Ding! 49 Artificer #VGD #Vanguard

It took a long time, almost three years in fact, but I’ve finally made it to level 49 artificer. One more level and I’ll be at the old cap of 50, five more to go after that and I’ll be at the current cap of 55. I’m excited about it although to be honest I know so little about any of the 50-55 content I’m not even sure if I get any new recipes (if memory serves, I don’t, but things will be easier to make). Leveling a craft in Vanguard is unlike any other game I’ve played before, except maybe Wurm. It takes a LOT of time, and it’s not a mad rush with a timer game which I enjoy because it gives me the ability to AFK during the craft process.

Artificers (at least the branch I’m down, remember there is mineralogist and carpenter) make jewelry, along with stone weapons (mauls), and house components (bricks, planks, and shingles). I’ve been saving up my silver tokens so I can buy upgrade recipes, I’ve got a few of the lower level ones but haven’t gotten any more for a while (mostly because I wasn’t working on my crafting. It makes it difficult to get crafting sigils if you’re not actually crafting).

The shaman has managed to inch her way to level 37, which means ONE more level and it will be time for a whole collection of new spells. I’m excited about that. Sadly, this is where the level ‘grind’ comes into play. I find it very hard to get from 35-42 or so. Once you’re past those levels it seems easier, and before those levels there’s lots to do. It could also just be that I don’t have the faintest idea where I should be leveling, these days I spend my time in Bernadid Hills killing undead.

I do have other crafters and it’s important that I level them up so that I can upgrade my items with their components. In Vanguard crafters are still required to work together, using bits and pieces from one another. My jewelry components are upgraded with pieces of rare metals, and cloth. My weaponsmith is closest, at level 31, and my Leatherworker is currently 22. One of those (or both) will be next on the list I suppose.

I hope everyone had an incredible weekend, no matter where you found yourself! As always, happy gaming.

 

Playing the Skill Point Game #EVEOnline

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the way that skills work in EVE. In more ‘tradtional’ MMOs (ie: most themepark) I would log in to ‘grind’ skills or levels. I’d work on tasks that would better my character. In EVE there’s no way of doing this. Your skills come from books that you add to a queue, and automatically learn in a number of hours/days/months while you’re in game or not. You’re only limited by the amount of time required to fully learn a skill, and the price of the skill book. That means the ‘main’ thing to work on is gaining ISK so you can afford those books / ships / etc. How you decide to earn your ISK is completely up to you.

Above is my current ‘planned’ queue of skills. It will take around 49 days to learn them all. This is the Dominix fit I’ve planned out on Battleclinic, and then I’ve uploaded the skills I need for that fit. It’s drone heavy (obviously, almost everything I have left to train is drones) since that’s how I enjoy playing. I love sending my drones out into combat while I hang back and blast things from range or tank the heavier hits while they do the bulk of the damage. Picking a fit for your ship is unique to the type of gameplay you enjoy so be sure to spend a lot of time browsing fits. You don’t have to go with what everyone else dictates is the best, either. You should always focus on how YOU enjoy playing. The dominix makes a great drone ship, although I’d like to upgrade it eventually. Since the only real combat I do is for missions, I’ve never been that focused on my PvE combat ship.

One thing I wish were a little easier to do in game is probing. Normally Kasul would scan sites and then drop off the mining locations for me because I’m just not good at it. He’s moved on, so I’m left to figure out probing for myself. It’s not THAT difficult, I’ve watched videos on how to do it and I’ve even managed to scan down a few sites myself. It’s just that I’m not very good at it, and I prefer to spend my time in game doing things that I’m good at and that I enjoy. Problem is I enjoy mining (I know, how wrong of me) and if I spend my time mining just the regular asteroid belts, that can become a chore. I really enjoy the excitement that the other sites bring, especially if there are rats around. So, a large portion of my time in-game must be spend dedicated to learning the finer arts of probing. That sounds completely wrong.

How do you enjoy spending your time in-game? Let me know in comments! As always, happy gaming no matter where you are.

 

Lets Talk ProSiebenSat.1 #EQ2 #SOE

(Comic is curtsy of @CheesePirate, and was censored from the EQ2 forums) I was really hoping I wouldn’t have to speak up on my blog about this situation, because I dislike posting negativity, and it’s rare that I do. However. I’m also not one to just sit down and let things pass by when I feel that there is something that can be done. For those who are unaware, here is the situation:

– SOE announced a deal with a company called ProSiebenSat.1 that would affect eight Europe-based SOE games. With this deal comes region locking. US players will no longer be able to access EU servers and those EU players who currently have US characters will be grandfathered in, but not future EU players. This deal carries over into future SOE titles, like EQNext, and PlanetSide 2 (for me personally, it means I can no longer access my Splitpaw characters. There’s a huge list of other consequences here).

– ProSiebenSat.1 are known for their shoddy customer service, and they’re also known for publishing the personal details of customers which is in violation of EU and German privacy laws.

– MANY people spoke up on the forums about this situation, and were banned for “excessive negativity”.

– Feedback was requested, but the deal has already gone through (6 weeks ago).

– A player even called ProSiebenSat.1 to try to get some answers since SOE has been very reluctant to say anything on the matter. They (ProSiebenSat.1) said “EU Customers will regret being considered US customers” because of all the events and marketplace items they have planned for the EU servers. In fact, it looks like the EU servers will have absolutely nothing in common with the US servers once this deal is implemented in full.

 

Perhaps things are not all doom and gloom, and this deal really is a GOOD thing. I fail to see it, personally. Region locks are NEVER a good thing, especially from my perspective where I play EU hours and live in Canada. In a day where games like Rift are trying so hard to allow players to stay together (free weekly server transfers, no region locking) it seems outrageous. It’s especially bad for games that have already been established. Put yourself in the position of the US military personnel who has been gaming on a EU server and now that they’re finally home, are unable to play with their friends because they must move to a US server, no longer having access. One of the major reasons any of us play these games are to be able to play with our friends, no matter where they’re from. To be able to meet people from all over the world, form bonds and learn from one another. Restrictions such as these do nothing but separate players, and having (what sounds like) completely different rule sets on US/EU servers makes me wonder  for the future of our EU friends.

It has been said time and time again – companies listen to nothing but MONEY. If you disagree with this and the future of SOE games, PLEASE consider cancelling your accounts. SPEAK with your wallets. That is the ONE sure way to get your opinion across in a way that will make the higher ups listen.

(As a side note, I hold no blame to the community team of SOE nor the developers, I know this decision was not something that they personally made, but came from higher ups). 

Building a Keep #WurmOnline

With a little creativity in WurmOnline, players can create some interesting structures. My primary deed is a country cottage. There’s cobblestone paths, a little beach, a waterfront that’s got some trees and very little “build up” on the area. I have rows of gardens and fruit trees, and I’ve planted a lot of maple on the deed because they look fantastic. A little stone pen at the back for some horses and dogs that I’m currently breeding. In other words, the area isn’t that fancy and that’s quite intentional.

My neighbour to the East has decided to move on from Wurm, and they’ve left me their deed. I picked up the papers with Stargrace (my alt) and now own a property called “Fippy’s Keep” – which fits in well with the EQ1 motif that our little group has going on. The property doesn’t have much to it at the moment, two buildings, and three large fields. Half of a stone wall was built when I acquired it and I’ve decided to carry on with the idea that it will eventually become a keep. Yesterday I managed to complete one of the walls entirely, which took a lot of bricks. Trees, too. There are six gates to the deed, four of them face west (two of those lead to animal pens) one to the south, and one east.

Eventually I’d like to surround the entire deed with these walls, and from there continue to build inside. I haven’t quite decided how I want to go about this yet, the deed is an odd size, 13 by 41. The number of stone bricks that would take to cover the entire deed would be a huge amount. Each wall takes 20 bricks and there’s always a lot of failures. So I haven’t quite decided what I want to actually DO with the deed yet but at least I have some rough ideas.

I’ll be sure to keep posting my progress here, I’m anxious to see how it turns out!

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

How To Make Money in WurmOnline #WurmOnline

The number one question I hear throughout any given day (besides how do I make a mallet)  is ‘how do I make money’. There’s only one get rich quick answer and that’s to buy your coins from the shop. Every other method of making money in WurmOnline requires skills, patience, or a lot of time. Still, there are ways so I thought I’d write about them.

1. Purchase in-game currency from the shop. The prices are reasonable and honestly if you’re going to go with a premium subscription (which I suggest) you could pay $10 EU a month, and have 5 silver every month to spend. Personally speaking, this is what I do for each of my accounts. I’ll be blunt, aside from my deed upkeep (1s 40c a month) I don’t have much need to purchase anything else. I spend the extra money to help support the economy in-game, I think it’s an important thing to do.

2. Advertise that you’re looking for work. This is (imo) the second easiest way to make money in Wurm. You need to advertise though. You can post on the forums that you’re currently looking for work, talk in kchat (also known as Freedom, if the tab is closed just /shout). There are typically people looking to hire. The tasks will be incredibly boring, it will be things like making bricks, and loading frying pans. If you’re lucky they’ll offer you a comfortable place on their deed for you to stay, maybe even some meals and or tools depending on what you’re going to be doing.

3. Sell high QL items to other players. This method of making money takes a LOT of work. You need to have high skills, maybe even a priest so you can enchant items. You’ll need to have an established deed or at least access to one. You’ll need to have a premium account so you can imp (improve) items. However, once you’ve reached this point it can be VERY rewarding. Players are always looking for things like tools, rope, boats, meditation rugs, armor, weapons, and other fancy items. Again advertising on the forums and in channels would give you a better audience, loading a merchant up within easy access is also important.

4. Sell in bulk. This one is a bit tricky. Players are almost always looking to buy dirt. Most want it transported to their deed and pay a handsome amount for it. You’ll need a boat to transport (in most cases) or at least a cart, and a lot of dirt. People who are making islands or doing a lot of terraforming are always interested in this. Again it’s about advertising and PATIENCE. Just because someone doesn’t snap up your offer the second you make it, doesn’t mean there’s no interest.

5. Purchase a trader (50 silver) and work the market. This method is the most complicated and one I wouldn’t attempt unless you’re ready to really get invested in the game. You’ll need a trader (note, this is different from a merchant) and you’ll need to keep them stocked with items that you sell as well as purchase from them in order to give them a good selling ratio. When the king gives out his funds your trader will acquire some, you sell items back to him for coin and ta da, money. Except it’s really not as simple as that. Number one if the trader is public others can use him and obtain any coin he has. Number two it’s really a math game, keeping his sell ratio up so he receives a generous cut. It’s time consuming, and you really ought to know what you’re doing. Plus there’s the fact that it costs 50 silver to purchase, and that’s not exactly chump change.

There are of course other ways to make money in-game, creative ways that you can think of to take advantage of. Why not offer your services as a home decorator, or a deed constructor. Why not purchase old deeds and fix them up then re-sell them for a bit of profit. In WurmOnline time = money, and the more time you invest, the greater the profit.

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