August 2014

What’s in a Server

stargrace August 21, 2014 1Comment

I’ve been playing on Argent Dawn (alliance side) for a number of years now, but even after the server merged I found it very quiet. On a whim I decided to join a friend over on Area 52 (screenshot above) and the two servers couldn’t be any more different. This time around I’m playing horde, and the server is constantly bustling – which makes me very happy to see.

I really dislike having servers at all. They separate your player base, they make it easier to quit because your friends are scattered to the wind, and they make it impossible for new players to figure out where the “good” place to be is. More games need to do away with these archaic things and implement an open world. I get tired of trying to figure out where all my friends are playing. Some are fans of PvP while others enjoy roleplaying. Some are EST and others are PST and then there are my EU friends who typically get sequestered off in some server that I can’t even access.

Frustrating.

When you’re starting a new game, how do you pick what server you’ll be playing on? Do you typically follow your friends? Immediately jump to the highest population? What about queues? What if new servers are added? There’s always a fear that if new servers are added to balance out the populations on the heavy servers, that those new servers will eventually become desolate as the population evens out down the road.

I don’t mind phased instances, and I don’t even mind instances themselves as a masked way of keeping the population in tow, but I really REALLY dislike constantly having to decide where it is I’m going to play. Especially since these days my friends never ever play just one game – and they’re never playing those games for long, either. One minute it’s WildStar and the next week it’s FFXIV, then the week after that it’s WoW. Having to figure out where everyone is going is just one headache that I don’t think gamers should have to deal with any more.

I know it’s not that easy, after all if it were wouldn’t we have already given up these systems by now? But still.. wishful thinking.

Gaming

Alts – They’re How I Relax

stargrace August 20, 2014 2Comments

I love alts. When I’m not in the mood to do anything on a main character, or when I’m frustrated with progression, those are the characters I turn to. They don’t always make it to the end game, but quite a few of them do because I love playing them so much. The screenshot above is my 2nd account, and Blesse is my latest alt to make it to level 95, a monk. I used to have a monk on my main account but I ended up deleting it for one reason or another. Probably so I could create another alt.. that’s the problem with limited character slots.

Monks are great. They can run around zones and just feign off the aggro, they can go shiny harvesting without too many issues, and they’re just plain fun to watch. Of course it can also be frustrating to get a character up to level 95 because if you want to be any ‘good’ you have to do their epic and then invest in a bunch of expert / master quality spells which can get very expensive very fast – but they’re still a lot of fun.

So what characters am I sitting with at the moment? Well on my main account I have:

95 defiler / 95 tailor
95 shadowknight / 95 sage
95 inquisitor / 95 jeweler
95 dirge / 95 alchemist
95 coercer / 95 carpenter
95 illusionist / 95 provisioner
95 swashbuckler / 95 weaponsmith
91 ranger / 95 armorer
91 warden / 95 woodworker

And on the second account I have:

95 Beastlord
95 Monk
95 Paladin
95 Fury
48 Coercer
33 Channeler
50 Necromancer

None of the characters on my second account craft, but that may change in time, I haven’t decided yet. I enjoy having at least one of every crafter (these days I think many people do) and I like being able to do the weekly / daily quests on them (the crafting ones). Do I like it enough to do it THAT many times? Not yet.

Keep in mind these are characters that I have made and leveled up over the course of 10 years (7 years for the 2nd account) so they’re not something that I just dove in head first this year to create. I’m a bit better in other games, but in EQ2 at least I have always had a lot of alts. I find it so relaxing when I just don’t want to deal with anyone (it has been one of those weeks, what can I say).

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

Gaming

What’s in store for EQ2

stargrace August 19, 2014 0Comment

SoE Live has come and gone for another year, and with it loads of announcements about their various games. Since Vanguard has now closed down, I was far less interested than previous years. It was like a constant reminder that my favourite game was gone. Ah well.

The next EverQuest 2 expansion is Altar of Malice. Eq2Wire has loads of information posted from SoE Live, so I’m going to go into incredible detail but I will mention the bits that interested me.

First, a new race is coming – but for those who thought this race would be included in the expansion, you would be wrong. They will be sold separately as a station cash purchase according to twitter comments. What is that race? Oh, well it’s the Aerakyn. Makes sense since the next expansion is going to focus around Lanys T’vyl.

Points that interested me

All access: Ability for members to use the broker anywhere in the game. Players with all access will also be able to receive mail from anywhere in the game. Some special spells and items may be limited to subscribers.
You’ll be able to sell shinies for status
New grandmaster spell upgrades, basically every spell will now have a grandmaster version. They’ll be researched and dropped (and I believe all access only).
They’re finally updating the deity system – yay!
Wardrobe system

The level cap is increasing to 100, and the expansion is due out November 11th (a holiday?) so in between now and then I’m working on getting a few more of my characters to 95/350 (the current cap) as well as crafting (though I already have all 9 crafters at 95). The event did also mention that crafters would be able to make some awesome gear in the expansion, so I’m looking forward to that.

What are you most looking forward to in Altar of Malice?

Gaming

Games we wish we had more time for

stargrace August 18, 2014 2Comments

I wish there were more hours in a day, although I’m not exactly sure that I would spend it gaming (I could use a few more hours of sleep, or some other hobby of mine). That being said, lets pretend for a minute that we were going to use those hours for gaming. What game would you find yourself in? If you had absolutely no limits on money or time, where would you be adventuring?

I’m sure I would be playing the same games I play right now, but perhaps with a bit more variety, and change. Right now I tend to ‘binge’ on the games I enjoy, and rotate through them all. With a bit more time I may play more than just the small handful I enjoy currently each day. Specific games that I would love to make time for? Sure, I have those.

Sims 3 – my legacy family is feeling neglected. This is my go-to non-mmo game (typically) but since I’ve been filling that time lately with Tropico, I haven’t had time to play.

Everything in my steam library, but most notably:

Divinity: Original Sin
Skyrim
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot
Civilization V
Starbound
Terraria
Tomb Raider

This doesn’t even begin to glance at the other MMOs that I would love to spend more time playing (Hearthstone, I’m looking at you, and Heroes of the Storm though I haven’t made my way into that beta yet). Guild Wars 2 is a game I’d like to step back into for more than a second, the Landmark and ArcheAge betas have been neglected as I wait for content and divide my time, and I have been contemplating trying DCUO just because I haven’t tried it before and why not when everyone has all-access if they’re subscribed to a single SOE game.

So. What games would you play if you had unlimited time and money?

Gaming

The Wonders of Tropico 5

stargrace August 17, 2014 0Comment

After falling in love with Tropico 4, it was a great surprise when I was gifted Tropico 5 – and of course I love this version of the game just as much as the previous. It’s a bit more complex this time. I turned the settings down to the easiest ones but left disasters up because hey what’s the point without a little bit of adventure. I do prefer to play these types of games at a relaxed easy pace, and that’s exactly what I got.

I started by playing through campaigns again, and unlike the previous version this time I got to create a ruler who was head of her very own dynasty. Mid way through the first story line there was an illegitimate pregnancy that resulted in my dynasty growing a bit. The costumes are also much more amusing this round. I believe the head of my current dynasty is sporting a halo and wings along with a pacifier. The youngest member is garbed in steampunk clothing.

When I first started playing I was disgruntled with the fact that you can’t build everything you want right away. First you have to work your way through each ‘era’, like war and modern times. Despite these changes the basics are the same. Build up a city, watch it flourish or crash horribly. I’m having an absolute blast with the dynasty story line and the politics that happen. They along with the new trade and commerce options are hilarious. It’s also nice to be getting different ‘challenges’ now, the quests from 4 were repeating themselves quite frequently.

The first few campaigns had me starting on a new map, but now that I’m on the 3rd one, it has me back at my original city (exactly as I left it) which is pretty neat. In the screenshot above I was preparing my city before an invasion was about to hit. I may have over done it just a bit, their tanks didn’t last that long.

All in all, it was a great afternoon spent gaming. Congratulations to those by the way who managed to take advantage of the steam sale where Tropico 4 was only 39 cents.. I see they corrected the issue later on in the day, and I hope a few people made the purchase! As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

What’s in a Server

Alts – They’re How I Relax

What’s in store for EQ2

Games we wish we had more time for

The Wonders of Tropico 5

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Personal EVE Economic Update (October)

Expensive Month (preparing for fun)

Locked Out (again)