Play Log

I'm really enjoying Guild Wars 2 a lot these days. Last week I finally hit the level cap. It took me so long I still had a birthday buff on my main, which gave a nice boost and I flew through the last few levels. It is interesting being 80. There is plenty to do, I still have many maps to complete. I'm not interested in doing instances really, mostly just more of the same, which is all good. I made my way to the end game zones, The Ruins of Orr, which is a weird place. It looks as if you are in a desert carved into the ocean floor, lacking water. Haunting beauty yet a tad depressing. It is packed with undead and barnacles. I haven't spent too much time there yet, I am sure I will get to know it soon enough.

GW2 is lovely, especially more so with a new computer and a new monitor. It's just a joy to play. I really enjoy the combat and pace of the game. I find myself forgetting that I don't get xp for everything, while playing other MMO games. Sometimes it can be a hard transition. Running feels pretty fast and I don't miss a mount much of the time, which is odd. All in all I am enjoying it more than I ever have.

I'll be working on achievements for now, clearing out maps, making monies, and playing my alts. No rush to do much really, just log in and have fun. That's the best thing about GW2. There isn't a lot of pressure, tons of places to explore, xp for everything you do. You don't stop getting xp at the cap, each 'level' is turned into a skill point. You can max out all your skills (which works like an ability or passive you can swap in and out with others) and/or purchase things with skill points eventually. There is still much to do at the cap, so hitting 80 isn't the end. It doesn't feel a whole lot different, the only thing is that you pretty much have the whole map accessible where you didn't at the lower levels, and of course, gear.

I also got another HoM point through the first Guild Wars, I'd like to get more but I just don't feel like playing through the game on another character. GW is a great game- when you're actually wanting to play it. When you want to play GW2 it can drag on, but at least I gained another point! It is a LOT of work, nothing to scoff at, best for those with established accounts or those that really wish to invest in playing the first. It is time consuming and you really have to be in the mindset for it.

As with a new computer, I always want to see how this or that game looks. I just had to load up Rift. It is spectacular. I often forget what a beautiful game it is. It is gorgeous if you play it with everything turned up, if you don't it can be a bit bland looking. But it is absolutely gorgeous, especially entering rifts, the lighting is just lovely.

Besides Rift looking great, it is a nice change. More of a classic feeling MMO. I can't pinpoint why Rift is sometimes called generic. I understand why, but it really is a neat game far from being generic. Maybe the slower combat? Talent points? I think the soul trees offer a nice flavor and much depth to the game. It offers a lot of standard things you'd expect from an MMO, then it also adds some really interesting things. Jumping puzzles, shinies, housing, and fun crafting (I just love fishing). Things like Instant adventures are awesome, you group up but in a more 'dynamic' setting. I do quite a lot of these, but these days I am trying to quest more and IA less.

I don't much feel like playing my mage these days so I've been playing around with my cleric. My main is two levels from the cap, I should just finish it up. There are some new souls out but none of them really interest me at this time, I doubt I pick it up right now. I'm just playing the cleric mostly as a dps with my healer pet following me. There are some new pet skins, the cleric's are the best looking (IMO). They are gorgeous. Most of the classes get a reskin but the cleric gets some new looking models.

I have also been working on the new Dreamweaver profession. It is interesting, making a lot of house items, I am about to make my first dimension key. There are a lot of new ones with the profession, I can't wait to get a few to try out, I don't know which to pick from. Eventually I'd like to make them all! Like GW2, there is always a lot to do, a lot of choice on what to do when you log in. I like that, keeps me interested.

Dire and Nelf are really having a blast with D3. It is nice to see them playing something together again. Dire hit 70 with his main last week, then Nelf helped him level up his first alt (in like an hour, lol), which he is still learning a lot about the changes with the game, plenty for him to keep busy with. They have asked if I want to play. I do, but I'm not sure if it is a good fit for me. I don't know if I can even keep up with them, lol. With the changes it looks better than ever, more so now it looks like something I could play and enjoy. Nelf plays on my account and has invested a lot of time into it, so I figure eventually I'll just get a new account. Not sure when! I already have FFXIV sitting there, I've not had time to play but I hope to finally hit 20 this week. Why no time? I am very close to 20 and my mount, but I need to do several dungeons and... ugh I didn't feel like it and also I have not had time to sit in a queue and then sit through a dungeon. They take time and so does waiting on the queue. I HAVE to do them in order to progress through the story, to unlock my mount and basically to play through the game as intended. Which I don't like so much. I don't want to group at these levels, why force me? So, we'll see if I can stomach it or not.

That's it for today, enjoy the shots!

My favorite areas in the game are those with the Ascalon setting. I can't get enough of these zones. I love everything about them. I suppose they really remind me of my early days in the first Guild Wars, in pre-searing, Ascalon. Dire and I have a lot of good memories there. 

Traveling around to Orr, a nice sky.

I love any zone that has a forest....

Oink! 

One of my alts, enjoying a costume (and being able to wear it in combat!!).

Under a full moon in the guild hall, with my trusty pets.

Traveling to a new quest area.

Now THAT is a forest!

Death Rift.

Daily Grind... This & That

As the week wraps up I'm level 19 in Diablo III. While some are finishing up the game I'm still chugging along. It's a great game but I play it on the side so I'm moving at a much slower pace. Grouped a bit last night but I probably won't play again until the weekend, unless my son asks. On the Diablo subject- Pando's Lighter Side of WoW blog has a really cool post up here. It has to do with rainbows,flowers, and... unicorns, lol. Thought I'd share that interesting post.

If you play Vanguard you might have noticed that the June loyalty reward quest is out but broken. I think it slipped out with the update. It isn't suppose to be out, but hey, we're getting free materials to build a house when it really is out next month! I had hoped for a flying mount but you never know what is in store ahead. Maybe the level 20 quest one will be added before the summer is over. So, I'll be hunting for a plot to buy this weekend. I want to go ahead and get a good one before everyone rushes out to buy some land, lol. My new ship should come in handy for this!

I managed to get into the final TSW beta event, but it isn't telling just when that will be. I'll enjoy checking this game out. Funcom also has anniversary gifts out for premium and free players of AoC. I received an email about it earlier, I might have to log in and check it out. Just don't know if I'll have the time. I do miss that game sometimes.

In other news EverQuest is boosting the AA modifier to around 1000% instead of the current 500%, or so I read on the forums. This won't decay around the current 2,500 AA number but instead around 4,000 AA points. So, it will be easier to catch up on this part of the game. This update is scheduled for next month. Give or take that's the gist I got from this thread.

That's it for today! Safe adventures!

What I like about Diablo III

Frogs! It's raining frogs!

I'm- slowly- working my way through Diablo 3. I can't really say I've made a ton of progress. I just have a lot going on and so I'm only 15 with my Demon Hunter. Slacker, I know. I'm reading about other people who are already capped and I see my friends list full of big numbers. I'll get there, eventually.

So, I really can't tell you much that you don't know, you probably know far more than I. But I can give some thoughts of what I think of D3 this far, maybe I'll luck out and can share some insight with some who don't yet play. I have been reading a lot about it in my feed while family and friends have been telling me things too.

I really love grouping with people in D3. While it is a bit harder than solo mode it is really, really fun to just jump in and do whatever and still get credit. How many games offer this? This offers great incentive for grouping! The only problem I have is that sometimes I forget where I was in the quest log,  I end up hopping around trying to remember where I was. It would be nice if it was marked [boldly, for someone like myself] making it bit easier for players to remember. If I don't log in for a couple of days I'm pretty much going to forget where I was.

...I've already forgotten the last paragraph I just wrote because chrome crashed on me- Thanks to that P.O.S. called Skype. Anyhow, let's see. Ah, yes. The world of Diablo feels alive and connected to me. I like that it is always online. I have plenty of offline games, it really isn't a huge deal to me. If the servers go down for a bit, well I have plenty of other things to do. That's my perspective. Plus, it is so easy to group and connect with friends. Much more streamlined than it once was.

I also don't miss skill points, I like how runes work. I think this path for choosing how your class works is really nice and easier to get into. Re-spec as you like, whenever you like= Awesome.  Re-spec your followers whenever= More awesomeness. Very easy to play around and try different things and not feel locked into choices.

Overall I love how flexible D3 is, you can play casually and still feel like you're moving along. I think it is a really great game to hop into and have fun with. Eventually I'll catch up with the rest of you!

Edit- Ah, I forgot to mention the story and the cinematics, they rock!

Eye Candy

Today's hefty Eye Candy post is mostly of Diablo III, the cinematics are amazing. Simply gorgeous! (forgot to move the pointer...in the excitement) A few Second Life pics too, with some friends :) Enjoy!

Stay awhile and listen.... Diablo III

So, we finally got around to getting into Diablo 3. I have to say it is a pretty solid game. There are a lot of really good things about it. It's easy to jump in with friends and you can complete quest again, those which you've already finished (as many times as you like). Flags in town (when grouped) will port you directly to your friend, very handy. Town portal is now a spell which you can use at your leisure. "Your bags full? Think it's time to sell yet?', "Yeah my bags are full, I think it's a good time to sell. " *cast town portal*....*cast town portal*


The game still has a dark, gritty feel to it. I like the graphics, the style, the characters and the armor. Many people complained about the females, such as the DH but I find they [DH] remind me a bit of Sylvanas  Windrunner from WoW, edgy and dark. The music is true to the Diablo series too. There are new additions to fun things like the fact you can dye your armor, in Act 2. And professions, check out the link I just threw up, they are very interesting and engaging. You can make some really great stuff!

The skill system is very interesting and flexible, especially when you add runes to your skills. What's a rune? You gain these each level and tack them onto an existing ability. There are also racial abilities you start gaining at level ten, I like that.

It feels weird playing Diablo 3 online all the time, sort of. Personally, I like online games, I suppose I like knowing other people are out there, that it is a living, breathing world even when I log off. I'm really enjoying the always online deal. I've been so happy to chit-chat with friends and jump into games with my family. Tonight I might surprise a few friends and jump in and say hi, lol.

My brother is playing, my son, Dire and I. So we've been teaming up and sharing armor and drops. My brother has been making us all gear, I've been giving him a lot of blues to break down to help out. He's really excited about things like that and it has been so long since we've all played a game together I don't mind holding off on a prof to help him. We all played the previous Diablo games together over the years but I was surprised when he sent me a text asking if we were playing, he's over the moon with the game. My son is pretty smitten too. Me? I like it a lot, it is something I can see myself playing for a long time, especially since there is no subscription fee.

What's so great about another Diablo game? Sometimes it is nice to just hack and slash stuff. Sometimes it is nice to team up with a few people and not worry about the holy trinity to get going. It's nice not to worry about meters and just kill things. Diablo has a lot of neat stats like bonuses to gold, xp and magical item drops. There is room for how you want to play and not have someone tell you how you're 'doin' it wrong'. It's simple, fun and easy to get in and out of. It is easy to hook up with friends. I love that. plus you can always grab an NPC, go solo whatever you want. You don't have to play with anyone. Hell, you can even pause the game in single player. I can't recall ever being able to pause an online game. D3 is a different sort of creature, that is for sure.

I've been working on a Demon Hunter. I'm sure I'll play all the other classes but for now I'm working on her as my main. Dire finally got in last night for the first time, he's a Barbarian. The first night his computer took hours to do a scan and needed video driver updates, then the next our ISP had an outage, fun stuff! My Brother is a Barbarian also and my son is currently working on his third or so character but seems smitten with the Sorceress. I have to admit, both of those classes look so appealing, they all do. So, there is a lot of room for replay-ability with all the fun classes, IMO.

We haven't had a ton of problems with downtime but we've not always been playing at peak time. Yesterday evening we got kicked and a few times here and there but it really hasn't been too horrible for us. My brother was in the queue yesterday but he said it was only 27 or so and Dire plays so late at night that it isn't a problem at all.

Some tips before I go. Z zooms in on your screen, good for screenshots. The num pad will activate voice triggers for your character. Right click in the character screen before logging in to design your personal flag, left to look at your character more in-depth (stats, achievements, spin character around and so on). Print screen does take pics, in Win7 they are in the documents folder, took me a few to find them.

Oh, and we got to rescue Dekard Cain. I still haven't had him ask me to 'Stay awhile and listen'. Overall I'm pretty happy with how D3 turned out, a very solid game that is flexible and accessible. That's it for today. Hope everyone is having a blast in D3, feel free to add me if you like- Sablesix#1207.

Getting Back Into Sync

It always happens when I move, getting back into a routine, getting back into my games after playing so little. I've been busy with stuff IRL, haven't been playing as much this week. In the evenings I just want to relax with something low key, I sometimes log in to Second Life lately. It's relaxing and mostly I keep to myself or just hang out with some friends, or play dress up, ha.

In WoW my son managed to hit 85 over the weekend (GRATZ!) with his shaman and we've been doing some instances, which has been fun for him. I've been playing my Hunter with him in those because it's just more enjoyable for me to run instances with her than the druid, for now at least. I have also ran a few with Dire. Lately we've been doing some old content for achievements and transmog gear. Which is always fun. I need to log in more to play with my son though, he wants to get some better gear and it is always more fun to queue with someone.

We've downloaded D3 and I've been waiting on Dire, when he gets off work tonight, to really play. I figure we can get on the same footing and play through together. I might log in after supper to make a few characters and see what I want to play. I still don't know even though I tried it in beta. More thoughts on that tomorrow.

The to do list is growing... So much I want to do, just so little time lately! The NBI seems like a great success, I'm going to have to go through it again and pick up where I left off, also re-visit some of those blogs I poked over at. I just haven't had the time. I have been keeping up with my feed, lots of great posts lately, I really need to sit down and write some comments!  If only I were Wonder Woman =p

That's it for today, more on D3 in my next post!