Recently, some forum posters requested they be able to write their own op/ed pieces and express their excitement for Final Fantasy XIV on the ZAM news page for everyone to enjoy.  Already, we have received a completed article from Sephrick, who was inspired by the great detail and subtleties Square Enix has already put into the land of Eorzea.

Read on below and let us know what you think in the ZAM Forums!

If you want to write in and help make Disciples of the Pen a regular feature, just send a PM or e-mail elmer@allakhazam.com with your ideas and submissions!

Discovering Hydaelyn: It's the little things

Author: Sephrick

Amid the debates of graphics and game play, it’s easy to overlook the efforts that go into the simpler aspects of designing a game to the caliber for which Square-Enix usually strives.

A mysterious enemy has been popping up everywhere from screenshots and trailers all the way to the official benchmark. So what are these bulbous baddies with the dangly limbs? For that, we turn to the Guildleve demonstration from E3 2010.

As the furry adventurer gives chase to a fleeing megalocrab, the Miqo’te gladiator eventually tracks it down in a room full of the mystery mobs bearing the moniker Cassiopeia.

Long story short, in Greek mythology Cassiopeia tragically experienced the wrath of the god Poseidon and was placed among the stars where she would spend half the year upside down.

This constellation lends it’s name to a type of swamp-dwelling jellyfish called cassiopea. These jellyfish typically are stationary. However, much like the megalocrab, real life crabs will seek out cassiopea and put them on their backs as a form of protection.

So there you have it. Those fierce faceless fiends are nothing more than a fantastical re-imagining of a beach vacations biggest pest. What does that hold in store for future adventurers? Perhaps a battle against a giant version named Man-o-War? A guildleve to protect a fisherman from the microscopic, yet lethal, Irukandji?

Only time will tell. However, when you do finally get your chance to take up arms and explore Eorzea and the rest of Hydaelyn, remember to take a moment to notice the details beyond the graphics.