Category Archives: Funny stuff

Oh noes, I used the item shop!

In my last post I mentioned that I have picked up Age of Conan again to test the new PVP server – there’s not an awful lot to play for me at the moment, and I must admit that Hyboria’s setting holds a special place in my heart. Already, the horribly flawed UI, quest or AH functionality frustrate me again (how hard is it to fix these?), but the world in general has that feeling of “home” that I’d otherwise only get in Azeroth.

PVP starts early on and I’m having a great laugh with it; I soloed quests in the starter dungeons and got my ass kicked around every corner until I finally learned how to make proper use of my hiding skill, questing in sneaky mode, what a thrill! Once you’ve lost enough items to some rogue lurking in the shadows (I promptly lost my first blue item that way too), you begin to play a lot differently, making use of walls and corners, always minding the nearest exit. The look of the outside towns and quest hubs is hilarious too: entirely deserted, not a soul around. You think! In fact, they’re all around you, as you realize when a player suddenly drops out of stealth next to you or two start dueling in the middle of town, with more and more players popping out of nowhere and joining the battle. I love it!

That’s not the only novelty in AoC for me though – there is now the item store and yes, the vanity window. Sigh. A fatal combination for somebody such as myself! I had to do it of course, I had to browse what social armor is up for sale. To my defense, the standard armor in the game is very lackluster and looks hardly ever change until you reach max level and go for instances. Who wants to wear an orange plate mail and cow-hide skirt forever?? Just give me one nice set that I can keep wearing the next weeks and months, mkay.

Now, the item shop is pretty sneaky and I blame Funcom for everything that happened from there. I meant to buy ONE set with real money and maybe a bag for more item storage. But of course, the armor is displayed so badly in the shop (and there’s no wardrobe feature) that you basically need to buy in order to check what it really looks like. I didn’t do that of course, I was smart (muaha!) and browsed the net for previews. After 10 minutes I had still found zero screenshots and that was when I really lost my temper. “10 Euros, who cares?? Let’s do it!”

So, I did it. And again, and again. The first set was shockingly bad and then I bought a wrong one by mistake (it was called Transcendence, what can I say). So I bought one more that I finally liked. And since I have 2 characters I play on different servers, I bought another for my high-level priest, too. This is my story on how I spent 40 Euros on virtual wardrobe until I was out of cash to even buy that bag. Had I not read Syncaine’s story on his micro-transactions bill for League of Legends just this morning, I would still feel a little guilty…..but, I don’t! Not really. Lalalala…!

Real-money transfer is coming, friends. Like to learning how to manage an allowance, it takes some self-discipline at first, yet I’m really starting to endorse all the pros of this business model. The times of paying for a pig in a poke are over; here’s your chance to play MMOs first before agreeing on just how much you actually intend to spend on them long-term.

…if you can handle it, that is. Honestly though, can you really blame me?

How I spent 40 Euros in Age of Conan

A good weekend to all of you, the well-dressed and those still running around in cow-hide!

Transmogrifail

Dear Blizzard. Thanks for implementing a feature we have asked for for over 5 years, now that more and more of us are giving up on playing your game. Others dumped their tiers and specials rewards some years ago because of bank space, since you never bothered to create some extra armor storage for all our BoPs. You finally got it now, didn’t you – but that doesn’t mean you’ll make it easy of course, just adding appearance slots, way too last season for you.

I used to be a passionate gear collector. My armor sets, my staves, my rare drops – all still in my bank ever since vanilla WoW. Yes, really. So, I just want to say I HATE YOU and no, I won’t activate that unused, leftover gamecard still lying on my desk. You won’t get me so easily, but thanks for trying! Yes, I am nostalgic sometime, that’s what happens when you’ve played a game for that long. The answer is still no because I know what’s going to happen 10 minutes after logging back in, when every friend on my friendlist will show offline for months and I feel like an alien in a guild I helped creating. So, there’s no coming back – not even to wear that amazing T5 robe again, my priestly wings or staff of immaculate win. No matter how great that would be….Read my lips: No waii!

I’m sure you understand. I’m sure that in due time I will have managed to convince myself, too. Besides, transmogrification really is meant for turning oneself into a baby tiger – everybody knows that.

A good weekend to all of you – the transmogrified, the unchanged and all you little tigers!

What ever happened to a/s/l?

Chatting to one of my still-WoW-playing friends the other night, particularly on the topics occupying me this previous blog-week, he shared a gem of conversation with me that he experienced some time ago on his PVP server; one example so telling it had me choking over a bowl of green curry, not the most pleasant sensation, I might add.

I know gearscore-hysteria is a big deal in WoW by now, and of course not just entirely of the player base’s own making. Yet, this was such a moment of unimagined heights that I begged him to send me the screenshots so I might share. Without further ado, this piece of interactive brilliance –

Wow…wow indeed! I admire anyone witty enough to come up with this/any kind of reply. I’m not sure my reeling mind would have recovered quite as fast.

“GS/GR/GA” – the essential 3 Gs of today’s World of Warcraft? Now you can say about good old IM/chat conduct whatever you like, “a/s/l” was at least somewhat more personal than this! GGG? – Ye gods, I’d rather be AFK!

Friday link love

It’s Friday, w00t! Hardly ever does stating the obvious make me this happy. It’s been a very interesting week for me blogging-wise, so I wanna thank all of you who added their own takes on the alt debate. I feel I gained many insights and once again the confirmation that with WoW being the “genre freak” that it is, with a much wider audience than just the classic MMORPG audience, questions like these become generally more complex. Even on smaller scale, there are already differences between a very raid-centric focus or other just as valid playstyles. I still think alts are a problematic feature; at the end of the day though, I hope you enjoy whatever you do because that’s what really matters.

I haven’t allowed myself to ramble freely in a while, although that is not to say I’m always coherent with my thoughts (I hear coherence is overrated, anyway). So, in the light of the upcoming weekend, I’ll be blissfully incoherent and throw random links at you for no specific purpose.

This week the US decided that violent video games are good for kids, or good enough anyway, and everyone in Europe is talking about it now too – what does it mean for us, what should we do, oh noes we’re all going to die, et cetera. Games don’t create violence. Here’s the proof.

Besides that, my literary God met up with my late-night God this last Sunday, so imagine my excitement. If you have no idea who these two people are, you should really get your act together. Fast. While we’re talking youtube: do you actually recognize Peter Jackson in this video? I had to check twice, scary! And I really can’t wait for the Hobbit.

Ah yeah, WoW launched a new content patch. I almost forgot. Hurry up and do your dailies grind so you can unlock your reward NPCs asap! Hurry hurry, you don’t wanna be left behind now, do you? Harder, better, faster, stronger. And what then? Who knows. Comme on fait son lit on se couche. I hope those hoops come in different colors, at least.

New bloggers on the block

I’d like to mention a few relatively new bloggers that I’ve only recently come across in the blogosphere. A few have been around longer than others which shows that some link love is overdue. In the spirit of oldschool MMO cooperation, remember your first blogging days and weeks and pay them a visit sometime –

Vudu, the “blog-less blogger”, writes commentaries on other MMO blog articles over at MMO Syndicate. He has fixed his comment box now, so you can start visiting. That’s Final Fantasy’s Zak in the header, by the way.

Straw Fellow is a relatively new blogger who has joined the circle of general MMO critics and analysts in the blogosphere. I have a weakness for scarecrows, so he’s off to a good start.

The Game Preacher has set out with an intriguing blog focus. He is “…here to help you develop your team. Whether you call it a clan, guild, or electronic sports team”. True to his name, his articles are comprehensive and substantial, so you want to take your time reading them through.

Telwyn from Gamingsf is an MMO player of variety who writes about MMOs in general as much as his adventures in Azeroth, the Planes of Telara, Norrath and more. I really like his blog template.

Max is a frequent commenter on MMO design blogs and has recently set up a place of his own under a most original name. To use his words, a blog about “MMO design snippets from the safety of an armchair”. With that, he joins our ever-increasing corner of critics and also, second language writers which is something to encourage.

/Wave to all of you and happy blogging. And of course, a fantastic weekend to everybody!

Weekend challenge: Guess the MMO developer!

Rebuses (is there even such a plural?) are fun. I always wanted to make an MMO rebus, so finally here’s the world premiere of the “MMO developers rebus” quiz exclusively brought to you by me! In case you don’t know the rules of a rebus, ‘-/+’ indicate the subtraction/addition of letters or words and ‘=’ signifies a switch of letters. That’s about it, as long as you’re good at wordplay and have a bit of imagination.

I don’t think I made them too hard, although some might not be as obvious as others. So, happy guessing everybody – and no, I won’t give you the solutions anywhere, muaha – although I will acknowledge the first person to guess all 5 of them correctly (there’s a cookie in it for you)! A weekend toast to y’alls!

How well do you know your MMOs?
(click picture to enlarge)

P.S. Apologies for a late edit on this.

Never give up, never surrender

Before the weekend, a little comic I played around with (I added a link to the original version in the caption, just so my copyright infringement guilt feels a little lighter).

(Original version)

To end the week on a somewhat lighter note, two links you all want to look into:

Altnotes.com where Gilded has recently set up camp with a new MMO blog. He focuses on analyzing and discussing modern MMO design and mechanics in general, adding a new voice to the circle of blogging MMO critics in the blogosphere. In the spirit of supporting our newcomers, check his thoughts out sometime, it’s worth it!

Rift: The little things over at massively; I’ve always been one to look for the little things in my MMOs, the silly, fun and secret along the way which are all too easily missed in the rush. A formidable list with the very same focus, saves me creating one for Rift then, I guess!

Enjoy your weekend everybody, be it inside or outside those virtual worlds we all love so much!

Significant Friday

It’s Friday everybody! That sweet fifth day of the week we look forward to so much, that gateway to the weekend and blessed relaxation. Yet of all the days of the week, we tend to pay Friday the least reverence. Yes in fact, we often completely omit the existence of Friday, talking about how it’s already the weekend or “thank God it’s Thursday tomorrow, finally the week is over!”. And that sucks for poor old Friday. Freya would not be pleased. Where’s your Friday appreciation?

Fridays are usually celebrated with a Frivolous Friday post on this blog. Which is a great excuse for me to write rambly texts, bombard the world with silly pictures or links that made me laugh for one reason or another and generally be not so SRS. You need to give your week a break sometime.

But not today. Today there will be no sillyness here – today I shall (and so should you), in quiet contemplation and gratitude, honor Friday as is its due.

Thank you Friday, for being my last day of work every week. Thank you for an empty office in the morning, so I can enjoy my coffee in peace. Thank you for generally being less of a pain in the ass than your brothers and sisters, especially Monday and Thursday. Thank you for an early leave in the afternoon, because I need to go and buy stuff for tomorrow’s barbecue. Thank you for another episode of Grey’s Anatomy, latest season. Thank you for less traffic on the road and less smelly people in my tram and bus. Thank you for the last afterwork drink in the evening and first toast to the weekend. Thank you for staying up as late as I like, because Saturday mornings are for other people. Thank you Friday for always being there, each week on time.

Have a good Friday everybody. And remember to appreciate your days.

The invincible mage

Ever since my article of last week, I had this idea for a comic in my mind and last night I finally found the time to have a go. I’m not a versed comic maker like Liala (check out her awesome Orc detective story), but it seems like a great way to close some of this and last week’s hottest blog discussions (and was loads of fun to create). I don’t think much explanation is needed. 😉

A very happy weekend to you – and all you tanks, healers and damage dealers out there!

Frivolous Friday Roundup

It’s Frivolous Friday time and I dare say the blogosphere needs it, what a gloomy week it’s been in places. Or maybe you took time off from it all and had fun exploring the world of Telara, like I did – but that doesn’t really solve the issue of the major apathy and disillusionment WoW players are currently facing over Cataclysm. Is this really all that’s left of World of Warcraft? 25man raiding dying, guilds struggling to recruit, Blizzard recycling old content while a few more vanity items and achievements are being installed on the side?

“Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountain, like wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the West behind the hills into shadow. How did it come to this?” [The Lord of the Rings, King Theoden]

How did it come to this? What has happened to Azeroth, that colorful, perfect second world for so many players worldwide, once so filled with wonder, camaraderie and adventure? Is the time of WoW coming to an end, as so many of us have felt on a personal level lately – or have we as a generation of longtimers simply outgrown the game? Every MMO, even one as popular as World of Warcraft, can only attract a playerbase for so long. No doubt this is not the end for Blizzard, but maybe it’s simply the end for many a veteran who feels let down by Cataclysm.

Frivolous Friday Roundup

Well, some bloggers are still enjoying themselves out there in Azeroth. They choose to focus on what’s there rather than on what there is not – on little things, mysterious and cheerful as can still be found by those who look for them. Among all the gloominess their posts have stood out to me this week, so entirely untouched by what almost sounds like the end of days. It’s not all bad raids and lackluster patches. And since my own Frivolous Friday contribution would only convince you to buy Rift and go dye all your gear in various colors, I shall let these three speak for me this time. (I will tell you about those wonderful dyes soon enough!)

While the future of WoW might be uncertain, one thing you can always count on is Issy putting a smile on your face. Sunny and cheerful, she lets her readers in on what makes WoW real to her and still worth playing, so check out her most recent articles of this week.

Strange things are afoot and Zinn has a special gift to spot them. While countless players are rushing through the game, never taking a moment to ponder the world around them, Zinn keeps her own mystery files on what’s being quirky and odd in Azeroth – from floating catheads to strange glowing men, uh oh!

Angelya is saving baby murlocs in Blasted Lands, a quest I must admit I never heard of myself. As the murlocs embark on their journey across the sea, she wonders about what might lie across, distant places yet to be discovered on the landmap of WoW. To think that we might not have seen and explored all of that world is a strangely encouraging thought, a space to dream in this otherwise so exhausted fantasy.

A good weekend to you all – be it on Azeroth, Telara or planet earth. Wherever you are, don’t forget to take a look around sometime for the little things that make your world good and special, no matter how tiny or silly they may be.

Your blog on the world map

What started as a creative brainstorming between myself and Larísa a few days ago in a topic on second language blogging, is beginning to take shape in the hands of enthusiastic Rebecca at the MMO Melting Pot. The crew over there has been very busy the past weeks, giving the page layout a basic overhaul and adjusting their blogroll – and that’s why clearly, they needed more work on top of it!

It’s great to see at what speed this idea was taken up, but what’s needed for this to happen now is your input and support. Do you want to add your MMO blog to a united blogosphere world map? Did you ever wonder who your blogging neighbours might be? Then it’s time to head over to the Melting Pot and leave your feedback and suggestions for Rebecca and the rest of the team!

Personally I’d love to see this in action and I hear there are cookies involved.
Leave your vote today folks (no vote makes Squirrel sad)!