Mystic Worlds

Update on Account

Since I hadn't heard anything, I opened a GM ticket today to ask if the account can be used or must it stay idle while awaiting investigation.  My concern was that the current queue seems to be 3-4 weeks before an investigation is even started.  Combined with the 5-10 days of the investigation itself, that's quite a bit of time.  I think it's great that Blizzard is even handling these issues so I'm not complaining.  However, there is no promise of restoration so if someone wants to rebuild their account, you could get a lot done in 4-6 weeks versus twiddling your thumbs.  Rather than see me just throw in the towel completely, my son offered to grind some honor to replace her gear.

The GM said that if the account was in my possession - not always the case in these situations, it would be fine to work on replacing whatever I could.  Again, I was cautioned there were no guarantees of anything being done but I would be contacted one way or the other.  That didn't leave me feeling warm and fuzzy but oh well, it's not like it's their fault.

A few hours later I got an email saying that because of the recent increase in account theft, the investigation team was backlogged.  Net-net they suggested I go about my business and just make sure that I had enough space in the bank and my bags to receive back the stolen items.  If my bags were stolen they would be restored along with the other items.  Given that I was left with nothing, I have no issues with bank space.

No time line.  No promises.  I'll be contacted either way.  Life moves on.

My 2006 Game Year

The Lows
I had some things planned to head up the list of lows in my 2006 gaming year.  Unfortunately, some kind hacker beat anything I was planning, by breaking into my account and obliterating my characters.  This all came about when I logged in late Christmas Eve.  My nephew’s parents got him a computer for Christmas so I wanted to find out where his highest character was on our accounts and have it transferred to the account they’d activated from him to go with the PC.  Imagine my shock when I eventually got on my account and saw my toons were naked on the character selection screen. 

When I first had trouble signing on, I thought that I had somehow forgotten the password and was only mildly concerned when I had to use the forgotten password feature.  It had been several weeks since I’d been on WOW and have so many different passwords – games, work, bank accounts, etc.  I figured that I’d just didn’t remember which one I had assigned to the account last. 

My heart sank and any air I had left in my WOW sails quickly deflated.  I know that at least two weeks ago everything was in tact when my son hopped on my priest for a little while.  It’s a horrible feeling to see your toons completely stripped of all valuables – epic armor, weapons, banks contents (months of enchanting comps, herbs, nexus crystals, flasks), and every single bag.  Everything that you've worked so hard for and spent massive amounts of time accumulating DE'd and golded by some stranger.  It may be just a game, but you totally feel violated.  Blizzard is looking into the situation and “may” be able to restore aspects of the account.  Reality for me becomes, if I lose those possessions, I’m out.  I have zero intention of rebuilding those toons so, it will be a permanent adios for me.  I mean damn, they left me barefoot!  Since nothing else that happened in the year can even come close to this little holiday surprise, that finishes my lows of 2006.

The Highs
Finishing my NE Priest is definitely among the best things I did in games in 2006.  It was a long journey.  I put her aside many times because of guild raiding requirements until I finally decided my game my way, and left to play my priest full time.  I enjoyed leveling her and engaged in PVP on a serious level for the first time in WOW.  All of my characters have been on high population PVP servers and I've never run from a fight.  However, it wasn't until my priest that I engaged in the organized PVP and set my sights on some PVP gear.  I ended my journey at rank 6.  I'd have gone further if Blizzard had been more forthcoming about when honor would be wiped but whatever.  All in all, I'm proud to have slugged out the grind - visiting regions I'd previous skipped and PUG'g a priest to 60.

Stepping outside the box and trying EVE Online is another high point.  I had fun the entire time and learned that I can try, and enjoy, games that aren’t high fantasy.  However, I do require an avatar and a virtual world on which I can interact with the environment and other players. 

Heading back to EQII for the EOF expansion was a breath of fresh air.  All the things I originally liked about the game where there but had been improved.  Some of the things I didn’t like had also been redesigned.  Flying around as a Fae during my WOW hiatus was lots of fun.  Yet there was still something elusive missing from EQ2, so I’ll be moving on in 2007.  It's a good enough game that my account will remain active.

I’ve been very pleased with my blog overall in 2007.  I have some great readers whose comments and participation here I really enjoy.  I hope to continue to bring interesting reads and rants in 2007.  In a same vein of sharing my MMO experiences, doing a little segment on Virgin Worlds was a blast and totally makes the list of my high points in 2007 gaming.

The Future
I will definitely be taking a spin on Vanguard.  And my recent self revelation that in addition to immersion I also need that oomph, I’m going to reconsider some other games that I’d written off as not my thing.  Age of Conan will now be a possibility, as is Warhammer Online.  Not sure if either will have the detailed content, quest lines and crafting that I enjoy, but I’m sure both will have a little punch to them.

As far as goals go, I’d like to join a guild in WOW.  It’s time to take the plunge again, that is, if my account gets restored.  I also want to beef up the content here – a little more information with a little less whine.  I’m sick of bitching about WOW.  It’s time to play it or shelve it.  I plan on choosing one gaming conference to attend in the new year, as well as visit with Brent for some live segments on Virgin Worlds.

/e Raises glass.  Here’s hoping that we all have more highs and fewer gaming lows in 2007.

AFK for the Holiday

I'm mostly over my horrible cold.  Thanks for the well wishes.  Kinda sucks getting sick this close to the holiday. Having my energy completely sapped for two weeks, I'm further behind than usual on getting ready for Christmas.  No time for games until all presents are gotten and wrapped.  *Sigh* I hate shopping. 

I bid you all happy holidays.  Be safe and merry.  Posts are likely to be non existent or at the very least, light until after next week.

Dear Blizzard, I Hate You!

I hate you and World of Warcraft.  I hate how much I loved the game from 1 to 59 only be to slapped in the face by your end-game brick wall.  I hate that you didn’t know what to do with PVP and ruined the little in-world conflict that existed by opening too many battlegrounds.  I despise the honor system you put in to let people hang themselves on, realized it was a horrific unsustainable nightmare and changed it all by pulling the rug out from under players’ feet.  I hate that you didn’t have the foresight to realize that the majority of your players wouldn’t be able to sustain the type of commitment needed to raid, and spent so much time and content development resources designing dungeons that only a fraction of the player-base would ever experience.  I hate that the answer to addressing the imbalance in the game between the casual and hardcore players is the big ole reset button about to hit in The Burning Crusade.

I hate that you're arrogant and tell us, your paying customers, that you’ll release the game when it’s ready.  I hate that you decided to dribble out some of the changes which is causing additional imbalance to some of the classes, and that the only class of mine I’m even remotely interested in playing, appears to be dead on arrival.  I hate that even when I’m not playing I still visit the forums only to get riled up over something else you’ve done to make me hate you even more. 

I hate that I miss the rush, the fever, burning itch to login and race through Azeroth murdering things on my main.  I hate that I’m over WOW being the highlight of my game time.  I hate that there are other games with features more appealing, yet there’s something not-WOW about them.  I hate that even though I’m playing other games and having fun, something will occur that makes me say, “Damn, I just wish they had this in WOW.”  I hate that I pre-ordered The Burning Crusade even knowing that I’m not likely to play it because controlling the impulse was too hard - like asking a cat not to lick itself. 

I really hate that you put out stuff like this – something so awesome, exciting and hot, that it makes me want to wet myself.  And most of all I hate that if you put out another game I’d try it, even though you piss me off so much.  So to make amends for all the pain you’ve put me through, I’d really appreciate some free tickets to the World of Warcraft movie.  Any news on when it’s releasing???  I need to put in for vacation so I can take the whole day off to celebrate.

Been Sick - No Game Play

I won't have any updates for a few days.  I've been under the weather with a horrible cold.  I was getting sick last week, but this past weekend it really set in.  I spent most of the weekend in bed, semi-conscious, only waking up to take more medicine then drift back off again.

I've been reading my favorite blogs and listening to podcasts.  Shame on you podcasters that didn't release a new show.  I really needed the diversion.  I had some really good tips for making money in EQ2 that I wanted to share.  Hopefully, I'll feel up to getting the information together this coming weekend.  I also wanted to host a little Fae holiday party in game with some games and gifts.  We'll see how this week comes together as I try to catch up on work while not feeling so hot.

Missing the God Factor

I’ve been thinking about this off and on for the past week or so.  There’s something missing from EQ2 that WOW has nailed, and I have a feeling about what it is, but it’s really hard to quantify and explain.  However, it’s such a big thing that I’m going to give it a shot.

I’m now level 26 in EQ2.  As is my habit, I’ve solo’d quite a bit.  But I’ve also done plenty of groups – more than I would have at this level in WOW.  I’ve even been inside my first instance, Varsoon.  It was shortly after completing that content that I felt like I might have an idea about what’s missing in EQ2 play.  Quantifying it is like trying to describe vapor or a wisp of air.  It’s like trying to explain what love or hatred mean – emotions which are common, yet whose meanings vary widely amongst different people.  So for me, I’ll sum it up as, the God factor is absent.  I’ve survived ganking, survived a bad pull while soloing, lived through really bad pulls in groups and downed mini bosses in an instance.  I’ve felled creatures thrice my size, battled mythical beasts and giants in loin cloth, yet there was not a single moment in any of those battles where I felt God-like.

I felt fear, excitement and heightened senses as adrenaline pumped through me.  And when the enemy lay dead at my feet, I felt victorious, yes.  Did I feel God-like? No. I’m starting to believe that the feeling of pure heroism, of feeling like an all powerful being, is a big part of what Blizzard got very right.  By the time your level 25 in WOW for Alliance, you’ve done Dead Mines and squared off with Van Cleef, run Stockades and possibly Gnomer.  You’ve had to use tactical coordination and strategy to kill the bosses inside these instances and when you’re done, you feel powerful.  What I’ve done so far in EQ2 feels more like trash mob clearing than anything heroic.

Ironic Patch Name - Before the Storm

The much anticipated 2.0.1 Patch was released this past Tuesday on World of Warcraft.  I find it very ironic that it’s named, Before the Storm.  Given that this patch caused quite a few problems for players, if it’s any barometer for what the expansion update is going to be like, you can certainly expect a storm when trying to update to Burning Crusade.

I’m still on hiatus but needed to help get all the computers in our house patched.  The downloading of the patch itself went smoothly enough.  I waited until around midnight to get the three PC downloading.  We all knew that the mods would be broken so that’s no surprise.  However, there were some surprises that players weren’t happy with.  Lots of extended downtimes, bugged Battlegrounds, changes in spell animations and the absence of the Arenas, just to name a few.  The disruption was enough that Blizzard is actually crediting players for a day’s worth of game time.

My son was looking forward to respec’g his Paladin to Retribution.  Unfortunately, he realized while trying it out, that he doesn’t have the damage armor to play that spec given that he’s been healing in raids.  I browsed the Priest forums which are up-in-arms over the changes.  Nothing new there, we were upset when the talents and spells were announced and people have been complaining every since.  Only difference now is that they’ve had a chance to see just how much it sucks.  There are rants about being 1 or 2 shot’d, constant dispelling of the new talents, and being at the mercy of Warlocks and Hunters.  Don’t guess I’ll be bothering with my Priest if I come back for BC.

Disappointed with the Pally and not at all interested in his Hunter, my son is my Warlock.    He’s tried Unstable Affliction spec and Shadow Fury in world PVP and BGs.  He decided to stick with the later and claims to be pwning face all over Azeroth.  He’s a hell of a PVPer so if they’ve unbalanced the game even more in favor of Warlocks, I’m sure he’s leaving piles of corpses in his wake.  So no, the priests aren’t lying.  He said that he’s smacking people down like flies.   The talents and spells themselves may not look overpowered on paper, I think it’s when you combine them with the +damage gear and trinkets that some players are using, that things are really getting tipped.

Given the current madness – server issues, mod issues and bugs, I’ll stick with my decision to sit this one out.  When I do go back for a test spin I’ll try the Holy Warrior spec I planned for my priest but am not expecting much.  I’m completely uninspired now by the Priest’s Shadow Spec.  I mean why bother being a priest in a form that can’t heal?  If I want to do shadow damage I can be a Warlock who does damage that priests dare not dream of.

Photo Album Friday

Welcome the first Photo Album Friday on Mystic Worlds.  This week the album is very short since it wasn't really planned.  However, the images are too nice not to share.  I hope you enjoy this new lighted hearted fun to close out the business week.

Along the Shore of Butcherblock Mountains

I love the beach along Butcherblock Mountains.  There are a couple of quest-givers tucked up in the rocks which provide very easy collection quests that can be completed right on the beach.  Across the harbor there are some huts with level 28+ mobs, which I assume are for quests as well.  I still wish this was a player city of some sort.  It’s just much to pretty to have as an area in which you’ll quickly complete the quests available and then move on, never coming back to visit except to race through on your way to the ships.  Here are a few additional pictures from the area, the last of which as become my desktop background.  *Smile*

Enter Photo Gallery

Warhammer Online – Too Little Too Late?

The official trailer video is A-mazing!  But we all know how that goes.  The game-play won’t look quite like what you’re seeing there.  Still the images of actual game footage is impressive.  However, I’m not seeing any of the gamers whose sites I visit talking about trying out WAR.  For me personally, and don’t kill me if you feel differently, I’m seeing a little too much WOW in the game, so I don’t feel the need to have it on my radar.  It will be all new content but I still have that “been there done that” feeling whenever I think of WAR.  It will have to release and people shout from the rooftops that it’s the best thing since sliced bread for me to consider it at this juncture.

Thinking back to Darniaq’s post, I’m not a gamer looking for a game.  I’m looking to create and live a different persona in a virtual fantasy world.  Clawing to the top of the hill and finding that I have no where else to go but down, isn’t my idea of fun.  Nor is re-rolling multiple toons or going on the never-ending quest for phat loot.  I’ve evolved as a virtual world citizen and am much clearer about what I want in my next MMORPG.  As a result, I’ll be more judicious about who gets my money and time in the future.  From where I sit at the moment, WAR won’t be on the menu.

Did a Segment on VirginWorlds Podcast

Brent over at VirginWorlds asked me to do some occassional segments and join him from time to time on his outstanding podcast.  This week's podcast includes a segment from me discussing my impressions of the EQ2 expansion, Echoes of Faydwer.  Stop by and give it a listen.  It's on show # 42.

I was suffering from allergies the day I recorded so be kind. :-)  It's a bit unnerving to hear yourself in a recording the first time.  I had fun doing it and hope to join Brent live at some point.  If you don't already visit VirginWorlds and listen to these podcasts, you're missing one of the best shows on MMORPGs