Monday, January 31, 2011

Everquesting (EQ, EQ2)

EQ has Goblins too! Well, if you're a Rogue ;)
This weekend brought me levels in EQ and EQ2 and a cold! I have a slight fever so if I start rambling... I have an excuse! I wanted to do a short post on how things are progressing in these two games.

Everquest is the one I play the least amount of time solo. However, this weekend I had Dire around and he was really in the mood to play lately so we did a lot of grouping, a lot more compared to the past week. I owe him a big thanks as he really pushed me to level 81 (yay!) with my Rogue. He swarms (grabbing a huge amount of mobs and kills them at once) and it nets in a lot of xp at a fast rate. Once he has aggro I start poking those bad guys in the back. So most of that hard work was on his behalf. He's awesome :)

We also visited some old zones over the weekend. Killing some old bosses and just reminiscing over the old days, it was fun. It's always a nice change of pace too! A friend joined up with us at one point which was welcomed. I'll share a few pics below. 

I finally feel like I am moving along with the Rogue as I've sat at 71 for several weeks working on AA points and I sat at lvl 70 for even longer, months. I upgraded my weapons which was a huge bonus to damage. Level 80 weapons are sweet, 85 are even better. I am aiming for 85 this week. I find myself wanting to log in more so, now that I am getting closer to the cap (90).


Everquest II has been fun too. I didn't play it as much as I thought I would, due to being in the other Norrath. I managed to get my new Fury to level 23 though. I also joined up with my old guild from Nyomi's server, they moved over to EQ2X. I was considering sending Ny there too, I miss her sometimes. I miss being closer to the level cap ;)

Is it hot in here or just me? Whew! I think I need to step outside and cool off. I'll leave you with some pictures from our weekend. Enjoy!

Plane of Growth, some old school fun. Yes, I am almost dead :(

Die Tunare!

Visiting in Kael

Swarming fun!

High Elves, Tunare (old model) and I (new model).

Iksar group. Fun with a friend of ours.



-kaozz

Friday, January 28, 2011

EQ2 Goes Mobile


I've been messing around in EQ2  a little bit more lately, on the EQ2X server. I was considering logging into one of my higher characters and hitting the cap before Velious but I really don't want to pay for a transfer to the FTP server and I like it there. So I've been working on my little fury, Sable here and there trying to gain her some levels.

I always miss some of the wonderful features EQ2 has to offer so it's nice being able to go back even without a sub and the FTP server makes so easy to poke back in and see if I feel like playing. I missed my house, as bare as it is it's nice having housing! I missed the ease of travel. I missed appearance slots! As well as a lot of other stuff.

So, that's probably what I will be working on over the weekend, with some Everquest thrown into the mix. Dire promised to help me with some AAs so I look forward to that.

Something cool I wanted to mention is the new EQ2 mobile app. I really wish they had one for EQ as well! It's really handy. Check your mail, chat with your friends check out guild stuff and more. Very cool indeed. I've had a few issues with error messages but I read they are working to improve that. And it's free!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
-kaozz

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Flavors of RIFT


Yesterday morning I ran out and picked up a new video card and headed home happily. I popped it in and finally got the chance to get my hands dirty with Rift beta. I was sort of hoping to not like it, not wanting to pine for it through the next month if I did, in fact, like it. I ended up having a lot of fun and thoroughly enjoying the game. So let me share some first impressions, the game may change and be a whole different ball park at end game, like WoW, who knows. For now here are my impressions on what I've seen so far.

Every other blogger will tell you it's just like every other fantasy MMO game and it's nothing new and innovative. I'm not looking for new and innovative, I want something I enjoy that's fresh and fun. Rift is just that. I think the big selling point with me is just the variety of classes. You have four basic archetypes, or callings, which branch out into different trees. You pick from three of these and they can be changed, say you make a mistake and regret the choice. With the soul system you put points into three different trees and according to how you assign your points determines what abilities you get in the 'root' of the tree. It's pretty nifty in my opinion.


There were so many different options for classes. A bard, how many MMO games offer this anymore? Pure awesome! Rangers, which function like WoW's hunter class. A beastlord type class, EQ vets may appreciate this as even EQ2 never worked in a class like this. For pet lovers, like me there are mages, necros, even druids get pets along with rangers and bestmasters. There seems to be something for everyone in Rift as far as choices go. I love variety in classes and choices of how to spec. I was very impressed by all the flavors of play you could choose from.

I did try out many classes but in the end I settled for a ranger/bard/something else ranged [head is killing me this morning] and it was really a blast. I had a hard time deciding and almost went with a necro but I just wanted to try to see as much as I could in the beta event and went with a quick choice. I managed to get level eleven thus far.

Lets talk about some of the things like combat and UI. I thought the combat was very fluid and smooth. I really enjoyed killing stuff and questing, it was very engaging and not too slow where I wanted to fall asleep. Overall I really like how the combat works. I think the UI is pretty nice, not confusing so you shouldn't have any problems figuring anything out. There is even a built in quest helper, I love having this in a game. Call me lazy, whatever, I want to knock out quests and enjoy myself.


Graphics. They were not too shabby but maybe not my style so much. It's not that they were bad, I can't explain it. The races had nice looks to them, some better looking than others. Finally a game where dwarves are cute?! The graphics sort of reminded me of WAR. They were pretty but nothing really to write home about. I hate to say it but that's probably my biggest beef with games these days, too much realism, I want fantasy fake looking worlds with tons of vivid colors. But that's just me. If i want real looking trees, I'll go outside, thank you! But is an option for lower end computers to run it smoother and I think that is a plus. Things like mounts.. They were fantastic and some of the armor is pretty sweet looking too. The rifts are pretty cool looking too.

Speaking of rifts. I have read about Rift but not extensively, so I went in not knowing what to expect. The rifts are really fun! Rewards at the end are in a little bag icon you click when the rift is sealed. Sometimes I got currency other times materials and the occasional armor/item. I love how the button pops up to join a public quest group then it converts into a raid. This really makes things work out smoothly. Very nice addition as I heard in previous betas it was a bit of a pain without it.

Basically when a rift hits you kill mobs in different phases, each phase seems to get harder and you will need other people to help take these down. Very fun, very refreshing. I found myself looking for them and running to them every time I saw one. You don't have to engage in them, which is nice too. That's as far as I got with rifts and invasions, I saw some mobs wandering around, which they killed me but then kept going in the opposit direction.


Enough fluff? I am sure the cool looking mounts count and there will be vanity pets but there isn't much fluff, otherwise that I've seen anyhow. Being big on fluff I would have to say I am a bit disappointed but I knew it before hand.

I think I will be picking up RIFT and probably pre-ordering it to get in early. I really was impressed at how much fun it is. Sure it's just another fantasy game but I LOVE ME SOME FANTASY! So it's right up my alley. Maybe I won't like high end, who knows, I just want to have fun for now. Only time will tell.

Chit-Chat. I didn't even notice chat, when I did it was your basic free for all full of spam. It's not often that I am so engaged that I don't bother with reading chat, it was nice. There were tons of people but it was still fun and not a lot of waiting on re-spawns, yay.



Could it be a contender for WoW? Well it's one of the most polished MMO games I've seen in beta in recent years, besides hrmm... maybe Allods- who shot 'themselves' in the foot with the cash shop. So maybe being a subscription based MMO this game can offer us another MMO that really has substance. I didn't have to ask for help on any quests, much of anything really, everything is really well explained and some may call it hand holding... I actually like having some footing starting out in a MMO. Being lost in an MMO is no fun and can turn people away. As far as having substance I'll have to wait and see how high end is, when it's released.

So, I give RIFT a thumbs up. It's a sleek and polished game that delivers a lot of choices with classes. It's entertaining and the rifts keep things fun.I look forward to it's release. I'm so hooked...

-kaozz

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Four Little Words



Yesterday didn't go as expected. I had planned to check out RIFT beta yesterday evening but I only ended up in the character creation. I logged in then out to check something before my grand finale. My first attempt went through fine and then logging back in under two minutes later I was hit with an eleven minute queue. Nice...

The reason I didn't get to play is that my [@#$(% &@ %$*^] video card went out and I wasn't about to play anything with the on-board. It will crash and I'm not going to stress my machine just to play beta an extra day. This morning I'll have to go out and pick up a new card. The last one wasn't too old, under a year. *Grumbles*...

Since I can't talk about RIFT until tomorrow, I thought I'd write about something else that crossed my mind. Taking things too seriously. It seems a lot of players have been bored lately. I've even seen some people do an about face with some games. If we say our feelings, sometimes we are taken too seriously, when we just need to get things off our chests.

I may write about what caused me to stop playing a game or why I leave but that's part of blogging, sharing thoughts and ideas. If I candy coated things I wouldn't be honest in my postings. I do try to stick to my guns when I say something and I try not to bite off more than I can chew. I always like to say... NEVER SAY NEVER! Anyhow, I'm getting off course here.

Ever hear someone say those four little [annoying] words? 'It's just a game!' Which is always followed by 'Don't take it so seriously!' I sure have. I think we forget this sometimes, to a point. I don't like to think we should act like our actions don't matter, that's not the point I want to convey,  more on the lines of: It's how serious we take things, beyond having fun anymore. 

While we invest a lot of time in our hobbies, games and so on it's still something we do take seriously  If you didn't why do you care if you show up for raids on time, why do you care about gearing properly, or maybe why care about our in-game reputations. Because it's something we do take seriously, to a point. And you should when other people are involved.

However, sometimes we take things too seriously. Playing games when we're way, way past burnt out. I try not to anymore. I feel bad when leaving friends in a game but sometimes we all just need a breather. Just because I disagree with WoW's new direction with mini raids heroics doesn't mean I hate it and will never go back. I just have other things I'd rather do currently. So, for me, it's good to just take a break and come back when I have more of an interest.

There are players out there who have only played one MMO game and will stick to it until then end or until they finally burn out. Never thinking to check out other avenues. Not wanting to leave friends or a character they worked so hard on. Sometimes I envy these players but it's just not me [never going beyond one game], I stuck to one game and only one game for FIVE years, I've been there done that. Maybe they truly enjoy it, I don't know. I have a friend that keep playing alts just to have something to do. Eight 80's through WoTLK. They still complain about being bored or hating working on things such as the Loremaster title. Hello! Ever think of trying a different MMO?

I suppose not every MMO player is as resilient as me. My husband is on a tight wire between playing and quitting sometimes. I bounce from game to game while he, at times, feels he doesn't have enough time to keep up with a MMO and get things done within it, I always tell him to just have fun with it. I'm not saying it's stupid to just focus on one MMO, I love that idea, it's the idea of shunning anything and everything else.

He plays a lot of free video poker- *snore fest*- but it keeps him happy.  I suppose he is one of those people that likes the tried and true and will stick to it until he's ready to just quit. Though I sometimes wonder why he still plays poker when he ends up screaming at the screen. I've had to uninstall it off his phone because he's gotten so mad. I find myself saying those three words... 'It's Just a game'... I think this describes a lot of gamers, at some point, they keep playing until they want to explode. Before it gets to that point I try to drag him off to something else. Hey, I need someone to play my MMO games with!

I suppose sometimes we need to think about why we are playing what we play. Is it for fun? Is it for my friends? Is it to prove that X game is just that great? Is it for you? Are we taking our hobbies too seriously? I think sometimes we do. Laugh at me with my housing, my fluff, my silly little meaningless things that keep me happy in my MMO games, but hey, I'm happy doing what I do ;)

-kaozz MMO

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

AFK! Too Much Cute Edition

RIFT beta today, woot! AFK today but I plan on throwing out some first impressions of the game and some idea of what my direction will be since I've finally had a look at RIFT. In the back of my mind I've sort of been waiting around for this and I've just been flittering around in multiple games to pass some time and weigh my options on what I want. Anyhow... more tomorrow! Here's a dose of cuteness that is Tut, while I'm away the cat is at play.

My turn!...


-kaozz

Monday, January 24, 2011

Life of An MMO Gypsy- 1/11


I've been wandering around the different landscapes of several MMO games. It's nice though, just taking my time and waiting out some of those new releases I want to get my hands on. So here's a bit of what I've been doing or plan on doing ;)


RIFT
I am so excited about beta this week. MMOGC sent me a beta key, which was so very awesome of her. Then after activating it I saw I was also sent the VIP key with 25 uses. So if anyone needs a RIFT beta key, please let me know. Shoot me an email. Address is over there --->

I think I'm mainly waiting around to play RIFT, more than anything. I will know for sure after playing beta. I sure hope I like it, I could use a change of pace. I am trying not to get too excited because after the beta there is still a bit of waiting for release. We'll see how it goes. I'm just excited about getting into beta. Happy, happy, happy kaozz *does a little shimmy*!

Everquest
Still goin at it with EQ. Last night I grouped with Dire and burned my lesson, combined with his swarm killing (thank Tunare for the rogue escape skill, else I'd be toast too many times) I gained about 30 AA points in half an hour. I still need many, many more. I think I'm sitting on 180 or so. We were going to group again later in the night but Tut started being cute and I had to get out the camera while he was smacking my character on the screen.

So, I hope to get some EQ action on again tonight and knock out more AA. Alone I can't get them nearly as fast but my character is advancing and in due time it won't go as slowly. The rogue isn't nearly as bad for soloing if you keep to certain content. The poisons proc, especially with the right AA points, quite often and do a major portion of my DPS. Critting at 71, with poisons, is around 7500 now which is nice. I kill faster with her than any of my other characters (besides my 84 mage) and almost as fast as the 76 beastlord.

I don't play the game heavily right now but I am enjoying it. It's a great game to group with and play with friends so sometimes soloing only keeps me entertained for a half hour or so.

LoTRO
I've picked up this game again but with a new character to get me back into the swing of things. Eventually I'd like to pick back up on the captain but for now I'm enjoying my new minstrel. She's around level 10 or so and it's been fun being back. I even managed to catch Syp on and say hi, which was cool. It's always very awesome to catch up in game with other bloggers.

I started with an Elf this time and I really enjoy the scenery more in this area. I love it there, I love the elves. I'm soaking in the lovely areas and enjoying the game. I've sort of been jumpy, trying to get the title for not dying by level 20. My son laughs at me as I run away from mobs 'fearing for my life'! I'm hoofin' it outta caves and ruins just trying to escape these evil creatures that want to kill me, my dignity is suffering. The only game this [dying] really impacts me in is EQ, so it's a bit different worrying about it in another game.

LoTRO is a good solid game and I often wonder why I don't play it more. It's quite fun, a laid back theme park but not to the point of being an easy mode game. I still have to think while playing. I'm a MMO gypsy though and I enjoy traveling from game to game. If you're looking for something solid to try out, LoTRO is a good one.

Second Life & Project Entropia
I've tried to like Second Life and get a feel for it. However, I don't think it's enough in the direction of a MMO for me to stick with [long term] or ever get a subscription for, maybe one day. First off it has no direction. That is the beauty and beast of it. The beauty is the chance to form and shape your character and the world around you, the beast is what a freaking lot to learn and it can be consuming if you really get into it!

I'm not wanting to put much time into the game so it limits to what I can do now. While I do want to design some stuff I just don't feel, at this point, it's worth it with something I can't see myself playing on a regular basis. Too much time.

The game loads like molasses. Nothing is local, it's all loaded as you visit new areas, so you can imagine how some of these zones can take ages to load. It gets old waiting on it to load every time I head somewhere new. I tweaked some settings and it loads faster but I'd never go as far to say it loads fast.

The upside is people are nice, so far. There are also some gorgeous places to visit. It's really spectacular in some aspects. But there feels like nothing to do, right now, and I guess it's really about what you make of it. You have to pay money for land so just starting out it can be sort of boring. Not saying it's a bad game, it's really quite unique actually, it's just not so great of a thing for someone like myself to invest in, at this point in time.

I actually checked out Project Entropai and that game has less direction than SL. I had a kind person run up to me, upon loading into the game, and show me how to get to a safe spot. Apparently the game started me out in a bad spot? I looked around and logged out after five minutes. I suppose I just didn't have it in me to do more research on a game that I didn't feel drawn to at all. 

----------------------------------------------
So that's it. Being a MMO gypsy, or rather a nomadic player, can be fun sometimes. I do crave to stick to something again but it'll happen when it happens! Have a fun week all!


-kaozz

Tut's Pick of The Week: LoTRO

Tut loves MMO games and he loves to watch me play them, ok maybe he just loves to watch me play them. He's chosen LoTRO as his pick of the week. He thanks you for watching ;) Enjoy!



Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Sims Get Medieval

This looks so cool! The Sims Medieval, I had no idea it was due out this year, let alone was in the works. It's been awhile since I played the Sims but I love the games, this truly looks fun! Thought I'd share the video. More waiting on these 2011 games, I can't stand it!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Playing In The Sandbox

Relaxing after a tough day of being a newb!
I decided to venture into something different recently. I decided to finally check out Second Life. I know what you're thinking. What are you doing, what's wrong with you!? While I don't think it's something I can play all the time it's relaxing for a change of pace. My biggest interest is playing around with a sandbox MMO. Trying my hand at designing some 'clothing' and other stuff. I'm very big into designing things in MMO games like housing so why not give this a try?

The game is old. It runs worse than DAoC or Everquest. Most items have to load so it can take awhile even on a fantastic internet connection and a decent computer. Once you get past that it's not that bad. The controls are clunky but you sort of get use to it.

What I like, so far, is that you can change around so much. You can change anything on your character with skins, make some fantastic places to go and not worry about getting levels while you're at it. There's always the potential of making a business, if you're good.

There is no hand holding. I read a lot on how to do things. I've learned a lot, even ran into some problems (character looking like a whisp) and managed to fix them. It takes some time but it's very interesting, the amount of freedom you have.


I'm not really in it for the social thing. I mean if I make some friends, cool, but it's not why I'm there. I've only spoken to one person who asked for help, being a newbie. I actually managed to help them, yay me I read up a lot on a game before I dive into it, especially if there is much to learn. It's the whole sandbox thing that just really intrigues me. Some people really love the whole social thing. I watched my mom try the game out, years ago, and she struggled with a few things but overall enjoyed playing with with her friends. It was short lived which disappointed me.

Everything I have is free items. There is a lot you can get free but some of the items you buy are really awesome. Don't poke too much fun of my pink pigtails, I thought they were kind of cute! You can be anything you want in this game, avatar wise, note the picture below my look is different. You can try designing, look for freebies or you can purchase lovely skins, hair and so on. The game is free with a subscription option. It's a little over nine dollars, I think. You get an allowance, in game, as well as a house and access to adult only content.

Trying out items in the sandbox area, one of many.
Adult only? Technically characters in SL can do some very naughty things. Just use your imagination for a moment.... Yep, they can do that too ;)  I think it's a bit creepy  to even go there with a game but... that's me. I sort of think it's funny at the same time.

SL is something that will give me some freedom away from the grind. I can't play it all the time because it's just not something I could play as a main MMO game but it's interesting to keep up with on the side. So as I progress with learning and taking on more, I look forward to sharing thoughts on this game.

One last thing. I had so much trouble trying to figure out WHY my character looked like a puff of smoke. IF that happens you can check this list but what helped me was loading up a new model with everything different, one of the defaults. Worked like a charm!

-kaozz

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Five OTHER Things To Do!

Try something new, or perhaps old?
I lied, I do miss my WoW, sometimes. I miss playing with my friends. I don't miss Cataclysm and the sorry excuses called heroics [or as I now like to call them: Mini Raids]. However, I'm not going to let Blizzard walk all over my idea of fun and try to serve me up with a hot steaming pile of... Well you get the point.

It's the same with many games. I see it in Everquest. 'HoT is a joke', a hot forum topic. Oh it's too easy? When will people get it that there are now different levels of play in most of today's games, more options for everyone to enjoy? RAIDING. Ever hear of it? This is where you get the challenge. Otherwise you will kill off a certain player base with stagnation and in some cases hurt the population. Can your game survive that?

The last Everquest expansion hit the community pretty hard. A lot of people stuck to older content and stayed far, far away from Underfoot because it was simply too hardcore to enjoy casually and I'm sure some may have quit. It hurt the community. This time around the expansion is more laid back and people are happy, well most of them. I hear the zones are flourishing, population wise, and it's easier to find groups.

You would think MMO games [developers] would learn from example but it always seems they have things under control, or so they think. Some do, look at Everquest. The game has toned things down where it's actually quite enjoyable with any class you play. I applaud SOE for trying to keep up and keep players happy, not causing us to wait and wait and wait some more for groups. Grab a merc and go solo while you LFG! It's taken a long time to get to where we are today though.

What do you do when you're not enjoying things? Some people DO keep playing. I thought I'd offer some advice.

Go Single [Player]
This post was more for some ideas for those of you who are, much like me, bored. Just some other things to ponder. Lono and I were talking earlier and he advised me to try some RPG games. I'm a MMO girl though, a fish out of water away from a MMO too long, I get bored with RPG games quickly. I will when Fable 3 comes to PC!!

If you enjoy them take a look at Lono's post, some good ideas. One day I'm going to kidnap Lono and make him play Everquest with me. Yes, handcuffs and all! [... Get your mind out of the gutter]

Try Something New
So, if you're more or so looking for something to keep you busy in an online world there are many great MMO games out there and ahead of us this year. Try something new. Something you've never tried. Heck, come play Everquest with me if you're that bored.

Get [Your Hands] Dirty
Play in a SANDBOX! Think out of the box, so to speak. Try a crazy sandbox game where nobody is there to hold your hand. I'm actually trying a sandbox game this week, more on it [later] if I get past the initial first few days.

[Take A Deep Breath]
Take a breather. Step away from the computer there you MMO junkie! Oh, that would be me actually. Sometimes I actually play for maybe one hour a day [tops] or just take a few days or weeks off to give myself some time to cool off.

Be Social
Stay in touch with friends. E-mail, messenger and so on. Keep in touch with those friends even if you're not playing. It always makes me feel less guilty about bailing out on my buds. And.. I don't miss them as much because we still keep in touch.

Have fun and hang in there! Feel free to add some ideas!

-kaozz MMO,

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

My Little Corner of Norrath


I was wondering why traffic was so heavy here today, I seem to have been linked on WoW Insider- woo! No WoW talk today though. Those of you popping in, stay awhile and have a look around!

Today I wanted to show off some of my Everquest housing. It's the first housing I've had in an MMO that has an outside area. Sure, EQ2 has small outdoor areas and patios but EQ actually has yards to decorate around the house. I think that this is probably the most entertaining part of the decorating. I know LoTRO housing includes yards as well but I never got far enough in the game to purchase housing.

I ended up buying a plot below Dire's house. Then I decided to buy two plots (you can buy two plots per character) below Dire's house I didn't want anyone moving that close to me. I ended up making an extended front yard.

Once I move the rest of my characters to this server I'll probably plant down houses across the 'street' as this area is still very much so 'undeveloped', or rather a blank slate full of housing plots. I think Dire will probably stick with one house, he's not so big into the whole housing deal. He is proud of his house, which I decorated for him when HoT first released. He was showing it off to me the other night, point out things 'I know, honey.. I put that there...' It's cute that he appreciates how I decorated it. I do need to log in and stick the trees INTO the ground in his plot, as you can see below (third pic down) they are not planted as they should be. I don't know why that happened.

I would like to see more furniture options in the housing but I can't complain as I never thought Everquest would add housing this far down the road. I'm very happy to have this addition to the game. It's been fun decorating and I hope to do a few more houses with other characters. Anyhow, onto the pictures, Enjoy!



-kaozz

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

This & That (RIFT, EQ, LoTRO, WoW)

Seeing all the wonders of Norrath... one backside at a time.
Sigh... Last night I was messing around, checking my RIFT account management it seems I was invited to the last beta event but didn't have a clue. *Kicks Self*... Apparently I hadn't logged into it in awhile and needed to fill out one last round of information before it sent me an email. Maybe next time?

I'm really pondering about pre-ordering. It's looking like a nice change of scenery. I'll make a decision closer to March probably. I'm going to see if I get into a last beta event before then. Chances are that I will, unless things really start rolling in EQ and by then I can just pick it up at a later time.

Last night I did manage to log into LoTRO and just got nauseated with it. I could not remember what was what with my abilities and spells or where I was questing. I couldn't finish my skirmish quest because I lacked enough points to unlock the warrior. So, then I went to do another skirmish, for points, and got my tail handed to me. I'm either too low to do them now [whats the point of offering them now] or maybe I am just missing something completely [newb moment]. Maybe I'll just start an alt to get back into it, at some point. I might try again when Lono is on, for some insight.

While things are not always peachy keen in Everquest I am enjoying it a lot. The community for one doesn't grate on my nerves. Sure there is plenty of drama and stupid people around but it's not as abundant as in some other games.

I've had some time to mess around with housing in Everquest which has been nice. I've never had housing with a yard, very cool! More about that, later this week. I've gone out of my way to join some small groups and working on some more aa's before leveling up the Rogue. Still waiting on the transfers to go live, meh it's so hard!

Dire seems to be enjoying playing again, getting back into the swing of things. I was wondering if he would quit, for a moment there. We all have our days. I try to enjoy all the things that make the game what it is, to take the good with the bad and remember no game is perfect.

Do I miss WoW? Not really. I am enjoying the time away from all the bull that surrounds it. Something is wrong there. Look at all my fellow bloggers writing about the issues and analyzing why something is amiss, look at the forums aflame...err then again maybe you shouldn't. It seems like a lot of people are not happy with the direction and the state that the game is in. It seems to be blatantly apparent but maybe that's just my perception.

Plenty of people blame everyone else. DPS classes are leaches, others say it's children running wild within the game, some people think tanks and healers should get special treatment, casual lazy players wanting hand outs and so on, blaming each other. Maybe that's part of the problem. We're too busy blaming each other to see what has really happened.

IMO a key problem is that it's the games dynamics constantly changing. Right now casual players are left in the cold with heroics, we're not crying about raids being too hard or long. We're talking about group content. What goals does the game really offer, at this point? It's a solo MMO these days that all of a sudden pushes us in a corner forcing us to group in a hostile environment that the game has mutated into. Forcing us to be friends after 85 levels of solo, after an expansion that pushed hard for PUGS. We all just want a quick run and then off on our merry ways. But that's just the tip of the iceberg and I'm not going to drone on about again.

I will say this: People in older MMO games invest in the community. WoW and the like, people don’t feel they need the community.

So yeah, I'm not missing any of that one bit. I do miss my friends out there though! Hope everyone is having a great week, enjoying whatever it is you're playing!


-kaozz

Monday, January 17, 2011

The (Not So) Glorious Return- Everquest

My spiffy new mount!
This weekend my little kitty boy, Tut, got neutered and declawed. The poor little guy was so loopy from his meds when he got home. He was in a bit of pain over the weekend. He was almost too big to get declawed but he's been digging his claws into legs, feet, furniture and beating up our other (much older) cat, it had to be done. Besides the fact that he clawed up some carpet around the front door. Bad Tut! He's feeling much better today, already trying to play again but I'm trying to keep a close eye on him as he has started bleeding again (Sunday night... Scrubbing the carpet after trying to get him to lay still to get it to stop!) by thinking he is feeling better already and jumping around again. He's taken up a lot of my time this weekend but he's worth it, I adore him.

Besides playing nursemaid to Tut, I managed to get some playtime into Everquest. I mostly worked on alternate advancement points and got around 25 or so. I stuck to zones I knew I could handle solo, when I wasn't playing with Dire. I haven't had a chance to group as I only played in spurts.

Dire was pretty happy to be back and see some old friends. I don't know if it is still as much fun for him. We did get a few xp sessions in and on the last one, after getting supplies running out to the 75 hotzone buffing up, pulling, then making one mistake and dying... He didn't feel up to doing it all over again. He logged out and went to do something else outside the game. I did point out he did have over six mobs without a merc, which he can handle fine, but sometimes one mistake can get you killed. It's a risky game especially when you are 'swarming'.


Is the risk worth it? Well, the whole game is pretty risky. There is always the chance to die and get sent back to your bind spot. With mercs it isn't as harsh, rez yourself buff, back up and run back. No big deal. I suppose even with all the port stones and easy methods of travel, it's still a bit of a time sink to do all of this. It's the nature of the beast though. I died several times and just went on with playing. I went back in expecting this. Will he log back in tonight? At this point I'm not too sure.

So the return wasn't as glorious as I had hoped it would be. But I did enjoy what time I spent in the game, thus far. For now, I am enjoying myself. It will probably get lonely without Dire though, if he decides not to play. Maybe another guide will come around and hand out more cookies to make me feel better- I actually saw one Saturday and had a nice little chat with him, it was refreshing. He was passing out snacks to players.

Hand over the cookies, Sir!
I might also pop into LoTRO on the side too, maybe. Have a great week everyone!

-kaozz

Friday, January 14, 2011

Ready, Set... Everquest!

Visiting some old stomping grounds, BoT.
Last night I decided to poke back into Everquest. I could use a little time in Norrath. I've been pondering it for a few days so I just took the plunge, I seem to play every few months or so. After I got everything set up and logged into the game, it seemed  I was bugged out and certain things would not work... Am I doin this right? I only took my last break a few months ago! All I had to do was log out and back in and it worked fine. Whew!

That was the easy part. I'm still waiting on half of my characters to be able to transfer to Firiona Vie. The next problem was, do I play a character on another server until then? Nah, I want to play on my home server with the yummy 50% xp bonus! Then I couldn't decide which character to play there. I ended up going with the rogue. I like being sneaky and exploring anyhow. Not the greatest solo class but I play along with Dire a lot so it works well. Him and his beast of a Shadowknight!

Does this mean I am quitting WoW? Well no, but some time away might do me some good. I do feel bad for some of my friends but many have been playing a few other games or are just plain bored and not logging in. I have to play for me in the end. Plus my account isn't dead yet. Yes, I did cancel it for the next month. 

I've seen a few players returning to EQ or thinking about it when the progression server comes out. I won't be playing there, full time at least. It just wouldn't be the same. I am sure I will mess around there some, but I won't leave my server, plus it has awesome perks. I went to Mayong when it came out, that was probably my favorite progression server.

Anyhow if you're a bit rusty here's some links that will make things much easier for you! I remember going back years after and forgetting what was what. Not everything, but some of it ;) Some stuff you don't forget!

Some Helpful INFO!
Everquest: The Newbie Zone FAQ- Lots of good info!
Everquest official [Newbie Zone] Forums- Great place to check for info and ask questions.
Everquest Spells- Zam.. A bit of hand holding linking this ;)
Zam- [Allakhazam] The best database for EQ besides LUCY
Mapfiend- Got maps?!
Communicating with people across servers and SOE games!
An awesome tool to be able to talk to friends across servers and other SOE games.

Last but not least you can use the station launcher to chat with friends, remember EQIM? Well it pretty much works the same. Check it out here. Scroll down to Friends Panel.

Protip ;) There are no ? and ! for quests... H key is your friend! H is for HAIL! Alt+Q opens the quest log and Q is also the default setting for auto attack... And /Q quits. So just be careful with your Q button ;)

Oh and who could forget about... Hotzones!
- - The City of Guk
- - Solusek's Eye
- - The Crystal Caverns
- - Kaesora
- - The Ruins of Old Guk
- - The Howling Stones
- - The Crypt of Nadox
- - Ssraeshza Temple
- - Bastion of Thunder
- - Drunder, the Fortress of Zek
- - Vergalid Mines
- - Zhisza, the Shissar Sanctuary
- - Toskirakk
- - Kaesora Library.


Looking For Group?
I know some of you bloggers and players out there (as Mojeaux mentioned meeting up and playing together, which is a fantastic idea) are returning, some may only be interested in the progression server- BUT- I thought I'd extend the offer to invite you to come play with Dire and I on Firiona Vie. It has a 50% xp bonus and free transfers there (from all servers) will open up by February at the latest. I am sure I will play around on the progression server to an extent but my home is FV now and I just don't know if I can go back to those glory days! Anyhow if you decide to take me up on the offer add Heavenli to friends or just send me a hello from where you are playing! [t firiona.heavenli And if you've never played it, what a better time to give it a shot? Come play a REAL MMO! 

One last note, if you do play on FV don't let the language barrier scare you. Sending a tell with ;tell playername will cancel out the barrier. Everyone uses Elvish, that's pretty much universal and really you can max out a language in something like...10 or 15 minutes of spamming it in group chat (yes you can spam your poor merc if that's your only group member!). 

Feel free to  say hello or if your lost you can always shoot me some questions, I'm not up to date on everything but I can probably answer most questions for returning players. I like to help players fit back in and it helps the community while forming friendships and doesn't cause people to log out in frustration, thus never logging back in- be it help with info, chit-chatting or taking us up on our offer to come play with us! I can't help it, I just bubble with excitement at the thought of others coming to play EQ with us!


-kaozz




Thursday, January 13, 2011

Something To Sink My Teeth Into?

Looking for some inspiration!
I'd like to start today's post on a better foot, a more upbeat note, with a more optimistic outlook. In my post pondering of WoW's end game I know I may have sounded a bit cynical. I guess lately I just want something to sink my teeth into! I don't want to feel like I am being graded on my performance, while I love to do my best with any character I play- I do play to have fun. If I'm not having fun then I need to step back and do something else.

Tipa over at West Karana got me thinking, with her MMO Challenge, Revisited. When was the last time I played only one game for a year straight? Well not since I started my blog, that's for sure. I played Everquest and only Everquest for five years straight. I think I played WoW much the same for a year or two before Burning Crusade came out. Then I started to dabble around more. Not saying I didn't try different games out while playing WoW. However nothing has had me in it's grip for very long since Everquest and the early days of WoW. What is that? Newness? The never ending carrot dangled before me? The community?

I think it was a combination of having many things to do, groups with some raiding sprinkled in and a solid community within my server to pull from, to get things done. Making friends and playing with them for years to come.

I do enjoy playing different MMO games and I don't plan on not trying any new games out this year, I'm actually quite excited about a few of them. But I'd like to find one to focus on mainly, sure delve into a few others but I want that main game to stick to.

So, I'd like to take up Tipa on her challenge. I may not be able to stick with it, in the end but I'd really like to give it a shot! I just have to decide what game I want to stick to. Everquest? So much content and a  new expansion I've not even set foot into. Stick to WoW and hope things even out? Perhaps a new game on the horizon? I also have to consider Dire and what he will play along with me. I don't have to but I want to, I enjoy having him with me on my adventures. It makes a game so much better to have someone to play with and someone good, at that!

I guess I'll be thinking on it for a bit, before I make that decision. What game can you see yourself playing for a year straight?

-kaozz

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A Pleasant Surprise



Awhile back I did some character art for my newest EQ2 character, Sable. She's a Freeblood which inspired to do some artwork of the new race. I decided to submit my art to eq2players. I often check out eq2players and eqplayers to see what's new and this evening I was pleasantly surprised to see The EQII Fan Art Gallery Presents: Sable. It always tickles me to have something featured! If you haven't see it, head on over to check it out.

-kaozz

Pondering, End Game Motivation (WoW)


I've been thinking about endgame lately, I've not been really doing much of it. I was pondering why and really it's just a lot of reasons. I wanted to share a few thoughts. I am enjoying the game but I'm not really working towards any goals at 85.
Why? I apologize for the long post ahead of time! Takes a deep breath.

I find myself a recluse these days in WoW. Cataclysm is fantastic, leveling alts is fun but still I really only group with my husband as a duo, recently. Its quite fun really but sometimes it feels like I have no real goals to aim for in Cataclysm. Besides working on my newest alt, then what? Our guild is small and we are very casual with no raiding. I don't think we could even if we wanted to. So, that leaves casual group play.

The game is so highly polished and wonderful while you level. Better than ever. Once you get to the top, especially if you've played it for as long as me, you can get a bit weary from all the changes. The way of thinking is constantly changing. It's like a blur, just when you get comfortable it all changes again. Developers are constantly trying to reinvent the game.

First off, I find myself very wary of pug groups. My guild is small and in most cases it is only me on for most of my play time, depending on the time of day. It's really nobody's fault that I don't enjoy the community as much. LFD doesn't offer the chance to make friends or recruit guild members, it feels so random and lackluster. Plus, I've had more than my share of nightmare random groups to come to this conclusion. This expansion pushes us towards working with guilds- Are we to randomly invite people, not getting to know players on the playing field? I suppose that's how it's been since LFD was added. The content is suppose to make us work together harder.

While I think harder content is cool, I don't think spending more time doing a long dungeon is fun. Or working on harder content with a PUG is fun. I don't really want to spend more than half an hour, an hour tops, in an instance, anything longer should be kept to raids. Unless it's a static xp group... which does not exist in WoW (think of setting up camp in EQ or DAoC).

In Ghostcrawler's latest blog post, 'Wow, Dungeons's are hard!', he states:  In fact, we think the game is more fun overall when you play with friends, which is why we put so much effort into encouraging players to join guilds for Cataclysm. Running a hard dungeon with friends tends to be a much better experience. Communication feels less awkward, and everyone is generally more supportive of mistakes. You learn the strengths and weaknesses and nuances of players that you run with regularly. There tend to be fewer loot arguments as well. PUGs have their place -- don’t get me wrong. But we don’t want to sacrifice dungeons being fun and challenging for organized groups in order to have everything be conquered by any possible group. Make sense?

Learning things is something that you do (to enjoy) with friends and guild members not random strangers. You can, but there is a reason PUGS have such a bad name. That's why we raid. We do groups for casual fun, or rather... we did. Now they're just stepping stones [almost exclusively in WoW] we turn our noses at because we're too uber once we over-gear them. So why penalize small guilds because they lack the numbers or casual guilds? We must be in an active, large guild to really enjoy the game, even casually, at this point in time?

Is there a place for the casual player? The casual guild? What about people who can't find a solid guild at odd play-times? Other parts of his post continue with; '...There are only a few level-85 normal dungeons. For a level-85 player who isn’t ready for Heroics but wants to run dungeons, these can get old pretty quickly.' Which led on to talk about heroics and heroic-heroics... Seriously? I suppose we wait it out and continue to PUG along until we get there. Maybe a little slower, maybe a bit burnt out by then.

He also writes: 'We do understand that some healers are frustrated and giving up. That is sad and unfortunate.' Blah blah... Still wondering why you sit in LFG for half an hour? Last time I queued I waited 40 minutes (as dps) for a normal instance and logged before one popped up. While they want to take the pressure off healers for 'covering' for other people by flinging out tons of heals- it still falls on the healers as they sit OOM holding the group up. Even if the dps was too low they will still get blamed in many cases. It's not a fix. It's not fun. It's not harder, its wasting time. It's the reason I'm playing as and not healing. Sure, things will get easier when people are over-geared. By then it's back to the same cycle. It was also said- In Cataclysm, the Heroic dungeons and raids are intended to be challenging -- and they are, at least until you overgear them.

The whole post sounded as if it were aimed at raiding but it's just the group scene. ITS HEROICS!! What about casual shorter instances for non-raiders? Longer time spans in instances make them harder? Harder to get done I suppose.

I don't really think ANYTHING in WoW is truly hard. That's why so many people play it, honestly. Polish and accessibility those are the keys of success with this game. Once you learn mechanics and are geared properly [well] it's really quite easy.

[I'm not saying the game doesn't take skill for some aspects and hard work from guilds- there's just a lot of jumping through hoops and fire. And I do see plenty of monkeys in the best of the best with gear and guilds who are some of the worst players I've ever encountered]

'Ultimately, we don’t want to give undergeared or unorganized groups a near guaranteed chance of success, because then the content will feel absolutely trivial for players in appropriate gear who communicate, cooperate, and strategize. ' You may as well throw LFD out the window then! That's all LFD is- an unorganized group of people thrown together randomly. Shall we plot things out for several hours of learning and wipes? I've had friends tell me how they've done this. I thought that was raiding! Sorry but I'm not wasting that kind of time on five man instances and pretending it's something special- on group content.

You could tell me to go find a bigger guild, there you go no more LFD. But what about the little guilds, do they suffer and fall apart, friends get left behind? I'm more casual than ever, with WoW, and I don't want to leave my friends. So I suppose for me it's the little things to focus on, the solo game. If I don't feel up to raiding, at least group content should be enjoyable. Right? I might give PUGS more of a shot in the future, just not at this point in time. I don't want to totally burn out this early into the expansion. I don't like the developers outlook thus far.

On top of that, I suppose I feel I may as well not get attached to a specific play style. That's a big thing that has me bummed. I feel like the rug is constantly being pulled out from under my feet. The classes change too much, I don't like relearning a class I've been playing for six years. I adapt and get accustomed to things but it does dampen my urge to play certain classes I worked hard on and enjoyed before those changes.

Maybe I've just been burnt too many times, maybe I'm too old school, maybe I'm just not giving it enough of a chance? Whatever it is, it doesn't feel like it should. Maybe it's just me?

In conclusion, I suppose I sometimes wish LFD used Horde and Alliance for random groups, at least being able to play with your own server population- creating a closer community. But mostly I wish game play and class mechanics, we've had in place for years, weren't discarded on a constant basis. I think the rest would fall into place and the community would be better off for it. I wish the goals of the developers didn't change like the tides rolling in and out...

The moral of the story? There is no working as intended, we simply don't know how we intend it to work so we keep changing it!  Ok, there is no real moral of this story. I just wanted to share some of my thoughts thus far in with a casual guild and a casual outlook: Sometimes playing WoW feels the equivalent of  screaming on the top of my lungs in a crowd where nobody hears me. If you've read thus far, thank you for keeping up with my insanely long post and ramblings! 


-kaozz

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Digging Through The Past (Everquest)


I've not logged into Everquest for awhile but I always find myself missing it after a few months. Is it the grind that pushes me away? Lower populated servers? Cash shop? It's really none of that which ends up pushing me away. While the game has opted to really cut out most of the severe mechanics that could really hinder a player- it's the outdated auction system that gets my goat. I do not like to have my character online just to sell. I play other games, I do other things [my machine] is not a tool I only use for Everquest. Maybe one day SOE will wake up and fix this outdated mechanic. One can only hope.

Enough with my beef, that's not what I wanted to write about. I was talking, in guild chat, with Pid, the other night about Everquest and he was wondering how long things for EQ will last once Everquest Next comes out, or even EQ2's situation. I don't think Everquest will ever go anywhere. I could see EQ2 move everyone to EQ2X in the future. I see that happen before I see anything happen to Everquest. Everquest is an icon in the industry. The poster girl 'everyone' loved or admired when they were younger. We still admire her beauty, charm and class.

Everquest is still alive and kicking. It's still a great game in all it's magnificent 'elder' glory. I still love the models. The scenery. It's not all nostalgic. The game offers some of the best grouping content and chances to really get to know other players and build lasting friendships.

Am I running back to EQ anytime soon? I would absolutely love to go back with some friends and have a group of people that play together on a regular basis to work through some content. It's really a great game for that. There is so much content and casual grouping players have the prefect setting. Much as I love WoW, I don't look forward to the group content at the top and along the way there I skip most or have Dire run me to avoid it. It's not as enjoyable anymore. For now I'm not sure when I will return though.

Anyhow, there are some nice changes recently with EQ. First up is the new progression server. Progression servers are not anything new. The last one I played on was Mayong and I really enjoyed it. It was a 51/50 server. This isn't the first and it won't be the last, I'm sure. If you want to try your hand at everyone being on level ground these servers are great for this. This time it's time locked which is nice. In the past it wasn't always and hardcore players could blow through the unlocking process. I suppose it's the closest thing you'll get to a classic server, for now. Aside from the Mac version.. but that's not quite classic. The new server is not yet released but check the link out.

The other recent change is the Firiona Vie server (RP) now has a 50% xp bonus. That is awesome. I play here, this is our home. Hopefully the free transfers will open up soon and I can send all my other characters, across old servers, to my home. This is a nice bonus that can help players catch up on levels and alternate advancement. Here is some into on the special rule-set servers FV and Zek, the direction these servers will be heading.

I always miss Norrath. I miss it today, too much talk about it in guild chat recently! I hope to drag some friends back there one day and show them what a beautiful, well oiled machine of a group can do!

-kaozz

Monday, January 10, 2011

Hello There TBC!

Questing in Felwood was a blast.
Over the weekend I managed to get my Paladin to level 62. TBC time again! I just finished up, or rather skipped though most of, Hellfire. As much as I complain about BC I do have a lot of fond memories with this expansion. There are zones like Nagrand that I enjoy visiting again too. I just don't like Hellfire so much. It burns my eyes!

For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that epic flying was at level 60. It's actually 70, so I really want to get that soon as I don't like flying so slow. It's better than not flying though. I don't miss those days of running everywhere on foot, through this expansion.

My knight in shining armor killed a Fel Reaver for me!
Dire has helped me with several instance runs, I think he enjoys running together in old instances. He also hit 85 with his second character, the Warrior. He's working on the Rogue next. He enjoys the leveling process and it gives him something fun to do while waiting on me to catch up with the Paladin. He already has planned out all the old dungeons and achievements he wants us to run.

It was very nice to level through the revamped Azeroth. It seemed to zoom by at a furious pace and I missed so many areas. But even if I took off my heirloom gear, it would still go by at a fast pace. You'd have to lock your level to experience all the content in each bracket, for there are many areas to pick from to level which is nice. It wasn't always like that, in the past, some areas got very thin on things to do. No need of worry these days though, more than enough content for all the levels.

Tranquility.
I ended Azeroth with Winterspring. It's such a lovely zone. Not all glaring and white, but with soft purple hues and cute little critters running through the snow. It's a really lovely zone but at some point it starts to grate on my nerves as I don't enjoy all the quests there. Many are quite similar still. I will say Blizzard did a splendid job on the changes to the leveling process. It is really is quite enjoyable. I had said in the past, I will never level a horde character again. It really was kind of blah. Blizzard did a great job at changing that. This time around the lore was good, things were fun, humor in all the right places and just a great experience. And the loot, it was great, I never had to buy anything all the way to 60. Plenty of nice rewards!

Keeping it kind of short today. I'm sort of fidgety, 48 hours with no nicotine! We'll see how I do this time around. Have a great week people!

-kaozz

Saturday, January 8, 2011

AFK!





AFK for the weekend. If you still want to read something from me, check this out. It's not for the faint of heart but- if you're just an animal lover who wants a real eye opener you might check it out.

Enjoy the weekend!
-kaozz

Friday, January 7, 2011

Upcoming Class Tweaks (WoW)


We're already in store for some class tweaks in WoW. If you check the 4.0.6. PTR notes you can see all the listed changes. And Ghost Crawler has a few thoughts to add to the class changes, here. He also mentions- Just because your class or pet problem isn’t mentioned below doesn’t mean we won’t address it. 

{TL;DR: They are working on tweaking things and it won't be overnight. They are happy with overall damage. Healing in PvE is working out pretty much as intended. If you want to zerg the content, stick to normal dungeons. Tank balance overall seems good at this point in time. They are keeping an eye on PvP.. muttering about burst having it's place and time. They want you to work for your PvP gear- to make sure the epic PvP gear isn’t too easy for just anyone to obtain. Work Harder Scrubs?  Mastery is a new stat for us, and there are a few specs that don’t value it enough. Nooo way! Seriously, I agree. Arms Warrior burst damage might still be too high in PvP- We also might nerf Warrior stuns. Watch out Warriors! We are probably going to remove Drain Mana from warlocks. We want to make sure Unholy DKs prefer two-handed weapons. We think we overnerfed Every Man for Himself.}

Hunter's are getting a bit of a boost with MM and a slight boost with BM. MM did need a bit of a boost but it's more so reliant on a proc. The BM changes are reliant on the pet, is this a good change? It's sort of debatable. On certain fights this can be annoying, when the pet can't get to the mob or switching targets. Warcraft Hunters Union has a lot of good information and insight about the changes. If your a Hunter bookmark that site, it's so full of helpful info!

I also saw that Ret Paladins are getting a little tweak which is nice. Crusader Strike weapon damage percent has been increased to 135%, up from 115%. While mine isn't 85 I think the class needs a little more tweaking, I suppose we'll have to see all the changes incorporated. I don't yet have all my skills but it does feel a lot like waiting on CDs. Divine Storm and Crusader Strike share a CD now which boggles me. I don't like this change. It's one or the other. And the dps from DS seems a bit sub-par when compared to other skills. But the upcoming changes might help it feel a bit different, useful.

As far as Ret mastery goes here's the word on it: For example, the Retribution mastery, Hand of Light, is fun, but it doesn’t contribute enough damage. To make it contribute enough damage, the proc would need a very high chance, which then can cause paladins to devalue other sources of Holy Power. Instead, we are redesigning Retribution mastery to add a percentage of the damage of Templar’s Verdict, Crusader Strike, and Divine Storm as Holy damage (which also plays better with Inquisition). Because Hand of Light is fun, however, we are going to change Divine Purpose as a chance to proc Hand of Light instead of a chance for extra Holy Power (which will also remove a little of the randomness from the rotation).

I have played a Paladin over the course of every expansion, it was my first 60 back in Vanilla. The class has come a LONG way. The dps is no longer a joke and we actually have range (no more Linken's Boomerang) attacks. I was just thinking the other day of all the changes the class has had. It's so far from what it started out as but I like it a lot. It's one of my favorite classes, it always has been. It's one of the dps/healer classes I enjoy the most.

There are plenty of other class changes but those were the ones I was interested in mostly lately. My Druid is on hold but they also received changes. I'll have to take a better look at those changes as I just glanced over them.

Have a great weekend!

-kaozz

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Stopping To Smell The Flowers


I've been stopping to smell the flowers lately, or rather pick them. I took up herbing and mining with my Paladin and it seems I can't go five yards without picking an herb. Which can be a good thing, as I never need money from my main(s). Or it can sometimes make travel and questing take some time, I must have them all! The best thing about it is that it's really good money.

The only character I've been playing lately is the Paladin, who is 43 now. I'm just having a lot of fun with it, more than I thought I would. I originally made the character to goof off with until Cataclysm came out but now I am wanting to play it all the way up.

I even got Mr. Grubbs last night, pictured up top. He's so cute and fat. When I got him I exclaimed, to Dire, 'It's Mr. Grubbs! He's mine!', I don't think he shares my enthusiasm of pets but he tries hehe.


Speaking of pets, I also got the Tiny Shale Spider from Jadefang. I made a point to keep the daily from that area, it (the quest item) boosts you into his area. Then I camped in and out to check for it on and off for a few days. It's a really neat pet. I could have tamed Jadefang but maybe another time.


And moar pets! I finally got the elusive snowman pet in EQ2, Enchanted Snowman, from Santas Glugg! He's really cute and he slides around after me. My own little bit of Frostfell to last me year round. I've also gotten several other nice things from Santas Glugg, housing items and such. I make sure to log in daily for the gift. Tomorrow is the last day. Sad face.

I've been kind of slack in EQ2X the past few days. It's nice though, knowing I can log in whenever. I don't have a sub so it's not going anywhere, time isn't going to run out. I still enjoy it but I've just been trying to catch up the Paladin in WoW. I'm sure I'll pick back up on it more so soon.

I leave you with an awesome song:



-kaozz

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Trying Something New


So, blogger is being as ass tonight. If you're one of the people having problems too this should help: If you want to temporarily fix it, go under settings and change to the "old editor". I checked the help forums and seems many people are having the same issue. The compose window just spins with a 'loading' timer.

Anyhow, if you look to the right there is a little messenger window I've added. Stop by and say hello while you visit. I might not reply right away- or at all.. It's just because I am busy, not that I don't want to say hello! I'm on (or rather my phone is) so I could be sleeping, eating, gaming or just ignoring those little noises the phone makes =p I'll get it eventually.

To use it, it's fairly simple. Type in your desired name and message then hit enter. That's all there is to it, pretty easy. I wanted something simple where readers didn't have to have an account just to drop a hello or ask a question. If it does get out of hand and abused I'll have to change it where it does require an account. Lets hope for the best! I know you're all an outstanding bunch, you read MY blog, you have to be! Tee hee!

My site isn't some huge deal so I'm hoping I don't have many problems with it. So, if you like, say hello. Or if you want to chat sometime you can always use this OR find me in game in WoW or EQ2, depending on the day or.... Add me to twitter or send me your messenger contact. I'm always up for making new friends and keeping in touch with old friends. Just click on the little window to the right and drop me a hello.

I'm sure Lono might use it to tell me 'GET ONLINE FOR DUNGEON RUNS BEFORE I RAGE ON PUGS!' So it might come in handy for things like that hehe.

-kaozz

2011 Hopes

Sometimes it feels like that!

I was thinking, recently, what do I want from a new game? If I were to pick up and try a new game there a few things I have hopes for. I'm not craving something outlandish and different but more so tried and true, these days. My hopes for new games on the horizon? BTW, CAPS GET THE POINT ACROSS TODAY!

Solid content. This includes leveling up and high end. I don't want to be spending tons of time looking for things to do or where some silly quest mobs are. I want to be kept busy along the way. Once I get to the top give me things to do. Not one or two small dungeons to run over and over until my eyes bleed. Keep the player engaged and enjoying themselves.

I want a game that isn't forcing players to use a billion addons (OR EMBRACING THIS). Hell, I am so sick of addons! I could care less if I ever see another. Keep it simple, elegant and fun. Once you get where you need so many (UR NOT TEH COOL UNLESS U USE EM- OR UR CRIPPLED WITHOUT THEM) it sucks the fun out of things. Sure they are handy, but really it takes away from the game at some point.

Instances and raids. I want to instance and get things done. If I can't raid I want to be able to get something done! That is a BIG deal with me. I'm sick of regular and heroic content. Just give me freaking dungeons and stop trying to keep me busy by just making them harder. (LOOKS AT WOW) I'm not chasing after your nubby carrot if it is stupidly hard for GROUP content. Seriously. I don't want a cake walk but I don't want to waste my time over trivial content. Let the raids be the place for wipefests. I don't need DEADMINES, on heroic, kicking my ass. That's truly an insult. (Har- Har- Joke)

No more pointless achievements that require all my time. Please stop with the pointless achievements. If they don't reward me with something worthwhile: I DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM. I don't care to waste endless hours for a title. If it's reasonable and I don't have to do every quest in the game, I don't mind. Kill 500 orcs, well in due time I'll get it (given there are more orcs as I level). I don't want to backtrack and do low level quests just for a stupid title. If there is no point to the achievement besides showing off what I did, I don't want it. If you're heading in the elitist direction, or rather, following in someone's (WoW) footsteps.. I don't want to play your game.

Don't split factions. Sure keep them separate as far as lore goes but don't divide the player base. We now use CROSS SERVER instances because of this mistake- which basically turned WoW's community to mush- What was left of it. Games like EQ, EQ2 and so on.. They pull from the whole server to do raids and instances and it keeps a server healthy.

For heaven's sake add in a broker/auction system. If you don't your chasing off your potential player base. If you have a game without one (YES. YOU. EVERQUEST... I DON'T LIKE YOUR OUTDATED TRADER SYSTEM) you should reconsider. Nothing else need be said on this topic.

Fluff. While not everyone is into it, there are things I think should be considered. Add a variety of mount types from vendors and reputations and so on. Pretty please! Things like player housing and guild housing may appear to be merely fluff (They can add utility- Look at EQ2 and EQ) but they can enrich a game and add a bit of charm for players.  Another thing I would love to see more of- APPEARANCE SLOTS- CONSIDER THEM!!! Pets, pets and more pets. People love cute little pets.

PvP. People like this. Keep it separate from the regular game play. DO offer PvP and PvE servers. This makes people happy on both sides. Add meaningful rewards as an alternate type of play. Don't force it down anyones throat though. People DO NOT LIKE THIS.

Some other things would include:
-A little bit of humor never hurt things!
-Good Graphics -but- nothing overdone and laggy.
-Touching base (often) with the customers/community.
-Good, solid support.
-Good In-Game travel... Please don't make it painful and slow. I want to travel with ease and PLAY. 
-Not taking 'ten years' to chip away at a mob to kill it... *snore*
-Fun alternate things to do such as cooking, fishing and so on, netting fun rewards as you progress.

I suppose are the top things on my list today. If a new game comes out and knocks all of that out.. I'd play it in a heartbeat. Of course these are my opinions and not everyone may agree, but hey, that's life! What are your hopes?

-kaozz

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