Gaming – Page 321 – A Pixel Nomad

Getting Started with the Newbie Blogger Initiative

It’s May (already?!) which means the ‘Newbie Blogger Initiative’ has kicked off. Basically it’s a group of people who encourage others to blog more often / at all if they’ve ever had an inkling to. Belghast wrote about it in greater detail here, and they also have some forums set up here. I’ve been running MmoQuests for 9 years as of June this year, so I know a thing or two about blogging and what it takes to keep going. Though I have slowed in my writing since I started working for Carbine Studios, it’s not from a lack of desire but just a lack of time. I’m not getting super involved in the event, but I do like to watch from the sidelines.

For people who may have always wanted to blog but haven’t wanted to deal with the hassle of setting up a blog or actually running one – there are options out there. For example did you know that besides MmoQuests I also run Nomadic Gamers? This is a multi-author blog that I started five years ago for people who wanted to blog but didn’t want to deal with the hassle of setting one up. Over the years it has come down to just one current author, but I keep it running and people are welcome to contact me if they want to be a contributor. There are other multi-author sites like this out there as well, so don’t feel that you have to do things a certain way.

One thing I personally strive to do more of is not just read new blogs, but to leave comments on other blogs so that the writers know they’re being read. It can feel like this community is very closed off, that everyone interacts within their own little bubble and rarely spends any time looking outside that bubble and then the opinions that are being shared just turn into a circle of back patting and self congratulations. I think that sort of promotion is harmful, and we need to break out of it.

Why is blogging important? Well. Besides the obvious reasons like blowing off steam and sharing your opinion with the world, it has the potency to turn into something much larger. Like I said, I’ve been running MmoQuests for 9 years now. I started off small, writing about my main game (EverQuest 2) and kept the posts informative and not vulgar. Honestly that part is completely up to you – but if you know how to write negative things without coming across as a douche, it helps. Anyway. I started writing about EverQuest 2. Because of that, I landed a job with Beckett Massive Online Gamer writing guides and interviews. I spanned out a few more games besides EQ2, but still had my roots there. Because of my involvement to date with all of THAT I landed a volunteer position with SOE on the Community Council. Occasionally I’d get another freelance job, like writing for MMORPG. I continued to blog while working for Beckett MOG, and wrote for their magazine aimed at younger gamers, Fun! Online Games (also known as FOG). These things carried on for a few years until eventually MOG was shut down, and I landed a job a few years later with Carbine Studios (WildStar) which is where I’ve been for over a year now. A lot of it was luck and knowing the right people, but having not started out some place small I wouldn’t be where I am. I’m not saying everyone who starts a blog is going to move on to bigger and better things – but it sure doesn’t hurt your prospects depending on how you conduct yourself and how bad you want something. The one piece of advice I give to everyone is consistency. Be constant. Be reliable. Keep writing.

Bypassing Content

I recently started playing Guild Wars 2 again, blame it on the hype surrounding the expansion that was announced not too long ago. I’ve already got a level 80 guardian and an elementalist, as well as a handful of alts. I also recently started a new account that doesn’t have any characters on it so I’m trying to get an 80 or two before the expansion comes out. I began with a mesmer. I have one that’s already level 51 but I’d like to get to the level cap. Since I’ve already got a handful of characters at max level and I didn’t want to spend a great deal of time leveling through content I’ve already played, I decided to work on my crafting and enjoy the ‘free’ levels that comes with it.

In the gem store you can increase your active tradeskills from 2 to 4, so that was the first thing I picked up. I decided to go with weaponsmithing, armorsmithing, cooking, and jeweler. Thanks to the handy guides out there it was easy to raise each one to 400. Along the way it meant that my baby mesmer managed to ding 42, which allowed me to bypass a bunch of the older content that I’ve already done a bunch of times.

Now, I know not everyone thinks that content should be bypassed and honestly I’m torn on the debate myself. I would never suggest that brand new players skip content because they’re missing some great storylines as well as the time it takes to learn how to play the class. For veteran players, I have less of an issue. If you’ve already gone through the story and you already have a max level character, bypassing the content isn’t going to be that big of a deal. Most characters play similar to one another and it doesn’t take much time to learn from a guide. In my case, I’m really just interested in reaching level 80 and then I can go back to anything I missed that I consider important, and I can always go back and get older achievements that way. With the ‘mentoring down’ that Guild Wars 2 employes, this is even easier. I never have to worry about being too high level for any content in the game, I only ever have to be concerned about being too low level. If I’m level 80, that becomes a moot point.

I also created my first ranger. I’m not sure if I’ll actually level the class up, but it’s nice to have one. The world is as busy as ever and I’m always running into other players. I’d like to get into some dungeons and exploring more pvp, but for now I’m just having fun doing things as they come.

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

Games with an Ending

It’s an ongoing joke with anyone who knows me that I never finish the games I buy, especially not steam games. They can sit in my to-play list for years before I finally get around to them and even then, it’s rare that I ‘finish’ them. In truth I don’t own many games that have a solid ‘ending’ where I can sit down and feel confident that I’ve ‘beaten’ the game. Finishing a game is a pretty subjective point of view no matter how you look at it. Is a game completed when the story is completed? When you’ve earned all of the achievements? When you can’t progress a single character any further? What about games that have no real ending? Games like Sims 4, Banished, or Cities: Skylines? What constitutes the ‘end’ for you there? What about in an MMO, when have you ‘finished’ the game? When you’re at the maximum level available? When you’ve defeated all of the end-game encounters? There’s so many different values that you can attribute to the end of a game that it’s hard to know when one has completed it. At least for my games of choice which are typically sandbox games or at least games with sandbox features. Games like Super Mario World are much easier to decide when ‘the end’ is – but what about trying to accomplish all of the goals the game sets forth, for some people just making it to the end of a game isn’t actually ‘the end’.

So how do you decide when you’ve completed a game? How do you know when you’ve reached that point where there’s just nothing more for you to do and what do you do after that point, do you never return to the game even though it may have been one of your favourites? Or do games have unlimited re-play potential so long as you’re enjoying yourself?

Of course the whole reason this question came up is because I was glancing through my steam library trying to decide how many of my games (if any) I had ‘completed’ over the years. I’ve played through Magical Diary a handful of times now and seen multiple endings, so does that count as me having ‘completed’ the game? In the end, so long as I’m having fun, I suppose it doesn’t much matter – but it is fun to think about.

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

Birthday Games

My birthday was two weeks ago, and I got some pretty awesome games from some pretty awesome people. I’ve been trying to fit in some time here and there to play, but of course there are just so many games out there, finding enough time can be a game in itself.

One of the games I got was Hyper Dimension Neptunia Re;Birth 1 and of course a whole slew of DLC for the game. It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s a bit of a grind-fest but I don’t mind that at all. The characters have personality in this turn based JRPG, and it’s a lighthearted funny game that you really can’t take too seriously. Some days I really need that.

Another game I received was Fortune’s Tavern. Now this game is a bit misleading in its description. It sounds as though you’re going to be running a tavern, maybe something like running a shop in Recettear. Unfortunately it’s still got a lot of bugs, so if you’re looking for a polished game keep in mind the development is still going on. I had issues getting it to run at first (lots of crashes if I touched anything at all while the game launched) and you want to make sure you’re not playing in full screen. The movement is also a bit wonky, you use your arrow keys to move around the map and have to aim for doorways and watch out for walls. It’s not quite as responsive as I would have liked, but that’s not necessarily a deal breaker for me. It does bring back a lot of nostalgia, it has an older pixilated look to it, and it reminds me of Harvest Moon in more ways than one. You’re given a brief tutorial with setting up the inn, how to grab quests, and how to earn coin. You learn the story of the land, and get some combat experience in. My first pet was a chicken – doesn’t get much better than that. There are also some DLC available, which I was also lucky enough to have been gifted.

I haven’t had a chance to play If my Heart Had Wings yet, but it’s on my list of games for this week. I’m hoping to get back to a ‘New Games Thursday’ type post where I can talk about some of the .. well, new games.. on Thursdays. This was another birthday wishlist gift, and I’m really looking forward to getting into the story. These visual novels are just a real guilty pleasure for me probably stemming from the fact that I love reading and you don’t have to ‘compete’ to play these types of ‘games’.

Dandelion – Wishes Brought To You is another game I haven’t had the time to start playing yet, but I’m looking forward to it. It also falls into the ‘dating sim’ or ‘visual novel’ type game, so it’s another relaxing game where I don’t have to be stressed by competition.

What have you been playing lately, picked up any new games? Have a backlog of awesomeness that you just don’t have the time to get to? Let me know in comments!

Tagged with Liebster-ness

MrrX tagged me in this Liebster Challenge that I’ve seen floating about for some time. It’s no surprise it took someone this long to tag me! If you haven’t checked out his blog before you most certainly should. I’ve been reading his stuff for.. well, years and years now. I’m not exactly sure how it works, so you’ll have to just suffer along through this post. First up, 11 random facts about myself.

I really don’t like being called Steph. My name is Stephanie, and for some reason I’ve just never enjoyed it when people only used half my name. I don’t bother telling many people because .. well, what would be the point. I don’t get upset about it, but inside I cringe a little. I really appreciate it when someone asks me “hey, do you mind if I call you Steph?” and then I can respond that, well, actually, I prefer Stephanie.
I don’t like pizza. It’s just not good. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that I also don’t like bread. Or butter (or margarine).
My guilty pleasure TV shows end up being British shows about 90% of the time that are on BBC and since their accents are sometimes hard for me to make out, I watch them with subtitles.
I don’t know how to drive. I’ve had my beginners before, ages ago, but it’s just something I’ve never really wanted to do. It’s usually quite awkward and embarrassing for me to talk about but now that I’m older I spend less time trying to apologize for the way that I am, and more time just being myself no matter what that entails.
I never owned a computer growing up, and I wasn’t really into video games at all. My first computer was just bits and pieces of other computers, and I was 18. We had a computer at home but it was my Dad’s toy so we didn’t do a whole lot with it aside from email and use his BBS when he ran it.
I have always wanted a sister. I have two younger brothers that I adore, but I miss the closeness that I think comes with having a sister. That may be false, maybe sisters are not close at all, but in my mind I have a certain idea about them that makes me smile.
I collect stuffed animals, stamps, stickers, and books. I don’t have many stamps right now, but I have far too many of the first and last items. It makes me smile to think about them. My collections bring me a lot of joy. I think that’s important this day in age.
I lived in Germany for the Gulf War and the fall of the Berlin wall (I’m a military brat, my Dad was air force). I still remember the air raid sirens that used to go off for practice, and have vivid memories of bomb threats being called in to our PMQ area and my Mom having left a pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove while we evacuated. Funny, the things we remember.
I am and will probably always be, a morning person. I’m wide awake first thing, no matter what time I’ve gone to bed the night before. Afternoons however I turn into a slug and just want to sleep.
I’m a lefty, yay!
When I grew up my family always had a lot of pets, and I cherish that very much. We’ve had hamsters, birds, fish, cats, dogs, rabbits (well, one), and probably another one or two that I’ve forgotten. I think pets are really important, and I carry those values with me today.

Now onto the questions directed at me. Good grief you are probably all asleep already! I wouldn’t blame you.

Why Blog?

I don’t really have a reason, I’ve just always enjoyed writing. I’ve had MmoQuests for.. 8 years now? Maybe even 9, I would have to count. I may not always write, but I always come back to it and I enjoy it quite a bit. I do own a few other blogs, too. Personal ones. They help me release tension and give me an outlet for creativity.

Why MMO’s? Or why not?

Probably cliche to say this, but it’s because of the people in them. I do play single player games as well but I constantly swing back to MMOs because I crave that social aspect even though I myself am not particularly social. I just like to observe.

Science Fiction? Or Fantasy?

That’s an easy one. Fantasy. I’ve never been a fan of sci-fi. In fact the only sci-fi game I enjoy is EVE Online and I can’t even begin to describe why that is my game of choice.

What of Steam?

I love steam. I have around 200 games in my collection and I love knowing they’re all just right there. I like that I can share those games with friends and family, and that no matter what computer I’m using the games are ‘out there’ some place. Now of course I know they could also be taken away, since they’re ‘virtual goods’ but I haven’t had any fears of that happening.

Gaming Relics?

Not a single one, since I wasn’t a gamer growing up. Even if I were a gamer, last year I up and moved across the country with only one suitcase to my name, so I wouldn’t have any extra belongings to begin with. I used to own some D&D items, and that was exciting. They’ve been left behind for now though.

Three Games that Shaped You

Redemption. This was a MUD, and it’s where I first realized that I was indeed a gamer. I started playing just after high school with a lot of local people. We would meet up on top of the shopping mall down town on the roof for “Mud Meets”. I created two maps, one was an insane dwarven amusement park and the other was a play on Gulliver’s Travels. It was a lot of fun. I still keep in touch with quite a few people from the game, though I quit years ago. That game helped turn me into who I am today.
EverQuest. My first ‘real’ MMO. My first major game addiction. I met so many people there, formed so many friendships. I started blogging when I was playing EverQuest. I got into writing about games because of EQ. I eventually started playing EQ2, and writing about that, too. I got hired by Beckett, and started writing articles about video games full time, professionally. That game opened so many doors for me that I didn’t even know existed. That I had no idea were even out there. I wouldn’t be where I am now, working for Carbine Studios, were it not for me playing EQ way back when.
Vanguard: SOH. That game will forever and always hold a place in my heart. I was a guide for Vanguard, and ran player events quite frequently. You may have seen me role-playing in one of the main cities, or calling for participants to one of my events. Vanguard taught me a lot about patience. The people of Vanguard taught me a lot about passion. My guide name was Faralithe.

Rolling Up a New Character

99% of the time, I’ll always choose to be a healer first. For some reason that’s just the role I enjoy playing. My second favourite is of course crowd control (ie: enchanter) if there is one.

What Games Did you Play Before MMO’s?

Like I mentioned above, very little. I did the usual super mario stuff because my brothers were both really into games, but I wasn’t much of one.

Videogame Capital Of (The / Your) World

California without a doubt. I’m biased, obviously. SOE flew me there back when I worked for Beckett, and Carbine Studios is there. Next would probably be Vancouver, or Montreal. I’m not completely giving up on my canuck gamers yet!

Which MMO’s have you really invested yourself in?

EQ, EQ2, Vanguard, Wurm Online, and WildStar. I play other games (lots of other games) but those games affected my entire life. I’d consider that pretty invested.

How do you spend your time in MMOs?

Crafting. If I’m not crafting then I’m harvesting and if I’m not harvesting then I’m decorating (if it’s available) and if I’m not decorating then I’m probably doing one of the other thousands of things there is to do in game.

I don’t even know who to tag because I know the more popular bloggers have already long since – so lets see here. I’m going to be lazy and ask them to fill in the same questions I answered, so that’s 11 random facts and then the bold questions above. Lets go for some really rare ones here.

Arkenor – from Ark’s Ark.

Mr.Anderson – from Juxtaposed Life

Kasul – from Shattered