What's The Point In /Seacom

If you're a must-have job (PLD NIN WHM RDM BRD etc.) get used to it.

I'm onry 14 Cor and already getting invites without seeking c.c
/anons.

Brd isn't must-have in an exp party :x
Helps, but not needed.

Yeah...most people don't read search comments. EVER. I mean, in leveling THF...from 33 to 55 I had "{Level Sync} 33+ OK" in my comment...when ~THF45 some jackass named Hawg invites me to Kazham w/o regards for my comment. I said do, he asked why, I said "For SATA + VB, and I going below 33 is annoyingly low for me." He started calling me a noob, that THFs have hard times getting parties (cuz he was 75 THF and apparently took a year to level it), and he also said "I never read /seacoms, I just ask."

Well...he's blacklisted cuz ofg that...but...THF75 today. What was that about not getting parties? Sorry, I went 15 to 75 in just under 3 months including a 2 week break from FFXI.

From 60 to 75 I always had "60+" in my comment, for Assassin. I'd occasionally take a 55-ish party, and only ONE party below 60 actually bothered to acknowledge my search comment, and ask politely if I'd go lower...I took that one, they weren't jerks about it or anything.

Personally, I usually don't *ask* people to a party unless they have a comment up. I read them, unlike most people.

@Israfel, only thing I can suggest is don't use green dot in your /seacom, might not make a difference, but use the colour that corresponds with what you're doing (I think yellow or white for dynamis) and you might not get hit quite as bad.

If I have a party that's in danger of falling apart, and we're doing well, I'll ask people to sync below their /seacoms. I'll mention that i read their /seacoms, give them party setup and current xp/hr, PL if applicable, and ask them if they are willing to make an exception. If they aren't i thank them and let the matter drop.

I think the reason that some people ask is because people are willing to make an exception. if i didn't get a yes answer in the above scenario at least half the time, i would probably stop asking.

when I make pt ever check the /seacom, sometimes we had 5/6 or need puller/tank/healer and I ask to ppl 1~20 more to sync:

{Excuse me...} I read you {/seacom} but now I have a pt 5/6{level sync}XX yo accept? ^^;

JP version:

{Excuse me..}{/seacom}:{Understood} demo {Level Sync} XX {Do you need it?}^^;{Thank you}

80% I get a {Yes Please} :D

As a PLD, I was eventually missing on skill points, so I put in my /seacom that I wanted a 61+ party, and yet the first few /tells I received were for lower levels, and I kinda grew tired of those damn birds in Wajaom and mobs in Garlaige.

And when I want to seek a party with a friend, I put in seacom that I want my friend to join, but they always ignore that and I have to ask them instead.

So tempted to write in /seacom:
<Level sync> 55+ <Can I have it?>
If you've read this /seacom, I praise
you and then wait for that 55+ pt

But you look maybe 4 years older then 13. Does that make you feel like an adult to belittle your brothers friends? Shame on you! Though I agree 13 year olds should play this game, I also agree you shouldn't use this site ^^

in mine it is >o

i still dont understand why people wont level their jobs 55 sync, so what you get gimped for a few levels. go skillup? its really not that bad. i'd rather get (insert job here) to 75 in less than 2weeks and spend day or two skilling up than waiting 2-3months only to quit the job because of being frustrated for not being able to hit 75 etc etc...

just sayin~ o/

I think one of the problems is a lot of people really just don't know how to /sea all lvl-lvl or /sea all job. I'm not saying every circumstance, but I've seen it happen. A truncated list won't show them all the people lfp. @ 60 RNG I was told I was the only DD lfp once when there were lots of DDs that would have filled the slot in a 42 sync. There's also people that don't know how to seek besides the look for members option in the menu.

I know a lot of people don't have the patience to find out if that's why they got the invite. I like to think taking 2 minutes to teach someone that if they don't know; saves them and others from some of these problems. Someone had to teach me this at one point, I never came across it looking through wiki etc.

I dont mind doing Level Stink but really upsets me sometimes when I do a /seacom 60 or 65+ and get /tell from VD or Qufim....

I hate Level Sync as much as anyone else. However, I've gotten to a point in leveling on my Bard where everyone and their mother seems to think that the only place in the whole game to go for exp is Caederva Mire.

I absolutely f*cking HATE imps and refuse to ever go back there, regardless of what job class I am playing. Because of that, and that alone do I use syncing. So I can get past these levels and move on.

I prefer to to go some place that has mobs that don't make it stressful to play a game I play to relieve stress. I much prefer safe and steady exp over a party that is unbalanced or in a dangerous place, regardless of the XP/hr. By that same token, I was always the person that refused to go all the way to the Northlands when that Demon camp was discovered.

I always put [Caederva Mire] [No thanks.] in my /seacom and don't even bother answering someone that sends me a tell asking to go there. When someone insists on being a pain, I just give them [/seacom] [Please check it.].

Off topic; Why the hell does noone go to Bibiki Bay or Ro'Maeve for exp anymore? Those zones were always fun. And don't give me that "*** Candy gives exp bonus" BS. XP/hr isn't the only thing this game is about.

Jackie! I ask the same question a lot "Why no exp in Bibiki anymore?"
It really ticks me off to have parties that would rather fight against 6 others in close proximity for a paltry 4k/hr when they could double that with a good setup in Bibiki.
The exp isn't as fast, but it's a lot more fun than 4~ min downtime between mobs and your puller stressing because they can't find anything to bring back. I have lost count of how many parties I've ditched because they'd rather fight over mobs in the mire instead of using their brains and moving to an area that isn't completely over-run.

I know the exp isn't as great and the mobs in a sense are tougher to fight (Onoez! Can't afk now and only come back to hit your weaponskill macro!) but I'd still love to see more parties there. Lufaise parties too were fun! Not the most practical (HiRamz <3).. I guess what I'm trying to say (poorly) is that I'd like to see a lot more parties there too... I just wish a lot (not all) of the playerbase would realize there's mobs outside of Aht Urghan. ... strangely enough me and my husband were talking about this the other night haha, it'd be nice if SE either raised the difficulty of mobs in Aht Urghan (It'll never happen...) or lowered the difficulty of mobs in conquest zones, that way we'll have more than 4 camps to exp at 70+ that aren't going to drive you insane, or force you to step on everyone's toes around you.

Very sorry for wall of text, it's difficult for me to get my meaning across >_<;

I dont understand how hard it is for people to just join someone at the Boyada tree soloing or breaking latents to skill.

And if you dont think xp/hour isnt what the game is about, you must have a lot of time to xp, me not so much. You can't do much with a job that isnt 75, minus level cap missions.

Oh I understand that people want max xp/hr, but I'd honestly rather have fun while exping, so if it means taking a kick in the balls exp wise then so be it. I don't have a great deal of time per week to play, but I'd like to enjoy the time I do.
I must add that people may not share my views on this, or have a lot of time to exp so I do understand them not wanting to join conquest area PTs.
Ultimately this problem can't be solved by die-hards who miss the old days and the awesomeness of Goblin links and no zone for a long time. I really think SE should revamp the conquest areas to put them on par with aht Urghan... that'd rock so hard! But we can but dream lol :)

As a final thing: If you enjoy what you do ingame, and have fun for however long you play it Then who cares if your views on matters differ, as long as you're playing the way you'd like to... if that makes sense?^^... It's a good thing, honest!! @_@

And now off to make dinner before my husband starts gnawing my arm off

Quite the contrary. I have less and less time to play these days, plus my career and time zone make my play hours very strange. Because of that, coupled with the fact that this game is my outlet for stress, I treat things differently than others.

XP/hr doesn't mean sh*t to me because I play to have fun. If I don't have fun doing something, I naturally don't want to do it. I personally hate doing anything that detracts from my enjoyment of the game; ie, fighting imps or doing anything that involves traveling around bullsh*t mobs.

For clarity, Jackie O's definition of a Bullsh*t mob is one that does something HELP I AM TRAPPED IN 2006 PLEASE SEND A TIME MACHINE like jacking you for gil. For example, Colibri stealing food or mobs that can dispel RR items. Although, I hear tell that dispelling RR items has been fixed (most likely happened while I was deployed).

Another example of bullsh*t mobs are those that defy convention with regard to movement and aggro. Enemies that aggro job abilities and weaponskills are bad enough, but True Sound is just plain broken bullsh*t.

To be honest, if I'm not makiing 10k/hr, its not fun, it's slow and boring. XP would be last on my list in terms of 'fun', I dont want to prolong it.

A funny story is that my friend puts 'passwords' in his seacom to see if people read them. They don't.

*pulls Israfel off-stage for speaking blasphemous words in public*

Really, though, I'm kind of with Aaroca in the respect that, like some other overly geeky XI people, what makes parties, merits, events or whatever fun for me is when they're going incredibly well and we're being super efficient and badass. I don't particularly enjoy the act of exp or merits, so when it's poking along and we're driving to the outskirts of town to get to a camp and people are dying on the way and things are just prolonged, I feel like I'm in hell.

It's a little half-and-half at times because I've met most of my friends either in parties or shells, but still, I'm not nearly as talkative or cheery when I feel like I'm slogging through a level at a snail's pace. lol

Nooooo~! Not my stagez D:!!!

Along these lines, why do people beg and plead with you to come take their place in their party when you are already in one? Jeez. My husband and I were in a ls party with our pals the other day, him tanking on nin. And some pld from some other party kept asking and asking my husband to go take his place. For one, if someone is already in a party, they are obviously kinda busy. For two, if someone is already in a party, they clearly do not need another party. For three, if someone has told you no once already, it is nothing less than annoying to ask them again and again afterwards. ><

/end whine

Believe me, Liela. Its not whining when its pure truth you speak. I know exactly how that feels. And oddly enough, I was the party leader when I got the tell. The *** kept hounding me, saying "Oh its a great [Veteran] party with tons of merits. We need BRD and you're the only one that isn't /anon."

Or even better. I change jobs to do Nyzul, but for like a minute or so afterwards, "/sea all brd inv" still shows me on BRD. I join Nyzul pt on THF and get the tell. I tell them politely that I'm busy and in a party and the fool proceeds with "Well, why don't you just leave and change back to BRD for xp? You can do Nyzul any time, but this great party won't last forever. We really are the ***. You should have seen us before we lost our last BRD."

That had to be one of the most vain things I've ever heard...

A. Anyone who preaches about how good their party is, chances are the party is going to blow ***. B. Anyone in this game that asks someone to party when they are already IN a party is a moron. C. Try getting 8 /tells for party, while in party on RDM, in 10 minutes, from 8 different people (before level sync was put in). Those that do not read your /seacom do not even deserve a reply, unless its within 5 levels of the sync you are looking for. If people are nice about it, usually people are willing to make an exception.

I still am generally anon and invis status out of habit for like the last um 4-5 years lol. Pretty much every since my rdm got to like 40-50 I'd get invites before system messages would pop up if I wasn't anon... and then when I started doing that it would only be a couple of minute before people actually looked me up and would be like bring your rdm fool! Got annoying.

Well I see lot's of minimum lvl sync requests in seacoms when I'm making a party, and most of the time, if I really need the job for my pty that's below their minimum, I will ask anyway. I just send a polite tell saying 'Hi, I know you're looking for 63~ or w/e, but would you be interested..' etc. A lot of the time they say yes anyway.

As for Abomb's seacom.. Well, if it's explicitly expressed like that I would not send a tell, 'cause.. well, I just wouldn't <.<

On a side note.. something that kinda pisses me off is.. Like, the dude who is 65pld and is like level sync 65+ in his seacom. IMO, these people are totally ignoring the fact that it's so much easier (and usually better..) to do a 63~ party than a 65 pty. Those two levels make a huge difference in choosing camps.

And yes, I realize they want to keep their skills up to par, but.. I see exp and skills as two separate things. Exp takes work and cooperation to get (at a decent rate anyway), while skill, yes it's tedious to do solo (particularly non-offensive skills), but it's much easier to get those skillups you might have gotten in exp, on your own.

Holy necro-bump, Batman!

I only send /tells asking to sync lower if it's like 1-2 levels. I'm always polite about it as well. I also only ask if I've asked every other person on that job at the level+ I need.

So if you're making good xp/hr, and you give current xp/hr when inviting, is that bragging?

Honestly - I'll do the same thing to an extent.
For example. If we need a main heal, or a tank - because our just dropped the bomb saying "Oh ***I have an event and I didnt look at the time! Sorry gotta run!" Or DC on us, I'll look. And more often than not - I'll see a person with a comment saying 63+ (we may be 55ish for example) and I'll ask them with something along the lines of:

Excuse me.. I'm sorry to bother you - I understand that your comment says 63+ but are you willing to go down lower?

And if they say no, I'm not an *** about it.

To be honest, my statement is based on a 5/6 party before they start actually exping. Sure, if youre making 14-16k/hr at 55, and i have the job youre looking for, im going to want in. A party can look good on paper, and absolutely suck when it starts, I have seen it way too many times. But I play the no replacement stuff... youll lose a SAM, wind up getting a BLU or some crazy *** replacement. Or you get some wiseass that leaves as a SAM, and invites a RNG to take his place, when you have a brd already pulling. I have a feeling that one is going to open a whole new argument. If you are making good exp, it isnt bragging, its just a fact.

My Favorite for /seacom is when I am looking for merit and 1 of 2 things happen.

My /seacom will always say either brd/brd or brd/cor..

1) They ask me to merit and I say yes thinking that they have read my /seacom and have either a brd/brd or brd/cor pt..if they don't I typically just drop the pt and this is when the angry /t start and how big of a noob I must be for not wanting xp..and for some reason they always say something like "you don't need a brd for great xp, I can pull chain 100 on my thf" tisk tisk tisk!

or

2) When they ask me to merit I simply ask "setup?". You can almost instantly figure out if it is a good pt or not based on how they respond. If I wanted to pt without a 2brd pt or brd/cor I wouldn't have thought to add a /seacom so yes indeed it means that I am a noob and don't know what a good merit consist off and I should just end my life because I don't want to merit with you and you non-brd lolmerit pt.

READ DAMMIT, READ!

Or if you are in a bind and nothing else is looking at least be nice and say explain why you are asking if they wanted to pt. "Hey sorry I know you said no lvl-sync but nothing else is looking I'm 5/6 pretty good setup..some xp is better than sitting on you *** in WG, wanna join?" if they still say no..just leave it to a simple "ok sorry to bother you GL"

and 1 more time for effect..

READ DAMMIT READ!

My favorite /seacom had to be the one I used to keep up on Bard when I was doing Einherjar. It was...

{/no}

Then when someone would ask if I'd party, I'd just tell them to check my /seacom. I mean really, when someone is on BRD/NIN in the Testing Grounds, or even in Nashmau, and ALREADY IN A PARTY, that probably means they are not free to go EXP with you.

Same goes for when someone is Seeking on a job like WHM or BRD in Sea or Sky. Almost definitely it's not because they are out there soloing. It's because they are there swapping party/alliance and it's easier to put your flag up than wait for the lag in the /search menu.

People just need to engage their brains a little bit more and it would all be so much more enjoyable.

Finally, I definitely recall a time where what Icon was saying was the standard. No /seacom, no party. If there were 100 SAM and one had a /seacom, that was the one that got the first look for an invite.