A F2P Gamebreaker!

Many know I have left World of Warcraft for the time being while I wait for the next expansion.  In the meantime I have been playing Runes of Magic.  I am enjoying it more than I thought I would until I the cash shop and real money exchange issue have presented itself as highly disappointing.

On Sunday, June 27th, I purchased two Ultimate Game Cards at $20 each from GameStop.  I redeemed them that afternoon jumping through many hoops and steps only to be taken to another companies web page. I landed on PlaySpan.com.  Apparently the cards must be redeemed with a company that at first thoughts felt like I had walked into the bad side of town where all the windows and shop fronts where run by rejects for the old geocities days.  I could not help but to check the lower right of my win 7 install to make sure my security software was active.  But I digress. 

When I exchanged my two cards for the companies Up Points I then began my purchase of Runes of Magic diamonds.  Oddly enough you can not purchase the exact amount of diamonds for the money you invested for the cards.  This overage is understandable as a way the company makes a profit, but still seedy and less than honest.  With my $40 turned into points I was able to place an order for 1000 diamonds. 

Once the transaction was in process it took me to an frame that linked to the Frogster account management site, the company that runs Runes of Magic in the states.  I inputted my order and was offered with the option to apply 21 diamonds to my account.  21!  Not 1000!  21!  I thought how odd that was, but once I got into game sure enough, I had only been credited 21 diamonds when I paid for 1000. 

Then the HUGE frustration set in.  I am used to working with a company that has an actual phone number to contact, IE Blizzard.  When I logged into PlaySpan to try and resolve this issue I was only give the option to use an online ticket system, for which only automatic responsive have been issued. . And the best news it. . wait 24 to 72 hours. 

24 to 72 hours for something that should work?  72 hours!!!!   I decided to lay out $40 so i could take benefit of the cash shop in game.  To be honest the PayPal method works without flaw, but they have locked diamonds purchased with PayPal or credit card so you can not trade or gift items.  The whole reason for the two cards where so I could gift permanent mounts to my wife and daughters toons. . . Now I sit at the 1st with no mounts, no diamonds, and out $40!

But I rant. . . and sorry for such a rant.

I do believe F2P games have a lot to offer and can be very successful.  I am looking forward to LotRO’s F2P offerings and how the community will grow. . and knowing Turbine, issues like this should not be evident, I hope.

For me, I feel burned, and disappointed.  It is making it hard for me to want to log in, and that affects my guild mates.  I just hope soon something gets resolved.

Thanks to you all if you made it this far in this rant.  If anything can be taken from this, if you use cards to purchase items use only company cards and not these third party cash cards which in the end make you feel as if you should wash your hands after handling them.

GearScore + Anon = Net Bullies or Skill > GS

Back in the good old days of Burning Crusade I began to get discouraged when I hit 70 on Paravel, my resto druid.  Why? Because I would look to join a group doing a heroic or raid and they would demand that you had a magically determined bonus healing stat.  Often time this stat was pulled out of the “wow forums floating cloud of trolls”. No real science or crunching of numbers determined what made an effective player. And more times then not it would be a number that could only be reached by already being one of the few who have cleared the highest content at the time.

I mean really, does it make sense to demand gear from Sunwell for a Kara run?  Does it? O.o

Fast forward to Wrath.  We no longer rate a player on spell power, healing power or AP but instead on something even MORE mystical, Gear Score.  It started with sites back at the close of BC that would guess at an items gear score and create a data base to try and rate your characters place on a progression bar.  Site like http://be.imba.hu/ were tools where you could look up your level 70 toon, see missing enchants, gems, get suggestions for your class and build.  All and all a very helpful tool if you used it to work on your progression.  However things changed

The problem started when competing sites raised up on the net using different formulas for coming up with their base score.  Remember, the scores at this time where a mystery, and value that enhancements, set bonuses, mixing and matching for stats, were all guess work. With this arose no standard of a “gear score”.  One group would ask for a GS of 1000 when another would ask for 750.  The issue being that depending on what site they used the 750 could be a better geared player than the site that provided the 1000.  Talk about a headache.

Enter a mod author who, more than likely had good intentions, that released an in game mod that would make a GS based on a math of his own.  His statement was that it was not the end all to be all, but DOWNLOAD AND USE MY MOD!  Drama can be so fun to watch in the mod community at times, especially when someone wrote a mod to break this mod and the rumors and flame wars flared.

But, I digress, so what else is new.  Issue is back.  If you don't have a GS of XXXX you cant come and you get kicked out.  This problem and mod leaves out some important information, like player skill.  I have said this before, but I would take an under geared skilled player over a noob or jerk in gear any day on a run.  The argument that you must have a high GS to clear the highest content is negated by projects like clearing ICC 10 in all blues!

If you know how to play your class and work with others you can and will be successful.  If however you expect to be carried through a run to get better gear but have not a clue how to play then you are more than likely the one who stands in the fire, misdirects onto a clothie, or taunts the boss off the tank at enrage.  It does not matter if you have the highest gear in the game at that point, you still fail at the game and cause issues within your group.

I know you are probably wondering where the bulling part comes into this argument, and well you should.  If you have a slightly lower GS than the “floating cloud of trolls” have determined for that hour, and you end up in a random LFG group, you could be exposed to behavior you would never see in a face to face social environment.  Just stop it people, treat others with respect please.  How much more enjoyable our gaming life would be if we could just learn to get along and not be jerkwads.

GearScore is a tool, and measuring stick, not the end all.  What we really need is a mod that will take gear score provided by Blizzard, enchants, gems, set bonus and all into account, along with rating and notes into account so its not about a bottom line number but more.  Oh wait, their is *smile*

Enter Elitist Group (used to be Sexy Group, from the same author who did Sexy Map and Sexy Cooldown)

Again, EG is just a tool.  I will write a review and tutorial soon covering its usage and how to maximize the information gained from it without being a jerk.

Just remember that we play World of Warcraft for fun.  So does the person on the other side of that avatar, treat them as you would face to face.

Still Alive

Just wanted to post a note to let everyone know that yes, I am alive.  Right now things have been stop and go in regards to ministry and job search.  Sending out another slew of resume’s today, not only to church/ministries, but also to some game companies.  Need to find work.  I know I am not alone in that so let’s all pray for those that are searching.

Did have a great chance to hang out with my friend Taylor Kent from Snark Infested Waters the other week.  He had me appear on his podcast/videocast.  You can listen to it here.  http://thesnarkyavenger.com/?p=314

Will update more later.  Be good everyone.

Lost and Bored – Need New Goals

I have been feeling a since of being lost of late.  I just hit another goal of mine, to get Bricklethumb, my dwarf hunter, to level 80.  This makes my 4th 80 in WotLK, which according to some would label me hardcore.  I am not so sure I am hard core, but I do like to push myself in all areas of my life to see how well I can do.  It is part of the “gamer DNA” that is in me.

I have been splitting some of my time between WoW and Lord of the Rings Online right now.  While I seek a new place to serve, resumes out, making follow ups, and finding it hard to find employment as a 40 year old geek who has been in ministry for over 20 years, I have had to much time on my hands.  So Instead of the joy and fun I have always had in my chosen form of entertainment, much more stimulating that TV, IMHO, I now face a wall I, and others, have or are facing.

What to do now?

As  I logged on WoW last night discussion started in guild chat on what to do.  This is where some frustration sets in.  We often spend way to much time just trying to decide what to do.  Added to this issue is that two of us have multiple toons to help the guild out.  I have a tank, healer, and two DPS.  Iss, a good friend, has a healer, tank and DPS.  We both do not mind playing whichever character is needed, but sometimes to put our personal goals on hold to help out. . But that is what we like to do.  On top of this, we have 1 to 2 to many for a five man group. So someone has to sit out.  Normally you would think that people would whine and complain about this, but our guild is different.  We fight over who will sit out to make sure someone else has a go at it.  *smile*  I love that in them, even though it prolongs getting things done.

So I finally bit the bullet and made a list of people who where going to go do an instance that 2 people needed for quests.  I jumped on Vent where Iss and I got a chance to talk before and after the instance.  He made a very good observation after asking me a pointed question.

“So, your getting bored with the game too?”

The answer is yes and no, and the funny thing is we have both gone through this before.  When I started playing WoW I got to a point where things became boring.  I was not in a guild that raided and I had pretty much done all I could do alone or even in the small guild we had.  So when I heard about Lord of the Rings Online I jumped at it.  We left wow, headed to LotRO and formed Redeemed, our kinship on the Gladden server.

While there we met a player who joined our Kinship named Issichar, or Iss.  Iss was from WoW and bored and came to LotRO.  Iss was the kind of guy that was helpful and giving, a perfect fit for our group.  Several others either came with us from WoW or met and joined us while there.  But after a few months we started to hit the “So, your getting bored with the game too?” wall.  Most of us headed back to wow.  New content helped, and then the promise of WotLK. 

But, I ramble.  So lets bring things back to point.  I am not the only one feeling a since of loss, or boredom.  We are waiting for our guild to catch up, and desperately need some new people if we are ever going to hit up 10 man, let alone ever want to see 25 man content.  In the mean time what do we do?

The observation that hit me between the eyes was when Iss said that with ADD/ADHD he needs goals, once those goals are hit its sort of . . hit and miss. . .roam around. . get bored.  BINGO!  He hit it on the head.  My first character to 80 was Paravel, my healer.  Soloed her the 10 levels as resto, was fun.  Valimonde, my tank, leveled with Tanya’s mage, so we would get levels when we could.  I rolled Digory, my Death Knight and while not working on Val, got him to 80.  Then Val and Tatiaana (Tanya’s mage) hit 80.  Some gearing up . . all goals. . .pvp for Dig.  Then bored. 

Ok, no problem, let me level Brick.  Pushed him from 73 to 80 in 2 days.  Hit goal. . and . . . and . . . .

/run LotRO  - work on new character  - not many people around
/run WotLK – sit at character sheet and stair at what character to play.  Log one in. . .do daily. . get bored . .

/sigh

So . . . what is one to do?  How does and can this affect other areas of our life?  If we lose our goals, or hit them, what next? 

Let me know what you think?  Are you bored?  How do you overcome it?  Game, Life, Church, Family, whatever.

Questing Together and Random Couple Thoughts

Last night Tatiaana, aka Tanya, and Valimonde, aka Mike, got  a long awaited chance to do some leveling.  With the holiday's upon us finding time to sit down and play together has been difficult to say the least.  Then it seems when we do get time to play we are so beat that we fall asleep while questing.  It is rough getting old sometimes.  *smile*  But we press on.  Why?  For a couple of reasons.

First and foremost, Tanya and I have been married for 18 years.  We enjoy spending time together, even when it is in short doses.  With all the distractions in our lives it can be hard to find a get away, or place to just run away and be silly or have a ball.  Playing a game we can afford to do that.  *snickers*  She wont let me post the pic of us running through the tunnel linking Lock Modan with the Badlands as we traveled to free one of Father Winter's deer.  Seems the tunnel was rather hot and our armor sort of fell off while we where riding through.  You know. . silly things.  *looks over shoulder hopping Tatiaana does not thwap me in the back of the head*

Another reason we enjoy it is the challenge.  Mike is a goal oriented, strive to do all you can do, learn every skill you possibly can, teach others if they wish to learn kind of player/gamer.  Tanya is a puzzle and problem solver gamer.  In the past these two styles did not always fit, but as we play and work together not only in game, but over the past 18 years of this thing called real life, we have learned how to take the differences and complement each other.  I am the one who knows how to kill a boss.  She is the one who knows how to get to the boss if its a puzzle.  It is these differences that help us enjoy ourselves even more as we play together.

Gone are the days of parking ourselves in front of the television watching mindless dribble.  Now we park ourselves in front of the computer interacting with other people who are playing a game just like us.  Some may find it silly or possibly juvenile for adults to find so much enjoyment in a game.  Recently World of Warcraft has been shot at by some pretty crazy allegations from the head of the FCC to would be competators in the MMO marketplace.  The facts are that a ever growing number of adults in the United States, as well as the world population, are starting to turn to video games as their preferred means of entertainment and social interaction.  Can and should it replace going out and meeting friends face to face?  No. . it should not replace such activities as seeing daylight.  It is however just as legitimate, if not more rewarding at times, than spending hours in an activity that might otherwise be dull and boring to you.

Tanya and I love to play.  I am more into the game by far than her.  Some might even think that we are obsessed.  Honestly the nature of such games is made to keep you playing.  To keep you pushing yourself to become better than you are now.  TO achieve and reach forward.  To work together and break down complex problems.  To. . well, you get the picture.  The game reflects life.  It is what you do with it, how much time you put into it that matters.

I digress.  Back on topic of playing together.  We found time after a long two weeks of grabbing an hour or two.  Last night we helped the guild run Nexus, Tatiaana got her Red Christmas Hat.  We hit 76 and are very close to hitting 77 and getting our wings back.  She is home today and we hope to get some "quality" us time in.  

Take time with your spouse or significant other if you play with them.  One of the best words of advice I can give to help you enjoy your time together is this.  Communicate.  *smile*  Talk, discuss, work out small issues so you do not get frustrated if your partner does not play the same way you do.  After all. . . that is the best advice for couples in the "real world" as well.

79 Around the Corner and Other Fun

Tatiaana, aka Tanya, reminded me this morning while I was grumbling about server maintenance getting in the way of leveling, that I had not written on the blog for some time.  So . . .  *smile*  For all our wow readers, a wow update.

We have both been rather busy since the release of Wrath of the Lich King.  Bethany and I waited at Gamestop at midnight on the 12th in anticipation of going home with the 2 pre ordered copies we had purchased.  Unlike reports from some on well known podcasts, who obviously live in some strange places, we had over 300 people at our little Gamestop in Yuba City California.  It is always intrusting to see the people who share a hobby with you, even one as involved as World of Warcraft.

Tatiaana was already asleep when Bethany and I got home, and Bethany headed right to bed.  I cracked open the box, inserted the DVD and upgraded my account.  Blizzard put in some great lore facts and story background in the installer.  It was finished and I was ready.  But what to do?

Who do I log in?  Do I get Paravel into Northrend and start questing?  Do I get Valimonde in position with Tatiaana?  No that was out of the question as I decided that Valimonde and Tatiaana will level together.  Or do I roll my Death Knight?

I had run the DK starter zone while in the beta so . . .Digory, my 70 frost mage, had been rerolled and has become my Death Knight.  Now, for those wondering, no, you do not have to delete a toon to make a death knight. You simply must have a character that is at least level 55 on the server you start your death knight. You may only have one death knight per server.  Digory, my mage on another server, has been retired, Jadís is my new mage that I am leveling with Bethany's Shaman Benniah.

I began the quests and hit level 58 in just a little over two hours.  Was time to go to sleep.

Tatiaana and Val started questing the next day in Borean Tundra but did not like the zone.  It was drab and . . well. . blah.  Tatiaana ported us to Iron Forge and we then set of for Howling Fjord and oh we where so happy to do so!  HF is BEAUTIFUL!  The quest lines are so lore filled it is. . .amazing.  We where loving the progression and flow. 

When Tatiaana is at work I have been able to work on Paravel.  I decided to go ahead and work on the BT zone with her to give me more of a mix of things.  Leveling as a solo resto druid in the old game had issues, but I have found that I am able to survive and move along at a pretty steady pace.  Considering I am half a level away from 79 I think that Blizzard has done a good job with the reworking of talents and builds.  Just wish they would add more mana regen gear :(

I am working on getting Tatiaana to write on the blog in the next few days.  She has really enjoyed the expansion, and the two of us are having the time of our lives just spending time together.  Some may look at the two of us as strange or wierd, but when we are spending time playing a game together, communicating, talking to others, working together, we come away with a sense of accomplishment that we would never get from sitting in the livingroom watching hours of television.  If you play wow, or any other game, and your spouse does not. . even if they are not interested let them sit down and try it with you some time. . Use the guest pass. . They may not take to it but you will be surprised at how great a time you can have playing with your significant other.  I will make sure to poke her about putting in her thoughts on this topic since I am the "gamer" in the couple.

Pre Expansion Blues - What do I do?

I'ts Monday.  Enough said.

I spent most of last night reading forums, reviewing WoWjutsu, and checking realm list creation dates and data center data locations in an attempt to try and find a place to call home for the expansion.  I tell you, its not easy.

Here is my delima, and please excuse any rambling as it has been a rambling weekend.  I am currently playing my main, Paravel, on the PvE Misha US server.  Tanya and I came to Misha after leaving Earthern Ring.  The reasons we left ER are not really important, but the size and age of ER was a factor in our departure.  

We found ourselves on Misha because we had just been introduced to some local people through Todd, the former pastor at Cooper Ave Baptist Church in Yuba City.  Todd and I hooked up when he first moved into our area.  When I resigned First Baptist Live Oak we gravitated to Cooper.  (See, I'm rambling)  Back to Misha. 

While Todd was pastor at Cooper he found out one of the members and her husband played wow.  So they hooked up.  At the time I was involved in raiding with a great raiding group on ER in the SaSu raiding alliance.  Todd knew that the husband was struggling with raiding and guilds on Misha and possibly looking for a place to transfer.  His joining us was not to be.  As fate would have it we left ER and went to Misha mainly they where there.  It turns out that Tanya and Michelle knew each other from when they where youth growing up in the same area.

6 Random Gamerz Things (Got Tagged)

Got tagged by Taylor Kent
http://thesnarkyavenger.com

Here are the rules for those I’m tagging. Check the list after my 6 Random Gamerz Things to see if you’ve been tagged.
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six-ish people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

6 random things about me, Mike Norton

1. I collect bald eagles, not the real thing, but anything with them on them.


2. I met Tanya in college.  The very same college Bethany will be going to this coming fall O.o


3. My first video game addiction was "Return to Castle Wolfenstien"


4. I can balance a spoon on my nose.


5. My game tag ManO comes from my first clan mates in Team Fortress Classic shorting my name MANorton to ManO. It sort of stuck.


6. I'm an ubber Geek.  No . . really.

Six tagged people

Scott Bridwell (http://blog.scottbridwell.com/)
Carey Norton (http://yarnpaperscissors.blogspot.com/)
Warren Kelly (http://pewview.mu.nu/)
Rick Presley (http://www.ill-legalism.com/)
BigRedKitty aka Daniel (http://www.bigredkitty.net/)
Phaelia (http://www.resto4life.com)