2022

Calendars? How about Character Selection, too

stargrace September 19, 2022 No Comments

Syp recently posted about the awesome in-game calendar that World of Warcraft has, and he wondered why more games didn’t have that exact thing – I agree. It would make planning and looking at events SO MUCH EASIER especially in games like BDO where there are always a billion events at any one time.

Then I thought for a bit and came up with my own “why doesn’t every game have this feature” feature.

The BDO character selection screen. ESPECIALLY if your game has multiple servers. Why can I not see my characters in World of Warcraft until I log in to that server. My memory is horrible, I have no idea which of my characters is where (as noted by the screenshot below).

In BDO you can see a list of your characters, their level, even their inventory, and you can swap servers or swap to those characters. I would love to see this implemented in other games (EQ, looking at you). Even the EQ2 method where everyone is listed at the main UI along with the server under would be a better method, then I could at least visually see where my characters are and potentially what they were up to last. As it is now, I have to keep a spreadsheet on who I have where.

There are some great QoL ideas floating around out there and especially for games that may not have aged well, it would be great to see these old interfaces uplifted and renewed for gamers today.

Real Life

An Update on Streaming

stargrace September 10, 2022 No Comments

My return to streaming happened on June 27th, after over three years away (more like 6 years away, since the birth of my son). I have always wanted to stream, but I also have a lot of anxiety and health issues that prevent me from doing it smoothly. I decided to ease into it slowly, my streams are roughly an hour, and I only stream three days a week. They’re at (what I consider to be) an awkward time for others, but the best time for me (8pm EDT, mon/wed/fri). I stream a lot of World of Warcraft since that’s where I find myself playing these days, but on Wednesdays I stream alternative stuff depending on my mood. I’ve done fiber streams, RimWorld, and the latest Disney game.

It’s hard for me to measure growth, because every stream is different. Twitch uses an algorithm that I don’t quite agree with. Personally, I feel like the growth is there. I have a very dedicated small user base that returns each stream and supports me. They are honestly the reason I stream, they interact with me, ask questions, and are just a nice friendly bunch.

I’m streaming to help get past my crippling anxiety. Right now, I don’t use a cam, but eventually I’d like to muster up the confidence to stream with my cam on. I’m just not there yet. Of course I’d be lying if I didn’t mention the financial side of things, but that’s a smaller part. Since I homeschool and am stay at home parent, 99% of my day is filled with children and doing things for others. Streaming is for me. As much as it’s not supposed to, it makes me feel like I am doing something ‘more’.

I’m not sure why I’m making this rambling post except to say – I’m enjoying my time back. I’m pleased with the growth, and I can’t wait to see where I’m at in a year. I hope I can continue with it, I hope I continue to grow. If you’ve never caught my stream before, you can find me on twitch: twitch.com/stargrace – mon/wed/fri at 8pm EDT. Thank you everyone for the support. It is very appreciated.

DailyCreative Gaming Real Life

End of Month Update

stargrace August 31, 2022 No Comments

Tomorrow is the first of September – where has the month gone?! I’ve managed to complete my Blaugust challenge (one post a day) for the month, and I’m pleased about that. I also managed to continue blogging on my two other sites (GirlGoblin which is a Warcraft gold making blog, and NomadicReader, which is a book review blog). I consider those sites extra credit. In total I made 51 posts between all three blogs. I didn’t get a lot of knitting done as far as doing my DailyCreative, but I did get a lot of spinning done on my new Daedalus spinning wheel. It has been a dream to use so far.

I stopped doing my bulletjournal in favour of just using a notepad in short form and making lists, then crossing off items as I completed them from my list. It’s not as fancy, but I’m more likely to see what is on the list that way. I found that some days I was completely ignoring my bulletjournal, and that was frustrating.

I didn’t do a lot of reading this month either, but I’ve still got some books I’m actively working through, just at a bit of a slower pace than usual for me. I’ve been having a bit of trouble with my depression and anxiety, so I’m trying to be gentle on myself.

I did manage a few art pieces this month, I even streamed some. My hands have been hurting this week so I haven’t been keeping up, but I’m confident that I can manage to get 52 pieces done this year, that is the goal. I think I have 32 at the time of this post.

I’m still gaming – but I’ve settled with being content with Warcraft as my main game of choice, and then a selection of smaller single player / co-op player games from my XBoX One Pass, and Steam. I wrote about how I was feeling FOMO regarding FFXIV, (and also GW2 these days) but I just don’t have the time to keep up with multiple games, and I *am* very happy in WoW. When it comes to streaming, I’m still working on establishing myself, my brand, and my schedule. I’ve almost done a complete schedule this week (mon/wed/fri are my stream days) and I want to continue that. Tonight I’m actually streaming fiber arts which is a change from my regular gaming / Warcraft streams. We’ll see how it goes, I still have to set up the cameras.

In any case, it has been a productive month. I can’t wait to see what September brings. Hopefully some cooler weather, because these heat waves have been difficult, to say the least. Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Spinning Yarn

Another Skein of Yarn Completed!

stargrace August 30, 2022 No Comments

I finished spinning two skeins of merino/nylon blend and now I have a giant bobbin of squishy softness. I can’t wait to set the twist, and then knit something up with this. I’m thinking that I’ll dye it with avocado pits so that it turns a dusky antique rose. This is by far the thinnest and most constant spin I’ve gotten so far. I wish it was a three ply, but since I only have three bobbins, I figured I’d be safe (you need one bobbin to ply onto). Next? I’ll be live streaming making socks on my antique sock knitting machine on Wednesday! It should be exciting.

Gaming

A Heavy Case of FOMO

I have played FFXIV off and on since the start – and I have never been able to stick with it steadily for more than a month or two at a time. I have no idea why, on paper this is the perfect game for me. I have no issues sticking with other games (I played EQ, EQ2, and WoW almost exclusively for many years) but for whatever reason, I just can’t seem to do it. Every time I see people talking about this game I want to jump right back in. I want to do player housing. I want to explore the new Island everyone is excited about. I want to level all my crafters, classes, and harvesters. I want the cute transmog. I want to get invested in the lore.

I just cancelled my account last week. It has been open for a few months now and I think I logged in once. I have friends who actively play, and I have never been able to figure out why this game just doesn’t work for me.

If World of Warcraft would just add some player housing, I think it would have absolutely everything I want. I still continue to play and enjoy myself, but FOMO (fear of missing out) when it comes to FFXIV is *so* incredibly strong. I want to be a part of gaming communities, make friends, and expand my Twitch audience. That’s a difficult thing to do if you can’t seem to settle down anywhere.

For now I am pulling myself back and reminding myself that I do love WoW. That I do have an excellent community here. That there are people I’ve gotten to know and I look forward to interacting with each day. I need to find a way to be happy with myself and where I spend my time. It’s not like I don’t enjoy Warcraft, quite the opposite in fact. I just always wonder if the grass is truly greener on the other side (note, it’s not).

Calendars? How about Character Selection, too

An Update on Streaming

End of Month Update

Another Skein of Yarn Completed!

A Heavy Case of FOMO

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