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It has been quite a busy week for me in real life. I started my new job which is fun but I’ve been really tired after the days I’ve been working. On Monday we did Central Temenos Second floor for the first time and we have now 2/3 of our first Ultima pop. I’ve been also thinking about doing 2 zones at a time to get Omega/Ultima pops faster since we only have Limbus runs once a week.

Other than that, I’ve been camping Adamantoise and Behemoth a bit with my friend Malys. We haven’t had a lot of luck though, he has claimed one Ada and one Behe during last few days and we haven’t gotten any Black Belt items to drop. But I noticed camping Adamantoise is a nice way to get some buffer, the Valley of Sorrows Fields of Valor is just awesome!

Other than camping, I haven’t really done anything. I’m hoping to get some EXP for my SCH this weekend so I can start doing the AF quests.

JPbutton.com has done really nice work with trying to get JP and NA/EU players to communicate with each other. They recently gave English speaking players a chance to ask questions from JP players and now they have posted some questions from JP players for English speaking players to answer.

The questions made me think JP players assume all NA/EU players are rude and play in a certain way: they replace themselves in exp party without giving notice or asking other party members, they do missions and BCs totally unprepared and they don’t bother with search comments or Auto-Translate. For me this is certainly untrue since I’m an EU player and I don’t act like this. I’m really sad about the image JP players have of us EU/NA people and I wish there’s something we can do to fix it. However, I also hope JP players would rethink their attitude and question their own prejudices.

I wanted to answer to the questions but in many cases I felt they aren’t directed at me since I don’t leave a party without giving a notice, I do use search comment, I prepare for missions and so on…  Anyway, here are my answers:

1. Do foreign players have a lot of interest in joining social Japanese Linkshells? (Especially ones with only JP members) I ask because when I recruit for my shell in Japanese, I get a lot of tells from foreigners looking to join. Personally, I feel like even if they could understand my /shout, it still would be hard to keep up with regular conversation. They wouldn’t understand pop-culture references to old TV shows, for instance.

I personally don’t understand why anyone would like to join a social linkshell where they can’t take part in conversation. I haven’t heard about EU/NA people wanting to join JP linkhsells either. Maybe they want to learn Japanese?

2. Parties that cycle in replacement members seem to be popular amongst foreigners, but a lot of times the party will just disband once the replacement arrives. Of course, there are times when the replacement is contacted before they get all the way there, but there are many instances when no one says anything. There are also many cases where inappropriate jobs are invited and the party can no longer function well.

To me, this is a big reason behind some of the negative images Japanese players have about foreign players. What do you think about this?

This is one of the reasons I don’t like to join random pickup parties anymore. I find it rude to replace yourself without asking other party members beforehand. I think that when you join a party, you should be ready to exp at least an hour or two. As a party leader, I prefer to disband the whole party when someone needs to leave.

3. Why does it seem like many foreign players don’t bother to bring medicines and potions to Missions and BCs? Many Japanese players make sure to have Vile Elixirs, Hi-Potions and/or Reraise Earrings.

It’s hard for me to comment this as I only do missions and BCs with my linkshell friends, and all of them are always well prepared. I see this problem happening when you do missions and such with people you don’t know: you can’t even tell if they have any idea what they need to do.

4. Sometimes I see foreign pick-up parties recruiting for members using Auto-Translate, but then when I join the party, all the conversation and battle planning is in English. I’ll ask for them to {Please use the Auto-Translate function.} but nobody ever does. If you are going to /shout for help with the Auto-Translator, why not use it in the party? It feels like I was tricked.

If there are japanese members in my party, I try to use Auto-Translate as much as possible, but I have noticed most people just talk in English. However, every time I’ve been in JP exp pt, they’ve talked in Japanese instead of using Auto-Translate, too.

5. How many NA and EU players do Campaign? Any thoughts about the recent nerf to Fortifications?

Most of my online friends do Campaign, and every one of them is really frustrated with the Fortification nerf. It seems most no one does battles at beastmen zones anymore since the exp reward isn’t worth the time spent.

6. What equipment do you think has great stats but horrible looks? What equipment do you think has the best graphics?

I find all harnesses / subligar horrible. Also the Goliard Saio set comes to mind. I like the looks of Sha’ir and Nashira manteel sets (but only on female players) and most ToAU pieces. The new mini expansion pieces look nice too.

7. Outside of your normal party gear, is there any equipment that you go out of your way to get strictly for looks? What are your favorite pieces of casual equipment?

No, there’s no equipment I’d get only for looks.

8. I’m a Mithra, and I find that a lot of foreigners seem to be into Mithra fashion. They examine me and ask where I got my equipment and such. Do you think male players enjoy dressing up their Mithra in cute outfits?

I have no idea about that. I’m a female player myself and play an Elvaan female character.

9. I wonder if you calculate the XP/hr of parties, and if so, do you think that Skillchain/Magic Burst or Weaponskill spam produces the best results? Before parsing became widespread, Japanese players used to think Skillchain/Magic Burst was the best.

I usually calculate XP/hr but I don’t worry about it much as long as it’s ok (and “ok” depends on level). At level 75 merit party, the fastest exp seems to be melee burn with RDM healer and one or two bards. However, at lower levels SC+MB can make the exp better, or at least more fun. I usually try to organize a SC+MB if there’s a BLM in the party.

10. How come it seems like so many people don’t utilize Search Comments properly? Why don’t they write their camp location for others to see? Also, it’s strange to see so many people seeking without basic information written like available jobs and where they can access. Don’t you want an invite?

Well, I don’t know why people don’t use them. I always do and when there are new players in our linkshell, I try to teach them to use them too. Personally, I don’t usually invite people without search comments.

11. If you know you are going to be busy, how come you don’t alert people at the beginning of the party instead of surprising everyone at the last minute?

I always tell everyone at least 30 mins before I have to go and won’t join a party if I don’t have at least a couple of hours for exp.

12. Honestly, the largest difference in thinking between Japanse and foreign players exists in the Merit party. You often say 5 DDs and a RDM is so good, but having a single, solitary healer is hard on the RDM. Japanese realize that healers can be in short supply, so we make sacrifices to lighten their burden, like subbing a mage job, or using Utsusemi. I feel like many people don’t show proper respect to healers.

When we say JP ONLY, it isn’t always an issue of language,but the fact that we feel there are other dangers and demerits associated with a non-JP party, stemming from our different play-styles, that we wish to avoid.

This key difference in thinking, more than any race or language issue, is what really sets us apart as players. They are just looking to sit back, relax and earn some decent XP.

Please feel free to provide your own insight and thoughts.

I don’t really think all NA/EU people play in a certain way and all JP people play in another way… Some people only want the best exp and some people just want to relax and have fun.