Before I begin, let me start by saying that I am posting on behalf of my better half. She is a nursing student and doesn't have a whole lot of time to play (keep this in mind) and doesn't frequent the forums (she gets her news from me and has been warned of all negativity we throw around in here). So let it be known that this is not a personal QQing thread.

Also, I do not wish to smear anyone at Square Enix, their employees, or any players. I post this because I want a better game and better service for everyone.

So, with that in mind, I will share my [girlfriend's] story.

So, my girlfriend, (in-game name) Adryad, and I play this game irregularly. I have more time to play than she does, being that she is a full-time student. The time we do play together we spend it with friends, accomplishing goals, and helping each other. She's not a power gamer, so she's just alright with playing the game and having fun with it. If there's an obstacle in her way that she's super passionate about, I embrace it because it's something in the game that she has found more than just a passing interest in.

This past week, we found ourselves in the projected path of Hurricane Sandy (for those wondering/worried, she hardly touched the part of Pennsylvania we live in). We, naturally, found ourselves with a lot of free time. We thought, "Why not spend this time grinding out the last bit of unobtainables we can feasibly get?" And so we did.

So around Eorzea we went. We farmed neglected NMs, walked in the Wanderer's Shadow, giggled at Hildebrand, and had a blast. Some things we had to let go, such as getting a win at Garuda (just really bad luck, for those that feel like laughing) among others. All around though, we counted down the last hours of the recorded game satisfied with our progress and waiting for A Realm Reborn with baited breath.

One of these things, the NMs, took a little maneuvering. As you may or may not know, some of these guys take a little extra oomph to take them down. With no static linkshell (getting back to the irregularity of our play times), we had to shout for help. That wasn't too hard; people were rushing about just like we were in order to get their unobtainables.

Now, we come to Haughtpox Bloatbelly. I took him down once before, and I was excited to tank him again for Addy's achievement. We gathered some people, which, for him, actually took much longer than expected. We head on out to him, caught him during the daylight, and took him down. It was a great time. As usual, we focused on his buddies before switching our attention to him. One by one, the gobbies fell, until finally, we were down to Ol' Bloaty himself.

He and I traded blows like old rivals. Addy zapped him good and our single white mage did a spectacular job and keeping me in the white nearly the entire time. Little by little his health bar dropped until, yes, it was gone. Everyone needed the kill in the party besides me. Some even had him as their twenty-fifth NM kill, and got two achievements. Nice job, everyone....

Except poor little Addy. I searched the log, hoping to take a screen capture of her achievement. But it wasn't to be found. She checked her list and saw that Bloaty was still unchecked. She logged out, back in, changed areas, even waited about an hour for the server to catch up. No dice. It wouldn't take.

Now, at this point, I am not surprised, nor am I angry. A little let down, I admit, but not any of the former. Games bug out, especially this one. No problem. I showed Addy how to contact an in-game Game Master to see if they could solve the issue. So, while the party dispersed after fighting the last of our quarry, we waited.

And waited.

No response. Finally, we got so tired (it was about four in the morning at this point) we just went to bed. The next day would be the final save. It was her last NM for the achievement. Where was the GM response? We hopped back on in the morning and she gave one more call. And so, we ran around and did more questing and such. And we waited.

And waited.

No response. We took matters into our own hands. We launched our final shouting campaign into Ul'dah. Through the spam of trolls selling Garuda wins for eight mil and people reminiscing over time spent in the game, we shouted. And, boy, were we nervous. If this was going to be as difficult to find people for as the previous evening, we were, by all accounts, very much screwed indeed.

It took a long time. And some begging bored friends. And camping our Friend Lists for people we whacked the Good King with a few days earlier. Finally, with the weight of Yoshi-P bearing down on us, we head out. Through the same process, and with many many fingers crossed, we deplete his health again. And Addy got the win.

Rejoice! Sound the trumpets! We beat the system!....but...Where were the GMs?

Turns out, a few days later they were Rick Rolling the kids in Ul'dah and trolling the players who were reading too deep into Kipih's columns.

For as invested into this game as I am and for how much I have loved this franchise since I was introduced to it, I was really disappointed, even betrayed, by this. The GMs were ignoring our calls when we really needed them and had enough gall to still mess around with the players afterward. (P.S. for anyone willing to doubt our claim, Addy got an automated "Rate your GM experience!" message.) I know the version is ending, but can we at least take it seriously?

TL;DR: In summation, with the reinvention of the game, I hope we reinvent some systems and public relations while we are at it. A bit more personal service would take this company a long way, and I mean that in earnest, not anger.

To a better Final Fantasy XIV,
Jivu Wolfasura (Wolfandre)