Experiments in Azeroth: Map Design

My newbie character Erifana is making levels quite nicely now. The Feral line of Druid is surprisingly easy to play with only a few buttons and a basic resource building system, puts out decent dps too which is nice so the quests get completed a bit quicker. I’m guessing I’m doing the right thing with my stats right now by going dex and stamina but who knows, just going on what I  kind of know a dps class should be. I’m just a cute but dangerous kitty…

I ended up in the second zone now, forgot the name but the one after Orgrimmar that’s like a logging camp plus an ocean area and while I am still surprised by how dated the zones feels. You can really see in these maps just how old the game is as the ground, objects, background and monsters are. rather washed out colours and textures but that really is to be expected.

Experiments in Azeroth: Da Beginning

So I’ve been playing World or Warcraft for a couple night ago and unsurprisingly don’t hate it. It feels like I’ve played it before anyway for years and more get that comfortable feeling when playing, like wrapping myself up like some kind of doona caterpillar

It’s all very familiar to the point where I really don’t have to think at all just yet about how to play. Just keep clicking quests and following the mini map, rinse repeat. There is no break out points, interesting and new mechanics to think over and learn and everything that is kind of different is usually based on a familiar principle. I think remembering that B is for the inventory instead of I as been the hardest thing to deal with so far.

Progress Report: Stuffffzzz

It’s been a busy week so far. On the personal front the hubby has his work cover stuff finally being finalised but this involves going to a tribunal where the case is heard and the decision on the injury and impairment are settled.
So next week’s it’s either going to be me like this

Or this

It’s been a bit of a stressful time for both of us and I’ve been taking a bit of time away from serious gaming to more be with the hubby. Surprisingly I still played a lot but that’s more because ArcheAge play seems to have disappeared.

Experiment in Azeroth: Picking a Class

Now I have no idea what the classes entails and haven’t done any research beyond just checking out their names right now. I don’t know how they perform in game with the various activities or their potential at end game so it’s up to you to pick my class.

Voting finished
Ended up with Paladin for the class to boost and Druid to level

Experiment in Azeroth

I’ve always been a self confessed wow hater… hmm, more than that. Something more akin to a deep loathing exuding from every pore of my body. I played it once, years ago but that just involved booting up the trial version, making a blood elf and then quitting within an hour because i hated the character, the skills, the combat, the aesthetic and well, the game in general.

I guess by then I’d already been a little spoiled by the modern adaptation and then going back to playing wow was more like trying the inferior product. I honestly still don’t understand the appeal either, I get and even champion the importance of social connections in mmo’s but still.. how could a game this bad get this many people to play.

I also hate the influence WoW has had on the genre too. How near every company creating a mmo in the last decade has tried, and failed to copy the success of wow. I want a diverse marketplace and experiences and what we are getting is just repeating the same style of gameplay. I’m over that and I blame WoW.

I also just don’t understand the success. How in the hell did it even achieve what it did. 12 million players at it’s peak, that’s just insane  and nothing has ever come close within the western market. How in the hell after over a year of absolutely no new content can they gain subscribers. Any other mmo doing that would be shutting down its servers about now yet they are thriving. I just don’t understand.

Now this loathing does come down to ignorance and lot of making my own opinions based on hearsay and personal bias and in a way that is a bit wrong. As time goes on I’m also seem to get a little more curious about wow, about experiencing the game that birthed the modern mmo industry and brought it into the general population. To also try and find or at least gain a glimpse of that mysterious something that makes it more than the sum of it’s parts. Having Murf recently bring it up as well, plus a new and i think, popular expansion sealed that interest.

Now I know nothing about wow. I’ve never read up on it, I don’t know the classes, or characters or the lingo beyond basic mmo types of short talk. I don’t know about the lore beyond orcs hate humans and that’s more based on my RTS days. I’m not invested in the mmo in slightest yet I think it will be an interesting experiment going into it this way, as a complete outsider that popped her mmo cherry on the modern mmo’s and remain a slave to their conveniences… plus pretty visuals.

So here I go… On an experiment in Azeroth

Oh and Secondary Post incoming with a poll to pick both my boosted class and the one to level.

#wow #noob

Link Dead Radio: Blizzard Blunders and Indie Ideas

• A rather damning article about the extent to which ftp has infected our consoles games, altering the experience around them.

• Planetside 2 first year review by In an Age. So it’s pretty much the same, with the same inherent flaws that made me not want to play longer than a casual month.

• Why I game has an interesting analysis of the mothers of GW2

• Link Saves Zelda completes the first season of her analysis of the Tropes vs Women Videos. Dude in Distress this time

• I was left with a gaming conundrum after a piece at United we game. Wondering about my actions and motives regarding why I cheat in games and what that means

• Metro weekly has a short Interview with Aisha Tyler about being a gamer and the best kind of experiences

Another gaming controversy surrounding the use of female characters or lack there of . There was grid completely forgetting to add any female names and now Blizzard reckons the predominance of Smexy gear is alright because they’re not running for president… who cares about that silly diversity thingy. The fallout article over at RPS is full of emotional rambles and extremely ranty.. I kinda like it

• Going on with WoW and Blizz stuff Gamer by Design describes the apparent horde bias with its story and characters.

• Blessing of Kings analyses the featured heroes of the warlords of Draenor announcement

• And Out of Beta is also wondering whether Blizzard can write decent Female characters

The Vids

Fixing Broken Ai using Skyrim as an example and there is also a test mod to try. If Skyrim was like this I probably wouldn’t have quit after the first few mind-numbing hours

Errant Signal video seems oddly fitting this week with the renewed discussion of gender politics in gaming

An absolutely amazing build project in the game Star Made, a kind of Minecraft in space. It is a working space cruiser and completely decorated and furnished on the inside.

Darkwood looks like an amazing horror survival game.. this is pre alpha footage from about 6 months ago when the went through indiegogo funding. They have just started posting updates again recently and maybe even beta steam release soon for early access.

Banner Saga guide to travel. Really looking forward to the final product