The New World Open Beta Testing (OBT) has come to a conclusion and it didn’t disappoint. Master Henry still has a shit spawn rate and not enough health for the number of players trying to kill him. He needs to scale. Abandoning the wait to complete this mission blocks you from what I found to be a fun quest series. New in the mix were audio bugs, the magnitude of which were very disorienting in multi combatant fights. You immediately realize how much we use audio cues during engagements. Other than that, I didn't experience any issues.
Even with a couple of bugs I encountered, things went very well. It was definitely gaming-time well spent.
Doing It Again
Even rolling across the same levels as the Closed Beta Testing (CBT), I was excited to play and enjoyed myself. The adventuring went faster this time as there was no fumbling around with different weapons to create a preferred playstyle. I also refrained from trying to level up various trade professions since I’d sampled them all during the CBT.
Additionally, I know now that when you have to loot a certain number of items, it’s a count represented by exactly that many caches. Therefore, you can’t enter the zone and collect them willy-nilly. You must be methodical, tracking which areas you’ve checked or it can be a nightmare of retracing all your steps to get the last one. I wasn’t a fan of only an exact number of caches being available when I experienced it during the CBT. However, knowing how it works now it's fine. It can be much harder to account for everything a night. Yes, unlike most MMOs, New World does a night cycle that is DARK. Understanding how it worked the second time around removed the frustration I felt during my previous romp.
Welcome to my ongoing series discussing Star Citizen by Cloud Imperium Games. This episode's topics include Looting, I've Seen the Light, The Genesis of Space Whales, Limited Fast Travel, and my NightBus Fan Fiction, Pod City The Fallen, Bird Cage.
Show Available on YouTube https://youtu.be/DDkSq7LDcek
The audio-only version is available on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Amazon Music
Welcome to another episode of Casual Citizen. My experimentation with pseudo-A.I. voices has ended. The compromise I've reached to keep show production reasonable is that I will voice the game commentary sections and use an A.I. voice for the fiction which tends to be the longest portion. The vast majority of authors don't narrate their fiction anyway so... boo!
I had a blast playing the New World Closed Beta. I kept telling myself to stop playing but to no avail. I hit level 22 before it was all said and done, and that was achieved with the most casual mode of playing. It was simply too easy to run into content and quests when I told myself to only look around. I'm absolutely looking forward to the release. It's not perfect but it's a lot of fun and I only scratched the surface.
A more detailed write-up on my thoughts is over at Aly's World. Sad to hear the release has slipped to September but if they're making things better, I'm all for it!
July 18, 2021
I'm back with a new show cadence, format, and a huge experiment in show production. This episode's topics include: How I'm Back, New Show Format, Live Events, Your Place in the Verse, The Experiment, and Night Bus Fiction: Shifting Sands Part 1 of 2.
I'm on what may be an insane journey with my Star Citizen content. In the past several months I've overcome a variety of issues that were blocking my ability to get back to my writing which I discuss at the top of the show. Work, health, bleh but I'm hoping things are down the lane to better days. Followers of my often dormant Mystic Worlds blog know that I arrived on this adventure through writing. It's at the core of how I express myself and share my gaming antics. It's the most crucial part of the end game dream that I still hold dear, publishing my own original fiction.
However, times have changed have they not? I remember blogs when were how I consumed gaming news and followed other gamers. Busy lives and the multi-tasking requirements of the average working professional's life that amount of time is a distant memory. My phone is full of podcasts and audiobooks. I no longer subscribe to a single print magazine. In an effort to satisfy that growing audience, I produced audio and video versions of my content but the work to do so is extremely high and takes time away from writing or having downtime.
Coming back with a new show format is an experiment. I won't mention what it is so you can go in blind and react naturally. I do want to hear what you think. Honest opinions are welcome. As I've said, it's an experiment. If you're among those who still prefer long-form, the full show transcript is on Aly's World.
Better late than never I suppose. I wrote this shortly after CBT1 but didn't get around to recording audio so I didn't post it. No point in not sharing over that so here it is.
Elyon, a Korean-developed MMO coming to NA in 2021, wasn’t on my radar until recently. I first heard about it from YouTuber and recent Twitch partnered streamer, KiraTV (https://www.youtube.com/c/KiraTV1). With quality MMOs for a Western audience being thin on the ground the past several years, I stopped trolling gaming news. Instead, I rely on content creators to keep me updated. After watching Kira’s video with some footage of the Korean version, I registered on the NA site when it went live and signed up for CBT1 as soon as it was offered. Ding, I got an invite.
Historically, MMOs developed for Asian audiences don’t keep me until max level. They’re always gorgeous, with nice combat, class variety, and solid mechanics. However, they lose me in the upper levels when content is sparse and questing is replaced by pure mob grinding. If I survive that part, I definitely part ways when the crafting uses RNG, gear enhancements require grinding some dust, stone, gem, whatever, and the former is compounded by RNG success to apply the damn thing. I don’t leave bitter. I enjoy Asian MMOs for the length of time they suit my playstyle and move on to the next thing.
As much as I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Elyon CBT1, I expect the same outcome in the long run. From three days of playing, it’s definitely the best I’ve played of the imports minus ArcheAge prior to the NA cash shop fiasco at release. It outdoes AA in several ways but I really enjoyed farming, husbandry, and housing in AA. For that reason alone, it remains in the top spot of the Asian imports for me.
What I Enjoyed
I haven’t experienced a starter zone as fully realized and lush with content since Age of Conan. You don’t initially realize you’re in a tutorial until they boot you out. It contained multiple zones, varied quests, showed you a sampling of how to engage in combat, and utilize basic features such as mounts, gliding, upgrading your gear, etc.
The graphics and art style are gorgeous. No surprises there but it also performs very well. I only experienced lag spikes a couple of times and both were when I was capturing video footage while whizzing across the landscape, and that’s playing on a laptop at 1080P on high settings.
For the combat, it’s action-based with a handful of classes that adhere to the holy trinity ensemble. Combat is fast. The animations are plentiful and fluid. And like most Asian games, they go for making you feel like a badass while mowing down mobs. If you like the over-the-top, always feeling god-like such as in BDO, you’ll be happy to find the same in Elyon. Even grinding mobs in a set area can be pleasing and relaxing because the zones are aesthetically attractive with interesting bits in the background and skybox. You also encounter vertical content that requires climbing and jumping puzzles.
A cross between GW2 and New World, you’re limited in the number of spells you can place on your Hotbar. Buttons are unlocked at different intervals. So while you may have a large variety of abilities learned, you’ll need to decide which ones to equip and spend attributes on. To support build variety within this system, you can save different builds and swap them at will, including free respecs.
I only tried one class. I had planned on trying the Warlord, which is the tank, in addition to the Mystic, which is the healer. However, the Mystic stole my soul. This is hands-down the most offensive healing class I’ve ever seen, much less played. Picking up healing spells is optional if you’re okay being a second-place spellcaster to the Elementalist. You have an insane amount of crowd control and nice damage. I can see Mystic being viable as a DPS support class.
Killing mobs on speed dial - no waiting for mana regen or having to heal my character felt extremely overpowered. And perhaps it’s owed a bit of a nerf. I can imagine this class being hell on wheels in group PVP. It’s also recommended in the party composition for 5-man dungeons. Speaking of dungeons, there is solo and 5-man content. I tried to get into a group for the 5-man but never found a party. Likely due to the fact that it was the final hours of the last day of the beta before I bothered to try. Quests and mobs dropped enough equipment that I was regularly upgrading my gear. However, I have since read the dungeons are essential for gear advancement. There’s an auction house for buying and selling but I never took a peak given the short duration of the event.
Things I Didn’t Enjoy
It goes without saying that liking and disliking are subjective. What floats my boat may not be enjoyable for someone else and vice versa. Unless I missed a trick, the pure grind started earlier than I expected in Elyon. Before level 30 I ran out of quests other than the first 5-man. Using the suggested zone accuracy points and levels associated with areas displayed on the map, I traveled to the next village but there were no quests to be had there.
Until that point, I was only killing a few mobs at a time to satisfy quest requirements. Suddenly, I had to re-evaluate the abilities on my bar and how I’d allocated my attribute points to see if I could construct a build for grinding. I was pleasantly surprised by the ease with which I concocted a Mage-like spec. No research or belaboring over the decision. I threw something together and I was on my way. I’m sure it wasn’t optimal but it got the job done in a way that suited my preference for mobility.
I didn’t know how quickly I’d end up in PVP-contested territory trying to level. If I had to, I wanted to be able to fight on the run if necessary and the Mystic did not disappoint. Regardless, reverting to AOE grinding at level 28 was a bit of a shock given how plentiful quests had been up until that point. If standing in an area and mindlessly slaughtering mobs isn’t your thing, you’re not going to like that aspect of Elyon.
Now we arrive at my biggest dislike related to Asian MMOs. I dislike RNG in general but I ABHOR IT… DESPISE IT in crafting. When I spend the time to grind or buy components, crafting them together should simply work - period. If you want to make it skilled-based, I’m game. However, when there’s no skill/interactions involved ala EQ2 but instead you want to rob me of my time and money - in-game or real-life currency with RNG, I full stop will bail. I played along a little bit with ArcheAge but eventually gave up. Furthermore, the minute I see dust, bobs, and breaking down old gear in a game with a Cash Shop, I already know what’s coming and it’s not for me.
To stay competitive, which you must to a degree with open-world PVP, you’ll be forced to grind for these items and there’s usually RNG involved in applying them adding insult to injury. There’s also concern that for the Cash Shop to be profitable drop rates for items sold tend to be poor to incentivize cash purchases.
Since the first MMO I ever played, EQ1, crafting is my end game. Running through the world harvesting while chatting with friends, is an activity I find relaxing. When that process is intersected by RNG and Cash Shop elements it becomes a path I decline. Removing my favorite form of end-game is the death knell for me remaining at max level if I even bother to grind that far. It pretty much ensures that I’ll be looking for another form of entertainment within a couple of months or more. This saddens me about Asian import games with Cash Shops. It’s not the CS I object to. I don’t mind, and freely - sometimes too much, buy cosmetic gear, housing items, and even convenience features like fast travel. What I don’t support is the loot box approach to crafting and upgrading gear.
Conclusion
Unless New World has released by the time Elyon arrives, I’ll be playing Elyon and enjoying what I can for as long as I can. I’ll level until the point that it becomes odious to me. I’ll craft non RNG items if they exist. I’ll partake of player housing. Play dress up and participate in world PVP if I join a guild. I’ll do what I enjoy for as long as I enjoy it, and depart a satisfied customer as I did with Terra Online, BDO, and similar titles.
The 2019 4th quarter content patch for Star Citizen introduced our first multicrew profession ship, the Argo Mole. Mining, the first of the industrial player professions to be implemented, has been a hit. It's chunky, orange, looks industrial and is fabulous.
The entertainment factor caught me entirely by surprise. Mining was on my 'NO' list based on my experiences mining in other games. After trying it, the tier zero version, when it released in 2018, changed my mind. I don't spend a lot of time game, but when I'm in Star Citizen, mining is what I do the most since I can casually explore/meander while earning money.
We've had multicrew combat ships for a few years. The fun and effectiveness of multicrew combat have been up and down due to turret implementation. In this case, however, they nailed it out of the gate. Coordinated and cooperative mining that requires attention and interactive participation is exceptionally well done. At any given time, you can see someone streaming multicrew mining aboard the Mole.
I haven’t had and still don’t have much time for gaming. The amount of work and stress in my new role, at my new employer, is a bit staggering. On the bright side is that I enjoy the work, the people, and my role. There’s a lot of satisfaction gained from achieving the level of work that we’re producing. However, lots of process improvements need to take place to reduce the chaos, on top of every team being over-committed and understaffed. That classic corporate tale playing out yet again.
When I have had time to play, the Q3 3.7.x patch has breathed new life into the game with hand mining, in-game ship rentals, ship purchases, caves, the 890 Jump. For me, the Mack Daddy improvement is consistent ship logout and re-spawn.
One of the things I’ve despised since the PU arrived was the Super Mario re-spawn at a static point mechanic. It’s anathema to being in a so-called persistent universe and forces players to restart their adventure each time they log into the game. This is the opposite of a persistent world and how MMOs work.
Logging out via the bed in your ship has been in Star Citizen for a while but never worked consistently. 3.7 corrected that issue. Once I verified it was working reliably, I wanted to use the mechanic to become acquainted with the first capital sized ship in the game, my Origin 890 Jump. I’m happy to report that I’m still faring the skies of Stanton aboard the same instance of my 890 since the 3.7.x patch.
Learning My Way Around
The 890 is a superyacht that sails in at a whopping 210 meters of pure luxury with 64 rooms at your disposal. You can hear a small overview of the 890 Jump when it was merely a concept, on my YouTube channel. Amenities include sumptuous captain’s quarters, (4) guest suites, bar, dining, executive conference, sauna, swimming pool, fully decked out kitchen, medbay, crew quarters with entertainment areas, cargo bay and a hangar. That’s a whole lot of ship. My only complaint is the overly sterile style and lighting. I wish the entire ship had the ambiance from the sauna and pool area. I’m looking forward to when we can customize the interiors a bit. My plan for the 890 is to do luxury RP style tours, run Murder Mysteries parties, and dinner theater. My goal, for now, is to simply enjoy the ship, become intimately familiar with the layout and how she flies.
Living Among the Stars
I backed Star Citizen to live among the stars with only passing sojourns to exotic planetside locations. I would have been happy with the initial plan of just having the capital cities and hero landing zone locations. I don’t want an apartment or permanent housing situation on a planet - zero interest. Outposts? I’ll be thrilled to build them for others using my Pioneer. For me, I’d only consider it if I can farm produce to supplement the food production I plan to do on the Endeavor.
Having consistent bed logout has been amazing. I’ve done a whole lot of nothing but enjoyed it nevertheless. I loaded my Dragonfly hover-bike and the Prospector mining ship on the 890. With those two on board, I’ve been roaming the skies and moons of Stanton. I hadn’t bothered with the ArcCorp moons. There was nothing of interest for me to do there until now. With the 890, I set her down where I choose and disembark with the Prospector to scan for hand-mined gems. I use the Dragonfly to drift above the planet or moon surface, looking for the new harvestable items.
What I’ve enjoyed the most, however, is merely parking my ship wherever I want when I need to log out. The next time I have a few moments to play, I have, without fail, been returned aboard my ship every time. The amount of time in between sessions doesn’t seem, or the logout doesn’t seem to matter. I’ve logged out parked next to Port Olisar, floating next to an R&R station, in the middle of space or engines off parked on a planet, and it’s been flawless. I even crashed twice and have been successfully recovered aboard the ship - back in the medbay, which seems so apropos. It’s a small but meaningful step forward that the persistent universe is finally starting to actually feel like a universe.
At the start of 2019, I had three big goals in mind. Moving to a larger more diverse job market, leaving the Business Intelligence space and completing a novella. Deciding to move away from my family and friends was a hard decision. I’d been wrestling with the idea of moving for a couple of years at least. Establishing a 5-hour drive as the furthest I was willing to go, didn’t leave many cities I had an interest in moving to. And I didn’t really want to be five hours away. I was hoping for three or less. Career-wise, I was completely burned out in the BI space. Every paycheck felt like blood money with a drip-drip loss of my soul.
My third priority was establishing a consistent writing routine to help achieve my dream of completing a novella as a step toward returning to one of my unfinished novels. Writing fiction is what I want to do in retirement at the latest, achieving it sooner would be awesome.
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been working on these goals. In March I received a job offer that would move me 3.5 hours away, and take me into the banking industry. The act of moving was crushing. I cried when my middle daughter told me that she was devastated by it. Ugh, that’s the last thing you want to hear for your children, even if they’re grown and starting families of their own. We’re extremely close. And it felt like a gut punch to all of us.
Casual Citizen Episode 32 is available on Youtube. The show discussed my efforts to resume creating content for Star Citizen in the midst of other priorities. It includes video versions of my new 2019 fanfic series set in the Star Citizen universe - Zora's Chronicles and Podcity.
As mentioned in the show, I'll be compiling the content produced during a cycle into an eBook/eMagazine for those who might enjoy reading the articles as chapters with the ability to use bookmarks and whatnot.
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