I'm back. Not necessarily in the same schedule as earlier, but back none the less.
Last week I sat at home with the kids and dogs and did absolutely nothing. Nada. Well... played some games, some with kids, watched them play and rested. And suffered one heck of a head ache lasting three days. And rested.
What I played? (Shameless rip-off from Van Hemlock podcast!) WoW, Dawntide and Oblivion.
Let's start from Dawntide. It's a new and coming sandbox MMO which has open pvp, 'meaningful' crafting and interesting background. And no NDA for the Beta I got invited to.
Dawntide beta is beautifull and surprisingly solid for a beta as such. It's by no means finished, yet, but what I have seen is pretty, working and interesting. Remains to be seen how the combat and crafting develop from here, but there is a huge promise to those who are looking for an open sandbox fantasy game (aka EVE in fantasy). Might post something about this later.
WoW. Well, playing WoWduring day just... doesn't suit me. MMO should have people around, bustling alive and feel alive. During the days I logged in it was a kind of disappointing, resorting back to the soloing up my priest for having nothing else to do. Alone in Zangarmarsh she flew and fought the forces of evil (/yawn). Like I have stated, if I want to play a solo fantasy RPG, I play Oblivion.
Which I played. Boy did I like what I found! The stories are there, the graphics are there and the overall atmosphere... just fantastic. I had forgotten how good a game this is and how great stories Bethesda can tell through a computer game. If you haven't played Oblivion, leave your world behind and travel in that world for a while. Step into the shoes of the 'unwilling' hero and experience the world, do not play the game to win.
Then again, this suits for some and not all (I hear yoo, Az). Granted, it's a bit more twitchy than WoW, but the stories and the advancement of the character is uncomparable to me, still, after all these years.
There is one thing I have to put into this post still. If you, dear reader, are playing WoW and are not in a guild you feel comfortable with, are suffering in or are not in a guild, go find one you can call home! I have found out that the guild I am is more than that, a group of extremely welcoming people who play the game for entertainment in earnest. You see, I logged in to accompany the other Stooges (Bishopgeorge and Förgelös) in Utgarde Keep to gear our resident rogue a bit. But before the loading screen had finished I heard the familiar bling of a group invite. Naturally I thought it was either of my brothers, but no: instead I found myself in Nexus on a guild daily hc run!
The run went great, all laughter and funny things involved around Laiskajaakko (I still manage to find some interesting solutions to the fights...) and everything was... Great!
After that we finished UK normal with Stooges, in duo with Bishop for the final part due to 'domestic dispute' which disconnected Förgelös from the game, quite abruptly, I might add.
So, the lesson of last week is: if you are not enjoying what you play, with whom you play or how it is played, move on. You'll return to the fun part of what ever game you left, sooner or later.
For me that is WoW. Still.
