Careful optimism

Yes the beast is back… tired of searching for people with more personality than zombies  in Lotro I went back to WoW in the hopes of finding some people who wanted to actually chat and joke around. People who make you want to log in because you want to see them, and not just log in to farm badges or do a raid. In short, a community.

I contemplated going to the SAN guild for a moment but I wasn’t feeling like playing Alliance much (main faction I’ve played for the past 5 years) so when Kaozz offered horde on Silvermoon I jumped in with both feet. Rolled a little shaman (Gareld) who barely made it out of the Durotar kiddie pool zone before logging off.

It’s a weird feeling to step foot in Azeroth again, not unlike seeing someone for the first time after a really bad break-up. We may both want to patch things up but we’re wary of each other and the wounds are still there just beneath the surface.

I still stand by what I said on this blog, that I believe WoW has moved too far away from immersion, that the endgame is poorly done right now as well as being unhealty in what it requires of you. I’m still tired of the grind game and I still hate  the whole daily chores program.

Despite all this, I know that if I can find a fun group to hang with all that won’t matter much anymore, just like seeing a really bad movie with a great group of friends can be really fun. It’s my hope that my last bout of raiding in WoW and that my time in Lotro have helped me mature in what I want out of MMOs and that I won’t fall into old habits of playing the game to complete it and forget that it’s its inhabitants that make a MMO a truly great experience.

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Looking for active people

I was planning to post this tomorow but I figured it wouldn’t change anything to do it now. The last few weeks have been pretty quiet on the MMO front. Sure I got into Moria and all that in Lotro but it didn’t change much the way I’ve been feeling recently… mostly that I’m pretty bored with my current MMO situation.

This is mostly because while I needed a vacation from the guilds and the drama of others players at some point I need to get back to the core of what playing MMOs is all about and that is group play. Lotro has been this awesome vacation in that cabin way up in the woods where there’s no technology and where you can enjoy the serene beauty of nature but at some point I need the company of others.

This is what MMOs are all about and if your going solo all the way your missing out. I mean that for single player experience I have way better rpgs and console games that are ten times better than any quest in a MMO. So why would I want to settle for a lesser experience in a MMO? No real reason right?

I did try to find an active kin in Lotro but so far the efforts have failed. I’m lucky if I see a single line spoken in guild chat in an evening. Everyone’s doing their little thing in their own corners. So I’m kinda stuck. Either I try every guild on the server or the other option is changing game…

I don’t want to completly abandon Lotro but I need to face the reality that it’s become increasingly boring to play solo and the easiest way to remedy that is finding an active game… like WoW for example. I hate to say it but for finding active people that game has been the best one so far. As for the numerous things I hate with WoW at the end of the day what’s important is having fun with other people and WoW can provide as easily as other games if not easier because of the player pool and the fact it seems to attract the most social players.

My break from WoW and my adventures in Lotro have taught me one big thing and that is to simply enjoy the company of others in game instead of trying to achieve a ton of stuff. Titles and raids are secondary to having fun in a group.

So I’m seriously contemplating resubing to WoW but at the same time I don’t want to go in blind. So here’s my offer to anyone reading this still playing. I’m looking for a guild or group of people who have fun together. I want an active guild chat where jokes are told and people log on to be with the others, not simply to complete raid X or Y. I’m willing to raid / pvp / hang out as long as the group is having fun. I’m looking for something on US servers and am willing to transfer/faction change as needed. I have a 80 dk geared for tanking ICC (I’m a kick-ass tank!), a ungeared 80 mage and a 73 priest. Also willing to roll whatever you guys might want/need.

I really hope to hear from some of you guys.

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Meeting in MMOs

I’ll be blunt and just say it, I’m jealous of Geecee and others online who managed to find their special one over WoW or any other MMO. To find someone online whom you can really connect with is something that has eluded me so far. It’s not that I haven’t been trying, I’ve always tried to keep an open mind about people I met online but numerous factors including distance, age, interest and even first language just to name a few, have prevented me from truly trying my hand at dating  online. Plus there’s always the tricky part of showing interest for someone without coming across as a pervert, wich can be real tricky to do online.

While I do not play MMOs with the aim to meet someone I’ve always been a bit hopeful I’d manage to meet someone in there. After all, dating in the real-world when your a geek through and through can be hard sometimes. Having videogames and other geek stuff as your main past-times are not exactly something that seems to draw a lot of attention.

For those wondering I’m not a 400 pounds sweaty guy. I do have a job, look like a normal human being and unless the topic is geek stuff related you would not know I’m one. My job demands my being able to function as a normal human being. But then again, past experience have taught me it’s better to be myself and I do not try to hide the fact I play games too much.

So going back to topic, meeting someone over a raid in WoW for example does have a few perks, one being that you know at least you have some things in common and that she/he might be more understanding of why you can quote the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Anyway, congrats to every couple out there who met through a game. I do wish you all the very best.

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Sc2 beta, round 2!

Starcraft 2 beta is up and running again and since last Friday I’ve playing a lot of it. Yes, it’s a Blizzard game with all the new Facebook bells and whistle attached but it’s optional so far and besides, the game is still great. After all, playing WoW or Starcraft 2 is not about Facebook and what counts in the end is if killing bosses or destroying bases is fun. So far in Sc2 its awesome fun.

So phase 2 of the beta came rolling in and I got destroyed and raped online in a very convincing way. It was like I forgot how to play. I lost my first 10 games I think before being able to win one wich landed me back into Bronze league(lowest one) from my high Gold ranking back at the end of phase 1. Right now I’m climbing back up to Silver. I did get a great 8 wins streak yesterday however so I guess it was more me being a bit rusty and playing random rather than completely forgetting how to click buttons.

Phase 2 is also a good benchmark for the level of play I expect to find in Sc2 long-term. Most people playing the beta right now are all very dedicated to the game and know their stuff so even the low-level league play can get pretty insane. I’ve yet to meet somebody completely clueless about how things work yet. It does takes a bit of dedication and effort, especially when your just getting back into RTS.

But that’s what’s keeping me coming back for more brutal defeats. I love the challenges and when I do win it feels like it’s really deserved.

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Internet 1 – Blizzard 0

http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=13816839821&sid=1

Well, whether it was the scare tactics, the reasonable comments, the media attention or whatever else it is that made Blizzard change their mind, it worked! Blizzard has back-pedalled on having to post with your real name on the forums. Guess the inferno of hate directed toward them did produce some results after all.

Seriously tough I’m still amazed they even tought of doing such a move. It should have been obvious from the start that it was a bad idea and either they were testing the waters to see how far they could take it (likely) or they simply rolled a 1 on their reality skill check.  Whatever happened it’s good to see that the Internet still has the power to change things.

Still, we might have won a battle but the war is still going on. Internet privacy and security is a very real issue and your identity is becoming increasingly valuable. I hope this will serve as a reminder to the younger generation that posting your real life online is not a good idea.

I’m curious in the long term on how this event will play on Blizzard reputation. Those like me who were wary of the official news (see my post on Cataclysm cut features) will now assume Blizzard is outright lying to them. Those that were still in love with the company might start to ask questions about the company real motivations.

It’s not that Blizzard will stop making good games. It’s just that it stopped being that awesome gamer company and became one just like all the others who will sell me a piece of wood and tell me it’s a fun interactive 3d experience.

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