. They increased the defensive capabilities of both the Beastman and Allied Forces. While it is harder to hit the opposition force, they can also withstand much more damage, as their health level is correspondingly higher as well. While it is still possible for an 85+ Red Mage/White Mage to survive on their own and eliminate pulling mistakes by putting Reraise to use, it was simply not possible to solo any regular Quadav to the point of getting credit for the Defeat. The opposition force would warp out and the battle would end with 25% of the target's strength remaining.
While it is still possible to chain-kill the Fiendish Leechkeepers that provide healing support for the Beastman Confederate, and Baramnesia is a wonderful spell to have when facing Imps of any kind, that kind of damage is not enough to halt the Beastman presence. It is for this reason that most of the last Campaign Period has been seen battles raging the San'doria of Shadowreign. During the current period, it will be the Quadav Shieldwarriors that are spread thin and invading the capital of Rebel Humes and Galkan Powerhouses.
While I continue to puppet my 'toon in support of the Republican Army of Bastok, and the greater service of the Allied Forces of Altana, I have discovered that I can increase my reward by yet again lengthening the battle. The damage output of the Red Mage is high enough that you are constantly capped. You can do more damage and gain experience than you can be credited for, even with a Medal of Altana. Therefore, like before, the length of the battle will determine the total experience that can be awarded.
Should you be fighting in a battle and receive your remuneration, and find that the number of allied notes received is more than half of the experience that you received, you were just involved in a battle, that if you did nothing more, but it lasted longer, you would get a larger reward. With this in mind, started to adopt a new battle strategy, and that being to wait for a dispatch message sending one or more divisions of allied forces into a beastman controlled region.
Now, many players would cringe that it might be just a "fort-whacker" where all you do is beat on the Fortification and get really pittance damage.
Not entirely true. As it would happen, Square has increased the patrol rates for the Beastmen, and this can be discovered by reviewing the "unit movements" with your local intelligence officer. You will soon discover that certain units of the Beastman Confederate are primarily responsible for particular zones. Look at these units to see if there is activity in the zone, or, if you're relaxing in the barracks, just watch the dispatch reports.
Once you see the message that Allied forces are being dispatched to a nice zone, all you really need to do is know one of the paths that the incoming troops will be taking, and set up a solo session right in their path. If you find yourself off center, just drag your target mob along with you, until the supporting army attacks. Position yourself so that the mob continues to face you, and the army is left or right, so that the mob will be facing the target with greater hate.
Once the mob is steadily on the army, disengage from the target and run back to the fortification for another beastman. Try for a single one, and if you get two, well, sleep the second one as you solo the first. At level 85, this should be second nature to a Red Mage. Pull the mobs within the aggression zone of the arriving army members. Once they finish the first mob, they will glomb on to the next. As more NPC's arrive, the damage output of the army will be such that they can handle double-pulls as fast as you can bring them.
The goal here would be to keep the NPC's happily chewing on one or two regular campaign mobs, as you move the army into easy pulling/striking distance. After feeding them everything but the boss(es), you could either let them loose, or pull a boss. Using this method, don't be surprised if you need to recast Reraise.
Soloing regular "Campaign Mobs" at level 75 is not trivial, and is really only possible due to the job-ability Composure that was added before the level cap began to rise. With Composure, enhancing magic you cast upon yourself increases in duration, which makes more Mana Points available for other functions, like enfeebling the monster. Enhancement and Enfeeblement are the pillars of Red Mage, and the 150 Mana Points delivered by the classic level 40 Refresh spell were quite enough to sustain parties. Composure triples the duration of Refresh cast upon the user, for a total of 450 MP. This is quite an improvement in efficiency on the 40MP it costs to cast Refresh in the first place.
Many adjustments have been made as the level cap as been raised, and for the Red Mage job, one of the nicest has been Refresh II. Twice as effective as the original, Refresh II when under composure, pumps 900 MP into the battle over time. This is enough MP to overflow the MP capacity of my Hume character, even with the MP boost gear and merit points that have been spent on increasing the Max MP. This extra MP also has a new use, as Tier IV Elemental Magic has been released to the Red Mage as the level cap has increased.
Having gone through the 3rd update sequence that included a 5 level increase in the games level cap, I am brushing level 90 as I finish the grind at level 89. The fact that the Red Mage goes through a drought of knowledge at level 88 was enough of a psychological inducement that once I hit level 89, I no longer cared what the cost of a scroll of Blizzard IV was. Not having that scroll represented an increasing opportunity cost. I was somewhat pleased that the price had begun to fall, as one would predict in a supply and demand economy.
The financial hit is considerably small in the grand scheme of things. While it should pain you to spend more than 250,000 of anything, trading game currency for the satisfaction of producing serious elemental damage is a no-brainer, simply because that extra leverage on the battlefield can be used to increase cash flow and ultimately pay for itself. Until then, I'll take the satisfaction of being able to cast the spell.
On that Engineering thing, well, all I can tell you is that there is either a savant on the FFXI development team, or they got really lucky. While I was pleased with the ability to mow down monsters, I was lamenting the lack of strategy. What real effect would I have as a single player soling just one mob all by myself? Eventually, others calmed down, and got into the groove. They too soloed as they bulked up on experience and skill, and soon, taking down the Bosses was something to begin enjoying.
Apparently, they do take game balance seriously at FFXI. They increased the defensive capabilities of both the Beastman and Allied Forces. While it is harder to hit the opposition force, they can also withstand much more damage, as their health level is correspondingly higher as well. While it is still possible for an 85+ Red Mage/White Mage to survive on their own and eliminate pulling mistakes by putting Reraise to use, it was simply not possible to solo any regular Quadav to the point of getting credit for the Defeat. The opposition force would warp out and the battle would end with 25% of the target's strength remaining.
While it is still possible to chain-kill the Fiendish Leechkeepers that provide healing support for the Beastman Confederate, and Baramnesia is a wonderful spell to have when facing Imps of any kind, that kind of damage is not enough to halt the Beastman presence. It is for this reason that most of the last Campaign Period has been seen battles raging the San'doria of Shadowreign. During the current period, it will be the Quadav Shieldwarriors that are spread thin and invading the capital of Rebel Humes and Galkan Powerhouses.
While I continue to puppet my 'toon in support of the Republican Army of Bastok, and the greater service of the Allied Forces of Altana, I have discovered that I can increase my reward by yet again lengthening the battle. The damage output of the Red Mage is high enough that you are constantly capped. You can do more damage and gain experience than you can be credited for, even with a Medal of Altana. Therefore, like before, the length of the battle will determine the total experience that can be awarded.
Should you be fighting in a battle and receive your remuneration, and find that the number of allied notes received is more than half of the experience that you received, you were just involved in a battle, that if you did nothing more, but it lasted longer, you would get a larger reward. With this in mind, started to adopt a new battle strategy, and that being to wait for a dispatch message sending one or more divisions of allied forces into a beastman controlled region.
Now, many players would cringe that it might be just a "fort-whacker" where all you do is beat on the Fortification and get really pittance damage.
Not entirely true. As it would happen, Square has increased the patrol rates for the Beastmen, and this can be discovered by reviewing the "unit movements" with your local intelligence officer. You will soon discover that certain units of the Beastman Confederate are primarily responsible for particular zones. Look at these units to see if there is activity in the zone, or, if you're relaxing in the barracks, just watch the dispatch reports.
Once you see the message that Allied forces are being dispatched to a nice zone, all you really need to do is know one of the paths that the incoming troops will be taking, and set up a solo session right in their path. If you find yourself off center, just drag your target mob along with you, until the supporting army attacks. Position yourself so that the mob continues to face you, and the army is left or right, so that the mob will be facing the target with greater hate.
Once the mob is steadily on the army, disengage from the target and run back to the fortification for another beastman. Try for a single one, and if you get two, well, sleep the second one as you solo the first. At level 85, this should be second nature to a Red Mage. Pull the mobs within the aggression zone of the arriving army members. Once they finish the first mob, they will glomb on to the next. As more NPC's arrive, the damage output of the army will be such that they can handle double-pulls as fast as you can bring them.
The goal here would be to keep the NPC's happily chewing on one or two regular campaign mobs, as you move the army into easy pulling/striking distance. After feeding them everything but the boss(es), you could either let them loose, or pull a boss. Using this method, don't be surprised if you need to recast Reraise.
-.\\
June 25, 2010
Social Engineering
Optimizing the rate of return it critical to every investment, and as a part-time resident of Vana'diel, one is encouraged to optimize their approach in the continuing quest for entertainment and enjoyment. With limited time available to pull strings and move my puppet-self, I've worked to explore the mechanics of Campaign Battle and discover the best technique for extracting maximum benefit from each encounter.
I've also been operating under the helpful advice of the FFXI development team that has constantly lamented the fact that the players rely far too much on the allied armies (which are autonomous) to engage and combat invading enemy hoards. The allied armies mill about the fortification that is the goal of the invaders. Unless stopped, the invaders will attack the fortress and ultimately deplete the resources in the region to the point that they take over the territory and the roles of the game reverse in that zone. Reversals are tallied on a weekly basis.
Adjustments have been made by the development team to reward those that engage the enemy in battle, and as I have progressed through the level system to the old cap of 75, and having earned a few dozen merit points, I have improved my abilities and honed my battle skills in the process, to the point where I am competent and able to solo most of the grunt level monsters. I have found that doing so yields very high levels of experience. So, my basic rule of gameplay has been to operate outsize of the assistance sphere of the allied armies, and prevent as many enemies as possible (usually one) from reaching the target.
This is a sound military strategy. Able bodied soldiers that can perform 1:1, lay in wait, stripping the enemy from back to front. The unprotected leader (or Boss Mob) meets the powerful allied defenders with a mobile and vicious lag-ridden mob of players from around the world. The lag is the downside of having so many puppets on the screen at the same time - slow response.
By myself, I can secure and defeat a single monster, yielding 2000+ experience or limit points. In a similar period of time, assisting the allied armies near the fortification, I will earn 900-1200 experience points. Starting at level 74 for most jobs, two players can handle a single grunt level mob in a battle. I've personally pulled and fed several groups of players in Pashow Marshlands [S] and gotten good experience, which is anything better than 1500 points. Every time I got a new monster and softened it up, two, three or 12 people would pile on and pound it faster and harder than I ever could. Each time the target monster was less than half health, I disengaged and grabbed another, feeding the frenzy. Then there was the boss monster, and I got bored and pulled it too. Kiting like a Red Mage can, I kept a damage-over-time spell and several ailments on the monster as it bounced around like a ping-pong ball from adventurer to adventurer.
Why was I playing near the fortress? It was simple really. There were no allied armies in the region to defend the fortress, so I had a field day without the help of the automated allied armies. I will admit that I was pleased when the Field Musicians showed up to help take out the Boss. It will take some time before I am able to solo the bosses, but I believe it is possible.
Given this environment, should I really be concerned about the negative comments regarding my playstyle that I have received from players that are satisfied with less than 1000 points for investing half an hour of their lives in a video game? I'm fairly certain that once people get a taste of triple the experience, that they will change their tune and venture farther from the support of the allied armies, accepting the challenges of the open battlefield with bravery, valor and a good degree of strategy and planning.
I am encouraged by the fact that some zones in the game are displaying this "ambush skirmish-line" approach. It seems only natural by the design of the zone and the path that the attacking monsters take. They walk to attacks just as the armies do, and it is valuable to know the routes by which they take, for it is the same battles being fought day in and day out in the perpetual preservation of the Crystal War that is Campaign Battle.
Let the Engineering begin.
I've also been operating under the helpful advice of the FFXI development team that has constantly lamented the fact that the players rely far too much on the allied armies (which are autonomous) to engage and combat invading enemy hoards. The allied armies mill about the fortification that is the goal of the invaders. Unless stopped, the invaders will attack the fortress and ultimately deplete the resources in the region to the point that they take over the territory and the roles of the game reverse in that zone. Reversals are tallied on a weekly basis.
Adjustments have been made by the development team to reward those that engage the enemy in battle, and as I have progressed through the level system to the old cap of 75, and having earned a few dozen merit points, I have improved my abilities and honed my battle skills in the process, to the point where I am competent and able to solo most of the grunt level monsters. I have found that doing so yields very high levels of experience. So, my basic rule of gameplay has been to operate outsize of the assistance sphere of the allied armies, and prevent as many enemies as possible (usually one) from reaching the target.
This is a sound military strategy. Able bodied soldiers that can perform 1:1, lay in wait, stripping the enemy from back to front. The unprotected leader (or Boss Mob) meets the powerful allied defenders with a mobile and vicious lag-ridden mob of players from around the world. The lag is the downside of having so many puppets on the screen at the same time - slow response.
By myself, I can secure and defeat a single monster, yielding 2000+ experience or limit points. In a similar period of time, assisting the allied armies near the fortification, I will earn 900-1200 experience points. Starting at level 74 for most jobs, two players can handle a single grunt level mob in a battle. I've personally pulled and fed several groups of players in Pashow Marshlands [S] and gotten good experience, which is anything better than 1500 points. Every time I got a new monster and softened it up, two, three or 12 people would pile on and pound it faster and harder than I ever could. Each time the target monster was less than half health, I disengaged and grabbed another, feeding the frenzy. Then there was the boss monster, and I got bored and pulled it too. Kiting like a Red Mage can, I kept a damage-over-time spell and several ailments on the monster as it bounced around like a ping-pong ball from adventurer to adventurer.
Why was I playing near the fortress? It was simple really. There were no allied armies in the region to defend the fortress, so I had a field day without the help of the automated allied armies. I will admit that I was pleased when the Field Musicians showed up to help take out the Boss. It will take some time before I am able to solo the bosses, but I believe it is possible.
Given this environment, should I really be concerned about the negative comments regarding my playstyle that I have received from players that are satisfied with less than 1000 points for investing half an hour of their lives in a video game? I'm fairly certain that once people get a taste of triple the experience, that they will change their tune and venture farther from the support of the allied armies, accepting the challenges of the open battlefield with bravery, valor and a good degree of strategy and planning.
I am encouraged by the fact that some zones in the game are displaying this "ambush skirmish-line" approach. It seems only natural by the design of the zone and the path that the attacking monsters take. They walk to attacks just as the armies do, and it is valuable to know the routes by which they take, for it is the same battles being fought day in and day out in the perpetual preservation of the Crystal War that is Campaign Battle.
Let the Engineering begin.
