I'm very happy today, because the summer event is starting in a few days, and there will be the night-time music again. Also I am looking forward to the Mumor stage-show, as always.
I am especially happy to hear the summer music again, this year, because, like so many people around the world, the last year has been very arduous.
But Vana'diel was always there for me, in my darkest moments.
I got to thinking about how I felt in 2004, the first time I arrived in Vana'diel.
The feeling I got, was the world of Vana'diel saying to me;
"I am your friend. I am what you have been seeking. I am your home."
I have never felt <That way.> about any other computer-game, before or since.
The newer, high-speed eye-candy computer-games, they leave me cold, they make me feel hollow, empty inside, like I'm just a "viewer" rather than a "participant."
I never feel any emotional engagement to the characters and NPCs and storylines in most modern computer-games.
The only place I ever felt a sense of belonging was in Vana'diel.
I remember in 2004 walking around talking to the NPCs, they all have unique personalities, and dialogue beautifully written by Highly Skilled Fantasy Writers.
Immediately, I knew that this world, Vana'diel, was a masterpiece work of art. It wasn't a bland corporate rush-job.
It was a place of wonder, magic, and beauty. It was unique, and it remains unique, to this day.
I believe, deeply, and profoundly, that it is OK to fall in love with things. I fell in love with Vana'diel in 2004.
Every time I hear the Playonline login music, I know that I will soon be embraced by my dearest friend, the one I love most, my true home, Vana'diel.
My friendship with Vana'diel has probably saved my life a few times. Certainly, my friendship with Vana'diel has brought decades of joy and happiness and exciting adventures, into my small disabled real-life.
Some scientists say that it isn't the "things" that matter, it is the "spaces between the things" that matter.
I think of that often in Vana'diel, the modern era, people rushing around number-crunching and accumulating things.
Between those stressful, number-crunching, accumulating things, there is a world, Vana'diel.
A vibrant place, a timeless place, a place of perfect stillness and wonder. You can feel it, if you stand still, this place, Vana'diel, has a heart, it has a soul. You're not imagining it. It is alive.
I love Vana'diel today, more than ever. Vana'diel is my home. Vana'diel is my friend.
:cool:
True friendship is forever.
Printable View
-
07-29-2021, 09:56 AMStompaTrue friendship is forever.
-
07-29-2021, 11:35 AMAlhanelem
I hear you on most of this, but this is the first time I've heard anyone say they were happy to hear the summerfest music return, lol
-
07-29-2021, 04:50 PMZehira
Cute story. I kind of wish the future of Vana'diel would do better for us with disabilities.
FFXIV is pretty, I mean, it is a lot more freedom (same for Vana'diel now) for the most of us solo-players to enjoy. :) -
07-29-2021, 09:09 PMStompaTing ting ting, ting ting! Ting ting ting, ting ting ting! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Alhanelem
I think it is very descriptive music actually, reflecting those hot summer nights when you have Heat Exhaustion from a long hot day. When I am so hot and drained, I don't feel like listening to complex orchestra music, or heavy shouty rock music. Very simple airy ting-ting-ting music is really all I have energy for on those hot nights.
But I can totally understand why other people might not have the same affection for this music as I have. Its probably just a personal thing. -
07-29-2021, 09:42 PMStompaI have always hoped that FF14 players will enjoy their game. I really hope it brings them great joy. But I don't play it, personally.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zehira
I have stated often, that FFXI is the Goldilocks Spot, not too hot, not too cold. The graphics in FFXI are not super-realistic, but neither are they primitive or crude.
For a person with a limited budget, a cheap desktop PC, FFXI can run very smoothly. This is important to me.
On the subject of graphics and realism. I have said before, that graphically, FFXI has Toy Soldiers and Doll-Like Simplicity.
To some of us, simple things are more beautiful than complex things.
Some of us believe that there is an optimal point, a Goldilocks Spot, where there is enough realism to describe a character or an NPC, while still allowing it to retain the doll-like simplicity, and the elegance of basic form.
It is hard work reading fully detailed faces. A lot of information. But with a Toy Soldier, or a Doll, there is no hard work involved. You get the important details, quickly, without becoming overburdened by visual input and the often confusing complex associations stemming from such a detailed image.
In the classic movie "GITS2 : Innocence" the question is often asked, why people would want to make Dolls so realistic and "human like", it makes no sense, when the innocent simplicity of basic Dolls was what made them so perfect in the first place.
I don't see outdated graphics in FFXI, I see a very elegant simplicity, which is both charming and functional.
To me, the "realism" comes from the fact that I choose to believe in something. I believe in Toy Soldiers and Dolls. They are real to me. The fact that the graphics are basic and functional, only enhances my sense of wonder, and allows my own imagination to appreciate the simple elegance of basic forms. -
07-29-2021, 11:00 PMCatmatoAre you serious? I wish summerfest ran all summer. I love the music and the fireworks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alhanelem
-
07-30-2021, 04:15 AMVoidstorm
I also quite enjoy the music. I have it on my iphone to play alongside a plethora of other game tracks whenever I'm reading a book.
Just remove the battle musics because they're too distracting. -
07-30-2021, 05:17 AMAlhanelemI actually have no problem with it, but it seems like everyone I've talked to in game hates it lol.Quote:
Originally Posted by Catmato
-
07-30-2021, 08:37 AMZehiraLet's say... FFXI has already became FFXIV 1.5 (without its duty finder or party finder, of course) with all its QoL adjustments. Basically, everyone can enjoy in Vana'diel with their own time even they prefer to be soloing only. 6-box or not. If you want to play endgame with players in any easy way you will need a linkshell and that where they will be required to use voice chat. You don't stand in towns watching for shouts like the old times. If I recall correctly, you are not required to have your job mastered in order to play endgame with. For anyone who wonder about Asura.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stompa
My entire point of this post is FFXI will not be the same it used to be. :o