Superstitions in MMORPGs

Varda

Varda

Clothcraft Cat
I just ran into an interesting article on superstitions in MMORPGs. It's got a lot of interesting anecdotes in there, with some discussion of FFXI (including a full page about FFXI crafting superstitions and a later blurb about the Paintbrush of Souls door in the Temple of Uggalepih).

It's interesting to see what beliefs crop up in other communities, as well as get some perspective on our own weirdness. To this day, I still carry around a Four-Leaf Mandragora bud for luck.... ^_^;;
 
In my time of crafting, I have heard of some far-fetched stories for HQ and breaking. Also, I have carried around a Goblin Die and a Wild Rabbit Tail for over 2 years now lol. It never hurts anyone to have anything extra for luck imo. When I took SS's of the Sonic Belt+1 I made, you can see both the bud and tail in my inventory. Someone brought it up saying "OMGTHESECRETISOUT!"
 
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The daedalus project has oodles of interesting articles! They've got a lot of great research on the social/psychological effects of MMOs.

The best lines out of that article, "Due to FFXI being incredibly coded for hidden effects..." and "because the developers have a history of messing with the players..." GAWD is that so true. Secret elemental staff -perpetuation cost to avatars anyone? Or the hidden CHR+7 on opo opo crown if you eat pamamas? It's easy to believe anything when you have weird, yet tried and true, shit like that.
 
I'm more of the "DON'T JINX ME" type. >.> Every time someone says "Wow, guys, this is going great!!" Murphy's Law goes, "I'M AWAKE, I'M HERE!" and then I cry.
 
That was very interesting to read. I still maintain that the whole elemental staves/face a direction/moon phase school of thought is total bullshit... As a mathematician by inclination if not profession, I can assure you that people will happily remember the time they crafted 2 HQs in a row on full moon facing east, while happily forgetting the hundreds of NQ/breaks that happened before it.

The funniest part to me personally though is when people believe in such smokes and mirrors but then vigorously deny game-enforced abilities like Treasure Hunter+. Or when they continue to purport superstitions after they have been literally debunked by the people who made the game themselves ("LET THE THF KIIIIIILLLLLLL").

-benny
 
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Well, I don't believe in anything for crafting. I went 1/1 on Heca Hat+1 and then failed 4 SH in a row, all of which were my own. This was about 2 years ago when Vclaw was around 2.5mil and I stopped crafting right then.
 
"Or when they continue to purport superstitions after they have been literally debunked by the people who made them game themselves ("LET THE THF KIIIIIILLLLLLL")."
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I remember being kicked from a party years ago when the THF kill rumor was really ramped up and, as a SAM, I'd do a WS and kill the mob. People were vicious regarding that--even on XP mobs for additional crystals and whatever else gil loot they dropped.

Cool article though... if nothing else for entertainment. I still farm on full moons, have a clover, tail, and die.. etc. *happily psycho*
 
I could probably add to a few stuff that I've heard.

1) Its been said that if you should buy your dynamis hourglass for a zone in an area thats controlled by the same nation. Example: if you look at the current conquest map, Xarc and Beac are controlled by Windy. I read that if you buy your hour glass from Norvallan (also controlled by Windy) you'll get more drops in that dynamis zone.

2) Sacrificing a particular person/race will increase drops. >.> Always seems anecdotally true. We've had 2 Ulli pop items drop when the same person died.

3) Does standing in the crystal direction increase nuke damage? I heard that once...

I was amused not with the article but with the other articles that he has. Life cycle of players, Status reversal, demographics of ..., automatic mimicry, etc... This psychology stuff has always interested me.

The automatic mimicry article was most interesting if for this quote only...
Research in social and organizational psychology has consistently shown for many years that when people or groups interact, many of their verbal and non-verbal cues become synchronized almost immediately.
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As they say... great minds think alike =Þ
Reminds me of the numerous times I've had a great Mithra WHM seem to finish my thought in /p as I was typing it.
 
I once heard a DRK say that snipers and peacock charms gimp DRKs because DRK is a darkness based job, and that casting Barfira against WARs will help in Ballista... ;)
 
Lexa said:
I once heard a DRK say that snipers and peacock charms gimp DRKs because DRK is a darkness based job, and that casting Barfira against WARs will help in Ballista... ;)
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That would have been Madcaw. I am pretty sure he still believes it. There was a nice thread on KI about it.
 
I still remember him fondly for being the guy who'd always die in sky cause while wearing plastron +1 and the like, with K club, he kept agroing and dying cause he couldn't afford sneak oils.
 
Tigrumai said:
That would have been Madcaw. I am pretty sure he still believes it. There was a nice thread on KI about it.
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I know who Madawc is. I know very well who Madawc is, considering he was the third person I ever met in FFXI. I was going for teasing, but I guess my tone didn't carry over so well in writing. :/

PS. People on Sylph know who Madawc is.
 
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