Weekend Recap

I've gotten ahead of myself in SWTOR, getting further in the story line, being able to move on to the next planet. But I'm trying to get a few levels to buffer me as I am still a bit low, some of the story quests are kind of hard but it is mostly due that I really should not be getting more levels before I keep moving on. I just really enjoy the story a lot, not always the side quests as much.

The world in which this game takes place is very refreshing. I don't feel that I am anywhere for too long, change of scenery is pretty often. It also reminds me of being a kid again, my love for Star Wars coming back to me, it is quite awesome. As a child there really wasn't ANYTHING like Star Wars to me. Going on my missions and wielding my own light saber makes my inner child quite happy.

My brother is still playing, he has passed me up in a few levels, I'm playing the balancing act with games though. I need to log in this week and catch up. I was taking advantage of EQ2's double xp weekend, which seemed slow still at 90...sigh.

In EQ2 I am almost, almost 91! The levels are going very slow. The questing has been enjoyable and I've been doing the Chrono daily quests (which start at the chrono mentors), to add in a nice change. However yesterday in The Estate of Unrest (instance) I realized I needed two people to unlock the doors to kill the boss. Two are needed to pull levers simultaneously, and I could not find any help. So that really put a damper on my session in EQ2. I don't want to chrono down and blow through a dungeon with someone else, it is too easy and I like to take my time and explore, I go to EQ2 to play with my merc and solo. The others that I have done I've gained mini enchanted statues of the bosses whom I have killed, which make for nice house items! I will have to share some pictures of them when I get more.

There is a lot to do in EQ2, lots of content. Even if you missed something you can always mentor down and go back to check it out. Also the events, always something going on at one point or another. The game does have a lot of options on what to do, which is something that always pulls me back. Add in mercenaries and you can do so much more than ever- except if you need them to pull a level...gah.

And, yes, I am still playing WoW. Though not nearly as much. Which was good to get a bit of a break. I still log in to do my weekly quest in the barrens with one or two characters sometimes. I also mainly run heroics and scenarios with Dire. Which are quite easy as my druid, she is a really enjoyable healer. I'm also messing around with my lock here and there, she is my 'go to' character when I want to solo something. 5.4 looks to be interesting, and we have some new appearance items in the shop, which I will have to get....soon. I still do enjoy the game, probably too much to really quit, we'll see what is ahead.

Rift also has a summer event heading out to us in a couple of days... Which I MUST take part in, I missed it last year. Too many games, too little time, isn't that always the problem? That's it for today. Have a great week!

Queen For A Day (WoW)

The past few days I've been puttering around in WoW. My son's playing stint was short lived, leaving my account activated and just sitting there, thus I figure I'd pop in on a few times. I almost have my hunter caught up in level to my other two highest chars, druid and lock, whom are 88. But yeah, the Hunter was my first choice to get 90 with, wish I had stuck to my guns. Heh, get it? I would be 88 with her if I stopped getting distracted...

Yesterday I happened to peek over on petopia and find the cutest little monkey pet with a fez hat (Gib the Bananna horder). I just had to have him, which ended up 'wasting' about an hour and a half camping him because he wasn't up. Luckily he didn't take too long, and while I saw a few other hunters popping in, none bothered me. He is so awesome!

Then later in the evening I decide I want to finish off my incomplete transmog set... except I need the rest of it from BWL. I've never actually been in there. I read about one class soloing it, was it hunter? The mechanic is a right pain in the arse on the entry boss and I didn't have anyone to help me with it. Turns out it was hunter, a goblin can as well and I'd guess an engineer, as long as you can boost yourself up on the ledge to reset the fight. The biggest key, I found, is to make sure you have aggro on Razorgore, you have to be on the top of the aggro list. If not: he will die and everyone, even you, will be oneshotted. If you DO have aggro then he will go invincible, thus you can reset it and have at this fight.

To see exactly what I am talking about check out this awesome video and guide here. If you happen to read the comments on the youtube video many will say it was hotfixed, it doesn't work anymore, not true. I did it last night, still works. It took me about four tries to actually get a feel for the mechanics and learn what I was doing wrong but I got it! That was a happy moment!

I cleared the whole instance out, I've never set foot in here, other to die once finding out the mechanic needed a work around, so this was a really epic night for me. I got to see a place in WoW I've never set foot in. After playing for so long it is refreshing. When I came upon Chromaggus it was a real decision.... Do I tame him?! Or do I hope he drops his pet?! I decided to see if the pet drops and tame him next week. I was very happy that the little pet did drop!

The rest of the instance was pretty neat, I got some of my Dragonstalker armor that I needed (chest, head, belt), it is so purple and pretty! I'm sure it will be even easier at 90, but I just get so distracted and have to go off and do all these fun things instead of leveling. Speaking of... I need to get back to that this afternoon. It was nice feeling on top of the world (of Azeroth) for a day, excitement of something new and challenging, it was a real treat.

Anyhow, have a great weekend!
Sharing some pics:

I had to head into UBRS for a quick run to get keyed for BWL. My little monkey pet there in this pic :) He still needs a name :(

Might as well stop for an achievement! Which I think I got more whelps than I needed, just had to be sure, lol. 

In the corner, making sure I had aggro. 

Dead at last!

Second boss.

Woot! Pet time!!

Wasn't sure what exactly to do here, think there was a mechanic I missed on this fight, just bruted through it, lol. 

I wonder what this does? 

Die!

Umm.... Get em pet?

Wewt!

Stop hitting me, I'm trying to loot! Yay, my items!

Completed the transmog with a big, mean gun! I love this gun, it is an old gizzly hills quest. luckily I never had a chance to complete it and toss the gun. It is called The Bondsniper. There are a few quests in Wrath for different colors. 

A good night, much fun!

Ding!

Ding! I'm finally finished with leveling my DK in WoW. I'm glad, I really enjoy the class and he's a solid choice for farming and soloing old content, as that is my bread and butter these days. I'll be playing him through MoP before my other characters, probably with Dire's DK. It's a milestone for me, I've been so bad at sticking with anything for very long so I really made a point to follow through on this character. I didn't think I would but it turned out more fun than I thought it would be. /flex /happy elf dance /cheers... Ok, I'm done, heh.

I managed to nap a few BoE epics off the auction house for a decent price. I know it is close to the expansion but I look at it as an investment to help me farm up for the expansion, plus I just wanted them. I can't wait for tomorrow, getting my mounts and pets on this character is going to be very cool!

Now that I am 85 with the Death Knight, I do want to farm up some monies in preparation for the expansion and I've been working on my trades as well, hopefully those will be finished by then. I also want to dabble with some of my other games too.

Speaking of, I logged into Allods Online today. I've been wanting to try out the new mercenaries and see just how fast the solo combat felt, I had heard it was boosted. I have never set foot into a dungeon in Allods, so this was exciting for me. I grabbed a mercenary contract (lasts 2 hrs, your group, once used) summoned the NPC and hired a full group; tank, heals and dps. It was pretty awesome, easy and I didn't have to bother with waiting around to do the instance. The mercenaries are pretty tough, the function well and seem to have pretty decent AI. I was impressed.

Solo things seemed a whole lot faster! I was very happy, sometimes soloing in Allods felt like watching paint dry, the combat was just a bit too slow. Easy but s-l-o-w. Now it feels it is at a nice pace, a very good direction. I actually felt like questing and killing things. I am also excited to do more instances.

For now the mercs are cheap but as you level they get more expensive. We'll have to see how that goes, I don't know just how much money you bring in around the higher levels, but 75g a pop, for a merc group sounds a bit high, we'll have to see- if I ever get there.

I'm so tempted by GW2. I wanted to wait a bit, though I do plan on playing it. I've been reading some great posts about it. I'm curious about the necro class, guess I'll have to read up a bit on it. We'll see how long I last! That's it for me today, so tired, first day of High School here in Houston, ugh, early mornings will be the end of me.

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 

Too Small a World for Me... (WoW, EQ)

Too Small a World for Me
I tend to skip around from games sometimes. I do like to mix it up and play different things, there are a lot of really cool games out now. However there are a couple that I call my main games- Warcraft and Everquest. Even if I am not playing one atm, I will surely be playing it again at some point. Lately though WoW has just felt too small a world for me, I find myself getting bored easier.

My friend Pouncealot from Heals and Dots asked me to explain why WoW wasn't big enough a world for me. So today I thought I would elaborate. This will be long winded I'm sure, heh. I started Everquest in 2000, even back then the world was quite large, many places to explore and level. It could take at least half an hour to run somewhere. It truly was a huge world. Today the game is even bigger than before, sixteen expansions later! Today travel is a lot easier and faster, with portal stones, guild hall ports and fast mounts. Had I not played Everquest would I still think WoW such a small world? Probably not. Ignorance is bliss. Just kidding...!! Would I still be bored within it? Probably.

Zones
When I went to World of Warcraft it was indeed a smaller world than I was use to. It was new and still didn't have the zones it does now. Today though, there are not all that many zones. I just feel I am spinning circles with each expansion, finding myself in the the same areas day after day. Same instances day after day. It doesn't change up quickly, as the expansions are not put out once a year as I was use to with Everquest. It still, six years later, feels rather small to me. Everything is outdated very quickly. Which continues to make the new content used up faster and the world feel smaller once again, not expanded.

I love WoW, but for one who likes to change things up with scenery, it's just not possible at high end. While leveling there are a few different zones, but why go to one when the other is better with quests offered ect. No mobs to camp for an item .. something special you want. If there is, well it's in an instance, in most cases. It can feel limited. Holiday events that have you travel are like a breath of fresh air to me, but they are far in between at times.

Another thing I notice is my Bard and my fast mount in Everquest, they seem to go double the speed of my epic flier, even with the Paladin's crusader aura in WoW. Because there is more area to cover, you travel at a faster rate. Zoom.. Zoom.. Zoom!

Get tired of one place, go somewhere else. If you are wondering just how many zones there are in Everquest here is a list. And here is a visual picture to consider, note the newest expansion isn't listed here and these are full of instanced and raid zones as well.  It's massive for someone who loves to explore. It could be overwhelming to a new player, I think it adds a depth to a game. A huge world to explore. Mobs that drop rare items hidden across it, many quests and epic quests to be had.  Go visit the 'Gods' of Everquest in the Planes if you like! Maybe even kill them if you're strong enough! I like things like that. I got tired of visiting Vancleef :( I am sure he misses me though.

Content
It depends on how you look at content while leveling and once you are at high end. I like something to do when I am at the top still. Things I can work on alone or with others. I don't like it so much in one direction, where if I log on for a short time, I can't do anything worthwhile. That is a big thing with me. I like to be able to duo and group as well, I don't like being pigeonholed into one aspect of play at high end.

In WoW while leveling there are so many things to do quest wise. However, once you reach the top it's instances and raids for gear. Which is fun. Though this can really be a burn out for some people. Ok, I want to just solo a bit, let me do daily quest. Do you know anyone who actually likes them? I don't. They get old quickly too. I am glad they are there for the option to acquire gold, it just gets boring fast.

So.. what can you do on your own or with a partner once you get high end in WoW- besides daily quests? Achievements or PvP. But what if you don't like those? That's what gets to me sometimes. I remember in BC I logged on some nights and just spent time fishing... for days. I thought why the hell am I still playing this game? Sure, I enjoy fishing but it was quite boring, I had PvP'd for gear, raided a couple times a week and did my daily quests. When I wasn't well.. I didn't feel like instancing all the time.

But you can't solo in Everquest! How many times I have heard that. With mercenaries, you can. Some classes can solo better than others. It just depends on what you solo. Everyone can solo to 85. Everyone. It's not as fun at times, so groups are always welcomed. The Mage is the posterchild for soloing now. A bit overpowered if you ask me when compared to other classes with less gear and alternate advancement points. That doesn't stop me. With better gear and AA points all the classes get stronger.

You have to keep in mind it is an older game, so a massive overhaul wouldn't work out well with such old coding. Plus do we want it to be like WoW? It is it's own game with it's own feel and play-style. Skills have more meaning to them. Things do not die so fast, so skills are more utilized. Slowing the mobs attack speed makes a big difference where it wouldn't matter in WoW.

High end? There are raids, group content, instances and quests. When you don't feel like doing any of those you can just xp for alternate advancement points. These are like talent points on crack. You can build and tune your character into something much stronger than you started with. The great thing is you can work on these starting at level 51, so there is much work to do to keep you busy with that aspect. Want to stay in a place for awhile and work on them? Kick the aa xp to 100% and you won't level.

Exploring
Not everyone likes to explore. I don't just run around la la la and smelling the flowers in all the pretty zones. However, I do like to go back to some of the older zones, kill some rare mobs.. kill an old raid mob.. something worthwhile still. Hey it could drop something worthwhile still, maybe some spells or a clicky item I never could get. I like places to explore while getting xp also.

There is no invisibility in WoW. Which makes exploring some areas more of a pain. I always thought it was odd that WoW didn't offer this ability to all classes. Ok, Mages get it and there is also stealth. It's not the same. Stealth mobs can see through if you get too close, not fun. Where being invisible you can dance in front of the mob if you want and they don't mess with you- that is unless they see through it! Then again it is a much smaller world so the need for something like this is not as great.

Adventure!
I suppose to sum things up, I like a slower pace these days. Everything is so fast in WoW. Groups are done so fast in Heroics, I guess that might be a good thing though! You know everything inside out by the time you hit 80 and have played for a month at least. It stagnates quickly. The longer you play, the less fascinating the world can get. The content is slowly put out, so it is to be expected.

When I want to adventure, I want it to be an adventure.  I don't want to always have to go to the same zone day after day. That's like going to the grocery store every week and calling it an adventure. You need gold- you go do daily quests. You need food you go to the grocery store. I consider them both to be the on same level of excitement- Zzzz....

I like to quest or camp for things. There really isn't an option at 80 for much of this in WoW. If you go around adventuring, there really isn't much of a point besides the scenery. If you do like to go sight seeing, well.. you can get bored of event that after awhile.

So there you go readers (And my dear friend Pouncie!) that's the best way, I suppose, I can sum it up. This isn't a brag about EQ post either, it's just EQ ties into why I feel as I do about WoW. Why do I not always play EQ then? I still like my other games, I miss them at times and still like to visit them and try out new games. For now though I am back in Norrath adventuring my heart out!

May your adventures be exciting and full of fond memories!
-kaozz

Edit* Someone smack me for posting when I am tired.. Sorry for all the typos- I think I caught them all this time >.<

Chasing the Endless Carrot (MMO)

What Makes a Game Worth It to You?
There's so many little things in games that make them unique and enjoyable for us to play. Some games offer more than others. Some require more time. I suppose we are all chasing and an endless carrot on a stick. It comes down to, what are you chasing?

Working Towards Something..  Carrots!
Something I really like about games would be other ways to shape and work on your character besides leveling. I'm not talking about talent points like in WoW. While talent points are nice for shaping a character they are only good as long as the spec is currently being used.

Two things I really like are Alternate Advancement Points (Everquest) and Achievements . I don't like pointless Achievements either. I was a title or something to show off what I did, otherwise.. they are pointless to me. The AA system is something that helps you shape and strengthen your character as you level and gives you something else to work on once you finish leveling. Sure I could go after more gear- that is with any game. I however like to be able to refine and add more to it. Plus once you get those under your belt, you really have a stout character in your hands, which is a very nice feeling.

Han Solo?
I like to solo quite a bit, everyone does these days it seems. However just because you can solo in a game doesn't mean it's worth it or a sign that it really counts later on. Games change quite a bit from start to finish (in terms of levels). 

WoW is one of the easiest games to solo with. In the end, really, the only solo you do at 80 is grinding daily quests..  Or I suppose grinding mobs for gold, but who does that anymore? ZzzzZZzzz....  While other games you crave groups but there's nobody to level with. Are you chasing a carrot that isn't even there?

I like games that offer alternate ways to play: instances, soloing, duo, groups and raiding. Not just the same thing day after day. If I chose to group, fine. If I am not in the mood then I like to be able to get something done still. I like to change things up. In the end are you playing a game that will change dramatically once you hit the top?

Old Gear.. is Old?
One thing that has always bothered me is out-dating gear quickly. The gear you work hard for is trivial, in WoW, several times over before a new expansion comes out. It is simply because there is nothing else to do but chase that carrot for better gear. May it be PvE or PvP. The gear I had in the begenning of WoTLK from raids is now quite bad compared to what I can get from heroics and ICC.

Now, I am not bashing WoW. I am just stating my opinion on how the game works in terms of spreading out content and gear. I would be happier if it was spread out upon a year, with new expansions and content implemented each year.  Not implementing the big bad instance of the expansion- a year after it's been out.

I like games where gear is used and valued at a longer rate. However you have to have more to do besides raiding I suppose. So it's really a hard thing to tune once you get a game rolling at a very rapid rate in terms of gear. People come to expect it. It's a carrot that never is in one's grasp for long.

Care Bear?
I like to work on both of these in some games. Some games I will not touch PvP and some games I will not touch simply because they have open PvP. I like the two separate. I am sorry but there is nothing in the world that can convince me some jerk camping me over and over is fun. Especially if they are multitudes higher in level. I have tried open PvP servers and I will never ever do it again. I have better ways to waste my time.

I like games that offer a reward for an objective or a battleground. Not mercilessly camping people that are trying to level. Don't give me an emote or a pat on the back for PvP.  If there is no reward besides cackling with glee for killing someone. That is one carrot I will not budge for.


Another Day, Another Carrot!
Those are some of my thoughts of what I think is pretty much the endless chase for people. What keeps us going, playing. Some people have different objectives, in the end we get bored and wander away when the carrot seems too far out of reach or becomes one in which we simply don't desire chasing for yet again, we did that yesterday and the day before that.. I often have to ask myself if the carrot I am chasing in certain games is worth it.


-kaozz