Andro

Sorry, my fellow Monkeys, but most likely I will be on the road somewhere between Ann Arbaugh, MI and Modesto, CA. Well, Delhi, CA in particular. Wish I could be there.

Any FF fans out there looking for a good game? MMO players looking for a new one? Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has a free trial if you'd like to check it out (link below). The game has a nice range of combat classes -- 2 tanks, 2 healers, 2 magical DPS, 3 melee DPS and a ranged DPS. The crafting system is pretty involved, with 8 separate classes all capable of crafting gear desirable by end-game players. Even for leveling characters, crafted gear is superior to any quest rewards and at par with dungeon drops, so there is a good demand for crafted goods. Pets, housing, gardening are all supported. Square Enix has had a pretty regular pace for adding new content, with 4 major patches within the first 14 months of the game's history and a new expansion coming out this spring. Patches generally include new end-game content, new main story quests, new side quests, and extensions to end-game gear. As new end-game gear gets introduced, the "grind" for lower-level stuff either is made easier or gear is simply replaced -- so it's not that difficult a task for new players to catch up to folks who have been playing since launch. The Defenders of Monkeys are set up on the Data Center Aether, server name is Zalera. Our Teamspeak info is ts.dirtylittlemonkeys.com:4158 (that's the server address + port, no pw) so hop in if you decide to give it a try. There is also a friend referral service which has some nice in-game items for both referrer and referree, so you might want to take advantage of that. If you do get in game and find no one in TS, look for my character Mogs'zitte Silverbow through the Player Search feature to see if I'm in-game. Free trial link: http://www.ffxiv-freetrial.com/us/ Video trailer for the most recent patch, if you want to see some snippets of game play: http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/pr/special/2_4_Dreams_of_Ice/

So much for getting there early. Just checked into my hotel, and I'm finally on my way to the hall.

I'll be there as well, depending on travel time from Ann Arbor.

Finally, finally FINALLY confirmed I could come this year! I'll be playing Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. It's a great MMO, so any FF fans or anyone else interested make sure you stop by and check it out. We just had a huge patch to the game including a large map, 24 vs 24 vs 24 factional PvP battle with some capture the flag features and NPC monsters thrown in as well.

Hey!! Was there an email announcing this yet? If there was, I missed it ... good thing Slyfox and I were wondering about it.

Not looking to share anything other than a little information. Days Inn has a 20% off deal (1) when you book at http://www.daysinn.com/ and (2) when you book for a minimum of 3 nights. Getting there Thursday and leaving Sunday qualifies. I got my room for $43/night.

You know, I think about past FF's and the problems we had with electrical power at the hotel ... has anyone checked out this issue with Black Wolf yet?

Another FragFest on my birthday ... gotta love it!

I'll be there, 99.9% sure (waiting on boss' approval) 2 previous Frag Fests