Gaming – Page 384 – A Pixel Nomad

Festival of Unity Opening Ceremonies #EQ2 #EverQuest2

The festival of Unity on the Antonia Bayle server kicked off with the opening ceremonies. I did some commentary during the event since the text is way too small to read – however xsplit (program I use to stream) did not play very nicely with recording it, so it cuts in and out a LOT. For future events I will more than likely not stream them, and just record with fraps and post after the event.

Still, a great time was had by everyone, and the jousting that followed was a blast! I’ve got screenshots of that part to post next.

For those of you who don’t know the history of the festival, it started 7 years ago with an Ogre paladin named Klumpp. He had a vision where for at least a week everyone would come together in unity and celebrate good friends, food, and entertainment. It just goes to show how much impact a single person can have.

The Legacy Continues #TS3 #TheSims3

I haven’t spent a lot of time on my legacy family lately but I do get a few hours in here and there. Not much has changed. My founder sim is STILL alive. She’s 105 sim days old now. She actually DID die, outside. While taking out the garbage. Death came over in his sweatsuit (why he wears that I have no idea) and took her away. A tombstone was placed on the lawn. I was controlling a different sim who was taking care of Ginger, the baby, but I still had clear view of the event.

Then the strangest thing happened. Lucky, the dog, started griefing Death! He was barking up a storm and causing a fit – so, Death brought my founder sim back to life, and fled for his life. Apparently he’s not a fan of dogs!

I know that having everlasting sims is against the ‘legacy rules’ – but I had no control over this event, nor did I expect it to happen so I’m letting it slide.

Emily was working as a telegram singer, but decided to give it up and pursue a more active lifestyle. She switched her career over to a sports related one, mostly because it happened to be one of the little mission suggestions that came up. Sure, why not.

Baby Ginger is almost ready to grow up into a child, which means finally no more potty training or dirty diapers, at least for a little while.

Jessica is still pursuing her career in the political field, and still spends hours every day talking to her imaginary friend. He’s still creepy.

Emily’s husband is still alive though he is also an elder. I actually stuck him out in the swimming pool for a few hours in the fall hoping he would perhaps grow cold and pass on, but that man apparently has some great stamina. Go figure.

August 20th marks the great reveal for The Sims 4 – which I am SUPER excited about. I know it’s still some time away, but I can’t wait to start a new legacy family in that game.

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

Back to the Withered Lands #EQ2 #EverQuest2

Like I typically do in the summer months, I have been wandering around from game to game, trying to find what appeals to me. Lately that has been EverQuest2. My defiler is already 95 but I decided to work on my illusionist, hoping that perhaps she would be a better fit for groups. Right now she is level 91 although I just reached that today. I did a bit of research and it seems like the ‘fast’ way to level would be to get a group at Skyshrine and grind – however – I’m not really keen on leveling that way so I’ve been completing quests in The Withered Lands.

Man the quests sure do reward a LOT of money, but not that much gear. The pieces my illusionist is wearing is well beyond ‘outdated’ by this point in time. She thankfully does have her epic done (and repercussions) so I don’t have to go backwards too far in the timeline. She also has 280+ aa so I don’t have to worry about not being able to level.

I was able to ding 91 by completing most of the timeline, but I still have to inch my way to 92 and then after that I can begin the Chains of Eternity quest line and FINALLY move on to Cobalt Scar which I’ve never seen before. I did have fun with Hamal wandering through some of the new(ish) dungeons that were added a while ago, but I did those with my defiler, not the illusionist that I’m working on now. For so long I’ve been 95 on only my crafters, it feels nice to stretch my legs and work on a character again.

Am I excited after my extended break from the game? Well. Yes. I think it would be better if I had a ‘home’ any more in game, but my Oasis guild fell apart and every single person left. So for now I’m on Antonia Bayle, learning the ropes once again.

Festival of Unity on Antonia Bayle #EverQuest2 #EQ2

Me and the Festival of Unity which is run on the Antonia Bayle server go way way back. This will be the 7th year the festival has run and I’ve really had a blast at every single one of them. You can check out some of my blog posts about previous years. The festival runs from August 11th to 17th, with events on every single day. There’s a map of the happenings, and of course you can check out the web page for day by day schedules. There is also a facebook page.

This festival grows every year, and a huge number of people are involved in putting it on. I usually attend the event with a lesser known character and stay in character the whole time while I mingle with the crowds.

Events like this are important, and they’re not just limited to EQ2 but they happen in pretty much any game that has a community. If you’ve never been to the festival before, I implore you to check it out. It’s a great way to meet others from the community, and participate in some really neat games – there are even prizes. Even if you’re not much of a roleplayer it’s a great time to observe other people participating. You can guarantee that I’ll be there taking screenshots and posting videos.

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

EverQuest – Call of the Forsaken #EverQuest #EQ

Last night at SOE Live there were two pretty important events that were streamed for those not attending. One was the general welcome and address, which was alright. There were a lot of jokes and waiting for the crowd to respond. The quality of the stream was far superior to what it was last year, so if you’re looking to get some SOE Live updates yourself, don’t hesitate to head on over to their twitch channels where you can find recordings of the previous events.

While most people are probably waiting for some news about EQNext, I was most interested in hearing about the expansions coming out for EQ and EQ2. I was certainly not disappointed with the information revealed about EverQuest.

The 20th expansion is named Call of the Forsaken, and releases around the end of September if all goes to schedule. Folks can start signing up for the beta a bit later in August. The expansion has a few key features that I’m pretty excited about. First of all, you’ll be able to level your mercenary up. That wasn’t explained in great detail yet but it did seem pretty neat. You’ll also be able to participate in new LDoN (Lost Dungeon of Norrath for those unfamiliar with the acronym) type missions which I am VERY excited about. These missions are going to be tailored to the type of group that you zone in with. The keynote mentioned it will take numerous things about your group make up into account and then provide you with an adventure where everything is customized towards your group, from loot to mobs.

Players will also get to explore old zones that have been talked about in lore and have (in some capacity) been in game since the very beginning, but this will be the first time we’re able to explore them. Zones mentioned were Dead Hills and Neriak 4th gate. I am very excited about that.

The lore of the game ties to EQ2 – apparently everything is started by a dragon from EQ2 who travels back through the Ethernere and shatters the barriers between realities.

There were also lots of new announcements that were centered around the 15th anniversary of EverQuest – like new race / class combinations being revealed. Players will (according to the keynote) vote for these at a later date. Also the new heroic heritage zones being released, Nagafen’s Lair and Mistmoore Castle – I am VERY excited about Mistmoore Castle! More hero’s forge armor, too. In specific robes. New colours new reforged versions which we’ve been wanting for quite some time.

The forums have been a bit negative about the new expansion – not because they’re not excited, no, but a lot of vocal players are mentioning that T4 of the previous expansion JUST released, and it’s too soon for a new expansion to be coming out. Guilds don’t even have the latest raids on farm status yet, and they want some time with their shiny new gear before it’s all made obsolete. This is the sort of thing I love about EQ, players are being frank and upfront with their opinions and it’s NOT the typical opinion that you may expect.

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