Announcing Coverage of VanaFest 2012!

[Camate]

Just in case you all missed the official announcement on PlayOnline, the North American Community Team will be making an excursion over to the far eastern lands of Yokohama, Japan to cover VanaFest 2012 scheduled to take place June 23rd-24th!



It's been two years since Devin and Matt from the North American Community Team set out on their adventure to Tokyo to cover VanaFest 2010 for the community. They were able to bring all of the hottest news straight from the development team to the adventurers around the world. In the two years since then, FINAL FANTASY XI has evolved by leaps and bounds and the level cap was raised to 99. Well, they too have leveled up to the max to bring you even bigger and better coverage this year.

Yes, the intrepid duo plan to set out once again on a quest to bring everyone the hottest news, craziest revelations, jaw-dropping-est... things that happen at VanaFest 2012! You better believe that there will be tweets. You can guarantee that there will be videos. And you can bet that there will be contests!

Stay tuned for all of the details as we unravel their plans for the future!


What this didn’t mention is that we will actually be live streaming the whole thing and giving Community Team digests covering the information and exciting things taking place at the event!

Hope you are all looking forward to this and we will be giving you updates as the event draws near!

[Camiie]

Sounds nice! I look forward to the updates! One request though... please don't show up on the forums or in game in one of those horrendously frightening moogle costumes... Cant sleep... moogle will eat me...

[Fusionx]

Needs more NA event!

I miss going to FanFests :( Take me with you Camate

[Zirael]

Needs more NA event!

I miss going to FanFests :( Take me with you Camate
From what I gather, Vanafest site states that you need a JP POL account and be living in Japan to be able to buy tickets. JP only, sorry.
At least we'll get pics and videos of everyone having fun, heh. :)

[Fusionx]

From what I gather, Vanafest site states that you need a JP POL account and be living in Japan to be able to buy tickets. JP only, sorry.
Which is why I told Camate to take me with him.. I'm sure he could get me in <.<

[Phafi]

how come Rukki wasn't included?!?!

[Camiie]

how come Rukki wasn't included?!?!

Because if the coeurl was away the mice would play!

[Camate]

Also one other thing I would like to add!

VanaFest 2012 will be taking place (in JST) from 9:00AM-5:00PM on 6/23 (Saturday) and 9:00AM-4:00PM on 6/24 (Sunday), which means that for our North American audience, the event will be starting on Friday, June 22 at 5PM and on Saturday, June 23 at 5PM (PDT). Hopefully this will be a convenient time for our players to tune-in to the live stream and check out the event!

[Rukkirii]

how come Rukki wasn't included?!?!

They are making me work behind-the-scenes because they are afraid I might take all of their spotlight! :cool:

I won't be by my lonesome at the NA office though, Okipuit joined "Team Community" so we'll be tag-teaming all of the back-end work while Camate and Bayohne are at VanaFest.

<3

[Okipuit]

Hey everyone,

That's right! Your new Community Rep Okipuit here to make sure all news and updates makes it quickly and safely to you.

Just a quick introduction:
I've been playing FINAL FANTASY XI avidly since NA PS2 launch and have a lot of fond memories growing up as a little Tarutaru. I've shared many laughs, epic adventures, and battles with friends/LS mates whom I still speak with today. Although, no one knows my secret identity. I could be in your very LS! (I guess you can say I enjoy playing Ninja most.)

Through my recent training and all the VanaFest 2012 information trickling in, rest assured that there is a lot of exciting news on the horizon. I can't wait to share all of this information and clarify any inquiries you guys have for the dev team.

Anyways, it's nice to meet you all and see you online.

-Okipuit

[Mnejing]

Guess Rukkirii isn't counting Hvinire. :p Time for Okipuit to join the bestiary community rep gang! :D

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

I've been playing FINAL FANTASY XI avidly since NA PS2 launch and have a lot of fond memories growing up as a little Tarutaru... [N]o one knows my secret identity. I could be in your very LS!

No, you couldn't. All Tarutaru in my linkshell are too megalomaniacal to keep a secret like that.

[Savlyn]

o_o;

Does this mean... more people working on FFXI dev. team too....? /pray.

(or did they hire a rep over a developer? lol)

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

o_o;

Does this mean... more people working on FFXI dev. team too....? /pray.

(or did they hire a rep over a developer? lol)

Neither. Most reps work both the XI and XIV boards, including Okipuit.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/threads/43967-The-new-bed-animations?p=668183#post668183

[Fusionx]

Guess Rukkirii isn't counting Hvinire. :p Time for Okipuit to join the bestiary community rep gang! :D

Hvinire doesn't work solely with the XI and XIV Community Team anymore. He's now a Community Manager for all of Square Enix NA and in charge of the SE Members Blog.

[Aequis]

Nice to see the trend of forgetting about we Europeans continues in earnest. It matters guys, even if it's representing us on the forums.

[Logandor]

Merry meet Okipuit and I hope the new news is great news and not bad. Thus to also now having a new Community Rep that is a ninja means we could start up a contest to find out who you are. Anyways hope you enjoy being on the rep team and look forward to seeing more posts from you in the future. :D

[Tile]

You better believe that there will be tweets. You can guarantee that there will be videos. And you can bet that there will be contests!

Are these Contests going to be for people that aren't at the VanaFest, like all us NA that will be keeping an eye on what your doing, and if they do happen will they be include the in-game items we won't be able to get?

[Godofgods]

Hey everyone,

That's right! Your new Community Rep Okipuit here to make sure all news and updates makes it quickly and safely to you.

Just a quick introduction:
I've been playing FINAL FANTASY XI avidly since NA PS2 launch and have a lot of fond memories growing up as a little Tarutaru.
-Okipuit


Maybe you can be the one to help the poor tarus out then Okipuit! Make them listen!! (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/4662-Give-a-taru-a-leg-up!!) Help your fellow tarutaru's out!

.. and welcome!

[Camate]

To whet your appetite a bit on this lovely Tuesday, I have two things to share with you.

In case you are planning to tune in to the VanaFest 2012 live stream, I figured it might be a good idea to give you all a nice schedule so you can plan accordingly.
*Please note event times are subject to change.

*Though schedule says PST, times are for PDT.
http://member.square-enix.com/na/blog/assets_c/2012/05/schedule1_EN-thumb-432x714-1648.jpg

One of the things they will have on tap at VanaFest is a café consisting of food found throughout Vana’diel. Many of which I am sure you have consumed in-game. Our counterparts in Japan are working with top chefs and experimenting with only the most delicious ingredients to bring the flavor of Vana’diel to life.

Here is an example of one of the many dishes they have perfected.


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Ah yes, the legendary meat mithkabob. How fondly I remember ingesting this protein rich treat as a young adventurer while leveling in Valkurm Dunes!

Anyone want to take a guess as to what real life ingredients were used to make this? (I suppose if you can read Japanese you can find the answers on the Japanese forum, but that’s no fun!)

• Kazham Pepper = ?
• Mhaura Garlic = ?
• Wild Onion = ?
• Cockatrice Meat = ?

[Savlyn]

This is fun! :D Nevermind a NA vanafest. This suffices lol

[Helel]

Does it raise your attack IRL too?

[Fusionx]

This is fun! :D Nevermind a NA vanafest. This suffices lol

You've clearly never been to a FanFest. Watching tweets and a few videos is nothing compared to actually being there.

[Raucent]

aye its a tad annoying to hear and see what we all miss out on><

[Fusionx]

aye its a tad annoying to hear and see what we all miss out on><

The worst part for me will be not being there so I can buy all the merch they have. I need more for my collection ; ;

[SpankWustler]

• Kazham Pepper = ?
• Mhaura Garlic = ?
• Wild Onion = ?
• Cockatrice Meat = ?

My extraordinarily fat guess is:

The two end pieces are chicken, with one piece of possible chicken in the middle that might be different than the other two. It may be duck, or it may just be thigh meat while the other two pieces are breast meat.

Green peppers of an unknown variety; I have no idea what kind of peppers grow in Japan and are frequently used in food there. I know bell peppers are common, but those look too round and vaguely phallic to be bell pepper slices.

White onion is pretty obvious. It looks like there's a big chunk of roasted clove of garlic on the end. I hope for the sake of whoever is eating those things that the cook does an okay job cooking the garlic, whole pieces of garlic can weird off-tastes if cooked too briefly or too long.

The secret ingredient is neither love nor hatred, but deranged indifference. This most secret of seasonings tastes kind of like the flop-sweat from Joker's green hair as he feels totally empty inside after triumphing over Batman. It blends surprisingly well with the subtle heat from green peppers.


Does it raise your attack IRL too?

I suspect do not provide an attack bonus in real life, however, the announcements from the Development Bros might.

If battle events occur in real life, Community Bros, we will keep you in our thoughts. My advice is to hide behind the fattest person you see who is not vigorously imitating a windmill.

[Hvinire]

Hvinire doesn't work solely with the XI and XIV Community Team anymore. He's now a Community Manager for all of Square Enix NA and in charge of the SE Members Blog.

Yeah I'm not dead yet, in fact I just posted about this on the Square Enix Members Blog.
I'm very jealous and hungry after reading about that mithkabob.

[Fusionx]

Yeah I'm not dead yet, in fact I just posted about this on the Square Enix Members Blog.
I'm very jealous and hungry after reading about that mithkabob.

I have the Spamalot soundtrack playing through my head now. I blame you :)

[Karbuncle]

I remember Stocking up on Mithkabobs back in 2003-4 (Ish? Been too long.. i Dont remember...), Back before Chains of Promathia... I was in Kazham, their Auction House was linked to god knows where back then, and Mithkabobs/Chiefkabobs were the best food ever...

I hate time >:\

[Tile]

let see if my time zones are right The VanaFest is 23rd and 24th but since they're ahead of us that means its 22nd and 23rd for people in NA. That means the Live Stream will Start 5:00~5:30pm PST on June 22nd since that the saturday morning of 23rd in japan, Right?

Unless I'm going stupid or something

[Llana_Virren]

As of the date of this post, the time difference between Japan (Japanese Standard Time) and the U.S. west coast (Pacific Standard Time) is:

JST ----> PST: -16 hours
PST ----> JST: +16 hours

This means that at 09:00 (9am) JST, Saturday, it would be the following time/date in the U.S.:
EST: 20:00 (8pm) Friday
CST: 19:00 (7pm) Friday
MST: 18:00 (6pm) Friday
PST: 17:00 (5pm) Friday

*Note: For the sake of education, bear in mind that Japan does not recognize Daylight Savings, so during Daylight Savings Time (EDT, CDT, MDT, PDT) the time will be an additional hour:
JST: 09:00 (9am) Saturday
EDT: 19:00 (7pm) Friday
CDT: 18:00 (6pm) Friday
MDT: 17:00 (5pm) Friday
PDT: 16:00 (4pm) Friday

[Rosalie]

._. please give away more than just 25 of the special items this time please, though. It was a nightmare getting through on the twitter contest 2 years ago.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

As of the date of this post, the time difference between Japan (Japanese Standard Time) and the U.S. west coast (Pacific Daylight Time) is:

JST ----> PDT: -16 hours
PDT ----> JST: +16 hours

This means that at 09:00 (9am) JST, Saturday, it would be the following time/date in the U.S.:
EDT: 20:00 (8pm) Friday
CDT: 19:00 (7pm) Friday
MDT: 18:00 (6pm) Friday
PDT: 17:00 (5pm) Friday

*Note: For the sake of education, bear in mind that Japan does not recognize Daylight Savings, so during Daylight Savings Time (EDT, CDT, MDT, PDT) the time will be one less hour:
JST: 09:00 (9am) Saturday
EST: 19:00 (7pm) Friday
CST: 18:00 (6pm) Friday
MST: 17:00 (5pm) Friday
PST: 16:00 (4pm) Friday

Fixed. Daylight Saving Time moves everyone one hour east, i. e. one hour closer to Japan.

Also, it's "saving," not "savings."

[Dfoley]

*Note: For the sake of education, bear in mind that Japan does not recognize Daylight Savings, so during Daylight Savings Time (EDT, CDT, MDT, PDT) the time will be one less hour:
JST: 09:00 (9am) Saturday
EST: 19:00 (7pm) Friday
CST: 18:00 (6pm) Friday
MST: 17:00 (5pm) Friday
PST: 16:00 (4pm) Friday

For the sake of education, the top part already lists the daylight time difference of 16 hours for PDT. What this should say is:

*Note: For the sake of education, bear in mind that Japan does not recognize Daylight Savings, so during non-Daylight Savings Time (EST, CST, MST, PST) the time will be one more hour (17 hour difference vs 16 for JST to PST):
JST: 09:00 (9am) Saturday
PST: 16:00 (4pm) Friday

[Cybernetic_Empire]

._. please give away more than just 25 of the special items this time please, though. It was a nightmare getting through on the twitter contest 2 years ago.

Yes. Make it a quest reward available to everyone for the 10th anniversary.

[Tile]

Fixed. Daylight Saving Time moves everyone one hour east, i. e. one hour closer to Japan.

Also, it's "saving," not "savings."

Benjamin Franklin be damned for coming up with such a silly idea, we dont need to save Candles now days. Besides Camate's post already said the stream would be starting 5:00~5:30 pm PST

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Benjamin Franklin be damned for coming up with such a silly idea, we dont need to save Candles now days.

Typical sunrise time for NYC in June:
5:30 EDT
4:30 EST

When would you rather have sunlight streaming into your bedroom?


Besides Camate's post already said the stream would be starting 5:00~5:30 pm PST

An error on his part. The Japanese schedule states 9:00 JST, which is 17:00 PDT and 16:00 PST.

http://www.playonline.com/ff11/event/vanafest2012/

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

You know what?

1151/9/20 09:00 through 1151/9/28 17:00
1151/10/15 09:00 through 1151/10/22 16:00

There, no time zones!

[Savlyn]

You've clearly never been to a FanFest. Watching tweets and a few videos is nothing compared to actually being there.

I was being sarcastic. Haha. Of course it isn't equal; that's the reason we have three threads now asking for a NA fest.

[Tile]

When would you rather have sunlight streaming into your bedroom?

maybe you should have found a room that faces west then:D

as for the schule, there is still well over a month for it to get sorted out. I'll be happy as long as im not sleeping outside that weekend. odds are I will be though.

[Camate]

As some of you have mentioned, it should be PDT. Sorry about that. The event will start at 5PM for players living on the west coast.

And in regards to the ingredients used for the mithkabobs:

• Kazham Pepper =

• Mhaura Garlic =

• Wild Onion =

• Cockatrice Meat =

[Frost]

As some of you have mentioned, it should be PDT. Sorry about that. The event will start at 5PM for players living on the west coast.

And in regards to the ingredients used for the mithkabobs:

• Kazham Pepper =

• Mhaura Garlic =

• Wild Onion =

• Cockatrice Meat =


This reminds me, one year I made Arrabiata based on the ingame recipe:

Arrabiata:
1 x Dragon Meat
1 x Holy Basil
1 x Kazham Peppers
1 x Mhaura Garlic
1 x Olive Oil
1 x Pomodoro Sauce
1 x Rock Salt
1 x Spaghetti

Where Pomodoro Sauce:
1 x Bay Leaves
1 x Black Pepper
1 x Olive Oil
1 x Rock Salt
1 x Holy Basil
1 x Wild Onion
1 x Mithran Tomato
1 x Misareaux Parsley

Everything was made from scratch, where:

Alligator Meat = Dragon Meat
Basil = Holy Basil
Habaneros = Kazham Peppers
Garlic = Mhaura Garlic
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt = Rock Salt
Bay Leaves
Black Pepper
Yellow Onion = Wild Onion
Roma Tomato = Mithran Tomato
Italian Parsley = Misareaux Parsley

Campanelle = Spaghetti (Spaghetti is boring)

Turned out pretty good actually. I did feel like I had more Life and Strength after eating it; but I didn't feel I retained more rage after punching people...

[Erics]

As some of you have mentioned, it should be PDT. Sorry about that. The event will start at 5PM for players living on the west coast.

And in regards to the ingredients used for the mithkabobs:

• Kazham Pepper =

• Mhaura Garlic =

• Wild Onion =

• Cockatrice Meat =


Did you just link us to things on Wikipedia? Fail!!!!!

[Karbuncle]

Oh Erics you silly boy! That's clearly win. Can't wait to hear all the information come out of this...

[Tile]

Did you just link us to things on Wikipedia? Fail!!!!!

wish he had links for the rest, I typed in Regular Garlic and Regular Onion and get nothing, makes me wonder just what the hell they are...

[Vivivivi]

And I made a saltina once!
In game recipe:

1 x Wild Onion
1 x Cockatrice Meat
1 x Bird Egg
1 x Paprika
1 x Popoto
1 x Maple Sugar
1 x Olive Oil
1 x Imperial Flour

Red onion = Wild Onion
Chicken = cockatrice Meat
Hard boiled egg (broken into chunks) = Bird Egg
Paprika = Paprika
Hash brown style potato = popoto
Maple sugar = maple sugar
flour tortilla = imperial flour
brushed tortilla with olive oil = olive oil

made for a hearty and delicious breakfast! Did not however increase my combat skill up rate in real life... what's up with that.

[SpankWustler]

Did not however increase my combat skill up rate in real life... what's up with that.

It's possible you weren't fighting targets of a high enough level. When increasing one's combat skill, as tempting as a leisurely drive through the kindergarden playground may be, it is important to actually go hand-to-hand with targets at least tall enough and intelligent enough to attempt to bite you in the groin.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

it is important to actually go hand-to-hand with targets at least tall enough and intelligent enough to attempt to bite you in the groin.

This from a Tarutaru.

[Stan64]

Friendly reminder for me and other at CET (CEST).

Saturday, 23 june 2012, 02:00:00
Sunday, 24 june 2012, 02:00:00

[Camate]

With a multitude of delicious treats from around Vana’diel, the VanaFest attendees will surely need something to quench their thirst and wash down all of those mithkabobs!

Our top chefs are putting their hearts and souls into creating the most refreshing beverages, and as such they have to try and test a variety of combinations to refine the flavor.

Below is their latest experiment:

2172

Can anyone guess as to what this might just be?

Answer:



Are any of you making plans with your friends to watch the stream? Hopefully these posts giving insight to the food will spur some creativity and motivation to make tasty snacks to be eaten while soaking up all the stream content. Some of you have already posted some pretty interesting (and delicious sounding) recipes!

I can go ahead and tell you that Bayohne and I have a lot planned for the Community Team stream during VanaFest, so we both hope everyone is looking forward to it!

[Alhanelem]

I was correct. :p

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Will it come with a Parade Gorget, or do you still need to find the spawn point?

[Prothscar]

the powder is cocaine isn't it

[SpankWustler]

It's people. Red Powder is made out of people. They're making drink condiments out of people.

[bungiefanNA]

So now they're just teasing us with all the food we won't be able to try because we don't live in that country and can't buy tickets?

[Savlyn]

Does anyone actually care about these posts?

[Camate]

All of these VanaFest-related posts are for all the players around the world (whether attending or not) to see a variety of famous food and drink from Vana’diel come to life. Just because this event is being held in Japan doesn’t mean we should not share these behind-the-scenes type of posts. We hope to give everyone a chance to see the kind of stuff going into the making of these famous dishes, and hope people enjoy it! But even if you don’t, that's okay, too. We would just ask that you not be overly negative to dissuade the enjoyment of others.

[Raucent]

I'm sure there are people who do see it as exciting, however there appears to be a larger majority who note how they cant attend view the stalls,performances,contests etc. purely b/c they are not in japan. To be fair yes we should be glad we get the live stream, however that only does so much, and to other players it only reinforces what they miss out on for not being in the region it is sponsored in. as a comparison there is a massive difference from seeing a concert or sports game on TV versus actually being there

[Alhanelem]

this is an issue for nearly every convention that exists. A handful of conventions like PAX have multiple events in different locations, but most conventions have a single venue. We were VERY lucky to get the fanfests when we did. Conventions are extremely expensive and often not worthwhile to do in multiple locations.

It's a fact of any convention: if you aren't living there, or can't travel there, you're SOL unless there's a stream or other coverage. I don't see all this kind of complaining that you can't go to e3 (or most other conventions0 if you don't live in California.

Deal with it, and take what we're getting. You're not going to get something better, no matter how much you beg.

[Kraggy]

It's a fact of any convention: if you aren't living there, or can't travel there, you're SOL unless there's a stream or other coverage. I don't see all this kind of complaining that you can't go to e3 (or most other conventions0 if you don't live in California.beg.
Totally true, but the issue it seems to me is that many, like me, are sick of seeing only the chosen few Japanese able to have the fun toys given away at these.

Sure, they're entirely fluff and don't provide an 'advantage', but the F-U-N and there is no way for the rest of us to ever get them. Have conventions, fine, but don't provide give-aways that no on else gets a chance of seeing.

[Dhragon]

I personally like all the information that the community team is able pass on to us about this upcoming event. And this incessant complaining does nothing more than enforce my disappointment in the people I play this game with. Most events (certainly not all) give attendees some type of swag as a way to say "thank you" for supporting this event. This is no different and it doesn't entitle anyone outside of this event to anything.

[SpankWustler]

I wasn't expecting this much information about the goings-on over there and this coverage of goofy stuff is a pleasant surprise.

Given how weird and frustrating the information about Final Fantasy XI itself that is passed from on high can be sometimes, actually, I'm really glad to have this lighter stuff to read about a bunch of Japanese people eating things.

[Camate]

Continuing in the trend of Goblin-related goodies, our chefs have mastered the secret Goblin techniques for synthesizing chocolate and have re-created the infamous Goblin Chocolate!

2174

It can be assumed that the Goblins were bested in some form of gambling and lost the rights to their exclusive recipe, but that is the nature of the beast, as they say!

The outside is as I am sure you can all guess…chocolate. The inside is a bit more of a mystery! The chocolates are served in a fancy glass with four pieces. Two of them contain sunflower seeds, while the other two have another special ingredient. If you recall, the original recipe calls for a good helping of Cobalt Jellyfish. Though it’s pretty common to eat jellyfish in Japan, they decided to be quite clever and use another ingredient to simulate that jellyfish texture:




Stay tuned for more food updates! The next one is one of my personal favorite foods…

[Alhanelem]

I don't like tapioca.

[bungiefanNA]

All of these VanaFest-related posts are for all the players around the world (whether attending or not) to see a variety of famous food and drink from Vana’diel come to life. Just because this event is being held in Japan doesn’t mean we should not share these behind-the-scenes type of posts. We hope to give everyone a chance to see the kind of stuff going into the making of these famous dishes, and hope people enjoy it! But even if you don’t, that's okay, too. We would just ask that you not be overly negative to dissuade the enjoyment of others.

Will they be posting recipes or releasing a recipe book book so we can have a chance of tasting these? The look of the food just doesn't really do it for me by itself. That would seem to be the best way to share the experience.

Bein in Alaska, there's never any convention like this I can attend due to the ridiculous cost of air travel, or the time it takes to drive, paired with how short of a time can be taken off from work. It doesn't matter that I'm in the largest city, even bands announcing concerts here tend to cancel them.

[Darkvalkyr]

Love Tapioca <3

[SpankWustler]

Looking at them in that glass with the toothpick, all I can think of is the largest chocolate martini in the universe.

[Economizer]

Will they be posting recipes or releasing a recipe book book so we can have a chance of tasting these? The look of the food just doesn't really do it for me by itself. That would seem to be the best way to share the experience.

Seconded. A complete recipe for each of these would be nice, I'm not a dunce but I can't play by ear or cook by ingredient.

In fact, perhaps someday we could get a whole cookbook, maybe something like "Diet for a Large Vana'Diel" or "The Windurst Cooking-School Cook Book" that could not only include a swath of recipes but also the ingame recipe for comparison.

[Kristal]

Totally true, but the issue it seems to me is that many, like me, are sick of seeing only the chosen few Japanese able to have the fun toys given away at these.

Sure, they're entirely fluff and don't provide an 'advantage', but the F-U-N and there is no way for the rest of us to ever get them. Have conventions, fine, but don't provide give-aways that no on else gets a chance of seeing.

They should make real-life event items like these available via mog bonanza. Statues are nice and all, but nothing compares to turning your party into eggs during a Pil fight ;D

[Camate]

It might be Friday, but in my own personal world it’s taco Tuesday every day of the week!

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Shovel down these Windurst Tacos and sharpen your sight! This one shouldn’t be too hard to make for yourselves at home while watching the live stream and I am sure all of you creative players can find ways to kick it up a notch as well. Instead of the hare meat that is required for the recipe in-game, we decided to go with a more mainstream type of meat…chicken. :p

One interesting thing to note, though the icon for Windurst Tacos seems to make it look like they would be a crunchy, hard shell taco, they are actually soft! Though it probably would have been a bit more convenient as a burrito so people could walk around without worrying about dropping it or succumbing to taco neck syndrome, we decided to keep it as it was in-game to once again bring Vana’diel to life.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

My inner PLD is disappointed you didn't go with the Tavnazian Taco.

[Catmato]

My inner PLD is disappointed you didn't go with the Tavnazian Taco.

Have you seen what goes into those? Blech...

[SpankWustler]

Cause:


...in my own personal world it’s taco Tuesday every day of the week!

Effect:


...succumbing to taco neck syndrome...

[Tile]

we decided to go with a more mainstream type of meat…chicken. :p

why dont yall just add chickens to the game and let chicken meat be used in every low lvl cooking instead of any other meat. could make it a new guild KI called It's taste like chicken that lets you use chicken

[Logandor]

It might be Friday, but in my own personal world it’s taco Tuesday every day of the week!
Shovel down these Windurst Tacos and sharpen your sight! This one shouldn’t be too hard to make for yourselves at home while watching the live stream and I am sure all of you creative players can find ways to kick it up a notch as well. Instead of the hare meat that is required for the recipe in-game, we decided to go with a more mainstream type of meat…chicken. :p
One interesting thing to note, though the icon for Windurst Tacos seems to make it look like they would be a crunchy, hard shell taco, they are actually soft! Though it probably would have been a bit more convenient as a burrito so people could walk around without worrying about dropping it or succumbing to taco neck syndrome, we decided to keep it as it was in-game to once again bring Vana’diel to life.

All I can say is yummy ^.^ and can we get a final fantasy cookbook made because this stuff we get to see I swear is making me hungry lol.

[Camate]

Our delights from the land of Vana’diel seem to never end and I have yet more goodies to share with you all. As a side note, I am actually writing this on a completely empty stomach, making me want to Doomvoid any food or drinks that comes withinrange of my cubicle.

Before I introduce the menu for today, I have a couple of comments.

First, as it turns out we are not using chicken for the Windurst Tacos and are “keepin’ it real” by using actual rabbit meat. For a taco connoisseur like me, this will be a first and sounds quite interesting.

Next…



Hook me up with the recipes or release a cook book!


While I am not quite sure about the possibility of releasing an actual published cook book, there might be a chance we can do some research to get more insight into the recipes and thought put into these dishes and drinks. In the meantime, if you are really itching to try these out for yourself, I recommend taking a look at the in-game recipes, the information I have posted regarding the ingredients, and improving it a bit to suit your tastes! If you actually make something at home related to these foods or other Vana’dielian meals, post-em up so we can see! (Pics or it didn’t happen :p)

Now then, onto the yummy stuff.

2190

This was a tough one and we took some creative liberties, but we managed to come up with a good real life version! It probably goes without saying, but the first problem was procuring some Nebimonite, as it does not really exist. We scavenged the seven seas to find something close to it and as a result we decided to utilize nautilus shells to simulate the shape of a Nebimonite (Just decoration basically!).

Since we felt that it wouldn’t be very fun or interesting to just bake some seafood in a shell, we thought it would have a bit more impact if we served it via a plate of paella. What you see emerging from its shell is supposed to be Nebimonite meat, but it is actually an arrangement of various kinds of seafood. Rumor has it the entire dish is quite large and could be shared between two adventurers, but if my current hunger has anything to say about that I could probably down two plates myself.

To wash it down and clear your palette of that seafood flavor, we will also be serving the MP invigorating Yagudo Drink.

2189

Based on the color of the drink and the knowledge that it is fruit juice based, what do you suppose we used for each of the ingredients?

[Tsukino_Kaji]

Realy, you stuck a nautalus on a bed of curry rice and expect it to be edible?

[Camate]

Realy, you stuck a nautalus on a bed of curry rice and expect it to be edible?

First of all...paella (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paella) is not curry. Second, the nautilus is only for decoration. ^^

[seya]

paella is actually saffron rice , i can see on the shell calamari or it could even be a baby octopus , looks good

[SpankWustler]

I've always been curious as to how paella, a Spanish dish, came to be relatively big in Japan. Is it simply because paella uses rice and often seafood as main ingredients, and Japan has a lot of rice and seafood hanging around waiting to be eaten?

I'm a little disappointed that the Yagudo Drink isn't alcoholic. I have always imagined that the Dark Crystal involved in place of a Water Crystal implied fermentation. Also, I'm hoping against hope for a riot at Vanafest and drinking can help move things in that direction.

[saevel]

paella is actually saffron rice , i can see on the shell calamari or it could even be a baby octopus , looks good

Nakji is actually very delicious, so is squid. Fry the squid with butter or roast it, amazingly good tasting.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

Nakji is actually very delicious, so is squid. Fry the squid with butter or roast it, amazingly good tasting.

:) Least you never said it tastes like Chicken... :p

[Washburn]

The plating looks amazing. That chinet paper plate really screams NQ.

[Asymptotic]

Realy, you stuck a nautalus on a bed of curry rice and expect it to be edible?

Another quality post brought to you by Tsukino_Kaji.

Seriously, try ... reading the post.

[Trisscar]

It's people. Red Powder is made out of people. They're making drink condiments out of people.

*deleted for sake of celebration*

[Yugl]

I've always been curious as to how paella, a Spanish dish, came to be relatively big in Japan. Is it simply because paella uses rice and often seafood as main ingredients, and Japan has a lot of rice and seafood hanging around waiting to be eaten?

I'm a little disappointed that the Yagudo Drink isn't alcoholic. I have always imagined that the Dark Crystal involved in place of a Water Crystal implied fermentation. Also, I'm hoping against hope for a riot at Vanafest and drinking can help move things in that direction.

Japan has a surprisingly large connection with South America (Brazil in particular). My guess is that this was the vehicle of travel.

[SpankWustler]

Wow, after reading about the relations between Japan and Brazil, the history isn't what I expected. I thought it would just be a trade relationship or something. The articles also remind me that there was an international tournament of anti-Asian racism going on around 1900.

I think this naked guy pointing at a map, while about to murder a tiny family using his farming tool, is the forefather of the Development Bros:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Affiche_%C3%A9migration_JP_au_BR-d%C3%A9b._XXe_s..jpg
"I am a naked and malevolent giant," the text reads, "and Brazil shall be next to feel the sting of my giant hoe-thing."

[Trisscar]

*deleted for sake of celebration*

On second thought, I take that back. Could someone from the development team (since thy seem to be active on this thread) explain just why there is such a huge difference between the real-life event and the in-game event? Apart from some new, re-skinned and occasionally useful finery, a largely useless experience ring and a fully unleashed set of kupopowers it's like just any other day in Vanadiel.

[Eric]

Oh just calm the fuck down. In-game events have never been too big to begin with. Keep your complaining to the thread you made.
....

ANYWAYS,

Too bad it doesn't seem like we'll ever get another US Fan Festival. That's the only real complaint I have about any of this. I was too young to go to any of the other Fan Fests, and now it seems like I won't ever get a chance to experience it.

[saevel]

:) Least you never said it tastes like Chicken... :p

Definitely not chicken haha.

Baby octopus is cut up into pieces and fried with rice, vegetables and a really spicy sauce. Nakji Bokumbop, really tasty.

Squid is usually buttered up and roasted. Sometimes they'll flatten it on this roling thing so you can pull it apart with your hands. Smells absolutely horrible, but sooo tasty.

[seya]

I know its not related but just saying I m Brazilian and yes there is a huge amount of japanese living in Brazil , and as far i know japanese immigrants always do really well in almost anything in Brazil either in a farm or in a computer store , and second paella is a spanish dish thou i saw in Brazil before it has nothing to do with Brazil

[SpankWustler]

Definitely not chicken haha.

Baby octopus is cut up into pieces and fried with rice, vegetables and a really spicy sauce. Nakji Bokumbop, really tasty.

Squid is usually buttered up and roasted. Sometimes they'll flatten it on this roling thing so you can pull it apart with your hands. Smells absolutely horrible, but sooo tasty.

I've found that's a pretty good rule of thumb for any unidentified sea creature that isn't a fish. The less like something edible it looks and smells, the better it will taste.

A dish looks like whitefish and smells like the ocean with garlic in it? Going to taste like salt and garlic.

A dish looks like Cthulhu's aborted hate-child and smells like the shoes of the overweight undead? Going to taste meaty and awesome.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

First of all...paella (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paella) is not curry. Second, the nautilus is only for decoration. ^^I can see the picture, and coming from a foody and cook, as much as you want that to be paella it is most assuradly not.
As for the garnish, it's a no no to have some inedible that size on your plate.

Forshame on who ever the "cook" is.

[Camate]

With VanaFest taking place right as summer begins and the humidity in Japan climbs to levels which make you feel like you are in a swimming pool the moment you step outside, a couple more fruity beverages are always a good idea to have on hand to aid adventurers in need of refreshment!

The first food item has very nostalgic significance to me and makes me recall my days as a wee adventurer, when I just started playing FINAL FANTASY XI. Can anyone guess what that item could be?





“To Bee or Not to Bee?” is the question that needs to be answered for this next drink. We managed to completely re-create this quick MP recovery drink, using some tasty grape juice, water, and a hint of honey!





To wrap this post up for today, I leave you with one more treasure from the menu of the Vana’diel Café!

[Fusionx]

Part of the live quest requires you to give some guy at a booth like 100 of those sausages right?.... right?

[Mahoro]

I can see the picture, and coming from a foody and cook, as much as you want that to be paella it is most assuradly not.
As for the garnish, it's a no no to have some inedible that size on your plate.

Forshame on who ever the "cook" is.

Looks like it to me! http://www.instructables.com/id/DELICOUS-PAELLA/

[vixin]

that galkan sasuage looks weird

[Mifaco]

Part of the live quest requires you to give some guy at a booth like 100 of those sausages right?.... right?
Yes but you'll have to exit and re-enter the venue after trading each sausage.

[Shadax]

Hmm... How do I put this delicately?

The Galkan sausage looks like a turd.

I suck at delicate.

[Kristal]

While this recipe actually calls for Selbina Milk, we decided to use a drinkable yogurt base that is mixed with a peach juice blend. The reason why we opted for this instead is because there are quite a few people who do not like milk, or prefer not to drink it.

The ability to drink milk as an adult evolved in early humans migrating from Afrika to Europe, and as a result it's almost exclusive to those of north-european descent. Only like 10% of adult asians can digest milk, so it's not surprising they would use pre-digested milk (aka yoghurt) for VanaFest.

In the Netherlands, you can buy all the in-game au-laits (orange, apple, pear, banana, peach) at supermarkets, and a whole range more. Like "forest fruits", blueberry, blackberry, raspberry and strawberry all in one drink, or as seperate flavors. Or mango, cherry, pashion fruit, etc :D (Some even include beneficial bacteria to help you digest it, cause those things are murder on your digestion if you cannot digest milk yourself ;))

[Masekase]

When are we actually gonna see some teasers of whats to come from vanafest. Unless this is it for 10th anniversary a few snippets of food and drinks. Hopefully not as was expecting something BIG to come.

[Camate]

Camate here again to bring you yet more real-life renditions of delicacies from Vana’diel!

Curry Buns anyone?

2204

I find it ironic that one of the most popular attack enhancing foods adventurers choose to chomp down are donuts stuffed with delicious curry filling. I couldn’t imagine eating a curry bun as my pre-workout meal to get me fueled up! But alas, it is a world of fantasy after all! Don’t get me wrong though, it is probably one of the most delicious foods on Earth (and in Vana’diel).

Not only will we be featuring the affordable Yellow Curry Bun (upper left), we will also have the fancier Red Curry bun (lower right) as well. To make the Red Curry Bun, the whole development team was asked to go camp a dragon for a couple of hours to procure its meat. Apparently it didn’t turn out so well. They came back dragon meat-less, but had some good ideas for a substitute. What they chose is still a secret at the moment, but I hear that both buns are in fact delicious!

If you are like me, the instant you finish something spicy or salty, you feel a strong urge to eat something sweet. Well the Vana’diel café has adventurers with a sweet tooth covered.

2205

We are offering this nifty, perfect triumvirate of mini-desserts!

Think you can guess the name of each of these savory sweets?

Left:


Middle:


Right:



I said there were three mini-desserts, but I lied. The 10th anniversary logo is actually edible and made out of white chocolate :)

[Camate]

When are we actually gonna see some teasers of whats to come from vanafest. Unless this is it for 10th anniversary a few snippets of food and drinks. Hopefully not as was expecting something BIG to come.

Magic doesn't happen over night my friend! We are still a month out from the event itself, but you can expect things other than food and drinks to be teased in the near future :)

[Fusionx]

Magic doesn't happen over night my friend! We are still a month out from the event itself, but you can expect things other than food and drinks to be teased in the near future :)

Like.... a new expansion?

[Mahoro]

Those look delicious Camate. Keep it up!

[Ryanx]

Like.... a new expansion?
Ha ha ha nice fusion I wish we will see what happens.

[Keyln]

Like.... a new expansion?

Or maybe we can summon Bahamut. /hope

[SpankWustler]

To make the Red Curry Bun, the whole development team was asked to go camp a dragon for a couple of hours to procure its meat. Apparently it didn’t turn out so well. They came back dragon meat-less, but had some good ideas for a substitute. What they chose is still a secret at the moment, but I hear that both buns are in fact delicious!

A mentally ill homeless man, who appeared after two-and-a-half hours of camping, believed the Development Bros to be mind-control men from Uranus and fought "with the soul of a dragon". This left the Development Bros covered in cuts and bruises but also gave them an inspired idea for a dragon-meat-substitute.

Late that night, the aforementioned homeless man and several of his homeless buddies mysteriously vanished.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

I can see the picture, and coming from a foody and cook, as much as you want that to be paella it is most assuradly not.
As for the garnish, it's a no no to have some inedible that size on your plate.

Forshame on who ever the "cook" is.

You have no idea what you're talking about, it's not even the same colour as a properly cooked curry.

[Camate]

With the mere mention of the name of this next exquisite entrée, I fear that this thread will be flooded with a variety of clever posts that take well known movie titles, book titles, and other things, and replace a portion of it with the name of this famous creature of Vana’diel.

So I’m not even going to say the name! Nope!

2207

Delicious ______ Stew!

Based on the recipe, clearly this stew needs the meat of the creature that shall not be named (seriously, if you haven’t figured out which creature I am talking about by now…). So what did we do to replicate it? Well that’s easy! Camels :eek: We will be serving two different kinds of stew, one that features beef and another version that uses the slightly more eccentric camel meat. I wonder if it tastes like chicken…

Since it’s just not good form to eat stew without some kind of bread to complement it, our stew has been graciously paired with some Iron Bread. We did our best to select a type of bread that we felt resembled the classic hard-baked Galkan bread, and it is perfect for dipping, dunking, or scooping up the sauce. :p

[SpankWustler]

With all of the relatively exotic meats being mentioned, I have come to imagine a group of very uniquely gifted people preparing this food. They wield various mock-ups of Final Fantasy XI weaponry and run around a warehouse full of strange animals swinging that weaponry. They have high hopes of hitting the animals and moderate hopes of not hitting each other.

Also, I imagine a lot of screaming. Someone holding something that resembles a Mandau makes a pair of short-pants out of an rhinoceros's uterus. A chef begins to openly weep. Four in the afternoon rolls around, and the guy smashing meerkats with an Ukonvasara-sort-of-thing says, "Okay, let's work on Final Fantasy XI for an hour before heading home!"
If anyone didn't see that punchline coming, I am truly amazed.

[Kysenna]

All of these dishes look fantastic! I'm so sad that we can't go to the Vana'Fest, but as a close second-place, when my husband and I meet up with some old FFXI friends at PAX, we're going to set aside a night to replicate some of these dishes. (And from reading the thread, it sounds like we're not alone.) So thank you for posting them!

Also, I just want to mention that the Galkan Sausage - delicious though it may be - makes me laugh. I can just see the menu prices now: "Nebimonite Bake with decorative nautilus shell: 1,500 yen. Dhalmel Stew made with honest-to-God camel: 2,000 yen. Galkan Sausage on a paper plate: 50 yen"

[Camate]

All of these dishes look fantastic! I'm so sad that we can't go to the Vana'Fest, but as a close second-place, when my husband and I meet up with some old FFXI friends at PAX, we're going to set aside a night to replicate some of these dishes. (And from reading the thread, it sounds like we're not alone.) So thank you for posting them!


Make sure to share the pics of your renditions of these awesome foods! The Community Team would love to see them :)

That goes for anyone who decides to get culinary!

[Kikorimo]

I knew the answer to the distilled water thing but I don't have a twitter account lol...

[Kavik]

You guys are wrong on the amount of items u need to upgrade an entire set. the math is 8+6x4 (the 4 'sub' peices) + 19 (10 body seals + 9 +2s) you need 75.

[Kavik]

The early bird catches the wyrm

[Kavik]

shahagin type mobs

[Camate]

Greetings!

First of all, covering VanaFest 2012 live and streaming to everyone across the world was an amazing experience and definitely an upgrade from 2010! The Community Team thanks everyone who took the time to tune in and hopes they all had an enjoyable time -- I know that Bayohne and I had a blast, perhaps too much fun!

Now then, for all of the adventurers who couldn’t check out the live stream or for those of you who would like to see all the core development panel info again, we are currently working on getting the videos up on our YouTube channel for your viewing pleasure.

Unfortunately due to some last minute technical problems ( :( ) we won’t be able to have full replays of the event, so we decided to do a re-take of development panels so that at least everyone can be on the same page information wise, which A LOT of amazing content. While you might miss out on the goofy things Bayohne and I said on the stream live (calling myself Bayohne right away by accident, dropping the term “jammin’ beats,” and completely calling Aphmau, “Aphmed”), these videos will serve to catch you all up to speed or refresh your memory of all the awesome updates the development team discussed.

In the meantime, you can check out all the Japanese videos that were posted yesterday, since you don’t really need to know a lick of Japanese to enjoy the costume event and the amazing concert performances.

Day 1:

Development Talk Session (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW8Rl6PfGbA&feature=youtu.be)
Cosplay Contest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXoY9RHgKYA&feature=youtu.be)
Directors Talk Session (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENlaWqOStjQ&feature=youtu.be)
Concert: Nanaa Mihgo’s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59mkJuFOpe8&feature=youtu.be)
Concert: Kumi Tanioka (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC94F5d_RM0&feature=youtu.be)

Day 2:

Development Talk Session (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZnO51gbIlc&feature=youtu.be)
Concert: Nanaa Mihgo’s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2NUStWsd-0&feature=youtu.be)
Concert: Earthbound Papas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8dIKWtLjCI&feature=youtu.be)


We are working hard to get our videos up ASAP and we will be sure to let you know when they are ready!

[Monchat]

can we get the japanese videos with english subs? all that i care about >.>

[Scuro]

Vanafest 2013 needs to come back to LA!

[Ophannus]

Bring it to NYC, you'll get more attendance than Tokyo and LA combined.