Also, the forum is now back up and running! Now we can use this for relaying information, planning missions, asking for help, chatting, etc. Please feel free to post whenever you feel like it, on any topic, FFXI related or not. It would be great to have an active community of friends that use these message boards.

     Finally, we scored us some The Mars Volta / Red Hot Chili Peppers / Queens of the Stone Age tickets for May 9th in Moline, IL. Me, Cedric, Seul, and Boohiss will all be there. We might take pictures and stuff, so you might want to check the site on May 10th. ^_^

     Solidifer and Moriya have since created their characters, leaving all but the big fat gay kid (FGK) and his brother dirty kid. Since FGK spends all of his money on leather coats and um... herbal remedies, it might be a while before we see Defacto and Bloughnuts in action.

     I'm pretty happy about hitting level 53 this morning. I got myself thief AF gloves, and will try for the AF hat at level 54. Then I get to try and kill Shadow Lord at level 55. ^^;;;

     The first ever 'Level 1 taru massacre' will take place as soon as Serket (pictured right) appears again. So far, Wiener, Mega, Tripmastermonky, Boohiss, and Archaon plan on suiciding.

     Finally, I would like everyone to know that The Mars Volta is the greatest band in history. Check out inertiatic.com for more info on The Mars Volta.

     The new patch has been good to all of us, and I couldn't be happier. I logged in to find out that I had a new skill, and was able to use multiple new spells as Red Mage. Also, black and white mages have new abilities. Also, the level cap is now 60, which gives everyone something more to work towards.

     Anavrin's Japanese Guide V2.0 is now up, and it should be quite helpful to those who don't know Japanese. I will periodically make additions to it when I can think of more phrases and words that should be translated.

     Of course, the member page has been updated to reflect these changes. I am working on a chart that contains a clear display of character levels. If I am good, this will be done tonight.

     Only 4 days til FFXI for PC is released in Japan. Forum update coming soon.

     The new linkshell has been created! As you can probably guess, the color is forest green. The name if the shell is TheMarsVolta. So far, Reze, Skye, Cphoenix, Archaon, Fantome, Sharky, Farplaner, Seishi, and Rokugo have pearls [I'll get you one, Cedric!].

     Well the PC version is released in a couple weeks, and tomorrow is when the pre-orders are registered. Soon our dream will come true! This site will [hopefully] soon be an active hub of communication between fellow Thelogens. I can't wait! ^_^

     I just downloaded a rom for Metroid Fusion, so I will finish updating the site tomorrow night. ^_^

     Thelogens on Ragnarok? Yes indeed! Joe and Jose are currently on their way into the world of Vana'Diel. Jose has to unfreeze his assets, but Joe is a step away from ordering the full setup. I will purchase the Thelogen linkshell [7000 gil] as soon as I have the sufficient funding [not to mention those level 24 claws]. I will also but all new Thelogens equipment through level 10.

     Also, don't forget to visit the member pages to see the progress of the active Thelogens, and lets get these forums active again! You can start by voting on the linkshell/website color!

     This game was worth every one of the 82,050 pennies that I spent on it. Final Fantasy XI isn't a game, it's an experience. The plot isn't quite a driving force, since I really don't understand much, but the gameplay makes up for it, and some. Leveling up doesn't seem like a chore when you are playing with friends. Chatting during and between battles, meeting new friends, and familiarizing ones self with the Japanese language adds to the already fun gameplay.

     After all the time that I spent playing, I still have not grown the slightest bit bored with the game. The immense world provides endless fun exploring and leveling in many different beautiful locations. There will always be new players to party with, and you can always meet up with friends whom you've adventured with before. There are enough options and objectives to keep you happy for the rest of your life.

     It is almost safe to say that this is truly the greatest game ever made. Though it may not have the mind blowing music of FF7, or the deep story of FFX, it still has enough gameplay elements to truly provide a most enjoyable experience.

     You can share my experiences by checking the journals page. I add new journals regularly. I am currently writing a few new ones that cover my journey to San D'Oria and what i've done since the journey. You can check my status regularly at the Jiggs page. I will soon include my abilities and such, when I get the time.

     Finally, we can welcome our 12th and final member, Mark. He plans to become a Tarutaru Paladin/Black Mage. This means that we are no longer accepting members, unless someone cuts out. Thanks to everyone who joined, and I can't wait until the day when we can all play together in the world of Vana'Diel!

     'Thelogen days' will begin August 9th at 5:00 PM, and it will run through September 2nd. This is the time when you can come and check out FFXI, maybe even get some playtime. Come over anytime, all Thelogens are invited, just tell me first!

     Thelogen weekend will begin the 26th at 5:00 PM, and it will run through the 28th. Come over anytime, all Thelogens are invited!

     I would now like everybody to know that Thelogen Day is now going to officially be 2002.7.13, a week after this coming saturday. I have changed the wallpaper to fit the new date, and you could get that here in .jpg format. Incase you were wondering, the picture to the right is that of a Tarutaru beastmaster.

     If all goes smoothly, next saturday, will be official Thelogen Day. All Thelogens are invited to come over to my house to celebrate the greatness that is Final Fantasy XI. Don't bring a towel. I hope to see most of you here. Well, if you really want that wallpaper, you can get it here in .jpg format.

     Also, I can't stress enough, learn katakana! Don't be intimidated by the crazy symbols! Once you learn it, you'll be reading everything! Go to Kanachart.com now! If you memorize a few letters a day, you could know it all in a matter of weeks!

     As for site updates, I put up a freshly translated list of white magic spells. Your best sources for new information would be the message boards at the sites on my links list. That is usually where I get my site information from.

     Finally, I should add that there seems to be worries about the language difference. Some of you don't know any Japanese at all and wonder how you will play the game. Those of you should visit Kanachart.com. Here, you could learn the katakana script in about a week. Knowing this will allow you to play FFXI worry free, since most of the text will be "borrowed" english words in the katakana script.

     You probably have a lot of questions. Well, i have a lot of answers. The total cost of the import will be around $50-$60 for the game with shipping. There will also be a $10 a month Play Online fee (as there will be for the US game). You will need AT LEAST a pentium III, 800mHz, 128mb RAM, GEforce card, 4.5GB of free space, and a 4x speed CD-ROM drive. Those are the *minimum* requirements. The good: we get game 6 months early, no paying for the PS2 HDD and network adapter. The bad: limited Japanese knowledge, we would be stuck with Japanese version for the long haul.

     I think we should import the PC version as soon as it is released. This is where our alliance may dwindle in numbers. Unfortunately, everyone might not have the system requirements, or the money, or may not want to import. If I get a total of 6 positive responses (including myself), i will officially call us a Japanese alliance. Tell me what you think in the forum.

     Not excited enough to import? Read this journal from a PS2 version importer.

     Not much game news has been uncovered, though bits and pieces of info arrives from japanese gamers. Leveling up and acquiring gil is supposedly quite difficult. Each monster you kill that is within 5 levels of yourself will bag you 100 exp, no matter what level you are at. I believe that if you fight in a party, the strongest member decides the exp that is given to each member, so if each member of the party is around the same level, all members will recieve full experience. Many new features were added with the first patch, and you can read them all at the Final Fantasy Online Zone.

     We did find out that the PC version was said to come out this year in a Square press conference. I will provide a link to confirm this when i get a chance to check it out myself. I also believe that PC beta testing was supposed to start around July, so I hope you signed up to become a member at Play Online and are one of the lucky people who get picked! If you didn't sign up yet, do it now!

     Also, as previously thought, you MUST start as one of the original 6 jobs. I would assume that after you can access the newer jobs, you should be able to have 2 secondary jobs at the same time.

     In the next few days, every mystery surrounding this game will be revealed in it's entirety. You can bet that i'll keep you posted.

     Famitsu is the most well known and well informed weekly gaming magazine in japan. They are known for their strictness when scoring games, and most games are lucky to get a 9 out of 10 rating from a reviewer. FFXI recieved two 9's and two 10's, giving it a total 38 out of 40. All four reviewers gave FFXI great praise, and you can see a translated version for yourself here. This magazine also hinted at the 4 new classes, but not officially announcing any. Looks like we'll have to wait and see...

     Square also stated that FFXI will stay online for about 5 years. New lands, quests, and items will be added throughout these 5 years. Square also recently confirmed that FFXI will, in fact, be released in America THIS YEAR.

     I also updated the spells list. It seems that spells will once again be numbered instead of given stupid names. I added a couple of links to some helpful sites on the left margin. At gamespot, you could check out lots of pics, and at FFXI Database, there is a lot of good info (if you can read japanese).

     I saved the best news for last... it seems that Play Online is viewable from Japan. On the FFXI Database, there seems to be a summon magic page under construction. Could this mean...? I'll post more info when I have access to it.

     In other news, Play Offline, as I like to call it, is still down. I wonder what updates they could be devising... Anyways, we are now looking for more members. If you know anybody that has been begging you to let them become a Thelogen, let me know! Also, the "Golden Rules of Thelogen Economics" are being formed to keep some order in our alliance. They will eventually be posted on the "members" page.

     In news relating to the site, i recently completed the classes page (as well as the races, game info, and members page, if you haven't already seen those). The site will be 100% complete within the next 24 hours, so keep checking in! And don't forget to post in the forum!