Saturday, July 31, 2010

Guild Wars- The Real Deal: FTP


Recently I've felt the urge to log into Guild Wars. It's really nice because it's always there when I want to play. It's one of those free to play games that is truly free to play. While they do have cash shop items you can buy it's not in your face and advertised all over the game or every time you see a loading screen. When you play free you don't get limitations on what you can and can't do. Everyone plays free! So, it's always refreshing in that aspect. Guild Wars is the only FTP game in my opinion that got it right.

I decided to make a new Ranger to play through the Nightfall campaign. Plus in the past I picked up the pet pack and I can access it right off the bat with her. This enables you to go into Zaishen Menagerie and pick out any pet you want to tame. It's really a lovely zone and has many, many lovely pets. I picked out a cute white Polar Bear.


I haven't gotten her very high yet but it has been fun just wandering around questing when I log in. I don't have to group if I don't want to, I have my henchies and Koss my hero. This was another reason I wanted to start in Nightfall. I wanted to get the hero characters to take along on my travels. The hero characters are a bit better than henchmen. You can actually control what they cast and you can force them to do what you want.


Another thing I like about guild wars is you don't go around in armor that looks as if it was scavenged from a corpse. You get to pick out sets as you level. It's all bought. Really the biggest choice is which set to wear. Dying the sets to a color you choose is nice too. I often like to wear my costumes though. They are quite snazzy.

So it's nice being back. If I wander away she's there waiting on me, my little Ranger. Guild Wars is a unique game. It's even more so unique in the way of FTP compared to the directions of many other games claiming to be FTP.

-kaozz

Friday, July 30, 2010

Ready for Cataclysm? Part 2- Work Harder for TEH EPICS Scrubs!

Work harder scrubs! Old school style!
This isn't really a ranting post but more of my concerns for where Cataclysm will be taking us when it is released, in terms of direction. Nothing is set in stone and it's still in beta. What I do worry about is the emphasis and direction we keep hearing from the developers.

I remember when I first started gaming, how I looked upon raiders and wished I could do that content one day. Eventually I did but it took a very long time and in the end it was too much of a time sink to want to do on a continuing basis. Now today, 10 years later, I like how things are in WoW. I can catch up fairly easily if I need to, I can raid a few nights a week, do heroics. It's nice, a nice pace a nice medium. A far cry from that out of reach content I remember wishing to experience years ago. Somewhere along the line this game evolved into something that made the game accessible to many more people, something a lot of games failed in doing. This game flourishes because of this in my honest opinion.

Let me start off by pointing out the 'GO GO GO!!' groups we have now. In Cataclysm I think this will be a thing of the past, for quite some time. This will be a hard transition for a lot of people. Pugging, people are not going to be understanding they will be abusive. They already are. I am starting to worry if this fun nostalgic type of WoW is really much of a future to look forward to. I have painful flashbacks of TBC. It seems like a mess I don't want to bother with after of reading much of the beta feedback that's floating around as well as the developers input. It's still early and things can change but honestly how much do you see changing? Keep in mind the goal for this expansion. Work harder to get your epics scrubs! Work harder to heal! Work harder to keep aggro!


I'm not your whipping post Mr. Pug...
Heroics are not what I consider end game content, I consider them something to do on the side. End game content is raiding. From what I am gathering these new five man instances will have more mechanics than ever, healers will have to watch mana closer than ever, tanks will be scurrying after mobs trying to gain aggro. With the random LFD system I think this will push many healers away. I read people stating this will separate the good from the bad. No, get off your elitist pedestal using a game to cater to your inadequacy of feeling so needy. It will just push people away good and bad.

In Everquest Clerics were the healing class for so long. Some of them took a power trip in being so needed. While their heyday is over and mercs replace them in groups the memory is still there. I thought WoW fixed this. We don't want to make healing so painful it becomes not fun which causes it to be harder to find healers again. Blizzard states they want healing to be fun. Healing is fun now, why would making it tougher make it more fun? Challenge? Leave that to raids. I don't want my MMO to become a J-O-B.... I'm paying you guys to do the work so I can play.. not work.

Lately though I think some of these developers working on Cataclysm are wearing rose tinted glasses trying to recapture some nostalgia that is unobtainable. I think this expansion could seriously cause a Cataclysm for the game. I don't want easy mode, I would like to see the game stay much the same as it is.

''Not again!
With several highly anticipated games on the horizon Blizzard should really consider the direction of the game. I'm not calling the end of WoW but we all know games sometimes go past the point of no return and fade into the background. I want to stay with WoW, I don't want to be pushed away because I'm tired of jumping through virtual hoops.

Some of this may be changed by the time things go live. I don't have the highest hopes after the developers seem to go all cloudy eyed at the thought of this expansion being such a change. Just some thoughts that have been sitting in my mind bugging me. Thoughts? Feel free to add them.

-kaozz

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Ready for Cataclysm? Part 1

As Cataclysm looms closer in the future I've had a lot of mixed feelings about playing. Today I wanted to get show off some of the things that have me excited. I want to play both Goblin and Worgen! I am just itching to make these classes!! Even the starting zones look great.

I really wish I had gotten into beta, but I suppose I can't get in every time. So for those of you that are excited yet sitting wondering what's been going on here's some really neat stuff I've seen out there on the net! Also the new Druid forms are... well fantastic!

They will suck us in with these delicious racials and awesome races but will Cataclysm deliver high end? Eh we'll save that for tomorrow. On with the goodies!











These are pretty neat, I really liked the jokes!
Female Worgen Voice
Male Worgen Voice
Female Goblin Voice
Male Goblin Voice


In Closing I want to say... Thriller would have been so epic for Worgen lets hope the females still hold the possibility!

 -kaozz

 

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Wanderlust

Wanderlust, I just sometimes get the urge to log on a certain character and adventure in some places with them. Just some screen shots I thought I'd share. Some pretty things I've seen across my travels with my characters. Some of them were just very lovely and others I thought comical. Enjoy!

Shimmering hills of Northrend!


Are those peeps... ?

Gold sellers getting inventive!

Soaring the skies of Outland!

Surrounded by cuties!

Another alt on her travels!


-kaozz

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Ahoy Northrend- Goodbye Outland!


Finally I am able to adventure to Northrend with my Death Knight! Last night I was on and off a good bit and didn't know if I'd be able to hit 68 or not but Dire wanted to run me through many of the Outland instances which really gave me a nice boost through the levels.

As soon as I hit 68 I hearthed to Dalaran and ran to the bank to train my heirloom flying. I am pretty excited about getting this character to 80. While it isn't my first DK I've gotten to 80, things are rather different this time around. Last time I had a hard time finding a group due to the flood of Death Knights at the beginning of the expansion. There was no LFD system and the emblem system has since changed. I'm really looking forward to it this time around.

Why am I leveling another Death Knight here? My Priest is my main but there is a lot I can't go off and do with her. It's tougher to farm some of the old content with a clothie. The DK will be my fun goofing around character for that exploring and revisiting old content solo. I'm really excited about that part. I do want to raid with her some also, it is always a nice change to raid with something different and new. I've never had a chance to raid as a DK.

Things are going well. I'm mostly doing a few daily quest with my Priest, a few raids on the nights we raid and then just logging on my DK most the time to level her. I may slow it down some through Northrend, as the XP slows once you hit 70. Being able to fly out there, that will help a lot though.

In other news... Dire is back to playing his Warrior. This time as a Tauren! He decided he wanted the Warrior on the Horde side so it will be really cool to get instant groups with him now! He is tank spec and happy to be playing him on the horde.

Besides that it's nice having our friend playing here again. He's a Mage and Dire is excited to have another friend to play with here. Things are going quite well!

Safe adventures all!

EQ2 FTP!!


I'm excited today. I just found out EQ2 is offering a free service! I've been torn about having too many accounts active and letting some lapse so I am very excited that this service is being offered. I will definitely be playing this when it's released. There is still the same deal with subscriptions these two things are separate in most ways. So those of you who still want things to remain the same as they are now, they will- unless you want to go to the free model.

For someone like me this is really great and I can start that little alt I've been wanting to work on for awhile! There are a bunch of questions I've had and there is a huge list of FAQ, you can check it out here. There will still be a sort of trial but only through the recruit a friend program. Anyhow check out the FAQ! I'm excitedly waiting for this!

It's nice to see games like LoTRO and EQ2 offer these models for free. I'm excited about LoTRO going free also as I will actually spend more time trying to get to know that game I think. Free isn't bad. World of Warcraft was originally suppose to be free to play, but that didn't work out.



You can read the whole story at EQplayers. A second look, after posting this, makes me wonder though how serious I'd play this as a main staple with some of the restrictions, as FTP. I am still very excited as it would be a nice outlet on the side with this. Pictured above is the chart how the different plans will work. Still there is always the regular game if I wanted to be more serious about EQ2, it's nice that it will still be available. I am really happy I will be able to log in whenever I want to pop in to see the holiday events, they are some of the most fun in any game I play! For those of you who have wanted to try the game, this is a perfect time to jump in and not have to worry about time restrictions on a trial. It's a fantastic game and a great way for more people to find out!

See ya in Norrath!
-kaozz

Monday, July 26, 2010

Treasure


My Death Knight hit level 66 last night which made me very happy. Only two levels to go and then I can head to Northrend! I made a point to do every quest in Hellfire and I only just hit Zangarmarsh last night but I've also had Dire run me through a bunch of dungeons. He offered to run me through three last night and two a few nights ago. I don't even have to ask which was sweet of him,  he seems to enjoy running me through these.

I've gotten several nice items but soon they will be replaced with Northrend items. It's been nice flying while in Outland, I think tonight I'll take advantage of this and skip around some zones doing the quests I remember fondly. I hope to hit 68 or close to, tonight or tomorrow.

We had our first second group for our 10 man runs last night. It didn't go as well as we wanted and we had some delays but I am hoping it will shape up. We have several new members on these runs and need static healers still. I am considering going Holy still but I just have been wanting to spend the time on my alt and not in heroics gathering badges.

I have another friend joining us again in WoW today and am excited to have him playing with us again. He's one of our best friends and I think he will fit in with our guild quite well. It seems WoW is more full of friends for me than it has been in so long, it's very nice. I've been a lone traveler from game to game for months and months- making frineds along the way but not feeling quite settled until now. I treasure every friendship I've made along the way and wish I could hold these friendships to me dearly, forever.

-kaozz

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Around Azeroth


Just some pics from around Azeroth.
My little pony!
Adventuring!

Feeling a bit blue...

Home Sweet Home!

Get off my Lawn, Arthas!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Drama Begins...


I've really enjoyed my guild since joining, it's been a real fun time. That is- until we started recruiting for 25 mans. We still have fun but there are some things that shift when you acquire new people and don't really screen them. I'm not big on guild applications but I'm also not big for just randomly doing things to fill up ranks.

Some people ignore things that go on but if you let things slide you are going to run into trouble in the long run. I don't want my guild chat being an extension of trade chat. I don't want my nice guild going all to hell because of a few bad apples.

Yesterday I saw someone running off at the mouth and picking on one of the other members. It was annoying and after the raid before, which had too much chaos, I decided to jump into it. Which I was insulted and had some childish gender remarks thrown my way by this member. I'm sure I didn't act appropriately, unleashing some horrible language on him but it was long overdue.

Nobody stopped this guy. They let things go on. Behind the scene he was making threats to the guild leader the night before, insulting other players and so on. He had given bad advice to other healers and fought with me in the past stating there was no need to research the class you play. What bugs me so badly was that he got his way, brought an alt to our first 25 man, grabbed the loot, created chaos then was finally kicked yesterday. I don't want to see this become a pattern.

It's not my guild, not my say but I don't know how much I can take if people are not put in place when the time calls for it. We ended on a good note last night, having another go at RS, which we didn't get finished but we had a fun time. Nobody yelled or blamed anyone. The core group of this guild is fantastic and it's the reason I'm still there.

So, that's me venting. Nip things int he bud. Strike while the iron is hot, things always have an ugly way of biting us in the ass if we don't.

In other news, my Death Knight is 62 now. I'm having a blast on her still. I bought dual spec and have had fun playing around with Unholy and Blood specs. I am looking forward to getting her to 80, but I'm not rushing it. It is nice to have something else to play on the side.

Safe adventures! 
-kazz

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Raiding and Flying Chickens


Yesterday my guild and I did our first 25 man ICC run. We filled in some of the ranks with pug people. We had a rough start but it shaped up after the first kill. We ended up getting to Sarfang and really didn't have many snags. I think we took more time in between the bosses than actually downing them. People running to town, leaving, grabbing another dps and so on.

Most of the time I don't worry much about loot, if it comes my way, sweet, if not.. no big deal. Lady Deathwhisper happened to drop Nibelung and -OMG- I've wanted this so badly, since I first saw it. Of course I did not win it and it put me in a real snit for the night. This is really unlike me for the most part and I pouted for the rest of the night. 

I can get cranky when raiding though, not over loot for the most part. People being childish or stupid on vent, chat, dying to stupid things, they can start to put me into a bad mood It's not my guild and not my say, so I try not to say too much. We had an officer picking on one of our tanks who is a good friend of mine, over vent, it bothered me that this was just ignored. Things like that bug me, uncalled for drama. Even though I was quite crabby by the end of this raid I was glad I got to go along on the first 25 man run. I hope things shape up for us.


My Death Knight is coming along nicely. She is almost 61 now and I am going to buy her dual spec today! I am excited about playing her up. I bought her the DK 'chicken' mount and I am so glad I can fly in Outland! I just wish the DK mount wasn't so expensive... ah all the daily quests I've had to do for it!! All in the past now hehe.

See ya in Azeroth!
-kaozz

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Meet Tiffin


Last night I decided it would just be easier for me to have my Death Knight on the Horde side too. I do a lot on the Priest and it's just easy to hop back and forth on the same side. Plus not all my friends use real ID so it is nice to be able to see when they are on. A few have been leveling up and there is a friend who wants to do some instances when he gets caught up in a few levels. Plus I can send myself enchants, cloth, bags, food and all the things I use my Priest for.

A friend was asking me last night what her name means. It's Tiffin, if you are into WoW lore then you know it was the name of Varian Wrynn's late wife- Tiffin Wrynn. Who is Varian? You play too much Horde! He is the King of Stormwind. Plus, I thought it was a cute name.

I've done the DK area so many times, since LK beta, so it's not that much fun doing it over, it went pretty fast though. She is currently out and parked in Thrallmar. I already bought her the DK mount because I am tired of the basic Horde mounts. She has enough money sitting there for flying, heirloom flying is still waiting for her and I want to save some money up for dual spec. I should have enough by the end of the week. I love both blood and unholy specs so I want to use both as I level.

I've been doing a great many daily quests with my Priest to save up for the Death Knight. I was in the mood for doing some heroics yesterday but I only like to these days when I can join with a friend so I didn't end up doing much in that aspect yesterday.

Today I need to run out and do some fishing for some feasts. We have a go at our first ICC25 together. A lot of people are excited and I hope it goes well. Wish us luck!

-kaozz

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Indecisive Panda


Last night we had an off night raid for Ruby Sanctum. It wasn't our usaul raid night but one of the officers wanted to give it a shot. We did not finish it, I think we were close but some of the timing was off. I did have a nice time for the most part. Two of my friends tagged along and one of them ended up joining my guild.

I've been considering going Holy lately. I think the only thing holding me back is being lazy and not wanting to farm up some emblems to finish off the set. I may just work towards it a bit. Another thing is it gets time consuming and it takes time away from my alts. I'm quite rusty healing as Holy so I also need to refresh myself with the spec. 

I was also thinking of leveling up one of my alts to take the place of my main. I am still quite indecisive on it though. Sometimes my Priest makes me a sad panda with the rotation and spec. I only have one dps spec and two healing specs. I have no burst, no change of pace. I am probably the most indecisive person I know when it comes to characters.

I'm not really a sad panda, I'm quite happy lately with my Priest most of the time. It's really been fun being back this time around. I am enjoying myself so much that I have not been playing anything else. Well, I do log in to Free Realms but that will always be the case.

See ya in Azeroth!
-kaozz

Monday, July 19, 2010

Both Sides of The Field


Sometimes it's nice to have a change of pace and play the other faction. I've played WoW since release, on both sides heavily. I often miss one side or a city when I've not played that side for a time. So, I figured I would play my little Alliance DK up instead of deleting her to be remade on the Horde. Dire still plays on this side, he often hops around, playing both sides frequently.Yay, flying skill gained last night! I already have heirloom flying bought for Northrend. I love being able to fly in these areas while questing.

I've been playing my main quite a bit still. Speaking of, I have been mostly doing daily quest with her and some raiding. Last night I went to ICC with my husband's old guild. He's joined mine as of yesterday, I'm happy! We thought we'd go along with them as it's close to reset. It was nice, while a little trying at times, they are nice people. I don't mind a rough run with good people, pugs have taught me to value people more so.

Raiding is nice but I tire of it if too long is spent on it. I am more hardcore casual these days. When I first began gaming I looked upon raiders wistfully. I remember reading the guild recruitment page for one of the best raiding guilds on my server in Everqest, on Lanys T'Vyl, I wondered if I would ever be able to have the time to fit this raiding into my days. It said- Pack a lunch this is an all day event. I went on to raid eventually and it was time consuming on occasions. Today's raids I like more so, quick and to the point. Though in WoW it's like twister on crack- jumping around avoiding fires and jumping through hoops. I often miss the spank and tank raids.

While I'm casual I'm still hardcore in the aspect of learning my classes inside out and understand other classes. I put forth 110% when I do something. I still like to be current with content but I don't have to be on top. Some nights I'd rather be off doing something silly, chasing after a pet or a mount drop other times I'd rather be on a raid.

These days I enjoy a mixture of things playing my MMO games. I enjoy acquiring items may they be pets, loot, mounts or other things I can stick in housing or display on my character for years to come. I also enjoy exploring and acquiring money to put towards goals, perhaps an alt or something else I've wanted.All the while enjoying raiding too, just not too much!

Many wonderful people have I met, sometimes losing touch with them. I enjoy most of all making new friends and when the occasion arises- reuniting with old pals. While I try to keep in touch with friends I try to play for me.

What about you, what drives you? Do you play for friends these days, to raid, or perhaps to just escape into fantasy for a brief time?

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Among Friends


I've been keeping busy in WoW lately with heroics, raiding and doing a lot of daily quests to gather some money for my future Horde Death Knight. I have one on the Alliance but I am going to remake her on the Horde. I haven't done so many daily quests in ages but it's been nice just questing and gaining monies!

Yesterday lono from Screaming Monkeys transferred a character over which was a nice surprise. I'm always inviting bloggers over to play on Silvermoon and it's a real treat when and if they do. I'm always up for making new friends and doing some runs or something. We ran a few heroics and he is a great player. He tanked a few instances which was nice as we got groups instantly! I wasn't aware that he was as big into raiding, in the past, until actually talking to him in game. I hope to see more of him around, he's a very cool person. Plus, he's an uber tank!

It is always so much nicer to have friends to play with and my list is growing longer since being back. It's great to be among friends, the game feels different, better. I've made a few good friends within my guild, have a few old friends who pop on and new friends outside the guild. Speaking of the guild we plan on doing RS and ICC25 next week, I'm excited about this. 

I've been playing Free Realms with my son also. He likes to do some of the instances with our Ninjas, he's already a level higher than I! Speaking of Free Realms there is, for a short time, a lifetime subscription offer. It's really cheap considering you're a member for life. Something we will have to check out. This is a really charming game and I do hope they expand and continue to add to it.

I'm still playing Vanguard. I haven't yet decided to sub or not. Yesterday I had a rough time on a quest I need to complete so I will go at it again today. I like this game and still have the urge to play it so I'll continue to delve into it and see if it is something I can stick with or at least play it for awhile.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!
-kaozz

                                                

Friday, July 16, 2010

Vanguard Saga of Heroes


I've had a lot of fun playing the Vanguard Saga of Heroes trial. It's a game I looked over in the past and sort of blew off. Recently I've been taking a second look at games I've not given a real try in the past. I'd really like to sub to this game but I have a few hesitations. I think in the future I surely will though. This is indeed a game worth checking out.

I've seen a lot of new players asking questions in the channels which is nice and the starting area has tons of people running around, there is still life in this game! The mobs respawn fairly quickly in this area so there is plenty to go around. Even named mobs seem to be up always, respawning fairly quickly.

If you read the official forums, dig under the surface or know much of the rocky past this game has you know it's not been an easy road for the game or it's players. Many people say it was taken over by SOE in order to kill any competition for EQ2. Truth? It's not really the point anymore. It very well could have stood on its own if things were nipped in the bud long ago, if this game was nurtured as it should have been. It has a lot going for it still though.

The game is a bit harsh for those who enjoy the absolute solo experience. Sure, some classes excel at it, but you want to play the class that you desire not one that is hindered by not being able to heal, so this may turn off some players. In today's games this is something that can turn away new players. If you remember back to when EQ2 was released it wasn't as solo friendly as it is today. It's been molded into something different over the years. Though if you like a challenge this is something worthy trying.

While I have not had much of a chance to dwell in the Diplomacy and Crafting aspect, this game is widely known for the depth and enjoyability of these. It's nice to have something else to work on during the grind to the top. There are only 55 levels in this game. As far as I know the cap has only been bumped up once.


One of the niceest things about this game would be the classes, they really did a great job on these. The direction you can go with each is very cool. You want to be a Ranger? Melee or ranged? Some classes such as Clerics have different directions they can choose also. Some other things I like would be the appearance slots, housing and the mounts. I also like that the combat is very smooth and there are combo chains you can link together to preform different actions. It has depth. The UI is smooth, it's not clunky and hard to look at.

There is also the Brotherhood mechanic. This mechanic is new to me. Basically anyone in your brotherhood gets a % of all your xp. They do not have to be online. Don't want to out level your friend? Very handy. This was very appealing to me, I hate out leveling Dire's characters, it happens a lot.

The game is resourse intense. It runs quite well on my computer but my husband didn't want something that would run his computer so hard. I suppose that is something to consider. I do think the models are very nice. I really like the animations and feel of the characters. This game has some really cool races; Goblins, Wolves- (I forget the race... Worgen? Just kidding!), Dark-High-Half Elves along with many others. It is a very nice variety. The areas are quite lovely, the sky is gorgeous. I like the feel that the game has looks wise.


The music is soothing and very enjoyable. It's one of the few MMO games where I actually enjoy listening to the music. It was done very nicely! The sounds overall are good.

The bad? Grouping seems to be forced around level seven or so. Things get tough. My guess is some classes have it harder than others. You don't have to but I would think that some of the content is limited if you don't. Grouping is great but not everyone I ran into wanted to group to do a quest. I had to ask several people running around the area to join. Let me rephrase this. Any class can solo, you just might be limited to what you can solo.

The lag. I hate to mention this. From what I hear there are some reasons causing this issue that are being looked into and worked on. Sometimes it was so bad I couldn't get a heal off in time and this made me a very unhappy camper. Dying is not fun, especially over and over. Mobs go by a classification of dots. One dot is pretty easy- o. If you see - oo- these are a bit harder and if you get several of these type of mobs in a pull it can get pretty yucky, very quickly. They get harder with the more dots added.  With the lag spiking, at times I had three of these -oo- mobs on me, I had a real rough time. When the lag wasn't acting up it was a real thrill to try to keep up and triumph. The lag isn't horrible all the time but it's bad enough to make you have to do more corpse runs than nessisary.

Speaking of dying there is a death penalty. You lose experience, you may get your body back and return some of this lost xp but I'd gather that it isn't always something you can do, make your way deep into a dungeon and die... gah! On the starter island there isn't a death penalty. It gets worse as you level, other players told me. When I asked about this I was told "You don't die if you can help it!!" 


I like the aspect of flying mounts in this game. I hear on Christmas everyone gets a free Reindeer mount which can fly. Very cool. The best ones require a lot of help. I like a game that requires some effort so I'm not going to knock this. There are temporary mounts, such as the Pegasus mount in the picture at the top, but they last roughly five minutes. I wasn't happy when mine poofed in mid air parachuting me down into the middle of nowhere. If you can use it to get somewhere quickly it is a nice bonus though.

So what is to like then? I am sure the lag will get smoothed out in time. The game has a really nice feel to it. I like the look of it and the combat system, I do like a challenge. This is one game I will not write off. I was going to sub to it tomorrow but I am still considering things. If you're looking for a game with a challenge this is it.

I cannot comment on high end as I've not had the pleasure to play that high, this is merely some time spent several days getting to know the game. If you are looking for something interesting to check out this may suit you. It is worth a look, you can't go wrong with the free trial.


-kaozz

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Vanguard and WoW


Last night I missed my raid in WoW. We have a good team together but I know another new member would be excited to take my place. I had a headache and some RL stuff to do and wasn't in the mood to rush and hop on afterward. I am needing to lvl my little lock so I can get my mount, she is still sitting at 14. Maybe tonight I'll get her some levels.

I found out MMO Gamer Chick plays there also, which is cool. And lonmonkey from Screaming Monkeys made a character there so I hope to see them around! I've never really had a chance to play with many bloggers I read. I had the chance to play with my good friend Pouncealot, which was a lot of fun. Sadly, she has quit WoW. I play on Silvermoon as Endure or lately my alt Dances, anyone is always welcome to pop in and say hello! Horde btw.

Mostly, over the past few days, I've been playing Vanguard Saga of Heroes which is really a lot of fun. I've been playing a lot of classes and trying to get a feel for the game and think I have decided on a Disciple. The game is really a lot better than I initially thought it would be. I am enjoying it a lot.

The UI is very easy to maneuver. The combat is pretty nice, I like it a lot better than some of these other games I've tried or played recently. I really enjoy the music also, it's quite lovely. The characters, I really like the models a lot, I get to be a Dark Elf! I'm always a Dark Elf if I can be, it was the first race I was in my first MMO, I suppose that fantasy race has always felt special to me.

I'm still on the trial and I want to give it a little more time to see how it is the higher I get. I do want to write more about it but I also want to play further in the game to get more of a perspective on it. I don't want to base the game on many alts under level 10. Stay tuned to find out how it turns out ;)

-kaozz

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wandering (MMO)


As I mentioned a few weeks ago I was wanting to try out some trials, maybe some free MMO games. I've dabbled in a few things recently and wanted to give some thoughts on them. I suppose it's most surprising what I found to be exciting was something I passed over years ago. I'll save the best for last.


Dark Age of Camelot
I am still considering playing DAoC but I have a lot to think on. It is really a lovely game, it has an appeal I can't explain. Yesterday I made my way to a place around my level, out in a field in the middle of nowhere- killing headless corpses. I wondered where to go next then I realized I had no earthly idea where to go, I'd forgotten a lot. I remember towns and I can make my way around well enough but it will be a lot of learning if I play this. I cannot expect my husband to learn any of this in his short MMO playing time. I dropped the subject with him. I'm still thinking this one over.


Allods Online
I did manage to try Allods Online again. With the fear of Death mechanic changed the game was sounding much better at first glance. However, playing it as a main staple is not looking as appealing. It seems everything needed to enjoy the game at a decent rate is cash shop oriented. Do these people not get that you can do well with just cosmetic items!?

This game could have been so good. It had such promise. It's quite a let down to see it turn into this type of game. Not only are needed items in the shop but mounts are too... along with the food to make them level. I like to research games before getting into them and after finding all of this, I just decided to maybe pop in when I'm very bored and want to play around. Nothing serious.


LoTRO
I've played this game in the past very briefly. Something about it never has clicked with me. I don't know if it is the goofy characters or the characters yelling as they attack. I just can't get into it. I read a lot of blogs where people rave over it and figured I'd sit down and dedicate at least 30 minutes to trying it again. Maybe I'll see what people are talking about this time around?! I spent about an hour or so plodding along through the game.

In the end all I did was annoy my son with my character's battle cries and I realized some games just don't click with some people. Sure it's lovely, nothing out of the ordinary though. I'd rate the looks up there with Guild Wars. No matter how lovely a game, if I do not like the characters I will not play it. We win some we lose some. I want to say- It's not a bad game, it's just not one that catches my fancy.




Vanguard Saga of Heroes
I've tried the Vanguard trial in the past. Played it five minutes and brushed it aside. I bought it when it was released and it was full of bugs of course but until recently I haven't had a computer that would do it justice. On a whim I downloaded it and decided to give it more than five minutes.

I was actually very impressed and saddened at the same time. Impressed because this is a really nice MMO. I can't speak for high end as many games change once you get there. However I've spent quite a bit of time trying the classes and getting to know the game. It's so different than it was at release. I'm actually considering playing this game.


Sad why? Ah, this game has been neglected so badly. Why play a game that is tossed in the corner? I'm always one to 'fight' for the underdog, I'd like to experience it. I think this game could have been so much more. I actually think it could have surpassed EQ2 if things were done right. I'm not going to get into all this now, perhaps another time. I will say I already prefer the combat over EQ2. I'm not stuck facing the mob like a magnet. If you play or ever have played you know what horrible mechanic I am talking about.

I'm going to keep playing the trial for a few more days and decide if I want to play it or now. I was thinking of just getting a station pass. I'm not sure yet. I'm in no mood to head back to EQ2 anytime soon. Maybe EQ on the side. More tomorrow though! I've got some more playing to do before I dwell any deeper. I did manage to get Dire to try it! That's a start.



------------------------------
I think sometimes we, as gamers, are quick to write off games. There are a vast amount of good games out there. Some of us want to play what is cool, what's popular. Think outside the box for a change, you just might find something rewarding.


Safe adventures all!
-kaozz

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Dark Age of Camelot- Deja Vu


I didn't play DAoC in its heyday, I didn't get to experience it in all it's glory. I started years after that because I was too busy playing Everquest to want to try anything else for five straight years. Finally I did try it, several years ago and it was one of the greatest gaming experiences I've had, thanks to the people.

I noticed lately that the trial no longer requires a credit card. You just sign up and *bam* you have 14 free days. If you see this game in the store don't bother picking it up, everything is now free, all you do is pay for the subscription. I haven't seen it in any store since 2007 honestly.


I was thinking about reactivating my account but I decided to just try it out first before taking any big leaps to another MMO. I had a grand time on my other character years ago. Doubting that I'd be so lucky to find friends as easily this time, I figured to start over for a few days to see how things were. On my second day playing I got a whisper asking if I wanted to join a guild, me being a person to jump at the chance of making new friends I accepted.

Deja Vu. These were some very kind people, I lucked out once again or this is still a great community, both possibly. They helped me with some gear, coin and best of all spent some time with me leveling talking and showing me the ropes all over again. I am a reborn newbie, I've forgotten a lot about the game, it's refreshing though. The kindness that has been showered upon me while playing this game always dumbfounds me as it's like going back ten years ago to my early days in EQ, people were so much nicer and helpful. I'm a carebear so I play on the Co-Op server, I love it there.


The game has had some changes but I've been gone so long I don't remember everything. It is a very beautiful world, having been revamped long ago, it still is quite lovely. It's fantasy, old world gaming- in the now. It has an old feeling, playing this game, that I remember feeling when I first tried Everquest. No, it's not Everquest but it reminds me of the classic game in a lot of ways, it's similar. If I wanted EQ I'd play it, this is fresh to me and it has so many classes to play, so many places to explore. It's new all over again to me.

Co-Op has about 150 people playing there. They do raids together and it seems a tight friendly community. I can't really get into depth as I just skimmed the surface but things do seem to be going on between alliances on an often basis. My friends were telling me of some GM events that had been going on recently that were lots of fun.


Hows game-play? Some classes can solo well and some still don't solo as well. Some things never change in games heh. The game is  older so to many it will feel clunky but once you get past that it's not bad, it's charming. If you are an old MMO player like myself you will appreciate the game play for what it is. The UI, it's not flashy but it gets the job done. The music is fantastic. The mobs are rustic but charming. The models are a bit dated but not horribly so. I love the Everquest models so these were fine with me. I'm a lover of old games, they tickle me.

If you are looking for something that might take you down memory lane, this might just do the trick. If I was looking to play a flashy new game I would be playing one, so keep that in mind. This is a solid older game with a really great community. There is much to do still, many classes to play and the level cap is 50. After the cap you can start alts at 20 which is nice. It's easy to group with friends. There is housing also and Guild Halls, a nice bonus.


I look forward to my journeys in DAoC. I'm so close to subscribing but I'm still giving it some thought, I still have several days on my trial. Now if I could get the ol' man to try it....Oh and Ding 20!

See ya in Camelot!
-kaozz

Monday, July 12, 2010

Hopping Around (MMO)


I did a bit of hopping around this weekend in my games. I suppose I like a change of scenery sometimes. Or.. my curiosity gets the best of me. In any case I had fun.


WoW
My little Lock is almost fifteen now, going quite slow! I've been waiting around on Dire a lot and I am at the point where I'm thinking he isn't going to play his alt with me. He is constantly on the Alliance on his Mage. I actually left leveling a character there to play Horde with him, I swear... At any rate I am having fun with the Lock. I enjoy having a pet and it's going to be nice having more than one spec to dps or farm with! Currently I am affliction to level.

I'm doing some daily quests as I can on the Priest. I mostly just log in to do a few dailies and raid. My guild is asking if I want to heal but I don't know if I feel like farming badges for another set. I am still thinking it over. That and I don't enjoy healing on the Priest as much, Druids have it so laid back. I need more buttons on my mouse.. I need a new mouse in that case! I'd like to have this.


Free Realms
I hadn't logged in for a few days and my son asked me if I wanted to play. So we went off to find Elite coins to level our adventuring and get the rewards for them- backpacks!  I ended up hitting Adventure level 20, and I think he hit 14. We had a lot of fun finding them, we had to look up quite a few, well he did and I followed- lol. We also did a few instances together and this was fun, just the two of us.

I forgot I had several packs from the TCG to open, they must have sat there for months. I actually got quite a few neat items, Chatdy Backpack, Goth Jacket, Punk Pants and a few other cool items. I was really excited about that. I need to keep up with those!

Free Realms is not your general MMO, it's nice and laid back. Do whatever you want when you want type of thing. It is a nice change not to have to be grinding mobs all the time. Though with no high end content and can grow boring a tiny bit. But, this game doesn't have the pressure others do and it's nice. If I was a kid my parents would probably have to pry me off the computer with a crowbar!


DAoC
I actually ended up checking out DAoC and need to mess around with it some more. I was going to write a bit about it today but I think I'll leave that for tomorrow. It's been interesting being back and the trial is easier than ever... More on that tomorrow!


Safe Adventures!
-kaozz

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