Anime and Video Game Insight

Albatross 18 is the international release of a game, otherwise known as “Pangya.” First released in Korea, it’s been more or less an instant cult classic. Free to play and completely online, this game ties together RPG style leveling up, buying equipment, playing with stats, with (you guessed it) Golf. Hence, the title being called Fantasy Golf.

So, the good, the bad, and such.

Lots of good stuff about A18. It’s free (no monthly fee’s or hidden costs). It plays better than a lot of the 40$ golf titles (Hotshots Golf series). The art is lovely (if you like anime esq artstyle). The diversity of characters (Everything from Ex cop to Pirate Girl). The maps are fun and fairly diverse (You’ll learn to hate windmills, trees, and flowers). There are updates every other week with new content (They’re still releasing new content in Korea, who’re in the season 2 of Pangya.) This game is easy to play, but hard to master (so to speak.)

The stuff that you might not like to hear. Everything in the game costs a LOT (to the normal non obsessed non hardcore gamer). There is an option to buy stuff with real money and the stuff you get with real money is obviously good. Leveling and farming in this game rivals that of any MMORPG, it takes a LOT of time. In the end, no matter how you look at it, this is a golf game, so it won’t appeal to everyone.

My biggest gripe with the game, has nothing to do with the game at all, but with the community of A18. A vast majority of the community doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of competitive play. Many many people love to just complain about how other players not from the USA should have thier IP’s banned from A18 because it’s been out in Korea and Japan for over a year before the US release, and that somehow, it’s not fair that A18 players would get thier butt’s whipped each time. There are players that consider anyone who does well to use cheat devices, charts, and even as far as simple MATH such as estimation (yes, in A18, you can be called a cheater if you estimate or use ANY form of math, infact you can be banned from thier forums [account closed in game as well] if you list any formula related findings). Let me tell you, these arn’t just like random players I’m refering to, a good deal of these are players who’re consider’d “Pro” on the US servers. People argue how you should just “hit the ball,” instead of taking your time with shots, since it’s not fair to players who arn’t as good or players who don’t. There have even been debates on how it’s not realistic to use items in the game (that the game provides you with!!!).

Going to thier staff isn’t much help either. The staff typically sides with the people arguing all this nonsense, when on other servers, it is all fair game.

I poked fun of the very things I’m ranting above in the post below, if you want a fun read. I think a lot of people missed the joke.

http://www.albatross18.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=882&KW=house+rules

Third Person Objective Veiw :: Yea, stuff can cost money, and if you like the game, you should spend a few dollars on it to make it more fun. If you don’t, play it for what it’s worth and find something else to do. I think that if you want to play just to play, it’d be fun, but if you get into the mindless drama of actual competitive play, the game might just be more frusterating than fun.

So yea, here’s a link for Albatross 18, tell me what you think.

http://www.albatross18.com/new/new_index.asp

~Fei

xFei
Senior C

I remember like two years ago playing this game for a year. Let me tell you about it in a few short sentences. I think it would be best summed up as “I spent a year of my life killing crabs (mostly) and some wildlife.” I had two 75 jobs and multiple classes close (and own’d my own endgame linkshell), so I think I have a pretty good overview of what I was doing.

Above: We see a turtle, this turtle only less than 1% of all FF players will actually see in person. You typically fight him with 18 lv 75 players. To get to him you have to do scores of endgame farming, missions, quests, and after that, you need to spawn him with items. So between three groups of people 400 hours each for max lv, 400 hours more of endgame quests, item farming, traveling (about 14,400 hours between 18 people.), etc for a 10min long fight. Without further adue, meet Genbu.

To Left: We see here a bird. This bird spawns once every 24 hours, with up to 3 hour window where it may spawn earlier. He drops a good staff once out of 20 kills. (So plan on commiting 20 days 3 hours a day sitting in once place for this staff and hope no one else wants it.) Spawn times of these mobs are sacred between Linkshells who find thier times, if other groups find out, you’ll have 18+ more people trying to take this bird and it’s treasure. Yup, meet Roc.

I have a lot more of these pictures, where groups of the most “powerful” players gang on wildlife, but you get the idea. FF11 the game where you hunt wildlife for a year.

~Fei

Fae
75 Whm 75 Brd 68 Blm 65 Drg etc.
R10 all three Nations
95 Clothcraft
Moonlit Nocturne