Haunted Burrow Video
stargrace This was by far the coolest Halloween thing I saw this year, and I had a blast running through it.
2010
Adventures in Gridania
I played some of the Final Fantasy XIV beta – but I didn’t get very far. I liked the look of the game, and when Square Enix decided to offer 60 days instead of the regular 30 day trial, I figured why not pick it up. The game plays unlike any of my ‘typical’ MMOs and I can see how that would scare (and annoy) some players. You really have to slow down your pace and enjoy the game for what it is, instead of trying to rush off and grind to the top of the food chain.
I first created (after dealing with an incredibly complicated registration process) A Miqo’te Thaumaturge. I quickly discovered that spells were probably not going to be my forte, and I got lost and frustrated, so I gave up. I deleted and recreated as a Moqo’te Archer. This time around things went much better. I managed to make it to the first camp located just south of Gridania and even completed my first quest which was to smush some mushrooms. I got to invoke a neat little card to help me do the battle, and selected solo for the quest itself. Once that was done it was back to Gridania to see about this “woodsin” I had acquired from the mean nasty tree that chased me in the opening scenes. I had two options, head to Fen-Yll the Leatherworkers guild and see if I could sell them some little piece of tree I had procured – or head to Stillglade Fen, and talk to some people there who may be able to remove the woodsin. I went to the leatherworkers guild first – who were so kind as to tell me that they felt bad about buying an item that the tree hadn’t really given to me in good faith, and that I could probably get more if I tried to sell it elsewhere.
Alright then.
I still haven’t ventured very far, or attempted crafting yet – but I am exploring a lot and as long as I keep a nice slow pace it doesn’t frustrate me. I have to keep reminding myself that not all games play the same, and while a lot of people may not “approve” of this particular game, so far, I’m at least having fun.
Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!
Have a Say in What I Write – NaNoWriMo
It’s almost that time again, National Novel Writing Month. This will be my third year participating and I’m pretty excited about it. This year I’ve decided to do something a little different, since I’m a gamer, and most of my readers here are also gamers (I would think) I am going to give you guys the power to decide what I’m writing about. The first year I wrote, I did a fantasy book. It wasn’t that great. In fact, it sucked. Last year I wrote non-fiction and really enjoyed it. This year – it’s up to YOU.
What I need is for anyone who has a few seconds to leave a comment with the following: What game would you like to see me write about my character’s daily adventures in. It can be absolutely any game even if I don’t currently play it – for the month of November my character will come alive and dance off of the pages in a 50,000 word story. I’ll post my progress on this site on a special section for anyone interested to read. Every single action written will be something that occurred in game. Hopefully enough goes on for me to write 50,000 words, and hopefully my readers here volunteer a game that has something I can write about! The game mentioned the most in comments will be the one I go with. If I get no comments I’ll just randomly select one out of a hat. I know this may be a completely hair-brained idea but I’m pretty excited about it. Especially since NaNoWriMo is just around the corner and I won’t be doing any real preparation ahead of time.
On that same note, I AM also looking for a few more sponsors for this great charity. You can find a sponsor me link here on my profile on the NaNoWriMo site. I’m not trying to raise that much money, but every little bit helps. It motivates me to keep writing throughout the month of November, and if my gaming posts are sparse, well now you’ll know why!
Happy gaming (and writing) no matter where you find yourself.
Lets Play Some Guild Wars
More Halloween fun! Since everyone seems to be peeking into Guild Wars I decided to spend a little time there myself. It’s always been one of those ‘I wish I played it more’ games, I’ve owned Prophecies for two years and never meandered very far (also came with Eye of the North). I decided to pick up Faction, as well as Nightfall, and continue on with my Mesmer/Ranger who had just finished the ‘everything is happy’ section of her adventures and delved into the ‘Ack Charr everywhere’ portion. One thing I really enjoy about Guild Wars is that the ‘level’ game is basically non existent. Silhouette Reveur (as my character is called) sits at level 9 (after my adventures today) and it doesn’t really mean anything. There is no mad rush for me to get anywhere, and I’m not waiting for the game to begin.
I did have quite the adventure. I had to make it to Lion’s Arch to visit a costume NPC so that I could sport my new Halloween costume (pictured above). Of course I was no where near there, in fact I’m pretty sure I was as far away as I could possibly be, over in Ascalon. I teamed up with Ninga Turtle – a friend of mine who was playing his 20 Ranger/Monk character. We grabbed a few henchmen (Ok, he grabbed them because I don’t think I can yet, or at least I have no idea how) and off we went by foot. It took a few hours and many failed attempts (we didn’t have henchmen at the start) but eventually we made it to Lion’s Arch which is all decorated for the Holiday. Spending the evening in game this way fed into my explorer itch very well, and I even got a level out of it (not to mention a lot of gear and craft supplies). Since there’s no subscription fee for Guild Wars I never feel ‘obligated’ to play – but with Guild Wars 2 on the (eventual) way maybe I’ll find more time to explore this version.
Anyone else meandering their way through and exploring? Feel free to add me to friends if you’d like.
Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!
Holidays Done Right
It’s that time of year, where everything spooky and scary makes its way into our favorite games, and hordes of people show up to create enormous lag partake in the festivities. After taking part in the events on Eq2, WoW, and LotRo, I have to say no one does it better then turbine. They did an absolutely amazing job with their haunted burrow. I’m hoping to get a little video of it to post up later today but it depends on whether or not I can actually stomach going back.
See, one thing turbine also does well is effects. When you run into big bad characters your entire screen will flash and shake and phase out. Neat right? Well, not so neat for those of us who get motion sick and vertigo VERY easily. The one down side to this haunted house (although I totally understand it’s about atmosphere) is that it causes me to be physically ill during certain parts.
Speaking of which, have you attempted to complete the initiation to The Inn League? Fantastic quest, lots of drinking, BUT again once you become inebriated the entire screen moves and shakes and swerves to the left or right while taking on a beer coloured hue. Great effects, if it were not for the fact that I wanted to spew my dinner all over my desk and it wasn’t because I was drinking IRL.
Finally I came across a festival quest I had no issues with – horse racing! I manged to pick up a harvest pony on my second attempt. They’re still pricey but so pretty that I just had to have one. After there was time for a skirmish (or two) and my little hobbit Minstrel managed to ding level 35! I’m pretty pleased with my progress in game lately, and even happier to see so many other players around. Obviously (so far) free to play has agreed with this game.
Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!