I'm not at all interested in maintaining a blogroll of any sort, but I find myself annoyed that not enough people are talking about what I want to talk about. I may not be the only one, so I'm going to (probably periodically) make a list of sites that I'm reading:
RGTR.com - The official site, non-intuitive name and all.
TR Stratics - Stratics has been doing this a while and generally has a clue. Also, reasonable forums, if you like that sort of thing.
Planet TR - Also reasonably-populated forums.
Tentonhammer's portal - We'll see if they keep it up, but they have a bunch of guides, interviews, etc at the moment.
Zeus Character Builder - Very handy
That's what I've been hitting so far - if anyone's found a well-written blog or three, I'd love to see it.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Squadding Up
I bounced around a bit last night, looking for a base being assaulted, then I decided to go take out the three Devils for the medicine mission. There were five or six people hanging around, and each time the three bastards spawned, we'd blow the hell out of them, and presumably somebody got credit. After the third or fourth repetition, when I realized I'd only gotten one credit and didn't know which one it was for, I asked everyone if they were in a squad. They weren't, so I issued invites, and the next round, we all got credit. How brilliant is that? *eyeroll*
I really like the sort of ad-hoc cooperation that I'm finding - you hear the whine of a Bane dropship, you drop what you're doing to blow the crap out of the enemy, and so does anyone else who happens to be nearby. I haven't seen a single complaint about "kill-stealing" - we're at war, and the point is to fight the crusties, not each other. However, I could wish for a different kind of kill-credit, where multiple solo people could get credit for one kill - or perhaps the playerbase just needs to get used to squadding up. Why not? The XP gets split anyway, and the loot drops aren't worth fighting over - besides, I just set them to "free-for-all" and let them fall where they may. Worked fine, no one complained.
After that, I turned in the quest, got the ethical-choice quest (I'm not going to spoil those here,) and defended a base for a while. Waiting around for an assault? Exactly as boring as you'd expect. The assault itself? High-adrenaline fun! AoE damage rocks - shotty, shrapnel, shotty, shotty, all dead! The laser chaingun came in handy on the Kael, who are immune to physical, but otherwise it was the shotgun all the way.
Still just 11, and I think I'm running out of Wilderness quests, but I have a lot of base assault/defense tokens to collect. Plus I need to kill those predators - I tried one, but it smoked me as soon as it noticed me. Need a different strategy for those dudes, it appears. I also kinda want to spend some time on my specialist - my MMO strategy is usually "create a character, play 5 hours or so, figure out what I've done wrong, create a new character, do it again." I'm going to keep my main, inefficiencies and all, but I'm looking forward to a smoother run of the Wilderness pretty soon.
I really like the sort of ad-hoc cooperation that I'm finding - you hear the whine of a Bane dropship, you drop what you're doing to blow the crap out of the enemy, and so does anyone else who happens to be nearby. I haven't seen a single complaint about "kill-stealing" - we're at war, and the point is to fight the crusties, not each other. However, I could wish for a different kind of kill-credit, where multiple solo people could get credit for one kill - or perhaps the playerbase just needs to get used to squadding up. Why not? The XP gets split anyway, and the loot drops aren't worth fighting over - besides, I just set them to "free-for-all" and let them fall where they may. Worked fine, no one complained.
After that, I turned in the quest, got the ethical-choice quest (I'm not going to spoil those here,) and defended a base for a while. Waiting around for an assault? Exactly as boring as you'd expect. The assault itself? High-adrenaline fun! AoE damage rocks - shotty, shrapnel, shotty, shotty, all dead! The laser chaingun came in handy on the Kael, who are immune to physical, but otherwise it was the shotgun all the way.
Still just 11, and I think I'm running out of Wilderness quests, but I have a lot of base assault/defense tokens to collect. Plus I need to kill those predators - I tried one, but it smoked me as soon as it noticed me. Need a different strategy for those dudes, it appears. I also kinda want to spend some time on my specialist - my MMO strategy is usually "create a character, play 5 hours or so, figure out what I've done wrong, create a new character, do it again." I'm going to keep my main, inefficiencies and all, but I'm looking forward to a smoother run of the Wilderness pretty soon.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Hey, Readers!
It looks like talking about TR is much more interesting than talking about WoW, at least at the moment - I have commenters! Welcome, all!
I changed the tagline, and will no doubt feel much guiltier when I don't post for a while. (That doesn't mean I'll necessarily post more often, but at least I'll feel guilty about it.)
No TR yesterday - went to bed early. Plan to play some tonght, though. I'm thinking that I'll do a Soldier class review when I hit 14.99, and/or a Wilderness zone review.
Oh, and check out the Recruit a Friend program - a three-day trial isn't long, but if you've got friends on the fence it might be just enough.
I changed the tagline, and will no doubt feel much guiltier when I don't post for a while. (That doesn't mean I'll necessarily post more often, but at least I'll feel guilty about it.)
No TR yesterday - went to bed early. Plan to play some tonght, though. I'm thinking that I'll do a Soldier class review when I hit 14.99, and/or a Wilderness zone review.
Oh, and check out the Recruit a Friend program - a three-day trial isn't long, but if you've got friends on the fence it might be just enough.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Sniping
Well, that was fun. My new strategy for that quest worked perfectly (talk to NPC to spawn mobs; run like hell up the ramp to the first platform; snipe.) The get in-have fun-get out model worked wonderfully - I was moving as soon as the loading screen finished, and I turned in two quests with no more than about a minute of downtime. So not only did I go to the grocery store and cook meals for the next week, I hit 11 as well :)
More TR
Played TR and Civ III, alternating, all weekend. Civ III is an addiction - TR is fast becoming an obsession.
I never like playing ranged characters, unless the ranged combat is pretty visceral. Most MMOs don't do it for me. Guild Wars did - or perhaps the melee just sucked, I can't remember - and TR does, too. I'm beginning to think I might like Sniper better than Spy.
Got another level or two, finished most of my non-instanced quests, and completed a few Targets of Opportunity goals. Kept banging my head against one quest where five or six Xanx (big, web-shooting, evil spiders) spawn practically on top of me. I can't quite clear them out before they pin me down and armor-ignore me to death. I have a plan, though - we'll see.
Next up, the rest of the ToOs, including hanging out and defending some control points for a while. I've gotten a token here or there as I've stopped by, but haven't spent any concentrated effort on it.
Man, I'm digging this game - and, from the tone of various forums, so are a lot of other people. I haven't seen so much positivity since the last time I looked at the Darkfall forums - and hey, this game has actually shipped!
I never like playing ranged characters, unless the ranged combat is pretty visceral. Most MMOs don't do it for me. Guild Wars did - or perhaps the melee just sucked, I can't remember - and TR does, too. I'm beginning to think I might like Sniper better than Spy.
Got another level or two, finished most of my non-instanced quests, and completed a few Targets of Opportunity goals. Kept banging my head against one quest where five or six Xanx (big, web-shooting, evil spiders) spawn practically on top of me. I can't quite clear them out before they pin me down and armor-ignore me to death. I have a plan, though - we'll see.
Next up, the rest of the ToOs, including hanging out and defending some control points for a while. I've gotten a token here or there as I've stopped by, but haven't spent any concentrated effort on it.
Man, I'm digging this game - and, from the tone of various forums, so are a lot of other people. I haven't seen so much positivity since the last time I looked at the Darkfall forums - and hey, this game has actually shipped!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Tabula Rasa
I was apprehensive about this game - I love Garriott's previous work (see previous, re: UO) but he hasn't shipped a game since I graduated high school, and I was afraid he might have lost his touch. Or his mind - a sci-fi mock-shooter? I mean, really.
But I sucked it up, bought the (shiny, gorgeous) collector's edition, and... haven't been able to put it down. Let me make no bones about it - all marketing spin aside, it's an MMO. Quests, stats, skills, titles, instances - nothing has leapt out at me so far as being completely revolutionary. But there are a couple of things that make it worth a try, in my opinion:
- It's a different theme. Military sci-fi, rather than fantasy. Aliens rather than monsters. Guns rather than swords. As much as I dig fantasy, I am heartily tired of it, and this is a nice change. I played Auto Assault some (may it rest in peace!) and other than squishing pedestrians, the sci-fi theme was the good bit. TR's is even better done, plus it's prettier and runs better. The storyline itself is solid and fully-realized, from the dogtags and orders sheet in the CE, to the NPCs engaging the enemy and shouting orders, warnings, and "Oh shit!" just like real soldiers, to the interesting Supreme Hippie benevolent aliens that gave all the player characters spiffy powers.
- Combat is fast-paced and highly interactive - and fun! The only other MMO that felt as exciting as this was City of Heroes, which had extensive knockback mechanics that made combat feel much more real than the "hit button-watch particle effect-see floaty number" combat system that most other MMOs offer. TR's combat is mostly ranged at the low levels, but positioning and cover are really important, and I end up moving, retargeting, crouching, charging in for a critical kill (your opponent stands there, dazed, and if you run in you can kick its head off for double XP!) backing up, and whipping out the shotty for a couple of hits of click-BOOM, sometimes all in the same fight. I like interactive combat - it's why I prefer a backstab rogue, because I like having to think about positioning, and work at it to maximize my effectiveness. But WoW has NOTHING on TR for dynamic, fast-paced combat.
- The Cloning system. It's sort of a gimmick, but it's perfect for me. I like alts - a lot - but I don't love re-running the first ten levels half a dozen times to find out what the gameplay differences are at the high levels. The cloning system allows you to copy your character at all the class-branching decision points, and not backtrack nearly as much. I also like not having to pick a class straight off - I am pretty sure my main is going Spy, because hey, backstabbing! But if I change my mind, I can - at any point - and not lose ground.
- Garriott's signature "ethical parables." Branching quest chains, where the choices you make affect how different people and groups see you. I've only hit one so far, but it worked. They usually do, for me. I went with my gut on the actual decision, and then found myself feeling nervous as I went back to the original quest giver to tell him what I'd decided. It's a level of engagement that WoW has never managed (which I've bitched about before) and it does a great job of getting me invested in my character and the world.
- Exploration and badgewhoring: I'm a classic "Explorer"-type MMO player. I like to see things, collect things, and check things off a list. TR's "Targets of Opportunity" system is tailor-made for players like me. (Think CoH-style badges, but better organized.)
I haven't really played with the dynamic Control Point battles yet (self-scaling constant fighting around a base) but I've heard good things about them. I've also heard that the instances are lots of fun. I can't see myself getting sucked backed into WoW with patch 2.3, even though it buffs my rogue stupid high, so I'll probably be reporting on my adventures in TR for a while.
(Edited to add, thanks for the link, TR team! :) )
But I sucked it up, bought the (shiny, gorgeous) collector's edition, and... haven't been able to put it down. Let me make no bones about it - all marketing spin aside, it's an MMO. Quests, stats, skills, titles, instances - nothing has leapt out at me so far as being completely revolutionary. But there are a couple of things that make it worth a try, in my opinion:
- It's a different theme. Military sci-fi, rather than fantasy. Aliens rather than monsters. Guns rather than swords. As much as I dig fantasy, I am heartily tired of it, and this is a nice change. I played Auto Assault some (may it rest in peace!) and other than squishing pedestrians, the sci-fi theme was the good bit. TR's is even better done, plus it's prettier and runs better. The storyline itself is solid and fully-realized, from the dogtags and orders sheet in the CE, to the NPCs engaging the enemy and shouting orders, warnings, and "Oh shit!" just like real soldiers, to the interesting Supreme Hippie benevolent aliens that gave all the player characters spiffy powers.
- Combat is fast-paced and highly interactive - and fun! The only other MMO that felt as exciting as this was City of Heroes, which had extensive knockback mechanics that made combat feel much more real than the "hit button-watch particle effect-see floaty number" combat system that most other MMOs offer. TR's combat is mostly ranged at the low levels, but positioning and cover are really important, and I end up moving, retargeting, crouching, charging in for a critical kill (your opponent stands there, dazed, and if you run in you can kick its head off for double XP!) backing up, and whipping out the shotty for a couple of hits of click-BOOM, sometimes all in the same fight. I like interactive combat - it's why I prefer a backstab rogue, because I like having to think about positioning, and work at it to maximize my effectiveness. But WoW has NOTHING on TR for dynamic, fast-paced combat.
- The Cloning system. It's sort of a gimmick, but it's perfect for me. I like alts - a lot - but I don't love re-running the first ten levels half a dozen times to find out what the gameplay differences are at the high levels. The cloning system allows you to copy your character at all the class-branching decision points, and not backtrack nearly as much. I also like not having to pick a class straight off - I am pretty sure my main is going Spy, because hey, backstabbing! But if I change my mind, I can - at any point - and not lose ground.
- Garriott's signature "ethical parables." Branching quest chains, where the choices you make affect how different people and groups see you. I've only hit one so far, but it worked. They usually do, for me. I went with my gut on the actual decision, and then found myself feeling nervous as I went back to the original quest giver to tell him what I'd decided. It's a level of engagement that WoW has never managed (which I've bitched about before) and it does a great job of getting me invested in my character and the world.
- Exploration and badgewhoring: I'm a classic "Explorer"-type MMO player. I like to see things, collect things, and check things off a list. TR's "Targets of Opportunity" system is tailor-made for players like me. (Think CoH-style badges, but better organized.)
I haven't really played with the dynamic Control Point battles yet (self-scaling constant fighting around a base) but I've heard good things about them. I've also heard that the instances are lots of fun. I can't see myself getting sucked backed into WoW with patch 2.3, even though it buffs my rogue stupid high, so I'll probably be reporting on my adventures in TR for a while.
(Edited to add, thanks for the link, TR team! :) )
Betrayal
So I got a shiny new computer, and installed a whole bunch of games I had lying around. As a result, I haven't touched WoW in at least a week. Since my alternative activities have been a) untagged and b) generally rogue-like, I'll blog about them here until such time as I find it necessary to change the blog tag line or I go back to playing WoW.
Guild Wars:
I'd played Guild Wars obsessively for a month when it came out, then got distracted and haven't really come back to it. I never got past level 15 or so. When I heard about Eye of the North, I decided to give it another spin.
My ranger-mesmer is still pretty cool, and I got the hang of playing her in just a few minutes. I still love the AI minions that actually do what they're supposed to. I finished one quest, felt satisfied, and... got distracted. Again. So far I haven't come back to it. But hey, no monthly fee, so it'll wait.
Civilization III:
I actually wanted to play Civ 4 (which performed like a dog on my old box) but I could only find disk 2. Civ III was handy, so I popped that in instead, and promptly lost track of... about a week. God, these games are horribly addictive. It took me a couple frustrating games to remember my l33t Chieftain-level skills, but I've been playing for half an hour or so every morning, taking over the world. It's fun, and I'm going to try to pace myself.
Ultima Online:
The Invasion of Magincia has totally sucked me back in - my love for UO was cemented years and years ago during the invasion of Trinsic, and this one brings back fond memories. My heretofore-neglected paladin is getting a workout, and I've even gotten around to sorting out some template issues on my crafters. I haven't been logging a ton of hours, but I pop in every other day at least.
Tabula Rasa:
I've been playing TR every night this week, so I'm going to pull a review of that into its own post. Short version: it rocks.
Guild Wars:
I'd played Guild Wars obsessively for a month when it came out, then got distracted and haven't really come back to it. I never got past level 15 or so. When I heard about Eye of the North, I decided to give it another spin.
My ranger-mesmer is still pretty cool, and I got the hang of playing her in just a few minutes. I still love the AI minions that actually do what they're supposed to. I finished one quest, felt satisfied, and... got distracted. Again. So far I haven't come back to it. But hey, no monthly fee, so it'll wait.
Civilization III:
I actually wanted to play Civ 4 (which performed like a dog on my old box) but I could only find disk 2. Civ III was handy, so I popped that in instead, and promptly lost track of... about a week. God, these games are horribly addictive. It took me a couple frustrating games to remember my l33t Chieftain-level skills, but I've been playing for half an hour or so every morning, taking over the world. It's fun, and I'm going to try to pace myself.
Ultima Online:
The Invasion of Magincia has totally sucked me back in - my love for UO was cemented years and years ago during the invasion of Trinsic, and this one brings back fond memories. My heretofore-neglected paladin is getting a workout, and I've even gotten around to sorting out some template issues on my crafters. I haven't been logging a ton of hours, but I pop in every other day at least.
Tabula Rasa:
I've been playing TR every night this week, so I'm going to pull a review of that into its own post. Short version: it rocks.
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