Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Gaming Page 16 of 28

The MMO Times: Keep Calm and Game On

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On October 30, 2014

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Happy Halloween!!Issue 111: In the previous issue, if you were paying close attention, you may have noticed the letters “KCGO”. If you paid even closer attention you noticed the footnote that explained what those letters mean – Keep Calm and Game On. It’s a new tag I am trying out for my gaming posts, because if gaming is done right, its calming and everything is about “Keeping Calm” these days.It’s Halloween this week, so if you happen to have little gamers-in-the-making (aka kids) you are probably going out to trick-or-treat which has its own loot rewards. If you don’t have kids, and you’re not out participating in some wild Monster Mash, then you’re probably gaming (because … why not). In any event, I hope all of you have a safe and enjoyable Halloween, and perhaps the following news tidbits will enhance said enjoyment.

World of Speed (a racing game currently in beta) has given us all a glimpse at a car none of us will ever own, but it might make you drool. There is also expansion news for TERA, a milestone for Marvel Heroes and some more Warlords of Draenor expansion tidbits to satiate your WoD yearnings. I’ve also found a couple of non-PC related (and even something non-MMO) posts but they are, nonetheless, just as interesting. KCGO!

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The MMO Times: Blood Moon Eclipse

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On October 13, 2014

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

lunar-eclipse-0814Issue 109: Isn’t that an awesome lunar eclipse. The “Blood Moon”, such an iconic event to happen in the month of October. Yes, fall is upon us and so are many a content patches and expansions. Obviously the gaming companies are gearing up for the Christmas season and the winter months for those that will be sequestered in their homes in the colder regions of the world. Blizzard, Bioware and the other companies are preparing content for your enjoyment while you endure the frigid winter months. Also, BlizzCon is a mere 3 weeks away (which means we are about 4 weeks away from Warlords of Draenor)!

 Speaking of the WoW expansion, the pre-expansion patch will drop October 14th so get your last taste of Brawlers Guild, Challenge Modes and get your Legendary Cloak quests because they will be gone with 6.0.2. So there is some SWTOR and WoW expansion news in this issue, as well as some more details about new content coming for Final Fantasy XIV, Age of Wushu and more.

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The MMO Times: When Titans Fall

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On September 30, 2014

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Titan-Blizzard-01Issue 108: Well, summer is officially over and we welcome the fall of 2014; though it seems bizarre that fall is already upon us. The burning daystar will be in the sky for a shorter period of time over the next several months, however the temperatures will still keep us inside our various hovels. Granted, most of us don’t seem to mind our sequester as it just means “MOAR GAMING!!”

I don’t know if any of you have been trying out ArcheAge, I have downloaded it but I haven’t logged in yet. I hear that there is a nasty queue to endure when you try to log into the game so I guess that has been a pretty big negative about the game. I’ve also heard that once you do get past the queue that the game is pretty fun. Destiny has also launched, I’ve heard it feels like an MMO, I’ve heard otherwise. Is anyone trying it out? What do you think (besides the frustrations of the queue)?

I don’t think I can really beat around the bush that the biggest news to report with this issue is Blizzard’s sudden decision to cancel Titan. It may not be sudden for Blizzard, but it certainly came out of the blue for all of us. Regardless, all the major news hubs have a story regarding the announcement. So I guess then the title of this issue covers both the changing of the season and the biggest announcement. Would you believe me if I told you that wasn’t intentional until after I typed the words in the box? Anyway, lots of Blzzard stuff again (the WoD expansion is about 6 weeks away now), but there is other things to read about too.

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The MMO Times: Mi_ _ _ _ _ft

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On September 17, 2014

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

minecraft-clippyIssue 107: Hello again, gamers!!! A million voices cried out in terror this week when the news officially broke that Microsoft purchased Mojang, the maker of Minecraft. The title comes from this humorous tweet sent out after the purchase was announced. I’m not a Minecraft player, and now the odds are even less likely that I will be. Farewell Minecraft, we knew thee well.  

As summer sadly draws to a close, we will all get ready to spend a few months indoors as the weather becomes colder and colder (and allegedly its supposed to be a pretty cold and snowy winter), although most of us are pretty accustomed to being indoors all day anyway. I think the big news is the launch of ArcheAge  which should be available for everyone this week. I know a few folks who were in the beta and said it was actually pretty good. Are you checking it out?

The next WoW expansion is approaching fast so more news about the upcoming 6.0 expansion pre-patch and expansions details are becoming more available. If you are done with the whole WoW-thing then there are still other things to read about. A familiar face has come to Marvel Heroes, Age of Wushu is giving your toons some companionship, and another title has jumped on the player housing bandwagon (though not very successfully). Have fun pwning the newbs!

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SWTOR: Stronghold Impressions

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On September 16, 2014

In Gaming, SWTOR

my-strongholdSo I have been playing SWTOR with a sub for the past two months to experience the new Strongholds feature added to the game. There seems to be mixed opinions, some say its completely lackluster and a waste of credits (the currency used in SWTOR) others have become completely addicted to customizing their apartment/palace/homestead. As for me … I’m probably pretty close to the latter. I get it why some people dislike it but I wouldn’t say its completely lackluster. Also, its not like you receive any kind of bonus to your character’s stats if you buy a stronghold, its purely cosmetic (and for the minutia addicts … like me). If its not your bag, then don’t spend the money (but I understand that some people just like to be trolls).

When I first tried to figure out how to get my stronghold, I was a little lost but they provide a tutorial for you to follow and all stronghold directories have icons on the fleet maps. They added a strongholds section to both fleets and if you go to one of the planets that has a stronghold, there is a stronghold directory located in the main hanger. You can have up to four strongholds:

  • A Nar Shadaa Palace (which is free – if you signed up during the special back in June/July you got 3 rooms unlocked for free)
  • A Capital City (Coruscant/Dromund Kaas) apartment (which costs 5,000 credits)
  • A Tatooine homestead (which costs 2.5 million credits)

My understanding is that if you are on a Free-2-Play account you can still use strongholds, but you will not be able to buy a Tatooine homestead (as F2P accounts have a credit cap at 350k). You can decorate your stronghold with all your companions, mounts, pets, awards received for completing story lines, etc. I also discovered (while leveling my imperial agent) that decoration items can be rare drops from mobs. You can buy basic decoration items (like couches, beds, lights, rugs, etc) with credits, and the prices aren’t too bad. The more you decorate your stronghold the more you unlock. I haven’t figured out where the first unlock happens (I have reached about 12% on my palace).

Your stronghold is available to all the characters in your legacy. If you have a faction specific apartment, you have to buy a “smuggler’s pass” for your character on the opposing faction. You can invite your friends to your stronghold who can visit any time if you give them a key. I don’t know what giving your friends a key grants you (as I don’t have any friends to give a key to). I think this is pretty cool if it works the way I imagine it so I guess I will have to try to find someone to be friends with me so I can give them a key and try this feature out.

You can instant travel to your stronghold from anywhere in the game and it does not trigger a cooldown, however if you are leveling out in the middle of Hoth and you travel to your stronghold, traveling back will not put you back in the same place. When you return to the planet that you left you will find yourself back in that planets hanger, so keep that in mind when you leave a planet for your stronghold. You can also directly travel to your ship or to the fleet from the stronghold. You cannot use your stronghold as a quick travel between a planet and the fleet. Any time you travel to your stronghold, you may only return to your source (i.e. You cannot go from Hoth-to-Stronghold-to-Fleet then back to Hoth via Fleet-to-Stronghold-to-Hoth) it doesn’t work like that and it makes sense. Your stronghold is a structure in the context of the game, not a mage portal.

If you have SWTOR and haven’t checked it out yet, I would recommend trying it out, even if you find out that you don’t really like it. I, however, really enjoy it and I’m glad that I made the effort to renew my sub in time to receive the Nar Shadaa bonus rooms.

Have you tried out strongholds? What are your thoughts?

/MTFBWY

Work Interference

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On September 12, 2014

In General Cogitation

I am behind with my frequency of new posts. I was placed at a client where I was gone for nearly 10 hours each day and each day started at 7 in the morning. Needless to say I was feeling a little wiped out at the end of each day. I have completed my work and awaiting the next challenge; which means I am on the bench doing some training.

Some topics I have on tap (beyond the obvious MMO Times and TBT):

  • I think I am going to comment on SWTOR Strongholds (now that I have been playing it long enough to comment)
  • Perhaps my thoughts on the new Apple devices that were announced this week
  • I should find something in my field to talk about. I don’t do enough sharing about programming

I won’t comment on anything political. I will leave those comments for trolling Facebook and Google+. Is anyone out there in a beta and you are allowed to comment on your experiences?

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