VG – Page 28 – A Pixel Nomad

Scavenger Hunt Success

Yesterday was ‘the day’. I had prepared for weeks for this event. 13 people showed up (12 partook in the actual hunt) and hopefully everyone had a blast. I of course was nervous. Very dang nervous. I’d never run a guild event before, let alone one in Vanguard. I had visions of no one even showing up. A huge thank you to those who did. I gave out the list of items I required, as well as a list of questions to be answered. The hunt was two parts, so that everyone could feel included, no matter if they were a crafter, adventurer, or diplomat.

I had everyone form into teams, by a random rolling of dice. They worked out fairly well. Less known members were teamed with officers and guild mates by chance rather then me organizing it that way. The winners (everyone was a winner in the end) walked away with 1 plat each. There was actually a tie, so I gave away more money then I’d have hoped, but my account is closed on the 9th and I’ve honestly no need for it. First place tie was between Herger / Growlius, and Siddiqah / Sevrance. Had I been thinking clearer I’d have had the teams come up with team names real fast. Oh well, future event maybe.

The rest of the teams came in as follows:

Aedilwulf / Cyrcle
Lanatra / Esspee
Gozad / Sky
Zindan / Joodah

I gave away sloops, armor pieces, horseshoes, money, jewelery, rare and ultra rare crafting supplies, crafting gear, and whatever else I had kicking around. The guild has been fantastic to be a part of, and I’m glad I made so many friendships as I did. Herger did stop and ask me after the event if it meant I was returning to Vanguard, to which I sadly replied no. I just honestly don’t have the time that I think Vanguard requires in order to actually get any where within the game. Plus as amazing as it is, it’s still got so many quirks and bugs, that I just couldn’t warrant paying for it any more.

Anyhow. A good time was had by all, and again a huge thank you to all those who participated. Hopefully my brief time as officer is remembered, and more people will pick up on running guild events (once a month is perfect for folks, so they don’t feel overwhelmed) that can encompass the entire guild. I really did have a lot of fun (even if by the end I was drained and tired, it was such a long day I ended up going to bed before 10, which is just weird on a Saturday).

We all started as Newbs

Something to keep in mind as you play in any realm, is that we ALL started as new players at one point or another, and if you’ve played one or more mmo’s in the past, you have an advantage over other players who maybe are delving into it for the first time. When I hear the questions some people ask on channels, I often wonder ‘how the heck can they NOT know that!’ – and then I catch myself, and remember how long it took me to get to level 10 when EQ2 released. It took three days.

There’s a few things every new player typically does. Look at their UI, see if there’s a way to arrange it to the way they like it, and I, personally, look for the key bindings, right away. I switch everything over to ‘the eq2’ format. I use tilde for auto attack, and remove it from my hot bar. I look for the screen shot button (you’d think it’s always print screen, but no, in Vanguard it’s F11) and I look for the basics. The inventory window, how to open bags, binding all my bags to one key, looking for lights if any are used, and any other weird keys I may not be used to.

I have very little patience with people, and explaining to someone where these ‘newb’ features are, frustrates me. I take a deep breath and remind myself that not everyone has been playing since release. That to some this is their first mmo (whatever game it may be, there are newbs wandering around everywhere) and that maybe if I could develop a little patience, and explain things a little nicer (WTF how did you get to level 80 and NOT know that you have to turn counter clockwise 12 times and click your heels in order to gate home?!) they may stick around, and in turn help someone else out. Setting an example to a fellow gamer is a huge deal, and sets the pace for the over all feeling of the game.

So when you’re wandering around, and you stumble into that person decked out in ‘green’ gear of shoddy quality. Remember. You were there once too. Even if it wasn’t for long.

My Cake is not a Lie

Boston Cream cake, it may not look like the fanciest cake out there, but it was delicious.

So, last night I asked to be demoted from officer in my guild. Nothing overly big, but I’m just feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities. We’ve had approx. 25 new recruits in the last three weeks, and I’ve tagged at least 90% of those people. I feel as though as an officer it’s my job to not only make sure new players feel welcome, but that they’re settled in the guild and game in general. I craft constantly for guild members (for no charge) and it’s slightly frustrating when the first thing a new recruit asks (who I’ve never even heard of before mind you) is for me to make them 300 bricks right off the bat. I admit now, I have a hard time saying no. I understand that no one’s forced me to take on the role to the extent that I have, but I feel as though it’s sort of my duty, if that makes sense.

I do like helping people, I’m not all mean. I do enjoy crafting house items for my fellow guild mates (ones I’ve known for a bit) and helping when I can. However, doing it daily from 6am-10pm is becoming more like a job then a fun game. That’s my reason for stepping down. I don’t mean to belittle the other officers or guild leader, but due to my constant play times, it’s just too much. Hopefully they understand.

Vanguard went down this morning for it’s weekly update, typically it’s Tuesday but last week and this week have been Wednesdays. I’m hoping they fix a few major bugs that are floating around. Since the server came down (well, it actually crashed, an hour before it was supposed to come down) I decided to take a peek into EQ2. I think I scared Calreth half to death when I suddenly showed up in guild. I left over two months ago (not intentionally, I was just going to ‘peek’ into Vanguard and then got swept up in the game) and have missed a few updates. There’s all sorts of crafting recipes now, and a whole lot of house items that I’ve never seen. I think I spend the better part of my EQ2 posts talking about housing and house items, and yet my own carpenter is only level 30. The itch to work on her and level is pretty strong right now. She’s also my 77 coercer, not that far away from 80, though I have no inclination to begin raiding or anything of the sort. The problem is that my characters are (at the moment) split between servers, which is a pain. I had even contemplated deleting some from one server, and starting them anew on the other. That’d be a lot (three years?) of work down the drain though. In the back of my mind I keep hoping SOE offers another free transfer option, or creates some sort of “move all your characters from this account” plan. Rather then the $50 each that I’d have to pay right now.

I noticed that fire place flames are now persistent even when no one has been home. Veteran rewards have been awarded by character and not 3 per like it used to be. There are froglok mannequins that I just laughed out loud about. My jeweler is still missing four pieces to her epic, but I’m not sure how easy that is to complete, no one seemed to be talking on the craft channels when I was on. Then again it was pretty early in the day and I wasn’t exactly looking to see who could help me out.

I’ve always been bad at playing more then one game. I like to dedicate myself to one or another fully. I do have station access though, and it seems a shame to be spending $30 a month playing just one of the listed titles. I’ve mentioned time and time again that I leave EQ2 and typically always come back, maybe it’s that time again.

Where’s my mummy..

Telon is huge.

That’s the ever lasting thought in my mind this morning as I play. Last night Growlius and I were doing quests in Cragwind. There happens to be a nice weapon one (which is also the hardest quest I have ever encountered thus far) that was broken. So in went a petition, 5 minutes later along came a GM who updated the quest for us (the first part, don’t get me wrong here they didn’t DO the quest for me). Then they turned both of us into zombie, and went on their way. How.. cute.

The quest requires us to farm 500 metal shards that have a 40% chance or so to drop from Cyclops in Cragwind. The problem is that these mobs are also mixed in with other rock guys who don’t drop the shards. We were up to 30 or so last night after a few hours. Wow, this weapon better be worth it (I already know it’s not, Greystone is better and it’s not that far away level wise).

This morning I hopped onto my psionicist who was restored a few days ago, now that she’s working properly. Did some adventuring around Tsangs Tomb, which I haven’t done in a year. I’ve got to say I still absolutely love the Kojan continent. Once I hit level 16, I was astounded by all of my leveling options. I just never realized how huge Telon is. With the revamp of the riftway system came along rift quests. The rewards are pies that last for an hour, and give you a 10% boost in experience. I have 15+ of these on me now (wish they stacked). They basically send you to areas that are your level range, so that you can figure out where to quest next. Not sure where to go? Stop by a rift, chances are he has a few suggestions.

At level 16, the ones offered to me just off the top of my head (because I’d never heard of most) were Sundering Wastelands, Qa Riverbank, Temple of Dailuk, Three Rivers, Kaon’s Rush, Renton Keep, Veksal’s Exchange, Ksaravi Gulch, and Tauthien Delta. These are just lowbie chunks. I can hardly begin to imagin how large Telon must really be if they offer all these types of areas for every few levels. It’s great. There’s no way leveling up I’d be able to see all of it on one character without either out leveling the content, or turning off my experience, or belonging to an inactive brotherhood. It’s just great to see.

Crafting, well. I’ve been busy with guild orders. Good and bad. I don’t mind crafting for the guild, however, some times I feel as though new members take advantage of the fact that there are high level crafters in their guild. I most certainly do not charge guild mates (aside the cost of materials if they don’t supply them) and making 300 bricks for someone who JUST joined can at times grate on my nerves. Those older members who do craft typically toss a little coin my way, or some supplies in return, which I appreciate and admire. They understand the pain that is ‘vanguard crafting’ (as much as I adore it, it IS still a pain). Recruitment has been steady, we’ve added 3-6 new people every week for the past two months or so. At least there’s sign of growth.

MMO’s.. Playing the Consol way

It was only a matter of time, really. Something I’ve noticed more and more as the days count down to other mmo’s being released. Everyone talks about “the good old days” of EQ1. It’s what a lot of gamers base their experiences off of, and how can they not after the length of time and dedication people put into it. I remember camping for three days straight for some mask my rogue wanted, badly. After I got it I was ecstatic. Pretty sure I still have it, too. I remember the community back then, and the friends I met. I look at everyone else reminiscing and I can say “yeah, I remember”.

So what do I attribute the change in gaming to (and yes, I feel as though there is a significant change in things, such as community)? Easy. It feels like everyone now treats mmo’s like the newest consol game. Where you pick it up, test it out for a little while, play it and get as high as you can as fast as you can, and then drop it for another game when it arrives on the shelves. There used to be a stage where you could not “beat” an mmo. Where you always seemed one step away from ‘finishing’ it. I think people feel differently now. You can ‘finish’ the games.

How many people these days talk about ‘when AOC comes out’ or ‘when WAR is released’ or any other mmo that’s going to be on the market in the next little while (those are just the two major ones that come to mind). My group of friends have already split in so many directions as more and more games come out, and people wander off. EQ1 is not the only option any more, not by a long shot. There are people in SWG, EQ, EQ2, WoW, LoTR, EVE, and beta testing for AOC and WAR that I can name right off the top of my head. We’re pulled in so many directions when it comes to gaming choices. How many people these days are only playing ONE mmo exclusively? Only paying one subscription? Sure, there may be a game you only play ‘some times’ or when you’re bored of your ‘main mmo’. But gaming has very much evolved into a form of consol (NOT in the literal sense of the word remember here) where it’s not unheard of for a large number of people to pick up and move on when another comes out.

Is this a bad thing? Well, no. Options for gamers is always a good thing, however, it does make me sad.

With each ‘diversion’ of friends, with each little splitting of a community, you loose a little friendship. A little piece of what we all had back in EQ1. It’s so easy to let go and forget about that guild you hung out with way back when. Sure, you’ll remember them, events you had and the like. It’s not quite the same though. You also meet new people, a good point. The community has still changed those as I’ve grown older. Could it just be age? I suppose so. I hate to appear jagged over events as I am personally only nearing my 6th year if mmos in general, though I played MUDS for three years before that. My dad used to run a BBS and we had a game called ‘hack ‘n slash’ that was a lot of fun. Then I moved on to ‘redemption’, a mud I played for a long time (and also met my fiancee there). From there we both started playing EQ1, then EQ2, WoW, VG. Now there’s talk of WAR and AOC, when those come out.

I could stay playing where I am. The community around me, however, more then likely will not. I don’t think I actually know anyone who will NOT be playing a different mmo in a years time. I guess I just miss the sense of community that I used to know. NOT that the community now is bad, not in any way. No, I’m just saying it’s different, and some times, I miss the way things used to be.