Category: Real Life

Shadowfang Keep, Wailing Caverns, and lots of Fun

This weekend, between that real life stuff we all have, Unsafe Haven (the Ravenholdt branch) headed to a few instances, and wow did we have fun. Zokor had a paladin quest at level 20 that sent him to a few instances (Ragefire Chasm, Shadowfang Keep, and outside of that instance in Ashenvale that I can’t quite remember the name of right now) and we pinged those off easily enough. We only went far enough to get his update, and then moved on to the next area. By the end of it he had a shiny new polearm. I decided to get rid of my level 20 warlock, since I really wasn’t enjoying her, and started up a troll warrior. Why warrior? Well some times it’s nice to have a break from the general ‘mains’ that we’re all playing, and no doubt the tank would like to do something other then tanking some times. I wanted a little character to do that with.

Surprisingly enough Mayadhros from Vanguard came to say hello in World of Warcraft! It was a pleasant surprise when he joined the guild as his 25 rogue Skeletorn (yes, before you even ask, he is Forsaken). Since Gozad, Zokor, Skeletorn, and myself were all around last night we decided to do a full run of Shadowfang keep, which went off pretty well (aside from one mishap where Gozad’s pet decided to run ramped and train everyone — everyone except me) and everyone walked away with some experience, quest updates, and new gear. We had a lot of blues drop which was nice to see, and everyone got a level or two (even with reduced experience as I was there with my level 33). As people gain more levels that gap between experience will lesson, and I’m looking forward to it. If there’s anyone else out there who wants to join the (very small) group, please feel free! It’s never too late.

I decided to drop enchanting too, I know it’s a wonderful craft and very handy, but I just didn’t want to spend so much of my time disenchanting items in order to get mats. I figured I’d switch over to engineering. Is that a mistake? Should I just tough it out with enchanting? Tailoring is my other craft, though I’m only slightly into silk right now. World of Warcraft crafting is.. well, it’s all auto combines that never fail so long as you have the materials (at least, so far for me it is. Maybe this changes later on, I’m not quite sure). I don’t mind it though, it adds to the whole ‘casual’ thing that I have going on.

I’m sitting at 120gold or so now, and contemplating donating 100 of that towards the first tab of the guild bank. We don’t exactly NEED a guild bank, but it would be nice. Not sure, I’ll have to keep pondering it.

P.S. For more information about my plight with the pigeons, be sure to jump on over to this post here… it’s been interesting to say the least.

Change is Never Bad

 

A few changes happened over the last little while, some drastic (I suppose) and some not so drastic. First and foremost, I’ve switched games, again. I took a good long look at life (or lack there of) and decided to cut down my play time by a significant amount. Just because I have a house-wife life style doesn’t mean I should be dedicating a larger then normal portion of it to gaming, which was what I was quickly doing. While I am proud that my husband is able to support both of us while I take care of the home (no children to devote my time to remember) there’s still got to be ‘more’ to life. Not that ALL my time was spent gaming, but a good potion. Hopefully my readers are not too judgmental on me in that regard. Anyhow. So less play time (to me) meant that I wanted a game that took significantly less effort. I didn’t want something I could be drawn into for hours on end. Something less complex. Of course what else did that leave me with besides World of Warcraft (hah, I don’t mean for that to sound insulting, I’m aware that’s how it comes out though).

So yes, I’ve taken up residence in Azeroth (for now) as three characters on the Ravenholdt server. I have a 33 priest, 23 hunter, and 16 warlock. A few friends have decided to come play as well, for which I am eternally grateful. Growlius (who I played EQ2 as well as VG with), Zevad (from VG) and Gozad (also from VG) to name a few. If anyone else is interested in coming to play and maybe doing a few instances and what not, PLEASE feel free. I never intended on losing touch with people just because I’ve switched games (again). I’m on the horde side, and the server is a pvp / rp server. Alliance outnumbers (apparently) 3:1, but I’ve played here before and thus far am enjoying myself. I’ve got a far more limited play schedule then I was on before, which I am actually enjoying. You can typically find me in game on weekends (off and on) as well as from 7pm-10pm EST (or so) give or take a few hours here and there.

I admit, I’m one of those people waiting for the release of WAR (though honestly, I know nothing about it) just to see a new game. I’ve been slightly tired with what’s out there- I’ve been playing them for so long how could I not be.

Aside from the game stuff, I’ve started up a new blog, here. If you’re interested in reading more about me as a person and not so much me as a gamer, feel free. I’m not doing this for any particular reason other then my own personal venting mechanism. It’s therapeutic (so I’ve heard) to ramble on about boring things that no one except your family would be interested in. I’m keeping it seperate from this gaming blog because (though I know there are feeds) I’d rather not put people to sleep immediately (a good 10 seconds after reading is fine though). Some of my artwork and photography will also (hopefully) be displayed on there for people to check out. Maybe even some writing if I get brave enough, who knows.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, where ever they gamed.

What D&D Character Am I?

Got this meme from Tipa, over at West Karana.. results don’t surprise me too much, except I’m a lower level then her, and she’s not a halfling.. OR a bard! The truth comes out.

I Am A: True Neutral Human Druid (3rd Level)

Ability Scores:
Strength-13
Dexterity-12
Constitution-9
Intelligence-13
Wisdom-15
Charisma-15

Alignment:
True Neutral A true neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. He doesn’t feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most true neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil after all, he would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, he’s not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way. Some true neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. True neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion. However, true neutral can be a dangerous alignment because it represents apathy, indifference, and a lack of conviction.

Race:
Humans are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.

Class:
Druids gain power not by ruling nature but by being at one with it. They hate the unnatural, including aberrations or undead, and destroy them where possible. Druids receive divine spells from nature, not the gods, and can gain an array of powers as they gain experience, including the ability to take the shapes of animals. The weapons and armor of a druid are restricted by their traditional oaths, not simply training. A druid’s Wisdom score should be high, as this determines the maximum spell level that they can cast.

Find out What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You Be?, courtesy of Easydamus (e-mail)

Detailed Results:

Alignment:
Lawful Good —– XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (22)
Neutral Good —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (27)
Chaotic Good —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (16)
Lawful Neutral — XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (24)
True Neutral —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (29)
Chaotic Neutral – XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (18)
Lawful Evil —– XXXXXXXXX (9)
Neutral Evil —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Chaotic Evil —- XXX (3)
Law & Chaos:
Law —– XXXXXXXXX (9)
Neutral – XXXXXXXXXXXXXX (14)
Chaos — XXX (3)
Good & Evil:
Good —- XXXXXXXXXXXXX (13)
Neutral – XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Evil —- (0)
Race:
Human —- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (15)
Dwarf —- XXXXXXXX (8)
Elf —— XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Gnome —- XXXXXXXX (8)
Halfling – XXXXXXXXXX (10)
Half-Elf – XXXXXXXXXXX (11)
Half-Orc – (0)
Class:
Barbarian – (-2)
Bard —— XX (2)
Cleric —- XX (2)
Druid —– XXXXXXXX (8)
Fighter — (-6)
Monk —— (-21)
Paladin — (-15)
Ranger —- XX (2)
Rogue —– (-10)
Sorcerer — (0)
Wizard —- (-2)

Safe and Sound, There’s No Place Like Home

 

One of the (numerous) skyscrapers that you can find in downtown Toronto. I wasn’t allowed to take my camera to the actual concert (though I saw that it didn’t stop lots of other people from bringing theirs) but I did snag some nice shots of the city. Toronto is the sort of place I don’t mind visiting for a day or two, but when I get home, I’m thankful I live on the outskirts of Ottawa. Nothing beats home. The concert itself was amazing, even if the opening band played for a good 45 minutes before James Blunt finally came on stage, it was well worth the wait.

The concert took place at the Sony Center, which holds 3,500 people. Not nearly as large as the other concert places around Toronto- also completely fine by me though. The Spice Girls were there tonight doing a show and there’s no way I wanted to be swamped by that many people screaming and shouting. The crowd was mostly older twenties and thirties, some screaming fans but nothing too hectic. There’s something to be said for watching an artist you enjoy live, rather then just listening to their music on the radio or an mp3. The atmosphere is completely different and the over all feeling of the songs can (if done well) be completely moving.

The weekend itself was wonderful, did a lot of walking and I’m now sporting numerous blisters on my feet as proof. That’ll teach me to wear my fancy dress boots as opposed to comfortable shoes. Ah well, worth every bit of pain if I do say so myself. I’ll make a note to pack an extra pair, next time. I typically head down to Toronto a few times a year for various things, mostly visiting friends or heading to Canada’s Wonderland (2 years ago) or Niagara Falls (last year). Montreal is closer, but it’s not very fun to drive around, their streets (aside from being all in French) are interesting to navigate.

I did play a little Vanguard once I’d gotten home and relaxed some, dinged Satia 24 mineralogist, which is always nice. One step closer to making those housing bricks. Tonight I’ll probably work on the Hunter’s League chain of quests I’d been working on, we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully Satia gets a robe that doesn’t look as bad as the one she’s wearing right now (though all of the robes tend to have a ‘brown paper bag’ graphic to them. Heard from Borgio in game which is always nice, looks like he’s spending a little time in Telon, I’ll have to say hello when I see him on. Tomorrow, another 15cm of snow is expected. Two more months of winter (give or take a week) and then finally it’ll be spring. I’m looking forward for the snow disappearing.

Sloops and Caravels and.. What?

 

Walking through Tanvu (again, notice how it’s night time AND raining here?) on my way to check the mail and see if any of my pretties had sold, I came across a player made ship. I think this one is a caravel, which means it’s one of the larger ships. There’s sloops and caravels, one can travel into deep water, and one has to stick to the shores. You can also name your ships. When I was walking through Khal, I was amused by the names. The first one I happened to come across:

Big Tity Party Patrol

Yup. That was the name of their massive ship, I kid you not. Ships are made by carpenters, and they take a lot of work. Then agian, everything in Telon takes a lot of work. Before you get started on building an actual ship, you have to do painful quests to learn how to make each portion of the ship. This includes learning hull sections, rudder, planks in general, deck stations, spoke, helm, deck, mast pole, mast mount, getting rigging and sails, and learning mast assembly, then also doing a continental quest to learn one of the three styles of sloops. Oh joy hmms?

After all that comes the materials for a real boat. For a real sloop for example, you need:

  • 176 Dry Timber
    5 Arid Timber
    24 Iron Ore:
    5 Box of Fasteners (3 iron ore each)(15 iron ore total)
    2 iron bindings (1 iron ore each)(2 iron ore total)
    1 Mast Mount (8 iron ore each)(8 iron ore total)
    4 Rotwort Ship Paste (can be bought from any shipwright)
    1 Ship Paint (many different choices, buy from any shipwright)
    34 Firegrass Bales:
    1 Small Thestran Sail(10 firegrass bales)(10 firegrass bales total)
    1 Small Mast Rigging(8 firegrass ropes, 3 firegrass per rope)(24 firegrass bales total)

That’s for the small boat. No wonder people take such pride in their crafted dinghies. For the caravel it’s not much better. You need to learn a general quest proving your worth to make these monsters, then learn the hull, the rudder, learn how to make a caia figurehead, deck stations, spoke, helm, deck, mast pole, getting a mast pole, rigging and sails, mast assembly, and then a quest over all to learn how to make a continental caravel. The supplies needed for that one?

  • 307 Knotted Timber(307 Knotted Planks)
    5 Warped Timber(3 rare select spokes)(2 rare select planks)
    46 pyrite ore
    1 mast mount(12 pyrite ore per mast mount)
    4 Pyrite bindings (1 pyrite ore each)
    10 Pyrite Fasteners (3 pyrite ore each)
    6 Lotus Ship Paste
    51 silkbloom
    1 Medium Thestran Sail(15 silkbloom each)
    1 Medium Thestran Rigging(36 silkbloom each)(12 silkbloom ropes each)(3 silkbloom each rope)

When things only stack up to 20, and you need 307 of something, that’s a lot of space taken up with crafting stuff. Granted you do have a full sized bank on each continent, and I suppose that’s what alts are for in Vanguard, but still, that’s a lot of stuff to stash away some place. Kudos to those people out there who go down the ship building path, I have a small understanding of how much work must have went into the blasted thing.

Graphic wise the ships differ by make and model, colour and continent. I love that about Vanguard, everything is fairly unqiue to some certain degree. More so then EQII at least where everyone ends up looking like cardboard cut outs of one another. Apparently in time galleons will be added to the game, which people seem excited about.

As I gated home (since you can only purchase one house per account, each one of your alts will get the “call home” recall button) I noticed.. half my neighbours were missing and their plots are now for sale. My plot is located fairly close to the Vulmane starting town, one chunk away actually which is fairly covenant for me. I used to have neighbours with fairly well built houses on either side of me in my little section, and now their houses are gone and the plots are for sale. That’s what happens when your rent expires, your stuff will go to escrow for you to claim at a later date if you return, but in the mean time you can loose your plot if someone else decides to buy the land while you’ve not paid your rent. I stuck a couple of gold (rent is 25s a week) into the rent section of my house so that this (hopefully) won’t happen to me. Not that I’ve made any more progress on my home. I need to get my artificer to level 35 or so in order to start proper construction, and I haven’t checked out the prices on broker lately to see what the base materials cost any more *note to self, do that today*. Valentines day items are coming to Vanguard on Tuesday apparently, and I have to admit the house items look pretty interesting. I still love the way Vanguard’s housing is set up, so that you feel like you own an actual piece of the game, no zones at all, you just walk along adventuring and stumble across someone’s house (which is typically locked to random strangers, boo, how can I explore their decorating that way?!) not to mention the ability to put chests in your house and fill those chests with items that you don’t feel like dragging along with you. Anyhow, enough of my rambling, safe travels where ever you game, be it Norrath, Azeroth, Telon, or some other pixel world.

Today I’m off to Winterlude, depending on the snow in town, a winter festival that’s a lot of fun with a lot of ice sculptures. Hopefully I’ll get some nice pictures!