2013

Vanguard Brings Good News to Members and Free to Play #VGD

stargrace January 19, 2013 0Comment

Vanguard released some really awesome news this week in regards to their free to play model as well as their membership plan.

“We have decided to expand and improve on the free- to-play offering for Vanguard. That means everyone can play any race, any class, to any level for free. You can also own a house, create guilds, and do a bunch of other things.”

So if you were hampered by the free to play model before (although Vanguard has quite an open one compared to most games) there’s a little more incentive to get in game – and if you happen to love it as much as I do, there are some extra perks for becoming a member.

“With that said, there will be increased XP and faction gains, discounts on broker fees, the ability to purchase additional housing plots, and other exciting benefits. You can see all the membership benefits here.”

As Scopique said on G+ “Exactly! Membership should be something that people are COMPELLED to do, not something they should be SHAMED into doing.”

I think he brings up a really good point. Games spend a lot time telling you about all the things you CAN’T do without a subscription. Vanguard has taken a different approach and tells you about the things you do get as a free to play member, and about the things you get as a member. They don’t mention what you ‘can’t’ do (and there’s very little to that list). I think this is fantastic, and I really hope it works to get Vanguard in front of a larger audience.

Gaming

Mains? Alts? Which to Choose! #EQ2 #EverQuest2

stargrace January 17, 2013 0Comment

A long LONG time ago, I used to have one character, and only one. Alts, were something that just didn’t exist for me. We’re talking years ago, back in my EverQuest days. I played an enchanter, and I loved it.

Somewhere along the way, things changed. It was probably my second or third year into EverQuest 2. I started out with one main, a templar. By the time Echoes of Faydwer came around I was up to three max level characters – and I was even boxing them on raids. I quickly burnt out and got fed up with having so many characters, even though I absolutely loved playing each and every one of them, I started to feel as though I was floundering a bit.

See, when I play a character I like to be as ‘good’ as I can be. That means the best gear I can get, all of my master spells (in EQ2 specifically, although these rules pertain to any MMO I play) my crafting as high as it can go. I like to ‘complete’ all major quest chains. When you have a handful of characters at ‘end game’ it’s really difficult to do.

The years went on and the alt army grew. Now I have 10 characters who have at one time all been max level. They’re currently not, with Chains of Eternity the level rose from 92 to 95 so one of them is at 93 and the rest are still 92. They’re all 95 crafters, but that barely counts.

I’ve been attempting to “get back to my roots” so to speak. Continue to work on a ‘main’ character, and just one. In EQ2 this is the defiler. Last night she continued to work on the Chains of Eternity quest line, and while the quests are quite fun I am a bit disappointed in the lack of gear rewards. Most of the rewards I’ve earned so far are house items. House items are nice, but they’re not going to help me take down an encounter as I try to level.

I also spent some time last night looking over the guild hall amenity. My guild is currently level 64, something I’m pretty proud of for how tiny we are. In fact due to a glitch, I am the only member, heh. If Tipa, or any of the other older members are reading this, feel free to poke me for re-invites. Anyhow, we’re level 64 and I had purchased 15 amenity but we have space for a few more so last night I purchased the lore & Legend amenity since I’m constantly stuffing those in the guild bank, and I also purchased the shiny amenity. This lets you store shinies in chests in the hall for other guild mates to use. I normally end up selling my shinies, but this way I can collect them all in one spot and then do a massive selling twice a year or something if I want. In any case, it’s neat to be able to collect a large amount and keep them some place where all characters have access.

I’m about 30% into level 93 at the moment, and I find it is crawling by. I try not to look at the experience bar and just do my quest chains, but some times that’s hard to do. I’ll be happy when I have at least one character back at the cap of 95.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Gaming

Wurmbone’s End #EQ2

stargrace January 16, 2013 1Comment

I’ve been trying to get my defiler, Blesse, to 95 in EQ2 but it’s been going slow. She’s working on a Chains of Eternity signature quest that has sent her to Jarsath Wastes at the moment, and into some really neat looking dungeons. The latest was Wurmbone’s End to discover and pick up a monolith. The boss encounters are pretty neat, and the zone looked stunning. Apparently this is one of seven instances added to EQ2 in Chains of Eternity.

The final boss has a mechanic that can send him into hardmode if you don’t prevent it. Apparently if you defeat him while on hardmode you can obtain three chests from him instead of the usual one. Since I’m not 95 yet and don’t have a lot of amazing gear or anything even close, I just beat him in normal mode instead.

The boss dropped a scout cloak that I can’t use – but I can pass it off to my alts. It also has a yellow adornment already in it which I thought was pretty neat. Saves me from having to purchase one myself.

I’m excited to hit 95 even if I haven’t been playing steadily. EQ2 is one of those games that I always enjoy playing here and there even if I’ve been away for a while, it’s like riding a bike, you never quite forget how to play (at least in my case).

Whether or not my other 9 alts will ever make it to 95 I’m not sure. They have at least all made it to 95 crafter, which is nice especially for the 20% bonus for each character at the cap. Since I have 1 of each crafter I don’t really need that bonus any more.

I still haven’t decorated my galleon, either. I’m trying to decide if I want to decorate it the ‘normal’ way or if I want to use the layout editor to create something magnificent. We’ll just have to see.

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

Gaming

Playing a Priest #WurmOnline

stargrace January 15, 2013 0Comment

One of the more ‘unique’ aspects to wurm online is the ability for a character to become a priest. There are currently four in-game (although if you’re on a freedom server you’ll only have the choice of three). I currently have one of each priest, and I absolutely adore playing them, each for their own reasons.

Vynora – I personally feel this priest has a bit of an advantage over all other priests. It’s the ‘most used’ on the freedom servers because it’s the one priest that enchants tools, weapons, and armor. Their most popular spells include Circle of Cunning which increases the experience gain from crafting, and Wind of Ages which increases the speed at which a tool works. Vynora priests are able to chop down trees which is quite handy, but like other priest penalties they can’t dig, mine, or build things that have more than one component like houses or walls (or mailboxes, etc). Vynora are great but they’re pretty much your run of the mill priest.

Magnaron – The second most popular priest (in my opinion). This priest focuses on rocks and mines. Their more popular spells include strongwall which collapses a tile in a tunnel (or reinforces it) and an armor spell that Vynora also has. Magnaron priests are able to mine, so they’re typically locked away from prying eyes, hunched over their pickaxes, squinting when they do finally see the light of day.

Fo – Personally my favorite priest, these are the under dogs. They enchant mailboxes, and they have spells that work on crops and animals that I find incredibly handy. They are also able to charm which is just plain fun. Fo priests are able to dig, along with the other priest penalties like not continuing items with more than one component.

Playing a priest is exciting, and if I were a member of a larger village I would probably play them as my main. As it is, it’s not really a viable thing to do on your own since they’re not able to construct buildings or properly build up a deed. For those playing in larger villages or as an alt, these characters are perfect.

Have you got a priest in Wurm? What’s your favorite?

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

Gaming

Guest Post: The Best MMO Games for Handheld Consoles

stargrace January 14, 2013 2Comments

Here are some of the games that we think deserve to be in the hall of everlasting fame. With amazing graphics and extreme online multiplayer challenges, these games make it to the very top of our lists for consoles, such as the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS.

DragonQuest Monsters – Joker 2

Released by Square Enix, this is the fifth game in the DragonQuest franchise. Gamers need to explore wild areas and tame wild monsters. Once tamed, the monsters can be put to fight against others in turn-based combats. This game rocked the world of the Nintendo 3DS handhelds upon its release in 2011. The game is a role-playing game with online multiplayer modes as well. DQMJ2, on the other hand, makes great use of the Nintendo 3DS’s dual core ARM11 CPU.

The game makes use of the 3DS’s Wifi connectivity feature to connect to the online world. The gamer can play online tournaments, collectively called the Monster World Championships. Each online player has a unique code that others can use to connect to him or her. Online, one-on-one fights or practise matches can also be held with registered buddies. Practice fights are also playable with random online players. A maximum of eight players can connect to each other.

Mass Effect 3 – Special Edition

If there is one game franchise that kept the adrenalin pumping till the very end, it has to be the Mass Effect Series. Mass Effect 3 – Special Editions for Wii U was released by Bioware, the makers of Epic games such as BioShock. Mass Effect makes great use of the Wii U’s gamepad. Complex commands can be issued at the touch of a button and the results can be quite fun to watch on the screen.

The game puts the player in the shoes of Commander Shepard, who is the only one who can save the Earth from imminent annihilation. The storytelling is incredibly interactive, and the special edition comes with some unseen new features and content to keep the gamer engrossed until the very end. The online missions are available in co-op and multiplayer modes, and allow the player to play with multiple players during co-operative missions. The gameplay can be highly customised and the Nintendo console brings out the best in the game.

With the amazing graphics and level of interactivity that consoles and handhelds have to offer, playing these MMO online games with the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U takes the excitement to a different level altogether. In case of 3D games, one should consider the option to enjoy great 3D graphics with the Nintendo 3ds, as Nintendos are one of the best and reputed names in the video-gaming industry.

Vanguard Brings Good News to Members and Free to Play #VGD

Mains? Alts? Which to Choose! #EQ2 #EverQuest2

Wurmbone’s End #EQ2

Playing a Priest #WurmOnline

Guest Post: The Best MMO Games for Handheld Consoles

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