Mystic Worlds

WAR: Another Week of Activity Comes to a Close

My last week of freely writing and playing Warhammer Online is coming to a close.  I'm still on vacation through next week but will be cooking and entertaining for Thanksgiving, like many other Americans. Here are a few pictures from two random and unrelated adventures from this week.

This week concludes with roughly 23K word count worth of fiction writing, Rank 33 on my Bright Wizard, Rank 11 on my Warrior Priest, obtained the first tier reward from the Heavy Metal event and lots of household chores completed, including a variety of homemade sweets and frozen desserts.

I hadn't planned on playing my WP at all until the new classes were released.  Unfortunately, my bank and backpack are completely full of herbs that require water to be turned into potions.  My Cultivating is maxed at 200.  My Apothecary is at 168.  I can either start selling the herbs even though I need them to finish out leveling and want the potions, spend all my gold on the expensive water being sold on the Auction House or get out there and gather my own water.  I opted to bring out the WP and set her to scavenging me a free source of water.

WAR: Stars Aligned this Week

Things fell into place yesterday evening.  I logged into WAR to find several people already online.  A few more came on shortly after and before long we had a full warband heading out to complete yesterday’s Heavy Metal Event (HME).  The nature of the event allowed us to combine T3 and T4 characters.  That combination wasn’t without its funny moments.  The T3 rank healer accidentally got herself RVR flagged and healed us T4 people a couple of times, which promptly turned us into chickens.  I was laughing too hard to remember to take any pictures.  Boo me!

WAR: Servers Being Taken Down Again

Before you loose your cookies and start crying virtual tears over your Heavy Metal completion plans, be forewarned that the servers are going offline...

Greetings!

At 10:30 AM EST this morning, all live servers will be coming down for immediate maintenance to improve server stability. We expect to be back online by 1:30 PM EST.

As always, stay tuned to the Herald for the latest information and updates!

Yesterday I made the mistake of going to the Warhammer Alliance forums to read more about the patch and ran into people shrieking & throwing a fit over the downtime.  Opposite to that reaction, when I sat down to play and was presented with a dialog box saying the server was going offline in 5 minutes, I recognized that I could in fact, go do something else.  I opted to finish shampooing the carpets.  One if the other tasks on my list of things to do in addition to writing.

18K words completed for NanoWriMo, homemade chocolates, cashew brittle and strawberry sherbert finished and 7carpets cleaned!

WAR: Another Two Bite the Dust

Two real life friends have decided to take a break from WAR and return to play WOTLK.  *Sigh*  Their decision doesn’t have an immediate impact on my game play since they rolled Destruction and I rolled Order.  As it happens they rolled on my server thinking that they would run across me in game and gank me.  Too bad for them that even at my casual pace, I’ve out leveled their lame asses. *Kisses*

I’ve fallen a tad bit behind the guild crew that I’ve been grouping with when the opportunity presents itself.  I really enjoy their company.  We share similar levels of chattiness and can tolerate each other’s humor.  I would say enjoy, but I think a couple of them might simply be suffering in silence.  During the week they stay online later than I do.  Fortunately, they come on considerably earlier than the bulk of the guild.  The hour or so before they get on I can solo which helps to unwind from my day at the Funny Farm, before attempting to be social and civil.  If they happen to be on before me because I’ve worked late, I'm often greeted by a group invite the minute I materialize in game.  They are a great bunch which is one of the reasons I’ve been afraid of losing pace with them.  Now that we’ve hit Tier 4, I don’t have to worry anymore.  There are no other rank divisions that can bar me from playing with them.  *Whew*

Saylah Visits "No Prisoners. No Mercy." Podcast

I think the show was posted early this week.  I thought they always went live on Thursdays.  I'd like to thank Sister Julie and Sister Fran for being such gracious hosts and inviting me to chat about WAR with them.  I had a wonderful time.  You can find the episode on Virgin Worlds.

WAR: Changes to Upcoming 1.0.5 Patch

There's a Mythic post about changes to the upcoming patch.  Sounds like good news for healers.  I have a hybrid so anything that's good for healing is fine by me.  However, it appears that the BW/Sorc DOT buffs are being delayed pending further analysis.  Boo!

Honestly, I have to admit being a bit surprised when I read about the buff.  A DOT spec'd BW can lay down some damage IF they can stay alive long enough.  I wanted a buff of some sort because from where I sit, Sorcs can easily out damage a BW, yet we're supposed to be mirror classes.  I'm starting to feel like mirror doesn't mean equal.

I'm not sure if buffing DOTs would have helped anyway because it was being applied to both classes unless the BW uses DOTs more often than at Sorc, and I have no clue about that aspect.  What I see as a disparity in the class spell options - purple puddle for example.  I don't know of any spell on the BW side that can waste a whole group of people like that spell can.  Combined with the Magus pull crap, it's an indefensable combination.

WOW to WAR to WOW, I Hate You!

"Are you telling me that all of this could just suddenly end at any time?"

"Yes, it could...It lies to her. It tells her things only a child can understand. It's been using her to restrain the others. To her, it simply is another child. To us, it is The Beast."

If you were playing WOW then came to WAR only to go back to WOW, I officially hate you now!  Hmm, I think I might have to hate Mythic too.

I was a happy solo player - well sometimes bitter but forget that part, until you all came along with your Open Groups, PQs, easy to find Warbands and witty Vent chat.  You reeled me in with your non-stop action and frolicking adventures.  Just when you've sold me on more is better, you abandon me to empty zones and the sound of crickets on Vent!  I despise all of you now and forever!!

Let me amend that.  I won't hate Heartless_ even if he goes back to WOW.  He loved WAR now he hates WAR - or at least sounds on the verge of hating it but that's just Heartless_.  *Smiles and hugs Heartless_ my AOE grinding buddy.*

WAR: Low Population Problems

My vacation arrived at 5PM CT on Friday, at which time I promptly logged into WAR.  I hadn’t played in a week and was getting that must play itch.  I was really shocked to find so few guild members online and it wasn’t just the day or hour of day, it’s remained that way for the past few days.

In general, the whole game is less populated.  The whole Open Group mechanic is a bit futile when there aren’t enough people in the zone who need to do what you need to do.  As a long time solo player I don’t mind questing all alone for long periods of time.  However, the riotous fun from the preview weekend and initial launch spoiled me on the idea that “big is better” and more fun.  Worst of all is that although I can certainly solo the INF in each chapter via the Public Quests, I can't complete them to Stage III and as a result, have zero opportunity of chest rewards.  You can sometimes get two or three people together but depending on the classes, you still might not be able to complete Stage III which is a bummer.

WAR: Clutch Your Pearls, a War is Brewing.

This whole “get people out of Scenarios,” feels very familiar to me.  It’s a kin to hardcore vs. casual.  It smacks of Raiders vs. non-Raiders.  It sounds like people who solo vs. those who only group.  I feel now the same way I felt in all the other games that came before Warhammer Online.  It’s a game and players do what players want to do.  Isn’t every player paying the same monthly fee?  We all paid the required box price so I don’t see anyone’s opinion on what content is more important to be anymore valid than another’s.  Mythic has said that they’d allow PVE to suffer for RVR/PVP and I get that given the focus of this game.  The problem is that the current king of content is RVR/PVP focused – Scenarios.  It’s just not the Open RVR content.

I continue to be amused by the players gnashing their teeth that there isn’t enough Open RVR and that the rewards are inadequate.  I can agree with the rewards part but as for the rest, the fact that it’s less popular than they’d like, that’s sort of life in MMOs.  People like what they like.  People do what suits their needs, play-style and schedules.  And I don’t think there’s a whole lot that the game developers can do about that without risking a large segment of their paying population. 

Virtual Worlds Collide

Clearly, a huge attraction of playing MMOs is existing within that virtual world along side other “real” people versus scripted game-controlled entities.  Whether you choose to be a social butterfly and attempt to interact with as many people as possible. Or prefer the anti-social and more solitary existence professed by players like myself.  Even further on that end of the scale there are players like Van Hemlock, who claim to dislike people in general.  It’s the existence of other sentient beings within the game that provides spontaneity and change that solo RPGs can’t match.

Even though my blogroll continues to grow, I read each and every one that is listed at least once a week.  I’ve been reading some of you for years now.  And for the players, who write personal adventure and experience type blogs, I’ve come to know you – at least the gamer “you” and you feel like friends.  Unfortunately, server shards being the norm in this genre, I’ve rarely encountered any of you in game until Warhammer Online.