Treking through Cryptic’s mmo baby one more time

Sorry I have been away so long boys and girls. With grad school quite possibly starting in the fall for me, this has been an incredibly busy time.

Still I have managed to do some occasional sporadic gaming. My friend Mike has got me back into Star Trek Online, and just recently the 14 day re-enlistment trial had me rolling another toon in my favorite game, possibly of all time: Dark Age of Camelot.

Yet, I have blogged about DAoC quite a bit in the past, so I will save that for another day because I want to start focusing on STO. In STO, being now f2p, for some time, I have a very addicting game, especially if you are a fan of the Trek universe and lore, which I am, and with it, I found a willing playing partner, as Mike seems to be thoroughly addicted to the wonders of it himself.

This was a game I never considered getting back into, mostly because I thought the requirements on my vid card would not support it, and I would have to wait to play it until my computer upgrades, but I was wrong, it runs just fine with default or lowered settings and in windowed mode.

So if you never played STO before, I have to warn you, you may get a thrill when you first see your character traverse through his first starship. I rolled an Andorian (don’t ask me why, always liked that race of Trek aliens) and lacking any imagination whatsover, I called him Jack O’Lantern.

Ensign Lantern first entered the world aboard the U.S.S. Summers (named after a certain heroine of fiction who slayed vamps like no other) and he single handedly defended the vessel against a Borg attack!

Star trek Online's opening mission is a satisfying thrill

Yes I did have a nerdgasm when I walked onto the bridge, and seeing that Borg cube on the viewscreen. Apparently in this version of the Trek universe, the Klingons are at war with the federation and the Borg have redeployed themselves, and it’s some new strand of Borg clone, don’t ask me, I was paying more attention to the pretty visuals than to the storyline.

And so I was having a lot of fun, until low and behold, there was space combat! Yet it was time to take over as acting captain of the U.S.S. Summers, under a full blown Borg attack and defend her against the scourge of the galaxy. This is where at first the fun slowed to a crawl, because space combat and maneuvering of your vessel takes some practice, it’s not something you easily pick up. well it might be something you easily pick up, but I was pretty baffled by it at first.

Somehow, I managed to get through the combat tutorial, just as I was starting to get frustrated over the fact I kept overshooting asteroids on my way to rendevouz with another of stafleet’s finest.

Oh I should probably mention that in this game, you go up in rank as you experience and as you do and play the game more, you build together a crew, so after the first mission I got my very first crewmember, whom I named Lil bit in honor of Buffy’s little sis. Her full name was Dawn Bratty, but ‘lil bit for short. I think I will just keep giving my characters Buffy allusions, because it’s a fun little game within the game I like to play. Hey don’t judge me, could have been worse, I could have picked more arcane nomenclatures. But I digress…

I recall the knock on this game upon release a few years back was the lack of a Klingon campaign and the lack of any enjoyable quests. That and the fact it didn’t feel like Star Trek. I don’t really know what people meant by that, this game sure feels like Trek to me, right down to the technical babble and iconic imagery, though I read that there have been many changes, additions and improvements since launch.

It sure does feel like this game has been improved. I had a lot of fun playing, will I be going where a lot of players have gone before for the long term? Well, I don’t see this game becoming my main mmorpg or even main game of choice, but I do feel it has staying power.  A quality no one could ever accuse Trek of lacking.

Your turn: Do you play STO? If so what are it’s best features? What are the most fun classes to play and why?

What can the developers do to improve the game if anything? Why haven’t I ran into commander Data yet?

It sure looks peaceful from this perspective, but trust me there was a full blown battle with the Borg raging in the background.

Holy Smokes, Tobold is not blogging about mmorpgs Batman!!

Tobold was until recently, the wizard of mmorpg commentary, but it appears our friend is branching out

While doing some research the other night on D&D, I found out the shocking news that Tobold is no longer blogging about mmorpgs exclusively.

Who is Tobold you might say? If you read my blog, or any blog about mmorpgs for that matter, then you don’t have to ask that question, but if you don’t, just go ahead and google the word combo: mmorpg+blog. What is the first entry you see? Tobold’s blog!

Except he is no longer blogging about electronic gaming as much, he’s almost exclusively devoted his blog to other topics, chief among them his experiences with D&D as a GM.

I find that a rather natural extenti0n given the RPG in the mmorpg acronym stands for role playing game, and everyone knows that D&D was the first paper and pen role playing game, well if not the first, the most revolutionary.

Even more surprising are the reasons expounded by Tobold for the change: He may not be completely bored with mmorpgs, I am sure he will still play them occasionally, but in his own words, “a AAA+ MMORPG of 2011/2012 plays pretty much exactly as one 5 years ago, and that most of the changes in the last 5 years have been cosmetic. And thus I am increasingly losing interest.”

I have to say that I know where he is coming from, though the timing seems to be coincidental, you see, I have been gravitating back toward paper and pen D&D myself of late, partly because I am trying to get back into creative writing, and I have some propensity towards the fantasy genre, but also because I love DDO and I want to learn more about the Stormreach setting specifically and D&D campaign settings in general.

Cryptic may take quite some time to reveal their new D&D mmo based on Neverwinter Nights, but there is no doubt that I would play both D&D based mmorpgs.

Just this past weekend, I was discussing with a friend the inherent advantages and joys of a face to face campaign over the more limiting grouping and PUG runs common in wow and other mmos. Though some family obligations prevented me from attending my last group session in Pasadena, I plan to be there early next month and I look forward to supplementing my DDO online time with some over the board, pen and paper gaming.

Lately I have been playing a lot of wow myself, but apart from leveling my undead mage to level 30, queuing for random Dungeon PUG runs and exploring new zones, wow feels like a solo RPG to me and I am not sure i will put the effort to max level, unless I start having more fun in the game.

So Tobold, good for you for following your passion. From what I have read, you are putting a lot of time and effort into crafting your campaign settings and adapting 4E mechanics into your own campaigns. I give you kudos for doing what you love and having fun while doing so. Isn’t that what gaming is all about anyhow???

Azeroth exodus has been greatly exaggerated

The title of this post refers to the fact a big deal has been made in the blogosphere about wow’s subscription numbers being down, especially with the documented early success of newer mmorpgs like SWTOR.

I have not really had much time to venture into Azeroth, save the occasional weeknight and weekend dungeon runs with the PUGs. GRE and grad school preparations have really robbed me from my free time away from work, but I have managed to get Gannisper the fire mage to level 24, mostly through queuing into dungeons and doing the occasional quest.

My original plan was to join a guild in the Sisters of Elune server, primarily a role playing server and not my usual PvP, because it sounded like a fun endeavor, but alas, that has not come to pass.

Those who write that wow is dead, or dying have not visited Ogrimmar or any capital city lately, where I see most of the players. Yet, since I don’t have as much time to quest, running through dungeons has been most of my interaction with other folks in Azeroth, and I get a bit bored of it often, so I do it very sporadically.

Once in a while it is fun, because coordinating the groups takes communication, otherwise players risk getting kicked for capricious reasons.

Earlier today, I also logged back into EQ2. EQ2 was a very frustrating experience, given the fact it is hard to group in that game without a level capped toon, but I found some levity out of traveling to various parts of Norrath via the “world bell” network and staying within zones that are appropriate for my level. I made the mistake of venturing out to unknown territory and kept getting killed by mobs for my troubles.

I have DDO on reserve as my third mmo of choice, but that game is so entrenched in its own idiosyncrasies and unique elements, it is less of a grind than EQ2, but it means I have to be in the D&D mind frame and mood to play it.  What’s next?

Running through a random dungeon and taking down the big boss.

I plan to be playing Stark Trek Online come early March, by that time I should have sent off all my paperwork and made all my grad school preparation, so the summer may be one full of mmo goodness for me. What are the rest of you all up to???

DDO game advantages

my 16th level dwarf Guardian in LOTRO

The other night I found out my ancient laptop can run LOTRO. I was excited over the possibilities of getting back into Turbine’s other game and doing some skirmishes with my tank.

I logged on to the LOTRO Imladris server and there he was, smiling back at me, my level 16 dwarf Guardian, still decked out in the gear I put him in some 7 months ago.

LOTRO suffers the same ailment as DDO though, a considerable lack of PvP. There is some PVP, there’s the whole monster system, but you have to pay to get into that, and frankly, there are too many free mmorpgs I have yet to check out. That is probably the main reason I got bored and stopped playing LOTRO, though I was surprised to find that it had been more than six months since I played! Now I gotta find a new guild

Speaking of free mmorpgs, I have not been playing DDO as much, not because I don’t like the game but because work and my recent preparations to get into grad school have sapped most of my free time, except for nights.

I have been kicking around the idea of getting back into wow, because my co-worker plays it, and frankly it would be fun to run dungeons with him.

Here are some advantages that DDO has over wow in case anyone is on the fence about them:

• DDO is free, wow is subscription based. Not a big deal since wow is still pretty reasonably priced and could go the f2p route one day
• DDO has hirelings you can buy which help you in some quests, even if you solo them, clerics for example, cleric hirelings are excellent healers
• DDO has unique elements to it like shrines and also allows duel specking of classes.
• DDO is way easy to group with folks, you can find a random PUG, it is designed to be played in parties
• DDO resembles the 3.5 pen and paper version of the game, while the upcoming Neverwinter game is said to be based on 4E rules
• DDO for the most part has helpful folks and a thriving community. Wow has people who like to raid but can be annoying to group with.

This Saturday I am going to a meeting of the Pasadena D&D meet club. Should be a blast to dust off the old books and play some 4E D&D

The community woes in Everquest 2

Everquest's freeport has been revamped for f2p enjoyment

The other night I went back to playing EQ2 and my character dinged level 12. It dawned on me that I probably won’t be playing this game much, at least for awhile. While I think it is a good game, I am not sure about the community, and it is still really hard to find groups at a lower level. I was questing and trying to level and I got asked to join a party. I gladly accepted the invite because of late it seems that I have been mostly playing solo. I was asked to help with a quest, so I did.

Then, when I asked if in turn the person help me with my quest I got the response I expected: Just go ahead and finish your quest and I will meet you after.

A bit later I was asked to help with another quest, but I learned my lesson I just stood there as I watched the player get punked.

He was screaming, “Why aren’t you helping me? You are allowed to help.”

I did, eventually with some last shots but not before I was called a jerk for my troubles. Who needs it?

If I want to play a solo game, I may as well play DDO with some  hirelings, would be just as fun, probably more, given there is a strong possibility I could join a PUG. Dark Age of Camelot is a better game than EQ2, but it is strictly a pvp affair, and I like my games to have some more variety and reason to log on other than strict pvp pwning action (not that that option isn’t fun, which it very much is)

I also downloaded Nexon’s game “Dragon’s Nest” because I read it was a very dynamic game, I actually played through the tutorial and I am not sure that I can stick with it very long, the cutesy graphics are something to get used to.

What mmorpgs other than SWTOR are you guys playing??

Massive Online Gamer’s Jason Winter interview part 2

the new defunct Massive Online Gamer Magazine

As promised, today I bring you Part 2 of my interview with former Massive Online Gamer Editor in Chief Jason Winter. Enjoy!

KTG:  MOBAS like League of Legends have really come up this year. I noticed MOG was covering them more and more, even in this last issue you had an article detailing the Dominion map. Are you surprised at all, by the rise in popularity in these types of games? Do you think that they can coincide along the bigger titles like SWTOR and GW2??

JW: A: I think MOBAs are a natural evolutionary path of MMORPGs. And, in fact, we’ve probably all been playing something just like them for years but didn’t realize it. My classic “Rift is a pretty game to sit around waiting for dungeon queues to pop” line from a previous TWIMMO is a part of this
observation, but it applies to many MMORPGs. In my case, I’ve been playing The Lord of the Rings Online since April 2007. That’s 57 months. My main character has been at the level cap for 46 of those months. That’s about 80% of the time he’s existed. And what do you do at level cap? Mostly you form up groups for instances, raids, maybe PvP, etc. You don’t really run around the world doing quests like you did when you were leveling. Yes, you can do some socializing, and a little crafting and miscellaneous activities, but if you want to advance your character, the best way to do it, in most cases, is to form up a group and hit a dungeon.

What do you do in a MOBA? Queue up for “PvP instances,” basically. MOBAs are just PvP MMOs without the questing and (in some form) leveling. Take a look at Guild Wars, where you could make a max-level character just to do PvP right out of the gate. How’s that different from a MOBA? So many people rush to level cap these days to do endgame anyway, and there’s really no difference between doing that and just starting out in a MOBA. And that 46/57 months thing takes into account that I’m a notoriously slow leveler

Now, I’m hopeful that games like GW2 will, as ArenaNet claims, make the endgame the whole game, and that you’ll still be incentivised to run around the world and not just sit around cities queueing up for dungeons. As much as people say GW1 wasn’t a true MMORPG, it might be that most non-GW2 are more MOBA than MMORPG, which is kinda ironic.

KTG: What are you going to miss most, would you say, about working with the staff of Beckett’s Online Massive Gamer magazine??
JW: Ping pong. That is all.

KTG:  I was somewhat surprised to see that your editorial staff chose GW2 as the top mmo of 2012 and beyond, what gives GW2 an edge over other games in your opinion, considering that was a list which includes so many great games like “The Secret World” and “Everquest Next” just to name a few?

JW: We actually had a formula that took a few factors into consideration and GW2 had the best “numbers.” That’s the short answer. The somewhat-longer answer is like what I referred to earlier, that I think ArenaNet and GW2 “get” that people are looking for something different, and they’re not just going to deliver something different for the sake of being different – they’re doing it because it’s actually better, at least in theory. Funcom’s sort-of got that with The Secret World, too, doing away with leveling (which, as referred to above, is something you won’t be doing with your character 80% or more of the time anyway). Honestly, we just don’t know enough about EQNext to give it super-high marks, but the brand name itself was worth a few points.

KTG:  Since this blog (killthegoblinsavetheworld) is mostly about retro-mmo games, what mmo do you think fans would benefit from being resurrected or redone for a modern audience in your opinion and why?

JW: A: Retro games? You mean like Star Wars: Galaxies?
It’s only sorta retro, being just a few years old, but I thought Auto Assault was a great premise. As an old Car Wars fan, I loved the idea, but the problem was that NCSoft made it “too MMO-like.” Meaning that instead of making it a game about cars with guns, they made it an MMO, with DPS, healers, support, tanks, etc., but instead of people, you had cars. In other words, it was the same as anything else out there.

I’d like an MMO of vehicular combat that you could tweak and min/max to your heart’s content. Want more speed? You’ll have to shed some armor or weapons. Want bigger guns? OK, but you won’t be as fast. And so on. Come on, Steve Jackson, you know you want to do this!

KTG: Yea that would be great! I was a fan of the Car Wars pen and paper game too. OK so the big question on a lot of people’s minds, Wow: the king of them all, at least for now. What are your thought’s on Blizzard’s behemoth and its future and its impact in the mmo game industry? Do you think SWTOR can have lasting power to topple it from the mmo throne, or do you think it will fizzle out like many shiny new mmos before it?

JW: Something a lot of people have said, and that I agree with, is that “The only thing that will kill WoW is WoW.” A new game, whether it’s SWTOR or GW2 or TSW or EQN isn’t going to “kill” WoW, not directly at least. Like I said, gamers are looking for something more in their MMOs than… uh, well, “kill the goblins and save the world.” If newer games rewrite this paradigm and steal some players from WoW, that won’t be the real impact of their success. Rather, players will look at what those games are doing and think, “I like WoW, but why can’t it be more like this game?” If Blizzard can’t adjust its game to be more in line with these newer offerings, then who really “killed” WoW? Some other game for “stealing” WoW’s players or Blizzard for not changing WoW to meet the needs and wants of its players?

That’s it guys! I want to than Jason once again for taking the time out of his busy schedule to speak to me and hope to bring you more interviews from some of the big guns in the industry in the future. Pick up a copy of the Mar/April edition of Massive Online Magazine, it will be the last but it should still be out on stands now.

Former Editor of Massive Online Gamer interview

Jason Winter a regular at TWIMMO and Game Breaker.TV

Today I have a special treat for you guys!  Part One of an exclusive Q&A interview with Jason Winter. Some of you who tune into the TWIMMO show over at Gamebreaker.tv may be familiar with Jason’s work, as he is a regular on that website. Jason is also the former editor of Beckett Massive Online Gamer.

So sit back, chill and spend some time with us, as we get Jason’s take on many mmo related topics!

KTG: We were all pretty shocked to hear that the Mar/April edition of Massive Online gamer was gonna  be its last, were you surprised by Beckett’s decision to stop printing the magazine or were you prepared, did you see some sort of writing on the wall??

JW: It wasn’t that big of a shock. Without getting into too many details, I could tell from the numbers – magazine sales, subscriptions, and ad revenue – that we were not in the best of places, and I’d been making a few small inquiries about job opportunities elsewhere for a while. That it finally happened, and that it was as sudden as it was, did jolt me a little bit – after I got the news, I just went home for the rest of the afternoon – but I’m grateful that Beckett kept me on for as long as they did and I really do miss some of the people I worked with. Emphasis on “some.”

KTG: What were some of the highlights of working and editing MOG for the past six years, and conversely what were some of the low points, if any?? (NOTE: Jason Informed me he was not editor for the entire six year run of the magazine, as he became involved with the magazine in mid-2008 as a freelance writer. Then in Sept. 2009, he was promoted to Associate Editor and moved to the Beckett offices in Dallas in January 2010, becoming full Editor of the magazine in August of that year.)

JW: What I really loved the most about it had to be when we’d get props from our readers. It really meant something to have someone take the time out to let you know what they thought about your work, especially when it was something I worked on personally. If you like anything you read, whether it’s on a website, magazine, over Twitter or Facebook, take a moment to let the creator know how you feel, or even just chat or leave comments. He or she will really appreciate it, trust me. Oh, and I had a great time when Sony Online Entertainment  flew me (and other press) out to Vegas for Fan Faire this last year. Hey, I didn’t get that many perks, and that was a good one, even if I did totally flub the indoor skydiving.
As for the low points… well, let’s just say I do a little happy dance at 10:00 a.m. every Wednesday morning and leave it at that. A few people will get that.

KTG: What are some trends in the mmorpg industry over the span of editing and working in the magazine and website for the past few years that surprised, came out of left field maybe, or excited you about the future of the business?

JW: Even to just take the last 2-3 years into account, I’m surprised at how quickly players (and even I) have started to grouse about the “accepted” structure of an MMORPG: talk to a quest giver, get quest to kill/collect 10 whatevers, go back, rinse and repeat, quest up to max level, do endgame instances, and so on. Even more than the rise of F2P, I think this is what we’ll look back on as being the defining paradigm shift in the genre for years to come. We haven’t really had a big, shiny, mass-market game that breaks these conventions, not since WoW and its ilk hit the scene, but with games like Guild Wars 2 and The Secret World coming up, I think a lot of the “old guard” could be in for a shock. And if you’re developing a new MMO right now, you’d damn well better take that into account.

KTG: Maybe you have touched upon this in other places, but where do you stand on the whole f2p vs. p2p debate?

JW: It’s funny, but back when I first heard of the concept of an MMO, about 10 years ago, I thought it was stupid. “I have to buy a $50 game and then pay more to play it?” It was like if I bought Dungeons & Dragons books and then a representative from Wizards of the Coast came to my home every time I wanted to play and demanded a few bucks from me and my friends. It seemed to me that the money was in the subscriptions and continuing profits, not the box sales, so I thought MMO boxes should be very cheap – $15-$20 or so – or even free, and then you could charge up the hoozit for subscriptions.

OK, so I won’t say I saw all of this coming, but I thought it was the best model for the industry a while back. That said, there are, I think, three levels of F2P.  No. 1: “Everything in the cash shop is available in game (with reasonable effort – i.e., not taking 50 hours to grind for something I could buy for $3)”; No. 2: “Everything stat-related in the cash shop is available in game (some cosmetics, mounts, and other nonessentials are cash-shop-exclusive)”; and  No. 3: “Stat-related items that are better than what you can earn in-game are available only in the cash shop.”

I’m fine with #1 and #2. #3… not so much.

I get the notion of “It’s their game, they can run it however they want.” That’s true. And then it’s my right as a consumer to not play/but it. Obviously, enough people are OK with it that companies like Bigpoint can do business, and that’s fine. A new game that launches and wants to use system #3 is likely to meet with less criticism than a P2P game that switches to a #2 or #3 model. When you’re used to getting everything possible for your subscription fee, and that changes, it’s jarring, and we’re naturally predisposed to assume that the company is making the switch to increase its profits by squeezing more money out of its customers.

I spent a lot of time in the trading-card-game industry before coming to Beckett, and there are a lot of  similarities between TCGs and MMOs. In effect, TCGs are P2P PvP MMOs with cash shops – the more you spend (on things that can only be obtained by spending money), the better your chance of winning. Yes, a good player with less money can beat a bad player with more money, but if skill (and luck) is equal, a player with $1,000 worth of cards will beat a player with $100 worth of cards 99 times out of 100.

I got out of TCGs in part because I didn’t want to feel like the only way to get good was to spend more. That’s part of what drew me to MMOs, the fact that I could pay my $15 a month and be just as good as anyone, that money had been taken out of the equation. There aren’t that many TCGs any more, not nearly as many as there were 10-15 years ago, and part of the reason is because other people came to this same conclusion and didn’t want to feel like they had to invest their savings in a game to become proficient at it. I’m hopeful that MMOs don’t go along the same path.

And I know that a common argument is “Well, if you only PvE, what do you care if someone spends a bunch on the cash shop? It’s not affecting you.” Maybe, maybe not. If developers start gearing their toughest content to only be doable by people who have spent a bunch in the cash shop – likely because those who do spend money on exclusive items complain in the forums, etc. about the top-level content being “too easy” – then it becomes more difficult, or nigh impossible, for players without those exclusive items to complete it, those players lose interest, and the game suffers. It’s the old adage of 20% of the people making 80% of the noise, and developers need to make sure they’re not letting their “whales” dictate the direction of the game for everyone.

That is all for now guys, check back tomorrow for part 2 of our talk with Jason, and I want to thank Jason in advance for taking time out of his busy week to chat!

Exploring pvp and pve in Norrath’s Nagafen server

My EQ2 main is a caster

It was with some regret that I pushed the cancel subscription button for my DAoC sub on the Mythic webpage last night. Don’t get me wrong. I had a ton of fun playing the last couple of weeks, but honestly I am not going to pay $15 a month for a game, when so many great games are now f2p. DAoC has an atmosphere and a retro feel that is really unique and worth the money, but I realize that unless I plan to engage in pvp and RvR as my exclusive in game activity, then that is not the way to go considering a whole open world goes untouched in the game, since the pvp is so engaging, nobody really quests as much or crafts, or whatever else goes into mmo playing when you’re not engaged in pvp or RvR.

I may yet reconsider my decision in the near future and go back to playing DAoC, but for the time being I will stick to other games. I logged on to EQ2 again last night for only the second time since the year began and had some fun playing it. This is maybe because my level 7 Barbarian Warlock is in a new starting zone than my old character and I have yet to get bored of it. Within minutes I had joined a guild, but the real test will come at the higher levels, your 30s and 40s, if I get that far, because that is when the pvp is most active. I am now a proud member of the “Don’t taze me bro” guild on the Nagafen server.

I fear that with an old game like Everquest 2, the dungeon finder tool may not be as helpful as the one in wow, given that opportunities to adventure with a PUG are rare, and raiding doesn’t even take place until end game at 90 in Eq2!

League Of Legends

LOL is the other game I bounce into and out of from time to time, as you know if you have read this blog in the past, given the fact that it is also f2p, and it’s less of a time sink that mmorpgs, it is perfect for a fellow like me who has to work and doesn’t always have the chance to game on a nightly basis. Riot Games announced this week that with the latest patch some changes are going to be implemented in respect mainly to dodge.

Dodge is being removed as a global stat for League of Legends.

-According to the devs, this will impact those who play Jax as a champion. Jax will be getting a unique, short duration 100 percent dodge ability.

-This also means Jax, Ninja Tabi, and Sword of the Divine are all up for review, as well as updates to Riven

I will keep you guys informed of any further nerfs, or you can just check out the LOL website for more info.

D&D to be revamped by Wizards of the Coast and players

Well, the news came in on Monday that Wizards of the Coast, the makers of the legendary table top game Dungeons and Dragons are going to be making a new edition, this comes in the wake of controversy surrounding the 4E rule set introduced in 2008.

Has it really been that long? It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that I was looking up 4E and the supplementary materials which Wizards of the Coast made available, including a revamped Player’s Guide, Dungeon Masters Guide and Monster manual. Many supplements soon followed.

For many gamers, myself included, D&D holds a special place in their hearts, it being the precursor to most modern day video games and RPGs. Without Gygax’s baby, we would not have the innovations which we got and we certainly would not have as much creativity in the development of every other game which followed. Despite its checkered history and society’s branding of D&D players as social pariahs, nerds, or whatever else, the influence of this game in gaming and in pop culture cannot be overstated.

Therefore, it was with great skepticism, some trepidation and even heightened interest in which I received the news about the proposed changes. The most significant development as you may know by now, will be the greater involvement of players in the development of the new rules. It will be interesting to see if Wizards of the Coast further muddle the waters by ruining the game, or if the intended purpose comes to pass and we get a more unified table top gaming experience: I guess only time will tell.

In the interim, I will continue to play DDO. The other day my warforged Barbarian dinged level 5, which is quite an accomplishment given I have not really put in a lot of time in the world of Stormreach, something I aim to change in 2012. I am reading the D&D novel “The Shard Axe” in hopes of inspiring my imagination and my writing, but you can read more about that on the DDO link on this site. Enjoy!

Top 5 gaming and geeky things of the year that was 2011

Thanks to MMO Gamer Chick, I was inspired to sneak this list in before the year goes into full swing. I know I am even later than she was in posting this, but it is still barely a week in, so here we go.

This is a crazy enough list, considering my system sucks and I never had either the motivation, time, or cash to upgrade my gaming gear. Thus, retro- mmo gaming was more a necessity for me, and you know that is the mother of innovation, or some nonsense. Okay on with the list.

The five geeky gaming things which brought joy to my heart in the year 2011:

Dark Age Of Camelot

The one and only game for PvP and the game which invented RvR was one of my hands down favorite retro-games of 2011, which is ironic given it was released back in 2001, though it is still immensely popular in some circles. Granted, players have long moved on to other mmorpgs, and even I acknowledge that there is a certain feeling of nostalgia associated with DAoC, more than a sense of a thriving community like one may find in newer games like say RIFT, or SWTOR. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of fun to be had in old Camelot, especially for those of us who discovered it for the first time recently. Mythic Entertainment’s  first attempt at an mmo is still their best IMHO, and is considered by many to be tops in pvp. For Midgard!!

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 4E

 In 2011 I resolved to get back to the geeky table top game of my youth. While I never fully bought into the stereotype associated with the AD&D pen and paper game, my affinity for Turbine’s DDO mmo got me interested once more into D&D racial powers and finding out more about my Warforged character. This by extension led to my exploring the table top game once more. Wizards of the Coast has reinvented AD&D, and for better or worse, more people are finding their way back into table top gaming, with D&D back in the forefront of our imaginations. I traveled to my local game center in Pasadena a few times a year to take part in some campaigns, and with any luck, my table top gaming will be more consistent in 2012.

Felicia Day’s “Dragon Age Redemption” “The Guild” and “Pure Pwnage”

For me 2011 was the year of web programming. Network TV? Who has time for that now? With the exception of geek TV favorites “The Big Bang Theory” and watching sporting events, I hardly turn the damn thing on. I read an article stating that Americans now on average spend more time online than watching TV and I can believe it because that trend rings true in our household. It stands to reason then that my favorite programs are on the web, and most of the ones I like best are related to gaming somehow. From Gamebreaker TV, to most of the stuff on G4tv.com like the MMO Report, the internet is rich in web originals. My favorites are by Buffy alumn and internet star Felicia Day. Most web geeks will be familiar with Day’s web program “The Guild” and if you read my blog regularly, you know that I have been a fan from the beginning. This year, Felicia also starred in a web exclusive series based on Bioware’s Dragon Age series of games. Man was that a fantastic, albeit short series! Last but not least, I discovered this year the exploits of the Canadian show Pure Pwnage. At first glance, the show seems like a stereotyped strings of cliches about gamers, but the main character played by talented actor Jarrett Cale really sells it, you really get into the head of Jeremy, whose sole goal in life is to become “pro” and to pwn noobs. What’s not to love??

Beccket’s Massive Online Gamer- 

A long time ago I used to read PC Gamer magazine almost religiously, and still read it from time to time, but no other periodical topped Massive Online Gamer in coverage of my favorite gaming genre. Editor Jason Winter  and cohorts did a great job on a bimonthly schedule of bringing a plethora of mmorpg related news, more than any other publication on the stands. Sadly, I heard the upcoming Mar/April issue will be the magazine’s last, which is a real shame. I feel outside of the blogosphere, MOG had no parallel in terms of covering our favorite genre, albeit being a bit late on breaking stuff due to publication schedules and the nature of the web. A pity that it is fading from the scene because reportedly they did not have enough people reading it on a regular basis. I don’t know how I am going to replace it in 2012.

Youtube-

This may seem like an odd choice to include, but when I think about it, youbute, more than any other medium, kept me entertained and informed. It boasts of a vast, almost endless repository of gaming information right at our fingertips. Whether it was delighting in Boogie 2988’s funny transformations to Francis and other characters, looking for virtual guides on how to craft and travel in DAoC, or information on upcoming betas, Blizzcon, or community gripes, gamebreaker TV rants on wow patches and more, Youtube is a joy to peruse and a gamer’s endless source of fun and joy.