Stargrace

Easy Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These meatballs are fast and easy and absolutely delicious served with noodles or rice. You don’t have to be exact with the ingredients, so play around until you find a combination that suits your taste.

Meatballs:

Ground beef (lean) and ground turkey mixed together
Kirkland no salt spice (or any other spices of your choosing)
A healthy dose of sriracha (to your taste, as spicy as you like)
1 egg
breadcrumbs
Worcestershire sauce
fresh garlic minced up

Mix this all together and make into little ball shapes, then put on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven just until the balls are cooked on the outside, about 5-10 minutes or so at 350. When they’re done swap them into a deeper baking dish (like a casserole dish) and set aside.

Sauce:

4 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons mustard
3 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Mix all the sauce stuff together (until the brown sugar is dissolved) and then drizzle over the meatballs in the casserole dish. Let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour, and then bake at 350 until the sauce is bubbling and thick and the meatballs are cooked all the way through (about 30 minutes). Serve over your favourite rice (mine is basmati) or with noodles. Recipe can be adjusted any way you want. Bon appetite!

Lets slay a Forest Giant

I thought I had logged in too late to participate in the Forest Giant slaying on Xanadu but it turns out I was right on time. The creature had been holed up under ground and locked away from the public until it was go-time, so we spent a few minutes gathering, a few more minutes being added to the mine door, and then we went into the mine to take the creature down. There were over 90 of us in local chat, though not quite that many were actually attacking the creature. One of the main rewards you can get is blood which can be crafted into a potion and then applied to a tool. In this case the potion is for woodcutting, which is certainly one I will make use of.

There is also a ‘giantslayer’ title associated with killing the creature, so long as you get a hit. Unlike other unique killings that I have been to, people were very eager to help out and backed off of the mob to allow others in. This ensured that everyone who was there could get credit for the kill.

The only downside was that because this is Xanadu, I had quite a hike to get to the location. First I used the /suicide command to kill myself, and respawned at one of the starter towns. I choose Summerholt because it was the closest location. Then I used karma, and summoned my corpse to me. Finally I started out on foot to the location, but a short while in I crossed through some desert, and found a handful of horses grazing, so I used one of those to ride the rest of the way. Once the event was over I used more karma and gated home. I love being able to use karma to gate and summon my corpse, but it’s a pricey adventure and not something I can do with any frequency.

Still, I had a great time. I love the decision to make uniques not as ‘unique’ and now they respawn. This gives other players the chance to partake in some very epic battles.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Molten Core Completed

I wanted to run Molten Core (the anniversary version) at least once to get the 640 ilevel helm and the corehound mount. I had heard that it was a soul sucking raid with no loot from any of the numerous bosses except the final one, and that I should expect to spend a few hours there.

Everyone who told me that was right.

Needless to say, I won’t be going back, not even for my alts. I don’t know who designed the revamped raid, but it felt like an insult to nostalgia instead of a tribute. My priest is now at 620 ilevel which is pretty low, and it’s no wonder as I have barely played since WoD released. I had fun the first few days but then the garrison grind caught up to me and I fizzled out much like I did with Pandaria and the dailies from that expansion. By the time I’m done my garrison chores, I just don’t have the time (or the energy) to play, so I log out.

At least I got a neat mount out of it, right?

Trials with Landmark Combat

Players in Landmark are able to do some incredible things, but without a combat system (aside from pvp) the game didn’t really feel like a ‘game’. After a 48 hour downtime, there are now creatures added, so I decided to log in and see what was new. Turns out, a lot.

Unfortunately Landmark doesn’t have any sort of tutorial system, or even a way in game for players to get caught up to date, so when you play you’re basically just tossed in. To make sure you don’t spend 90% of your time frustrated, I highly suggest people check out guides and tips / tricks on the forums first, especially when it comes to combat. Im sure these things will have a place as the game develops further, but for now you’ll have to rely on previous MMO experience when trying to figure things out.

The first thing I did was attempt to craft a beginner sword, and then aimed that sword at the first creature I found. That was probably a mistake, I was dead from a vicious plant creature faster than it took me to craft the sword. There was no way (that I could tell) to judge the difficulty of the encounter, I didn’t see anything on the UI at least. The UI hud was confusing as I had never encountered that before either and had nothing to go on when it came to what part represented what.

With that being said, the game is still as lovely as ever. I’m just worried that by the time the game actually releases, there won’t be much hype left to build up. Due to the complete revamp it feels like the game has been discussed up and down for quite some time. We’ll just have to see I suppose.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Xanadu Impalong

Once or twice a year, depending on the server, a player run event takes place called an “impalong”. Started years ago, this event brings together wurmians of all walks of life, for games, contests, community, and of course, improving items.

The basics of the event are simple. Players bring their tools and armor to a deed that has typically been built just to host such an event. You label the items with your name, and put them inside of containers like forges, where volunteers will come over the course of a few days and ‘improve’ the item, usually to a maximum of 70 quality unless you discuss the options with the individual doing the improving. The way deed and housing permissions work only those who have placed the item inside of the container, along with the imp team who are added to the guest list of the house, can remove the item – so the chances of the item going missing are relatively slim. That doesn’t mean mistakes are not made or that there are not bad people out there, you of course have to be cautious (this is wurm, after all).

I decided to attend the impalong this year, bringing with me all sorts of prizes for the organizers to give out, including a rare saw, rare 2h sword, and a rare hatchet. I managed to gain quite a bit of skill in carpentry and blacksmithing, and made some new friends. Over all, I had a wonderful time. The event runs for three days, so if you happen to play on Xanadu and want to check it out, there’s still time.