[Cactuar]

• Pioneering
  Overcome danger
  Destroy massive rocks and trees
  Gather materials
  Build outposts
  
  
• Exploration
  Discover strange caves
  Discover monster lairs
  Discover statue segments
  Discover places to receive mysterious power
  
  
• New Guilds
  Information Guild
  Exploration Guild
  Security Guild
  Amusement Guild
  Transportation Guild
  Workshop Guild

[octoberasian]

Cactuar, on 24 June 2012 - 10:31 AM, said:

• Exploration
  Discover strange caves
  Discover monster lairs
  Discover statue segments
  Discover places to receive mysterious power

When I read this, I laugh and smile for a bit. Back in 2008, I started working on a story of sorts with Final Fantasy XI as the backdrop. It was one of many unfinished stories. In that story, the main character undertakes what I call the "last mission" ever given in the world of Vana'diel. This character I named "Cerise" undertakes this mission with some hesitation given all she's gone through in the seven years of living and adventuring in this world.

At the start of the story, we find her in the Far Western Continent of Ulbuka. One of the activities Adventurers like her did on this continent was exploration. Here is the original quote from my story:

Quote

Seven years in Vana'diel and my adventures never seem to cease. Rumors of a vast, unexplored and unmapped land far to the West meant a much needed respite for Adventurers from the many conflicts that they have experienced before. Jeuno, under the leadership of Esha'ntarl, began to hire Adventurers into the role of Surveyors. As Surveyors, we were assigned the task to explore the lands of the Far Western Continent. We were to map and discover what lie in wait for us. In return, we were given a salary for each completed area we have mapped successfully. Since the land was far from the Middle Lands, communication had to be quick along with any assistance. Therefore, each Adventurer was given their own Nomad Moogle to assist them in their task as a Surveyor of the Far Western Continent.

I called these explorers, Surveyors, who surveyed the land or discovered new ruins and such. It's amusing to see Square-Enix come up with a similar idea four years later as an activity to do on the far western continent of Ulbuka. I highly doubt SE will give each and every player their own personal Nomad Moogle that'd travel with them but I will be honestly surprised if they do.

More text from my story:

Quote

Their accents were far different than what I have heard in the Aradjiah continent, the lands of Tsayha and the Great Southern Empire, and different than anyone from the Middle Lands of Quon and Mindartia. The Far Western Continent was not only large but also had various different terrains. The more north you traveled, the colder it got. It looked a lot like Beacedine Glacier to the North, but with more greenery. Tall forests filled the snowy north of the Far West, along with small groups of Orcish tribes scattered throughout. Towards the middle, the lands gotten flatter and the horizon stretched farther. By the time your Chocobo traveled as far south as you can on this continent, the green was replaced by dry plateaus and a vast desert that covered the entire southern portion of the Far Western lands.

There were many small towns located along rivers and shorelines. Each town inhabited within a county of a certain size had their own government. There were no bickering empires or leaders seeking power or peace. Day to day life here went along as it has always been; untouched by the rest of the world until we arrived. I documented many different cultures, towns, and societies. Along with many other Adventurers, I learned their history and helped with whatever small conflicts they had.

And, when I made the world map for Vana'diel, I theorized that the continent would be divided into at least three climate zones thinking it'd be a large continent. Fast forward to 2012 and someone has looked at the "ROM9" folder. We're looking at possibly a frozen north, a temperate middle zone and tropical south. The city or island of Aldouin would most likely be located somewhere on the east coast of Ulbuka as it has better access to Quon. I'm just surprised how much the story sort of matches with what was found in the ROM9 folder dat-mining.

I'm happy there is a new expansion coming out. A little late than never, right?

I'll close off with this quote:

Quote

I did whatever job brought in the Peseta, which is the currency of the Far West. Even the Auction Houses and the Currency Exchange offices in the large port towns that were linked to Jeuno stopped service officially two months ago. If Kopu and I decided not to return, we would have rested for the night and left the next morning to investigate a newly discovered tower in the Great Western Desert to the south of Rosa as told by various townspeople. The tower would be similar to those that Adventurers found around the Far Western continent in the past year, which were unusually similar to those found in Sarutabaruta and Beaucedine Glacier. Whatever treasure we may have uncovered there would have paid off my overdue rent I had back in the city of Clavat for another year or more.

It seems it's a possibility that we might be paid or given some sort of a reward for doing these Reclaim the Land activities in that new area. Let's see what this expansion brings.

Link to my unfinished story: http://ffxi.mmo-note...ast_Mission.pdf

(Note: This was written long before Aldouin was ever introduced or mentioned in the game.)