There seems to be a growing trend in the WoT 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.
Oftentimes in game I hear players bemoan the existence of SPGs (Self Propelled Guns) aka Artillery 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!!!!!!"
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.
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.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Pathfinder
So 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
I Am Feeling a Bit Out of Sorts
Its 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 do 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.
Speaking of Star Trek Online, Cryptic has screwed up in a major way with how 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"?
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.
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.
-Bonzo out.
Speaking of Star Trek Online, Cryptic has screwed up in a major way with how 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"?
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.
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.
-Bonzo out.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
I Am Going Stark Raving Mad
Three consecutive weeks without any gaming. I beat my head into a wall in frustration. Refrigerator.
Alright, so it's not a haiku, nor is it anywhere close; but my point stands.
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.
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 Wrath of Khan style.
Alright, so it's not a haiku, nor is it anywhere close; but my point stands.
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.
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 Wrath of Khan style.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Vader's Got Cookies
I was cleaning up in the kitchen a moment ago, and was remembering some rather entertaining webcomics I've read. And one particular strip from PvP Online 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.
And I suddenly recalled that one of my friends, Fred, has asked me if I were interested in playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Well, of course I'm interested in playing SW:TOR. Hello!?! 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...
Alas.
Now don't get me wrong, I've been following SWTOR for a while now, and it looks shiny. Really, really shiny.
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.
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.
I saw it best on a t-shirt:
And I suddenly recalled that one of my friends, Fred, has asked me if I were interested in playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. Well, of course I'm interested in playing SW:TOR. Hello!?! 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...
Alas.
Now don't get me wrong, I've been following SWTOR for a while now, and it looks shiny. Really, really shiny.
 |
| Captain Mal is ALWAYS shiny. |
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!!!
 |
| This Sith Lord |
 |
| Not this pansy. |
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.
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.
I saw it best on a t-shirt:
Saturday, September 24, 2011
More In the Way of Good News
So Blizzard, bless their money grubbing souls, have finally, Finally, FINALLY started phasing in players for the closed beta for Diablo 3.
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.
I encourage you to go to the Diablo 3 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.
In the meantime, here's a kitten.
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.
I encourage you to go to the Diablo 3 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.
In the meantime, here's a kitten.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Oh Hello. Are You Still There?
Alright, alright. Don't beat me about the head and face. I've been absent for quite a while.
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.
Lets start with the more "normal" games. You know, games that "normal" people are more apt to play.
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.
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 Sorry or Life) to becoming a more sophisticated gamer. They might even try their had at Settlers of Catan or Dominion 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.
Also, we played a more beer n' pretzels game called Crappy Birthday. 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?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright, now on to some nitty gritty. I finally got my feet wet with Shadowrun. 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 Shadowrun is. Now go Google it and come back to me. It's like playing in Blade Runner 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.
Also, I am about to start running my game again - pick your jaw up off the floor - and we're running Dark Sun baby! Oh...you don't know what Dark Sun 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.
You are not prepared.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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 Age of Conan 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 The Secret World. 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.
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 Tabula Rasa and that game just fizzled because no one cared enough by the time the beta rolled around. /shrug
Random postings to follow.
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.
Lets start with the more "normal" games. You know, games that "normal" people are more apt to play.
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.
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 Sorry or Life) to becoming a more sophisticated gamer. They might even try their had at Settlers of Catan or Dominion 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.
Also, we played a more beer n' pretzels game called Crappy Birthday. 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?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright, now on to some nitty gritty. I finally got my feet wet with Shadowrun. 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 Shadowrun is. Now go Google it and come back to me. It's like playing in Blade Runner 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.
Also, I am about to start running my game again - pick your jaw up off the floor - and we're running Dark Sun baby! Oh...you don't know what Dark Sun 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.
You are not prepared.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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.
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 Age of Conan 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 The Secret World. 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.
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 Tabula Rasa and that game just fizzled because no one cared enough by the time the beta rolled around. /shrug
Random postings to follow.
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