Author: Oz

Or, “Mudflation – Now in Strawberry Flavor”

I should preface by saying I raid in WoW 2-5 times a week, and raided in EQ for far too many years. That’s to defuse the inevitable “u don’t know raiding!!1!!” comments I’ll see emailed to me, in between the mortgage refinance spam. It’s been fun to see my gear scale up from AH Bargain Bin, to mostly blue, to purple. And of course the power gain is handy. My solo ability has gone from adequate to quite fine, and I no longer have the endurance of a wet napkin. Having the ol’ mana bar last longer always helps too. That’s the primary carrot of raiding – new, more powerful items and gear you can’t get elsewhere.

That is, until that scantily dressed harlot known as Miss BC swings by.

Continue reading Uber – Not Just For Raiding Anymore

What’s the most popular MMORPG activity around besides guessing if that mostly naked elf you’re dancing with is really female (hint: no) that everyone is doing? Guessing the release date for Blizzard’s expansion! This is a fun for all ages kind of show, and has the user base in a Furor. Ha! I made a silly in-joke there, you can tell I haven’t had my morning Dew yet, can’t you?

Anyway, if you peruse the beta forms, and you’re welcome to do so since they are not secured, you’ll see posts ranging from “Almost ready!” to “Um…so where’s my content?” That hasn’t stopped retailers from selling it. My favorite has been EBGames, who originally estimated the release for March 27, 2006 (this was shortly after BlizCon) and has continued to slide the date slowly south. Out of morbid curiosity, I went a-wandering the web and found some dates the sellers are currently shucking.

Continue reading Pin The Tail On The Date

Or “what’s in a name” or possibly “How many times will Oz use quotes?” My current WoW guild is filled with people I used to game with in EQ. I find this very comforting, as it’s like going to a new place with people you already know. Hopefully, it’s a feeling that’s reciprocated. When I first applied, I knew who they “were” but I did not immediately disclose who I “was”, although several people including the GM knew. It’s not like I had anything to hide. It was one of those snap decisions. Later, I felt guilty and prominently posted my former avatar names on a few posts. And all was well. The names identified me, and they knew who I was. But what happens if you change your name, leave it behind and become a “new person”? Or, even better, if someone takes “your” name?

Continue reading The Importance of Being ‘Blaznarat’

My night last night in WoW was just frustrating. Perhaps it’s the circle I move in, but I was sure most people understand spawn tables. I was so wrong. A spawn table is an electronic version of the wandering monster table your pen and paper RPG dungeon master would use to figure out what jumped you while you ran from the dungeon to the town. That’s all that it really is. There’s no secret science involved. If it makes you more comfy, pretend there’s some guy rolling a d20 behind his little screen every time a monster spawns. Why am I obsessing about this? Well, it has to do with this quest I was on last night. Those of you who play EQ already know spawn tables intimately, so you’ll probably spend a lot of time going “doh!”. I don’t think it’s possible to get to 10 and not have a working knowledge of EQ’s love affair with spawn tables.

Continue reading Nights of the Spawn Table

Ah, fresh back and all relaxed from a two-week vacation in Orlando I sat down on my last day of work vacation and logged into WoW. Well tried to. Because as my luck would have it, it was Tuesday, and that’s patch day. My luck never ceases to amaze me. Still later that night after the servers came up, then down, then up, then down (fast forward a few hours), and up, I logged in. You see, I’m now playing a Horde Priest, having taken my own personal semi-challenge about healers I posted previously. I’ve decided crow doesn’t taste nearly as good as advertised, even with BBQ sauce.

Continue reading Hey – this grass isn’t really green…

Back when I was a youngin’, I knew every one of my neighbors. I used to walk the mile to school every day, although contrary to the traditional story I wore shoes and it wasn’t uphill either way. I used to hang out with my friends down the street without my parents having to worry about me. Ah, good memories of that community. Lest you think this was some Utopia or small town, I should point out that I grew up on the south side of Chicago. Today, I couldn’t name the first name of one of my neighbors, despite living in the same house for nearly ten years. I don’t trust my kids to be 3 houses away without supervision.

What’s your point, Granpa Oz, you say? Things change, move on? Hang on there you whippersnapper; I’ve got an analogy coming. When I used to play EQ, it was for the community. I knew all of my virtual “neighbors”, and they knew me. Gear was frequently passed up and down on the basis of friendliness. People would help you just because. Many years later, that community is all but gone, and the game soured for me. One of my final rants against the Powers That Be was about a lack of “community focus” in my guild’s actions, which was shrugged off. The community was gone, leaving only a bunch of “me”s. Playing WoW, I fail to see any community at all, and I wonder if any of the newer games dawning on the horizon have even given it a thought.

Continue reading WTB Community, PST!

Anyone who’s played an MMORPG for more than a few levels has learned that there is a wall you hit. That wall is what you can solo. Once you hit this wall, you need help to pass over it. And unlike every swords and sorcery book you’ve ever read, you don’t call the muscular guy wearing the do-it-yourself loincloth and very sharp sword or the wizened old dude with the book and wand. Nope, you call for a healer. Nothing can change the dynamic of a group like having someone who can refill your precious hit points.

Then there’s that whole supply and demand thing that really tosses the whole plan out the window. Let’s face it – there’s just not enough people out there willing to follow you around and heal you. Slackers.

Continue reading Paging Doctor Bob