So tomorrow I leave for New Orleans for the conference where I have to read my story out loud. I'm really excited, but also nervous! I don't know how many people are going to be there when I read... It will be the last day of the conference, so hopefully by then most people have gone home or something.
Afterwards I will be heading back home to Maryland for spring break. My college gets off earlier than most others, which is really strange. Oh well. I get to relax at home and hopefully get some more writing done.
Because I can't take my game systems or my computer with me, I won't be able to play games! But I will probably try out a few App games for my iPod and post about them whenever I get a chance. No idea when I will be able to write another post, so have a good week! Especially if you're on spring break too.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Stressful Future Rant
Still waiting on the email for the Guild Wars 2 beta. I really hope it comes... I haven't been able to game much lately other than a couple games of League of Legends here and there. I did start playing the new Zelda game Skyward Sword, but I haven't been able to play in a week! Sad. I will probably do a post about it soon.
In other news, I am swamped with homework, mainly papers. Thankfully I managed to get most of it done this weekend. I am going to a conference in New Orleans for Sigma Tau Delta this week to read my accepted creative piece, Mercy's Letter. It is quite exciting, and I get to miss three days of class because of it, as well as having an extended vacation because spring break starts next week. A much needed break from school work.
I guess as an intermission from my posts about gaming I will post a little about myself. I am a creative writing major, minoring in visual arts, and am currently wishing I could write more. I am not the journalist type of writer, which really hinders looking for internships. I wouldn't mind an internship at a publishing company, but being an editor doesn't seem very appealing to me. I mean, I would prefer going into that career track than working a job at a restaurant or something, but I really want to write creatively. I'm really interested in video game writing, and so I've been searching for some internships in that area, but it's been really difficult so far. It would be awesome if I could just live off writing novels, but that is just a fantasy. Unless I can become overnight popular like J.K. Rowling, I doubt I could ever make a decent living off of that. Even so... Man, I really don't want to get a boring desk job!
Video game writing would be nice. I do better under pressure, so having deadlines would really help me. Also, I love coming up with random lore that would never really appear in a story as in depth as it would in a video game. Creating an interactive world where the reader can choose an outcome is also very fascinating. But why is it so hard to find internships in the industry?? Well, mostly they are looking for people that have experience already, or are programmers or artists. Darn, why didn't I develop my art style as much? Also, many of them are in California... I am very content on living on the East Coast. I'll go to California for a job if I had to, but I don't really want to go for an internship.
I feel like I am just screwed in my future. Why couldn't I just become a lawyer or doctor like my mom told me to??
In other news, I am swamped with homework, mainly papers. Thankfully I managed to get most of it done this weekend. I am going to a conference in New Orleans for Sigma Tau Delta this week to read my accepted creative piece, Mercy's Letter. It is quite exciting, and I get to miss three days of class because of it, as well as having an extended vacation because spring break starts next week. A much needed break from school work.
I guess as an intermission from my posts about gaming I will post a little about myself. I am a creative writing major, minoring in visual arts, and am currently wishing I could write more. I am not the journalist type of writer, which really hinders looking for internships. I wouldn't mind an internship at a publishing company, but being an editor doesn't seem very appealing to me. I mean, I would prefer going into that career track than working a job at a restaurant or something, but I really want to write creatively. I'm really interested in video game writing, and so I've been searching for some internships in that area, but it's been really difficult so far. It would be awesome if I could just live off writing novels, but that is just a fantasy. Unless I can become overnight popular like J.K. Rowling, I doubt I could ever make a decent living off of that. Even so... Man, I really don't want to get a boring desk job!
Video game writing would be nice. I do better under pressure, so having deadlines would really help me. Also, I love coming up with random lore that would never really appear in a story as in depth as it would in a video game. Creating an interactive world where the reader can choose an outcome is also very fascinating. But why is it so hard to find internships in the industry?? Well, mostly they are looking for people that have experience already, or are programmers or artists. Darn, why didn't I develop my art style as much? Also, many of them are in California... I am very content on living on the East Coast. I'll go to California for a job if I had to, but I don't really want to go for an internship.
I feel like I am just screwed in my future. Why couldn't I just become a lawyer or doctor like my mom told me to??
Thursday, February 23, 2012
CrazyCraft
I guess it's time for a Minecraft post. Do you play? I remember when I first heard about it I thought it was ridiculous and would never be able to be popular. Now look at it! So many people play and upload videos and create custom content. It really exploded in popularity. I guess it was worth buying it while it was still in beta! It's amazing how addictive it is to play for me. There isn't even a story line or plot unless you download a custom map. You just survive the undead-filled night while building and gathering resources, expanding your home to become like your own empire. Don't know why, but it's just super addicting.
Last summer I pretty much spent a dedicated month or two playing Minecraft with a friend of mine that was back in the States while I was in South Korea. We are best friends and so it was hard not being able to see each other for the first summer since we became friends in junior year of high school. Well, we probably ended up hanging out more online than we ever did in person, sadly (because her mom would never let her hang out with me for that long... crazy person, I am not a negative influence at all! *cough*). Anyway, so we played MC for so long, doing custom adventure maps and joining a random server that had only a few people. We got pretty obsessed. It really caters to our perfectionist, obsessive nature. We would spend hour digging and collecting resources just to build an automatic wheat farm and such... we were insane.
And we still play once in awhile. Last weekend we decided to record ourselves playing as a sort of fun drinking game. Every time we had to cheat on the adventure map (we cheat a lot... though surprisingly, and thankfully, didn't have to really for this one) and every time we finished a mixed drink we would have to take a shot. We were going to do every death instead, but we had to play on peaceful mode so that wouldn't work out. It was really fun, and I got pretty tipsy by the end. Maybe I will upload the videos to Youtube and link it here.
Playing Minecraft is also how I got obsessed with the Yogscast... I've pretty much been watching every single one of their videos since I found out about them last summer. Crazy.
Last summer I pretty much spent a dedicated month or two playing Minecraft with a friend of mine that was back in the States while I was in South Korea. We are best friends and so it was hard not being able to see each other for the first summer since we became friends in junior year of high school. Well, we probably ended up hanging out more online than we ever did in person, sadly (because her mom would never let her hang out with me for that long... crazy person, I am not a negative influence at all! *cough*). Anyway, so we played MC for so long, doing custom adventure maps and joining a random server that had only a few people. We got pretty obsessed. It really caters to our perfectionist, obsessive nature. We would spend hour digging and collecting resources just to build an automatic wheat farm and such... we were insane.
And we still play once in awhile. Last weekend we decided to record ourselves playing as a sort of fun drinking game. Every time we had to cheat on the adventure map (we cheat a lot... though surprisingly, and thankfully, didn't have to really for this one) and every time we finished a mixed drink we would have to take a shot. We were going to do every death instead, but we had to play on peaceful mode so that wouldn't work out. It was really fun, and I got pretty tipsy by the end. Maybe I will upload the videos to Youtube and link it here.
Playing Minecraft is also how I got obsessed with the Yogscast... I've pretty much been watching every single one of their videos since I found out about them last summer. Crazy.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
That GW2 Beta
https://beta.guildwars2.com/
Do it right now.
So this game is in beta mode, and apparently for a limited time they will be accepting applications to join it. I signed up immediately. I've seen a few videos and I'm super stoked. I haven't played a big Korean MMO yet, only small free-to-play ones like Perfect World and a bunch of mini ones I can't remember the name of. I had joined a beta once before--Final Fantasy XIV--and was sorely disappointed, so I'm hoping that this won't be a repeat. Judging from the videos I've seen so far it looks pretty enjoyable. I just hope my PC will be able to run it.
If you don't watch the Yogscast already then you should. Here's a good video to watch as a preview for the beta. They've so far shown three different races and six classes. I really like that there is an auto-attack, and that your abilities can change depending on the weapon you've equipped. That is so much customization right there, and added to it the basic customization when creating your character. The people look beautiful, classes look fun, and story lines very intriguing. Super excited!
Do it right now.
So this game is in beta mode, and apparently for a limited time they will be accepting applications to join it. I signed up immediately. I've seen a few videos and I'm super stoked. I haven't played a big Korean MMO yet, only small free-to-play ones like Perfect World and a bunch of mini ones I can't remember the name of. I had joined a beta once before--Final Fantasy XIV--and was sorely disappointed, so I'm hoping that this won't be a repeat. Judging from the videos I've seen so far it looks pretty enjoyable. I just hope my PC will be able to run it.
If you don't watch the Yogscast already then you should. Here's a good video to watch as a preview for the beta. They've so far shown three different races and six classes. I really like that there is an auto-attack, and that your abilities can change depending on the weapon you've equipped. That is so much customization right there, and added to it the basic customization when creating your character. The people look beautiful, classes look fun, and story lines very intriguing. Super excited!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Star Wars MMO
So I did end up playing the new Star Wars the Old Republic MMO soon after it was officially released. I did not pre-order it so i was a little behind when I started but oh well. It was a pretty good game. Nice graphics (too nice for my computer, I had to have the lowest settings and I still lagged) and a captivating storyline. I played as a gunslinger smuggler to about level 32 before I ended up quitting.
Now, before I say why I quit already only two months after release I will say what I like about the game. Well for one, it's a Star Wars MMO. Who doesn't like that? I was not a huge dedicated fan of the Star Wars franchise but I still love the movies. You can make whatever character you wish with huge customization options and be one of four classes that appear in the movies on either side of the good and evil split. But even if you chose to be part of the Republic or the Empire, you can still be bad or be good depending on your choices. And you would get rewarded with available items that fit your alignment. That was pretty cool.
I also really liked the story line. At least for the smuggler side, it very very comedic while also being serious enough to be involved. I almost regret not getting to level 50 before I quit just to see what happens to my character. From a writer's perspective I feel that it must be really hard to write all of that dialogue that changes depending on what the players choose. I really want to get involved with that and learn how to do it.
Sadly, I am not a World of Warcraft veteran. Never got into the WoW scene, and I feel like joining it now would not be the same as it was in its prime. I would probably judge it too harshly, which I always hate doing and hate people doing to things that I like. I ended up being a hardcore Final Fantasy XI player which had a big rivalry against WoW.
But SWTOR is a new game, so I can judge it all I want. Frankly, I don't really like the quest grinding system. You do a few quests in this area which leads you to the next area to do a few quests that will lead you to the next area etc etc until you finish a planet, then you do all of that over again. The only thing to really interrupt this is doing Flashpoints or doing PVP. Well, my computer could not handle PVP (I went into queue, accepted to go, game froze for five minutes, went to pvp load screen for five minutes, then went to the Republic Fleet load screen for five minutes) and so I would be missing out on that whole break in the monotony. I didn't really like doing flashpoints either because I would lag with the extra players and the extra mobs that would be involved.
I also didn't really like the item system. Basically you get all the gear you ever need dropped off the average mob that you killed as you leveled. Where is the sense of earning? Oh wait, it's when you're in PVP. I guess SWTOR was just not for me or my computer. I am very particular about MMO's because I grew up on FFXI where you would monster grind in a party of 6, and you would spend hours camping a monster to get a special piece of gear, competing to get the drop against other people who also need it. Sure, that was a tremendous waste of time looking for people to party with, leveling up, and getting those items, but I enjoyed it. I liked the feeling that I actually earned my level 75 character that took years to get rather than reaching the cap after a month like in other games. That I earned that rare piece of gear that made me that much more special than other players. It was an elitist society that did not rely on how well you do in PVP but in how much you dedicate, which should really be what being elite is.
Anyway, so that's my two cents on SWTOR. I may play it in another year once they come out with new content... maybe.
Now, before I say why I quit already only two months after release I will say what I like about the game. Well for one, it's a Star Wars MMO. Who doesn't like that? I was not a huge dedicated fan of the Star Wars franchise but I still love the movies. You can make whatever character you wish with huge customization options and be one of four classes that appear in the movies on either side of the good and evil split. But even if you chose to be part of the Republic or the Empire, you can still be bad or be good depending on your choices. And you would get rewarded with available items that fit your alignment. That was pretty cool.
I also really liked the story line. At least for the smuggler side, it very very comedic while also being serious enough to be involved. I almost regret not getting to level 50 before I quit just to see what happens to my character. From a writer's perspective I feel that it must be really hard to write all of that dialogue that changes depending on what the players choose. I really want to get involved with that and learn how to do it.
Sadly, I am not a World of Warcraft veteran. Never got into the WoW scene, and I feel like joining it now would not be the same as it was in its prime. I would probably judge it too harshly, which I always hate doing and hate people doing to things that I like. I ended up being a hardcore Final Fantasy XI player which had a big rivalry against WoW.
But SWTOR is a new game, so I can judge it all I want. Frankly, I don't really like the quest grinding system. You do a few quests in this area which leads you to the next area to do a few quests that will lead you to the next area etc etc until you finish a planet, then you do all of that over again. The only thing to really interrupt this is doing Flashpoints or doing PVP. Well, my computer could not handle PVP (I went into queue, accepted to go, game froze for five minutes, went to pvp load screen for five minutes, then went to the Republic Fleet load screen for five minutes) and so I would be missing out on that whole break in the monotony. I didn't really like doing flashpoints either because I would lag with the extra players and the extra mobs that would be involved.
I also didn't really like the item system. Basically you get all the gear you ever need dropped off the average mob that you killed as you leveled. Where is the sense of earning? Oh wait, it's when you're in PVP. I guess SWTOR was just not for me or my computer. I am very particular about MMO's because I grew up on FFXI where you would monster grind in a party of 6, and you would spend hours camping a monster to get a special piece of gear, competing to get the drop against other people who also need it. Sure, that was a tremendous waste of time looking for people to party with, leveling up, and getting those items, but I enjoyed it. I liked the feeling that I actually earned my level 75 character that took years to get rather than reaching the cap after a month like in other games. That I earned that rare piece of gear that made me that much more special than other players. It was an elitist society that did not rely on how well you do in PVP but in how much you dedicate, which should really be what being elite is.
Anyway, so that's my two cents on SWTOR. I may play it in another year once they come out with new content... maybe.
Monday, February 20, 2012
League of Legends Addiction
My biggest gaming obsession for a few months now has been League of Legends. I think I started in the summer of 2010, and have played it on and off since. But these two semesters of my junior year have really been filled with LoL almost every single day, whenever I can fit it in. It is almost sad the amount I play and yet I am still not that good. I just reached level 30, the cap, and have more losses than wins, though it is always really close. I have yet to break 200 wins, but I am hoping to soon!
It's exciting that I get to play in ranked games now, but I am really not looking forward to it at all. In fact, I doubt I will go into the ranked game business unless one of my friends invites me to a team (very doubtful though). Normal games at level 30 are hard enough! Though to be fair, most of the times I lose is when I am teamed up with friends that have a very high ELO score, with hundreds of ranked game wins. It really doesn't help me at all to be paired with these people because that means that we will be against pre-made ranked players, too. Great. It is more fun oftentimes to play as a group though, especially if we use a chatting service like Skype or Mumble.
So far my most played champion is probably Soraka. I have always had an affinity for the healing class (played Final Fantasy XI Online as a white mage) so I am fairly decent at being a support. I like being to have straight heals as opposed to Janna, who I bought but never play. I have dabbled in Sona but still haven't bought her... I am too attached to being good at Soraka. I really did not enjoy the nerf on her that made her unable to have a nearly limitless supply of mana with Infused. They already nerfed her heals!
My second most played champ is Garen. Being able to just dive into the enemy and come out alive is fairly exhilarating. I always build a tanky Garen for that reason, unless there is already a tank. I also like to play Morgana as AP, but I am not so good at her. Sometimes I am, but if I am mid-laning against a good player then I get owned. I used to main Ashe before I realized that she kind of sucks against many champions, but I did have a good game with her recently so I might try her out more. I used to be really good at Tristana but now I suck, and those are basically all the champs that I play. I don't like being bad, so I generally don't try out a new champ unless it's in co-op vs. AI.
League of Legends is a very addicting game, too, seeing as each game is averaged at about half an hour. Perfect amount of time to get in a game or two before bed, or before my next class... etc. I don't really play Dominion much ever since about a month after it came out. I am not really good at pressured situations and Dominion is all pressure, all the time. I like the more easy-going laning process in Summoner's Rift. Ahh just talking about it makes me really want to play...
Another awesome thing about LoL is all the lore that they put into it. As a writer, I am really inspired by how much detail that they put into the background of every single champion that comes out. It must be a fun job being able to create so many characters that players really get attached to. I really want to spend a day just reading all of them... or at least all of my favorite ones. But when I'm logged onto the League how can I resist playing?!
If you haven't played the game yet, I really suggest that you do. It is free-to-play, the only thing you need real-life money for is to buy champions or other things, but you can earn in-game points just by playing so spending money is pointless unless you're impatient. Some may argue that the more traditional moba games like DotA or HoN are better... but a free game is a free game, so go try it.
It's exciting that I get to play in ranked games now, but I am really not looking forward to it at all. In fact, I doubt I will go into the ranked game business unless one of my friends invites me to a team (very doubtful though). Normal games at level 30 are hard enough! Though to be fair, most of the times I lose is when I am teamed up with friends that have a very high ELO score, with hundreds of ranked game wins. It really doesn't help me at all to be paired with these people because that means that we will be against pre-made ranked players, too. Great. It is more fun oftentimes to play as a group though, especially if we use a chatting service like Skype or Mumble.
So far my most played champion is probably Soraka. I have always had an affinity for the healing class (played Final Fantasy XI Online as a white mage) so I am fairly decent at being a support. I like being to have straight heals as opposed to Janna, who I bought but never play. I have dabbled in Sona but still haven't bought her... I am too attached to being good at Soraka. I really did not enjoy the nerf on her that made her unable to have a nearly limitless supply of mana with Infused. They already nerfed her heals!
My second most played champ is Garen. Being able to just dive into the enemy and come out alive is fairly exhilarating. I always build a tanky Garen for that reason, unless there is already a tank. I also like to play Morgana as AP, but I am not so good at her. Sometimes I am, but if I am mid-laning against a good player then I get owned. I used to main Ashe before I realized that she kind of sucks against many champions, but I did have a good game with her recently so I might try her out more. I used to be really good at Tristana but now I suck, and those are basically all the champs that I play. I don't like being bad, so I generally don't try out a new champ unless it's in co-op vs. AI.
League of Legends is a very addicting game, too, seeing as each game is averaged at about half an hour. Perfect amount of time to get in a game or two before bed, or before my next class... etc. I don't really play Dominion much ever since about a month after it came out. I am not really good at pressured situations and Dominion is all pressure, all the time. I like the more easy-going laning process in Summoner's Rift. Ahh just talking about it makes me really want to play...
Another awesome thing about LoL is all the lore that they put into it. As a writer, I am really inspired by how much detail that they put into the background of every single champion that comes out. It must be a fun job being able to create so many characters that players really get attached to. I really want to spend a day just reading all of them... or at least all of my favorite ones. But when I'm logged onto the League how can I resist playing?!
If you haven't played the game yet, I really suggest that you do. It is free-to-play, the only thing you need real-life money for is to buy champions or other things, but you can earn in-game points just by playing so spending money is pointless unless you're impatient. Some may argue that the more traditional moba games like DotA or HoN are better... but a free game is a free game, so go try it.
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