(Insert Clever WAR Name)

Sorry Folks

2009-08-26T20:21:00.000-04:00

I have to come clean.

I'm done with WAR. No updates, no posts, no anything.

My apologies if I kept anyone in limbo expecting an update from time to time.

It was fun while it lasted, hopefully I'll see you guys in Aion.

Aion Blog Up and Rollin'

2009-08-11T01:42:00.006-04:00

I've decided to maintain two seperate blogs, one for WAR, and one for Aion.

So, I'm very pleased to annouce my newest blog, (Insert Awesome Aion Name).

To my fellow community members, please spread the word of my blog's existence. I'm trying to carry on the tradition of the WCPI. Should you be moving on to Aion alongside me, please come on over and follow my blog. For my WAR readers, fear not, for I will continue to update this blog also.

Besides August 10th being my little brother's birthday, that's all for now.

AION and WAR

2009-08-09T02:53:00.010-04:00

Hrm... interesting. Evidently, the Spiritmaster of AION is much like the Magus of WAR, in that the most basic of abilities (such as your pet being able to fly with you in the air) aren't ever implemented to make the class more viable. (Not to mention the fact that both are constantly blanket nerfed along with other classes.) While, the Sorcerer of WAR is much like the Sorcerer of AION, in that both can do insanely high amounts of spike DPS while being somewhat vulnerable.

Personally, I was considering the Spiritmaster, but upon further research, I don't want to risk playing a possibly gimp class again. It just makes everything a struggle, and more stressful than necessary. So, with that in mind, I think I'm going to give the Ranger a shot. Lots of traps and CC, while also being able to kick some serious waffle from far away. Evidently, the Abyss (the big RvR area in AION) is a Ranger's playground, and I like the sound of that. (Not to mention Asmodian Rangers look bad-ass.)

As I said earlier, I'm not completely quitting WAR, but I must admit I'm getting rather excited to finally try out AION next weekend. Now I suppose the only questions I have left to ask are...

Should I continue Blogging?
If #1 = Yes, Should I keep Blogging here at (Insert Clever WAR Name) despite the fact that I won't only be playing WAR, and will likely write about AION also?
If #2 = No, Should I create a General Gaming Blog, or an AION Centric Blog?

On a side-note, I just wanted to thank you for coming over here and reading my blog. It really means a lot to me that someone actually cares about what I have to say (pompous and egotistical I know). With that in mind, check out this link, its AION's main theme. I must give credit where credit is due, this score is fantastic. I've already got it on my iTunes library, right next to WAR's.

I Caved

2009-08-08T01:54:00.003-04:00

Just bought the Collector's Edition of AION. This doesn't mean I'll be leaving WAR completely, but my entire guild is just very apathetic towards the game these days, and since they are all moving on, there really isn't much point in me staying and playing on my own. (Peer pressure ftl?) As always, I'll still remain active in the community and whatnot, but come release day, my WAR future could be in serious jeopardy.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Lildevil. =)

Stage III

2009-08-08T00:36:00.002-04:00

/Sigh, Volkmar is becoming more and more like Dark Crag with each passing day. Obviously, Order pushed to Stage III today. My guildmates prodding me to pre-order Aion is becoming more and more convincing.

Speaking of Dark Crag, Mythic is transferring Praag to DC and Badlands. Should Destruction go to DC, they'll receive a 20% exp/RP bonus. Interesting move, I'm sure it will make Eyeball happy.

Leeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak

2009-08-06T20:50:00.002-04:00

Yep, good ol' Shadow-WAR found a leaked version of Patch 1.3.1's patch notes. Granted this probably isn't the final version, and you shouldn't take it as 100% accurate by any means, but its still interesting to see what "could be" in the works for later on this year. So head on over and see what could be heading our way.

Edit: It appears as though the PTS will be up and live tomorrow, with the IC being pushed on the 7th and Altdorf on the 8th. So make sure to log in and go have some fun.

WCPI Promo: Gaarawarr Gabs, Azaghal, Adobe Security, and "Failure to Authenticate"

2009-08-04T13:32:00.011-04:00

Gaarawarr's newest interview is up on the interwebz. Ironically enough, the interview features discussion of "class balance webs". Its a good read about Mythic's plans in regards to balance, CC, and RvR Rewards (so players have incentive to play their RR80 toons).

After you read that however, I'd definitely encourage you to go to the Warhammer Alliance thread about the subject. There, you will find a post made by BrasilBranco (aka Azaghal). He's a stand up stuntie who has much experience playing an Ironbreaker. However, he has also taken the time to fully level up multiple Destruction toons (currently I believe he is playing a Shaman), and he understands why Destruction seems so irritable. The difference is night and day. He's written multiple, objective, and detailed posts in regards to class balance, and has thus earned my deepest respect. Give it a quick lookover, you'll be glad you did.

Also, for anyone who uses who uses Adobe Flash Player, it is EXTREMELY important that you visit this link. A security patch has just been released by Adobe, and I highly encourage you to go download it immediately.

Oh, and on a sidenote, I keep getting this "Failure to Authenticate" error when I try to log into Warhammer. I went to Mythic's support page and did everything they listed, but the problem is still persisting. Not being able to log in sucks >.<. (Might be because I'm on campus internet now... but I've already been on twice with no issues.) Any tips/suggestions to fix my plight would be much appreciated.

A New Month, A Server First

2009-08-01T00:58:00.003-04:00

Congrats to Order pushing to Stage II on Volkmar for the first time. Ironic how it happened on the very night that Destruction had a server-wide leaders meeting. I'm not sure how they did it exactly, the common consensus seems to be that because their numbers were so large that they filled in numerous undefended instances. /shrug No sense in dwelling on it really, Destruction just has to push back all the harder.

Paul Barnett (Along With Other Mythic Employees) Deserves A Medal... Or More Vacation Days

2009-07-31T01:54:00.007-04:00

Okay, breathe. I know exactly what your thinking, something like this right?:

"WHAT?! Paul Barnett is a bloody liar! Don't you watch Youtube?! You've seen it yourself! Everything the man says is a lie, he should be fired!! No wait, firing him isn't enough! He should be physically beaten! The man spews lies and evil!!1!!one!!!uno!!!!"

I'll be honest with you, a few months ago I probably would have agreed with you. After watching this video, I distinctly remember wanting to sock Paul in the face. Its the video where Paul states that there are no namby pamby healers who just sit in the back lines, and I just happened to be viewing this during the era of Massive AoE Heals.

Zoom forward to yesterday, when I listened to episodes 38 and 39 of No Prisoners, No Mercy featuring... you guessed it, Paul Barnett. Honestly, at first the only reason I wanted to listen was to find some new reason to hate Paul. I wanted something that I could quote and point my finger at and go "HA! PROOF! EVIDENCE! YOU LIEEEEEEEEE!!!"

Man, after listening to those episodes... well I've never felt like a bigger waffle. Seriously, just go get the episodes on iTunes, turn off Warhammer's in game sound (no offense to the sound guys at Mythic), and listen to the show while you play. I've never gained so much respect for someone in such a short amount of time.

Paul lays it all out. He explains why he said what he said (curse you evil marketing department *shakes fist*), how people hate him for it, and how no matter what anyone at Mythic does... they lose. Despite Mythic employee's best efforts and deep passion, they always manage to piss someone off. I mean can you imagine that? Every day going to work on a project that you've put your heart and soul into, only to have it chucked back in your face via flames, vulgarity, and squig poo?

I'm not saying from this moment on I'm a fan-boi and will never criticize Warhammer again, because that simply isn't true. What I'm saying is, through all of our deep criticisms, feelings of neglect, and general nerd-rage... the people at Mythic deserve our gratitude. So, if someone from Mythic does happen to read this blog, (which would be so awesome) pass this message onto Paul, the C&C Team, and everyone else:

"Thanks for making such an awesome MMO. Things may not be perfect, but its becoming more and more obvious how passionate you are about this game, and I am now beginning to understand what you deal with every day. Keep up the fantastic work."

WAR Live Event: The Wild Hunt

2009-07-30T15:01:00.009-04:00

Am I the first to post about this? :D Alright! Another live event to add to my calendar. This live event is all about Kurnous, the Elven God of the Hunt. Evidently, the pansy pointy ears haven't been fulfilling their sacred duties due to the war, and Kurnous isn't pleased.

This Live Event looks really interesting, its a good mix of PvE and RvR.

Some Things To Know:

Starts August 31st, Ends September 7th.
All Four Tiers Can Participate.
The Entrances to the New Dungeon are within the Elven RvR Lakes.
In T4, the Entrance will only be within the Contested Elven Zone.
The Dungeon is a 6 man group instance.
The Monsters within the Dungeon are Not Warded.
If you win the Public Quest in the lakes, you could win a wolf pet!
Kurnous can transform you into a pig if you aren't careful!
Slaying Kurnous may win you a cloak that can transform you into a stag with mount run speed.
Wild Hunter Title is available upon completion of two tasks.
The Stag Skull Trophy is available upon completion of four tasks.
Upon completing eight tasks, you will earn the Bleeding Heart Charm. Which will go into a newly created character slot known as the "Event Slot".

To me, this event looks well polished and very promising. I can't wait to start hunting some humies, stunties, and pointy ears.

For Full Information: The Wild Hunt

For Full Information... In Movie Format!: Yay Movies!

Random Thought: Players As Lords?

2009-07-30T02:09:00.003-04:00

Well, its 2 AM, my computer just decided to restart without me telling it too, and I'm not sleepy. Which means... its time for another Random Thought!

So, today's Random Thought is: What would happen if players could become Fortress/Keep Lords? Before I write out my Pros and Cons, I figure you probably want a little more detail of the thought first. So, to begin with, I have to be honest in saying that this is not my idea. Awhile back, probably a few months by now, I found a thread about this in the Future Suggestions section on the Official Forums, and I've just now recently given it a second thought.

The idea being that a player would be able to assume the role of the Fortress/Keep Lord. It could have a time limit on it, or it could be based on a resource that the player accumulates. I would also add a cool down (a day or two?) to the player so that new people get a chance. The player would be given a damage and health increase, but would be unhealable by fellow realm-mates. Also, the player would be restricted to moving only within the areas that a Lord could normally reach.

Pros:

Eliminates PvE from Sieges. For example, Tanks would no longer need to slot Menace and other PvE tactics during the siege, allowing them to be more viable in the combat prior to the Lord being engaged.
Makes Keeps/Forts more Dynamic in that players could be fighting anything from an omega Bright Wizard to an Iron Breaker (and Destruction counterparts obviously).
Could finally give a use to resources such as Ordinance, in that players use it up in order to retain their Lord status.
C'mon... you know it would be awesome to be a Fort Lord.

Cons:

Griefing, douchebaggery, and other generally negative player driven consequences could arise from this.
I can think of a few ways in which AoE might easily become insanely overpowered if the damage increase is too large. So perhaps only single target moves should have their damage increased.
The player could theoretically just avoid Tanks in general and go straight for the squishes (but I'm sure something could be added in order to prevent this from occurring).
Would more than likely be very difficult to code, and I can imagine multiple bugs would arise.

That's it for this Random Thought. As always, feel free to leave a comment about any Pros or Cons I may have left out, along with your opinion towards the subject.

On A Side-note: If you don't like the idea of players becoming Lords, what about becoming Champions as the guards? Just a thought.

WCPI Promo: Grimnir's Grudge

2009-07-29T02:30:00.002-04:00

Not one to take the normal approach towards WAR, Grimnir makes the best of things with 1.3.0b on his Shadow Warrior by pwning some face up close and personal. I have to give respect to Grimnir because he rarely takes the "this sucks, QQ" road when it comes to WAR. (That... and he leaves comments on my posts. <3) Grimnir would rather inspire you to shut up and take it like a man, and do the best you can while you wait for things to turn around. While it may not solve your problems, it does make you realize that things could be much worse.

Grimnir has a unique viewpoint towards WAR, and it makes for a good read. Make sure to stop by his blog as much as you do mine.

Random Thought: ORvR Population Cap

2009-07-28T17:09:00.004-04:00

So, this is a new segment to (Insert Clever WAR Name). Random Thought is simply an idea that happens to pop into my head while I'm playing, sitting around, or whatever. (In this case, sitting in the doctor's office) Keep in mind that I'm not necessarily for or against the idea, as it is just a random thought I had. Also, of course, Random Thought will appear in the blog... randomly.

Now then, today's Random Thought is: What would happen if WAR's ORvR Zones had Population Caps? As always, I'll list the Pros and Cons that come to mind.

Pros:

Server population balance may not be such a large deal.
Organization would play a much larger role in combat due to a limited number of expendable forces. (The Zerg may have to break up in order to fully cover the zone)
Large battles may still occur, but smaller battles would be more frequent. Thus, skill would be a larger factor.

Cons:

Players may get locked out of zones where friends or guild-mates are fighting due to population restraints.
Progression towards opponents Cities could come to a grinding halt if, generally speaking, most fights result in "stalemates" (by this I mean it may be much harder to actually flip a zone through ZD and VPs).

Well, that's all I can think of. So, for Random Thought segments, feel free to leave a comment about any Pros or Cons I may have left out, along with your opinion towards the subject. Thanks for reading.

New Shinies!

2009-07-27T10:46:00.004-04:00

Warhammer Alliance was able to film a computer at Games Day Chicago with all of Destruction's Sovereign sets. Except for the Squigee and Disciple, everyone looks pretty waffling badwaffle. Click the link to check out your class's Sovereign sets, and then try to prove me wrong when I say that will probably be the only time you'll ever see them, lol.

Also, I've almost finished building my new rig. I'll post pics and specs when I'm done and I'm confident that nothing is going to explode when I hit the power button. Dis stuntie technology is 'ard to understand.

Update: ITS ALIVE!!!!!

WCPI Promo: Warhammer Alliance and WAR of Alts

2009-07-24T02:09:00.007-04:00

I must say, this article discussing the affects of the different archetypes, going more into detail about the Ranged Archetype/BWs/and Sorcs, by Anglakhel is one of the best I've ever read. I'd highly encourage you to take ten minutes of your time and give it a quick read.

Under normal circumstances I would copy my response to the article here for you to read. However, given the quality of this article and its importance on WAR overall, I'd much rather have you read it and other players comments right along with my own.

Also, if you are playing WAR in Europe, Roo and his compatriots need your help. Please follow the link and spread the word, he can't do this without you.

WCPI Promo: Magus Thoughts?

2009-07-23T04:19:00.003-04:00

I suppose that technically this isn't a full on WCPI considering all I am doing is quoting different blogs and leaving their links... but I figured consolidating all of these quotes into one area would provide the greatest effect, while also sending some well deserved traffic their way. So, I now give you a few select quotes from different blogs in regards to the recent 1.3.0b Magus Nerf:

"For example Magus are hit hard by this nerf, a class which is already desperately struggling for popularity. ..... My guild is large enough to regularly have full guild only warbands, but is now down to 1 active Marauder and Magus. That says it all." - Bootae's Bloody Blog

"While this means a lot of short term pain for players who might feel gimped until their class is looked at, it creates a better long-term environment in which things are a bit more in line with what was intended. Fewer things to fix mean a shorter testing cycle, as well as more time before release to address bugs uncovered. So while it may suck to be, say, a Magus in the environment of this change, continued feedback about the class should ensure that it will receive its turn in the sun in due time." - Overly Positive

"As expected, not everyone is happy with the changes. Some are just upset because they wanted change, but not to their class. Others feel that their class was poor to begin with and now they are even worse off (Shadow Warriors and Magus come to mind)." - Werit's Blog

"There was barely enough time for the Magus community to point out their devs had mistaken a single target spell for an AoE before Mythic blasted ahead and deployed it. What I personally take from this is that Mythic weren’t interested in feedback, only in checking that nothing was particularly broken this time out. I’m trying to keep a straight face as I type the words ‘particularly broken’. The Magus has never been brilliantly effective. ..... To the average Magus player, there has not been a single promise fulfilled. Always marginally effective, we’ve had to put up with vague promises and delivery dates from Day 1. A minor patch late last year brought our dreadful DPS up to just under par DPS and we were expected to make do." - WAR of Alts

Glad to see I'm not alone. Your thoughts?

Warning: Well Written Rant Incoming

2009-07-22T16:05:00.018-04:00

Alright... first day. Today's the day I figure out how to best play my Magus. Everyone is in the same boat. We all got nerfed together, so I best just keep my chin held high and roll with the punches. I mean, I am Firstto Fall, Magus extraordinaire. I've been through worse right?

"Your Glean Magic critically hits ******* for 133 damage."

WHAT THE WAFFLE?!

*Breathes* Okay... okay... that was just one guy. You're overreacting. Lets adjust my spec and try something else.

"Your Pandemonium hits ******* for 34 damage."

..... Well... at least I know everyone else was nerfed right along with me right? Yeah, c'mon Firstto. Let's take the high road and take this from an objective viewpoint.

"*******'s Withering Heat hits you for 703 damage."

Oh wait... some classes actually have strong single target trees... Well, I'm just going to have to learn and adjust... right? I mean surely there is something I can fall back on in order to the level the playing field a bit. Yeah, lets try Havoc. My single target tree can't be that bad right?

"Your Flickering Red Fire critically hits ******* for 355 damage."

_______________________________________________________________

Okay, I think you get the point. Mythic, lowering the amount of damage AoE did was a smart move. Truly, I get why you did it and I think in the end it will pay off. However, at this current point in time, this adjustment is literally killing off classes. I'm going to be straight with this, you need to re-evaluate some of these nerfs. Now. Not a few months later, not one class at a time in a series of patches, now. Until then, Firstto Fall will stop falling and instead will gather some dust over on that dark shelf where I keep my Black Guard.

To add a few brighter points of this patch:

My tank friends die much less frequently now, so that pleases me.
CC Immunities are working splendidly. Finally people are able to play without being chain stunned, silenced, etc.
Shamans and Archmages seem to be pleased with their changes. At least someone is happy.

Now I leave you with a question: Since obviously I will be taking a break from Firstto Fall, which character should I play?

Nexttime Livelonger, A Zealot
Lastman Standing, A Chosen
Anotherone Bitesthedust, A Marauder
Suck it up and play Firstto Fall, A Magus

Update: I chose both 1, 2, and 4... but I'm still not happy about the patch.

**This last SS is just to prove that I really did crit for 133 damage**

Volkmar Server Merge: A Review

2009-07-21T03:20:00.007-04:00

Well, I figure now is probably the best time to write this promised article considering the next few weeks will be filled with articles on the patch, class balance, WCPI Promos, etc.

Server Merges... a very hard thing to fully describe. I think the easiest way to do it will be via a list of the Pros, and a list of the Cons, followed by a few conclusions that can be drawn from said lists.

Pros:

Scenarios are popping almost instantly 24/7. Whenever I'm on, I'm able to que up and enjoy myself.

There are new people to meet and forge relationships with. I can already tell I'm going to be good friends with a few of the transfers, and I have confidence that some of the new guilds are going to really contribute to Destruction's success.

Renown is flowing like crazy. The day of the merge, I was RR40. I am now RR46.5, and I'm not even focusing on gaining renown as my primary goal.

Loot is easily obtainable. On the first day alone, I received 2 Pieces of Invader Gear, a Piece of Warlord Gear, 3 Warlord Crests, and a Royal Crest. That's some crazy loot for one day.

Tier 2 and 3 are alive and well again. Before the merge, Volkmar's Tier 2 and 3 were utter ghost towns, and leveling an alt was painful.

When numbers are even, the fights are great. Big numbers bashing into one another, tactics being used for once, and just an overall a sense of splendid RvR. I've had a blast in T4 when the fights are back and forth. It makes being successful feel much more rewarding.

Cons:

The Order Zerg is back, and with one huuuuuge vengeance. Order, most of the time, easily outnumbers Destruction by 100+ people. Thus, RvR tends to be slanted towards Order (though there are some exceptions, I'll get to that in a moment).

For every new person that I start a friendly conversation with, there is someone else starting a senseless argument. In-fighting and insults towards your allies don't win wars folks.

Destruction is constantly defending Forts and the Inevitable City. It gets old, fast.

Observations/Conclusions:

Though Destruction is largely outnumbered in RvR, it seems as though we do have one advantage. Destruction, after a bit of prodding, can quickly come together and obey orders when necessary. Hence, we are not a giant zerg, we are a giant mass of well informed soldiers. Order, evidently, seems to be having trouble controlling their zerg swarm. (Spawn more Overlords?) Today is an excellent example of how a well managed army of Destruction managed to finally push a Fortress. (Though we failed due to people leaving for a Praag zone flip... /sigh, it was nonetheless nice to finally see some good coordination on Destruction's part.)

Scenarios will likely be Destruction's "place to be" due to the large number imbalance currently in Tier 4. I've noticed numerous more Destruction premades than I have Order, and my winning percentage of scenarios seems very high these days. Though, I'll be the first to admit that the few Order premades that do exist can easily beat the waffle out of me.

The community is going to take awhile to reform itself into a single unit. Previous to the merge, Destruction easily coordinated with one another. I think this is primarily due to established leaders being easily recognizable, whereas now we are beginning to suffer from the "Too many Chiefs, not enough Indianas" dilemma. Hopefully, given time this issue will sort itself out. To the players who are trying to prove themselves as leaders, actions speak louder than words.

Anyways, that is just my experience with Volkmar's Server Merge thus far. As always, I'm curious of your opinion and how things are going for you, so feel free to drop a quick comment.

There Is No Stopping This Patch

2009-07-20T14:11:00.003-04:00

Quote From Andy:

I just posted this on another site, but I'm going to copy/pasta it here:

So guys, for many players 1.3.0b will be a hard pill to swallow. There's no denying this. What these changes accomplish however, is much more positive in the long term.

By adjusting AoE we are able to take a completely new approach to how AoE functions in the game; that being a more strategic role and not the end all be all of damage in WAR. Does this mean a difficult period of adjustment for some Careers? Yes.

The Community team has spent a considerable amount of time on weighing player complaints against the overall long term design goals around these changes. We've taken into account the outrage that many players have voiced over them and compared them to the positive future changes, not just to individual abilities, but to integral components such as Crowd Control, and have presented that to the development team.

Does it make it any easier to see your numbers go down? No. (I'm certainly not looking forward to my new Marauders AoE abilities getting nerfed.) Will it make things more fun and a better experience in the long run? We believe so.

When we presented these changes originally in 1.3.0, they also included the single target base damage increase along with the stat factor increases. The player outcry against those changes was overwhelmingly negative, and for good reason, however the reception of the AoE changes was very positive. We understand that one definitely played into the other, however we cannot deny the fact that AoE needed to be toned down.

Moving forward this, and other planned changes, will give us a whole new playing field to make individual Career balance decisions on. One that does not focus on AoE as being what it was prior to 1.3.0b.

As always, thanks for your continued support.

Sigh... Well, there you have it folks. Personally, depending upon the severity of my damage nerf, I might retire Firstto Fall and either level up my Zealot, Nexttime Livelonger, or just take a break until my class will be fixed.

I get why Mythic is doing this, and I suppose I should be happy Mythic is doing this, ... but it blows that Mythic is doing this.

We Need You... To Test!

2009-07-19T14:37:00.005-04:00

Short and sweet, if we want to change these notes for the better there is only one way... we have to test.

A few of us have decided to throw a massive testing event together. On Monday and Tuesday, 9 PM EST, log onto the PTS and go to Praag. Then... KILL THE WAFFLE OUT OF EACH OTHER.

Take Notes
Take Screenshots
Duel Each Other
Blah blah, Etc Etc

Don't just up and think that we will be fine without you, we need everyone's help in order to get good conclusive data on this patch. So please, spread the word to your server, your guildmates, your blog, and even your ex-wife.

WCPI Promo: Shadow-War

2009-07-19T01:22:00.004-04:00

So... not much has changed since yesterday. I'm still pretty down on this patch, I still think these blanket nerfs are the wrong way to go without corresponding buffs, blah blah. However, I did happen to stumble upon Shadow-War... man I need to surf WAR's blogger internetz moar. Basically, Andrew, the head honcho Shadow Warrior, seems so share my thoughts about the patch.

However, simply giving him a WCPI Promo because he shares my thoughts on this patch seems a little shallow doesn't it? So let's go into more detail of why Shadow-War is a pretty awesome blog... in bulleted list format (I swear to Tzeentch these things are addicting, and if you don't like them please let me know and I'll stop using them).

First and Most Important: Andrew is a very good writer. He covers a fairly large spectrum of humor, sarcasm, and nerd-rage while also going into extensive detail about whatever subject he is writing about. He gives you the information you need, and then gives you his opinion of it. Being complete like that helps everyone understand exactly what is going on, while also making his view very clear and understandable.

Second: Shadow-War has a very nice look to it. One of the things I'm still trying to adjust with (Insert Clever WAR Name) is the layout of everything and the color schemes (u c mai black background?). It looks very professional, and I feel that anyone who is willing to put time and effort into something deserves a compliment. Plus you know... dude has cool pictures. XD

Finally: Andrew isn't a fan-boi or a troll sippin' on hatorade. He finds a nice balance of giving criticism while also giving compliments when they are due. I like a person who is willing to be objective and understanding.

So, in conclusion, if you like WAR or SW:ToR (because I have a "slight" feeling he is going to be playing that some day in the future) head on over to Shadow War for more great reading. Just be nice though... if you piss him off he might one shot you with Festering Arrow... yeah, I'm looking at you Ziss. <3

Why The Blanket AoE Nerfs Are Occuring

2009-07-18T03:21:00.005-04:00

So obviously, I'm still fairly concerned about the recent blanket AoE nerfs. While I understand why said nerfs are occurring:

Increases the usefulness of Single Target Classes
Increases Survivability of Players
Etc etc (I'm sure you know most of what I'm talking about, you're a smart player)

It still just doesn't seem right for underpowered classes such as the Black Guard, Shadow Warrior, and Magus to be nerfed right alongside the classes that actually do need to have their AoE brought into line.

Then, thanks to Azimaith for finding this by the way, I read a developer post explaining that the blanket nerf is only temporary in order to enact said above bulleted points. At a later time interval, C&C will then go back and re-evaluate each classes AoE and restore certain abilities to levels of damage/radius that they deem balanced. They give their apologies for doing it this way, but they claim to be under a tight development schedule.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, a metaphor of the situation:

You have a massive project due in school that determines whether you fail or not.
You procrastinate and work on other things for awhile.
Suddenly, you realize the necessity of getting the job done.
However, you realize that you just don't have enough time to finish the project to its fullest extent.
You do all of the easy components to the project and turn it in, hoping to receive a better grade than failure.
While you may have finished some of the criteria and have not failed, you've still disappointed your teacher and you have underperformed in comparison to your classmates.
In the end, things still don't look good, and your teacher begins to expect less of you in the future.

That, is my take of this current situation. Mythic, I get where your coming from. I, really truly, appreciate you being so open and honest about the situation. However, the period between step 1 & 2 could spell death for a lot of people who just don't have the tolerance to sit patiently while their class is brought back up to a tolerable level of play.

Perhaps you should consider just enacting the changes to CC and holding off on C&C (again) until you are fully, 100%, ready and rearing to go with nerfs and buffs that finish off at a tolerable level for all players to enjoy. You know... the reason why you didn't do it last patch.

Mythic, Please Re-Think This Patch

2009-07-17T02:05:00.003-04:00

This is a thread I just started over on the official forums. If you are a Magus, please, give it a quick read.

Mythic,

I'm a fan of WAR, you and I both know that. I write a blog about the game, and while I may have my ups and downs with WAR... I try to stay optimistic and spread that optimism to others. However, if what I'm reading from your patch notes about the Magus is true, and you don't change them before the patch goes live, I won't even think of coming back to this game the moment I find something better to play.

Mythic, I've rerolled more times in WAR than I would have in any other game. I can live with not being the best class around. I can live with not topping Scenario damage charts or having the most killing blows. However, what I can't live with is that now that I've finally found a class I enjoy, you've decided to once again blanket nerf our damage along with the other AoE classes. I know you've specifically said that you went in on a class by class basis. I know you said that this time, you were going to take things slow and try to come out strong in the end. Well so far, you're striking out in the Magus community, big time.

I don't see how hard it is to understand that Magus AoE is not OP, its not unfair, it isn't gamebreaking. You want to nerf Rift? Fine, I completely get where you are coming from with that. I'm trying to take this from a very objective view. I realize other classes have it even worse than we do, ie the Black Guard, but I'm not willing to put up with any more blanket nerfs.

I'm willing to give you time to go over your thoughts, because I'm sure as hell hoping that everything isn't set in stone yet. However, and you can quote me on this for future generations... I'm declaring an ultimatum with this patch. If the patch notes remain the same way they are right now by the time this patch goes live, I will leave WAR. There are plenty of other games out there, and you know that.

I'm aware that I am no more important than any of your other customers. I know I'm only one person, but I also know I'm no where near the only one who feels this way. Its time to take a stand Magus. I'm not saying you have to quit with me, but I would request that you make sure your voice is heard loud and clear (even if you disagree with me or flame me).

From a Concerned Blogger and Magus,

Firstto Fall

The thread can be found here. If you want to leave feedback, even if it is in disagreement with me, please do so on the official forums. You dislike the patch notes so much Magus? Time to do something about it. I know to some this seems babyish, full of phail and whine, but honestly, someone has to put a stop to this. The blanket nerfs towards Magus have gone on for far too long. Even Warhammer Alliance agrees that nerfing Magus AoE is wrong.

WCPI Promo: Stonetroll Certified Episode #32, Karate Chop

2009-07-16T02:08:00.005-04:00

Well, another Stonetroll Certified is out on the internetz my friends. Here is a quick list of what the show entails:

Land of the Dead Discussion, ORvR and PvE
The Current State of RvR
Fort Pushes, There Are A Lot of Them
Community Discussion
WAR, An Almost Year In Review

Now, I'll go into a short analysis of the show... because there are some things I'd like to discuss.

So, let's start with Land of the Dead: You've heard me talk about Land of the Dead enough. I'm sure by now you understand my feelings towards LotD, so why beat the undead horse? To each man his own, if you love LotD then I'm happy for you.

The Current State of RvR/Fort Pushes: Well, I don't want to go into too much detail about RvR because I'll be covering most of that in my next major post about the Server Transfers to Volkmar (which you can expect within the next few days). I'll basically sum up Volkmar's RvR by saying that it is very active and healthy. Scenarios are almost instantly popping, with a healthy balance of wins and losses. Keeps and Battle Objectives are assaulted almost non-stop, and at least one Fort a day is pushed, generally speaking.

Community Discussion: Alright... here comes the part where I have a sour patch with the podcast this week. Rather odd I suppose, because I'm a huge fan of Ziss and the rest of the Lagwar crew. Anyways, here are a few quotes in regards to WARP:

"That show is awful, I'd rather take a stick in the eye than go listen to that again." - Sarc

"..., but I still think it was an unmitigated bitch-fest." - Sarc

"Some of those guys were looking for reasons to quit." - Sarc

Whoa... WHAT?! Hold on. Freeze Frame. Timeout.
I mean was that entirely necessary?

Guys... you just outright bashed one of the best WAR podcasts. I get that you disagree with how they ran their podcast, but the quotes I just pulled really don't make you look like merry little boyscouts either. Sure, they were largely negative about the game... but it was for the same reason that we're all negative about the game from time to time. We all just want to make the game better.

I admit that Spencer was almost always a negative nancy, but Wes, Brent, and Bill?? Those guys love WAR! Wes and Bill largely gave WAR constructive criticism, most of which even had me going "Hey, you're right. Things aren't as bad as I thought they were." Look, I'm all for everyone having the right to express their opinion, and I'm still a huge fan of Stonetroll Certified, I always will be. However, I'm not going to stand by and watch you openly insult a podcast and its members simply because they weren't sunshine and rainbows. Not cool guys. Anyways, moving on.

WAR, An Almost Year In Review: Now this brought me back up to a good mood. I won't go into too much detail, (after all, I want you to go listen to the podcast, hahaha) but Ziss and Sarc go through all of the different times we've had in WAR. They discuss the Live Events, Career and Balance Changes, Additional Content, RvR, and other Misc. items. When you go back and think about it, WAR really has come a long way. I mean granted, it has a long way to go... but it has certainly improved since its launch. After listening to everything that has changed over the past months, I actually almost felt spoiled. Imagine playing WAR back in December... painful memories compared to now eh? So now, I leave you with my classic "end of the post question".

This one comes in two parts: First, on a scale of 1-10, how much do you think WAR has improved since its launch? Second, what was your favorite change/fix/addition to WAR since the launch?

As always, my thanks to the folks at Lagwar for putting together another (overall) excellent episode of Stonetroll Certified. Oh, and their contest is still going on! Don't forget to post your thoughts on Land of the Dead!

Best RvR Day I've Had In A Long Time

2009-07-13T21:20:00.002-04:00

Thank you Monolith and Vortex,

Due to your servers being as low as they are, a server merge was announced.
Due to a server merge being announced, everyone on Volkmar logged on today.
Due to everyone logging on today, there were many dead bodies.
Due to there being many dead bodies, I got phat l00tz and renown.

Thank you Volkmarians, (Yes... I just made that up)

Today has been awesome. People died, forts were pushed (and successfully defended XD), BOs went back and forth, and there was much rejoicing (and screams) from all involved. With any luck, the following days shall be just as awesome with our new allies and enemies. I must say, I'm in a rather fantastic mood. (Scoring a bugged Order Banner giving me 8k renown helped )

So Thanks,

Firstto (Rer)

Server Merge

2009-07-13T14:15:00.002-04:00

I'll keep this sort and sweet, Mythic has some merges going on. The best place to visit for more information would be the herald, but I'll cover the essentials.

Ironfist to Gorfang

Vortex and Monolith to Volkmar

Magnus and Skull Throne to Badlands

So yeah... to all you players on Vortex and Monolith, welcome to Volkmar (My home). You destro players better pull your wait around here, hahaha.

A Response To A Thread Asking For More Response

2009-07-10T18:31:00.003-04:00

I remember back a few months ago... I was very upset one day, I think it was back when keep ninja'ing was much more commonplace. Naturally, I flocked over to the Official Forums, and blew my stack at the lack of Mythic's communication with the game.

Zoom forward to today, and I did the very same thing. Except this time, I wrote the post with a much cooler head, and I've been (for the most part) enjoying the game as of late. Now, for your viewing pleasure, I give you my take on Mythic's communication.

I suppose I'll post here, because ironically enough... if memory servers, I posted on a thread like this many a moon ago. Back then, I was where many of you are now, demanding more communication, etc etc. Now, lets make this very clear. I've been there, and I know exactly how you feel.
Now then, with a few more months under my belt... I can honestly say that Mythic has communication, and a lot of it. Granted, they don't tend to discuss future game ideas with their playerbase as much as other games, but that doesn't mean they live behind some dark ominous door and only make their presence known when they want to. Mythic's had a few bad experiences with timetables and promising content, only to then (for whatever reason) fail to complete said content within said timeframe. Thus, Mythic has adapted the "ask all you want, but we aren't telling until we're ready" policy.
Does this aggravate players? Of course it does! You want to know what the hell Mythic has in store for you, I completely get that. However, it also gives Mythic the ability to avoid the past mistakes that they've run into, and when they do finally tell us what's going on we know they are serious about it and have taken the necessary time to really think about what they are doing.
Obviously, some ideas (ie. Winds of Change) were not well received, at all, and thus Mythic has (hopefully) learned to really take player's opinion's into consideration when they make their next move. Take for example the past State of the Game letter. Finally, the letter addressed what players have been asking for. I know it was fairly general, and it shouldn't be taken as a "zomg the game is saved, praise Tzeentch!" kind of letter, but it does show promise and some serious potential.
I know its hard to say, especially these days, but we need to give Mythic just a little more time. That past letter, to me, shows that Mythic has acknowledged their past mistakes (or at least a few of the more glaring ones) and has some big plans in store for us in the future. Honestly, if you really think Andy isn't currently punching himself in the forehead for not being able to tell us what Mythic has planned, you don't understand how much Mythic loves their games, and appreciates their playerbase.
In conclusion, this is just my opinion. You can take it, leave it, or flame it to charcoal. In the end, I know Mythic wants to make this game better, and I know I want this game to succeed. What you choose is up to you, but personally I'd say give them a few more months. If things haven't improved by then, then I suppose I'll see you in Global Agenda or SW:ToR.
Phew... I haven't written anything like that in awhile, time to go eat some pizza and bash some stunties.

The thread can be found here. I'm curious of how you feel about Mythic's communication as of late. Is it enough? It is non-existant? Is it too little too late? Leave a comment either here or on the thread, and thanks for taking the time to come over to my blog.

The Sweet Sound of Fings Gettin' Chopped

2009-07-07T21:55:00.002-04:00

Ahh... nothing like the screams of T1 and T2 Order to cheer you up. After suffering from a serious lack of logging in, I did what anyone else would do in such a situation... I started playing my Choppa again. Running around, rolling my face on my keyboard killing everything in sight... including myself every now and then, good times.

Sadly, not everything was perfect in the land of Nordland. I ran smack into a serious issue that an entire WAAAAAAAGH!!! of Choppa's have commented on (including Ziss, guy's practically written a novel on it by now).

Facerolling Keyboard + Animation Bug = Waste of AP.

What I mean by this is if I attempt to initate a move while another move's animation is currently active, said move's AP will be drained... but the move won't occur. So naturally, with a move like Lotsa Choppin, which has a rather long animation, you are forced to pay very close attention to when the animation is over, and then let loose another attack (which is after the Global Cooldown has finished). This seriously kills off the fluidity of fighting as a Choppa.

So I'm curious, do any other classes suffer from a bug like this? Leave a comment if so.

Other than that, I'm having a blast choppin' fings and hearing screams. Its good to be back.

WCPI Promo: Stonetroll Certified Episode #31, Birthday Goodness

2009-07-07T00:07:00.008-04:00

Ziss just released it a few hours ago, and I've already finished it and left my own opinion on his comments page. Oh... you're probably wondering what the waffle I'm talking about. This just in, Ziss takes a triumphant stand on the podium of podcasting and denounces the nay-sayers of LotD!.... Or at least thats how some will spin it! The truth of the matter is:

Episode #31 of Stonetroll Certified involves Ziss giving his own thoughts about Land of the Dead. Ziss is enjoying himself immensely, and is deeply troubled by the drama surrounding the new zone. Its not that Ziss disagrees with unhappy players, its just that he is having a hard time finding what exactly they want. He points out that while Land of the Dead is most certainly not perfect in its current form, it is also not the "end all" killer of ORvR. (Or at least for him)

Ziss elaborates on a key element to MMOs, the server you play on. He has discovered the reason why he can't seem to connect with everyone else... because he isn't playing the same game they are. For Ziss, Land of the Dead is a blast, RvR continues to allow massive battles to take place, and his community is very very friendly. Then, he explains how someone on a different server might be experiencing the exact opposite of that (which is more than likely largely what is occurring). Hence, some people hate Land of the Dead with a passion for reasons that Ziss would not understand. It all just comes down to each individual server.

I must admit, Ziss is a fantastic debater (though in this very episode of the podcast he says he isn't, hahaha). He points out that Land of the Dead never was this "massive RvR zone" that we all thought it was going to be, that's the rest of the game. He has thought of a number of different ideas, along with everyone else, of how to keep Land of the Dead interesting for both RvRers and PvEers.

Anyways, enough of my take on the episode. This is one of those that you really can't afford to miss, its insightful and sparks a great amount of discussion. That... and Ziss has another contest going on... incentive enough for you? Haha.

I think I'll log in every now and then in an effort to give Land of the Dead another chance, its at least worth trying.

Oh, and... the most important part of all....

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY ZISS!!!

Taking A Break

2009-07-05T15:49:00.003-04:00

I think its fairly obvious that I'm taking a break from Warhammer. I'm not necessarily quitting, but until things pick up again and my friends decide to come back, I see no point in playing.

To those who are still playing, keep on keeping on. I'll continue to remain active in the community to try and find out when a good time to come back will be.

Feel free to respond to a thread I created over @ WHA, asking how players feel about the game currently: Current Feelings

Chinese Smackdown

2009-06-29T19:58:00.002-04:00

It appears as though some high ranking Chinese politician/gamer got sick of the gold spam in his mailbox. China has banned the selling of virtual currency for real currency. Read more here:

http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218101859

WCPI Promo: WARP's Postponement Episode

2009-06-28T21:40:00.003-04:00

You read it here first folks, the WARP podcast will no longer be podcasting until the cast decides to resurrect it. Spencer has left WAR until he deems it fixed to his standards, and as a result the cast has decided to postpone the podcast. Bill, Wes, and Brent will continue playing WAR though. I'm saddened to hear that the podcast is gone, as it was one of my favorites. It seems as though more and more of my favorite community members are leaving (maybe I'm cursed much like the guest hosts of the Warhammer Alliance podcast, haha).

The cast has announced that they are working on a new project, set to release within the next few months and that they will continue to podcast Control Point, Safehouse, etc. etc. I've been a fan of the Deadworkers party ever since I first started playing Team Fortress 2, and I wish them great enjoyment in their future gaming.

I would highly recommend that you go listen to WARP's final (as of now) episode, set to release sometime around Tuesday I would assume (I watched them record it live just a few minutes ago). It isn't a rant episode by any means, and it does contain some very good discussion about LotD and the future of WAR.

/moment of silence, Farewell WARP.

WCPI Promo: Multiplaying

2009-06-27T20:51:00.004-04:00

New Label, Same Great People

It says it all, CoTcast is not totally gone! They have renamed themselves Multiplaying and will still have some updates on WAR from time to time, though the main focus has moved to a multitude (u c whut I did thar?) of different games.

Seriously though, Multiplaying is still friggin' hilarious. Their articles are well written, interesting, and quite witty to boot. Also, their podcast is without a doubt the funniest one I listen to (and I listen to a LOT of podcasts). Its just good humor, the perfect medicine for when your feeling down in the dumps, stuck in a grind, or observing the emptiness of WAR's RvR lakes. (Oooo, snipe.)

Make sure to check them out, in my opinion there is no way you will leave disappointed.

No! Don't Leave Me!

2009-06-26T01:02:00.002-04:00

Waffle... both CoTCast and Tome of Knowledge are hanging up their mics and keyboards. Really is a shame to see such great community members go. I wish both groups the best of luck in their future gaming.

Not A Fan

2009-06-25T03:59:00.008-04:00

No, this isn't a completely mindless rant about Land of the Dead... just my opinion of it.

My Opinion:

LotD Kills T4 ORvR For Approx. 2 Weeks

Shiny Effect Wears Off, People Stop Going to LotD

(Hence why the waffle did Mythic even make the freaking expansion... but that's another story for another post)

T4 ORvR Resumes As Normal

Players Still Anxiously Await A C&C Patch That Doesn't Epic Fail

Firstto Plays Age of Conan In The Meantime

Is this harsh? You better believe it is. Just because I'm a blogger doesn't mean I have to be a fanboi. Now, rather than just spewing hatred I'll try to give some constructive feedback.

Make LotD much more RvR-centric. I paid for this game so I could whoop some serious RvR waffle, not farm PQs for shinies.

Idea #1: Why not just have LotD open for both sides? Doing PQs while fighting (basically city raids) except the numbers and crazy PQ Lords don't skew the fight one way or another? I know its not a perfect idea by any means, but at least then LotD isn't a PvE PQ Farmfest.

Idea #2: LotD flips even faster. At least then fights are more common. (If necessary they could make it so people within the instance have more time to actually do the instance and not get owned by the invading faction.)

Idea #3: That's where you, the reader, come in. Are you happy with the way LotD runs currently? Do you have your own ideas/suggestions/opinions? Leave a comment, I'm curious.

WCPI Promo: Warhammer Worlds

2009-06-24T04:12:00.003-04:00

So... its 4:13 AM and I don't feel like going to sleep. Surely your thinking, how will he ever pass the time?! (And why the hell isn't he in bed...) Well, I read forums. I read the official forums and, of course, Warhammer Alliance's forums.

Naturally, I find a blogger who is fairly new, much like yours truly. There's just one wee little difference though... this guy's blog looks really freaking cool. (It has pictures!) xD Seriously though, for someone who has only been doing this since the 14th of May, I'm really impressed.

It gets even better! His blog showed me how to do something that I've always wanted to do... have an ingame browser! *Squeals like a teenage girl* Man, I've been wanting to do this for so long now. (And no, I won't just google it, my laziness prevents such actions from occuring)

So, I give thanks to Khannage over at Warhammer Worlds for giving me knowledge, and on behalf of... well me, I welcome you to the Warhammer Blogging Community.

Khannage also discusses the Shadow Warrior, Realm Pride, and a rather awesome blood effects mod. You can find him over at http://blog.warhammerworlds.com/

Zzzz... Huh? Wha?

2009-06-24T02:43:00.002-04:00

So yeah, I chose to opt out of the live event after a few days in order to go try out Age of Conan. (Wes Wilson from WARP and I were talking about it and I figured I'd give it a go) Then I come back from my delightful vacation (seriously that game is tons of fun to play, its worth giving a second chance) to realize that the following has occured:

Holy Crap ORvR in T4 Yesterday was a freaking wasteland. (I think I saw about 8 Order... total)

Destruction still couldn't get to Stage II in Altdorf even though the city was practically uncontested... well I guess that shows off how broken endgame is.

Lots of people in my guild left.

All of the above are highly unfortunate. Honestly, I really hope that my theories about Land of the Dead and its possible consequences on ORvR are completely wrong, because if they aren't... well I suppose there's always Age of Conan to keep me busy over the summer.

So, how's your LotD experience been? What are your thoughts?

Land of the Dead... T4 or the New Zone?

2009-06-19T00:03:00.002-04:00

So I can't help but wonder... will Land of the Dead kill T4 ORvR? I'm trying to crunch the numbers of how long Order/Destruction be within Land of the Dead, population caps, etc etc. I'm curious of your opinion of whether you think LotD will effectively cut off the competition between realms. Will T4 zones suddenly become barren wastelands? Or will players shrug off the new content and keep up the good fight?

Or perhaps, it could be a good thing. By reducing the number of players fighting within the zones, players might experience: less lag, less "zerg vs. zerg", and more "wow I feel like I'm contributing" since numbers will be smaller.

Keep in mind that this is all random theories, and I guess no one will truly know the answer until we experience it. Still, I just love conversation and theorycraft. So, what are your thoughts?

Okay... No More Hatorade

2009-06-18T04:27:00.004-04:00

Today was better, people realized that looting boxes is extremely boring and ORvR actually took place. I enjoyed playing, and hopefully I will continue to for the rest of this live event.

I also happened to actually fully read the 2nd part of the Executive's Letter, and I left my own little comment about it.

I'll be fully honest with you, with the new MMOs announced... WAR is pretty much screwed.

Don't get me wrong, I really really really want the game to succeed... but as of right now it just doesn't seem like the game is headed in the right direction.

Sure, you've added some very nice things to 1.3 that probably 80% of the player base hasn't even given you thanks for, but you've also failed to implement the one thing players want most, C&C. I'm well aware that the C&C patch wasn't ready, and I fully understand why you delayed it... but it had better be waffling amazing and well worth the wait, or even more people will jump ship.

If this letter is the real deal, and you're serious about fixing some of the most glaring issues in the game, then I'm sure you'll be able to rebound from the playerbase decline that has been plaguing this game. However, if you fail to deliver when 1.3.1 or 1.4 rolls around, I can say with the utmost confidence that this game will be dead, and none of us want to see that happen.

Here's to Mythic's Success in Future Patches. *Raises His Tankard*

Cheers,

Firstto

With any luck, perhaps, just maybe... there is still a shining beacon of hope at the end of this long perilous tunnel that we are experiencing. I now have a slightly renewed vigor to whoop some Order waffle and enjoy this game to its fullest extent. So, with that in mind, I'm off to bed. Haha, but seriously, I'm willing to hold out for awhile longer... assuming I don't get into Global Agenda's Beta Test.

Anyone Else Sick of Looting Boxes?

2009-06-17T04:09:00.000-04:00

My god... I don't normally drink the hatorade but this live event is so f-ing fail. I love Reikland Factory and all, but eventually I hunger for the open ranges of ORvR. Then you realize all everyone is doing is looting boxes in Dragonwake. Maybe I just haven't picked up on some other form of entertainment with this live event, but so far it has been pretty full of... boredom. I truly hope that LotD isn't anything like this live event, and that it doesn't KO T4 ORvR (which I'm still skeptical of if it will or not).

Hell, I even created a Bright Wizard on a different server... and I hate Bright Wizards.

Anyone else have thoughts/comments? I'm curious.

WCPI Promo: Stonetroll Certified Podcast #29, Back in the Flow

2009-06-14T22:26:00.012-04:00

After a long break, the folks from Lagwar.com return for episode #29! To start things off for this promo, here's what is in episode twenty-nine:

Reasons for the Break
Free Stuff Round #2!
Blogger Free Stuff!
Lagwar mentioned in the WAR May Newsletter
WCPI

So, now that you know about episode #29, I would like to go into a little Lagwar fan-boy fest. Let's face it, the WAR community is pretty much 1337 uber pwness. There seems to be an endless number of blogs, fan-sites, and podcasts dedicated to the game. However, I wouldn't have ever discovered any of them had it not been for Lagwar. They were the first WAR podcast/website I ever listened to/visited. Now that may not seem like such a big deal, but Lagwar does have something pretty special going for it: they really make you feel apart of the community.

After only having listened to two shows, (Episode #25 I believe) I was already having full discussions with Ziss (one of the hosts) about the game via gmail. I felt dumbstruck. I had never imagined that a podcast would care enough to actually read my chatspeak filled email, let alone respond to it! Then, after already having throughly impressed me, they went so far as to read my emails and discuss them on the podcast! Maybe I'm just a hardcore fanboi, but Lagwar.com seems to have something that other websites just don't have. For crying out loud, Ziss even helped me fix my computer!

So, in conclusion, if you don't already listen to Stonetroll Certified from Lagwar.com, you fail in life! :D

To Ziss and Brilen, thanks for everything and welcome back.

To the reader, quit reading this blog and go listen to Stonetroll Certified Episode #29, and if you've got time the other 28 (Plus Games Day Baltimore) also!

Here's a Link to Episode #29: Lagwar.com

Scenario Premades...

2009-06-13T01:30:00.004-04:00

I suppose if there is one thing in this game that I'm on a love/hate relationship with it would have to be Scenario Premades. I know this topic of discussion isn't just in WAR by any means, but they are very... very active on my server.

Now don't get me wrong, I love a good premade just as much as the next guy. Get some guildies on vent, get the right classes together and go to town! Fun for all... while you are in the premade. For as soon as you start PuGing scenarios again... /wrist, or at least that's how it is on Volkmar.

By no means am I implying that if you run a premade you are spoiling the fun for everyone else and you should stop, because who am I to tell you how to play the game? Premades aren't against the rules or anything, so why shouldn't you?

I suppose I'm just having a /rant moment because whenever you aren't in a premade on Volkmar, you get wasted by the opposing faction's premades. One of the top Order guilds on our server doesn't even participate in ORvR, (or if they do it must be very rarely, as I have never seen them out in the fields) all they do is run blasted premades! I guess my issue is that I can't just go and enjoy a Scenario on my own anymore. Its either make a premade and go have some good fights, or get "Firstto Falled" 24/7. (... Should I coin that term? Meh, sure why not. "Firstto Falled" you read it here first folks)

Every now and then sure, I get lucky and a PuG wins a Scenario or puts up an enjoyable fight, but that is a very small chunk of my Scenario fights these days. Now with the announcement that Reikland Factory will be making a triumphant return in this next live event, (WOOHOO!) I'm somewhat concerned that premades will be ever more active, thus forcing me to constantly be involved in them as well so I can actually enjoy myself.

So I'm curious, whats your stance on Scenario Premades? Is your server crawling with them too? Do you participate with them often? Etc etc. Please leave a comment. :)

WCPI Promo: Warhammer Alliance Podcast #12, Kristen's Cupcakes of Doom!

2009-06-12T20:41:00.008-04:00

More Than 1 Girl Plays Warhammer?! Wait... and you mean to tell me they can prove it by letting me hear them talk?!

Yes folks! Its true! Five, yes five, amazing women host this week's Warhammer Alliance Podcast!

If by some strange galactic abnormality you visited my blog before going to Warhammer Alliance for your daily dosage of WAR awesomeness, feel free to follow this link to the podcast:

http://www.warhammeralliance.com/forums/showthread.php?t=294485

The women cover the following topics:

The 1.3 C&C Postponement
The Temple of Isha
Single Gender Classes
The Poll About 1.3 Stat Changes

Disclaimers**--

Yes, women really play Warhammer and I am totally kidding about the above joke. My sincerest of apologies if I have offended any women.
(Feel free to send me hate mail... at least then I know someone is reading!)

The cupcakes are a lie! (Woot for innovative cliches!)

Patch 1.3, A Happier Perspective

2009-06-10T16:53:00.010-04:00

Here in WAR, Land of the Dead has many meanings. To some, it is the name of the first exciting expansion to WAR. To others, it is the definition of their server. Some hail Patch 1.3 as the make or break for WAR, while others are cautiously optimistic.

Surely by now you know of the Combat and Careers postponement from 1.3, hence leaving us only with PvE content... or is there more? While there may be some validity to playing gloom and doom with some aspects of the patch, it is important to not forget about all of the wonderful small things also associated with 1.3. Take for example, the following:

The Sigil System: This new system puts players wards in their Tome of Knowledge, giving them the ability to switch out set gear without penalty.

Ability to Opt Out on Loot Rolls: Finally you can now pass on that gold bag and give it to that poor guildie who has been stuck in 4/5 Annihilator for the past two months. The best part is that you receive the tokens you would have gotten from the bag you passed on. A win win!

Changes to Lockouts: Need to swap in a new guy in that locked instance of yours? Not a problem

Crafting Bags: Finally I have a place to store my endless amount of seeds and plants.

Auto-Receive Loot: Ha! Bite me lag! No longer can you steal my Gold bag from Fort captures! If I don't claim my loot in the amount of time given, it is mailed to me automatically!

New Keep Feature: Deadbolt: Those blasted ninja's can't get past our inner postern door now!

Massive UI Improvements: All players will now have the ability to fully customize up to 5 Action Bars, including what each individual box's key is set to.

Tons of Bug Fixes: I know we gripe about bug fixes, and there never seem to be enough of them, but they are greatly appreciated when they finally come around.

And so much more! Check out the Herald's Patch Notes for more information about Patch 1.3.

So in conclusion, Patch 1.3 may not be perfect, but it does have some nice shinies within it.

And so it begins...

2009-06-10T02:50:00.002-04:00

Hello WAR world! Yes, today is the beginning of a new blog! First off, before I begin my wall-o-text about what this blog will be about, I just wanted to thank you, the reader, for taking the time to read this. Without you, this blog is totally pointless, and given time, I hope to make this blog something that all WAR players can enjoy reading. Obviously this blog's appearance is a little generic right now, but that will change once I learn how the waffle to customize the layout to fit my style. After all, I'm new. /laugh

Now then, onto the good stuff.

This blog is obviously about Warhammer: Age of Reckoning. Hence, I will be covering topics such as patches, announcements, and my own experiences with WAR. However, I also hope to write about things going on in the WAR community. My inspiration for creating this blog came from other fantastic community members, so don't be surprised if I devote posts solely to promoting other blogs, podcasts, and fan-sites. (A quick shoutout of thanks to: Lagwar.com and the Stonetroll Certified podcast, Warhammeralliance.com, the WARP podcast, and the Tome of Knowledge blog.)

Next, I'd like to go a little more in depth about myself. I'd just like to make one thing perfectly clear... I am a total nerd. I love video games and junk food, and I tend to spend more time in my basement than outside. My writing style is one of a young eccentric mind, and while I may have a hatred of Bright Wizards and Warrior Priests equivalent to 10,000 flame threads, I assure you I will always try take things from an objective viewpoint.

Now that that's out of the way, lets go into a little more detail about my WAR life. My current main character is a Magus, known as Firstto, on the Volkmar server. I am a member of the Heralds of the Four guild. I always must laugh at myself however, because it seems like I spend more time patrolling forums, reading other blogs, and listening to podcasts than I do playing the game.

Finally, a quick paragraph about feedback. I would absolutely love to hear from you. Please, please, please leave a comment on a post whenever you want to voice your opinion on a topic, or just have something to say. Regardless of your stance on an issue, even if it is the polar opposite of my own, feedback is greatly appreciated. Also, you can drop me an email at: insertcleverwarname@gmail.com

Well... I think that about covers it for this introduction post. Oh, and if you are curious of why I wrote this at 2:50 AM... I blame Sunkist. So much sugar... but such great taste!