Leveling Speed

Knocking out those levels!

Does a slower leveling curve cause you to lose interest? Or do you prefer it to take longer to level? As I get older I think back to the games I played where the leveling curve was crawling, for instance hell levels in EverQuest. They certainly existed, they were truly hell to get through. I just don't have that kind of time or interest to crawl through levels anymore, personally. Do most people? I've heard this referred to as the 'ADD generation of gamers', but as a gamer who truly has ADD, I don't find that a very good analogy and I honestly find it a bit insulting. I've crawled through levels for years and years, it just isn't that popular anymore. Even EverQuest has moved away from this slow leveling path. Is it really that fun or just a way to keep us playing?

I like to call it moving with the times. As we get older have more responsibilities in life, we still want to progress and feel as if we are doing so. I don't even think I'd want my kid to waste the amount of hours I spent leveling back in the day. So it isn't just about age and free time. Sure, it was fun back then but looking back I think it was all we knew. For some of us this might be harder to let go of, sort of ingrained into our gaming habits, distorting our view that more time equals working harder. Sure time and effort are good when it comes to building a character, but just how much becomes excess?

It is that carrot we want to reach for, but we still want to feel it is in reach. I think for a first round through a game it is not as bad to level at a slower pace, but if the pace suddenly slows down significantly it can feel like smacking into a brick. Which causes me to think of Rift. I've been sitting at 54 for a month. It just feels like crawling through molasses, that and I'm starting to get quests much higher than my level. While it was nice to be caught up to the rest of the community in a faster manner, I really disliked the 50-60 pace. Are you really going that far out of your way to keep me playing, by slowing down xp? For me it just feels like a bait and switch. It does not make me enjoy the scenery that much more. If the content is good and engaging, you'll keep me. Using mechanics like slower xp just feel like a ploy. It usually turns me off and I don't log in as much.

Then again once I cap in Vanguard, I don't know just how much there for me to do? Everyone says it is about the journey, but I like to get to the top and then work my way back if I feel like it. Feels like adding a notch under my belt, enjoying things at a leisurely pace once I get there. I will admit the xp curve in Vanguard has been a very slow one, when compared to other games. With the new bonus to xp for subscribers it feels more reasonable. The forums had a thread where many old players were upset about the bonus being added. Thus you can now turn off the bonus xp. Not everyone likes to level at the same pace but then again not everyone likes to level multiple alts just for the journey, nor crawl through content to get where they want to be.

In games like WoW I don't like leveling much, then again I've done the content over and over since release. The slower pace of MoP had dampened me a bit, but after playing a few other games since, it really wasn't so bad in comparison, just a tad slower than we had been used to. I did my share of slogging through levels, years ago. I don't enjoy it as much anymore. For some people leveling is the game, that is the whole enjoyment. But then there are many different characters you can play through the leveling game with. That is the beauty of alts. You can get to the top and start all over.

Sometimes I miss those old days, but I know I look at them through rose tinted glasses. I know I spent way too much time leveling in EverQuest. I'm hardcore in some ways but I am quite casual considering how my play style has changed over the years. I like a reasonable pace, not too fast but now slogging through things. I don't mind power levels, but mostly in games like EverQuest where I only play with Dire, when I get a power level it is only to play with him. To catch up so we can play together. If I am playing alone in a game, well, I don't care for power levels. I do enjoy the journey quite a lot, I just don't like feeling like I got lost along the way!

Neither way is bad, but should players slog through content, especially that which causes a grind at some point(s) just to keep players playing longer? After all we have to keep in mind that these are all man made, there isn't some 'natural way of things' they don't just happen that way, there is a reason behind why things are done the way they are. So how about you? Do you enjoy the grind or do you like to breeze to the top to enjoy end game?

Happy Birthday Vanguard!

A big happy birthday to Vanguard today! The game has come a long way over the last few months, I hope to see it prosper for many, many more. Check out the official site for the anniversary celebration stuff- here.

Under The Weather

Sorry for the lack of posts, to those few of you who read ;) I recently started a new medication and have been under the weather due to a bad reaction, which I am still recovering from. I've not felt much like playing anything, or actually been able to honestly. Last night I could actually sit and just follow Dire around in EQ to get a PL session, that is about all I was able to do. I have to get an EKG later on today just to make sure nothing is wrong.

Basically I had a bad reaction to (prescription) amphetamines for my Attention Defect Disorder, a small dose at that. I've had a lot on my mind, wondering if I will be able to 'medically' treat the ADD even with non-stimulant medication if it causes such elevations with my heart.  I'm still having pain/numbness in my arm and fingers, so I don't know what is going on. We'll see what the doc says today. So, yeah, that's pretty much what has been keeping me occupied lately. Anyhow, keeping the mind busy is always something that feels good to me, I always have to be doing something, just a short post though!

Vanguard! I'm still playing. I did manage to pop in and check out the anniversary stuff last week. Some real cool gifts. If you haven't checked it out, there is some neat stuff, head to New Targonor, right outside at the bridge entrance, talk to the Historian. Vet rewards are back as well, yay! Wednesday there will be an in-game party, great time to use 'Slappy the Cool' (my new ringtone in that video), lol. Everything can be previewed in the patch notes here.

I have to say the population in Vanguard seems to be growing. I see so many people all over these days. It is really great to see! I run across more people on my travels, I've even had a few people as me to group. My cleric is only 15, so you can tell I have not been able to play much since he was created.

I'm also considering checking out the Lunar Festival in WoW, with my hunter. Should be something laid back and easy to do. I need something casual, that won't tax me, so I look forward to checking that out. And Rift, I want to just pop in and dabble with my house. Really don't know how long I'll be able to do much for, but it is nice to have options for something laid back.

That's it for today! It is good to be alive, good to have so many wonderful choices of games, good to be posting! Have a great week!

Eye Candy

Vanguard, haven't had a lot of time to play but I've managed to get level 13 with my new cleric. The male models can be so wide and cumbersome, I had to do a lot of tweaking to get my elf to have a more lankly, elvish look. This armor doesn't help but I like the replica Panthelon armor. 

My cleric in Rift, got him a level yesterday, did my instant adventure daily. Checked in on the guild got things sorted best I could. 

Yum! Not really doing much in Second Life, just thought I'd share some old pics I had taken.

One of my favorite female outfits.

With some friends looking at a really cool shop, I got a ferret, which I managed to piddle around with and attach him to my shoulder. He actually was made to roam around the ground. He's my little Gwin ;)

Double Clerix

Vanguard
Last week was pretty hectic but I'm hoping things slow down soon and I can get some posts out on a regular note. On a good note, our little ferret, Gwin, made it back home, after four days missing! Truly a miracle. We were ecstatic and have made measures so that he cannot get under the stairs.

Most everyone has probably heard about the changes to Vanguard's F2P changes, which are quite awesome. Basically F2P is on par of what used to be a subscription, no need to unlock races or classes anymore, extended quest log, no limit on plat, it is easily one of the best out there now, IMO. Subscribers get an XP bonus, faction bonus, and lots of discounts. Really happy with this, it opens the game to more people trying it and getting a real feel for this wonderful game! Props to the team for pushing this. If you have not tried Vanguard, what is stopping you now?!

Over the weekend I made a new cleric. I have one on another account but I wanted one on the account I am currently playing and subbed to, makes it easier for me. Having a blast with the class, trying to catch up to my bud, Rakar, so we can group soon. The cleric is a very straight forward class, I enjoy the mechanics and combat. I hear it slows down but for now I'm tearing stuff up.

I even grabbed him some cool titles, which makes his name Enforcer Vanlorian The Hammer. I love 'The Hammer', too funny for a cleric. In EverQuest we have a cleric hammer pet spell, so I really got a kick out of it. If you want a snazzy title you can buy them in New Targonor. If you are heading in from the winding path into the city, it is near the King's room, which is on the right down the winding path right before you head into the city. The NPC is in the first room. Titles and suffixes cost five gold each. It adds a neat bit of flair to your character, especially for those that role play, there are tons of them. And.. as always if you want to say hello I can be found on Bambi or Vanlorian (teh Hammer, lol) mostly these days.

EverQuest
Still playing EverQuest. I did slow down a bit lately, after getting our newest duo to 95. I sort of got a bit bored. Dire said to me last night 'You play a cleric in Vanguard but won't in EverQuest?!' He wants a cleric to go with his tanks. I do have one on another account, she is quite a few years old. However we like to play on the Recruit A Friend linked accounts, so I said I'd make a new one yesterday, could be fun playing a cleric again. I got bit by the urge and he set off to catch me up to where I could level with his Shadow Knight, who is 90. I managed to hit 61 before we logged. Now you can say that defeats the purpose of playing, for some perhaps. But I've played two clerics to 65+, gotten two 1.0 epics, which I really don't feel like doing again, played the class extensively in older content. I wanted to get caught up to be able to play with him because I really do mostly play when Dire is on. So that gave me a nice boost.

All in all it was an interesting session. I love clerics. At one point I was healing myself at 5% health with a level two spell, hollering at him how I was going to die because he pulled a dotting mob, lol. Fun times, I can get a bit hysterical at times. It was also a huge pull with tons of xp waiting on me, basically he pulled mobs, taunted them with SK AoE taunts, let them beat on his DS and I did AoE spells until I ran out of mana. When I hit 60 we just did as he normally does, swarms them, SK are amazing power levelers. It took no time at all. I look forward to playing my new cleric, I have missed playing one, it has been one of the classes I've played the longest through my time in EverQuest. Maybe it's in my DNA to play healers, clerics in general ;) *Points to title*

WoW
My WoW account is actually active. My son has been playing on it. I have poked in a few times to putter around with my hunter, but not as much as I'd have liked to. When I have been gone so long I always tend to gravitate back to the hunter. WoW is such a smooth game, the controls, everything is so polished. I miss that. But when I think on it, I don't really feel like getting to end game, dealing with the community. I'd much rather spend my time with the communities in EQ or Vanguard. They are more enjoyable overall. It is nice to pop in though! One day I'll get a char to 90, two are still sitting at 88, two at 86... Sigh.

Rift
I really need to make more time for this one. REALLY. I miss it, miss my guild. I am sure they want to slap me for being so slack lately.

Dire and I, the amazing top-hat duo. Top hats are hawt.

Long way down. 

Sunset.

PL session.

Dire aka Jimboy, the warrior. 

Video- Vanguard Saga of Heroes

It has been a rough week for me. Our baby ferret has gone missing, I'm heart broken. Seems under the stairs is a way out possibly, one too small for us to ever notice until looking very hard... On top of that struggling with finding a doctor, not being able to find one to actually help with my struggles, more on that another day. Anyhow, I figured it has been too long since I did a video. What better game to show off than the lovely Vanguard Saga of Heroes? I need a new machine, hopefully in a few months. Fraps kills this one, a bit of hitching unfortunately. Anyhow, enjoy!

Second Wind: Vanguard Saga of Heroes

"I think I'll start by stating the obvious. Vanguard is six years old, and it has not aged particularly gracefully. Now here's an interesting tidbit about me: I hate dolls; they give me the willies. It's unfortunate, then, thatVanguard's character models have an eerie doll-like quality about them. From their shiny porcelain skin to their glassy, lifeless eyes, they just give me the frickin' creeps. But really, that sense of dollishness isn't confined just to the character models; the entire world of Telon seems to be made entirely of the same material. There's really no variety in texture. Trees, rocks, and buildings all look as if they were molded from polystyrene and then painted with the appropriate texture. What I guess I mean is that the game has no style to it, no visual panache. It's just bland."- Matt Daniel, Massively


I love to read Massively, lots of news, lots of info. However, on occasion you will get a really, hrmm, putrid article, which just seems as if the writer was given an assignment they didn't want. Such as an article up this week- Second Wind: Vanguard. At first I was excited, the game is getting some coverage but like the last time I saw it in a headline, it was basically picking the game apart, this time ripping it to shreds. It is rare I even post a reply on Massively or even take the time to bother writing a counter here. It has to really get under my skin or be a fantastic article, this one was not fantastic, unless you like train wrecks.

Maybe I sound like a crusader, the thing is I think it was a lazy, biased- undeserved- article. Which in that case would belong on a personal blog, a diary, whatever, somewhere else entirely. I might write up a few hours play about a game with personal biased views, which even here I try to keep from being biased all the time. 'A glance', I like to call it. I'm not getting paid to do this stuff, I do this because I feel like it, because I have a passion to blab my mouth off about whatever flies into my head about games. I am not under pressure to play games I don't want to, I couldn't ever see myself writing about EVE online- but- if I did- I couldn't go on about how horrible PvE is because I don't enjoy it. I wouldn't feel right complaining about things that were just not my thing. If you're getting paid to write about and learn, while sharing what you learned, don't be lazy and biased/jaded. I too tried Vanguard at launch but I don't even bother to complain about spilled milk here.

The thing is, Vanguard has been in a position that most games have not been in, most players haven't been in limbo like the players of Vanguard. While we can point fingers at who did what, who is to blame, right now the game is still running and we have a fantastic development team. I mean how many forums do you visit where you can get questions answered, feedback and solid responses- from the development team, the lead developer at that? This team is trying to pick up the pieces of an older game, a lot of code they are staggered with, they are facing a lot of the unknown. I've even had a GM answer a question in a tell the other day, it is very rare you have that line of communication open.

Where to begin? Well, the article starts off picking on the graphics. I don't know what game he was playing but I think the world is freaking gorgeous. It does go down to player preference. But Vanguard isn't ugly, it has depth in the world, you see mountains in the far off distance, you can travel into those mountains, they are not just barriers surrounding a zone. The character models? Not the greatest ever but I like them, I even like EverQuest, so once again personal preference  But they are not horrible, not even close. The graphics have stood up well against the test of time. Animations are fluid enough to me. But I don't base a game off graphics alone. Even if I did, I'd be giving Vanguard a thumbs up...

The writer also complains about the map, being useless and quests not holding his hand. No auto loot, seriously? But he goes on to say how people would be better off to try EverQuest. While I play, and love, EverQuest, you can't compare the two. I will also say EQ is harder to learn. If I hadn't played it for the past 13 years I don't know if I could jump in now. It really is a whole different creature. EverQuest doesn't even have maps for many zones, I have to download the most recent, player made maps to even have them for many zones. There is no hand-holding there either, it is a far more brutal game in many aspects and I cannot even conceive many of today's gamers even lasting a day there. If you have not played that game, well, it is severely overwhelming. If you are not open to learning years and years of mechanics and content, you're probably not going to last. I've had friends try, or come back, and most of them do not last a week. It isn't a bad game, it is a complicated game. Vanguard, on the other hand, is much easier to jump into knock out a few quests and get rolling. It isn't a hard game, but you do have to figure out things sometimes. Oh my GAWD, you have to, ya' know, use your head! It is much like WoW was, years ago, before BC hit, except it hasn't been updated and made easier/more new friendly- Until recently. Things are getting better, it is just a slow process.

Nothing personal against the guy but if you're getting paid to do something, don't half ass it. If you don't like your job then let someone else do it, write another article. Commenters also claim that he has lied about playing games for other articles, or should have. I don't know. I do know this was a horrible kick to a game that was down for a long time. It seemed he was pushed into an assignment he didn't like, bucking against it, screaming the whole time. Or maybe he just wanted to tell us all how much he personally hated Vanguard. Keep personal stuff out of a professional article. Instead of letting people decide for themselves if they should try it, he basically tells them not to bother.

Massively had a similar post with EverQuest, by Justin (whom I think is a fantastic writer and person, all around, one of my all time favorite bloggers). Justin/Syp is a great writer, but you could tell his heart wasn't into his EverQuest post. He didn't even get to level nine in the tutorial, over a moth of playing for the article. Which is fine, but if you can't get into something at all, for an article, perhaps someone else should do that one? I think this is the case here as well. But when you have a well respected site that can steer people against games I think that should be a big deal. It loses credibility and respect, makes the writer look like a bad guy because he just didn't have his heart into a game. However, Justin is a far more elegant writer and he did not bash the game because it wasn't his cup of tea. I hate to even point this out against him, I just see Massively not assigning the correct people for some articles.

In conclusion to this, I will say Vanguard has bugs, plenty of them. Now the game can still be played fine, it isn't that huge of a deal, games are not perfect. People need to take the history of Vanguard in consideration too, if they want to play. If you can get past those things you can find a very enjoyable experience that isn't often found in today's games. I find a lot of bugs, I always report them. Eventually things will get better and better, the team can only do so much at once. Hey, we actually have a development team! And to those saying Vanguard needs to die, go play something you enjoy and leave this game to those who appreciate one with actual depth. The game has a great community, a very passionate one at that, something you won't find easily. Vanguard is a game you take the good with the bad, if you can't there are plenty of other games out there.

So there you have it, take it or leave it. I just feel this game deserves someone in it's corner, It is a contender that doesn't deserve to be kicked when it has been down for so long, especially when things are starting to look up for the future of Vanguard.

Hells Yeah! (Vanguard Saga of Heroes)

My little shaman now has her flying mount at 21. One of my favorite things to do in vanguard is exploring, this enables me to fly through the sky and just cruise around. While it might trivialize things for some it just adds to the excitement of exploration to places I've never seen. Since starting Vanguard, I have ALWAYS wanted my own flying mount. Before Free to play they were pretty tough to get and it had looked like it would be sometime far, far off if I ever got my own.

This one dropped from a random lockbox. All in all I might have spent around ten bucks on opening them, many free keys, potions, three mounts, one which I sold for a few gold. While I don't like lockboxes, the luck with these seems better than many in other games, thus you don't feel bad dropping a few bucks into the game to get some cool things and support it at the same time. Anyhow, I'll be soaring through the sky on this lovely beast today, lol.

Catching Up

My unicorn who is full of awesome, found in a lockbox. I generally hate lockboxes but SOE fills theirs full of awesome, so I can't help but opening them...

So, this year isn't going as planned, game wise.. Still playing Rift, though not as much. I think I just got overwhelmed with a few things. Such as a brick wall smacking me in the face at level 54. Things were slow but now they are like molasses, as far as xp goes. Half the time I log in, talk to the guild, get stuff sorted out, piddle around in my house and log out, I might get in one quest and try to help with the guild quest. I sort of lost that drive I had. Frankly it was what pushed me through those levels too. I don't mind slow leveling but I ran out of carnage quests, if I do another IA I think I will poke my eyes out (did nothing but IA's from 23-48). The mobs are getting tougher, they are already 2-3 levels above me where I am questing. I just can't slosh through that every day. There isn't any variety on where to go either, so that puts a damper on things. Top it off with some guild issues and you get me needing some space. I am still logging in a few times a week, I do miss my guild. I feel very guilty at the same time. But I am just recovering from the holidays, lots of family time and that left little for anything else too, that was a big reason but not the only one.

EverQuest. This I will admit I am playing solely for my husband. He really loves me playing. While I too enjoy playing, I grow bored when I play alone. I think I am spoiled by questing, changing scenery in other games. But it is a nice pace, a nice setting when you have someone else to play with! It is good as we play a game together again, he's having the greatest time and I like to see that. I just can't solo very much, no willpower, so I log in when the Mr. wants to.

When I do get some time, I have been setting time just for me, where I won't be interrupted, just to play Vanguard. It is lovely. It is peaceful and while EQ and Rift have amazing player bases so does this game. Chat isn't nearly as dirty as either of them. I swear both of those games have some really crazy stuff going on, esp late at night. Things have change, just a little. It still feels like going back in time, a simpler time in MMO games. Things were not faceroll, but they were not always hard either, yet stuff could still rip you a new one, you had to be careful.

So for now, Vanguard is like an unopened box of candies, waiting to be sampled. I soak in the scenery, sample quests from all over and just have a splendid time. I go off on my own, with my pet and explore, sometimes veering off the path to see where something may lead to.

I recently changed from a bear shaman to wolf, I wanted to see what it was like. I am very happy I went with the change. For now it is a lot of fun, faster kills, amazingly fast run speed, which is neat, invis in about six levels, nice buffs, good damage. I hit level 20 today with the shaman, enjoying it a lot. I am glad I picked her back up, I never though I'd see the say she hit 16, for the pets, much less 20. So I'm proud of hitting that, I am bad about sticking with things!

Questing is going well, I hop around. Sometimes I solo small group quests. I want to join in some dungeon groups eventually, for now I enjoy soloing and wandering around. I see more people than I did before the free to play launch. Speaking of I am still playing for free. I plan on subbing at the end of the week because I want to support the game while I play. But with a lower level character it hasn't been bad at all. I know getting higher up it would be much more restrictive but for now it isn't too harsh on me.

There is a silver cloud for Vanguard Saga of Heroes, honestly. While some may complain how it was neglected and left on life support for, what, five years, by SOE, at the same time, it wasn't shut down. At the same time it is one of the few games I can go back into that moment, that moment when MMO games had an awesomeness about them. I can almost go back in time, to a place where people worked together, where DPS meters were not spammed, where people were civil and spoke to each other, where actual skill was valued. It hasn't been morphed and changed and given so many face lifts where it isn't even the same game. While we may still have bugs, we still have a good foundation, depth, charm, beauty, lore, choices... Things many, many MMO games are lacking currently.

Why do I quit playing? Why do I get bored and quit playing any game? Blame that on my ADD, seriously, it's a curse, but I suppose it makes for interesting varieties with posts... It has taken me a week to pump out this post, huzzah! Anyhow, if you play and want to say hello (Telon) look me up on Bambi.

That's it for today, have a great day ;)

Video courtesy of Ardwulf.

Eye Candy- Around The World(s)

The beauty that is Vanguard. I never tire of the scenery.

One of the lower level areas, questing one evening.

My shaman and her pet. She's the panda ;) Too cute! What is nice is I don't always have to wear the illusion to get the buff. I love that.

I'm meeeelting...

Randolph has let me take some awesome shots and see scenery and areas I haven't before.

Questing with my holiday mask, heh. This quest just had me throw bodies over the bridge, lol. Which then came back as undead and attacked me, was pretty funny as I did not expect that!

Neat looking mob, would make a very interesting visage/illusion!

Taking a break in town.

Hanging out in Everquest. The siren illusion is now in the cash shop, yeah I HAD to get it. LOVE it!

Flying around on Randolph.

Dire and I working on xp- EverQuest.

Rift, phase three of the holiday event. It sent me on a boat, lol. 

EverQuest. I mostly just play with Dire but I enjoy it. Feels rather slow when I solo but quite nice as a duo. I'm glad we play something together again. 

Our guild neighborhood, outside the hall.