Nomadic Gamer

EQ2

Gaming

What Are YOU Excited About? #EQ2 #WoW #Skyrim #SWTOR #MMORPG

stargrace 13 Comments

It’s a pretty exciting time to be a gamer. There are a whole lot of games and expansions all releasing around the same time. I don’t keep as up to date as I should on the non-mmo gaming front, so my list is probably a bit more sparse then some others out there. What am I looking forward to? Well, there’s the EQ expansion, Veil of Alaris that releases in November. I’m really excited about this expansion, it’s just beautiful. EQ2 is also putting out their ‘expansion’ (I use the term loosely) Age of Discovery. I’m a lot less excited about this update then I am about the EQ expansion. There’s not a lot of actual content coming with it, although with mercenary and a new class I will say that casual players should be pretty happy. I’m holding off on any other comments until I can actually get my feet into it because until then it’s just speculation. I’d be much happier if this was coming as a free update rather then a paid expansion. World of Warcraft has their 4.3 patch coming out (supposedly) some time in November, which I am also pretty excited about. I’m looking forward to new dungeons, new gear sets, and I’m really looking forward to appearance gear for once. I’m even looking forward to the raid finder tool, which I think will be fantastic for casual players who don’t have the time to devote to finding a raid guild – or those of us who are in tiny little 3-people guilds who haven’t been able to raid yet.

I did decide to sign up for a year of WoW in order to get Diablo 3 for free, along with the mount that will be released in 4.3. The game has enough casual aspects to it that I find it quite relaxing along with my adventuring in EVE Online. SWTOR release date is just around the corner, but not being a fan of sci-fi I haven’t pr-ordered and I’m not really sure if I’ll play. I know my other half will be picking up the game and I’ll probably just live vicariously through him and his adventures. Until the peer pressure becomes too great, of course.

Skyrim is one of those non-mmo games that are certainly on my radar, and I do plan on picking up once it releases. The game just looks beautiful and it’s been a while since I’ve played a single player. I don’t really think the sims 3 counts. Speaking of, I’ve been having loads of fun with their latest ‘pets’ expansion that released this month. It’s a great game when I’m not in the mood for anything multi-player.

So what are you most excited about? Perhaps nothing coming out tickles your fancy at all? Let me know in comments below!

 

Gaming

2,000th Post

stargrace 10 Comments

Where does the time go – I started this blog back in 2006 and have been posting fairly frequently ever since. I’ve met some wonderful people and some not so wonderful people. I’ve shared my experiences with numerous games over that period and I’ve had fun writing ‘my way’ which is typically drama free (and results in less comments but is true to my nature). Back in 2006 EQ2 was my game of choice, and while my desire to play it has faded over time I always look at it with fond memories. These days I bounce between a handful of games, at the moment the list includes EQ1, Vanguard, League of Legends, World of Warcraft, Rift, and The Lord of the Rings Online, Sims 3, and whatever else happens to strike my fancy.

On the game ‘news’ front this week is pretty exciting. There were test patch notes released for 4.3 (World of Warcraft) and today 1.5 is going live in Rift which is bringing about all sorts of goodies. We’re counting down to the Sims 3 Pets release, and SW:TOR was also given a release date. I’m excited about Skyrim, which is supposed to release November 11th if all goes well. There’s a handful of other notable games releasing over the next few months that I’m sure have people pretty excited. It’s a great time to be a gamer (and a writer of said games).

I just want to thank everyone who continues to read this site, and any newcomers. While I write for myself (and always will) it’s incredibly heartwarming to know there are others out there reading about my adventures and sharing in my virtual travels. As always, happy gaming no matter where you find yourself. Hugs!

Gaming

Seeing Red #EQ2 #EverQuestII

stargrace 2 Comments

Today game update 60 was implemented, and with it a lot of pretty neat things. I do, however, have one major concern. Pictured above is what I see when I mouse over a piece of gear, and those two icons you see under the “attuned heirloom lore-equip” text are the new graphic they’ve added for adornments. Adornments are slots that you can use to add extra stats to your gear and they come in a few types including white, yellow, and red. White is a basic adornment, they’re player crafted and pretty simple and cost effective. Yellow adornments are vendor sold, they’re of a ‘legendary’ quality. Red adornments are fabled and typically come from raids although there other ways of obtaining them. My problem is the fact that when you looked at a piece of gear you could instantly tell what type of adornment your gear took based on the fact that there were words that told you [yellow adornment slot] and the like. Now they’ve switched to this weird graphic that is incredibly unfriendly to colour-blind players. I can see colours just fine and even I have issues telling that those two slots are white (it looks like grey) and yellow (looks more like tan).

Note the actual adornment itself (pictured above) – it says “slot type: white adornment slot” – that is perfect. It doesn’t matter what colour any of the text is, players can read right there that it’s for a white slot. I’m REALLY hoping SOE re-thinks their decision to use a colour based graphic in their armor pieces. It does nothing but create a hassle for those who may not be able to see it as well as they’d like.

I understand that it’s not an easy task to make sure that your game is accessible to every person out there when everyone is different, but I really do take a lot of pride in companies that go out of their way to make sure there are options for those who need them. For example, Rift uses sounds to trigger some events – but they also use text that scrolls across your screen. Great for those who may not be able to hear. When it comes to any sort of design decision it’s really important that you think above and beyond what the ‘average’ player may want – and look into those minorities. They’ll appreciate it, trust me.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

Gaming

If I Only Had the Time.. #EQ2 #EQ #Rift #VGD

stargrace 2 Comments

If only I had the time. That statement haunts me even to the moment that I’m typing it out. I think we live in a glorious age where there are just SO many incredible games to play – and I just don’t have enough time for them all. It’s impossible. What am I up to these days? Well.

EverQuest: My main game at this moment in time, and has been since the progression servers launched. I am no longer playing on a progression server but have returned to my home of Drinal. I have a 90 necromancer and an 89 soon-to-be 90 enchanter. My second account is active (for now) and I’ve been playing a bard who just reached level 80 yesterday. I’ve been exploring House of Thule in all its glory, and working on my 1.0-1.5-2.0 epics. I haven’t explored much of the previous expansion (Underfoot) yet but I’m looking forward to that. EverQuest just has SO much content for players (12 years will do that) and I’ve been having a wonderful time. I’ve been doing crafting as well, and have made a few friends. I’ve stayed in my casual guild so far, but that may change in the future. I’ve been doing anniversary events which are around (along with Fabled spawns) until April 26th. For those who say you can never go back – I say yes you can.

EverQuest II: I’ve done little to nothing since DoV released. I’ve obtained 1 flying mount and done a few public quests for gear on both the troubador and the warden. I did do the chrono portal quests that were released as a tribute to EQ1, but aside from that EQ2 has barely been on my radar. I keep wanting to go back but I can’t find (aside from housing and crafting) what it is I’m looking for when I play. For now I’m still drifting.

Rift: I’ve got a level 21 as my max level character at the moment, along with a handful of crafting alts. I haven’t really touched the game that much, I’m still in the starter area. I have decided to sign up for a 6 month subscription because I know I will be back when time allows and the $10/m deal was just too good to pass up. When I’ll actually have the time, I just don’t know.

Vanguard: Yes, still playing. These days I’m mostly doing diplomacy quests or crafting and not that much adventuring. It’s not a bad thing, it’s a time restraint thing. If I had more time I’d play more. This is still one of my all time favorite games.

The Sims Medieval: Love it. Need more time to play it. My kingdom is doing well. I have a tavern, a market, and I created some sort of spy outpost along with NPC to run them all. I haven’t played anyone but the monarch yet, but I’m excited about switching and seeing what other personalities I can uncover.

If I had the time I’d also be brushing up on the handful of games that I’ve got collecting dust. STO comes to mind, Wizard 101, Guild Wars, Dragon Age II (which I bought and haven’t even installed yet on my PC), Free Realms (both PS3 and PC versions), LotRO (which I have been neglecting badly), Magicka, Minecraft, and Recettear. How can we NOT be amazed by the fantastic games we’ve got available to us.

What is your game of choice at the moment? I expect my game-play to also decrease significantly over the next little while. My birthday is coming up, and with it a new Kindle (replacing my sony pocket e-reader) and a new Ipad 2.0 (replacing my ipod 1st gen), I also picked up a kinect, and have been having fun with their work out programs. PLUS spring has finally started, and I expect to be out and about with my camera and a good book – well, as soon as all this rain lets up of course.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Gaming

Details on Destiny of Velious #EQ2 #EverQuest2

stargrace 6 Comments

You won’t be able to pre-order from Sony until the 18th but that hasn’t stopped game stores from opening their doors. Here are the product details given from Gamestop –

The latest addition to the monumental MMORPG franchise, EverQuest® II Destiny of Velious presents an unmatched all-in-one compilation pack loaded with the groundbreaking EQII base game, seven thrilling expansions and three exciting adventure packs. New and veteran players are transported to the legendary Great Wastes of Velious, where towering dungeons, dangerous beasts and epic storylines provide the ultimate MMO experience. EverQuest II Destiny of Velious launches its adventures into the sky delivering impressive new features and gameplay, including flying mounts. Following the events of Sentinel’s Fate, the twin Swords of Destiny, Soulfire and the Qeynos Claymore, have been drained of their powers, setting the stage for the destruction of the EverQuest universe. The prophecy known as Age’s End begins to unfold in the legendary continent of Velious and it is here where the war for Norrath will arise. For there to be any chance to save Norrath, the Swords of Destiny must be restored. Norrath’s guardians who undertake this burden will be tested by labyrinthine dungeons, the harsh Velious tundra and powerful creatures. To succeed would mean ultimate glory. To fail would mean annihilation.

  • Standard of the Dain Cloak – Animated glowing hammer cloak
  • Four Different Velious Portal Paintings – Paintings with teleportaion powers
  • 30-day subscription for new accounts
  • Flying mounts – Soar high above Norrath and explore EQII like never before
  • More than 1,000 new weapons and items – Customize your character and in-game home in thousands of ways
  • Over 300 new quests – Follow the EQII storyline through the fabled lands of Velious
  • Ten instanced dungeons – Crawl your way through 10 dangerous dungeons
  • Four new Heritage Quests – Live the legacy of the EverQuest franchise and gain memorable rewards
  • One massive contested dungeon – Good or evil, be the first to conquer the all-new contested dungeon
  • Two overland zones – Journey into incredible unknown lands
  • Four raid instances – Group up with 12-24 man raids for desirable loot
  • A new Signature Quest line – Immerse yourself in EQII lore and get the goods
  • Over 30 new creatures – Battle dangerous and fantastical enemies
  • More than 100 new armor sets – Gear up in powerful armor sets

I’m curious to see how flying in Norrath works. The world has always been pretty ‘flat’ to me, having been guided on rails by the flight paths for a very long time. I don’t really see myself flying over many mountains so much as flying into invisible walls of geometry. I don’t have the faintest idea how this is going to be implemented either, whether we will be able to fly everywhere or only in specific zones.

I do see that there is no mention of public quests in the product details, but I have heard that those were going to be added in some way. Until the NDA drops and people start talking I suppose we’ll just have to speculate for now.

Also, the part that says “To succeed would mean ultimate glory. To fail would mean annihilation.” – some how I don’t think Norrath is going to be totally annihilated if one or two people fail at anything within this expansion. Although that WOULD be a pretty awesome consequence.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

You Missed

Gaming WoW Gold Making

Leveling Up With Timewalking

Gaming

The Construction of Quail Landing

Gaming WoW Gold Making

Making Gold – One Sale at a Time

Gaming

Timewalking, Gets me Every Time

Nomadic Gamer