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cool, then you know what i mean, just didn't say it in the best way. Thank you for elaborating more on my point.

score.

I get that question a lot, and it's impossible to answer.

There are trade-offs. For instance, Americans are creative and entrepreneurial, due to a culture that prizes individuality and independence. However, that also tends to make them arrogant, egotistical, utterly lacking in group loyalty, and self-centered. Japanese are loyal, reliable, and hard-working, but often lacking in individual creativity, exclusionary, and bogged down in the need to do everything by consensus.

There are things I can point to in either culture and go "There, I like that." But there are always an equal number of things I can point to and go "That right there? That's ***' HELP I AM TRAPPED IN 2006 PLEASE SEND A TIME MACHINE."

It's not that one's better than the other, it's just a question of which set of strengths and weaknesses you want to adopt. You don't get to pick and choose.

Jaerik I Know you've said before that you have family Kona side. Do you visit the Islands often. If so what do you think of the unique cultural melting pot that you find spread across the islands.

haha yeah different cultures have good and pros, like america but hate somethings, like puerto rico but hate other things.


now tell me more about geisha culture~

18 to drink
21 to drink
wait wat

I think FFXI has long-tailed. It's now in maintenance mode as they release cheap, easy, but time-consuming content to keep the last ~20% of their fiercely loyal customer base happy for as long as possible. Just like UO and EQ, which are still around.

The game is pure profit by this point so there's no reason for them to kill it, although people thinking there will be some Renaissance that heralds vast new content or brings players back to the game are fooling themselves.

Aye, from a business perspective, that's where we're going.
However, I would like to see SE's time, effort, and money put into making FFXIV what they had intended it to be.

oh yeah, manual configuration is too impractical for the average user, then again not having a shortcut on the desktop or they can't find something is impractical for the average user...

I wish I still had a machine I could throw windows 3.1 on, just to laugh.

with the way XIV is going, if SE is smart, maybe not.

Interesting. From that stand point it's almost like 2 extremes. Was it difficult for you to adjust when you first moved, or did you just kind of go with the flow? Did you ever find yourself being treated differently being from US while in Japan, even though you lived there?

Also, would it be alright if I named my first born son after you? I'd like him to go on to do great things, and figured that might help.

I make a point of going back there every year for New Year's. I'll be there from Christmas through the first half of January.

I find the melting pot pretty interesting, but also sad. Almost all my Hawaiian friends have Japanese ancestry, but don't speak the language and know almost nothing about the country because their families jettisoned the multiculturalism thing to avoid getting rounded up in WW2. English onry.

A new content patch won't bring back old players I don't think for XI.

I spent a year living on Oahu and I always found it amazing to see how in some parts of the city the Asian cultures could be so well preserved then 100 Yards away it would be completely different. Although it isn't surprising to run into Japanese parts of town when the Japanese make up a decent chunk of tourist that go there. Just had always wondered your outtake on the islands since you visit. Oh and you ever surfed north shore?

No it would take something very drastic, like a "FFXI-2" or something...

hopefully if they ever tried such a thing, it wouldn't flop like x-2 :D

I've always had a preference for the bo. Though I'm only trained with nunchucks.

Large game companies don't change their minds. Once they've pulled the trigger on something (XI long tail strategy, XIV launch, etc) they simply aren't agile enough to reverse it. It's like trying to turn a cruise ship around -- it just doesn't happen that fast.

The only thing XIV's tragic launch probably changed was how long they intended to draw out XI's long tail before they pull the plug. They're not going to increase the budget in an attempt to get people back, but they're also not going to push as hard to get people to abandon it, either.

hey jaerik, lets see some game names so we can cross reference your so called resume. you arent the only one in your field.

I've surfed all over Oahu, but I have to sheepishly admit, not Pipeline on a good day.

I like to think I'm a decent surfer, but I'm just not serious enough about it to risk my neck at somewhere like there or say, Mavericks. The reward to risk/effort ratio is too low for me.

indeed, and it's sad.

I just had to ask ha. I personally don't have the balance for it but from having seen the waves there and having seen how thrashed some of my neighbors came back I completely understand.

To any admin or mod who wishes to answer:

Who, or what, has been most influential in your life?

I mean that in the vein of: a philosopher (or branch of philosophy), theologian (or branch of theology), entrepreneur, scientist, athlete, etc. Rather than something like: my dad, my grandma, God, Buddha, FSM, etc.

Sorry if this is too personal. I'm just a little dry on good reading and research topics lately, and most of you seem to have a decent handle on things. Curious~

I think I'll let some other mods/admins answer questions so that it stops being all about me. =)

So is that a yes on the first born son question?
/hopeful

http://www.uoherald.com/node/4


http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/everquest/credits


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Online_Entertainment



hmm............


anyone find it odd that most of these games were developed back when this dude was in diapers?

we like hearing jaerik talk doesn't matter, you shouldn't feel that way. it's interesting knowing from a person that comes from japan, considering not many people we know of do. I have met chinese only people, i think youre the only japan.

Diapers? It was ten years ago. I'm 30.

Sigh. I'm not gunna sit here and cross-reference my resume with MobyGames credits. Hundreds of people worked on EQ over the years and about 10% of them are actually credited on that page. I was hesitant enough to share personal information here anyway.

If you want, email Raph and ask him yourself. He's sitting about 6' from me.

First: Jaerik isn't 18.
Second: Why are you trying to instill doubt on his past? What does it matter to you?
Third: He needs not explain himself to your or anyone else for that matter. The fact that he tells us all this about him is his choice. What does he have to gain from lying? Nothing.