Wednesday, March 31, 2010

What's Your Poison?


Sometimes I think of WoW fondly and sort of miss it. Then I realize I miss what it was years ago. I do miss my characters at times. I miss seeing Stormwind or the Undercity on occasion, they are such neat cities. I often wonder why I stuck around so long. Was it because it's the easiest game to jump into and get into the groove for high end? Did I really just not want to let go? Did I truly love playing this game? I ponder these questions because I became so burnt out yet I stuck with it for years, sure I took a break here and there, but I always came back. The fact that family played also helped to draw me back in.

Do we sometimes get blind sighted by goals that we forget we are suppose to play for fun? In my last stretch of playing I had a few goals I wanted to accomplish. I ran chain heroics for gear, tried to get some achievements and my perky pug. At some point along the line, about the time I transferred my Paladin to the Alliance, I stopped enjoying it. I kept playing- until one day I just couldn't stomach it any longer. The game wasn't the game I remembered it to be.

I'm not pointing the finger at WoW here. This could be any game. Though, WoW is a very easy game to burn out on. I just wonder why we try to convince ourselves that we are having so much fun, when clearly we are not. It's a hobby, a past time, something to do for fun! I think sometimes taking the plunge to play something else is hard. Some people like to play whats popular, others don't like to learn everything all over. For me though I can't say it was either of these, I just hoped it would be more than it really was, I guess. If you can understand that...
 
I suppose there are friends who keep us logging back in (to games we tire of) and memories. Some games offer more substantial reasons to keep us, accomplishments, time spent working on this or that. Some don't offer much of anything in means of accomplishments, by the time the next expansion rolls around all that hard work is null.

I don't know when I will play WoW again, or if I ever will. I am sure I will pop in one day after Cataclysm to check things out, well... maybe. How about you? Do you have one of those games you kept at for so long, sometimes wondering why? What kept you?

-kaozz

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Bristlebane Day (EQ2)


Today the Bristlebane Day festivities begin, lasting until April 12th. On April 1st there will be special events only on that day. I've never participated in this event so I'm excited. Crafting recipes to keep me busy making stuff for the house. The green armor in the picture is the crafted paper plate armor, which comes in orange and green. If only they had purple paper plate armor! It's actually pretty spiffy looking, if you can get over the color.


Zam has a great walk through for the event here, for those interested. There are several quests to partake in, collections and goodies to craft. Whats nice is you can craft the items at a low level crafting skill, the materials are easy to grab. There are some very cool house items that can be crafted, I plan on stuffing a bunch into my house!

See you in Norrath!
-kaozz

Monday, March 29, 2010

Adventures in Norrath (EQ2)


This weekend was a bit busy. My son watched The Princess Bride for the first time, one of my all time faves. He didn't think he would like it, I knew he would love it. We played cards and had Chinese take out, it was a good weekend as Dire finally had a weekend off.

My time playing was spent helping Dire to catch up to me. He is parked at level 23 now trying to gain some more AA points. It's a very nice aspect turning the XP slider to 100% AA. I wish I had thought about it sooner. I have my Inquisitor's at 100% now. She is 31 with 24 AA points. I still would like to grab some more before I level up. Plus, I want to let Dire catch up. I do love the fact that I can mentor down and quest with him or just help him. It's really one of the best mechanics you could ask for in a game. Instead of power leveling- you can actually work together.

I woke up Saturday morning to see him playing his Shadowknight. I was pretty surprised he was already on, trying to get level 20. We tried out a dungeon by ourselves, got spanked headed back killed some more. He got some nice loot to sell. Healing with the Inquisitor keeps me on my toes. I still, at times, wonder how the Warden would do with HoTs. At one point this weekend he rounded up about 15 or 20 mobs up and ran back to me, it was something I asked him not to do again heh. We lived but I used all my mana up and we got pretty low a few times. It was fun though.

We adventured in Butcherblock, found some underwater caves, some named mobs and did quite a few quests. He is still trying to relearn everything again. I am glad he started in Neriak as it is probably the easiest city to navigate through with ease. It's all one zone and you can use portals to travel within the different quarters.

I gave Dire all 20 slot bags, two sales crates, paid up his rent for a few weeks and put some items in his house. It really makes a big difference when you are starting out and don't have to worry about all that. Especially if your play time happens to be limited, less to worry about. I gave him a few plat to get some things he may want.

It was so cute watching him place things in his house. I didn't think he would really care for housing but he seems to enjoy it. Placing his Lore and Legend trophies and asking me to come look at them, it just made me smile. I told him we can get him a bigger house if he likes, he seems content with this one so far. He is also a trustee with mine, so he can access it as well.

All in all I think this is something that will keep us busy for quite awhile. There is always a lot to do, things to work on. We will eventually get to high end, until then we'll enjoy the ride there.

-kaozz

Friday, March 26, 2010

Blasphemy, Questing and Crafting - EQ2


Last night we ended up getting Dire some more levels. He still thinks Everquest is better, but I think long term he will really enjoy this game more so. It is his choice though, whichever he prefers to play is fine with me. The last game he was really into was WoW, but we just got burnt out. As for Everquest, it's been an hour a night type of thing for quite some time. He told me the other day "I'd be fine to not play games anymore"... Blasphemy! He just has gotten bored, but he has seemed pretty inquisitive about EQ2 and told me today he wanted to try to get some more levels tonight. I mentor down and just throw heals and let him suck up the bonus xp. He prefers to do all the killing as I 'kill them all too fast for it to be fun'. I wish I killed things my level so quickly ha!

He was also asking me about crafting, what he should pick and also to help him find out what to put his AA's into for the SK. So it's looking more promising. I think I will work on getting crafting closer to 19, I want to do some work orders. I thought about holding off but I really need to get rid of some of these materials as they are starting to pile up. I also enjoy crafting, sometimes it gets annoying when I keep failing to make a green item. *Pulls her hair!*


Yesterday I decided to try to start the Split Paw quest line. I headed in there trying to get to the den in order to grab the quests but things were respawning quickly. So I ran back to town and picked up some invis totems, then I could just skip some mobs. I completed two instances, one was the Arena which was pretty fun and had some nifty rewards. I got a boars head to hang in my house and a little mushroom pet, whom I named Mushy. I still have one more quest left to do before I can get the shard that enables me to port directly into Paw.

My Inquisitor is almost 31 now. I'm slowly making progress. I have around 45k status banked, holding off to spend it until the guild gets higher and I can use it on some good stuff. I also have a bunch of city tokens waiting for the 1st of the month to use when the city festivals come around. Speaking of the 1st, Brell Day will be here soon! I am looking forward to doing that event and grabbing up some more crafting recipes from it. Om Nom Nom!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!
-kaozz

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Middle Earth or Norrath?


Yesterday I was out for most of the day but I managed to download LoTRO and set up a trial to give it another shot. I tried it about two years ago and when it went into open beta. I actually tried to play the game while it was downloading. It downloads a gig- then you can play as it continues to download. Didn't happen. Every time I tried to log in I crashed to the desktop after server select. I did numerous searches about the game crashing with Windows 7, all I found was tons of people having the same problem and zero answers.

I managed to get it running with a combination of removing it, reinstalling it and downloading the full game before trying to log in. It ran fine. So if you've had a similar problem, hope that helps. I couldn't find any answers so I just had to try a few things. It also says that my desktop color scheme changes when I log in... Odd. But it works.


I just can't get into this game. Sadly I don't think I'll be spending much more time on it, at least for now. It's a beautiful world but I just can't get past how frumpy and uncoordinated looking my characters were. Everyone has opinions and different taste, this game still isn't to my taste. The actual game play wasn't bad really. I tried out several classes. The questing system seemed decent. But, I just couldn't get into the game. It is quite lovely overall though. Maybe some other time perhaps.

I suppose I prefer Norrath to Middle Earth. It's no big deal as I am pretty busy with EQ2, which I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. I have been wanting to give LoRTO another try for awhile, so I went ahead and got it out of my system. I love my character in Norrath, I know the game and have a feel for it. Also I have a real connection to all things Everquest. I'm like the biggest Everquest cheerleader these days. <3 EQ and EQ2.


Last night Dire actually played EQ2. -=Hell has Frozen Over=- ... Sorry, heh. If you knew how adamantly he spoke against playing, in the past, you'd see where I was coming from. He actually had a nice time, he got to level eight and I showed him the ropes. I offered to play his character to twenty today, but he protested that he wanted to learn it. I was glad to hear that. I don't know just how interested he is, he played before but that was years ago and he has forgotten a lot. I hope his interest will grow. He still likes the feel of Everquest, the original.

I hit twenty-nine on my Inquis last night. I think I may hold of on tradeskills a bit and try to get some levels. I love the fact that I can always mentor him and still group with Dire. I plan on us doing a lot of stuff, if he sticks with it. I plan on sticking with this character, not hopping all over on alts like I sometimes tend to do.

See ya in Norrath!
-kaozz

BTW-Top pic is colored with the DE ability- infra-vision.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Back in the Saddle


Last night I decided to install EQ2 on Dire's machine. Patched it and sent him a RaF email so I can try to catch him up to me quickly. He came home and made a character, so it looks like he will be playing this with me. He didn't actually play as it took him.. years.. to find a name that wasn't taken. Tonight he will play though. If he doesn't like it- I told him we don't have to play it. I have high hopes he will indeed like it. Tonight I will grab him some bags, sales crate and get him a mount so he can enjoy those things right off the bat. His gaming time is very little (working 70 hrs a week) so these things will make it easier for him starting out. He decided to go with a DE Shadowknight. I think this will go well with my Inquisitor. Plus it's such a great class, I think he will really enjoy it. (Gah, I had SOGA models on when I took the pic)

In other 'news' I received an email from Turbine adverting the spring festival and free play for all closed LoTRO accounts. I downloaded the game last night, so I think this time I will give it a shot and just see if I like it any better. I am happy with EQ2 but I have wanted to give LoTRO another chance. Also I want to check an in game event and see how I like it.

WoW had another patch (3.3.3) with more changes for the better, it looks like. No more PvP tokens, more honor awarded for HKs and bonus honor at the end. Definitely a better way of doing things IMO. I hated having to do a BG, I disliked over and over for tokens. WSG makes me want to punch murlocs. Sounds pretty cool, too bad I'm not feeling it still. On another note, the dungeon deserter debuff is now 30 minutes raised from 15. I think this is a good deal, people might think twice about leaving an instance because they didn't get the random they wanted. And the debuff is removed, instead it will show up in the LFD window. Haha, wait another 30 minutes suckers!



Have a great week peeps!
-kaozz

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Movin' On Up- EQ2



Yesterday in EQ2 I realized I needed more room to sell my crafting wares. I noticed the slots in my house only allotted so many sales crates. I hadn't planned on buying a new house so soon, I still was content with my little two room apartment. I wanted to get a bigger house but just wasn't worried about it currently.

I decided to go check out the other houses and then figured I may as well buy the the one with the most slots in it, the biggest house in Neriak I could purchase. It has like seven rooms but I have much more room to sell with, so that made me happy. I tend to work on crafting each day so the items pile up, also things I've picked up along the way questing and harvested materials I don't need. It all adds up! I was telling my friends yesterday it was just way too big, but I will grow into it. I am really crazy about player housing anyhow so it gives me room to decorate. For now, I have all but one room decorated, I am sure as time goes by they will fill up even more.

There is always so much to do these days. I find myself soloing mostly but it doesn't bother me as I am always busy with goals to do harvesting, crafting, city quest for status and so on. So I really don't notice as much as I use to. Dire had been asking about it a bit today, he even mentioned 'If I played..' ... So I really hope he will. He is a bit concerned that it will be like WoW high end, boring for him. I can't really tell him much about high end but I did try to tell him how much there really is to the game these days. For example, I didn't know there were instances just for crafting! My friend told me about it yesterday and I was just really impressed. Starting at level 50 crafting you can do instances that award status also. I need to get busy! My crafting is only at 16.


I use to really hate Butcherblock. The quests were all over and it felt just.. blah. I decided to head over there a few days ago and was really surprised at how it has changed. There are new quests and quests that award status and city tokens. Oh those have kept me busy! Status allows you to buy things from the city merchant, really cool things. Titles, a door to the guild hall from your house, appearance armor, things for your house and so on. Some of it requires your guild to be a certain level, others don't. In the past I had to do a lot of running around for status quests and I really disliked it. This makes it flow in a more fun way, while questing. Plus, I can't wait to get some city tokens to use when the city festival comes around next month!

This time around in EQ2 I've really been immersed in the game. It's really grown into something wonderful. I just can't get enough of it. I hope high end holds up well for me. I still have a long way to go! It's really odd though, as I played last year and wasn't so much into it. I'm glad I gave it another shot, I am also glad my friends kept telling me I should play hehe. It's really well worth it, on many levels of gaming and fun.

-kaozz

Monday, March 22, 2010

What I'm Not Playing- And Why


I often write about what I am playing, sometimes I suppose I don't really go into much depth about what I'm not playing and why. Sure, I say I'm bored but I don't always elaborate. So today I thought I'd write why I'm not playing some of the games I've been pretty excited about in the past few months- not playing currently, or at least not so much these days.

WoW- Lets start off with the big one. I suppose I've played this game a long while, since release. I have taken breaks in the past but never truly quit. I don't know if I have now, I don't really feel excited about Cataclysm any longer though. I think the game just feels short term with goals. Another thing would be the content is stretched out so thin it gets boring. Long waits on expansions, where you get bored hearing hype before it's even released. Well, I do anyhow. Also the community. While the new LFD system is great, it has taken a toll on the community in a bad way, in my opinion. Last but not least, everything is a big rush. Dungeons are just a race, but who wants to keep doing the same thing day in day out. It all goes back to the content being spread so thin.


Allods- I was pretty excited about this one. I don't know, what in particular, made me lose interest. I am sure I will pick it back up in the future. It is a nice little game, I suppose I wanted to give the game some time to smooth out before I spent more time within this world. The cash shop prices didn't help, not so much the prices though as the need of the items that the shop offered. Need items from the cash shop to play high end? No thanks. There are tons of quests in the game but it just sort of felt blah after awhile. Combat started to drag on, no auto attack didn't help. I just felt the leveling process was a bit boring after a few levels. I do hope this area gets polished up some, who knows though. The clincher would be open PvP. I don't like this, so probably not something I'd stick around for in the long run.

Free Realms- I still actually play, just not very often. The game offers a lot of cute things and some real fun events. But, all the really neat things are in the cash shop. To advance in levels I must pay a monthly fee on top of that. It's cheap sure, but add the CS and the subscription together and it could get pricey. The game doesn't have any high end and that gets boring quickly. It is a nice game for kids and people who like to pop in here and there. I still like this one a lot, I just don't think it suits me so much currently though- or at least my wallet.

Guild Wars- I am playing this on and off. Maybe once a week most. I wouldn't call that so much playing, plus maybe you are curious why I haven't wrote much on it. The game is great, it's just the missions start to get tedious sometimes. So this is a game I will continue to play, just not as frequently. It is a fantastic game, just one that will burn me out quickly if I play it all the time. I have had that happen in the past. I think Dire was going to play this one with me but he sort of waited so long I just quit bothering him about it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
I suppose the one that has been the longest going is sometimes the hardest to let go of. Look at Everquest I still can't let go of that one. I don't like to say I will never play a game again, because chances are I will play it again. None of these games are bad games, they've just lost their spark with me, for now. Some more so than others. So although I am not playing or talking about a game I just need a break, sometimes we all do. My characters are still there, waiting on me for when I indeed return.

Currently I am (very) happily playing Everquest 2. I think the game is better than it ever was, coming back at this time has been a good decision. Now if I could just get Dire to stop 'hating' on this game!


-kaozz

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Have Keg- Will Travel! (EQ2)


I've been having a really great time playing EQ2 lately. In the past I just rushed through the levels not taking time to enjoy the other things this game offers. I've been spending time each day gathering materials, for awhile I was selling them. I decided to take it a step further and try my hand at crafting.

I didn't plan on working on crafting until I had some levels under my belt. However, I received a pattern for the Brewmeister's Backpack upon completing my last Brew Day quest. It is a pack that shows up in the place of a cape (pictured up top), if you choose to show it and is a 36 slot backpack! I was just complaining about bag space the other day and this really is nice for someone starting over. So I made myself all 36 slot packs and then several other Brew Day items. I'm not rich in game, though I am not suffering for coin anymore. The Brewday and crafted items are selling for far more than the materials were. I am glad I took the time to work on crafting. It's definitely a nice change of pace as well. Plus now I can make myself some items I have wanted, which is very handy.

I had a chance to do the Moonlight Enchantments event. I sold a few things and also acquired a few cool items. It's the first time I've done them and I really like the idea of this event. This event lasts for two days and occurs on the 20th of each month. These rings are only visible when the phase of the moon is right ... which corresponds to the 20th of every month. There a lot of neat rewards and a collection also, so there is also much to do. If you don't want anything in particular they sell well to other players. 

I'm a hair away from level 25 on my Inquisitor. I figured I would keep working on her and pick up on the Warden another time. My crafting level is 14 now, it's been quite fun and rewarding so far. I think this game is very rich so far and rewarding in general- if you take the time to explore all it offers. I honestly don't know how high end will be but for now it's quite excellent. I haven't been bored yet-,since being back, there is always something for me to do.

Dire has been a little upset lately. One, the price of the CE Sentinel's Fate and two, he doesn't want to play it. He wants us to just play Everquest. Which has me torn as I really enjoy EQ2, I suppose I haven't felt so much like logging into EQ as much the past few days. I will have to make a point to play it with him this week. I also love that it is an extension of Everquest, which makes it that much more 'special' than other run of the mill games.

I'm not so much bored with EQ, I'm just more so excited about EQ2. It's a shiny 'new' toy all over again and I'm just having a lot of fun with it. One thing I don't like so much is my server, maybe it is better than what I have seen, I just have run into some jerks. I've also met some nice people though, helped some new players who were very appreciative. Showing people where something is or answering questions they may have. It's just how I am I suppose, I like to help players. I suppose that is why I like playing a healer!

Have a great week peeps!
-kaozz

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Around Azeroth (EQ2)

Just a few pics from EQ2 today :)

                                     Antonica is so lovely.

                                  Get off the counter, NOW!

                   Dude looks like a lady... or lady looks like a dude?
                                     
                                       Magic Carpet Ride!
                                          

-kaozz

Friday, March 19, 2010

Pondering On Classes (EQ2)


Lately I've been messing around in Everquest 2 more so than Everquest. I just suppose I don't want to burn myself out on Everquest, plus there is a lot for me to mess around with. I kind of got cranky the other night on my Paladin and put it on hold for a little. My Shaman has gained some more AA's, but nothing really interesting to write about these days. I need to do more with the anniversary events. I've been sort of busy lately though.

My Inquisitor in EQ2 hit 21 last night. I've been really slow leveling her. I have been gathering materials to sell on the broker also though. Also, I recently made a little Fey Warden just to see how I like the class. I'm currently torn between the two. I like them both a lot and wonder which would be the better choice.

The Warden has ports, but then again the Inquisitor has Odyssey which sends (me) or a friend back to bind spot. No cool down, just regents. Both can go melee spec, which is what I want. Both are healers which is what I think I would like to do in groups and high end. The Warden has a run speed buff, then again I have the CE mount that is 65% speed (claim one per character) so that isn't really a big deal. The Warden has fast heals with a HoT tied in and the Inquisitor has bigger slower heals along with reactive heals. So I suppose it comes down to choice. Both healing styles are fine by me.

So, I suppose I will work on the Warden some more and get more of a feel for it then decide which one I like playing more. The Inquisitor was feeling a little slow, but I purchased some new gear which should help a bit and a nice 2h mace. Ah, the choices. Why did they have to make so many appealing classes?!

-kaozz

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Saint Patrick's Day Deviation



Just a deviation from the norm, some interesting things going on lately I thought I might comment on. Instead of dedicating a whole post about this or that, something I like to do once in awhile. Happy Saint Patrick's Day! *Pinches you readers.. *

To start off, I added a few new events to my Match event list. Some neat things are going on this month so I tried to add a few to the list. Of course the Everquest 11th year anniversary. Happy Birthday Everquest! Speaking of anniversary's, Runes of Magic is having the 1year celebration. Check out the list here, if you're interested in MMO events for this month.

Operation: Gnomeregan is about to get underway. And By retaking the Echo Isles will Vol'jin be able to honor his father and at long last secure a permanent homeland for the long-exiled Darkspear tribe. So we can hope to look forward to more of this soon it looks like. New mounts and pets have been listed on MMO-Champion for the upcoming patch, along with some additional changes.

In my reader I noticed a lot of whining! Today is also Whiny Post Day, according to Saint Patrick's Day! 


Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Everquesting (EQ, EQ2)


Last night I ended up being lazy, I didn't box our little EQ duo like I had planned. I actually stuck around in EQ2 longer than I expected. I've been making a little bit of money and decided to buy a few items for my house. I need to buy gear.. not house items! I will need to do another round of harvesting tonight as the stuff has actually sold pretty well. Even the shinies for the Brew Day collection, they sell very well. I've not made a huge amount of plat, but it's been enough to keep me interested and happy when I log in to see...monies!!

I love a game that has a built in Auction system. I wish Everquest had something by now, I really hate the afk trader mode. Anyhow, I ended up getting twenty on my Inquisitor also. This time I am taking it slow and enjoying the game very much, more than I had planned. Yes, I planned to hate it- I jest! I wasn't sure how much fun I would have. There is a lot to do. I can't speak for high end though, that could be boring for all I know. WoW is quite fun leveling but boring at high end lately, so it could be the same. I suppose I will find out if I make it that far!


In Everquest we ended up getting our alts to 30. The Anniversary event is live so there is plenty for me to do with that. I plan on getting several event items and the xp pots. We were sort of tired last night and kind of talked, joked around and sat on our horses for awhile leveling up spell skills (as seen in the pic). We had a nice time, as always. Dire usally is the one to tank and I heal, so it's funny to see him chasing me around telling me to stop so he can heal me, now he knows what it's like! 'If you weren't nuking you could have been healing me!'


We were going to play the SK Shaman duo but ended up on the little ones. I broke down and bought a mount, as I can sell it back once I get my AA mount. I got sick of not having one. Also if you haven't checked out the deal on steam- Everquest up to SoD for 2.50 USD. 30 Days free for new players and a nifty claim item. It's really an awesome deal, as new players won't need the new expansion for awhile, tons of content for the price. (That means YOU Dan... If you're reading!)

Lots of Anniversary stuff to do. I did notice the anniversary flags said ten years still, even though it's the eleventh year. I suppose they are recycling in Norrath *chuckle*. They are, at least, very pretty to look at. I still have cake from the 10th anniv, I wonder if it still tastes good? It will go well with the banners ;)

Hope everyone is having an interesting week, I have to get out to buy a special  little girl Princess the rest of her Birthday presents!
-kaozz

Monday, March 15, 2010

Progress (EQ, EQ2)



I sometimes forget how hard it can be starting, or starting over in a game. I've had characters established in Everquest 2- but changing servers voids all I had. For the last few days I've kind of sulked about my bag space, or the lack of... Not having enough bag space to sell items on the broker, much less save every shiny I come across. I started working on harvesting and tradeskills then I got fed up with having no space and decided to do something about it.

I ended up farming shinies and trade materials. Logged out for awhile and when I returned I had made about two plat. I was very happy as even one plat does wonders for a player starting out. So, now I have two sales crates in my house and I picked up several twenty slot bags for my little Inquis. The thing about Everquest 2 is sell everything... It really all adds up. That put me in a much better mood.

It's not hard to make money if you invest some time into gathering and selling. Grab some containers to sell with and start from there. With this game, you have to have containers to put the auction items in, so it can be an annoyance when starting out with small bags. Collect all the shiny items you sell! While materials sell, the rares sell better.


I am having a nice enough time. I don't really like this server that much. I won't get into why, just think of the general chat in WoW.. it's pretty much the same here.

Everquest has been keeping me pretty entertained also. Tomorrow the Anniversary begins- Yay! I have been boxing our new little couple of alts a bit, I have them up to level 25 now. Tonight I plan on hitting 40 or close to, before Dire gets home. Unless I slack off and get lazy. I want to get 59 this week so I can get my AA mount. It's actually quite easy to obtain 60, if you know where to go and use DS pots.

I really like my Paladin, it gives me something a bit more hands, for a change. I doubt it takes the place of the Shaman, just something different. Tanks are too gear dependent, I don't have the mindset to be a min max player for every little AC aug under the sun. For a duo, it's quite fine.

See ya in Norrath... One or the other!
-kaozz

Sunday, March 14, 2010

EQ Anniversary Sale




Just a heads up for the anniversary sale. What a fantastic deal! Check out more information here on the official site and on Steam. Great deal, one I thought would be worth mentioning! Keep in mind it's still a couple of days away. Here is the actual link, listed on the 16th.

-kaozz

EQ..EQ2



Today I am feeling lazy. I've been watching Dire play FFVII, not feeling like doing much. I was debating on playing Everquest or Everquest 2 for a bit when my bud calls asking me a bit about Everquest. So I thought I might write a little on how both are going lately. I really wish he would give it a try, I've been trying to get him to play for ages.

Sundays I always play Everquest, as this is the most time I get to spend in-game with Dire. We decided to make another little duo, Cleric and Paladin. He hasn't ever played one (besides boxing mine), and I wanted another go at something more melee oriented. In the pic you can see our wee little duo. This will be fun to get rolling.

On the 16th of this month, the anniversary events start. Always something exciting. I hope I get to attend the server party, if they have them again this year. Last year I had to work and wasn't happy about missing it.

Everquest 2 is going well. I hate to say this, as every server does differ... The community just reminds me so much of the WoW community. The chat last night was about.. Well I'm not going to even go there, it was gross and undignified. You get the point. I am not saying Everquest has a perfect community, it's one of the best though. I absolutely miss it when I am gone. Will it take a toll on how long I play EQ2? I doubt it, though Everquest will always have priority in my book over Everquest 2.

I've been leveling in Kunark with my little Inquisitor. She just hit 17, I'm in no rush to level but it is going at a decent pace and several aa's in the process which is quite nice. I want to hit 20 tomorrow so I can equip a cosmetic set that came as a claim item. I love the appearance tab. I have had fun questing, the Inquisitor is a very fun class for me. I'd like to see how it is high end, try my hand at healing in this game also. For now I will just enjoy the game and take it one day at a time.

It's sometimes hard to get past the look of the game, while it is nice- I think the goal for computers to catch up to the graphics was a tad too overdone (Yes, I read this somewhere recently.. I can't remember where). I just don't think the graphics are impressive enough. I only like one race enough to play.. so I get stuck playing Dark Elves. Each player is entitled to opinions, you may love them. I prefer the original. Each are lovely in their own way, I suppose.

Have a greet week peeps, see ya in Norrath!
-kaozz

Saturday, March 13, 2010

EQ Junkie(s)


Everquest 2
Returning to Everquest 2 has been a lot of fun so far, especially with friends. My bud made a Ratonga Dirge and I made a Dark Elf Inquisitor. I figure you can't go wrong with heals and it's always been a class I like. An old EQ friend Xailia, has a small guild established over on Crushbone so we decided to head over there  and join in. EQ Junkies is the guild's name. I love the name, it suits me well heh.

I actually have only made it to 14. I took some time to do some of the Brew Day. I love in game events so this is a great time for me to return. I think I am too low for at least one, I've done most of the quests already. I ended up dying several times in the process, it's to be expected. I got a few nifty items which made me pretty happy.
 


It's been pretty easy starting over on a new server, for the most part. It seems to be more populated than the one I was on previously. I miss my house and a few other things I had, but I really like this character quite a bit more so than the others I had. I even met a new player asking questions in /ooc I added to him friends and helped him the best I could with the questions he had about the game. I am not the EQ2 guru, but I do know enough to help a new player. He ended up buying the game as he was on a trial account and joined our guild. It's always nice to make friends along the way. So I am really looking forward to moving up and seeing more of the game this time around!


Everquest
Yep, still playing this one too. Dire and I have been taking a different approach to gaining xp. We decided to drop the mercs and just duo to see how well we did. It is working out pretty good for now. We are still in the level range where my slows make a real difference. He is pretty set on sticking with this one, so I don't plan on leaving it.

Everquest will be eleven years old this year! Woot Woot! If you haven't seen the list of events, check it out here. Plus there are the usual holiday events for some items, xp potions and fabled mobs. Much fun to be had. I always love to play around this time of the year, anniversary time!

Evercracked, I finally ended up getting that with the EQ2 Collectors edition, I watched some of it, but I'm still waiting for Dire to sit down and watch it all. It's really great to hear about the history of such a great game came to be.

Have a great Weekend all!
-kaozz

Thursday, March 11, 2010

EQ2.. Down the Rabbit Hole I go..



After some thought and consideration I decided I will be heading back to Everquest 2 (along with EQ with my sweetie still). One of my best friends recently started back and an old EQ friend has been asking me to play. What better time to head back?! So, I am excited about starting back as I always loved this game, my biggest problem was being a bit lonely.

I am pretty excited, now if I can get Dire to play.. I'd be smitten. I'll give him some time ;) I really like having a game where you have friends who play, so this will be fun for me. Refreshing to start over with friends. I will be picking up and starting anew on Crushbone server. I feel like I am heading back to 'Wonderland', just in time for the Brewday!

So between emails and texting we've decided what server who is on. Plus, I can't wait to try it out on my new machine. Ah well my installation is finished up- Time for me to finish up things.

TGIF!..well almost!
-kaozz

Everyone else is...


I added a few more blogs to my blogroll. There are so many blogs out there, I only touch base with a small percentage in my feed reader. So many blogs and readers are into- you guessed it- World of Warcraft. I just can't always have something to say about something I'm not playing atm. I sill like to read about what is going on.

If you're a reader and have a blog I haven't listed let me know. I am always looking for good blogs to read. Today my eyes are starting to blur from looking for some good MMO general blogs. Which seem to be more rare than WoW blogs. *Sad Face*... At least I did find some cool WoW blogs!

I apologize if I'm not doing everything all the other 'cool kids' are ;) I'm a fly by the seat of her pants kind of gal, playing what suits the moment. I just don't know what suits the moment lately besides Everquest.


-kaozz

Everquest Update and Mechamatic Blueprint


Everquest had an update yesterday, a few changes were included. First off there is a free three day promotion for Underfoot. Annoyingly- I can't find any solid information other than the forums. Check email, best advice I can offer on that. 72 free hours, it's free, why not check it out? The full patch notes can be found here.

Underfoot mobs have been tweaked a little, easier? Not sure, sounds like the developers are trying to make it more viable for groupers. Lowering damage and HP on several mobs and thinning out areas. Reward loot added to UF missions. Very cool, incentive for people to help out on those. Also, they changed the repop times (and rare spawn percentages) in UF zones. So it's looking better! A few spells and AA were changed. Ranger AA, HA got a nerf, I've read good and bad feedback on it. So, I don't really know how it is going so far.


 Mercenaries can now be maintained with Bayle Marks (an alternate currency).  These can be purchased on the marketplace as an alternate payment method to platinum. Platinum is still accepted by all mercenaries. I didn't see these in the station shop yet though. A little confused on that still. Speaking of mercs, I noticed a new claim item- Mechamatic Blueprint. Click it and speak to the Mercenary Liaison Hadya Ware- near the soul binder in PoK for your very own clockwork merc (tank or healer). You can claim one on each character.. the claim offers 999 claims heh. They are oh-so-cute!

Last night I ended up soloing. After watching an episode of Rome, Dire fell asleep. So I went off to BoT to grab some AA's. I ended up gaining a few and killing a few named for some parchments. It went pretty well, I didn't go LFG as I just wanted to grind out a few AA before logging for the night.



Some Modest Mouse, just because!
-kaozz

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Bored...


So, today I was very lazy. I was sick the last two nights, fine in the day.. very odd. So the fatigue finally caught up to me I suppose. I'm feeling a little better now though, so I thought I'd write a late evening post. Brushing up on what I've been doing-Which has been.. not very much at all.

I'm still mostly playing EQ when Dire is on. Which can be 1-2 hours tops in a pay session. I'm not bored with it, it's just more fun to have someone to play with, especially as a Shaman. We are getting some much needed aa's under our belts, which will help in the future. He has been playing some on the PS3 a bit too and working quite a lot lately. I think I will pop into EQ myself this evening and try to get a group and see how that goes.

Guild Wars hasn't been rolling along as well as I thought it would. While I enjoy the game, I've not really found a class combo I like very much. I am still messing around with several characters. I seem to grow bored quickly and play in spurts. It is a great game, I just have to decide what will be fun for me to play. Once I do though, I can play in the new expansion Eye of the North, which should be fresh and fun.

I am just bored in general I suppose. Not much new and exciting in any of the games I play. Starting over with characters can sometimes be fun and other times tedious. Same with Everquest, The only thing there is, I do not look forward to the latest expansion Underfoot as I will be so far behind. This is not an expansion that holds much excitement for people that are behind in the game, as it is very harsh. Mobs hit harder than ever in group content, come in pairs which makes it even worse and named spawns are all over the place (spawn points, not the actual elusive creatures). Maybe by the time I catch up a new expansion will be out and this one will just all be a bad dream we can skip!

I keep thinking about playing Everquest 2 on the side with some friends or even WoW again. I don't know which would be the better. I have been holding out though playing one or the other for now. I just really feel bored with games lately, and it's not been so long ago since I played either of these. At times I miss them both. EQ2 would probably offer the most to me as I have friends playing again... Now on two different servers. Gah, why couldn't they have gone to my server.. Ah the complications!

One thing I have done though, I saw Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. It was fantastic.We actually went for my son's birthday. It was such a lovely movie, with a slight variation from the story. I thought it was the best version of it so far, as I have seen them all.

Hope everyone is having fun with whatever they are playing. If not, off with your heads!
-kaozz

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Casual Vs Hardcore


The battle in every (almost) MMO, rages on, between casual vs hardcore players. You're casual you don't need raid gear! Why cater to a small percent of players, giving content that not everyone will experience? I read it on a daily basis in forums, on websites and so on. There is also the player like myself, the casual hardcore player. Not quite hardcore but you wouldn't classify me casual either. I'm not the average player, I have seen both sides and I tend to burn both ends of the candle, at times, in games. Sometimes burning myself out in the process. I try not to do that so much, these days. I do see both players views, though.

The questions. Why do casuals need raid equivalent gear if they don't raid? It's not the fact that they need or even want it, they simply want some goals they can work on also. Content to gain accomplishments within also. Take for instance Everquest's new expansion Underfoot, it's a much more brutal place for casuals when compared to the last expansion. If they can't do it, they don't deserve the rewards. Deserve? Who deserves raid gear? You feel entitled more so to deserve raid gear because the game is harder, which only equals more time,  flagging, networking and so on. Who is to say that is fair and what games should be about anymore? That is a sure way to doom any MMO. However do we want to be bored because the end content is so easy you finish it in a week? Of course not!

You can't design content, in this day and age and think it is fine to aim for one play style. If you aim for the raiders, the casuals feel left out and grow bored quickly. What is there, in terms of goals, to accomplish? If the raider is left out, they feel there is nothing for them.

Developers should always keep in mind, todays players are a far cry from the players who once dominated the MMO scene. Parents, kids, singles, people with busy schedules, people with time on their hands and everything in between. There has to be a balance in what is offered. Not one or the other.

What bothers me the most is the feeling of entitlement, on both sides. The negative attitudes towards people who play at a faster or slower pace. If other people with different goals in mind playing bother you, perhaps an MMo isn't for you? Perhaps not.

One thing is for sure, if you stagnate one side or the other the game is sure to decline and players get bored. I mentioned doom earlier, there are so many games out today these people that are ignored will jump ship. I suppose this post was inspired by a few rude replies to a casual player on the Everquest forums. It makes me want to slap frogloks and murlocs. Hrmm, I wonder if there is any relation to the two species...

Point is- It's not going to get any better complaining about how one or the other getting this or that. Why not, instead- ask for content for both types of content? Instead of thinking the other is an insect that should be exterminated from the game. After all, that is what makes an MMO.


-kaozz

Everquest 11th Anniversary, March!



This year will make eleven years for Everquest! Fabled mobs will be upon us soon, which will add more excitement. It's still going strong with an expansion each year, who would have thought Everquest would still be such a great game! It's evolved into something I love to play still, after so many years.

From the official site:
In celebration of EQ's 11th Anniversary, we'll be sharing a timeline of wallpapers throughout the month of March! Keep watching for updates! To view and download the wallpapers, find EverQuest on … Facebook


-kaozz



Monday, March 8, 2010

Bad Romance- WoW


I think I've been riding in my brother's car too much, listening to his music.. Hence the title - Bad Romance.. That or either I've been watching too much Rome. I'm bored I suppose- With MMO games in general. That is why I am playing older games lately. Sometimes I have the urge to start up this game or that. I was thinking about WoW. Do I really want to go back so soon? I sometimes feel like the 'romance' with the game has long since gone.

I still think about playing, I miss it at times. I know the game inside out, there is no confusion when I play it. I know what to spec with my characters, what classes I like and so on. I just wonder what it has to offer me anymore, if I were to go back now. Maybe that is a sign not to? At least until Cataclysm...

It seems like the only thing left to do is random heroics, when not raiding. I did the off key thing last expansion, fishing, and trade skills, PvP and all that jazz. I look back fondly on 'Vanilla WoW' and then I wonder if it was really as much fun as I remembered. I think we candy coat things, looking back nostalgically with rose tinted glasses... or goggles. Really the game is better than ever today with the ease of accomplishing what we need or want to do.

I think, in part, it is also the community that has left a sour taste with me. Or shall we say, the lack of? There are many, many, people playing the game. Though the sense of community seems to be very different from how it use to be. It's just-  Dog eat dog. That sums it up for me. Dog. Eat. Dog.

Do you have any games that you feel the 'romance' is gone? You hate to love it, or is it love to hate it? Just some thoughts today as I was considering some of the games I haven't played lately.




*Lovely heart by: Moi-
kaozz =p

My 2cp: Changes (MMO)


Recently I was pondering on some of the games that are growing older and throwing out changes as they 'evolve'. Do changes harm older games or does the lack of change harm them? Are they implementing changes that players want? Do the newer MMO games follow on the trend?

WoW, will we ever really see many new classes? Will we ever see a new class besides another hero class? Do we have much more, in terms of classes, to look forward to? Playing the same classes for six years, does it grow old? There are plenty of changes in the game often enough, though it's always to balance PvP and changing PvE in the process. Does this wear a player thin after playing a game for so long?

Everquest 2, will the recent additions of Battlegrounds mean changes and nerfs to PvE? Will players in a game of it's age be open to these changes? I am curious to see how this game handles the changes and balance. The Everquest games have never had a large focus on PvP, so it will be interesting just to see how the community reacts to this.


Nerfing skills that have been out for several years, does this push players away? If it was fine for the last five years, why isn't it now? That has always been one question that bothers me about MMO games. It's almost like pulling the rug out from under the class. How about newer game such as Allods. Changing up classes before they even get out of beta, going from a great class you are looking forward to a class that is lacking.

I think changes that refresh a game are more inclined to keep people- opposed to those that impact (sorely) a persons outlook of a game they know and are comfortable with. I feel often companies change the wrong things and let too many things stagnate. That's just my 2cp.

Hope everyone has a great week!
-kaozz

Sunday, March 7, 2010

NVIDIA 196.75 Drivers - Danger!





I've been lazy reading everything in my reader this week. I finally got around to reading about the NVIDIA driver problems. You may have heard about it, NVIDIA 196.75 drivers causing PC and Graphic Cards to overheat. If not, you might want to check it out.

You can find more information about it here. The drivers are causing fan control to not work correctly which has been resulting in many cards getting fried. Overheating on all Blizzard games, and I am sure many others. If you have them, make sure to revert to older ones!

Very upsetting news to hear as I have read about a lot of people's cards overheating and burning up. I know it might be redundant posting the information, but the word needs to get out there on these drivers!

-kaozz

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Guild Wars, Everquest and a Birthday!


This week I've been trying to decide what I really want to play in Guild Wars. I have settled with two characters I've been playing around on. I've mostly been playing around with my new Ritualist and Ranger,  Factions and Prophecies characters. I'm still wanting to pick a Nightfall character out too. So far it's been pretty fun. I actually met some nice people in a guild, hearing I recently came back, someone helped me out with some money which was very kind. However the next day I was no longer in the guild which puzzled me. Since then I had another guild invite but they keep bugging me to sign up on their website or get a guild kick, which is lame if you randomly invite people. I'll see how it goes.

I have been thinking about leveling a character up first that I can do some farming with. In this game there are some great farming builds such as the 330 hp Ritualist and the 55hp monk. What is so interesting about this game is the wide range of builds available to many classes. I found a very good video that briefly explains some of the best farming builds. You can check it out here, if you're interested.


Everquest is still going well. We headed to MPG last night to stock up on some more AA's. I enjoy playing my Shaman quite a bit. We have a pretty solid group with our mercs added in, so it's quite fun. Most of the bases are covered as we have slows, heals, haste, buffs, puma proc for the melee snares and so on.

When I find myself growing tedious from the missions in Guild Wars it is relaxing to log into Everquest and Xp a bit. I don't see myself leaving this game for another anytime soon. It's just like an old shoe, comfy and fits just right. I ended up making a guild just to use the guild hall ports, haven't really had a chance to look for a new guild here. For now it works out fine though.

While I'd like to write more about it, but I have a birthday cake to go pick up for my birthday boy! He turns 14 today! Unfortunately one of his presents hasn't come in the mail yet- The seller sent it out a week after I purchased it. What a clown. He is still getting a nice birthday, a 'new' computer to tide him over until his PSP arrives and a few other things he will enjoy.

Have a great weekend!
-kaozz

Friday, March 5, 2010

Old Mechanic is Old!


I play a lot of games and notice different mechanics within each. Basically they all have similar mechanics that vary. Some games offer less penalties while others still penalize characters for making poor choices as newbies.  Hey, we've all been a newbie at some point. Every time we try a new game we are newbies all over again- Just with a little more experience under our belts each time. So what are some of the harsher (old) mechanics that wouldn't be missed if they were removed from games? Or perhaps toned down?

Respec Penalty
This is probably one of the most complained about mechanics in games today. As a new player we often make poor choices with specs, not knowing the game well enough to make the correct choices. Unless you read up beforehand- not everyone likes to do so- you are bound to make a mistake here and there. Ever put a point in the wrong thing by accident?! I have.. *click*.. OMG did I just do that?

WoW has made the respec easier on people with dual specs but there is still a gold fee, which for new players can be annoying. It is no longer the monstrosity it once was cost wise. I remember spending several thousand gold a week on respecs between raiding, PvP and everything in between. Other games do not offer the choice to respec, but you can get more and more points to make up for the bad choices (Everquest). Others simply do not have a respec option. Which is ludicrous if you ask me! Since being back in Guild Wars I cherish the respec in any city, at no cost, option. It is a dream for someone who likes to play around with builds.

What is the point in having a fee? Or simply, no way to fix the mistake you made? Old Mechanic is Old! It's unneeded and a waste in games today where people like to play differently. Having options makes more people available for different roles such as healing and tanking, opens up a wider range of play and all around makes grouping easier on people.

Death Penalty
If you played Everquest back in the day you will remember the harsh death penalty mechanic that people feared. Loss of xp and the run back to the corpse if a resurrection was not available. Now, it is much easier, while you stil lose xp you have a much easier time to get it back with the guild lobby, corpse summoner and mercs. Some games have durability on armor others have simply a debuff.

The harsher penalties make a time sink within the game, an annoyance and burn people out. While it is good to have a reason to be cautions as nobody wants to die to begin with, do we really need to pay for our mistakes so greatly? Leaning a new raid encounter in WoW can be costly and require farming to help with funding the repairs.

While I am not a fan of people rushing in without caution in groups, it is going to happen and I dislike having to be the one to pay for those mistakes. It's been said, if there is a greater penalty people take more precaution. That isn't always true, you're going to have one bad apple in the bunch here and there.

Run Forest Run... I mean Travel.
Taking ten minutes to get from point A to point B on a flight path is really a waste of time. I don't want to say I like everything simple, I just think some of these get really ridiculous. I wait in traffic on a daily basis in Houston, I don't want to wait on my flight path too!

Boats- Get those out of here! Remember waiting on the boat in (EQ) Oasis to Timorous Deep to Over There? I wasted plenty of time waiting on boats, I did not enjoy any of it. Especially when I fell off said boat and had to swim back and then wait all over again. Once the boat in Menethil Harbor pushed me off the dock (Pre-BC) and I missed it. Any wonder why I do not like boats?

I think implementations such as portals and NPCs that port are a great thing. The save a considerable amount of time for players. Remember it's a game- Right?! I still enjoy games where a mount is a big help in travel. I just don't like waiting ten minutes on auto pilot or a boat to get where I need to.

Salve to the Grind!
This one is touchy. It's hard to establish what is good, as far as leveling paces go. I am not talking about grinding on mobs, I mean the level grind. Quests, no quests- It's all still a grind to the top. When I mention Everquest to people the reaction I generally get is-'Eww I don't like a grind!' A grind is a grind. You may be a lackey running errands for the towns people or you may be grinding mobs in an xp camp, it's all the same- A grind. These days what I find ironic is, WoW is more of a grind than Everquest. While Everquest was once the worst grind of all, it is much easier than ever to catch up.

Not everyone likes leveling alts. I tend to feel I'm a lab rat going through the motions for the cheese, after my second character in a game with a long grind. Now don't get me wrong I do like the trip to the top! I just don't like when it starts to feel like I am working a job just to get the character to the top to join in the fun, instead of playing a game.

When the game begins at the top people tend to get exhausted with the climb. The latest trend is developers updating lower levels to fly by at a faster rate in older content. So, they do notice it is a hindrance in older games especially. Still think the grind is good? How many games have you tried but the population was so dead low end, boring and lonely- You just quit?

Conclusion
I think these are some of the things that hold games back and make for quick burn out in MMO games today. I'm not saying hand us easy mode, simply rethink the things that hold people back.



-kaozz







Thursday, March 4, 2010

Guild Wars Revisit


I've been looking for something else to play on the side. I generally only play Everquest with Dire, and I just wanted something laid back to play around with also. Something with some depth but not a huge time consumer. Something without a subscription would be ideal. I decided to pick back up on Guild Wars. It's been several years since I played last. I haven't even had a chance to see the latest expansion Eye of the North. It is such a gorgeous game, one I remember the scenery nostalgically. It is nice to be able to absorb it all again and explore in these lovely areas. Some I like better than others though.

This was one game I played for quite awhile and had many level 20's. This time around I want to recapture the feel of the game and completely start over. For now I am toying with several characters. I want to pick one as my main, currently I am leaning toward the Ritualist. If not that, possibly a Dervish or Ranger. Although I have one of each made still in the low levels. One character for each campaign! Hrmm.. Maybe a Elementalist too.. Oh and maybe a Necro!


The beauty about these campaigns is they all have such a different feel. Factions is very fast paced, if you really try you could get 20 in one day-given you played hard enough. Nightfall is a little slower paced, faster than the first though. Plus you get to access heroes quicker (Hero Henchmen- You can actually control these, they are yours to take wherever you go). Prophecies is the slowest paced of all three, if you haven't played this is a very rewarding one in terms of questing and story line. I made a ranger just to go through this campaign with.

One thing I don't mind in this game is alts. With the dual class system you can make some really interesting combos. Plus there are several areas to go through the game to level. I just love the classes in this game. I often have had the urge to come back and revisit Guild Wars. I am glad I have, it's really fun again for me. I think it's been around three years since I last played.


While I don't always like feeling secluded from the rest of the players there isn't any kill stealing, plenty of mobs are always up for my quests. If I want I can join a party or make my own with henchmen and heroes. Speaking of players, I figured it might be a ghost town since the last time I played. I was wrong, I have found an abundance of players everywhere I go. I even had someone already try to flirt with me, as soon as I logged in my first character. Gross...

There is PvE and PvP. You can do both or just one, which is cool for people only interested in one or the other. I prefer having a PvE character just to do both with. However if you only prefer to PvP, you can start a PvP character at 20. Guild PvP, group PvP or random matches. It's pretty fun.


I haven't gotten very far at all yet, I'm sure I'll be writing about my adventures and progress in the posts to come. Dire has been interested in it. He hasn't started up but I think he will soon. For now we are playing Everquest together still.Which is quite fine with me.

If you haven't checked it out, there is a free trial. You can find it here. The game has no subscription either, all you need to do is buy the game and expansions. The best bet is the trilogy/game of the year edition. It's well worth it.

Hope everyone is having fun with whatever they are playing!
-kaozz

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