June 9, 2011

RIFT 1.2.1 Hotfix #4 – Patch Notes

GENERAL
* LFG: Abyssal Precipice and Runic Descent now reward correct numbers of Rare Equipment Caches granted for completing random normal dungeons.
* Players who die during boss fights in instanced Raids and Dungeons should always be eligible for loot rolls, even when Soul Walking back to the instance.
* Fixed a rare problem where characters would get stuck and unable to pass character select – this is a separate issue from the one affecting some logins from hotels and universities.

ZONES
* Sanctum: The Messenger of the Vigil and other Quantum Sight-visible NPCs will no longer interfere with fighting taking place in the city.
* Shimmersand: Twisted Perfection: Fixed an issue that occasionally caused the Cyclone Lord to not appear when summoned.
* Shimmersand: Ritual Firebrands: This quest now requires level 50 to accept.

Weekly Trip to Jita #EVEOnline

Ah, Jita. 15 jumps away from headquarters, and well out of the way of my regular travel paths. I head there once a week to sell goods from PI as well as my supply of manufactured bits. I’m always astounded by the number of people who are there no matter what time of day I happen to show up, and of course public channels are filled with everything from scams to sales of every shape and size. Jita is the major trade hub in EVE and represents a city just as much as any other game has. I fly all of the way out there because it’s where I typically get the best prices for my goods. I could stay in my neck of the woods and visit Dodixie but the prices there are slightly under what I get in Jita making the 30 jump round trip worth it.

I loaded my Orca up to make the trip, because it has the ability to hold the most stuff. I’ve taken my Dominix out for a spin or two but nothing heavy until I can get it fit properly (and yes, pkudude99 the dominix is a very small ship compared to – well, compared to everything really, especially compared to the orca). As soon as I get a little more training done I’ll upgrade some pieces on my current fit and start working on gathering faction again. I’d like to be able to work with another R&D agent, and raise my standings with those I am already working with. Earning more RP is always a good thing.

PI seems to be moving along nicely. Coolant is selling well (it’s used in a number of things including fuel for POS) and I’ve been making a few other materials to sell. It would be nice if I were making enough ISK to purchase some PLEX to cover my subscription, but in order for that to happen I’d have to be playing EVE full time – which I’m not. In fact I don’t really play any one game ‘full time’ as it were.

I’ve got (at the time of this post) 1 day and 12 hours left on my small hybrid turret V and that will make the 23rd skill I’ve got at skill level V. I’m nearing the 15,000,000 SP mark, which is pretty neat. I’ll have to upgrade my clone soon, as my limit is 15,700,000 SP. Next after small hybrid turrets it’s time to work on small blaster specialization, which will take a little while. Then I’m moving on to heavy drone operation. The list of skills one can work on in EVE is never ending – which is something I really like. In fact I really like the whole “no levels to gain” aspect of the game, and the fact that you don’t need to be any particular level to do any ‘sphere’ within the game. Doing the tutorials is often enough to get started although it does help to have friends who can help you out with ships and supplies.

A brief little blurb about DUST which I saw some video on at E3 – I’m excited about it. No, not because I’m a big FPS fan, but because of the implications that come with having a game that interacts with EVE – I’m assuming (because I honestly don’t know many details yet besides the video that I saw) that I will be able to craft and create supplies that those people playing DUST will be able to use (ie: guns, ground vehicles, etc) and that will mean a lot of extra cash for me. I’m excited about it. I don’t know how else the two games will interact with one another, but I think it will be quite neat. I know there are a lot of people who are upset that it’s a PS3 exclusive, but CCP knows their company and their games pretty well. If it’s a PS3 exclusive, I’m betting they have their reasons for it and yes, I do own a PS3 so chances are even though I’m not exactly a FPS fan (at all) I will probably give it a try.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!