Massive Multiplayer PK

Break

2009-08-27T10:02:00.002-05:00

I haven't had much time for gaming in the past few weeks, and it looks like that trend may continue. Seeing as this blog is dedicated to gaming, and my lack thereof recently, I haven't had anything to post.

So it's au revoir for now; hopefully we'll meet again in the near future! =)

Character Update

2009-08-17T10:30:00.003-05:00

WoW
I'm still playing WoW with my girlfriend; our two gnome mages are level 66 & 64.
It's a good thing we're taking it slow, because I don't know if I have it in me for the gear grind at 80. I seriously think I will revert to BGs only at level 80 unless I can get a core group to do 5-man instances. I have no interest in raiding. That is the same approach I took when I hit 70 on my first mage- BGs and Arenas.

Darkfall
My Human on Darkfall is slowly, but surely, getting up there. I'm currently sitting at...

65 - Lesser Magic
49 - Mana Missile
61 - Heal Self
13 - Mana-to-Stamina
30 - Greater Axe
30 - 1h Sword
25 - Parry
20-25 - Most Defences (Rigor, Defence, Fortitude, etc.)

50+ on gathering timber, ore, and herbs.

I need to get my hands on some arrows to start my archery. I'll probably purchase the Bowyer skill along with Herbalism. That way I can make my own arrows and potions, and gathering the herbs to make potions gives a few berries. That allows me to equip myself with all the consumables and just worry about purchasing armor, weps, and mounts.

If anyone is located near the Human / Alfar lands, and is interested in some PvE gold grind, then let me know. I know a few good secluded spots. I would ask the clan, but if it doesn't involve the blood wall, they don't look too interested, hehe. I keed, I keed!

EvE
I'm not currently subscribed to EvE, but before I canceled, I had all my learning skills (tier 1 & 2) up to LvL 4. I was also just getting into some of the Tech II frigates, and was working on Tech II small blasters as well as other T2 small modules.

I am set to hit factional PvP pretty easily when I do come back.

Dakfall: New Player Tip

2009-07-28T08:31:00.003-05:00

When you start out in Darkfall you will be hard-up for gold, weapons, and armor. The typical MMO player response to this is to grind out some starter mobs and build up some supplies before venturing to harder mobs with better loot.

That idea sounds good, but what if I told you how to save 2-3 hours of time grinding mobs?

Yes, that is right, you start with a +10 alignment in Darkfall. What is alignment you say? Your alignment is basically your moral scale. It ranges from -100 through +10. You start at +10, but you will lose -8 alignment points when you kill a member of your own races' alliance.

If you drop below zero alignment you will become red (murderer) and not be able to enter NPC towns (there are PK towns where the guard towers won't zap you, though).

Where am I going with all this? Well if your simple math is as bad as mine, then I don't blame you for missing it above; however, take a look again. Yes, that is right, you basically get a "free" kill when you start your character.

I decided to take this advantage and make the most out of it. So this weekend while hunting mobs in a populated area I observed my surroundings. It was late and there was only one other person hunting. This person had been there a long time by the looks of the graves.

So I did what any self respecting player killer would do. I murdered the person when they were busy with a goblin mob.

After all was said and done, I thanked the goblin for his help with a mana missile to the face and proceeded to take my 2-3 hours worth of loot and skipped all the way to the bank.

The goblins drop 5-10g per, and this guy had over 300g on him and TONS of weapons and armor- not to mention the potions, food, and other random supplies. It would have taken me 4-5 hours to gather everything this guy was carrying.

But wait, that's not all!!!

Actually it is... I've just always wanted to say that.

I'm a $2 MMO Whore

2009-07-22T09:21:00.008-05:00

Yes, it's true, I get around when it comes to MMOs. I went ahead and canceled EvE online for now. I trained plenty of skills towards my HAC pvp goal, but I still don't have the time (currently) for a game that takes so much preparation for PvP.

I will come back to EvE, as I always do, but for now I'm going to relax in two MMOs.

The first being WoW. This game I played for about 3 years, and the whole time was pretty fun. The game is solid and has a sprinkle of everything; however, it is still a themepark game- I've ridden every ride in that park =/

But, I have not ridden the WoW themepark rides with my girlfriend yet. She is currently enthralled with WoW (her first MMO), and plays it religiously. I went ahead and bought another copy and started my own gnome mage to roll around with her.

Even though I've played WoW through and through already, it still has a shred of fun by experiencing it with someone sitting next to you. Also, I feel pretty useful answering all her WoW questions- probably my first time as the SME (Subject Matter Expert).

The problem with just playing WoW is that when she, or other people I know IRL, are not around or online- I have no desire to play the game. Enter: Darkfall

I created my new character on the North American server last night; this time I went with a human as there looks like no chance of Mahirim ever getting 4LR (Four-legged-run).

Now I know what your thinking... Darkfall takes time to prep for PvP just as EvE, what gives? The answer is yes, they both have preps that takes place before PvP, but in Darkfall it's the resource gathering (food, regs, arrows, armor) that takes the time. Once you have a stock-pile of supplies, then it's just a matter of grabbing your sh!t and heading out.

In EvE it's the gathering of resources AND the actual ship fittings before leaving the station. I know you can stock up on modules and save equipment loadouts, but it still would be monotonous prep times.

I'm going to remain guildless in Darkfall for now since my guild on EU-1, Inquisition, has decided not to pickup the North American release, but rather wait for Aion. If you're planning on playing Aion and don't have a guild yet, then look into Inquisition (link on the sidebar), they are a great guild with awesome leadership.

After a month or so of skill gains and resource gathering I'll start to search for a guild, but I might join one sooner since I can't wait for more group PvP stories to share with the blog.

Linear Progression Leveling Should Lead to a Horizontal Ssandbox

2009-07-14T13:24:00.005-05:00

I realize there is a strict line between Themepark style games, ala WoW, and Sandbox games, ala EvE; however, I want to know why both environments can't come together.

Why can't there be an MMO where there is a linear progression game of quest and leveling up till level cap, and then the vertical character growth stops and horizontal growth begins.

The end game would be void of quest and such, but have more other things to do, such as housing, world events (this should really happen more in all MMOs), and collectibles.

There would still be raids, but the rewards would be cool furniture for your house, or some rare outfit you could don at the bank. I'm reaching far here on the rewards, but they could really be anything that didn't give your character additional power.

Would most of the linear progression types be turned off from a system like this once they hit level cap and gathering more powerful items for their character wasn't possible?

What about the reverse; would a sandbox player be able to stomach 80 levels of quest just to get to the sandbox?

What game was I playing...?

2009-07-09T09:48:00.002-05:00

The Ancient Gaming Noob had this idea awhile back and it was brilliant- so much so, that I decided to run with it myself. Thanks Ancient Gaming Noob!

All you have to do is read the quick description of what took place in the game and guess which game I was playing.

On to the story...

The forums announced a wedding to take place; my guild master at the time reads this post and plans on the guild attending this event. The guild master gathers everyone up an hour before the wedding takes place.

We equip ourselves with explosives and dress in formal attire for the event. Once the wedding starts and we're inside among the crowd we announce over roger wilco the countdown until we all trigger our explosives.

The explosives go off and everyone, including the bride and groom are running around trying to avoid the damage, but in the end almost everyone at the wedding died, including ourselves from the explosions (a few people made it out the door and ran away).

I felt bad for grieving a wedding, but at the same time I was amazed that this kind of content could come from a GAME, an MMO for that matter...

Darkfall News Leads Player to EvE Online

2009-06-26T08:23:00.004-05:00

Ok, maybe the title is a little over-the-top, but the recent news of Darkfall wanting players to pay for their game a SECOND time just to play on the American server is ridiculous. As much as I love Darkfall I don't think I can bring myself to pay another 50 bones!

So until I can log on and create a new character on the American server without purchasing the game a second time... I'll be playing EvE.

I just qualified to fly Interceptors last night, and while I have enough cash to drop 22m on a Taranis, I just don't want to fly the ship until I have more supporting skills, such as Tech II Small Blasters / Rails.
I also need to do some research on reprocessing and manufacturing. I have been reprocessing meta one items and selling everything else. I need to find out which skill increases your yield from reprocessing, and which skill lowers the materials needed for manufacturing. I want to start making my own ammo, and maybe some small frigates.

I really wish people could have enough standings with a newbie corp to at least make ONE clone! I have a whole set of +3 implants that are preventing me from PvP right now. Now those are not the most extravagant implants, but they still cost me money. I have 5.0 standing with the Federal Intelligent Agency, but it goes up SOOO slow from running missions. I'll be happy once I get a couple clones setup so I can PvP implant free- for now.

So other than running around EvE and finishing the light-side / dark-side ending of KOTOR, I'm just waiting for more news about Darkfall. I really hope they change their minds and come up with another way to get American players over to the new server.

2009-06-12T10:10:00.004-05:00

As I've probably mentioned, I am planning on rerolling with my clan on NA-1 when it's released. I'm just tired of the wolf and it's ridiculous size disadvantage; I'll be rerolling human this time around. I'll also probably drop polearms for 2h swords, but everything else skill-wise will remain the same.

I have taken a short break from Darkfall until the new American server is released; I don't want to get burnt out on the EU-1 server while waiting for NA-1.

I decided to install Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) and give it a run since I was deep into MMO's back in 2003 when the game was released. I have to say Bioware did a great job on this game; the game is a blast to play for a six year-old title.

So far I've cleared Dantooine, Tatooine, and half of Mannana (sp?). Other than two decisive decisions involving currency, I've chosen Light-side responses during my conversations. Those two Dark-side responses saved me 4,500 credits, so I think the slight Dark-side hit was worth it.

I just wonder how well Bioware will be able to incorporate this so-called "story" pillar into their upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. I mean it works great in the single player RPG environment, but how are my responses to the story going to change the story if other people are involved. What if someone from my party picks a different response than me in an instance, dungeon, plex, whatever- would they see different content than me during that run?

I'm not sure how they're going to do it, but if the game is as fun as their single player titles, then I think they'll have a hit on their hands. I will definitely check it out, but it wouldn't be a long-term solution to my MMO habit. I'm sticking with Darkfall for that. I just can't put in the amount (high) of effort I want to in a character in the themepark setting. It's fun to run through those types of games, ala WoW, but for me they're better left once you hit max level. I don't care how fun a themepark is, but if you ridden all the rides you will eventually get bored.

A sandbox game, however, has infinite amount of content generated through the imagination of the players- now that's my type of end-game!!!

Poll Results (and a new poll)

2009-06-04T08:15:00.002-05:00

Do you currently play Darkfall Online?

24 Total Votes

Yes, I've already made the purchase and I'm in the game.
17 votes (70%)

No, but I'm still trying to purchase the game.
3 votes (12%)

No, and I have no interest in playing.
0 votes (0%)

What is Darkfall?
4 votes (16%)

General Update

2009-06-02T08:48:00.004-05:00

The LAN party was great; we all had a blast and made it home safely.

Now on to the reason I started this blog- my MMO addiction. I haven't been playing Darkfall since I got back because of the announcement from AV on transfers to NA-1. Now they were not specific, but they did say it would be "months" before transferred would be allowed to NA-1.

Our clan has been discussing our options and it looks like we'll probably be re-rolling on NA-1 the day it's released. I think everyone is kind of looking forward to a fresh start- not to mention with a much lower ping.

There are six races in the game, but after playing for a few months now I know which I like and dislike and for what reasons. The wolf is just too big. In a game where foliage provides cover and there are no radars or names over people's head, being 7'2" does not help.

The Ork and Dwarves are just too ugly. I'm about 50/50 when it comes to picking between looks & functionality, but those two races look horrible.

The Humans, Elves, and Alfar are all possible choices for me on the reroll, and it appears to be the general preference in the clan right now. So until NA-1 gets released supposedly in June, I'll just be playing Counter-Strike and only logging in to Darkfall for occasional PvP on my EU-1 character- I just won't be gaining skills or worrying about stocking up my bank.

Leaving Tonight for Austin

2009-05-21T13:02:00.004-05:00

I'm leaving late tonight for the LAN party which last through Monday. We'll be playing Counter-Strike: Source and Crysis: Wars this time around. Unless there was a last minute sign-up, it looks like we'll have about 18 guys. We were aiming for 20 so we could have four 5v5 teams for CS:S, and two 10v10 teams for Crysis: Wars, but 18 will have to do.

It's usually FPS action all weekend, but since it's a 24/3 weekend, people take breaks to check email and listen to music. I on the other hand will be milling for herbs in Darkfall so I can get my herbalism to 50+ to make the moderate potions for PvP. I've also saved up a nice stack of berries for food as well from milling herbs. As far as I can tell the food variants only differ in the amount of time the food buff last - not in severity. If this is the case, then the berries aren't a terrible selection until I can make it to the ocean for some fishing.

I also need to start saving my metal for armor sets since my clan has moved too far for me to make purchases from my normal armor vendor. I like paying cash for armor sets and using my mats to make arrows and increase my own crafting profession at the same time. The problem is that all the guild armorsmiths prefer to craft sets for the mats only and usually don't have spare sets for sale. I might just buy the mats with the money and turn that over to the armorsmiths - that way everybody wins.

Well, wish me luck for the LAN tourneys - I'll need it with my rusty FPS skills =p

Upcoming LAN

2009-05-07T10:58:00.001-05:00

I haven't been able to get any Darkfall time because I've been playing Counter Strike: Source in preparation for an upcoming LAN party I attend every year.

I didn't play CS at all before last years LAN and I ended up getting schooled because I was rusty. This year, however, I'm going to kick some ass. I've been playing a little each night and I feel like I'm almost back to my normal skill level.

I will still get owned by most of the players there since some of these guys are old school bad ass CS players, but I will hold my own!

I will get more Darkfall content posted when I get some time to play, but fear not, I'm still VERY addicted to Darkfall and it's the only MMO I plan to play. Seriously, if you haven't checked it out by now, you're missing out on a great experience!

Darkfall Postcard

2009-04-29T09:41:00.000-05:00

Darkfall Harvesting, Loot, and Keys

2009-04-28T08:46:00.006-05:00

I finally harvested my first Steedgrass the other night, and oddly enough a clan-mate messaged me right after I harvested it offering his taming (turning Steedgrass into a mount) services.

I still have not looted another veilron key since my first one only a week into the game. I have seen another drop, but with 10 people molesting the corpse of the fallen foe, it's hard to be that quick on the loot.

For those who don't know, Darkfall mobs have a chance of dropping a key; the key opens statically placed chest throughout the world of Agon, and they're based off the difficulty of the mob. The first tier keys are called salentine and sell for 200g a pop. This is because there is 200g in the chest when you open it + magically enhanced items. So people are paying for the chance to get some nice items because the gold is reimbursed upon opening the chest.

The second tier key is the veilron, and this one typically sells for 2000g since, just as the previous key, it has this amount of gold in the chest. I sold my first veilron key for 1900g because I was hard-up for cash and it was late with no buyers (plus the guy came to me).

There are higher tiers of keys, but I have yet to see those or even hear of one in trade chat. I have heard the next tier up holds 4000g in it, though. I'm looking forward to getting my first drop of THAT magnitude.

On a side note, I have severely improved my mounted combat! I am now able to hit someone almost every time I ride past, barring a cluster fuck when too many clan-mates bunch up instead of riding through. I'm wondering if splitting into separate formations when we have 5+ guys on mounts. It seems having a few groups of 3 seems to be the magic number. With this amount you can have group 1 ride by first, then group 2, and so on. This way there's never more than 3 people passing the target at once, and it dissolves the cluster fuck situations that only benefit the opponents on the ground.

Splitting into formation groups would also help when there's multiple targets. You would be able to send each group after certain targets which should increase overall efficiency of making sure all swords are swinging constantly and attacking someone rather than waiting your chance to ride by and get a single hit.

Darkfall - PvP Ambush

2009-04-17T13:27:00.004-05:00

I logged on late last night to get some game time in before bed, but because of the late hour I figured I would just gather timber & ore to craft some arrows.

That was before I heard the call in vent for help defending our clan's hamlet. I started throwing my gear together and prepared to head out; however, by the time I made it to the hamlet, two of our guys had chased off the attackers. They weren't far away, so I made my way towards them on my mount. I was halfway to their location when I noticed I was taking damage from behind; upon rotating my camera angle (something you can do while mounted), I noticed I was being chased by 3 mounted players with an additional guy dismounted trying to shoot down my mount with his bow.

I called out the situation in vent and was instructed to lead them north towards the other two clan members I was already headed towards. I cut and weaved around trees and hills to avoid the incoming arrows from killing my mount before I reached the soon-to-be ambush location. We had two members hiding behind a rock directly up ahead, and another rapidly approaching from the south, which would turn this fight into a 4v4. But as I rode past the rock hiding our guys, I looked back to see a couple of the enemies mounts quickly drop due to arrows from our skilled archers that had popped out from behind the rock. They didn't know what hit them!

Even outnumbered 4 to 3, we still had the element of surprise, and this was the prevailing factor! I circled back around, now with only one enemy chasing me on mount, but I ignored him and moved directly to the almost-dead guy on foot. I rode by and landed a successful hit (I'm getting better at mounted combat). The clan-mate approaching from the south had just arrived and landed the next hit on this enemy for the final blow.

By this time we dispatched three of their guys, and only one remained and was hauling ass into the distance on his mount. With all the commotion on vent, another 4 clan members had arrived and helped us chase the last guy. We ended up calling off the chase and everyone headed back to the hamlet. I called it a night at that point, since it was already late to begin with.

I wish I could have seen the look on those guys faces when they thought I was their lone prey and how quickly they became the hunted with a spur of the moment trap. It's moments like these you just can't find in a themepark MMO; Darkfall is shaping up to be a great MMORPG!

Darkfall - Slow and Steady Wins the Race

2009-04-14T08:33:00.003-05:00

I wasn't able to get the game until a month after release, but while some people on the forums are whining about their late start, I know better from past experiences.

When I started Ultima Online back in 1997 I was PK'd everyday left and right, but I kept at it, and instead of crying about it, I learned the game and ended up coming back and slaughtering all those that had killed me (Yes, I am deranged, and I do keep a list).

So to all those people upset there are others with a month worth of skill gains ahead of them; this isn't EvE where a player can constantly train for 5+ years and never reach max skills. You will eventually- sooner than you think- hit max skills in your chosen area of expertise. You will have your day in the sun, but you have to stick to it and keep working your skills while practising PvP.

Also, to those complaining the game is boring; if you haven't found a clan and experienced group PvP in Darkfall, then I can completely understand. This is the foundation of the game, and if you avoid it, play around it, or out-right skip it, then I can understand your boredom. This game is meant to be played with a group, so get in a clan!

The game has its flaws, but for anyone that played and enjoyed old school UO, then the flaws seem minor because the PvP and sandbox immersion are just THAT fun!

As the title of this post states; this game isn't WoW where you can hit end game in one week and then melt faces with minimal PvP experience. The game is suppose to be a grind, and PvP is suppose to be something to practise and get better at. I think my heart melted when I saw people in clan chat talking about getting better at mounted combat; this game will go down as one of my top MMOs, and I've played 20+ titles in the genre (again, yes, I am deranged).

Darkfall Crafting

2009-04-13T09:15:00.003-05:00

I picked up my first crafting skill in Darkfall Online; because I am training archery, I decided to take the bowyer skill to supply myself with arrows.

The skill takes 500g to acquire, but after that it's just a matter of making arrows (and bows) for skill gains. After you've obtained the crafting skill of your choice, you must then gather the necessary tools and mats to craft.

It takes (1) iron ingot and (1) wood to craft a set of 20 arrows. This sounds simple enough, yet the "ingot" and "wood" are the refined forms of "ore" and "timber". There is a 5:2 ratio for refining these mats, so it takes 5/5 ore/timber to make 40 arrows.

Once you have gathered the mats you will need a woodcutting tool that is purchased from an NPC vendor in town for 20g. Take this tool, and your mats, and head to the nearest wood-working station. This is the same station where you refine your timber into wood.

It takes 20 seconds to craft a set of 10 arrows, so if you hit the station with 50+ in mats, you might be there awhile. This is still better than spending 1 gpu on arrows (the going rate).

My archery is now at 30 along with my polearms, parry, and 1h sword. I would like to get all these combat skills to 50+ by next weekend so I can contribute better on PvP runs. Other than skillups, it's just a matter of stocking my bank with weapons, armor, mounts, potions, and food. I can't wait till I have a stocked bank with 50+ on skills so I can start making nightly PvP runs.

Dead Elves, and Darkfall

2009-04-06T11:32:00.003-05:00

I had a great time in Darkfall this weekend. The PvP is a blast, and believe it or not, the PvE is actually quite entertaining as well. The mobs don't just stand there until you beat them to death; they strafe, dodge, kite, etc. I've only encountered small mobs such as Goblins and NPC Dwarves, but I did see a Giant Skeleton Knight on my way to Mirdain to gank Elfs.

It was Saturday evening when a Captain from my clan announced he was gathering members in our Hamlet to venture into Elf territory for some PvP. I quickly jumped on board, but when I found out it was a mounted expedition, I opted to stay back. Well, the Captain said he had an extra mount and I offered him 200g for it, and the rest is... well I'm getting there.

So, the Captain, myself, and two Sargent's headed south towards Elf country. It took us roughly 30 minutes of riding just to get where the scenery changes, but I wasn't complaining since I think exploration is worthless in today's themepark MMOs. We ran into a couple of Alfar attacking a lone Elf and we moved in fast. The Elf made a run for it, and we decided to take out the Alfar pair instead.

I found out quickly that I need some practise with mounted combat as I kept missing when I'd ride by to strike. I did, however, get a couple of mount hits in when my pig did a back kick or two.

After dispatching the two Alfar we traveled some to the west and ended up running into a member of our Alliance going 1v1 on an Elf. We started to move in, but when we saw he had things under control we backed off, but stayed near in case he needed any help.

After moving on we received a tell from the Alliance member we had just ran into mentioning a couple of Elf miners he had located. We moved towards his location, but by the time we arrived, he was dead, and there was 5-10 Elfs pelting us with arrows.

We tried to retreat, but we lost one of the Sargent's and his mount. After that, the three of us continued a little longer and encountered another pait of Alfar. This pair was able to take out our Captains' mount, but we took them out quickly after. At that point we called it a night and recalled back to our bindstone.

I can't wait to get my skills up to par, and start gathering armor / potion sets for PvP like I had back in Ultima Online. I am glad our Clan usually has something going on nightly, and there's always someone near our Hamlet ready to hunt. An important aspect of a game like this, or EvE, is finding the right group of people to play with, and I believe my new Clan is just that.

Darkfall Postcards

2009-04-03T03:51:00.004-05:00

"Your Darkfall Online Purchase Skill has increased by 0.1%"

2009-04-02T13:40:00.003-05:00

I could have been playing since Monday actually, but I never checked my email since it looked as if my purchase timed-out and the game had sold out in 4 minutes. Well, I checked my email late Wednesday night and saw a confirmation of purchase; I then tried to log on the game and BAM... I'm in!

I created a male Mahirim and entered the world. The excessive shadows from the surrounding foliage almost killed my graphics card, but I quickly adjusted the video settings as most people do their first time in a game and everything was fine. I'm located in Texas and I was receiving a generous 150-170 ping with spikes into the 190's.The interface takes some getting used to, but after an hour it was definitely second nature. I did however reset my sheath weapon to my back mouse button and my "use" key from F over to the forward mouse button.

I took the first quest to kill some Goblins and acquire 5 axes; after a short run to the north I was engaged in combat with not one, but 3 goblins. I quickly retreated and waited for my buddy from work to show up (he just popped on vent and was logging on Darkfall).With both of us we had an easy, but still challenging time taking out the Goblins. We immediately traded in our starting wep (Dagger) for a polearm. This is a must since the daggers range is ridiculous.

We were taking turns making bank runs during our Goblin genocide; during one of my runs to the bank I hear my buddy on vent say and Ork just attacked and killed him. Well, I was almost back, so I sprinted to the location in time to see the Ork execute (a skill called "Gank") my friend.I drew my polearm and charged with a passion I haven't felt since the days of Ultima Online PvP. I was only a few hours old and didn't have much as far as skills, but I held my own and ALMOST killed the, now red after killing my buddy, Ork.

The funny part is another Mahirim sat there and watched the fight without helping either, then after the Ork had his victory, the spectator Mahirim finished the Ork and proceeded to loot all three of us, hehe. To the passive goes the spoils? =P

Anyways, now it's time to find a clan to join and help grow! I'm going to hit up Syncaine's clan since his commentary on PvP falls right in-line with my ideals.

Hope to see you all in the game, and if you haven't bought it yet, what are you waiting for!?

Darkfall Online

2009-03-18T09:54:00.002-05:00

I know I said I'm "taking a break", and that is true in the sense I'm not playing WoW anymore, and I only log into EvE to set training, but after reading about Darkfall Online since 2005, and it's now released...

I have read enough to know I am going to spend the next 5 years of my life PK'ing people en'mass in Darkfall! I have yearned for the days of Ultima Online, and it seems current MMOs have nothing but profit margins in mind and aim their titles towards soccer moms and mentally challenged earmuff people.

I respect the limited release, but damn, I wish I could get in there cause I'm one of the people that WILL be staying! I have the game client downloaded, and my CC info saved and ready to purchase as soon as more copies become available.

I'm currently prepping for the game by reading all PvP strats, and any general info I can get on the game; however, I have yet to find a clan to join. I am looking for a clan with Orks and Furries as I plan to be howling at people when I decapitate them. I know it goes without saying, but the clan must be PvP focused (it's Darkfall, durr). If anyone knows any clans looking for a quality old school PvP'er, then please let me know who to contact.

Thanks,
Heineken - UO - Chesapeake 1996-2000

Break Time

2009-03-12T13:35:00.003-05:00

I'm taking Trigonometry in college and after my first two test I have an 83.5 in the class. This is unacceptable, so I'm taking a break from gaming until I can bring that back up and hopefully end with an A

I will start gaming / blogging after this class since the classes I have left won't be a problem.

Thank you for understanding!

Keystone / Placebo / Civic

Complaining Gets You Nowhere!!

2009-03-04T12:45:00.002-06:00

I'm waiting for family and friends to catch up to me on my gnome mage, but they're taking their time for various reasons. I don't mind the wait since I get to do BGs (30-39), and that's my favorite part of the game.

I've noticed that when the match is going in favor of the Horde, the Alliance tends to start name calling and bitching and moaning about people not knowing what to do. I'm some-what guilty of this behavior in my early days of WoW, but I've matured a little bit since then.

I recently started taking it upon myself to correct people's mistakes with a tone of humility, and surprisingly enough most of the time the person just didn't know that aspect of the game. I believe that more amateur gamers play on the Alliance side, and that is the reason for the Horde winning the majority of BGs.

So, it's not a fact of these people knowing what to do and screwing up, but rather not knowing what to do in the first place. WoW suffers already from lack of accountability, as there's not much you can do for a player being a tard and messing up, or screwing you over. If this can be overcome and we hold each other accountable for our actions (after we've been taught), then improvements will be made.

For this reason, I've also started calling people out, myself included, for making mistakes. These are players that I see all the time and I know they're aware of the correct action for that situation. This also must be done with a sense of humility, otherwise the message is lost and arguments erupt.

My point is, the next time you see someone screwing up in BGs, try explaining to that person where they messed up before calling them names. If they mess up after that, then call them out in a polite manner.

Keep in mind that success must be called out too for the balance to be in place. So while it's good to call out mistakes, it does nothing if you never call people out for success also.

I've been trying these tactics over the past few weeks, and my win percentage has gone up.
Try it, and tell me your results.

post cards

2009-01-25T08:13:00.005-06:00

post card

2009-01-21T00:20:00.000-06:00

Message to Twinks

2009-01-15T09:20:00.002-06:00

I was in WSG on my level 71 druid the other night when it looked like our team was going to get steam rolled, so I stealth past all the Horde holding us at the graveyard. I ended up getting the flag and almost making it back before I died.

I therefore tried again, and this time made it a little further; this try was followed by a third attempt. Each try I announced my location and planned trip to return the flag in hopes I would receive some form of aide. I had even requested someone with more HP to come get the flag and I would heal them.

Well, our team just sat there at the graveyard and ran single-file into their death down below the graveyard cliff.

We obviously ended up losing that battle, but I wouldn't let it keep me down. I joined up again and tried the same tactic from the start. I asked for some help in returning the flag, but the response I got was, "Why are you trying to run the flag with your crappy HP".

I replied with a, "then come get it from me, so that I may heal you along the way back".

Well this sparked an argument between twinks, and the people there just for fun and trying to win the game.

I've played WoW since the day it was release, save my recent absence, and I understand better than anyone the importance of gear in PvP; however, I have also played more MMO's than most and understand basics concepts of PvP and individual skill.

A player with lower-than-normal HP for his battleground might look worthless at first, but if you immediately point that out without even letting this person prove their worth, then you have already seceded defeat before the game has started.

Now, granted this person had no way of knowing my flag running skills, but to just dismiss someone as such is, well, retarded.

I could have gotten into a e-peen contest with this person and cited my 1900+ arena team rating during Season 2, but what would that have done.

So here's my message to twinks...

Instead of filling your head with min / max stats and figures, why not try using some managerial leadership skills and put everyone in the correct seat on the bus. If you have a low HP person, then tell them to just heal, or stay on defense. Make use of them in some way, but don't discredit them for being there and therefore forfeit any help that person may have given the team.

If you want to be a solo-god, then go PUG in Counter-strike, that is no mentality for World of Warcraft Battlegrounds!

*sigh* I wish some of these wow PvP kiddies could have played the harsh days of Siege Perilous on Ultima Online, or even Darktide on Asheron's Call, but I digress... No Risk = Cocky Attitudes.

I come from a humbler time in PvP where you cherished any help you received; people banded together because they knew if they didn't they would be dog food to those that did, and all the gear, items, and gold they were caring were lost!

**Civic staggers away mumbling about walking uphill both ways in the snow**

Back on The Wagon

2009-01-14T16:11:00.003-06:00

I know it has been a long time since my last post, so I have some explaining to do =P

Well, it all started during the Christmas break when my nephew came to visit and brought his computer and WoW with him. I don't know what it was about seeing it played again -- I played it 3 years before quitting -- but the nostalgia got to me. I went out and purchased WoTLK.

I had to create a new character since I don't have my old account. (don't ask =P)
I had to try some new name selections, as my old name was taken. I ended up with a gnome mage named Civic (I'm surprised it wasn't taken already).

I decided to actually work my professions this time, and raid more too. I took mining / engineering for the PvP possibilities, and of course the secondary professions Cooking, Fishing, and First Aide. I'm now level 22 and all 5 professions are 100+.

I haven't experienced much of the WoTLK content as I'm still leveling up my new character, but I have to say the added individualism presented through inscription is awesome! I think I spent too long in the 10-19 WSG casting Polymorph: Penguin (minor glyph).

So that is what I've been up to. I still have my EvE account set for training Cruiser V (20 days), but other than skill training, I've been spending most of my game time in WoW.

Well, that's all I've been up to, but I do have a rant about the attitude found in Battlegrounds, but that's to come later. I just wanted to give an update and let all two of my readers know that I'm still alive =P

Random Update

2008-12-22T11:57:00.002-06:00

I have completed my goal on my learning skills; I now have all the attribute modifier skills to IV, and Learning V. I also have a set of +3 implants, so learning times have dramatically dropped with all these additional attributes.

Now that learning is complete I can focus on Gunnery and some T2 ship requirements. I have Frigates V and I'm only 4 days from Evasive Maneuvering V which will let me fly Interceptors. I think this will be nice as I can help fleet ops with tackling.

Other than skills I've been working on standings. I'm trying to get to 8.0 to install some jump clones and advance me further towards 0.0 space. Our Corp has a guy who runs an alt Corp with Republic Fleet standings over 8.0, and I could use this to get quick jump clones, but I would rather earn it than use some work-around. Besides... I'm not ready for 0.0 space anyways, so I enjoy the time in preparation.

I have a few goals before I even consider 0.0 space, and they are as follows...

-Learning V / Attribute Modifier Skills IV (done)
-Ability to run LvL 4 missions solo
-Multiple Jump Clones
-Able to fly HAC's with T2 Mediums and T2 drones [Ishtar]
-Able to fly Covert Ops (done)
-Industry IV
-Production Efficiency IV

I'm one of those people that spend more time preparing and planning for a vacation than I do on the vacation =/

I hope all this preparation makes the journey to 0.0 living that much easier.
Are there any other 0.0 essentials I'm missing?

Not Dead

2008-12-15T16:44:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the delay in post; I've been getting through finals week, and preparing for the holiday break.

I've been keeping up with my training in EvE; I now have Frigates V, Electronic Upgrades V, and I'm currently working on Evasive Manuvering V so I can fly interceptors- specifically Taranis >=]

Hopefully I'll get more playing time with a break from school and things dieing down at work. Until then, Fly Safe!

~Placebo Effect

Dominix Report

2008-11-25T09:06:00.003-06:00

I only had time to fly one level 3 mission last night with my new Dominix battleship, but it worked great. I'm using a fitting similar to the one in my previous post. The battleship held up well, and tanking wasn't a problem.

I also made my first trip into Jita, and yes, it's true, the lag sucks. I can't imagine it worse than it was for me last night, but appaerently that was the case before the stackless I/O technology update.

Our Corporation is talking about issueing a few war decs, and that is fine with me; however, I'm still new and hope I'm able to help the effort. I've invested some time and money into being a tackler since it requires less skill points for the role. We'll see how that goes!

I'm looking forward to the holiday weekend- my work week ends tomorrow at 1:00pm!!! >=)

New Ship: Dominix

2008-11-24T12:14:00.005-06:00

I purchased a Dominix last night; this will be my first battleship. The ship comes with 6 high slots, 5 mids, and 7 lows. As you can tell this ship is definately set to armor tank- as most Gallente ships are.

I'm fitting this ship to be a mission runner and I've come up with the fitting seen in the screenshot on the top left (click to enlarge). I'm going for more tank than DPS, but I'm open to any suggestions.

I've also joined a new Corp, but more on that later.

When I Grow Up, I Want to Be...

2008-11-20T07:00:00.003-06:00

I was running level 2 missions last night for the Federal Intelligence Office; I'm trying to get my standings to 8.0 so I can install some jump clones.

I think this would be wise since I eventually would like to move to 0.0 with a Corporation, but would still like easy access to empire space for flying with newer pilots I might know IRL.

I've been thinking some time about what it is I want to contribute to a fleet / roaming gang; I've come to conclusion I like the idea of being the scout with probes. I like the fact that the scanning skills also play a role in PvE when scanning down complexes and other sites.

Scanning down radar & magnetic sites reminds me of the Cartography skill in Ultima Online. With the skill you could decipher treasure maps, which you then took a group of people with you to kill the spawn and dig up the treasure. This activity provided lots of fun for those that tagged along, but the problem was the skill was worthless in PvP.

I ended up playing that character much less, and eventually just played my PvP character as my main. With the Astrometrics skill, however, you can scan down other players as well as PvE ratting sites.

So, I've moved the following skills up on my priority list...

Astrometrics
Astrometric Triangulation
Astrometric Pinpointing
Signal Acquisition
Archeology
Hacking

I'm also going to focus training on ships of that type; this will require more research on my part as I've just made this decision last night.

I love setting my own goals in EvE rather than the carrot-on-a-stick developer imposed goals that other MMOs have. I'm sorry, but it's just I love this game, and I get on a soapbox every time I discuss game mechanics.

If anyone has tips on scanning, players or complexes, I would love to hear them! =)

Ship Loss: Brutix

2008-11-13T09:58:00.004-06:00

I've had my first major ship loss in EvE now, and as much as it pissed me off, it also made me smile. I love the fact that a "death" in EvE actually means something. I remember sitting down during losing battles in WoW and just waiting for the death to come so I could respawn and be on my merry way- I hated it.

EvE Online is just a great MMO, and I wish more MMO's would learn from their sandbox philosophy.

Back to the ship I loss; I was flying level 3 missions with a buddy from work last night. He was in an Apoc set to tank, and I was bringing a Brutix for DPS (I would have brought a BS, but I don't have one, and can't afford to purchase one, yet).

I notice there is not an option to warp fleet to 100km, but there is that option for warping myself into a mission (assuming there's no acceleration gate). So I warp in at 100km and have my buddy warp to me; however, the ships were still targeting me and closing fast. I decided it would be best to kite, so I fly the opposite direction with an Afterburner activated.

Eventually it looks like the NPCs are diminishing in numbers and I turn back around to engage and help with DPS. Well, the ships were still firing at me, and damage came pretty fast. My active armor tank (Brutix is built for active armor tanking with it's repair bonus) held for some time, but I had replaced my DCU with a RCU for more PG (I was there for the DPS role, and more powergrid meant more guns).

A tip to any new players out there...

Without a Damage Control Unit (DCU) your ship's hull will evaporate, melt, disappear in mere seconds!!!

So, lesson learned, and I'm ok with that. I'll be back in my Vexor (Cruiser) tonight running level 2's to bridge the gap in how much I have now, and how much I need for a Dominix BS.

Small Update (Hek -> Juns)

2008-11-12T09:33:00.004-06:00

I posted some time ago about moving from Oursulaert -> Hek to work for the Boundless Creation Corporation. I'm now completely moved from Hek and into the Junslaert (sp?) system. I have access to a LvL 3 / -9 quality Survalence agent (95% kill / 5% couriour) in the system, and the payout is great.

I'm still saving my funds for the Dominix battleship; I plan to heavy tank the ship while my IRL friend uses his Apoc for DPS. As for training, I'm halfway through Learning IV, and only need three more teir 2 learning skills.

I'm anxious to get to my learning skills goal so I can start training more ship skills. One of my first goals is Astrometerics, Hacking, & Archeology for scanning down and running complexes and sites. I like the idea of Exploration as it lets you run activities in other systems where you don't have access to any agents. With mission running I sometimes feel corn-holed into certain systems, but with Exploration you can scan down complexes in other systems and get some good action and money.

Seeking Corporation

2008-11-05T10:16:00.002-06:00

Yes, that is correct. I'm giving up on my current Corp as there is never any of the other 23 members online, and the CEO replaced himself with a newbie alt while he went and joined a large PvP Corp.

Here's what I'm looking for...

1. Members Online: This can mean a large Corp and/or Alliance member count; as long as one or the other has enough numbers to produce a minimum amount of players online at any given time.

2. Some PvP: The title of my blog says it all; I love PvP! However, I'm still a new player (3 mill sp) and I'm not ready for pure PvP 100% of the time. This just means I'm not interested in a strictly industrial corps and/or strictly located in empire.

3. Mission Running: This is my current form of income, so joining a Corp with no focus on mission running leaves me bankrupt.

So, to sum up my expectations...

Medium-Large Corp, Preferably in a Medium-Large Alliance, and runs Mission & PvP ops.

Now... what I bring to the table...

I'm a dedicated gamer with 10+ years of MMORPG PvP experience. I started with Ultima Online where I was part of the #1 PK (Player-Killer) guild on my server. I then moved to SWG where I was the PvP officer of my guild, and we ran many PvP ops on Rebel bases (die, Rebel scum!). After UO and SWG I started playing WoW. I played the game for 3 years before I grew bored. I quit during Season 2, and at that time I had amassed a complete set of S2 gear with all the major enchants. Our 3v3 Team was rated 2045 at one time, but we consistently maintained a 1900+ rating.

I love to PvP, and as such I do my research on what works and what doesn't. I hope to eventually help my future corporation in the areas of PvP operations.

As of current, my character in EvE is sitting at 3 mill SP, and this may not seem like a lot; however, most of these points are in learning skills. This means my character is primed and ready to train as fast as possible (bearing the acquisition of +4 implants).

I'm a casual player, but I am active. I try to play at least 1-2 hours a night, and if I miss a night I usually make up for it over the weekend.

I can fly up to a Battleship T1, but I'm able to fit plenty of T2 modules due to my Gunnery & Armor Rep Skills.

If I sound like a fit for your Corporation, then please drop me a line in-game (Placebo Effect), or feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back with you.

Thanks,
Placebo Effect
Gallente
3 mill SP

It's a Little Late, but Here is the Blog Banter...

2008-11-03T15:18:00.001-06:00

Things I Would Like to See in Ambulation

I come from an older gaming era when MMO's consisted of only a few choices. In today's world there are plenty of genres and game types out there for MMO's and they have all borrowed one feature or another from previous works in the field while adding their own twist to each title.

The one feature from old-world MMOs I don't see improved upon, or even implemented much, is housing. Now I know what you're thinking- How does housing have anything to do with Ambulation and a space MMO?

The answer is simple- longevity.

Housing adds another layer of Customer staying-power that is only out-matched by community. Have you ever known someone that won't let go of an old online title because their "friends" still play that game? Well, I know dozens of people that wouldn't leave Ultima Online because of all the work they put on their house and how connected they felt to it. Building up a house with design, materials, and rare possessions brings the same joy as building up a character does to most people in MMO's.

I once spent my entire 4 year savings on Fur Rugs.

Yes, that is correct. In Ultima Online I had amassed a small fortune and couldn't decide what to spend it on, so I eventually went with Fur Rugs. The Fur was a rare item that sold for 350-400k. I bought enough of them to line the entire floor space of my tower with Fur Rugs. To most this seemed ridiculous, but to them I say, is it any different than someone spending an exorbitant amount of money on a skill path to fly a ship that's rarely used, or even seen as the most proficient in the field?

No matter what they add, I sure hope there is some form of a customizable area for players to decorate with the heads of fallen foes, and not just an area for Corps and Alliances...
The opportunities for Ambulation are through the roof, and I hope CCP can deliver an excellent in-station experience!

Agent Standings

2008-10-28T14:19:00.004-05:00

I'm enjoying my new home in Hek. I'm currently high enough standings to work for level 2 agents; however, I noticed my Corp standing isn't high enough to meet the .9 requirement.

I have a couple options...

1. Encourage Corp mates to work for the Boundless Creation Corporation to raise our overall standing.

2. Start working for a different NPC Corporation that already has high enough standings with our Corp.

3. Quit my Corp and find one that has a high enough standing with Boundless Creation Corporation.

The problem with solution #1 is that even if it's raised enough, what is to stop the influx of more recruits from diluting the standings?

Solution #2 seems like the most reasonable, but again, what stops more recruits from messing up the standings.

As for solution #3, better agent selection isn't one of my criteria for selecting a Corporation to join, but it might soon enough.

I know I saw some agents that don't require an "overall" standing in addition to your own personal standings. I wonder what separates these agents? Why does one not care what your Corp thinks of them while the other agent does care?

This was a level 2 R&D agent I was inspecting when I noticed both Corp standing of .90 and personal standing of 2.90 are required to get work from the agent.

Would anyone with more knowledge on the subject please enlighten me?

Moving: Oursulaert -> Hek

2008-10-20T14:58:00.004-05:00

I realized that running missions out of 1.0 is not nearly as profitable as running them in lower security systems, and since I'm not ready for PvP (yet), I must move my operations to a 0.5 system.

I noticed some Corp mates missioning in Hek, so I decided to check it out. Hek is a 0.5 system, and it's surrounded by 0.5 systems as well. This means there are adjacent systems to run missions to mix things up.

I ended up liking the environment in Hek, so I packed up all my crap and waved one last goodbye to my agent friends in Oursulaert.

It took awhile, but I moved all my items and ships to Hek, and then logged off for the night. I'm looking forward to starting my mission grind for the Boundless Creations corp located at Hek VIII. Also, I finished Science IV and Hull Upgrades IV; this means I can now use Tractor Beams and Armor Hardeners (both are essential for maximizing the profit margin on missions).

EFT - EvE Fitting Tool

2008-10-17T08:49:00.005-05:00

No, it's not Electronic Funds Transfer as we know in the real world (I know, I know- what's that, right?) Well, if you haven't downloaded EFT yet, and you're playing EvE, then you're truely missing out!

What EFT does is let you upload your character's skills and then select a ship to fit. The program lets you play with different ship fittings based off your skill level. Ever buy that extra turret just to find out you don't have enough power to put it online unless you remove another module? This is where EFT comes in handy, because you can see before any purchase is made if you have the skills to fit all those modules.

I've played around with the Gallente Brutix fitting and came up wit the following (see screenshot). Obvisouly my skills aren't all at V, but by this time tomorrow my Engineering will be at V and I won't be so hard up for powergrid anymore!

To all those vets out there- what do you think; where could I improve?

Blogger is having a problem with the HREF html code, so you'll have to copy and paste the link- sorry.

http://eve-files.com/search.dxd?search=fitting+tool

Vexor / Brutix - New Ship Update

2008-10-09T08:34:00.010-05:00

I'm only qualified up to Battleships at this point, but that is because I spent the earlier part of my EvE career reading books while the rest of my graduating class rushed to their pods with the excitement of a 9 year old boy on Christmas morning.

A few nights ago I was running some level 2 missions with my jury-rigged Thorax; however, this ship was given to me by a very generous player and the rigs on the ship are worth 24 mil each, and combined with the cost of the ship at 7 mill, that makes the ship worth 79 million.

Up to this point the most I've seen is 7 mill, but I keep spending it on books faster than I can make the isk. I'm comfortable with my current skill books as they cover a wide variety of basics so I can fit my ships with more variation.

I decided it wasn't worth losing my Thorax in the case of an unfortunate event, and my research showed the Vexor as a superior PvE vessel. So, I hit the market for a Vexor and found one at 3.75 million; however, I only had 3.85 mill. Was it worth it to bring me down to 100k? I have enough random fittings and a few extra Frigates I could sell in case of an emergency, and this ship was a good investment for mission running, so I made the purchase.

I was unable to fit the Vexor the way I wanted to because I only had Thorax fittings, and they didn't match the Vexor's intended design. I had no choice though because I only had 100k left, so I put whatever I had in the hanger on the ship.

The ship was running level 2 missions just fine, but I went with a Corpmate on some of his level 3 missions and I felt useless in the Vexor and it's current fittings. My Corpmate asked if I could fly a Battlecruiser, and I explained how I had Battlecruiser II, but I didn't have the 24 mill to buy one yet. Without delay my wallet blinked and I noticed a 25 million deposit from my Corpmate who instructed me to purchase the Battlecruiser and come back when it was fitted.

That was an awesome gesture on his part, and after I returned with the fully fitted Brutix the missions started going faster. I ended up shooting back up to 3 million pretty fast, so I'm back up and running.

I'm not buying anymore skillbooks for awhile! ^^

And of course, my beautiful Acura Brutix Type S

Empire Days, Low-Sec Nights

2008-10-06T10:32:00.007-05:00

Working in Empire Space gets mundane, but that's why I usually head out to find trouble in low-sec after my shift ends at the Federal Inelligence Agency; however, it's usally 'trouble' finding me.

Not this time.

I set course to the nearest low-sec system after undocking in my combat-ready Honda Tristan Si. With a couple close-range blasters, MWD, Webber, and Scrambler I headed out with danger on my mind.

The first system I entered was 0.2 and to my surprise was... empty? After that it was a 0.1 system and there were a few miner-esq looking players in local- could they be at one of the local belts?

WARP DRIVE ACTIVE

There were two ships upon exiting warp drive; the first was an Imicus at 20km, and a Thorax at 100km. These two didn't appear to be together, but it wouldn't have mattered if they were because I primed the Webber and Scrambler as I activated my MWD.

I soared through the skies and was on top of the Imicus before he knew what hit him. The Thorax continued to linger at 100km- AFK maybe?

After the Imicus exploded I let my cap recharge for a minute while I contemplated my next move. At this point I was on top of the world, nothing could stop me, especially an AFK Thorax.

I hit the switch on the MWD and closed the distance in little time. Webbed and Scrambled I enganed fire at a measly 750m orbit. Would my close range be enough to throw off his accuracy? Could my blasters cut through his armor?

During the fight it looked like I might not win, so I alligned myself to the station and pressed on; however, soon after allignment I went ahead and warped- better safe than sorry.

I had my first taste of being a pirate, and I must say, I could get used to this indiscriminate violence >=)

Learning Skills vs. Fun Skills

2008-10-03T09:53:00.003-05:00

The first bit of advice received for any noob asking about skill training will sound something like, "...just train learning skills".

Well, that's great, but that noob could possibly get bored of frigates and leave the game- understandable. I took a different approach; I alternated learning and combat skills so I could advance in the game while still maintaining learning skills.

I've been using this approach for a few months now and I have all the tier 1 learning skills to level IV, and that allows the training of the tier 2 learning skills. The next plan is to alternate the tier 2 skills with my battleship / battlecruiser skills.

This method has allowed me a steady progression, but I know in the long run I'll be better off with the learning skills.

On a side note, does anyone know of an EvE market site that displays average prices of items in the different region...? I'd like to find where cheaper fittings are for my ships since I really don't mind flying a distance to pick up an item- I enjoy travel in EvE.

Ship Loss

2008-09-29T09:42:00.003-05:00

The harsh environment of space always leaves me thirsty for an ice cold beverage, but the refrigerator on my Catalyst Destroyer is on the other side of the ship away from the controls. I was starting to wonder if I should accept Gallente Navy drink coupons as reward for all these obscure errands *cough*, I mean "missions" the Security department keeps assigning me.

As I activated my warp drive towards the repair station that was aiding Serpentis Pirates, I wondered if I would make it back this time. Every mission the Gallente Navy was sending me on seemed to get more difficult, and after losing shields and armor on my previous mission before warping out, I was wondering how close of a call this one would be.

Upon exiting warp I noticed a few scouts were already locking me and approaching swiftly. I decided to concentrate fire and activated all seven of my Railguns before setting orbit to optimal range. To avoid the pirate frigate from moving to close and therefore killing my accuracy, I activated my Webber and took control of the range during the fight.

After dispatching the security forces guarding the repair station I noticed no life signs on my scanner and proceeded to chisel away at the measly constructed pirate repair station. The adrenaline from another successful mission was pulsating through my veins. I think this calls for a victory celebration- a celebratory drink will do just fine!

But wait, the stupid fridge is too far away to see the controls- something could happen. I checked the scanners again, and still no signs of life. Screw it. I ran over to the fridge to make my favorite beverage. As the water started to boil I felt the ship start to shake.

The lights went out. An eerie red glow from the emergency light lit the hallway leading back to the control room. I stumbled through the hall as the ship rocked back and forth. The muffled gunfire grew louder as I neared the control room.

I knew I wouldn’t have enough time, so I took the detour to my escape pod. I knew it was too good to be true. I was about to lose my ship- possibly my life- and I’m still thirsty, ugh!

Through the debris from the explosion I was able to warp my pod to the safety of the station where I would lick my wounds before returning to space.

I think I’ll make a pit stop at the station bar before I have to explain to the Security office why the Serpentis repair station was still operational.

CrazyKinux's EvE Online Blogroll

2008-09-29T08:27:00.003-05:00

If you're a die-hard EvE player and soak up any content you can get your grubby Caldari hands on, then you're in luck! CrazyKinux is an EvE player that's been playing EvE and blogging about it for a long time. He's taken it upon himself to create an excellent EvE Blogpack & Blogroll. These comprehensive lists include tons of awesome EvE blogs, and you should really consider checking them out- ALL of them!

So, thanks to CrazyKinux for adding me to the blogroll!

You should all head over to the EvE Online Blogroll to check it out!

Corporation Research on Hold

2008-09-25T10:43:00.003-05:00

I've decided to pause on my search for a Corporation to join; I have a new theory that, like love, you only find a good Corp when you're not looking. This also gives me time to learn more about the game, but I'm pretty sure I could almost go toe-to-toe in a trivia game with a Vet.

I've read more on EvE than I ever did in during any college course, heh. The funny thing is I'm still learning new things every day, and that's what I love about EvE (I'm also a spreadsheet junkie, too).

The plan is to grind out cash while looking for a PvP guild- this way I'll be self sufficient when I do join and start losing ships (hah, more like blowing ships up!).

Also, a tip that's helped me on mission grinding that all noobs should know- train Social, Connections, and Negotiations all to level IV asap. These three skills will make your mission-going experience that much better.

Skill Training History

2008-09-23T08:21:00.005-05:00

High Speed Manuvering

2008-09-22T13:48:00.003-05:00

I'm now qualified to fit and use a MWD, but I didn't get a chance to test it out last night. The first thing I'll be doing tonight when I log on is test a MWD on my three ships, Incurses, Catalyst, and Thorax.

I had tons of ships at one point, but I sold them off and focused on fitting only a few for certain situations. As a side note, the Tristan is one UGLY ship!

I'm currently training Gunnery skills to help assist my future Corp (whoever they will be) in combat. I figure increasing my tank is great if I'm the primary target, but if I'm just a fly on the wall and not being shot at, I would like to bring sufficient damage to the table to help out.

Speaking of Corporations, I'm still without (Can't really count an NPC Corp, heh). I've been researching the forums trying to find the perfect match. If anyone out there is interested in a combat pilot "in-the-works", then please let me know with an EvE-mail, or even a comment here ^^

~Placebo Effect

Hrmm...

2008-09-17T15:11:00.003-05:00

I'm still running missions trying to get enough standing for level II's; however, I've decided to focus on the basic Federal Navy since I'm not sure what, or how to tell for that matter, the benefits are for each Corporation.

I plan to run missions in my Incursus Frigate tonight and only do the mission objectives and skip the loot and salvage in exchange for quicker mission completion and therefor raising my standing faster. Can anyone tell me of another way to raise standing besides running missions?

As for skills, I've completely contradicted my last post stating I would train my current skills to level 4 before acquiring more; however I noticed a ton of skills I was missing once I changed the option on my character sheet to "show all skills". I spent 3 of my 5 mill isk on skill books last night. I started the training on each one, but they're still at level 0.

Why did I do this, you ask? Well I wanted to have more 20-45 min skills to level while playing shorter sessions, and switch to longer skills when I log off for the night or any extended period of time.

Skill Training Complete

2008-09-17T15:11:00.002-05:00

Ahh yes, we all love those three magic words, "Skill Training Complete". I have a gynormous list of skills I want to train, but I have to keep reminding myself that I won't be effective at anything until I focus my training efforts.

I've decided to get a few key skills to level 4 before I get fragmented with various skills.
The skills are as follows...

Hull Upgrades IV
Armour Repair Systems IV
Drone Interfacing IV
Small Turrets IV
Medium Turrets IV
Navigation IV
Afterburners IV

That's only a small portion of the skills I'm looking at training, but I figure these are critical to surviving basic combat. I eventually- once I can fly BC's for level three missions- want to focus on Rifter skills. I'll probably dive deeper into small turret specialization per Kane Rizzel's suggestion, but right now I need cash, and that comes from running missions, so I'll continue Medium Turrets in my Thorax.

I love how many skills there are to choose from and that any race / gender can pick any of them. I remember being a stun mage in UO before stun mages were cool. I love trying new skills and setups and EvE really promotes that behavior.

I'm wondering when I should start looking for a Corp...? I'm only 2 mill SP, so I don't have a lot to offer yet, and most serious Corps have a minimum requirement higher than 2 mill. If anyone out there is part of, or knows an existing PvP guild that accepts rookie pilots willing to learn with a natural learning ability and previous MMO PvP experience, then please drop me a line ^^

~Placebo Effect

Space is Lonely

2008-09-15T14:45:00.003-05:00

I played EvE some last night after the Cowboys victory over the hated Eagles (boo!)

I went ahead and changed my training from Drone Interfacing III (very important to drone damage, and a must have) to Hull Upgrades III. The Hull Upgrades skill will increase my armor value by 5% per level, therefore helping me survive longer.

I've focused so much on improving damage on my Thorax with the Medium Turrets skill that I've neglected defensive skills such as Armor Repairs and Hull Upgrades.

After reading the awesome adventures of Kane Rizzel (http://novakaneinc.blogspot.com/) I'm starting to wonder if I should put more skill training time into smaller ships such as the Rifter. My goal for my time in EvE Online is the same as Kane's, and that is to murder people and become a ruthless Pirate!

I was told the Thorax is a wicked solo ship to Pirate in, but being a noob I'm also too poor to afford an endless supply of Thorax ships, so the Rifter looks much cheaper to fit. I wonder if it has any drone slots (I can't check here at work, boo!)

Also, to anyone reading this, I'm still looking for a good Corporation to join, so keep me in mind when your Corp is looking for good new members. I'm only at 2 mill SP, but I catch on quickly and have no problem listening to the FC's instructions. The Corp must be centered around PvP, but I don't have a problem helping out with other operations, such as mining, either.

~Placebo Effect

Back Up and Running...

2008-09-15T14:45:00.002-05:00

I played EvE Online during the late hours over the weekend. I set some temporary and long terms goals for myself since without goals EvE is just a giant sandbox.

Short Term: Build my standings with a few NPC corps through running missions. I want to get up to level three missions, and be able to run them consistently.

Long Term: Focus on training the current skills I have up to level 4 before aquirring more skills. Also, I need to find a Corporation to join up with. I'd prefer a Corporation located in 0.0, or involved in some massive wars. I basically need a Corp that is built around PvP and not one that just PvP'd because it's in the game.

I've been pulling in mor emoney with my new Salvaging skill, and I must say it's not bad money for a new player! I'm almost to 5 mill in only a few hours of playing (I know you vets make 5 mill in your sleep, but I'm new, so HAH!)

I probably won't get any time tonight since my Cowboys are beating up on the Eagles for Monday Night Football; however, if I do get on I'm not stopping until I have at least ONE mission giver at 8.0+ standing.

New Look; Old Game

2008-09-14T00:43:00.002-05:00

I changed the look of the blog to fit my new game of choice. I've played EvE in the past off and on, but I'm ready to commit. I'm tired of not having an MMO to call home.

I plan to post more about my time in EvE as I start to progress through the game. My only problem is every time I subscribe I get bored because I can never find a good Corporation to join.

I'm an MMO vet and looking to dive deep into EvE; anyone know a medium-sized Corporation focused on PvP?

Placebo Effect
Gallente - 2 mill SP

Ultima Online Macros

2008-07-13T02:53:00.003-05:00

This is my hotkey / macro setup for Ultima Online...

I have all my offensive spells set to the keypad...
(please note, this is the square keypad on the right, not the number row up top)

Starting from the bottom...

0 - Magic Arrow
. - Meditation
1 - Clumsey
2 - Feeblemind
3 - Weaken
4 - Paralyze
5 - Explosion
6 - Energy Bolt
7 - Poison
8 - Harm
9 - Mind Blast
+ - Flamestrike
* - Fireball
- - Lighting

I have my heal keys set to F2-F4 because they're near the escape key if I need to cancel a heal...

F1 - All Names
F2 - Heal
F3 - Cure
F4 - Greater Heal

I also set my drink cure potion as number 6 on the number row so it's near my Greater Heal key for group pvp encounters...
(number row)

6 - Drink Cure
7 - Drink Heal
8 - Drink Refresh

I also like to maintain my stats, so I have the following...

Alt+A - Agility
Alt+S - Strength
Alt+C - Cunning
Ctrl+B - Blessing

Some other random macros include...

Alt+L - Nightsight
F5 - Say: Bank, Guards, I Ban Thee, Wintersoul, Recsu Recdu, Etc...
F6 - Teleport
F7 - Hide
Alt+F7 - Invisibility
Alt+Q - Recall
Alt+W - Gate

It's also important to have the following...

F8 - Magic Trap
Alt+F8 - Reactive Armour
Shift+F8 - Magic Reflect
Ctrl+F8 - Protection
F9 - Use Once Agent (this opens your traped pouches for you)
Shift+F9 - Set Use Once (this sets which pouches to open)

That should cover it; there's more, but nothing I would ever share, muhahaha >=]

~Keystone

EvE Online

2008-06-11T09:07:00.002-05:00

I've officially subscribed to EvE Online; this is the only MMO I'm playing. I could play WoW on the free private server, but even free the game doesn't interest me anymore. I miss the Ultima Online days of MMORPG's where the the game was complex enough to give meaning to the acronym RPG.

I had started a Caldari, but after some online research I found Gallente make better solo PvP'ers. I don't plan to go solo through the entire game as joining and participating in a Corporation (guild) is where all the fun is, but I'd still like to solo gank from time to time.

I'm going to post my character sheet in a subsequent post, and hopefully redesign the blog to fit my new gaming addiction.

P.S. I'm looking for a good Pirate / Warfare Corp to show me the ropes and take me in; leave me a comment if you know of any...

Until then...
~Keystone

LAN Preparation!

2008-02-15T14:08:00.003-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted, and I apologize for that! I could be cliché and talk about how college and work are ruling my life and how the mob is out to get me and break my legs for past gambling debts, but I digress.

So, there is an awesome LAN party that I attend once or twice a year that is coming up in May. This is not your normal bring-your-computer-not-know-anyone-warehouse-entry-fee-LAN. This is a LAN at a friend's house and he only invites friends of friends, and it's invite only. He covers most of the expenses, and since it's in his house he doesn't want random people there.

We have always played Counter Strike and one other shooter- usually whatever just come out and is hot. This time we'll be doing our normal Counter Strike plus Crysis. The problem I'm having is my machine barely meets the Crysis minimum system requirements, and upgrading right now is not a monetary option. I really wish our second game had been TF2 since it seems like the perfect LAN game, but the guy who runs the LAN is in love with Crysis.

I'm going to pop in another stick of RAM and end up with a P4 3.0 processor, 2g RAM, and a 9800 pro video card. I read a PC Gamer article where they played Crysis on low settings with those same hardware components, and while it didn't look snazzy, it still played.

I'm going to buy Crysis next paycheck and start playing it and Counter Strike (again) so I can be ready for the LAN. The last one we had I hadn't played in a awhile and it showed in my skills. This time I plan to be ready to frag some fools in a drunken stooper!

If anyone has Crysis and wants to show me the ropes or knows a good server to play on, please drop me a line. Thanks!

Ding! LvL 50

2008-01-16T14:43:00.000-06:00

I dinged 50 on my Orc Shaman. I was about to play around with my new talent, "Shamanistic Rage" when I was asked to heal an instance with some buddies, so I respec'd Resto and played with Earth Shield instead.

They are both interesting top talents, but they don't have the "ooo-ahh" affect that my water elemental did =(

I might retire the Shaman for now and go back to playing a Mage; I feel the class was made to my specs. I've played all the classes up to about level 50, and the Mage is by far my class.

I love the Mage's mobility; they can portal around the world in a matter of minutes, and what is this thing you call "walking"? I'm an Azerothian version of Nightcrawler my friend, I just blink and *poof*, I'm there!

I'm curious what makes certain classes appeal to certain people more than others...?

What is your favorite class, and why?

Ahh, Crack is Good, but WoW is Better!

2008-01-04T15:06:00.000-06:00

It's true, I'm playing WoW again.

I decided to go Horde this time around as I've seen the entire game from the eyes of a Human Mage already.

This time I rolled an Orc Shaman by the name of "Ocid". Those who know me will recognize that name as my Night Elf Druid, but anyone who plays these games for a long time starts using the same names over again- especially ones they like!

I'm still trying to get use to the tribal architecture of the Horde. I really miss my brick & mortar building from the Alliance cities, but it's a small price to pay for a new experience!

I'm only level 26, so nothing crazy has happened yet, but once the PvP stories start flowing, I'll have more to post. Until then...

~Keystone

Darkfall Online

2007-12-26T15:13:00.000-06:00

Darkfall is expected to have several features that set it apart from the majority of MMORPGs:

Unrestricted PvP, with no safe zones, only protection by npc guards in racially controlled cities.

Game mechanics will punish killing of racial allies. (see alignment section below)[19]

Complete looting. All items will be dropped on death, and can be looted by anyone who opens the corpse. Armor and weapons will be somewhat easy to replace.[20]

Inter-character and projectile-character collision detection. Projectiles (spells, arrows, cannonballs etc.) can be dodged. Players can be pushed or blocked by other players or by explosions.[21]

Manual aiming & blocking.[22]

Naval warfare, with the ability to sink player controlled ships.[23]

Dynamic, physical weather.

No radar or floating names, it is not known if there is a radar, in Asp's review it was said there was a radar but this has not been confirmed by the developers (Player made clan banners worn for identification.)[24]

Ranged combat will be viewed from first person perspective. Melee combat will be viewed from third person perspective.

Friendly fire. If you miss with spells or arrows you may hit someone other than the character you were targeting. Area of effect offensive spells and healing spells can affect your friends and your enemies.[25]

Cities can be built by players[26].

Player built cities can be destroyed. Each player built city will contain a clanstone, which protects the buildings and defensive structures in the vicinity from attack. The clanstone is invulnerable, except when it has been weakened by a Gloomer.

Gloomers can be built by players after they have built a siege fort next to the target city. The siege fort can be attacked and destroyed at any time, during or after construction. If a city is destroyed, a new clanstone constructed on the site is temporarily vulnerable to attack. [27]

There will be a limit on the number of players and NPC's that can bind to a clanstone

Gaming Limbo

2007-12-18T16:13:00.000-06:00

I've canceled all (4) of my WoW accounts, but if you've read my blog before, you already knew that. I was playing TF2 for awhile, but the game gets a little stale, and most of the servers lack team-play, which kills a game in which the word "Team" is in the title.

I had started playing EvE for a little bit, but I just don't have the umph to get into such a deep game anymore, but if I did, it would be in EvE.

The majority of my gaming as-of-late has been Guitar Hero + Whiskey (with the occasional lamp shade on my head). I just haven't found any stand out games, but there is hope...

A good friend of mine that host a LAN party once or twice a year emailed me the other day boasting about a game that just came out. It's an FPS, and apparently raises the bar for First Person Shooters. PC Gamer gave Crysis a 98%, which is an insane rating. I've heard nothing but good things about the game, so I'm looking forward to checking it out. The next LAN is going to be May 22nd - 26th, and Crysis will be a featured game, so I have to get it soon and start practicing!

That's about it, not much else to report. As soon as I get Crysis I'll post some thoughts!

Guitar Hero + World of Warcraft, huh?

2007-12-03T14:22:00.000-06:00

I just read an article on Fool.com (link below) which speaks of the acquisition of Activision by Vivendi. This is exciting news to me since one of my favorite games of all time was put out by Activision, Soldier of Fortune II, which by-the-way, the 3rd installment of the SOF series just came out and I'm hoping to check it out soon.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2007/12/03/blizzard-has-activisions-investors-singing-let-it-.aspx

Team Fortress 2 - The Sniper!

2007-11-07T08:09:00.000-06:00

The Sniper is one of my favorite classes. They come equipped with three weapons that include...

1. Sniper Rifle (Primary)

2. Sub Machine Gun (Secondary)

3. Machete Blade (Melee)

Your main goal as a Sniper is obviously to snipe people from behind the back, but it's the targets you choose that make the difference. Your number one target, as in all PvP games, is the Medic (healer). After a couple of minutes of healing a Medic will get a 10 second invulnerability (think Paladin bubble), this means you want to take them out before their invulnerability is charged and ready to be used.

With your sniper rifle equipped, right click to zoom in. You will notice a meter in the middle of your screen charging up. This meter determines how strong the shot will be, but you don't have to wait for it to be full to take a shot (although it is advised).

The best method is to take a vantage cover point and zoom in from behind that cover. Your cross hairs will be zoomed in on the box you're crouching behind, but that is ok, you are only charging to full capacity. Once you are charged, side strafe out from behind your cover, but don't take the shot, just notice where everyone is and go back to cover. Now that you have a mental picture of everyone's location, pop back out and take a shot at someone you noticed before, and always aim for the head, always! Whether you miss or get the shot, immediately side strafe back into your cover and let the gun charge again. Rinse and repeat this method.

On some of the larger maps it is possible to snipe engineer gun turrets, and these are just as important as Medics when choosing targets. They will take a few shots to take out, but most engineers are only concerned with Spies and are oblivious to snipe attacks against their turrets. The same applies to all engineer items, but turrets are more important.

Listen for the Spy calls and take note. If you hear your team call out that their Spy is disguised as a Soldier, then start taking pop shots at every Soldier from your team since you usually have a better view then the people in the fray of things. I've taken out a ton of Spies like this.

Lastly, If you get charged you always have your secondary sub machine gun, and your melee machete knife. These are both substantial backup weapons, but as with any class if you aren't using your main weapons you aren't playing to your strengths. If you find yourself just using the sub machine gun over the rifle, then just switch to the Heavy class, as that is automatic weaponry at it's best.

Now get out there and pretend you're Mark Walberg in the movie Shooter, or Gallagher with some watermelons if Marky Mark isn't your thing.

Warhammer Online Newsletter - October 2007 Issue

2007-11-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

"In addition, we’ll be making changes to the RvR (open field RvR FTW!) and Server Rule Set Systems. These changes bring WAR a step closer to fulfilling the promise that “War is Everywhere” while ensuring a great play experience for those that do not choose to engage in RvR 24x7. This is another example of how EA Mythic talks to the community, listens to what they have to say, and takes action. We will continue this process over the next three quarters as we continue to develop, expand and improve WAR."

This is excellent news!!! My major concern with WAR is with the battlegrounds that resemble the BGs from WoW. I would hate to see RvR turned into an instanced scenario with even numbers on both sides on a small map! I don't mind if a battleground feature is implemented, but the problem is, and this was stated by the developers, that the BGs will contribute the most points towards capturing a territory. If we've learned anything from WoW, it's that players will always take the easiest route to more substantial rewards. This means WAR PvP, at it's current state, will end up like WoW PvP with the battleground system.

At least this excerpt from the previous month's news letter shows that they are addressing this concern, let's hope it turns out well!

Team Fortress 2 - The Spy!

2007-10-29T15:41:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd give a few pointers to all those aspiring Spies out there in FPS land. The Spy in Team Fortress can be a deadly class and has a ton of versatility. The first and foremost goal of a Spy is to remove enemy gun turrets. I'll explain how to do this in a second.

The Spy is equipped with four items...
1. Revolver Gun
2. Sapper Charges (2)
3. Butterfly Knife
4. Disguise Kit

The Revolver is nice for show, but shouldn't be used much if you're playing a Spy correctly. The Sapper Charges are placed upon enemy Engineer items such as gun turrets. The Butterfly Knife can be used to get a one-shot kill if you're standing directly behind the player when you are attacking. The Disguise Kit is used to change your appearance into any of the enemy classes.

The first goal of a spy is to get into the enemy base to place Sapper Charges on the enemy gun turrets so your team can progress past the defenses. If you right-click as a Spy you will activate your 10-second cloaking device and can use this to pass through the front lines into the enemy area. You can activate a disguise while you're cloaked, so do this during the 10 seconds are you are cloaked and running through the front lines - you don't want to come uncloaked and not be disguised. Also, try to come uncloaked in a corner where you're out of the enemy sight.

Once you're in their area, try to act like the class you are disguised as. If you disguised as a Scout, then run around in circles and don't stop moving, since Scouts are very mobile. I usually disguise as a Sniper and pretend to be sniping - no one ever attacks me while I disguise as a Sniper, works great.

Once you've established yourself as one of them, and you're cloak timer has reset, start your progress towards the enemy gun turrets. It's best to approach cloaked since Engineers usually shoot at anyone that approaches their turrets. Switch to your Sapper Charges and place them as you come uncloaked. Immediately re-cloak and switch to your knife. The engineer will try and shoot you once and then move to save his turret. When the Engineer turns his focus from you to his turrets, it's time to move in and back-stab him with your knife.

Another thing to remember is to always walk backwards as you descend into their base. By walking backwards you look like a team member just retreating instead of a Spy running into the base in a disguise.

Besides taking out the gun turrets, you're also responsible for taking out enemy Medics. The Heavy-Medic combo is deadly and should be dealt with fast. Just cloak past the deadly-duo and come up behind the medic for the one-shot knife kill. If you're quick you can take both out, but even if you only take out the Medic, your team can now finish off the previously healed Heavy.

One last tip to playing a Spy - avoid all Pyros! The Pyro class is the Spy's worst enemy and should be avoided at all cost. The flame keeps the Spy from re-cloaking and will kill the Spy in a short time if not removed.

Now get out there and back-stab some Medics and destroy some gun turrets!

The Orange Box

2007-10-19T07:55:00.000-05:00

I purchased "The Orange Box" from Frys for 36.99 last Friday and I've played it for the last week. If you haven't heard already, The Orange Box comes with supposedly five games, but two of the five are just expansions, so-to-speak.

The package comes with...

Half Life 2

--Episode 1 (Half Life Expansion)

--Episode 2 (Half Life Expansion)

Portal

Team Fortress 2

I haven't had time to explore Half Life 2 or the accompanied episodes, but I plan to jump head first into the story this weekend. Another portion of the package is called "Portal"; this is a game that encompasses FPS + Puzzle Solving. You are given a portal gun that can shoot two rounds of ammunition. The first round is an entry portal that you can enter, and the second round is an exit portal where you come out of after entering the entrance.

One puzzle you might use the portal to solve, for example, is how to get up to a high ledge; well you could shoot an entrance portal at your feet, and an exit up to the ledge you need to get to, you'd then simply walk through the entrance on the ground and appear up on the ledge where you shot the exit. This adds a ton of options to the puzzle solving genre, and I'm glad to see innovation like this. I haven't explored the game too deeply yet, but this is another title I hope to dive more into soon.

Team Fortress 2 is a multiplayer game that allows for extreme replayability. There's plenty of servers out there to join at the moment, and the built in voice chat is flawless. The team that usually sports the best teamwork wins. In TF2 it's not who you are, but who you have on your team, hence the name Team Fortress. I like this as it allows even the crappy aim'ers an important role in the match. There's 9 classes you can be during a map, in which there's 6 maps that shipped with the game, more to follow later.

The 9 classes are as follows...

OFFENSE
Scout
Soldier
Heavy

DEFENCE
Demolition
Pyro
Engineer

SUPPORT
Medic
Sniper
Spy

There's obviously plenty of game time and replayability to be had with the package, so it's a definite recommended buy. If any of you already have the game, or are a general Steam user, then feel free to add me to your friends list; my name on Steam is Keystone

Personal Accountability

2007-10-12T08:06:00.000-05:00

So you just ran a PUG and some jackass ninja-looted the item you wanted, what then? Well you could spam his name in general chat for a week straight like Winston from Sargeras in WoW, but that just lowers you to the ninja-looters level and doesn't accomplish much.

The feature I love the most about EvE Online would have to be the single server for all the players. If you know someone playing EvE then you can find them in the game, you don't have to worry about them being on your server because everyone is on a single, large server. This is a great feature for creating community amongst players.

Since EvE is an open PvP game, and everyone is on the same server, you'll notice less players acting the fool. This is because if you act a fool in EvE, then your name gets out there and people will either ignore you, or blow up your hard-earned ship and pod you (kill you).

I love this kind of personal accountability in EvE online, and it reminds me of Siege Perilous from Ultima Online which was a strictly PvP server (Felluca only, no Trammel) and you could only have one character. The fact you only had one character, and it was open PvP meant you better act nice if you don't want to be camped the rest of your days in the game.

I would like this personal accountability extended to other games, but without open PvP I can't see it happening much, but a single character alone would be a nice feature. I've also read in the upcoming DarkFall Online that you can have multiple characters, but they must share the same last name on a single account. This means if Bob Smith kills you, and an hour later you are grouped with a Jane Smith, then you know that's the same person from their last name. I thought this was a genius idea and really adds to personal accountability in the game.

People usually hate open PvP games because they think - notice I said "think", because they usually haven't played on one - the server would be full of asshats and idiots. However, anyone who has played an open PvP game / server will tell you people usually act more pleasant (unless they're enemies, in which there's no expectation for them to act friendly).

The bottom line is open PvP games / servers will have your friends act nicer, and your enemies act meaner. Since there's not much hope of any open PvP games coming out in the near future, I would like to see a single character, or mandatory last name within the game so there is at least SOME form of personal accountability.

Would you be apposed to a shared last name for all your WoW characters, or do you enjoy the anonymity of alts?

Eve Online

2007-10-08T02:17:00.000-05:00

Game Update

2007-10-03T16:08:00.000-05:00

I haven't purchased the "Orange Box" from Steam yet, but I have been playing the original Team Fortress. I can see a ton of balancing issues in the original TF that I hope are addressed in the new version. I'm assuming most problems are addressed based off all the praise the game has received.

I prefer the Soldier class over the rest because of the simplicity and devastation. They don't have any off-the-wall special abilities, but they get a rocket launcher that can 1-2 shot someone, and they move fast enough to jump circles around your opponent (unlike the Heavy Gunner).

I haven't figured out the medic yet, but I know they can poison, I just don't know how. I looked through the options screen, and checked all my weps, but I don't see how to apply poison to someone. I would like this tactic since I'm a DoT and run type of guy!

If I'm able to find the time this weekend to purchase and download Team Fortress 2, then I'll have some strats & screenshots up by Monday.

WoW Accounts Canceled

2007-10-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

I've canceled all four of my World of Warcraft accounts. I didn't play all four, but I did pay for them. The extra accounts were for my family to play on, but as I am quitting due to financial reasons, I canceled all the accounts. I just have too much going on financially with the house payment and a million other bills.

I'm definitely not quitting online gaming, but I will, for the time being, play only free-to-play games. That doesn't mean I won't purchase new games to play, just not monthly-fee based MMO's. So trying TR is out of the question, along with all the upcoming MMO titles.

I plan to purchase the orange box from Steam to play the new Team Fortress 2, since I loved the original, and I've heard nothing but praise for the sequel!

http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=package&SubId=469 &

I plan to dive a little more into Guild Wars since I bought it awhile back, but I never gave it a fair chance. Also, I'm going to log into Ultima Online more, since I have maxed out characters with tons of money. I play on the free server, so there's no monthly fee.

I will keep the blog updated with all my current gaming ventures, and any new games I come across. Also, just because I'm not playing MMOs anymore doesn't mean I stopped reading about them, so I still frequent all the blogs on my blogroll and many more.

In short, I'm still here, I'm still a PK, I'm just not massive anymore =)

Hybrid Theory

2007-09-19T13:06:00.000-05:00

I came to an epiphany the other night and realized why I prefer dedicated classes over hybrids. It's as simple as specialization, in that, a hybrid is locked down in his/her specialized talent tree once gear is achieved.

I have a Druid friend that now wants to dip into the cat-tastic world of the feral tree, but all his gear, including epics, are catered towards healing. It's not a matter of a simple 50g respec fee, it boils down to the fee + days upon days of achieving new gear.

As a dedicated DPS class, I can use my current gear regardless of spec. There would be some minor changes needed, but nothing that goes beyond re-geming certain pieces.

So why bring this up, you ask? It's simple, why should hybrids be corn-holed into a specialization? I would like to see, on PvP gear for example, an exchange system that would allow you to exchange a piece for an equivalent piece. There could be a fee associated with the exchange, or maybe just the cost of losing enchants + gems would be enough. In any case, this would greatly increase my appeal towards playing a hybrid.

I understand that hybrids are suppose to specialize to avoid being awesome in any tree at any time, but the cost of re-geming / enchanting pieces, added to the cost of the respec should be enough to keep a person in check, but not corn-hole them out of months of gear achievements.

I would like to get some hybrids opinions on this, do you think something like this could work, or does it not bother you either way?

Rating: 1833

2007-09-17T14:03:00.001-05:00

My 2v2 team is still a point farmer for friends & family that don't have higher ranked teams. We still teeter in the 1600's.

On the other hand, my 3v3 & 5v5 team both topped out at 1833 this weekend, but dropped back down after a couple loses. I don't mind dropping back down, as it shows that the teams are capable of the 1800 range.

I spent most of the weekend playing tennis & catching up on some reading. I have a ton of books I'm reading, and I would like to start finishing them one-by-one. I haven't given up on WoW yet, but I have to admit, it would be awesome to get into the level grind again, and alts are out of the question as I've already played every class to level 30, and going beyond that for a class, such as a warrior, would be worse than watching paint dry. I can't wait for WoTLK to come out!

Anyone else planning on trying Tabula Rasa? The reviews sum up the game as fun to play, but not enough depth. I wouldn't mind that, as sometimes I just want to have fun and not worry about stats, enchants, potions, repairs, classes, & gnomes. I'll give the game a chance, and surely write my individual review, but who knows if the game will stick.

We plan to get our 3v3 team back into the 1800 bracket before point tabulation tomorrow - I'll keep you informed.

If you like art, then check out this article, I found it interesting...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20533287/

EQII - First Impressions

2007-09-12T14:08:00.000-05:00

I downloaded the 7-day trial for EQII the other night and was able to spend only a few short hours in the game, so when I say first impressions, I mean it!

I'm not sure why, I assume because it's a trial, but you cannot create certain races when making your character, which is fine as there's many to choose from. I ended up picking an Arasai, the dark version of the Fae (think tinkerbell, but macho).

You then get to pick your class, name, appearance, and server. I chose the highly populated PvP server, Nagafen. I went with the Wizard class since it most resembled a WoW Mage, and I love caster DPS.

The game drops you in a starting outpost with plenty of NPCs to talk to, and trust me, they have alot to say. If you're interested in story, the NPCs will talk your head off, but it's entirely optional in most cases as you can select your responses to them. You could easily select something like, "I'm not interested in that, where's the work!?"

One thing I really liked about the game is there's no need to visit a trainer, and you get new spells every level. The new spells will automatically fill a spot in your toolbar if there's an empty space, otherwise you access your abilities book.

The combat seemed interesting enough, but I was lagging badly. I don't blame the game for this, as I hope it's my older system causing the lag. The controls are similar to other MMOs and can be figured out quite easily. I haven't run into the extensive learning curve other bloggers are talking about - yet.

All in all I like EQII and I might continue playing it between Arena matches while waiting on WoTLK. The free trial doesn't even require a credit card, just a Station ID, which is just registering with SoE. Also, if you've ever played an SoE game, then you can use your old Station ID, which is what I did.

PvP Rant!

2007-09-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

This is the response I left to Tobold's post on the future of PvP, I would recommend checking it out if you have any interest in Player vs. Player combat...

http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2007/09/future-of-pvp.html

I don't understand how people have a problem with gankers. I play on a PvP server in WoW, and I have to say that every class has abilities to get away, and if you combine those abilities with potions, it's not hard to escape. I mean, do you sit there and not move when you get ganked? I usually carry Swiftness + Invis potions and I never have trouble escaping.

The occasional 70 might one shot me, but you can bet your bottom dollar he won't kill me again after I res and chug some escape centric potions, or use an ability.

I'm tired of fair fights being based off numbers. I want more skill based PvP with less of gear & numbers being the deciding factor.

Back when I played Ultima Online I could take out a group of 3 badly skilled players by myself - in WoW those 3 players could beat me in full epics while drooling at the keyboard. I'm not saying I was the greatest in UO, as there were players that could eliminate a whole opposing force of 5 or more people. Bring back skill-based PvP!

I think the problem with ganking is the system in every game supports the gankers. There should be a penalty system that encourages people to kill the said ganker. What if an epic dropped off a player after he ganked 10 or more people? Do you think a group would gather to squash that person?

I just hope devs take an interesting approach to the future of PvP instead of throwing a set number of people on a small map. If I wanted that I would play an FPS - I play MMOs for the immersion of a world, not a small map.

AV Weekend Update

2007-09-05T13:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, so AV weekend fell on a holiday, thanks Blizz! I decided to spend more time with the family than playing WoW, but I did get in a few matches.

We snagged a few 3v3 matches with out mage, war, pally combo. We went 7-3, and the teams we lost two both had a priest, shaman, x for the lineup. The priest was the healer, but I can only do so much to lock him down. The shaman was the DPS target and would heal himself while the priest was locked down. A few times the shaman was low with a heal and would get countered, but the priest would pop out of sheep and get the heal. It's hard locking down 2 healer teams. I think next time we'll DPS the priest and force the shaman to primary healer to sink his low mana pool.

We ended the night with a 1758 rating. If we could all stay on for more than 10 games at a time we could rise above 1800.

I haven't PvE'd, farmed, or did any BGs in about a week. I see myself only logging on for arenas now. I for one am looking forward to the expansion - and it's about time they add more snowy environments!

Not much else to report; we're looking to get some 5v5 in tonight, so I'll let everyone knows how that goes!

Arena Update

2007-08-31T13:07:00.000-05:00

2v2 - 1688
I've turned my 2v2 team into a point gather / intro-to-arenas team. I currently have my brother on it, and he already mastered arenas, but he can't find a good 3v3 / 5v5, so he relies on the points from this team some weeks. I also have a Druid friend that just hit 70 and is learning arenas, and he already shows good potential. He hasn't dropped below a 50% win ratio yet.

3v3 - 1725
Our 3v3 team has dwindled down to just the starters, we don't have any backups. I like this because we can focus on our play-styles and cohesion. We're running an MS Warrior, Holy Pally, and Frost Mage (me). This setup works well, and I think the team has potential.

5v5 - 1782
This is where the majority of my arena points come from, and I think this team has serious potential. We have some backup players, but we focus on 2x Holy Pally, Hunter, Warrior, Mage. We've been going 7-3 the past few weeks, and I'd like to see us break 1800 soon.

Eye of the Storm

2007-08-27T10:03:00.000-05:00

Every weekend a certain battleground is featured to attract interest. There's additional honor gains for playing a battleground during it's "holiday" weekend. This last weekend was for EoTS, so I thought I'd post our premade strat that easily went undefeated this weekend against pugs, and even other premades.

I was the leader, so I set up the groups as fast as possible when we enter the BG. As soon as the groups are set I will make an announcement so people can start their group buffs and take note of their group number. I then spam the macro that says the strat, which consist of...

/bg Group 1 = Draenei Ruins
/bg Group 2 = Mage Tower (Floats between FR / DR incs)

/bg Group 3 = Fel Reaver Ruins (Rush at start, do not stop on bridge!)

I usually call for a couple from group 2 to assist in the Fel Reaver push since it can get hairy if most of the Horde have stationed themselves there. If it looks like we're overwhelming them, then I'll call for group 1 to push Blood Elf Tower, and group 2 to push middle to Fel Reaver.

I'll make sure to leave 1 person from group 2 at Mage Tower / Draenei ruins to avoid the ninja.

By this time we usually have them pushed back to their graveyard, or just heavy defense at Blood Elf Tower. In any case, our strat *never* involve running the flag. We either hold 3 tower until we win, or we 4 cap. In rare instances I'll have 1 person running flags to speed the game up on a 4 cap, but it's never the means to an end.

On a side note, I would recommend getting the Cartographer map mod for the simple reason it shows when a player in in combat on the map. This helps since not all players are skilled at calling incoming. I also have macros set for "/bg Inc ". If you are the caller it is vital that you pay more attention to the map and direct traffic than it is to stay in combat and keep on the move.

As the caller, I usually leave myself at the Mage Tower and just direct traffic over vent while watching the map the whole time for players in combat.

These are just the tactics we use in our guild premades, and I'm sure there are other successful strats, and I would love to hear them! If you're looking for general EoTS advice, then head over to Out of Mana to check out one of Megs latest post...http://outofmana.blogspot.com/2007/08/10-tips-for-eots.html

Collision Detection = Better PvP!

2007-08-23T14:30:00.000-05:00

I've been playing graphical MMOs since Ultima Online's release in 1997, and the one feature I miss the most, other than housing, is the collision detection.

If you've never heard the term, or don't know what it means, let me quote Wikipedia...

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collision_detection)

"In physical simulations, video games and computational geometry, collision detection involves algorithms for checking for collision, i.e. intersection, of two given solids. Simulating what happens once a collision is detected is sometimes referred to as "collision response", for which see physics engine and ragdoll physics. Collision detection algorithms are a basic component of 3D video games. Without them, characters could go through walls and other obstacles."

The collision that I'm referring to from Ultima Online is between two players. If you've ever played WoW, or a similar MMO, then you know when two characters collide they walked through each other. This is great in a candy-coated world of non-realism, but the strategy & tactics available in PvP from this feature are endless!

The melee characters would be given new roles, landscapes could be put to use, no longer would you be able to train DPS on a healer before killing his tank standing in the doorway blocking your path.

I remember my first strategical PvP encounter in Ultima Online that revolved around collision detection. A couple of friends and I were getting mauled by more experienced players outside of the Britania Bank. I decided to barricade the room inside the bank with our Mace / Shield user blocking the door and the other two of us, archers, would stand behind him and cross heal with bandages. We held our ground firm and were unable to be killed. We even took a few people out, and it wasn't until we broke formation to go loot that we all died.

This is just an example of how landscape, formation, and strategy can add a whole new level to PvP. It's because of this that rooftop camping should not have been banned, instead they should have made rooftops easier to access for guards and other players!

Now before the comment is placed, I'll address the main concern now. I'm sure you're wondering about the grieving nature of not being able to walk through players. What if you get pinned in? Well there would be spells, abilities, and items to get out of that situation, but they would only take you so far, so there would still be occasional case of getting circled.

Would you like to see something of this nature in WoW, and if so, which zone in do you think would make the most use out of collision detection in PvP?

History of MMOs

2007-08-22T13:13:00.000-05:00

http://scraviana.blogspot.com/2007/08/history-of-massively-multiplayer-online.html

VoIP - Voice Chat for WoW

2007-08-20T12:57:00.000-05:00

The word on the street says voice chat will be implemented in an upcoming patch. This is good news for the alliance, as I see this helping them in BGs more than the already organized Horde players. I'm wondering what options, if any, will we have with the new voice chat system.

The first thing that comes to mind is people not wanting to use it because their IRL voice might not be representative of their in-game persona, or their voice just doesn't command the same amount of respect. That Tauren tank you would have never thought to second guess just turned out to be a prepubescent, and while this shouldn't change your association with the said Tauren, sometimes it's hard to avoid.

I'd like to see an option to disguise ones voice in different tones. The tones would have to be realistic or they would be abused - I for one would pick an alien voice over my own any day! I believe a voice disguiser would allow minors & women a comfortable feel in the world of voice chat. This way their judgment would be on their play-style and not the sound of their voice.

Some other nice-to-have options might include a mute option for that person who continuously curses, a parental control for non-voice chat with people not on a friends / approved list of players. I would also like to see various broadcast options, such as party, raid, & guild so that you can broadcast different messages to different groups without leaving / entering a different channel.

These are just some ideas for the implementation of voice chat; can anyone else think of some other options they'd like to see with the new voice chat?

Varsity Arena Teams?

2007-08-15T14:21:00.001-05:00

With football season upon us, I was wondering if separate tiers of arena teams would be something of value to the game. The way it is now there's a single tier separated by rating, but this rating can leave wide gaps in balance since it scales so far.

What if they had a tier 1 arena season that allowed fresh level 70's a fair amount of competition with their green / blue gear. After the tier 1 season was completed with a certain rating and/or achievement of all the available gear, you could then progress to the next tier - this would give everyone a chance to eventually progress. There could even be a 3rd tier to place the pro players that have ranked top 5% in the first & second arena tiers.

The gear rewards would have to be relative to the current tier you're playing so you couldn't out-gear your current season. Once you've accomplished a high rating, or achieved all the gear from that arena tier, you would then start the next season in the next tier. The rating system would stay in place, but you would be rated in comparison to your current tier.

I think this would allow for a better progression through the arena system, much like the raid progression currently in game. This idea came to me because I have friends that just hit 70 and started arenas, but they can't even win one game with their current green / blue gear makeup. They don't mind losing, but never winning a battle is a depressing situation.

The idea of separate tiers of play is found within all majors sports; e.g., High School Football, College, and Professional all exist. This arena tier idea would incorporate different levels of play as such. You might never be a 2400 rated player in today's system, but wouldn't it feel good to dominate tier 1 and enter tier 2 with the sense of accomplishment raiders find when moving to the next instance?

Focus Macros are for EVERYONE!

2007-08-13T14:15:00.000-05:00

I've been going over the various uses of focus targets and macros with my arena team. I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter which class you are, there are going to be spells / abilities in your arsenal that you are saving for an off-target, aka the "focus".

I'll use our Warrior's newly added focus macro, but you can cater this to your class. I helped our Warrior set up a macro to help stop a healer from casting in an extreme situation, e.g. Counterspell is on cooldown. The macro is a simple one that will intercept your focus target while keeping the DPS target on your screen.

/cast [target=focus] Intercept

We rarely use this macro since I'm pretty spiffy with my Counterspells, but it has come in handy on occasion. If CS is on cooldown, and the healer is casting, then we'll have our Warrior hit this macro (without untargeting his DPS) to immediately intercept the healer and stop his cast, therefore allowing me to burst DPS the target to his death. This is a last resort since we also have the Paladin's HoJ stun.

I know there must be other uses for the ability to cast on a focus target, but as I mainly play a Mage, I can't elaborate on other uses. I'd like to see others' ideas for focus macros - for example, what is an ability that you reserve for an off-DPS target, such as a healer?

Enchants & Arena Team Names - Oh My!

2007-08-10T13:11:00.001-05:00

I've been so busy that I haven't been able to put together a good list of enchants; however, I did throw the resource I use for my enchanting needs on the link list to the right. The link is named "Enchantments by Slot" because that's what it is - a list of all enchants you can get on certain slots, like wrist, for example.

I'd like to throw out a topic of humorous arena names. I've been seeing some pretty ridiculous names lately, and I thought I'd like to see if others out there have had similar experiences with goofy team names. I think my all-time favorite was "ten games kthnx bye" - that one made me laugh!

What's the most outrageous arena team name you've seen?

Arena Update

2007-08-08T13:09:00.000-05:00

I joined a 3v3 team awhile back with a Holy Paladin, MS Warrior, & me, a Frost Mage. We've been hovering in the 1700-1750 bracket for awhile now and haven't made it into the 1800's yet. The three of us are serious about gearing up and all are good pvpers, so we should go far - especially with this matrix.

I've been getting more interested in 5v5 since it seems to have more tactics & points involved. We run various groups, but they always include an MS Warrior / Holy Paladin. This team is also hovering in the 1700-1750 bracket and I forsee 1800's soon. We cycle DPS depending on who is online. This is good because it ensures games, but it means different strats depending on who is playing, and I don't like that. We cycle in a Hunter, Druid, Mage, Warlock depending on who is online. The Warlocks have different specs, which I'm not fond of, I would rather them both be affliction, but I'm not a Warlock, so what do I know.

I've given up on 2v2 almost since it's such a game of class match-up it almost doesn't matter your gear or skill. We run two Frost Mages, which is a pretty sick combo, but there's just too many combos that we can't take out. We're almost guaranteed a 60/40 win ratio, which is nice, but it's not point reliable. I'm still going to run 2v2 so I can PvP with my brother and some friends, but I'm not going to sit down and write strats and look up opponents like I do for 5v5.

Alright enough rambling, hopefully my next post will involve some content - I'm planning on writing a PvP enchant guide since I've been getting a lot of questions on the subject in-game.

Wrath of the Lich King - WoW Expansion

2007-08-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

Mazzle UI

2007-08-03T05:32:00.000-05:00

I downloaded the Mazzle UI Compilation a few nights ago and I'd like to give some thoughts on it. I like that it was easy to install, setup, & configure; however, I do not like the positioning of the health bars and the colors accompanying the new health bars. Let me explain...

Your health bar is placed at the bottom left of the screen in a horizontal manor with a pastel shade of blue for your health & mana. Not only is the positioning of the bar hard to get used to, the colors do NOT jump out at you like the standard green bar for health.

Also, your party members and your targets all have their bars displayed in an equaling unappealing color. These bars are displayed in a vertical manor, so while your bar is from left to right, every other health bar is from top to bottom(why!?!?!)

The UI / Mod Compilation is not that bad, it's actually quite nice. The package comes with a plethora of Ace2 addons that I found very user friendly. If you'd like to check it out then head over to www.wowinterface.com and search for Mazzle. I myself have uninstalled the interface, but I kept some of the Ace2 mods that came with the package, for example, "Spellbinder" is a wonderful mod.

L 2 Kite

2007-07-31T14:25:00.000-05:00

It doesn't matter what class you are, at some point or another you will have to kite - this goes for you PvE'ers out there too.

I've brought a number of new gamers to the WoW scene (who hasn't?), and it seems the #1 thing they have a problem learning is the concept of kiting. For those of you who don't know the terminology, let me explain. To "kite" is to maintain constant movement at a specified distance from your opponent. This is what you're seeing when that hunter you are chasing won't let you close the gap between you and him - when you move foreword, he moves back, if you stop, so does he. That my friends, is kiting!

This works best for ranged classes when fighting any melee class. The more the melee opponent has to work to close the gap between you and them the better! If you are a cloth wearer, you never want to sit there with a melee person beating on you. There's many means of increasing the gap between you and the melee player, and once that gap is achieved, do everything you can to maintain it.

I play a Mage, so it's best if I speak from that perspective. The easiest way to kite a melee character with a Mage (or any class) is to have some instant cast spells set to your mouse. If you have a standard mouse with no buttons you can still use the mouse middle button as a keybinding (my mouse middle button is set to Ice Lance).

The reason you want your instant attacks set to your mouse is so your left hand can concentrate on movement with the WASD keys while your right hand only has to hit the attack button. After you have the keybinding set to a mouse button and you're ready to learn how to kite, head out and find a melee NPC to practice on.

The goal of the practice exercise is not necessarily to kill the opponent, but to sustain damage without letting them catch you. Start the fight at max range with a rank 1 Frostbolt, then immediately turn 180 degrees and run the opposite direction of the mob. While running away from the mob hold the right click button down and hit the space bar to jump and face to your right 90 degrees. In the middle of your jump (still in the air) you will be able to hit your opponent with an instant attack (mouse button). This has to be done very quickly as you want to be able to turn back facing away from your opponent before you hit the ground - this is why you only turn 90 degrees in mid-air instead of the full 180.

If you do this right the MOB will not be able to catch you and you can continually jump + shoot without ever letting the MOB diminish the distance between you two.

Now this just gets you introduced into kiting, there is a ton more to it when it's applied to PvP. You have to factor in other class's abilities to close that gap, such as blind, charge, frost shock, scatter shot, etc etc...
A good thing to note is that the PvP trinket removes all immobilizing & slowing effects now, so make sure to use it when the opposition try's a maneuver to slow you down and close that distance.

Now get out there and make those melee classes cry when they can't catch you!

Creating an Individual, not a Character

2007-07-27T10:20:00.000-05:00

I was thinking back to previous game titles and noticed an interesting niche found in a few games - gender specific classes. These classes were restricted to a particular gender. In the prehistoric age of gaming there was usually only a male character available for play, regardless of class, but with the technology advancements and political correctness came the option to pick your gender. We're also seeing more and more girl gamers. ^^

Then came the games that restricted you to a gender - the Valkyrie from Gauntlet comes to mind. With the addition of MMO's and the social presence of other players came the diverse options in character creation. In today's games the more options that go into your character the better, but why must all options be merely aesthetic? I would like to make the decision of my race just as important as the selection of my class. In WoW there are racial abilities, but they aren't powerful enough to affect a players selection in most cases.
What if there were more than just race / class choices in the creation of your character?

Could you imagine having to select from multiple choices from a wide range of criteria? These selections could therefore make your character even more unique. Not all of these would have to affect stats - some could be aesthetic.

I guess what I'm getting at is I'd like to be more than just a Human Mage; I'd like to be the Decrepit Human Mage from Felwood. Just those two extra tidbits (the adjective & noun) could have been selected by me and gave my character a more unique feel.

This brings me to the second part in my title, Character Spaces. In the game Ultima Online there was a blank sheet you could write anything you wanted. This sheet was viewable by other players and had a wide range of uses. While some people used the space to sell items, advertise guilds, or even make a kill list, the best use was when people would write a back-story to their character.

Now I'm not one for constant roleplay, but I would love to read a back-story to a character rather than just view their gear. This feature alone would be easy to implement and would add tons to a characters' individualism.

To end this post I'll ask you this question I've had on my mind; if you could select any 2 active racial abilities in the game, which would they be?

Ding! #100

2007-07-24T14:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I've had this blog since December 2006 and I've reached 100 post (yay me). I started the blog because I like to write, and MMOs are a hobby of mine. My original goal was to provide PvP tips to other players since PvP is really all I do. I literally rushed my way to 60, and then 70 after BC and never did much questing / raiding - probably why I'm so poor!

My goal now with the blog is to just write what comes to mind in reference to WoW and other MMOs, and to chronicle my experiences inside these persistent worlds. I'd still like to give out some PvP tips, but WoW is such a cut & paste game that there's not much new to learn. The PvP in WoW is centered a lot around gear + class matchups. So, my PvP tip to you is gear up and avoid Warlocks - lol!

On a serious note... I would like to see my WoW characters in a Counter-Strike map such as DE_Dust2, or any new map for that matter. How hard would it be to change the skin in Alterac Valley from snow to green grass?

Dual Classes

2007-07-23T14:56:00.000-05:00

If you've ever played Guildwars then you know how this works. The basic idea is that you pick two classes - one primary, and one secondary. Which one you pick as primary or secondary makes an impact on the character, for example a Warrior / Priest is different than a Priest / Warrior.

In the Guildwars dual class setup you can only pick 6 abilities, but they can be from either abilities pool from the classes you picked. So while you might be a Warrior / Priest, you could technically go into battle with all 6 slots filled with Priest abilities.

While I don't like the instanced game world of Guildwars, I do like it's dual class setup. I know nothing like this would work in WoW because it would be a balancing nightmare, but it's fun to speculate.

So, if you could be a dual class, and only pick 6 abilities from the classes you picked, which would they be?

I'll start this off...

I'd pick Mage / Warlock, and my 6 abilities would be...

1. Fear
2. Blink
3. Frost Nova
4. Ice Barrier
5. Ice Lance
6. Frost Bolt

Ok, so maybe 6 is a low number... I'd like to get more from the Warlock than Fear, heh.

Anyways, what's would be your class combo, and six abilities?

/Cast [target=focus] Polymorph

2007-07-21T00:08:00.000-05:00

As a Mage in arena PvP, especially 3v3 & 5v5, your main goal is CC followed by burst DPS. This requires two targets - the sheep, and the DPS.

The easiest way to go about this is to set two simple macros (if you don't know how to set a macro, then type /macro and click "new", then just type a name of your macro, select a picture and paste the following in the text portion of the macro. After that you can drag the icon out to your toolbar like a normal spell).

Set two macros for the following...

/focus

and...

/Cast [target=focus] Polymorph

Then you want to put these somewhere easy to get to, I have mine set to keybindings. What these allow you to do is set your polymorph target in the beginning of the match. When the match starts, you or whoever the caller is, will call the sheep target - immediately target that person and hit the first macro "/focus"

After this is done you want to switch your target to the main DPS and prepare to unleash the fury (always save burst for 50% or lower thou).

Now you are able to sheep the /focus target without untargeting the DPS target. This allows you to easily watch the DPS targets health and apply burst when needed without missing a beat on the sheep.

LF MMO Blogs!

2007-07-20T14:48:00.001-05:00

I want to split my blog list up into various games since it's getting kind of long as it stands. I'm looking for some good MMO blogs for other games out there, such as EQ2, CoH, Vanguard, etc...

If anyone knows of some good MMO blogs, please let me know; I'd like to create an extensive list of good MMO blogs regardless of what game it is. WoW is my current focus, but I love reading about how other games are doing from a players perspective.

WoW Journal

2007-07-20T14:18:00.000-05:00

I've put all my alts on hold since I really want to get Keystone up to par on his arenas. To do this he needs to be geared; in WoW it doesn't matter how skilled you are, you won't get far without gear.

I've farmed all the Veteran's BG gear except the boots, which I should have by Saturday. I've started enchanting my gear too. I have 2800 arena points to spend, but I'm still contemplating what to get. I think I'm going to get the season 2 head piece since I already have my 18 stam / 5% stun resist meta gem (what good is the gem if it's sitting in my bag).

I'm getting close to being satisfied with my gear - enough so that I can compete in a higher bracket. The only problem that exist now is a team. I have my current teams, but the players are either poorly geared, or they have the gear without the skill to back it up. I want to concentrate on 3's since it seems more manageable than 5's and less rock, paper, scissors than 2's.

I've done a ton of research, but I'd still like some feedback. Anyone have any suggestions on two classes / specs that would do well with a Frost Mage in arenas?

New Design & The Self-Resurrecting Paladin

2007-07-19T14:48:00.000-05:00

Well, as the title implies, I have implemented a new design, I hope you all like it. If it's not pleasing to the eye, or anyone has any suggestions, then please let me know. I'd like to give many thanks to Daikon over at http://warcraftwallpaper.blogspot.com/ for his contribution of the title graphic - thanks man!

Now, for the second part of the title... a self-resurrecting paladin you say, what gives? Well, it started out a simple 2v2 arena game of my team consisting of two frost mages against a team of a rogue + paladin. We decided to burn the paladin down while CC'ing the rogue (thanks to detect magic + winter's chill we were able to force the paladin into a global cooldown war). Well we took out the paladin and started on the rogue. Then in the blink of an eye the paladin was alive with 75% health & 20% mana. I started yelling at my teammate for not finishing him off, but then I realized that we *BOTH* finished him off and I saw him fall with my own eyes!

We ended up winning by the thread of our robes, but I'm still flabbergasted that the paladin either A) self-ressed (is this even possible in arenas???), or B) faked his own death, maybe a /sleep command, but then how did he break my sticky target?

My guess is it was a server glitch since we BOTH thought he was dead, but boy did that freak me out!!! Anyone else ever see anything like this?

PTR Mage Season 2 Upgrades...

2007-07-17T15:47:00.000-05:00

So instead of +6 Stamina from S1 -> S2 we get +13 Stam?

http://www.mmo-champion.com/images/news/2007/july/mageseason2.jpg

Ignoring the other stats, which had some minor increases, I see a trade off of 1000 armor for +7 Stamina...? Oh well, I'm King Kite himself, so the armor was almost worthless since I'm a running fool.

Either way, the S2 Mage set looks like crap imo, so I'll still stick to the original plan of...

Season 1 - Robe, Shoulders, & Gloves
Season 2 - Head, Legs

For you Mages out there, do these new stats change your Arena gear plans?

Trivia Qustion...!?

2007-07-17T14:54:00.000-05:00

I always ask friends this one, and while it takes them awhile, they usually get it right. It's not hard, just interesting...

What is the ONLY race that cannot roll a healing class?

...5 blog points to the first correct answer!
(I have no idea what a "blog point" is, but I assume it's like those useless Koolaide points we all collected as kids!)

MMO Free Trial List found at Subcreation Forums

2007-07-16T15:48:00.000-05:00

Some of these trials are probably out-of-date, but I found the list interesting enough to post it.

http://forums.subcreation.net/viewtopic.php?id=2269

Turtle Soup - Alterac Valley Style

2007-07-16T12:35:00.001-05:00

I know everyone here has experienced the defensive bunker stance in Alterac Valley known as a "turtle". If you're unfamiliar with the term or the condition, then let me explain. A "turtle" is a game where one team goes so heavy on defense that it results in a stalemate, or an un-winnable game for either side. These games last an exorbitant amount of time and result in much less honor than a quick game allowing you to requeue for the next one faster.

The majority of people are against turtles because they don't net as much honor, but what they do net is a ton of plain old fun from PvP kills. First off, I'm as efficient as the next player when it comes to taking the shortest route to the best rewards, but I also love to PvP. There's just more PvP to be had by playing defense, which is why I'm always in the backfield in AV. As it stands now the longer the game goes, the shorter the amount of honor gained. This is the problem, not the people playing defense because they get more PvP action.

I would like to see a change made so that a "turtle" won't have a negative effect on a person's honor gain. Some people will still not like the long games, but without the argument of efficiency I won't have much sympathy for them.

I don't really have an alternate suggestion, that's where you guys come in - what is a good alternative to honor point rewards to eliminate the honor hit from long games such as "turtles". The only thing I can think of would be a timer in which honor is gained so the longer games still generate honor - any other suggestions?

The Alt Choices of Certain Classes...

2007-07-12T13:56:00.001-05:00

Why does a Hunter decide to roll a Rogue, or what drives a Warrior to start another melee class? I've been wondering why certain classes typically end up with the same alts. I know a ton of people that have 70 Hunter / Rogues, or a 70 Warrior / Paladin combo. What is it that makes these classes flock to another particular class...?

There's always the case of a melee character tired of chasing people and wanting to test his hand at a ranged class, or maybe a healer tired of being behind the lines and out of the action. I've seen people leave their first character after hitting 60/70 because it wasn't what the same as when they started it.

For me, it was the a combination of the things I mentioned. I first rolled a Paladin (the only reason I picked Alliance). I loved leveling up my Paladin, and things were great. I then hit 60 and noticed my role was to heal and heal only, and if I didn't then people hated me. I also noticed the weakness against ranged classes with the ability to kite a Paladin, this was VERY frustrating. There were so many times I would have someone ALMOST dead and they would lock me down and take off running and I had no way of catching the person (this was before Hammer of Wrath). Things have changed since then, but I digress.

Since I was tired of melee, and tired of healing with no DPS, I ended up rolling a Mage and haven't really looked back since. I've dabbled in all the classes since my Paladin / Mage, and I can't say any class interest me as much as the Mage.

My question for you is what class did you start with, and what reasons did you have for leaving that class? Why did you pick the next class you rolled?

Weekend Update - PvP

2007-07-09T06:20:00.000-05:00

I spent all weekend in AV farming honor; I alternated between offence & defense to keep things interesting. After all was said & done I ended up with 40k honor. I now only need (2) more epic BG gear pieces, the bracers & boots. I have the Shat Jumpers with decent gems for my boots, and some nice stam bracers, so it's not as much of an upgrade as the other pieces I attained, but an upgrade none-the-less.

I'd say my 5v5 team is all but dead since half the people left and the other half is never online, so I'm in the market for a new team in that bracket. As for the 3v3 we tried a few matches with our new Elemental Shaman and it didn't go so well. I don't know if it's his HORRID level 66 green gear or if it's just a different class makeup and we have to get used to the new strat, either way we sucked it up bad!

Oddly enough, in the 2v2 the new Elemental Shaman and myself almost had a 10-0 run if not for a few unlucky matches against some seriously geared people. I just wonder how some teams with so much gear could be in such a low bracket rating? I can accept my measly 1600+ rating because I'm just in 70 blues with a few BG epics, and my teammates are still sporting greens, but why would a team of such geared people be in a low bracket?

Anyways, the Shaman and I went 8-2, and the other Frost Mage and myself went 8-2 as well, but when those two teamed up they lost 5 in a row and hurt our rating. We're still 1600+, so it's ok; however, I'd like to break into the 1700 bracket and that would rely on that Shaman getting some gear. I kept on him about farming AV honor this weekend, but he kept getting bored, so we'll see how fast he attains gear - he did *JUST* hit 70, so not like he's been slacking... yet!

I'll leave this post on a question...

If they introduced a 1 vs. 1 arena bracket, which class do you think we'd see the most of in the higher ratings? I would have to say Warlock, or Megs to be more specific ^^

The Importance of Player Housing

2007-07-03T14:36:00.000-05:00

The topic of player housing has been discussed before with both sides of the argument displaying their opinions. On one hand you have the anti-housing players that bring up arguments such as, "What's the point to player housing, what purpose does the house serve?" Then you have the pro-house community that recognizes the possibilities of player housing and knows it can only better the game.

As you can tell from the title and introductory paragraph, I am pro-housing. I've played 20+ MMORPG's and I can honestly say that housing adds a whole new layer of possibilities, depending on the way it's implemented - I'll get back to this point.

The reason player housing is important is not because of what it offers the player, but what it offers the community. Housing offers a centralized custom location for private groups, such as guilds, to congregate. At this point if you just thought to yourself, "that's what town is for", then I wonder if you've experienced an MMO with a good housing system.

There's two major factors that keep players subscribed to a game...
1. Friends & Family within the game
2. The strive to advance (currently found in gear, mounts, & titles)

These two factors are both amplified by player housing. Players are able to share and even customize living quarters with their family & friends, increasing their over all staying power.
With housing comes displayable items, things outside the spectrum of gear. Blizzard at this point could add rare items for house display, and having these items would show a sign of advancement and give collectors something to spend their currently worthless gold on.

On top of the previous mentioned reasons, there's also the crafting element and different displayed items that could be crafted for the soul purpose of display within a house - another form of advancement.

Also, as the blog name represents, there's the PvP possibilities. Now you're probably asking yourself, "How could player housing add to PvP?" The answer is simple, house skirmishes in non-instanced houses. If a certain guild is on your KoS list, then why go wondering around aimlessly looking for them when you could go straight to their guild house and reek havoc. The guild that was attacked has the added defense of the house, but the attackers can still cause some damage by killing people coming in / out of the house. The guild that was attacked can also launch a counter-attack and get revenge. The possibilities are endless and I don't have enough room to write about all the awesome experiences I've had through house PvP.

I know housing doesn't fit WoW very well, but I think it's the next step if the game wants to increase longevity. Players will eventually get tired of the constant character advancement and seek other areas to advance, such as their estate - hence the player housing.

Do you think player housing is in the future for World of Warcraft, or do you think it's not a feature worth the implementation?

5v5 Update

2007-06-28T14:58:00.001-05:00

We tried 5v5 again, but instead a geared Resto Shaman replaced the Paladin, and a frickin **NON-MS-Warrior** replaced the 2nd Frost Mage.

Well, needless to say we didn't do that well, and while I'd like to blame it all on the **NON-MS-Warrior** (yes it deserves caps!), it wasn't all his specs fault. I think the problem was in burst DPS. We have a Shadow Priest & Demo Lock taking the target down, but I think they're releasing their burst DPS too soon. I'll see the guy drop to 30% health in a matter of seconds, then it's almost like DPS dies on him. I'm going to work with my team on saving burst for the second half of the life bar.

I usually start the fight by sending my Water Ele on the DPS target and releasing Frost Nova, Ice Lance, Fireblast (I save Ele Nova for the burst). I then start to lock down the Paladin with Polymorph & Counter-Spell. It's during this time that I have him locked that I'm not seeing the burst DPS I'd like too.

The Shaman did great at healing and really knows his stuff. The Warlock is getting used to his new demo spec, which I have no clue about other than Soul Link & Felguard.

The Warlock, Shadow Priest, & Frost Mage (me) are the core members of the team, so I'm wondering what other two would go great with that? I'm thinking a Holy Paladin w/ MS Warrior... any other suggestions?

P.S. The Warrior has respecced MS and can't stop raving about how great it is (we tried to tell him). We'll see how that plays out now.