tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47626099270246356412024-03-13T20:33:18.041-05:00Table-Top RPG JunkieA blog about a man and his mission to play as many table top RPGs as he can before he loses interest...or he gets eaten by a bear...whicheverfunnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-15100584825748220862013-04-28T08:46:00.001-05:002013-04-28T08:46:09.221-05:00Making an MMO BetterSo I've been thinking on this topic for a while. Specifically I'd like to apply these changes to Star Wars: The Old Republic; I feel that if the following changes were adapted to the game in its current state, it would make SWTOR the best MMO out on the market. Granted that's purely my opinion, but I've brought up these ideas with other gamers both in and out of game.<br />
<br />
First change: Allow for more character customization. Bioware/EA already have several different varieties of non-human "skins" both male and female for bots/sprites. It seems to me that it wouldn't require much more work to code those skins over existing PC models so that players could play most any race.<br />
<br />
Allowing players the chance to customize their characters even more is only a good thing from my point of view. It keeps people interested in the game, and it would make players want to stick around and roll up a new 'toon to play as some other race they encounter that "looks cool".<br />
<br />
Second: Allow characters to use any weapon. Sure it makes sense that Jedi have lightsabers. Sure it makes sense that Bounty Hunters have blasters. However, there are some weapons that just don't see a lot of daylight in the game world because they are too specialized. Like the Techblade, or the Techstaff, or the Scattergun. If I had the ability to have a Force user with a techstaff, I think I'd enjoy the hell out of that. Same for a Bounty Hunter/Trooper/Smuggler/Imperial Agent and any ranged weapon. You can keep things somewhat specialized in that regard for PCs - Force users have to use melee weapons, and everyone else has to use ranged weapons. Keep the companions the way they are; nothing there needs to change.<br />
<br />
Third, and this one is a biggie: Redo the advanced classes/skill trees. Anyone can look at the SWTOR skill trees and see that it's pretty much a direct clone of Blizzard's World of Warcraft. I understand the reasoning behind that. 1) It's a format that players are familiar with, so it won't knock players out of a comfort zone, and 2) the model is already there, so why not use it? The problem with this is twofold. Initially, the problem is that it <i>is</i> a WoW clone. The other issue is that there are abilities offered on both sides of the "Healer/Non-Healer" spectrum that would work for either side. Let me explain my idea here; if Bioware scrapped the current skill system and looked at either The Secret World or Path of Exile for inspiration, the skill system would be much better. You could then allow your players to choose what areas they want to spend skill points allowing for some overlap. For Force users you could have three tiers: Melee, Force, and Healing. For non-Force users you could have three tiers: Assault, Covert, and Healing. <a href="http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree" target="_blank">Here is a link to the Path of Exile skill tree builder</a>. The builder is currently set up for the "Witch" class. As you can see the player initially has two paths open for assigning skill points, however the skill tree quickly branches off into multiple directions. Additionally, the player unlocks both passive and active abilities along the skill tree. This allows for much more player customization of their character and helps to prevent the "use this build for tanking/DPS/healz" mentality that can be found in just about any MMORPG.<br />
<br />
And lastly: make PvP worthwhile. The best PvP systems I've ever seen in an MMO comes from Pirates of the Burning Sea. PvP is initiated among the factions by killing NPCs of an opposing faction (not just a "neutral" NPC faction) inside the territorial waters of that enemy faction. This begins to build unrest. When a certain level of unrest is achieved, PCs level 10 and up are automatically flagged for PvP in their territories where unrest is very great. Now, before you put the cart before the horse and whine about high level PCs ganging up on "lowbies" let me explain something; if a PC attacks and kills another PC and there is more than a 5 level difference between the characters, the faction with the greatest amount of unrest loses unrest. To try and make that clearer: lets assume Britain has gone on the offensive against Spain. A British PC of level 30 attacks a Spanish PC of level 10 inside an unrest area. The Brit loses unrest for his faction and now has to work harder to increase the level of unrest against Spain back to where it was. The same works for NPCs as well. If a PC of level 30 sinks an NPC of level 10, the aggressor faction loses unrest because of the level difference. This was done to prevent high level PCs from just going around to the "lowbie" areas and corpse camping. To continue: after yet more unrest is attained, the aggressor faction can start attacking cities of the enemy faction <i>du jour</i> and have the ability to go ashore and run missions/quests when normally you can't go to any towns other than your own faction. After all of this is done, and one faction emerges victorious from PvP, the unrest table resets and the factions can go at it again. During all this hullabaloo, the defending faction can work to ease unrest through crafting, through mercantile missions, and through kicking the crap out of the aggressor faction. Other factions can join in on either side, but they don't gain anything by aiding one side or the other. <br />
<br />
All of this gathering of unrest and PvP action typically takes about a week (or more depending) to culminate in a victory for one faction or another. It is, in my humble opinion, the best PvP I've ever participated in, in any MMO I've ever played.<br />
<br />
So how do I see this applied to SWTOR? Well, I see adding new space combat missions. Allow PCs to start gaining unrest against the enemy via space combat against NPCs. From what I've seen/heard, most SWTOR players don't engage in much space combat. This would change that significantly. Also I would open up new planets/planet areas that are PvP only - that being said there would have to be balance. Add a level penalty like I mentioned above to keep high level players from destroying "lowbies". Or just put a level cap on the accessible area. If you are above/below that level cap you don't get flagged for PvP. Allow for special missions to aid in PvP, both group missions and solo missions. Add gathering missions to gain unrest supplies that can be turned in to your faction to help disperse unrest. Allow an NPC faction to randomly attack the Empire and the Republic and send either faction (or both) into unrest against the NPC faction.<br />
<br />
These changes would make PvP more accessible to players without the need to form groups; without the need to be max level; without the need to have special gear; and would allow all levels of PCs to participate in gaining/dispersing unrest.<br />
<br />
"So what rewards", I hear you cry, "do the winning faction get access to?" Obviously there are the "planetary commendation" type rewards that you can currently earn through warzones. I would additionally allow for mission unlocks depending on the level of unrest (for both factions) to increase/decrease unrest. Have the loot tables increased for PvP missions - make the players feel that engaging in PvP is worthwhile. If I can run a space mission and get credits that's great. If instead I can run a space mission, get some credits, increase unrest for my faction <i style="font-weight: bold;">and</i> get a rare reward? Incentive man, incentive. Maybe it's a schematic, maybe it's a gear mod, whatever. Maybe it's crafting materials in large quantities or crafting materials of better quality. The point is incentive to run the missions. Then there is the option to allow for a faction-wide buff/debuff depending on how your faction is doing in PvP. And since SWTOR is Free/Pay to Play, you could limit PvP actions for free players and allow unlimited PvP to subscribers. Cartel coins could be used to purchase PvP tags.<br />
<br />
<br />
Just some musing that I've been doing and I needed to get it all down before I forgot it all. If any of this actually happened for SWTOR I'd be ecstatic. And again, it would make SWTOR the leading MMORPG in my opinion.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-19539860062981191412013-04-01T20:23:00.001-05:002013-04-01T20:23:41.712-05:00Playing More Star Wars: The Old RepublicSo I've been slowly working through all the classes and storylines in SWTOR, and so far (unsurprisingly) the Sith Empire storylines are the most well written, and the best acted. I enjoy the choices you have to make playing Empire side, more so than the Republic side. This is mostly due to two things.<br />
<br />
1) Playing Republic side, it feels as though the story writers went out of their way to make things as "black and white" morally as possible. And while that might work in other settings, I think it fails here. Playing both the Smuggler and the Trooper, you get to see more of what the Empire storylines offer in morally ambiguous choices. You can kill/maim someone and earn Dark Side Points, but with that action you actually do more good than harm on a broad scale. Or you could let that same person go free and earn Light Side Points and end up dooming a civilization.<br />
<br />
2) The directing for the actors on the Republic side was just too overblown. Especially with a Jedi character, the voice actors are just trying too hard to convey that they have such great inner nobility and purpose...even if you've gone completely Dark Side in all of your social interactions. I actually had to stop playing my Jedi Consular and I deleted the character because I could not listen to the actor's voice any longer. I don't blame the actors for this; I blame the voice director. S/He is the person(s) responsible for such horrendous acting. Shudder.<br />
<br />
As it is right now, I'm enjoying the storylines (for the most part) and will continue to play SWTOR for a while until...Neverwinter Online comes out.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-53728276717501630572013-02-18T21:01:00.001-06:002013-02-18T21:01:31.091-06:00Legend of the Five RingsSo I'm apparently waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind the curve on playing this game/setting, but holy shit I'm having fun playing L5R.<br />
<br />
Let me begin by giving a bit of info here. Legend of the Five Rings is a feudal Japan setting tabletop RPG. Your characters live in a land called Rokugon, and there are several main clans that comprise the Empire: Crab, Crane, Lion, Dragon, Mantis, Scorpion, Unicorn, Phoenix, and the Imperial Clan. Each clan has a different specialty for its warriors, magic users, and monks. One of the most delightful (IMO) aspects of the game is in character creation. Your Advantages and Disadvantages seem to be the most important part of creating your character. You only have 40 xp to use to buy/upgrade skills, katas, spells, advantages/disadvantages, and attributes. So the points refunded to you from taking disadvantages are very important. Not only that but the types of dis/advantages allow for some very interesting characters. My initial character was designed to be nothing more than a brawler. He is rude, contrary, obtuse. He has no social graces to balance that out and his Willpower is not great enough to stop his tongue from getting him in to trouble most times. Needless to say, what was initially a "cookie cutter" throw away character has turned instead in to a roleplaying savant. His outlook and attitude are so very different from my own (most of the time) that playing him is ridiculously fun. <br />
<br />
It took me a little while to mentally adjust to playing L5R. For one, characters die with apparent ease (despite the fact that my Crab Clan Bushi has yet to die, and he's had several opportunities). Our first session, one of our party was playing a Phoenix Clan Shugenja who got killed by a water spirit. Additionally, I am not that well versed with Japanese culture; so that occasionally creates problems. However, I can't seem to stop thinking about where our adventure will take us as we explore Rokugon.<br />
<br />
As an aside, there are several character generators out there for L5R. I know I've posted previously about character generators for other systems, but since L5R is currently in the process of updating to a new edition I don't think we'll encounter the problem we had with the 4e character generator I mentioned several posts/years ago. <a href="http://triplecrit.com/2011/12/09/a-review-of-the-l5r-character-manager-1-9/" target="_blank">This</a> is the website that links to the character generator I use. It's very easy to use, and fairly user friendly. And because I am "that guy" I have created perhaps 10 characters with it, for when my dude finally dies gloriously.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-87975133537697228762013-02-04T21:44:00.000-06:002013-02-04T21:48:09.176-06:00Yet More on: Path of ExileOK, so I'm planning on pretty much ctrl-c/ctrl-v parts of this post onto the forums for <a href="http://www.grindinggear.com/" target="_blank">Grinding Gear Games</a> for my likes/dislikes/suggestions for <a href="http://www.pathofexile.com/" target="_blank">Path of Exile</a>.<br />
<br />
Things I Like:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Skill Gems: they enable your character to use spells/abilities. There is no class restriction (that I have yest seen) on Skill Gems, so your Marauder can use spells like Frost Nova, or Fireball as long as he meets the usage requirements. These are normally an attribute, or an item requirement. It would be very difficult to cast Hail of Arrows without a bow equipped. Also, the Skills/Spells in the Skill Gems will level with you as you run around killing things and gaining XP. The skills/spells themselves may have leveling restrictions though, so be mindful of how you use the Skill Tree when you level up.</li>
<li>Support Gems: can be linked to Skill Gems on items that have linked sockets. You can tell because said sockets are tethered when you open your inventory and look at the sockets on the items. Also, Support Gems do not have to match the color of the Skill Gem they are enhancing, you only have to match socket colors.</li>
<li>Socket Slots: All items in Path of Exile are socketed. Some may only have one socket, but it's there to be used by damn.</li>
<li>Classes are balanced. Every class has its pros and cons, but they are all fairly equal in the damage dealt/damage taken category. That being said, the Skill Gems you elect to use can make a huge difference on your mob fighting survivability, let alone rare/elite/boss mobs.</li>
<li>The Skill Tree: Holy crap! The skill tree very much reminds me of the skill tree from Final Fantasy X, if you are at all familiar with that game. Your main stat (or two main stats depending on what class you play) branch off into this amazingly detailed map of passive/active stat/skill buffs, special skills you get to unlock, and some fairly amazing "ultimate powers" (as I call them). Do not make the mistake of looking at the skill tree out in the wilderness...your character can get swarmed and die while you're busy plotting out what skills you want to increase.</li>
<li>No Gold. None. Your basic currency in the game is "Scrolls of Wisdom". These are used to buy other things like Town Portal scrolls, or health/mana flasks, or basic weapons and armor. Other collectibles that you come across like Blacksmith's Whetstone, or Orb of Chaos can be used to purchase higher level items as your character increases in level.</li>
<li>All the items used for currency can be collected whole, or as shards that will automatically combine into the full item when the collection threshold is reached. Super nice.</li>
<li>The music/ambiance: they are phenomenal! Running around as my Witch over the weekend with my summoned zombies (that would occasionally rubber band from around a corner and then proceed to scare the hell out of me) in the various dungeons was fantastic!</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Things I Am OK With:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>There are only five classes. I have no idea if this will change in the future, but for now I'm fine with it. Your current class selections are: Marauder - an Uruk Hai stand in from his body type; Shadow - a spy/saboteur/assassin; Templar - a militant priest; Duelist - does this really need and explanation?; and Witch.</li>
<li>Pretty much anything else that doesn't get mentioned in the following section.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
Things I Would Like To Change:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>When switching between purchasing and selling items at a vendor, you currently need to exit out of whichever market you are in with that vendor, and then enter the other. Granted this means you are only having to close the "Sell Items" window, and open the "Purchase Items" window without having to stop speaking with that NPC, but I would like it if there was a tab in whichever market you're in that would immediately flip you to the other without having to take those few extra steps. I know, I'm just being lazy.</li>
<li>I would like it if each class had a male/female version. That is one of the few things that I feel Blizzard did right in Diablo 3.</li>
<li>There are times (and I'm not sure if this is a sever lag issue) when I am attempting to kill an enemy, and either my dude won't hit him no matter where I am in relation to the target; or I will kill the target and loot drops half a screen away from where the corpse is.</li>
<li>There is an issue I'm experiencing with barrels and chests, where the "interface zone" where my mouse highlights and enables me to open said barrel/chest is super small...especially in relation to the size of my cursor on the screen. Again, I'm not sure if this is due to server lag.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
So there are a few things. Have you gotten around to downloading and playing yet? Get on it! If you're ever looking for a partner to run around with in game, please feel free to post a character name here in the comments section, and I'll find you in game.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
-Bonzo out.</div>
funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-36457969209496283122013-02-02T23:53:00.000-06:002013-02-02T23:53:54.722-06:00...Heartbeat?So, I'm still here.<br />
<br />
It was a very, very rough 2012 for me and I hope that 2013 will have a much better outlook as we move forward.<br />
<br />
Some quick things of note from this past year. We tried out a few different table-top systems, and we've enjoyed most of them. I've found some old online MMOs that are perhaps better now than they were previously. I just today discovered a Diablo 2 clone that is being produced by some fine folks down in New Zealand - and that is what I want to spend a little bit of time on right now.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.pathofexile.com/" target="_blank">Path of Exile</a> is the Diablo 2 clone in question. It's currently in open beta testing, so if you enjoyed D2 and you want to have that same kind of fun without all of the Blizzard BS, go download the client and get going. I think the total amount of time it took to download, install, and update was about 20 minutes. It's not like you'd be downloading/installing/updating World of Tanks for Pete's sake. <ugh hours="" nbsp="" wasted=""> I've only been playing Path of Exile for a few hours and just completed Act 1, so I felt I could actually take a break and log out. I'm very impressed with this game. The UI is designed very well, with optimal user friendliness for the gamer in mind. Hotkey bindings are sensible, and easy to find/understand. The in game currency system <span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>COMPLETELY</b> </span>eliminates the problems that came about from Blizzard's complete lack of anything resembling intelligence concerning currency/auctioning items. This game does feel more like D2.5 or 2.8 rather than Diablo 2 or Diablo 3, however I really like the subtle changes the lads at Grinding Gear Games made to the Diablo style format. The classes are balanced, the game play is fun and intuitive, the music and ambiance are incredible. The skill tree is very much like what I've seen from Square Enix with Final Fantasy X, allowing you to customize your particular character build to your preferred play style. Again very, very impressive.</ugh><br />
<br />
If you haven't yet gone to their website to look at the game, please do so. And watch the introductory video! <br />
<br />
-Bonzo out.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-22730311355854667202012-02-05T16:26:00.002-06:002012-02-05T16:26:37.038-06:00Star Trek Online: SupplementalIt's been about two weeks since I've returned to STO, and I wanted to go ahead and provide new links to some old information that is now very, very outdated for any new and/or returning players. I'll also make some recommendations for new and old players in order to make playing the game a tad easier.<br />
<br />
First, there is the shiny and new <a href="http://www.spidermitch.com/STO/SpidermitchFEDShipChart.jpg">STO ship chart</a> in all it's high res, rendered glory. This chart is a huge step forward from the old wire-frame profile chart from about 2 years ago. By the by, happy 2nd Anniversary Star Trek Online! Also, for KDF players, here is the <a href="http://www.spidermitch.com/STO/KDF/SpidermitchKDFShipChart.jpg">KDF version</a> of the shiny and new ship chart. Something you might notice on the Federation chart is a rather large ship for Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General (level 50) called the Odyssey Star Cruiser. Everyone gets one as part of the 2nd Anniversary celebration. (Hell yeah!) You also might have noticed that a similar ship is conspicuously absent from the KDF chart. Don't worry, they guys at Cryptic don't hate the Klingon faction; they just didn't have the designs for the Bortas (Vengeance) Class Star Ship ready for the latest graphical chart. However I happen to have some images of the beast. Many Bothans died to bring us...wait, wrong universe. Here's the picture:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQA69t1MrqP78b33SkSYATSGa0t-GeevZsodFYsXtlAPXP0p77yKw" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQA69t1MrqP78b33SkSYATSGa0t-GeevZsodFYsXtlAPXP0p77yKw" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The picture isn't that great, however I can tell you from personal experience that while it turns like a wounded beached whale (just like the Odyssey) it's an amazing ship. Like I stated earlier both the Bortas and the Odyssey are level 50 ships, so by the time you can use it you'll have the devices and console items necessary to make those boats real fighting machines. And lets be honest; a free level 50 ship is hard to beat. Especially when you look at the cost of the other level 50 ships.<br />
<br />
<br />
____________________________________________________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
Second, I want to talk about a tool that I loved back in the day that some wonderful lads over at <a href="http://www.stoacademy.com/">Star Trek Online Academy</a> have revamped to keep it updated to make it useful for players. I am talking about the Skill Planner. I cannot stress enough that if you're planning on creating a new character, or you need to respec an old one you need to visit the Skill Planner to make leveling your character up as easy as possible. Now in the last two years, the folks at Cryptic have made changes to the skill tree; making it more streamlined and more user friendly...but the problem remains that if you aren't familiar with what abilities you're going to have access to at maximum level, you're apt to make mistakes on assigning points to the various skills you have to choose from. This is where the Skill Planner comes in..or at least where it <i>should</i> come in. You should spend some time familiarizing yourself with the three classes available to play and the basic roles they each perform. Tactical officers will focus primarily on dealing out massive quantities of damage, however Tactical officers cannot take massive amounts of damage. I often refer to them as "glass cannons". I don't play as a Tactical officer with either faction. I find that the inability to take hits from large groups of enemies is a huge drawback...because I like to solo! It's a personal choice. My brother, Fred, started playing when the game went f2p, and he runs a Tac officer. He enjoys it, but he likes it better when we're teamed up because I can take attention away from him. Engineering officers fill the "tanking" role that is familiar with most MMO players. This class is what I would recommend to all new players because when you solo, you have the highest chance of survivability. Finally there is the Science officer which focuses on buffs and debuffs (or you could call them expose attacks/abilities and exploit attacks/abilities). Sci officers are not nearly as robust as Engineers, but with their enhanced shield abilities and enhanced shield recharge rates they can take slightly more damage than Tac officers, but they still don't do as much damage as Tac officers. <br />
<br />
To summarize, each class is superior in one of three areas: Damage, Defense, Expose/Exploit. Tactical officers are superior damage, moderate defense, weak expose/exploit. Engineers are superior defense, moderate expose/exploit, weak damage. Science officers are superior expose/exploit, moderate damage, weak defense. Yes, I said weak defense. And I'll tell you why. With the way shields behave vs hitpoints for your ship, shields don't really fall in to a defense category. Science officers get more access to abilities to buff/enhance their shields than any other officer, but other than those abilities shields are the same for all classes. Defense comes from the ships you pilot. And Science officer ships have the least crew and hitpoints. As soon as a Science officer's shields are down, the ships they are in tend to explode quickly, and beautifully.<br />
<br />
Now that I've said all that, let me continue on with my point. My point is that after you decide what class you want to play, you ought to spend the time looking at all the abilities your class is granted, and what abilities your class will allow you to train your Bridge Officers with, and plug all that information in to the STO Academy Skill Planner. The important skills for your planned build will be marked with star in the upper right-hand corner of each skill, and those you'll most likely want to have at least 6 ranks in each skill in order to unlock trainable abilities. Each skill will also tell you what player/bridge officer abilities it affects (if any), and what power/damage/defense/shield bonuses it provides.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately I don't feel that this is a game you can just jump in to blind. Star Trek has always been the "thinking-man's sci-fi" and as such, I feel it needs a more logical and objective approach than other MMOs where you just roll up a character that sounds neat and hit the ground running. Think of it like this: you're playing a character than is a graduate of the Starfleet Academy (or Klingon equivalent). In that time, your character would have taken coursework leading him/her down whichever career path was best suited for the character. The character would have the grounding in all those abilities that the player knows nothing about. Everyone knows what a "fireball spell" is and how it works; regardless of what MMO you're playing, if you can cast a fireball they're pretty much all the same. But who knows exactly what a Photonic Shockwave is and how it affects objects in space? I didn't before I started playing, and really I should have taken the time to figure all that our before I fudged up my characters back with the original release 2 years ago. There is nothing quite like the feeling of "d'oh!" when you realize you effed up your character 20 levels ago, and you haven't earned a respec for your character yet. So your either scrap the character and start over, or you resign yourself to buying a respec...because playing a flawed character just hurts.<br />
<br />
Live long, and prosper.<br />
<br />
-Bonzo outfunnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-50553135100170815572012-01-21T11:24:00.000-06:002012-01-21T11:24:06.277-06:00Hello 2012I believe this is my official first post for 2012; so happy new year and all that jazz!<br />
<br />
Kicking off the new year I want to address a trend in the MMO world that I'm becoming more a fan of every passing day. This trend is the "free-to-play MMO". Developers are aware that we're still in a down economy with little to no end in sight, and as such more and more f2p games are coming out all the time. I'm going to take some time to talk about a few that I keep coming back to, and one MMO that I used to play quite heavily that has just recently gone f2p.<br />
<br />
As players have known for quite some time, Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO) has been f2p. Turbine has a fantastic model for game developers to follow on how to make a free MMO work with balanced play and for-sale content. I've stated in previous posts that Turbine allows all players (free and subscribers) to earn the currency that you can spend in the DDO store so there end up being few differences between free and subscribing players. Which is nice.<br />
<br />
World of Tanks started out, and remains f2p for the player base. And as previously stated, while I have enjoyed playing WoT quite a bit, Wargaming.net restrict some of the in-game currency to RMT (real money transfer) thereby limiting their player base on what the players have access to. As I've pointed out before this is essentially selling power. Despite that, I still play the game because it is fun. Well Wargaming.net have recently announced that <a href="http://worldofwarplanes.com/">World of Warplanes</a> will soon be available for closed beta testing. Should their model for WoWP follow the model of WoT, WoWP will be in open beta not too long after the closed beta beings. Needless to say I am waiting for the beta signups to start. Wargaming.net have announced both the American and German Flight Trees, and have shown a few glimpses of the aircraft available; they have yet to announce what the third (or fourth) flight trees will be yet: Russian, Japanese, British, etc, and I am very excited to find out. There have been rumors that since both WoT and WoWP will share account information and the "world" that when clan wars begin any clan with a success in WoWP will have an airstrike available to them in WoT. I have no idea how feasible this is, but it is interesting. I also have no idea if Wargaming.net will continue to feature the three "classes" of craft. In WoT you have tanks, tank destroyers, and Self-Propelled Guns aka artillery. I can see having fighters and bombers filling the tank and SPG roles, but I really can't think of any aircraft that would fill the tank destroyer role. Additionally, if the Brits don't have a substantial amount of warbirds in WoWP I may have to go with the American tree for two reasons: the F-4U Corsair and the P-51 Mustang. Yummy. As a final notation about the games Wargaming.net have, they already have a website set up for <a href="http://www.worldofbattleships.com/">World of Battleships</a>. I could easily see how the three "classes" of craft would fit in here. Battleships would be tanks, aircraft carriers would be SPGs, and submarines would be the tank destroyers. There is almost no information available on WoB yet, but I'm sure you can tell I'll be on the lookout.<br />
<br />
A new (to me) MMO that I've encountered is this fantastically amazing game called <a href="http://vindictus.nexon.net/">Vindictus</a>. Nexon have done a fantastic job with the graphics and the physics in this game. The game currently features four playable "classes" that are gender locked (currently 2 male, 2 female) but despite that they are all pretty fun to play. The storyline in the game is very well done, and the NPC interaction has been done in my opinion, brilliantly. Only the players, and monsters in dungeons are fully rendered. NPCs are simply 2D pictures that display different facial expression depending on the tone of the dialog. Picking up new quests and turning in quests to/from NPCs is incredibly simple compared to other MMOs in a similar genre. Take the time to play this, it is fantastic. I'm on the West Server.<br />
<br />
Finally this morning, I want to mention that Star Trek Online (STO) has finally gone f2p, with the official announcement this week. <a href="http://www.perfectworld.com/">Perfect World</a> have a series of f2p games that I have tried out about a year ago and never bothered to post about because while they were graphically very pretty, after leaving the starter area and getting out into the rest of the game worlds, it felt like I was being forced into purchasing content in order to complete quests. However very little has changed in STO since I last played. Cryptic had made several updates to the game to make it more enjoyable and they increased the level cap (which is nice). A note for anyone interested in playing STO now: after downloading the game and installing the game, it will auto prompt you for a CD key. Do not fear! Close down the installer at that point since it's complete and go create a log in through Perfect World. You can get the link from the website for <a href="https://register.perfectworld.com/sto_splash">Star Trek Online</a>. If you happen to already have a Cryptic sign in, you can use your old username/password and log in to your old characters. With a new account...well you know what to do. Since so many changes have taken place during the time that I was away, I have elected to restart with some new characters, and I have to say that the game is just as, if not more, fun than when I played the first time.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'll leave it at this point for now, but I want to encourage you to look at f2p MMOs, and to not just discount them because they <i>are</i> free to play. Game developers are people too, they live in the same economy as the rest of us, and for the most part understand that gaming can be expensive - they're looking out for us too.<br />
<br />
-Bonzo outfunnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-32451274014533725192011-12-15T19:13:00.002-06:002011-12-15T21:56:17.566-06:00MechWarrior OnlineOh. My. Stars.<br />
<br />
It was announced back in November that the MechWarrior reboot game would finally, finally, finally be coming out in the near future (summer '12 is the projection).<br />
<br />
Back in 2009, videos were leaked and placed on YouTube faster than you can blink for a reboot MechWarrior game. And <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJZnejcp-qo">it</a> looked amazing. Unfortunately one of the 'Mechs featured in the video became a point of contention for Harmony Gold the folks that brought Robotech to the USA back in the 80s. They filed a lawsuit against the developers of MechWarrior Online and the game went into limbo. However, at some point later the developers for MWO decided to circumvent the main argument that Harmony Gold brought about their 'proprietary 'Mech designs' and made the game free to play much the same way that World of Tanks is free to play. At this point, the <a href="http://mwomercs.com/">MechWarrior Online</a> website is live and registering future players' call signs/accounts. You're damn right I got mine set up.<br />
<br />
On the blogs, the developers have made references alluding to a projected open beta for the game in the coming months as I mentioned above they appear to be looking for a summer '12 launch date. I cannot overstate my joy at these circumstances. I've been a long time BattleTech/MechWarrior fan. I cut my teeth on MechWarrior 2 and the old BattleTech table top game. When Microsoft bought the franchise and launched MW3, I was both pleased and excited with the graphical adjustments and the storyline/plot. MW4 was alright, but seemed to be less a step forward and more a step to the side for the franchise. I also used to go and play socially at Virtual World back in the day when they had several national locations; and later when various lan gaming locations purchased the piloting <a href="http://getinthepods.com/">pods</a> from Virtual World and ran the upgraded BattleTech:Firestorm. Not that I'm trying to say that my BattleTech/MechWarrior cred makes me a better person, but I am trying to lay the groundwork to help you understand why I'm so excited about the pending MMO. And it's free to play!<br />
<br />
<br />
My youngest brother and I share a lot in common regarding MMOs, and we've played almost all the same ones. We also share a lot of the same background and enjoyment in BattleTech/MW. And to be fair, he was the one who informed me about MWO. So we spent most of today discussing some of the possibilities of the game. For interested parties the game is set several months before the Clans invade the Inner Sphere and set off years of intense conflict. As such, all of the 'Mechs players will have access to will be Inner Sphere. I'm for this for several reasons that I'll list in later posts as I confirm more and better information concerning the game. It also appears that all 'Mechs will be accessible to all players; there will not be any 'exclusive' 'Mechs - and in my opinion this goes hand in hand with keeping any potential lawsuits off the developers' backs in keeping the game free to play. Unlike WoT however there will most likely be any tier system for ratings of 'Mechs; they'll most likely keep with the standard rating for 'Mechs: weight class. At this point, only four 'Mechs have been confirmed for the game: the Warhammer, the Jenner, the Atlas, and the Dragon. Personally I'm hoping that the Zeus will be included in the game, and I also hope for a pretty good amount of personalization as far as weapon mounting/configuration goes. That was one of the things that kept MW4 so fun; near endless customization. In fact, if MWO does allow for (near)complete weapon configuration then I'll be able to implement the same Zeus variant I made in MW4 that went undefeated. No I will not tell you what was on it. You want to know? I'll show you on the battlefield...hopefully...<br />
<br />
In addition, it appears that you'll have a pretty good degree of paint/camouflage/skin customization for your 'Mech. This will be excellent if it makes it to full launch as it will make one of the aspects of gameplay fantastic. As far as it has been discussed players will have three options of play open to them - Lone Wolf, Mercenary, and House Guard. We still don't have a lot of information about these, but speculation and conjecture combined with logic would lead me to believe that if you aren't part of a 'guild'/Mercenary company your default mode of play will be Lone Wolf. I would assume that this will make it easier for Mercs to pick out the players that are without a Company. I would also make an assumption that any House Guard that a player could sign up with would essentially be an NPC operated guild. There has also been speculation/discussion that some worlds will only be accessible by certain groups - house guards fight on core worlds while mercs fight on outer rim/contested worlds.<br />
<br />
As I said earlier, I'll keep updating with more and better information as I get it. Until then I'll leave you with this:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ih2.redbubble.net/image.6153035.0845/sticker,375x360.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://ih2.redbubble.net/image.6153035.0845/sticker,375x360.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
PS, if you like that Zeus image, you can find more MW goodies here: <a href="http://www.redbubble.com/shop/mechwarrior?page=1">http://www.redbubble.com/shop/mechwarrior?page=1</a>funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-10508032989877135522011-12-08T22:45:00.000-06:002011-12-08T22:45:22.280-06:00Dungeons & Dragons OnlineSo I have taken a hiatus from World of Tanks due to the many issues I've brought up over my last few blog entries, and as one of my friends and a fellow GM has been taunting me with the possibility of playing a <a href="http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG">Pathfinder</a> game at some point after the new year. And so I started pouring over the core rulebook and thinking about what kind of character I'd like to play. Suffice to say I've spent many hours using the demo version of the <a href="http://www.wolflair.com/index.php?context=hero_lab">Hero Labs Character Creator</a>. I love this tool. Great utilities for character creation, very straight forward with little in the way of issues that required me to look for a solution. Translation: it's pretty much idiot proof.<br />
<br />
Well all this looking at 3.x edition DnD left me feeling...really jazzed to play. As it's the Holiday Season, it's going to be hard to get any game group together for a game. So I resorted to the old MMOs. No, I didn't look at World of Warcraft again. I did take a look at <a href="http://www.ddo.com/">Dungeons & Dragons Online</a> once again. A long time ago, I started playing this game back in the beta. It wasn't that great, however I stuck with it for about three years of subscription play. And then I grew kind of bored with it. Now it's several years later, and I made the decision to re-create an account. I no longer have the old one, I gave it to a friend so he could play along with his kid. If you haven't noticed, DDO is free to play just like Turbine's other title Lord of the Rings Online. And just like LotRO, you are able to earn Turbine points through questing. So, again you don't have to spend your hard earned cash on the TP; you'll just be gaming for a good long while to build up your TP reserves so you can create other race/class combos the free to play players don't normally have access to.<br />
<br />
I like the new look and layout of the user interface, the character creation menus, and the introductory quests. I like how they have refined the lay out of Stormreach (the main city) and how they have restricted access to various locations based on your character level. Since I've only recently started playing again, I haven't yet encountered any quest/dungeon I can't access due to the face that I'm a free player, or because I haven't spent the TP to purchase access to the dungeon/quest in question. We'll see whenever that happens one way or another. Also, I mentioned earlier that it is Holiday time. I'll try to keep all you loyal fans updated as I'm able, but my girlfriend and I are moving at the end of the month, so I make no promises. If I don't get back to you in time: Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Blessed Yule, E'Yaaah E'Yeeeeh, Vote for Zoidberg, and good night.<br />
<br />
Bonzo out.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-67860213393105087832011-11-19T20:54:00.001-06:002011-11-19T20:55:14.705-06:00World of Tanks - SupplimentalThere seems to be a growing trend in the <a href="http://worldoftanks.com/">WoT</a> gaming community these last few days (and by 'last few days', I mean week-and-a-half) for players to NOT scout for their team. I realize that scouting puts you at risk of being shot, but that's all part of the game.<br />
<br />
Oftentimes in game I hear players bemoan the existence of SPGs (Self Propelled Guns) aka <i>Artillery</i> in the game. "Arty is too powerful. Arty throws off the balance of the game. Arty sucks. Wah wah wah." However, as soon as something really bad happens (the shit hits the fan) players start pinging the minimap like crazy in order to point out to the SPG drivers where the poor bastard who just got killed found the enemy. And they being to wail and cry and shout out, "Arty! Where the fuck are you?! Why didn't you hit that tank before he killed me?! I know there is only one of you on my team, but you're supposed to watch the whole map and hit any target whether you can see it or not! You suck! This is why arty shouldn't be in the game!!!!!!11!!!!!!"<br />
<br />
Understand something please; SPGs were in existence during WW2...which is the time period WoT is based upon...and most all of the tanks featured in the game have some historical basis whether the tanks in question were actually developed or only remained drawn up as schematics. So if the developers have spent so much time and effort to code something in to the game in order to provide three distinct methods of play in the game, I advise you to shut the fuck up and enjoy the game. If you can't handle it, I suggest you go play Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 3.<br />
<br />
Back to my opening statement. SPG drivers cannot hit what they cannot see. If you refuse to spot for arty, you are not utilizing a very strong tool your team possesses. Getting shot up and killed is part of the game. It happens; it's not like what happens to you in the game carries over into the real world.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-55530230570454005522011-11-16T21:55:00.000-06:002011-11-16T21:55:58.562-06:00PathfinderSo my GM wants to start playing Pathfinder. Excellent. For any 3.x DnD gaming, PF is the superior system to anything out there. I defy you to show me a DnD setting with better fixed rules than what Paizo churned out a few years back. <br />
<br />
<br />
The only problem is, he wants to go ahead and finish off the 4e campaign and the Spirit of the Century games that he's got running. So we may not get into Pathfinder until about this time next year. Le sigh.<br />
<br />
On an off note, I think I'm done tinkering with the look and feel of the ol' blog here. For now. Truly. I mean it.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-57108654332786041052011-11-09T23:17:00.000-06:002011-11-09T23:17:08.665-06:00I Am Feeling a Bit Out of SortsIts been...three or four months since I last had a game night? I might be exaggerating a bit, but if I am it's not by much. And my dissatisfaction at having no game night is carrying over into the other games I <i>do</i> play. World of Tanks has lost a lot of its luster. League of Legends is no substitute for Warcraft 3: Defense of the Ancients. Even with Star Trek Online going "free to play" hasn't done anything to alleviate my gaming melancholy.<br />
<br />
Speaking of Star Trek Online, Cryptic has screwed up in a major way with <i>how</i> they are rolling out the "free to play" for STO. Apparently you can download the game without a problem, but the game is still asking you to subscribe in order to play. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of going "f2p"?<br />
<br />
As far as World of Tanks goes, Wargames.net recently (perhaps a few months ago) had a large patch wherein the developers added a few extra tiers to the light tank track. These tanks now max out at tier five...and somehow they end up in games against tier ten tanks. This is not a problem if you are in any tank other than artillery. There are several issues with the game that all come together at this juncture that have considerably diminished the playability of the game in my opinion. These new light tanks are the catalyst. The other parts of the equation come from the driving/turning speed. the reload rate, and the aiming time that higher tier artillery suffer. Against similarly ranked tanks, these SPGs are balanced quite well. Against these new light tanks, SPGs stand no chance. Not only that, but rumors indicate that with the next big patch the developers will change the matchmaker to only allow two SPGs per side per match. I, for one, love playing in SPGs and these rumored changes along with the new light tanks are seriously reducing my desire to continue playing the game. <br />
<br />
On a side note, the folks at Blizzard are prepping to launch their next expansion in time for the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season of 2012 with Pandera. Finally we'll get to see the homeland of Chen Stormstout. I do like that if you play as a Panderan, you'll be able to play for either faction. I still don't know if it's enough to make me want to reactivate my account when it launches. I'm still itching to get my hands on Diablo 3 and The Secret World.<br />
<br />
-Bonzo out.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-56664338626567354352011-10-04T20:35:00.000-05:002011-10-04T20:35:02.748-05:00I Am Going Stark Raving MadThree consecutive weeks without any gaming. I beat my head into a wall in frustration. Refrigerator.<br />
<br />
Alright, so it's not a haiku, nor is it anywhere close; but my point stands.<br />
<br />
In the mean time, I've been amusing myself with Portal 2 all over again, and I've been working through Dead Space and Dead Space 2. I actually think that Dead Space was harder and scarier than the sequel. I have to say though that these games only make me think of Traveller the RPG and how awesome a short campaign the Dead Space games could make. The first one anyway.<br />
<br />
Hopefully we'll have some form of gaming this week. I'll keep you posted. You'll know if we don't when you hear me scream 'KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!' ala William Shatner from the <i>Wrath of Khan</i> style.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSjTB6qRrvPYt8qRIpa3V8oL0DhxluWd0Q2me5KeHp1KVeN4r5bdQ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSjTB6qRrvPYt8qRIpa3V8oL0DhxluWd0Q2me5KeHp1KVeN4r5bdQ" /></a></div>funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-3820940335241003602011-09-25T20:46:00.000-05:002011-09-25T20:46:06.591-05:00Vader's Got CookiesI was cleaning up in the kitchen a moment ago, and was remembering some rather entertaining webcomics I've read. And one particular strip from <a href="http://www.pvponline.com/">PvP Online</a> came to mind where the main characters are all sitting around a table getting ready to play Star Wars the tabletop game. And Francis, the youngest character, was GMing. He had borrowed his boss' Darth Vader helmet for the purposes of being GM (which I love the thought of) and as the storyline panned out, the helmet got to him; he started to wield the power of a GM as a Jedi turned to the Dark Side would wield his own Jedi powers.<br />
<br />
And I suddenly recalled that one of my friends, Fred, has asked me if I were interested in playing <a href="http://www.swtor.com/">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a>. Well, <i>of course</i> I'm interested in playing SW:TOR. <i><b>Hello!?! </b></i>He mentioned that he and his son have been thinking about asking several of the people they know who play MMOs regualrly if we all want to form a rather sizable guild. Sounds good so far. So I asked him, "'Fred', what faction are you planning on playing?" To which he replied...Republic...<br />
<br />
Alas.<br />
<br />
Now don't get me wrong, I've been following SWTOR for a while now, and it looks shiny. Really, really shiny.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXTnqBe6a2v4EVM5flVYrA9iOVCP4Wc-Vghl8diebsH6-eIDb69bek7GCcsQ" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRXTnqBe6a2v4EVM5flVYrA9iOVCP4Wc-Vghl8diebsH6-eIDb69bek7GCcsQ" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Mal is ALWAYS shiny.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I like the look of both factions (and as they are MIRROR IMAGES of each other, how could you not?) but if I'm honest with myself; really, really honest...I just wanna be a Sith Lord. I've been told before, dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Who wouldn't want to be Darth Freaking Vader?!?! I mean, come on!!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://herospy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Darth_Vader_by_wraithdt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://herospy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Darth_Vader_by_wraithdt.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Sith Lord</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ4rYgdE5BRG6RPP1f-iqx5VzGalxyB6r9VL0PBl4UIovmQFPzl" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ4rYgdE5BRG6RPP1f-iqx5VzGalxyB6r9VL0PBl4UIovmQFPzl" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not this pansy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<br />
So after some very careful consideration, I started to exercise my own Dark Side powers on Fred's son. You're damn right I'm working on convincing that kid to join the Dark Side. Sadly, I didn't have to do much in the way of convincing him, he was most of the way there to begin with. <br />
<br />
It's yet another game I've signed up for the beta and am waiting; but since the official launch date was announced for December 22, I think trying to get into the beta at this point would be kinda pointless. So there you are.<br />
<br />
I saw it best on a t-shirt:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSoAZ01ByM900lYqFlkxIjWW2hsvoYkqmLugwzoo17EgDofuRre" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSoAZ01ByM900lYqFlkxIjWW2hsvoYkqmLugwzoo17EgDofuRre" /></a></div>funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-32517033965594720822011-09-24T16:33:00.000-05:002011-09-24T16:33:05.817-05:00More In the Way of Good NewsSo Blizzard, bless their money grubbing souls, have finally, Finally, FINALLY started phasing in players for the closed beta for Diablo 3.<br />
<br />
I cannot begin to describe the joy that this gives me. And a little disappointment as well, since most likely my system is not near good enough for the developers' standards for running a beta...But I remain hopeful that they will do rolling phase-ins for the closed beta before they do an open beta. So if I miss the closed beta I'll be working extra hard to get in on the open beta.<br />
<br />
I encourage you to go to the <a href="http://us.battle.net/d3/en/">Diablo 3</a> website to look at/drool over the screen shots as well as the gameplay videos. I should add here that Diablo 3 will require an internet connection to play. From all the most recent information, D3 will work just like SC2 - meaning that you will need to log in to the game via battle.net. That being said, I have heard rumors that SC2 will soon allow a form of LAN play. If I can find any concrete information about that I'll be sure to post it.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, here's a kitten.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.flickr.com/2400/2111535987_6f82a83198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://static.flickr.com/2400/2111535987_6f82a83198.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://static.flickr.com/2400/2111535987_6f82a83198.jpg"></a>funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-18748817865937294202011-09-18T19:36:00.002-05:002011-09-18T19:43:39.906-05:00Oh Hello. Are You Still There?Alright, alright. Don't beat me about the head and face. I've been absent for quite a while.<br />
<br />
In the time between we last spoke and now I've played several card/board games, and a few table-tops games. And there are a few updates on computer games as well.<br />
<br />
Lets start with the more "normal" games. You know, games that "normal" people are more apt to play. <br />
<br />
There was this card game I played called Seven Dragons. At least I think it was called Seven Dragons. It's a game for 2-5 players (I think). Each player has a dragon assigned to him/her that is a particular color. The object of the game is to take the cards dealt to you and play a color matching game to get a total of seven matchings of your dragon's color - blue, gold, red, green, and black. And that is pretty much the game. There are cards that are dealt out to screw with play of game, by changing the color of your goal, making you switch hands with another player, etc. Very fun, easy game to play.<br />
<br />
Then there is 7 Wonders. This is a fantastic game, whose praises cannot be sung enough. My friends, Fred(s), maintain that this is a "gateway" game - meaning that despite it's apparent complexity, the game play is quick enough, easy enough, and fun enough to prompt a "noob board gamer" (you know those kind - the ones that when asked if they want to play a game bust out some crap like <i>Sorry</i> or <i>Life</i>) to becoming a more sophisticated gamer. They might even try their had at <i>Settlers of Catan</i> or <i>Dominion</i> after playing 7 Wonders a time or two. As for the game itself, you are building a civilization in one of the ancient wonders of the world. And there are several paths to glory in this game: economic, militaristic, governmental/artistic, science. Even your military losses can score victory points for you in this game depending on how/what you play. Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic.<br />
<br />
Also, we played a more beer n' pretzels game called <i>Crappy Birthday</i>. In this game, you are dealt a hand of cards from the "Gift Deck" that you then spend once per round (unless you are the "Birthday Boy/Girl") by handing off the crappiest gift you can think of for the "Birthday Boy/Girl". It's kinda fun except that in the group of friends I played this with most of the gifts weren't really that crappy. They should have had things like "Become a Tour Guide for a Water Treatment Plant for a Month" or some such. That's pretty crappy. Oh yeah I went there! What did you expect?<br />
<br />
----------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
----------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
<br />
Alright, now on to some nitty gritty. I finally got my feet wet with <i>Shadowrun</i>. This is one hell of a system/world to play in. If you have no idea what I'm talking about...pause in reading this for a moment after grabbing a No.2 pencil. Place it between the middle knuckles of your middle and ring fingers of one of your hands - either one, it make no difference. Now, with your free hand, pinch your fingers together. That intense pain you've just experienced is because you have no idea what <i>Shadowrun</i> is. Now go Google it and come back to me. It's like playing in <i>Blade Runner</i> as...anything... It's dark, and gritty, and very futuristic noir. I ran a large group of folks on a one shot of this and good God, it makes me want to play/run another scenario again really really soon.<br />
<br />
Also, I am about to start running my game again - pick your jaw up off the floor - and we're running <i>Dark Sun</i> baby! Oh...you don't know what <i>Dark Sun</i> is? Alright, go get a No.2 pencil...you get the picture. However, we're going to be running 4E as opposed to the old 2E version. Mostly because I have no concrete idea on how to play 2E. I have the theory down, but practical application always shows where book knowledge falls short. No Wizards, no Sorcerers, no Clerics, no Paladins, no Invokers. Lots of psionic classes. Lots of wood and bone and leather weapons/armor. Little to no metal. Any magic users in the game either despoil the land around them by leeching vitality out of the world and people around him, or they take a little bit of vitality from everything and cast underpowered magics while leaving behind the world to power future magics. It's a brutal, loveless world - as short on water as it is short on mercy.<br />
<br />
You are not prepared.<br />
<br />
-----------------------------------------------------------------<br />
-----------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
And now we come to our final section for the catch up post. Computer games. For a while, I had stopped playing World of Tanks altogether in lieu of playing Lord of the Rings Online. As far as Free to Play (or F2P) MMOs go, this is one of the better ones. As you play you are able to complete achievements that award you with the in game currency (Turbine Points) needed to buy things from the online store; meaning you don't necessarily need to use real money to purchase things from the online store, but if you want to you can. It's certainly faster than grinding out achievements for Turbine Points. You can even subscribe to the game as it was when it initially launched, and Turbine will gift you with several different rewards for subscribing. But it's nothing that you wouldn't be able to get over time as a free player.<br />
<br />
However the endless grind was getting to me, and I felt I was getting nowhere fast. So I went back to WoT. But, I was recently sent an email from the excellent folks at Funcom - the group that brought us the <i>Age of Conan</i> MMORPG (as MMOs go, I felt it lacked (re)playability but it was visually stunning. Now I admit I only played the game for a few months and I admit that my issues with the game were a direct result of Funcom's decision to make radical changes to the "standard" user interface - WASD, 1234, etc as far as functionality went) are releasing a new MMO called <a href="http://www.thesecretworld.com/"><i>The Secret World</i>.</a> This just looks amazing - the graphics look stunning, the play looks great, and the storyline is fantastic. It breaks down like this: layered atop our world is another; a world full of peril, old gods awakening, true conspiracies, monsters, magic, things that go bump in the night, etc. And there are three factions that stand between the normals and the monsters - the Dragon, who are based primarily in Asia and focus primarily on using chaos and magic to fight back the tide; the Templars, based in Europe and they focus on exerting order and justice against the darkness; and the Illuminati, based in North America they use whatever means are necessary to keep the darkness at bay, be it through main strength or through blackmail.<br />
<br />
Just based on the several gameplay movies on the website, I can say that the game has a definite "Lovecraftian" feel to it. Which I love. I cannot wait to find out if I'll be in the beta. If so, I won't be making any posts about it until it reaches full release. Kinda standard there I think. The only other beta test I was involved in was for <i>Tabula Rasa</i> and that game just fizzled because no one cared enough by the time the beta rolled around. /shrug<br />
<br />
Random postings to follow.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-431806686333069392011-03-23T23:13:00.000-05:002011-03-23T23:13:07.378-05:00World of TanksOK. World of Tanks is pretty fun. It's only pvp play; just like the Battlefield series of games, there are several maps to choose from, several styles of tank to choose from, and you can form 'guilds'. I think they call them 'tank brigades' in this game. So it's fast paced, WW2 style tank action. As you play, you earn cash, that you spend on upgrades and research for your tanks. You can make them faster, more heavily armored, bigger/faster guns. You can train/recruit your computer controlled tank crew. You can purchase consumables, different types of ammo, and repair your tank (when you get blowed up - and you will). You can buy bigger/different types of tank. And the whole time, you get to learn about the benefits of cover, and trying to get the best angle on your target. <br />
<br />
And I'm enjoying it. After spending years playing slower paced MMOs, the quick action is a nice change.<br />
<br />
I'm still pretty certain that I'm going to be phasing over to RPGs, like Mass Effect (and ME2), and phasing out MMOs. I guess things just change over time.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-49911940889081644822011-03-20T12:15:00.000-05:002011-03-20T12:15:28.602-05:00It's March!!And the first post I have for the month of March comes more than half way through the month! Yay progress...<br />
<br />
<br />
Anyway, today's post is brought by an interesting new game that I found just this morning. It's apparently a free-to-play MMO called <a href="http://game.worldoftanks.com/">World of Tanks</a>. It appears to be set in WW2 (gauging from the style of tanks) and is essentially a full on melee brawl of mayhem and destruction. I admit the notion tickles my fancy. So I went ahead and registered for the beta and am currently (at the time of this posting) downloading the client.<br />
<br />
While on the subject of MMOs, It's been about 2 months now since I quite playing WoW cold turkey. And I have felt no urgings to go back. I know, I know: "But Bonzo, you've said this before. World of Warcraft is like the bad girlfriend that you can ever rid yourself of..." Perhaps you're right. Perhaps not. I'm still having quite a lot of fun playing DCUO, but lately I've been feeling the urge to play more RPGs and even...First Person Shooters...<br />
<br />
It's been close to a decade since I've played an FPS. Mostly because I suck at them. But I've had the desire to blow some sprites to smithereens lately, and a FPS game will let me do that. So will some RPGs. And there are some games that crossover between them, like Fallout and Mass Effect, and Portal. All of which have been recommended to me. So I'll probably end up downloading Steam in the next few weeks and try them out. <br />
<br />
Now, back to the WoT (World of Tanks). No grinding for XP, check. No endless questing, check. Lots of explosions, check. It sounds pretty fun. I'll check back with you all in a few days<br />
<br />
<br />
________________________________<br />
________________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
On another note, we finally (FINALLY) started playing our 4e game again. Three months with no table-top gaming was really, really, REALLY starting to make me twitchy. You don;t notice how much you miss something until its gone and you start to get the notion that you can't get it back. But now that we're playing again I can start to relax and get back into the swing of things. So to speak. <br />
<br />
Also, in table-top news - today I start the actual campaign for my CthulhuTech game. We've had two sessions so far on character creation, and everyone has done a bang up job on coming up with characters. Some of my players have even gone so far as to come up with background information that has been censored by the NEG Intelligence Corps. Lots of black censor bars of lines of text. It brings a tear to the eyes. Of course, this is still a Cthulhu universe at the end of the day...their characters will all go mad and die. Those are the breaks.<br />
<br />
-Bonzo out.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-14162314028963505972011-02-28T13:51:00.000-06:002011-02-28T13:51:14.349-06:00Final Thoughts for FebruarySo recently Champions Online went "Free to Play". Typically this is the "kiss of death" for most MMOs; so I didn't hold out much hope for what I would see if I re-installed and started playing again for comparison with DCUO.<br />
<br />
So I did. With the "free to play" you have only two character slots, limited character build options, limited content, and limited support. Fairly standard when a game goes from subscription to free. And to be honest, I feel that while Champions Online character is really really nice, and the DCUO character builder should have a lot more options in regard to character creation, Champions Online still falls short as far as fun and playability. Being a "superhero" game should be about action. Sadly, Champions Online felt sluggish and boring compared to DCUO. In the starter area with Champions, I was able to defeat enemies in two to three attacks; in the DCUO starting area, it was very much possible for me to get "knocked out" aka "killed" by my targets. Which oddly is a nice feeling; saying to the player "yes, you're a superhero, but you're fighting super villains and they only get tougher from here".<br />
<br />
<br />
In short, Champions Online still looks like you're playing a game that is created straight from the pages of a comic book; the character creation is still top notch, and the story line is very open ended. However I feel that the product that DC/Warner/Sony put out is superior in regard to gameplay, and replayability (especially since you can play as a hero or villain on either a PvE or PvP server) and overall fun factor. I still have some issues with both games, but if I can only choose one superhero styled MMO, it'll be DC Universe Online.<br />
<br />
<br />
But Champions Online is still better than City of Heroes/Villains/Going Rogue.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-55817795759618736942011-02-10T21:53:00.001-06:002011-02-10T22:04:59.135-06:00DC Universe the ThirdSo I'm taking a break from playing tonight, and I'll use the time to talk a bit more about DCUO and hopefully it won't end up being as disjointed as my game reviews typically are.<br />
<br />
<br />
Let's start with character creation. The character generator in DCUO is not as involved as most other superhero MMOs, like City of Heroes/Villains, Champions Online, Freedom Force, or any others I might be missing*.<br />
<br />
You start with gender and size. Then you advance to an optional step - the 'Inspired By' section. You can make a super hero/villain based off of some of the more iconic heroes/villains from the DC universe. If you choose to do this, you'll move directly to 'GO' and go to the 'make adjustments/finish character' page. The heroes/villains that you can choose from are: Bane, Catwoman, Joker, Mister Freeze, Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Beast Boy, Steel, Flash, and Martian Manhunter. You will automatically be loaded out with a powerset, weapons, travel power, morality, and outfit that match your inspiration. Should you skip the optional step, you get to customize your character starting with your powerset: fire, ice, nature, mental, sorcery, and gadgets. Then you pick movement: flight, super speed, and acrobatics. Followed by weapon style: one-hand weapons, hand blasts, bow, brawling, dual pistols, dual wielding, martial arts, rifle, staff, and two-handed weapon. Finally you advance to morality (hero or villain), personality (your stance when not moving), and your mentor/origin. After doing all of this work you move on to customizing your appearance (hair, skin, gear, and the coloration). Finally choose a name and get started. I'll also note here, that Warner Brothers/DC/Sony did themselves a favor with character creation and made it easier for players to copy the iconic super heroes/villains that they are going to end up copying anyway. In fact this game encourages it! Re-read the above paragraph for confirmation.<br />
<br />
It seems like a lot, and I have not gone in to any detail regarding what the powersets actually do, how the weapon styles work, or options for your appearance. But trust me, this is possibly the most bare bones character creator for a superhero MMO.<br />
<br />
Alright, now lets move on to some gameplay. One of the first things I noticed upon starting the game, was how the controls (movement, attacks, the camera) are different from a 'standard' MMO. Your camera is not glued to your back. If you turn around using the WASD movement keys, you have a very good probability of seeing the front of your character. In addition, your mouse is always on 'mouselook' (except when you open your menus). In a more traditional MMO, you control your camera with the mouse buttons, and steer with your keyboard. Not the case here. I should mention at this point that you use your mouse buttons for attacks - that's it. Left click is for melee attacks, and right click is for ranged attacks. After a little probing I discovered why the controls/keybinds are set up the way they are - this game dual released for the PC and the PS3. So the developers set the game up to operate from a console controller as well as keyboard/mouse input.<br />
<br />
Also, unlike traditional MMOs, when you pick up and equip gear, you can adjust your costume on the fly after equipping new equipment. For example my 'Batman' hero has retained his original costume except for his gloves and boots. Equipment comes from different sets and each set provides a different appearance item for item; so you can really trick out what your character looks like. I've seen very very few characters who look the same.<br />
<br />
The game itself moves very fluidly. The graphics are very pretty and the world is pretty seamless. The two main cities are huge, and are differentiated by subtly changing suburbs. But fear not! The main storyline, and all of the minor sub-plots provide real crunch to the game, making each new endeavor feel, well, new. City of Heroes/Villains is probably the worst offender when it comes to every aspect of the game appearing to be a cookie cut-out of the element before it. Each mentor gives you missions that revolve around their 'rogues gallery'. However, just because you have one particular mentor, doesn't mean that you are banned from accepting missions from other mentors. In fact I've found it incredibly beneficial to move back and fourth between Gotham and Metropolis doing missions for Batman and Superman/Wonder Woman. I can advance my level past the 'recommended level' for the mission so I have a reduced chance of getting knocked out (aka. dead) by goons - because they love to swarm you.<br />
<br />
Missions start small and finish big. Starting in Gotham, I was immediately set on the trail of the Scarecrow. I began by taking out his goons, then moving up to getting samples of his newest fear gas, then busting up the fear gas dispensers, and eventually culminating with taking the villain down in the sewers of Gotham. The missions update without you needing to go back to the quest giver (thanks Oracle!) and automatically adjust the difficulty of 'dungeons' (where you fight the main bad guy) depending upon the total size of your party. Also, there are 'wanted posters' that you can get missions from to hunt down random heroes/villains - like Solomon Grundy. And the wanted poster missions are hard. Really really really hard. You cannot solo them. Period. Which is kinda awesome. <br />
<br />
There are a number of 'Easter eggs' in the game. Collectible clues/news updates bits of storyline fluff that just add to the fun factor for doing exploration. And upon completing a series of these you gain achievements. Hell you gain achievements for damn near anything. But I can't really complain about that, because every time I complete an achievement I get a little boost to my ego, and I want to go dig up more clues, news updates, etc.<br />
<br />
Overall, I've very satisfied with this game. The graphics, gameplay, lack of repetitive feel, being able to solo 99% of the game, the voice acting, and overall fun factor. It's just damn fun to play. I think this weekend I'll start leveling a villain, so I have something to compare my hero experience with.<br />
<br />
And I'll leave with this parting tidbit. If you start playing this game, after completing a mission arc, you get to see a little 'cut scene'. It's animated...kind of. The cut scenes are done in a comic book style with panels. And they are just fantastic to watch. Don't skip through them, do yourself the favor and just watch and enjoy them.<br />
<br />
-Bonzo out<br />
<br />
<br />
*There are relatively few superhero MMOs out there. Damn few; they just don't seem to last.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-54240049600754896682011-02-09T19:19:00.000-06:002011-02-09T19:19:48.705-06:00DC Universe Online - UpdateOK, so I did get the game. And I have to say that I am impressed, and that it is pretty fun. Here's just a quick overview. I don't want to spend a lot of time on this as it's cutting into my DCU time. <br />
<br />
Since the game is no longer in the beta, a few things (like the voice acting) have been tightened up, and it's very well done. Batman and The Joker (Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil) steal the show as far as voice acting goes, but I'm sure that comes as no surprise. The game does not handle like a 'true' MMO. It's designed to be played on the PS3 as well as PC, so the GUI works like a console GUI. And oddly, this does not bother me. The only thing that bothers me is that all attacks are made with the mouse buttons (left and right) and a combination of clicks and holds determines what attack(s) you perform. What annoys me about this, is that I have a really loud mouse. The 'button mashing' of the mouse makes this feel like an arcade game for me. <br />
<br />
The character generator is just fun to play with. Sony and DC did themselves a favor in making this game by accepting the fact that players are going to mimic their favorite (or possibly most obscure) comic superhero/villain just like players do in every other superhero MMO out there, by allowing players to generate characters themed after three main heroes and villains: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman; The Joker, Lex Luthor, and Circe. <br />
<br />
I like the powers, and attacks that are offered, but I have yet to try them all out yet. I really like the settings, and this superhero MMO has cities that are huge like actual cities are. Gotham and Metropolis are enormous. And gorgeous to boot. <br />
<br />
Right now, I'm leveling a hero who is mentored by Batman; he has Martial Arts as an attack power, Gadgets for his control power, and his 'travel power' is Acrobatics (which is the best travel power in the game IMO).<br />
<br />
More later, game now.<br />
<br />
-Bonzo outfunnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-85325693076930329312011-02-02T20:13:00.000-06:002011-02-02T20:13:27.693-06:00DC Universe OnlineAlright. It looks amazing. Really really amazing. There are some gameplay videos I've been watching on the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg0IaCSty38&feature=related">Youtubes</a> of some cat running a character up to level 30. The graphics are simply stunning. I have yet to see any MMO come out with graphics that top what DCUO has. The sound quality is very good; so good in fact that on particular 'Cases' (read: Quests) you have to find an invisible villain, and he's best located by listening to his taunting. The closer you get the louder his voice is, and you can tell whether he's in front, behind, or to either side of you. Really nice directional audio. I'm probably going to get this game in another week or two to try it out. The only bad thing I've encountered so far (from the videos) is that the game has some very poor voice acting on the part of the NPCs and some of the more main characters. From what I've read, Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamil are reprising their roles as Batman and The Joker from the Animated Series. James Marsters is supposed to be voicing Lex Luthor; Adam Baldwin ala <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefly_%28TV_series%29">Firefly</a> is the voice of Superman; Gina Torres (also from Firefly) is the voice of Wonder Woman; and Circe will be voiced by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000405/">Michelle Forbes</a> whom you may know from such shows as Battlestar Galactica, and True Blood, as well as voice acting in Half Life 2.<br />
<br />
And now for some table top updates...kinda of.<br />
<br />
I'm looking at picking up a few new titles. Like <a href="http://www.dresdenfilesrpg.com/">The Dresden Files RPG</a>, and hopefully <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Roleplaying_Game:_Saga_Edition_Core_Rulebook">Star Wars, the Saga Edition</a> (which is supposedly the 'first glimpse' of 4E from Wizards of the Coast. Both of these settings get my creative juices flowing, and I have come to the sad, sad conclusion that in order for me to be able to afford to indulge in my hobby as much as I would like, I need to become a professional GM and hire out my GMing services...either that or I need to brush up on my writing skills and write adventures/modules and sell them.<br />
<br />
Alas for not enough time to game.<br />
<br />
-Bonzo out.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-42506298483948513002011-01-29T10:29:00.000-06:002011-01-29T10:29:28.887-06:00Wizards of the Coast, Character BuilderAlrighty. Some of you out there in the internet land might have a subscription to the <a href="http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Tools.aspx">D&D Insider</a>. And if so, you might have had access to the old Character Builder. Fantastic piece of software in my opinion as a player and GM. It loaded up all of the current data and errata from the WotC D&D 4E database - which included all of the current books, like the Player's Handbook, and the Dungeon Master's Guide, as well as errata from the now WotC published Dragon Magazine*. So it provided tons and tons of information for players/GMs to get their hands on even if they didn't actually <i>own</i> all of the source books the builder had on file.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately a few months ago, Wizards decided that they no longer wanted to have an offline version of their character builder, and so they started work on a new version that you can only access through their website. It runs on Microsoft's <a href="http://www.silverlight.net/">Silverlight</a>....and its a big pile of stinking poo! It's slow, and not user friendly. Just don't use it. Do yourself the favor.<br />
<br />
It's actually because of Dark Sun that this entire post came about. I got bit by the gaming bug. We haven't had a game since before Christmas, and I'm starting to get itchy. So I went to the shelves of source books, and the Dark Sun Campaign Setting jumped off the shelf and I was forced to defend myself by opening it's cover and reading it's contents. Truly a tale of woe.<br />
<br />
Woe.<br />
<br />
It was after reading through the book, about the third or fourth time that I got the hankering to actually use the character builder to make a Dark Sun character. So I logged in to the WotC site and loaded up the online builder, and went to town. And I found that I was wholly dissatisfied with the result. It was a miracle from up on high that happened this past week, when one of my friends and also my GM, Fred, sent me a link to a forum where they are keeping the offline character builder alive with all the current data/errata. Its called <a href="http://enemyoffun.clanteam.com/index.php?sid=4b2ea732677d9e49f1f2bdcc7415acdd">Enemy of Fun</a>. I joined the forum, and found the information I was looking for to make my old, unused offline character builder, the lean mean monster killing machine it used to be. Maybe that was a little over the top. Maybe. After a bit a tinkering, and getting help from Fred, I was able to get the offline character builder to use all the Dark Sun data, and I started churning out sample characters - various race/class combinations at different levels, with different Dark Sun character templates. Oh what a joy to be using the offline character builder again! If you're at all keen on using your offline builder (if you have it) go to the forum. Get the downloads you want/need. Make your offline builder work for you again. <br />
<br />
Bonzo out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*I think I mentioned last year in a post about how WotC pulled the plug on Paizo Publishing producing all of the magazines for Wizards. Wizards decided to do everything in house, and Paizo went on to make Pathfinder, etc., etc.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-38878520102503885672011-01-23T16:53:00.000-06:002011-01-23T16:53:51.491-06:00Quick Post #2My laptop, which has my entire RPG book library (like 8 or 9 gigs worth of game books), is dying the slow death. So I've been looking into getting a replacement. Specifically at a tablet pc. Why a tablet pc? Because they're light, thin, and I can read my rpg books in bed without having the physical (and often heavy) book settled on my chest. And tablet pcs are kinda cool. <br />
<br />
Don't judge me.<br />
<br />
Hopefully I'll be getting the tablet pc I desire in another month or two...if the laptop I have will hold out that long.funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4762609927024635641.post-29332415376490349592011-01-23T16:19:00.000-06:002011-01-23T16:19:02.240-06:00This is Jeopardy!Quick post.<br />
<br />
First, my girlfriend's friend knit me a small, Cthulhu dice bag that I plan on putting my Cthulhu Dice in. Cthulhu Dice is an awesome little dice game with only one die, wherein all the players are playing cultists who are trying to screw each other over in the vain hopes that they will be the only player with any sanity (signified with small colored glass counters) left in the game. Its pretty fast moving, insanely fun (see what I did there?) and yes it is possible for Cthulhu to win the game and for all the players to go insane and lose.<br />
<br />
Second, we bought Jeopardy! for the Wii last weekend and we finally busted it out today. Its pretty damn fun. We played two games, and we each won one. It only supports three players, just like real Jeopardy, and it allows you to customize your appearance with items you unlock by winning the minigames which take place between the three rounds of play. It has four levels of difficulty of play: easy, medium, hard, and custom; and you're able to play with a computer player if you only have one or two players.<br />
<br />
Its really fun. I mean really, really fun. If you like trivia, and enjoy watching/playing along with Jeopardy! when it comes on TV, get this game. And enjoy it when you get totally owned by your girlfriend. Seriously, she stomped my ass in that first game.<br />
<br />
Bonzo out!funnybonzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15393061404785450721noreply@blogger.com0