2010

(Yet Another) Rift Related Blog Post #Riftgame

As was noted by people all over the blog and twitter realms yesterday, the NDA for the first two betas dropped and the third beta was announced. I was lucky enough to find myself with a VIP code thanks to a link from Scopique. A lot of people immediately started naming games that Rift “feels like” in terms of game play, and for me that was no different. It feels a LOT like WAR. Everything from the mouse over loot icon, to the slow-ish (although incredibly beautiful and detailed) paced combat. The UI also reminds me of WAR because you can customize and move every single individual piece with one click of the layout button. Something I always wished other games like WoW would do without the need for an AddOn.

The characters even remind me of WAR but a lot more detailed and a lot more customization options. I mentioned numerous times that it was like they had removed the things I didn’t like about WAR and made them better. When I played (WAR) the only thing I didn’t like was lack of things to do aside from PvP and crafting. The Rifts themselves remind me of Public Quests, which I thought were brilliant. The first 15 levels or so I found quite boring and I dare say that my hand was not just held but I was carried from quest hub to quest hub. Thankfully the addition of souls which is basically an incredibly in depth character class customization kept me interested so I could struggle through those boring bits. I absolutely loved being able to pick skills from various branches of classes to be able to tailor my character my way. I started out the road of the Sentinel which is a pure healer. I added the druid soul, which appears to be an incredibly popular choice. I had so much fun playing my one character that I didn’t even experiment with any other builds (for now). That, and I don’t want to spoil everything before release after all.

The graphics are amazing, and even with the servers being pummeled by players I had no lag. I’m excited about this game coming out. I know very little about the lore and I want to start reading up on it. If you want to read what everyone else is saying about the game Tipa has compiled a nice little collection of related posts. The game doesn’t really offer anything brand new and earth shattering, but to be honest that’s not what I’m looking for. Each game has a few unique qualities that I really enjoy and I expect Rift will be no different once it goes live. The third beta begins on the 28th of December, and runs until the 31st.

Whether or not I stick with the game I haven’t decided. That’s impossible to tell while a game is going through beta. I will play it for at least the first month though, I tend to with pretty much every single MMO that releases and then I’ll make a decision as to whether or not it’s “worth it” from there.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Saying My Goodbyes to EQ2 #EQ2

I’ve played EverQuest II since release. I never intended on making the switch from EQ1 but after picking up the game on a whim I basically never looked back. I have been a strong supporter of the game, even when others shunned it’s numerous flaws. I stood by it when the station marketplace came out, despite the fact that the majority of my friends are against RMT. I made excuses for things like shoddy graphics that should play far better on great machines, lackluster expansions, and changes that no veteran player was a fan of.

Yesterday the game crossed that ‘imaginary line’ that we all have where we say to ourselves “Ok, enough is enough.”

Don’t get me wrong. I adore the people from the community that I’ve met over the years, but the changes that have taken place in the last year made the decision for me. I won’t be coming back. As a long time veteran player of the game I am absolutely disgusted by the changes that have taken place, and it is very obvious that the game is no longer for me. I’m sure all of the new people that are supposed to be enticed by this new market place will be thrilled, and more power to them. It’s simply not for me. What was it that pushed me over this virtual edge?

Today a vampire race goes live on the station marketplace. It’s $20 for the race for your account – or you have a chance to get ONE Freeblood character in February. Without all the fancy do-dads. Anyhow. It’s $20 for the race. It’s $5 for some animations. It’s $25 for a race-specific mount. It’s $15 for a vampire house. That’s right, for the entire “Vampire Package” it will cost you a whopping $65. This is on TOP of the 15/m you pay for a subscription and whatever extra yearly costs you have for things like character transfers, station cash items, and lets not forget the yearly $40 expansion. How many of us even have a free character slot to try out this new race. You can’t even preview the character design in the character selection screen before purchasing it to decide if this race is something you really want to put down more money for.

There are so many other games out there that do their market place the RIGHT way. When I subscribe to LotRO VIP ($15/m) I have no race or class restrictions. I can quest freely, and lets be honest here the majority of the awesome looking appearance gear is also available IN GAME in case I don’t feel like forking over extra cash. PLUS VIP earn 500 turbine points a month, and you can earn turbine points in game.

Wizard101 also has a market place. They have a subscription. I’m not restricted by wizard type or zone when I am paying a subscription. World of Warcraft – for all of the hating that people seem to do on the game is still one of the only games I know of that supports itself by a monthly subscription and DOES NOT have an item shop per say. Sure, they have a very small handful of companion pets that they sell, but nothing more than that. EVE Online may sell PLEX and they also have RMT but I can fly any ship that I want and again I’m not restricted when I’m subscribed to the actual game.

In case you haven’t been able to tell by now I am INCREDIBLY upset over the path that EQ2 has taken. I feel betrayed as a veteran player. Perhaps it’s silly, but again I’ve played this game for 6 years, and supported it and defended it time and time again. I have spent over $5,000 for two accounts over 6 years including character transfers, expansions, Legends of Norrath, and other items,

I just can’t do it any more.

So. Goodbye, EQ2. I really hope EQ1 and Vanguard do NOT go the same rout. I will play either of those games before I even consider returning to EQ2. Sorry for those dedicated readers who enjoyed my EQ2 posts – I’ll be writing about whatever games I happen to find myself in but they won’t be EQ2 related any more. I suppose it won’t be that hard for me as I really haven’t played EQ2 since before Sentinel’s Fate came out. I just wanted a little finality to it.

Flying a Noctis, 8 days from an Orca #EVEOnline

I absolutely love the new Noctis I’ve been flying around the skies of New Eden. I spent some time fitting it with the following:

Salvager
Salvager
Salvager
Tractor
Tractor
Tractor
Tractor
Tractor
10mn micro
Large shield extender
Exp cargo hold
Exp cargo hold
Signal amp II to increase locking targets from 10 to 12.
Medium salvage tackle x3

It salvages like a dream, and even more exciting is that I’m only a few days away now from flying my dream ship, the Orca. I still can’t quite afford one yet but if I keep at it I should be able to shortly after I can fly one. I really miss having my 2nd account in times like this, so I can fly a mining barge around while my Orca hauls. I know I’ll get a lot of use out of it none the less, and as each day passes by I get more and more excited.

I still haven’t taken the Helios out for a ride yet, I have to be in the right mood for that one. I’ve been working on my manufacturing and invention on a daily basis, but I’ve been letting PI slack in the background. Spending so much time setting up my extractors each day and unloading my items (another reason I want the Orca, I tend to fill up quickly when I unload all my planets) is a little daunting, and I’d much rather spend my in-game time doing something else. Maybe I’ll get back into the mood for it, we’ll see.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Merry Christmas to You all (Literally)

In November there was NaNoWriMo, and my attempt at raising a little money for their charity, the office of letters and light. In December, I run the 2010 Gamers Secret Santa, which soared after some twitter / facebook and forum promotions by some incredible people (Cheesy, you know I’m looking at you). Last year I ran the 2009 Gamers Secret Santa and although only a small handful of people participated that year, it was more than enough to entice me to run it again. I really hope everyone has had fun with it this year.

The point of that introduction is simply to say thank you. Through my work and my hobbies I have met some incredibly awesome people and this time of year as well as all year around I need to remind myself just how lucky I am.This list isn’t going to cover everyone, but I hope to name off those who have made this year especially amazing.

Tipa, who runs WestKarana – she is an incredibly strong woman who has inspired me on so many levels. I owe her more than she will ever realize, and if you don’t read her blog posts – you most certainly should!

Kasul, who runs Shattered, although he doesn’t write nearly as often as he should he has been an enormous help and a fantastic friend this year.

Blue Kae from his blog appropriately named. He made such a fantastic attempt at NaNoWriMo this year, and I really admired it. He has also continued on with the writing, and that’s something I think more people need to make time to do. Things they enjoy, even when time is slim.

Scopique. From Levelcapped. When I feel like I am the only one playing games I actually enjoy, and not ranting and raving about the latest bug, Scopique lets me know that there are others out there in the same boat. Some times it’s great just to know we’re not alone.

Petter, from Don’t Fear the Mutant. Another one of those “wow they need to write MOAR” bloggers, but when he does write, we all love reading it. It’s nice to know he appreciates gamers for their good and bad points, and he’s a fantastic listener.

Those are the main 5 from the community who have helped me out this year, but the list of those I’ve come to deeply appreciate runs a lot longer. There’s Hudson, though we don’t always see eye to eye I love reading his in depth articles. MMO Gamer Chick, who always has a great perspective on things, Pasmith who lets us all know about the latest gadgets and gizmos out there. Rebecca, who writes for A girl IRL – fellow Sims enthusiast, Jeremy Stratton, who writes for Massively, Ardwulf, who I have known for a long time now and just started co-hosting some EVE podcasts. How exciting! Leala who just finished creating an incredible Marshcraft diorama and is involved in so many gaming communities I wouldn’t know where to begin listing them. Arkenor who reminded me how FUN games are with his incredible Minecraft videos. Beau, who is always incredibly honest with his thoughts about gaming communities. ScaryBooster who is just .. insane. In the best way possible. Gavin from Flex Your Geek – who also writes from time to time for Nomadic Gamer, and is now a brand new writer for PC Gamer. There’s Ysharros, who is the most elusive blogger I’ve ever seen – but when she does write, oh boy you’d better read it. Ethic from Kill Ten Rats, who I have been reading for almost as long as I’ve been gaming. Sypster, who I watched start out writing for Biobreak and then grow to include writing for Massively. Werit, who is probably the most devoted gamer I’ve ever known, and I’ve known a lot of them. Krystalle, who I finally got to “see” in game for the first time ever in EVE. Talk about a star moment! Gordon, who is a fantastic writer for We Fly Spitfires. Victor, who reminds me of my younger brothers. It’s just a joy to read his work. Of course I can’t forget Dusty_Monk, who is the president of Windstorm Studios, and proves to us time and time again that developers are gamers too.

Then there are the others I know, not through their writing per say but from their influence on my gaming none the less. There’s Squeecha, who I know always enjoys a good cheese. Naylie, who has been fantastic at keeping Vanguard together this year. Domino, who I adore simply because of all the crafting goodies added to EQ2. ShutterCal for their amazing calendar project that has grown SO much over the last year. Kiara, who has been a fantastic friend. Findpurpose, who listens to even the most boring of my rants.There’s Pennie, who patiently looked at every single one of my decorated houses in EQ2, and Shadowgeist who gamed with me and kept me company no matter where I ended up.

Since this is a game related post, I’ve tried to keep the list restricted to those who have influenced me in some gamer aspect, but there are of course always those I love who are not involved in gaming what so ever. I love, and appreciate every single person I am lucky enough to have in my life, and I really hope that this next year is just as amazing as the last. Thank you all so very, very much.

Waiting on The Gift Giving Tree #Wizard101

I mentioned over at Nomadic Gamer that KingsIsle has a fantastic charity drive going on right now where players can purchase a seed for 2500 crowns (approx $5 worth) and grow The Gift Giving Tree (pictured above). I love the idea of helping out a charity this way, and I’m anxious to see what my tree rewards me with. I’m only one day away from being able to harvest it finally. Feels like I’ve been waiting forever.

My little garden is composed of 6 plants total, which gives me enough to do that by the time I’m done I’m almost out of gardening points (I’m sure they have a specific name, I’m just not aware of what they’re called). Running out completely would be bad but this gives me a little boundary if I happen to accidentally pollinate when I should have played some music. This happens to me quite frequently because it takes time to switch between gardening spells and some times when I think I’ve switched I’m actually just using the same spell twice.

I’m almost rank 3, and I’ve enjoyed harvesting from my Dandelion and Boom Shroom plants. My Desparagus will be able to be harvested for the first time tomorrow, and I’ve been making sure I log in every day to take care of my plants, other wise they will wilt, and die. It’s nice to see that Wizard 101 has joined the ranks in ‘keeping players logging in’ on a daily basis with their daily quests. It’s actually gotten me playing a lot more than normal, which I love.

Has anyone else picked up a gift giving tree? Have you been able to harvest from it yet? What sort of rewards have you gotten? Let me know in comments!

Nomadic Gamer