Sunday, December 07, 2014

I Fell Off teh Wagon

Well.

It goes like this.

Couldn't get much further in GuildWars2, although I still think it has the best art and mechanics. Thought about sticking my toe in to see what WoW Draenor looks like. Why? I dunno. Curious, maybe nostalgic? I dunno.

I re-upped for three months 'cause I can't just sit and play a lot (although, hello Christmas break). Started to play. The kid joined me. First thoughts: yikes it's a face roll now. Actually, yes it's so easy now. Toons are OP and the thinking for spec'ing has basically been removed. OTOH, if you think about it as a different game, instead of changes to a game you loved, it can be less irritating and a lot more interesting. For instance, lore seems to be a lot more foregrounded, which is great if you're a legit. mmoRP player, which I like to think I am. (It probably also helps a tad that I'm playing on an RP server, though more for the quality of fellow players than to do much RP'ing).

There's also 'garrisons' now, i.e., build an in-world home for yourself and your crafting minions.

Now, let me quickly add that you need to be a level 90 to get these rolling and there's rumors that they may dump this in a future expansion, but ... kinda cool, eh? Worth the grind? mmmmmmmmm not sure.






Another aspect of this 'new' game is the art. Yeah it's still cartoony and after GW I don't really like it but... omg those mounts. Was getting hella excited til I realized that it's NOT ONLY your subscription they're soaking your for but they have a lot of items in the "store" now, and mounts are a big part of that.


Would I drop coin for an awesome mount? I dunno. Part of the mount thang, when I was into WoW, was to earn a hard-to-get mount then flaunt it in Orgrimmar or Stormwind. "Yeah, bro, I fished my brains out to get that turtle. Fuck you."  Where's the fuck you in buying an awesome mount? Like I said, it's a different game now.









And yet another new feature is the game within a game. It looks an awful lot like they've embedded Pokmon, but with WoW pets. (Of course, to highlight my smug knowledge I'm naming all my pets after Pokémon heh heh.)

Yes, when you encounter a wee beastie in game you can pause and engage it in a turn-driven battle using "attacks" specific to your "type" of creature, winning levels your pet. Well, he doesn't evolve like a Pokémon; he doesn't change how he looks.) You can also "catch" wild ones you beat. Yeah, gotta catch'm all!


So for at least the next three months, I'm going to see what's what in World of Warcraft. Will I see you there too?