Posts tagged video games
Raid Impressions
Jan 31st
I am a raider. If you’ve been following any of my articles, then that should come as no surprise to you. I am not, however, anything like a hardcore raid machine. I raid 2 nights a week, for 3 hours each night, and that’s all. With the holidays behind us, and the expansion almost 2 months old, I finally lead my guild into what some people would call a “real” raid. Not that Vault of Arc– I mean Baradin’s Hold isn’t a real raid… in the most technical sense it IS a raid. What I mean is a raid that requires more than a 20 minute time commitment.
Putting a call out through a large group of my friends, I had discovered a sort of odd way for progression to go “smoothly” in boss kills. Since there are three seperate raids out now, the general concensus is to take the first two bosses of two of those raids, and then proceed outward from there. So, we brought our finest weaponry and knocked on the door of Blackwing Descent. No one told me that the doorknobs would be electrified.
Now, as you can see, we weren’t entirely unsuccessful in the raid. There was, however, a *much* higher degree of resistance than I was expecting. I could literally HEAR my healers sweating. For that matter, *I* was sweating as the main tank. From the first trash pull until the first the time we hearthed out there was an electricity that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It would be dramatically understating it for me to say that raiding was fun… but OH GOD WAS IT FUN.
I would like to say that we had more success than just the two screenshots I have showing today, but thta’s not the case. Two boss kills, in 6 hours. Y’know what though? That’s perfectly fine by me. I am exceedingly proud of my raid group. We couldn’t manage to kill the 3rd boss, but we made SIGNIFICANT progress on him (Halfus Wyrmbreaker, in case you were curious), and I fully expect to have a killshot of him available for next week’s article.
I hope you guys don’t mind me gushing about my guild, or our raiding progress. That wasn’t the initial point I had in mind when I started writing this. I wanted to convey my difference of feelings about raiding, even so early into the “career” of this expansion, as compared to raiding in Wrath. I am excited. I am beyond excited. The fights are tuned heavily, and don’t forgive easily, but are not anywhere near impossible. Only two and a half bosses into this first raid tier and I just can’t wait to see what’s yet to come.
Earthrise Releases a Roadmap for Launch
Jan 25th
The sci-fi MMORPG Earthrise has released their road map for the game’s launch in February of 2011. Players will get plenty of features on the game’s launch day, but new features to enhance game play will be rolled out between February and April of 2011.
What’s dropping at launch in February?
- Heavy character customization with over 100 skills, abilities and tactics.
- No imposed “class restrictions”
- Earthrise’s unique combat system with adaptive armor and futuristic tech weapons.
- PVP combat available to players
- Earthrise’s market-based economy with an in-game supply and demand system in place.
- Earthrise’s crafting system allowing players to manufacture items from blueprints and resources available in the game. More >
3 Years on the High Seas
Jan 19th
Pirates of the Burning Sea is celebrating three years of pillaging and plundering on January 22nd. To give themselves and players a “Happy Birthday”, they have released a patch with some significant updates to the massively multiplayer online game.
Treasure Aisle is offering players an update to it’s interface. They are also featuring new shoulder pets like the raven and the seagull. Existing pets also have learned some new tricks that players can make them do by using a / command.
The Spanish capital of San Juan has been updated with a brand new look and other towns have also received some updates. Apparently, the ocean will now reflect the sky as well. It also seems like Pirates of the Burning Sea are a bit more concerned about keeping in touch with their community. On log in, you can sign up for a monthly newsletter and there is a new chat channel for live events. Full release notes can be found here.
Max level without spending a dime in a free to play game?
Jan 12th
It can happen!
Yesterday, Perfect World announced that someone had achieved the level 105 milestone. While reaching max level in most MMOs is not a big deal, reaching it without spending a cent could be a big deal. This player utilized Perfect World’s system to trade for in game currency instead of spending real life money on the game. In the end, they seem to be the first player who reached level cap without spending a dime.
While freemium models like LotRO’s are nice, a true free to play game should allow free players to have the same thing as paying players. In theory, Perfect World’s system allows this. Players who are not spending money on currency can take time to farm gold or items and trade them for in-game currency. Players who pay cash for their currency are able to make these trades and be a little richer in the end.
It’s an interesting way to do things for sure and a system I wish more games would implement (and perfect). Unfortunately, this system doesn’t always work as intended. It is a good step in the right direction for any free to play game and this level 105 player has proven that it will work – even if it takes a long time to do it.
Why I'm Going to Play Rift
Jan 7th
A lot of people are getting hyped up over the March 1 release of Rift. Many of my fellow bloggers are already telling players why they should play Rift and listing all of the features. I’m glad you’re telling me why I should play Rift, but why are you going to play it? Why is Rift worth buying the game and spending money on a monthly subscription to you? I can’t answer for them, but I can tell you why I have decided Rift is worth the cash.
A whole new world
Sure, Rift’s quests are pretty straightforward for any MMO player. But the questing isn’t the part that I look at. What I am seeing is a brand new game world opened up to us. It’s completely unexplored and no one knows just what the end-game and high level areas will hold.
The world of Telara is aesthetically pleasing for sure. Plus, it changes. Trion Worlds has done an amazing job at putting small details into every place you go and making things dynamic. Questing may get a bit boring, but if a Rift opens up on top of you and not many people are around, you’re in trouble! Believe me, it already happened during beta 3. My poor Ethian Cleric.
You could compare it to other fantasy MMOs all you want, and you will find comparisons. Instead of comparing, look at Rift for what it is – a new fantasy MMO with new things to explore. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. More >
Looking For More
Nov 29th
Do you love MMORPGs? Can you theorycraft with the best of them? Do you wait impatiently for the latest expansions and stand in line for midnight releases? Are gaming blogs the first thing on your rss reader every day? If you answered yes to any of those questions, MMOReporter is looking for you!
We are looking for a few bloggers to join our team on the MMOReporter Network. For information on applying, please continue reading.
If you are interested in blogging with MMOReporter send us an email . In this email please include the following:
- Your full name
- Your pen name (if applicable). Note: Please do not use a gaming handle or internet handle as a pen name.
- Your age
- Where you live
- Your favorite video games
- The topic(s) you are interested in writing about
- Any applicable blogging or writing experience. Please keep it short and sweet.
- Links to gaming blogs you have written for. Your own blog can be used. If you have no links, please write a small sample post.
Image ©Bill Waterson
How to make Allods Online a "true" free game
Nov 18th
Gala-Net publishes free to play games such as Allods Online, Aika Online and Rappelz. Every game they publish is run by the same “item shop” currency – Gpots (or “Gpotato”). Though the games are free to play, there are some very necessary items from the shop you will want while gaming.
Most of the popular Gala-Net games offer these items for free to the more casual players. Allods Online offers free incense and holy charms. Aika has plenty of giveaways to take advantage of and some item shop items can also be found on the auction house. You can take advantage of some special offers that really make these games “free”.
Every Gala-Net game has events and give aways. Allods Online has weekly GM run events where participants get tons of free items. Keep an eye on the games main website and look at the news. If there’s an event, try to log in! You’ll get some nice item shop items for free.
Farming gold is another way to get good stuff. In Aika and Allods, farming gold is very easy. It’s almost as easy as World of Warcraft. Spend just a few minutes in an area grinding and/or questing. You’ll have plenty of gold – especially at the high levels. The gold gets you item shop items off the auction houses without paying any real world currency. More >
Keeping Busy in Guild Wars
Nov 15th
There’s a lot of information still in the mists when it comes to Guild Wars 2, it seems like over at Arenanet they needed a breather post-convention season. It’s okay, we’ve got plenty to keep ourselves occupied with. The calculator for Hall of Monuments will probably keep casual players busy for the better part a year until we can jump into Guild Wars 2 (hopefully). Or at least according to some dates that have been thrown out there by GameStop, which tells you exactly how reliable these guestimates are. I’ve even been told quite emphatically by a guildmate that GW2 will be released June 30 of next year. The truth is, we still don’t know an actual date, but there’s plenty to be done before release.
Rift: Planes of Telara Reveals the Abyssal Precipice Dungeon
Nov 10th
Rift: Planes of Telara is giving us a sneak peak at the newest dungeon – the Abyssal Precipice. High up on a mountain, players fight an ancient terror before it’s let loose on the world. Players will fight off deadly monsters who can shred through plate armor and fanatic cultists that can control liquid. The biggest challenge is to stop your enemies from getting hold of ancient lore that could ruin the world.
For quite an epic set up, the dungeon looks as promising as it sounds. Screen shots and a video preview are available below. For more information, go to Riftgame.com
Party Chat: Lord of the Rings Edition
Nov 10th
Party chat is a weekly blurb that tells us what the gamers are talking about on Twitter. Little pieces of interesting, funny or tongue-in-cheek “news” tweeted by gamers are featured.
@Sypster 8 Reasons Why Rivendell Sucks: http://wp.me/po8zb-22n
- It’s funny ’cause it’s true! Rivendell in Lord of the Rings Online is a beautiful but scary major city. Players beware of the river.
@tartdarling When I was a kid, I used to get mad that I was the only girl and had to be April because I wanted to be a ninja turtle. #geekconfession
- Fortunately for this girl, she’s not alone. I can admit to the same thing. I can also admit to being forced to play Lady J when the boys were playing GI Joes.
@CelOokie Evendim becomes Everswim once more now that I’m premium. #lotro
- LotRO’s “Everswim” is a treacherous stretch of water in the Evendim zone. Players with no swift travel access (Premium and Free players) are stuck experiencing the long swim across the zone.
@manorton New combined LFG is up! Bigger is NOT always better :P Bad Tanks coming out the woodwork #wow
- Blizzard has combined battle groups together for random dungeon queues. They did this to make queues shorter. However, many players are complaining it’s making it easier for bad players to run heroics now.
@Lilithiel It’s never good, when in the ladies’ room, to hear another woman giving herself a pep talk about her bathroom ordeal. FFS!
- It’s one of those things that you just have to read. You read it! You can’t un-read it!
@Stepto Wow. http://www.gamingnexus.com/FullNews/I-think-Kinect-is-OK2c-but-its-the-best-24150-I-spent-on-a-console/Item20369.aspx
- The long link is a bit misleading, but this is a good read! A Father discusses how using Kinect has brought his autistic son into video games with him.
