Memories

Tonight I was running around in WoW to complete one of the World Event Achievements. I ran across Maraudon, a dungeon I haven't been to in ages. A friend ran me through it on my old priest, Xanafae. And I miss her dearly. Brought my thoughts to her and the fun we used to have. Hopefully she is good wherever she is tonight.

Gaming Nirvana

As most of you know I have been playing WoW, a certain beta, and even firing up F11 from time to time in the last few months-- even during the launch of FF14. I have beaten a few Xbox 360 games as well. I know there were a few nights when I baffled everyone on vent that I was doing WoW Holiday quests, while everyone quested in the new game FF14.

I tend to take longer to finish things than my friends and a while ago I got tired of setting on a course to finish X, Y, and Z in a game and others moving on before I even finish X. I confess -- I'm a completionist and perfectionist. I have long known these things about myself, but until recently I didn't know how much they affected my gaming happiness.

Reflecting on my personal situation with the economy, I realize what it must have taken to publicly announce such leadership changes, apologize to the public and offer to indefinitely extend the free time in FF14. We all mess up. And they acknowledge they did. All we can do now is provide feedback (if you chose), and if not, just go play something else for the time being. I don't see any of the other countless MMOs that have released in less than optimal conditions publicly firing people, offering apologies and letting users have free trials indefinitely.

This isn't the same as a F2P model because with those, the devs are still recouping costs through sub packages and cash shops. Sony has no way of recouping costs for their mistakes at the moment. Other than initial box sales, which all MMOs get, they haven't made anything on the project.

The places I work in make mistakes all the time for various reasons, and I'm sure is the same for your place(s) of business. The difference is -- the majority of us do not work on titanic sized projects of $150mil or more with one chance at launch. I have seen a of a simple $2mil gaming project with at least 3-4 launches die ---I can't imagine having to deal with the realities of MMO development today as a team lead. And clearly based on the market -- only one or two can say they nailed it.

Blizzard is the only company so far to not have a public black mark on their record.

Sure things like LOTRO opened a new way to come back from failure, but at the end of the day, it's still not what was desired by the original intent of the project.

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Maybe going from one game to another is what keeps things interesting for you, maybe it's firing up Tower Defense from time to time... what ever it is do it. And don't let "Well I have to play with my husband/wife/gf/best friend/pet dog", whatever stray you from it completely. I know it is easier said than done having had to make joint "what are we going to play next" discussions in the past, but I find it is far more of a burden and puts a lot of angst on game X's failures than need be -- "Damnit if they had only released a perfect MMO -- we wouldn't be fighting". Oh yes you would, it would just be about something else. :)

Find a happy medium of meeting up on a few nights a week with friends (much like a weekly poker game) and doing stuff YOU want to do.

I have been practicing this for over two years now and it's made me a much happier gamer.

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Why do I bring this all up?

Well I hate to break it to you guys that whatever new game you are waiting on, is also gonna suck. Unless its Cataclysm. What do I mean by that? Sure you can play whatever game you want as long as the server doors are open -- but if the game isnt making money and is considered a financial failure (as most MMOs are for all intents and purposes), the level of new content you will see with a new MMO will be greatly diminished, and without that the MMO will never be a thriving world.

What's that you say? There is a new beta that is making you happy? Well it will be a wait and see game to how it is received critically, and more importantly -- will players stay? Quite a few of the usual trolls are already complaining off and on beta boards for the game about how this one is gonna fail as well..

We are simply in a "bad" time for MMO development as gamers. The industry isn't sure how to churn out McMMOs - consistent tasting , albeit bland hambuger patties. And since each of these beauties is worth more than their weight in gold pressed latinum, we are watching some expensive experimentation. Once we get our consistent yummy addictive hamburger, then we'll start to see the incremental improvements we have all been waiting on, the real meat of the types of innovation that makes us love games.

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I"m going to continue to piddle in FF14 as Bean suggested. I want the game to be all I see in FF11 and more. I listen to the FF11 podcast and find myself realizing that a graphical upgrade (FF14) isn't enough to not play FF11, so I have patched and installed that. The content they are releasing in FF11 is amazing.

I have found a new way of gaming and that's just to play what I want, when I want, and try to spend some time with friends. It's less stressful for me and I'm far happier. Feeling like I don't have to quit game A over game B next week.

I hope you all find ways of making your own gaming nirvana as well.

Cat and Balloon

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Lots of Games To Update

I beat the Darkness. This is the second shooter I have beaten in over ten years. The other beating Modern Warfare 2 back in December. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I tried it when it first came out, but never got the chance to beat it. I'm not an expert at shooters at all - in fact I think I suck heartily at them. The cool part is that now I know that is not the truth necessarily. I need practice sure, but it's not out of reach.

Also have been playing open beta of Final Fantasy 14 and Vindictus. Both are good and I will enjoy playing them more often. I have played another closed beta that is amazing as well and can't wait to talk about that later when the NDA lifts. I'm almost done with Starcraft II, but having my PC blow up for almost a month (video card died) caused me to put that on the back burner for a while.

Wow is ever present casually. Its nice to play something I can play for 15min at a time and get something accomplished. My goal with my gaming at this time is not to go for such long stretches of playing nothing. I used to have a very all or nothing approach to things -- if I couldn't do all I wanted to, I did none. Now this year I have been happy that has changed. My aunt recently gave me advice that I need more balance in my life, and I agree.

I'm also extremely thrilled my Xbox 360 is getting use aside from being a media device.

OCD Much?

Back in WoW. (Yea, yea I know, believe me I know.) I was talked into it and now I'm gonna do stuff for me. So whatever that is. Like finishing all the Noble Garden achievements. Yea, I'm a bit OCD. What's sad/funny is I probably opened around 800-1000 eggs and deleted even more uniques before getting this done.

Next holiday event like this I'm going to do this only keep all the items the whole time so I kno how crazy I was before getting all the achievements.

2010

In 2010… (Taken from a random article I stumbled on)

May peace break into your home and may thieves come to steal your debts

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!

May happiness slap you across the face and my your tears be that of joy.

May the problems you had, forget your home address!

Simply, may 2010 be the best year of your life!!

Happy New Year, everybody!

(And yes, Nuvo is delicious)

Sometimes We Stumble Upon What We Need to See or Hear

I had been AFK most of the day, dealing with various issues for my move and preparing my letter for my Aunt's birthday book. I was just preparing some things for this evening and chores when I ran across this article.

mensch or mensh

n. pl. mensch·es or mensch·en Informal

A person having admirable characteristics, such as fortitude and firmness of purpose: "He radiates the kind of fundamental decency that has a name in Yiddish; he's a mensch" (James Atlas).

Twelve Resolutions on How to Be a Mensch

Dec 29, 2009 -

Bruna Martinuzzi is an expert in leadership and presentation skills. Her latest book The Leader as a Mensch: Become the Kind of Person Others Want to Follow explains how to become the kind of person others want to follow. Here is her list for twelve New Year’s resolutions to make you a mensch in 2010.

1. Give people gifts other than those that you buy. This means giving someone a second chance, giving someone the benefit of the doubt, and giving others a reason to want to work for you besides earning a living. It entails giving others latitude, permission to make mistakes, and all the information they need to do the job. It means giving them the authority that goes with that responsibility and giving them due credit for their ideas.
2. Become a talent hunter. The biggest hunger in anyone’s eyes is the hunger for appreciation. Genuinely acknowledging others is high octane fuel for the soul.
3. Sharing ideas and information that can enrich. To that end, derive inspiration from Charles Leadbeater’s words: “In the past, you were what you owned. Now you are what you share.”
4. Spend more time in the “beginner’s mind.” This means replacing “Been there, done that” with “Tell me more.” It translates into moving away from pushing into allowing, from insecure to secure, and from seeking approval to seeking enlightenment. It’s forgetting about being perfect and enjoying being in the moment.
5. Don’t tell people what they can’t do. Instead, show them what they can do. If some of your habitual phrases are “Let me explain why that won’t work” or “Let me play Devil’s Advocate for a minute,” read Tom Kelley’s book The Ten Faces of Innovation: Ideo’s Strategies for Beating the Devil’s Advocate & Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization.
6. Minimize the space you take up. When you enter a crowded coffee shop with a partner, don’t hog two tables to spread your papers around. It’s a form of theft.
7. Become a relationship anthropologist. Know the difference between a conversation and a discussion. A discussion involves issues or right vs. wrong. It is an exchange of facts, opinions and data. A conversation involves an exploration of another person for the sole purpose of learning about that person.
8. Be happy for others. The exact opposite of the word envy is farginen, which is what happens when you celebrate others’ accomplishments as you would celebrate your own. Take a moment to absorb the spiritual beauty of this concept by viewing this video clip that explains the Generosity of Spirit.
9. Get rid of grudges. Whether they are for real or imaginary slights, raise the bar on your own behavior by forgiving and moving on.
10. Help others caress the rainbow. This means show them how to have hope. There is tremendous positive psychological capital to be gained if we are resolute to tap into it to help others.
11. Make people feel better about themselves. We cannot control everyone liking us, but we can control how others feel when they interact with us. Do others feel better about themselves after they spend time with you?
12. 
    
13. View all promises you made in 2009 as an unpaid debt. Promises imply trust, but trust is fragile. It's like a Christmas tree ornament—one slip can shatter it. And we all know that once it's shattered, it’s very difficult to put it back together.

This Christmas

I'm home for the first time in probably more than 15 years. My sister is here as well. My mother has gone crazy this last week preparing more food than the four of us will ever eat. This year has been big. Off work for the first time in years, my poor cat Henry passed away from a sudden illness, which I couldn't bring to write about here at the time. This time has been about healing for me. This time tomorrow I will wrap up the year by baking a turkey, and I haven't cooked anything serious in months.

I have long thought about friendship and discussed it with Melody quite a bit. Maintaining and keeping good friends is so difficult. This year I have been concentrating on trying to be a good of a friend to those who are my friends (or wish to be) as possible. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you are the one forcing it though or is the other person just going through so much that it seems they are pulling away?

My XBOX Avatar

Played some more Dragon Age, still enjoying it and I'm hopeful for all the new campaigns that will come and maybe getting some time to play with the toolset. I'm currently 45 in Aion, glad to be here as 44 was a "hell level". I'm not too happy with all the people cheating their way to the top and I really hope NC Soft bans most of them, even if it means lesser population. 45 isn't bad as its full of quests thus far, plus some additional spell power for me.

I've been caught up in Aion last few months, although I took some detours back into Longest Journey and Dragon Age. I'm still not 50 but I have plenty of pictures I can put up here. I must say it's been a crazy two months, Dominus Letum has had so many folks on our doorstep and with all our staff having RL issues going on, it's been nuts to say the least.

I have been playing this and its taken a while cause I get distracted by MMOs and forget to take time out to play these single player games... I have forgotten how to beat a game. Not the mechanics of it but how to just keep track of what I'm doing and move on to the next level and so on. How to work on it every few days and not wait weeks between sessions.

If you know me you know that things unfamiliar to me take longer, but once I get a hold of something, I am tenacious. I hope to do so with this. It will be a personal triumph to finish. It's not like I'm forcing myself to play I want to, I just forget, much like many things I want to do in life. This is a step toward realizing those goals.

Warhammer!!!

Lot of activity going on here, wish I had daily updates so that I could see all the changes in retrospect. (i.e. the purpose of this blog!) There have been lamenting of many Destruction tears due to server population imbalance and class/faction imbalances. Some Destruction players have decided to start anew as Order on Iron Rock, others have moved to Chinese Aion (or other games), and others are gutting it out here.

Myself? I take it day by day. I want to move to Aion not to escape Warhammer, but because I think I will actually enjoy Aion. I log on to Warhammer, and try to advance my character as best I can. I would like to see Altdorf burn before I leave, but who knows if I will get that wish. Recently we joined a new alliance with Red Cell and Soldiers of Fortune. Other guilds have fallen to the wayside but to be honest, they are just not active enough in ORvR and City Defense/Attack. I hope seeing a renewed hope with Destruction will pull them out of thier long slumber so they can assist as well.

(Epic Premade)

Late Night Defense of IC

Aion NA Beta Event

It's no surprise I have been waiting for Aion forever... Finally NA release is nearly here. We just had our first event Elyos only levels 1-20. Here are some pics of myself and Julie during the event. Dominus Letum of course was heavy in attendance. I tried out Spiritmaster to 14 and Ranger to 10 just before servers shut down.

Aion and WAR

After my brief move my WoW guild has assploded (oh noes!), leaving me without a home. I still show up to FFXI on Sundays but as of late at lot of people are busy with real life commitments.
So now I have moved on from now WoW, and playing Aion with Julie and Chris. It's been a long time since I have gotten to play with them so I'm happy to join their family over at Dominus Letum.

While we are playing in Warhammer Online, we plan to move to Aion. Dominus Letum is a multi-game community so we look forward to opening up new chapters in new games.

Up in the Air

Numerous things have happened over the last few weeks with the move, and of course my gaming suffered.

Now I think I'll have time to settle back into some sort of routine and most of all, relax.

I need some factions in WoW, some lowbie jobs in FFXI and I'm starting out Warhammer again with an old friend. I'm looking forward to this since many of my friends aren't really playing right now or are disgruntled with gaming in some manner.

My friend Laeral has been missing, I wonder where she went though.

Xianthe is 75 OMG

Finally after all these years I reached a goal I have been waiting on - 75 WHM in FFXI. Why haven't I done it til now? Well I started raiding (read: Dynamis) before more North American players at level 70. Since you loose XP when you wipe in Dynamis, it was always a struggle to keep my level let alone advance while holding down a job etc. Had I known I probably would have finished the grind first before raiding, but live and learn. Now with all the game changes - Campaign, Field of Valor, Level Sync, Mob experience changes and just general buffs its far easier. Hey we even have experience rings now! Last night my group clocked in at 12.5k an hour in Garliage Citadel level 32 Level Sync party. In the "old days" I would have been happy with 5k an hour.



Thank you Myrr, Oblio, Midnightbomber, Duroren and of course, Laeral!~

What's going on?

I answer this question on a daily basis (and many times more than daily), folks want to know what I'm doing what my plans are -- I wish I could say. I don't have the answers myself. I can't wait til I'm more settled again. I'd like to be on a schedule, I'd like to know where I'm living will be where I'm staying for at least a year... Things some take for granted. It's hard to make longer term plans when you don't have things settled. I'm convinced I'm going to come out on the other side of this a better person though.



Until then I have been playing with friends as much as possible. I ran into my old friend Laeral last night and we did skill up party in Kuftal Tunnel my Staff skill went from around 139 to 142. I also managed to complete Gobbiebag Part VII, so now I have 65 inventory slots. Looks like I'll need a party to do Gobbiebag Part VIII since the Angelstone requires killing a NM.

I am now down to about ~6k tnl to 75 WHM! I have been working on Campaign here and there.

[Pics or it didn't happen].

Blood+

I finally finished Blood+ this week after two years of waiting to finish. I just haven't had time to watch something with subtitles. The series was an amazing roller-coaster of emotions and the ending was bittersweet, leaving me with tears in my eyes. The ending was what you wanted, and no it wasn't the worst of all outcomes, just leaves you with a feeling of loss. I'm very happy I watched it though and will definitely queue it up later again.










I also have been playingAtlantica Online in my downtime. It's a great MMO - F2P but feels like a pay MMO. There are a ton of little unique mechanics I enjoy - like giving quests to high levels to give lower levels gifts and become mentors, teach crafts, etc. Stuff that actually enforces community, but doesn't require anything difficult like forced grouping. When I hit 30, my mentor will receive about 200,000 gold in game currency. The game itself is a turn based strategy RPG where you control level up to 9 NPCs in battle. That also sets it apart from other MMOs and many mechanics are more similar to a console game, but you also get others to play with.


You level up various characters (or mercenaries) at once with one being your main hero with some separate rules. I like that the various mercenary ranks end up as a famous historical figures and the world itself is alternate reality earth so you end up in cities with names like Beijing, Rome, Tokyo, London etc all geographically spread out on the real world map.
This isn't the type of MMO you play for hours, its more something to play while watching TV, relaxing, or short 30 minute play sessions. You could play it that way but there is no need to. Plenty of mechanics like Auto Moving to NPCs, cities (think flight paths but many more destinations), auto battle - not to be used unless the mobs are lower than you but convenient for farming, and short quests make the game easily accessible. The complexity comes with the harder battles and party formation. Much like console RPGs, you can avoid battles by not touching monsters.

Below I have pictures of:
Pocahontas (Elementalist)
Morgan Le Fay (Witch)
Leonaidas (Spartan)