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A Conundrum of Commitment

My wife says I lack speeds between 0 and 60.

If Rift offered a lifetime subscription plan, I would most likely take it. If it used a carnival model, so I would not need to pay to revisit characters after a break, I would most likely be there. The monthly subscription model instead puts me in the unfortunate place of having repeated psychic costs every unit time, along with the feeling that I need to “get my money’s worth” (which should take all of one night, relative to other entertainment costs) and the game structures that make it difficult to meaningfully play more than one at once. MMOs tend to promote serial monogamy over polygamy, so if I have one, moving to a new one is a lot like abandoning the old. You can revisit your exes, but again, psychic costs.

I am interested, and it looks high quality, but I am not over the cost of switching and starting over. Guild Wars 2, however, seems like a gimme, what with box cost only.

: Zubon

[GW2] Necromancer: The Gambler

(Note: This post was written for the GuildMag Blog Carnival Event. Be sure to check out the other great articles!) http://www.guildmag.com/blog-carnival-event-bring-the-popcorn

The necromancer in Guild Wars has a handful of iconic builds, those that rise like cream. The necromancer is a lord of hexes and conditions, yet arguably it’s heart, it’s purpose is to be a minion master. The minion master’s purpose is to quickly convert bodies into undead slaves as quickly as possible. Unlike a pet oriented class, such as Guild Wars ranger or the pitiful necromancers in other MMOs, the minion master cares not about a single creature it creates. It sends them on their way in to the meat grinder hoping their death even brings destruction.

After 250 years, the necromancer profession has changed and evolved. Legend says it was a sylvari that asked the simplest question of all, which would change the minion master forever: “Why do we need bodies?”

Continue reading [GW2] Necromancer: The Gambler

Baby Warden

As implied, I am leveling up a Warden in The Lord of the Rings Online. My main has always been a Hunter, and there is something distinctly annoying about having the most common class in the game. There are things that Hunters do very well, and in LotRO it really matters that travel is one of them, but there are very few that require a Hunter. Most things require a tank, and a few things require a Warden (or perhaps a Captain).

A Warden is my kind of tank, more nimble, less getting hit in the face, with some self-healing and range. The Warden’s taunt mechanic is very different from the Guardian’s. Guardians have taunts that force a target to attack them for some number of seconds. The worst Guardian in the game can still keep the boss’s aggro for X seconds out of every Y, and if DPS pulls aggro in between, he will assume he over-nuked. Wardens instead increase their threat with damage, healing, abilities that directly increase threat, and others that transfer threat from allies. A mediocre Warden will never top the threat list and cannot tank anything; you cannot dislodge targets from a great Warden without a force-taunt.

What I really like about the Warden is the gambit system. My Hunter has bar after bar of abilities, plus a couple bars of teleports before you became able to use those from the skills menu. My Warden has four main buttons, plus a few stances, ranged attacks, and toys. 1 is the Spear (offense), 2 is the Shield (defense), 3 is the Fist (taunt), and 4 is the combo. 4 changes depending on which of 1-3 you use first and in what combination: 11 is a quick stab, 213 boosts all your defenses, and 32 is an area effect taunt/DoT with a self-heal. The most celebrated Warden gambit comes at level 58: Conviction, an area effect heal and threat transfer, letting you grab aggro on every add. There is something glorious about having access to 20+ skills using only a few buttons.

Plus, Wardens are the second-best travel class. I should get access to the “Muster in…” self-teleport line of skills soon.

: Zubon

[GW2] Preparing for Norn Week

I’ve been officially told, norn week starts next week (with norn-sized versions of the tasty snacks human week brought us), and that gives us all plenty of time to get prepared this weekend. These shape shifting half-giants want to live life to the fullest. Their goal in life is to live eternally in legend. A skaald telling tales of a norn’s life is one of the highest pinnacles of achievement for anybody. At least that’s what the norn think. Their tale is an interesting one. Are they fallen kodan or half-human? Are their totem spirits splinters of the same gods the human’s worship? Does it matter? They are norn. And that’s that.

Still, over this weekend, we can prep for the Viking-like Guild Wars 2 race. Here’s a list of movies to get started. Feel free to add your own movies, music, books, or games in the comments below.

Troy – while this movie has little do with Viking, the entire movie is based on the need for a hero to create a legend to the point of disaster. This might be a starting point for many norn characters, a great hero without a legend.

13th Warrior – keeps up the legend vibe of Troy, but it also has the much needed Viking vibe. Replace the Wendol with the icebrood, and Antonio with an asura, and it’s nearly Guild Wars 2 – Norn movie.

How to Train Your Dragon – mostly a kid’s movie, but their humorous take on stubborn, heroic Vikings can’t be beat. The Viking in the opening scenes picking his teeth while dragons attack all around him makes me think of the norn every time.

Erik the Viking – norn life is one of hardship and tragedy, and that’s why norn make such light of it. For every tear there is a joke. For every blood-stained burial there is a beer-stained party. For every Beowulf, there is an Erik.

–Ravious
the wind that smells fresh before the storm

Evade Not Block

I promised to have some comments about Batman: Arkham Asylum, but I find that Zero Punctuation covers everything I would want to say. Great fun, I should try more stealth-based games since I also enjoyed the alien in Alien vs. Predator.

I never especially got the hang of the combat. This stems from a tendency that applies to other games and metaphorically to real life: I do not tank. I will always always always choose evading over blocking. I use ranged attacks, I kite, I play high Dexterity characters, I CC, I do not take an axe to the face if I can at all help it. This is probably just misplaced meatspace instincts, but my immediate reaction to a troll is to dodge the club rather than parrying it with my hobbit’s dagger.

In some games, this provides a real benefit. Attacks will have secondary effects, so evading attacks also evades debuffs. Other games let blocks or parries also stop the debuff component, whether or not that makes any sense. Some games have shields/armor reduce damage rather than deflect attacks, which means you get the debuff. And did I mention the 100-stone troll with a similarly huge axe planting it in your skull? That could ruin your whole day.

In many games, the proper move is “block and counter.” My plan is closer to “dive and shoot from behind cover.”

: Zubon

[Rift] Starting Soul Guide

There is actually one little big issue with Rift that I believe could have been dealt with in a different way. The problem is that the soul system is shoved in player’s faces in full. Of the 4 classes (warrior, rogue, cleric, and mage) each has 7-9 souls, and for the first 13 levels, players will be locked in to their three first choices. The soul tree system makes it a little easier because players aren’t really given the ability to choose bad skills, but initial soul selection is meaningful.

Now, I say this is a small issue in one light because no matter which three souls are chosen, players will get to the point where they can freely build from all the souls without much difficulty. However, it can be frustrating to choose a soul that is more oriented towards heavy group content or PvP without even realizing it because the player didn’t spend a good hour looking at the various soul trees. The game gives some guidance with a brief description and a note on which other two souls have the most synergy with the chosen soul. Still, I think with a little more narrowed path, players will have a lot more fun playing a “good” build right away.

Continue reading [Rift] Starting Soul Guide

I am not playing RIFT…

…until the official launch.  I’ve done my due diligence.  Well, as much as time would allow while I try to shed a few pounds off my carcass.  I’ve played at least 7 different builds to level 8.  Two to 10.  And one to 15.  I love how smooth, playable and re-playable the game is at the lower levels.

During that time, I’ve evaluated my play style.  As long as I can remember, a game hasn’t made me consider and reconsider how I want to play at launch like RIFT has.  While I’ve come back around to my old standard of ranged DPS, it’s been fun getting a brief look at the mechanics of the other three class groups of souls.

I’ve been tired of the classic PvE questing that has become the staple of any modern MMO.  I understand why it’s there.  And like many developers and players…I still don’t like it.  But it has become a necessary evil.

But Rift gives us an opportunity to bypass the normalcy of PvE questing with Rifts and invasions.  I’ve seen great progress made in the game with this dynamic content.  So much so, I’m going to spend much of my time closing RIFTS and fighting invasions when they pop up in Telera.

I’m also going to dabble in PvP.  As I’ve aged like moldy cheese, I’m finding more and more that I like the realm of PvP in most games.  I’m not sure the reward systems or even the point of PvP are all that well developed in RIFT.  So I can live without it, too.

The main reasons I’m excited about the game and why I plan to play after beta have nothing to really do with sitting down and playing.  They have to do with:

1.  Great communication regarding development.
2.  Excellent attention to player feedback.
3.  Using beta for what it has been intended – making the game better.

But now I want to save that excitement and enthusiasm and energy for launch…or more specifically…the head start…which begins February 24…reportedly.

[RIFT] Faction Cool Factor

Open beta began yesterday with Rift. I am heading to the Guardian side initially at launch after I have spent most of the invitation-oriented beta on the Defiant side. The Defiant are a cool, god-forsaken magitech alliance. They comprise three different “new” races, lots of cool lasers and devices, and a total sense of independence. In their tutorial, the Defiant oppose fate and time by building a time machine to change the past for heaven’s sake. Then, we have the Guardians.

Having only experienced the Defiant side, I believed that the Guardians were going to be this boring vanilla faction. The Defiant have races with cool names I can’t even remember, and the Guardians have humans, elves, and dwarves. The Defiant are rebellious, and the Guardians are just part of the system… man. I also saw my prejudices confirmed in various forums on Rift. It seemed that everybody was excited about the Defiant, and “mature” guilds were considering rolling Guardian side just to get away from that immature crowd.

Continue reading [RIFT] Faction Cool Factor

Ambush

sneaky warden He will never see this one coming … from five yards away, straight in front of him, on a flat stretch of dirt.

: Zubon

Update: no, that is not using stealth. You can Ambush from stealth, but there is no induction timer in that case. She just walked up to the guy, crouched down with a javelin for five seconds, and planted it in his forehead.