DeuceFFXI
commented
11 months ago Group 18 - Vanguard Eyes 234, 237, 240 Additional Notes
Found a new screenshot which sheds some light on the position of the Kindred part of this group.
Here's the image I uploaded of all three eyes previously.
I believe the eye in the top image is the leftmost eye, 237. So, based on the position of the kindred to the right of it, I believe those are the ones spawned by 234. If the image was higher quality and the names were visible it'd be easy to answer that question.
With that said, I made some assumptions about how these mobs may be placed relative to one another and created another diagram.
I believe it's fair to assume the BRDs and WHM are closest to the eyes based on several other pulls in the zone. SE seemed to follow a pattern of Mages going in the backline of mob packs. As for the position of the other four Kindred, I believe it wasn't too much of a leap forward to place them as shown in the above image.
Checklist
Summary
After seeing a few Dynamis videos from era I realized that some mobs were improperly placed. This got me wondering if it would be possible to achieve greater accuracy of Dynamis with regard to era by collecting together various bits of information from videos and screenshots across the internet. The good news? For many mobs across various zones it is in fact possible to properly adjust their placement. The bad? Well, sadly, there are quite a few mobs that even through exhaustive searching have yet to be found in screenshots or recordings. In the case of Dynamis - Xarcbard placement for at least 60-70% of the mobs in the zone can likely be improved.
Why is this important or necessary? This bug report should make it obvious, but in short, if adjusted many pulls will change considerably as well as the direction players will need to take when approaching certain parts of the zone.
Before beginning, here are some key takeaways from gathered information:
Also, this bug report will be incredibly detailed and therefore LONG. You've been warned.
Resources
This spreadsheet I created contains numerous links to videos and some images found across the web. I've opened it up to comments; however, I'm willing to let others contribute to it if people are interested.
Maps
These two maps will be used for the purpose of orientating ourselves to the various Vanguard Eyes in the zone. Of the two maps, the Japanese one contains considerably more detail and it has been substantiated by many of the various videos/photos that will be used for the purposes of this bug report. However, I will use the numbers from the Dynamis Bums map to reference Vanguard Eyes and Statues in the zone.
Group 1 - Vanguard Eyes 36, 39, 42, 47, & Statue 52
This is the first group of mobs that players will come across in the zone. These mobs need to be moved closer to the chokepoint as seen in these videos: 1, 2, 3. Also, as seen in the screenshot taken from one of the videos, the eyes face each other in a counter clockwise direction. The distance between the North and South eyes on the East side nearest the entrance should be approximately 15 yalms as seen in this video
Here's a diagram of the mob placement based on footage from this video.
Group 2 - Vanguard Eyes 73, 77, 81, 87, & Statue 94 (30m TE)
Next we will move further west towards the first time extension and discuss the groups of mobs that surround it. We can see the pathing and placement of the statue and eyes in these videos: 1, 2, 3. Based on these videos the statue needs to be moved ~10-12 yalms to the northwest. Also, the third video contains a lot of valuable information regarding the location of mob spawns. One significant detail is that four of the mobs, specifically the two DRKs and two DRGs spawn outside of this main group of eyes and mobs. They spawn so far away in fact that they do not link any of the mobs unless a player paths near them. The North DRK can be seen here.
Southern DRK
The South DRG can be seen spawning in atop the hill here, but it's a little difficult to see.
Here's a diagram showing the layout.
The lines are supposed to represent the paths the eyes take while roaming. If you pay attention in the video of the SAM from Nicovideo it should be apparent that the eyes path just short of the plane or line in front of them going clockwise.
This mob placement is quite significant as it would change the way players approach this group on Eden. On retail, the common strategy seemed to place importance on pulling the mobs to the North or Northeast to avoid linking additional groups of mobs such as the roaming eyes to the West or the mobs further South. The north appears to be the safest direction to engage this group from. The reasoning for this will become more apparent as we discuss these other groups of mobs in the area of this time extension.
Group 3 - Vanguard Eyes 322, 329 & Statue 336
322 and 336 are barely visible here. No footage of 329 or spawn locations of any Kindred from this group found yet.
Group 4 - Vanguard Eyes 243, 246, 249
Moving further south towards the Animated Hammer we come across the three eyes, which can be seen in the image above taken from this video. Their position may already be accurate on Eden. No Kindred spawns have been found for these eyes. Based on other groups that will be shown later in this bug report, I imagine these are all supposed to link based on the placement of the Kindred when they spawn.
Group 5- Vanguard Eyes 95, 100, 105
Based on the two images below, these eyes are stationary, face east and do not roam. Also, need to be moved further west. No kindred spawns found.
Further evidence these eyes shouldn't roam can be found in this video. One of the eyes can be seen in the distance hovering in place.
Group 6 - Vanguard Eyes 188, 192, 196 & 199, 202, 206
I decided to address these two groups together. Both of them need to have their positions changed based on a few factors. The first being this image below taken from this video. In it we see 192 196 188 from left to right.
For one, this group needs to be moved further east such that the middle eye, 196, paths on the left and a few yalms West of the North DRK from the TE group. It's also possible to see that these eyes appear to be slightly cambered and that from the left to the right each eye paths not as far east as the one to the left of it.
Here's a diagram of how these appear to be placed relative to some of the mobs around them. Not to scale.
This video shows 188 pathing to its furthest point West. Here is a video showing 199, 202, 206 pathing to their west most point as well as where they should approximately be placed. No mob spawns for these eyes have been found. Reconstructing how far to and from these eyes roam albeit difficult should be possible with this information. If I discover more clips of them in the videos I've found I'll add them in the comments of this report.
Group 7 - Vanguard Eyes 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16
One of the more significant packs of mobs in the zone to be changed. All of these eyes need to have their positions significantly adjusted on Eden.
Screenshots below for reference.
In the image above, Vanguard Eye 1 can be seen in the left with 132 on the right. Screenshot was taken from this video.
Videos of this group roaming: 1, 2, 3 These videos all contain footage of the line in various fragments. Here is a video where the player pans their camera around and we can see the entire line of six eyes pathing back and forth briefly.
Screenshot of all six eyes, ignore the eye in the foreground, we care about the six in the background.
What should be apparent is that these eyes all path parallel to one another in a staggered formation, alternating such that when one is in the north the two adjacent to it should be in the south.
Unfortunately, I've been unable to find footage of this group being pulled or aggroed. However, I believe this group was always engaged from the west due to the way it's mobs spawned from each eye.
Here's a diagram I made of what it may look like.
OR
Adjusting this group of eyes to be closer together and further east opens up a new pathway through the zone.
Group 8 - Vanguard Eyes 337, 344, 351, 358
The first issue to address with this group, eyes 337 and 358 should not roam. All four eyes need their positions adjusted. 358 faces West as seen here. 344 needs to be moved closer to the NM tower behind it seen in these examples: 1, 2, and 3. Similar to the first group in this bug report, the four eyes face in different cardinal directions.
The positions of 351, 337 can be seen around 64:02 and 351 again at 68:18 of this video. It seems to be possible to run by these mobs without aggroing them due to their positions and the directions they face.
As for the positions of the mobs that each eye spawns, evidence for 358 and 344 has been found with some inconclusive evidence for 337 and nothing yet for 351.
Here's a screenshot of the mobs that 358 spawns.
And lastly here's a diagram of their relative positions with a few assumptions made regarding the Kindred.
Group 9 - Vanguard Eyes 260, 267, 274, 279, & Statue 284
This group needs to be moved further west from its current position. All the eyes need to roam and the statue needs to be facing East. In addition, the eyes draw a small box around the eye, which is diagonal to the direction the statue faces, such that the east eye reaches its turn around point just in front of the statue. Lastly, the statue and eyes should be close enough that pulling the statue would link all of the eyes.
Evidence of their position and the fact the eyes roam can be found in these videos: 1 and 2 around 5:06. Here's a video showing some of the positions of the Kindred the eyes spawn. Using this video, which is the only evidence I've yet to find of these mobs, we have to make some assumptions regarding the positions of mobs.
The diagram I created for this group.
Group 10 - Vanguard Eyes 176, 179, 182, 185
Very little of this group's position and mob spawns have been found. This video when the players pans to their left we can see the group partially. The major change is that these four eyes appear to be roaming. Fortunately, one of the eyes can be seen going back and forth between its two points, so we should be able to extrapolate that for the other three eyes. One curious thing is that the other eye which can be seen roaming perpendicular to the better recorded eye, likely 185, is that it would intersect 185's path almost right down the center. Obviously this is a little inconclusive.
Group 11 - Vanguard Eyes 219, 224, 228, & Statue 233 (30m TE)
This group needs to be moved south and spread a little further apart from one another as shown in this screenshot. All mobs face South.
5:28 of this video clearly shows the positions of the mobs and where they spawn. This video shows these mobs from the other side. Might need to slow the playback speed or pause it to get a better idea.
Lastly, here's a diagram depicting the positions of all the mobs assuming they're all spawned.
Group 12 - Vanguard Eyes 142, 146, 150, 154
At the moment only two of these eyes roam, in actuality all four of them should roam and close enough that taking a path east of the MNK, WHM, BST tower shouldn't be possible without aggroing these mobs. Here's an example of players going behind the tower in order to fight these NMs. At 1:06 of this video we can see eyes 150 and 154 pathing back and forth.
Here's another video this time from the opposite side. Begin watching around 8:04. In this video we can also see where each eye spawns their mobs.
And here's a diagram.
Group 13 - Vanguard Eyes 404, 408, 412, 416
These eyes are split into two groups 408 and 416 occupy the East tunnel with the other two in the west. First thing, both 404 and 408 need to be brought further North right near the mouth of their respective tunnels. The eyes behind them also need to be brought a little closer, reasons for which will be evident below.
404 can be seen in this screenshot below.
As well as this video.
In addition, pulling either 404 or 408 should link the eye behind it based on the spawn positions of their mobs being further back in the tunnel. Evidence of them linking can be found at 4:40 of this video and 70:27 of this video. This is a guaranteed link on either side. Also, the location of 408 can be seen in the second video.
The BRD from Vanguard Eye 416 appears to spawn in the position seen in this video. Unfortunately, I haven't created a diagram for these two sets of eyes, most of the footage is either too far or pixelated to reliably place them.
Group 14 - Vanguard Eyes 420, 424, 427, 431 (Ragnarok Eyes)
These eyes need to be moved slightly based on footage from this video. In addition the two eyes on the right need to have their mobs swapped around. Rangers on the two outermost eyes with the THF and SAM popping from the middle two. Also, the mob spawns are close enough such that pulling from any angle will link the entire set of four eyes and their mobs.
Statues 403 & 529 (Spawned after deaths of the 15 NMs)
These statues need to have their positions adjusted based on the screenshots shown below.
Group 15 - Vanguard Eyes 434, 439, 442, 445, 448, 451 & Statue 454 (30m TE)
These eyes need to be adjusted slightly, as well as the mobs they spawn. Examples: 1 and 2 beginning at 6:26. The second example shows these mobs being pulled multiple times from different angles. Here's one more video of their positions.
Below is a screenshot showing the position of a majority of the Kindred these six eyes spawn.
Based on this evidence, this diagram was created.
Please take note that the four kindred in the middle are placed a bit further west than the others.
Group 16 - Vanguard Eyes 210 & 214
Both of these eyes need to moved further West and also face that direction as well. Footage of these two eyes can be found around 6:50 in this video and very briefly here. I recommend slowing down both videos to be able to better see them within the chokepoint. Their mob spawns aren't known at this time, but they may spawn similarly to the two eyes just east of the Animated Great Axe.
Group 17 - Vanguard Eyes 455, 459, 463, 466 (West Ramp)
There isn't any footage of this group standing idle in their ramp; however they do block it. Also, if pulled from the South and down the ramp they should completely link. Proof found in this video at about 8:58.
Group 18 - Vanguard Eyes 234, 237, 240
Based on the below screenshot these mobs may need to be moved to the right slightly.
It's also arguable that these should be impossible to pull without linking.
Group 19 - Vanguard Eyes 252 & 256 (Guards Animated Staff)
High-quality video shows eye position and kindred spawns from up close.
Group 20- Vanguard Eyes 296, 300, 304, 308 (East Ramp)
This is another major change that needs to happen. These eyes need to completely block the ramp facing south. What this means is that in order to access the top level of Dynamis - Xarcabard one of the two large pulls occupying either ramp must be cleared.
Video of these mobs can be seen occupying the east ramp in a tightknit diamond formation. It's a bit difficult to see, so here's a screenshot.
Group 21 - Vanguard Eyes 53, 56, 61, 65, 69 (Flying V)
Another significant change for this zone are these mobs. Currently players can bypass these mobs by hugging the wall to the left. This should not be possible as these eyes are supposed to completely block the chokepoint towards Animated Great Axe.
See the below screenshots.
Here are some videos for additional perspectives: 1 and 2.
Based on the above, I created a rough diagram for how these mobs should be positioned.
Group 22 - Vanguard Eyes 312, 317 (East of Animated Great Axe)
These eyes need to be moved further west into the chokepoint.
See the below screenshot taken from this video around 5:26.
The diagram for these mobs.
Group 23 - Vanguard Eyes 158, 163, 168 & Statue 175 (Near Animated Horn)
First, the eyes roam near the statue. These mobs need to move further south and east such that pulling of the Animated Horn is possible from the south without aggroing the mobs unless a player strays too far east. Video of horn being pulled. Here's a second video this time showing a closer view of these mobs. Lastly, there's this video with more footage of their placement around 11:05.
Here's a rough diagram, the placement of the DRGs is more of an unknown.
Group 24 - Vanguard Eyes 110, 114, 117, 120, 123 & Statue 126
The only evidence of the proper placement for these mobs is from this video around 17:14. If we take a look at the JP wiki map we can see they have labeled these eyes as a group that roams West to East with the spacing they provide. This is corroborated by the single eye we can see pathing from west to east in the video. Unfortunately it's hard to determine which of the eyes this one is in order to properly place it or any of the others.
Group 25 - Vanguard Eyes 387 & 401 (Near Animated Kunai)
All I've found for these two are a couple of screenshots seen below.
At best I would suggest that both eyes need to be spaced a little further apart with uncertainty as to where the leftmost eye should be spawning its kindred.
Vanguard Eye Tower & Time Extension
These mobs need to be adjusted such that they spawn like the in the screenshot below, which was taken from this video.
I believe these were already bug reported; however, I felt it was worth including, so they're not forgotten.
NM Towers
The spawn points of all the NMs need to be adjusted. This video from around 0:50 shows roughly where they should go. One on each wing and one in the middle down a few steps.
Animated Weapons
We will be referencing this BLU90 alliance video quite a bit throughout this section. The relevant portion begins around 4:30.
Both the animated gun and longbow need to be moved slightly further back in their respective tunnels.
The Animated Kunai needs to be moved further back to approximately where it is seen the video linked in this section.
It should be visible from below as shown in this screenshot.
The Animated Great Axe needs to be adjusted slightly.
Animated Tabars need to be moved atop the cliff as shown below.
Animated Staff could be moved a couple yalms to the South.
Conclusion
This is the end of this bug report. A lot was covered, but not everything in the zone. Several mobs were skipped near several of the Animated Weapons due to lack of photos or videos pertaining to those mobs. The Vanguard Dragons could possibly be adjusted, but it would only mean shifting them several yalms here or there.
I understand some of these changes seem relatively minor; however, I believe it should be evident that there are at least a few groups of mobs that warrant major changes to their positions. Doing so would provide everyone with a more authentic experience in Dynamis, primarily those who are tasked with pulling.
In the coming weeks I should be making similar posts for several of the other zones. If you believe to have found additional evidence for mob placement either add it here, or send it to this e-mail address: ffxidynamispics@gmail.com