Gaming – Page 275 – A Pixel Nomad

Learning How to Game

These days video games are more involved than ever before, and this has allowed for the creation and popularity of web sites that provide guides and walk throughs, no matter the game in question (chances are, if there’s a video game out there, someone has written some sort of guide for it to help others). If it wasn’t for WoWHead I’m pretty sure I’d be lost on a number of the new World of Warcraft Legion quests. They’re no longer the simple ‘Kill 10 Rats’ quests that I’ve come to know in the past. Instead they require me to figure out puzzles, learn the lore, explore, and numerous other little hints and tricks that I probably wouldn’t be able to figure out all on my own.

You can find guides and step by step help for all sorts of genres, from how to play online casino games, to deeply involved RPG walk-throughs. These can be player-run sites, professional guides, or even news sites. I like to think that there will always be room for these types of sites because no two people learn exactly the same way, using exactly the same method. Some people enjoy watching YouTube “lets play” videos to meander their way around and to learn. Others appreciate a more casual approach, and still others would rather a methodical method of learning how.

When I first created MmoQuests I had a weekly quest walk through posted, typically one of the bigger EverQuest II signature / heritage quests that were in game. Over the years I’ve slowed down talking about them because there are just so many and it was getting hard to narrow down my favourites. Still, I like to think that these guides have come in handy over the years, and the pages still get a number of hits from those looking for a bit of help.

Have you ever thought of starting up a site for guides and walk throughs? Do you use any yourself or do you prefer to keep things as a secret to figure out for yourself? Let me know below in comments and as always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

Nintendo Transitioning to Mobile Games

Mobile games are overtaking console games and south african online casinos in popularity. There is a need for traditional developers of console games to reinvent themselves. Maybe reinvent is too strong a term but there is a need for them to start developing games compatible with mobile devices. Failure to acknowledge that mobile games are the future of gaming could have dire consequences for the firms.

The top management at Nintendo have realized that there is a need to move into the mobile market. As such they have started to create mobile versions of some of their popular games. This is in the backdrop of the release of the Miitomo App for Android and iOS. The app is not a game in the literal sense. Although the app was only released in March 2016 there are already more than a million users.

The video game developer announced that they will be releasing two popular games. These games are Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem. Animal crossing is a community simulation game series that has an open-ended game play. Fire Emblem games are tactical role playing games. The Fire Emblem Fates game was released for their hand held console which makes the game ideal for mobile devices. You can get games and Casino reviews at Online Casinos – Find the Best Online Casinos in the USA in 2016

There has been no announcement on the official release date of both games. This is despite the fact that it is now more than a year since they announced the intention to release the mobile versions of the games. Nintendo is also silent on the release of Mario based games but rumours are that they will be making that announcement soon.

It is undeniable that mobile is taking over. There are now mobile versions of everything. Even the online casino industry is shifting to Android and iOS compatible online casino games. The whole world is going mobile because the convenience that is offered. Apps for mobile devices is where the money is and that is where game developers have to go if they wish to continue being relevant.

How Gaming Influences

One thing I’ve been really fascinated with is the transition of Twitch (and other streaming platforms). Back when I first “knew” twitch, it was called Justin.TV and it was used to stream (mostly) TV shows (like sports that were blocked out on TV unless you paid for the package, etc). It has evolved quite a few times since then, becoming one of the more popular video game streaming platforms. It has since evolved even further, adding new and unique categories to streaming – categories that I wouldn’t necessarily even consider to be something someone would stream let alone watch. Turns out people enjoy watching the non-mainstream just as much.

There are people of all ages streaming all sorts of creative endeavors and it (quite frankly) blows my mind. No longer are crochet, knitting, and cross stitch a hobby that just older generations are partaking in. People streaming engage with their audience in various ways, encouraging others to pick up the craft and motivating everyone. Of course having a nice set up certainly helps, a way to automate things like thanking your followers and acknowledging donations. The fancier you can get with your set up the more hands-on your crafting can be and the less time you’ll spend trying to hook (see what I did there) viewers.

Personally, I love this new move. I enjoy watching video game streams but I enjoy watching crafty streams even more. I admire the talent these people have, and if you can find someone who has both the talent and the online charisma to make their channel into something special, well, then you’re set.

Have you found some of these fantastic creative streamers in your travels? Want to give them a shout out? Be sure to drop a link down in comments.

AddOns – Are there Others I need?

I love World of Warcraft AddOns. I think the Curse Client makes them easy to install (and even those not on curse are pretty easy to install) and they offer a whole lot of function to the game. My basic UI is ElvUI, a popular all-in-one UI replacement. I know there are lots of pros and cons to using it, some people adore it and others hate it, but it does what I need it to do, so for now that’s what I use. The other AddOns I’ve picked up along the way are as follows:

_NPCScan (This tells me when named are up by announcing them, and lets me target them so I can get to them faster and know when they’re almost dead before I get there)
Auctionator (A semi-replacement for auctioneer which hasn’t been updated in ages)
Can I Mog It? (Tells me whether or not I have the transmog for a specific item, across characters)
Deadly Boss Mods (Dungeon / raid timers across all expansions)
GTFO (A really loud obnoxious sound plays any time I step in anything bad)
HandyNotes (Map notes on anything from Panadria treasures to field photographer, this is an amazing addon)
Master Plan (Garrison organization, hoping they come out with a Legion version)
PetBattle Teams (Lets me organize my pets into saved teams and name them all)
PetTracker (Lets me see on each map which pets I have from the area and which are missing)
Recount (DPS / Heal meter, I use this for myself, not to judge others. I like improving my character)
World Quest Tracker (I haven’t used this, but I believe it lets me track the new world quests from Legion)

I don’t want a whole lot of addons since eventually they end up creating lag and other problems with one another in-game, but the ones I have picked up all seem to get along well with one another and don’t create any noticeable issues with my system. I was using an inventory mod for a little while, but found that it lagged pretty badly and when I was moving items around and they wouldn’t show up in the right places until I opened and closed the container again. I decided inventory organization wasn’t that much of a priority in the end.

My priest managed to hit 110 over the weekend, and now I’m deciding on an alliance member to level up. Most of my “fun” characters are horde, and alliance are ones I’ve fallen out of love with over the class changes. I’m wishing I had a mage, or a warrior, or an alliance monk or hunter. Instead I’ll have to choose between priest, druid, shaman, paladin, and warlock. Decisions decisions!

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

Leveling up As a Discipline Priest

When the class changes first came out my priest was in a shadow / disc spec. Discipline for healing. I had been disc for a few expansions now, I didn’t enjoy the holy spec at all. That completely changed as did my taste about a lot of classes when the revamps came. Fast forward to now: I’m level 106 and I’ve finally found the “perfect” spot for me to play as a discipline priest, and it’s something I wouldn’t have ever expected if it wasn’t for the fact that I was collecting all three artifact weapons.

I’m now using my discipline spec to level, and I love it. I found that while shadow is nice, it wasn’t quite what I wanted any more. Trying to manage my insanity and push out DPS while surviving was getting difficult and shadow spec doesn’t have any real nice heals that I could make use of. Since I was collecting artifacts anyway I decided on a whim to swap over to discipline, arrange my hotbars, and play through a few quests, just to get a feel.

I’m really glad that I did.

My DPS is slightly lower than it was in shadow but my survival has gone WAY up. I barely ever take damage any more, and I can take on huge groups at once. Instead of managing insanity I’m managing atonement, a much easier buff to manage because there’s just one person it’s usually on (or two, if I have my combat ally with me). I don’t notice an enormous drag in DPS at all, and I’m getting used to my rotations for leveling. It’s also nice not to be a shadow figure all the time – I can see my gear, and my character. I can do pretty good DPS or heal on a whim when needed. I don’t think it’s something I want to use in raids or groups, but for leveling up it has quickly become my new favourite.

Of course that also means that now my artifact bonuses are split between three completely different weapons. It’s not a big deal, but I know that means later on I’ll have to do more grinding than if I had of just focused on one (or even just two) weapons. My very casual goal has been to try to get a level a day, some days I surpass that (like yesterday) and others I don’t even come close. I’m still taking my time and enjoying the ride, though I see many of my friends already at 110 and working on alts. The stories have been intense and enjoyable, and I’m really just in no rush at all.

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