Should rename the game to Merc fantasy online.

[Nyarlko]

Other than the fact they are using third party software. I doubt they are sitting inbetween a circle of 6 PC's.

Speak for yourself. I use 2 laptops to dualbox. It's not that hard at all to switch between keyboards, as long as you use very structured and uniform macros. And actually, I just bought a 3rd laptop AND FFXI to go with it for Black Friday, so I will be triboxing as soon as the new laptop is updated. XD I will admit that to go much higher than 3box tho, it would most likely take some special hardware, and skills to use said hardware, while staying a "legit" multiboxer. My personal record was 6boxing in a diff game using 6x desktop computers stacked up 2x3 with 2x KVM switches (3x PCs to each) and 2x keyboards.... and I've seen crazier rigs than that w/ homebrewed foot pedal controls for the KVMs.

I'll have the new account from fresh > 1-3 119 jobs and in Dyna before New Years' if I actually put time/effort into doing so (and once I can stop doing VW when campaign ends in a couple days..)

Without merc'ing.

[Alhanelem]

It feels like the merc community boom has strangled whatever was left of the people who actually tried to help others/make pugs.

Kinda disgusting seeing people selling anything and everything. Why help any new player when you can force them to farm a bajillion beehive chips to pay for that merit BCNM item they want...

In the few pugs I've made recently, I've gotten quite a few tells from people offering their "services" for sums of gil.

It's out of hand, and I honestly don't know how to fix it. I get why it happened, there really isn't a lot of soloability in end game content. The people mercing either have 2-5 boxing or they are one of the many merc LS that popped up. I don't see any way to attack it other than attacking multi boxers via ip tracking.

This is mostly because most servers just have a handful of decently sized cliques, and a whole bunch of individual players who don't belong to them who can't get a lot of things done without help. Sadly it seems like the days of simply offering to help people without any special promise of reward are long past for the most part.

While multi boxers certainly exist, they exist in every game and mercs are usually groups of eliite players not individuals multiboxing.

[chiefhunglo]

Freak that man I would rather use that year completing gear sets and beating endgame continent.

[wilikas]

As someone newish to the game who plays when a lot of other people are asleep the Trusts system is a god send for me. I think it's useful for people who either don't have the time to sit in a town trying to form a group when there's not a lot of people around or frankly people who don't want to have to worry about if someone has a particular key item or not and have to go through the rigamarole of that. I get that there are pros and cons for every angle but without the Trusts I would have burned out weeks ago.

[Alhanelem]

As someone newish to the game who plays when a lot of other people are asleep the Trusts system is a god send for me. I think it's useful for people who either don't have the time to sit in a town trying to form a group when there's not a lot of people around or frankly people who don't want to have to worry about if someone has a particular key item or not and have to go through the rigamarole of that. I get that there are pros and cons for every angle but without the Trusts I would have burned out weeks ago.

For clarity's sake: We're not talking about trusts, we're talking about people selling content clears for gil (and maybe RMT...). In case you thought people were talking about Trusts when they said "mercs".

[orionis]

Afk for 12minutes - 21 merc related shouts, selling/paying for content that people should be grouping up for (and actually playing)...

What a sad state of affairs.... Something needs to be done, aswell as with the bots that are STILL running around freely in the game, after months and months.

[Afania]

It feels like the merc community boom has strangled whatever was left of the people who actually tried to help others/make pugs.

Kinda disgusting seeing people selling anything and everything. Why help any new player when you can force them to farm a bajillion beehive chips to pay for that merit BCNM item they want...

In the few pugs I've made recently, I've gotten quite a few tells from people offering their "services" for sums of gil.

It's out of hand, and I honestly don't know how to fix it. I get why it happened, there really isn't a lot of soloability in end game content. The people mercing either have 2-5 boxing or they are one of the many merc LS that popped up. I don't see any way to attack it other than attacking multi boxers via ip tracking.

Then join a LS and make friends.....

There are a lot of people in game that I know of, offers help for free if you ask. There are a lot of endgame linkshell that recruits wide variety of jobs. So there are your opportunity to play with people or get geared for free. You are right about the fact that the game is meant to be played with people together, and I'm personally not seeing merc really hinder people play together when I (and many others) do that all the time.

You feel people aren't playing with each other because merc exists, that's really not the case.

This is mostly because most servers just have a handful of decently sized cliques, and a whole bunch of individual players who don't belong to them who can't get a lot of things done without help. Sadly it seems like the days of simply offering to help people without any special promise of reward are long past for the most part.

Or the other way around....people refuse to join endgame statics for whatever reason then complain about mercs.

Back then when I ran my omen statics I've asked several people if they want to join. They would refuse, unwilling to join, or said "yes" then depop after 1 run. Of people ended up "doesn't belong to cliques" because they're not interested in the first place.

I've also seen endgame groups recruit for certain jobs, for months and month and months and still unable to find people.

There are also countless people who would say "Oh I want to do endgame but I don't have time for a LS" etc etc etc. If they refuse to join groups of course they'll have to merc if they want gears.

My point is, merc doesn't stop anyone from joining an endgame LS to get gear for free. It's the matter of you want it or not.

[Isola]

It really is the case. lol.

yesterday 3 people shouted to buy a jovian jacket. The first shouter said, meh hey lets team up and just kill it and earn our jackets since there are a few of us. *crickets*

[Afania]

It really is the case. lol.

yesterday 3 people shouted to buy a jovian jacket. The first shouter said, meh hey lets team up and just kill it and earn our jackets since there are a few of us. *crickets*

If you shout for a pt for jacket and on Asura, it should fill up.

[Isola]

Spoiler; it did not.