Play as a Monster Camps

[Vivivivi]

Where do you think the best places would be? First thought that comes to mind is Abyssea maws... level 30 leech camping XD

[lllen]

They said that it would be in certain designated areas that you can do battle. But it sounded that you could pick up points doing battle as you go along in real game.

[Camate]

Correct, there will be specific areas where "play as a monster" will be possible. The main reasoning for area limitations is due to the fact that huge monsters such as behemoth cannot move around in certain areas or certain parts of areas (think small cave passages etc.). Once there is more information on this we will be sure to pass it along. :)

Also, just as some follow up information in regards to this new system, we have seen concerns come up after announcing the concept of “play as a monster” in regards to whether or not the possibility would exist for players to just lose or win on purpose with their friends so they can receive rewards easily.

Obviously this would make this content quite boring and the development team is already at work to make a system to prevent this type of play style. This is the reasoning for notoriety/prestige (tentative name) points , which players can actively compete for. You will not be able to receive a reward by just defeating players with low point values continuously.

We have also seen a couple of requests for battlefields that can only be accessed as a monster as an alternative to the PvP element, so players can receive rewards there instead. While this is definitely an interesting idea and can be looked into in the future as a way to add elements to the system to make it more enjoyable, the concern is that by introducing this system, the focus of this content would shift to be more battlefield-centric taking away from the main idea of creating a fun and exciting way for players to fight as player vs. monster-player in open field areas.

[seallux]

well thats awesome! :D new content ^^ yes please

[FrankReynolds]

Correct, there will be specific areas where "play as a monster" will be possible. The main reasoning for area limitations is due to the fact that huge monsters such as behemoth cannot move around in certain areas or certain parts of areas (think small cave passages etc.). Once there is more information on this we will be sure to pass it along. :)

Also, just as some follow up information in regards to this new system, we have seen concerns come up after announcing the concept of “play as a monster” in regards to whether or not the possibility would exist for players to just lose or win on purpose with their friends so they can receive rewards easily.

Obviously this would make this content quite boring and the development team is already at work to make a system to prevent this type of play style. This is the reasoning for notoriety/prestige (tentative name) points , which players can actively compete for. You will not be able to receive a reward by just defeating players with low point values continuously.

We have also seen a couple of requests for battlefields that can only be accessed as a monster as an alternative to the PvP element, so players can receive rewards there instead. While this is definitely an interesting idea and can be looked into in the future as a way to add elements to the system to make it more enjoyable, the concern is that by introducing this system, the focus of this content would shift to be more battlefield-centric taking away from the main idea of creating a fun and exciting way for players to fight as player vs. monster-player in open field areas.

SO I won't be able to camp low level areas and kill all the new players?

[SpankWustler]

SO I won't be able to camp low level areas and kill all the new players?

I just want to become the penultimate crab or slime and require so long to kill that people would rather give up and rage-quit than wait five hours for their inevitable victory.

My arch-nemesis will be whoever can wander off for four hours to make the most elaborate sandwich ever constructed then spend an hour taking the perfect picture of it to post as a strangely mundane instagram.

[Randwolf]

I think a lot of people were hoping this is what Pankration would be, when it came out. Or, something along these lines.

[Aramyth]

I'm very excited for this. I remember saying a few years ago that PvMP would be the only way for XI to have decent pvp.

[Vivivivi]

I'm really excited about this as well! One of my favorite things about any video game was always when you finally got to play as the enemy, like when you could get Magus in Chrono Trigger to join your party.

So to clarify, it will work sort of similar to Voidwatch, where the designated places to do battle will be highlighted somehow? Or will it work to where you can openly participate, just in restricted zones, more like where you can and cannot ride a chocobo?

[Zerich]

FellCleave>>>PC-Mandragoras>>>Profit?

[Vivivivi]

I hope steal and mug works on Player Monsters >:)

[Urteil]

Camate what about just playing as my character to fight other characters?


As it has been said before this is not a planned alternative to PvP, rather another game system- not a substitute.






If so is there something in the works for people who want to be the character they spent days, months, years, creating and adventuring the world with?

Why give up on the storylines of conflict so easily?

Or is there a way for this system to be used for players to fight each other as players?

If you do implement the system please give the option of fighting as your own character versus another character. The entire FFXI universe is rife with conflict, filled with strife, and built upon a bloody war, and catstrophes we never saw.

[Camate]

Greetings! (Sorry for the necrobump.)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! :D

I’d like to share a bit of information about the “Play as a Monster” (working title) content that is currently in development, so let’s take a brief look at an example…

Let’s pretend my big behemoth self turns into a different monster like this rabbit here.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5408&d=1353589520&thumb=1

The name is not the player's name as you can see, and it is displayed in the log as “Rabbit” as well.

Once you become a monster, there will be a “monster skill” option added to your action command menu. (Apologies that the below is only in Japanese, but the highlighted option is “monster skill”)

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5412&d=1353589521&thumb=1

From this option you can select and execute abilities, which will require and consume TP.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5409&d=1353589520 (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5409&d=1353589520)

Currently the rabbit’s level is pretty low, so I only have Foot Kick at my disposal, which is why I am out here fighting this mandragora. Once I level up I’ll start learning Whirl Claws and other abilities.

We wanted to become a really sweet monster and show off how you can fight against other players, but the PvP battle system is still being worked on, so we were unable to do it at this time.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5410&d=1353589521&thumb=1http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5411&d=1353589521&thumb=1

It’s also possible to upgrade (evolve?) to a Black Rabbit or a White Rabbit. Depending on what kind you become the abilities will differ. For example, the White Rabbit will learn Snow Cloud.

While I am sure a great deal of players are in fact looking forward to having a new PvP aspect added to the game, those who do not fancy PvP much will still be able to enjoy this content (i.e. changing into a variety of different monsters). However, since part of a monster’s daily activity is to battle with adventurers, there is a high possibility that we will not be making it so you can completely avoid PvP on the monster-side.

Even if you are not actively picking fights, you may be attacked, so in these cases you can either try to resist as much as possible or throw in the towel. Don’t worry though, there will not be any death penalty, so just repop and keep on trucking. We would like the “Play as a Monster” PvP to be content that is enjoyable and does not disturb relationships with friends.

On another note, when becoming a monster you will not be able to form parties with other monster players or adventurers. The main reason why it will not be possible to do the former is because adventurers will not be able to defeat an alliance of fully developed monsters. We also don’t want to make it so you get head hunted while playing solo either when you are not in a party, and would like to keep it easy to play without this stress. For the latter, as I mentioned above, part of a monster’s life is to fight adventurers, so we want to keep the hostile relationship between adventurers and monster intact.

The development team is powering forward to make this content ready for testing on the Test Server, and actually a portion of the data has already been put onto the Test Server last week. We will have some more information on the overall system soon enough to share with you all! :cool:

*Please keep in mind that the above is all in development and can possibly change.

[Caketime]

I'm very excited for this. I remember saying a few years ago that PvMP would be the only way for XI to have decent pvp.

Our current PvP is some of the most in-depth and nuanced PvP in any online game ever. Other games you mash 3 buttons and jump around in circles like a tard until the enemy dies, in this game you have an ever-changing strategy that shifts moment to moment and forces the players to quickly counter their enemies' abilities and respond with their own to achieve victory.

The really sad thing about it is the devs won't take it anywhere, despite it being one of the best aspects of the entire game. There is no greater challenge than the one another player can present to you, and that's exactly why the devs do not want. They can't control every aspect 100% due to the player variable and they don't want to admit it. Community whining about x and y job being better than others is cause for concern too, because then they would have to actually balance the jobs rather than doing random adjustments and calling it balance.

Personally I think this event is going to suck gobby sack, SE only wants us to PvP the way they feel we should, with a timesink and a bunch of convoluted rules and limitations thrown in to cut back on the inevitable sea of complaints about RDM being so broken in PvP yet being terrible at everything else. I think that speaks volumes about SE's balance issues by itself, that job is a poster child for neglectful parenting.

[Elphy]

If you want to give us PvP, fix what is broken (as in take out the fact that if your not a job that can zerg everything in seconds your sol) and let us fight as ourselves.

I will not even bother with this, I do not wanna fight as a bunny or crab or whatever unless I can turn into a bluffalo and play actual content like taking out shin or real bosses like Prometheus. Seems silly, redundant and a complete waste of the few remaining devs resources.

[Vandheer]

If you want to give us PvP, fix what is broken (as in take out the fact that if your not a job that can zerg everything in seconds your sol) and let us fight as ourselves.

I will not even bother with this, I do not wanna fight as a bunny or crab or whatever unless I can turn into a bluffalo and play actual content like taking out shin or real bosses like Prometheus. Seems silly, redundant and a complete waste of the few remaining devs resources.

Opinions may differ but I think its good that SE is taking time to put out content for both casual players and endgame event grinders. I don't believe they want to give us a "new pvp" per say but they want to give us something thats new and fun. In addition, Camate did mention that its only limited to small monsters for now but I do expect and hope that this means they expand the variance of monsters beyond the simple ones.

Overall, I'm looking forward to the new way to interact with other players. As a Beastmaster I'm hoping this to help give us more insight into particular mob types. Despite all that I will level with those against this new "Play as a Monster" content and say that I do think this could go south if it doesn't have easy access unlike other creative idea's SE has put out like Pankration. Some sort of player benefit that came from partaking in this content would be nice as well.

[Luvbunny]

If you want to give us PvP, fix what is broken (as in take out the fact that if your not a job that can zerg everything in seconds your sol) and let us fight as ourselves.

I will not even bother with this, I do not wanna fight as a bunny or crab or whatever unless I can turn into a bluffalo and play actual content like taking out shin or real bosses like Prometheus. Seems silly, redundant and a complete waste of the few remaining devs resources.

Moblin Maze, Pankration, Chocobo Racing + Breeding and Colosseum said hi!! Tons of neglected contents that are half baked with no substantial rewards, such a wasted resource to make it and yet they still cannot fix most of the glaring unbalance in some jobs and swimmingly along ignoring requests to fix Campaign, Walk of Echoes, and Dynamis.

[Hashmalum]

Ok, as long as the dev team wants to talk about playing as a monster, I might as well give my question for them a shot. Will monsters have or be able to learn any normal player job abilities? After all, all monsters have at least one job, and some Notorious Monsters have player SP1 (two hour) abilities, and a few have Charm. Also, what about spells? Will we able to cast any? If so, can any monster type theoretically do that, or will it be limited to monster types that are already commonly mages (worms, hecteyes, corses, etc.)?

[MarkovChain]

We don't care about this we want salvage

[noirin]

As was mentioned a few times, Fighting adventurers is part of a Daily Monster's life. Does this mean that we HAVE to fight? as such, does this mean i can simply be trolled when i want to fight other monsters, and have high level players hunting me down in the process? is there some kind of forced cap if a higher player attempts to hunt me? I.E. if i'm a rabbit in saruta, around lvl 5, does a lvl 99 player who randomly decides to attack me incur some sort of penalty [ A level or power restriction] ? or am i just ment to let them destroy me?

I'm more than open to the idea of PvP with this, but just like how i can do things by myself in Aby here and there, i don't want to always do this content with the worry of other players taking me out every few minutes. Rapidly dying =/= Fun Times.

[Luvbunny]

I think when you attack a lvl 5 rabbit monster, you will automatically level capped to 5 and loose all your buffs and tp. This should discourage higher lvl players randomly butchering lower lvls. But personally they have to reveal what is the end game of this, and what are the rewards. Otherwise this will be included in the long list of forgotten activities, and truly a wasted effort.

[Tanama]

I cannot wait for this to be implemented! :D

[Bloodrain]

Our current PvP is some of the most in-depth and nuanced PvP in any online game ever. Other games you mash 3 buttons and jump around in circles like a tard until the enemy dies, in this game you have an ever-changing strategy that shifts moment to moment and forces the players to quickly counter their enemies' abilities and respond with their own to achieve victory.

The really sad thing about it is the devs won't take it anywhere, despite it being one of the best aspects of the entire game.


If you want to give us PvP, fix what is broken (as in take out the fact that if your not a job that can zerg everything in seconds your sol) and let us fight as ourselves.

I posted a thread about expanding or upgrading Ballista

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/threads/28893-Ballista-Upgrade

Perhaps if people like yourselves would start the fire behind my post, SE may at least consider taking it to the drawing board.. who knows?

And as much as this content sounds intriguing, what has been said here is true. We already have a system of fighting each other and SE should start growing upon that, not introduce more broken systems that people will ignore and go right back to the systems that aren't as broken, if at all.

[Byrth]

To the Dev team:
I understand that there is a temptation to try and make this a stand-alone event and to say to yourself, "Oh, but it will be fun so people will do it even if there aren't rewards that generalize to the rest of the game!" This is absolutely the wrong approach to take. I have a shelf full of games that I don't play because FFXI exists. If those stand-alone complete games that received rave reviews from my friends can't compete with FFXI, why would an in-game minigame be able to compete with it?

Please add some rewards to the upper tiers of this event that generalize to our main characters and are desirable. Like, reaching capped level as a monster rewards you with a ring that has stats based on your monster family. Nothing overly powerful, but better than alternatives (uniqueness is a good way to make something better than alternatives).

Examples:
* Beastly Ring (8 Accuracy, 8 Attack, 1% Double Attack)
* Lizard Ring (6 Evasion, 6 Accuracy, 6 Subtle Blow)
* Vermin Ring (8 Magic Accuracy, Occasionally optimizes Magic Hit Rate)
* Plant Ring (8 Mind, Enmity -4)
* Amorphic Ring (-6% Damage taken)
* Bird Ring (3% Critical Hit Damage, 8 Agility)
* Arcane Ring (5 Magic Attack Bonus, 5 Magic Accuracy)
* Undead Ring (5 Magic Accuracy, Enhances potency of "Banish" vs. Undead)
* Wyrm Ring (10 Ranged Attack, 13 Ranged Accuracy)
* Demonic Ring (10 Dark Magic Skill, Enhances effects of Drain and Aspir)

[Kincard]

I'm kinda disheartened that people are so down on this event because "it's not linked to the main game" or whatever. No fun allowed, I guess? I agree that it would ideally have rewards linked to the main game, but this is the one time I feel like the event itself will be fun enough to be worth playing in its own right. Chocobo breeding and racing failed because not only did it not have rewards, but it just plain wasn't fun and was a pointless gilsink if you wanted to be good at it. Nobody goes to "chocobo racing" so that they can watch cutscenes ad nauseum, they want to...well, race. Pankration was a lot of fun IMO, but the problem was that it was never updated after that initial patch...it felt like they had so much more planned for it, then they just gave up for no reason. If the monsters had 150-250 FP by the time they reached higher levels we'd see more than just dark elementals and chigoes sitting in the champion's seat all day.

Moblin Mazes did have good rewards, for the people that said it didn't, you just had to really work for them (The weapons were all pretty good and a couple pieces of armor from it were good). The problem was that it was advertised as a "customized dungeon" when it was more "put on runes and hope something good happens".

As for questions for the dev team...can you ask them if this system will be linked to Pankration somehow? I really think that would make this a lot more fun. You'd customize a monster, then would be able to play as it.

[Aldersyde]

As was mentioned a few times, Fighting adventurers is part of a Daily Monster's life. Does this mean that we HAVE to fight? as such, does this mean i can simply be trolled when i want to fight other monsters, and have high level players hunting me down in the process? is there some kind of forced cap if a higher player attempts to hunt me? I.E. if i'm a rabbit in saruta, around lvl 5, does a lvl 99 player who randomly decides to attack me incur some sort of penalty [ A level or power restriction] ? or am i just ment to let them destroy me?

I'm more than open to the idea of PvP with this, but just like how i can do things by myself in Aby here and there, i don't want to always do this content with the worry of other players taking me out every few minutes. Rapidly dying =/= Fun Times.

I'm with you on this.

@ SE: Forced PvP opens up ways to constantly grief other players, so don't implement this idea. It doesn't matter if you think that fighting adventurers is an everyday occurrence for monsters, forcing an unavoidable PvP encounter on players opens to door to abuses and harassment. If I wanted this aspect of game play, I'd be playing another MMO.

Honestly, if this is the way the Play As A Monster system is going to operate, I won't even bother to unlock the content.

[Kincard]

I was going to respond by saying it'd be monumentally stupid of them to not add in some kind of toggle for people wanting to PvPMonsters or not, but then I realized what dev team we're dealing with here.

[Dreamin]

I only have 1 thing to say:

So this is what is more important then the SMN updates that were promised/disclosed over 2 years ago? Fixes to the various jobs and their lack of usefulness?

Seriously, I cannot even describe the fail that this is when there are so many things that need to be fixed. Failed, failed and more fail, SE!

[SpankWustler]

It's important to be positive about things.

Yeah, people can use this to harass you. But you can also use this to harass other people! Just think of the dickish possibilities before you, floating in an infinite sea of vinegar and water!

[THD]

I for one am looking forward to it. It doesn't fix some (actually many) issues in the game, but it's a fairly fresh idea for PvP.

[Evviva]

Our current PvP is some of the most in-depth and nuanced PvP in any online game ever. Other games you mash 3 buttons and jump around in circles like a tard until the enemy dies, in this game you have an ever-changing strategy that shifts moment to moment and forces the players to quickly counter their enemies' abilities and respond with their own to achieve victory.

The really sad thing about it is the devs won't take it anywhere, despite it being one of the best aspects of the entire game. There is no greater challenge than the one another player can present to you, and that's exactly why the devs do not want. They can't control every aspect 100% due to the player variable and they don't want to admit it. Community whining about x and y job being better than others is cause for concern too, because then they would have to actually balance the jobs rather than doing random adjustments and calling it balance.

Personally I think this event is going to suck gobby sack, SE only wants us to PvP the way they feel we should, with a timesink and a bunch of convoluted rules and limitations thrown in to cut back on the inevitable sea of complaints about RDM being so broken in PvP yet being terrible at everything else. I think that speaks volumes about SE's balance issues by itself, that job is a poster child for neglectful parenting.


Outstanding post.

[Dohati]

first SE removes MPK only to later introduce it and make it easier than ever before!

[Psxpert2011]

Greetings! (Sorry for the necrobump.)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! :D

I’d like to share a bit of information about the “Play as a Monster” (working title) content that is currently in development, so let’s take a brief look at an example…

Let’s pretend my big behemoth self turns into a different monster like this rabbit here.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5408&d=1353589520&thumb=1


Now, let's say you wanted to stay being a behemoth, couldn't you become a mini-behemoth?

How many choices do you have in becoming a monster, what will the lore entitle?






The name is not the player's name as you can see, and it is displayed in the log as “Rabbit” as well.

Once you become a monster, there will be a “monster skill” option added to your action command menu. (Apologies that the below is only in Japanese, but the highlighted option is “monster skill”)

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5412&d=1353589521&thumb=1

From this option you can select and execute abilities, which will require and consume TP.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5409&d=1353589520 (http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5409&d=1353589520)

Currently the rabbit’s level is pretty low, so I only have Foot Kick at my disposal, which is why I am out here fighting this mandragora. Once I level up I’ll start learning Whirl Claws and other abilities.

We wanted to become a really sweet monster and show off how you can fight against other players, but the PvP battle system is still being worked on, so we were unable to do it at this time.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5410&d=1353589521&thumb=1http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/attachment.php?attachmentid=5411&d=1353589521&thumb=1

It’s also possible to upgrade (evolve?) to a Black Rabbit or a White Rabbit. Depending on what kind you become the abilities will differ. For example, the White Rabbit will learn Snow Cloud.

While I am sure a great deal of players are in fact looking forward to having a new PvP aspect added to the game, those who do not fancy PvP much will still be able to enjoy this content (i.e. changing into a variety of different monsters). However, since part of a monster’s daily activity is to battle with adventurers, there is a high possibility that we will not be making it so you can completely avoid PvP on the monster-side.

Will other monster-players be able to link to you as monster do tend to link with mobs their own kind?


Even if you are not actively picking fights, you may be attacked, so in these cases you can either try to resist as much as possible or throw in the towel. Don’t worry though, there *will not be any death penalty, so just repop and keep on trucking. We would like the “Play as a Monster” PvP to be content that is enjoyable and does not disturb relationships with friends.

On another note, when becoming a monster **you will not be able to form parties with other monster players or adventurers. The main reason why it will not be possible to do the former is because adventurers will not be able to defeat an alliance of fully developed monsters. We also don’t want to make it so you ***get head hunted while playing solo either when you are not in a party, and would like to keep it easy to play without this stress. For the latter, as I mentioned above, part of a monster’s life is to fight adventurers, so we want to keep the ****hostile relationship between adventurers and monster intact.

The development team is powering forward to make this content ready for testing on the Test Server, and actually a portion of the data has already been put onto the Test Server last week. We will have some more information on the overall system soon enough to share with you all! :cool:

*Please keep in mind that the above is all in development and can possibly change.

*What reward other than exp. would a monster-player get for defeating an adventurer?

**Can you 'aggro' and adventure or link to another monster-play(same monster) engaged or same rules applied when a target is claimed?

***This would feel like a rush, why take the fun out of being notorious!! ;D

****Hostility is a mutual relationship and can be taken up into stages! Wouldn't it be more fun to earn the same as most mobs and NMs and enjoy it?

[Luvbunny]

I feel that what they should do is combining Pankration and Colosseum with this.

Pankration: if you want to be certain monster, you must capture it via pankration and use the reward to buy that particular monster essence so to speak. So you can buy the basic rabbit essence and upgrade it to snow based bunny etc...

Then you level it via the normal PvP. And finally you use your levelled up monster to battle other player in Colosseum.

Colosseum: match is done instantly, you can select your opponent and rounds, and work on tournament. You can switch your monster essence before battle and can have 6 essences with you at all times and switch it out. Just copy the basic Pokemon, it is a good success for a reason. When you win you get points.

You can spend your points for basic accessories, which has 4 empty slots. Then you can fill those slots with monster essences to customize it. Say you have your basic ring, and you want to add STR, DEX, AGI, and Accuracy. Win more tournaments - spend your points for STR essence, upgrade to your slots to the max (say max STR6).

The Developers need to look at their past effort that failed spectacularly and figure out a way to revamp it with this new idea. Evolith is good in paper but executed miserably. Players need a new way to grind, why not give us a way to customize our own accessories. Put some limitation so we can choose the 3-4 stats we want to add to the slots. Say first slot we have to choose between HP, MP or Defense. Second and Third slots for stats (Str, Agi, Dex, Vit, etc) and last slots for others (evasion, accuracy, magic defense bonus, haste, damage taken).

Make it so that each monster family is good for certain stats correspond to the slots. Make players level that certain monsters and when hit max lvl, we can "sacrifice" it as monster essence and use it to customize our gears. So if you need certain stats, raise certain monsters and turn it into the essence you want.

This way, for example, a mage can make belt that hast stats of: 50MP, 10INT, 10MND, 5 Magic Att Bonus. Evasion melee can make: 50Def, 10Agi, 10Str, 10Eva. You get the idea.

[Stolas]

My main question/concern to this new feature, is how will enmity be applied in this situation?

Lets say for example I'm a Wyrm monster being engaged by a party of 6. Whats to stop me from ignoring the Paladin who wants to tank me and doing absolute terror and killing the whm instantly, going after every single squishier job besides the paladin until he's by himself?

Now granted I'm sure something like provoke forces the monster to attack you for a set amount of time will be implemented, but that will be a small comfort, and possibly force all the tankier DD jobs to have to sub war, which will take away from the dynamic gameplay of this event.

So the main point is, how will enmity affect this event, and what will maxing it out do on the monster if it even comes to that?

[Raseleanne]

Oh my god, I'm so glad you posted this! I was worried y'all had forgotten about it! I've been looking forward to Play as a Monster since the day it was announced. I absolutely cannot wait. Back when Pankration was put into the game, I leveled up mobs like crazy (my favorites were blue chigoes and golems). I always thought it'd be cool to take our leveled up monsters into the field, but actually PLAYING as a monster is infinitely better. Keep up the good work! I'm looking forward to it so, so much! <3

P.S. Requisite request for chair/bench furnishings.
P.P.S. On a second read through, there sure are a lot of negative nancys in this thread. How sad. :(

[odericko]

Looking forward to this feature.

[ManaKing]

I <3 Bunny! I am sadly excited about this. I hope this will be fun and will have a point. If nothing else it should allow you access to max level BST pets upon some level of achievement.

[Meyi]

This idea is like the bastard child of Beastmaster and Blue Mage. And since I love both jobs, I find this idea relevant to my interests.

[Vivivivi]

I reallllllllly hope this is the kind of thing we can do while waiting for a void watch group to gather.... you know, when like one person doesn't have the sky warp or whatever. It looks fun :D I am all for simple fun content to break up other end game activities.

[Phogg]

I really hope high level players cannot just grief kill people trying to level up their monsters. That would be fail.

Also, if it is PvP, can I charm other player-monsters?

Edit: Also, lets say I am playing as monster and I am in the middle of a battle with another mob, you are suggesting someone could just come up and kill me in the middle of a battle? I highly recommend rethinking the ability to avoid battling others because this present all sorts of problems. I don't think the dev team thought this through very well on the griefing side.

[Mayoyama]

As was mentioned a few times, Fighting adventurers is part of a Daily Monster's life. Does this mean that we HAVE to fight? as such, does this mean i can simply be trolled when i want to fight other monsters, and have high level players hunting me down in the process? is there some kind of forced cap if a higher player attempts to hunt me? I.E. if i'm a rabbit in saruta, around lvl 5, does a lvl 99 player who randomly decides to attack me incur some sort of penalty [ A level or power restriction] ? or am i just ment to let them destroy me?

I'm more than open to the idea of PvP with this, but just like how i can do things by myself in Aby here and there, i don't want to always do this content with the worry of other players taking me out every few minutes. Rapidly dying =/= Fun Times.

If you look at PvP in many other games, they is usually some form of level restrictions placed in lower areas (such as saruto, gusta, ronfaure).. but if you venture past those areas, you cant expect to not get killed. Part of what many PvP players enjoy is the excitement and "risk" of being in an area where you could get attacked at any time and having to be more alert and on your toes while dealing with any PvE content.

And yes it is annoying when you get killed but you cant play PvP and expect to never die by being shielded from any player attacks. This is what makes PvP what it is... dont like being randomly attacked? dont play PvP content.

Not trying to sound harsh but after years of washed out (pankration), restrictive (penalties for gear swaps in brenner ; ; ) PvP this sounds like one of the first real PvP contents this game will get (and prob the last for quite some time), so while I do agree that measures should be taken against player harrassment and grievance, I also really hope it isnt so padded to the point where the system is overly rigid and restrictive for the sake of preventing someone from QQing coz they died while playing PvP

[Kristal]

My main question/concern to this new feature, is how will enmity be applied in this situation?

Lets say for example I'm a Wyrm monster being engaged by a party of 6. Whats to stop me from ignoring the Paladin who wants to tank me and doing absolute terror and killing the whm instantly, going after every single squishier job besides the paladin until he's by himself?

Now granted I'm sure something like provoke forces the monster to attack you for a set amount of time will be implemented, but that will be a small comfort, and possibly force all the tankier DD jobs to have to sub war, which will take away from the dynamic gameplay of this event.

So the main point is, how will enmity affect this event, and what will maxing it out do on the monster if it even comes to that?

I suspect that your movements and targetting are server-controlled while in battle.
* You can't dance circles around players to make them lose attack rounds.
* You auto-attack & auto-face the player with the highest enmity, and some abilities are only unlocked if certain conditions are meet (such as Spike Flail after a rear attack that draws agro).

[Demon6324236]

Eww... I hope not.

[Deathbeckons]

if there are going to be black and white rabbits... will there be latino and yellow rabbits as well?

[Aldersyde]

If you look at PvP in many other games, they is usually some form of level restrictions placed in lower areas (such as saruto, gusta, ronfaure).. but if you venture past those areas, you cant expect to not get killed. Part of what many PvP players enjoy is the excitement and "risk" of being in an area where you could get attacked at any time and having to be more alert and on your toes while dealing with any PvE content.

And yes it is annoying when you get killed but you cant play PvP and expect to never die by being shielded from any player attacks. This is what makes PvP what it is... dont like being randomly attacked? dont play PvP content.

Not trying to sound harsh but after years of washed out (pankration), restrictive (penalties for gear swaps in brenner ; ; ) PvP this sounds like one of the first real PvP contents this game will get (and prob the last for quite some time), so while I do agree that measures should be taken against player harrassment and grievance, I also really hope it isnt so padded to the point where the system is overly rigid and restrictive for the sake of preventing someone from QQing coz they died while playing PvP

The thing is, some people don't give a damn about PvP and just want to experience the leveling process and discovery of abilities as a monster "class."

If I have to deal with potential jerkwads and asshats trying to spoil my fun every time I wander around as a monster, than I expect some kind of point system for fighting other players where I can purchase gear and the like. If I can't avoid it, then I certainly expect to be rewarded for it, because I don't find forced participation in anything remotely fun.

[Caketime]

I think it's humorous that those same people who don't give a damn about PvP will participate in this event regardless and complain the whole time.

[Kristal]

I think it's humorous that those same people who don't give a damn about PvP will participate in this event regardless and complain the whole time.

That's because this is MPvP :D And we all want to be the behemoth.

[Caketime]

Why anyone would want to be a mob with the turning radius of Texas is beyond my comprehension.

[Tsukino_Kaji]

I'd rather be the one creature in the game with permenant invoulnerability. Granted they have no attacks either.

[FrankReynolds]

That's because this is MPvP :D And we all want to be the behemoth.

Speak for yourself. I want to be a caturae.

[Metaking]

vampi here, cuz who doesn't want to walk around all the time, like they own the place ^^/

[Mirage]

Why anyone would want to be a mob with the turning radius of Texas is beyond my comprehension.

Because they want to instacast meteor on an alliance of players.

I know I want to.

Actually though, I am going to be really upset if I can't play as a pixie.

[Caketime]

Because they want to instacast meteor on an alliance of players.

I know I want to.

We won't get to do that, though. Way too much fun.

[Mirage]

Well, realistically, we might not be able to select targets freely, because that would just turn into "how fast can i kill their healer" thing. Maybe we'll get hate reset moves.

[Moppet]

I want monster camps in Vivivivi's mog house. :D

I would hide under his bed and evolve by eating his moogle each time it respawns.

[Meyi]

Saw this link on FFXIAH's forums, felt it was hilarious enough to post it here.

http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=10&mid=112423271053204871

Almost makes me want to level worm, haha!

[Camate]

Greetings!

We received a nice comment from the "Play as a Monster" lead developer, and would like to share it with all of you. :)



Hello, Iwagami here, the "Play as a Monster" lead.

We have been creating the system in a way so that regardless of how much experience you have, you'll be able to enjoy the content right away. With that said, I would like to take this opportunity to talk a bit about the basic plan.

Please keep in mind that this is based on what we've worked on so far, and there is a possibility that things may change. So you may see a lot of vague words like, "planning," "intending," and "considering" popping up, but I will be very careful to not stray away from the aspects that we are placing heavy emphasis on and aspects that we would like to pay careful attention to.
I'd really like to convey to you all what this content will be like.

Basic Plan


Being able to play the same as everyone else
Fundamentally, all players will be beginning from the same starting point, and elements such as job levels, the gear you have, and the magic you have learned will not play a part.

Because of this, players that have fulfilled the minimum requirements to participate will be able to step into the same ring as veteran players.

However, we would like to add some achievement elements similar to synthetic atma, while making it so they are not an essential aspect.


Being able to play comfortably
We will be paying careful attention to ensure the below points are realized:

Unlocking new elements at a good pace
The timing of when new elements are unlocked is comprehensive and exciting
Regardless of the time and place, you will be able to pick up and start playing when you like
Possible to stop playing immediately when you'd like a break
Possible to play without limitation on play time or content cool down timers



The core system revolves around living the life of a monster. We would like to do our best to expand the playing possibilities of FFXI through living the life of a monster, making it possible to become a monster and traverse the fields or fight with other monsters and adventurers. Once you get used to life as a monster, you can battle with your friends to see who the ultimate mandragora is, or see which monster is the strongest. The way you play is up to you.

Additionally, system-wise, we would like to provide a wide array content that contains elements where you can play casually, hardcore, by yourself, and with others.

We won't be creating this content saying that certain elements are for certain kinds of players. The idea is to make it so there are a wide variety of ways you can enjoy play as a monster regardless of your situation or what's going on.

As a future step, we are considering to create content utilizing the play as a monster system, such as group battles or battlefield fights with multiple players, but first and foremost we are striving to make the basic system so that it can be enjoyed fully on its own. I apologize for making you wait so long, but I would like to release more information periodically from here on out. Thank you all very much.

[Alhanelem]

is PAAM part of the new expansion or is it coming before that?

[Tanama]

Gah, I am so hyped for this! I only hope it does not take forever to be added. Although, I would prefer it done correctly than rushed early with bugs.

[saevel]

InB4 hordes of elities run around in abyssea zones killing off leach parties.

[Karbuncle]

I somehow doubt it will be accessible in Abyssea, But even if it was, Forgetting the part where Battle between a Player Monster and a Player has to be consensual... Thats What i remember seeing at least. Either way, If it wasn't, Book burn leeches are open game :D!

Still, I want to start planning out my Family, Attack pattern etc now, But I don't wanna pick something like Chigoe or Apkallu now and then turn out they can't be selected... Or an Ambusher Antlion, etc.

So I can't get too hyped cause I don't know what type of Monsters are going to be available for use, Or if we'll be able to control what job they are (For Instance, Using Goblin as an Example, They have 5-6 Job types... BST, WAR, RDM, BLM, etc etc... Some monsters follow the same pattern... like Weapons are RDM or WAR, Will it auto-select or will we be able to pick which one we wanted?)

I'm still super fking Hyped, Do we have a release schedule D:? are there any rewards planned?

While the event sounds crazy fun, If its going to have any sort of long-life, It will need tangible rewards, rather rewards that help your monster, Or like Byrth(I think) Suggested, Rewards based on the Family you took to high level..

But uh, Did anyone notice they're looking into possible "BCNM" Type battlefields where you play as a Monster? I did... That looks sweet...

[Mirage]

Yeah, I am actually looking forwards to this.

It would be fun to try a party battle where the party members were a mandragora, eruca, colibri and ... some whm mob? I actually don't know which mobs are white mages, except beastmen.

[FrankReynolds]

/sh <insert name here> BCNM (do you need it?) Mandragora / Treeant (Can I have it?) @4/6 !!

[Urteil]

A system that has nothing to do with the rest of the game?

Pass.

[FrankReynolds]

A system that has nothing to do with the rest of the game?

Pass.

I'd be happy for that. Rather than have them do like they did with pankration and ZNM. Where they tie some insignificant portion of this event into another event and make both of them unpopular in the process.

[Camate]

Happy Friday!

We received another informative comment from "Play as a Monster" lead developer Iwagami, showing off a bit of the UI for the new system.



Hello, this is Iwagami, the lead developer of "Play as a Monster".

Sorry to keep you all waiting, but I'd like to share a bit more information in regards to the "Play as a Monster" system.


Battling as a Monster
When becoming a monster you will have access to the various abilities each monster family possesses, but to use these you'll need to have the required amount of TP. Furthermore, we are setting the system in such a way that when using the abilities it will only consume the amount of TP required. The objective of this was to create a number of possibilities while fighting. For example, when you save up 300 TP:


Use 3 abilities that cost 100 TP each.
Use 1 ability that costs 300 TP.
Use 2 abilities that cost 50 TP and 2 abilities that cost 100 TP.



54515452


Menu
We will be implementing brand-new UI elements specifically for "Play as a Monster" as well as adding a new item to the menu. From this menu, you will be able to do things such as select which monster you would like to become and set your monster knowledge.

I plan on sharing a few parts of that menu in the next update!

While this was only a tiny bit of information, once we're at the stage where can share more I will be sure to update you all.

Thank you very much!

[Miiyo]

This better have some really nice rewards if it will receive any kind of attention @.@ Yay i'm fighting as a bunny... Yay i fought as a bunny. Meh, I fought as a bunny. Why be a bunny when i can be a Taru? I mean, I can understand galka rushing to be something different...

[Rustic]

InB4 hordes of elities run around in abyssea zones killing off leach parties.

As leeches.

"PCLeech uses TP Drainkiss!"
"PCLeech2 uses TP Drainkiss!"

PC Leech: AoE spam this, losers....*noms the healer*

[Prrsha]

A system that has nothing to do with the rest of the game?

Pass.

A waste of man power imho when those dev hours could be used to balance the game and fix existing content first (or add to it). SE has always had this mentality to add some shiny new feature just to draw in new players but they quickly forget about it (and not support any changes or new rewards). Pankration and Chocobo racing comes to mind. There was a bit of an update regarding chocobos but do you really see even 10% of the population raising chocobos to race? No.

Since the PvP will be consensual only... who is going to agree to get ganked by a party of 6 bees? It will end up just like ballista did. Why play against another player as a monster when you can do it as a player in ballista or PvP island?

[Volkai]

A waste of man power imho when those dev hours could be used to balance the game and fix existing content first (or add to it). SE has always had this mentality to add some shiny new feature just to draw in new players but they quickly forget about it (and not support any changes or new rewards). Pankration and Chocobo racing comes to mind. There was a bit of an update regarding chocobos but do you really see even 10% of the population raising chocobos to race? No.

Since the PvP will be consensual only... who is going to agree to get ganked by a party of 6 bees? It will end up just like ballista did. Why play against another player as a monster when you can do it as a player in ballista or PvP island?
Because you can!

[Prrsha]

Because you can!

A motto in FFXI that I live by. :3

Offtopic wise: Wow! Hey Volkai! Long time no see!!! Have you been on vacation? I haven't seen you on at all... that or we keep missing each other! =>.<;;

HK and I were just talking about you the other day! :3 How have you been?

My 2nd PC is trashed atm but I am expecting a replacement soon if you wanna do content together. Prrsha is still not level 99 but many of my alts are. :3