A Pixel Nomad

Nothing to do with Gaming

Every so often I make a post that has nothing at all to do with gaming, and today is one of those days. Sorry!

My condo informed me that because I have new carpets, I wouldn’t be able to get a cat or a dog. This was a pretty big deal to me. I’m a huge animal person and because I work from home and spend a lot of time here, it’s important that I feel comfortable. After some research I decided since I couldn’t have a cat or dog I would look into getting a guinea pig. A friend of mine mentioned that guinea pigs get a bad rap because people tend to buy them for their kids – but they’re actually very nice pets for adults, with distinctive personalities.

Pictured above is Chewbacca, also known as Chewy. She’s the newest little family member and she’s incredibly cute. Right now she’s a bit scared and still getting used to her new home, but she’s in a much better place than she was, and I’m really happy. She has been getting used to the sound of my voice, and I have managed to lure her out with fresh carrots, which she enjoys a HUGE amount. She also managed to find a wooden toy that I put in her cage for gnawing, and while I haven’t actually heard her make any sounds yet besides one chuff, I’m sure she’ll become more vocal with time.

I’ve always grown up with pets around. I had a hamster growing up, cats, dogs, fish, birds, and I really think they add a lot to a household. Today I’m going back to pick up a cage mate for little Chewy, I want her to be as happy and comfortable as possible and I know that guinea pigs are herd animals so this will certainly be in her best interest.

That being said, I did manage to get a bit of gaming done before I went out – and my adventures in MStar Online will be posted some time tomorrow! As always, happy gaming!

Character Combinations

Since most of my time in EverQuest 2 is spent boxing two accounts, one of the things I tend to do is try to come up with combinations of characters to play together. Some combinations work better than others and of course now that there are mercenaries in game the combinations are much more flexible than they once were. My main ‘go to’ combination has been my swashbuckler (main account) and fury (boxed account). I some times alternate with the shadowknight from my main account, but my swashbuckler (for the most part) is able to do just fine.

I also have a tank (or two) on the second account so that I can play it alongside a healer from my main account. I haven’t done that in a while, but my typical combinations include the paladin (boxed account) with my defiler (main account). Then I also have a bunch of support classes for when I want to play with friends and we already have a healer / tank. Again, since there are mercenaries these days it doesn’t really matter WHAT people are playing, but I like to have a healthy selection available.

I still have two characters who are not 95 on my main account (they include a warden and a ranger) so I may work on getting them there before the expansion comes out in November. I’m not exactly in a rush, but it’s nice to feel ‘completed’. I do also have a handful of characters that could use some love on the boxed account, but like most alts, they’re not a priority.

If you box what combination of characters do you usually use? Is it because you’re most comfortable playing those classes or because you think they work well together or perhaps some other reason? I always love hearing back from people who box, I know there used to be quite a few of us but I think with the release of mercenary that number may have dwindled some.

In any case, let me know in comments! As always, happy gaming no matter where you find yourself.

Counting Down Till Sims 4

As we get closer and closer to September 2nd I get more excited. I’ve been watching some videos for the game which have included a bunch of Let’s Play created by the Sims team and they are just awesome. The game includes classic cheats like #motherlode to grant your family more money and while I haven’t played with cheats in Sims 3 for quite some time (legacy family rules discourage it) I might look into it for Sims 4 so that I can play with all the pretty bits and bobs. I can’t wait to see what everyone creates, and what sort of houses will be out there. I’m also excited to see how Sims interact and what their stories will be like.

It has been a little while since I’ve gotten this excited about a game coming out, and I know, there are lots of people who say hype is a bad thing and that we should refrain from building up our expectations – but honestly, I say build up the hype. Get excited. Smile, laugh, and giggle.

Have you been planing out what you’re going to create? Have any ideas on what sort of house you want to see your Sims living in? I think my first house will be a country-esc type house, maybe with a wide porch. Side note as I’m watching this video, you can add foundation after the fact, and I am so excited about that. I love that there are different heights for the walls, that not everything is a square, and a LOT of other awesome things that are built into the tools (this is from the video that’s linked above, it was released two days ago).

Have I mentioned I’m excited? Just once or twice? Well, I am. SO EXCITED.

Bring on the Sims 4..

Unlocking Sims 4 Rewards

I continue to play my legacy family in the Sims 3, despite the fact that the family has lost their dog (and I placed their horse up for adoption). Tristan is growing up happy and healthy, and because of a great upbringing he has managed to earn himself the good, genius, and computer whiz traits. Even though he’s still a youth I sent him off to learn about inventing, and I think he may even go to university at this rate.

Of course his father, M.D. Little, may not live to see him get that far in life if the screenshot above is any indication. He has taken a liking to playing with fire, while the maid runs in to save him from the flames.

I saw on a Sims 3 banner that you can unlock rewards in Sims 4 based on the expansions you own in Sims 3. Pretty awesome and of course I had to look into it and see what I qualified for. I am so very excited about Sims 4. That’s probably why I have been spending so much time in Sims 3 lately. I’m hoping they have enough generic content from the get-go to keep me interested, it has been ages since I’ve played a ‘basic’ sims game without all of the expansions, and I’m wondering how much I will miss things like pets and vacations. I suppose we’ll just have to see!

The Ultimate
Freezer Bunny Award

Your adventures in The Sims 3 have earned you the grandest of all reward statues: Llama, the Freezer Bunny, and Plumbob. Who could ask for more?

As if it wasn’t Monday Enough..

See that black rock over by my pond that’s frozen over as a skating rink in the sims 3? It’s a giant meteor that fell from the sky, and landed in my families back yard. See that giant ball of flame on the far left hand side? That.. is my family dog.

It was as though the universe was trying to tell me “Hey look, it’s Monday. Have another reason not to like Monday’s.” – it’s also probably the funniest thing I have ever seen in game. My legacy sim (Jessica Little) was out minding her own business, skating around the pond when she looked up to the sky and BAM a giant rock fell and landed on Mr. Boots Little.

I spent the entire afternoon playing Sims 3 once my chores were done (remember, I work night shift) and it was a blast. I revamped the entire legacy house a few times (keeping on the same lot, of course) and the family is doing well. Little Tristan is a youth now, Daisy was given up for adoption (that’s the horse) and Lilia the kitty is aging gracefully though I still find her in the toilet. Often.

Although the family lost Mr. Boots, they did gain a giant meteor that sold for $27,000 and that greatly improved the quality of life for the Little family. Tristan was able to grow up in a nurturing household, and M.D. Little has aged to elder and should be kicking off any day now. Not that I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that, of course not, it would be cruel.

I’m hoping to get a few more generations of my legacy family all grown up before Sims 4 comes out and I lose all interest (I doubt I’ll lose ALL interest, after all I have so many expansions and addons for Sims 3..) but we’ll just have to see how it goes. All in all, it was a lovely break away from ‘real’ people, and I’m continuously surprised by the little details that I have still never seen each time I play (like that meteor.. never seen that before in any of my games).

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