I’m torn on the subject of daily quests. On one hand, sure who doesn’t want a reason to log in every day. The daily missions in EQ2 that reward shards for armor were one such example of this along with the hot zone (meaning the zone has an increased chance to drop loot). On the other hand working towards a goal via daily quests like faction really makes me annoyed, because I don’t want to have to wait day by day in order to purchase a faction item, I want it RIGHT NOW. Or at least 10 hours from now once I’ve grinded the faction out the ‘regular‘ way.

Examples of this are the new daily crafter quests available in Sentinel’s Fate. In order to purchase any of the armor recipes (I’m speaking from a tailor perspective specifically) you need 40,000 faction with the kerra isle folks AND faction with the crafter division of that same island. If you’re an adventurer you’ll be able to gain one of the factions quite easily by completing the chain of adventure quests, but you’re still left with a whole lot of craft faction to work on at the end. The daily quests only give you 2,500 faction a day and you’ll be around 12,000 or so after the chain of crafter quests. That’s a fair amount of dailies to complete before you’re able to purchase the recipes you may want.

It seems that these days every game wants to add a ‘come log in’ factor for players – WoW has had daily quests for quite some time, and now even Aion is jumping into it with their new 1.9 patch that is in the works. It’s certainly not the first time we’ve seen it in EQ2 either, the Isle of Mara craft division has been giving daily (and weekly) craft quests for some time.

I’m a little burned out on EQ2 lately, I’ve been playing quite a bit since the release of Sentinel’s Fate and so my attention has wandered over to other games (like EVE, and Darkfall). If you’re looking to read some of my posts about those games please visit Nomadic Gamer, which is a 2nd web site I started up – and keep in mind that I’m also always looking for volunteer writers for that site. If you’re looking for a place to post your opinion (about games, mind you. They don’t have to be MMO specific) just let me know and I can get you set up. Anyhow, I’ve been logging in to EQ2 to complete my daily quests but other then that I’m taking a small break, I don’t want to burn out completely after all. This is where playing so many games actually comes in handy, they all seem to remind me why I love my ‘main’ games.

What do you think about daily quests? Are they a good thing? A bad thing? Would you like to see more creative ways to entice players to log in every day? Let me know in comments!

Safe travels, and happy gaming!

Wow. 1500 posts already. For me this is a HUGE milestone. I’ve been writing on MmoQuests.com for five years this year. FIVE years? That’s a life time in the online world. Hitting such a mark made me think about milestones, not just in real life but in our gaming atmospheres. Above is a screen shot from March 2006, it’s my very first guild (that I personally created), Fire and Ice on the … I can’t even remember which server. It’s either Najena or Lucan D’Lere. Satia was my character (a dark elf warden who I now play as Seduisant, having renamed when I moved servers multiple times). Our guild had just reached level 17, and it was such a proud moment. It was before we were even aware of the fire and ice quest that would take you to defeat Darathar and obtain your prismatic 1.0

Reaching these milestones in any capacity is an incredible feeling. Whether you’ve nailed a project at work, or reached a new level in a game. Whether you and your friends have done something incredible together, or you’ve finally made that big purchase you’ve always dreamed of. Reaching milestones makes us feel good about our situations (typically) and carrying this over into a video game is just one more aspect of allowing us to feel GOOD about things. Who wants to play a game where all you do is feel shoddy all of the time. We play them because we feel good, it’s entertaining.

I’m looking forward to reaching many more milestones as time goes on, and I hope everyone else reaches their milestones too. I’m still in awe at 1500 posts, haha.

Happy gaming everyone, I’ll see you in Norrath, Tranquility, The Spire, Telon, Middle Earth, Atreia, the American Grand Canyon, Hyboria, Azeroth, Tyria, Eberron, and numerous other places.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Karen and Adam (who you guys may already know from Journeys with Jaye and Epic Slant) caught me off guard and asked if I’d be willing to guest on a podcast of theirs, View from the Top. Having never done a single podcast in my entire life (although I have lots of experience talking to myself, and the cat) I decided to face my fears of public speaking, and give it a shot. After all, what was the WORST that could happen (Princess could take the microphone and reveal all of my secrets). This was no easy task for me, but Karen threatened me sent Sith Lords after me held the cat ransom convinced me that no harm would come from it.

Please head on over to the link above and give it a listen. Also don’t forget to submit a question for their next shows, even though I have no intentions of ever doing another podcast, they do a fantastic job at answering!

Thank you again Karen and Adam for having me on the show, it really was a blast!

While it may not be widely known yet, it’s only a matter of time. Anyone who messes with Tipa and becomes her arch nemesis, even in the blogging world, must incur the wrath of her entire guild.

Syp, consider this your first and last warning!

Those of us at Torrent Knights don’t take kindly to one of our own being picked on. Unlike you, Tipa comes with an arsenal of friends that she doesn’t have to pay for an evening of company.

Bring it on.

What’s more important to you as a player – the classes you can select, or the races of the characters you play? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. In a lot of mainstream MMOs it’s hard to move away from the ‘holy trinity’ of warrior-healer-dps. There’s not a lot offered outside of those realms. For me personally, it’s more important what race is offered, because the majority of the time I already know at least three classes are going to be available, and I’m comfortable with that.

I don’t like to play humans in my video games. I suppose the very basic reason is because I already ‘play’ one in real life and I find them a little boring. I’d much rather place a creature of some type, or some race that may be similar to human but is not. Yes, looks play a giant role in that. I’d love to see more MMOs where you can customize your race with hand selected features and traits and be an ‘unknown’ if that’s what you wish. I realize that for lore purposes this doesn’t exactly work out in all situations (ie: EQ2) but I think it would be a really neat idea. What would happen if you mixed a ratonga with a kerra, and were able to add specific features from both races, perhaps they’ve evolved over time. Or if you could combine your arasai with a troll, choosing racial features and traits from both ‘base’ races.

Ah the possibilities we’d have then!

It’s that time of year again, when Beckett MOG hosts their Readers Choice Awards. I’d really appreciate and love it if everyone went over and cast their vote for the survey, I realize there are a few glitches within the survey at the moment, they’re being ironed out by my Editor Doug (I didn’t have anything to do with creating the survey, but I was asked to promote it). So please head over to the site and complete the survey for your favorite games of 2009! The results will be posted in our next issue of Beckett MOG, which is due to hit shelves mid March.

Click here to head to the survey.

Thanks!

Just a very quick post that I’m post dating to the 9th (even though today is the 15th) because I saw I had a blank spot on the calendar. Sneaky? Sure maybe but it’s my site so that’s what I get to do!

2009 was pretty impressive for me personally, especially in relation to work and games (since my work relates directly to games). Despite the fact that I spent a good 7 months of it sick and bedridden, I still think it was an alright year. I’m hoping that 2010 will be even more impressive. Here are a few things that really stand out in my mind about 2009, and memories that I’ll never forget.

- February 2009, I was informed that I would be heading to San Diego for a day to interview the good folks at SOE. I had about two weeks to prepare for the trip, including getting my passport, and it was probably the most hectic thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. It included 1 day flying, 1 day interviewing, and 1 day flying home (I do live on the other side of NA after all). It was also the most amazing thing I’ve ever done (to date). It was a very surreal experience to speak with developers of EQ, EQ2, and Vanguard, and I received an exceptionally warm welcome by the EQ2 community team. As my first ‘on site’ interview, it was not something I will ever forget.

- Sadly I caught the midori virus while I was there *snickers* and it stuck with me for a few months. I went through some pretty painful health issues, and it lasted until October. Not a happy camper, I had great support from my friends, and did my best, continued my work for Beckett although most of that was from my bed.

- Fall 2009 I received an unexpected phone call from Eric Bloom of Blue Oyster Cult. He was playing wizard 101, and wanted some game tips, and I learned about what a huge gamer he is. He talked about all sorts of things from World of Warcraft, EQ2, Wizard 101, and I have to admit one of the funniest comments from him was ‘I don’t have to explain to you who I am, right?’ when he was talking about how some times he lacked time to game, due to other press obligations. It was neat to finally realize that hey, everyone plays video games.

- Year long I continued to grow in terms of work, I went from writing 1-3 articles per issue to writing 6-7 on a steady basis. I also got a promotion, and now handle web news and all of my own PR when it comes to the games I cover. I think I’ve learned a lot, and still have a long way to go. I managed to make a blog post almost every single day on MmoQuests.com which is something I’m really happy about.

I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve learned even more about MMOs and even about players. I’ve met a wonderful community that I continue to hold close to me (granted I can’t really hold anyone close on Twitter) and I like that I managed to keep my values and morals in tact when it comes to writing about video games. I’ve kept a (mostly) positive attitude in everything I write, and I hope to continue that through 2010, whether it’s boring or not, it’s who I am.

I’m excited about what 2010 will bring, and I hope everyone else is too!

Happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself.

I was running out of ideas on what to post this morning (it’s been “one of those” weeks) – and didn’t want to break the three year streak of posting on a daily basis, so thankfully Calthine over on twitter suggested I ‘blog about too many choices in MMOs’. Something I hadn’t really thought of a whole lot.

As much as I love to game (and trust me, I game a lot) there comes a time when I really don’t want to have to think. I don’t want a huge selection of choices on where to go and what to do. Some times I just want to pop into a game and simply play. MMOs are not exactly the type of games that offer this I’ve discovered. If I want that sort of game play (and it doesn’t happen often, but it does happen) I typically pick up a console game. RPGs offer a great selection of ‘follow the story’ where I feel as though I’m progressing, but I don’t have to worry about who I’m playing or what I’m doing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I want LESS choice in my MMOs, I certainly don’t. I’m just saying that some times, having that much choice simply doesn’t appeal to me. Some times I have no idea who I want to play. What server I want to play on, whether I want to quest, adventure, mentor, craft, collect shinies, or any other huge selection of things in EQ2. Some days even figuring out what game to play is a chore in itself. It’s nice that there are SO many games out there, and so much selection, but in times of confusion, or when all you want is something comforting, it can create a headache.

Am I the only person who gets like this? Do we develop gaming ‘habits’ where we log into our favorite MMO with no indication of what to do and simply sit around and log off a few hours later having done nothing ‘productive’ at all out of habit? If I logged into a PC game or a console game I know with a pretty clear mind what I’m going to be doing in any particular game. Again I’m not saying it’s bad, but it makes me think even more about the different types of gaming out there, and how a lot of us are simply not satisfied with one method.

I have no idea if this is what Calthine had in mind when she offered the suggestion, but at least I got a post out of it today (grins). Happy gaming no matter where you find yourself, and I’ll see you in Norrath.

I believe it was Petter who first used the term (to me in chat) that I now see springing up in games everywhere, you can call it what you will, but we’ve all basically turned into ‘nomadic gamers’. To be more specific: “communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location” – in fact I think this would make a fantastic blog name, so I went and created a new site on wordpress in preparation for an idea I have for 2010.We’ll see how it goes, if it goes anywhere. I haven’t fleshed everything out quite yet.

Anyhow. There’s no denying that as we approach 2010 we’ve turned into nomadic gamers. I know VERY few people who play ONE game and ONLY one game these days. Sure maybe you only play one game at a time, but how long do you play for before you move on to something else? Are you constantly applying to betas and hoping to check out ‘the next big thing’? Maybe you enjoy free to play games which rarely hold your attention for any length of time. Or maybe, like me, you’re writing for work and it’s incredibly important to be up to date on everything that’s going on and to have a wide variety of game experiences under your belt.

When I was playing EverQuest I didn’t play anything else. I’m not sure why. Was it because I was content with the game, or maybe just because I didn’t know about any other games out there (remember, still relatively new to this whole scene). Was the MMO industry so small back then that there simply was no other choice (I know there were other choices, I’m just listing off potential reasons here).

So why is it that we’ve become SO intent on trying every single game out, and while we may return ‘home’ we spend a good portion of time trying out new things. I’m not bashing this method at all, I just find it very interesting.

One thing that really interests me is the fact that while we used to look for communities IN GAME we’ve taken to finding our gaming buddies elsewhere – perhaps in order to compensate for the lack of community we feel within the games themselves. With everyone playing everywhere, it can be hard to find that solid community of long time friends. I, for example, turned to twitter, where I can be friends with a whole slew of gamers no matter what game they’re playing in. Before that I used Xfire to connect to my friends who were all over the place, and Raptr, and other programs that are similar. It’s a method for me to still feel a part of the gaming community, even if I don’t actually have a ‘home’ within the games themselves any more, because I’m all over the place. It’s hard to make friends when you’re not sure if you’re playing a particular game for a week, a month, or maybe just that day.

No matter where you find yourself, the key of course is to have fun. If you’re not having fun doing what you’re doing, then don’t do it (unless of course it’s work related, we can’t ALL enjoy every aspect of work all the time, other wise they’d rename work into happy fun time or something similar). I’m still getting used to this nomadic life style of gaming, but it’s been enjoyable. I’m looking forward to what 2010 may bring, and I hope everyone has a great year, no matter what game they find themselves in.

It’s been a pretty good year as far as games go, of course I say that every year. I stuck with my basics.

On the MMO front:

EQ2: I played steady throughout 2009, I attempted some TSO raiding on Oasis but the hours were just too much for me and I resigned myself to the fact that I’m just not able to be a raider any more. I closed down my second account, but kept the 12 characters on my main account. For the first time this year I managed to get myself three mythical updates, and ‘complete’ a character before the next expansion comes out in February. New events were added, and I keep on blogging about EQ2 on a fairly frequent basis. I don’t see that changing over 2010, but I am eager for some new content.

EQ: I went back a few times over the year, did some old school raids and even did some videos. My main (necromancer) is 82, and since the latest expansion did not raise the level cap, there’s a chance that in 2010 I may actually manage to get there (there being level 85). I went on an Underfoot tour for work which was a lot of fun, and was reminded once more why I love the communities in games more then anything else.

Vanguard: I didn’t play nearly as much as I wanted to, but I did play every so often, leveling up my blood mage as well as my smaller characters. The level cap went up to 55 and a lot of free content was added. Of course then that very ‘down’ post showed up on the forums and now everyone is doubting the future of Vanguard. Personally, I think it will keep on through 2010 even though players are quite disappointed by the key features that have been shelved.

Aion: Playing this game specifically for work, it’s beautiful but every single aspect is a grind, from leveling to crafting to harvesting. Thankfully having someone to play with makes these tasks far more bearable. I don’t regret playing, there’s still some fun to be found, but it reminded me about how completely different people can be with their play styles. Of course the future was revealed for Aion in a video and we’re all eagerly wondering when and if any of those features will come true. Me? Looking forward to seeing some housing, but I’m not holding my breath.

Champions Online: I was given a 3 month trial of the game for free (due to work) but barely played. Through no fault of the game, I’m just not the super hero type it appears. I did love the character creation process, it was detailed  and I absolutely loved the customization options. Once I got past that there was nothing to keep pulling me in to play.

Wizard 101: I played this game off and on all of 2009 and loved it just as much as ever. It feels like I’ve been stuck in Krokotopia forever, and I’m looking forward to moving on to the next world. The problem is finding the time to actually sit down and play. I also started up a second account so that I could box my characters together, hoping to make some of the fights easier. Since I play mostly for work related articles, I tend to play during the day time when the population has decreased because everyone is at work and school. School specific houses came out, and they’re absolutely incredible. Housing has always been a big pull for me, and it’s great to see some of my favorite games still dedicating themselves towards creating content for that.

Age of Conan: I got two weeks of free play time, and I think I logged in once or twice. It just doesn’t appeal to me, too many other games I play offer the exact same things (and nudity / gore are not things that appeal to me at all).

Warhammer Online: Another one of those ‘if I only had the time’ games, I did sneak in here and there. I’ve always enjoyed WAR, and just wished more people would play. I can’t play this game constantly, because I don’t enjoy PvP constantly. I felt the PvE was lacking, but there have been some amazing revamps and things have changed a little. My account is currently open until the 25th of January, and I’m going to try to squeeze in some more time where I can. We’ll see how that goes.

The Lord of the Rings Online: My little Minstrel is climbing up the levels. This game is just so beautiful to me, and I love the gameplay – not to mention the crafting. I debated whether or not to pick up the life time membership when it dropped back down to $199, but decided to just stick with a three month plan (which also happened to get me Mirkwood for free, when I purchased the $20 adventure pack). I don’t imagine I’ll be giving this game up any time soon, I love the PvE, and I have a lot of friends currently playing, which just makes it a huge bonus.

Fallen Earth: I played the trial to this game, twice. While the genre was not something I typically am interested in (that whole post apocalyptic feeling) the game is a lot of fun. I had a huge learning curve to try to master in a short amount of time, as the game combines FPS and melee combat, crafting is some of the most involved I’ve seen. The graphics are incredible. I’ve been debating whether or not to purchase the full version, especially this holiday season because steam has it on sale for half price. My problem is whether or not I’ll actually be able to make use of the 1 month of play time before it expires, simply due to time limits. In the mean time I’ll keep thinking about it.

World of Warcraft: I didn’t play much WoW over the year, but I kept my account active simply because. It’s one of those games I play for a short while and bore of it before moving on to something else. On the plus side, I did recently manage to make it to level 56 on my main, which allowed me to promptly make a Death Knight who surpassed my four year old character in three hours, reaching level 58. Ouch.

This year is the first year I’ve actually played numerous non-mmo games, and it was great. I purchased an XBox to go along with the PS3 and Wii that are already in the house, and played some fun mario games as well as a lot of Fable II. I bought Torchlight which I love, and Dragon Age when that came out. Sims 3 came out with an expansion and I spent lots of hours lost in both.

I still keep meaning to pop into DDO more often since it’s gone free to play, but again making time is never easy. I also still have EVE sitting on my steam account unactivated because I simply don’t have the time right now to get over that huge learning curve. Then there’s also Guild Wars that I’ve got on the computer, and haven’t played in quite some time. I DO plan on playing all three a lot more in 2010, but when I can’t be certain. Speaking of steam, have you seen all of the amazing deals? It’s a wonder I have time to play anything at all when they keep putting some classics there for sale. I can’t even remember what it was I picked up but I keep telling myself I’ll get to it, eventually.

I hope everyone else had an amazing year, and I hope 2010 brings great things to all of my family and friends. Many hugs!