Limited Time

My 5 month old has the flu. With older kids you just ride it out, but with babies, you have to monitor them closely in case they need hospitalization. So I’m splitting time at night with my wife, and dragging during the day. Bear with me…

Batter Up! Eve Splitter Incoming…

So I’ve been trying to decide whether to keep my pre-Apocrypha trial character or my post-Apocrypha one. 

First things first:  While most of the Apoc NPE changes were outstanding, overall it was a step backwards.  Putting the three tutorial mission arcs in one place was a good move for players to really have a chance to get their feet under them, as was the remaps, and extending characters free skill books for basic skills by completing tutorials.  Even changing the character background choices to have no impact was good because  it opens up the RP possibilities as your race and ancestry no long determine your particular attribute line up (Or at least, they did not for my new character, who started even across the board with 8’s and 9’s).  All of these were understandable.

What was not understandable was rolling back the starting skill count.  The offered reason was to help players ease into the game by giving them a less bewildering array of starting skills.  Of course the Dev announcing this fumbled by making a joke about not needing skill X since it was for action Y that only advanced players needed, only to have that do a 180 into his face like a Little Leaguer spitting Big League Chew upwind out the cheese wagon window on the highway.  Because skill X was in fact, not at all tied to action Y.  Strike 1, CCP!

Then CCP offers up that the drop in skills will be countered by a special speed boost that will allow skills to be trained at double speed until 1.6m SP.  Players point out that this is still slower than starting noobs with some basic learning skills to cut time down, as they had been doing before.  Strike 2, CCP.

Fawning fanboys quickly pull out their EVE calculators, and note that within certain parameters, players in both the old and new NPE will hit 1.6m SP within roughly the same time period.  CCP Devs rejoice that they have been bailed out, while astute players notice that CCP, who should have had that calculated from the get go, clearly had no idea that this was the case.  Strike 3…you’re out!

The bottom line is that this was not done for new players coming into the game.  I know this because I am that target audience, and it hindered my game experience!  Want to be Caldari?  Better learn the market early, because you will have a missle frigate, and guess what is not included in your 200k  50k(!) SP start up kit.  Want to be Gallente?  Better learng the market early, because every ship you get will rely in part on drone warfare, and guess what is not included in  your 200k 50k(!) SP start up kit.  Even more ridiculous?  The new tutorials, which supposedly hand out skill books to help make up that huge SP difference to start with, do not give out skill books for either of the above skills!  In fact, to even do the drone tutorial, one must first purchase the related skills and drones, fit them out, and only then can you even attempt the tutorial!

So its pretty clear that these chances were not meant for new players, or that if they were, the mark was missed.  Instead, it seems clear that CCP was addressing a different problem, as several other players pointed out: making alts and alt hopping less of a viable option by crippling these characters out of the gate.

What disease is it that makes game developers lie when they should tell the truth, and tell the truth when they should lie?

It’s like watching Roger Clemens desperately try to deny his steroid use – sometimes funny, sometimes angering, and mostly just downright sad.

So anyway, long story short, I can have a character with:

A) 950k SP (including 4 learning skills at 3+, and 2 skills at 5), 1.2m ISK, and 1 remap.

OR

B) 420k SP (including no learning skills, and no skills at 5), 5.6m ISK, and 2 remaps.

(Remember, they both have the 2x speed skill multiplier, since they are both under 1.6m SP.  And remember too, if I want anything other than balanced skills, I have to use 1 remap immediately on character B).

I’m leaning towards A pretty heavily, especially if I can find someone to hold the ISK on B before my trial time ends in 4 days or so…and even if I can’t, I still have 2 tutorial arcs on A, which is another 2+m ISK easy.

Pinch hitter time, which do you choose?

Found 'em! Does this mean I'm less of a noob now?

EVE has a new player.

I'm so noob, I even screwed up the screenshots!

Seriously, I took tons of screenshots last night, and I have no idea where they are.  I assumed EVE would have its own folder for that kind of stuff, and I went to dig them out…but nope.  Suggestions welcome (you’ll probably hear that alot in my EVE posts).

But I’ve been having fun.  In truth I did it on a whim, in part because I’ve enjoyed reading The Ancient Gaming Noob’s posts about the game.  But I’ve been reading those for probably a year now.  I just got the itch one night to see how it worked.  I enjoyed PotBS, especially because it gave me a twitch to try my hand in virtual business, and EVE seemed like it was that, only alot more.  And it is.

I was fortunate.  I did a trial account just before Apocrypha, and then started a second one just after it landed.  The result is that I have gotten to see, in close order, both NPE’s.  And quite frankly, I prefer the former, even though that may not be the character I activate in the next week or so, when my second trial runs out. 

And in fact, I think the NPE will be a whole seperate post.  Mostly I want to say that the game in general has been alot of fun.  Taking the grind offline through the skill system has been a refreshing change of pace.  I’m free to set my own goals, achieve my own rewards, and I like that alot more than I thought I would.  Apparently I’m a “sandbox” kinda guy.

Current short term goal:  get the  cash and gear together to kit out an Arbitrator cruiser, and to run through the Epic mission arc.  Those two things may go hand in hand, though so far I’ve been able to pull in a million ISK a day between missions and the odd mining run in my tricked out Tormentor, “Dirty Business.”  Three x Expanded Cargo Hold ftw.

Long term goal: Upgrading the Arbitrator to a  T2 Curse class recon ship, which just looks like a lot of fun to play, between the transfers and being a drone carrier, and owning a Megathron (maybe Kronos, maybe Navy Issue, don’t know enough yet to have that nailed down).

Super long term goal:  Since I first heard about them being in the game last year, I have drooled over the possiblity of being a carrier pilot, launching waves of fighters.  Its been kind of a sci fi fantasy of mine outside of EVE too.  I spent plenty of time in MOO2 and GCII designing carrier-type spacecraft.  And I have no idea why, its just plain  *COOL* to me.

But that would probably mean some PvP stuff, and I mostly see myself being a mission runner and business type.

My first trial account I went Gallente, given my love of all things carrier, and their extensive use of drones.  But the second time, I went Amarr, and I’ve liked it better all around.  Visually I dig the ships more, they have the best drone carrier around south of a battleship (the Arbitrator mentioned above), and the tendency to be armor heavy is helpful given the amount of mistakes I’ll be making as a new player.  RP wise, I’d prefer the Gallante, but the Amarr aren’t bad for character hooks either.

Some random questions I still have:

1) Is there a way to look at the market for a particular station remotely?  Alot of times I will decide to sell something a system away, and it would be nice to have a short cut to seeing what other items would see better there, as opposed to just right clicking and skimming each of them individually.

2) When I go to upgrade my acount, should I pay the $20 online, or buy the $40 box?  And if I buy the box, should I convert one of the two months to a PLEX to get a good upfront cash infusion for my character?

3) Since carrier are a ways out, I’m going to be a drone guy for awhile.  Any drone tips or warnings?

4) Should I apply to EVE University?  Seems like a good starter corp for noobs like me.

And of course any other good advice you have, pass it my way.

And I’ll try to do a better job with the screenshots…

So if you get a chance, wave hello to Verhoff, son of some Wealthy Commoners in Amarr hi-sec space.

Current Mission Vessel:  Punisher

Current Mining Vessel: Tormentor

I Miss The Grouchy Gamer )-:

Can  I say that? I’ve been trying to be more spontaneous in my posting, and quite frankly that’s whats on my mind as I scan my usual reads this morning.

I know he’s been trying to catch up recently, according to his website, and has been through alot in the last couple of months.  But I just needed to say it out loud, because its been a month or so since the last one. 

Thank you Grouchy Gamer, for all the fantastic posts, and I hope you are reloading and refitting for another run.

Now I don’t know the Grouchy Gamer, I don’t even know his name, though I know he sometimes goes by Genda and once gave me a hard time for my love of hard rock music on the CoW’s forums (I wanted Hed PE’s “Suffa” for the guild’s warsong, he wanted something…less earbleeding.  Not surprising given his particular idiom, lol ).

But though I don’t know him, I do enjoy his posts, and I have been missing them.  So, yeah, that’s about all I have to say on that.

[This is where I'd insert my catchy "signing off" phrase, if I had one.]

Things I Won’t Put Up With

1) Having to have multiple accounts to play the game.

Reasons this occurs:  low population, leveling ramp = leveling ziggurat.

Worst offenders:  Shadowbane

 

2) VOIP metagaming

Reasons this occurs: when PvP is designed on PvE models.

Worst offenders:  WAR

 

3) Class/Race power imbalances

Reason this occurs:  shoddy design, favoritism

Worst offenders:  WoW

 

4) Not listening and/or lying to the players.

Reasons this occurs:  power trips, desperation to find a new audience

Worst offender:  Probably SWG, but since I missed that little debacle it would be a tie between Vanguard (GU4) and EVE (Apocrypha NPE).

 

Okay well, I put up with all of them for awhile, but all of them are irritating beyond measure, and some in truth *were* game breakers for me – all but #4 actually.  Probably only because if #4 was a game breaker, I wouldn’t be playing any games at all.

The Journey Continues

So yeah, we ended up back in Middle Earth.  Nearly a full year after our last time there – which lasted only a month.  Lotro was not my favorite to be honest, though my chosen character class, the Hunter, fits my playstyle quite well.

Last time in Middle Earth, I loved the storyline that really helped progress you from area to area smoothly.  I really enjoyed crafting, though I ended up not doing farming/cooking, which is my usual favorite in MMO’s.  My mother in law once asked a farming related question, which I answered with my usual charm, adding only “but I’m not really a farmer, I just play one in a game.”  My mother in law, well aware of my gaming habits, actually chuckled a little at that one.  I think I skipped it in Lotro because I never did find the starting elf farmlands, and I was playing an elf.  Apparently elves don’t farm.

Anyway, I eventually out crafted myself and then realized I would have to wait several levels to catch up, which put a dent in my enthusiasm as well.

Mostly though I loved all the lore, titles, and traits one could acquire.  I have a tendency to wander, not only in my blog posting (and you thought I didn’t know that about myself) but also in games exploring.  And Lotro tends to encourage and reward that.  But ME is not my favorite venue, and though I honor Tolkien as one of the progenitors of fantasy, its kinda like watching Casablanca – on the one hand, its neat to see the seeds that others have drawn on over the years, and on the other hand, you cringe to see the primitive routes of imagination and you automatically superimpose the cheeziness of future failures onto the original. 

And unfortunately, the economy is shot to hell and back, like most mmo’s after the first year or so.  Perhaps my biggest gripe is also the most insignificant in the game, but most irritating from a developmental standpoint: housing.

All the adverts and early indications say that houses are available from level 15 onward.  Given how long it takes to get mounts in most games, it seemed like a dream come true that I might have a place of my own.  But its one of the worst cases of false advertising I’ve seen.  At level 15, there is absolutely no chance of being able to pay for even a simple house, unless perhaps you’ve been doing nothing but playing the insane market, but even then, its freakish because the cost of your abilities, paid out every other level, usually outstrips what you can make via quests and grinding.  So in some sense you are forced to craft just to survive and break even and squirrel a little away – in hopes that one day you might be able to afford that cozy little home.

But I give Turbine props for listening to feedback and revamping the new player experience in the last update.  Making it easier for new players to catch up and enjoy themselves is very important.  When I logged in after the last update and saw the the XP curve had been made a little shallower, and that overnight I had gained 3 levels.  Outside of DAOC, that was the best gift I’ve been given by a developer, as a player, to help enjoy the game more.  It answered a question I put to a fellow player when he was wide eyed in excitement at the last EQ2 update, telling me all about what good stuff there was in it.  He had a level 70+, and I was working on a level 30 at the time.  “That’s great,” I said, “but what of that helps me?”

Even with that though, I’ve had a hard time maintaining my interest.  In part because those fun solo storyline quests are now requiring a full group to complete, and those are scarce as hen’s teeth in the game.  And for the simple fact that I did something rash and completely unlike me.  I spontaneously downloaded a game trial.  For a game I never thought I would enjoy and thus never tried.

Yes, I’ve been playing EVE.  Be scared, be very scared.  My “carebear” days just might be over!

The Virtual Journey, Stop 1: Conan

So yeah, I did Conan for awhile.  I even went beyond my trial month, if you can believe such a thing.

I think there is something about going into a game that you know is broken or not quite complete that makes you much more forgiving of that game.  When I got into Vanguard last year, I was able to get beyond alot of the things that had given so many other people so much grief, because I “knew” what I was getting in to.  Same with AOC.

Sure there was the occasional CTD or freeze up.  And the quest lines even in the starter areas (which are usually the best groomed) were wonked beyond belief (like the three level gap between 8 and 11 that requires some awkward and at times dangerous grinding).  And the leveling process was not what I would call “fast” by any means.   WoW, DAoC, WAR, EQ2, and others I have played all leveled faster than Conan did.  Unless that “fast” moniker was meant only to apply to the higher levels, which as usual I didn’t reach.

But I had fun.  It was nice playing in an “adult” world for a change – which made the game feel somehow more…real.   And I admit it, I did get a twisted thrill from how freaked out my brother got when I was switching around my female character’s armor and ended up topless for a bit.

But mostly I admired the combat model.  It seemed much more interactive than others, and the fatalities were a nice touch.  I wonder if this is not a pathway for future mmo’s to explore a little more.  I’d love to see a more “rock, paper, scissors” approach to mmo combat as opposed to the more widespread “whack a mole” model.  In the end I settled on a Ranger instead of a Demonologist or Necromancer because it seemed a shame to play the game without getting in on the combo system.  And the HoX was a great class model that needs to be explored more.  EVE has passive shield tanking, active shield tanking, and armor tanking, while most fantasy MMO’s just offer armor tanking.  The HoX was the first fantasy forey (sp?) that I know of into the other two realms that EVE has offered for years.  Too bad they keep the Lich flavor to the class, or I would have been sorely tempted to stay longer. 

And the story driven nighttime missions were great as well.  Getting to be the hero of your own little story is always a nice touch and one of the things I appreciated about LotRO.  I don’t think there is anything wrong with such long reaching solo or group quest arcs.  I’d love to see someone weave those things together.  You know, like a storyline for a group about helping out a king, but the court wizard is also giving side objectives  to the mages, while the high priest wants a certain baddy double agent resurrected after the fact without the kings knowledge because of spies, while the approved spy wants the papers in the ringleader’s desk drawer – without the rest of the group knowing you took them, or what their worth was.  But I digress.

In the end I dropped Conan.  Having to grind levels to get my stealth skill high enough to continue a story mission, and similar headaches made me nostalgic for other games.  I decided to quit for a month and come back with one of the games I was itching to go back to.  But which one?  LotRO?  EQ2?  Vanguard? Pirates?  Could  I rustle up enough money in a bum economy for another month or two of a Station Pass?

And then my brother, awol from games as well gave me a call wanting to play again.  And my brother, he’s a story driven guy.  So guess where I landed next?

Where in the World is Harbinger Zero

Well, first off, he got tired of war.

As usual in my gaming experience, I fell behind the ominous “leveling curve.”  Apparently I stop and smell the roses much more often than the average player does.  As a result, I was a Tier behind the COWs in no time flat.  And then further and further behind.

And it was then that I realized that I could play the game one of two ways.  I could PvP with others in the scenarios, and gain level a level a night while pulling my hair out in frustration that even two or three people linked with VOIP could completely dominate a match.  Or, I could PvE with a series of quests that gave XP so slowly that I would gain a level much slower.  While not amassing any worthwhile new gear.  That I would need for PvP.   And have less people to PQ with, meaning just running Ch. 1 of any given PQ over and over and over again to amass the points reward gear.  And fall further behind the guild.

In the end, WAR was a good game.  But it wasn’t my favorite.  I probably would have stuck around a little longer, but my own little gaming group generally speaking was less receptive to the game and moved on to other things.  One friend returned to WoW – and for the reasons that I continue to wonder why other gaming companies do not get.  WoW is the only game that will run on his VidCard-less laptop, and thus the only game he can play during the week while traveling.  Same with lots of people I know – they have a family computer with no VidCard.  If you want to take away WoW’s crown, you’re going to have to tackle that problem.   Anyhoo, my other friend happened to be my brother, and he happened to notice that Target had Conan clearenced for $10. 

Do I need to tell you where this is headed?