Friday, August 26, 2011

Hanging In There



I'm still hanging in there, I figured I'd do a quick post before the week gets away from me! TGIF!

Life 2.0 
Last night I watched Life 2.0, a very interesting documentary of people who play Second Life. As a gamer I'm always interested in seeing what motivates or captivates people within their games. While I never connected with Second Life I did give it a try just to see what it is all about, exploring it extensively and getting a real feel for it and its players. There are some great communities and the game is a massive canvas for creativity but it has no motivating factor for me. It was fascinating watching other people though, almost like a train wreck you couldn't look away from, at times. All in all it was really good, as someone who loves being creative I could almost see myself having a go at designing, almost... Not quite! Anyone else watch it?

EQ2 GU61
Yesterday EQ2's game update 61 was released. AA points were reset (in certain trees, not all) armor was unattuned and reitimized. Today is a re-run of yesterday, in a hotfix this morning it will all be reset again, to fix a bug. This is a great patch, the automated looking for group system didn't make it in but hopefully in the next few weeks it will. The beastlord prelude is live along with; House rating system, new quests added, reitimized items 20-90, new dungeons/ a raid and the dungeons that scale with level, pretty neat stuff. Check out the EQ2 Wire they have a ton of great info, they've been keeping me up to date this week.


For decorating nuts the house rating system is very neat. I am always wanting people to come check out my house(es). You can take a picture anywhere (within the house, point and click) to showcase it in the system, which is handy. Also there are new tiles and dividers... Now I can finish my castle! Check out EQ2Traders for details.

I've not played very much lately but I'm feeling like playing and checking out some of the new stuff. Make sure to check your aa points and re-attune your gear when logging in...again!

Scarlet Legacy
This little gem of a game wasn't on my radar for something to play, I sort of stumbled upon it. I just recently found it and really enjoy it so far, it only went into OB on the 18th of this month. While I am only level 16, it really has been fun. Tons of quests, fun classes, while a bit 'spammy' on combat at times, it still has depth. This Taiwanese game was recently westernized and translations are sometimes comical but it doesn't divert from the game being very unique and intriguing. It has story, charm and a lot of depth.


I'm not going to do a whole review today but I wanted to touch on some of the best things about the game. I don't think I have ever seen a game with such innovative mounts. From riding a big ogre-zombie guy to having your rear end on fire (thus causing you to run faster-genius!). Every class can have a combat pet, there is crafting and gathering with depth, guild halls, titles with stats, tons and tons of quests and no gender lock on classes. Plus you get a horse right out of the starting area, I love free ponies!

The game also has a botting system, I've not used it but it could be handy for things like farming pets. I have to say I've been genuinely impressed with this game and I am enjoying it a lot. Plus, it looks pretty good on top of all of this. A very charming game indeed. Interested in checking it out? The official site can be found here.

FLYING PUG!
And to finish this post out I leave you with a flying pug (and Gizmo thinks his morning walk is exciting...)! Have a great weekend!


-kaozz 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Time flies! Two Years




This month makes two years for this blog, my how time flies! I know over the last few months I've slowed down a bit and I wanted to pick things up here on the blog but I think slowing them down even more so might be best. My son is starting his first year of high school next week so it's going to slow down on the blog for awhile. I want to get this school year off to a good start so taking more time to focus on family is a priority!

In the last few weeks I've gotten a lot of spam bot-like comments so I'll be changing comments so they must be moderated before showing, feel free to comment still, it just might take me some time to reply/check on things. I just don't want to have to keep track of removing spam links on a regular basis, like I have been doing, best they don't show up at all!

I didn't want to write a big me-me post about my two year mark, instead I figured I'd share a few requests before too much time goes by and I forget. So here we go:

Project Stormos is a unique little game I've been wanting to check out. I've not had a chance to actually try it but I've followed the development for some time and the designer has granted me access, which I'll be trying out this week. Looks like something fun and relaxing. Head on over to Project Stormos and give it a look!

Another developer asked me to try a new Facebook game called Master Dealer. Check it out here. I really have started to enjoy the casual FB games. This one is interesting and if you like online card games you might want to try this one out. I've been wanting to do a post on FB games but I just haven't had the time unfortunately.

The last thing on the list would be a writer who is looking to exchange links with other bloggers and generating more readers. He has a very spiffy site which gives game reviews and articles on a lot of free to play games. If you would like to exchange links with this gentleman head on over to Picture One. I know it is hard to get your name out there and generate readers sometimes so I'm always up for helping someone with passing along a nice site!

So, thanks for reading, the last two years have been really great. I still enjoy my games and my blog, hopefully I'll be able to give more attention to my posting before too much time passes! I've made some wonderful friends and I thank you all for taking the time, over these last couple of years, to read and share your thoughts with me! *Hugs to everyone*

Safe adventures!
-kaozz




Friday, August 19, 2011

Random Thoughts

Random cute pet pic- Tut and DJ Mo (Salem-not pictured- is camera shy).

Just some random thoughts for today's post. I suppose when I get bored I dabble around more, check out games I've been missing or just some new stuff. When I'm content I tend to get a little stale. I still enjoy EQ2 but I'm just sort of in a lull right now, waiting for the expansion to hit. Vanguard is fun but there is a lot to learn, which I don't mind, I just don't want to 'overdose' with it and get burnt out. So, I'm taking that slow, well, partly because it is a bit slow to get going in anyhow. And... EQ, well I've been playing it for over a decade, not missing much, only logging in once a week or so. Oh, and Dire finally hit level 90 in EQ2!! Big congratz to him!!

Last night, while cooking supper, I decided to play around with the FB version of the Sims. It's really fun for popping in and back out through the evening, while cooking, doing laundry and so on. There's starting to be more and more interesting Facebook games out. While I couldn't just stick with those types of games they are fun for short periods of time, here and there.

I also tried to download a few new open beta games, Dragon Nest and Troy Online. I didn't get far with either. Dragon Nest seems to freeze up on the loading screen, I just ended up removing it, I may try to install it again at another time. Then Troy had a patch, great... Seems tomorrow today is launch day. Troy looks neat, don't know if it is worth playing or not, thought I'd give it a shot. I still want to try Rusty Hearts but I sort of wanted to wait until open beta.

Everyone, but Gizmo and I, went to bed early last night. Well, he finally conked out at my feet and snored for about an hour- Being bored I logged into WoW and yikes... my eyes felt funny. All of those bright colors! But those sounds and old zones brought back memories. It is hard for me to ever leave my games for good. Mind you I was only playing on one of those free accounts. I have one just for messing around in when I have the urge.

Since reading about WoW's Transmogrification system it has created that old urge to log in and go farm up some appearance gear. My wish to sport my S1 arena set has been granted! All of a sudden there seems to be a lot I want to do, lots of dungeons to farm... I don't know though. 


Since I'm being random today, I deleted over 70 gigs of fraps footage off of my hard drive recently. My HD is so cluttered, I really need to remove some junk off of here. Removing old games to install different ones, lol. 


Jedi have bad romantic
instincts anyhow...
Did you hear, Jedi get no love? Seems Jedi in TOR will gain darkside points for having a romantic relationship, because they are forbidden to. Interesting, for those wanting to really jump in and be a Jedi and experience the Bioware companion system in that direction. Really are they missing out on anything? Story, bonuses? I'm curious. I suppose they can always go the route of an alt for some pixel love ;) or take the dark points and tough it out. 


I do plan on trying some new FTP games this/next week. Anything FTP you'd like to mention or interested in hearing about? That's it for today! Safe adventures!


-kaozz 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Fun Stuffz




Yesterday I saw that The Sims Social, on Facebook, had gone into open beta. I'm not big into FB games but I've always been fond of The Sims games. So I figured I'd give it a try. It's so addicting but there are a few drawbacks. I don't like how you need three friends to add on a room to the house and how fast energy runs out. Energy regens about one point every four minutes, or you can buy it, I'd prefer to just let it regen.

It is a neat little game and you can invite friends to be neighbors, a game that is fun to pop in here and there while chatting to friends. However, you can't actually play with your friends, their characters are sort of automated. My son tried it last night while his girlfriend and I were logged into it, but when I went to visit them they couldn't see me nor I them. I had thought it would be more social but not a huge deal. All in all a fun little browser game to kill some time and relax with. I managed to hit level six and I'm sure I'll dabble with it on the side.

It seems WoW has some interesting stuff heading our way with 4.3 and I've also read about the new threat generation in groups. Basically DPS, as long as you don't pull, you don't get aggro. Does this mean no healing threat again?! That would be sweeeet.

I welcome the threat changes and it's not surprising to see this change. I mean they are always trying to change things around, who knows with the next expansion it could be reverted. Blizzard is always changing something in WoW. I think it is a fun move especially for pugs. I was surprised that the mechanic was actually implemented with raids. Honestly I don't care much for raiding in WoW anymore so it isn't a huge deal for me. Read more about it here at the  Dev Watercooler post.

What really has me insterested in playing my characters is the Transmogrification! Finally appearance choices for WoW, I was thinking it would be cooler just to have appearance slots but then the Void Storage connected to this mechanic sounds like a really cool deal. 80 extra slots to stick your appearance gear in! I've been saving tons of gear on my hunter for this day!! Finally I can clean out my bank! I will definitely be heading back when this goes live. I'm ready for it to be here NOW. Now, now, now!  Yes, I am the biggest fluff junkie you may ever meet! So, of course, I have to try it!

Save the Dates! Rift looks to be ramping up for some fun to end the summer with a celebration:
This September marks RIFT’s half-birthday, but who can wait that long to celebrate this awesome MMO? From August 25 to 31, we’ll be offering all sorts of rewards like ramped-up XP and Prestige gain for subscribers, and letting former players and newcomers play for free (with no level restriction)! And did we mention prizes? Save the dates to party in Telara and look for more information, coming your way soon!


I don't know if I'm that tempted to join in but it is nice to see them keeping things fun and entertaining on a regular basis. But hey, if it is free time, I might poke my head in there to see how my chars are doing.

This news just in: The Monkey and Pid are plotting to use kittens and begging to sway me to play TOR... What to do?!! Must resist! Thoughts of a Sith Inquisitor are starting to take form... Help! You're my only hope!~

-kaozz  

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Daily Adventures (Vanguard, EQ2)





In EQ2 I've mainly been dabbling with alts. I am really wishing November would get here so I can play with mercs and the new beastlord class. I enjoy my inquisitor but the thought of playing a new interesting alt has been too tempting. Dire is about 8% from level 90 with his shadowknight! We duo the Shard of Love instance quite often, lots of nice cosmetic goodies in there.

We'll both probably work on alts a good bit, until the expansion. the guild has been very inactive with people logging in, I suppose it's just a summer slump and hope it passes. Maybe GU61 (update) may bring some more interesting things to the table for people to log in and check out, we'll see.


I've been wanting to level my latest EQ alt up but I keep getting sucked into Vanguard instead. I'm actually playing the first character I ever made, when I first tried the game out as a trial. She is a disciple and I enjoy the class a lot. I still want to level my druid and necro up, probably work on them here and there.

I have a hard time picking a class in Vanguard sometimes. Most classes really seem to be slow going, they start to be more fun around level ten. The druid was fun from the start, the necro was full of death, my own death, heh.  I also think the mobs you deal with on the trial island are a bit tougher and more tightly packed together than the original starting areas. I'm a bit tired of the island so I rarely start there. I find the home cities to be more interesting.



So, I've been working on the disciple and it is an enjoyable class. A healer who heals through DPS, sort of. At times I miss my cleric but not so much lately, I might make another on this account, I already have enough alts at the moment though! I want to play one character up and see more of this gorgeous world that is Telon!

I joined the disc in my old guild, took me awhile but I found them. I'm so bad with names, I actually forgot the guild's name and had to look up my cleric to find it. Upon joining back I was told I would need to sign up on the forums or I'd be cut loose. Which I had something to say to that. I mean I hadn't been playing for awhile, what is the big deal with a casual guild?



I decided to not get all huffy as the leader is actually quite nice and promoted me to full member after doing that. It only took a few seconds and I don't know if I'll ever check the site, it has some interesting things but it seems a lot of Rift stuff on the front page, meh! I want to read about Vanguard, since I'm playing it. Afterwards, our guild leader sent me several huge bags for being a member, so I guess it paid off not getting upset about it, those bags are huge and will make playing much easier. Now I don't have to run back to sell as often!

Sometimes it really feels like playing a RPG game, in Vanguard. It is so easy to get lost and caught up in the surroundings and music. The cities are so intricate and detailed, full of so many sights. It's quite lovely. I cannot wait to see some of the holiday stuff, hopefully I'll be high enough to engage some of it!

Safe adventures!
-kaozz


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Weekly 'Interesting' Post: Solo MMO Players


Do you enjoy going off on your own in MMO games?

Lately I've been sort of dull, I think anyhow, with my writing. I have a lot of ideas but sometimes just can't bother to compile them into a post. It's really numerous reasons I suppose, while I am still getting a decent amount of traffic the input from readers has really halted and I don't know if it is because I'm just that boring lately or maybe nobody wants to read about EQ, EQ2 and Vanguard (what I've been playing). So, I'm going to try to get, at least, one interesting post out a week, I use to be better about that. Later on in the month will make two years for this blog and I suppose I'll decide where to go from there.

Anyhow, today's post! I thought I'd talk about why some people would rather play an MMO solo instead of an RPG. I've heard people complain about others, who just like to solo, wondering why play an MMO and not an RPG. Solo MMO(RPG) players- this week's 'interesting topic'.

I'm a social butterfly in my games, I like to chatter, love making new friends and I enjoy grouping but I can see from a solo player's point of view. Plus soloing is fun, I solo plenty, just not all the time. I  love to group but only when it is convenient to me. I think that is true with most people. We live busy lives, have children, busy work schedules, things to do people to see and so on. When we log in we want to get things done. Sometimes getting a group up and running can just be cutting it too close for someone who has limited amounts of time, or even someone who has to afk often. Just because you don't have tons of time to spend on an MMO doesn't mean you shouldn't play. It's your time, you decide how to enjoy it.

Sometimes it is relaxing just to go off by yourself and explore or quest. Some people will use an MMO to unwind and soloing just helps them relax. No drama, no fussing, just peaceful playtime. If you're social enough to join a guild you still have access to chit-chat with people but not actually having to group with them.

I group with my guild whenever given the chance in EQ2, however I find myself soloing a lot in EQ. I play EQ   to relax and reminiscent, explore and unwind. As I get older I find I have less interest in the busy fast paced MMO scene. I cringe from meters, gearscores and the like, which has pushed me away from certain things and games. Some people just like to stay away from it all, it ruins the immersion. If they are soling anyhow, why would they care about those things or want to group with people who do?

I would say one of the biggest reasons to play an MMO over an RPG, as a solo player, would be because it keeps on going. Each day you can set new goals and do different things. It isn't like you're going to actually beat the game and it's done for good, so to speak. It's a persistent world that keeps going and changes with time.

On top of being persistent, MMO games get frequent updates, well most of them do. More stuff for us to do, more interesting things to check out. Add in alts to the equation and there is even more to do, you can twink them or just take a new direction with a totally different class and race.

Plus, there is always the chance that the solo player may decide soloing is fun but maybe reaching out and making new friends to play with is another avenue of play they'd like to try. Also it just feels less lonely knowing there are other players out there, even if you don't always see them or maybe you pass them by on your adventures, you know they are there. I know I always feel sort of lonely playing an RPG game over an MMO, weird eh?

All in all I think there are more options in an MMO for long term enjoyment. Each of us pay our monthly fees and each can play as we choose.  Some games even seem to be phasing the offline RPG element out e.g., D3, leaving very little choice for the soloist, perhaps.

-kaozz 

Monday, August 15, 2011

Greetings From Telon! (Vanguard)


It's very relaxing to log into Vanguard sometimes, the music is fantastic and the scenery is just gorgeous. I've been toying around with different characters to get a feel for what I want to play (again) and just traveling around sight seeing in the process.

Right now I'm enjoying the disciple and druid classes but I've been just messing around with several when the mood hits. I figure if I'm going to be playing the game on a regular basis (yay, station access) I might as well play up something I really enjoy.

The world is huge and travel can take some time but it really is worth it, this game is for those that love to explore. The scenery is just so wonderful it makes travel a real adventure, sometimes you end up wandering off just to check things out. It's massive with huge cities and towns. Today I thought I'd share some lovely screens I took while exploring Telon. Enjoy!

Ready for adventure.

The desert sky.

Player housing.

Wood Elf racial ability.

Where the tree hugging elves live.

Hi-Ho Silver?

A long way down...

On the lift.

Down under (the castle).

A lovely harbor.

I wonder where this leads?

Quiet night on the town.

Aw, a fairy!

My disciple sporting some fashionable appearance gear.

A beautiful morning.

Running with my dr00d... She sooo needs a mount.

Through the branches.

I gotz a new pet!



Have a great week!
-kaozz  

Thursday, August 11, 2011

TGI(ALMOST)F & Birthday Wishes



These days I am pretty content with my station access. I started up a new shadowknight in Everquest, still trying to decide which character I want to play up in Vanguard and Everquest 2 has really been holding my attention. I think this is a nice outlet for someone like myself, I tend to hop around with games sometimes. Ha, I admit it-Most of the time!

Lately in EQ2 I've been doing a bit of housing design, it is relaxing and a nice change of pace, right now I am working on a house for one of my alts on and off, so it offers something else to look forward to. That is what I love about EQ2, lots of options.


I started a Dirge and I really enjoy the class a lot, I plan on working on her and my conj when I need a break from my main. I'm leaning more so towards the dirge but we'll see how it goes. I really like starting out in Darklight Wood vs Halas, since all of the starting areas have been revamped. I suppose the glaring snow of Halas starts to get to me! There is some real nice starting gear in DLW and it really looks nice for an appearance slot once you grow out of it. Very scout like!


On my main I've been dabbling around with DoV questing. Last night I was rewarded a snazzy Pirate title and outfit. I adore it, it's so lovely! I can't wait to get it on my dirge, it would be so fitting on her too.

Dire has almost caught up to me, he is 86 now. He is still enjoying the game a lot and has made a new alt for once he hits 90, though he already has a lot of fun playing it now. I'm very happy he has stuck with the game, he plans on getting station access this month so we'll probably adventure in the other EQ too, sometime before long. Tomorrow is his birthday! (Happy Birthday sweetie!!) So, I probably won't post until Monday, have a great weekend all!

-kaozz



Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Nyomi's Magical Cove (EQ2)

I love housing in EQ2, I especially love breaking out (building outside of the house). While I've toyed around with it here and there, on a small scale. I wanted to do something a bit larger this time around. It took awhile, but in my opinion it was worth it and I'm happy with the results. I ended up with a fun house leaning towards a 'Hua Mein' feel.

I wanted to share it on my blog here as well as the forums, if you want to visit it please do so! Nyomi- Freeport Freeblood Lair- Crushbone server. Anyhow, enjoy the pictures!

Entrance
Step on the pad to travel, or click a painting to visit Velious!
Druid Ring Port in, to the cove!
Front of house.
Bottom Floor.


Stairs leading up.
Top floor.



Back of house.

Island on side of house, back view.
Behind house the garden/workshop.
Workshop/sales area.
How can I help you?!
Looking to house from garden.
Island, view from front.
Dragon's lair.
Whew! Mother Dragon isn't home...
Doorway/portal leading out, clicking on door goes to guild hall. 
Babies and nest. Do they look sort of hungry? Gulp...
Dragons hoard.

Thanks for taking a peek! Tune in 'next' time for my Dirge's Gorowyn breakout ;)


-kaozz 

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