[Additions and Changes]The following is a list of changes/additions made to Ballista:Players will now retain their Ballista license after changing nationalities.
NPCs offering armor storage services can now be found in the Jugner Forest, the Pashhow Marshlands, and the Meriphataud Mountains. Please refer to the main Update Details page for further details on changes to this service.
The new key item “Ballista shovel” is now available.
The following two temporary items have been added:
Demoralizer
Demoralizer +1
The following special rules have been made permanent:
- Prevention of match re-entry
- Minimum level requirements
- HP/MP/TP amounts when raised
- HP/MP/TP amounts when returning to camp
- Reduction of time required between quarrying
(Speak with a Herald for further details)
New rules have been introduced.
- Special Rules
1. When less than 41 players are participating in a match, the position of the camps will be located closer to the center of the Ballista battle zone.
2. When there is a large difference in the number of members between the two forces, the number of Rooks appearing on the field will be increased to two.
- Limited-time Features
Ballista participants level 30 and above will receive EXP bonuses after each match.
(Players who do nothing during a match may not be rewarded with any experience points.)
New Ballista Area
The new Ballista-specific area “Diorama Abdhaljs-Ghelsba” is now accessible.
[Reserving the Area]
- Diorama Abdhaljs can only be accessed after being reserved.
- To reserve the area, a Ballista license and a small number of Ballista Points are required. There are no race or nationality restrictions.
Please note that players who have not installed and registered the Chains of Promathia expansion pack will not be allowed access to the area.
- Diorama Abdhaljs can be reserved for “blocks” of two hours (Earth time).
- Reservations can only be made for the two-hour block that comes exactly two days (Earth time) after the current date.
For example, if a player wishes to reserve the Diorama on April 29 from 10:00 to 12:00, she would have to make her reservation between 10:00 and 12:00 on April 27.
Upon completing a reservation, players will receive a copy of the Ballista redbook. This item is needed for entry into the Diorama. It also can be used to create “pages” which may be passed out to fellow adventurers, which will allow them access to the area as well.
In the event that no one reserves a certain two-hour block, or a reservation is not reconfirmed (reconfirmation is required 15 minutes before a reservation begins), other adventurers can immediately occupy the current block.
In this case, the new applicant will receive a copy of the Ballista whitebook. Just as with the redbook, this item is used for entry into the Diorama, as well as for making “pages” which can be passed out to others.
- At the time of reservation, the area’s level restriction is chosen.
This level will be “printed” on the red/whitebook and all of its pages.
- All Diorama-related services (including reservations, transportation, and information) are handled by Tillecoe, who is situated in front of the Ru’Lude Gardens Residential Area entrance.
All services are free except for reservations (which require Ballista Points) and transportation (which requires a small gil fee).
[Master of Ceremonies]
The player who makes the original reservation (possesses a copy of the red/whitebook) is automatically deemed the Master of Ceremonies (MC).
In addition to organizing all proceedings within the Diorama, the MC will also be required to adjust participation settings and Ballista rules. In the event that an MC does not show, another of the page holders may have the opportunity to take up MC responsibilities.
[Entry]
- Players can register for participation by trading their copy/page of the Ballista red/whitebook to the Herald stationed within the Diorama.
- Players can choose to participate on one of two teams--the Griffons (green) or the Wyverns (blue). Teams will never be separated by nationality.
[Proceedings]
The MC can, at any time, change the status of the Diorama to the following:
1. Match Settings Underway
2. Accepting Entries
3. Briefing Period
4. Match in Progress
5. Between Matches
In the event of a status change, a message will be displayed to all players in the area.
[Setting Ballista Rules]
The following is a list of the match rules that the MC can set before each match:
Level Restriction (Lv.10/Lv.20/Lv.30/Lv.40/Lv.50/Lv.60/unrestricted)
This is set at the time of the reservation.
Minimum Level Restriction (none/ Lv.10/Lv.20/Lv.30/Lv.40/Lv.50/Lv.60/Lv.75)
When a minimum level restriction is set, any player under that level will not be allowed to participate in the matches. Also, the minimum level restriction must be equal to or lower than the maximum level restriction.
Support Job (allowed/not allowed)
Entry Type (free/open/auto/shuffle)
Free:
Players are allowed to select the team they wish to join. However, if one side grows too large, further applications may be denied until the number of members on the other side has increased.
Open:
Players can join the team of their choice, only if the side they have chosen has the same or fewer members than the other. If the side chosen has more members, players will automatically be moved to the team with fewer.
Auto-Balance:
After players have completed a temporary entry into one of the two sides, the MC can choose to redistribute the players (by main job) evenly among the teams.
Random Shuffle:
After players have completed a temporary entry into one of the two sides, the MC can choose to randomly shuffle all players between the teams.
Entry Cancel (allowed/not allowed)
If re-entry is not allowed, a player will not be able to reapply for match participation in the event he or she requests a discharge before or during a match.
Mid-Match Entry (allowed/not allowed)
If mid-match entry is allowed, players unaffiliated with either side may join one of the teams while the match is in progress.
Match Location
The MC can adjust the position of the Herald (4 locations), the camps (8 locations), and the Rooks (4 locations). The MC can also decide on the total number of Rooks (1 to 4).
A match’s battle zone is decided by the location of the Rooks in play. For example, if only Rook B is used, then the battle zone will be in the field around Rook B. If Rooks A and C are used, then the battle zone will be in the field around Rooks A and C, as well as the area around where Rook B would be if it were to be used.
If at any time all members of the leading forces leave the battle zone, all players on the opposing forces will automatically be granted Gate Breach status.
Briefing Period Length (1 min/3 min/5 min)
The briefing period is the time set aside before a match to allow the two sides to talk over their battle strategies.
Match Length (10 min/15 min/20 min/30 min/45 min/1 Vana’diel day/60 min)
A match will be cancelled in the event a party's Diorama access time expires before the match has completed.
(1 Vana’diel day = 57 minutes, 36 seconds)
Match Type (all or nothing/best of three)
The length of the interval between best of three matches is based on single match length.
Match Length Interval Length
10 minutes 30 seconds
15 minutes 60 seconds
20 minutes 60 seconds
30 minutes 90 seconds
45 minutes 90 seconds
1 Vana’diel Day 96 seconds
60 minutes 90 seconds
Normal Item Usage (allowed/not allowed)
When normal item use is not allowed, players will be unable to use items acquired before the match. (This does not include items such as arrows and projectiles.)
Temporary Item Capacity (10/15/20)
Sets the maximum number of temporary items (items found when quarrying) that can be stored in a player's inventory.
Temporary Item Distribution (allowed/not allowed)
When allowed, five temporary items will be distributed to all participants at the beginning of each match (or set of matches).
Voucher Exchange (allowed/not allowed)
When allowed, all vouchers a player carries at the beginning of the match will be exchanged for the corresponding temporary items.
First Petra Selection (allowed/not allowed)
When allowed, players will have the opportunity to throw away the first Petra that they find (in order to maintain use of the /sprint command).
Fill All Petra Holes (yes/no)
When all Petra holes are filled, players will always find either Petras or temporary items when quarrying.
One-Time Scoring Limit (1/2/3/4/5/10/15/none)
This setting determines the number of Petras a player can score at one time (per Gate Breach).
Called Game (none/10-Petra lead/20-Petra lead/30-Petra lead/40-Petra lead/50-Petra lead/60-Petra lead/70-Petra lead/80-Petra lead/90-Petra lead/100-Petra lead)
When the called game function is in effect, a game will automatically come to an end when the lead of one team reaches the number set by the MC.
This function can only be used when the match type is “all or nothing.”
[Other information]
- Matches played in the Diorama are not subject to Ballista Ranking. Thus, players will not earn Ballista Points for their performances.
- A map of Diorama Abdhaljs-Ghelsba will be presented to all adventurers, free of charge, upon arrival to the area.
