To Beta or Not To Beta

I have had discussions with many game players about joining in a beta of the game they are playing or a new game they want to play. I find that the thoughts run about 50-50 for or against. I personally like being in a beta. I enjoy testing out game play and finding bugs so that when I start playing the live game it works. It also gives me a small sense of accomplishment in helping to get out something I really enjoy doing.

Other people do not want to spoil the excitement of seeing the game for the first time and still others like to get an early jump on strats to beat the mobs. I try hard not to see all of the game or areas being released so I still have some surprises left to explore. Still other people find it a waste of time and feel that the companies do not listen to suggestions. I find working with developers interesting and offering suggestions that may be implemented exciting.

If you have never tried a beta, I recommend trying one at least once. You may find you have a flare for games and who knows you might find a new career.

Happy Gaming!!

Ruins of Kunark Box Art

The box art for the release of the Rise of Kunark expansion in Everquest II was released today.
You can see it here . I was very surprised with this choice. The last expansion Echoes of Faydwer, was also and all inclusive box and they used the EoF hook to get us all buying and new players interested. I think they should have stuck to the theme and used RoK artwork. A lot of us have fond memories of Kunark. I often soloed and grouped in those zones. I would have been very happy with a nice big Sarnak on the front of the box and may a nice shot of Karnors Castle.

To be honest, the picture made me think of my favorite dark elf, Drittz du'Urden, that led me to R. A. Salvatore and that thought led me to 38 Studios. I know the picture is not an exact copy but it is sure close enough for me. I hope this accomplishes what it was supposed to but no one I know at the moment seems to know what that is.

Halo 3

I own an Xbox 360. My son owns the Xbox. I was a good Mom and shared the 360 with my son and his friends. Till my son got a job out of state. He fought me for the 360 but I was victorious!

Many months ago, I ordered the Halo 3 Legendary Edition for my son. At the time neither one of us was planning on him moving so far from home. So I am going to be the proud owner of Halo 3. I have to tell you, I have never played a game like this before. I am your basic Fantasy RPG player. Give me a Half-Elf with a bow over a Human with a gun anytime! My Halo 3 should be arriving at the beginning of next week and off I go on a new gaming adventure.

Stay tuned, I will let you know how it goes!!

Downtime

My favorite game is down. From what I can piece together,(I have beenbusy with real life and missed the messages) it has been down since late yesterday pacific time. I know that contrary to popular opinion the people responsible for keeping things running smoothly, did not decide to take the day to have a picnic at Balboa Park, (though the thought of Grimwell standing in the in the beer line cracks me up for some reason)!! They are working hard to get things up and running. Cause that is what they do and they are very good at it.

I am not a coder. Back in my early days of computing, I had to type code into a computer to get it to play a game or run an application. I am not talking massive code just a page or so and that made me crazy. One simple typo would take hours to find. I can hardly imagine what it must be like to work on code as massive as EQ2. My hat is off to everyone at SOE that works hard to keep me enjoying their game and for giving me time to play with my dogs and blog and catch up on the TV shows I have missed.

PS Grim have one for me!!!!

LoN

I am still on the fence about Legends of Norrath, the card games SOE has put into Everquest 2 and Everquest. I am still learning how to play. To be honest I find it confusing, but I am sure that is because I really do not understand it yet. I am hoping that changes soon. I did play with a guildie and she told me that I held my own but I really felt clueless. I was very excited about it when I heard about it at Fan Faire. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the panel on the game so I know I missed a lot of good information.

The one reason I am really on the fence with it is because people I would be grouping with are now playing a card game!! It is hard enough sometimes to get a group going and now people are all lost in LoN. I do have to admit I like the loot cards that can be claimed as in game items. I have the cloak that shrinks me and as a ratonga I come up to the knee of a Kerran I know.

Once I understand the game better I will chat about it again.

Boogie!!

I finally went out and got Boggie for the Wii. I am steeling up the courage to put in the disc and give it a go. I heard the music on the commercial, I liked it. Soooooo off I went to my nearest Game Stop and plopped down my card. Unfortunately, I have not had a minute to call my own since. Here is hoping I have some down time tomorrow to give it a try!!

Wish me luck!!

Games I Have Played, Folks I Have Met

I play mostly SOE games. I am more comfortable there. I spend most of my time in Everquest II (there ya go Bruce!). I got involved with SOE back in 1999 when most of us did. I started out in Everquest and I had such a great time learning the MMO world. It was all so new to me. Being able to play a game, talking to people in different parts of the world, while I sat in my computer room, is just the most amazing experience. I am still not very clear if it is the games that bring me back or the wonderful people I get to spend time with!

I met people in my Everquest guild that ended up working for SOE. Those people moved to the Everquest II team. I got invited to Friends and Family beta and I never went back to Everquest. I loved everything about Everquest II, the gameplay, the quests, the graphics, interacting with the development team, the very experienced gamers I met. Everquest II has come a long way since those days. So have the people I met. Some still work on EQII, some still work at SOE but on different games or in different areas of SOE, some moved to other game studios. Some of the players I met are not playing games at all. Some are. Through those people I have grown and I thank them!! They have touched my life and I have learned so much.

The people I met dragged me off to other online games, Dark Age of Camelot, Guild Wars, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Vanguard, RF Online, Asheron’s Call, Matrix Online and a few others that seem to have floated out of memory. We also talked about single player games and console games. I have played my fair share of both. I have to admit the RPG is my favorite genre. I so enjoy getting lost in a game and exploring every hill and dale, but I am expanding. With my journey into Matrix, I decided I like shooting things!! I look forward to the launch of The Agency. I may even branch out and try other first person shooters that I have been avoiding.

I do have to say, I am looking forward to any and all information that is going to dribble out of 38 Studios. I am familiar with the work of some of their starting development team and I am very anxious to see what they do!! Good luck guys and hurry I am not getting any younger!!