tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78133720667579190832024-02-07T20:17:17.353+01:00More than just a GameA blog on MMORPGsMaldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-3296240541365977922015-10-31T22:15:00.000+01:002015-10-31T22:15:28.729+01:00The Summer Wind ...<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>... came blowin' in from across the sea</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Time has moved on since the summer and we’re now smack in the middle of
autumn. My summer this year was simply marvellous. I attended a conference in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city> in the last week
of July and I was able to bring the family along. That was a magnificent
experience. I always enjoy visiting <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>,
having spent a year at college there. After that we had a two week vacation in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Italy</st1:place></st1:country-region>, followed
by a week each at both my wife’s and my parents. Working in the educational
sector in <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place> is rewarding in more ways
than one. Speaking of work, I’m back at the university, still pursuing my goal
of becoming a tenured professor. So, personally and vocationally, all’s good.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I stopped all gaming over the summer to focus fully on my family. Upon
returning home, however, I felt the urge to revisit some of my old-time
favourites, namely three instalments of the </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Heroes of Might & Magic</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> series.
</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heroes of Might & Magic III</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> was the first turn-based strategy game I ever
played, and, after a brief introduction, both my wife and I did play quite
extensively. I might even go so far as to proclaim </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HoMM III</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> my favourite game
ever. Strangely enough though, in all my time playing this series, I had never
even played the campaigns as I agree with </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74GRowG4SSc" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>TotalBiscuit</b></span></i></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> that the true value of
the </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heroes</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> series can really be found in the custom games. So it happened that
I finished all the campaigns of </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Heroes of Might & Magic III</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>V</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> including
their respective expansions. Unfortunately, the series ends with </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>HoMM V</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> for us
as there’s no way we’re going to succumb to <i>Uplay</i>. All in all I have to say
that </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>HoMM III</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> remains my favourite despite its dated look. I know that some die
hard fans will shout heresy when I state the following, but for me it is, in
fact, a close call between </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>HoMM III</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">IV</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. I must be one of the very few
people who genuinely enjoy </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>HoMM IV</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and consider it to be a very good
advancement of the </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Heroes</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> series. I’ll gladly admit that it has glaring flaws
but I don’t think it’s nowhere near as bad as some people make it out to be. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>HoMM
V</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> on the other hand really feels like a cheap rip-off of </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WarCraft III</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (e.g. story
and cut scenes) and plays like a 3D </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on">port</st1:placetype><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
of </span><st1:placename w:st="on"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>HoMM III</i></b></span></st1:placename></st1:place><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. So I’m kind
of torn here: I like many gameplay elements but found the story, in particular, to be rather lacklustre. I do, however, enjoy playing all three instalments,
especially together with my wife.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Much has changed on the MMO front. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WildStar</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> went free-to-play and after
reading what </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><a href="http://bhagpuss.blogspot.com/search/label/WildStar" target="_blank">Bhagpuss</a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> had to say about the game, I decided to give it a try. I
finished the tutorial and afterwards started exploring <i>Nexus</i>. I must have
played for about an hour when I had enough. That game is just not for me. I
remember when I first heard about </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>WildStar</b></i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I was rather intrigued. That changed
quickly when I learned about the action combat and the telegraph system. I
seriously hate twitch gameplay, so naturally I uninstalled the game right away.
But at least I did give it a try and tested it for myself. Many voices can be
heard as to why </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WildStar</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> tanked and with it yet another MMORPG had to resort to
a free-to-play model, most of them claiming that the game was too hardcore and
that this is the sole reason for its failure. As I don’t believe in
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallacy_of_the_single_cause" target="_blank">mono-causality</a>, I wouldn’t want to fault any single aspect for the demise of
any game. It usually is a combination of several factors. Consider e.g. that
</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WildStar</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> was indeed marketed as a hardcore game (40-man raiding) with a
cartoony exterior and action combat. Any combination of those basic pillars
could both attract and repel potential players. I for one would enjoy a
cartoonish look and a hardcore approach, but I cannot come to terms with
twitchy gameplay. Couple that with the fact that </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WildStar’s</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> idea of “hardcore”
means (or meant, not sure if that’s still the case to be honest) time
constraints (Gold runs, <i>Explorer</i> path), count me out. Even if </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WildStar</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> was the
perfect MMO otherwise, combining all the elements that I want to see in an MMO
like a game built around crafting with strong social ties and interaction, in a
living and breathing world, those two elements (time constraints and twitch)
would drive me away. I can imagine many people feeling similarly or altogether
differently.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No comment on the next </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WoW</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> expansion. I’m simply no longer interested in
retail </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WoW</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and instead get my kicks from the <i><a href="https://en.nostalrius.org/" target="_blank"><b>Nostalrius</b></a></i> project. They have
launched a <a href="https://forum.nostalrius.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23695" target="_blank">PvE server</a> most recently. <i>YAY!!!</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 4.0 patch of </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Knights of the Fallen Empire</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> has almost completely
ruined </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>SW:TOR</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> for me. I was <a href="http://maldwiz.blogspot.com/2015/06/swtor-knights-of-fallen-empire.html" target="_blank">hopefully optimistic</a> after the <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2015/06/kotfe-trailer-updates.html" target="_blank">koffee announcement</a>,
but all that is left now is disgust! More on that some other time.</span></span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-61951399605409737552015-06-21T10:23:00.003+02:002015-06-21T10:23:28.789+02:00No Time Available?<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Who
has time? But then if we do not ever take time, how can we ever have time?</i></span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2015/06/cant-keep-real-life-out-of-games.html" target="_blank">This post</a>
by </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Tobold</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> along with the subsequent discussion may very well be the worst that
was ever published on his blog. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Tobold</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> makes several assumptions and statements
that I strongly disagree with. A hat tip to </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bhagpuss</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> once again for the best
comment and to </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Azuriel</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> for arguing a solid case against </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tobold</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in the comments
and </span><a href="http://inanage.com/2015/02/06/time-is-fair/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">on his own blog</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. My reply will focus on the specific problems surrounding </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tobold’s</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
conception of time and how it is connected to choice. I will, therefore, exclude his nonchalant and almost
completely inaccurate depiction of capitalism and communism, and to some extent
his theories on fairness as well. The point of reference is a healthy human
being on planet Earth. I’ll start with two relevant quotes (with my emphasis) because
they highlight the assumption that I object to the most. The first one is from
the original post and the second is one of </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tobold’s</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> own comments.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>... there
are now people who were favored by the flat payment model because <b>they had more
time to spend than others</b>, and these people are now complaining about
"Pay2Win", as if that was any worse than "Grind2Win".</i></span></span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There
is absolutely no difference between <b>somebody using his larger pool of available
time</b> to reach a personal win condition in a MMORPG and somebody using his
larger pool of available money to reach a personal win condition.</i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In order to
address the issue of <i>time</i> it is necessary to first define two central terms,
namely <i>experience</i> and <i>perception</i>, including their corresponding verbs. For the
purpose of this post <i>experience</i> is defined in its relation to physics or the
physical world. It can be measured (objectively) using scientific methods. <i>Perception</i>,
on the other hand, relates to a person’s mental state, i.e. what goes on in the
mind of a human being and can therefore easily change based on individual
circumstances. Temperature is a simple example: if it is 30° Celsius then
everybody experiences the same objective physical sensation while at the same time
each individual may possibly perceive the temperature subjectively, differently
depending on their weather preferences.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The same
distinction of experience and perception applies to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time" target="_blank">time</a> as well. As a physical
unit, a unit of measurement, time is independent of both human experience and
human perception. One can say that it exists a priori. In that sense time is
not relative. As such the old saying “<i>Time flies when you’re having fun</i>” does
not relate to the (physical) experience of time, but rather to how an
individual human being perceives the time spend doing an activity. Time is the
same for every living human being. That is a fact of existing on planet Earth
and as such it’s true for everything on our world. We may perceive time
differently but we all experience time in the same way.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">People like
</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tobold</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> who claim that they don’t have the time (to do something) are – probably
subconsciously – employing both a stylistic and a mental device that helps make
language more economical and (maybe) even more importantly allows them to
negate personal responsibility by blaming external factors. </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">The problem is
choice</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #666666;">.</span></i> As </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dàchéng</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> accurately points out in the comments of another one of
</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tobold’s</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2015/06/complaining-about-not-enough-win-4-pay.html" target="_blank">posts</a>, the critical issue here is <i>choice</i>. While every single human being
on this planet by definition has the exact same amount of time available, it is their choice
how they spend this time. <i>Barack Obama</i> may choose to watch an episode of </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/us/politics/using-modern-family-to-woo-undecided-voters.html" target="_blank">Modern Family</a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> with his wife and children when he’s not busy running the </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.A.</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, but
that is his choice. He could also do something else entirely. </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tobold</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and I
choose to work (probably) over 40 hours per week, but that is our choice. Or as
<i>Sheldon Cooper</i> says: “<i><span style="color: #666666;">we have to take in nourishment, expel waste and breathe
in enough oxygen to keep our cells from dying. Everything else is purely
optional</span></i>”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The choices
of any human being, the structure of his life can be modelled as a system of
hierarchies. This is also true for the course of human interactions. If I ride
my bike I cannot, simultaneously, drive in my car. If I visit my parents who
live in one city, I cannot at the same time visit my in-laws who live in
another city. That is a choice! Now, make no mistake here: every single time
someone says: “<i>I’d like to do this, I just don’t have time.</i>” it’s not that they
don’t have the time (available) because everybody has the exact same amount of time
available, it’s rather that they choose to do something else based on their system of
hierarchies. That is the simple truth; and an inconvenient truth at that. People
do not like to hear that something or somebody else is more important to us
than they are and the expression “<i>don’t have the time</i>” offers a loophole of
sorts, a clean way out. This has become so ingrained in our everyday language
use that most people don’t stop to reflect upon the meaning.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Note that I
did not comment on the practical implications or consequences of the </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">“</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">time
versus money</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> debate and its relation to MMOs because the outcome depends on personal preferences. To
reiterate one more time: <b>every single person on this planet has the exact same
amount of time available, but not the exact same amount of money</b> and I’d be
cautious of any argument to the contrary since it might be heavily skewed,
unless it’s coming from <a href="http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/list/" target="_blank">Bill Gates</a>, of course. Nonetheless, this is what
happens when someone on a crusade, in this case an engineer and a self-proclaimed scientist enters
the realm of philosophy: he ignores the fundamentals and
takes the second step before the first.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-32260348401869383522015-06-18T17:38:00.001+02:002015-06-18T17:38:39.202+02:00SW:TOR // Knights of the Fallen Empire<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looks like
the hot topic right now is the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/fallen-empire" target="_blank">announcement</a> of the next expansion of </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Star Wars:
The Old Republic</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, called </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Knights of the Fallen Empire</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. As usual, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><a href="http://dulfy.net/2015/06/15/swtor-knights-of-fallen-empire-official-expansion-info/" target="_blank">Dulfy</a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> has the
complete coverage. I’d also suggest taking a look at what both </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/search/label/knights%20of%20the%20fallen%20empire" target="_blank">Shintar</a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><a href="http://blessingofkings.blogspot.com/2015/06/knights-of-fallen-empire.html" target="_blank">Rohan</a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> have to say on the issue. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Shintar’s</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> blogroll will also lead to plenty of
other related posts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
expansion is marketed as a return to cinematic storytelling and apparently only
subscribers have access to the new content. I agree with </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Shintar</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in that “<i><span style="color: #666666;">I
haven't been this excited about an MMO expansion in a long time</span></i>” as well and I’m
even tempted to re-subscribe. I will, however, make that decision only when I
know a lot more about the expansion because I’m still sceptical. Also, none of
the subscriber rewards interest me. We’ll see how things pan out.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nzq9epS2b1A?rel=0" width="640"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1ToztqqDcaY?rel=0" width="640"></iframe></center>
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As to the
actual trailer, I must admit that I was very pleasantly surprised. I think it’s
very well done and has surpassed the </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“</span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Hope</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">” </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">trailer as my favourite. Unlike many
others I did not miss the final death blow because my eyes were glued to the
screen. </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">AWESOME!</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The topic of father issues has a long tradition in literature
(and by extension in all other forms media) and the trailer once more reaffirms
my vow to be a good father to my children.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all
I can say that I’m now hopefully optimistic about the future of </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>SW:TOR</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> even
though I’m not quite sure if a unique single-player experience warrants a subscription.</span></span></div>
</div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-88672230418876506292015-06-02T18:55:00.000+02:002015-06-02T18:59:12.404+02:00Apodeixis Galore<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b><i><a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2015/05/everything-old-is-new.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tobold</span></a></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><b><i><a href="http://inanage.com/2015/05/27/to-discourage-their-purchase/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Azuriel</span></a></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> are at it again, presenting their personal opinions
as facts. For only they are aware of the truth and everybody who holds a
different view is blind or delusional. This sort of apodictic thinking is as
</span><a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2015/02/extrapolating-from-sample-of-one.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">widespread</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> as it is </span><a href="http://syncaine.com/2012/01/13/fact-not-opinion-2/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">counterproductive</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. There’s no point in discussing anything
when one side always assumes that their position and their position alone is the
only one that matters. “</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m right, you’re wrong. End of story. Bye Bye.</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">” Now,
to be fair, I don’t think anybody is like that all the time and even </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Tobold</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Azuriel</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2015/05/outside-battery-limits.html" target="_blank">have</a> <a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-only-thing-necessary-for-triumph-of.html" target="_blank">their </a><a href="http://inanage.com/2015/02/06/time-is-fair/" target="_blank">moments</a>. Nonetheless, based solely on my personal
observations, both of them seem to step into this particular pitfall quite
frequently. The approach of projecting one’s own preferences onto others is
very common and, at best, it can be interpreted as a stylistic device that some
people employ to give more credit to their opinions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Towards the end of an otherwise decent post </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Azuriel</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> make the following
statement:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>For the longest time I have sought to moderate the absurd histrionics
I’ve encountered regarding WoW. Things like the removal of atunements,
introduction of LFD/LFR, hybrid taxes, Old Blizzard vs New Blizzard, and so on.
Not to defend Blizzard for the sake of Blizzard, but to defend rational design
decisions in their own contexts.</i></span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The way I understand it, is that </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Azuriel</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> considers the removal of
attunements or the introduction of LFD/LFR rational design decisions and those
who disagree are simply not clever enough to understand why that’s the case
(“<i><span style="color: #666666;">absurd histrionics</span></i>”). For me the key word here is “rational” and looking back
at my <a href="http://maldwiz.blogspot.com/2015/05/on-semantics.html" target="_blank">last post</a> I want to explore what is meant by that word. The
<a href="http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/rational" target="_blank">Oxford Dictionary</a> defines it as being “<i><span style="color: #666666;">able to think sensibly or logically</span></i>” and
to be “<i><span style="color: #666666;">based on or in accordance with reason or logic</span></i>”. Following this path one
arrives at a dichotomy between rational and emotional thinking or behaviour. This
dichotomy can be described as a continuum with reason on the one end and
emotion on the other end. Any person is more or less free to move along in
either direction. This model, however, does not appreciate the fact that
emotions are a primary aspect of the human condition and personal experiences
will always influence one’s judgement. It’s very hard – if not impossible – to
imagine a person who thinks or acts devoid of any feelings whatsoever. Human
beings are not machines. For some reason, however, </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">rational</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">” </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is attributed
a positive connotation while </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">emotional</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">” </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is often attributed a negative connotation.
This could be endlessly debated in a philosophical discussion of its own.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Returning back into the realm of MMOs, the main question for me is how
the rational part of (design) decisions is defined in a non-arbitrary way.
In fact, if one cares to read </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Blizzard’s</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> own statements one frequently finds
them using phrases like “<i><span style="color: #666666;">we feel</span></i>” or generally referring to how players feel
about something. That doesn’t sound too rational to me. Question: why is e.g.
the removal of attunements a rational design decision? Answer: because people
don’t want to jump through hoops before doing the content they’re interested
in. Conclusion: desires are more emotional than rational. This thought process
can be repeated for every design decision. Maybe there’s a different answer to
that question though; one from the viewpoint of the developer, the one who
actually made the rational design decision. Assuming that the developer’s
primary motivation is to increase revenue, any decision that results in more
money is certainly better for them. The establishment of causation, however, is
again debatable. Who decides what is rational (in a specific context)? Is the
removal of flight in </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WoW</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> another rational design decision? Or is the situation
different this time because </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Azuriel</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://inanage.com/2015/05/25/a-flight-too-far/" target="_blank">disagrees</a>?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Somehow, I have the distinct impression that people like </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Azuriel</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and
</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Tobold </i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">simply do not like attunements or hybrids taxes or several other mechanisms
that </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WoW</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> used to have, and are therefore glad that those were changed. I can
fully accept that. If someone does not enjoy a feature but is contend with a
modified version or its outright removal, <a href="http://eightyearsinazeroth.blogspot.com/2014/10/4-10.html" target="_blank">good for them</a>. What I do object to,
however, is the depiction that those who did like the older version are somehow
deluding themselves. In this sense, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Tobold</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is a very <a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2015/05/endowment-effect.html" target="_blank">strange</a> fellow. He has
mentioned before that he more or less only plays </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WoW</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> for a few weeks/months at
the beginning of an expansion and then leaves again. Yet somehow <a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2015/05/everything-old-is-new.html" target="_blank">he argues</a>
against other people behaving similarly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>So for me the most likely scenario is that people will start playing on
this Ragefire server out of nostalgia, and then relatively quickly discover
that their selective memory made them remember all the good things and forget
about all the bad stuff. [...] Most players will give up after only a few
levels</i></span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How he knows this is beyond me, especially the last part. But fear not,
</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Bhagpuss</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> has the perfect reply once more in the comments. The first part is
another prime example of </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tobold</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> simply dismissing other people’s perceptions as
nostalgia. I’m currently playing </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>WoW</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> on the private vanilla server <a href="https://en.nostalrius.org/" target="_blank"><i>Nostalrius</i></a> and I do admit that I had forgotten many annoying things. However, I can live
with all of the “bad stuff” (e.g. looting quest items in groups) as long as the
good stuff remains the way I like it (e.g. player stratification or the
difficulty of dungeons). I think it’s safe to assume that at least some of the
people who choose to play on such a server feel the same way. As any regular
reader of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Tobold’s</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> blog should have realized by now, he is a man of the masses,
i.e. he is only interested in what the masses do and fails to realize that the
exact number of people who participate or who enjoy something is irrelevant as
long as there are enough people around (to play with or) to keep the lights on.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-10140291064163241962015-05-25T23:22:00.000+02:002015-05-25T23:35:51.533+02:00On Semantics<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantics" target="_blank">Semantics</a> as the study of meaning is a branch of philosophy related to
linguistics. It has a close connection to the field of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pragmatics" target="_blank">pragmatics</a>. In a very
simplified way one can say that semantics is concerned with codified meaning
whereas pragmatics identifies the meaning of utterances in concrete
communicative situations. The phrase “<i>it’s all just semantics</i>” which is
frequently used to invalidate a different opinion or to shrug off differing
opinions seems to suggest that semantics is not important. I disagree strongly
with such a sentiment because I consider semantics to be central to the
understanding of the human condition. Our reality is defined by our language
and in order to successfully communicate with other human beings nothing is
more important than to adequately express what one means.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All too often, however, there is a stark contrast between what is said
and what is meant. One reason for that might be that many speakers assume that
their use of an expression is shared by all speakers of their speech community
and that said expression has a fixed meaning, probably assigned by a
dictionary. And, to be honest, in most cases they are justified in that
assumption. In other cases, however, it does make a lot of sense to define
essential terms at the beginning (or during the course) of a discussion in
order to establish a solid basis. Alas, it seems that many people are reluctant
to discuss fundamentals – for whatever reasons – and rather want to focus on
minor details, oftentimes taking the second step before the first. This can be frequently
observed when politicians or “experts” discuss an issue in political talk shows.
These discussions usually lead nowhere because everyone is only interested in promoting
their own agenda. A personal pet peeve of mine is the misinterpretation or
misrepresentation of statistical data or terminology by politicians, especially
the difference between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_and_dependence" target="_blank">correlation</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causality" target="_blank">causality</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So how does this excursion into semantics pertain to MMOs? In the
scientific community it is standard practice to define terms and concepts
relevant to one’s study and maybe MMO bloggers could adopt this approach as
well. Take, for example, </span><a href="http://syncaine.com/2015/04/10/backer-envy-and-the-increased-power-of-your-money/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">this post</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> by </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">SynCaine</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> where he talks about “backer-envy”
in relation to crowd-funded video games. Irrespective of the content of his
post he fails to define what exactly he means by this expression and somehow
takes for granted that his audience already knows the meaning or that it will
become apparent by reading the article. Unsurprisingly, the very first comment
– by </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rohan</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> – asks specifically what </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>SynCaine</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> actually means with his concept of
backer-envy and the following discussion – beautifully continued by </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Bhagpuss</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> –
is needed to clear the waters. As I understand it now </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>SynCaine</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> considers
backer-envy to be the reverse of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buyer%27s_remorse" target="_blank">buyer’s remorse</a> which is how I originally
understood it. So the new concept (“backer-envy”) is formed in analogy to an
already established concept (“buyer’s remorse”), but with a major difference: it’s
not the backers who are envious but rather the other players who did not back
the game. This confusion could have been avoided by defining the relevant
terminology at the beginning of the article.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Similarly, there’s an <a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2015/01/everything-is-pay2win.html" target="_blank">ongoing debate</a> about pay-to-win scenarios in video
games without a general definition of what that actually means. It seems that
almost everyone has a broad understanding of the concept as such but working
definitions are far and in-between. To be more precise the term “pay-to-win”
should actually be abandoned because etymologically it suggests that a
financial transfer results in the completion of a victory condition within the
framework of the game providing a win for the buyer. If one agrees that the
primary purpose of any video game is to play, then it doesn’t make any sense to
buy a win and rob oneself of the playing experience. In addition, MMOs do not
offer any win conditions at all. They are open-ended, never finished and won’t
reward players with a “Victory</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> or </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Game Over” screen. Boss fights and PvP matches hardly count in this regard because the victory is only momentarily achieved and does not constitute the final goal of winning the entire game. The expression “pay-to-win”
is a misnomer and should therefore be replaced with the more accurate phrase
“pay-for-power” (or maybe “pay-for-advantage”). Both </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><a href="http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2015/01/proper-definition-of-cosmetic-item.html" target="_blank">Gevlon</a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><a href="http://casualnoob.blogspot.com/2015/01/cosmetic-items-and-paying-for-power.html" target="_blank">Dàchéng</a></i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> have
discussed this as well and I think that their contributions are very noteworthy
since they offer a sensible definition of the “pay-for-power” scheme as any
item being sold in a cash shop that “<i><span style="color: #666666;">affects the gameplay of other players</span></i>”,
i.e. the gaming experience of other players is directly influenced. The focus
on other players also explains why most objections against pay-for-power items
are brought forth by PvPers. Note that the situation in professional,
competitive environments (e.g. e-sports) is purposefully excluded here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final example to highlight the importance of semantics has to do
with language change. I’ve talked about this <a href="http://maldwiz.blogspot.com/2013/06/friendship-is-magic.html" target="_blank">before</a>. All natural languages
are constantly changing and evolving which sometimes leads to words acquiring a
new meaning, i.e. they are used in a way that differs from established usage.
In the discussion of MMOs this can be seen by the inflationary use of the term
“<a href="http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/burnout" target="_blank">burnout</a>” to denote that someone has lost interest in a specific MMO or in a
specific activity in a specific MMO or in MMOs in general. Essentially, some
people who have lost interest in or are bored with anything related to MMOs
claim to be “burned out”. I find it quite hard to imagine that every single one
of these people is actually suffering from a “<i><span style="color: #666666;">physical or mental collapse
caused by overwork or stress</span></i>” because, as a psychologist, that is my
understanding of what the word means on a basic level. The psychological
concept and medical diagnosis are, of course, a lot more refined. It may very
well be the case that “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnout_%28psychology%29" target="_blank">burnout</a>” was overused in media coverage in recent years
and people subconsciously feel that saying they’re burned out is sexier (or
more socially accepted) than admitting that they are simply bored. Regardless of the reasons
behind it, this new use causes a devaluation of the medical component which in
turn could lead to problems for people who are in need of help. One should at
least be aware of this.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In conclusion, I’d suggest using the expression “pay-for-power” instead
of “pay-to-win” and to avoid equating “burnout” with a loss of interest or
boredom.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-2387068316587653502015-05-16T15:47:00.000+02:002015-05-16T16:35:13.114+02:00Back in Business<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shintar</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, the </span><b><i><a href="http://priestwithacause.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Priest With A Cause</span></a></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is back! This time on a private vanilla
WoW server. </span><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Not that she was ever really gone</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Nonetheless, it was </span><a href="http://priestwithacause.blogspot.com/2015/05/no-nostalgia-for-blizzard.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">her post</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
together with </span><a href="http://boldly-nerd.net/2015/05/11/my-belghast-project/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">this very personal piece</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> by </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kadomi</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> that sparked my return as
well. </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Kadomi</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> talks about her personal life and how it affected her gaming and
blogging in some detail and while reading, I kept thinking: “</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey, this is very
similar to my situation</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">”. Here are two quotes (with my emphasis) that describe
how I feel as well:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>It’s not that I don’t want to blog. <b>When daydreaming at work, or driving
home, I have fantastic ideas for blog posts.</b> Very briefly, work was slow enough
that I actually wrote draft ideas into Evernote, at least working titles.</i></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>By the time I am home from work, I don’t want to sit down and write blog
posts. <b>A full post takes me an hour minimum, if not longer.</b> <b>After work, I want
to</b> lounge on the couch, play Candy Crush Soda Saga for a while (sue me), and <b>do
something relaxing</b>. Now that I am in my 40s my interest in PC gaming is waning,
because I would much rather sit on the couch in comfort than spend hours at my
desk. Then there’s dinner to cook, my SO would like to spend time with me, the
kitties have demands and bam, it’s bed-time.</i></span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, I don’t use </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evernote</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, but I too have written down a few points or
working titles that I would like to expand upon some day. I also don’t play
mobile games for that matter and I’m not in my 40s yet. We don’t have any pets
and I walk to work. But these are just minor circumstantial details. The simple
fact of the matter is that blogging takes time and we’re both very busy and
otherwise occupied.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I commented on </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Shintar’s</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> post that I had actually stopped gaming
altogether for over a year. There were several reasons for that and it was my
choice. First, I simply no longer feel that I am among the target audience for
video games in general any more. Virtually all recent developments are going in
directions that I do not appreciate (e.g. mobile gaming, casual and
“accessible” gaming, free-to-play, cash shops, DLC, Early Access, etc.). The
</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">World of Warcraft</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> that I loved is destroyed. The </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">World of Loading Screens</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">” (</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">)
that I could get on board with became a glorified slot machine selling hotbars.
Console manufacturers have no interest in offering </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/12/ps4-and-xbox-one-so-why-arent-they-backwards-compatible" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">backwards compatibility</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
because now they can sell the same game several times to the same customer. I
have no intention of paying for any of this on general principle!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Additionally, my real life got a lot more complex. My wife’s second
pregnancy was strenuous – not dangerous or complicated – just a lot more
demanding than her first one. This meant that I had to manage our daily life
(cooking, cleaning, etc.) by myself, all the while working (almost) full-time at
the university. In general, I keep a tight schedule, meaning that my day is
very structured. I get up at 6 o’clock every morning and exercise for about an
hour. Afterwards I shower and get dressed and prepare the breakfast for the
family. Then we enjoy a nice family breakfast and I head off to work. The trip
takes about 20 minutes by foot and I always walk. I usually arrive shortly
after 9 a.m. and start the work day with some administrative tasks such as checking
the mail and answering e-mails. I teach my first class from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and
afterwards have lunch with co-workers, some time between 12 noon and 2 p.m., depending
on who’s coming and where we’re going. The next class is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and then I
stay until at least 7 p.m., sometimes even longer. When I arrive at home, I have to
prepare dinner for the family (or at least assist my wife) and then spend some
quality time with my wife and children. The kid’s bedtime is usually at 8:30 p.m. and then it’s just my wife and me for about an hour or two before we go to
sleep.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This cycle repeats the next day, every day, every week from Monday to
Friday. I do not mind this at all. I value consistency and structure very much.
I’m one of those guys who could eat the same meal every day and still enjoy it.
I don’t get bored easily. Looking at this timetable there are hardly any
opportunities for blogging. “</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="color: #666666;">By the time I am home from work, I don’t want to
sit down and write blog posts. </i>[...]<i style="color: #666666;"> I want to </i>[spend time with my family]<i style="color: #666666;"> and
do something relaxing</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">”. This excludes playing video games. I’ve written a
couple of posts at work but I just cannot take the time to do that anymore.
Workload is very intense. Becoming a professor is no cakewalk. I suppose I
could write on the weekends, but we clean the house every Saturday morning and
Sunday is the family day where we visit relatives or have a picnic or go out
for a walk or do other stuff together. That only leaves Saturday afternoon as
my personal free time. When I’m not teaching, all the work I do is computer work or paper work
(correcting papers, doing research, writing articles, etc.) so I’m glad if I
can do something else in my spare time, like playing actual golf. Even when work
was less demanding, I’d much rather spend my time actually playing the games I
enjoy instead of writing about them. This explains why I was such a poor </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
blogger.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Nonetheless, I wish to take up blogging again and for the future my plan is to publish one post every week, possibly on
Sundays.</span>Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-35576586483341886362013-09-25T09:34:00.000+02:002015-05-16T15:46:25.525+02:00Card Hunter<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Small
Update: Work is crazy busy right now with preparations for the upcoming
semester and lots of staff meetings.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the
field of gaming, I have been inspired by </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Tobold</i>’s</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> numerous positive posts about
</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.cardhunter.com/" target="_blank">Card Hunter</a></span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and I decided to give the game a try. Apparently, so did lots of
others which led to the minor inconvenience of log-in queues from time to time.
</span><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Blue Manchu</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> said they were working on increasing the server capacity. Since </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Card
Hunter</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is a Flash-based browser game, one can always use the waiting time to
catch up on some reading.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The game
itself is graphically rather simple but it manages to capture the nostalgia
associated with early versions of Dungeons & Dragons quite well. It is
free-to-play with an in-game shop and some sort of extra subscription, but up
to now I have not felt the need to pay anything. Like </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Tobold</b></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, I might pay
something mainly to express my support. Currently, I have three characters in
my party – a <i>Dwarf Warrior</i>, an <i>Elf Wizard</i> and a <i>Human Priest</i> – all of them
level 8. I do not know whether this is the best combination, but it serves me quite
well so far and it seems the most immersive.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all,
I can highly recommend </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Card Hunter</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to anyone who enjoys a tactical, turn-based gameplay
experience. It’s simply <i><span style="color: #666666;">oodles of fun</span></i>. I shamelessly stole that last expression
from my favourite person on the internet. Now who might that be?</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-34556305534477178442013-08-30T13:13:00.001+02:002015-05-16T15:45:31.276+02:00SW:TOR // World Events<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">World Events are a common
aspect found in many modern MMOs and </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Star Wars: The Old
Republic</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is no exception. In addition to the <i><a href="http://dulfy.net/2012/12/11/swtor-patch-1-6-new-cartel-market-items/" target="_blank">Life Day</a></i> festival, four world events (officially named <a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/in-game-events" target="_blank">In-Game Events</a>) have
taken place over the course of the game so far: the<i> <a href="http://dulfy.net/2012/04/16/rakghoul-pandemic-dynamic-event-guideupdated-daily/#5" target="_blank">Rakghoul Pandemic Dynamic Event</a></i>, the <i><a href="http://dulfy.net/2012/08/13/swtor-live-event-chevin-grand-acquisitions-race-coverage/" target="_blank">Chevin Grand Acquisitions Race</a></i>, the <i><a href="http://dulfy.net/2013/02/12/swtor-relics-of-the-gree-event-guide/" target="_blank">Relics of the Gree Event</a></i> and most recently the <i><a href="http://dulfy.net/2013/07/28/swtor-bounty-contact-week-event-overview/" target="_blank">Bounty Contract Week</a></i>. Each world event in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> may look good
in theory and I am sure that a lot of players have greatly enjoyed all of them,
but I for one felt that they were all rather <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2012/08/world-event-take-2.html" target="_blank">boring</a> and poorly implemented –
some with very distinct drawbacks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the moment the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Relics of the Gree</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bounty Contract Week</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> are considered
recurring events, meaning players will be able to participate on a regular
basis. It seems that the first week of every month will be a </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bounty Contract Week</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> while the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Relics of the Gree</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <i>Event</i> will become
available again every other month or so. One can assume that the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chevin Grand Acquisitions Race</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rakghoul Pandemic Dynamic Event</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> were one
time occurrences, even though there is </span><a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=649473" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">some discussion</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> about whether or not the
latter will return. This is one of the reasons why I generally dislike world
events: players who are not online when the event takes place are going to miss
the experience altogether. A problem that is somewhat mitigated by </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>SW:TOR</i>'s</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> recurring events. Another reason is that world events distract from
the usual business, the everyday routine so to speak. I value structure and
order and dependability extremely high, both in the real world as well as in
virtual worlds and therefore do not appreciate distractions very much. I can,
of course, fully understand why many people feel the need to mix things up now
and then.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was only after reading </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/08/bounty-contract-week-begins.html"><span lang="EN-GB"><i>Shintar</i>'</span><span lang="EN-GB">s</span></a></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/08/bounty-contract-week-begins.html"> description</a> of the first <i>Bounty Contract Week</i> that I eventually decided
to give it a try. I actually did everything exactly as she described it on my <i>Chiss Bounty Hunter</i>, but alas, I found
the experience very unfulfilling, if not to say boring. Suffice to say I have
no plans to repeat this event at all, let alone being sucked into the
associated reputation grind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/02/17-fun-with-world-pvp-and-reputation.html" target="_blank"><b>Shintar</b></a></span></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> has already
<a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-gree-world-event-in-review-pve.html" target="_blank">beautifully covered</a> the <i>Relics of the
Gree</i> <i>Event</i> and its <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-contentious-patch.html" target="_blank">various</a> <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/07/return-of-gree.html" target="_blank">iterations</a>. I would like to point out that the major flaw here is
inclusion of a PvP component which is also the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=596623" target="_blank">primary</a> <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=664670" target="_blank">complaint</a> voiced on the
official forums. The missions themselves only serve as another reputation and
token grind and are not intrinsically fun. Therefore it should not be
surprising that many people are only interested in reaching the desired
reputation level or token count as soon as possible, thereby feeling forced to
complete the two additional missions in the PvP area as well. Bringing two
groups with very different tastes (PvE versus PvP) together in the
same environment is a surefire recipe for disaster. Apparently the same
situation has also happened in another game – <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2013/07/pve-and-pvp-are-not-like-chocolate-and.html" target="_blank">with the same results</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Interestingly, even many
players actually interested in PvP are ignoring this opportunity and behave in
an <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-gree-world-event-in-review-pvp.html" target="_blank">orderly fashion</a> just to complete their mission without delay rendering the
whole “<i>let’s add some PvEers as cannon
fodder for the whining PvPers</i>”-point moot. This does, however, not happen everywhere and/or not all the time, so that the individual player may still be
faced with the typical PvP ganking.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a similar vein, the<i> Rakghoul Pandemic Dynamic Event</i> was horribly
designed because it consisted of several staged missions that only became
available the following day (gated content). This meant that it was not possible to complete
the entire event in one playing session. Maybe the developers felt the need to
entice players to keep on p(l)aying. One may suggest that if this was the case,
the experience could not have been so good to begin with. Moreover, the
final reward for completing all related missions was a set of Medium Armor gear
and hence only usable for certain classes (Adaptive Armor and Legacy gear were not yet implemented back then). Receiving all related Codex Entries required
the defeat of three world bosses (two of them level 50), one of which was
conveniently located in the <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2012/04/rakghoul-event-end.html" target="_blank">open PvP area</a> on <i>Tatooine</i> – again forcing the two different groups into the same
environment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Generally, I find the world
events in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> to be utterly
boring and badly designed and implemented. It is never a good idea to combine
PvE and PvP aspects and, in fact, one should never, ever listen to PvP players
in a PvE game in the first place. Make no mistake here: most theme park MMOs
like </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WoW</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RIFT</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> are actually
PvE games first and foremost, with a <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/08/meh-arenas.html" target="_blank">poorly designed</a> PvP component added on
top. If someone truly desires an awesome PvP experience, then maybe, just maybe
games like </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.eveonline.com/" target="_blank">EVE Online</a></span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> or </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.darkfallonline.com/" target="_blank">Darkfall Unholy Wars</a></span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> match their
<a href="http://syncaine.com/category/darkfall-online/" target="_blank">profile</a> better.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-29188267399229483832013-08-26T14:39:00.000+02:002015-05-18T00:26:47.386+02:00Personal MMO History<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the <a href="http://www.mmomeltingpot.com/2013/08/more-on-business-models-subscriptions-and-all/" target="_blank">hot topics</a> in
the recent past was the announcement that both </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wildstar-online.com/uk/news/the_business_model_of_wildstar.php" target="_blank">WildStar</a></span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://help.elderscrollsonline.com/app/home?region=UK" target="_blank">The Elder Scrolls Online</a></span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> will be employing a </span><a href="http://mmogypsy.com/2013/08/nextgen-sub-model-or-b2p-launch-a-desperate-thought-experiment.html/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">business model</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> based on subscriptions.
The former also offers an alternative payment method similar to </span><a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2013/08/credd-are-new-plex.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">PLEX</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in </span><a href="http://tagn.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/has-the-wildstar-team-looked-into-how-is-krono-working-for-soe/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EVE Online</span></i></b></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bhagpuss.blogspot.com/2013/08/you-pays-your-money.html" target="_blank"><b>Bhagpuss</b></a></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> has a very good post about how payment models generally do not matter all that much.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #666666;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>I'm a member of the
apparently increasingly rare breed of gamers that likes to devote all their
gaming time to one game, so a subscription is great in terms of value for money.</i> -- </span><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/07/random-free-to-play-thoughts.html" target="_blank"><b>Shintar</b></a></span></span></i></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I agree with this
statement entirely, I am more than pleased by this shift away from a
misleadingly named F2P model. While I am not that interested in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TESO</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WildStar</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> on the other
hand leaves me hopefully optimistic – at least judging by what has been
revealed so far about both games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Considering the commitment and
devotion I deem necessary for real MMO gaming, it should not come as a surprise that I
have not played that many MMOs up to now. I am not a very creative person and I find describing aesthetics and art design (in video games) rather difficult. The
following is a chronological overview of my experiences with different MMOs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/" target="_blank">World of Warcraft</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the first ever MMO
I played and the one I played the longest. I was deeply invested and the
decision to abandon ship so to speak did not come easily. I still think that </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://maldwiz.blogspot.com/search/label/WoW" target="_blank">WoW</a></span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is the most
polished MMO where everything feels natural and in place. <a href="http://gamingsf.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/the-timeless-isle-and-open-world-content-in-wow/" target="_blank">Some people</a> are
pondering a return, but I am not one of them – even if </span><b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Blizzard</span></span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> were to revert the game back to a state that
I would enjoy. To quote </span><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://priestwithacause.blogspot.com/2012/03/end-of-era.html#comment-form" target="_blank"><b>Shintar</b></a></span></span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> yet another
time: “</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">I think I hit a "point of no
return" in WoW, having been disappointed too many times... even if
Blizzard changed it into the perfect game for me tomorrow, I'd still be
suspicious of it</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">”. Maybe I will revisit my old characters when </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WoW</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> goes <a href="http://mmovagabond.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-last-domino.html" target="_blank">F2P</a> at some point in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.lotro.com/en" target="_blank">The Lord of the Rings Online</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It must have been about a
year after </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LotRO</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> launched that a
friend gave me a trial pass to test the game. The world Tolkien created has
shaped the fantasy genre in numerous ways and the opportunity to enter that
world, to be part of that gaming experience – developed with adherence to the
lore – was a dream come true. The brutal reality, however, was that I felt
almost immediately repulsed by the game. There was no sense of awe or wonder upon
entering and I cannot quite point my finger as to why that was. It might have
had something to do with the character models, particularly with their movement and
with the UI. Everything just felt clunky and out of place. I wanted to give the
game a chance so badly that I pushed on until I simply could not take it any
more. The level of polish was miles behind what I came to expect. </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WoW</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> had certainly
spoiled me. My wife and I tried again some time ago (long after </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">LotRO</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> went
F2P), but we could not force ourselves to like it. My wife is usually very calm and
thoughtful, but she ranted on for quite some time about how unfathomably bad that
game was and how she was at a loss for words that our friend actually bought a <a href="http://lotro-wiki.com/index.php/Account_Types#Lifetime" target="_blank">Lifetime</a> subscription.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/" target="_blank">Star Wars: The <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Old</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Republic</st1:placetype></st1:place></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is my current MMO and I
have been playing it pretty much since launch. The game feels very clean and
everything falls into place quite neatly. The level of polish is second only to
that of </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WoW</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> – just ignore
the many, many, many bugs. Despite what <span id="goog_2082979725"></span>the <a href="http://syncaine.com/category/swtor/" target="_blank">haters</a><span id="goog_2082979726"></span> claim, this game does not
suck and its drawbacks are primarily rooted in the <a href="http://www.manaobscura.com/2013/08/19/wildstar-down-to-business/" target="_blank">limitations of the Hero Engine</a>
and certainly do not lie in voice acting or in story-driven content. In fact,
it is voice-acting more than anything that has spoiled me yet again for future
MMOs. I do not even want to imagine reading quest texts again. Nevertheless, the transition to F2P has hit my commitment and my dedication to </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> very hard and I seriously dislike the direction the game is heading in: more and more daily hubs and an
overemphasis on the Cartel Market. I do not know how long I will keep on
p(l)aying.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://tera-europe.com/en/home.html" target="_blank">The Exiled Realm of Arborea: Rising</a></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TERA</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> prides itself
on introducing action combat to the MMO genre and I felt like giving this idea
a try after the game went F2P mainly due to </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Liore</i>’s</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://www.lioreblog.com/2013/02/26/more-screenshots-and-tips-for-tera/">positive </a>comments. I
have about 14 hours of played-time over the course of a weekend and I can
safely say that this is not the game for me as I have come to realize that I genuinely
dislike action combat in MMOs. More importantly, however, I simply do not care
one bit about the world. I have no prior relationship with the IP and the whole
setting feels very generic and exchangeable. </span><a href="http://dmreturns.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/7-reasons-you-arent-playing-tera/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">This post</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> offers some reasonable explanations as to why </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TERA</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is not that successful among western gamers.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.riftgame.com/en/" target="_blank">RIFT</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is part of my <a href="http://maldwiz.blogspot.com/2013/06/summer-project.html" target="_blank">summer project</a>. I created two characters shortly after the game went F2P and I did have
a blast for some time. However, while the game does have potential, especially regarding
the soul system, it also suffers from the absence of a compelling IP or <a href="http://highlatencylife.com/2013/06/13/the-rift-between-us/" target="_blank">lore</a>. There is
just no immersive reason as to why players should care about the world, its
inhabitants and their conflicts. One thing I will say though, is that </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB">RIFT</span></i><span lang="EN-GB">’s</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> F2P
restrictions are very unobtrusive, which is in stark contrast to </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.wildstar-online.com/" target="_blank">WildStar</a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WildStar</span></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is my new hope
on the MMO horizon, though I am only hopefully optimistic at best. The </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/WildStarOnline" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">video footage</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> looks quite appealing but who knows what the actual gameplay will feel like. The
game seems to be whimsical enough to make me care. However, </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://mmogypsy.com/2013/06/wildstar-and-why-i-dont-like-the-explorer-path.html/" target="_blank"><b>Syl</b></a></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> already adequately demonstrated that the developers have clearly misunderstood and misinterpreted the <a href="http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm" target="_blank">Explorer archetype</a>. While I do have plans to give it a try when it will be released next Spring, I cannot help but feel a bit uneasy about their <a href="http://playervsdeveloper.blogspot.com/2013/08/cash-and-burn.html" target="_blank">intentions</a>.</span></span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-50270267756235257042013-08-16T22:12:00.001+02:002013-08-23T10:21:54.696+02:00Macky's Back in Town<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been over a month
since my last post because I was thoroughly enjoying my summer holidays. My wife and I went
on an extend summer vacation. We started our trip by visiting her parents for a
week, followed by three weeks in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Italy</st1:place></st1:country-region> and lastly stayed for another
week at my parents. We finally returned back home last week. That makes about
five weeks of awesome and mainly relaxing summer time. And I even have one more
week of holidays to enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyways, now that I am back
online I will start posting more regularly again, especially since time
obviously did not stand still in the world of MMO blogs and it seems I did miss quite a few juicy pieces.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-40294631458306366232013-07-02T19:24:00.001+02:002015-05-16T15:39:33.569+02:00SW:TOR // Community<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=655665">Another one bites the dust</a>.
It was a sad day for the tanking and theory-crafting community in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> when one of its
most prominent members, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Kitru</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, announced his
retirement from the game due to the developer’s design decisions and their
interactions with the community in general. The triumvirate consisting of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">dipstik</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">KeyboardNinja</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Kitru</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> has provided an <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=616779">undeniable source of knowledge</a> for any aspiring Tank – <i>Vanguard</i>, <i>Guardian</i> and <i>Shadow</i> alike. </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Kitru</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’s posts in particular were usually amazingly
well written and presented an unrivalled level of detail. Seeing him leave is
rather disheartening. With tanking being my second preference right after healing,
I was ready to recognize and reflect upon any insights they offered. Even
though I am a very experienced Tank myself, I still believe that there is
always room for improvement. In that sense, I can only hope that at least </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">KeyboardNinja</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> will continue to crunch
the numbers and offer guidance where needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Since I am not raiding in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, I cannot
really comment on the current predicament in any meaningful way. There seems to
be some sort of problem with <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=641620"><i>Shadow</i> Tanks</a> in that they can be one-shot by a
particular boss if RNG goes against them. Apparently the other two tanking
Advanced Classes have methods of preventing this from happening. It may also be
possible that the entire issue is being vastly exaggerated. I honestly do not
know. However, I do welcome all changes that serve to make encounters less
predictable. Failure must always be a possibility. As soon as near-perfect
preparation and near-perfect execution are inevitably resulting in victory,
people are tricked into a false sense of expectation that will lead to boredom
and frustration. Where is the thrill if everything goes according to plan all
the time? Today’s success could be tomorrow’s failure and vice versa.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I consider </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Kitru</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’s departure a loss for the game’s community
in general. That is distressing not only because of his dedication and
knowledge but also because the community in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> is a very pleasant
and positive one – possibly due to its limited size. One might not always get
this impression judging by the official forums alone, but the sense of
community is a lot greater in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> than e.g. in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> or </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">RIFT</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. This becomes
more obvious in-game, of course. Nonetheless, I feel the need to qualify this
statement with the fact that I can naturally only speak from my very own
personal experiences which are very rich in the case of </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, and almost
nonexistent in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">RIFT</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (<i>I will
discuss this in another post, some other time</i>). </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> falls somewhere
in the middle, leaning a bit closer to </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">While I had <a href="http://maldwiz.blogspot.com/2012/04/concluding-wow.html">plenty of characters spread across a large number of servers</a> in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, I only have
<a href="http://maldwiz.blogspot.com/2013/05/swtor-overview.html">characters on two (technically three) servers</a> in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> which severely
limits any generalizations I can make. <i>The
Progenitor</i> is an English RP-PvE server hosting all of the characters on my
main account. Technically, I do have one other character on <i>The Red Eclipse</i> but I am going to
transfer him to my main Legacy. Additionally, I have one character (on a
different – F2P – account) on the French PvE server <i>Mantle of the Force</i> which I created for my <a href="http://maldwiz.blogspot.com/2013/06/summer-project.html">summer project</a>. This
character is currently level 26 and will leave for <i>Nar Shaddaa</i> next. The <a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/news/news-article/20130618">Double XP Weekends</a> allowed for a rather speedy
level progression. To this point, I have completed every available Flashpoint and [HEROIC]
mission on this character, always with the help of other players and I must say that the
atmosphere on this French realm is simply unbelievable. People are generally
extremely helpful and friendly and above all else very, very polite. Everybody
is treated with respect and communication follows the rules of the French
grammar. Nobody is shouting in CAPS, insulting other players or yelling “<i><span style="color: #666666;">gogogo ffs</span></i>”. Skipping conversations
during leveling Flashpoints is not common practice here – something that I
really appreciate. So far, at the beginning of every Flashpoint people have always
greeted each other politely and at least one player has always wished the group
a successful and pleasant run. In fact, my positive experiences on French
realms in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> and </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">have led me to
seriously consider a French server for my adventures in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.wildstar-online.com/">WildStar</a></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I have the overall
impression that people are by and large friendlier on an RP server and <i>The Progenitor</i> is no exception. I have a
hard time remembering unpleasant encounters with actual human beings in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, while
that is pretty much all that I remember from </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (<i>I know, I know: selective memory is
selective</i>). Of course, this refers only to PuGs. I enjoyed the atmosphere
in most of my </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> guilds immensely. The annoying people in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> usually fall
into three categories: (a) they moan about others going to slow and/or about
not skipping conversations and/or trash mobs in Flashpoints, or about other people
sucking in Warzones; (b) they are ninja-looters, i.e. rolling “NEED” on loot
that their current player character cannot use; (c) they are bad players in
that they are unwilling to learn and improve. I would say that the types (a)
and (b) are most common in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> as I have observed that
many people welcome and accept <b><u>polite</u></b>
and <b><u>constructive</u></b> criticism.
There is a high chance that this is the <a href="http://biobreak.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/marital-observations-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away/">first MMO for many players</a>, who do not
have any prior knowledge (e.g. about the “trinity”) that the veterans take for
granted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In conclusion, I can safely say that the in-game community on the two
aforementioned European realms is friendly and welcoming, particularly below
the level cap in non-Hardmode content. Maybe the situation is thoroughly different
on American or other European servers. In any case, </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">provides an
excellent experience for </span><a href="http://nerd.tanklikeagirl.com/2012/01/05/swtor-the-best-duo-experience-ever/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">small</a> <a href="http://gamingsf.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/swtor-imperial-trio-progress/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">groups</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (of real-life or in-game friends) and the
next step of establishing social ties with the larger community is certainly
something that I would recommend.</span></span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-86125436143091377152013-06-26T11:28:00.002+02:002015-05-16T15:31:59.927+02:00Summer Project<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Summertime has
traditionally always meant a decline in raid activity because many people went
on vacation or were otherwise occupied enjoying the beautiful weather which
left those who did not care for these kinds of distractions behind and
frustrated. On the other hand, it could also be seen as an opportunity
to focus on something else – a different project, so to speak – until things
were coming back on track in autumn. That is what I usually did back in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">; e.g. leveling
another alt or go achievement hunting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Since I am no longer
raiding or interested in in-game achievements for that matter, I have decided
to pursue my very own summer project nonetheless. While it cannot be called an
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experiment" target="_blank">experiment</a> in the scientific sense, it will serve to satisfy my curiosity
regarding two distinct aspects of MMO gaming, namely </span>“free-to-play” and different server
cultures. So here is, without further ado, the title of my summer project:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><u><span lang="EN-GB">“F2P: </span><i><span lang="EN-GB">SW:TOR</span></i><span lang="EN-GB"> vs </span><i><span lang="EN-GB">RIFT</span></i></u></span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: large;"><b><u>”</u></b></span><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The idea behind it is to
test how the two games differ for F2P players who never spend any real money. </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/" target="_blank">SW:TOR</a></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> offers an
exhaustive overview of their <a href="http://www.swtor.com/free/features" target="_blank">F2P restrictions</a>, some of which seem rather ridiculous,
such as the reduced number of quickbars or the lack of certain emotes (<i>/hello</i> – WTF?!). </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.riftgame.com/en/" target="_blank">RIFT</a></span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> on the other
hand <a href="http://www.riftgame.com/en/store/free-to-play/" target="_blank">claims</a> “<i><span style="color: #666666;">NO TRAILS. NO TRICKS. NO
TRAPS.</span></i>” Whether or not that is actually true <a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/general-discussions/general-discussion/suggestions/364526-can-we-please-have-detailed-page-f2p-restrictions.html" target="_blank">remains to be seen</a>. I can
already attest to the fact that </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">RIFT</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">(same as </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">) allows only
two characters per server for F2P players. Unlike </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, however, that
is not made explicitly clear until one tries to create a third character.
Moreover, there have also been <a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/general-discussions/general-discussion/363946-why-does-auction-house-requires-loyalty.html" target="_blank">some</a> <a href="http://forums.riftgame.com/general-discussions/general-discussion/368190-auction-house-not-f2p.html" target="_blank">problems</a> with the auction house not working
properly for F2P players. As it stands now, F2P players can use the auction
house only to buy items, but are unable to create their own auctions at all. Again,
this is not stated anywhere explicitly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I have created two brand-new
accounts specifically for the purpose of the summer project with characters on the two French PvE realms <i>Mantle of the Force</i>
(</span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">) and <i>Nomi</i> (</span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">RIFT</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">) respectively. I
did not have any characters on either server prior to the experiment; in fact </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">RIFT</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is an entirely new game for me. This will
allow me to experience the differences in server culture at least from </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’s</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> perspective
where it also has the additional benefit of eliminating possible Legacy
interferences.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">My character on <i>Mantle of the Force</i> is a <i>Cyborg
Commando</i>, currently level 19 (courtesy of the recent <a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/news/news-article/20130618" target="_blank">Double XP Weekend</a>). I
purposefully chose the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/classes/trooper" target="_blank"><i>Republic Trooper</i></a> because it has one of my favourite class
stories – only surpassed by the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/classes/jedi-consular" target="_blank"><i>Jedi Consular</i></a> and, of course, the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/classes/imperial-agent" target="_blank"><i>Imperial Agent</i></a> – and the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/classes/trooper/commando" target="_blank"><i>Commando</i></a> Advanced Class due
to <i>Hail of Bolts</i>, which I consider to
be one of the best abilities greatly facilitating trash groups.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">On <i>Nomi</i> I decided in favour of the <a href="http://telarapedia.gamepedia.com/The_Defiant" target="_blank">Defiants</a> and created a <a href="http://telarapedia.gamepedia.com/Kelari" target="_blank"><i>Kelari</i></a>
<a href="http://telarapedia.gamepedia.com/Warrior" target="_blank"><i>Warrior</i></a>, currently level 21. I did a bit of research beforehand because I
wanted to try something different this time. So, very unusually for me, I went
with a dual-wielding melee character that I enjoy immensely at the moment. I
must also say that <a href="http://kittykittyboomboom.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/basic-newbie-guide-to-playing-rift/" target="_blank">this guide</a> was tremendously helpful in getting me started in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">RIFT</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
Over the course of the
summer, I will now and then write a post comparing the two games and their
respective F2P models. At times I will also include observations on the
different server cultures. I am always open to suggestions and will try my best to answer specific questions.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-61812152848767569092013-06-20T13:50:00.000+02:002015-05-16T15:27:59.530+02:00SW:TOR // Operations<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Star Wars: The Old Republic</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/operations" target="_blank">Operations</a> are described
as large-scale multi-group missions, i.e. extended PvE content, the equivalent
to </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">WoW</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’s</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> raids. </span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2012/02/to-raid-or-not-to-raid.html" target="_blank"><b>Shintar</b></a></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> already remarked that, at least from a
linguistic point of view, the name </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/operation?q=operation" target="_blank">Operation</a></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
is not very fortunate because the corresponding verb, </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>operating</i>, </span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">does sound rather weird in this context. This is probably
one of the reasons why this activity is frequently called raiding in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> as well. Another reason
could also lie in </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">WoW</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’s</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> market
dominance which is further exemplified by </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SW:TOR</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’s</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> raid structure, e.g. several versions of the same
Operation varying in difficulty. As a strong proponent of the raid model featured
in classic </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">World of Warcraft</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> and its first
expansion </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Burning Crusade</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, it should be
obvious that I do not welcome this approach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Like </span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2012/02/to-raid-or-not-to-raid.html" target="_blank"><b>Shintar</b></a></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> I was unsure whether I should enter the
raiding game in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> at all. My
considerations became heavily influenced by real life obligations which simply
left me no time for extended playing sessions and the social ties that once were required. (Note that </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> did not feature
a tool for automated grouping at launch. It is very unfortunate that the
developers gave in to the constant whining and cries for a “Dungeon Finder” –
at least it is still restricted to the same server.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I have no guild affiliation
or any other social ties in the game so far. Moreover, I consider it highly
unlikely that I will establish any, now that the game is changing drastically
into a direction I do not appreciate. My first-hand experiences concerning
Operations are therefore very limited. The only time I actively joined an
Operation was during the “<i><a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/game-update-1.7-developer-blog-relics-gree-event" target="_blank">Relics of the Gree</a></i>” event for the two World Bosses (<i>Gravak’k</i>
and <i>Surgok’k</i>) and the instanced,
single boss <i>Xenoanalyst II</i>. If I remember
correctly the group consisted primarily of a raiding guild in need of a few
more warm bodies. I already had the associated mission in my mission log, so I
happily joined as DPS on my <i>Sith Sorcerer</i>. Preparation took some time which
gave me the chance to consult </span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b><a href="http://dulfy.net/2013/02/13/swtor-xenoanalyst-ii-gray-secant-operation-boss-guide/">Dulfy</a></b></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="http://dulfy.net/2013/02/13/swtor-xenoanalyst-ii-gray-secant-operation-boss-guide/">’s</a></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://dulfy.net/2013/02/13/swtor-xenoanalyst-ii-gray-secant-operation-boss-guide/"> guide</a> and to
familiarize myself with all the relevant elements of the encounter. Everything
went smoothly and we defeated the boss in the 16-player version on both difficulties (</span><st1:city style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Normal</st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and Hard Mode). Nevertheless, this
experience did nothing to re-awaken my interest in joining a guild to start
raiding regularly again now that I actually have the time to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Regarding the <i>Group Finder</i>, I was unable to find even
a single group to join during a three hour playing session. I did try more than once, though. It may have something
to do with <i>The Progenitor</i> being an RP
server as I have noticed that players on these kinds of realms seem to have
very different priorities. This might also explain why requests for raid groups
are far and in between. The very few ones that I do notice, however, share the
same illusions that have been prevalent in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> for quite some time now. In order to join a PuG the
raid leader requires potential candidates to already know every encounter
beforehand and in addition expects them to be overgeared for the proposed
content. Taking a closer look at the <a href="http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2009/12/ungeared-for-icc.html" target="_blank">Undergeared</a> project should illustrate how
ridiculous that is. The easiest way is not always the right way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-favourite-operation.html" target="_blank"><b>Shintar</b></a></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> speaks very
highly of raiding in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (“<i><a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/06/scum-villainy-and-surprises.html" target="_blank">oodles of fun</a></i>”) as do <a href="http://hawtpantsrepublic.com/2012/03/01/were-gonna-raid-i-mean-operations/" target="_blank">others</a>. Nevertheless, I still cannot shake the feeling that – judging by the
game’s overall difficulty – the actual raiding experience may turn out to be
quite shallow indeed. I must admit, however, that this is an educated guess at
best, since I really have no personal (empirical or anecdotal) evidence whatsoever.
It's just my impression that raiding (or “operating”) in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is not worth my time. This
may also have to do with the fact that I am no longer interested in any kind of
gear grind.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-89597327536949498252013-06-18T18:22:00.000+02:002015-05-16T15:19:34.125+02:00SW:TOR // Warzones<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Star Wars: The Old
Republic</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> currently has five <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/warzones" target="_blank">Warzones</a> (instanced PvP battlegrounds) available: <st1:placename w:st="on"><i>Novare</i></st1:placename><i> Coast</i>, <i>Alderaan</i>, <i>The Ancient Hypergate</i>, <i>Huttball</i> and <i>Voidstar</i>. I rather enjoy the first three and utterly dislike the
latter two so much that I'm always on the verge instantly leaving when I see
the loading screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Please bear in mind that
the following account pertains solely to my experiences advancing the Republic’s
war effort below the level cap as I may have only ever once participated on the
Imperial Side. In addition, my first-hand PvP knowledge is limited to two
healing Advanced Classes, namely the <i><a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/classes/jedi-consular/sage">Jedi Sage</a></i> and the <i><a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/classes/smuggler/scoundrel">Scoundrel</a></i>. Moreover, this is the
perspective of a solo player operating without the support of pre-made teams. I
would like to recommend reading <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2013/06/getting-back-into-pvp.html" target="_blank">this post</a> by </span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>Shintar</b></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> if one desires
a more in-depth view into </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’s</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> PvP content,
particularly at the level cap and concerning the adjusted “<a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6121757#edit6121757" target="_blank">Bolster</a>” mechanic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Success in Warzones can
only be achieved by focusing on the objectives, not by randomly killing as many
enemy players as possible. That should not indicate, however, that the latter
is in any way prohibited by the former. Things normally go best when the leader
declares a common (and sensible) strategy during the preparation phase which in
turn everybody follows. Unfortunately, in most cases that is wishful thinking.
Either people openly or privately disagree and follow a different, yet not
disclosed, battle plan or they are completely new and lost or they have a
different motivation all together and get their kick by “<i><span style="color: #666666;">pwing some nubs</span></i>” one
on one. This will most certainly result in a terrible defeat which then again
does not really matter because </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> (such as </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">), of course,
rewards losing and playing badly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I have participated in a
considerable amount of Warzones by now and I can count the number of times that
a Tank was <i>guarding</i> me on one hand. I usually announce that I am a Healer during
the preparation phase of every match. It seems that Tanks are either guarding
their personal friends and/or guild members (<i>fine by me</i>) or simply cannot be bothered. Talk about lowering the
odds right from the start. Usually though, most players follow their own
(aforementioned) agenda and their primary goal is killing as many enemy players
as possible, regardless of the overall outcome. Afterwards they are happily
complaining that “<i><span style="color: #666666;">pubs suck</span></i>” because “<i><span style="color: #666666;">we lost again</span></i>”. <i>Unbelievable!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>(1) <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><u>Novare</u></st1:placename><u> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Coast</st1:placetype></u></st1:place></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">My favourite Warzone is <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><i>Novare</i></st1:placename><i> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Coast</st1:placetype></i></st1:place>
where the objective is to take (and keep) control over at least two (of three)
mortar emplacements. Once capped, they will begin attacking the enemy base. A
very successful strategy lies in capping the western emplacement fast and
keeping it controlled. This is best achieved by any <i>Jedi Consular</i> due to <i>Force Speed</i>. The rest of the team should
relentlessly focus its entire attack on the southern emplacement. As soon as
both emplacements are safe, five players should remain at the southern one,
while one additional player is deployed to the western emplacement (ideally a
Healer and a Tank or a strong DPS are now on guard duty). Just standing there
and doing nothing for the remainder of the match can easily become boring but
it is still vital to keep that emplacement safe. Depending on the attack
patterns of the enemy, one or two additional helpers need to move across the
battlefield from time to time fighting off approaching enemies. Following this
method will usually yield very successful results, a landslide victory with the
home base remaining undamaged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">However, when no strategy
is declared in the beginning and people just run around aimlessly, all the
while only serving as cannon fodder for the enemy, things will suddenly look
very bleak indeed. I distinctly remember one occasion where I was defending the
western emplacement on my <i>Jedi Sage</i> and another player kept accusing me of
doing nothing but standing there and “<i><span style="color: #666666;">afk-farming</span></i>” medals. He simply could not
understand that the key to victory in <i>Novare
Coast</i> is to keep the western emplacement safe at all times (<b>always!</b>). Losing “west” for a
prolonged period means almost inevitably defeat. So be smart: keep “west” safe,
even if it is boring or other people are yelling at you to do something else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>(2) <u>Alderaan</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Another Warzone I greatly
enjoy is <i>Alderaan Civil War</i> which is
very similar to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><i>Novare</i></st1:placename><i> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Coast</st1:placetype></i></st1:place>
in terms of objectives. They only differ in name (turrets instead of
emplacements and troop transport ships instead of beachheads) and in the layout
of the map. The strategy, of course, is similar as well: cap two turrets and
defend. What happens, however, is that usually everyone storms the central
turret like headless chickens while the enemy is capping the eastern and
western turrets. Lately, it seems that the Empire has completely given up on
the middle as I have noticed several times groups of four capping the outer
turrets (</span>“grass” and “snow”). Good luck defending against that onslaught on your
own.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The typical Warzone match then
goes something like this: at least 7 Republic players storm the middle and
maybe 1 (lucky or rather unlucky) sod heads to the western turret (grass) in hopes of capping it.
Meanwhile the Empire has split up into two teams of 4 each moving forward east
(snow) and west (grass). They can then easily cap those and just need to defend
them in order to assure almost certain victory. Usually it takes some time
before the 7 Republic players, who are vehemently defending the empty middle
against nobody, are becoming aware of what has transpired. I cannot remember
ever winning this Warzone and any attempt to convince the group of the
alternate (Imperial) strategy in the preparation phase is futile at best.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>(3) <u>The Ancient Hypergate</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">This Warzone is quite
literally the middle-ground for me as I am neither overly fond of it nor do I
detest with all my heart. I must say that I cannot provide a surefire winning
strategy even though this is the one Warzone I win most of the time. Whenever I
see the loading the screen, I instantly think “<i>hooray, another victory</i>”. Since I basically have no clue what to do
there other than healing people and collecting orbs and dropping those at our
pylon, it must be that my team mates are usually very strong and competent. Why
only in this Warzone though? I have noticed that most victories follow a
similar pattern: the entire group ventures towards the central complex where we
collect orbs and defeat enemies. At some point, shortly before the timer
reaches a critical phase someone, somehow captures both pylons and our meter
goes up. Do that two maybe three times and the Warzone ends with a congratulatory
victory screen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I do apologize if my
account of this particular Warzone does seem rather lacklustre. Maybe someone
can enlighten me as to the finer details.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>(4) <u>Huttball</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">A <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=606278" target="_blank">very</a> <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=185017" target="_blank">controversial</a>
Warzone, <i>Huttball</i>, puts two teams
against each other in a match of the dangerous new sport that has captured the
hearts and minds of the people on the Smuggler’s Moon of <i>Nar Shaddaa</i>. The goal here is simple enough: grab the ball, throw
the ball and get the ball over the opposing team’s line anyway you can and your
team gets a point. The tournament area, however, is not without hazards and
careless players will suddenly find themselves swimming in pools of acid and
catching on fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">There is one technical
reason and one gameplay reason why I seriously dislike this Warzone: from a
very practical point of view, and even though my machine exceeds even
recommended specifications to play the game by far, this Warzone is very taxing
on my performance. My frame rates are usually at the lowest in “The Pit”,
sometimes as low as 4. That is simply very exasperating, especially in a PvP
environment. I honestly cannot say why that is and I plan on writing a detailed
post about the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=619492" target="_blank">technical</a> <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=507316" target="_blank">horrors</a> that have befallen </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> at some point
in the future. Suffice to say, I cannot enjoy the game if it does not run
smoothly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">From the viewpoint of
actual gameplay, i.e. objectives, and in comparison to all other Warzones, <i>Huttball</i>, requires the most cooperation
among the individual team members. That can be quite an enormous problem when
playing with a random group that did not agree on a strategy beforehand. This
is exacerbated by the constant need to look around in order to detect people on the
ledges and coupled with the aforementioned technical constraints makes for a
very frustrating experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>(5) <u>Voidstar</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">The final Warzone, the <i>Voidstar</i>, is a derelict Imperial Battle
Cruiser believed to contain the schematics to a powerful weapon and both the
Empire and the Republic are racing to take control of the vessel and access the
secrets stored in its memory banks. My criticism of this particular Warzone can
be summed up by one word: boring. Admittedly, it is the most “action-packed”
Warzone with nearly constant fighting and hardly any “downtime” but it is also
not very elaborately designed. One team has to breach through doors that the
other team is guarding. B O R I N G! Also, the sound that plays when the doors are finally breached is more than annoying!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As far as I can see, the
easiest strategy for the attackers is for all players to focus their attacks on
one side, thereby overwhelming any resistance. Should the enemy team manage to
fight back, a single stealth class can sneak over to the other door and place
the detonator charge without the enemy being any wiser. The defenders can split
their group evenly and try to hold off the attacker’s approach. Normally, they
do not all attack the same door at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Regarding victory
conditions, I must admit that I honestly do not know how the game calculates each
team’s progress. There's a timer and once it has run out someone is declared
the winner. That is all I can make of it so far. I would gladly hear some
insights as to how exactly this works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Generally, I can say that,
much to my own surprise, I actually enjoy PvP in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. I would never
have thought this possible. But the daily mission coupled with the fact that
Warzones reward players with both XP and credits really make them a viable
alternative to planetary questing which is why I became interested in them in
the first place. Additionally, the low level PvP vendors – who can now be found
on each faction’s capital world – do sell some very decent looking pieces of
armour. Now if only people were starting to actually defend their Healers all
would be good.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-63715031248862912182013-06-13T10:26:00.001+02:002015-05-16T15:08:00.288+02:00Friendship is Magic<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the universals of
language is that all natural languages are constantly changing. Changes can
occur on several levels, though perhaps most easily recognizable are changes in
meaning, e.g. a word used to mean something different in the past. The </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_change" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">semantic change</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of the word </span><i><a href="http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/gay?q=gay" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">gay</span></a></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is quite
possibly one of the most famous examples. At some earlier stage in history </span><i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">gay</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> had a denotative meaning very close
to “light-hearted” or “carefree” or even “brightly coloured” in other contexts.
Through a series of processes (e.g. specialisation) this meaning changed into
“being sexually attracted to people of the same sex”. One simply has to accept
the fact that linguistic change is unavoidable in any living and breathing
language.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Taking a closer look at
video games and modern media, it is possible to identify a slight difference in
meaning when using the word </span><i><a href="http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/friend?q=friend" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">friend</span></a></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. </span></span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Tobold</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> has talked about this phenomenon </span><a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2011/11/saddest-statement-about-online-friends.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">several</a>
<a href="http://tobolds.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-i-lost-143-friends.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">times</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and I must say that I fully agree with him. The inflationary use of the
American (“facebookian”) sense of the word </span><i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">friend</span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
slowly devalues its core meaning. Whether one considers this good or bad or
neither is, at this point, irrelevant. The important part is merely to notice
this development, not to arrive at a hasty conclusion of any kind. Nonetheless, I have a
very hard time imagining that someone who has over 100 “friends” on Facebook
actually knows them all. That number may very well be a lot lower. But then, if
one does not know these people, how can they be one’s friends?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Not unrelated to the
aforementioned excursion into semantics is this week’s biggest news in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">, namely the
introduction of <a href="http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/2.2/operation-nightmare" target="_blank">Patch 2.2</a> which <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6418057#edit6418057" target="_blank">was supposed</a> to bring with it the option of Paid Server
Transfers. Judging by <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=641410" target="_blank">the official forums</a> and </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><a href="http://dulfy.net/2013/06/04/swtor-paid-character-transfer-details-revealed/"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Dulfy</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’s</span></a></i></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://dulfy.net/2013/06/04/swtor-paid-character-transfer-details-revealed/"> coverage</a> of
the topic many people have been crying out for this for quite some time now – basically
since the very beginning of the game because they want to play with their
“friends” or leave their ghost towns for greener pastures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I'm not entirely sure how
pressing the issue of under-populated servers still is because, after a series
of server consolidations, there are simply not that many servers left any more:
9 European servers (3 each for English, French and German players) and 8
American servers, covering the different US time zones. The <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=534412" target="_blank">Asia Pacific servers</a>
are being shut down <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6403053" target="_blank">in a few months</a> and people there are given the option to
transfer their characters to any other server free of charge. Considering the
limited options, I still fail to see how one server can be seen as being vastly
more populated than the others – at least from a European point of view. Maybe
the situation is really different in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> And maybe this entire
discussion is simply a lot more important in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> because the American servers may
actually have very strong imbalances in server population. In a European
context, however, this does make a lot less sense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">As for any real life
friends, I have difficulties understanding why those real life friends would
choose to play on different servers in the first place. Why would they not
discuss this before even creating their first character? It may be possible
that they know each other, but do not know much about each other and only
discover their mutual interest in gaming at a later time. Anything is possible.
Looking at <a href="http://playervsdeveloper.blogspot.com/2013/06/character-transfer-diservice.html" target="_blank">this post</a> by </span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><b>Green Armadillo</b></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> I see no
convincing argument as to why the author desperately needs to transfer his
characters. Granted, he is “stranded” on a server where he does not know
anyone, but I highly doubt that he could not find a single person or guild with
whom he could associate. He mentions that he could “<i style="color: #666666;">name at least three other servers where </i><span style="color: #444444;">[he]</span><i style="color: #666666;"> would rather be playing
today</i>” were it not for the costs of transferring. I can only assume that
means that he knows some people on those three serves already. Now the question
remains the same: if he knew these people in real life before, why did he
choose a different server as his home base? However, if they are not friends in
the traditional (narrow) sense then why is he so eager to transfer to their
server? What if they decide to stop playing in the near future? Then he will be
left alone again – only on a different server. But then again, if they are
merely “Facebook friends”, what is stopping him from making new acquaintances
on his current server? I'm simply at a loss here. This might quite possibly be
more of an American problem, probably due to the vastness of their country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I fully concur, however,
that </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> is in a very
bad position here due to the Legacy system that very strongly promotes playing
only on a single server. Once a player has established a large enough Legacy
there is virtually no reason at all to create a character on another server,
apart from maybe some academic interest in different server cultures. This is
one of the greatest shortcomings and fundamental oversights in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. The Legacy
should have been attached to a player’s account. It's a textbook case of a
lost opportunity if ever there was one. During the process of account creation,
one should choose a “Display name” that basically serves as the characters’
surname and Legacy name and identifies the player’s Legacy. This is the only
unique name! That way all other names become freely available
(charactername @ displayname). This system could also have helped avoiding the
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=618866" target="_blank">One Time Password madness</a> by establishing two distinct names: one account name
used to log into the game and the official website and one display name that
functions as Legacy name for the characters and identifies the user in the
forums.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">In short, I consider </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">’s</span></i></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">
implementation of the Legacy system to be fundamentally flawed and anyone who
is not a close personal friend in the narrow sense should rather be seen as an
<a href="http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/acquaintance?q=acquaintance" target="_blank">acquaintance</a>.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-47488208149112104702013-06-06T20:17:00.000+02:002015-05-16T11:50:19.823+02:00SW:TOR // Flashpoints<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most planetary missions in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> involve a lot of
combat, especially if one wants to complete the (sometimes staged) bonus
mission(s). That is all good and well for almost every Advanced Class with the
exception of <i>Jedi Sages</i>, <i>Scoundrels</i> and <i>Operatives</i>. Note that I did not include
the <i>Sage</i>’s mirror class, <i>Sith Sorcerers</i>, simply because I think that their
lightning-based spells are one of the highlights of the game. The combat
mechanics of these three Advanced Classes, however, are either underwhelming and
boring (<i>Scoundrel</i> and <i>Operative</i>) or visually massively disappointing and at
times very annoying (<i>Sage</i>). This can best be demonstrated by comparing <i>Forcequake</i> and <i>Force Storm</i>. Generally, I would say that any Advanced Class lacking
proper AoE abilities readily available will feel slow and tedious in combat due
to the enormous amount of trash groups. <i>Commandos</i>, <i>Mercenaries</i>, <i>Gunslingers</i> and
<i>Snipers</i> really shine here because they have access to a powerful AoE cast
without cooldown early on. <i>Sith Sorcerers</i> (and technically <i>Jedi Sages</i>) catch up
at level 34.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Therefore, the traditional
leveling approach became unbearable for me on my <i>Jedi Sage</i> and my <i>Scoundrel</i>, so
I had to look for alternatives. After finishing their Prologues (i.e. after <i>Coruscant</i>), I leveled them as Healers
only via class missions, Flashpoints and Warzones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Automated and easy grouping
has certainly bred a very distinct and very unpleasant player species in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">World of
Warcraft</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> which is why I was extremely sceptical towards the introduction of <i>Group Finder</i> in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Star Wars: The
Old Republic</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">. I must admit, however, that random <i>Group Finder</i> groups in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> are not nearly
as horrible as their </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> counterparts. In fact, most of them are
rather enjoyable. The primary reason may very well be the “same-sever-restriction”
which seems to preserve at least some sense of community and accountability.
Maybe it also has to do with the fact that I play primarily on an RP sever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Whatever the reason, it
must also have a direct impact on ninja-looting and aggressive behaviour
because most people are by and large very polite and plenty of times ask before
rolling NEED on an item even for themselves, let alone for their companions. Some
of the more intractable individuals may require a strong reminder that I do not
tolerate needing on gear for anyone other than the current player character.
That means no needing on gear for companions as well. This is a general rule
and I really wish the game would simply prohibit needing on any BoE item. The
middle ground is, of course, asking politely and/or discussing loot rules at
the start of the Flashpoint. If someone does not agree they are always free to
leave on their own or suffer the nonexistent consequences of being vote-kicked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><i>Jedi Knight</i> (<i>Sith Warrior</i>) DPS of any colour can be quite annoying on a regular basis because <i>Force Leap</i> (<i>Force Charge</i>) is apparently too irresistible, which more often than
not leads to ninja-pulling. Nevertheless, since </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Flashpoints are
rather easy, this hardly ever causes any problems. On top of that, most people
will actually listen to advice and “full clears” (i.e. killing every single mob
inside the Flashpoint) are quite common, at least until reaching the level 50
Flashpoints. One of the more surprising observations, however, is that there
are still some players who do not seem to understand the standard kill order (</span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">weak >>> strong; always!</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">) and
why this particular order is the most effective: it really is just common sense
to kill the weakest enemy first. As a Healer it has become my habit to assist
killing the trash mobs and start healing afterwards, unless of course I draw an
able-bodied group where I can focus my attention on the Tank and “his” elites.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">I think it is safe to
assume that <i><a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/flashpoints/esseles" target="_blank">The Esseles</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/flashpoints/black-talon" target="_blank">The Black Talon</a></i> are the most memorable
Flashpoints not only because they are the introductory Flashpoints for their
faction but also because they contain the largest amount of dialogue and in
turn provide the most engaging story-driven multiplayer content. They are my
personal favourites and quite frankly I see no reason to skip the conversations
just to rush to the end. Granted, I have never farmed Flashpoints for tokens or
gear in this game and I can accept a different mindset at the level cap, but
certainly not while leveling. Maybe one can imagine why <i><a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/flashpoints/colicoid" target="_blank">Colicoid War Game</a></i> might be the least liked Flashpoint when it
consists of a boring “vehicle fight” (turrets) in the beginning, a rather
unexciting maze in the middle and a shockingly easy arena encounter as the
final confrontation. Generally, I would have thoroughly enjoyed it if the
Flashpoints were a bit more difficult. Suffice to say that I was able to heal
every single normal mode Flashpoint on my “<i>Lightning</i>” <i>Sith Sorcerer</i> just by
using <i>Dark Heal</i> and <i>Dark Infusion</i>. (<i>What a
shame!)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">From a technical point of
view, I can fully understand complaints about the lack of healing macros or
mouse-over healing abilities. Clicking on a player’s portrait to target them
first and then pressing the appropriate spell must feel very ineffective,
especially coming from </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">WoW</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> and its active addon community. On the other
hand one could certainly consider it only a minor inconvenience. Personally,
though, I am using an MMO gaming mouse that has </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">twelve additional buttons on
the side, which means I can place all my healing spells there and then simulate
mouse-over healing. (</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know it’s not
exactly the same because it still involves two clicks, but it sure feels very
similar.</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">All in all, I can say that
participating in random Flashpoints in </span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> is usually a
lot of fun and something that can very well be enjoyed as a solo player without
a fixed group. That does not mean, however, that being part of a group of
friends or a guild is undesirable. In fact, I would highly recommend finding a
suitable guild to greatly enhance one’s enjoyment of the gaming experience.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-1422936961210466682013-05-29T17:07:00.001+02:002015-05-16T11:27:42.126+02:00SW:TOR // Overview<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I started playing back in January 2012, I
originally created characters on three different European English-speaking
servers: one RP-PvE server for my Empire characters and one RP-PvE server for
my Republic characters. Additionally, I chose one “normal” PvE server to play
with my brother-in-law. I picked </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Zellviren</i>’s</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
server for that purpose seeing it would be beneficial to at least know (of)
another competent (raiding) player along the road. But, alas, plans change and
as far as I know </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Zellviren</b></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> has quit </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
for good and personally, I am no longer interested in the raiding game.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After multiple waves of <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/server-consolidation" target="_blank">server consolidations</a>, all
my characters suddenly found themselves on a grand total of two servers: the
RP-PvE server <i>The Progenitor</i>, which
was, in fact, the server where I created my first (long-term, playable) character, a <i>Sith
Pureblood Sorcerer</i> and the PvE server <i>The
Red Eclipse</i> where I initially had no characters at all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At first I was not very pleased with having
both my Legacies combined, but eventually I have come to appreciate it, if only
due to crafting benefits. Currently, <i>The
Progenitor </i>houses twelve characters and I am pondering buying four
additional character slots so that I can have all 16 Advanced Classes covered.
Seven of those twelve characters are level 50 and have completed their
respective story. The only class I still need to finish is the <i>Smuggler</i>. My
<i>Scoundrel</i> is level 43 and I level her as a Healer primarily via Warzones,
Flashpoints and class missions because I seriously dislike the combat mechanics
– a mid-range melee class without lightsaber! No thanks!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have one character on </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Red Eclipse</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> at this time – a level 33 <i>Chiss Operative</i>, also a
Healer. This was the character I used to play with my brother-in-law, who
unfortunately returned to </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WoW</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. It did not really come as a
surprise to me because the real life has kept me very busy and I simply did not
find any time to play with him regularly. Maybe we can continue our adventures
now that the game is F2P.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The digital mini-expansion </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rise of the Hutt Cartel</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
offers virtually nothing of interest to me and I honestly do not know if I
should purchase it at all. The direction the game is taking and the way paying
customers are treated seem more and more like a cruel joke to me and I am
actively considering cancelling my subscription. I have more than enough Cartel
Coins and in-game credits to buy any unlocks that I might need and frankly I am
not sure how long I can justify paying a recurring subscription.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In contrast to what certain people seem to think,
</span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Star
Wars: The Old Republic</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is not a crappy game and its shortcomings most
certainly do not lie in voice-acting or story-driven content. Bad performance,
atrocious customer service and many lost opportunities may very well be
responsible for a loss of subscribers. I will explore those points a bit closer
in the future.</span></span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-69308206672672762112013-05-28T18:08:00.002+02:002015-05-16T11:27:56.905+02:00SW:TOR // Different Realities<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Telwyn</b></span></span></i><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> wrote </span><a href="http://gamingsf.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/swtor-muo-gameplay/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">two</a> <a href="http://gamingsf.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/swtor-athiss-muo-challenges/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">posts</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> about an experience
labelled as “muo’ing”, which in </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> means participating in
(4-player) [HEROIC] content – Flashpoints, multiplayer missions – with two
human players and their respective companions. Both stories offer a good read,
so I gladly recommend taking a closer look.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I must admit, however, that his second post
left me somewhat bewildered due to his group’s inability to defeat the second boss in the <i>Athiss</i> Flashpoint. They seem to have “<i><span style="color: #666666;">hit a brick wall</span></i>”.
Their group consisted of a <i>Jedi Guardian</i> and a <i>Jedi Sage</i> and, according to one of
the screenshots, the companions <i><a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/companions/t7-O1" target="_blank">T7-01</a></i>
and <i><a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/companions/qyzen-fess" target="_blank">Qyzen Fess</a></i>. The choice of
companions might have a direct effect on their failure: <i>T7</i> and <i>Qyzen</i> are both
tanking companions, seriously lacking damage output. At least for the <i>Jedi
Guardian</i> <i>Kira Carsen</i> would have been
a much better pick. The <i>Jedi Sage</i> does not have access to a different companion
at that time. The important part here is to put <i>Qyzen</i> into DPS mode (<i>Combat Stance</i>) and to deactivate his <i>Taunt</i>.
The same goes, of course, for <i>T7</i>
should one desire to use him and the final screenshots suggests they did
just that.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another very important aspect of companion play
is the need to manually control their behaviour. That requires targeting
specific enemies and commanding the companion to attack them – ideally the
one(s) the tank is actively working on (<i>focus dps!</i>). If one is using a healing
companion, I would highly recommend deactivating their short duration (8s)
crowd control mechanic in group play. Not only will it usually break early
anyways due to AoE damage, but also the companion cannot heal while channelling that
ability. Maybe one could make a case for using it under some very extraordinary
circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reason I was so puzzled with their
struggles is that my wife and I had no problems at all “muo’ing” any (4-player)
[HEROIC] content in the game whatsoever. None at all! Basically, we were
ploughing through mobs, leaving them zero chance to resist. Usually, the
experience went a lot smoother than “pugging” on my solo characters.
Considering the fact that both groups (</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Telwyn</i>’s</b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
and mine) consisted of two experienced human players respectively, who were
sitting right next to each other and have often played a similar combination
(Tanks and Healers) in other games in the past, I must admit that I find the
different outcome rather strange.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At first glace, one could assume that my wife
and I are just vastly more skilled than they are and that we have a better
control over our characters (e.g. rotation, micro-management) or that our
talents are better distributed (we are both using hybrid leveling specs,
Tank/DPS and DPS/Healer). However, I highly doubt that and even if it were
true, I simply cannot imagine it having this big an influence at the early
stages in the game. With </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> being an MMORPG, the most
important element is, of course, equipment (gear).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reality in </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is simply not the
same for everyone due to the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/legacy" target="_blank">Legacy </a>system. A player’s alts can have a direct
influence on the current character’s gameplay. I have access to every (crafting)
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/crew-skills" target="_blank">Crew Skill</a> across all my characters and can easily produce almost any item
desired during leveling, most importantly augment kits, augments, armorings,
mods, etc., in short everything one needs in order to fill one’s <span style="color: orange;">Custom</span> gear with
the best level appropriate modifications. Furthermore, I spent a few credits on
buying two (level 10) +41 Power color crystals for our lightsabers from the GTN. This
means that my wife and I are wearing fully modded <span style="color: orange;">Custom</span> gear and our
companions are using level appropriate <span style="color: #0b5394;">Prototype</span> gear crafted by my alts with
<i>Armormech</i> and <i>Synthweaving</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Additionally, my Legacy level is 41 and I have seven
level 50 characters, all with their respective companion bonuses unlocked,
which increases the <i>Presence</i>
attribute on all my characters by a large amount (+10 for every completed
companion conversation line and another 100 for reaching level 50 as a <i>Human</i> species). <i>Presence</i> has an enormous impact on gameplay, particularly at lower
levels, making companions very powerful. I can easily solo <i>The Esseles</i> and/or <i>The Black Talon</i> flashpoints at level 10 and can continue soloing
all [HEROIC] missions on <i>Coruscant</i>
and/or <i>Dromund Kaas</i>. Depending on the
class (extreme) soloing can be kept up almost to the very end.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The discussion of soloing vs. grouping should
best be left for another day. Hopefully, I was able to demonstrate how the
<i>Legacy</i> system can cause different realities for different players. Every player
needs to decide for themselves whether the like this or not, however, it does
seem to be one of the unique features of </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Star Wars: The Old Republic</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-35832557138047711462013-05-24T22:33:00.000+02:002015-05-16T11:20:38.973+02:00UPDATE!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">It has been over a year since my last
post. Mainly two events in my real life have kept me very busy.
First, I was leading a research group funded by a government grant and while
this was a very pleasant and rewarding experience, it simply meant a lot of
work. Now that we are close to finishing our assignment, things have finally
begun to slow down a bit leaving me time for recreational activities.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In even better news, my wife gave birth to our
first child, a beautiful and healthy baby girl. I cannot even begin to describe
how happy that has made me! If only the little angel would sleep through the
night just once. Also, my wife finished her doctoral thesis a few months before
giving birth and is now taking a break from working as a corporate consultant
focusing fully on caring for our daughter. If things go as planned, my wife
will resume working shortly after our daughter’s first birthday whereupon I
will become a full-time parent for at least six months.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I said, these events demanded a large amount
of my time and energy which left me precious little time for gaming. I was
playing </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> maybe once or twice a week for about one or two hours, primarily
participating in Warzones. That came as bit of a surprise to me considering
that I rather dislike PvP, but Warzones turned out to be a very viable
alternative to traditional leveling, especially for my <i>Scoundrel</i> healer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Regarding gaming in general, however, <a href="http://mmovagabond.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-vagabond.html" target="_blank">this post</a>
has been somewhat of a wake-up call. My situation is very similar to the one of
the author and I must say that I find myself thinking along the very same
lines. The outside circumstances have changed and I longer feel valued or
appreciated as an MMO player. There is simply no game in sight that offers
exactly what I am looking for. My brother-in-law has gone back to </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WoW</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">,
but for me that ship has sailed a long time ago.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a final note, the alteration of the blog
title was necessary in order to avoid any association with one of the more
</span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9596577/Sir-Salman-Rushdie-Fifty-Shades-of-Grey-makes-Twilight-look-like-War-and-Peace.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">controversial</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifty_Shades_of_Grey" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">writings</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> of the recent past. I think the confusion will be
minimal as hardly anyone has ever visited my blog and others have re-launched
their blogs several times. If I remember correctly, </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Zellviren</b></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> had five different versions of <a href="http://unwaveringsentinel.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">his blog</a> within a very short time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next couple of posts will likely deal with
my wife’s take on </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SW:TOR</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> which may come off rather harsh, along with some of my
own problems I currently have with the game.</span></span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-63062008596438026232012-04-27T12:02:00.000+02:002015-05-16T11:18:59.460+02:00On My Beginnings in SW:TOR<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">Ever since I first heard
about a </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;"> themed MMO being produced I was terribly excited. </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star
Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope</i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;">
was basically the first film with live actors I have ever seen and to say that I
was “merely fascinated” would be a total understatement. I loved it! I was
watching it with a good childhood friend of mine who happened to own quite a
lot of </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: justify;"> merchandise and once the film was over, we happily
began replaying everything we had just seen. Kids!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;">I had no doubt that I would
engage in this new <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i></b> MMO (unless it would be purely PvP based – maybe even
then). When I found out that it was set in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Old Republic</i> (as in <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Knights of the Old Republic</i></b> – a game
that I played through four times) I knew that nothing could stop me. I think it
is pretty obvious that I was very positively biased towards this game. But I
guess that is okay because there are <a href="http://nilsmmoblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/swtor-not-review.html" target="_blank">some</a> <a href="http://nilsmmoblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/rift-is-better-game-than-swtor.html" target="_blank">people</a> <a href="http://nilsmmoblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/no-swtor-for-me.html" target="_blank">out there</a> who were
absolutely <a href="http://numtini.dreamhosters.com/2011/11/27/the-swtor-beta-review-the-sith-emperor-has-no-clothes/" target="_blank">negatively biased</a> towards this game, <a href="http://syncaine.com/category/swtor/" target="_blank">some without even having played it</a> while <a href="http://www.wolfsheadonline.com/swtors-300-million-virtual-bridge-to-nowhere/#2247a" target="_blank">others only scratched the surface</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;">I bought my physical copy
of the game in early January 2012 and have been subscribed ever since. I did
not pre-order or participate in the Beta or anything like that. This meant that
I had no first-hand knowledge of the game, only what I had read and seen online.
The first character I created was a <i>Jedi Consular</i> – a class I wanted to play
more than anything.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Jedi consular story is a calmer and more quiet experience about being a healer and a diplomat</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;"><i style="color: #666666;"> ...</i> -- <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2012/04/jedi-consular-story-thoughts.html" target="_blank"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Shintar</b></i></a></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;">This sounds exactly like my
kind of character – a diplomatic Healer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;">However, I made the fateful
mistake of creating a <i>Human</i> male and by the time I reached <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Coruscant</i>, I just could not stand the male voice actor any more.
Also, I have to admit that I find the telekinetic abilities visually boring.
They simply cannot compare to the lightning mayhem of a <i>Sith Inquisitor</i> –
incidentally the second character I created. My <i>Sith Pureblood</i> lady made it to
level 40 when I was heavily distracted by </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Shintar</span></i><span lang="EN-GB">’s</span></b></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;"> <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2012/03/reasons-to-play-trooper.html" target="_blank">praise for Troopers</a>. So I thought I would give them a try, created a female <i>Cyborg</i> and never looked
back. The <i>Trooper</i>’s story was too compelling, the class too fun to play right
from the start that I saw it through to the end.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Georgia;"><b>Kadomi</b></span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;"> talks about <i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Star Wars: The Old Republic</b></i> being <a href="http://nerd.tanklikeagirl.com/2012/01/" target="_blank">the best duo experience ever</a> and I can second that. Playing with my brother-in-law
is a blast. Multiplayer conversations, not having to worry about finding players for [HEROIC] missions
and the beautiful <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mako</i> all make for a
delightful gaming experience.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;">I think many people greatly
underestimated the appeal <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i></b> would have on new players.
In my journeys I have encountered plenty of people who said that this was their
first ever MMO and that they decided to give it a try because it is <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star
Wars</i></b> themed. This is also true for my little sister and her boyfriend.
Both of them never had any interest in MMOs, but they are <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i></b> fans. Now if
only I could get my wife to play, too ... then we could form a real family
guild: my wife, her brother, my sister and her boyfriend. Sounds like a good
start, right?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;">At the moment I have five characters on three different English-speaking EU-servers (two RP-PvE and one normal PvE). However, I do have plans to test the French and German servers at some point. This might actually be more of a problem in <i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Star Wars: The Old Republic</b></i> than it was in <i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>World of Warcraft</b></i> due to the story-driven playstyle. Maybe Warzones can function as an appropriate testing ground ...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana;">In the future, I will try
to post about many aspects of <i><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Star Wars: The Old Republic</span></b></i> and I'm quite sure that I
will – at times – seem to be overly critical. That should not suggest, however,
that I dislike the game in its current state, just that there is always room
for improvement, e.g. server status, UI, GTN, etc.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-85878981471800595912012-04-25T10:39:00.001+02:002013-08-23T10:20:25.158+02:00[Tag, You're It!]<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Quite some
time ago (*cough* about two months *cough*) <i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Shintar</i> <a href="http://swtorcommando.blogspot.com/2012/02/sixth-screenshot-meme.html" target="_blank">tagged me</a> to provide some
screenshots. Unfortunately, I could not honour her request right away because
(a) it interfered with my scheduled blogging plans and more importantly because
(b) I do not take that many screenshots to begin with. I took a quick look at
my <i><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World of Warcraft</span></b></i> screenshot folder and did not find any good ones at all. Also,
since the main focus of this blog should actually be on <i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Star Wars: The Old
Republic</b></i> I wanted some screenshots from this game.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Better late
than never they say, so here are – without further ado – four screenshots:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWWgAgCZ6C_SfRTpInuppeSbCwLMD3hDTNx60DXhhI4sE7gM9TgLTW36Q5-U791YMHiE4Od8UsTxwh1xVkqC6qJDRgODAXuJKy3KyaSuR47QGziASx87BUnKjLG8e2af18mcdsI_8EKVO/s1600/Vanguard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWWgAgCZ6C_SfRTpInuppeSbCwLMD3hDTNx60DXhhI4sE7gM9TgLTW36Q5-U791YMHiE4Od8UsTxwh1xVkqC6qJDRgODAXuJKy3KyaSuR47QGziASx87BUnKjLG8e2af18mcdsI_8EKVO/s320/Vanguard.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">This is my
level 50 – tanking – <i>Vanguard</i>, my main character, the commander of <i>Havoc Squad</i>,
unwaveringly loyal to the Republic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxB8xeRIKyYPtJCtvKqRQNj1oxkzsf-7AGBK5TPfX_3hlhlUsxozMlVRaSotm8zfrkz5qlKwFbQYIzzuHR_e_veeJXR1e9txhPPi4FA0qUWhP84mEUruZ3c2lDs3kL6lXAMWfKoUX2cEG/s1600/Sorcerer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxB8xeRIKyYPtJCtvKqRQNj1oxkzsf-7AGBK5TPfX_3hlhlUsxozMlVRaSotm8zfrkz5qlKwFbQYIzzuHR_e_veeJXR1e9txhPPi4FA0qUWhP84mEUruZ3c2lDs3kL6lXAMWfKoUX2cEG/s320/Sorcerer.jpg" height="320" width="304" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is my
level 40 – lightning – <i>Sith Sorcerer</i>, the second character I created. She is truly evil at heart and enjoys nothing more than causing destruction and mayhem. I took
her to level 40, but then became really hooked on the Trooper’s story line and
followed that though to the end.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlQ2SaQkSjF9fFx_jSEyaf0n9Z2sb-EMriVjq0kcsuWLX5grVFf8Uzw8mfduferfYq9owWoiQ9pRBhVYZ7Tf4U5IdTm5PQa6h62VXgN8oLV73jZSqfIMdgAZWbzDkl1HXBP1fsd3nldub/s1600/Operative.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlQ2SaQkSjF9fFx_jSEyaf0n9Z2sb-EMriVjq0kcsuWLX5grVFf8Uzw8mfduferfYq9owWoiQ9pRBhVYZ7Tf4U5IdTm5PQa6h62VXgN8oLV73jZSqfIMdgAZWbzDkl1HXBP1fsd3nldub/s320/Operative.jpg" height="297" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">This is my
level 30 – healing – <i>Operative</i>, a character that I play exclusively with my
brother-in-law. He is loyal to the Empire and favours the Light Side. This does cause some problems with his companion <i>Kaliyo Djannis</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBsUH6KHoPhCnxe_IdKlnkSWzc09Q2BonlpjFX7Uf1nVcTNof45MBr5IwOeth52MP9XSrx9ThRhecKJU_H-x4OUSF9qum5_n73aUbTW72K7CuUcGECB2KVjSe3V2Cm9dw3F1xhWr5T6uR/s1600/fast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXBsUH6KHoPhCnxe_IdKlnkSWzc09Q2BonlpjFX7Uf1nVcTNof45MBr5IwOeth52MP9XSrx9ThRhecKJU_H-x4OUSF9qum5_n73aUbTW72K7CuUcGECB2KVjSe3V2Cm9dw3F1xhWr5T6uR/s400/fast.jpg" height="172" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156">
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Finally,
this screenshot shows a rather disturbing development. It seems like the "<i><span style="color: #666666;">GOGOGO!</span></i>"
kiddies have already infiltrated a galaxy far, far away. I am a firm believer
in the old Undead motto: <i>Patience</i>. <i>Discipline</i>.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-10426460869247245542012-04-24T12:28:00.000+02:002015-05-16T11:15:34.022+02:00Concluding WoW<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I subscribed to </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World of Warcraft</span></b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in the summer
of 2006 and unsubscribed at the end of December 2011. I played for quite a long
time and saw all the highs and lows. At one point (for roughly three years) I
was a hardcore raider and I turned more casual in </span><b><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cataclysm</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Concluding all
this time is certainly not easy and cannot be done objectively. I did enjoy the
game a great deal for a very long time but I found myself disagreeing more and
more with the direction the developers were going. Suffice to say that classic
(or "vanilla") </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World of Warcraft</span></b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Burning Crusade</span></b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> were vastly
different from </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wrath of the Lich King</span></b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cataclysm</span></b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and I am not even </span><a href="http://nilsmmoblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-wow-account-is-running-out-today_21.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">remotely</a>
<a href="http://nilsmmoblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/why-i-quit-wow.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">interested</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mists of Pandaria</span></b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Personally, I leveled every class to the level
cap, some even multiple times. That means that by the end my wife and I had 17
level 85 characters between the two of us. My wife was never really interested
in raiding or any kind of endgame activity. We only ever did (heroic) dungeons
during <i><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Burning Crusade</span></b></i>. As soon as one of her characters reached the level
cap she basically lost interest in them. She also did play a lot less than me
anyway and was responsible for three of the 17 level 85 characters. My main
character up until <i><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cataclysm</span></b></i> was my <i>Druid</i> – the first character I ever created.
I successfully raided as a Healer and I was deeply disappointed by the removal
of the permanent <i>Tree of Life Form</i>. But then again this design
decision made it a bit easier for me to abandon my <i>Druid</i> and to create a <i>Death
Knight</i> Tank on a new server to team up with my brother-in-law.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The constant design changes make it really
difficult to select an all-time favourite class, but I think that overall I
enjoyed the <i>Paladin</i> Tank, the <i>Druid </i>Healer and <i>Mages</i> in general most of all. I
liked <i>Hunters</i> in <i><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cataclysm</span></b></i>. I think that <i>Focus</i> was the right thing to do and
pets also behaved a lot smarter. I never really cared for <i>Shamans</i> or <i>Rogues</i>.
Somehow they never really "clicked" with me. My <i>Undead Rogue</i> was more
or less my departing project. I wanted to experience the revamped old world
content and he hit the level cap shortly before I quit the game. I have to say
that although the leveling speed was ridiculously fast (even without any kind
of XP-bonus) the questing experience was generally rather pleasant. The
progress through the <i>Forsaken </i>lands felt truly amazing with lots of exciting
and hilarious quests.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">My plethora of characters was scattered across
multiple servers. I have a professional interest in psychology and linguistics
and I wanted to experience the differences among the player base on different
servers. Therefore, I had characters on several EU-servers (English, French,
German and Spanish). I have to admit that my Spanish is rudimentary at best
which did not really help my plan to observe player behaviour. However, I feel
safe to say that the atmosphere on the Horde side of at least one
Spanish-speaking realm seemed to be quite relaxed. The biggest surprises for me
were the two French servers. The people there were extremely polite and very helpful.
A common question in trade chat was: <span style="color: #666666;">"<i>I am sorry to bother you all, but
could a Jewelcrafter</i> </span>[insert other profession here]<span style="color: #666666;"> <i>please link their
profession. Thank you.</i>"</span> If someone tried selling a BoP item on trade he
was kindly reminded that this was not possible. Compare the usual: <span style="color: #666666;">"<i>ffs, u
cant sell bop u noob</i>"</span>. Being a stranger on a French realm was among the
most positive experiences I have had in my entire time on <i>Azeroth</i>. The German
servers, in contrast, are very, very frustrating. They butcher the English
language and their own language in ways that are beyond good and evil. There is
a term for this phenomenon called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denglisch" target="_blank">Denglisch</a> where an English word is morphologically
adjusted and integrated into the German syntax. (This could almost cause
eye cancer; I'm sure of it!) The atmosphere on those servers was also highly
toxic and very unforgiving. Try selling a BoP item there, I dare you! I am more than certain that one can find pleasant people on German realms, too. I just have not met that many.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now the (supposedly) English-speaking servers
are a whole other issue. It is obvious that anyone who is not French, German or
Spanish (-speaking), but wants to play on a European server will choose one labelled
as 'English'. That does, however, not mean that this person has even a basic
command of the English language as such. Most of the time this did not pose any
problems and I guess that those people are a small minority. Things will become
interesting when one realm is chosen as the "unofficial" server for
people from that region. I was lucky enough to experience this twice. One
server was populated by lots of Turkish-speaking people, many of whom either
did not understand English or simply refused to communicate in English. This
made grouping very problematic. At least before the Dungeon Finder it was
possible to manually select ones comrades in arms. After that it became
increasingly difficult to form pre-made groups (not counting Rent-a-Tank) and
on many occasions I would join a dungeon group via the Dungeon Finder and find
two or three of the participants talking in a language other than English. I
would then politely remind them to please communicate in English but, alas, I
was mostly ignored. Seeing this, I would immediately add those people to my
Ignore List. The old </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World of Warcraft</span></b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> website actually had a passage that
explicitly stated that the server language was binding for all public
communication on that realm. This page, however, cannot be found on the new
</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Battle.net</b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> website. With the Dungeon Finder dungeons not being on the world server,
but on an instance server, it would not matter anyway. I encountered the other
example of an "unofficial" server when I joined </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Gevlon</i>'s</b></span> <a href="http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/2009/08/ungeared.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Undergeared</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
project on his home realm </span><a href="http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/941877/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">EU-<i>Arathor</i></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, which had a very large population of
Hungarian players.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Now, please don't take this the wrong way: I
have absolutely nothing against people from any nationality (in fact I consider
myself European, maybe even Cosmopolitan) but I think that in the interest of
fairness, we should all at least make an effort to communicate in a way that
includes everyone and allows for a broader understanding </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">–
participation being the operative word</span>. If someone wants to
enjoy group content with their friends who are unable to communicate in the
realm’s language, they could at least be polite enough to use the /whisper
chat-mode.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I already mentioned the <a href="http://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/search/label/Undergeared" target="_blank">Undergeared project</a>. I
wanted to take this up in this post because it certainly was one of the most
memorable experiences for me. The project had many haters right from the start
which might also have to do with its highly controversial leader. Nevertheless,
the atmosphere while raiding was very relaxed and highly professional. The
set-up was always unstable because we had to take whoever was online that
evening. There were at least three people in the <i>Icecrown Citadel</i> runs who had
never been in there before – one of whom has never even raided before and we
managed to defeat the "unbeatable" <i>Festergut</i> with that group. This
project could have gone a long way and I felt rather sad when it came to a
sudden end.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Despite my dislike for PvP there was a time
when I was a member of a 2v2 Arena Team with a very good in-game friend. He was
in fact a very mature teenager – quite a surprise for me when I found that out.
I suck so bad at PvP it's almost criminal and I should really feel ashamed
basically having been boosted by him. One night we were teamed against two <i>Rogues</i>
and unsurprisingly I died after about 20 seconds. How my <i>Mage</i> friend managed to
defeat those two <i>Rogues</i> on his own is beyond me. That was truly amazing! Other
times we did some Battlegrounds together with some more friends and
non-guildies which was also fun, but I never really enjoyed it that much – it
was more the social aspect of it that I liked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reasons why I no longer enjoy </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>World of
Warcraft</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> are manifold and have all been exhaustively and eloquently described
by others. Have a closer look at my </span><a href="http://maldwiz.blogspot.com/p/essential-reading.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">ESSENTIAL READING</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> page, </span><a href="http://unwaveringsentinel.blogspot.com/2011/11/end.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">this post</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> by
</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Zellviren</b></span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> is particularly relevant.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In addition, the one thing that caused me to
quit more than anything else can be summed up by saying: "<i>GOGOGO!</i>" Rushing
through mindless content, fast-paced action, requiring ultra-fast reflexes (twitch)
and basically instant gratification and speed above all simply do not appeal to
me. I enjoyed the slower, more tactical approach of </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12pt;">classic
</span><b><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WoW</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Burning
Crusade</span></b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> where one false move could basically mean a wipe for one's group and
where 5-player content (at any level) was seen as an alternative to raiding and
not a mere stepping stone on the way. Designated pullers and pull spots, group
composition based on class and skill and most importantly a strong community
where ones reputation truly mattered – I cannot find any of this any more
anywhere in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World of Warcraft</span></b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In conclusion, I can say that I did greatly
enjoy the game for a long time, but by looking at the current design and future
plans, I feel that I am no longer among the target audience of this game.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-86496817107468340742012-03-15T14:47:00.001+01:002015-05-16T11:07:12.339+02:00WoW: Cataclysm<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
I did not expect much from the third expansion
and I was not really looking forward to it all. Nonetheless, I was actually
pleasantly surprised by the initial content. Normal dungeons were still easy as
pie, but at least the heroic versions did require some degree of strategy, e.g.
crowd control and interrupts. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365" target="_blank"><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>The Grumpy Elf</b></i></a> has a series of <a href="http://thegrumpyelf.blogspot.com/2012/02/cataclysm-miscues-i-healing-mana.html" target="_blank">“Cataclysm miscues”</a>
in which he addresses several problems such as the fast leveling speed or the
state of professions. I highly recommend reading this insightful nine-part series.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">My very busy raiding schedule from <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Burning Crusade</i></b>
and <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wrath of the Lich King</i></b>
had taken its toll and I wanted to slow things down a bit. Therefore, I decided
to leave the hardcore raiding scene and move on to pastures new. My
brother-in-law asked me to join him on the Horde side (on a different server) and
we founded a casual raiding guild together. The aim was clear: we wanted to
raid about two to three nights a week with a fixed roster and flexible hours in
a casual and friendly atmosphere. This worked for the first three months. After
that it became apparent that the casual approach in <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cataclysm</i></b> was just that –
very casual. People rightfully prioritised other things over gaming and we had
difficulties getting regular groups together. Our server was very active, so we
were able to pug the occasional raid member. However, the guild perks system
required us to have at least eight members from our guild as raid participants
in order to receive the guild bonus. This was very problematic at times and let
to the fateful decision to merge our guild with a group of friends who were
looking for a new guild to call home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Even though this was technically not a real
guild merger because the other group was not a real guild, it certainly felt
that way. They were a group of four real life friends and they had heard of our
approach and contacted me to talk about details. We had a pleasant chat and
seemed to share similar views on the game. So it came that all of them joined
our guild which now had nine (allegedly) reliable players (our previous five
and their four). That meant that the guild bonus was secured. We established a
solid 10-player (casual) raiding guild and for a time it was good. However, the
devil is, as they say, in the details. I was basically managing the entire
guild myself – the guild bank and guild website, recruitment and raid leading.
I must admit that I am somewhat of a control freak and I really enjoyed being
in charge of everything. This led to some problems with the “leader” of the
four new members who wanted more competence. I had told this “other alpha”
right from the start – even before they all joined – that I would be in charge
as guild and raid leader and that my brother-in-law was second in command.
Other than that we had a flat hierarchy with everybody else being on equal
ground. At first he and the others seemed fine with that but somewhere along
the road this was no longer the case. I honestly do not know what their
specific problems were as none of them wanted to directly and openly discuss it
when asked. I had the impression that the main issues were the lack of certain
bank and website privileges, but I do not know for sure.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">We had no loot drama since a 10-player raid
only offered two items per boss and we also created a “class raid” meaning that
we had one of each class in the raid. <i>Warrior</i> and <i>Death Knight</i> Tanks, a <i>Holy
Paladin</i> as primary Healer, assisted by either <i>Druid</i>, <i>Priest</i> or <i>Shaman</i> – depending
on the encounter – and a <i>Hunter</i>, a <i>Mage</i>, a <i>Rogue</i> and a <i>Warlock</i> as primary Damage Dealers. I was very pleased with this set-up and it worked amazingly well.
However, we hit a brick wall on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cho’gall</i>
and his very annoying <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=91303" target="_blank"><i>Conversion</i></a> mechanic. We worked several weeks on this boss with no
success in sight. Every time we managed to overcome an obstacle something new
came along that broke our necks, e.g. the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=82414#used-by-npc" target="_blank">tentacles</a> in the final phase of the
encounter. So, we were unable to defeat this boss before he was nerfed. This was
also the time when the new members gradually stopped showing up until they all
decided to quit the game for good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">As a consequence, my brother-in-law and I
decided to go even more casual in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Firelands</i>.
We set two specific raid nights (Wednesday and Thursday) and we invited anybody
who wanted to come (irrespective of guild affiliation) and who seemed capable
according to their armory profile. This meant forgoing the guild group bonus
but somehow that did not matter to us any more. I guess one can say that we
were already losing interest in the game. That method worked surprisingly well
and we cleared six bosses in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Firelands</i>
within the first two weeks after release. Here we were at the final boss again
and we were having the same problems again. Master phase one, fail at phase
two; master that one and fail at the next one. Eventually, we did it, but I
simply did not care any more. I was glad that it was done and finally over.
After that I just could not be bothered any more. We had no <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dragon Soul</i> guild runs; however, I completed that raid three times
via the Raid Finder – as a Healer, a Tank and on my <i>Hunter</i>. Every single run was boring
and felt meaningless with the final “boss” encounter being the ultimate
let-down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Towards the end of 2011, my subscription ran out
and I took my very first (and only, and final) break from <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">World of Warcraft</i></b> – meaning I did not
renew my subscription. This might not seem like a big deal for many people but
for me it was a very big deal. I had been playing continually since I started
back in 2006 without any major breaks whatsoever – i.e. without cancelling my
subscription. Unfortunately, the game had lost all its appeal to me and I
already knew that I wanted to start fresh in a galaxy far, far away.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-7254822994031445142012-03-14T15:26:00.001+01:002015-05-16T11:02:55.590+02:00WoW: Wrath of the Lich King<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
Initially, I was very excited about this
expansion, as it would conclude the story of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Arthas</i> and I was looking forward to seeing how that would end.
While journeying through <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Northrend</i>, I
encountered my favourite species, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kalu’ak</i>.
I simply love those walrus people! The scene at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wrathgate</i> and the subsequent quest to reclaim the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Undercity</i> were among the most memorable leveling
experiences for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the beginning of the end was
already apparent. The “big boss nerf” must have also affected all other
dungeons because the common theme from day one in </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wrath of the Lich King</i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> seemed to be to
AoE-nuke everything down. Imagine my surprise when that actually worked! During classic </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">World of Warcraft</span> </b></i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and </span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Burning Crusade</i></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> this was unthinkable. Even low-level dungeons required
careful planning and pulling. But not anymore! Pull the entire corridor, nuke
and move on. This was true for every dungeon, normal or heroic right from the
start. (</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What a shame!</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">) It was even true for the expansion’s entry raid instance,
the rehashed and soulless </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Naxxramas</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
(please read </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Kungen</i>’s</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> blog series
</span><a href="http://www.manaflask.com/de/blog/Kungen/782" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">“Ensidia starts raiding ...”</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> if you want to know more about this and have a look </span><a href="http://manaflask.com/en/article/892/a-veteran-moves-on-kungen-retires" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> if you want to get a brief glimpse as to why he quit the game).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Upon hitting level 80, raiding was once again
business as usual for my guild and we conquered the content pretty quickly. I
think <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ulduar</i> was the absolute
pinnacle of raid design and I consider the interior area the best raid in the
entire game, challenged only by the wonder that was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Karazhan</i>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ulduar</i> had a
great story, a beautiful scenery, a plethora of achievements and, most
importantly, hard modes that were triggered by in-game events (i.e. player
actions during an encounter) rather than by changing the setting via the UI. It
also featured two of my all-time favourite boss encounters: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mimiron</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">General Vezax</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I was still playing with my wife from time to
time, although less regularly due to real life commitments and my busy raiding
schedule. To be totally honest, the game actually ended for me after I defeated
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lich King</i>. I had finished the
story that I wanted to follow and many (game-breaking) changes were already
implemented or on their way, most importantly that 5-player dungeons were no
longer regarded as a meaningful endgame activity – a view that was facilitated
by the great tool that would destroy any sense of server community and
accountability: the marvellous Dungeon Finder. That was sarcasm, by the way.
The issue of content vs. community is also addressed <a href="http://dwism.blogspot.com/2012/03/content-or-community-decisions-for.html" target="_blank">here</a> and (unsurprisingly)
it is <i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Shintar</b></i>, once again, who hits the nail on the head:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #666666;">
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">I hope they stick with the focus on community too. I
actually haven't met </span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;">that</span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"> many completely awful people in LFD either,
but even with a decent group the experience is just completely soulless, as
everyone just goes through the motions to get to the end as quickly as
possible. All the access in the world doesn't do me any good if the content
doesn't feel like it's actually worth doing. I'd rather have fewer runs but
have them be worthy of remembering.</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"></span><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
</blockquote>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7813372066757919083.post-56967107143809219852012-03-09T11:44:00.000+01:002015-05-16T11:00:42.160+02:00WoW: The Burning Crusade<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
Shortly after the launch of <b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Burning Crusade</i></b>, I managed to arouse my wife’s interest in the game as
well. So it happened that eventually the two of us would share those online
adventures together. We created a matching pair of characters – she played a
<i>Protection Paladin</i> and launched herself right into the fray, while I kept my
sweetheart alive by healing her wounds on my <i>Holy Priest</i>. This team managed to
clear all dungeons (normal and heroic) along their way and met many pleasant –
and even a few unpleasant – people during their journeys.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The Druid’s quest chain for the <a href="http://www.wowhead.com/spell=40120"><i>Swift Flight Form</i></a> was amazing and I
consider it one of my most memorable moments. I only wished that the <a class="q4" href="http://www.wowhead.com/item=32768">[Reigns of
the Raven Lord]</a> would have been a guaranteed <i>Druid</i>-only reward for completing
the quest. I am still harbouring a grudge because I never saw it drop. I ran
Heroic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sethakk Halls</i> almost daily
during <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Burning Crusade</i></b> and started soloing it as soon as I could – right until the
very end. I even gave it a try on my very last day in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Azeroth</i> – but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anzu</i> would
not yield up the elusive item.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><i style="color: #666666;">I never enjoyed gaming more than when I played
level 70 content during World of Warcraft’s first expansion set, The Burning
Crusade.</i> -- <a href="http://unwaveringsentinel.blogspot.com/2012/02/locking-out-weekly-lockout.html" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" target="_blank"><i>Zellviren</i></a></span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><i style="color: #666666;">I consider The Burning Crusade as the best WoW
expansion, the height of my gaming when I felt WoW was doing everything right.
I consider WotLK the beginning of the end for me, especially when it came to
the difficulty of 5-man content.</i> -- <a href="http://nerd.tanklikeagirl.com/series/20-days-blogging-challenge/" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" target="_blank"><i>Kadomi </i></a></span></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I wholeheartedly agree, even though I would say
that the beginning of the end was already noticeable after Patch 2.4. I think
that <b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Burning Crusade</i></b> was the best expansion because it offered meaningful
content for everyone. Heroic dungeons provided a great experience and
(additionally) my group did spend quite some time in that beautiful place
called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Karazhan</i>. The best part about
heroic dungeons for me was that they all required strategy and tactics. Careful
planning and pulling was essential and crowd control necessary. This meant that
heroic dungeons took some time and that they could be seen as an alternative to
the raiding endgame.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">At one point, however, I started yearning for the
ultimate challenge only 25-player raids could offer. So I applied to a hardcore
raiding guild and was accepted for trial. We had four to six raids per week.
Monday to Thursday were regular progression raids and on Fridays and Saturdays
(or Sundays) we did the occasional “off-raid” – old content to get gear and/or
attunements for new members. Once <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zul’Aman</i>
was released, we did our “bear runs” on the weekends as well. We were able to
complete the entire level 70 content before the “big boss nerf”. And for a time
it was good.</span></div>
Maldwizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02726258842496198525noreply@blogger.com0