We're here, not much actually happening, but here we are, nice to see you.

What'd I tell ya 'bout them controls? 

You were right.  I'm man enough to admit it.

Hello?

I was googling myself at work out of boredom, and I came across this site. All the nostalgia and good memories came back, and I was surprised to see that it was still active.

How is it going? Don't tell me you're still playing JKA. I'm so incredibility  happy to see that not all the communities from JKA have disappeared, even if they don't play anymore.

TH

What'd I tell ya 'bout them controls? 

That description mirrors the experience of RO.

That's a great description, yes. I'd say FF14 is pretty close to a similar overall experience to RO.

That description mirrors the experience of RO.

So, initial impressions:

It's FF11 v2.0.  The controls, the feel, the look, etc.  It's very much a successor to FF11.  Expect the same.  The combat is interesting, but bulky.  The entire game is menu driven.  Slash commands are just about non-existent.  The UI lacks the typical MMO-style functionality.  Actions such as inviting to a party cannot be completed with slash commands. 

The game is GORGEOUS.  Beautiful, stunning, etc.  The sound is nice, as are the graphics.  Textures, lighting, etc I was very impressed.

The controls are wonky.  The way combat works is that you target your enemy, either via clicking with the mouse, tab-targeting, or using a gamepad to cycle through targets.  Once you've selected your target, you'll want to lock onto the target.  Then, you can initiate combat.  Combat works with an action bar that fills, allowing you to perform certain actions.  On top of that is a TP bar that fills as you fight, and certain actions require TP instead of the action bar.  There is no auto-attack at all, so think of City of Heroes.  The problem is that the UI gives you no feedback in terms of what attack is queued up, which are on cooldown, etc.  You're really left to button mash.

The entire game is menu-driven.  Seriously menu-driven.  I wasn't overly thrilled with the UI.  And it's true, there's no jumping.  But let's get into the meat: content.  While they have you on a single "quest," any desire to veer from that quest will lead you on two paths: pure mob grinding or doing "guildleves."  A guildleve is just a random quest to kill mobs, rewarding you with cash, exp, etc.  Think of the generated missions in SWG.  Same thing.  The only difference is that guildleves are on a cooldown timer of 8 hours.  Considering how spread out they are, it can be rough. 

This was the first MMO I've played where I didn't get immediately thrilled or turned off.  This is a game that you will play for people, do not even think of playing this game with the idea that content will sustain you.  This is a game where one NEEDS friends in order to play.  Playing this game solo is possible, but it won't be any fun.

WoW is something I'll play if FF14 falls through and other friends go back.  The game alone isn't enough for me.  But really, an MMO is more about the people I play it with than the actual game.

Blegh, I know I shouldn't be spending so much time in Cataclysm, but I'm enthralled.  Uldum is one big Indiana Jones reference.  Harrison Jones and I accidentally set off too many explosives to get into a tomb, so we hid in lead-lined chests to survive the explosion.

It's a dick in a box!

I'll get to check out open beta tonight.