Massively Interview with SWTOR

I just got done reading an interview that Massively did with a couple of SWTOR developers and a couple interesting facts came out. First off they say that if you play the game in single player mode it will likely feel like you're playing a traditional BioWare game. However, they say that the game will cater to group play very well as well. Unfortunately they're still only talking about groups of 2-3 people it seems so I'm still wondering how this is going to play out.

On another note they have revealed that there will be playable alien races. Not sure how all the voice acting and things are going to affect that however. They did allude to NPC aliens speaking in their native tongue and you get a subtitled translation, however I somewhat doubt they would do the same thing for PC aliens though it would be a more authentic experience if they did.

They also briefly talked about player housing and the differing viewpoints on such a thing. Currently it is not in the plan at the moment. They understand why people like it, but it isn't considered essential to their core gameplay. It might be something added in the future, but definitely won't be in for release.

My First Few Hours in Aion Online Beta

I got around to playing Aion Online tonight, and I have to say I'm quite impressed. So far I have Grexis up to 4th level, and it's clear NCSoft has borrowed HEAVILY from World of Warcraft. Though the artwork and themes in the game have the eastern asian fantasy themes, it should prove to be pretty acceptable to our western ideal styles.

The graphics in the game are nothing but superb, using the Cryengine. For those of you who don't know the Cryengine. It's an amazing graphics engine that was built for the machine busting Crysis. This is a graphics heavy game, that can bring medium level machines to it's knees. Aion isn't on that level of detail, an above average computer would be minimum to run this game. NCSoft has done a great job of utilizing this newer technology, while being able to use Blizzard's Wow design idiology. If this game lasts longer than 5 years, it will definitely hold up on graphics the way World of Warcraft has.

Gameplay so far has been straightforward, and easy to pick up. Anyone who has played WoW will be able to jump right in without a problem. Combat animation, effects and sound are equally impressive. Hitting mobs has that visceral feel to it that seems missing in most mmo fantasy games.

As I get more into the game, I'll post more. So in the mean time check out the online gallery I have started. Please be aware that the full image size is large and in HD.

http://www.adventknights.com/Galleries/Aionbetagallery/index.htm

Weekend Fun (Kind of)

So it's now Saturday night of my 3 day weekend and it's already been an interesting one. I was up until about 1am this morning after hanging out with some of the guys that I play softball with. My dad then showed up about 9am to redo my kitchen floor. About an hour and a half later my sister shows up and I'm supposed to cook steaks for dinner. Unfortunately the charcoal never really got started right so the grill never got hot. Ended up cooking the steaks on the Foreman grill which just isn't right imo.

After dinner we went to do some shopping and get food for the rest of the weekend. When I went to pull out my debit card at the grocery store I discovered that it was no longer in my wallet. I know I had the card yesterday afternoon, but I now have absolutely no idea where it is. I thought it was on my computer desk from when I went to register Champions, but unless the cats have moved it, it's definitely not there. So after changing all of my auto bill pays earlier this week, I now have to go back and change them again because I was forced to cancel the card.

So now I'm without my debit card for the next week or so. Guess all puchases get to go on credit for a while.

I'm Out of Champions Online Until They Fix It.

Ok, I'm officially done with Champions Online until they effectivily fix this game. I'm not being whiney or anything like that, and those that say the game isn't broken for them. Good, continue playing. Though it may not be broken for every powerset, it IS broken for the powersets that I want to play. I know how to block, I know how to defend myself in that game. When I cannot survive a same level group of 1 villan, and 2 henchmen, something is seriously wrong. Even after I have buffed up my defenses, of which I shouldn't have to do unless I want to tank, I still can't solo.

I started a new character, a fire based character, from scratch, going all defensive, and ran into a brick wall on quests. I can't complete them without help. The best I can do is kill one henchmen, run away, rest up, come back kill another, run away, rest up, kill the villian and hope I survive. Some times that doesn't even work, because now my travel power is so slow they take me out as I'm flying away. Fuck that, that is not fun in anyway shape or form.

So flat out, if they don't fix the game, I won't be back to play it.

Another Day, Another Mysterious Patch.

It seems like all some of us have been doing is complaining about Champions Online. I will admit after some hefty tweaking, and staying in protector build, I have been having a much more enjoyable time playing. I woke up early this morning not able to go back to sleep so I got in some play time this morning. What do I see when I login this morning? Yep another mysterious patch. No patch notes, no nothing. What was fixed? Does it even affect me? I don't have a damn clue.

You would have thought, they would have fixed their communication issue after the nuclear bomb of a patch they let loose on opening day. They even admit they screwed up with their communication. Still communication isn't fixed! Why? Is it too much to ask for the patch notes when a new patch comes out?

In any mmo, it's important to communicate with the community your trying to build. Most other companies do this from the start. It's pretty much standard practice now and if they don't start communicating better, they will alienate further their own community and drive players away. I would love to see this game a success, and with the lackluster mmo's that have been coming out over the years. It's going to continue to drive people away from people trying new things and prevent the industry from taking risks and doing a truly innovative online games.

Champions Online, Cataclysm and The Sound of Madness

The past few weeks have been interesting. We been jumping into Champion's Online and kicking ass. The open beta, and the early start program has been surprisingly stable. Granted it's not without it's problems, but hasn't had the severe problems most MMO's face at launch. The game has been quite fun and a much welcome change from the fantasy genre that has me quite burnt out. After playing CoH/V I was initially hesitant about jumping into this game. My money was well spent on this gain and avoided another AoC debacle.

The gunslinger has been my favorite hero so far, added in a few force powers to boot. It's a great feeling to mow down bad guys with a machine gun, then turn around launch up into the air to take on the next baddies. Oselot will be my main for the remainder of the game, though Grexis may make an appearance sooner or later.

More than likely, I'll be sticking with Champion's Online until Cataclysm is released. As good as Champion's Online is, I feel I will get bored with this game in the long run. World of Warcraft will always hold an important part of me. I have made many friends there, best of all you all here, the lore of Azeroth is very dear to me, and just the amount of time I have devoted to mastering that game. It's just not something I can easily walk away from. Though I have been taking a break from the game, for the most part. I know I'll be back to playing for Cataclysm when it's released.

This time around when I start playing WoW regularly again. I won't be rushing things like I have in the past. WoW 1.0 was a lot of fun, and I really just took in all the sights and lore. I cared about the npc's I was interacting with, picking up quests and learning more of the story of the world. After getting into raiding in Molten Core, I sort of lost that sense of wonder, and excitement. It was about raiding, being the best I could be, and taking on the challenges of the raids that lay before me. Though, the best part of raiding was the comraderie, and hanging out with you all. To this day I remember why VanCleef was a renegade, his betrayal by the city of Stormwind, how he helped rebuild the city only to get a "Thank you" as his payment for his services. What do I remember of BC? Illidan is in Black Temple. I don't even remember why, lore wise, why we even went into Karazhan. I leveled two toons from 60 to 70 within two weeks and focused on leveling, and getting the gear I needed to try to be the best paladin in the guild. When Wrath came out, it was leveling as fast as possible, get my gear for raiding, and dailies to pay for it all.

When I first heard about the worgen being the next race in WoW, I was kind of blah about it. I felt Blizzard was starting to be lazy, and not coming up with anything fresh. Little did I know that there is a rich lore behind them, and their history in Gilneas. Not to mention the fact that they are not always worgen looking. They actually go through transformations like a werewolf does. Loving the werewolf stories and movies when I was a kid. The kid in me is now excited to play such a race and learn the story behind them. Along with all the cataclysmic changes to the world of Azeroth. I plan on taking my time, leveling from level 1 to 85. I want to do something that I haven't even done with Grexis. Complete every quest, complete every 5, 10, 25 man instance starting from the beginning. I want to learn the new stories of the world, and why we fight the big baddies in the group/raid instances.

So this time around, I'll be starting out at level 1. Starting over from scratch. A new main, carrying the Advent Knights banner, making a name for himself in the world (of warcraft).

The sound of madness seems to be pretty fitting for me lately. Not only have I been battling my own demons, but have been dealing with others as well. So today I dedicate the following video to my sister and others who won't listen to reason, and only think the world is out to get them. Enjoy :)