Note: this is a profanity-laced rant.
On November 4, the day of the last server maintenance, my winning rate in C1 races was 32/68. Since then, the results have been atrocious: 5 1st place finishes, 8 2nd or 3rd place finishes, and 3 below 3rd place. For perspective, in the first 68 races, I placed worse than 3rd only once. Or, to put it in terms that really make me incensed as I write this, a loss of chocobucks between 542 and 764 in sixteen fucking races, or 33.9 to 47.8 per fucking race, or between 72 and 103 fucking minutes wasted per race farming chocobucks for basically jack shit.
It's not merely that I have been losing but that losing more often entails dealing more frequently with a timesink that is in place basically to deter RMT. But so be it... not that I don't have methods of dealing with it.
During this period, aside from one uncontested race (and I didn't even finish first), all the C1 races I've entered (and recorded the toteboards for) have involved at least one other PC chocobo. Rationally, I must acknowledge that C1 races are more hotly contested than ever. Irrationally, I am pissed off that the same chocobos keep placing first over me (and to rub more salt in the wound, I end up placing behind garbage SS/SS/B/F chocobos and "off the podium"), even ones with nominally the same attribute profile as mine. Literally, the same SS/B/B/B chocobo has placed first 3 times against me while I have gotten 5 first-place finishes in three weeks. (Interestingly, I've observed that chocobo was raised with an enlarged beak, for what it's worth. I might even laugh if that owner read this blog to get some ideas.) It would be even more crackpot and solipsistic to associate this string of poor results with the latest server maintenance, but you can't count the FFXI "dev team" out for fucking with its players without even being upfront about it, especially that fat-fuck CoP director.
Sure, in the long run things may even out all things being equal (all things being equal is a huge assumption, not knowing what saddles they are using), if I even get a chance to even things out. But this is FFXI the zero-sum MMORPG, where illiterate, proudly ignorant, gloating motherfuckers get to rake it in and bolt once they get theirs (fuck the rest!) while you get jack shit for the same amount of "effort." Even in chocobo racing.
I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been facing difficulties in the Chocobo Circuit. Since the Nov. 4th update, I’ve amassed a record of 15 first place finishes, 2 second place finishes, and 2 third place finishes.
ReplyDeleteAs I’ve mentioned earlier, my bird is probably identical to your own with SS(Capped)/B/B/B Gallop and Canter.
My setup in each race is still
Saddle: Lauan
Item: Speed Apple
Orders: Keep Pace
I am a member of the Bastok race team which is ALWAYS last on my server so I only have access to the weakest saddles.
In the 22 C1 races I’ve been on, the stats of the only PC birds which have been able to beat my bird are
SS/A/C/C Gallop and Canter
Item: Speed Apple
Orders: Keep Pace
SS/C/A/C Gallop and Regen
Item: Speed Apple
Orders: Final Sprint
The stats only NPC birds which have been able to beat my bird are
SS/SS/B/F (Traits seem to have no bearing)
Item: Speed Apple
Orders: Final Sprint
From watching my losses, my general observation is that IF four or more birds in the race use a Speed Apple, which will generally be the case if there are one or more PC birds in the race (I have yet to see a PC bird without a Speed Apple), the advantage of having REC is negated. Hence, when there are no PC birds and Gyshal Bombs are flying from the NPC birds typically present, my SS/B/B/B bird almost always places first. When there are only four or less birds using offensive items, REC is almost a nonfactor since there is only a 1 in 8 chance that any fire/pepper biscuit will be directed to you and birds focusing on the other stats are superior. Hence, when two or more PC birds using Speed Apples are present (Generally there will be two NPC birds with SS STR using Speed Apples), the common NPC bird SS/SS/B/F bird using a Speed Apple typically wins. Thus, to ensure my victory, I’ve been avoiding races which already have one PC bird present.
To determine if a PC bird is present during signups, I check to see if there are any players in the chocobo circuit and compare how many race lanes have already been taken. The NPC birds LunarHarvester and MegaFlare do complicate things since they can each take up a lane, but after a couple of days of searching, I have pretty much identified the players with race chocobos and posses the “Crystal Stakes Cup Holder” title (FFXIAH conveniently lists titles as well and the Crystal Stakes Cup Holder title is almost a permanent fixture on a regular chocobo circuit runner).
The SS in STR and Speed apple combination seems to be essential for success. Every bird I’ve seen place first or second have had these characteristics. Consequently, if I enter a race and see that only one bird, aside from my own, has these stats, I can be sure that mine and this other bird will place first and second and bet as much as I can to maximize my profit. What remains unknown to me is what balance of END and DIS works best. Good luck with future racing and remember C2 races also provide a good amount of gil if folks have spammed C1. Eventually, if things are as dire as you say, the PCs placing 2nd or lower fairly regularly will start to drop out of racing all together given the horrible nature of accumulating chocobucks.
That's an extraordinary record. Out of those 15 victories, how many involved >= 1 PC chocobo (if any)? Granted, you seem to be taking greater pains to avoid facing other PC chocobos, but I think I will change to "keep pace" directive for 20 or so races to see how it pans out.
ReplyDeleteIt seemed futile to me to avoid racing against PC chocobos since for practical purposes you will have to sign up toward the end of the registration period to see if other PC competitors are going to sign up. Also, I like to stick to a specific time slot. At any rate, all slots (9 a day) are rarely uncontested these days.