Scott's Case Files

Gollum's Cave

One of the fun things that I've been doing lately is playing Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO) with my buddy Just Plain Jim.  It's a good time and it shores up those otherwise long periods of time when we're not able to hang out in person.

Our latest notable adventure was delving deep within Goblin Town to the cave of Gollum...or what he left behind to pursue his Preciousss.  It was fun to the Nth degree to step into a place that lived in literary history portrayed right in front of us to be explored as we pleased.  I even took a few screen-shots so that you could enjoy also.  Jim is the heavily armored Captain of Dale, while my character is the elven huntress.  Let's face it - if you have to see an ass bouncing back and forth on your screen while playing, I'll take an elven chick over a burly guy any day of the week...

At the entrance to Gollum's cave

 

Peering inside the cave

 

On the cave's island - Gollum's former home

Willpower...Gone...Must Have WAR!

Download Warhammer Online

Warhammer Online

I think I have a problem.  I saw the advertisements and what have you for the soon-to-open Warhammer OnlineMMO and I really didn't want much to do with it.  I said no to it at every turn.  Now it's about to come out in a mere two weeks and I'm thinking about it...

I think I am definitely an MMO addict.  But it's an addiction with standards - is that even possible?  I mean, I won't play just anything - it needs to be a well put together game with a firm developer behind it.  Right now I'm back to Lord of the Rings Online and nothing else.

So I'm looking over the Warhammer site, watched the videos, and what have you and it looks interesting.  I like the concept of constant and in-your-face warfare at every turn.  I like the unique group dynamic that they've come up with (as in, you automatically group up at appropriate times, so you never have to be solo).  I like the look of the classes.

Knowing me, I'll break down and give it a try.  Whether I pre-order (if it's even possible at this point) or not is the unknown.  If nothing, I look at it as game-testing for any of my buddies who might try it out at a later time.

I still might resist, but we shall see...

Star Trek Online

I have to say that my love for sci-fi and techno-geekery started with Star Trek: The Original Series.  My Dad was a bit of a sci-fi buff (though I now put him to utter shame) and made sure I got a heaping helping of it in the form of '70s TV shows.  I am a Trekkie/Trekker/I-love-the-franchise!

Though Cryptic won't put a date on it, it looks as if Star Trek Online- an MMO based on my favorite universe - will be making an appearance in the 2nd half of 2009.  The more official line is apparently "in the next three years."  But whatever the date, I'm looking forward to experiencing the game.

I have just two quandaries.  First, do I play Federation or Klingon.  I'd love to explore the futuristic naval tradition that is the Federation and all that they do.  I'd also love to play out the Klingon culture, deep as it was developed in the several series.  My other quandary is do I play on a Player-vs-Player server or not.  Basically, do I want to play it safe or really enjoy the thrill of looking over my bow for that Bird of Prey to de-cloak?  Ah, if life's issues were only that simple!

If you enjoy Trek at all, definitely check out the home site and forums and see what there is to see!

Age of Conan: A First Look

I have been looking at Age of Conan (AoC) for some time now and started in-game as of the early access last month.  My Herald of Xotli, Khonsu, on the Cimmeria (RP-PvP) server is level 48 (out of 80) at the moment so I think I have at least a decent first-look potential at this game.  Bottom line is that I like it, but there are flaws.

AoC has alot going for it.  I feel immersed, I feel that each class is decidedly different with something to offer, there's specialization on several levels, and I think there's varied content to keep people busy.  The game also has its share of problems, though.

As far as the launch, the days which made up the early access weren't technically a launch.  What sneaky FunCom did was get us to pay an extra five dollars for the priviledge of testing their servers and code at a lower load level than full-on opening day but higher than beta.  Many patches happened and about 24 of the 72 hours was in downtime.  Still, my game never crashed or showed significant issues so by most standards it was a pretty flawless launch as compared to others.

Read the continuation for an examination of pros and cons, especially if you're actually interested in playing this MMO.  This is a slightly long one, so be ready to hunker down.

Brain-To-Computer Control

From an OC3D article:

"Codenamed the Neural Impulse Actuator (or nia for short), OCZ captivated audiences by seemingly being able to use brain power to control the motion of a character in the the popular FPS Unreal Tournament."

Stop.  You had me at Codenamed the Neural Impulse Actuator.

So if you have about US$300 (Ed: It actually may be as low as US$150) you too can own a mind-operated computer control device possibly as early as next month from OCZ Technology!  It's a headband with three sensors on the front which connects to a box which in turn connects via USB to your PC.  I'm going to have to wait for some reviews on this one, but it looks like a complete geek-fu product.

Stargate Worlds Has Potential

So I did go out and get Tabula Rasa.  It's an alright game - definitely not in my top ten, though.  There's nothing very innovative about it beyond the cloning process.  Basically there are tiers of classes - getting to a certain level in a class allows you to move up to select one of two classes to continue on with.  If you make alot of alts (alternate characters to play) if you want to take the other route, normally you roll up a whole new character and select that route.  In TR, you simply clone before you make your choice and then the template character chooses one class and the clone can choose the other, making it so that you don't have to go through the whole leveling process again just to get to that point.

But even with that interesting bit, it's nothing new and I can see it getting old quickly.  For those who crave either modern or sci-fi, military-style combat there's not alot out there in the realm of MMOs for you.  Stargate Worlds, however, claims that it will change that with no few innovations.  It is now one of two games that I'm looking forward to this year, the other being Age of Conan.

So what is Stargate Worlds touting as the ideas that they're bringing to the table that are new and innovative?  Let's take a look, but keep in mind that nothing is in stone until it's on the shelves and even then the product will constantly be changing.

• Tactical emphasis in combat.  According to developers, high level characters not being tactically smart can be easily taken out by far lower level characters.  It's no longer the highest DPS weapon or the best armor that determines the outcome - finally it's actual skill and smarts.
• The scientist and archeology classes add real benefit - while staying within canon - to the game and whatever group they might join.  To engage in diplomacy or when encountering alien technology (to use, upgrade, and modify it) requires one of these classes.  In other MMOs you take such classes because you have to and they add maybe one or two things to a group, certainly not combat skill.
• You can dial and go through a stargate, purportedly with as much realism as the characters on television do!  No SG-1 fanboy can pass up on this!

Tabula Rasa?

Must...not...buy...new...MMO...

But...Tabula Rasa's trailer looks SO DAMN COOL and so does the system.  Here's the monologue from the trailer:

"We never saw it coming.  We were too busy watching our big-screen TVs, reading trash tabloids, and swallowing prescription anti-depressants.

We never stood a chance.

For all I know, it's gone forever.  We never saw it coming, but our leaders did.  They couldn't save all of us, so they hand-picked the ones who could FIGHT.  They created wormhole portals using alien technology hidden on our planet centuries ago.  Portals to the front lines of a war that had been raging for eons on worlds we never knew existed.

Today, WE FIGHT.

It seemed hopeless, but we have a secret - an ancient legacy that we don't fully understand.  An alien power that's awakened in some of us.  Over time, it's changing us.  Evolving us. 

But change is what we need.  A fresh start.  A clean slate."

Must...resist...temptation...OR NOT!

Hooked On MMOs

As I've noted in previous posts, I'm a MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) gaming junkie.  Right now I'm pretty much playing just Everquest II and having a good time there.  World of Warcraft has dropped by the wayside for the moment.  In May, Age of Conan will be coming out and I'm one of the many that is highly anticipating that release.  Then later this year Stargate Worlds (based on the Sci-Fi Channel's SG-1 series) will be coming out...and I can't wait to play a Jaffa and/or a Gua'uld in that one!

So the question remains...WHY do I play these things.  I'm an adult, after all, and these are just games.  Games!  It's a decent question that deserves an answer.

Let me take you back to my early years.  First, my parents made certain that I was raised on sci-fi.  I watched the original Star Trek and shows like The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone more than I ever did Sesame Street or The Electric Company (any non child of the '70s or very early '80s is now wondering what The Electric Company is).  I read quite a bit when I was a kid.  By the sixth grade I was up to a college reading level.  I read all sorts of things, but my favs were sci-fi and fantasy.  These kinds of stories churned the imagination and ignited a sense of wonder at what could be.  Believe it or not, I think it also contributed to my interest in real-life cultures and traditions.  Once you learn about the wonders of living as a Fremen (that's from the Dune series by Frank Herbert, for the uninitiated) you start to wonder about how nomadic peoples survive and thrive in the Earth's deserts and other equally inhospitable lands.

So then video games came out.  The first one that I played on my computer was, I think, Ultima III.  In some ways it was better than a book.  It allowed me to not just imagine what it would be like to be a character in a story, but to ACT and make decisions of a character in the story and then to develop beyond that to more.  MMOs are just the next step - everytime I play I get to step into a world of fantasy and imagination where I contribute to the world and I'm (potentially) a hero.  Ironically, I probably change the world of the MMO more than I do the real world.  Also, achievement in MMOs is equally proportional to effort - guaranteed.  If I play often and learn new things and see new places, my character becomes more powerful and more advanced.  In the real world, the smartest and hardest worker regularly fails and falls by the wayside unnoticed.

My character can turn the tide of a battle in Everquest II and earn a reputation the world over.  Here in the real world I make technology do what it's supposed to do and the world goes by without realizing I was even a whisper in its tune...

So can you now see the Lure of the MMO?

Highlander: The 360 Game

I've waited so long...Highlander for the X-Box 360 and PS3.

Looks like you play a 2,000 year old immortal who adopted himself into the MacCleoud Clan.  I just hope that it doesn't suck.