Stargrace

From Mystic to Defiler #EQ2

I remember exactly when I decided to betray my (back then) defiler to a mystic (lets not count the fact that this character was already a mystic way back when at creation. I don’t remember the first time I betrayed, or why). It was when epic weapons came out, and I was reading the requirements for mystic vs. defiler. I decided right then and there that I had no interest in doing the defiler epic weapon quest, and I betrayed to mystic. That was quite some time ago so of course me being who I am it only made sense to betray BACK to defiler!

That’s what happens in the fall when I’m looking for something to draw me back to any MMO. I look for something ‘new’ to do (even if it’s not really new) something that can entice me to play and convince me to keep at it. When I betray in EQ2 my class becomes ‘fresh’ again if that makes sense. My mystic was fully mastered, and with the new changes to the betrayal system I’m not too concerned about that. If I chose to go BACK to mystic, my master spells will all be there waiting for me. Of course I haven’t tested this change yet, but that’s ok I’m sure I will sooner or later.

It took me about an hour and a half to work faction in Darklight Woods enough for Neriak to trust me and not want to lop off my head if I zoned in. Then it was just a matter of leading a zombie to the commonlands, kidnapping a child, and killing some vagabonds and courtesans to prove that I am really evil when it comes right down to it. Since I already had my mystic mythical it was as simple as me heading to Nektulos forest and spending a few plat in order to purchase my defiler epic weapon and spells. I use it for appearance only since I’ve gotten better weapons since then.

A guild mate (thank you Youbestopped!) created my 29 spells at expert level after I shelled out approx 200 plat on rares and ta da, I’m all set to go as a defiler. Oh, and a thank you to Pennie who crafted me three pieces of gear to replace the mystic only items I was sporting. They were level 80 and probably needed to be replaced anyhow.

Yesterday was the first day I’ve really gotten ‘back’ into EQ2 for quite some time, and it felt good. I ended up purchasing 40 mounts and obtained the ‘beastmaster’ title that comes with the achievement, as well as completing 1,000 quests and 200 collection quests for their respective achievements. I’d say that this almost feels like my main, but I know that would only jinx me. Woops, too late.

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

6 Years and Counting #EQ2

Five days after EQ2 celebrated it’s 6th birthday, I was looking inside my very own Mistmoore Estate which happens to be the 7 year veteran reward. For those who are wondering how that math works out, for earlier expansions EQ2 used to give away 90 days of account age but they’ve since stopped. Even though I had just moved my Norrathian museum from the Freeport Mage tower to Halas – I decided that the elaborate arch ways were too much to pass up, and if any of my character houses were going to be in a grand estate, it would have to be the museum. I packed up all 400+ player written books along with the rest of my worldly possessions and set off to move yet again.

While the house itself is quite amazing there are a few design flaws. Number one, it’s literally bigger then the tier 2 guild halls that you’ll find in home cities. The ceilings are so incredibly high that this will most certainly pose some issues for me as I decorate. I’m pretty sure I’ll be lowering the ceiling on some rooms via floor tiles – aside from the main entrance where the cathedral like arches work quite well. When EQ2 housing was given a brief revamp and homes received an extra 100 item count – the 7 year veteran reward was not included in that list. 600 items is the max you can place by default. Granted, you CAN purchase the player-crafted expander which allows you 100 more items and there IS the item from the station marketplace that expands the item count by another 200 items (and this stacks with the player-crafted) bringing you up to a whopping 900 items but for a home that is gigantic by any standard this is still not quite enough.

Still, a free home (and rent free at that) is a free home, and I’m quite pleased with it. There are people who are unsatisfied with this veteran reward as it offered nothing to those dedicated gamers who do NOT enjoy the player housing aspect of EQ2, and I can understand their position. Personally I tend to take the rout of ‘we should be thankful we got anything at all’ and I won’t turn my nose up at it.

The decorating process thus far has been quite slow. I’ve got the main entrance almost completed as well as the starts of my library if for no other reason then unloading those 400 books. What a pain to place, let me tell you. Once I get a little more completed I’ll post more screen shots and a video – so until then, happy gaming. No matter where you find yourself!

Keeping You All In Game #MMORPG

Krystalle made an interesting point to me a few days ago about EVE Online – the PI (planetary interaction) that I had been doing on a daily basis is the games way of keeping me logging in every day. I hadn’t even made the connection until she said something, but she’s absolutely right. I set my extractors once a day so that they’re mining on 24 hour rotations. It’s easier then checking every few hours (another option) or every three days (the longest option). Sure, I also have to log in to update my training queue but that could be anywhere from a one day update to a 25+ day update. It doesn’t require you to log in every single day. If I want to take advantage of PI (which I do, the money is just too good to pass up) I need to make sure I’m constantly working on it.

Typically I am not a fan of daily events. I dislike being ‘forced’ to play a game every day when I am perhaps not in the mood for it. WoW has these quests in spades with a limit of 25 ‘daily’ quests that you can complete (per day). EQ2 also has daily quests for mission zones (which require a group) as well as weekly and daily crafting quests. LotRO has daily faction quests (specifically crafting factions). These little things that pull players into the games on a regular basis can some times be so small that we barely even notice ourselves doing it, but they’re there.

What I’d like to see is more inventive ways of (for lack of a better term) coercing your players to log in every day. Sure, daily quests are great but they’re starting to get very old. Being obligated to log in is not how you want your players to view your game. You want them to be excited. On the flip side I do think that these daily quests work because I feel bad if I miss a day and I try to make sure I get my ’rounds’ done and if they didn’t work I doubt we’d see so many of them. Festivals are another method of grabbing the attention of players and enticing them to log in, as well as live events. If you add too many of these they become meaningless and players will just ignore the festivals.

Does anyone else have other suggestions or ideas of how games can entice players to log in on a daily basis without it feeling like an obligation?

I Wanna Quit the Gym– Er, Game!

Remember that episode of Friends where Chandler wants to quit the gym so Ross goes with him as moral support, and in the end neither of them quits? Well, that reminds me a lot of video games. We constantly (as gamers) hear from our friends, blogs, and other web sites all of the nitty gritty aspects to games that makes them unappealing. Yet we keep playing them. We complain about mechanics, developers, decisions, and everything under the sun – and yet we keep at it. Of course there are reasons for continuing, it’s not all doom and gloom, but I think one of the major ones is that it’s simply habit. If you’ve been playing a particular game for five plus years it’s REALLY hard to just stop. Suddenly you’re left with ‘free time’ where that video game used to be. So you fill the gap with another game. A few months down the road and you’re back to your old game wondering why it was you ever left in the first place. Or perhaps you’re one of the stronger type who don’t ever return, finding that the grass really IS greener on the other side.

The whole point of this rant? Some days I wonder what it would be like if I were NOT playing video games. Then I remember the friends, work, and experiences I’ve had because of them. I don’t think I’ll be quitting any time soon.

November Winds of Change #LotRO

November brings a lot of changes. Not only do clocks go back, winter rushes in, and I of course pick up yet another cold – but in LotRO there are alos a lot of really neat changes being implemented. I’m pretty dang excited.

The barter wallet – It’s still in the early stages, but much like EQ2’s currency window that was added last month, this will store all types of skirmish marks and anniversary tokens. There is also word of it expanding to all barter items in the future, but for now I’m happy that I’ll be able to free up some much needed inventory space.

Crafting changes – While personally I’m not pleased (nor will I be taking advantage of) the fact that you can buy your way through craft experience via the LotRO store I AM excited about the other changes. The entire crafting window has been re-designed, allowing you to view recipes on the left and the craft window on the right. The changes to the store include not only xp but crafting ingredients. This may sound like a horrible idea especially if you don’t have the money to spend on turbine points – but for me personally, I’ve just stopped being preoccupied with what everyone ELSE is doing. If I don’t want to purchase my way to end game and would rather earn it, then that is how I’ll do things and I’ll take pride in that. How everyone else decides to level up has no baring on me and my play style. More power to them. Farming is also changing. You’ll gain back a whole lot of inventory space (woohoo) and it’s been simplified. Seed count has gone down, among other things.

Class consumables – Unlike food, tokens, and potions these will be exactly as they sound, consumables that give bonuses specific to your class. They are both crafted and available in the store. It should be noted that while you CAN purchase items in the store, the crafted version is almost always better. You’re not forced to use the store.

New Dyes – Scholar made, there are 10 new dyes for cosmetics being added.

New Mounts – These are new reputation and meta-reputation mounts being added, and they’re REALLY nice looking. Since earning reputation is such a big deal in LotRO, I’m really looking forward to these.

There are other changes happening but those are the basics. My Minstrel reached 41 last night and spent a good deal of time working on older (ie: faction) quests and working on mastering expert tailoring / metalsmithing (which I completed). The important part is I’m really having a blast in game, and I’m excited about future levels. Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself!