2012

The Path of Love, and A Priest of Fo #WurmOnline

stargrace January 29, 2012 3 Comments

The Darkpaw Bay deed has been coming along nicely. Yesterday I built a tiered garden going down the slope of the hill. It’s a flat row of crops, then a slope of fruit trees, another row of crops, and so on until it reaches two tiles from the waters edge. I have been giving a lot of thought as to what I want to do long-term in Wurm, and I think I’ve finally come to a decision. Despite the fact that becoming a priest comes with a whole lot of restrictions, I am fairly certain that I want my premium character to be my main character – and my priest. To give you an indication of why people typically use their alts to become priests here are the restrictions:

• Priests cannot improve. They can finish unfinished items that do not need items added to them.
• Priests cannot continue on or repair walls or structures. They can plan them.
• Priests cannot dig. (Exception: Fo)
• Priests cannot cut wood. (Exception: Vynora and Libila)
• Priests cannot use alchemy. (Exception: Fo)
• Priests cannot use bows (Exception: Magranon and Libila)
• Priests cannot mine (Exception: Magranon and Libila)
• Priests cannot pack dirt or pave (Exception: Vynora)
• Priests cannot make healing covers (Exception: Fo)
• Priests cannot steal, pick locks or destroy structures. (Exception:Libila)
• Libila priests cannot use farming, gardening or taming skill.

Along with becoming a priest of Fo (so far I am just a follower) I’ve managed to get my meditation skill to 15, and picked a path to follow. I’ve picked the path of Love, and set up a 3×3 tile with flowers on every tile, close to water. It’s slightly off my second deed, and I was lucky enough that the very first tile I meditated upon gave me the choice to pick the path of love. Now I’m working on putting up a small stone wall with an iron gate around the 3×3 area so that it can’t be ruined and I can continue to use this tile to raise my meditation and hopefully answer the questions to the path of love.

Before I become a priest (I’m far away, there’s no worries) I need to make sure to get my body strength and control above 21, although I’m happy to see I can still dig, being a priest of Fo. I don’t really spend much time cutting trees or mining, and I rarely (if ever) imp my weapons. As far as walls, I can use Stargrace to repair, or ask a friendly neighbour. If I can’t handle being a priest or the restrictions that come with it, I can switch to a different deity, and drop the priesthood. We’ll see how it goes.

I should have screen shots to post with all of the progress I’ve made to both deeds. I hope everyone is having an amazing weekend, no matter where you find yourself. Happy gaming!

Cultivating the Lands #WurmOnline

stargrace January 28, 2012 No Comments

Still adventuring in WurmOnline, and still having an absolute blast. I haven’t made any blog posts lately because I’ve just not been in the mood to write, it happens (rarely). Both deeds are coming along quite well. I have been working on the waterfront of Darkpaw Harbor, making areas for boats and fishing. Les Reveur is a more complex project, I started building a larger house beside my small shack, inside is my food storage bin and oven, much like the Food Hall at Darkpaw. The majority of my time has been spent trying to cultivate the land, re-planting trees so it’s not just a barren area of sand and dirt. I’ve planted over 30 sprouts so far, with room for many more. I’m excited to post before and after pictures once the trees grow a little bit. A lot of what I planted were pine sprouts so that I can cut them down (and replant them) making use of the wood.

I’ve been working on my meditation so I can choose the path of love once I reach 15 skill. It’s slow going because I have to remember to actually do it, in between everything else. In more excitement, my calf grew into a cow and I obtained my first bucket of milk! Proud moment, now I just need to turn it into cheese.

My pet dog died, sadly (in game of course). Some how a bear managed to get through my fence, and since the dog was tamed he leaped into combat to protect me. Didn’t fare so well against the bear who is still trapped and slowly starving in the pen. I can’t fight him and he refuses to come out, so he’ll just have to sit there until he starves. In the mean time that pen is out of use.

I hope everyone has an amazing weekend, no matter where you find yourself. I also purchased a 3DS this weekend, so if you want to add me to your friends list let me know what your friend ID is and I’ll add you! Mine is 0731 5491 6885.

Lets Try an Experiment: Little Wurmian on the Prairie – Day One #WurmOnline

stargrace January 25, 2012 5 Comments

Time for an experiment. I’m constantly praising sandbox games (and that won’t change any time soon, anyone who reads this site knows that I rarely if ever post negatively) so how about playing one “the hard way” – which is to say, sending my little wurmian out with no help, no friends, and seeing how she does. Isn’t that how people play games these days? Insisting on doing everything alone? Armed with nothing but my newbie tool kit, a settlement paper (so that I can purchase a deed if I so choose) and the knowledge that I’ve already gathered via the wiki and public channels, I’ve decided my little alt Stargrace on the Deliverance server will undertake the greatest challenge yet – finding her own personal grain of sand in this massive sandbox. I’ll be writing about her adventures in a journal-type style, and while I’m sure it won’t always be the most exciting of reads it should present more of a “how the real world works” opinion. So. Without further wait: 

Day One

I awoke with a nasty lump on the head and no memory of who I am or what I was doing. A nearby sign told me I was in Green Dog, and checking my bags I found the basics to survival located in a tool belt, but something must have happened before, because I can’t even find my compass. Ever try to figure out which way is North without a compass? It’s difficult. Some how I managed to stumble my way to a kind merchant who was willing to sell me a settlement deed. I imagine one day I may want an actual home, although where that is has yet to be decided. A nearby bartender provided me with food and drink, and he gave me a smirk as he reminded me that after I was awake for 24 hours he would stop providing these necessities and I would be forced to procure my own meals. Fine, his stuff tasted like saw dust anyhow.

I began wandering East – at least, I think it was East. I can never be too sure. I noted the destruction of various trees as I left Green Dog, obviously I was not the first one to leave this place. I tried to rummage around in some wooden boxes, hoping for a compass, but they were filled with nothing but garbage from other peoples adventures, as brief as they may have been. The sun started to set in the sky and I decided to stick to the roads. I know I won’t find a location for my ideal home along a road, that sort of thing is frowned upon, but perhaps if I managed my way to a coast, I could find a strip of land.

I walked for what felt like hours. Over hills, running past creatures. So many creatures. I heard people earlier exclaiming that there was a lack of these beasts as of late. I think they’re crazy. I couldn’t walk ten feet without tripping over a mountain lion. I even saw my first (and second) goblin. Nasty critters that made me circle around them, eager to avoid their deadly weapons. After walking for what seemed like forever (the sun was just barely visible now) I came to a place called ‘the looking glass’ which was indeed along the cost. A quick look at a map that I had mysteriously stuffed into my tool belt (cough wiki cough) showed me that I had indeed made it to the coast. North of me (if I could figure out which direction that was) would be the plains. I had grand hopes of making it even further than that to find a place to settle, and so I set forth.

More hours passed. I sustained myself by drinking from the ocean and eating raw bear meat, too tired to actually set up a camp fire. Plus I didn’t think ahead and brought no kindling with me. I passed by numerous animals that made me wish I had of at least brought a thing of rope with me, but no, instead all I have is this tool box, and even that seems barely adequate. Why wouldn’t I have brought along a sickle?!

Suddenly, I spotted a cart, just sitting there out in the open. A small one, no owner in view. I decided not to let it go to waste, and began dragging it. This, I later learned, was a mistake. One that would cost me. As the sun dipped below the horizon and my foot steps became almost impossible to see, more creatures put themselves directly into my path. I was chased by a large spider, and my stubborn ways wouldn’t allow me to drop the cart I was trying to drag behind me. Ever try to out run a massive spider while dragging a cart along a cobbled road? Let me tell you from experience, this story does not end well.

I dropped down a large slope, and I lost my barrings. With no idea where I was, I knew I couldn’t return for the cart. Darkness closed in around me, some where, I heard a mountain lion join in with the spider and I swear I heard one of the Gods cackling at me and my trial. The sky went black.

When I awoke, I was back in Green Dog. That’s where I’m penning this from. Again, nothing but a tool belt strapped to my waist. The bartender looks at me out of the corner of his eye, but I know if I try to approach him for a refreshment this time he’ll just laugh at me. All of those hours wandering, wasted. Well, not wasted. At least I know which way is East.

Taking Care of the Animals #WurmOnline

stargrace January 24, 2012 4 Comments

The deed is coming along quite nicely. I’ve harvested a small amount of wemp from my fields, and I’m working on cotton. As always, these things take time, but that’s one thing I have plenty of. I’m still trying to get my body strength to 21 so that I can remove fences myself and it’s a bit of a pain because a lot of the activities I do on a regular basis don’t exactly take that much body strength (like picking sprouts, and farming, and grooming my animals). Today I plan on working my mining, and that should help a lot. I also have a little sleep bonus I can use.

One feature Wurm has that I really enjoy is the ‘care’ option. Every player starts out being able to ‘care’ about one animal. This prevents the animal from dying of old age. If you’re particularly taken with an animal of yours and would be completely heartbroken to see it pass on, this is a great feature for you. I’m currently caring for my male horse, because his age is ‘old’ and it’s the only male horse I have. I’m also caring for my female adult horse who is expecting some time in the next three days. I didn’t want her to get old and die. The number of animals one can care for is based on the animal husbandry skill, which is why as part of my ‘wurm chores’ every day I make sure to get some grooming in.

Speaking of grooming, yesterday on my trip home from a sprout run I found a rooster wandering the sand dunes not far from home. Roosters can be lead with a rope without having to tame them, so once I distracted the large spider who was wandering near by, I lead him to one of my empty animal pens. Roosters also have to be fed by hand, and while I’ve managed to keep it alive for two days so far, I don’t expect that to last. I actually have the option to groom my rooster, where as I do not have this option on the wolf I’ve got tamed. Arkenor was over collecting clay with his cart and I was amazed to see he had tamed a bear to hitch to it and drag it for him. Bears are a bit out of my comfort range, I’d be afraid it was trying to constantly break free and eat me (and it would probably succeed) so for now I’ll stick with the smaller animals.

As always, happy gaming no matter where you find yourself!

It May Not Be For You – And That’s OK! #WurmOnline

stargrace January 23, 2012 8 Comments

I apologize for once again posting a ‘night time’ picture but for some reason that’s the only time of day I seem to remember to take a screen shot! Pictured above, my newly created Food Hall, complete with oven, food storage bin, and barrels for meats and fish. I still need to create a barrel for water in there, too. Thanks to Arkenor’s generosity I was also able to paint the front walls a beautiful shade of green with some spare dye he had. I spent most of yesterday working on the waterfront. I’ve created a little ‘outlook’ for nature’s sake, it’s pretty. Low stone walls look out over the sea, with some maple trees and a stone bench and some bushes. I plan on creating two docks on either side of that outlook, eventually. Going to take a lot of dirt so I haven’t gotten around to it quite yet.

I really feel like I have to clarify something here for people who have been following along with my posts. I know I tend to write with unbound enthusiasm for whatever my game-of-choice happens to be, and with Wurm this is no exception, especially because the game caters to every single aspect of game play that I enjoy. The thing is I should also mention that wurm is a REALLY tough game, it’s not for the faint of heart. It requires a lot of time in-game to get things done (a GOOD thing in my opinion) and it’s got a very steep learning curve, we’re talking EVE and Darkfall here. Although I find it easier than EVE because it’s not as technical (something I personally struggle with). It’s a sandbox game, which means they quite literally teach you the basics in the tutorial – and then drop you off in the middle of Green Dog with a bag of newbie gear and say “have at it!” For those gamers who are often enthralled with sandbox games then Wurm is probably a fantastic MMO for you to sink your teeth into. If you struggle with those types of games you may be better off simply reading about it – and I don’t say that to be insulting but I say that because over the course of time I have played I have seen MANY people in Freedom Chat expressing their frustrations.

A few of my own personal tips for anyone starting out (and I DO encourage anyone who is interested to give the game a go before deciding how you feel about it):

• Learn to love the wiki. This thing is always open when I play Wurm. Every day I’m learning new things about the game. Everything you need to know about playing is in this wiki. Do not try to play the brave hero and not use the wiki. Everyone uses it, even those who have been playing for years.
• Learn to love your neighbours. TALK to players, so far every single person I have come across has been incredibly friendly. Get to know the players on the lands. Be polite. Ask for a cup of sugar (or olive oil, or juice). Be friendly.
• USE the public channels, especially Freedom chat and /CA (the help channel). Lurk in them if you’re not willing to ask questions, you’ll still learn a lot, and slowly, daily, you’ll get to know the people on your server.
• Don’t just dive in, research. If you want a deed, plan where you want it don’t just buy the first place open you come across. Decide what is important to you, water? trees? a mine? Hang around Green Dog a while and work on your skills while you decide what aspects of the game appeal to you.
• Don’t wander around at night! If you log into game and it’s pitch dark out just work on skills some place close to safety and wait until it’s light out! Creatures are harder to see in the dark (go figure) and you may just end up dying a whole lot for no reason.
• USE MAPS. There are maps for every Kingdom on the wiki. USE THEM. LOVE THEM. Learn the layout of the lands by walking along and figuring out what deed you are currently in.

There are probably a lot of other tips I could offer people, but those are my main ones. If you happen to be on the Deliverance server, please feel free to PM me, you can find me there as Arysh (my 2nd account is Stargrace). I live at Darkpaw Harbor, which is directly West of Green Dog. If you’re coming to visit and you’re relatively new, I suggest taking the Northern rout along the mountain and then heading West to the coast, it’s much safer than trying to get to my place via the Southern rout (as I found out).

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!