Mystic Worlds

What I’ve Been Playing

Converting and Corrupting Children

Things have been busy at the store with holiday shoppers, which is a good thing. I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that my favorite part of the business remains the Saturday craft classes I’ve been teaching there. I’m definitely going to expand that area in 2014. I’ve introduced steampunk inspired projects and of course, fantasy themed crafts. Yep, I’m on to corrupting other people’s children like I did my own along with my nieces and nephews. *smile*

The look of cheer joy, wonder and amazement in their eyes is so infectious and heartwarming. I thought the Harry Potter inspired wands class would be the highlight of the 2013 but we topped that with a steampunk inspired Wizard’s Sanctum Shadowbox. OMG they were so excited and happy. We heard wonderful feedback from the parents about the memories their kids are making, on top of the artistic skills and new friends. This is the video I did to commemorate it, as it was the last class of the year for us.

World of Warcraft

I re-subscribed to WOW last month. My plan is to get one of my level 80 characters to the new max level and mess around with the farming. With the help of friend, Elvenmoon, I saw three of the new instances and am sitting at level 87. Elvenmoon is a well geared and experienced Discipline Priest. So much so, that we were able to duo the instances. For the most part, my Druid stayed in kitty DPS form.

The instances are well done - as ever. Pandaria is an attractive zone with as diverse a variety of quests as can be had in any MMO and is extremely solo friendly. But it’s not exciting compared to the other games I’ve played since I was in love with WOW. There’s no imminent danger and thus, questing in WOW lacks a sense of excitement or urgency. I hope to get to max level before I exit again. I’d like to be able to see the garrisons, WOW’s version of player housing, when it’s introduced. I suspect that like the farms, Garrisons will require a near max level character.

Steam Games

I’ve known of Steam but until recently, I’d never availed myself of its services. That changed owed to a few games sent to me as gifts from Sarzan. Of the ones I’ve played, Bastion was my favorite and the one I almost completed. The others I’ve tinkered with here and there. We also dabbled in Saints Row IV, which is one of the few multi-player games I’ve tried given my preference for full on MMO.

I had a good time in Saints Row IV but am not a fan of the movement mechanics and obstacles in setting them up in a way that was comfortable for me. For that reason mainly, I haven’t been back. I have a hard time enjoying myself when I can’t move around confidently. I think we’re going to give it another try though because it was a lot of laughs.

World of Tanks

Queue the hysterical laughter, I’ve played a little WoT. I SUCK ASS at FPS games and am not much better at shoot ‘em ups. EVE was an exception. With EVE Online’s combat, you’ve often won or lost before you undocked from the space station. It’s not twitch dependent which is problematic for me.

I’ve been kicking around from game to game with the attention span of a gnat. Figured I’d give WoT a whirl since Sarzan plays it religiously versus dragging him to another game I’d abandoned in a couple of weeks. Here again, I like the game but am not able to get comfortable with controlling the tank’s movement. I need my movement to be muscle memory, something I’m able more easily achieve in MMOs but have difficulty transferring to FPS-like games. I suppose it takes time but I hate completely failing at games. Being incompetent isn’t much fun. Still, I might give this one a bit more time to sink in.

The Sims 3

It’s been a long time since I played The Sims with any regularity. Having become a diehard MMO fan, I let The Sims 3 release pass me by. MMO-less, I returned to the scene of the crime to find a very pleasing evolution to game play.

With the addition of Lifetime Wishes and ambitions, Maxis has introduced short and long term goals into the gameplay. For people looking for a slightly more guided experience, these elements provide a focus for objectives beyond keeping your Sims alive. A good portion of them require multiple tasks be completed in a predefined amount of time and under certain circumstances, lending them a quest-like feel.

An expansion pack also added the ability to own and run hotels and resorts. You can do this passively by hiring employees, staying at your own residence and simply collecting cash OR be hands-on and work your way to a 5-star rating. I elected the hands-on route which is a blast. I setup a private studio/suite for my Sims on the premises. I have them manage the front desk themselves while hired staff deal with the cleaning and general maintenance.

I didn’t like the few hotel room facades that shipped with the game, and of which you must include one on the property. Luckily I didn’t have to use them. I found a mod that allowed a carpet to provide them features, allowing you to design your own room around it. The built in hotel rooms are only a façade (rabbit hole). I wanted rooms that I could enter and see the inside of, not a rabbit hole.

I also have family pursuing “normal” game careers. I did an awful lot of gardening which I find strange. Why on earth do I enjoy it so much in a game??? I adored Harvest Moon. TS3 gardens takes a lot of time if you have anything more than a small plot. They do however, yield a TON of cash after you unlock the uncommon or rare vegetation and are able to grow it to perfection.

Tera Rising

More Tera incoming. I need another MMO that’s exciting! I need another MMO love! Damn you ANet for leaving GW2 end-gaming hanging in limbo with your temporary content. Ugh. Dammit! What I really want is level in new GW2 zones, while earning new abilities, weapons and traits. I suppose Tera will have to do for now.

I like Tera. I liked it the first time I played it. I think I burned myself out because I couldn’t decide on which class to play. I’m not someone who does alts very much. Repeating the first two zones 3x in close succession soured me. By the time it was all said and done, I was wishing I’d rolled a priest from the get-go. *grumble* This time there was no question in my mind about which class to play. I went straight for my priest.

Tera is less solo friendly than many of the newer MMOs. It’s better as a duo but even then, you may elect to skip quests that require killing elite mobs because they are HARD TO KILL. Elites need the sub tag ‘bad ass’ on their name plates. They take a long time to whittle down when you’re not a full party. They can be soloed by some classes such as the Lancer but you won’t be doing it very quickly if you’re the appropriate level for the content. And it doesn’t take more than a couple of mistakes to face plant you in the dirt. Coupled with an unusually fast mob re-spawn rate and mob density, you can’t lollygag in most areas. Hell, I often leave half my damn loot on the ground. I wondered why Tera hadn’t added area loot mechanic until I saw there’s an area loot pet on the cash show. Oh well, they have to make a buck.

I had cash on my account from the last go ‘round burning a hole in my pocket. Ever the dress up maven, I bought a steampunk armor skin. I’d like it a whole lot better if I HAD PANTS instead of booty shorts but whatevs. I almost bought the pirate outfit instead because it had real bottoms but I love steampunk. Guess my lower butt cheeks will just have show. *smile*

EQ Landmark Founder

Yep, I’ve already slapped down money as a founder for Landmark. The early access is nice but what I really wanted was the perk of being able to claim land first and the crafting perk from the top tier package ‘cuz we all know I’m going to craft and decorate. I might as well be real about it up front and get the little extras they’re handing out.

I expect to bail on Tera once EQL is out. Here’s hoping it and EQN have some staying power for me. If not, I’ve got nothing – nadda in the MMO space that I’m looking forward to in 2014. Ugh, that’s a grim thought.

Related articles

Heading Back to Azertoh: World of Warcraft

I Am

I AM

I’ve had a few careers in my life – developer, instructional designer and performance analyst. I’ve been fortunate enough co-author three books that were published back in my technical hay-day. I’ve been a wife. I am a mother. I am a grandmother, aunt and entrepreneur. I still aspire to be a published fiction author. And I’m a gamer.

Gamer – of all the monikers I’ve worn over the years, this is the one that was kept in the closest the longest. It’s not something you speak of loudly when talking to co-workers. You definitely don’t strike up a conversation about it with strangers unless you’re at a geek event. For many years, even family members outside of our household had no clue. And yet, gaming is such a huge part of my personality and lifestyle. Gamer is the moniker that identifies me best outside of family oriented titles. Gaming has been present from an early age for all of my children - they are gamers too.

Kthxbai Guilt

I haven’t blogged much in recent months. Between work and my entrepreneurial adventures, I started feeling guilty about spending the time. Isn’t it bad enough that I occasionally squeeze in gaming when I could be doing any number of other more productive things? To turn around and spend more time on the subject blogging about it, seemed excessive. *smile* I’m not Catholic but I do self-guilt really well.

I’ve decided to throw the gaming guilt hat out the window. I can’t work 24/7 and even if I could, it sure as hell wouldn’t be healthy. I game. I enjoy gaming. DAMMIT, I AM A GAMER. So what if I like blogging about gaming too. Games, MMORPGs in particular, have provided me with a lifetime of precious memories. I’ve forged real life relationships with people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

MMO Love Affair

I’ve been a serious MMO player since Asheron’s Call. I wasn’t blogging back then however. Blogging didn’t start until Asheron’s Call 2 but I didn’t keep that blog alive after AC2 was shut down. Consequently, I only have a few pictures from AC2, my first MMO love affair.

A couple of weeks ago I was watching my daughter make personalized monogram name plates for a customer’s nursery when an idea hit me. Wouldn’t it be cool to do something similar using my game characters?? I raced through my blog’s archive and picked out a few favorites and asked her to do a full word collage of them.

GAMER - Loud and Proud

I gave her pictures from the MMOs I’ve played. AC2 to GW2, minus the minor forays into F2P games, my most beloved characters are represented. Knowing that I’ve played just about, it not every, AAA subscription-based MMO that’s hit NA, it’s telling which games didn’t make the cut. Notably missing from the line up – Vanguard, Age of Conan, Star Wars, Pirates of the Burning Sea and Lord of the Rings Online.

Of the ones I selected, every picture has a story. Every image brings a smile to my face. I can recall exactly what I was doing and why for every pose. It’s easy to tell which games I preferred by the number of pictures I selected versus other games represented. I LOVE how it turned out!

I can’t wait to hang this in my home office. When I look up and see it, I’ll be transported to happy thoughts. I’ll breathe a little easier and exhale a sweet sigh. I don’t know about you, but I could use more moments like that in my day. If you or someone you know might be interested in having one done, I’ve posted buying options on our Etsy shop.

Becoming Niche Gamer

Losing Steam in GW2

I've lost a good bit of steam in GW2 after hitting max level and completing my selected crafting professions. I've done about half of the PVE instances and a few Fractals. Unfortunately, I'm finding my biggest obstacle to enjoying the content is time. Either I'm not willing or unable to spend 2 hours in a single session completing one piece of content. I enjoy the GW2 dungeons but I don't have the time to wait for a group to form and then finish the run.  With the primary come-as-you-are-for-as-long-as-you-can content completed, also know as leveling, I'm feeling like a fish out of water.

Clearly, my tastes and lifestyle have changed.  I left hardcore raiding several years ago and since that time, I've played games that I've enjoyed but few have stayed the long course since World of Warcraft. I can't be kept happy with a gear grind.  I just don't give a damn about having the best of the best, if it requires a massive time sink.  What does sustain me and get me to grind is decent crafting that has a profitable consumer market and player housing.  I understand the shortage of games with player housing. What I don't understand, is how so many games get the crafting and economy mix wrong.  

Beyond the gear carrot, player housing, crafting and a vibrant economy are the other sticky activities for MMO players.  How is it that AAA fantasy games I've played since WOW have gotten it wrong?  I found Warhammer crafting just a touch above useless except for making consumables for yourself, and even then not great.  Rift's is further up the scale than Warhammer but honestly, not by a whole lot.  You could craft or not and be just fine, which is cool for non-crafters but leaves a hole in the post leveling activity for many others.

Journey Back to Gaming

I took a long break from gaming and blogging after my mother passed away. What initially brought me back was the desire to level from start to finish with a gaming friend.

RIFT STILL FELT FRESH

Our game of choice was Rift. A long time WOW player, he hadn't joined the crush of adventurers when the game launched. The character I created would turn into my third to have made it into level 30 content, third cleric and second to max level.

Although the excitement of highly populated zones was gone, Rift's leveling content holds up exceptionally well. The options are diverse and the content so dense, that I never felt bored from having done those levels before.  For me, Rift’s PVE game ranks right up there with the behemoth, World of Warcraft. 

A RETURN TO WOW

After a few weeks being at max level again, my excitement started to wane.  We ran chronicles and quested in Ember Isle, one of the most beautiful zones I’ve ever seen.   However, with no new levels to  be gained, my interest fell off.  I decided return with my friend to WOW and see what I’d missed by leaving shortly after reaching end game in The Burning Crusade.

As expected, leveling content was good, instances great, crafting worthwhile and an active economy.  It also didn’t hurt to have a wealth of alts to choose from all of whom had decent trade professions to help me along the way.

Although I can't imagine WOW ever being my full time MMO again, I see why and how, many long time players return after completing the leveling experience in other games. You can't rely on keeping your player base at max level by being as good as or comparable to WOW. You have to be BETTER THAN and MORE DIVERSE THAN whatever I came from before. Otherwise, why should I restart the end game treadmill in your game, when I can return to another game where I may have a staple of characters, trade-skills, long time guild mates and in some cases, player houses and guild halls at my disposal?

Many of the so-called WOW tourists aren't that intentionally. I think they want to invest in a new game but get to the end/top and realize they've done this all before and a new skin on isn't enough to keep them around.

UP NEXT IN GAMING

Guild Wars 2 will be my main MMO home for the foreseeable future. Other than time commitments, I know I will be there for the ride to max level. I knew from the beta that I enjoyed Rift enough for a jaunt through and was excited for the launch. The enthusiasm I feel for GW2 is leaps and bounds above what I thought of Rift before launch. I can hardly stand the wait much longer.  ANet please don't break my heart. I need GW2 this summer!!

WOW Kool-Aid – I get it.

Happy Holidays one and all.  I’m very happy to be home for at least the next couple of weeks.  We’re having nice weather here in Georgia.  It’s just cold enough to feel like Christmas without the bitterness that makes going outside unpleasant.  I haven’t clocked too many gaming hours yet but I’ve been in and out of a couple of games you know, World of Warcraft and EVE Online.

With WOW players hitting level 85 so fast, I realized it must not be a huge grind. Everywhere I turn, I see level 85s.  That said, I decided to take my time and grab the character I really wanted to play, which is my Paladin and take her to 80 and then into Cataclysm. I’ve heard that they increased the XP by 20% pre-Cata so hopefully I can hit 80 sometime in January.

I transferred servers and faction to hang out with a gaming buddy.  I don’t know about Alliance side but Orgrimmar is packed every minute of every day.  Regardless of when I log into the game, I see an ocean of players hanging out.  

I started my Paladin’s leveling adventure in Howling Fjord.  I WISH that I had done Wrath when it first released.  I love this zone so much.  It contains all the things that made me adore the Alliance run from Northshire to Southshore.  Each area is populated with NPC villages, encampments, small bases, etc. Sure, we still fight some mobs out in the woods per the normal MMO quest experience but there are WAY MORE encounters in settlements, something I’ve always favored!  The whole vibe reminded me of Allods because of the variety of encounter locations and all the structures we can run in and out of just ‘cuz.  I might be crazy but I really enjoy going into all of the buildings just to look around at the styling.  Being in these fantastical settings is why I play MMOs.  I wish they’d add interactive elements like books or Easter Eggs.

Flying mounts are better than PIE  
Flying everywhere is amazing and I hope they give up on the practice of blocking players from flying across new zones. OMG I explored more extensively than I ever would have on a ground mount.  For the first time in a long time, the explorer in me was awakened!  This place must have felt so alive when it was overflowing with other players.

During one session, I wanted to get a bite to eat and decided to park myself on an unmanned zeppelin that was flying around near the shore.  I landed and positioned myself at the front and just watched the scenery for a few minutes.  It was like taking the Circle Line Tour around Manhattan, NYC. Feeling safe from attack – NPC or opposing faction player, I went to make something to eat.

Drat - Real Life Hits for 500K Damage

I've traveled 60% of the time since I started my new job.  I’m not complaining though because it’s all been enjoyable.  I’m working for someone I respect highly and am meeting lots of really nice people.  Besides which, I’m never alone when I’m gone because we’re performing group oriented activities, so the evenings are spent in pleasant conversation over a good meal.

However, the result is that I’m not gaming much at all and the game that has to take the biggest hit is the one that required the most attention, EQ2 Extended.  I can’t run a furniture shop if I’m not around to craft items, much less advertise the shop and take on orders for the custom décor items I enjoy building.  I will be downgrading my account to Silver come the New Year, but I’m not abandoning my home in Halas permanently. No sir, I still have big crafting plans.

I’ve decided to combine my love of building custom décor items with publishing the DIY articles and guides.  Instead of showcasing items I can make and sell, I’m going to showcase the items with instruction booklets so players can make these creations themselves.  I’ll replace my price books with links to DIY articles on here or the full blown magazine as appropriate.

I need a WOW CGI Movie - 'Nuf Said

Just give me a movie that's of the same quality as the World of Warcraft cinematics.  Why do we need to wait for live action negotiations and daydreams??? Into the line of greatness comes the Cataclysm cinematic. It's not quite as awe inspiring as WOTLK but it's still gets me excited.  And in my mind, nothing - I mean n-o-t-h-i-n-g, beats Illidan's TBC trailer.  I watched it twice just getting the link.

Stop f'ing around with your live action shenanigans and deliver us a CGI movie for cripssake! OMFG these trailers are always so hot they even get me pumped and I'm over being excited about playing WOW.  At this point, no one in my family plans on doing Cataclysm but that might change for someone as the time draws closer.

I'm not going to lie. I'd love to see the revamped zones.  Plus levels 1 to 20 are always a sweet deal.  I have no doubt that revisiting to do the the Worgen starter zone would be fun.  But eh, not sure I want to buy the box just to fly around Azeroth and level a soon to be abandoned Worgen.

Regardless, I have to give Blizzard mad props again because their tailers are awesome.  Damn, give us a movie PLEASE!!! I'd take the day off from work and wait in line on opening day like a sycophantic lap dog!

There and Back Again, a tale of MMO fatigue.

My Red Dead Redemption fever was cured after several weeks of playing.  It was the first time I’d ever really attempted to play a solo RPG, much less one on the console.  I didn’t get to see the credits roll but it was definitely a fun ride.  What really sold me was the open world, in which I could break away from the linear storyline at will.  I also jumped into the multi-player side every so often to get wailed on and ganked by higher level players.  No tears though, such is the nature of PVP.  I got good at the re-gank. You know, where you kill each other over and over, each racing back from resurrection hoping you got there first, so you can kill them when they arrive. LOLZ    That and stealing other player’s horses – that shit never got old!!

Played EQ2 using 3-Day Consecutive Sub Plan
After RDR, I did two rounds of EQ2 using the 3-day sub payment model.  As always, I wish I enjoyed the questing more.  I might have re-subscribed for the PVP which was actually entertaining, except for two things.  First is a regular complaint from me – the graphic animations are over-the-top in an intrusive way.  In group fights, I can never tell what the hell is going on because of the game’s particular style of doing combat animations.  I’m just pressing buttons in the order that makes sense.  I can’t actually tell what’s landing because the combat zone is completely cluttered with animations. And yes, I've played games with lots of combat animations but there's something about EQ2's that clutter up the screen in a fashion that the other games don't.  Hard to explain - they look like they happen in a 2D space so that they're all stacked over each other, not actually occurring "over there" where that player is that is executing the move.  Strange.

New WOW Account Scam Making the Rounds

Remember that you should NEVER EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES follow a link from an email to Blizzard's Account Services!!!! If you're not sure the email is legit and want to check on your account, go directly to worldofwarcraft.com and use those links to access Account Management type services.  Better yet, go once (like now) and save yourself a bookmark to Account Services and Battlenet directly, to avoid the painfully slow loading of the official WOW site.  I grit my teeth anytime I have to go there myself.

I received an email a couple of days ago supposedly from Blizzard but it contained so many spelling errors as to be laughable. I couldn't resist replying that they should first use a spell-checker and then drop dead.

Today I received the same email but it was immediately flagged as spam. I couldn't resist taking a peak.  The spelling mistakes had been corrected but like who are you idiots trying to fool??? The first email was so hilariously bad yet you corrected it and sent it back out to the same list??

I really hope people mature enough to be paying for a WOW account are wise enough by now, not to click links in an email that will send you somewhere asking for a log-in name and password. Consider yourself warned, that the destination URL looks pretty darn authentic but it ain't!

Top 3 Classes – The MMO Classes I’ve Enjoyed Most

Outside of my multiboxing experiment in World of Warcraft, I’m not playing much.  I’m not even on the hunt for a new MMO and there’s nothing cresting the horizon that has my interest.  My hopes of a new MMO home rest with GuildWars 2, which I’ve already pre-ordered.  Unfortunately, GW2 isn’t likely to release this year.  For me, it’s a very dry gaming season.

Wanting to post occasionally but not having any real adventures to share, I decided to do a series of posts discussing the things I’ve enjoyed most in the MMOs I’ve played, interspersed with my list of most desired.  I’m going to start with my three favorite classes.

Magic is why I came to the Party
Classes are one of the most important elements for me in any game.  If I can’t find a class I really enjoy playing, my visit will be extremely short lived.  After all, that class represents my persona in the game and defines the role I’d be expected to play in a group.  My preference for the first character is going to be a magic caster of some sort.  Running around a fantasy setting capable of magic is why I come to the party.  I’ll branch out from there if I create secondary characters OR if I find the magic classes available aren’t to my liking or personal play-style.  But that’s only happened once.  There’s only one game where I didn’t find a magic casting class that I enjoyed enough to progress as my main, and that game was Age of Conan.

My Three Favorite Classes
Let’s get to it.  No further preamble required.

3. Asheron’s Call 2 Enchanter
My AC2 Enchanter will always be special to me.  It was the birth of my Saylah persona in MMOs.  Oddly enough, I began my AC2 journey as an Archer.  I specifically wanted a class that could progress to some degree, playing alone.  I was still green in the genre and what I’d witnessed before playing AC2, was a sometimes crippling dependency on other players.  If I couldn’t do what needed doing when others were around, then I was shit-out-of-luck.   I didn’t find that very appealing given my horrendous work schedule which often included weeks and weeks of business travel and strange hours.

The wonderful thing about AC2 was this didn’t mean that I had to leave magic behind. I could combine the Archer with a magic class (Enchanter) and become the solo friendly Archanter, I felt would better suit my needs.  However, as I learned more about the Enchanter, joined a wonderful guild, became part of a static trio, hit the levels where grouping was the rage and participated in my favorite instances, I changed to full-on Enchanter and never looked back.