Technabob » xp

Final Fantasy Xiv Will have No Experience Points: Does That Mean Everyone Stays at Level 1?

Lambert Varias — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:30:17 +0000

The DVD included in Famitsu’s September issue includes a video clip of FF XIV producer Hiromichi Tanaka and director Nobuaki Komoto giving bits of info about the upcoming MMORPG. One of the things they revealed is that Final Fantasy XIV will have no experience points. Or a point for that matter. I’m kidding. In lieu of experience points, the improvement of players will be measured using numbers, a quantification of their efforts as they complete quests & defeat enemies. It will be called Experienz Pointz. If you’re new to technabob, hello! And please, do not believe a word I say.

Someone posted the video at YouTube, but unfortunately it’s been taken down. But I heard that Square Enix have heard a lot of negative feedback about leveling up and grinding in the slave-driver that is Final Fantasy XI. I mean we’re talking about a game that has a boss that cannot be defeated even after 18 hours of combat. A virtual enemy that actually caused real status effects on players – that’s how much of an asshat FF XI is. So Square Enix are dialing back on the tedious and obsolete experience point system, and they’re replacing XP with the Bills & Coins system. As in if you want to level up, you pay a certain amount of money to Square Enix. I’m kidding again. Seriously, for real this time, Komoto said, “We believe the main factor behind Final Fantasy XI’s lasting appeal is the job system. However, the system will become something completely different. The focus here will be on weapons. Your weapon will determine how you play. Your weapon will determine how you fight.” Ummm….hasn’t that always been the case?

Sorry for being so negative about this game, but after reading at Kotaku that the races from FF XI were merely renamed for FF XIV, I’m not too confident that this this newfangled “NO XP” system will be a totally different beast. Also, I don’t like MMORPGs in general. Now if someone made a Massively Single Player RPG, I’d be all over that.

[via Destructoid]

Via Nanobook: the $600 Ultra Mobile Windows Pc

Technabob — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:40:38 +0000

VIA Technologies has announced a new reference design for a extremely portable notebook PC, dubbed the NanoBook. The standard build of the system may weigh in at less than 2 pounds, but boasts a pretty solid feature set for its size.

The platform is based on a low-power 1.2GHz VIA C7-M CPU and can handle up to 1GB of RAM. A typical configuration will sport a 7-inch high resolution LCD screen and a 30GB hard drive. The spec also includes 802.11g and Bluetooth wireless connectivity as well as a DVI video output for external devices. The NanoBook will be able to run under Windows XP or Vista, although you might have to turn off some of Vista’s visual bells and whistles for it to run smoothly.

The system is slated to hit shelves later this year and is targeted at a retail price point around $600.

[via Engadget]

Klegg Genesis: Internet Enabled LCD Televisions

Technabob — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 19:51:34 +0000

Klegg Electronics, known for their home audio gear has unveiled a series of Internet-enabled flat panel televisions in their “Genesis” product line. The new displays come in 40-inch and 46-inch LCD versions, and feature Windows XP (hopefully MCE) embedded chip that enables web surfing, e-mail and digital media file access.

The sets each have a 1366×768 native resolution panel (supporting 480i/p, 576i/p, 720p and 1080i) and an over the air ATSC tuner. Inputs include HDMI, DVI, component, composite and s-video. The 40-inch model is $2899 and the 46-inch model runs $3599. No details were available what kind of on board storage is included or if the sets can be upgraded to Vista.