First let me apologize for the generic and totally uncreative title, but I couldn't think of anything more appropriate to sum up the feel of what I'm trying to do with this post.
You see, recently I went through a pretty significant change in World of Warcraft. My old guild, Royal Apothecary Society, run by my wife and I, had become pretty much defunct. When the holidays rolled around, a lot of folks went on hiatus. We stopped raiding, lots of people stopped logging on, and things slowed down considerably. Then, I spent some time in the hospital, an incident which you reading this may or may not know about (it's been resolved, I won't revisit it). Long story short, when everyone started to come back from the holidays, fewer and fewer people were online at any given time, and those that were rarely did anything as a group. Holly and I were left to make the hard decision: we packed up and left.
A good number of our close friends and allies came with us, but we decided we'd had enough with the Horde guild on the Winterhoof server. Instead deciding to join a few friends before us who had migrated to Azgalor, on the Alliance side, we resolved to bite the bullet and pay for the faction/server changes. Since the migration, I've noticed a few things. First, we're enjoying the game again. The people on the new server are mainly new friends, with a few old familiar faces peppered in there. It seems that most of them, however, share the same philosophy and sense of humor regarding the game and life as my wife and I do, and it's been a very welcoming environment. There were bumps here and there, with a few of my friends who made the trip with us, but aside from the initial culture shock, I'm happy to say it finally feels like a fit.
Another thing I've noticed, is how much fun PvP servers can actually be. I had always dreaded leveling on a PvP server, hearing the horror stories of the maxed out characters who patrol the lower level areas, looking for fresh, easy targets, sitting on their corpses, and making it impossible to progress at all. While I've only run into that instance once, I find it exhillarating. You never know when a high level player may swoop down on you, or when there's a rogue lurking around, waiting for the right time to strike while you're minding your own business. It adds tension and frustration, sure, but it makes the game more exciting. Plus, when you get tired of getting killed over and over, you just hop over to your higher level character(s) and give those players a run for their money. It adds a dynamic to the gameplay I never knew was there.
All in all, I'm glad I made the change. Along with the fresh new content that Cataclysm has added, coupled with a new, well-suited group of friends to enjoy the game with, and a familiar entorage of old companions to share these new experiences with, the game has become like new again. It's fun, it's engaging, and it makes me feel better about dropping almost two hundred dollars of my tax refund to move all four of my level 85 characters.
Stupid alt addiction.
-TehKnuck out.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Fourty Thousand Kinds of Awesome.
So it's been a while--quite a while, but I think it's good that I'm writing again. Quite a bit has gone on in the past month or so since my last post. Things have changed at work, things have changed at home, but since I'm a gamer, and I blog about gaming, I think what I'll talk about here is what's changed in game.
So I recently started really getting back into the Warhammer series. Warhammer - Age of Reckoning was always fun, and the 40K Dawn of War games were great fun, but I'm discovering a passion for the actual tabletop miniature game. I'm not sure if I'll ever actually play the game in a real setting, but there's something therapeutic and relaxing about sitting down, putting the miniatures together, painting them, and watching the army come together. Maybe it's the part of me that loves being creative, maybe it's the part of me that enjoys methodical repetition of creative pursuit, but I'm at peace when I'm working on my miniatures.
Ironic, then, that a hobby that revolves around an intellectual property that thrives on combat and war, can bring so much peace and tranquility. Is it the creative outlet of assembling and painting the miniatures that I find so relaxing, or is it some part of me that never truly made peace with the fact that I am not in a combat zone anymore. Maybe on some subconscious level, I need that sense of conflict and warfare, no matter how artificial, to truly allow myself to feel any kind of peace. Before I go off on some introspective existentialism, I'll bring this back to where it should be, as are all my posts: video games.
The true draw of Dawn of War to me, is how it's not only a mixture of two things I love; the Warhammer mythos and video games, but it's also just another thing I can share with people I share these interests with. Both avid fans of the Warhammer series, I've played Dawn of War 2 cooperatively with both James and Shawn, two of my closest friends. Something about being able to log in from our home computers, in James' case several states away, and communicate effectively and quickly enough to establish and enact strategies that push us through even the most difficult of the game's encounters. It's amazing to me, that we can command our respective squads, operating so differently and with their own unique abilities and strengths, to balance our assaults and overcome the challenges the game sets before us. It's being able to take that adaptability, experience, tactical knowledge, and calm-under-pressure that was tempered in a real-world combat zone, and channel it in a fictional, recreational environment.
Now that Retribution, the most recent expansion pack has been released, I'm excited to rekindle that camaraderie. With James engulfed in RIFT, something I'll tackle in a later journal entry, I look to Shawn to help me take on enemy hordes and stand side by side against the onslaught of attacks. One of us will have to make a sacrifice, though, you see. He prefers the undisciplined fury of the Orks, and I have a sacred obligation to my Emperor and fellow Space Marines.
Ah, who am I kidding? I'm a sucker for a good WAAAAAAGGGH!
-TehKnuck out.
So I recently started really getting back into the Warhammer series. Warhammer - Age of Reckoning was always fun, and the 40K Dawn of War games were great fun, but I'm discovering a passion for the actual tabletop miniature game. I'm not sure if I'll ever actually play the game in a real setting, but there's something therapeutic and relaxing about sitting down, putting the miniatures together, painting them, and watching the army come together. Maybe it's the part of me that loves being creative, maybe it's the part of me that enjoys methodical repetition of creative pursuit, but I'm at peace when I'm working on my miniatures.
Ironic, then, that a hobby that revolves around an intellectual property that thrives on combat and war, can bring so much peace and tranquility. Is it the creative outlet of assembling and painting the miniatures that I find so relaxing, or is it some part of me that never truly made peace with the fact that I am not in a combat zone anymore. Maybe on some subconscious level, I need that sense of conflict and warfare, no matter how artificial, to truly allow myself to feel any kind of peace. Before I go off on some introspective existentialism, I'll bring this back to where it should be, as are all my posts: video games.
The true draw of Dawn of War to me, is how it's not only a mixture of two things I love; the Warhammer mythos and video games, but it's also just another thing I can share with people I share these interests with. Both avid fans of the Warhammer series, I've played Dawn of War 2 cooperatively with both James and Shawn, two of my closest friends. Something about being able to log in from our home computers, in James' case several states away, and communicate effectively and quickly enough to establish and enact strategies that push us through even the most difficult of the game's encounters. It's amazing to me, that we can command our respective squads, operating so differently and with their own unique abilities and strengths, to balance our assaults and overcome the challenges the game sets before us. It's being able to take that adaptability, experience, tactical knowledge, and calm-under-pressure that was tempered in a real-world combat zone, and channel it in a fictional, recreational environment.
Now that Retribution, the most recent expansion pack has been released, I'm excited to rekindle that camaraderie. With James engulfed in RIFT, something I'll tackle in a later journal entry, I look to Shawn to help me take on enemy hordes and stand side by side against the onslaught of attacks. One of us will have to make a sacrifice, though, you see. He prefers the undisciplined fury of the Orks, and I have a sacred obligation to my Emperor and fellow Space Marines.
Ah, who am I kidding? I'm a sucker for a good WAAAAAAGGGH!
-TehKnuck out.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Combat Tours and War(Craft) - Part 1: Origins
It's been a while, I know, I know, but consistency has never been one of my great strengths. Anyway, I'm back now, and I think I've finally nailed down what I want to talk about this week.
You're probably already feeling soreness in your eyes from the rolling that most likely involuntarily began when you read the title of this blog. Yes, I'm blogging about World of Warcraft. No single gaming entity that I am personally aware of has become more integrated and powerful in every day life as this role playing giant. Love it or hate it, World of Warcraft is huge--and it's not going anywhere.
There's generally three types of people that have a response to "Do you play World of Warcraft?" The first type, and by far the rarest and endangered, are those that shrug, look confused, and have no idea what you're talking about. Seriously, folks, it's been out for over six years, has over 13 million subscribers last I checked, and appears in magazines, television, movies, and even in partnered products like the Mountain Dew Game Fuel promotion. Get with the program. The second type, are those that excitedly nod, lighten up, and eagerly ask if you play Alliance or Horde, what class and level your main is, and what server you play on. (incidentally, I have realized it's nearly impossible to randomly approach a WoW player, ask them what server they're on, and have that be YOUR server) The third, and bless you if you're in this category and still reading, are those that roll their eyes, sneer, grunt, or have something negative and derogatory about a game that steals lives, provides 'no real challenge or substance,' and has the audacity to charge you 15 dollars a month even after purchasing the software in the first place.
I'll get to my more in depth opinions and analysis of World of Warcraft in a later post, but for this one, I'll just touch on a bit of why I think it's so successful, and my first experience with the game.
World of Warcraft is not a revolutionary new frontier of online gaming. Warcraft didn't do anything that Everquest, Eve, Dark Ages of Camelot, or Ultima didn't already know how to do. They didn't carve a brand new experience out of the Massively Multiplayer Online model, and they really didn't come out of the gate with a lot of innovation. What made it so crazy popular then? Accessibility. Warcraft was easier than most MMOs. Everquest was unforgiving, taking hours to raid, with dozens and dozens of players that would have to swap out, head to town, heal, repair, and return to relieve their friends. Death penalties were all the rage, you could lose experience, hours of gameplay, all thanks to a bad decision, or worse, a bad connection. Warcraft simplified all of that, and folks that weren't necessarily in the hardcore group flourished because of it.
I was a soldier in Giessen, Germany in late November of 2004. Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, I had just returned a year prior from my first tour in Iraq, and my combat injuries had all but healed. I was, for lack of a better term, bored. Sure, going out and drinking with the guys was fun, but even that gets old. I had played out a lot of the games I owned, and was scouring the web and magazines for something new. My experience with MMOs was limited to City of Heroes, and while I enjoyed the style, I had always been a fan of my beloved Warcraft series. So, the marriage of Warcraft and the MMO gametype I'd learned to enjoy seemed only natural. I called my dad, told him about the game, asked if he'd mind getting my Christmas present a little early that year, and described the box I saw on the website. "A brown box with some kind of face, a purple lady or a green orc thing." About a week later, my package arrived. I had to admit the package looked large for just one game, but my dad has a habit of sending snacks and books and stuff, so I disregarded then suspicion. Upon opening it, however, my jaw hit the floor. In the box, brand new, was my huge Collector's Edition packaging. I was elated.
I happened to be on 24 hour duty that night, the day I received the box, with my laptop and an internet connection. It seemed meant to be. I installed the game, connected, patched, logged in, and started creating my first character. I created an Orc Warlock to play with the controls and check out the universe. After about thirty seconds, I logged out and tried again. Not even a minute into the game and I'd experienced alt-itis. Judge me how you will, but I was a fan of the Night Elf race in Warcraft 3, so my first real character past level 10 was a Night Elf Druid. That's when I learned I hated Druids. Alt after alt later, (an alt is an 'alternate character,' for the unenlightened, meaning a character you do not play as often or attentively as your main character (toon), or 'main.') I settled on a toon I enjoyed. My Human Paladin.
A few of my friends in that unit, some of which I still play with today, formed a guild that I was invited into. On the PvP server of Kel'Thuzad, we hacked, slashed, and carved our adventures into the world of Azeroth, defending the people, bolstering the Alliance, and wielding formidable weapons and powerful magic against those that would do them harm. The world was vibrant, brilliant, full of live and lush scenery. There are many who complain of the fantastic and almost cartoonish art style of the game, but I think it fits perfectly. Say what you will, naysayers, but it's still a beautiful, beautiful game.
Something happened, though, while playing that game. Something more than just a video game ended up resulting from those adventures in that virtual world. More than just a set of items or a bounty of gold. I made friends in that game, real people across the world. Fellow adventurers, sometimes fierce adversaries, but living, breathing, players that acted and thought on their own. The experience was so dynamic, and though the game still existed within its own framework, it was as if we'd broken some wall of limitation that gaming wasn't supposed to allow. Far more than anything I'd gotten from City of Heroes, there was true camaraderie here. Perhaps it was because the majority of us were soldiers, and already had that, or perhaps because we'd all started the game at the same time together, and we were all we knew in that hostile, alien place. However it happened, it created an experience like no other I've ever had in a gaming platform or environment, and to this day I treasure it.
This is only the first post on what I'm probably going to make an ongoing series about this game, and games like it. I've even started making videos to augment the blogs, to add a bit of flavor and life to what I'm trying to portray. Here's one now!
Now, if you'll excuse me, there's some cultists in Deepholm that have insulted my honor and must be dealt with.
-TehKnuck out.
You're probably already feeling soreness in your eyes from the rolling that most likely involuntarily began when you read the title of this blog. Yes, I'm blogging about World of Warcraft. No single gaming entity that I am personally aware of has become more integrated and powerful in every day life as this role playing giant. Love it or hate it, World of Warcraft is huge--and it's not going anywhere.
There's generally three types of people that have a response to "Do you play World of Warcraft?" The first type, and by far the rarest and endangered, are those that shrug, look confused, and have no idea what you're talking about. Seriously, folks, it's been out for over six years, has over 13 million subscribers last I checked, and appears in magazines, television, movies, and even in partnered products like the Mountain Dew Game Fuel promotion. Get with the program. The second type, are those that excitedly nod, lighten up, and eagerly ask if you play Alliance or Horde, what class and level your main is, and what server you play on. (incidentally, I have realized it's nearly impossible to randomly approach a WoW player, ask them what server they're on, and have that be YOUR server) The third, and bless you if you're in this category and still reading, are those that roll their eyes, sneer, grunt, or have something negative and derogatory about a game that steals lives, provides 'no real challenge or substance,' and has the audacity to charge you 15 dollars a month even after purchasing the software in the first place.
I'll get to my more in depth opinions and analysis of World of Warcraft in a later post, but for this one, I'll just touch on a bit of why I think it's so successful, and my first experience with the game.
World of Warcraft is not a revolutionary new frontier of online gaming. Warcraft didn't do anything that Everquest, Eve, Dark Ages of Camelot, or Ultima didn't already know how to do. They didn't carve a brand new experience out of the Massively Multiplayer Online model, and they really didn't come out of the gate with a lot of innovation. What made it so crazy popular then? Accessibility. Warcraft was easier than most MMOs. Everquest was unforgiving, taking hours to raid, with dozens and dozens of players that would have to swap out, head to town, heal, repair, and return to relieve their friends. Death penalties were all the rage, you could lose experience, hours of gameplay, all thanks to a bad decision, or worse, a bad connection. Warcraft simplified all of that, and folks that weren't necessarily in the hardcore group flourished because of it.
I was a soldier in Giessen, Germany in late November of 2004. Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, I had just returned a year prior from my first tour in Iraq, and my combat injuries had all but healed. I was, for lack of a better term, bored. Sure, going out and drinking with the guys was fun, but even that gets old. I had played out a lot of the games I owned, and was scouring the web and magazines for something new. My experience with MMOs was limited to City of Heroes, and while I enjoyed the style, I had always been a fan of my beloved Warcraft series. So, the marriage of Warcraft and the MMO gametype I'd learned to enjoy seemed only natural. I called my dad, told him about the game, asked if he'd mind getting my Christmas present a little early that year, and described the box I saw on the website. "A brown box with some kind of face, a purple lady or a green orc thing." About a week later, my package arrived. I had to admit the package looked large for just one game, but my dad has a habit of sending snacks and books and stuff, so I disregarded then suspicion. Upon opening it, however, my jaw hit the floor. In the box, brand new, was my huge Collector's Edition packaging. I was elated.
I happened to be on 24 hour duty that night, the day I received the box, with my laptop and an internet connection. It seemed meant to be. I installed the game, connected, patched, logged in, and started creating my first character. I created an Orc Warlock to play with the controls and check out the universe. After about thirty seconds, I logged out and tried again. Not even a minute into the game and I'd experienced alt-itis. Judge me how you will, but I was a fan of the Night Elf race in Warcraft 3, so my first real character past level 10 was a Night Elf Druid. That's when I learned I hated Druids. Alt after alt later, (an alt is an 'alternate character,' for the unenlightened, meaning a character you do not play as often or attentively as your main character (toon), or 'main.') I settled on a toon I enjoyed. My Human Paladin.
A few of my friends in that unit, some of which I still play with today, formed a guild that I was invited into. On the PvP server of Kel'Thuzad, we hacked, slashed, and carved our adventures into the world of Azeroth, defending the people, bolstering the Alliance, and wielding formidable weapons and powerful magic against those that would do them harm. The world was vibrant, brilliant, full of live and lush scenery. There are many who complain of the fantastic and almost cartoonish art style of the game, but I think it fits perfectly. Say what you will, naysayers, but it's still a beautiful, beautiful game.
Something happened, though, while playing that game. Something more than just a video game ended up resulting from those adventures in that virtual world. More than just a set of items or a bounty of gold. I made friends in that game, real people across the world. Fellow adventurers, sometimes fierce adversaries, but living, breathing, players that acted and thought on their own. The experience was so dynamic, and though the game still existed within its own framework, it was as if we'd broken some wall of limitation that gaming wasn't supposed to allow. Far more than anything I'd gotten from City of Heroes, there was true camaraderie here. Perhaps it was because the majority of us were soldiers, and already had that, or perhaps because we'd all started the game at the same time together, and we were all we knew in that hostile, alien place. However it happened, it created an experience like no other I've ever had in a gaming platform or environment, and to this day I treasure it.
This is only the first post on what I'm probably going to make an ongoing series about this game, and games like it. I've even started making videos to augment the blogs, to add a bit of flavor and life to what I'm trying to portray. Here's one now!
Now, if you'll excuse me, there's some cultists in Deepholm that have insulted my honor and must be dealt with.
-TehKnuck out.
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