tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.comments2023-11-03T02:45:14.110-05:00I Have Touched the Skyrowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comBlogger3103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-31653792376352825162022-09-02T19:53:39.572-05:002022-09-02T19:53:39.572-05:00Well shoot, this comment ended up buried in my ema...Well shoot, this comment ended up buried in my emails. Yes, the basic mount skins in GW2 aren't anything to write home about. But they get the job done. On the other hand, I suspect the fancier ones are an excellent source of revenue. Scooter and will occasionally drop money for gems to support the project. I have no problem with that, since we're not paying a monthly subscription.rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-52431437820668263002022-08-26T09:39:14.985-05:002022-08-26T09:39:14.985-05:00Oh yeah, I also really loved the Violet Protodrake...Oh yeah, I also really loved the Violet Protodrake, but it's fallen out of fashion the last.. 8 years, oops :P<br /><br />I guess I've left out GW2 because I only have the absolute base level of mounts (Raptor, Hopper, Ray, recently Jackal) and I've never even seen that Beetle skin... wow.Nogamarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03703565537132612133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-61738205262347199312022-08-21T15:55:06.321-05:002022-08-21T15:55:06.321-05:00Yes, I think the world you and I grew up in was ve...Yes, I think the world you and I grew up in was very different. For instance, Scooter was the tabletop gamer growing up. While it was something that interested me somewhat, I was never part of the social circle. I know couples that met through online gaming. But in this last decade or so, the man-trolls have really kicked it up a notch, questioning female gamer cred, going after female creators, and collectively whining about any female influence or representation in entertainment.<br /><br />I liked this first episode, but I also liked Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel, so what do I know?rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-45852472648195293652022-08-21T02:15:54.954-05:002022-08-21T02:15:54.954-05:00As a lifelong comics fan I find all of this almost...As a lifelong comics fan I find all of this almost incomprehensibly weird. I remember when She Hulk was created. I have her first appearances somewhere in the house. I remember reading the first-run series of her own title. I was active in comics fandom at the time and while I remember there being some chatter over the general advisability or otherwise of cloning existing characters in reverse gender, I absolutely do not recall any of it being centered around the idea that "girls can't be superheros". <br /><br />That was not something anyone thought. FFS, the biggest deal in the entire superhero universe, the WoW of its day, was the XMen, which was positively stuffed with female characters, some of them among the strongest in the MCU (As we didn't call it then.) - Storm, Rogue, Phoenix... Even the more obviously girly female X-Men came to be much-loved characters - Kitty Pride (Shadowcat as she became), Jubilee...<br /><br />Chris Claremont, who wrote all the X-Men books for years and was for a decade the most high-profile writer of superhero comics in the world, was known for being "a woman's writer" in that he focused heavily on female characters and storylines. I'm certainly not going to claim he was actually good at it - he always seemed like a man making a point to me - but it was known and almost unquestioningly accepted that it's what he was doing and no-one I can remember was going around trying to get him to stop.<br /><br />I could go much deeper with this because, while there were apalling issues of (mis)representation, while almost everything was done from an almost stereotypically male perspective and while there were way, way too few actual women writing the stories, male comics fans as a whole did not, when I was part of the group, have any conceptual objections to girls joining their club. (Not to mention that, in my personal comics fan peer group, which was extensive, women were very well-represented, present, active and in many cases leading.)<br /><br />Where this current hatred of women comes from I have no idea but I don't believe it comes from what I would have considered to be genuine comics fans. I think the fans I knew at that time would almost universally have been appalled by it.Bhagpusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499162165023939880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-91498116933517166132022-08-07T03:18:00.689-05:002022-08-07T03:18:00.689-05:00I was fully engaged with End of Dragons for a few ...I was fully engaged with End of Dragons for a few weeks and then for some reason I almost completely lost interest. Actually, it was more like I forgot it was there. I played around with my skiff a little but I never really got started on the mastery and now I'm not playing GW2 at all. I'll come back at some point, though, and then maybe I'll get into it. I do like boats in games and the skiff seems close enough to be fun.Bhagpusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499162165023939880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-86534350664894844612022-08-05T08:44:59.107-05:002022-08-05T08:44:59.107-05:00I figured it was pronounced like web log + August....I figured it was pronounced like web log + August. Hence my preferred spelling. And you're right, with two teachers in the house beginning school in August, it's a bit hectic right now. I think Blogtober might be a bit easier for me.rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-52902869525530669122022-08-05T07:05:35.628-05:002022-08-05T07:05:35.628-05:00There was a bit of discussion on the Blaugust Disc...There was a bit of discussion on the Blaugust Discord the other day about the name and how to pronounce it. Bel put up a soundfile of him saying it and that made perfect sense, whereas when I say it it doesn't invoke blogging at all. I do agree "Blogust" would have greater clarity but then if we were starting from scratch I'd vote for Blogtober anyway: sounds clearer and I always have more time to write then than in midsummer.Bhagpusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499162165023939880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-37224848560928021622022-08-04T03:45:21.436-05:002022-08-04T03:45:21.436-05:00Welcome back! Welcome back! Bhagpusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499162165023939880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-14767364075748552942021-08-23T19:10:57.133-05:002021-08-23T19:10:57.133-05:00Thanks, I figure I will do one each for the next f...Thanks, I figure I will do one each for the next few betas.rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-44934691076347066072021-08-23T19:10:14.055-05:002021-08-23T19:10:14.055-05:00Yeah honestly, the two I play the most are my Necr...Yeah honestly, the two I play the most are my Necromancer and my Mesmer. Ironically, I don't normally use elite specs on either one. I will definitely be pursuing the Virtuoso, though. I play my Elementalist a lot. My Ranger, not so much.<br /><br />I had the opposite experience, not really liking HoT and preferring both PoF and Seasons 4 & 5.rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-49767375053455876832021-08-23T12:40:06.096-05:002021-08-23T12:40:06.096-05:00I'll echo Bhagpuss. Great review. Certainly ...I'll echo Bhagpuss. Great review. Certainly will be considered as to whether or not I will end up buying the expansion!Jacobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01876589555069743292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-59233119809596067042021-08-23T02:52:01.118-05:002021-08-23T02:52:01.118-05:00Very helpful review. Thanks. Honestly, I will most...Very helpful review. Thanks. Honestly, I will most likely never play any of the new elites. I think we have far too many already and adding more is insanity. The game already suffers from titanic balance issues and this will make them worse still.<br /><br />I am waiting to see the Elementalist and Ranger elites, which are the only ones there's any realistic chance I might play. I might beta test those but probably I'll leave it uintil the expansion arrives. I can't think I have ever been less excited for an expansion to a game I play regularly than I am for EoD. I just hope it turns out to be much better than I expect, like HoT, rather than far worse, like PoF.Bhagpusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499162165023939880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-2808306579103841842021-08-18T18:13:36.766-05:002021-08-18T18:13:36.766-05:00Plus, while it stands alone in its parking lot (ca...Plus, while it stands alone in its parking lot (carpark), the façade is designed to look like a "Main Street" (High Street?) movie house from early- to mid-20th Century. Just as part of the interior looks like a soda fountain from the same era. Honestly, the whole effect is pretty cool.rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-26403635798323612442021-08-17T20:45:34.580-05:002021-08-17T20:45:34.580-05:00Aaa, I love it. It's really rare for any of ou...Aaa, I love it. It's really rare for any of our cinemas to be non-chain so they're all very samey... that said the one we sometimes go to when we visit Cardiff could be considered a "movie palace", if you buy the special tickets that give you bar and free nachos access, that is. Even that doesn't have the same character as this one, though.Hannah @ Dragons and Whimsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00669527928501514046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-10219055202748215972021-08-17T19:18:27.997-05:002021-08-17T19:18:27.997-05:00Honestly, it kind of is.Honestly, it kind of is.rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-39590878757043864912021-08-17T10:10:36.815-05:002021-08-17T10:10:36.815-05:00You have a movie PALACE? Impressive. ;) Seriously ...You have a movie PALACE? Impressive. ;) Seriously though, glad to hear it's a fun movie, it's one of those I have my eye on! Also didn't realise Taika Waititi was in it which makes me even more excited.Hannah @ Dragons and Whimsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00669527928501514046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-47272980533745270552021-08-09T09:16:52.414-05:002021-08-09T09:16:52.414-05:00Yes! I agree that applying MUD-based definitions o...Yes! I agree that applying MUD-based definitions or types to graphics-based MMORPGs is an issue. While I have no basis in MUDs, I would hope Bartle would have an accurate assessment of the genre/type. MMOs are, quite frankly, a different beast. But because people draw a line of descent from MUDs to RPGs, they think Bartle has validity. I do think there is some value to the framework, but it shouldn't be taken for granted that it's totally accurate. Or, as I said in the post, thank a given player wants the same thing out of a game every time they play.rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-53277596777979697812021-08-09T03:17:34.327-05:002021-08-09T03:17:34.327-05:00Heh. I should have gone back and re-read Bartle...Heh. I should have gone back and re-read Bartle's original paper before commenting - that definition is taken from it verbatim. It exemplifies the problem with the whole Bartle process, I think, which is that, as you say, it refers quite specifically to his dissection of behaviors exhibited by players in MUDs, which at the time would have been text-based games. The addition of graphics, particularly the kind of 3D near-photo-realistic ones we see today, and indeed of the vastly increased and broadened means of social interaction makes transposing the behaviors he was seeing then onto the ones we experience now somewhat problematic to say the least.<br /><br />I guess if all I had to go on were a few lines of description I might well be focused on the kind of exploratory factors in that definition but as an Explorer (87% on the test result I just did) my main interest is seeing amazing images and capturing them in screenshots. Telling people about them afterwards, which comes up over and over again in the test, is very much a secondary factor. If that was my motivation, my blog would be chock-full of guides, which it is not. Bhagpusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499162165023939880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-55946807625203215692021-08-09T03:03:26.245-05:002021-08-09T03:03:26.245-05:00That's a fairly abstruse definition of the Exp...That's a fairly abstruse definition of the Explorer archetype. While the "exposing the game mechanics" thing is certainly an aspect of being an Explorer, a whole other, arguably larger part concerns visualization. Explorers like looking at things. They like to explore the games in the more obvious sense of going over the next hill to see what's there. They like to see all the zones not because there are points of interest to be ticked off a list or achievements to be racked up for going everywhere (Hi GW2!) but because not knowing what's over the next rise or round the next corner makes them itchy and unsatisfied.<br /><br />I'm wondering now how that particular version of the BArtle test defines the other three archetypes because I'm not very convinced by that one.Bhagpusshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499162165023939880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-74430235815644047072021-08-07T18:02:44.856-05:002021-08-07T18:02:44.856-05:00Yeah, my name is common enough that I've never...Yeah, my name is common enough that I've never found myself in a normal internet search. I discuss my gaming habits with folks at work, if not my blogging. Luckily for me, it's never been an issue either way.rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-27957293400251864112021-08-07T11:37:27.406-05:002021-08-07T11:37:27.406-05:00Yeah, Yeebo isn't my real name either ;-) I k...Yeah, Yeebo isn't my real name either ;-) I keep my real name far away from my blogging so that when you google me a bunch or writing about games isn't the first thing that comes up. I want the stuff I do for a living to come up when you google my name, blogging is just a hobby. <br /><br />It wouldn't be an issue now, I am barely posting six things a year these days. Back when my blog was really active it could have been. I got "internet famous" enough that I ran into people in games that were fans of the blog. <br /><br />As far as my writing vs my speaking voice, I like to think my writing is a little more polished. How you engage a room is also a little different from how you draw in a reader. However, the personality is pretty much the same.Yeebohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08028940396189544294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-65824475260880912162021-08-05T07:45:41.700-05:002021-08-05T07:45:41.700-05:00Yeah, in so many ways it was my favorite. But it w...Yeah, in so many ways it was my favorite. But it was rough.rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-7765858697444968322021-08-05T07:44:20.443-05:002021-08-05T07:44:20.443-05:00A proper Texan accent, I hope. 😄A proper Texan accent, I hope. 😄rowanblazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-26054386710405923062021-08-04T21:52:26.333-05:002021-08-04T21:52:26.333-05:00This is a thing of beauty, thanks for hanging on t...This is a thing of beauty, thanks for hanging on to it so long and polishing it up today. Wow, I miss TSW. I wish the gameplay was better, because I loved everything else about that game. :)Laralsonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03271359317886473184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-34524993963029445822021-08-04T20:56:23.444-05:002021-08-04T20:56:23.444-05:00Love this! :D Glad you pulled it out of your draft...Love this! :D Glad you pulled it out of your drafts. I even somehow read it in an accent.Hannah @ Dragons and Whimsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00669527928501514046noreply@blogger.com