Monthly Archives: August 2015

non-wow

Want to heal a raid from your toilet? There’s an app for that.

Earlier today a phone game called Little Healer made the rounds on Twitter.  This game is exactly what it says on the tin: you are a priest with suspiciously familiar priest spells, and you get to heal a raid through suspiciously familiar raid mechanics.

It’s fun.  And surprisingly difficult.  And, come on, you know it’s a legitimate simulation of healing when one of the reviews says it’s really just an upgraded version of Whack-a-Mole.  (Because come on, that’s what healing is.)

Anyways, you can get it for Apple and Android, and be prepared to pour more time into it than you expect.  Oh, as a final note: there are bugs present, but the developer seems to be actively chasing these down (at least he is on the game’s official subreddit), so hopefully these get fixed soon.

super serious search studies, thoughts

Super Serious Search Studies: “TBC or Wrath”

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Recently someone got to my blog via the search term “TBC or Wrath.”  As it turns out, these are the two expansions I played the most, and they are also perennial fan favorites.  The really interesting thing about these two expansions is that they kind of straddle a paradigm shift in the game.  Let me explain:

Login_screen_The_Burning_CrusadeAlthough at the time Burning Crusade was seen as a huge quality of life leap over vanilla World of Warcraft, looking back on it now, it was still very, well… vanilla.  Lest you forgot, here are some of the attributes of TBC:

  • A 1-60 leveling nerf did not happen until at least halfway through the life of the expansion.  To compare, it’s now fairly standard to get a nerf to experience rates through previous content with the release of a new expansion.
  • Mounts, mini pets, and so on were carried in your bag (or your bank).
  • Attunements.  Attuments everywhere.  At least at the beginning.
  • 60 minute long hearthstone cooldown.
  • You didn’t get your first mount until level 40 (a patch at the very end of TBC did reduce this down to 30.)
  • Not only was it normal that there were certain buffs only one class could provide… but there were certain buffs only one spec could provide.
  • There was no dungeon finder.  Finding a PuG dungeon meant sitting in the LFG channel for a long time.
  • There was of course no LFR and no real gear catchup mechanic aside from a little bit of badge gear so people were running the expansion’s first raid– Karazhan– until the night before WotLK’s release.  Literally.

And so on.  This was the most player-friendly MMO for its time, for sure, but it was still very much a retro, old-school type of experience.

Now then, we make the jump to WotLK.

Login_screen_Wrath_of_the_Lich_KingAs I said earlier, Wrath was very much a sort of paradigm shift for WoW.  The QoL improvements were just immense.  Off the top of my head, we got:

  • Shorter hearthstone cooldown
  • Mounts at level 20 and 40 (partway through the expac)
  • Dungeon Finder (about halfway through the expac)
  • Mounts and pets as spells rather than items (the bagspace, you guys!)
  • Buffs provided by more than one spec
  • Easier gear catchup for alts via a solid badge system that gave us new stuff every patch
  • Few to no attunements

And so forth.  This was definitely an expansion that established a new zeitgeist for WoW: one that was less focused on hardcore raiding and endgame (although raiding was still huge throughout Wrath) and was more focused on a streamlined experience.

So: TBC or Wrath?

That depends on what side of the MMO coin you preferred.

To use a silly analogy, TBC was to Vanilla what Pokemon LeafGreen/FireRed were to the original Pokemon games.  So if you prefer your MMOs more… unrefined, then TBC was probably the high point.

Wrath is a lot more like the newer expansions.  It was streamlined.  Why is it more popular, then, than basically all of the newer and even more streamlined expansions? For me, it was the atmosphere, the raids (which were very good, almost without exception,) and in the huge playerbase.  WoW was everywhere back in 2009, being played by basically everyone, and it was a fertile ground for fan creations and dumb pop culture references alike.  It was easy to love the game, because everyone loved it.

(I like this video because I recognize like all the gear in it)

So there you go.  That’s my absurdly long, 600-word essay about Wrath and TBC.

And no I’m not gonna choose.

Okay, fine, I’ll choose TBC.  Because of blood elves.

meta-blog, meta-wow, thoughts

How My Approach to My WoW Sub Has Changed Over the Years

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I remember, many years ago, thinking that if I quit WoW it would be a big deal.  It would be hanging up the hat.  It would be turning around and leaving without looking back. I figured that when I quit, it would be like Forrest Gump.  One day I’d think “I’ve played for three years, two months, fourteen days and sixteen hours” and then I’d stop, turn to my blog readers, and say “I’m pretty tired of playing.  I think I’ll do something else now.”  And that would be it.

forest-gump1To an extent, that’s kind of what happened.  One day back in late Wrath I woke up, realized I was kind of tired of running along the raid treadmill, and I hung up my hat.

What I didn’t anticipate, however, is that I would be back running again.  But this time, only bits at a time.

When I first quit WoW, I had been continuously subbed for about, oh, two and a half years, I think.  Since then I have occasionally returned to WoW, but it’s never been with a subscription.  For a while it was with game cards, because that way I could play for a few months and then quit for a year (or two).  Now that WoW Tokens are a thing, I’m using those instead.  My days of a long-lasting subscription are, I think, over.  As are my days of focusing on one game for years on end.  Instead, I play WoW here and there, sometimes for a few months, but rarely exclusively, and usually with frequent breaks.  According to Blizzard, most people play that way now, which is supposedly one of the reasons for the great subscription number decline of ’15.

So now here I am, just paying month by month, and pretty happy about it.

AmtzGq9What about you guys?  Do you still go the subscription route?

patches

Another week, another round of…

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There’s a saying that it takes two people to cause an accident. And more often than not, it’s, unfortunately, the case.

Bad Weather, roadworks, other drivers on their smartphones, and engine failure all affect the way you drive. What’s important is that you’re fully prepared to respond to unexpected hazards when they do appear.

Make sure you’re equipped for challenges on the road by enrolling in a defensive driving course with an accredited provider. These quick courses allow you to learn more about driving safely, so you can keep yourself and your passengers out of harm’s way, even more if you’re traveling often to places like mountains or the beach to go camping, and of course for this you can get the best camper trailers that are great for this purpose.

What’s Included in a Defensive Driving Course?

Defensive driving courses teach you skills and techniques to avoid problems on the road. They aim to give you the skills you need to make quick, safe judgments in response to unexpected hazards, so you can drive smarter and safer.

Defensive driving courses include instruction in:

  • Driving in difficult environments, like in a storm or heavy rain
  • Avoiding aggressive driving
  • Handling emergencies on the road
  • Substances and their influence on your driving ability
  • Predicting and avoiding hazards created by other drivers

The best courses will also recap traffic laws and procedures for your state. So they’re ideal for experienced drivers looking to refresh their driving knowledge.

Benefits of Taking a Defensive Driving Course

Training in defensive driving not only makes you safer on the road, but it can save you money too! Pretty neat if you ask us. Check out the top 5 benefits of signing onto a defensive driving course:

1.Save Money on Your Insurance Premiums

Many insurance providers offer incentives that can reduce your insurance premiums by as much as 10% when you complete a defensive driving course. In some states, this is even mandated by law! Meaning companies are legally required to offer a discount to defensive driving graduates.

For example, under Pennsylvania law, drivers over 55 are eligible for a 5% discount on their vehicle insurance if they complete a mature driver improvement course. And it’s valid for three years, meaning benefactors save on renewals too!

Such discounts result in considerable savings for many drivers, particularly teen and older drivers for whom premiums are at their absolute highest. Check with your insurance provider which courses qualify for discounts. In some states, it’s as simple as a 1-hour course online, while others require more depth.

2.Become a Safer Driver

Whether your drive your car 5 miles a day or 50, hazards are always present. But if you can anticipate those risks or spot them early on, you can minimize the risk to yourself and loved ones traveling with you.

Defensive driving courses teach drivers how to react to a variety of hazards safely. You’ll learn how to protect yourself from other drivers’ carelessness, poor visibility, and dangerous weather.

You’ll also learn techniques for managing your driving style. If you’ve ever found yourself accelerating faster than usual when you’re in a rush, you’ll know exactly how important this is.

Often our emotional state is the biggest risk to our safety on the roads. Understanding how feelings of panic, anger, and frustration affect your driving is a key step to becoming a safer driver.

Regardless of what type of driver you are, there’s always room for improvement. You can’t control what else happens on the road, but you can control how you react to it.

3.Refresh Your Driving Knowledge

Hands up if you passed your driving test and never opened the highway code again? Yep, that almost everyone then!

When you’ve been driving for a while, it’s easy to think experience alone will keep you safe. But in reality, experienced drivers are often out of touch with driving laws and regulations, which may have changed during their years on the road. Find out the best deals at these semi truck auctions.

For example, did you know that an increase in speed of less than 1 mile an hour increases your risk of a crash involving injury by 3%! Or that overtaking another vehicle within 100ft or a tunnel or bridge dramatically increases your chances of being involved in an accident? Make sure you’re up to date with the latest advice by booking a course today.

4.Dismiss Driving Tickets

In many states, defensive driving courses can help you out if you’ve been charged with a traffic offense. For example, in Texas, drivers can usually have their tickets waivered if they complete a state-approved defensive driving course. Most can even be done online, so there’s no reason not to sign on!

Defensive driving courses are also available for motorcyclists and drivers who are charged with transporting children without a secure safety seat. By taking the course most relevant to your charge, you may well find that your ticket will be dismissed. If it’s a first offense, you’ll also be spared the notification on your driving record, which prevents your insurance premium from increasing.

5.Enhanced Personal Responsibility

While most driving courses have tangible benefits, like saving money on your insurance or helping you escape tickets, the biggest skill you’ll develop is a sense of personal responsibility.

On a defensive driving course, you’ll learn that you are the only one responsible for your safety on the road.

The benefits of this mindset will extend well beyond the course. Both on the road and off it, you’ll become adept at spotting potential hazards early on and avoid getting hurt.

garrisons, screenshots

I Am Overly Attached to The Boats In My Shipyard

Yep.  Overly attached.  100%.  Especially the ones with matching crews/names.

I SHIP IT
I SHIP it. Haha. Ahaha.

Anyways, I get really antsy about sending ships I like on missions that are, like, below a 90% success rate.  Because I’m attached to my ships and they might sink!  And then all the little virtual people on my virtual boat will probably die!   I honestly feel bad when it happens.  It’s horrible.  Horrible I tell you.

…it’s not just me, right?

art, fun

[Art Post] Actual Canon Lore…

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…that happened after the Siege of Dalaran. Grand Magister Rommath got himself a popsicle, turned to Jaina and Vereesa and said…

popsicle rommieYup.

Sorry for the lack of actual content posts the last couple of days.  I haven’t really had anything in particular to talk about.    Got something for me to talk about?  Lemme know!

 

characters, rp

“Connecting” to a Character – aka Yep, Pike Is Still an RP Nerd

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Today’s writing prompt comes by way of Jaedia, who asks:

What is most important to you when it comes down to ‘connecting’ to a character you play? If you don’t tend to connect to your characters, tell us about the things that tend to carry over between your characters. Certain names/stories/personalities/appearance features?

I’m sure I have talked about this before, but I am definitely one of those people who puts a lot of thought into my characters.  Sometimes I already have a story and character idea in mind when I roll said character; other times it comes naturally as I play them.  But characters with a background that I can’t get into usually tend to get dropped after a while.

A picture of me, wondering when my MMO character will get interesting.
A picture of me, wondering when my MMO character will get interesting.

This may come as a shock to some of you (…like, one of you, maybe), but at the moment I’m, uh… kind of into blood elves.  This is because I feel like their story, as a race, is filled with copious amounts of pathos.  This makes it both easy and also a delight to make blood elf characters, because they come standard with loads of baggage.  Even a freshly rolled blood elf character is carrying around some serious backstory simply by virtue of being a blood elf.  I like this a great deal because it gives me a blueprint, if you will, for more character-specific stories and personality traits.

Because in case you forgot, every level one blood elf starts with this little event fresh in their memory.
Because in case you forgot, every level one blood elf starts with this little event from Warcraft 3 fresh in their memory.

I also like characters with traits that I can identify with (the techno-loving gnomes and goblins, for example, or my goggles-wearing-tauren) which similarly allows me to connect with a character.

Eventually I get to the point where I get really attached to my characters and, as I’ve mentioned before, they become the reason that I log in.  Other people may log in for their guild or raiding friends… I log in for my characters, who feel to me like friends.  It’s a silly thing, but it’s true.

Gimme fuel!  Gimme fire!  Gimme lore!  Gimme worldbuilding! …okay, that didn’t work out as well as I wanted it to, but hey, I tried.

thoughts

Still Waiting For Account-Wide Tabards

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Titles are account-wide.  Pets and mounts are account-wide.  Toys and heirlooms are account-wide.

But you know what I REALLY want to be account-wide?

Tabards.

Tabards.

Because as is I have two characters with Tabard of the Argent Dawn but my current main doesn’t have it.  Just my luck, right?  But yeah, I would LOVE to be reunited with it.  I’ve already been reunited with my Vampiric Batling and Spirit of Competition.  Tabards next?  Please Blizzard?

hunter, news, survival

Melee Hunters are Officially a Thing, So Let’s Talk About It

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Well, it looks like Survival is finally and officially going to be the melee spec.  And I don’t mean the weird sort of hybrid Lacerate spec from Vanilla.  A full on melee spec.

…and that’s all we know so far.  That, and they get a polearm or something for their artifact weapon.

I find myself wondering how they’re going to play out.  Will they play like a warrior?  Like a rogue?  Since we’ve got Focus and that works similarly to Energy, I’d assume it’ll be kind of like a rogue.  But I also think with large weapons like polearms, things’ll feel more like a warrior or paladin with a two-hander.

I also find myself thinking about the role the pet is going to play.  Maybe there will be combo moves where the pet and hunter act together?  Who knows!  There are a lot of possibilities.

ss538lJNj4cj18lAll I know for sure is that, even though every expansion I gripe like an old fogey about “hunters these days”, this is definitely gonna be the biggest change to the class we’ve had since mana was replaced by focus.  How is it all going to turn out?  We’ll just have to wait and see.

What do YOU guys think about Survival going melee?