Moblin Maze Mongers!!

[Zerila]

Moblin Maze Mongers is coming!

This looks like the long-rumored, eagerly anticipated private dungeons that SE has been hinting at. I can see a LOT of my time going towards this

[Areya]

And you better believe that you lot get to be tortured by my creations.  Dungeon design is something I've always loved playing around with, especially since I've tinkered around with RPGMaker, Zelda Classic, and similar things.

Okay, granted, they won't necessarily be torture, but you know I'll be playing around with this.

[Zerila]

Just do me a favor... if you can pick the monsters that go in there, make sure there are some charmables

[Areya]

I'm waiting to see how they're going to do monsters in there.  Like, will we get to set everything about them? Or just pick what we want to show, and it'll get tossed in there randomly kind of like Nyzul? What if it's totally randomly generated?  Not to mention levels and such.  Needless to say, I'm eagerly awaiting more info!

I hope it's not too expensive either.  Though I think I'd be willing to pay quite a bit to have my own dungeon...

[Zerila]

Someone on Alla had the idea of stocking it with monsters captured on soul plates, which I thought was pretty neat

I'm guessing it will probably be more along the lines of "Choose monster family" and "Choose level range". Obviously, they won't let you choose the exact monsters to put in there, or will exclude NMs, otherwise there would be nothing but dungeons packed with Arguses, Valkurm Emperors and the like.

[Areya]

...otherwise there would be nothing but dungeons packed with Arguses, Valkurm Emperors and the like.

Haha, I could see it now, a dungeon with all the sky gods, all the ground HNMs, Serket, King Arthro, Roc, Simurgh, Argus, and more!  Yeah, doubt that'd happen.



One idea that'd be cool, if we do get to pick the exact mob types, is to make a Blue Magic learning dungeon full of low level monsters of rarer types.

[Zerila]

Re-reading it, it sounds like you get a key item or a rare/ex item that "calls up" your dungeon when you go in. So, it may be less like actually creating your own, and more like choosing from different prefabs, which makes more sense from a server space and bandwidth point of view.

I really wanted something I could totally design myself, but I can't see how they can do that without a MAJOR upgrade to their data storage.

By the way, if this is really, really expensive, I probably can't afford to do it... but I'm willing to partner with someone else

[Zerila]

Here is some more info taken off of the FFXI blog (I don't think I have to mention how excited I am by this  ):

■Delve into Business with the Moblin Maze Mongers!

・ââ,¬ÂMoblin Maze Mongersââ,¬Â is the official, final product of the work-in-progress introduced at last yearââ,¬â,,¢s Fan Festival under the provisional moniker, ââ,¬Å"Private Dungeon.ââ,¬Â

Outline)
The sole premise behind the development of M.M.M. was a to fashion a system defined by the ability for anywhere from one to six players to engage in relatively laidback gameplay.
In keeping with several of the pre-existing themes of Vanaââ,¬â,,¢diel, we decided to implement the system as a series of labyrinths run by Moblins for adventurers to explore. Let the spelunking begin!

Flow)
・First, the players themselves determine the rules for their maze. Once these rules are in place and the proper preparations made, itââ,¬â,,¢s down into the maze! Should players prove fortuitous enough to clear their maze, their efforts will not go unrewarded.
Designed to accommodate both inexperienced newcomers and seasoned veterans alike, maze options will cover a wide spectrum of possibilities, while at the same time maintaining an easy-to-grasp simplicity.

Rules)
There are two main categories of items which are utilized in the new M.M.M. system.
The first of these are ââ,¬Å"Maze Tabulae.ââ,¬Â These are best thought of as a kind of game board. By placing various pieces, described below, on this board, players will determine the specific nature of their maze.

The second category of items is comprised of ââ,¬Å"Maze Vouchersââ,¬Â and ââ,¬Å"Maze Runes.ââ,¬Â These will be used by players to set the rules and arrange the interior of the maze.
The vouchers determine what type of adventuring the player will undertake. For example, it may be an all-out brawl against a large number of foes, or overcoming obstacles through skillful acts of synthesis, etc. The runes, then, will function to set up and populate the maze in accordance with the rules laid forth by the vouchers. This includes, but is not limited to, such details as the type of enemies that will be faced and their degree of difficulty, the location of objects throughout the maze, the imposition of further rules and regulations, and so on.

Maze Vouchers & Maze Runes)
(image) If the Maze Tabula represents the game board, then the Maze Vouchers and Maze Runes can fittingly be thought of as the game pieces. By arranging these on the tabula, players will determine the rules and layout of their mazes. When designing their mazes, players will have to take into account that certain pieces are specific to certain maze configurations. For exampleââ,¬Â¦ (image)

Procuring Items)
To start with, the Moblins will furnish players with a beginnerââ,¬â,,¢s set. At present, the idea is for players to obtain other tabulae, vouchers, and runes as rewards for their maze escapades, with even further items possibly becoming available in the future at public events such as Fan Festival or in-game seasonal events.

Thereââ,¬â,,¢s More!)
In addition to all of this, the M.M.M. system will also allow players to share their maze creations with one another. Although a restriction will be imposed limiting the number of uses, players will be able to obtain these ââ,¬Å"third-partyââ,¬Â tabulae from a mediator NPC. The rewards available will be directly affected by the rules and degree of difficulty in play, so be sure and try your hand at as many variations as possible!

Myriad Uses)
Just like fighting enemies virtually anywhere else in Vanaââ,¬â,,¢diel, combat within the maze depths will yield both experience points and skillups. There is also the possibility of increasing your crafting skills, should the theme of the maze be based on synthesis. Capable of accommodating players up to a crafting skill of 60, it may be just the right venue for you and a friend to practice your handiwork.

Rewards and Remuneration)
Clearing a maze will yield two types of rewards: treasure chests and M.M.M.-specific points. Within the chests, players can expect to find any of a variety of equipment and M.M.M.-related items. Also, amassing M.M.M. points will allow players to purchase other M.M.M. pieces. There are even designs to introduce gear which can only be obtained by braving the mazes!

[Areya]

Well that sheds more light on it.  This should be interesting!

[Zerila]

Pic of what the maze tabula should look like:

[Zerila]

MOBLIN MAZE MONGERS!!


...has been delayed   

Oh, well. There's other good stuff in here, including the following:

The Reraise effect granted by certain spells and items will no longer be removed by magic and abilities such as Dispel and Voidsong.

While the query selection boxes associated with the white magic spell Raise and the black magic spell Tractor are being displayed, the same spells will no longer be able to be cast on that player.

When the experience points gained by a dragoon result in their wyvern receiving a status boost, the wyvern's HP will now be fully restored.

[Zerila]

Moblin Maze Mongers!!

Is here for real this time! I guess I know what I'll be doing after work today. Anyone want to go exploring? 

[Kyuuketsuki]

Moblin Maze Mongers!!

Is here for real this time! I guess I know what I'll be doing after work today. Anyone want to go exploring? 

Someone broke it. 

[Ryudei]

ACCESS DENIED.

[Zerila]

Ryu, did you break Moblin Maze Mongers?!

[Areya]

Well it's up again.. for the moment.  But it's so crowded I wasn't able to get in.  I did pick up my Maze Tabula though.

[Areya]

So... this is pretty fun!

At the moment, there seem to be three types of mazes you can have constructed:

Voucher 01 (starter) - Two waves of monsters are spawned, of random types unless you have Runes to specify mob family.  Base DC-T.  Generally 6-10 of each wave depending on type.  Kill them all to win.

Voucher 04 - Synth all of the items to win.  Not sure how this works yet...

Voucher 07 - Face off against a single powerful foe.  Customizable with magic types, jobs, etc.  Still dunno much about this one either.

Currently I still have the basic voucher and the 2 starter runes, as well as "Peon" for much weaker foes, and "Divine Magic" for 07.

[negotiator]

do you get xp from this?  type of drops?

[Zerila]

You can get XP, but the monsters in the maze are matched to the lowest level character that goes in, so like if a level 75 goes in with a level 50, nobody will get XP. If you go in with a bunch of people your own level, though, the monsters will spawn DC-EM, or maybe even T.

There are supposed to be special gear drops, from what I heard, though I haven't seen any. Also, you can get runes for the maze, so you can make more adjustments. You can add runes that make the monsters much weaker or much stronger than you (or your lowest level character).

[Areya]

Well you can spend marbles to get an Eyepatch...

As far as exp, you'll get some exp if the mobs are the proper level to give out exp, but you get less than normal, kind of.

For example, I soloed a few mazes as low level DRG, killed 18 EPs and got like 450 exp total, but opening the Hoardbox rewarded a bonus 550ish exp.

I'd guess the special gear would likely come from the 07 type mazes, since it's like fighting a HNM.