September 2007

Lunnagirl – Some Amazing Art Work for Eq2

stargrace September 8, 2007 0Comment

This picture belongs to Lunnagirl, she did an amazing job on it, one of my favorites

I decided to take a little time and show case a few members of the EQ2 community. Specifically those who volunteer their talents in some way shape or form, be it as professionals or as a hobby. My first (eye stopping) encounter was from this forum post on EQ2players. Who would have ever guessed there was such amazing work being done by artists. I sent an email to “Lunnagirl” and asked if she wouldn’t mind answering a few questions. So without further hesitation:

1. How long have you been playing EQ2:

I started playing EQ2 about two weeks after the game released.

2. Have you played any other MMO’s and if so what were they:

I played EQ Live for years on the Bristlebane server.

I played City of Heroes until EQ2 came out.

Recently I’ve picked up World of Warcraft which in truth has given me an entirely new and refreshed appreciation for Everquest2.

3. How long have you been adding your own artistic touch to the world of Eq2

From the beginning. I draw everyday and it’s only natural for me to take something I interact with often (erm… dare I say daily?) and do something creative with it.

4. How long does each piece take you to complete (approx)?

It varies from piece to piece. The first ones I did really didn’t take that long. Three to four hours maybe. Some of the later portraits have taken 8 – 10 hours. I got bored with just improving the look of a character in a simple pose. I wanted to challenge myself so I started trying to create a scene, and have the character doing something related to his or her profession in the game.

5. Would you ever consider doing something like (graphic wise) this as a paid job? Or is it just a hobby of yours?

I’m a professional graphic designer, so I do earn a living by doing this sort of thing. The fan art is more of a hobby though.

6. I imagine all works are original pieces (from screen shots and the like), what programs do you work with to finish the product?

When I take on a portrait project I make an appointment with the player and take the screenshots myself. Once I have some good shots I begin to edit them using Adobe PhotoShop.

7. Any advice for people who are interested in getting into turning EQ2 screen shots into artwork?

Take high quality screenshots. It will make the work you do easier from the start.

8. Have you ever had anyone hate the work you’ve done?

Yes. I’ve done portraits over again because the recipient didn’t care for it. I’ve also done work that the recipient loved and I can’t stand. You just try to learn from it and apply those lessons to future projects. It’s the projects I do for myself – that belong to me, if you will – that I hold close and personal. Those are the ones that I tend to get defensive over.

9. How do you find the forum community at EQ2players, supportive of your posts? Lots of interest in your work?

Over all everyone has been very supportive. I really couldn’t ask for anything more. I think artists in general enjoy the positive feedback and encouragement of others. We share something personal and always hope that folks will enjoy our work.

I’ve had quite a lot of interest in my work, many requests from across the servers. I’d love to say I’ve been able to do something for all of them but that’s not the case. There just isn’t enough time and I do enjoy playing the game after all.

10. Do you have a site where people could browse through more of your work?

You can see some of my non EQ related work @ http://lunnagirl.deviantart.com/   There is some nudity involved so Deviant Art requires you to have an account to see mature content.  There is only one screenshot manip there, all the others are digitally drawn with a tablet in photoshop.

Be sure to browse through the forums and get to know people. There’s some amazing and incredibly talented men and women wandering the lands of Norrath. If you’ve met someone that you think should have the spot light shone on them for something they add to the EverQuest community, please feel free to email me with details.

Time for some Change

stargrace September 7, 2007 8Comments

Misako’s entrance, she’s moved to the nut house… Acorn house that is, in Kelethin

I decided it was time for some changes. I’ve learned a few things over the past couple of days. Number one. If you enjoy a class, it does not matter if there is a million of that class around, play it. You’ll have way more fun in game. Don’t give it up just because you think you can fill some other void in the gaming world. Before you know it there will be a million of that other class around too, and then what will you do? Make another character and try to fill that void. It won’t work though. See, that’s what I did with my Dasie. She was a templar. There were LOTS (and still are) of templars around. So I made a fury. Then those were not needed. So I made an illusionist. Then a troubador. Now I have all of these level 70’s and I’m exactly where I was when I started. I betrayed Dasie to an inquisitor for my previous guild, because she would be “needed”. I don’t especially care for the class. Their best class defining skill stifles them so that they can’t heal. I play healers to – you guessed it – heal.

I miss stone skin, and the extra heals that a templar comes with. I miss her hammer pet. I don’t mind giving up some dps for the templar class. I realize that I’ll loose the one piece of relic she still has (pants, sighs. Those are going to be hard to replace!) and all the masters I’ve worked at getting, but with RoK coming in two months, if there was ever a time to betray, now would be it. Spells are all going to get upgrades any how. Don’t play a class simply because it’s in style, needed, or any other reason other then the fact that YOU want to play the class.

So what is the change? Well, I’m going to betray Dasie back to a templar. Friends have donated moonstones to the cause, and I’ve got a 70 sage. I have the templar / inquis set gear. I’ll have to replace her pants. I will be one of a million templars out there, but oh well. I’ll be happier with the character, and that’s what matters.

So what other changes? Well, Misako moved to Kelethin. That’s right, she gave up her (expensive) 5-room house in Freeport, which reminded her too much of the past, and she packed things up and moved to a nut house (or acorn house, for you non-Kelethin folks). The 6-room acorn homes are 2p to purchase, require no guild level, and are 6g a week upkeep. Nice and cheap. The LoN paintings look fantastic against the walls (as pictured above) and as long as I can remind myself that I am NOT a fae, and do NOT have safe fall, I should get along just fine there. I don’t lag in the zone, and I’m closer to everything I need. Misako will have to do some courts faction quests I think though, she could really use call of ro. She could also use her carpet that ports to Shimmering Citadel.

Yes, change is good.

…I swear I Didn’t Steal Batmans Utility Belt…

stargrace September 6, 2007 2Comments

Misako hanging out in Willow Wood.. that belt.. it looks.. familiar..

So when I did Unrest with Misako, I was lucky enough to have her breastplate drop, which was great. I actually declined on everything in the zone, so when the breastplate dropped I figured it was karma heh. Maybe silly of me to think that way but hey it seemed to work. Things in game have been quiet. Had to say goodbye to a good friend of mine. Long story that I don’t want to get into, but it was rough. Is rough.

I highly suggest people read this post here. It practically made me burst into tears after I’d read it. That’s exactly how I see the game, and look at it. Not about what SoE is doing, or who is raiding what, or what zones are next, but about the community. The band of people and friends that I play with. I’m close to them, some more then others. If they were to suddenly leave, I’d worry, and be upset. I’d hope that they were ok. It really brings some things into perspective, and I love the way the article is worded.

Back to game stuff, I’m thinking Faydai will be the next character I get to 70 or start working on gradually. I’m going to quest her way up (with exp turned ON though..) and hopefully I can manage to get her high enough to make use of the master1 charm undead she has. I’ve found a fantastic area to take advantage of the spell, but she needs a few more levels or else the mobs will be breaking every 2 minutes or so. Qutey quested her way to level 27, 27aa, and later today she’ll be a 27 carpenter. I’ve got a few huge rp notes in the works that I’ll hopefully get posted before too long. Some stories I’ve been procrastinating on and want to get them out there.

Also, in a few days time I’ll have my first interview posted on here. Decided to talk to a member of the EQ2 community, so we’ll see how that goes!

One year ago today this was my post. It seems like a really long time ago, and if measured in EQ2 terms, I suppose it is. After all who is even playing after a year on the same Mmo, the numbers seem to decline all the time. This is actually the fourth time I’ve started up a blog, and I only managed to save the last year + current posts. Originally the blog was a method for me to vent about my adventures and exploits in the game. Over time it’s rounded to cover various Mmo’s that I’ve played, and typically comes back to the same things.

The Collection – LoN (House Items)

stargrace September 5, 2007 2Comments

The Rune

Everyone has their thing. Some people like loot, some people enjoy taking down the hardest content in the game, others are questers, completing thousands of quests over the period that they play.

Me, I’m a house item fanatic. Any one who’s read this blog, or knows me in game, knows just how much I adore house items. When I defeated Roost for the first time in the Fallen Destiny Adventure Pack, I didn’t care that we’d defeated the encounter and had access to Chel’Drak. The only thing I had eyes for was the house item you get as a reward for the quest. I loved freeing the Frogloks when they first came out because you get a very sparkly plaque to place on your walls. I’m all about the house items.

The Bear

So of course it’s of no surprise that when LoN hit the game in it’s beta version, I’d want the house items, reluctant to spend a whole lot of money on the booster packs though. I know how addictive it can be. So I managed to trade with some friends, and some were given as gifts. I’m happy that (for now) I’ve got the complete collection of LoN house items – 3 paintings and a card case.

The Muse

A huge thank you to those who helped me out. You all know what it means to me of course. Over time I’m sure I’ll continue to try to scoop up these beautiful house items, and a thank you to SoE of course for adding them to the game. It’s what keeps me playing and interested, these little knick nacks that you can place. Go ahead and tease me for it now!

The Card Case

I dislike how some of the items (ok, so all of the items) are so gigantic, it may cause issues for those who own smaller type homes. Even the card case is a giant sized one, that takes up a good portion of my counter top. I’m planning on creating a table that it can sit on in front of a fire place or something I think in the near future. So many fun items in game, and only so much time to work on obtaining them all!

If you want to check out the LoN items in person, feel free to visit Misako’s 5-room house in North Freeport, 7 Compassion Road. The door is always open and I’ve worked quite hard on the house (it is a work in progress of course, not nearly done). Feel free to send me a tell in game as well, I’m typically around and eager to talk.

Legends of Norrath House Items – Collection Complete!

stargrace September 5, 2007 0Comment

This one is called “The Muse” – I can see how it may inspire a few folks… That’s a nice.. feather.. she’s wearing..

Thanks to a few friends here on Antonia Bayle, I managed to complete my LoN (so far) house item collection. At least the pieces that I know of. I have three paintings, The Muse, The Bear, and The Rune, as well as two card boxes. One is no trade (which Kandrial graciously placed in Misako’s house) and one is tradeable (though it’s lore). I was afraid when LoN came out that I’d have to spend a lot of real life money obtaining these items, in fact it’s one huge annoyance about the game I find. Higher end raid guilds may start enforcing people to have certain items (like the int bottle) and that puts those who can’t (or don’t want to) spend the real life money trying to get them at a disadvantage. I don’t mind the cute little things like house items or cloaks or illusions or even mounts, but when it starts to get to items like power regen things, or something that could potentially change the out come of a fight, that’s where I start to think it may not be the most fair of situations.

I’ve been having fun trading cards around as well, today I received two free booster packs (So that’s four total, between my two accounts, and no, not a single redeemable item). Nagafen was one of the “rare” cards that I got, so I traded for some priest cards since I’m trying to build up two other decks. One for my priest account (the priest deck, duh) and one for my dps account, a scout deck. Mage cards I typically give to Kandrial, Lader, or Bloodpact, as they all have a mage deck. It’s a lot of fun, but I’m not sure if it will stick. Even if it doesn’t, I’m sure SoE has made a huge bundle of money from those buying booster packs and starters and all the rest.

In game I’ve been working on Qutey, my baby monk. I’ve sort of stepped back from the guild raid / guild thing for a while. I’d much rather just do my own thing. I managed to match her crafting level to her adventure level, and I plan on keeping it that way. I got her from 1-20 the first day, then yesterday from 21-26. She’s going to be my little carpenter. Even though I had access to a 70 carpenter I’d much rather just have my own. She’s still got experience turned off from combat, I may toggle it on from time to time but I doubt it. She’s 41% into her leve, and 5% away from yet another aa. I love having so many aa at her low level, it’s quite fun. Plus the whole feign death and invis thing is a bonus.

Torrent Knights hit level 21 yesterday, congratulations to Lader and Gothun for all those HQ those guys have been completing. It’s nice to see, and I hope we all keep up the good work. I’m excited about RoK coming out a few months away, excited about LoN going live, and the GU38 that’s going to be incoming in a few weeks (I hope). Lots of good changes on the way, more about that another time though – slightly disappointed that Bristleban’s avatar pet (for worshiping them) is the Meatbeast from DoF – I loved how that was a one of a kind mob.. sighs.