For anyone wondering about the dearth of posts, I’m still sick. Had a dreadful weekend, and I’m just starting to feel human again. I will hopefully return soon to my regularly scheduled blog posts. But until the fog clears from my brain, it’s just going to have to wait. I will return.
I like World of Warcraft again. I rediscovered my obsession this weekend and have been playing in marathon sessions once again. And no, that’s not why I haven’t posted in a week. That’s because I’ve been sick. I swear!
I had gotten my main character up to level 33 and my interest had faded. Part of the problem is that I’m a big fan of linear gameplay. I know, that’s crazy talk, PC RPGs are all about open ended, go anywhere do anything experiences. But truthfully, I’m more of a console RPG fan. I like a game on rails where you always know exactly where you should be and are given limited choices. You have options for character customization, you have side quests you can or cannot choose to do, but you don’t have this unlimited world just gaping at you.
My problem is an obsessive nature. I have to do everything. So if you give me an unlimited world where you cannot possibly do everything I am left in a panic. Where do I go? What do I do? Which is the better choice?
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The demo for Age of Empires III came out last week, and I’ve been meaning to talk about it, but haven’t quite had the time. It’s a busy life I lead. So anyway, now that I’ve had a chance to play with it a few times, I thought I’d share my thoughts.
Let me preface by saying I am a Real Time Strategy fan. I have been working on RTS games on and off for 5 years now. So I think I know a little something about them. Looking at the screenshots of the game, I was impressed. I thought, “Wow, that looks fantastic!” But, of course, the demo doesn’t look anywhere near as good as the screenshots. Or screenshops as one of my co-workers likes to call them. Perhaps they were enhanced just a little bit in Photoshop. Just a little. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes, I made sure I had all the graphical settings set to their maximum highness in the options screen. And I’m sure my Nvidia 6800 Pro can handle anything they’re throwing at it.
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You may have noticed I haven’t written about World of Warcraft in a while. I have to say, sadly, it’s because the honeymoon is over. When we began, it was so new. I was entranced. Every quest was interesting, every monster was new, and I just couldn’t wait to see what was around the corner. But recently, things just seem like more of the same. Look, a new wolf monster, now in black fur! A new spider, this time in green!
I still like the game. I still get very compulsive about completing quests methodically whenever I log in. But. I’m not logging in nearly as much as I used to. I’ve only been playing once a week! That’s down from playing everyday, hours a day, and triple time on weekends.
So many people are still hooked after all this time, and I wonder if I’m missing something. Is there some great new ability I’ll get if I just stick it out? Will I be able to craft some fantastic armor that will blow my mind? Or will I just keep treading the level mill, wondering what’s gonna change?
Maybe it’s because I haven’t done any PvP (that’s Player vs Player, where you go and hunt down the evil players who chose to play on the other faction and deserve their fate). Maybe that’s where the fun is?
Thoughts? Where did the joy go!
Just saw the the Penny Arcade guys are going to be speaking at MIT this Friday. Now the question is how do I escape work and get down to Cambridge by 5 with no one noticing? Hmm. Seems problematic!
I really enjoy Penny Arcade - for those who don’t read it, it’s a web comic that’s nominally about video games. I say “nominally” because it’s really just about anything the two guys who write it feel like blabbing about. Sort of like my blog. But better written, funnier, and with a huge audience. So not like my blog at all.
I’ve never met the guys behind the comic, and I’m sure they’re just normal guys and everything. But it would be interesting to hear them talk in person, and get some idea about the people behind the diatribes that make me laugh so frequently. But. It’s a work day! Oh well, maybe I’ll catch it when it comes out on DVD. Err. Or something.