Real Life

Influence

Do bloggers have an influence on what games people out there are playing?

I have to say, yes. Personally speaking. Not so much in the fact that people read your comments about other games and think “so and so didn’t like this game, there for it must be bad” but more so in the fact that when people read a blog and see you enjoying a game, they think they too will enjoy it. Plus, they’ll ‘know’ someone who’s playing. When I read blogs out there I think ‘wow, it seems like Cordanim is having a great time in EQ2, maybe I should give it another shot’.

It also works the opposite way. When you constantly discourage people to play a game, word gets out. “Ohh. If I play THAT game, maybe so and so won’t like me any more, they dislike that game.” I try really hard not to discourage people from playing any game. I write about what I play and what I’ve experienced, and if people are playing EQ2 while I’m playing Vanguard, that’s great. It’s a great game. I think every game out there has a niche for people, and it doesn’t matter at all which game you’re playing or even if you play none of them at all, so long as you’re happy. No one else is paying the subscription fee for you anyhow. I dislike telling people that they shouldn’t play a game because of whatever reason, or that maybe they should play something else because ‘enough people play that one already’. In the end, it doesn’t matter. Play what you will have fun in, there are great points to every single one. Bad points too. Everyone’s experience will be different, and unless you at least TRY it, you won’t honestly know. Don’t just follow a crowd because it’s the ‘cool’ thing to do. People can be wonderfully intelligent, and I’d expect anyones gaming to reflect as much.

Shadowfang Keep, Wailing Caverns, and lots of Fun

This weekend, between that real life stuff we all have, Unsafe Haven (the Ravenholdt branch) headed to a few instances, and wow did we have fun. Zokor had a paladin quest at level 20 that sent him to a few instances (Ragefire Chasm, Shadowfang Keep, and outside of that instance in Ashenvale that I can’t quite remember the name of right now) and we pinged those off easily enough. We only went far enough to get his update, and then moved on to the next area. By the end of it he had a shiny new polearm. I decided to get rid of my level 20 warlock, since I really wasn’t enjoying her, and started up a troll warrior. Why warrior? Well some times it’s nice to have a break from the general ‘mains’ that we’re all playing, and no doubt the tank would like to do something other then tanking some times. I wanted a little character to do that with.

Surprisingly enough Mayadhros from Vanguard came to say hello in World of Warcraft! It was a pleasant surprise when he joined the guild as his 25 rogue Skeletorn (yes, before you even ask, he is Forsaken). Since Gozad, Zokor, Skeletorn, and myself were all around last night we decided to do a full run of Shadowfang keep, which went off pretty well (aside from one mishap where Gozad’s pet decided to run ramped and train everyone — everyone except me) and everyone walked away with some experience, quest updates, and new gear. We had a lot of blues drop which was nice to see, and everyone got a level or two (even with reduced experience as I was there with my level 33). As people gain more levels that gap between experience will lesson, and I’m looking forward to it. If there’s anyone else out there who wants to join the (very small) group, please feel free! It’s never too late.

I decided to drop enchanting too, I know it’s a wonderful craft and very handy, but I just didn’t want to spend so much of my time disenchanting items in order to get mats. I figured I’d switch over to engineering. Is that a mistake? Should I just tough it out with enchanting? Tailoring is my other craft, though I’m only slightly into silk right now. World of Warcraft crafting is.. well, it’s all auto combines that never fail so long as you have the materials (at least, so far for me it is. Maybe this changes later on, I’m not quite sure). I don’t mind it though, it adds to the whole ‘casual’ thing that I have going on.

I’m sitting at 120gold or so now, and contemplating donating 100 of that towards the first tab of the guild bank. We don’t exactly NEED a guild bank, but it would be nice. Not sure, I’ll have to keep pondering it.

P.S. For more information about my plight with the pigeons, be sure to jump on over to this post here… it’s been interesting to say the least.

Change is Never Bad

 

A few changes happened over the last little while, some drastic (I suppose) and some not so drastic. First and foremost, I’ve switched games, again. I took a good long look at life (or lack there of) and decided to cut down my play time by a significant amount. Just because I have a house-wife life style doesn’t mean I should be dedicating a larger then normal portion of it to gaming, which was what I was quickly doing. While I am proud that my husband is able to support both of us while I take care of the home (no children to devote my time to remember) there’s still got to be ‘more’ to life. Not that ALL my time was spent gaming, but a good potion. Hopefully my readers are not too judgmental on me in that regard. Anyhow. So less play time (to me) meant that I wanted a game that took significantly less effort. I didn’t want something I could be drawn into for hours on end. Something less complex. Of course what else did that leave me with besides World of Warcraft (hah, I don’t mean for that to sound insulting, I’m aware that’s how it comes out though).

So yes, I’ve taken up residence in Azeroth (for now) as three characters on the Ravenholdt server. I have a 33 priest, 23 hunter, and 16 warlock. A few friends have decided to come play as well, for which I am eternally grateful. Growlius (who I played EQ2 as well as VG with), Zevad (from VG) and Gozad (also from VG) to name a few. If anyone else is interested in coming to play and maybe doing a few instances and what not, PLEASE feel free. I never intended on losing touch with people just because I’ve switched games (again). I’m on the horde side, and the server is a pvp / rp server. Alliance outnumbers (apparently) 3:1, but I’ve played here before and thus far am enjoying myself. I’ve got a far more limited play schedule then I was on before, which I am actually enjoying. You can typically find me in game on weekends (off and on) as well as from 7pm-10pm EST (or so) give or take a few hours here and there.

I admit, I’m one of those people waiting for the release of WAR (though honestly, I know nothing about it) just to see a new game. I’ve been slightly tired with what’s out there- I’ve been playing them for so long how could I not be.

Aside from the game stuff, I’ve started up a new blog, here. If you’re interested in reading more about me as a person and not so much me as a gamer, feel free. I’m not doing this for any particular reason other then my own personal venting mechanism. It’s therapeutic (so I’ve heard) to ramble on about boring things that no one except your family would be interested in. I’m keeping it seperate from this gaming blog because (though I know there are feeds) I’d rather not put people to sleep immediately (a good 10 seconds after reading is fine though). Some of my artwork and photography will also (hopefully) be displayed on there for people to check out. Maybe even some writing if I get brave enough, who knows.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, where ever they gamed.

What D&D Character Am I?

Got this meme from Tipa, over at West Karana.. results don’t surprise me too much, except I’m a lower level then her, and she’s not a halfling.. OR a bard! The truth comes out.

I Am A: True Neutral Human Druid (3rd Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-13
Dexterity-12
Constitution-9
Intelligence-13
Wisdom-15
Charisma-15

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn’t feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he’s not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Druids gain power not by ruling nature but by being at one with it. They hate the unnatural, including aberrations or undead, and destroy them where possible. Druids receive divine spells from nature, not the gods, and can gain an array of powers as they gain experience, including the ability to take the shapes of animals. The weapons and armor of a druid are restricted by their traditional oaths, not simply training. A druid’s Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good —– XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (22)
Neutral Good —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (27)
Chaotic Good —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (16)
Lawful Neutral — XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (24)
True Neutral —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (29)
Chaotic Neutral – XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (18)
Lawful Evil —– XXXXXXXXX (9)
Neutral Evil —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Chaotic Evil —- XXX (3)

Law & Chaos:
Law —– XXXXXXXXX (9)
Neutral – XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Chaos — XXX (3)

Good & Evil:
Good —- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Neutral – XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Evil —- (0)

Race:
Human —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Dwarf —- XXXXXXXX (8)
Elf —— XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Gnome —- XXXXXXXX (8)
Halfling – XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Half-Elf – XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Half-Orc – (0)

Class:
Barbarian – (-2)
Bard —— XX (2)
Cleric —- XX (2)
Druid —– XXXXXXXX (8)
Fighter — (-6)
Monk —— (-21)
Paladin — (-15)
Ranger —- XX (2)
Rogue —– (-10)
Sorcerer — (0)
Wizard —- (-2)

Safe and Sound, There’s No Place Like Home

 

One of the (numerous) skyscrapers that you can find in downtown Toronto. I wasn’t allowed to take my camera to the actual concert (though I saw that it didn’t stop lots of other people from bringing theirs) but I did snag some nice shots of the city. Toronto is the sort of place I don’t mind visiting for a day or two, but when I get home, I’m thankful I live on the outskirts of Ottawa. Nothing beats home. The concert itself was amazing, even if the opening band played for a good 45 minutes before James Blunt finally came on stage, it was well worth the wait.

The concert took place at the Sony Center, which holds 3,500 people. Not nearly as large as the other concert places around Toronto- also completely fine by me though. The Spice Girls were there tonight doing a show and there’s no way I wanted to be swamped by that many people screaming and shouting. The crowd was mostly older twenties and thirties, some screaming fans but nothing too hectic. There’s something to be said for watching an artist you enjoy live, rather then just listening to their music on the radio or an mp3. The atmosphere is completely different and the over all feeling of the songs can (if done well) be completely moving.

The weekend itself was wonderful, did a lot of walking and I’m now sporting numerous blisters on my feet as proof. That’ll teach me to wear my fancy dress boots as opposed to comfortable shoes. Ah well, worth every bit of pain if I do say so myself. I’ll make a note to pack an extra pair, next time. I typically head down to Toronto a few times a year for various things, mostly visiting friends or heading to Canada’s Wonderland (2 years ago) or Niagara Falls (last year). Montreal is closer, but it’s not very fun to drive around, their streets (aside from being all in French) are interesting to navigate.

I did play a little Vanguard once I’d gotten home and relaxed some, dinged Satia 24 mineralogist, which is always nice. One step closer to making those housing bricks. Tonight I’ll probably work on the Hunter’s League chain of quests I’d been working on, we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully Satia gets a robe that doesn’t look as bad as the one she’s wearing right now (though all of the robes tend to have a ‘brown paper bag’ graphic to them. Heard from Borgio in game which is always nice, looks like he’s spending a little time in Telon, I’ll have to say hello when I see him on. Tomorrow, another 15cm of snow is expected. Two more months of winter (give or take a week) and then finally it’ll be spring. I’m looking forward for the snow disappearing.