August 2014

10 years, 10 questions

stargrace August 16, 2014 No Comments

Area 52 (horde side) was packed tonight, it was awesome to see.

All the cool kids are doing it, so I decided I would also partake in the “10 years, 10 questions” phenomenon that is ongoing due to the impending anniversary of World of Warcraft, though it does make me feel pretty old.

1. Why did you start playing World of Warcraft

I don’t know that I really have a ‘why’. My partner at the time and I had been playing EverQuest, and I had no real plans of adding another MMO to the list, but there it was. We also played EverQuest 2 together, although that game took me far longer to get interested in because I was so deeply vested in the first version. At the time I was still pretty new to MMOs in general, having played nothing but MUDS until then.

2. What was the first character you ever rolled

I don’t remember what class it was, but I do remember it was a troll. Why I decided to go with that race I have no idea, something about liking their hair I think. I started out as horde, eventually swapped over to alliance, and now play both.

3. Which factors determined your faction choice in game?

Pretty sure we had friends who were playing horde, though I never did meet up with them in game…

4. What has been your most memorable moment in Warcraft and why?

I don’t actually have one. I know, how sad is that, right? A game I’ve been playing for 10 years now and I don’t have a memorable moment.. thing is, I never formed a community in WoW, I never did any “real” raiding besides PUGs. For me, those moments really come from playing with friends, and sadly enough I just never really made any. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the game, I did and I do, but my “memorable moments” are things like, earning 400 pets, and things like that.

5. What is your favorite aspect of the game, and has this always been the case

Pet battles, by far. It hasn’t always been the case because they’re still pretty new. Before that it was LFRaid, and I know that people could go either way on that but it gave people like me a chance to experience content that I wouldn’t even get to see otherwise. Before THAT it would have to be the humour of the game, and yes, that has always been the case.

6. Do you have an area in game that you always return to?

Pretty much all of the old dungeons. I have no reason for it, there’s no gear upgrades there and my characters have long since out leveled them but I absolutely love doing old content.

7. How long have you /played and has that been continuous?

I have played off and on since release, but not continuously. I tend to get bored or move on to another game when I run out of things to do. My last break was about a year ago, and I haven’t run out of things yet. With the expansion on the horizon it looks like I’ll be here for a while longer at least.

8. Admit it: Do you read quest text or not?

First time through, yes I read it. Though I admit I am much more likely to enjoy a cinematic.

9. Are there any regrets from your time in game?

Not finding a proper community, as I mentioned above. I really think that having a group of “friends” to play with would have made a difference for me. Now I think it’s too late, there’s no real reason to meet up with people, and I wouldn’t even know where to start.

10. What effect has Warcraft had on your life outside of gaming?

I think playing Warcraft has made me a bit more tolerant. I know, that’s a strange thing to say. I have heard so many people coming down on those who play a particular game, judging them and thinking they are some how less ‘good’ because of their video game choices. None of that is true. Playing multiple MMOs in general has made me more accepting of the fact that we all have different interests, and none of that has any baring on what type of a person we are.

Feel free to answer the questions yourself! Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

Gaming

What are you Playing

stargrace August 15, 2014 3 Comments

Can you ever play too many games? I like to think not, but has anyone decided for themselves “hey, maybe I play too many games?” – I’m not talking devoting your entire life to gaming, but I mean pure number of games.

By some peoples standards, my steam library is tiny. I think I own 200 games or so now. I don’t own a console, but I have a handful of other games that are not on steam (Mostly MMOs). In any given week I probably rotate between 4 and 15 different games, playing each of them for a few hours here and there. Some times I can get on a game bender where I play just one game for weeks at a time until I’m so burnt out that I push it aside in disgust, only to lovingly pull it back out and start playing again a few weeks later. Actually most of my steam library follows this pattern.

So what about you, how many games at a time do you play? Do you stick to your guns and complete a game before moving on to the next one (those that have ‘endings’ at least) or do you dabble around in whatever catches your fancy?

Let me know in comments below!

Gaming

Divinity: Original Sin

stargrace August 14, 2014 2 Comments

Playing through some of my steam games, I turned back to Divinity: Original Sin. I started playing it when it released in multi-player, but of course it’s always hard to find extra time to play through all the games in my library. With the release of Fable, I was looking for an RPG to sink my teeth into in the meantime.

A tale of Orcs, Undead, and wild Sorcerers, you play two characters who are meant to save the world. Right now I’m playing through the story with Titan (warrior) and Jessica (enchanter) as they meander their way and open every single container that crosses their path.

That’s probably the main annoyance I have with the game. There are SO MANY containers, and of course if you’re a completionist or you’re just curious you’re going to want to open up every single one of them along the way. It takes a lot of time especially when many of them are empty.

I love the crafting. It’s simple (just drag and drop items on top of each other) but also really neat. Had some wheat, some water, made dough. Made fish dough. Made pizza. Because who doesn’t like pizza (well, to be honest, I don’t but whatever). So far I’m having lots of fun – though I do think I enjoy multi-player better. For now, I’m just enjoying the story.

Gaming

Fable Anniversary

stargrace August 13, 2014 1 Comment

Over the years I have been a gamer, I have mostly been an MMO gamer. I’m not particularly social but for some reason the social aspect of games always appealed to me, made me feel less alone. Then I started branching out, playing a few console games here and there. It helped that my partner in crime was a big console gamer when we first met. The first game I ever really beat once I was on my own (I’m not going to count playing Mario Brothers with my Mom growing up) was Fable 2 and 3 on the XBox. I absolutely devoured that game, and enjoyed every moment of it. The story pulled me in and it was beautiful.

So when I was gifted the latest Fable Anniversary game above, I couldn’t help but dance around the living room squealing in excitement. It made me think about a few things, too. First of all, the fact that me and my ex mentioned above are still very good friends is something that I really appreciate. He’s the one who gifted me the game, remembering how much I absolutely adored it in the past. I like that we’re both adult enough to realize that just because things didn’t work out between us, didn’t mean we should completely toss away years of friendship and adventures. We are both gamers, and that’s something we’ll always share.

The game doesn’t release until September 12th, but the screenshots are beautiful. September is going to be a busy month what with Sims 4 also releasing on the 2nd. I suppose this is the beginning of “the time” after summer, when there are so many games and events going on they pass us by in a blur. I’m looking forward to it. It hasn’t been the best of weeks due to any number of reasons and this was just yet another small simple reminder that it’s not ALL bad.

Happy gaming, no matter where you end up!

Gaming

Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Oh My

stargrace August 12, 2014 No Comments

I spent my free time yesterday after work playing a bit more Tropico 4, and falling more in love with the game. I’m now on the 3rd campaign, which I have lost, twice. It’s the one where you need to be a tourism island. I’ve read a few guides and a walk through or two to make the process a bit easier, but so far I have been unsuccessful.

It doesn’t bother me because I find that the game can be played over and over again and still have a different outcome each time, which is awesome. The first time I played the tourism campaign, I had rebels rise up and take over a mine, and I really sucked as a president and everyone hated me, so I lost the election (and thus the game). The second time a volcano erupted, burned down most of my town, and of course an earthquake followed that tore down my power plant AND airport. Those things are expensive.

I eventually ended up resetting the game when I was -$19,000 and at least I learned some things. Like.. there’s no way to prepare for a volcano… Poor Tropicans…

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

10 years, 10 questions

What are you Playing

Divinity: Original Sin

Fable Anniversary

Volcanoes and Earthquakes, Oh My

You Missed

Leveling Up With Timewalking

The Construction of Quail Landing

Making Gold – One Sale at a Time

Timewalking, Gets me Every Time