Cabal Forums

Well, I guess I have put off posting this for long enough. As many of you may have noticed, the forums aren't very active anymore, and the Linkshell even less so. There is a reason for this. Earlier this year, or I guess you can say late last year, Distant permanently quit FFXI. This along with many other departures has left Cabal LS empty, and it is looking like it will never come back. Many people from the shell do still play, namely myself, Zan, Drecan, Shulu, Smokingrum, and Skalami, along with Kal and Laur, but none of us ever wear our Cabal pearl anymore, in fact I find myself not even carrying the pearl with me anymore, as it has simply become a waste of space.

It is sort of sad to see it go, but it would be even worse to leave it on life support with no dedicated members, no leadership, no new blood to keep it fresh, or anything like that. So although the shell itself has not be broken, it is gone. We all have many memories of all our adventures through this game world throughout the years, but all things must end, and so it has. We had a good run, were fairly sizable and significant for a period of time, which is more than a lot of linkshells can say. Our heyday i think it is safe to say was 2004-2005, when our membership was at its peak, we regularly did some events such as Eco-Warrior, Garrison, and other low level things that social shells did in those days, and I like to think we were fairly good at it. Many of us have gone on to be integral members of some of the top endgame shells on our server, and still actively participate in these events.

I also would like to make it known that although this linkshell has sadly gone away, this forum has not, and will not. I encourage everyone to use these forums as a tool for staying in touch and possibly arranging play of other games here. I still check the forums regularly and I know many others do as well. If you want to see screen shots of any latest accomplishments, all you need to do is ask and I am sure many here will provide you with them. Also, the steam group, while unused, more or less also still exists. If you don't have it or forgot how to use it feel free to let me know and I will give you instructions on how to join. And remember, just because the shell is gone doesn't mean what happened here is meaningless or just to be forgotten, always remember the fun times we had and all the memories we share.

Thank you, and goodnight.

SE has announce the planned addition of a feature called Level Sync which will allow members of a party to target the lowest level member and take a voluntary level cap to that player's level. Involved parties will still receive the full benefit of 100% of the xp earned at the lower level. Additionally, gear will no longer be removed when under a level restriction. Instead, a system is being implemented to scale down the power of gear when under a level cap. This will apply to all level caps, including BC fights, Assault missions, level capped zones, and the Level Sync feature. The degree of power reduction on gear is still an issue of controversy and discussion, as it appears that several types of powers will be outright removed from gear under the level cap, and not simply reduced. Potential powers at risk of negation are Enmity modifiers, Haste modifiers, Evasion modifiers, Magic/Health Regained While Healing modifiers, Enchantments, and all modifiers to abilities. SE seems to plan for the reduction in power to make high level gear less effective than having the best gear available to the lower level, but still much better than going naked. The stated design goal is to avoid exploitations for power leveling by RMTs while still giving high level players a functional method to play with their friends instead of just waiting for them to level up. And it's about time isn't it?

Welcome, one and all, to the new Cabal forums.

There have been some big and small changes that I'd like to mention here at the launch. But first I'd like to welcome you all back and say what a great time I've had playing with each and every one of you. We've been playing together, some of us, for over 4 years now and it has been, and will continue to be, one of the great pleasures of the gaming world to do battle at the side of so many good people. Though the game has changed, and we all have changed in our own ways, we still represent a beacon of honor and courtesy in the sea(SE?) of madness that the internet gaming world presents us. So it is with great pleasure that I open this new phase of Cabal, by welcoming you all to Ghenna's latest creation, our new Forum.

Now let's talk about Faction. Cabal has a history of being a social shell, offering refuge and respite from the drama and stress of other endgame shells as well as a haven for youngers to learn the tricks and traps of their jobs from more experienced players in a friendly community environment. Throughout our years together, some of the finest players on the unicorn server have enjoyed our welcome hearth. We sweepers of the Cabal are here to serve the interests of all who come here, and so it is with great pleasure that I announce the creation of Faction. Faction is not a splitting of Cabal, rather it is a separate level of play where players interested in the more serious and hard hitting endgame activities can organize. Faction will also be open to players who might not otherwise be a part of Cabal, which will remain the calm sanctuary it has been since it's inception.

Faction will have a level and rank requirement. Not all Cabal members will qualify immediately for access to Faction.
Cabal will still expect high level members to be courteous and helpful to the youngers. Not all Faction members will qualify for access to Cabal.

To facilitate large Faction events a new Faction linkshell has been created and is being kept by sweeper Ghenna. The Faction shell is not for socializing, and will be kept vacant except when in use for an event. If your Faction pearl is broken this does not mean you have been kicked out of Faction, it just means the room is being cleaned and readied for another official use. Faction pearls will be handed out by Moderators prior to any relevant Faction event. The Cabal shell will continue to serve as our permanent home for casual chat, advice, and assistance.

Now for some of the smaller changes. Poking around I'm sure you'll find that Ghenna has added several features to user profile pages allowing you to detail your mission progress, jobs, and crafting levels. To search for other members with the skills, jobs, and mission requirements that you need, a "roster" link has been placed along the top bar. Expect continued improvement of these and similar features as time passes. Also, the ranking system has been simplified. A brief review follows:

Unranked members: have access to public areas only, but can submit a request to join Cabal, Faction, or both.
Cabal and Faction members: have read and write access to their own shell area, and read access to all others. It is possible to be a member of both groups at which point you can choose which color your name is.
Moderators: These are the folks you pay attention to. Their role is to keep the peace here. They have full athorrity to lock, delete, or modify posts, suspend or ban members, and approve membership into Cabal or Faction.
Sweepers: Guys with brooms who keep the floor clean and make sure that things like the linkshells and the forum website continue to exist.

I hope you all continue to enjoy being a part of this community as much as I do. I'll see you online.