Thursday, June 30, 2011

Patches and Pigtails



I've been waiting for the 4.2 patch to hit WoW for awhile now so I felt it was time to pop back in and check things out. When I went to reactivate I found I had seven free days to claim, woot! I haven't been gone THAT long! I decided to do the fishing daily in Dalaran first since I was camped there, was rewarded with a weather beaten fishing hat- Finally! Good way to start things off.

I was impressed with the starting quest for the new content in Hyjal. There were still many people out there doing the chain and it was quite fun with a festive feel to it. It might get a bit dull doing it a few months down the road with an alt though, killing all those mobs required. It seems Thrall gets a wife or mate, as they called it, it was kind of weird with her chasing after him. Oh you want to have 'mah' babies? I'll save you Thrall! Then to top it off Jaina is watching them make their vows, after you save Thrall and his woman. Was she jealous? Her last boyfriend turned into the Lich King... Poor Jaina.

Anyhow, I did have a blast and I got a shiny new purple cloak with nice stats. Then was sent off to do three daily quests, a bit underwhelming, only three a day to start with? It expands over time, so I hear, but I was expecting more. All this so I can do three quests for roughly 21 days, in order to unlock more? I'm not complaining, there are tons of daily quests I have available so I may as well start working on them while I wait for the new stuff.


It was nice being back. I always miss my characters, especially the hunter, I am wanting to fiddle around with my alts and pick up a few things from the summer event before it is gone. Maybe finish up the title for Clo. I also had no idea that there were a few new hairstyles! I can has pigtails as a night elf?! I only found out after seeing someone wearing the new style, I ran off to the barber to see! So now Clo is sporting some pigtails!

There were also ten new hunter pets added so I hope to get my hands on some of them in the near future. All in all it has been a fun return. I've been waiting quite awhile for this patch so it was great to finally check things out.

-kaozz  

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Accessibility

Blizzard has stepped into the F2P ring! All other F2P games might as well curl into a ball and cry... No, not really.

This year a lot of MMO companies have been trying to ramp things up, trying to be more competitive, adding more accessibility and a lot have been dabbling with the free to play idea. Some are better than others, I think some of the better options are from games like LoTRO and Champions Online. But we have everything in between and now it seems Blizzard wants to hop on the bandwagon.

Yesterday Blizzard announced that trial accounts can play forever for free. WoW forever and FREE?! Props to WoW Insider for the heads up. This really offers nothing for a returning player, unless you want to make a trial account to dabble around on, and even then it is really restricted. No options to add anything besides an actual monthly fee, once you do I think you're pretty much stuck with paying.

While it is really a cool idea, hey I'm making an alt account to hop on for holiday events when my main account is dead, I can't see many people actually playing free forever, heh. I think 1-60 F2P would have been really great, maybe the option to pay or not to pay on accounts with characters under level 70. Currently there is no auction house, mail, or guild use available. Chat is very restricted also. Then to cap it off there is a ten gold cap on these accounts. I know this is to try to prevent spammers and gold sellers from utilizing these accounts but it still feels very limited.

So, if you're like me and you have an account with many characters, well, you're out of luck when it comes to playing WoW for free. This is more of an incentive to hook people and reel them into paying a monthly fee. Nothing wrong with that, it's just not as free unless you don't mind capping out at level 20. I already have an army of alts waiting to be capped to level 20 for a rainy day, I always say 1-20 are some of the most fun- I'll just pretend it is Guild Wars!

SOE also released their all access plan yesterday: $19.99 for station access, playing all their games for one, really good, price. If you pay an annual fee it's only 14.99 a month, really cheap. I think they may have decided this would be good idea to help boost subscriptions, especially with SWG closing it's doors. I'm sure it had something to do with it.

I'd like to see more SOE games go FTP especially Vanguard. In some ways I don't want to see it go F2P but I'd like to see development and not have to sub all the time to pop in, I think that's what keeps me tied to a LOT of my (F2P) games, being able to pop in whenever I want.

What do you think of the WoW forever free trial?

Below your existing account you have the option to add a starter account.
Edit: It seems you can add a starter account to your existing account,  but they are separate. I suppose you could use one to log in and say hello to friends on occasion if you wanted to.  Real ID is disabled and they will have to add you to friends in order for you to message them. But technically you can add one of these accounts. Perfect for those wanting to pop in from time to time and just socialize when an account has lapsed.


-kaozz

Monday, June 27, 2011

The Weekend Recap


Something new always perks my interest in one of my games I've wandered off from. This weekend I wanted to check out the new mounts that were added into EQ2. Well, I checked out the leaping mount as I wanted one on my EQ2X character who is sitting at level 35. They are a nice addition. I'm not super crazy about them but I suppose there is a novelty about them I like- I can jump off cliffs!

There has also been a change in mount speeds. The ground mounts are now all 130, some started at 20% (I think some may be 135? But they cap higher with aa points), which is a huge boost. The new 'air' mounts seem to be 60% with a speed boost when leaping or gliding. In my opinion it is just easier to run past things at 130% speed, but the good thing is I can use the leaper to get up to high places and jump off cliffs with no fear of dying. I like that. I do wish you could set up your mount key to have multiple mounts, it just isn't working out having to open my mount window every time I need to use a different type. Hopefully this will be addressed soon. All in all I am at least loving 130% mount speeds!


I haven't logged on in awhile but I do find myself missing the depth of the game, the crafting, the housing, the community, the many, many wonderful events that pop up each month. I may start popping back in on my EQ2X account, a friend has offered to help me get some levels so I just might take him up on that! Plus he has a great guild, since most of mine went to Rift I might join his if I become more active. I also received some snazzy arm bands from my free LoN packs, I want to utilize those ;) Pictured above, pretty!

Mostly Champions Online has been my main staple for my MMO cravings. I enjoy the build I put together and it really has been a lot of fun questing and doing missions. Each week I look forward to the weekly comic issue and that is a plus, engaging content to look forward to weekly is awesome.


I have not been trying to blow through the levels, I am only 16 at the moment and I wonder how end game will be. I hear mixed reactions. Some people love high end and others sound bored. While it is very casual (just what I am looking for) it may be a little repetitive once you've done things for awhile. I am looking forward to the addition of the housing, aka hideouts, maybe they will add a bit of spark, it would be nice if you could collect things for your hideout.

All in all I really enjoy Champions and I am not going to judge what I haven't had the chance to experience. It is a fantastic game that still has me quite hooked. It is a really nice change of pace, especially for those burnt out on the same ol' same ol' fantasy MMO games.

Lately I need something casual, we have a new seven month old mini Dachshund girl I am trying to get settled in.

Lil' Miss (Missy)

Have a great week peeps!
-kaozz

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Get Your Zombie Fix On!

Braiiiiins....

I was checking out a new FTP site I found recently and among some of the games listed I found a little gem of a browser game. It's called Dead Frontier and it's currently in beta. For those who love everything zombie, like me, it's worth checking out. It is a browser based MMORPG zombie game.

You can choose your gender, appearance, loot things, kill ZOMBIES, talk to other players and do on, pretty cool so far. I've not had a chance to play it much but I really like it so far, something fun to do when I have a zombie craving! Anyhow, check it out here!

Time to go kick some more zombie arse!


-kaozz

SWG: A Sad Ending

SWG will fade off into the sunset...


I'm sure many have already heard the buzz about SWG closing it's doors for good on December 15th of this year. Very sad to hear that this long going game will be fading off into the sunset. I know the game still has people who love it and some who like knowing it is there for whenever they have the urge to head back to it. I never was really much of a SWG player but I still hate to see this happen. A sad day for SWG players. Massively has a great interview with John Smedley with plenty of details- here if you'd like to read it.

I suppose Lucas Arts didn't want to renew the contract with the IP. Honestly, I think this was a bit greedy to pull the rug out from under SWG, so to speak. It really puts a sour taste in my mouth with Lucas Arts. There isn't really an expiration date on MMO games and they won't all go on forever but it is really sad to see any get shut down for reasons such as this. Like SWG would have been much competition. Seriously.

I do hope the final days are filled with fond memories and people get plenty of screenshots. I have a free month still and I just might have to use that so I can visit this world before it is too late. My brothers both played this game, back in the day, I always thought it was such an interesting world. Such room for creativity!

Somehow this just makes me much less enthused about the upcoming SW MMO.  My final thoughts on this whole thing?  SOE would do best, in the future, to stay clear of IP based MMO games. I've never been much of a fan for them in the first place.


-kaozz

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Bad Dreams Are Made of This



Yesterday Champions released the fourth weekly issue of the comic series, Aftershock. Last week I spent time catching up so I would be current on these and they are pretty fun. Probably some of the most fun I've had so far would be doing these. I would have to say this week's issue has been the best issue so far. It was short enough not to drag on but long enough to feel engaging. I really, really enjoyed it. This weeks was 'Bad Dreams Are Made of This', it really felt creepy and dream like.

There were some different mechanics in this weeks issue and while some people may have complained about failing them, or stated how much they 'hatied' them, they were interesting and you got perks for doing them. If you failed them you can always go back and do them over. I have already done the mission over once just because I missed a perk and I really liked it enough to do it again.

By the time I got to the end I was like... Oh damn! It leaves you on a cliff waiting for next week. I was so engrossed that I didn't realize that it was the end boss. I really look forward to these weekly issues. While I think the rewards could be a bit better, random BoP items, I still have fun.

I liked Champions enough this time around to actually subscribe again. While I felt that I had a lot of freedom and access as a silver member- I just figured I may as well to try out the freeform powers and I didn't have a sub going anyhow, so I should try this out. I am enjoying freeform. I poured over forums checking out builds, I had planned to try to find a good solid one but nothing struck my fancy.

I ended up making my own build which is still lacking things I want, but as I level I will gain more unlocks to add in more abilities. So far it seems pretty solid and puts out decent damage. I think I may add in a pet for kicks, at one point, because I want a pet, heh.

I think one of the biggest things that impresses me with Cryptic and Champions is the weekly additions of content. Something new to look forward to each week. Plus you can replay them up to four times a day. You can do these solo or with friends. I really love being able to do these as a lower level character solo, I don't have many friends yet. I joined a (guild) supertteam last night so I hope to make more friends along the way!

That's it for me today, have a super week peeps!
-kaozz  

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

F2P Love

I <3 F2P 


This month we've seen a lot of MMO games announcing they are going Free To Play- CoX, FE, Lego Universe and AoC... Did I miss any? I think this is a great thing overall. This gives a huge variety of games that stay out there for us to pick and choose from, while letting us get a real feel for them. Some of these games would have probably closed down. While some people might think that would be a good thing but there are people who'd hate to see their favorite MMO shut their doors for good. I'm fine with subscriptions but if it isn't working for a company then sometimes F2P is a better option.

Just because a game is F2P doesn't mean it's not a good game. We've gone past that point in time. When I first started to dabble in F2P games, most of them were grindy with no choice of PvP or PvE. The selection was also pretty bad. You took what you could get if you wanted a F2P game. Now there are different choices, a wide variety with some even offering a subscription if you choose or just picking and choosing ala cart. Some offer better F2P models than other but being able to test drive the game or playing it free for awhile is also a great option. Want to pop in and say hi to your friends? No problem.

I recently read a blog where someone was complaining about all the F2P games of late and how they hoped it was just a fad. I suppose some people feel that they are playing a better game because they are paying a flat monthly rate, however there so few games that don't just offer a flat fee- many incorporate  a cash shop along with this monthly fee. Many F2P games also seem to offer content on a faster basis than the AAA MMO models. How can that be bad?

I've even heard that World of Warcraft was, at one time, considering to be a F2P game- in early development. Whether or not it surely would have changed things a lot, since WoW has had such an influence over MMO games as a whole. Would people be more open to them [F2P MMOs] today? Probably.

I love the amount of games out there today. I spent years and years playing the same games because there wasn't much when it came to choice. I also paid subscriptions to the same games for years and years because I didn't want to blindly jump ship.

I think F2P is here to stay, not just a fad, a better way to get into different games. I wouldn't have tried a lot of games if they didn't offer F2P. I just got sucked back into Champions Online and I'm glad I went back, sometimes things change, get better or just seem to be what you're looking for at a later time. Free to play lets you find out. It also brings new life to dying communities which is always a good thing.

IMO A true gamer is one who respects different ways of gaming, instead of 'preaching' on what they think is best. Do you enjoy the freedom of F2P MMO games?

-kaozz

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Postcards From Tealon

Soaring above Tealon.

Traveling to meet my partner in crime.

My partner in crime and I.

A lovely zone I had the chance to adventure in.

Another leveling zone.

Taking in the beautiful scenery.

An interesting looking player.

Awww, his first train!

Traveling to the city.

A cool looking player and her mount.

The forest.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Weekend Recap



Friday I walked in and saw Dire was installing Vanguard. I did a double take! Well, he was trying to. The silly station launcher was giving errors so we had to find another link for the direct download of the game. I'd mentioned that he should pick up his free 45 days and give it another shot but didn't think he'd bother. I was happy to see he actually wanted to.

He really had a blast on Saturday when he sat down to play it and was still playing it when I went to bed! He has managed to make it to level nine and I even went and helped him with a dungeon, which was a lot of fun for him. I don't know if it will last but he seemed very taken with the game. I managed to get another level over the weekend, I was pretty busy so I was glad to at least get one level.


It is always relaxing to log in to Vanguard, I love the music in the zones. In some MMO games the music grates on my nerves until I turn it off, but not in this one. I enjoy the combat and questing, and there are so very many quests to do. Someone said, on the forums the other day, 'Sony you had the crown jewels and you never even knew it.'-Very true, this game is a real gem. I always was under the impression it was very hardcore but there is plenty of room to be casual. Plus the game has a great community full of people who love this game, just look on the forums, lot of passionate players. Lately I've seen a few new people joining back, or taking a gander and posting there. God to see the welcome back time and the new station access price is helping with that!

On the side, when I want something to log in for half an hour or so, I have been playing Champions Online. My newest character is sitting at level eleven now. I'm enjoying this game too. I must say I don't feel nearly as restricted as I have in other F2P games, I haven't put down a subscription yet. I did unlock a few costume slots and grabbed a cool device that turns me into a vampire with life tapping abilities, which helps when I need some heals.


I like that this game has instances or rather missions that I can solo if I want, duo or even join a group for. Another thing I love is the weekly Issues- a weekly comic series you can play through. If you've played Star Trek Online, it is similar to their episodes. The first one had some really cheesey cutscenes but they are getting better and are a nice fun change from what I am use to. I absolutely love the idea of new weekly content! Plus, you can always replay through these.

I suppose it is the allure of 'Be Anything You Want!' that gets me. It reminds me being a kid, I was a huge He-Man, She-Ra, Ninja Turtle, GI Joe, insert other cool 80's cartoons here, so playing this is like letting my inner child out to be what I always wanted to be, as a kid. I love the freedom of looking how you want and playing that way, plus being able to tweak it as you go is a huge plus. You can visit a tailor anytime you want to change your appearance for only a few silver.


Another thing that is really appealing to me would be the housing, or should I say- hideouts that are to be added soon! A hide out for my hero?! Yes please! There are a couple examples: the Moonbase and the Basement, they look pretty nifty. I have heard they are due out next month, exciting!

I have found that sometimes giving a game a second or third try is sometimes very worth it. Sometimes one game isn't what we want right then, but later on it can fit us just right. Last week Syp said-, "I find that it’s important to go back to older MMOs that didn’t stick the first (or third) time, because (a) first impressions aren’t always the most reliable, (b) tastes change over time, and (c) games improve over time.  I wanted to figure out what people liked in this game, and, hey, it costs nothing but time to check out.' He really hit the nail on the head there.

Safe adventures all, have a great week!
-kaozz 

Friday, June 17, 2011

TGIF



-kaozz

Disco- Superhero Style (CO)




Last night I saw an email from Champions Online sitting in my box. I often get many updates about games in my email, sometimes I click on them just to see if they are offering anything new or interesting. For some reason the Champions Online email looked interesting so I clicked on it. It seems this weekend is offering a fun boost. A fun adventure I can solo or group through and some other stuff.

I've not played Champions since release, I felt underwhelmed and really disliked the starting area. Meh, why did I click that email, I just had to get curious how the game is since going free to play! I've been wondering for some time, honestly. I actually had the CD sitting on my desk, one of the kitties knocked it over while plundering my desk. I figured I may as well install it and check out the 'new' FTP Champions- Free For All.

I thought it would take much longer to patch after using my CD to install the game but it only took a few minutes and I was ready to go. I also figured that my options for creating a character would be much slimmer than before. I was pleasantly surprised, even with some of the costume pieces locked away behind gold or cash shop unlocks, I still had so much to work with on building my new character. I could have started with the old one, converted her to a free character but I didn't care to do this. Well, I actually did convert her but she didn't seem as enticing this time around, looks wise I wanted something a little different.

The starting area is still the same, the tutorial area. I actually died a few times due to rubber banding and some stupid moves on my part. No big deal, got through the annoying quests and was sent to Millennium City. These quests didn't seem so bland and I liked this area better than the 'Canada' setting, nothing against Canada but the area was so blah. I'd be insulted if I were Canadian! Yeah, it was that bad.

A lot of abilities are locked behind gold memberships or packs. One thing I do like is just having a class set with abilities already set, so being silver isn't a big deal to me. I'm one of those people that will pick the coolest things and end up hating my build, lol. I like some guidance so I don't have to pour over specs and such. Moar time to play!


Travel abilities are limited too. If I were to play on a regular basis I'd probably just buy an unlock for one I liked the best, they even added a few new cool ones. There are some cool things in the cash shop, plenty of stuff to drool over. I had 400 points, not sure where they came from, so I unlocked a pack to remake a character with. It had cute pigtails! I also had a pre-order claim that makes my head glow... woo! I have 100 points now, I suspect from completing perks. Similar to the Turbine way of gaining some extra cash shop credits. Yum!

I got to see some things I didn't last time. My favorite was the club in Millennium City. I danced for awhile because the flashing, swirly lights and pulsing music had me mesmerized. Every game needs a dance floor with techno and flashing lights!! Superhero disco FTW!

Combat wasn't much different but I actually enjoyed myself. I like that I can pop in for a bit and get a few things done and not have to take forever to do just that. I chose a flying travel power, I love flying around swooping down and soaring above the landscape. There are many fun abilities but nothing tops flying in my book!

-kaozz 

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Vanguard- The Adventure Continues


Lately I read a lot of blogs and forum comments about how people are sick this and that, how they crave for a more adventurous yet challenging game. I'm not going to get into what they do complain about, however they all seem to crave a game that offers: challenge, putting your mark on a game (housing/guild halls), depth, crafting, adventuring, community, group and solo content at all levels. After trying Vanguard, to me, this really seems a game that offers a lot of what gamers seem to be craving.

Things are starting to pick up for me in Vanguard. At first I was skeptical of the game but I find myself drawn to it more and more. The people, the world, my character, all of it. My Cleric is starting to kill faster, I have not played a dps class at this level so I can imagine it would be quite fun. There are different levels of difficulties on mobs but the solo quest mobs are quite enjoyable for me. I enjoy questing, I have yet to run out of quests, there are so many places to quest that I won't be able to do them all.

Choppin' things together!
Tuesdays our guild holds a gathering night. One of my guild members took time to show me the ropes with gathering, he bought me all the tools I needed and also showed me how to gain a larger pack to stow them all in, that way I could use them automatically when clicking on a harvesting item. It was nice, we ran around gathering materials together. Literally, we both chopped down the trees together, nothing quite so satisfying as seeing a tree fall at your feet [in pixels!]! We harvested minerals together, all in all it was relaxing and fun. You net more rewards harvesting with someone else, I thought it was such a neat aspect of the game. Social harvesting!

THAT is how a cleric should look!
Last night I bought a new cloak, it is just for appearance but I love it. There are really nice cloaks in this game (with stats) and it adds a nice touch with the hood over my character's face. She feels like a real cleric. I'd have to say that the Vanguard cleric is one of my favorite versions of the class. The soloing is very enjoyable and I gained a damage shield which helps a lot too. I don't feel weak or puny and I just love smashing things with my mace. *Bam! Smash!* Take that!


I also decided to take on a faction, players are able to do this at level 10. My guild advised I choose a mount I like and go with the faction associated with it. At level 30 you gain access to a special racial mount. I thought the fox mount looked very snazzy so I went with it. This game has a lot of interesting faction based mounts. Basically you align with a city and fight in their name, wearing a necklace which grants random [faction] coin drops which you turn in to gain faction. Some coins are used as currency also. I found a couple of links with some great pictures to help me pick- here and here.

I've been questing my little heart out and really loving it. I hope, over the weekend, to get a chance at some groups, we'll see how busy I get. Most of the time I log in late in the evenings, carting a teenager around in the summer is almost a full time job ;) I've gotten some very nice quest rewards and while the coin has been sort of slow, it is starting to get a little better. I don't lack anything as of now. Combat is fast enough paced to keep me interested and between fights, well, I have zero down time currently. I didn't know questing would be this enjoyable. I think my impressions of Vanguard were way off base, until I actually spent some time playing past the isle.


So, just an update on my travels in Tealon. I am a smidgen away from level 15! I look forward to the adventures ahead of me.
-kaozz



Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Lazy Summer Days



I've been a bit lazy this summer with posting and commenting, especially on some of my favorite blogs. I still read  way too many- on my android. I just have had less time with it being summer. Plus, I'm getting over a yucky cold. A cold in summer!? Anyhow I thought I'd just ramble on about a few things today.

Lately my husband and I don't play any MMOs together. He plays a lot of golf online, which I think is boring but he plays it with my stepfather and they are crazy about it. Maybe a bit too crazy ;) However, he is working almost seventy hours a week and hopping into a MMO isn't what he feels like doing, being so tired. So, I've been keeping an eye out for something we could play casually together very casually. Something where levels won't make a huge difference, between us, where we can quest and do stuff together in a short amount of time. It seems EQ has too much setting up involved so we're not playing that much at all. I'm trying to get him interested in Vanguard.... slowly. Hopefully he'll take the bait sooner or later!

I have been playing Little Big Planet with my son on the PS3. I knew he would like it a lot, I told him he should grab that for one of our free welcome back games. He also grabbed Dead Nation, which he thought was underwhelming. LBP is quite cute and I really wish I had some screenshots to share, hehe. It is fun with two players too, you have to work together for certain parts. Plus I love playing dress-up and the stickers.

E3 has come and gone, I really didn't say anything about it. I suppose nothing really excited me much. I did follow it though. I think SW:TOR had some interesting stuff showcased, but the game is still a ways off and I am not big on hype. I remember writing about all the hype almost exactly one year ago... With this very game. I am looking forward to it, but I'm not really thinking about it much.

I was a bit let down that Fable: The Journey was strictly console, with Kinect. One of these days I suppose I'll get another 360 so I can get excited about those games. Right now I am a bit burnt with the xbox live customer service and excess charges, having to cancel a credit card and all. I'm still wary of those jerks and their terri-bad customer service.

Jade Dynasty and Battle of The Immortals have events going on now. Double XP and quests. I just haven't had too much time for logging in with my free time lately. I want to pop in this evening though to see what it's all about.

Everquest mounts just got an update'- Mount control has been tightened up considerably. When using a mount you will reach top speed much faster than before, and stop even faster. While in combat, the movement is still tighter than before, but not as responsive as when out of combat.
- All mounts available in the marketplace are now Heirloom. This is retroactive to those already purchased.' 

I am very glad! I need to poke in there and see how these changes feel. That is always one thing that bothered me about EQ mounts, they took forever to stop! You could use an insta click item and they would stop on a dime, still will. But who feels like clicking on their AoN every time they want to stop! Plus heirloom mounts make it much nicer to buy one and share it with alts.

Today Pirus opens up the cash shop. Oh keep me away from it please!! I have got to log in and check it out. I want to see how it will fare in this game, or rather how this game will fare with it. So far the game has been fine without the need for any cash shop items. I've just been a carebear and sort of not playing it as much, dreading the PvP levels. Though many PvPers are complaining about the harsh penalties. Hahahaha! *cough*...That is all. 

And, last but not least Eden Eternal went into open beta today. I had gotten a CB key from Massively and tried it out. A nice and cute game, maybe a bit too cutesy for me actually, combined with looking like the characters popped out of a Saturday morning cartoon, it is a bit much for me. Game play is nice though but I couldn't find any sort of quest tracker. They had some neat mounts and pets. All around it looked like a nice game.

That's about it for today, catch ya on the flip side ;)
-kaozz




Monday, June 13, 2011

Vanguard- Forever?

Sometimes I think I could stare at the sky, in Tealon, forever...
This is the first post in a series I want to work on, trying to compile some information for Vanguard while documenting my thoughts and ideas as I play through the game, as well as [trying to] help bring some new blood into the game. Lengthy post inc!

Since SOE handed out game time for all of my games with the welcome back promotion,Vanguard has been on my mind. I actually had to reinstall it, I don't remember removing it but I install so many games on a regular basis it is a possibility. Anyhow, I decided to wait a bit on Vanguard until the mood hit me and, yep, the mood hit me last week. Is it worth it? Is the game dead? Why should one even bother playing Vanguard? Well, maybe you can even help Vanguard grow. Read on and find out how and how it's going for me

I've never played Vanguard past the Isle of Dawn, so these are my thoughts through the eyes of a fresh player. Ok, I lied, I tried it at launch and removed the game the next day, my computer ran it like hell and I had some issues with bugs. Point is, I didn't get to scratch the surface, at all. I'm an eleven year MMO veteran who has not felt like a such a newb in years. But it is all good. It is fun to learn things and feel that things are fresh and new, not letting things get you down and keep pushing forward.

The biggest problem I have is acquiring information about Vanguard. There is info out there but you really, really have to dig for it. So, this long winded post maybe will help a few newbies out there- and as long as I continue to play I will continue to compile information and links I find. The biggest bit of advice I can offer is ASK the community. Those players in the game have a wealth of knowledge. Maybe there is a player who won't help you, there are others out there willing to aid you because they want to see new players come to this game and stay. Don't be afraid to ask. I probably get on peoples nerves, however I do ask questions but mostly because I cannot find information for it online- or sometimes I'm too tired to look.

Starting out. You might not like the first class you try. From my experience some characters don't start to shine until around level ten and I've heard some not until 14 or 15. Try a few out, class mechanics are different and while you may hate one class you may find you love another. Don't base the game off trying one class.

The Isle of Dawn is a very interesting starting area. It has a nice feel and offers a lot of fun quests. I've heard it is best to start out here so I did. I think with my next character I may skip it just so I can see the original starting areas. It's not a huge deal. I found out, after leaving the isle (you can only leave at level 10, by porting with the riftway), there is a very nice reward worth doing this for- Sadly I cannot find an actual of link for it. Bracelet of Charms. Supposedly it increases in power every ten levels.

Limited flying is still handy.
I did try my hand at grouping on the island and it's really hit or miss. I managed to group with a seven year old who couldn't type, at one point, probably the best player I met there- to people who rush forward and die,  and others who were quite nice. The first dungeon was buggy and the 'air lift' bugged us quite a few times to where we had to [/stuck yes] port out and run back in. So many times that I had enough after an hour. It would be nice if SOE would keep up on this stuff and at least fix it. There are nice rewards if you can get through the dungeon, I just ended up giving up and moving on.

Vanguard has two servers, EU and US. While the population is small there is still a population. I found people to either totally ignore me or be extremely helpful. Being the social creature I am, I looked for a guild once off the island and joined up with one. A small friendly guild, the only one to answer my lonely cry for friends ;) I was very happy to find them.

Fishing! 
Once off the island I wanted to know two things. Where do get a horse and where do you set your bind/recall to? Which led to, where do I get my recall spell at? Mounts. You can buy these in major cities. Ok, great. Where are the major cities? Anyone? Hello?! Google? Nothing?! For crying out loud!! Thankfully a kindhearted player helped me get my bearings.

For those wondering how- Veskal's Exchange, if you're not there you can use the riftway stone to port there. Once there grab a griffon and fly to Leth Nurae, the griffon will only last four minutes but that is more than enough time to fly there. The location is to the North West and you can see it listed on the in-game map (it is sort of embedded in the mountains). Once there ask a guard where to find the stables. The marker on your compass will show you the direction you need to go. The mounts cost about twelve silver and you'll want to grab some barding while you're there and maybe horseshoes. I forgot those. They will add a slight speed increase to your mount and the barding will add the look of some tack on your horse, instead of it looking like you're riding bareback.

So excited here, my first mount. Always very exciting for me!
Before you go you may want to set your bind location. Most of these are just outside the towns/outposts. The one in VE is just to the West, down the path a bit. Click on the binding stone and it sets your recall point there. Where is the recall ability? If you open your spell book and hit the general tab it should be there. If it isn't, go to your class trainer (in the outpost) and train for it. If you started on the island you'll most likely have to do this.

So, those are my few tidbits of newbie knowledge. Maybe you die, what happens? You lost xp. If you summon your tombstone (no corpses) to a stone you will take a 7% experience loss and lose durability. When you die you lose 9% experience. If you run back to your tombstone you only lose 1-2% I've heard both and this information is just what I've researched and asked around. I've also been told that if you die too often you also gain an xp penalty but you can never lose your level.

Death, check out the UI while I take a dirt nap... under the world.
So, off to the new large, expansive world! The world is quite lovely, I could get lost easily if it weren't for my handy-dandy map. And that map is handy, quest objectives will show up if you track them, not all but a lot of them will. It is not the prettiest map I've ever seen but it functions. While I'm out and about, exploring, my mount isn't super fast but it helps me feel like I am adventuring- and really it isn't that slow. I suppose I've not had the chance to try a faster one, so I'd think it feels pretty fast. But the world has depth. You really feel like you are adventuring. This is how I thought Rift would feel like. Mobs are not packed so densely that you cannot explore without fighting through waves of mobs and falling off your mount like an idiot who can't ride. It is enjoyable- adventuring. The grass and trees sway in the wind and when it rains... you can't see the rain. Yeah, an ongoing issue I've read about. But the world feels immense and mysterious even with a few imperfections. I love the sky in this game. This is what I have been craving for, thus far at least.

Vanguard isn't for the faint of heart. While soloing is very possible I'm told that the group part of the game is what makes it. I try to group anytime I can. However, at my level soloing when I can seems fine. I hear it can get tough. Some people say soloing is impossible to the cap, others say it is quite possible. I don't think it is impossible but it probably is a bit slower if you only solo. I wanted to group all I could so I made a cleric. The cleric is supposedly the slowest dps in the game but it is slow and steady. I can hold my own, in most cases. Not always! Sometimes I have to run or even die. I will try my hardest to solo and group as I can, making the upward journey to the cap.

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to play Vanguard was that I wanted questing and a game that offered more than just soloing all the time and more rewards other than just shiny loot. But- If I have to solo, I'd like some questing, instead of grinding (EQ anyone?). While I try often to find groups, I don't always find them. So far it feels alright to quest. I can hold my own and do what I need for experience. Experience is a bit slow but I'm not in a big rush to fly through things. I still have a lot to learn. There are plenty of quests about and I've heard that you will not be able to complete everything with one character. You also gain an ability to lock your xp bar and stop leveling, so you won't out level content. I doubt I do this but it is a nice option.

A few other things I like and look forward to would be things like: Mentoring, the brotherhood system, guild halls, housing, boats, mounts, flying mounts (free reindeer mount for Christmas!) fishing, crafting, diplomacy- to name a few. I also like that guild halls and houses are out in the open world! Appearance tabs make me happy too, I match already! I bought a cheap set of gear that looked sweet. You can use the appearance tab at level one, if you wish. You also change sets when you do different things such as diplomacy or gathering and crafting- A cool aspect. Things I love. You can move and cast. You can get knocked off a mount, which has only happened to me maybe...twice? But you can keep running and get back on your mount while you do. Very cool! You slow down a tad but you're still moving.

Flying some more, I don't fly as much as I could, really.
So it is a pretty game and all, the graphics may be a little dated but the game isn't a dinosaur like UO or EQ. Heck, I still like Everquest graphics and these are far better. How is the UI and combat? The UI is nice, it is still decent and it isn't far from what you're use to in a new MMO. There are customizable UIs out there I've read, you'll have to hunt around for them. There are also add-ons for the game and in the options you can move around your bars and what not on the screen to your preference. Combat? I enjoy it. It isn't slow like Everquest (sometimes I take a nap between EQ kills), but is isn't bam, bam, bam, like WoW. I think it has a nice leisurely pace. There are foods you can eat to regen health and mana. I find, as a cleric, I don't have any down time from mob to mob, maybe to regen a little 'energy'. You don't just use mana for attacks, so as a cleric this is nice for me having extra to save for heals and my damage shield.

There is a community and I am sure it is quite top heavy. There is content at high end and much through the whole game to last you about a year, so I hear. The players in this world  do enjoy making alts, I don't think I met too many new players, most were alts. I did meet a couple though. So you won't be alone leveling, I saw plenty of people in my travels and so many people buff you as they pass by. It was such a nice thing! I found myself buffing others quite often too.

I love my mount!
The biggest hindrance Vanguard SOH currently has- No development and basically some wonder how many people are even on the team for this game. I think this has pushed many people away from the game, I mean who wants to play a 'forgotten' game? I saw a player mention, the other day, there is no gear reset, no endless carrot for purples over and over. I suppose that is one way to look at it, enticing, let's get off the treadmill. There are bugs and I think the game needs a bit more love, nothing groundbreaking, but I did manage to fall through the world- careful swimming near the shore, I have gone under it several times while trying to climb up. I managed to swim under and fall below the world and die. A tip another player told me would be to do a [/stuck yes] command, but this takes sixty seconds to execute, I died within two. Some dev love would really benefit this game. I don't know if I'd want more levels as, I'd say, more content for high end. I think those people deserve it.

A guild member lending a helping hand with some quests.
I read on the forums how people have tried and tried to get SOE to actually support this game and stop treating it like the redheaded stepchild. There have been fan-sites and the like trying to breathe life into the community and it never works, I keep reading over and over. But some people don't want to give up. Recently I saw Ardwulf is joining the crusade and trying to get people to join the ranks of vanguard. His hopes are for numbers, players, that they will get the game development. If you have numbers, a game is worth spending time developing, you get the picture. I think it is a great idea to try to help the community grow. But, we need players, numbers, for this to happen. Check out his site(s) Vanguard Forever and MMO Axis to check on progress or even offer advice and tips or find some information. Ardwulf is hoping to also compile information for Vanguard there, which would be such a great help. Please, you wise Vanguard veterans, feed us your knowledge! I think this could be really helpful for new players that are less tenacious as myself, a little bit of information goes a long way for a new player, helping them learn and get their feel for a game instead of giving up in frustration.

There are also the official Vanguard forums. They can be quiet at times but they hold a lot of valuable information. In time I hope to compile more information and links for the game. I just have not found that many so far. One of the best that I've found is Silky Venom, though I don't know how up-to-date it is.

A helpful player, helping me retrieve my corpse.
If you are looking for a solid game that isn't about the endless carrot and has some real depth, I urge you to give Vanguard SOH a try. It has come a long way and I think it still has quite a bit of life left in it. You can tell that this game had a lot of love and thought put into it, you can almost feel it echo through the game. There are still people playing and there is a welcoming community waiting. Tired of every game feeling the same as the next? Take a detour. Try it out. You just might like it. I will try my hardest to stick with this game. I have been looking for something to keep me hooked and interested, for quite awhile. I suppose it all depends if I am able to solo when I cannot find a group, as a newer player I have yet to find out just how hard the grind is. Any veterans wanting to add in some tops, please feel free to!

If you want to read some more in-depth information, here is an excellent read. Here is another great read from a player who wants to give Vanguard a second chance. Want to try the trial? Make a station account (or use an existing one) and download it with the Station Launcher. If you'd like to add my lowly cleric to friends, feel free to! My in-game name is Heavenli.

Edit:
Since the station launcher has so many issues lately, and I was told by support it is no longer supported. You may want to install the game from here. A direct link to many SOE games from their knowledge base.

See you in Tealon!
-kaozz

Friday, June 10, 2011

Jade Dynasty- A Glimpse


I've been playing a bit of Jade Dynasty lately and I thought I would post up some impressions on my journey to level 41. I started out as a human, you don't get to pick your class until level 15, which goes by pretty fast. It game me a chance to feel out the game while deciding what I wanted to be. There is no gender lock when it comes to classes and there are some decent looking character hair styles and faces. If you don't want to play a human there is another faction that has classes you can start out as.

The game has a high experience net when it comes to questing. Sometimes I'd get around a whole level for tuning in a quest. Not to say you don't have to work at it. Lots of traveling to and fro. It took me a little bit but I found out that the cities and outposts all have NPCs that will teleport you to different towns for a few copper or silver. This cut down on my travel time immensely.

Guild member flying me somewhere. 
I was asked if I wanted to join a clan (guild) and I jumped at the chance to meet other people in the game and have people to ask questions to. I'm glad I did because it helped me understand a lot of the game. The leader was very helpful and took some time to show me a few helpful things. The experience made the game so much better, connecting with other people made made feel more at home.

First off, there are 150 levels, then ascended levels. Basically ascended levels are starting over at 15 with a stronger character and getting better things as you go, from what I understand. I wouldn't want to do it, but some people seem to enjoy it, especially if you PvP. Plus you can start out as a different class. Kind of boggling, all that work then starting over. There are also death penalties. I never notice any penalty besides being sent to a town, so I don't know if they start off at higher levels or what. I hear around 90, the penalty is experience loss and it is quite harsh. The first 89 levels are said to fly by, already with just a few days play I am sitting at 41, so I can believe it.

This game has some very impressive mounts.
The good and bad. Every ten levels you gain access to a new set of gear, you can purchase from a vendor, a crafter (player) or craft it yourself. The armor looks good too. Something to look forward to while leveling, I love it. At level 30 you gain your first mount, however it only lasts 30 days, more than enough time to get to 45 though, where you can buy your first mount (100gold!!) or you can do quests for three hour mounts.

The thing with mounts and gear is that it can get costly especially when you add in the need to buy potions. You level so fast at the start and you can really start to pay out at a fast rate, making it hard to keep up. You don't have to buy potions- but they make things really go smoother. Money int his game is hard to come by, thus far. Right now I do not have enough room in my bags to save up items to sell later on. So, I end up vendoring everything. I think that is one of my biggest peeves. BAG ROOM! You can buy more and some start unlocking at 75 and up but that is still quite a ways off. You really have to work at it- Unless you buy and sell through the cash shop. You can sell cash shop currency for in game money, right now the prices are skyrocketing so you could make a small fortune easily.

Not everyone wants to do this though. So you will spend time grinding or trying to sell things from your personal shop (think Everquest and trader stalls, similar to many other FTP games like Silk Road and such). Which takes time for a buyer to actually click on you and need/want what you have to offer. So, I've really been scrimping on money. I have my current level gear but the next set will be tough to get. Higher levels seem to be easier but money in this game doesn't seem to be easy at any level, when it comes to farming cash. I don't like having to scrimp every copper I make, it just makes things tough. I suppose when I get a few more levels under my belt, it won't be so bad.


The questing is simple and laid back, for the most part. There are lots of courier type quests but the automated routing makes this cake. It can be made even more so [easy] if you factor in the esper mechanic. Basically an espse is a little pet like entity that floats around you, you get one from the beginning, then you gain a specific class esper through the main quest line. An esper will control your character and use certain abilities while you go AFK. If you have a quest to kill 30 mobs you can let the esper do all the work for you,  then you can come back to set the character to auto route to the quest turn in. Pretty simple. I like the auto route system because I go do something else while my character runs there.

The thing with the esper is, you need potions to keep it going without dying. These can get costly and thus are you just grinding out mobs for money to fund this? I used it sometimes but then I started running low on potions. When you are out questing and you run low on health and mana you can activate an ability which is similar to meditating, as in other games like Everquest. I like this option as it costs nothing and is fairly quick to regenerate health and mana back to full. You can also do a meditation like ability in town to gain a slow but stead bit of XP. I think it may cap out each day, not too sure on the duration, don't quote me on this though.

For those, like me, who love pets there is a pet system, you'll gain a few as you level, then you are able to tame more in the mid levels. There are also cash shop pets. I didn't get into the whole pet thing, besides using him to fight alongside me, he even passed me in levels. However, it did seem a rather in-depth system. I think poets can also age and die, however you can take some of the age off with items.

The graphics are quite lovely, the surrounding scenery is so refreshing and tranquil. The music is relaxing and the characters look stunning as they acquire gear sets. Over all it is a nice solid game. With some time and effort the game can be enjoyable and long lasting. The community, from my perspective, is friendly and helpful. There are many channels per server to hop around on which is nice. PvE today PvP tomorrow, perhaps?

I don't know if it could be my 'main' game. But it really has potential and it is one of the better free to play games I've had a chance to play. Things like bag space and no auction system make me cringe, at times, but the game has a lot of other things to make one look past these imperfections. If you're looking for a laid back PvE game or maybe a little PvP the game offers both which is nice too. It's definitely one worth trying out.

-kaozz 

Thursday, June 9, 2011

SOE- More Bang For Your Buck!



Since the SOE welcome back promotion, I've kind of slacked off playing much. I had plans to, and I still have time. So, I figure I might as well try to get the Mr. to play a little EQ with me at least. Maybe reactivate Vanguard, since the time is there waiting on me to use it. I've always been interested in getting further in Vanguard but I'm a complete noob. So, here's my chance.

And if I get attached to multiple SOE accounts? Well the new station access plan is looking mighty tempting. $19.99- A month for all of their games. EQ2 is still NOT ftp, but EQ2X is, I still play the actual live EQ2 game (both actually), so it would benefit me. I play EQ, I like Vanguard and heck I may even mess around SWG here and there. I think if my husband did this, he'd eventually try PoTBS, seems something he may enjoy, and he does have a EQ2 account too. So it would benefit us if we did this. Currently I have no subs, WoW just lapsed, since 4.2 isn't out, and who knows when it will be out. Maybe I can get those last few levels on my inquisitor and not feel pressured.

I think it is a really awesome deal for those of us who do enjoy multiple SOE games. I've been playing SOE games for years so it is very enticing to me. Playing EQ with the Mr. and having access to something besides EQ would help me not get bored and wander off as easily (I tend to do this when I am just subbed to EQ, getting lonely when there is nobody to group with). I think that is a big problem of just having one sub- for me. I have had station access in the past and enjoyed it but I still didn't think it was worth it for the amount of time I spent in each game. This plan, a little more than you'd pay for one game- More than enough reason to actually sub, for me.

Will it attract new customers? It may entice a few, I think mostly it will really give people a reason to check out other SOE games. It may gain some new customers but I think mostly it will draw in old customers especially. It's really a great deal so it might just appeal to many people interested in multiple games, like myself.

As far as trusting SOE? After the hack incident- Anyone can be targeted like this, it is an unfortunate thing that happened to them. They don't want to lose customers or money and I'm sure things have been locked down tight. Problems can happen, look at the Mythic deal that happened awhile back, charging people thousands of dollars--By accident. All we can do is move past it. How many people do you know of that had anything stolen? I can't think of any cases I've heard of as yet.

So, my verdict for the new SOE station access? Thumbs up! Plus, you also get some other cool stuff, which really puts the icing on the cake- Extra SC each month, extra character slots ( I really need two more in EQ!), along with a dew other things. A mighty fine deal indeed.

-kaozz 

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