|
|
Tuesday, November 28th, 2006
|
|
|
PROS:
Runs well: This game runs...fairly decently on my ubercrap machine. Sure, my frames suck, but I can still play and do fairly well.
Fun PvE for your first and possibly even second or third character: PvE is fun! Leveling the first time was pretty much a nonstop process until I hit the 50s where I started to think "okay, so this is the same shit i did 30 levels go with a different name." PvE with my girlfriend was fun but who knows if that is more of a product of WoW or because my girlfriend rocks and it was more fun with her. I will go with the latter.
Fun low level PvP: Why? Because the players legitimately playing the game through to level have shitty gear and we can gank them very easily and feel good about ourselves.
CONS:
Gear gap: Two players of the same level should be able to put up a decent fight with one another regardless of their gear. Yes, gear should give a certain edge to the player who has worked harder to attain it. No, I shouldn't be 2 shotted on a Warrior in all 5 man gear by a mage of equal level. PvP should be skill based. It should rely on knowing what to use against your foe, when to use it, and how, to exploit the enemy's weakness and enhance your advantages.
Raiding: The literature states that out of 7.5 million players on the game, 1% of the population goes raiding. That's 75,000 people out of 7,500,000.
Instances: Fun at first, exciting when you got with friends. Eventually they become tedious and after you run an instance enough and still don't get what you've come to get, it's just not fun any more. Why would a boss even drop Druid gear if there is no Druid in the party? Here's an idea. Survey what the party has, and only drop gear that applies to the classes available.
Childish PvP objectives: We're at war but HAHA I GOT YOUR FLAG! 'nuff said.
Community: Too many 12 year olds who think they are cool by using poor grammar and webspeak. It's not cool. It makes you look like an idiot and a tool. lern2beanadequatememberofsociety.
Grind: Want some mediocre items that are only cool for a month after they are put into the game? Well you're in luck! Grind some reputation!
Twinkage: I have fun with mine...but the prices are ridiculous. So many people have grown bored with WoW so they have resorted to feeling good about themselves ganking low levels who have shitty gear. 150 gold for Vendetta? Really? Sad. Maybe we wouldn't have to deal with this if the end game content didn't blow.
Balance: All classes should have an equal opportunity to kill each other. No class should exert a clear advantage over another one simply because they are what they are. A = B, B = C therefore A = C...not A > B but B > C and C > A.
I have run out of time and will make an ammendment to this in the near future because I am not finished.
|
|
Thursday, November 16th, 2006
|
|
|
|
I, as a legitimate "gamer" if you will, am against the piracy of product. This stems partially due to the fact that I hope my future entails something similar to working on video games. If it was me developing a UI, would I want a bulk of my consumer base smuggling the item for free off the web and thus taking pennies out of my pocket as well? I submit that I would not. I am however, somewhat on the verge of gamer outrage over this new trend of microtransactions. Is it a total way to continuously bone people who legitimately enjoy playing video games for a hobby? I have thrown my support behind my 360, to avoid, for now, the trainwreck that is the PS3. It was the final nail in the coffin when I realized that in order to get all the cars I felt I would want in the new Gran Turismo, I would have to buy them. I would have to buy that which was given to me for the price of the game on previous consoles. This innovation in the way of online gaming is becoming an outlet to further bone the gamer. When paying 60 dollars or more for a next generation game, is it too much to ask that I demand that which I would have gotten for 50 dollars on a previous system? Provided I wanted to upgrade my copy of GRAW, I would have to spend another 10 dollars...or rather, I would have to go to a store and buy a card that gives me gamer points to then spend on an upgrade...or buy points with my credit card over xbox live. Now, the game I spent 60 dollars for, I have now paid 75 (when all said and done) for, most likely because the developers intentionally left out additional content they could have put in the game in the first place...or, didn't finish in time. Paying for cars in a racing game. Correct me if I am mistaken, but a racing game should come with the cars, should it not? Why not have extra cars be unlockable? Was that too much of a challenge? I see their point though. Why have unlockables when you could just put them on the interweb and sell them for straight cash. I myself do not buy additional content for my games. First of all, the addition content tends to suck outright. Secondly, I feel as though if I were to purchase a 60 dollar game, that game better damn well have enough content to justify it as a purchase in the first place. It was sad when SOCOM added three maps you had the option to pay for...when only 2 of the 3 were worth a shit, and the third had a framerate equivalent to ass. If you want to charge me for additional content, make it a big honking load of content, and make it quality content that enhances the game...not shit I should already have but don't because you want to make more money off people who already struggle to find the dough to buy your product.
|
|
Monday, October 23rd, 2006
|
|
|
|
It has become readily apparent to me that I am burning out. I am tired of my current situation and of my routine. I am tired of studying. I'm tired of studying a subject that only interests me and does not captivate me like my ideal choice (whatever it may be) would. I feel misplaced, and I have no idea what the future will hold for me. I am tired of tests, quizzes, listening to other people ramble on and on for hours while all I am thinking about is television, video games, my girlfriend or music (not in that order). Those are the things that constitute my enjoyment in life. I don't know if that is sad or not. At this point, the only thing I am immediately looking forward to is my vacation to Austria again. It's so quiet, and lazy, and all the stress of my every day life seems to fade away even when I am standing around in the balls-cold waiting for a train to the city. Everything between now and then seems like bullshit. Tests, tests, more tests and all so I can get a decent grade and not get accepted into graduate school, or get accepted, still unsure of what I will do with a degree, and make my girlfriend wait longer for me. You know what the funny thing is? If I had enough money, I wouldn't have to worry about any of this. Ain't that a bitch. Doesn't seem right to me.
|
|
Thursday, October 12th, 2006
|
|
|
|
Sherms has passed. I wrapped him in a newspaper sarcophagus much like his brother and placed him in the freezer until such time that I can bury him. I find solace in the fact that it was his time. He led a good, long life; running, eating, sleeping. I will miss feeding him seeds. I will miss the awkward stares.
|
|
Thursday, October 5th, 2006
|
|
|
|
I kind of want an mp3 player, but then I also kind of think they are the inevitable downfall of the compact disc...which I happen to love and adore more than most people should. The tactile joy of owning a CD and carrying around a CD player is worth it, but browsing Best Buy the other day showed me that the market for manufacturing new CD players is dwindling very fast to make way for the sound revolution. I don't trust technology enough to digitally download music onto my computer. I also don't trust my technology to...not crash and lose everything. Even if they do come up with a way (or maybe they have already, I dunno) to redownload songs because you lost everything...WHY!?! So much effort again to get all your music back. I say to hell with it. MP3s are lame. I will carry around my big ass CD player because I feel safer. Sure, I have to carry around my CD wallet thing all the time, but hey, that's fine. This whole digital music and video download business gives me the creeps. If I do get an mp3 player it will be a cheap one, that only does songs, and they will all be ripped from my CDs. I like going out and buying something tactile, and looking for it if I can't find it, or ordering it online and waiting in anticipation for it to arrive. Click & done is not fun.
|
|
Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006
|
|
|
|
I am simultaneously bored out of my mind and perpetually stuck in a state of not being able to make sense of my surroundings. I'm not entirely sure where my life should be going. I still feel as though I was ill-prepared to go to college. If I had it all to do over again, I imagine it would would be insanely different and my life would be on a drastically changed path. I'm not sure that's entirely a good thing. I do love my girlfriend, and I have enjoyed spending as much time as I do with my father, but I have an overwhelming feeling like I'm missing out on my true purpose in life, whether it be an occupational vocation or something beyond that. I have no grasp on the things I am good at. I feel as though whatever I decide to chase in life, will ultimately become a joke as I will be outdone by others who possess more knowledge and skill than I. It's not that I don't have a desire to be the best, or one of the best at something, it's just that I have no earthly idea what that something may be. I sit in class and look around at the best students who are diligently reading psychological literature for fun. That doesn't even occur to me. Meanwhile, they will pull ahead and achieve more than I will, and I will scrape by with what I am best at, being mediocre. When I see things like my girlfriend's artistic ability or her natural eye for taking photographs, I am insanely proud and happy for her. I realize that she has potential to do something with her talents and I wish she would. It's not easy for me to see something like that, and know how lucky that is, that they have knack for something and if they put forth effort into honing their craft they could go genuinely achieve something with it. When I reflect upon myself, I don't see any qualities like that. My best friend dominates in the police academy and authentically loves what he does. The low pay and long hours don't phase him. He was gifted with the direction to know what he wants to do and to be inherently talented for it. Perhaps my "thing" is out there somewhere but I have no idea what I should do in order to find it. I'm 22 and some would say that's young and there is plenty of time to figure it all out. The way I look at it, almost a third of my life has passed, and I have things I want to do. I can't be waiting around to get my life in order, sitting in a state of perpetual figuringitoutitude. Time is of the essence. My friends have jobs, and girlfriends they will marry in a couple of years time. I should have graduated by now. I should have a major I enjoy. I should have some optimism about my future. I would give anything to be in the position of some of the people I know. They are set up. They have the plan. They enjoy their work and I hope they are very successful in both their relationships and their occupation. I relate my future to a Japanese cubicle.
|
|
Thursday, September 28th, 2006
|
|
|
|
I feel like I'm behind everyone in everything - that the other people around me excel at whatever it is they are trying to accomplish and I am stuck squeaking by on the minimum, failing to stand out in some capacity in anything I do. In a world that strives on people who are amazing at a particular something, I am decent but not stellar at most.
|
|
Tuesday, September 26th, 2006
|
|
|
|
I had a lot of thoughts on what to write today and after writing them all incoherently and then decisively erasing them all, I ended up with nothing more than a half an hour of wasted time and zero productivity. I wanted to type something about how perfect my girlfriend is, or how I hate hypocritical and/or ignorant people but the words refuse to come out in anything short of nonsensical. This in itself is 30 minutes of stirring the embers at the wordsmith forge.
|
|
Sunday, September 24th, 2006
|
|
|
I got my SNES. I was playing and failing miserably at Family Feud tonight and I can't understand why.
|
|
Thursday, September 7th, 2006
|
|
|
They released Street Fighter 2 Hyper Fighting on XBox Live Arcade. I am debating whether or not I should buy it or find another SNES and buy all my old games. I am leaning towards the latter. I also need to buy a joystick so I can play many classic computer games from my youth. If you so desire to play one of them with me, lemme know and I might be able to hook you up with a copy.
Plan on buying along with an SNES:
Street Fighter 2
UN Squadron
Double Dragon
Mario
Earthworm Jim
Top Gear
Games I used to play and still do on PC (that I might hook you up with*):
WW2 Fighters*
Rebellion*
Hidden & Dangerous + Devil's Bridge*
Freespace 2
Oregon Trail 2
Max Payne
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
|
|
Tuesday, September 5th, 2006
|
|
|
|
The best moments in my life occur when I can't remember what day it is. I have a hard time motivating myself to do anything deemed "productive" by society. It's difficult trying to explain to anyone other than myself that I take issues with the way the world operates as a whole. For the most part I keep those thoughts to myself. We live in a culture of defying nature, of ever-increasing consequences that can bankrupt an entire lifetime. Some say technology has improved the quality of life and to a certain extent I am inclined to agree, however, I can't help but feel as though, with all of our advancements, we perpetually reset the progress we have made as a race. Perhaps I'm safer from wild beasts and plagues that may have ravished me in my primitive, outdoor environment eons ago, but am I not now a victim of boredom, monotony, preset designs and self fulfilling prophecies? The token economy and free market, with all of its positive aspects has surely made me a slave to the almighty dollar. My every action seems dictated or at least regulated by currency. I, as a human being, am driven by curiosity, a desire to explore what I have not yet seen and experience things first hand instead of from afar. There is no such thing as absolute freedom. I don't think there ever has been.
|
|
Thursday, August 31st, 2006
|
|
|
Maybe I should LARP. Goodbye me. Hello Sir Stanley Poppensteed.
[Two dragons fighting each other, one blue, one red. The blue one has a serrated dagger dripping with green, vile poison. He looks pissed. I bet he is. He only has one eye because he lost the other in a bar fight with an enchanted hippo from the Eastern Lands over a honey glazed ham and a woman. He is poised to strike the other dragon, his one remaining eye, glaring, as if to say something really threatening but all the while knowing his depth perception is really boned and he stands a good chance of missing if he strikes. The red dragon looks equally menacing. He wears a sweatband on his head because he perspires a lot when he gets nervous in difficult situations. In his claws are small gnomes from the Lepzar Forest, known for their cunning ability to make pancakes without a skillet and their destructive attitude towards homeless people. Each of them is armed with twin shields, one in each hand, because while they are offensive juggernauts, they never like to underestimate their opponents. This is the key to their victory. The standoff is astounding. Such is the crest of Sir Stanley Poppensteed.]
|
|
Tuesday, August 29th, 2006
|
|
|
|
School has started once. Hello 6 months of mediocrity, how are you? I'm kidding, I don't really care, you're going to be long, drawn out and inevitably unchangeable regardless of how you're doing. Still, we should shake hands and I should pretend to pay attention, later forgetting your name until I see you again and have to spy on you while you're filling out a test form to look like I'm not a forgetful, shallow individual. I often wonder if anyone is curious as to what a typical day for me is. I wake up in a perpetually bad mood, wallowing in the fact that I have again awoken to another monotonous grind of seemingly meaningless goals and baby steps that I'm told will eventually get me somewhere, maybe help me to obtain money, the root of both all happiness and all misery. After preparing myself in what might be considered some of the worst attire or at least an inevitable vicious cycle of band t-shirts, jeans, and obscure references the majority of the population won't understand, I go to class. Upon entering class the headphones go directly on the ears so I can zone out the disinteresting banter of those around me. This is one of many periods during a typical day in which I will go to my "happy place" or as I have come to refer to it, The Nexus of Originality and Simultaneous Arrogance and Pomposity. Here in the Nexus, I am badass and also, more often than not, pissed off about someone or some inner mechanism of society and culture that aggravates me to no end and appears to be broken but unfortunately unfixable in the present day and age. Most of the time spent in class, or awake in any capacity while I am not home, revolves around me getting home for a variety of reasons. First, I am a nerd. There are many nerd things that need to be done if you are a nerd. For example, if I fail to check video game news or the latest transactions in punk rawks free enterprise, my day will seem empty and incomplete. Secondly, and certainly more important than the interweb's offerings in digital entertainment and counter-establishment music is my girlfriend, whom I rarely see physically but am constantly tormented in thinking I see her everywhere. I have to be home to talk to her. While there may not be much in which I take great pride in, she is one such thing...and she's mine, so if you want to watch ninja movies, play video games, and get food made for you all the time, then I suggest you move to Austria and find a girl for yourself. We play Warcraft, I play Warcraft, perhaps branch out to a small section of other games that my 4 year old computer can actually find the fortitude to run, and eventually my eyes begining to either bleed or at the minimalist of standards, sting. After several straight hours of chatting and non-stop computer, xbox360, and ps2 gaming, it is time for the sleeping. Rinse. Recycle. Repeat.
|
|
Tuesday, October 25th, 2005
|
|
|
|
I'm the next big thing to happen to me.
|
|
|
All my best friends are carpetbaggers.
And they'll dance in the spoils of victory.
Ask not of me what I claim to be.
I'm helping them turn a profit.
|
|
Thursday, September 29th, 2005
|
|
|
Hello everyone!
Please shut the hell up.
|
|
|
The embers still glow from a fire left burning,
And a man holds his hand in the ash,
For the feeling of pain is not so hard to sustain,
When new emotion is what he's been yearning.
To feel something different would be godsend.
His routine will consume all his soul.
And little by little the voices grow louder,
As they plot and scheme for control.
"Die you slothy son of a bitch!"
"We won't tolerate idleness here!"
"You think that you're special but we'll make you a drone."
And all for the sake of career!
|
|
|
Is this the face of someone ecstatic?
Do I look entertained?
I'll work myself erratic,
For life must be maintained.
And what is it I am left with?
"That's just the way it is!"
Work a fucking nine to five,
Then die before I'm ever alive.
|
|
Friday, September 23rd, 2005
|
|
|
All the things I should have done,
The things I should have said.
Existential guilt at 21,
And from all directions fled.
Hey! You!
Get out of the fucking bed!
There's something to be salvaged somewhere,
And it lies within your head.
|
|
|
Poetry is dead.
Overlooked and criticized.
Faggy, gay, and queer they say.
But one fact realized.
Add power chords,
And the kids will consume the shit like candy.
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
4chordwonderboy's journal