BioShock Infinite Impressions

I had no intention of purchasing BioShock Infinity this week, but I caved under the pressure of a lot of positive reviews.  I enjoyed the first BioShock very much, but skipped the sequel.  Why?  I think because it was made by a different team and I really didn't think it could live up to the original.

So far, I am really glad I picked up the game.  I've only had two play sessions amounting to around 1.5 hours of playtime.  I've yet to experience combat, except for a few carnival games.  Instead I've been exploring every nook and cranny of the world.  I've also tried to listen to what every npc has had to say.  There are just a ton of great little details which really make this an immersive experience.

The graphics are very nice on my xbox 360, and really server to make a vibrant world.  Like the original, there is a lot to listen to as well.  I can't comment much about combat yet, as I've yet to experience it.  So far, the game seems really solid.

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Rise of the Hutt Cartel Impressions

A few weeks ago, I was granted access to the closed beta server which housed Rise of the Hutt Cartel.  This gave me a chance to check out SWTOR's digital expansion ahead of time, so I was pretty excited.  On the flip side, I really didn't want to spoil the content before it went live.  Time constraints also limited my exploration of the new content.

One of my favorite additions, which may be in 2.0 too, has to do with companion gifts.  The tooltip will now tell you what kind of effect it will have on your currently summoned companion.  No more guessing or looking up a chart on the web!

I also got a chance to play with the new Macrobinoculars and Seeker Droids.  The binoculars, when used, let you look around your current surroundings.  It kind of just zooms in a bit, and reveals otherwise hidden objects.  There is a quest line that involves them.  I'm not sure of there are other random objects that are just out there waiting to be found.

Then there are the Seeker Droids.  If you did the HK-51 quests, they will be pretty familiar.  You activate a Seeker Droid in a certain area and it will uncover some loot.  The interesting things is that they work in tandem with the Macrobinoculars to help you narrow down where to deploy the droids.  The downside is they are a consumable, so you'll either have to buy more or craft them.  There is also a new Reputation Faction, based on Nar Shaddaa, that rewards you for completing Seeker Droid missions.

That about covers my time on the closed beta server.  I wish I had been able to help out with Makeb testing more but the time and inclination was not there.  I can't wait for it to go live for early access on the 9th though!

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A New Opportunity

I've been writing this blog for around 4.5 years now.  It's been a lot of fun to do and served as an outlet for my creative side.  Don't worry, I'm not shutting it down or anything.  However, I do feel it is time to take things to the next level.  An opportunity opened up so I decided now was the time to make the jump.

I've joined StatDrive as a part of their Community Management team.  I'm a part time member, but it is a paid position.  So this is my first step into the professional side of the gaming world.  What is StatDrive you ask?

StatDrive provides advanced statistical analysis, events, and community networking for online multiplayer PC games. 

It's a bit vague, but won't be for long.  The details are still under wraps, but I will say what they have planned is pretty cool and I look forward to talking about it soon.

What does that mean for the blog?  When things really get going, it may mean less posts.  It will also mean less game playing, but I feel the time is right for that. My enthusiasm for playing games has waned lately, but not my passion for them in general.  Interesting times ahead :)

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WAR Friday Grab Bag

A new tradition has been started, a weekly Q&A with the WAR development team. The questions are taken from bloggers, core testers, and the community.  Each week, around five questions will be answered and posted by a different blogger.  This week is my turn, enjoy!



1)  Will we ever see any PvE items like Glyphs or Tyrant gear sold via War Crest? or a PvE Currency like Scarabs and Funerary Masks?
                                           
KEAVEN: I highly doubt it.

KEVIN: I would like to add a single PVE currency that would be obtained by killing bosses, and used to purchase PVE set pieces and other rare gear from the dungeons. It would take a lot more work than the PVP currency conversion did. I would like to do a bit of clean up in the old dungeons at about the time that I were looking at doing something like this.


2)  Are there plans for some kind of end-content for RR100, maybe a dungeon to give them more options then Tomb of the Vulture Lord only, that could for example reward temp. pocket items?

KEAVEN: There were no immediate plans for it, no. That’s a great idea though, and there’s no reason we couldn’t do something like that.

KEVIN: If we do a single PVE currency, I would also like to revisit some of the dungeons or update them… or something. I’m not entirely sure yet. Don’t hold your breath on that one though.


3)  Is the Stronghold Saga a recurring event (like e.g. the Wild Hunt), or a one-off (like Beyond the Sands)?

KEAVEN: A Stronghold Saga will not repeat. This is a one-off event, which is one of the reasons I’m leaving each part continue to run for the time being. Once we end the Saga, all parts will close, and you will not see it again.


4)  Are there any plans in upcoming patches to address crafting?    

KEAVEN: No.

KEVIN: I think Keaven is channeling Grumpcat.


5) Any plans to turn on old accounts or something similar to bring back players to see what the game is like today?

KEAVEN: I am currently working on doing this. There are a few hoops to jump through first, so I don’t have an ETA. If I manage to get this running, more information will follow.

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Ok, now I'm a little interested

WildStar is a game that has not really appeared on my radar much.  I always seemed to be under the impression that it was more of a kids game for some reason.  With their latest trailer, I seem to have been mistaken.  Although they still have that bunny race, which I could do without.

Warplot PvP certainly looks interesting and dare I say original.  The different paths also look interesting, like Settler, but I don't really know much about them yet.  So now WildStar is on my radar, good job with that trailer carbine.

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Balmorra Support

This weeks TORWars Intelligence Report is up!  Our intrepid SiS Agent, Werit, undertakes a mission to support the resistance movement on Balmorra.  Items have been gathered (data mined) and shipped off to the rebels.  You can check out the full post at the link below.

http://torwars.com/2013/03/18/torwars-intelligence-report-balmorra-support/

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Hints about WARs Future

Recenly, MMORPG.com conducted an interview with WAR's Lead Designer, Keaven Freeman.  It turned out to be pretty interesting and coverd a number of topics, including hints about what we might see from WAR in the near future. I've picked out some quotes, but you can go here to read the whole thing.

Keaven talks about using Wrath of Heroes maps in WAR:

There are a few maps I would love to bring over (Love me some Settra and Garden of Morr), so in that sense, Yes. The major hurdle is Wrath maps were built for 3 team balance (in distances, run times, and whatnot). Looking at the maps available, WAR would have to have them re-sculpted to compensate for a duel-team system, or construct various scenario mechanics compatible with a random-location respawn system, like we did with Thanquol’s Incursion...

What awaits us in the current Live Event series?

I don’t want to create too much hype here, or encourage any theory-crafting (as that always leads to disappointment), but yes; The ‘A Stronghold Saga’ event series will make use of some underused areas, as well as open up at least two areas not seen by many (if any at all). 

New places to fight, sign me up!  

Career Balance is still something they are actively working on.

In addition to the work needed to keep ‘A Stronghold Saga’ progressing on schedule, the next 6-12 months will see patches devoted to Career Balance. This is a hot-button issue with nearly all of our players, and is long overdue. We have already begun work on the first phase of these balance patches, and will be opening up the Public Test Server in the near future to get player feedback.

And they want to shake up the campaign a bit too.

 I would like to see some changes in the Campaign, to make things less predictable; possibly even have different types of Campaigns to run which switch with each successful push. I’ve had ongoing discussions with players over the lack of “sandboxiness” in WAR, and in what ways we could possibly add that feeling of freedom, while at the same time maintaining something of a regimented, directed battle feel as well

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A Gift from Mythic

During my recent trip to Mythic, we talked about several of their ongoing projects.  before we left, the Mythic crew had a few gifts for us.  They included t-shirts, a poster and a special statue.  Behold, the Great Unclean One.

Yes, those are DeLorean's in the background :)

Thanks Mythic!

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A New Look

Earlier this week, I made my largest purchase from the Cartel Market yet.  I spent around 1,400 Cartel Coins, which I had saved up, on the Gold Scalene armor set.  With this weeks patch, it was removed from  the Cartel Market, so I decided to take the plunge.

I bought the set for my Imperial Agent, who is still only level 16.  It seemed like a better fit than buying the Covert Uniform or Imperial Flight suit, being that I am supposed to be undercover sometimes. Overall, I think the it looks very cool.

I do have a problem though.  Since it is custom armor I must supply all the mods.  I can make Mods and Armoring, but currently have no character which can craft Enhancements.  So it looks like I'll be rolling a new character this weekend.

For my forth character, I am going with a Sith Inquisitor.  He will take up Artiface so I can craft Enhancements. There is no better time to do this since BioWare announced double XP weekends, starting this weekend!  I should be able to level him by doing just Class missions for a while with the right boosts and legacy unlocks.

 

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Compensation Package is a Go

A few weeks ago, the WAR servers were moved to the 'cloud.'  Yes, the mysterious and wondrous cloud, where magic things happen.  Sadly, things did not go well to start and WAR suffered many zone crashes.  A few days passed and the team worked out the kinks.   To make it up to the players, Mythic put together a Compensation package.

This item appears automatically in your inventory, for each character you have.  So, if you are like me and created a bunch of new characters to take advantage of the Wrath Chest, you got a whole bunch of Compensation Packages.  So, what's in these bad boys?

• 10-Days of game time applied to accounts that were active on 2/19
•  1 Golden Writ available to characters on currently subscribed accounts
• 100% XP/RP boost for 7 days for all characters
• A stack of 10 Lesser Bone Wards available for all characters
• A special title unlock for anyone who attempted to play between the 18th and the 24th
• Aviator Goggles available to characters on currently subscribed accounts
• 1 Minor Flash of Brilliance available to characters on currently subscribed accounts

Not too shabby, especially the Golden Writ.  It's important to note that the Golden Writ will appear in your currency inventory, not the main one.  I had to go looking for it.  You'll want to take that to your capital cities library to redeem it.  

For any other question, check out this FAQ.  

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SWTOR 1.7.2 Data Dump

Today, SWTOR was patched to 1.7.2.  You know what that means, another data dump!  BioWare is certainly using the Cartel Market to its fullest, as nearly all the new stuff for this patch involves it.  There are definitely some interesting additions though.

KoTOR Armor.  Looks like they are adding some Knights of the Old Republic armor sets!  This includs Dath Malak.  Not sure how and when these can be obtained.  

Reputation.  As mentioned in the patch notes, there is a new Contraband Reputation faction.  We can see here that they have a bunch of neat stuff.  The trophies come from the new Contraband packs.  They'll probably (hopefully) be able to be sold on the GTN in case you don't want to try your luck with the packs. 

abl.itm.vanity_pet.battledroid.battledroid_a01v05

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abl.itm.vanity_pet.battledroid.battledroid_a01v05/4/1

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abl.itm.vanity_pet.blurrg.blurrg_a01v04

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abl.itm.vanity_pet.blurrg.blurrg_a01v05

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abl.itm.vanity_pet.fighter.ps_agent

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abl.itm.vanity_pet.probe.gree_datacore/5/0

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abl.mtx.consumable.jawagrams.may_the_force/6/0

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abl.mtx.consumable.jawagrams.may_the_force/6/2

abl.mtx.consumable.jawagrams.nice_try/6/0

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abl.mtx.pack.bundle.hypercrate_contraband_generic

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abl.mtx.pack.enforcer_pack

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abl.mtx.pack.regulator_pack

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abl.mtx.toy.clarinet

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abl.mtx.toy.clarinet/3/1

abl.mtx.toy.guitar

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abl.mtx.toy.kolto_tank/17/0

abl.mtx.toy.kolto_tank/17/1

abl.mtx.toy.travel_to_makeb

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abl.mtx.unlock.learn_unlock_species

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apn.mtx.vanity_pet.ps_agent

epp.mtx.emote.kloo

epp.mtx.emote.kolto_chamber_emote

epp.mtx.emote.xantha

epp.mtx.packs.contraband_pack_open

epp.mtx.toy.clarinet

epp.mtx.toy.guitar

epp.mtx.vanity_pet_utility.ps_agent_passive

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ipp.mtx.season2.store.gold_crown.head

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ipp.mtx.season2.store.monocle_v04.head

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ipp.mtx.season2.store.slave_collar.head

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ipp.mtx.season2.store.voss_outfit.waist

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ipp.test.richards.cartelrep.makebciv.wrist

itm.loot.token.cartel_certificate

itm.mount.gree.blue_sphere

itm.mount.mtx.speederbike.greatwhite_hs_black

itm.mount.speederbike.ikas_stingray

itm.mtx.bundle.hypercrate.enforcer

itm.mtx.consumable.fleet_travel_5pk_reward

itm.mtx.consumable.fleet_travel_reward

itm.mtx.consumable.weekly_pass_spacebattle_reward

itm.mtx.consumable.xp_boost.flashpoint.major_reward

itm.mtx.consumable.xp_boost.generic.major_reward

itm.mtx.consumable.xp_boost.generic.minor_reward

itm.mtx.consumable.xp_boost.space.major_reward

itm.mtx.consumable.xp_boost.space.minor_reward

itm.mtx.emotes.kloo

itm.mtx.emotes.xantha

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itm.mtx.gear.season2.ald_npc.rist_senator.wrist

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itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.brianna.legs

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itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.brianna_v02.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.brianna_v02.wrists

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.carth_onasi.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.carth_onasi.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.carth_onasi.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.carth_onasi.wrists

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.carth_onasi_v02.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.carth_onasi_v02.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.carth_onasi_v02.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.carth_onasi_v02.wrists

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak.head

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak.wrists

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak_v02.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak_v02.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak_v02.head

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak_v02.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.darth_malak_v02.wrists

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.jolee_bindo.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.jolee_bindo.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.jolee_bindo.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.jolee_bindo.wrists

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.jolee_bindo_v02.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.jolee_bindo_v02.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.jolee_bindo_v02.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.kotor.jolee_bindo_v02.wrists

itm.mtx.gear.season2.lost_jedi.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.lost_jedi.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.lost_jedi.hands

itm.mtx.gear.season2.lost_jedi.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.lost_jedi.waist

itm.mtx.gear.season2.lost_jedi.wrist

itm.mtx.gear.season2.makeb.civilian.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.makeb.civilian.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.makeb.civilian.hands

itm.mtx.gear.season2.makeb.civilian.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.makeb.civilian.waist

itm.mtx.gear.season2.makeb.civilian.wrists

itm.mtx.gear.season2.monocle.black

itm.mtx.gear.season2.monocle.gold

itm.mtx.gear.season2.sexy_outfit1_v1.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.sexy_outfit1_v1.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.sexy_outfit1_v1.hands

itm.mtx.gear.season2.sexy_outfit1_v1.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.sexy_outfit1_v1.waist

itm.mtx.gear.season2.slave_collar

itm.mtx.gear.season2.voss_outfit.chest

itm.mtx.gear.season2.voss_outfit.feet

itm.mtx.gear.season2.voss_outfit.hands

itm.mtx.gear.season2.voss_outfit.legs

itm.mtx.gear.season2.voss_outfit.waist

itm.mtx.gear.season2.voss_outfit.wrists

itm.mtx.lootboxes.ald_npc.organa_senator.lower

itm.mtx.lootboxes.ald_npc.organa_senator.middle

itm.mtx.lootboxes.ald_npc.organa_senator.upper

itm.mtx.lootboxes.ald_npc.organa_trooper.lower

itm.mtx.lootboxes.ald_npc.organa_trooper.middle

itm.mtx.lootboxes.ald_npc.organa_trooper.upper

itm.mtx.lootboxes.ald_npc.rist_senator.lower

itm.mtx.lootboxes.ald_npc.rist_senator.middle

itm.mtx.lootboxes.ald_npc.rist_senator.upper

itm.mtx.pack.season2x1.enforcer_pack

itm.mtx.pack.season2x1.regulator_pack

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.elara_dorne_custom_09

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.eyepatch

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.flametrooper.chest

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.flametrooper.feet

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.flametrooper.hands

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.flametrooper.head

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.flametrooper.legs

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.flametrooper.waist

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.flametrooper.wrist

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.gold_crown

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.merc.chest

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.merc.feet

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.merc.hands

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.merc.head

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.merc.legs

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.merc.waist

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.merc.wrists

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.voss_outfit.chest

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.voss_outfit.feet

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.voss_outfit.hands

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.voss_outfit.legs

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.voss_outfit.waist

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.gear.voss_outfit.wrists

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.kaliyo_djannis_custom_09

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.mount.speederbike.greatwhite_hs_black

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.tharan_custom_09

itm.mtx.reputation.contraband.vette_custom_09

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.companion.skin.2vr8.premium.butler_skin

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.companion.skin.c2n2.premium.butler_skin

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.mount.jedi_meditation_platform_a

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.mount.sith_imperial_throne_b

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.mount.ubrikki_elite_skull_red

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.nihilus.head

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.pet.vanity.blurrg.blurrg_a01v02

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.pet.vanity.manka_cat.manka_a02_v04

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.pet.vanity.monkey_lizard.monkey_lizard_a01v02

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.revan.head

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.toys.malgus_holo

itm.mtx.reputation.rare.contraband.toys.satele_holo

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.hybrid_dps_will.06x1.artifact_light_chest_imperial

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.hybrid_dps_will.06x1.artifact_light_chest_republic

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.hybrid_tank_will.06x1.artifact_light_chest_imperial

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.hybrid_tank_will.06x1.artifact_light_chest_republic

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.melee_dps_str.06x1.artifact_medium_chest_imperial

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.melee_dps_str.06x1.artifact_medium_chest_republic

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.melee_tank_str.06x1.artifact_heavy_chest_imperial

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.melee_tank_str.06x1.artifact_heavy_chest_republic

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.tech_heals_aim.06x1.artifact_heavy_chest_imperial

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.tech_heals_aim.06x1.artifact_heavy_chest_republic

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.tech_heals_cun.06x1.artifact_medium_chest_imperial

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.tech_heals_cun.06x1.artifact_medium_chest_republic

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.tech_tank_aim.06x1.artifact_heavy_chest_imperial

itm.mtx.reputation.retired.contraband.tech_tank_aim.06x1.artifact_heavy_chest_republic

itm.mtx.toys.makeb_shuttle

itm.mtx.upsell.vendor_normal_pricing

itm.mtx.upsell.vendor_normal_pricing_account

itm.mtx.weapon.electroblade.low02.a01_v02_purple

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Jawa Servitude

Last week, I posted my latest TORWars Intelligence Report entitled: Jawa Servitude.  BioWare looks like it will be expanding their Jawagram program in upcoming patches.  Basically, these consumables are a Jawa which, when opened, deliver a short message.  You can find the article at the link below.

http://torwars.com/2013/03/09/torwars-intelligence-report-jawa-servitude/

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A Trip to Mythic - Part 2

A few weeks ago, myself, Mykiel from Stratics, and Garaawarr were invited down to the Mythic studio.  As I talked about in part 1, we learned about the closing of Wrath of Heroes.  It was not how I expected to start off our trip, but kudos to them for breaking the bad new personally.

The trip wasn't just about Wrath of Heroes.  We also talked some WAR.  As you have become accustomed to, I really can't share any of the juicy details.  But we did see what Mythic has planned for the current Live Event series: the Stronghold Saga.  They have some ambitious ideas, so I am very much looking forward to them hitting the live server. When you ask?  Soon, of course.

You may have heard that Mythic is starting to focus more on mobile games.   We got a chance to see some of their work.  First up was the upcoming Ultima Forever.  I've actually never played an Ultima game, including UO, so it was all new to me.  The game looked pretty good and had a high amount of polish.  It didn't really look like your typical mobile game, which is a plus in my book.

Next we saw a prototype of a new game they were working on.  I can't really say much more about it, except I am looking forward to its release. I'm not even a big fan of mobile games, of which I currently play none.  This one might change that fact.

Despite the bad new about WoH, it was a fun trip.  Thanks to Mythic for having us down and I hope we can do it again sometime :)

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SimCity Impressions

Yesterday, my copy of SimCity arrived via mail.  I opted for the physical edition since Amazon offered a $20 credit on future purchases.  The install went fine, even though I had to install Origin.  It's not that the software itself is bad, I just don't like having a lot of it.  I already use Steam and Impulse.

Playing the game turned out to be quite the challenge.  A surprise to no one, the servers were down a good chunk of the afternoon rendering the game impossible to play.  That is certainly not a good first impression. They did eventually fix the problem, and it was mostly smooth sailing from there.

I did something new this time, I joined a multiplayer region instead of playing by my lonesome.  the TORWars folks created a region, so I picked myself a plot of land and got started.  I found one that was mostly flat, but still had a hilly area.  Then it was time to build.

My biggest frustration with the game is trying to make straight roads.  Since it is all 3d, the roads can skew, and if its off just a little things get weird.  I wish there was a way to start my city over without bulldozing everything.  I really want to make sure I line up the roads correctly this time.

Overall, the game feels like SimCity.  You zone areas and watch people move in.  You can see what they like, and in some cases, what they don't like.  You can watch for traffic jams, fires, and even crimes.  The simulation engine seems pretty good.  The multiplayer aspects are pretty neat too.  I bought energy from a neighboring city rather than turning on the coal plant I foolishly bought. Saved me quite a bit of money.  So far, I'm having fun with it.

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SimCity Memories

I'm back after a little blog vacation, 4 whole days without a post!  As I mentioned before, I'm in a bit of a funk, but I'm starting to come out of it.  It hasn't helped that I picked up a cold that will not seem to go away either.  I've been playing some WAR, but today I'll be playing a different game: SimCity!

SimCity 5 comes out today.  It's had a little controversy because of its 'always online' nature, which I'm sure will come to a head today with everyone trying to play at the same time.  It'll take more than that to keep me away from the game though.

I have fond memories of SimCity, starting with the original game.  It was grade school and I did not yet have a computer of my own.  I had access to my Dads, but that was only a couple times of year.  A friend of mine, Pat, had one and had SimCity!

I ended up playing the game through him, and over at his house.  He used to bring print outs of our city into school and we'd look at them during recess.  Plans for the city were made and he'd go home and execute them.  The next day I'd see the result on that old dot matrix printer paper.  It was a great time to be alive :)

Today, if the Origin servers stay up, I will play it once again.  No printouts this time, instead there will be screenshots taken.  Maybe I'll even play with some people online.  That's something I never thought of when 'playing' the original game.

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