Make sure to check out Limit Break Radio’s pre-update Promathia Unchained show!

	Episode 215: Promathia Unchained
	We take your calls about changes made to CoP!	7/29/10	1:54:48
	Download audio file (Episode215.mp3)

8th Vana’versary Fan Art Contest Gallery	DJ Plaeskool- Armathrwn
	DJ Plaeskool- Tavnazian Safehold
	DJ Plaeskool- The Pulse of Water

A recent interview at Gamasutra asks Hiromichi Tanaka and Yasu Kurosawa about both FFXI and FFXIV. Final Fantasy XIV has been in the press a lot recently, and for good reason. Square Enix’s next MMO is due out in only a couple of months and information will start to come out of the floodgates. (Make sure to check out Eorzeapedia for more information pertaining to FFXIV as well as our FFXIV podcast!)

We learned last month that originally, the developers planned at minimum, five years of support for Final Fantasy XI. This interview reveals that the reason for that was due to the average lifespan of game consoles of the time. Tanaka is very surprised that the next generation (specifically the PlayStation 3) is here and Final Fantasy XI is still being supported by players.

Next comes what may be a sad realization for Final Fantasy XI players, or something they’ve been wanting to hear for the last couple of years. Tanaka says that FFXI has “passed its peak” or “reached its time”.

However, we do understand if FFXI players have special memories of FFXI, so there must be some people who will continue to play FFXI. So, we would like to keep of them happy, and we will try to introduce some bonus for our customers, probably from a monetary point of view.

However, of course, we will continue working on FFXI. Even after we launch FFXIV, we will still continue the development side. So, as long as the players enjoy the game, we will continue the service.

Players have been asking for some type of bundle subscription for FFXI and FFXIV since right after the game was announced at last year’s E3. It seems that Square Enix may be doing just that.

“Long time no see, everybody!
This is Mumor here, back again for another fun-filled edition of the Sunbreeze Festival!

“Thanks to the tireless support of all our loving fans—that’s you, of course—the Mighty Maidens have gone from strength to strength. Uka is always fussing and fretting over how powerful and scary Ullegore is, but with our two powers combined, we’ve absolutely nothing to fear! Nuh-uh!

“That evil demon king can scheme till he turns to fossil, but Uka and I are always ready for whatever vileness he cares to throw at us. After all, with your hearty cheering to power our Dancing Force, there’s no night that we can’t change into a sunshiny day! Here we go: Shining Summer Samba!!!”

Find out what’s in store for everyone’s favorite frolicking fraulein at this year’s Sunbreeze Festival!

Prologue A long time ago, on the farthest edges of living memory, a lone meteorite came hurtling down from the sky, finally coming to rest in a lightless corner of Vana’diel. From the molten core of this extraterrestrial rock emerged the demon king Ullegore, whose sole desire was the complete and utter eradication of joy and jubilance from the world. To perpetrate his devilry, Ullegore traversed the land in search of festivals, sowing the seeds of ennui wherever his foul shadow fell. One after the next, smiles were reduced to frowns, and hearty laughter silenced behind pursed lips. Just when it seemed that all hope was lost, there arose an unlikely young heroine who would pluck Vana’diel back from the precipice of eternal tedium: Fantastic Fraulein Mumor! Seemingly an ordinary stage starlet, Mumor is in truth a magically imbued fighter possessed of the ability to convert the spirited cheering of her fans into a formidable force with which to vanquish evil. Aided by her girl-next-door good looks and winsome ways, Mumor danced and sang her way into the hearts of folk the Middle Lands over, restoring smiles to the faces of children and grownups alike. The previous edition of the Sunbreeze Festival saw Mumor clash with one of Ullegore’s Four Archfiends, the Mithra Uka. With her passionate steps and boundless charm, Mumor awakened Uka to the joy of dance, convincing her erstwhile adversary to forsake her evil master. That moment marked the birth of the dance duo “Mighty Maidens Mumor and Uka,” its inception ushering in a convivial age free from the taint of Ullegore and his dastardly ambition…or so it was thought. Another Sunbreeze Festival has come, and with it an ill wind blows. No sooner had Mumor and Uka arrived to perform at their first ever Sunbreeze stage together than a newly formed dance trio known as “Cream Puff” barged in to steal the limelight and the hearts of fans. Have our two heroines finally met their match? Will they succeed in putting these sultry upstarts in their place, or be dealt a premature relegation to the discount shelf? The fate of the Mighty Maidens hangs in the balance, and only your feverish cheering can tip the scales in their favor! Mumor’s Profile Currently touring the land as a top-selling stage performer, Mumor is the only daughter of Professor Sarmoega, undisputed genius inventor and head of the Research Institute for Paranormal Phenomenon (RIPP). Her true identity, however, is that of a superpower-imbued fighter who has received special training specifically in preparation for her destined battle against the evil demon king, Ullegore. With her father’s miraculous invention, the aptly named “Miracle Wand” in hand, Mumor transforms from an affable if somewhat ungraceful young lady into the irresistibly adorable superheroine, Fantastic Fraulein Mumor. Her claim to fame is the ability to convert the boisterous support of loving fans into a formidable force which, when fully charged, can be used to unleash an ultimate attack against the enemy for massive damage. Uka’s Profile Formerly of Ullegore’s Four Archfiends, Uka’s troubled childhood rendered her vulnerable to the demon king’s wiles; his honeyed words of praise for her talent in mimicry enough to win her over to his malign cause. She was sent in her master’s guise to gauge Mumor’s strength, and through that first encounter mastered dance. Her second meeting with Mumor, however, came to an unforeseen conclusion. Realizing her love for dance in defeat, Uka renounced her loyalty to Ullegore, choosing instead to accept Mumor’s invitation to form the Mighty Maidens. With the power of their Dancing Force combined, no night exists that cannot be turned into a sunshiny day!

Event Schedule

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 1:00 a.m. (PDT) until Tuesday, August 17 at 1:00 a.m. (PDT).

Sunbreeze Festival Venues

Fireworks displays, Sunbreeze dances, and other festivities will commence each day at nightfall in the following locations:
West Ronfaure / East Ronfaure
Southern San d’Oria / Northern San d’Oria / Port San d’Oria
North Gustaberg / South Gustaberg
Bastok Mines / Bastok Markets / Port Bastok
East Sarutabaruta / West Sarutabaruta
Windurst Waters / Windurst Walls / Windurst Woods / Port Windurst
Eastern Altepa Desert / Western Altepa Desert
Rabao

Superheroine Stage Show

Only with your spirited show of support can Mighty Maidens Mumor and Uka hope to prevail in their battle against evil! Find out more about how you can lend a hand to our irresistibly adorable heroines by speaking to a moogle posted near the show’s venues at the following locations:
Northern San d’Oria (D-8) / Bastok Markets (G-8) / Windurst Waters (F-5)

Fun and Frolic

Not content to merely soak up the ambiance? Fear not, for the locations below will feature delightful games with a chance to win exclusive Sunbreeze Festival prizes!
Southern San d’Oria (H-9) / Port Bastok (K-8) / Windurst Woods (K-12)

*Fancy yourself a mini-game master? We have a special treat for you! Earn yourself a Carillon Vermeil, Aeolsglocke, or Leafbell during the festival, then participate in a mini-game with it in your gobbiebag, and you’ll qualify for an advanced mode offering increased challenge and reward!

Piscine Pursuits

It just wouldn’t be a Sunbreeze Festival without everyone’s favorite event—the thoroughly gratifying goldfish scoop! Players may test their skills of aquan acquisition at the following locations:
West Ronfaure (G-11) / South Gustaberg (E-8) / East Sarutabaruta (H-8) / Rabao (F-7)

Moogle Teleportation Service

Adventurers in possession of a Carillon Vermeil, Aeolsglocke, or Leafbell—festival-exclusive items acquirable as prizes from the Superheroine Stage Show—will gain the privilege of teleporting around the three nations at will. Simply seek out and speak with one of the moogles posted at the following locations to be whisked away to further your festive endeavors against a new backdrop!
Southern San d’Oria (I-8) / Port Bastok (L-7) / Windurst Waters (K-10)

Item Vendors

Did you miss last year’s Sunbreeze festival? Are you dying to get your hands on a stylish yukata to complete your collection? Just pay a visit to one of the vendors in the areas below!
Northern San d’Oria (D-8) / Bastok Mines (H-8) / Windurst Waters (G-10)
This is a rare opportunity to acquire items you may have missed in past events—don’t pass it up!

This year’s 8th Vana’versary Fan Art Contest featured such a wide range of creative and inspired submissions that selecting our prizewinners was a most daunting task indeed.

Today, we’re pleased to release the full gallery of submissions to the public. Follow the link below and feast your eyes on each and every one of our artists’ renditions representing eight memorable years in Vana’diel!

Check out the gallery today!

This weekend we’ll be recording our Chains of Promathia post-update show! Make sure to mention what you’ve done with the CoP changes when posting your achievements!

Each weekend the Player Achievement post is created for adventurers to share their successes in Vana’diel with the rest of the community. To participate simply make a comment to this post or reply to the tweet for this post on twitter and tell us what you’ve accomplished while playing this past week. Comments will be chosen at random and read during the Player Achievement segment on the upcoming episode of the Pet Food Alpha Podcast.

*One comment per person. Do not reply to comments. Do not reply to your own comment to add additional achievements.
*Private accounts on Twitter will not work for tweet commenting

Chances are pretty high that if you’re reading this, you’re currently playing Final Fantasy XI. Chances are then also good that you already own the game and all of it’s expansions as well as the three add-on scenarios. But if not, now’s the time to jump into Vana’diel. Steam currently has the Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection on sale for just $5.00. If you’ve never given FFXI a chance, now’s the perfect time!

Source: ZAM via Steam

Issue #41 of the official Final Fantasy XI newsletter is now available for your viewing pleasure.

The focus of the newsletter is the large amount of content added with the June version update which includes the new battlefields in the Walk of Echoes, changes made to older Promathia areas and of course the Vision of Abyssea add-on.

Also mentioned is the Beckett screenshot contest. On top of a subscription for the magazine, the first place winner also received a Shadow Lord statue, courtesy of Square Enix.

You can view the newsletter here.

The folks over at Voices of Vana’diel have moved up their time table for the episode 6 “drunkasode” to Friday July 23rd. The show will be discussing just about anything you want to see discussed so make sure to tune in at 8:00 PM EDT on usteam and participate in the chat room!

Each weekend the Player Achievement post is created for adventurers to share their successes in Vana’diel with the rest of the community. To participate simply make a comment to this post or reply to the tweet for this post on twitter and tell us what you’ve accomplished while playing this past week. Comments will be chosen at random and read during the Player Achievement segment on the upcoming episode of the Pet Food Alpha Podcast.

*One comment per person. Do not reply to comments. Do not reply to your own comment to add additional achievements.
*Private accounts on Twitter will not work for tweet commenting