First Days Of Defiance

Ever since Defiance officially went live on Tuesday, I’ve been playing Trion’s new MMO third-person shooter every night for approximately 1-2 hours each session. Granted, that’s probably optimal for me, given my hopes that this game can become a fun and casual pastime on the side. Still, I’m sure I’ll need a lot more time with it before I’m comfortable with forming more solid opinions.

However, I’m happy to say that so far all my experiences have generally been positive. Even spending just mere minutes with the live version erased a lot of my previous misgivings, given that I was in the alpha and the beta…and let’s just say it hasn’t always been pretty. In light of some of the more persisting issues, I even occasionally had my doubts about my pre-order.

For one thing, I’ve always wondered to myself, “Can you imagine how stupidly fun this game would be when grouping with friends?” I envisioned a lot of running together as a squad with my guild, but alas I was never able to get the friend and group invite working for me properly during testing. So you can imagine my excitement and relief when I fired up the live client on Tuesday night to find the grouping system working flawlessly.

That one thing probably increased my love for Defiance tenfold. I mean, how surprising that a broken grouping system in an online multiplayer game can completely cripple your enjoyment! Who’d have thunk it, right?! 

Sure, you don’t absolutely need to group in Defiance, but I definitely experienced a whole different layer of gameplay dynamics after a few hours running with my husband. There’s an added immersion you just don’t get when playing alone or out-of-communication with others; playing the game is so much more interactive when I find myself planning out attacks with someone else, whether it’s splitting up the work during missions or laying down cover fire when the other player is interacting with a quest object (or running like hell for his life).

Last night, I even had the chance to participate in one of those big Arkfall events. Now, ain’t that a whole different kind of animal. It’s very similar to the rift events in Rift that happen very randomly and without warning. One moment, a small group of us were just la-di-da shooting away, and then all of a sudden you’re swept up in a massive crowd like a wave and flaming hellcrabs are jumping at you trying to eat your face and your poor mouse is just gripped in your sweaty shaking hand while you’re desperately firing that assault rifle like it’s nobody’s business and…it’s just one big mess. The good kind of big mess.

That’s the thing. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about Defiance, other than it’s rather fun and addicting. But if there’s one aspect that really surprised me about the game, it’s how quickly I took to it. I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of shooters, I honestly never thought I would get into a game like this. That I did and got hooked onto it so quickly speaks volumes about it, I think.

TSW: Plundering The Ankh

The Ankh is The Secret World’s fourth instance, located in The Scorched Desert. Deep beneath the sands, Orochi agents have discovered an ancient and subterranean Egyptian temple. Of course, it’s also damp, dark, spooky and completely infested with the Filth. As if any of us needed more proof that everything the Orochi Group touches inevitably turns into a giant cock-up.

Last night, a group of brave adventurers from the Knights of Mercy took it upon themselves to investigate the dig site during this week’s session of TSW Monday. First off, I want to say that there is no such thing as a bad instance in TSW…just that some are better than others.

I can’t say The Ankh is one of my favorites. Visually, it’s not as stunning as the others, and the bosses aren’t as memorable. And like I said, it’s full of Filth. I mean, it’s tentacle-ly and disgusting. Pretty sure as well that having been pummeled to death in that dungeon way too many times to count have not warmed me towards it. But someone’s gotta take care of the dirty work, right? And sometimes even dirty work can be fun when you’re doing it with friends.

Also, as any self-respecting TSW player will tell you, it’s of the utmost important to dress the part no matter what you do. The Filth of the Ankh learned last night that two can play at the tentacle game. So, there.

 

Screenshot Of The Day: Old Friends, New Business Model (TSW)

Another Monday night, another Secret World session. It was our guild’s first TSW night since the game’s big announcement last week, and I must say we had a pretty good showing, considering our modest little cabal.

Being a subscriber, I was able to claim my rewards which included a bunch of Funcom points, so of course the first thing I did was go shopping. And shocker — I didn’t buy new clothes. Instead, I adopted a pet:

It’s reaching up to me for a hug! Aww…

Okay, at first I was going to get a dog. But then, I saw this little guy on the front page and it’s like, how the hell can anyone resist? My new Automaton pet jumps around excitedly when he sees me and also follows me around on rocket boots (or a rocket butt, I can’t tell).

We also had enough people last night to split off into a couple groups. Almost all of us are in Transylvania now, and so I took the opportunity to zip back into the Shadowy Forest to turn in several missions that had been sitting in my quest log all this time. Honestly, it’s been so long that I’d forgotten how much faster the experience rolls in once you get into the higher level zones. With my Time Accelerator that increases XP gain, I don’t think it’d be too long before I get enough AP and SP complete my third deck (Warlock) and to finally equip my rocket launcher.

Oh, and something else I forgot now that I’m back in vampire land — how ridiculously, maddeningly, soul-crushingly tough this game can be. TSW is a cruel mistress, but then again, it’s a big part of why I love it.

Rift: My Storm Legion Tour – Dungeons And Raids

Continuing with the write-up of my tour of Rift: Storm Legion during the beta weekend, in this post I’ll focus on what Community Manager James “Elrar” Nichols showed me regarding dungeons and raids. To view the previous part on the world and new zones, see here.

I was told that Storm Legion will launch with seven dungeons and a couple of raids — one 20-man and one 10-man — with another 20-man being added in the first big patch. It’s clear that just because they have a huge expansion coming out soon, this by no means indicates that the Rift team will be slacking on their update schedule. New content will continue rolling in as it has always done, and players won’t have long to wait.

I’ll confess right now that this post will be image-heavy. A lot of the encounters shown to me were still works-in-progress; that and time constraints meant that we didn’t do much fighting beyond Elrar exercising his supermod tour guide powers and insta-killing the bosses so we could check out the beautiful dungeon interiors. Works for me! It won’t do well to spoil the fights for myself at this early stage anyway, so I was happy to follow along, pressing my PrntScn key every two seconds in amazement at the environmental details.

Our first stop: Storm Breaker Protocol, a level 52-56 five-man dungeon. The first thing we did was climb into a mech-like robots, giving us access to a set of cool-sounding abilities like Eradication Pulse and Rocket Salvo. We proceeded to clear trash, and I was told players will also get a chance to fight bosses in these Storm Breaker robots. Elrar confirmed that these kinds of fights are new to Rift; like many of upcoming features we’ll see in Storm Legion, they’re the result of ongoing experimentation with new ideas and implementation of mechanics by the Rift team, ultimately letting the player response guide their decisions.

By the way, I want to mention that the level 60 character provided to me was a Mage, mostly because I told Elrar I was fascinated with what I’ve seen of the new Harbinger soul. In the end, I didn’t actually get much of a chance to experiment with his abilities during the tour, but the good news is the little I did see of his conjured blades and weapons spells confirms my suspicions that this “melee battle mage” soul is as unique as it looks.

The next dungeon we saw was Empyrean Core, a level 58-60 five-man instance intended for players towards the end of the leveling experience. Some stunning bosses and sights in there. Honestly, the following screenshots I took don’t do that place justice, as I lost a lot of the nuances created by the play of light and shadow.

Next, Elrar brought me to the Endless Eclipse, the 20-man raid that will be available about a month after Storm Legion’s launch, where players will eventually get to battle Regulos. Which reminds me, I want to mention that all throughout the tour I was being provided with commentary about the game  world’s history and background information behind all these instances. There’s context in all we’ll get to do in the new expansion, and not for the first or last time, I wished I was more well-versed in Rift lore.

Here’s a few images from that place; as you can see it’s appropriately “deathy” in there. Again, I want to emphasize that it looks so much better in game with all my settings cranked up.

 

Finally, we checked out Frozen Tempest, the 20-man raid that will be available at Storm Legion’s launch. Here, players will get to battle Crucia, the power-hungry dragon goddess who controls the minds of the Storm Legion cult which makes even Regulos shake in his boots.

Got some great pics in there of the two of us getting our butts kicked, because Elrar forgot to turn on his supermod powers of invulnerability. Here he is getting stomped on by a giant harpy (and I was next)!:

Stay tuned for my third and final post in which I will talk about what I saw of the highly anticipated Dimensions feature also known as Rift’s housing system. Believe me when I say it deserves a full post dedicated to it all on its own! Not that everything else I’d seen so far didn’t look fantastic, but Elrar definitely saved the best for last during our tour. And thus, so will I!

The Secret World: Here Kitty Kitty Kitty

Aww, look at the kittens so fluffy and cute and adora–oh wait, this is The Secret World. Hmm, this isn’t going to end well, is it?

I have to confess, I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I always look forward to October because that’s when all the MMOs trot out their Halloween events, but most of all I was holding my breath to see what Funcom would do for The Secret World.

It’s hard not to expect the amazing, because you gotta admit, something like this is like right up their alley. Like the devs have said themselves, Halloween is like their Christmas. To get a sense of what a big deal this is to them, they’ve been talking and teasing about this since launch. If nothing else, the trailer for the event certainly reaffirmed my decision to stay subscribed to this game. In a word, it looked fantastic — new investigation quests, a dungeon encounter, cool rewards.

The best part? Now that I’ve actually done the event for myself, not only did I have a blast, but I also have to say that, yeah, it is indeed unlike any other MMO Halloween event I’ve ever experienced. I’m big enough to admit that at one point, I screamed. Not to be the bringer of spoilers, but it was sufficiently creepy, just the right amount of disturbing, and it doesn’t hold back. One other thing: I hope y’all are cat people.

Well, actually. On second thought, it might be less unsettling if you weren’t.

Of course, amidst the new are some of the old — more specifically, a couple of old friends who will contact you to initiate the quest. One of the best things about TSW? The colorful, memorable NPCs. When I got that phone call from Madame Rogét asking me if I remembered her, I had to laugh. How could I forget Kingsmouth’s own soothsayer and part-time prostitute, she of the fake accent and fuzzy handcuffs? And then there’s Deputy Andy, whose ominous quote about his drowned kittens still haunts me. As it’s one of most referenced quotes from the game, I’m guessing I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Samhain and the Cat God are here.

Both are amongst the first quest givers you meet in the game, so even if you only played TSW briefly, you would have encountered them. Months later, I still remember their names and personal stories as clear as day. Now, I’m aware Funcom has had their Halloween event up their sleeve for a while, but the fact that Deputy Andy’s dead kittens are at the heart of this mystery has got me wondering — damn, just how long has Funcom been planning for this? Like, really?

Bottom line is, I knew beforehand that I was going to be too busy to game tonight, so no Monday TSW night for me this week. But even if that weren’t the case, I know I wouldn’t have been able to wait to do the event. I gave in to the temptation last Friday, when I along with a few guildmates managed to complete the quest chain.

For the Cat God’s sake, if you play TSW the Halloween quests are not to be missed. The first part is completely doable solo if you’ve gotten most of the way through the Solomon Islands, but having friends to brainstorm ideas will help with figuring out the investigation quest. Second part is a bit tougher, and I’m not just talking about the puzzle. If you aren’t already in the later parts of the game, having a friend who is to help will make it easier, but it’s still possible to go it alone if you’re careful. The final showdown, however, is classified as a dungeon encounter and a group is recommended.

At the end of it, you get an outfit and a really cool portal tentacle cat! Speaking as a self-confessed companion pet addict, the uniqueness of the latter makes it all worthwhile. Now to find the little guy a veterinarian who won’t run away screaming at the first sight of him.

Wherever that portal takes him, I hope he does his business there too. I hate cleaning litter boxes.

TSW Night: Using Our Heads

The Council of Venice, a watch-group formed to uphold the rules and ensure that all factions in The Secret World are keeping the peace. Also known as the guys that show up only after we’ve taken care of the mess.

So, another Monday night come and gone, which means another night of shenanigans in The Secret World. And as far as TSW Nights go, I have to say last night’s play session was a rather productive one. Admittedly, last week most of us were rusty and still struggling to remember how to play our characters, but this week we brought our game faces!

First things first; I can now scratch one biggie off my to-do list — “Obtain stolen rocket launcher from forces of evil.” It’s right there on the agenda between “Clean out rain gutters” and “Remember to buy Halloween candy.”

Fortunately, everyone last night was at least Faction Rank 6 or higher and were able to pick up the mission, and two groups were formed to brave the dangers ahead. It worked out well too, because how anyone could have done this quest chain solo at that level is beyond me. Poor Scopique and I were being torn apart by mercenary bullets until I poked my husband in the ribs and got him to switch to heals. Things got easier after that, though snipers trying to shoot at my face still posed an aggravating problem. Staying out of the light was the key, though I found running around like a chicken with its head cut off also kind of helped. In my humble opinion.

Oh, how I wish I had a picture of my character Laeyn and her brand-spanking new rocket launcher to post here right now, complete with an obligatory and ridiculous caption like “Say hello to my little friend!” perhaps, but sadly I don’t even possess the number of skill points required to equip it at the moment since I blew them all last session. I have to accrue 5 more SP, though if the rumors about an upcoming chainsaw auxiliary weapon are true, I may save them for that. After all, when it comes to dealing the zombies, I like to get up close and personal, and chainsaws are much more hands-on, don’t you think?

Afterwards, the remaining Knights of Mercy headed back to Kingsmouth town to see the Reverend Henry Hawthorn in order to pick up “Digging Deeper”, the eponymous investigation quest from Issue 2.

If you play TSW and haven’t done that one yet, do make the time! Major Indiana Jones vibes pouring off this one. It’s probably the most fun I’ve ever had doing an investigation mission, though it probably helped that the format of it was perfect for a group. They say two heads are better than one, so five heads we should be golden, right? Well, for the most part I’d say that’s true, though lucky for those heads none of the puzzles were as unforgiving as the first room in The Last Crusade. The worst we had to contend with for screwing up was a jet of poison, once again sending us all into a flailing panic. I have to say, running around like chickens with their head cut off didn’t work quite so well that time.

Only the penitent man will pass.

Yes, there were mistakes aplenty and a lot of spinning our wheels, but this made for lots of laughs along the way and most importantly, in the end the group effort paid off. When I first heard about TSW nights, this was pretty much what I pictured: people getting together and pooling their knowledge, adding different viewpoints to the problem and brainstorming solutions. Thank goodness someone else was familiar with music theory, for instance; all that knowledge has sadly left me since high school, when studies halted my flute and piano lessons.

All in all, I was amazed at how well things went, with everyone pitching in with suggestions and ideas which ultimately got us through. To me, the kind of quests that make you think and research are definitely one of TSW’s best features. One thing’s for sure — when Funcom gets around to putting in those group investigation quests they have planned, I am so there.

WoW: DING! Level 90

Sixteen days after the World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria release, I finally reached level 90 last night with my druid main. Given my pacing, a little more than two weeks is about when expected I’d make the new level cap. I wouldn’t say I consider this “slow” by any means, but I do know that I have been a bit sluggish compared to some of my fellow bloggers, some of whom I know hit the big ding last week.

Indeed, this is the first WoW expansion where I’ve actually taken it easy, and it has been good. I’ve been taking my time, spreading it between leveling my main and playing my new Pandaren Monk, in addition to also doing a little bit of dungeon running on the side with guildmates. If you recall, I reserved a Mage alt exactly for that last purpose, and that lowbie spellcaster I started weeks ago with my friends is now level 80. With all of us having mains from different servers, different factions and different levels, this has become a way for us to do group content together.

If you’ve seen my WoW pet hunting posts, you’ll also know that I’ve been completely addicted to the new pet system. My progress on that has been happening in the background, mostly in the afternoons when I find lulls during the day between chores and working on my commissions. As well, the baby’s napping schedule is still a little sporadic, which makes the pet collecting/battling mini-game the perfect activity, whether I get 20 minutes or 2 hours to play. It’s also essentially the closest thing to a “pause” button in this MMO; once you engage a wild pet in a fight, the whole world literally fades into the background, you can’t get ganked or attacked by roaming mobs, and the game will wait for your turn until you take it. When I need to step away from the computer in a hurry, I can do it without a second thought.

Overall, I’ve been quite impressed by MoP. Admittedly, this is the most fun I’ve had in WoW since The Burning Crusade, which still happens to be my favorite expansion. Granted, as is the case with most MMOs I play, a lot of my enjoyment has to do with the people with whom I’m playing, but a part of me is also convinced there’s something special about MoP. Contrasting it with Cataclysm, I feel that this expansion has a lot more personality and character. Don’t get me wrong, I really didn’t think Cata was that bad, but while it was an ambitious and bold move by Blizzard, I also felt the last expansion lacked a certain cogency and at times seemed like it was confused with itself. MoP on the other hand feels like it has a clearer direction and things more in check.

Cuddly!

The other thing is, I know a lot of people have put this expansion down it for its cutesy nature and cuddliness, and that’s certainly a valid criticism. I’m definitely not denying that the game has dialed up big time on the whimsy, but I also don’t think it should be the only reason to stay away. There’s just so much more to explore in this expansion that a concern like that just melted away once I actually got to play more of the expansion.

At least to me, it sure feels like there’s a lot more to do in MoP. In addition to my pet hunting shenanigans, now there’s even farming to do! And I don’t mean MMO farming, I mean the tilling, seeding, watering, harvesting kind of farming! I’m crossing my fingers here, but getting your own little farmstead and plots to grow crops in certain feels like a first step towards one day seeing player housing in WoW. If this is some sort of experiment by Blizzard, I have to say it’s proving quite successful.

I guess the point I’m trying to make here is, I’ve hit 90 and I already feel completely overwhelmed. I know there’s a lot to this expansion, but I don’t feel it so much when I’m leveling because there’s always that forward direction and an ever present goal to reach level cap. However, once I got there, it was like, where’s an Everything-You-Need-To-Do-Once-You-Hit-Level-90 checklist when you need one? There’s farming and cooking for the Tillers, fishing for the Anglers, other reputations to work on, two entire remaining questing zones to complete, professions to level, more pets to hunt…

I haven’t even thought about the dungeons I need to run yet. No doubt I’ll be doing some endgame instances real soon, but so far gearing up has been the last thing on my mind. That’s probably a good thing, since that process has always been the first step leading me to burnout in the past. We’ll have to wait and see how long MoP will keep me playing, but right now it does appear to offer a lot more to do at endgame compared to the previous expansions.

To close off, I’ll leave you with some of the gorgeous visuals I’ve come across on my adventures through Pandaria. I have to say they’ve really nailed the Eastern themes.