Not much has been happening lately. Game time has been spent in EVE where I’ve been mining with my corp and running some missions. It’s amazing how EVE is the only mmo that can hold my interest anymore. I think it is simply that I’ve played so many (something like 15 or so by now) and that they have all followed the same formula. No longer do most mmo’s feel different to me, just the same game with different artwork. I do wonder how long this trend will continue–as long as there is money to make in it, it seems.

Well, I’ve been spending the last few days doing something I promised myself I would never do again. Yup, I was playing World of Warcraft. I stopped playing a few months ago, after playing since launch (mostly, a couple months away during that timespan). There are a couple reasons for going back to it-I have friends there still, and there isn’t much out now to play. I have been in many games, and most of them denounce and slander WoW, generally for some good reasons, but it really isn’t that different from most of the other MMOs out there now. The biggest negative that WoW has is the immature community which really does seem like a bunch of 12 year old children running a muck. The second negative is that the end game is all about raiding (or PvP), but that is how it has almost always been-what else is there to do when you max out a character other then take on bigger and bigger challenges? Of course it isn’t always the raiding that gets to people, its the reputation grinds to do them that does (that was a silly thing to do, but it does make the end game last longer).

Apart from WoW I have gotten some EVE time in. I tend to come and go with it, playing for weeks at a time and then taking a break (seems to be that way with most MMOs and me).  Of course, with EVE, that break can be beneficial as I come back to completed long train time skills. Why can’t more games be like that? (yeah, yeah, no skill needed to advance, just time, but is there really any skill involved in video games? it’s just pushing buttons)

Aside from video games I’ve been trying to think up story ideas, and more ideas for Saryval. I can’t say much about professional fiction writing, since I’ve never had any classes or anything on it, but I tend to want to think everything in the story world out before I really start writing (ok, I started on Saryval before that, but sometimes it is necessary to get a brief start to visualize the world fully!). So, as far as the world of Saryval goes, so far, I’ve decided on the conflict of the story–war between ‘humans’ and the Seravya, which are kind of like Vampires (sucking the life essence out of living beings and unnatural regeneration/life spans). The setting of the world starts in a large desert where the capital of the Seravya lies, the technology of the  people is seemingly more advanced than ours, with more a gadget influence (think clockwork stuffs) and of course magic. It may be fairly obvious, but the Seravya are far more in-tune with magical energies, while the ‘humans’ are more inclined to technology (thus further prejudices and differences).   More when I can think of it.

Not too much happening lately. Playing mostly the same-old games *lots of RTS/RPG* with the new inclusion of Quake Wars. Fileplanet subscription paying off, getting my hands on the QW’s (is it open or closed? I think open) beta. Have been playing it a good bit so far, the only map tested right now is called Valley (can check that out here). So far, I’d say it’s a bit like Unreal Tournament mixed with Battlefield, you have classes on each side which represent some pretty standard make-ups (medics, soldiers, covert ops, engineers, etc). Looks-wise and speed-wise, it’s a bit Unreal Tournament, with assault style gameplay (so far that I’ve seen). Assault/defend objectives is the point of Valley, with different classes being needed to perform them (nice touch), and the time limit to determine if the defenders win (the time limit is adjustable, but default seems to be 30 minutes, a bit longer than most Assault maps from UT I think). Overall its been great to play, can’t wait for the release.

Lately I’ve been having some RTS cravings. With the recent Dawn of War and Company of Heroes episodes, I’m thinking about bringing out some others like Warcraft III or Rise of Legends. I don’t really know what it is about RTS’ that draws me in, they’re all really the same – build up an army, go on a rampage. Perhaps it is just the feeling of control, leading an army to victory or doom, that is appealing.

With the RTS stint I’ve been on, I decided to look around for jobs concerning them. Haven’t found too much for an entry level position (how am I supposed to get launch title experience if I can’t even get in on a launch title?), but Blizzard did have a position for level designers working on Startcraft II–which would be excellent. Have I any chance at the job? Doubt it, but it is a goal to shoot for.

In the meantime I’ll just build up some skills and experience with modding. Perhaps I’ll post an idea about an RTS, if I can think of one.

Was looking around my bedroom yesterday (the bedroom doubles as the computer room) trying to find some of the older games that I used to play. After a few boxes I came across my Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War discs–the craving hit. Popped the discs into the computer, installed and started it up. Now, I haven’t played the game in awhile and my skills really are not on par with what they once were, but I had a blast. Relic really out-did themselves on this game, and Company of Heroes (WWII game, similar to DoW). Having strategic points to capture and hold, for victory and resource gain, is really cool. Aside from the game play, the game world has a rich history to draw from–the history created for the tabletop miniatures game that this is based on–and the characters are deep and interesting. I love the Orks most of all, they’re comically brutal and tons of fun to fight as and against. The Empire is interesting, the devotion to the empire and their religion has a strong sense of seriousness and strictness about it. The Chaos add the dark element of the game, and are probably the most interesting to me because of their sheer complexity. Then the Eldar, the mysterious and technically advanced race that adds all those needs and wants.

I played through the campaign all evening and into the night, recalling some of the missions and learning the game all over again.

With the replay of Dawn of War, I have renewed my interest in Warhammer Online (from EA Mythic). The game is in closed beta at this point, and I can’t wait to get an invite (hopefully). PvP has always been a major attraction to me, not because I simply get to kill other players, but because of the challenges other players bring. PvE has always had its place, and always will, but something about it is simply not as satisfying. You can always learn a PvE fight no matter how hard it is and overcome it, but you cannot learn a PvP fight. Sure, you can learn the basics of a PvP match–the skills needed, the objections to accomplish–but you can never know what an opponent will do, never know how the outcome of a battle will be.