Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

The MMO Times: Mechs and Dragons and Lightsabers, OH MY!!!

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On March 16, 2012

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 28

Greetings Fellow Gamers! I am trying to remain on top of all the latest MMO news that I believe most of you will find interesting. The GDC was going on this week so there have been quite a few of announcements. This issue has some new information about MechWarrior Online, the latest SWTOR patch trailer as well as more news on upcoming patches and updates for other popular games. There are also details about the Diablo III release date, Guild Wars 2 pre-order information and more.

I may have another issue next week as Blizzard has indicated that a wealth of expansion information will be unveiled by the media sometime next week. I would expect that the next issue of MMO Times will be dominated by World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria news.

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WoW: Wrath Still the Favorite

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On March 13, 2012

In Gaming, World of Warcraft

I haven’t written too many blog posts about World of Warcraft. Most of my ramblings have been about gaming in general or SWTOR (when I was in the beta), so its kind of fun to blog about the game that really started it all (for me).

I have now played vanilla (though I did not reach max level before the expansion), Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King and now Cataclysm. I have watched the game change tremendously and I have tried to follow the lore throughout each expansion. I have been following along as more information about Mists of Pandaria is unveiled. I think, among all of the expansions (past and future), Wrath of the Lich King is still my favorite.

I played Warcraft III several times before and during college so I think that is why I enjoyed the lore so much in Wrath of the Lich King. The addition of the Death Knight as a playable class added an ironic twist to the story and the quest to defeat Arthas. I loved doing the quests specifically to follow the story and the lore and the homages it payed to Warcraft III. Every time you left Eastern Kingdoms (or Kalimdor) it felt like an expedition to Northrend, just as Arthas did (before he went totally nutz). Dalaran was, and still is, my favorite capital city. I still have my hearth set there for several of my toons. Sometimes its depressing to be there and see it so empty. I think that Ulduar and Icecrown Citadel are still the best raid instances in the game.

As WoW is declining in popularity, I think the timing of its decline is somewhat fitting. Despite the fact that Cataclysm brought many features players were clamoring for (ex: flight on the original continents), from a lore perspective I kind of feel like Wrath of the Lich King was the final chapter. It ended one of the biggest story lines in Warcraft lore. I would go so far as to say that any expansion that follows Wrath of the Lich King is just an appendix because its hard to imagine that any expansion could be better … unless there is an expansion dedicated to the Emerald Dream/Nightmare.

Or, maybe one day we will have to return to Northred … after all there always must be a Lich King 🙂

Cheers!

MMO Times: Sorry for the Delay

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On March 6, 2012

In Gaming, MMO Times, MMORPG

Issue 27

Hello Gamers! Sorry for the delay in bringing you the MMO News. As you may be able to guess life got a little busy. Enough about my excuses, here is the latest headlines. Enjoy!

SWTOR Patch 1.2 Coming in April

Posted 3/6/12 – The masters behind SWTOR (EA, Bioware and LucasArts) announced that the next big content patch (1.2) will be hitting PCs next month. This patch has some long awaited features including Guild Banks, legacy benefits, new flashpoints, ranked warzones and more. Follow the link to Game Guru to read more.
GameGuru post

Rumored Diablo III Release Date

Posted 3/5/12 – According to an Italian source there are rumors that the possible release date for Diablo III is April 17th. The evidence for this rumor is that stores in Italy have been clearing space for a new title after retailers received a tip from Activision Italy. Blizzard didn’t comment but a twitter post simply said “9” – perhaps this Friday we will all know for sure. In my opinion, it would make sense which may also explain why Bioware plans to release its next big content patch (1.2) for SWTOR around the same time. Follow the link to Massively to read more.
Massively post

SWTOR Guild Summit Summary

Posted 3/5/12 – Unless you have been living under a rock (while playing SWTOR) then I’m sure you knew that this past weekend Bioware/EA/LucasArts held their SWTOR Guild Summit. This was an opportunity for SWTOR developers to host panels (with Q&A) to dicuss the future of SWTOR. The panels covered everything from crafting, to PvP, guilds and the legacy system. Darth Hater (a pretty renown Star Wars fan site) has a pretty good summary of the summit. There is quite a bit of good stuff to check it out.
Darth Hater article

SWTOR March 2 Community News

Posted 3/2/12 – The link to the latest Dev Q&A is also on the RSS feed on the right. This week the developers talk more about what to expect in patch 1.1.5, 1.2 and future features. They seem to be really building up the benefits of the legacy system. Follow the link to read the blog post on the SWTOR community news site.
Community News Blog Post

DCUO Expansion Announced

Posted 3/2/12 – Players will have the chance to face off against Brainiac in the upcoming DC Universe Online expansion. The interesting thing about this expansion is that if you were previously a paying subscriber you will get the expansion for free, but those playing for free will have to buy it. No pricing has been announced. Follow the link to read about it at GameSpy.
GameSpy article

More Character Customization in GW2

Posted 2/28/12 – The developers for Guild Wars 2 have released details about how players will be have more character customization. Based on what I read this is more than just how the characters look, but you will also be able to customize how the character plays. Players will be able to tweak their characters through traits and attributes. Follow the link to read more at Massively.
Massively article

MechWarrior Online Teaser Trailer!

Posted 2/28/12 – Piranha Games gave the gaming community a treat when they unveiled a teaser trailer first look at MechWarrior Online. The video does not show in-game footage, it is a cinematic but it is 1 min and 30 sec of drooling yumminess. I also found the URL for the official website.
Massively post | MWO website

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Humor Helps

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On March 1, 2012

In General Cogitation, Programming

As I have said in the past, I have been in the software development industry for nearly 10 years now. Currently I am working for a consulting firm which means I am often placed at various clients around the city in need of Enterprise Microsoft Solutions. I have worked for some pretty big clients and I have talked to some pretty important people at those clients. I have learned a very important and undeniable truth, humor helps.

I will not deny that it’s more important to be serious when its appropriate. You should not crack jokes in front of a Vice-President, CEO or any other high ranking personnel. However, I think its also important to allow the lighter side of your personality to come through and I believe this for two reasons: building rapport and dealing with stress.

It’s rare when I leave a client that I don’t have well over a dozen people coming to me to say farewell. I know one of my strengths is building a good rapport with everyone. I believe its my humor that helps build these relationship. How many times is it suggested that a joke be used as an ice-breaker? Humor is a natural ice-breaker, it helps quell nervous behavior. Granted I don’t walk into a client the first day and start making jokes, I think its important to warm up to people first and find out what kind of humor is appropriate. The wrong kind of humor will have the opposite effect.

Every workplace will go through periods of high stress. It’s inevitable. The curse of professionalism is the better you are at your job the more work you are expected to do in a shorter period of time. If you are going to survive the day you need to have a way to let go of the stress. When I notice my team is really stressed out, that is usually when I increase the jests. Similar to ice-breakers, the humor quells the nerves and helps relieve the tension, even if its only temporary. I say its far better to laugh in the face of stress instead of wanting to hang yourself.

Remember, humor is a tool and just like any tool, if used improperly can cause more harm then good. If you joke too much then people won’t take you seriously. If you say the wrong thing, make the wrong joke, that can have an even greater adverse affect. This is why I take some time to get to know the people I am working with first.

Cheers!

Soapbox: Proper Grammar

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On February 22, 2012

In General Cogitation, Soapbox

Poor grammar is a pet peeve of mine. When I hear someone use a double negative or butcher sentence structure it’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. Gamers are some of the worst offenders, which is often why I leave global channels in WoW.

I know that I do not have perfect grammar. I know someone could probably go through every one of my blog posts and nit pick dozens of grammar errors, but there is a difference between subtle grammar violations and a blatant disregard for the English language. How you speak and how you write can have a huge impact on your success in life. I’m sure there is statistical proof out there that links job placement to how articulate the person was in the interview. Poor vocabulary and poor grammar can be devastating to your professional career.

This morning there was a guy on the elevator talking on his cell phone and I herd him say “I’m glad you wasn’t there…” … WEREN’T!!! I seriously almost said something but that would have been rude. I’m sorry but using the wrong tense of a word just makes you sound ignorant. “Ain’t no” and ain’t got no” are, by far, the worst phrases anyone could utter. I literally cringe when I hear someone use either of those phrases. I don’t care if “ain’t” has been added to the Oxford dictionary, it still isn’t a real word and to use it in a context that creates a double negative just makes you sound belligerent.

Folks, there are 40,000 – 50,000 chinese characters and 26 letters in our alphabet. Comparatively speaking, the English language is not that difficult. If you want to be taken seriously then please try to sound intelligent.

/end soapbox

Cheers!

Ending the Dry Spell, Hopefully

By

On February 11, 2012

In General Cogitation

Greetings all! It has been a while since I have posted anything on my blog. Life, as we all know, sometimes gets a little crazy. There was a curve ball or two thrown my way and, honestly, the news lately has just been atrocious. Assaults on various freedoms, bickering among party members, and this whole thing with Iran scares the shit out of me. But I’m not here to talk politics, I hate blogging about politics. I hate election years.

At any rate, I hope to be back in the saddle again immediately. I do like to blog and while I know not many people read my blogs, sometimes it can be extremely motivating when I find out people are reading. In fact, just before the “fit hit the shan” I found out that I had inspired a friend of mine to start his own blog. So I encourage you to visit Captain Light’s blog. I added it as a Suggested Link. He like to talk about movies, wrestling and various other topics. I’m extremely excited that I have motivated someone else to write more. Writing is great exercise for the brain, it helps you organize your thoughts and enhance your grammar and vocabulary.

All right, enough babble; time to start generating new post ideas.

Cheers!

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