Eye Candy

Meditation. [PWI]

My pretty little fairy and I. [PWI]

My monk with some robes (illusion). [EQ]

Heading to the city. [Rift]

Dusk. [Rift]

The littles. [SL]

Peaceful. [SL]

Tower of storms. [EQ2]

Free Days

I've been dabbling around with some free time and free games this week, enjoying myself quite a bit. I wanted to check back into some games that I haven't played in awhile. It is always nice to pop back into a game that you haven't played for awhile or perhaps one that has gone F2P, check out the changes see whats new. I love me some free stuff!

First up would be Rift. I've been tlaking to my bud, Rak, about messing around with some different games, just for a refreshing feel on gaming. He is still subbed to Rift so naturally he suggested I check it out again. While I didn't want to resub for just popping back in, I wanted to check for free time on my account. I remember reading about something about it recently, sure enough I had a few days.

It's been really nice being back. Rak prefers the Guardian side, which I've never tried past level six, so I started over as Guardian. We picked Byriel, since I do happen to know people on this shard. Not sure if many still play there but it seemed like a good choice. My old shard is now a trial so I ended up moving my other characters too. But, yeah, it has been nice. The guardian side is so much more appealing in terms of scenery, starting out it has a much more inviting feel, it's so lovely. It was like playing in a different game almost. I don't think I'd go back to the Defiant so soon.

I'm not going to sub now but I'm thinking in the near future of doing so because it is just like night and day, for me at least, playing on the different areas. I wish I hadn't missed the Christmas event but maybe I'll poke back in there next year. I'm glad I took the time to check out Rift again, the game is lovely and has a good feel to it, I really enjoyed myself being back. Too bad it isn't F2P, I'd spend more time, and money, on this game. I just can't value paying for more than I have going now- I have too many games going on as it is.

Next up is Lineage II. I've been wanting to get my hands dirty, roll up my sleeves for some action and see what all has changed since I last played- 2007. Things really changed immensely. When I last played the game had a lonely feel to it, at least at the lower levels. I rarely saw other players and I remember feeling so lost. The game is now bursting at the seams with players all over. Players now start in a new starting area and there are quests galore to start you off and get you feeling more situated. I was really impressed, it was a huge difference from the game I played years ago. The game felt 150% better off just for this. Being free to play seems to have brought in more players and players whom stuck to private servers, I think the population is quite healthy.

This is a PvP game but it is one that has a lot of charm even to a carebear like myself. The graphics look great still, there's a lot to do higher up and the game really starts you off on a good foot. If you've been thinking of trying it, really it's worth a look, at least to see how things have changed. Plus, it is fully free to play, no more subscriptions only cash shop items- which really didn't seem like pay to win.


Onto the next contender for free fun. Two actually, Perfect World Entertainment's: Perfect World International and Ether Saga. I've not played Perfect World since.... Maybe 2006-7. It is much the same, still grindy, but hey I play EQ I don't mind a grind. There have been some neat additions like genies, little fairy pets that give boosts to stats and attack. The game has been kept up to date and updated with patches and content so it's really a good lasting F2P game, as with all PWE games. Some of the cash shops and game mechanics are harsher than others but I'd say PW has a decent balance. It's nice being back and I think I will be dabbling with it for awhile. I've already managed to drag one friend there! I started over as starting back at level 30 might just not give me a real feel for jumping into the game again, I might try a few different this time around.

Ether Saga is one of those games that is a bit more expensive for fluff items and has a steeper learning curve due to all of the things that are part of the game. But it is a rewarding game. I recently received an email about not logging in for awhile and it offered rewards. Which were very nice, I even gained about 18 levels on my main, some saved still for an alt. So that makes my highest character level 40. I did have a time trying to find wheere to quest but the nice thing, I always forget this too, is that the quest log has a button that also shows available quests to you and will auto-route you to them. I wanted to smack myself after fretting about where to quest after gaining so many free levels. Well, now I have it jotted down here for the next time I forget!

It is nice being back, the game is just so cute and lively. Always something to do, there are a few grindy levels but for the most part it is quest driven, which is nice for a F2P game. It does take some time getting back into the fray but I'd say it is a lot of fun still.

I've been lazy this week posting but I have so much to talk about yet! Another day though, I've been playing a lot of stuff, having fun bouncing around testing the waters. Sometimes I know friends miss me and I drive others nuts with all the bouncing but it's who I am, I'm always off to adventure. Maybe one day I'll settle down. Next up should be some thoughts on STO, when I've had more time to sit down to it and my latest alt in EQ, the monk! Have a great weekend!

Slackin' Off

Lately I've been hopping around a lot, I sort of hate when I do this. It isn't that I'm not enjoying what I play but I miss looking forward to logging into the same game and making goals there. Perhaps the mystique isn't there anymore with many of my games, after all I've played Everquest since 2000, WoW since release, and EQ2 since 2007. The nice thing about playing a few games is taking a week off of one and coming back refreshed. I find myself most happy to go back to WoW, missing my characters and the vivid storybook type world more than I thought.

I sent my beloved hunter back to the Horde, one of my oldest WoW friends was very happy about that and we plan on doing some old instance runs like BWL and some heroics. It's always so nice to feel welcomed back by a good friend. He threw me an invite to his guild and I've been trying to [slowly] work on my gear as it is the best of any of my characters. I went MM the other day and did a heroic with Dire, I actually enjoyed it. I need to get back into the swing of things. Maybe finish leveling up my paladin, I'm so lazy.

We're still playing Everquest. Dire is actually playing EQ and WoW too, which is something different for him, he usually finds it much harder to slip from one game into the other but he has found a nice balance and enjoys both a lot. I haven't played as much but I will pick it back up soon. A good friend joined us on FV and I hate to say it but Dire has been far more welcoming to him, to our guild and server, than I. I'm such a slacker, plus it is much harder to PL someone with a magician. Yeah, I have a slew of alts on the other account I should play, sometimes I find it harder to get into the mindset to play some of them as I love my magician. It's very nice that he came to our server to play, he's trying to catch up a new alt and it seems to be going pretty smoothly. He hasn't played for many years so everything has changed a lot since his break.

I finished my land in SL and have a lovely little piece of land with a sweet little 'elvish' looking house. I'm almost out of room to place anything else and I was considering getting a bigger piece but I've grown attached to this one and I finally have it how I like, so I'm not too sure I will.

That's about it for me. Perhaps more interesting news later on in the week ;) Have a great week, peeps!

What is SOPA, and why should YOU care?

It's a scary thought that SOPA could be passed. Some good articles I thought I'd share and pass on:

What is SOPA, and why should you care?

Wikipedia- Stop Online Privacy Act Page which will be protesting on January 18th.

LoL urges fans to write to congress. Official LoL forum post.

Firefall Developer Shuts Down Beta In Protest.

Daily Binary has a ton of info.

Want to do something? Check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Facebook Protest

And.... if you haven't heard about the blackout set for tomorrow, Januarth 18th, check out SopaBlackout.org.

Many sites and blogs will be participating in tomorrow's internet blackout, I'm still unsure. If you can't access it then that's the reason. For now I thought I'd at least do my share and pass on information today about SOPA. It's actually pretty damn terrifying that something like this could be passed. Don't just sit there and let it happen. We're the land of the free, home of the brave, lets not forget that!

Click image for more information from AmericanCensorship.org!

EPIC (1.5)

Second Life is having a New Year New You Contest, if you play you could net 5000L. If you don't play.... Could you go vote for me?! Ya' know, if you think I might deserve it ;)  I've joined the contest rather late, I don't have real high hopes of winning but I think my character has come a long way from my first week of playing which was almost one year ago (Jan 20th). I suppose it is sort of like a virtual beauty contest of before and after, lol. I think she is rather lovely, sort of has a dark Firiona Vie vibe going on currently. I strived hard to get that look too!

Anyhow, over the weekend I managed to get some work done in Everquest on my Magician 1.5 Epic quest. Previously, a few months back before my last break, I had some really bad luck with drops. However, this weekend was much better to me with the RNG factor and I managed to complete my 1.5. Not a huge deal at lvl 90 but I can now work on my epic 2.0. Dire helped me a good bit with camps and such, many thanks to his patience and help!

I managed to catch up with him a bit and group a little. He's mostly been working on his new beastlord, which has been a lot of fun for him and I hated pulling him away from it. It is a class I've always loved, mine is parked around level 78. I grabbed a few AA's over the weekend, gained five for completing the 1.5 as well. It was a decent weekend. I won't be equipping the epic, as pretty as it is, it's quite a bit low as far as stas go for a level 90. It is nice to have in my bags for the clicky pet buff, which is really nice.

I actually cancelled my SWTOR account, I haven't played much in the last week and I'm not really sure what I will do at this point. I think the clincher was the fact that I seem to get locked out of my account each time I try to log into it. I can put in the correct information and still manage to have it happen. On top of that it asks me for my security answer EVERY TIME I LOG IN. Annoying. And the fact that I have to go to the EA page to reset it, why didn't they tell me on the  [SWTOR] website, instead of causing me to have to call support? Other than that it really is a decent game. Ground breaking? I think the companion system combined with the story elements in an MMO is something pretty damn good, I just don't know if much else is that spectacular-At this point anyhow. I plan on popping in and trying to grab my ship [and seeing Corso Riggs one 'last' time- I love having a companion, I will miss that] before my time runs out.

And... I'm still playing WoW. I didn't manage to log in this weekend as I had hoped. I've been captivated by a pile of books I've accumulated, some very tasty reads I couldn't put down. I do want to log in more, after all I am subbed for a year. I need to make good on that and play up another alt, work on a main, or perhaps actually getting some guts and checking out LFR. Maybe I'll try a little of each. Also considering transferring my Druid back to the Alliance, we'll see.

Have a great week, safe adventures and all that! Feel free to drop me a line here and let me know what you've been up to!

P.S. This post is dedicated to you, Dan, I actually was going to be lazy today ;)