I played GW again, with my elementalist in post-Searing. I’m finding it decently entertaining, but not engrossing. I’ll continue to play here and there, to build up a character. I need to decide which is more fun to continue through to the end: hammer warrior or pyro/geomancer — I like them both, but they are completely different play styles. I’m looking forward to seeing some new monsters (besides just renamed pre-Searing monsters), allying with other PCs, and maybe watching some guild versus guild (player vs. player) action.

From what I’m learning, now, GW is more fun in the PvP. I’m told that the game was first designed around the PvP element, and the player-in-the-world mode was secondary. Unfortunately, I got this game to play in the game world, not to death-match other players in an arena.

World of Warcraft

Talking with my friend who has been playing WoW, I’m starting to consider giving it a try. My friend gave me his disks and a code to install and try out the world for 10 days, free. (This is all legal, as the code card is included in the game box with direct permission to pass 10 free days on to a friend.) Couldn’t hurt to take a free test play.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

I’ve been called an idiot for ignoring an explanatory cut scene in the game, and for not reading the text spoken by some NPCs. In my defense, I saw no cut scene between accepting the Academy quest and popping up at the big doors. While waiting at the big doors, there was a lot of chatter from the player characters, so it is quite possible that I missed some NPC text. I did notice an NPC talking during the wait, but he wasn’t near me, and I hadn’t prompted him to speak to me (as you must do with all other NPCs I’ve so far seen).

I’m willing to give the game the benefit of the doubt, and go with the assumption that I am, in fact, the idiot in this scenario. Maybe I did do something wrong, didn’t pay attention, or something. I’ve already invested the money and time in this game, so I might as well try again. So I did last night.

I started a new character, again (so I could completely restart the experience) and played him up to 7th level. I figured I’d do one more quest before going to the Academy, and so teamed up with a ranger/necromancer to do the “Over the Wall” quest.

At 7th level, I was bashing through the pre-Academy monsters pretty easily. Nothing really to challenge me. I was all tough and proud. But then I met the charr (a new monster race I hadn’t yet encountered). Whoa nelly! I got handled. Two or three level 8 charr chaots (what the hell is a “chaot”?) walked all over us, twice. Holy crap! These things are very aggressive; I guess this is a taste of the world after the Academy.

I’m going to finish that Over the Wall mission before going to the Academy. Damn charr. They’ve made me mad now.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

OK, so I’m told that what I’ve seen so far is just the beginner’s area — a place to learn the game system and get introduced to the world. The creatures in this part are designed to be not aggressive. The game will change drastically after around 6th level when I go through the “Academy” section and get loosed on the main action.

I started a new character tonight and worked it up to 6th level. (I didn’t have to start a new character — I just wanted to.) I said yes to the quest to go to the Academy, and after a brief pause for the game to load the area, I ended up outside a stone building with a bunch of other player characters. We seemed to be waiting on something, ostensibly for the big double doors to open.

The doors opened, and a group of us (apparently automatically teamed up) went through. I saw a group of other humans in the area beyond the door, but their names were not in red, and they seemed to be other players. I figured I’d follow the crowd and see what I was supposed to do.

My god! A slaughter. I couldn’t keep track of what was happening, and I died 3 times (I think), and kept getting resurrected right there on the battle field. Those other humans were not allies, they were enemies. Crap on a stick. That was not even amusing. I didn’t even fight back because I didn’t realize who was what and why.

And then poof, we’re somewhere else, with that Tydus guy (who gave me the quest for the Academy) standing around again? Maybe its because I put in 4 hours straight, and it is now after midnight. But that one shock could knock me right out of wanting to pursue the game. I have no idea what happened, or where I am now.

I’ll take a break from the game for a couple days, and maybe get back into it with a fresh mind. But damn, that was just stupid.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com