Happy New Year!
I look forward to your support again this year.
The events in Japan and North America that closed out 2008 had us run a little ragged, but now all the developers are refreshed and motivated to tackle a new year of FFXI.

Oh, and the FFXI development team had a little move at the end of the year. Until now, we’ve been bustled and bumped around by all the other projects taking place on the same floor, but now the XI team has a whole special development room all to ourselves. It really helps us focus and work together as a team more than ever before.

Tanaka P.

Best wishes for a happy New Year to adventurers around the world!

It is due in no small part to your dedication and valor that the citizens of the war-torn three nations of Vana’diel can continue to live in safety and peace. Why, even the moogles’ latest enterprise, the Buffalo Bonanza Ranch, is off to a rip-roaring success of a start!
Or is it?

For all the details on the 2009 New Year’s event, read on!

The New Year’s event is scheduled to run from Wednesday, December 31st at 7:00 am (PST) until midnight (24:00) on Monday, January 12th.

Greetings and salutations, adventurers!
First, please allow all of us on the development team to take this opportunity to wish you the happiest of New Years!

The past year has been yet another eventful chapter in Vana’dielian history, but thanks to your steadfast dedication and understanding, we stand ready to enter another year of prosperity and success.

For this, we offer our sincerest gratitude, and our best wishes that 2009 will hold yet more epic adventures for one and all!

Buffaloes Blitz Back!?

It was but a few short months ago that the bravery and peerless wrangling skills of adventurers like you played a vital role in allowing the hapless moogles of the MHMU to defuse a most frightening buffalo stampede and successfully hold the grand opening of their Buffalo Bonanza Ranch.
Little did they know, however, what troubles lay ahead…

What the poor, unsuspecting moogles didn’t realize was that the daily diet of your average Vana’dielian buffalo consists of a mountainous heaping of hay, two sackfuls of rye, forty San d’Orian carrots, thirty frost turnips, thirty La Theine cabbages, twenty ears of millioncorn, twenty clumps of batagreens, one dozen popotoes, ten bunches of pamamas, six bone chips, three faerie apples…and that’s not counting dessert! And needless to say, it doesn’t take them long to lose their temper when they can’t eat their fill.

And so it was that to keep their precious pet bovines in good spirits, thereby preventing another stampede the likes of which would throw the three nations into chaos once more, our hard-working moogle friends have been forced to labor through day and cold winter’s night with nary a moment’s respite to celebrate the festival season.

As you look around town, you too might see the hardworking herdsmen standing on street corners, braving the blustery winter gales to distribute fresh buffalo milk and an assortment of other scrumptious dairy goods to one and all. So if you come across them, feel free to join in the festivities!
After all, what better way to ring in the Year of the Ox than with a bovine bonanza?

Event Schedule

The New Year’s event is scheduled to run from Wednesday, December 31st at 7:00 am (PST) until midnight (24:00) on Monday, January 12th.

-Steak continues to duo BST with his wife
-Fusion plays with his marbles
-Chin completes her Skadi’s Cuirie

Our weekly discussion for the week features Elmer’s top ten list for things you’ve done this year! Make sure to check out the thread in our forums to see what people have written and post one for yourself!

Music used in this weeks show:

	Wajaom Wildin’
	Turn Down Service
	Beak Bending

]]> http://petfoodalpha.com/2376/episode-133-so-long-08/feed http://petfoodalpha.com/2363/fan-fest-interview-with-mmorpgcom http://petfoodalpha.com/2363/fan-fest-interview-with-mmorpgcom#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:01:19 +0000 Fusionx http://petfoodalpha.com/?p=2363

The people over at MMORPG.com sat down with the Final Fantasy XI Development team during December’s Fan Fest in Hollywood CA. Their interview was split up into three different parts, all of which are now available to be read.

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

[Thanks, Iphigenia!]

]]> http://petfoodalpha.com/2363/fan-fest-interview-with-mmorpgcom/feed http://petfoodalpha.com/2367/massivelycom-play-ffxi-because-of-level-sync http://petfoodalpha.com/2367/massivelycom-play-ffxi-because-of-level-sync#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2008 23:01:00 +0000 Fusionx http://petfoodalpha.com/?p=2367

Massively.com’s free form column ‘Why you should be playing..’ takes on Final Fantasy today and describs the new Level Sync feature as being “like City of Heroes sidekicking, but on steroids” They even mention the Bahamut server saying that more people were logged on than ever before with many of them being in lower level areas such as Qufim Island.

You can read their full article here.

First off, new “behind the scenes” pictures from FanFest taken by the people at SE!

Arrival, Interviews, and Rehearsal

Registration and Trying Out Stuff

On the Stage

Also, there was a little post on the blog about Dissidia going on sale. The lovely and amazing Professor Shantotto makes an appearance in the game so if you haven’t seen pictures of that yet, go check it out!

12/18 Dissidia Goes On Sale Today!
Dissidia Final Fantasy, which gathers characters from decades of Final Fantasy games, has finally gone on sale today! Professor Shantotto from FFXI has also joined the fray, so please, by all means, set her “Breakdown” into motion!

For more information on Dissidia and Shantotto’s appearance:
Dissidia Special Interview: An interview with two of the creators

Shantotto in Dissidia: Pictures and information on unlocking her

Dissidia Drinks: Soft drinks being sold in Japan

VanaFest Live Blog: Shantotto’s appearance in DDFF was first mentioned at VanaFest