Tuesday, January 31, 2012

My First 2012 Expectation Hits- Everquest: FREE TO PLAY!

The oldest (3D) MMO subscription model rides off into the sunset.


Earlier this month I wrote some of my hopes and expectations for 2012 and one of them happened to be Everquest going F2P. I don't see the F2P model going away anytime soon, it really has saved many games and players really do like it, say what you will but look at many that have surged back from the abyss because of it. On March 16th the grandfather of MMORPGs, Everquest, goes free to play. On the birthday of Everquest, thirteen years and eighteen expansions later we're seeing this happen. Sure, I thought it could, following EQ2, I almost expected it but I honestly gasped when I read the news. Hey, it's my first love.

There will still be the standard subscription model, which I'm sure I'll mainly stick with when this is my main game, but on my  breaks this is a really nice way to still be able to at least log in a couple time a week. I can maintain my guild, hall, land and keep in touch with friends.

So, while I'm really excited about this we still have a bit of time left. I can see this change really enhancing and prolonging the games life span. Bringing back older players perhaps, I see an influx in the population over time. Although I don't like some of the free and silver restrictions, especially on AAs (Sell an unlock please!). Or perhaps guild halls, will they just poof if you go F2P, I suppose if you were silver this would not be an issue? I hope they do the same and grandfather in characters, as EQ2 did. Only time will tell. Some other changes will be implemented:



Once we go free-to-play, here are some of the upcoming features and events you can expect:
  • On Friday, March 16th, EverQuest becomes a teenager: 13 years old!!! We will be having some extra added events in the game starting that week leading up to that Friday and we're introducing some new items within POK to let you know what's in store.
  • With the free-to-play launch, a renovated everquest.com website will be unveiled and after that, we will bring you upgraded EQPlayers pages.
  • We have improved the functionality of our Map system! Some improvements include being able to view appropriate level content for your character on the map, allowing you to find zone lines much easier; and also showing you your wisps on the map to help navigate to where you want to go!


Check out the full announcement on EQplayers. There is a bit more interesting information and I'm sure the forums are full or crying and cheering and hissy fits. I'm mixed on the sub model matrix after checking it twice, heh. You'll have that, I suppose. If you're thinking of joining back then feel free to join our small family guild on the Firiona Vie server (free transfers to it), Stellar. We have a guild hall with our own guild neighborhood, we love to group and hang out. I'm excited to start recruiting and having out ranks grow, this is the perfect opportunity to start. Shoot me an email or leave a comment. In game I'm mostly on Bunny or Ellamental. Anyhow, long live Everquest!

We're looking at you going free next, Vanguard. >.>



Art on this post is by Keith Parkinson

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Eye Candy

Meditation. [PWI]

My pretty little fairy and I. [PWI]

My monk with some robes (illusion). [EQ]

Heading to the city. [Rift]

Dusk. [Rift]

The littles. [SL]

Peaceful. [SL]

Tower of storms. [EQ2]




Friday, January 27, 2012

Free Days




I've been dabbling around with some free time and free games this week, enjoying myself quite a bit. I wanted to check back into some games that I haven't played in awhile. It is always nice to pop back into a game that you haven't played for awhile or perhaps one that has gone F2P, check out the changes see whats new. I love me some free stuff!

First up would be Rift. I've been tlaking to my bud, Rak, about messing around with some different games, just for a refreshing feel on gaming. He is still subbed to Rift so naturally he suggested I check it out again. While I didn't want to resub for just popping back in, I wanted to check for free time on my account. I remember reading about something about it recently, sure enough I had a few days.



It's been really nice being back. Rak prefers the Guardian side, which I've never tried past level six, so I started over as Guardian. We picked Byriel, since I do happen to know people on this shard. Not sure if many still play there but it seemed like a good choice. My old shard is now a trial so I ended up moving my other characters too. But, yeah, it has been nice. The guardian side is so much more appealing in terms of scenery, starting out it has a much more inviting feel, it's so lovely. It was like playing in a different game almost. I don't think I'd go back to the Defiant so soon.

I'm not going to sub now but I'm thinking in the near future of doing so because it is just like night and day, for me at least, playing on the different areas. I wish I hadn't missed the Christmas event but maybe I'll poke back in there next year. I'm glad I took the time to check out Rift again, the game is lovely and has a good feel to it, I really enjoyed myself being back. Too bad it isn't F2P, I'd spend more time, and money, on this game. I just can't value paying for more than I have going now- I have too many games going on as it is.

Next up is Lineage II. I've been wanting to get my hands dirty, roll up my sleeves for some action and see what all has changed since I last played- 2007. Things really changed immensely. When I last played the game had a lonely feel to it, at least at the lower levels. I rarely saw other players and I remember feeling so lost. The game is now bursting at the seams with players all over. Players now start in a new starting area and there are quests galore to start you off and get you feeling more situated. I was really impressed, it was a huge difference from the game I played years ago. The game felt 150% better off just for this. Being free to play seems to have brought in more players and players whom stuck to private servers, I think the population is quite healthy.

This is a PvP game but it is one that has a lot of charm even to a carebear like myself. The graphics look great still, there's a lot to do higher up and the game really starts you off on a good foot. If you've been thinking of trying it, really it's worth a look, at least to see how things have changed. Plus, it is fully free to play, no more subscriptions only cash shop items- which really didn't seem like pay to win.


Onto the next contender for free fun. Two actually, Perfect World Entertainment's: Perfect World International and Ether Saga. I've not played Perfect World since.... Maybe 2006-7. It is much the same, still grindy, but hey I play EQ I don't mind a grind. There have been some neat additions like genies, little fairy pets that give boosts to stats and attack. The game has been kept up to date and updated with patches and content so it's really a good lasting F2P game, as with all PWE games. Some of the cash shops and game mechanics are harsher than others but I'd say PW has a decent balance. It's nice being back and I think I will be dabbling with it for awhile. I've already managed to drag one friend there! I started over as starting back at level 30 might just not give me a real feel for jumping into the game again, I might try a few different this time around.

Ether Saga is one of those games that is a bit more expensive for fluff items and has a steeper learning curve due to all of the things that are part of the game. But it is a rewarding game. I recently received an email about not logging in for awhile and it offered rewards. Which were very nice, I even gained about 18 levels on my main, some saved still for an alt. So that makes my highest character level 40. I did have a time trying to find wheere to quest but the nice thing, I always forget this too, is that the quest log has a button that also shows available quests to you and will auto-route you to them. I wanted to smack myself after fretting about where to quest after gaining so many free levels. Well, now I have it jotted down here for the next time I forget!

It is nice being back, the game is just so cute and lively. Always something to do, there are a few grindy levels but for the most part it is quest driven, which is nice for a F2P game. It does take some time getting back into the fray but I'd say it is a lot of fun still.

I've been lazy this week posting but I have so much to talk about yet! Another day though, I've been playing a lot of stuff, having fun bouncing around testing the waters. Sometimes I know friends miss me and I drive others nuts with all the bouncing but it's who I am, I'm always off to adventure. Maybe one day I'll settle down. Next up should be some thoughts on STO, when I've had more time to sit down to it and my latest alt in EQ, the monk! Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Slackin' Off



Lately I've been hopping around a lot, I sort of hate when I do this. It isn't that I'm not enjoying what I play but I miss looking forward to logging into the same game and making goals there. Perhaps the mystique isn't there anymore with many of my games, after all I've played Everquest since 2000, WoW since release, and EQ2 since 2007. The nice thing about playing a few games is taking a week off of one and coming back refreshed. I find myself most happy to go back to WoW, missing my characters and the vivid storybook type world more than I thought.

I sent my beloved hunter back to the Horde, one of my oldest WoW friends was very happy about that and we plan on doing some old instance runs like BWL and some heroics. It's always so nice to feel welcomed back by a good friend. He threw me an invite to his guild and I've been trying to [slowly] work on my gear as it is the best of any of my characters. I went MM the other day and did a heroic with Dire, I actually enjoyed it. I need to get back into the swing of things. Maybe finish leveling up my paladin, I'm so lazy.

We're still playing Everquest. Dire is actually playing EQ and WoW too, which is something different for him, he usually finds it much harder to slip from one game into the other but he has found a nice balance and enjoys both a lot. I haven't played as much but I will pick it back up soon. A good friend joined us on FV and I hate to say it but Dire has been far more welcoming to him, to our guild and server, than I. I'm such a slacker, plus it is much harder to PL someone with a magician. Yeah, I have a slew of alts on the other account I should play, sometimes I find it harder to get into the mindset to play some of them as I love my magician. It's very nice that he came to our server to play, he's trying to catch up a new alt and it seems to be going pretty smoothly. He hasn't played for many years so everything has changed a lot since his break.




I finished my land in SL and have a lovely little piece of land with a sweet little 'elvish' looking house. I'm almost out of room to place anything else and I was considering getting a bigger piece but I've grown attached to this one and I finally have it how I like, so I'm not too sure I will.

That's about it for me. Perhaps more interesting news later on in the week ;) Have a great week, peeps!




Tuesday, January 17, 2012

What is SOPA, and why should YOU care?



It's a scary thought that SOPA could be passed. Some good articles I thought I'd share and pass on:

What is SOPA, and why should you care?

Wikipedia- Stop Online Privacy Act Page which will be protesting on January 18th.

LoL urges fans to write to congress. Official LoL forum post.

Firefall Developer Shuts Down Beta In Protest.

Daily Binary has a ton of info.

Want to do something? Check out the Electronic Frontier Foundation

Facebook Protest

And.... if you haven't heard about the blackout set for tomorrow, Januarth 18th, check out SopaBlackout.org.

Many sites and blogs will be participating in tomorrow's internet blackout, I'm still unsure. If you can't access it then that's the reason. For now I thought I'd at least do my share and pass on information today about SOPA. It's actually pretty damn terrifying that something like this could be passed. Don't just sit there and let it happen. We're the land of the free, home of the brave, lets not forget that!

Click image for more information from AmericanCensorship.org!


Monday, January 16, 2012

EPIC (1.5)



Second Life is having a New Year New You Contest, if you play you could net 5000L. If you don't play.... Could you go vote for me?! Ya' know, if you think I might deserve it ;)  I've joined the contest rather late, I don't have real high hopes of winning but I think my character has come a long way from my first week of playing which was almost one year ago (Jan 20th). I suppose it is sort of like a virtual beauty contest of before and after, lol. I think she is rather lovely, sort of has a dark Firiona Vie vibe going on currently. I strived hard to get that look too!

Anyhow, over the weekend I managed to get some work done in Everquest on my Magician 1.5 Epic quest. Previously, a few months back before my last break, I had some really bad luck with drops. However, this weekend was much better to me with the RNG factor and I managed to complete my 1.5. Not a huge deal at lvl 90 but I can now work on my epic 2.0. Dire helped me a good bit with camps and such, many thanks to his patience and help!



I managed to catch up with him a bit and group a little. He's mostly been working on his new beastlord, which has been a lot of fun for him and I hated pulling him away from it. It is a class I've always loved, mine is parked around level 78. I grabbed a few AA's over the weekend, gained five for completing the 1.5 as well. It was a decent weekend. I won't be equipping the epic, as pretty as it is, it's quite a bit low as far as stas go for a level 90. It is nice to have in my bags for the clicky pet buff, which is really nice.

I actually cancelled my SWTOR account, I haven't played much in the last week and I'm not really sure what I will do at this point. I think the clincher was the fact that I seem to get locked out of my account each time I try to log into it. I can put in the correct information and still manage to have it happen. On top of that it asks me for my security answer EVERY TIME I LOG IN. Annoying. And the fact that I have to go to the EA page to reset it, why didn't they tell me on the  [SWTOR] website, instead of causing me to have to call support? Other than that it really is a decent game. Ground breaking? I think the companion system combined with the story elements in an MMO is something pretty damn good, I just don't know if much else is that spectacular-At this point anyhow. I plan on popping in and trying to grab my ship [and seeing Corso Riggs one 'last' time- I love having a companion, I will miss that] before my time runs out.

And... I'm still playing WoW. I didn't manage to log in this weekend as I had hoped. I've been captivated by a pile of books I've accumulated, some very tasty reads I couldn't put down. I do want to log in more, after all I am subbed for a year. I need to make good on that and play up another alt, work on a main, or perhaps actually getting some guts and checking out LFR. Maybe I'll try a little of each. Also considering transferring my Druid back to the Alliance, we'll see.

Have a great week, safe adventures and all that! Feel free to drop me a line here and let me know what you've been up to!


P.S. This post is dedicated to you, Dan, I actually was going to be lazy today ;)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Eye Candy

Eq2 gives you wings!


Hope everyone is having a fun and interesting week. Mine has been pretty relaxing, not that interesting though, well not anything to write about. Plenty of fun stuff! I've been puttering around with this and that, tired lately so Dire and I haven't played much EQ together but hopefully this weekend we can remedy that. I'm enjoying being back and playing my magician. Currently I am working on a bit more AA experience before getting the five levels needed to cap the new level increase.

I've also been puttering around in Second Life a bit too, it's relaxing doing fun stuff. I've been working on doing the new Linden Realms questing which nets linden dollars, it isn't a lot but for the effort it really isn't bad. Questing with a friend was fun too, we joked about how some of it reminded us of the old EQ days. Plus, it's something new to do. Also, I recently got a dragon avatar which is sooo cool! A friend took me to a place for some 'target practice' with deer, which was pretty funny!

EQ2 has some really nifty wings in the market place. I love pretty wings so couldn't resist grabbing them (yay, for hanging onto some of that triple SC). My inquis can use them to actually fly with, but for now my beastlord has them on, it is pretty neat to be running around super fast, hehe. Some people are already complaining about them on the forums but I actually like them. A bit annoying when people whine about things that don't cater to their likes. That is the nice thing about EQ2, it is an MMO that has something for almost everyone, a lot of choices in things, be it mounts or ways to level.

Anyhow, thought I'd post up some pretty pictures since I don't really have much to talk about today. Hopefully something more interesting to gab about next week. Have a great weekend!


Goldfish mount :)

Little People (penguin is a pet).

We three dragons! Pink one is me.

Float on.

Nap time?

Halp! I've been abducted!

Hangin' with the meeroos.



Monday, January 9, 2012

Stellar Imagination



Imagine.
Over the weekend my cable decided to go out, no tv, no internet, very annoying. Luckily I could use my android as a modem (again). I'm starting to really dislike Comcast, especially the fact that they made me wait three days to come repair it. Hopefully tomorrow they will fix everything and we'll be up and running again, because if I can't sit in front of the boob tube and watch something while I eat my breakfast, one more time, I'll probably scream (at Comcast), not to mention I want my high speed internet back! Surprisingly it still is decent, the android, for everything except Second Life which takes forever to load things.

Anyhow, I did manage to play a few things over the weekend and today I wanted to talk about what interested me the most. It was mainly player created content or rather the player interacting with the environment, creating things for themselves and others to enjoy. I find that a lot of fun and if you let me decorate or design something I am hooked. I also enjoy things that other players create, a game that embraces this really opens up a lot of possibility and imagination.

I decided to poke into EQ2 and take a look at the player created dungeons. Some of these were really imaginative, I really love the idea of player created dungeons. While some were just rooms full of mobs for tokens, others had a lot of thought put into the design. My biggest beef is with the developer side, if I leave early or I just can't finish one because the avatar I choose isn't able to solo it, well, I get nothing for it. You only are rewarded when you leave through a certain (red) portal. There are two, one you enter through, which you can leave but you gain no rewards, then the other which cashes out all xp and tokens.

An EQ2 player created dungeon.

I also didn't care for some of the choices in classes, you get an avatar with some odd abilities sometimes, some cheaper than others (Spider mage- pew pew pew). I suppose some are more made for groups than others. Which brings me to my next point, you cannot tell which dungeons are solo and which are aimed at groups, unless the creator puts it in the title. As far as the players are concerned there is a lot of creativity within these instances. I think the highlight of trying these was encountering a mob named A Pajama Salesman, I had a LoL moment. The developers need to do some tweaking on these but so far it is a real treasure having this added to the game, how many games offer something so interesting and refreshing? +10 for you EQ2, in my book at least.

We also managed to make our way back to Everquest over the weekend, it is good to be back. I spent most of my time working on our new guild. We created a guild, purchased a hall and a neighborhood. I plan on working on the guild more in time, I'd like to recruit people to create a nice laid back family type guild. I had to have ten members to plop down our guild hall so I recruited from our army of alts then I was able to set it down and start working on it. For now I am just thinking on things, I might post up a recruit ad soon, you can find those in the guild lobby.



The guild hall is set in our neighborhood on a large plot. I loved decorating the outside, I still have some work to do but I think it looks rather nice so far. I also set up the inside and I was one happy camper decorating and setting up things for our little guild, I called it Stellar. I thought it was a nice name, not silly nor tacky.

Me! I love this mount that came with the latest expansion, VoA.

Having guild neighborhoods is really awesome, especially when you can have a guild hall there too. My only complaint is that the hall cannot be placed at the entrance of the neighborhood, it would be so much more impressive there than stuck in the back of the zone. While I do like the lot I just wanted it to be right there when you zone in, ah well, can't win them all.

And lastly probably the most interesting thing in creating things, for me this weekend, would be in Second Life. I created some staves, I made two and had a lot of fun doing so. I wanted a couple to wear across my back as you do in WoW, so I decided to make my own. I really love designing things in this game, the possibilities are endless. Everything in game is player created and the talent just blows me away. I think my favorites, well besides my avatar and plethora of clothing items, would be my mounts. I have so many vehicles I just love collecting these. I have a riding lawnmower, a tire with balloons that floats, cars, horses... Oh the horses! I found a new designer and a new fave for horses, I am so in love with those pretty ponies. I go for high fantasy so they suit me quite well.

But yeah, I love player created content and the chance to express one's imagination in games. I think those that offer the chance to will always be those games that are closest to my heart. You just can't get much better than that. Screw watching meters all the time, lets show some creativity!

Twig and I on my fiery steed.

My friend Rak and I, he's actually the dragon I'm riding.

Two staves I made, one across back the other I was designing in a sandbox.

I can has BUNNIES!?

Getting dressed, yum?

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Getting Back Into Things



I'm finally starting to feel better and there were several days I really didn't feel like playing anything. Over the weekend I managed to grab the laptop, while taking up residence on the couch, and putter around on the computer. Nothing taxing, as far as any games go mainly I messed around in Second Life. I looked for some fun freebies, hunts and chit chatted with some friends. I also managed to find a gorgeous piece of land to rent and set up the cutest little cottage and several fun things to interact with. I'm only two doors down from Twig, so she was very excited about that!

I've started building in Second Life, I really love that you can be as creative as you want in this game. Nothing spectacular but I'm getting a feel for it. So far I made a couple of wands with sparkles and hearts, not happy with them so I'm still working on the idea I have in my head. It is something fun to do as I really love to create things. Later today Twig is going to stop by so I can give her a lesson on how to start building, the basic steps on how to create and shape prims into items. I think she will have a lot of fun with it once she gets the hang of it.

Twig's property and little 'hobbit house' in the flowers.

My beach-side cottage, all my fun toys out back.


I popped into SWTOR last night and did a few quests. Before I got sick I was having a blast but it is a bit hard to get back into for some reason. I've been working on my class quest and I think doing the side quests while trying to catch up in levels to actually being able to 'finish' the quest to get my ship, it just sort of took some of the interest away perhaps? I think the biggest part of it all is the whole setting. I am really into high fantasy setting games so this is a big leap for me to get used to. I do enjoy it though, it just feels like crawling through an old warehouse, or something, at times. Guess I'm just not always enjoying the settings as I progress. Some of them are quite lovely though, in their own way they do have a lot of charm. I think the game is really wonderful, I just don't think it will be the game for me. I do know it will be one I keep around though, even if it isn't my main game.

I've not done much in WoW or EQ2 either, but I really haven't felt like playing anything much. I was just feeling that bad. Last night I managed to receive some help from a GM after having a (self inflicted, lol) problem with mailing some heirloom items. They sorted me out, pretty quickly too, and I was able to mess around with my lock alt for a bit. I'm just not in the mood for anything social at 80 these days. The pace of things just grates on my nerves, everything is a rush and I'm not in the mood for that these days. I still enjoy playing though, I just mainly do daily quests and things I find fun at the moment- Whatever suits the mood. I noticed the Darkmoon Faire is here, I need to get working on that. EQ2 is still quite fun too, I just play as I get in the mood to which is the great thing about it being F2P!

I have been craving to play something. Everquest. I don't know why but it is calling to me, has been for days. After talking to Dire about it the past couple of days we're thinking of popping back in to check out things with the new expansion. I'm still mulling it over. I'd like to advance my 90 magician to the new cap and work on more AA's with her. I guess I've played it so long it is like one of those comfort things. I just know I want to pick it up like an old 'blankey' and snuggle into it for awhile.

We'll see what happens. Plenty of good things to play! Now the hard part just deciding on which to sit down to ;) What's keeping you entertained so far in the new year?


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