Another Slideshow of #Skyrim Screenshots
stargrace Because I know those last few people holding out haven’t been bombarded enough by Skyrim screenshots. Enjoy!
2011
Picking up the Strategy Guide #Skyrim
After playing Skyrim for a few hours this weekend I realized just how massive the game really is, and I haven’t gotten ‘that far’ in it yet. I saw the phonebook sized game guide that was released, it’s 655 pages and enormous. I’m always worried about missing out on things in game because number one I’ve never played any of the other Elder Scrolls games before and number two some times I just miss things. So I decided it would probably be worth it to pick up the game guide, and now that I’ve browsed through it a bit I’m glad that I did. In fact it convinced me to restart my game, this time with a better knowledge of what I want to focus on character wise.
I love the idea of archery but in practice I suck at it. I’ve been working on shooting my arrows INTO things instead of into the dirt. Little did I know that the chickens I chose as a target can’t actually be hit by arrows. I decided to test this theory by picking off a farmer in the center of the back and WOW I HIT SOMETHING WOOHO— oh noes, guards and farmer didn’t like that and hey now I’m dead.
Having loads of fun playing this game? Yes, yes I am. In fact I’m playing it just like I play my MMOs but without the whole multiplayer aspect which is just fine by me.
As always, happy gaming no matter where you find yourself!
Weekend Adventures (and a lack of posts) #Skyrim #NaNoWriMo
Many many people are spending far too much time this weekend playing Skyrim. I’ve been trying not to fall behind on my NaNoWriMo (unsuccessfully, I’m one day behind so far) but with eye candy like this waiting for me it’s been hard. I’m closing in on 20,000 words, which means I’m getting closer to the middle of NaNoWriMo. The hardest part for me to write. I’m good at figuring out what happens first, and what happens last, but when it comes to all of the juicy details in the middle I tend to stutter around. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve worked things a little different this year, planning the story out one little chunk at a time, so that I have at least a rough idea of what is happening next.
Skyrim is as good as I thought it was going to be, and I’m really pleased I picked it up. I wasn’t going to, but the hype got the better of me and I’m pleased that it did. The graphics remind me a lot of Vanguard (but better) as does the wide open world. If I see it off in the distance changes are I can walk to it. I love exploring, and I’ve been picking up absolutely everything I can get my hands on that won’t land me in jail for doing so. I’m not very far into the story yet because of these things but the point is I can play this game ‘my way’ and feel absolutely comfortable doing so.
That’s been my weekend so far, although I did also spend some time in EQ2 and WoW (Fireland dailies, how I loath thee) it wasn’t very much time. My hands have been giving me some trouble as of late so I can only spend 30 minutes or so typing / using the mouse before I have to take a break. Hopefully that solves itself sooner rather than later.
What about everyone else, how did you spend your weekend? Let me know in comments below! As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.
Thoughts on EQ2 Going Free to Play, and Age of Discovery #EQ2
By now I’m sure that everyone has heard the news that EQ2 is going free to play, following the success of their Freeport server. While I’ve personally already said that I think the announcement comes at a bad time I do feel that long term this is probably the best thing for the game to do to extend the life until EQ Next releases. I feel it comes at a bad time because it is a lot to take in for loyal long term customers. Not only have there been an incredible amount of class and gear changes this year, there’s also the fact that we’re getting an expansion that doesn’t follow the ‘norm’ of previous expansions. It’s a lot of change all at once. I would have much rather seen the entire game go F2P when the announcement about the Freeport server was first put forth. Alas, the past is what it is, and we can’t go back there (yet).
I do have one character on the current EQ2X server that I paid $35 to copy over, and I’m a bit sat that I copied her now since it didn’t include any of her house items 0r coin. I’ve enjoyed how populated the server has been with people in every level range and I’m really hoping that this change draws in fresh blood even if they’re not paying for a monthly subscription. I think seeing an active populace will entice others to pay for the monthly sub to stick around. We’ll just have to see.
I was a little less enthralled with the announcement of the pricing for next EQ2 expansion, Age of Discovery. It’s mostly because I’ve already got 12 level 90 characters who are also level 90 crafters and this expansion isn’t going to give me much to do on my level 90s. In fact I’m not even sure I’ll get to keep them all when the game goes F2P, I may have to trim the fat. I really have no need for mercenary, I tend to group to get things done and when I want to solo I haven’t had any issues. I’m not a fan of monster missions which is what the DYOD will be (design your own dungeon) and I honestly have no idea where I would spend any extra aa on my main character. Beastlords are always neat but with so many characters I would have to delete someone in order to play one, and everyone and their goat is going to be doing that.
This AoD expansion also does not include any previous expansions, something that has been the norm for some time now. If you’re thinking of giving F2P EQ2 a try you’ll be able to access all content except for DoV (the previous expansion) or AoD. You’ll need to purchase both of them if you want the content from them. On the plus side DoV content is mostly for players 85+ so you won’t need DoV for quite some time, unlike AoD which is aimed for new players and those who haven’t reached the level cap yet. As always I’ll want to poke around the content first before coming to any firm conclusion, these are just opinions off the top of my head without anything to back them up. I may or may not be participating in the beta over the next little while to be able to form some firmer conclusions.
What do you think of all the announcements over this last little while? Or are you too busy playing Skyrim to have really noticed them….
As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!
Feature: Inspirational Girl Gamer for November – Tipa
It’s time for a new monthly feature here on MmoQuests, one inspired by an email I had received talking about female gamers and asking me 
some questions about my opinions on the matter. I know so many girl gamers who are not only gamers but also incredible people in all aspects of their life. What better way to recognize them then to post a monthly feature here on MmoQuests highlighting the individual person. This months feature is on Tipa – someone I’ve known for many years now. She is not only an incredible blogger, girl gamer, and coding guru but has taken it upon herself this past year or so to become more physically active in her day to day life, choosing to bike rather than take a car when she can, and sharing those adventures with us through her photography. As a gamer myself I find her an incredible inspiration, as being more active is something I think many gamers strive for but rarely succeed with on the levels that she has. Tipa was kind enough to answer a few questions for me to share with readers here on MmoQuests, I hope you all enjoy!
1. When and why did you start getting interested in video games?
Pinball games were everywhere when I grew up. I don’t remember the first video game I ever saw, but it was probably at the Ramada Inn. My cousin brought me there. I’d never seen anything like them. I know they had Pong there, and a shooting game called Boot Hill, and a little motorcycle jumping game, and a top-down racing game. Colors were just plastic overlays on the screen. From there it exploded, and the pinball games were replaced by video games.
I sucked at them all but I loved them to death.
I joined a gamer club in college. I wasn’t a gamer at the time, but I’d heard about D&D, had bought the basic set and tried to play with my little sister. It was mostly engineering students in the club, and military types who worked at Pease Air Force base in nearby Portsmouth. The two influences brought a huge variety of games to the club.
The engineering students all had access to the university’s timesharing system (and so did I, as an electrical engineering undergrad). Video games had been undergoing a quiet revolution in universities the world round. The very first video game ever made, Spacewar!, was used to demonstrate and sell the DEC PDP-1 in 1962. UNH had twin PDP-10s, named Scylla and Charybdis. We all learned how to write multiplayer video games on the DECs even as we played ADVENT (Colossal Cave Adventures), Rogue and DUNGEON (Zork), DECWAR, Walter Bright’s EMPIRE and so on.
2. What are your favorite types of games to play?
Definitely RPGs. Making a character and facing unknown dangers ties so perfectly into the fantasy novels I loved as a kid. I like best the kind of RPG that provides a canvas on which to write your own story, like the original EverQuest, but single player RPGs with a story are worth playing if the story they tell is a good one.
Single player RPGs are like books, but instead of turning a page, you’re hitting the keys the designer specifies to move the story along. I’m not looking for a challenge in story RPGs, just more narrative, because I’m just consuming, and I’m eager to finish the story and move on to the next one with a minimal of hassle.
I give more leeway to MMORPGs. They usually have less story and require more skill, and you have the fantastic benefit of playing with other people. It’s less like reading a book, more like going to an arena to watch a sports game, a game you yourself can step into and play.
3. If you could work any job in the gaming industry, what would you see yourself doing?
Programming. Working out graphics subroutines, making responsive UIs, bringing worlds to life — that’s what I would love to do. I’ve applied for dozens of gaming jobs, though, and only once got any sort of response. After awhile, I gave up and just settled for more mundane jobs.
I’m no game designer. I’ve written games in the past (and even sold two of them), but every single one of them was written to try out a new UI idea or a new graphics trick. The two games were both for the Sony Magic Link handheld computer. Reversi (Othello) I wrote to test out a new heuristic-based minmax algorithm for the moves, and was fairly challenging. Gammon was my integration of pre-rendered 3D graphics with gameplay, inspired by Rare’s Donkey Kong Country games. Both were part of the Sony Magic Bag game pack, and got decent reviews. It led into a freelance writing job with PDA Developer magazine for a few months.
4. What inspires and motivates you in your day-to-day activities?
For a few dark years, I was motivated entirely by my love for MMOs. My kids were teenagers at the time and mostly doing their own things, so I was free to lose myself in gaming. And I did — I lost myself. When I lost my job in the aftermath of the dotcom bust, I played EQ and any other MMO I could get my hands on. I lost my house, moved to San Diego and kept playing. Eventually I came to my senses, cleaned up, got a job, got my life back in order and vowed to never fall into the trap of “hardcore” gaming again. That stuff will eat your life.
I want my life to be a story where something fascinating is always on the next page. A story you don’t ever want to have end. I’ve learned to always have something to look forward to, to work to. This is how MMOs trapped me; I substituted real life goals for the goals of reaching a new level, mastering the next raid. I’ve since found that real life has just as much magic as any MMO.
Currently I am training for my first ever road race. This winter holds the adventure of finding a new place to live, a place of my own for the first time since I lost my house almost a decade ago.
5. How many computer languages do you know?
BASIC, FORTRAN, Pascal, COBOL, APL, Forth, Simula, ALGOL, LISP, C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, PL/SQL… 16?
6. What is your favorite book?
Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach. It changed my life when I read it as a kid. After that, probably Ubik by Philip K. Dick.
7. How do you find a balance in your day between all of the activities that you do?
I don’t really have that many activities. I tend to go to work and then come home. Whatever it is that interests me at the time, I do. It could be writing, or blogging, or playing a game, or reading a book, planning a weekend bike ride or working on a program.
I love writing programs to solve puzzles. I spent weeks writing a program to solve a puzzle in kids MMO Neopets, and fell into a community of other solvers which I did not even know existed (though I suspected). I solved the short-lived EQ2 tie-in game, Fantasy League, with a genetic algorithm-based solution that quickly brought me to the top of the scoring charts — even though I wasn’t paying much to play.
Life is a puzzle. It can be solved.
A huge congratulations and thank you to Tipa for sharing her answers here, if you know a girl gamer you would like to nominate for this monthly feature, please don’t hesitate to contact me: stargrace@mmoquests.com