tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47651365013285233722024-03-05T21:05:08.576-06:00I Have Touched the SkyRants, ruminations, and rambling remarks from my mad, meandering, muddled mind.rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.comBlogger852125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-19610668419819260072022-09-03T19:32:00.008-05:002022-09-25T21:06:58.797-05:00Autumn Leaves<div style="text-align: justify;">Greetings Traveler!<br /><br />
We've had a lot of rain for the past week or so. Which is great, because we missed out on a ton of rain over the summer. Also, the summer started with 100°F temps in May and it didn't really let up until August. That August was as cool as it was (still in the 90s) was a relief after May-July.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVJWpRY0trQALFh5bMUd2pTvTKkHW8S95BHVDlrkRe-oA8ndrlV5oa0r24pO5YpD7_bl2_wbr9fQJ_pgM7aZwg5kvK_YtCcOhRAv3xhA6twi7BsbYqQjarAE-SXhlIBAgoB2nHeWgV7lU52EGg-oboMkCDk2wToxaVlDMAmBWTT_BjHjI0DelTRTn/s1450/EmberLoadscreen.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Character Screen, Angelonia in Cantha" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1450" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVJWpRY0trQALFh5bMUd2pTvTKkHW8S95BHVDlrkRe-oA8ndrlV5oa0r24pO5YpD7_bl2_wbr9fQJ_pgM7aZwg5kvK_YtCcOhRAv3xhA6twi7BsbYqQjarAE-SXhlIBAgoB2nHeWgV7lU52EGg-oboMkCDk2wToxaVlDMAmBWTT_BjHjI0DelTRTn/w640-h264/EmberLoadscreen.jpg" title="Character Screen, Zeitung Province" width="580" /></a></div>
Of course, I've been playing GW2 and not much else. And not even much of that with school starting back up. Not that I am in school. But Scooter (a teacher) and I share an office, and my gaming keypad disturbs her concentration.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyb7Ln9YZyuyHhn3gmLglPJHRmsvFEI9Pele6Moe2ssjOKVAWmji7UFsUSXmsza0B1z5VHF_vsfCxWzUa8YQ6aLysSian0rc0WXfLQ8iK9oBqT77CYuJw93SjOvehtjtS9LXHNVP7z9M7JDQ0IPjmJb3ay1kLn33Tv8xNCzKEs332Zi6aCn3m9BpNh/s1540/EmberNightglow.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Glowing Tresses" border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1540" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyb7Ln9YZyuyHhn3gmLglPJHRmsvFEI9Pele6Moe2ssjOKVAWmji7UFsUSXmsza0B1z5VHF_vsfCxWzUa8YQ6aLysSian0rc0WXfLQ8iK9oBqT77CYuJw93SjOvehtjtS9LXHNVP7z9M7JDQ0IPjmJb3ay1kLn33Tv8xNCzKEs332Zi6aCn3m9BpNh/w640-h180/EmberNightglow.jpg" title="Glowing Tresses" width="580" /></a></div>
However, today I spent some time finishing out Herald (powered by the legendary dragon, Glint) on my Revenant, Angelonia Embersage. Most of my other level 80s have at least the two elite specializations from Heart of Thorns and Path of Fire, and I am running them through hero points in Cantha to get them the End of Dragons elite specs. Angelonia was missing most of Herald (from HoT) so I took her through that spec first.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuVbJpPjHjIN0bHfVnrnPbZyBohTMXw3VBU4nHPGLTEFW8_wxLWtK_01G6jQqjGDrn3_SbceE7rdPpwy2MRWbaGfb2fTn2uDo1oxO3uQb1VT_J_c8a1RvSj5_yi9IYDIit8PcEcEvFVCr6y9VFHvm2GkO5PxFi2pBvCtPUlUUSRqHrsahgosI3Xm0/s870/BobbleEmber.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bobblehead Embersage" border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="870" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipuVbJpPjHjIN0bHfVnrnPbZyBohTMXw3VBU4nHPGLTEFW8_wxLWtK_01G6jQqjGDrn3_SbceE7rdPpwy2MRWbaGfb2fTn2uDo1oxO3uQb1VT_J_c8a1RvSj5_yi9IYDIit8PcEcEvFVCr6y9VFHvm2GkO5PxFi2pBvCtPUlUUSRqHrsahgosI3Xm0/w640-h240/BobbleEmber.jpg" title="Bobblehead Embersage" width="580" /></a></div>
I had forgotten that the HoT specs basically can't be played until complete because of the way the traits and skills were organized for those specs. This is especially true for the Revenant, since the entire utility bar changes, and you can't mix and match the utility skills from older specializations. In Path of Fire, they changed it so that you can have a full trait line for the new elite spec as soon as you have 90 hero points devoted to the spec and use skills from other specs to fill out the bar (again, except for Revenant).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS8wv0zYOaxPhUV1w79bGMyoQZafJvjUNZgomUvSU5mE0vf_Td6xqKwco4C34GCN_eXfcmCZvP-8eLumDBxmVnaXrI6VHclJmc0qob581FPFw-oEC76TisOFIJj3T1r-Ig1lO2gtPg2ktITcIDaPQ7VbAF5OpLEM2ayITxrN0_9Yt4kZ3lBQXehmF/s740/Ember%20Old-New.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Makeover, Before and After" border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="740" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNS8wv0zYOaxPhUV1w79bGMyoQZafJvjUNZgomUvSU5mE0vf_Td6xqKwco4C34GCN_eXfcmCZvP-8eLumDBxmVnaXrI6VHclJmc0qob581FPFw-oEC76TisOFIJj3T1r-Ig1lO2gtPg2ktITcIDaPQ7VbAF5OpLEM2ayITxrN0_9Yt4kZ3lBQXehmF/w640-h428/Ember%20Old-New.jpg" title="Makeover, Before and After" width="580" /></a></div>
In addition to completing Herald on Angelonia, I decided to use the total makeover kit I had in my inventory to, well, give her a makeover. You can see the changes in these pics. All that time outside has "tanned" her skin from a sage to a dark olive. She grew out her cinnamon leaves and dyed(?) them nifty desert dusk. I made a few other tweaks to her features, but she is mostly the same. Maybe a little more hardened from when she first popped out of the Dream. I changed her night-glow as well; it's now less like embers, and more like twilight. However, that dusky glow works well to really change her new do at night, as well. Meanwhile, her ember eyes remind you that morning will arrive soon enough.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">~~~~~~~~
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0px;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is available under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes only), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-43861377056011007712022-09-01T19:50:00.002-05:002022-09-03T19:39:17.584-05:00Decisions, Decisions<div style="text-align: justify;">Greetings Traveler,<br>
<br>
Hey look! Here I am posting again, twice in a row. And it's not even Blaugust anymore. This is mostly just a follow-up to yesterday's post regarding the free mount skins. I was considering the Mastiff, but ultimately decided to go with my other choice in the jackal category: the Tidal Lightpaw.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFVh1gesyNy6Lcv1o_hWqKsiPT027rF6c5mBCVp41Vb2-M4RFkh_4AYi1mpHRM61eVyWbbDelKXPFMvwA9lvDISHUDhkD2LqHbx2vo8A6u24Q7_CS_jdJX9-PDDr0TzGrZmm8Z2fGXCp0-drYXioRFESNcjcBSQcAciuc7sSf9y9OBVRTvCtu8fv6/s1160/Lightpaw.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="1160" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFVh1gesyNy6Lcv1o_hWqKsiPT027rF6c5mBCVp41Vb2-M4RFkh_4AYi1mpHRM61eVyWbbDelKXPFMvwA9lvDISHUDhkD2LqHbx2vo8A6u24Q7_CS_jdJX9-PDDr0TzGrZmm8Z2fGXCp0-drYXioRFESNcjcBSQcAciuc7sSf9y9OBVRTvCtu8fv6/w640-h360/Lightpaw.jpg" width="580"></a></div>
<span></span></div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2022/09/decisions-decisions.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-82632840802781525072022-08-31T20:20:00.003-05:002022-09-01T20:00:23.881-05:00Blaugust 2022 Wrap-up<div style="text-align: justify;">Greetings, Traveler!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKR1z0U-OXhXKUY7rLnSq-SaxnDlzkl7-N0N8MVzqxG_2gWLP7HyXqumXhLJswiTrySg2Xy1SdDlkSQb9pQvO_fvnb6BdvtuAxUZdAu5DmlIBuWXVPBzsPjUw3oceLqLjXAu9xV4o1y64sa8IM9Pg892hclR3JkQgjEdRGko9M9e8JT4KJ7hkCGnF/s768/blaugust2022.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="768" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKR1z0U-OXhXKUY7rLnSq-SaxnDlzkl7-N0N8MVzqxG_2gWLP7HyXqumXhLJswiTrySg2Xy1SdDlkSQb9pQvO_fvnb6BdvtuAxUZdAu5DmlIBuWXVPBzsPjUw3oceLqLjXAu9xV4o1y64sa8IM9Pg892hclR3JkQgjEdRGko9M9e8JT4KJ7hkCGnF/w640-h234/blaugust2022.webp" width="580"></a></div><br><div style="text-align: justify;"></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">So I didn't actually do as well this year as I did last year. I have excuses, but none of them really matter. This is all just a hobby. Now, congratulations to all of you that managed to achieve something blogging related this month. Now, hopefully, I will maintain a modicum of momentum and keep posting here and there.<span></span></div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2022/08/blaugust-2022-wrap-up.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-18840320012564393602022-08-24T19:50:00.003-05:002022-08-31T21:00:36.314-05:00The Mounts I Have Liked Using the Most?<div style="text-align: justify;">Greetings Traveler!<br><br>
So I read a series of posts yesterday from <a href="https://battlestance.org/2022/08/22/which-mmo-mount-do-you-like-using-the-most/" target="_blank">Nogamara</a>, <a href="https://nerdybookahs.wordpress.com/2022/08/21/which-mmo-mount-do-you-like-using-the-most/" target="_blank">Paeroka</a>, and Syp (through <a href="https://massivelyop.com/2022/08/20/the-daily-grind-which-mmo-mount-do-you-like-using-the-most/" target="_blank">MassivelyOP</a>), about "What mounts do you like using the most?" Currently, I am playing Guild Wars 2 pretty exclusively. Though reading through blog posts, I am tempted by other old favorites.
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<span></span></div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-mounts-i-have-liked-using-most.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-42993248605614964662022-08-22T12:20:00.005-05:002022-08-24T19:53:46.867-05:00Guild Wars 2: Full Steam Ahead <div style="text-align: justify;">Greetings Traveler!<br><br>
Tomorrow marks the Tenth Anniversary of the release of the fantastic sequel to Guild Wars. Well, technically, this coming Sunday is the 10th anniversary, but since they do updates on Reality Tuesday™, we're celebrating early.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/studio-update-guild-wars-2-tenth-anniversary-and-steam-launch-on-august-23/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="590" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIAsKaQJbfU18MDrDV4BM0loGPu2Iaqfxg7y7dZMX2DW3GXvoiWxuvJ5TQINGeiOdHnb8nF0h2Z0QJvNl7TlUHVFCrw4QiQdBJ-WcRgfrj_lDoemhfVLwW2ekebLmeX7KLhE2565Cq2h9JloTFb6TGjaHZOOvfinRv8Htb9ID19RWsO_y1Z7SnSFxD/w640-h360/c8c96GW2-SteamAnnc-1920x1080-EN-590x332.jpg" width="580"></a></div>
<span></span></div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2022/08/guild-wars-2-full-steam-ahead.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-27461154033946633522022-08-20T19:58:00.003-05:002022-08-22T17:33:19.229-05:00MCU Review: She-Hulk, Attorney at Law (SPOILERS)<div style="text-align: justify;">Greetings Traveler!<br>
<div style="text-align: justify;">So last night, I had the chance to watch the premier of Marvel's new <i>She-Hulk, Attorney-at-Law</i> on Disney+, a thoroughly enjoyable 38-minute episode starring the delightful Tatiana Maslany, perhaps best known for her stint on <i>Orphan Black</i>. My impressions are a bit spoilery, so join me after the break if you're interested.
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<span></span></div></div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2022/08/mcu-review-she-hulk-attorney-at-law.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-27519471915700497682022-08-06T15:14:00.003-05:002022-08-20T17:56:48.997-05:00Skiffing About in Guild Wars 2<div style="text-align: justify;">
Greetings, Traveler!<br><br>The need for this is probably long past now, as skiffs have been available since the launch of EoD in March, and were probably on display during some beta or another. However, reading back through a couple of posts and comments from last year, I came across one from Bhagpuss, wondering how the system would be implemented:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9fxhVOh-I2diGHNU_iVgjwtgECrxKB2WtLaXlAKP79KuuRfAQvFiRwVyg4PH4nxNJPeCungp8Q14t9ePoaXGKcKSjvUsYiUrsALFmEOrXCiFOuyn1aqjYS9gtcGqGsIfYKC3_io9ZOarVzkXAUe7UWCV_xSqAIAM90seIXaor7DaupXTA3KiVQjk/s1160/20220806GardenParty.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1160" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje9fxhVOh-I2diGHNU_iVgjwtgECrxKB2WtLaXlAKP79KuuRfAQvFiRwVyg4PH4nxNJPeCungp8Q14t9ePoaXGKcKSjvUsYiUrsALFmEOrXCiFOuyn1aqjYS9gtcGqGsIfYKC3_io9ZOarVzkXAUe7UWCV_xSqAIAM90seIXaor7DaupXTA3KiVQjk/w640-h442/20220806GardenParty.jpg" width="580"></a></div>
<blockquote><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2021/08/blaugust-2021-what-have-i-been-up-to.html?showComment=1627911172336#c480927755889203970" target="_blank"><b>Bhagpuss:</b></a> So the Skiff is officially a mount, is it? I figured it would use the mount system but I was hoping for something a bit more genuinely "boaty".<span></span></blockquote><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2022/08/skiffing-about-in-guild-wars-2.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-71131339607007834552022-08-04T20:54:00.004-05:002022-09-01T12:49:19.776-05:00Why Blaugust?<div style="text-align: justify;">Greetings Traveler!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I thought I would write something to do with this week's Blaugust theme, which is Blaugust itself. Chances are, if you're reading this, you already have a good idea of what Blaugust is. But you may be wondering why I, an intermittent blogger of late, might choose to participate or promote it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQzsbxCs6VLorVPqlNst8nB0w3fm9vFcedvY7oAKgCB3f2R9zVCi7Lu7u01WsuT7dv8nbGr0LeQ25FEeQ3wlz8lXGytIIDaxcadQwCkF90qfBqdmrx6uiPlgQWck-s91zbG1H_Ezv_PXIHkSmxOB73AKW2X3pvFGvic-ckI5IDKII8co1EgFnwqgH/s768/blaugust2022week1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="768" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQzsbxCs6VLorVPqlNst8nB0w3fm9vFcedvY7oAKgCB3f2R9zVCi7Lu7u01WsuT7dv8nbGr0LeQ25FEeQ3wlz8lXGytIIDaxcadQwCkF90qfBqdmrx6uiPlgQWck-s91zbG1H_Ezv_PXIHkSmxOB73AKW2X3pvFGvic-ckI5IDKII8co1EgFnwqgH/w640-h136/blaugust2022week1.jpg" width="580"></a></div>
<span></span><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2022/08/why-blaugust.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-75766513794508627762022-08-03T21:00:00.009-05:002022-09-01T12:49:19.777-05:00Blaugust 2022<div style="text-align: justify;">Greetings Traveler,</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm a little late to the party, but maybe I'll catch up on the weekend. So anyway, it's that time of year again, the one where Rowan actually attempts to blog again. That's right, the blogging frenzy known as Blaugust.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYK24Gok1UtmkGyHLV8VXSaVs7MIGHoqppNkCP6AZ_bzp3jk63dWtRdpjkv5pTjcU8vW0ByY2bsGBidLfqW2dtQqYf-9MLm6c3tJkczReTZw6P-Cg5iLIonKvcWpP8zCP-wpa614vQrNMIwoRrV3nUFJwWTk6gllk4PYHuOUxC4D2OPS2rL2Za-N3d/s768/blaugust2022.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="768" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYK24Gok1UtmkGyHLV8VXSaVs7MIGHoqppNkCP6AZ_bzp3jk63dWtRdpjkv5pTjcU8vW0ByY2bsGBidLfqW2dtQqYf-9MLm6c3tJkczReTZw6P-Cg5iLIonKvcWpP8zCP-wpa614vQrNMIwoRrV3nUFJwWTk6gllk4PYHuOUxC4D2OPS2rL2Za-N3d/w640-h234/blaugust2022.webp" width="580"></a></div><br><div style="text-align: justify;"><span></span></div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2022/08/blaugust-2022.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-81222096356904037022021-08-22T18:10:00.006-05:002022-08-05T20:58:16.742-05:00End of Dragons First Beta Event<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwY7n6bQaM9ocg6oKqRPoPf9XIEZDs5PJifr8Rq15GzeKEOW47DxyKuA6RFjAE-yDmaq5JfBHNNRCQsCDF2pERLWN4XmMv3oHiAc-Gch2zW6qtLlWvyRwMS_V9kePaqN-yl1HVJYGzcg/s920/BetaCharactersWillNotBeSaved.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="920" height="89" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVwY7n6bQaM9ocg6oKqRPoPf9XIEZDs5PJifr8Rq15GzeKEOW47DxyKuA6RFjAE-yDmaq5JfBHNNRCQsCDF2pERLWN4XmMv3oHiAc-Gch2zW6qtLlWvyRwMS_V9kePaqN-yl1HVJYGzcg/w640-h98/BetaCharactersWillNotBeSaved.jpg" width="580"></a></div>
Greetings, Traveler!<br><br>I tried to come up with a clever title, but failed. So, for the past five days, players of Guild Wars 2 were given the opportunity to test out three of the new elite specializations that will be released with the End of Dragons expansion in February. Scooter and I got in on the action. And though I don't think anything was broken–exactly–I definitely have preferences for one over the other two, and Scooter, even more strongly. The beta test is over for now, so all I have of these characters are the screenshots I took.</div><span></span><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2021/08/end-of-dragons-first-beta-event.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-34479125247099269812021-08-17T20:34:00.011-05:002022-08-05T20:58:43.778-05:00In Grand Style<div style="text-align: justify;">
Greetings, Traveler,<br><br>
Hannah from Dragons and Whimsy facetiously questioned my "movie palace" line in yesterday's post. But the more I thought about it, the more apt the term is for this little nearby cineplex. I doubt if any of my readers live near me (cool if you do, though). But let me tell you little about the <a href="https://www.grandavenuetheater.com/about" target="_blank">Grand Avenue Theater</a>.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66RatRqdmXiHhu3_DDuhbCLOYIt3NQU4B6S0UMizZCyEaviUgo67jzKKnbt8i5o6lOHDUMl-J-dsOLtBn9Fun5iRvutrfMJXiiSfJy42KLD8GYBdl-IzCbgLBEYF1QoD77u0igRteVCc/s580/grandavenuelogo.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66RatRqdmXiHhu3_DDuhbCLOYIt3NQU4B6S0UMizZCyEaviUgo67jzKKnbt8i5o6lOHDUMl-J-dsOLtBn9Fun5iRvutrfMJXiiSfJy42KLD8GYBdl-IzCbgLBEYF1QoD77u0igRteVCc/s16000/grandavenuelogo.jpg"></a></div>
<span></span></div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2021/08/in-grand-style.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-89263463058870511512021-08-16T22:03:00.003-05:002022-08-05T20:59:00.504-05:00Free Guy<div style="text-align: justify;">
Greetings, Traveler!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I went to see a movie on Sunday with Scooter. I had seen the trailer for Free Guy and figured we'd have to see it when it comes out on whatever streaming service. But Scooter saw it and said we had to see it in the theater. So we made a date and got tickets at our favorite movie palace. This is one of those places that serves actual food and not just popcorn and hotdogs, so we got there early enough to have our food before the movie would start.
I'm not going to go deep into the plot, but I wouldn't count out any spoilers, so bottom line up front: I liked the movie, and would recommend it to anyone likely to be reading this mostly gaming blog. If you don't like spoilers, stop reading now.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTTqr_8WAcn81Yq2MUtXoiJuD-xiJ-OQTlDEw3bjiXqNOux3MfLOmZMO0Mn4eZeNK1CinYwNRaU69_NLRAxsuC2lqSTsx_Fa5CBKxn4b1sASfxTB8GQb1MobwM4WibajumN0l3HE8f-U/s960/Free-Guy-2021-Movie-Review-.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="960" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTTqr_8WAcn81Yq2MUtXoiJuD-xiJ-OQTlDEw3bjiXqNOux3MfLOmZMO0Mn4eZeNK1CinYwNRaU69_NLRAxsuC2lqSTsx_Fa5CBKxn4b1sASfxTB8GQb1MobwM4WibajumN0l3HE8f-U/w640-h334/Free-Guy-2021-Movie-Review-.jpg" width="580"></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span></span></div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2021/08/free-guy.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-82278042355485816642021-08-08T20:30:00.002-05:002022-08-06T18:40:50.632-05:00Revisiting Bartle<div style="text-align: justify;">
Greetings Traveler!<br /><br />I told you I would get another post out before the end of the day. I hadn't thought about WildStar too much in the past few years, now I've had two reminders in the same day.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVaHyAUHA1pEjMRtrWzUPgSx6JqtWp_6XmIkdEGu5fLudWq-SEi33NWT-NoHvMqhk-v2VUrXE55PfeO-RwIGZMwGlRxT1vNZzSnlvpCqaBerl4HjoVtNuhzehgCGfD4tR-CRWK8UuUy8/s800/Paths800.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="800" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVaHyAUHA1pEjMRtrWzUPgSx6JqtWp_6XmIkdEGu5fLudWq-SEi33NWT-NoHvMqhk-v2VUrXE55PfeO-RwIGZMwGlRxT1vNZzSnlvpCqaBerl4HjoVtNuhzehgCGfD4tR-CRWK8UuUy8/w640-h212/Paths800.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><a href="https://www.thyanelplays.com/what-kind-of-gamer-am-i/" target="_blank">With thanks to Thyanel</a>, I decided to take the Bartle test again for my evening post. And like Thyanel, my score hasn't really changed much over the years. I think the player "types" that Bartle originated can be valuable as guides to design and plan a roleplaying game, particularly an MMO. However, too much emphasis on Bartle types can lead to poor design decisions, <a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2014/08/which-path-shall-you-take.html" target="_blank">WildStar being a case in point</a>. The result of my own test today is shown below.
<blockquote><h1 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: start;"><a href="http://matthewbarr.co.uk/bartle/" target="_blank">The Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology</a></h1><h1 class="top" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: start;">You are 73% Explorer</h1><p class="top" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">What Bartle says:</p><blockquote class="top" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">♠ Explorers delight in having the game expose its internal machinations to them. They try progressively esoteric actions in wild, out-of-the-way places, looking for interesting features (ie. bugs) and figuring out how things work. Scoring points may be necessary to enter some next phase of exploration, but it's tedious, and anyone with half a brain can do it. Killing is quicker, and might be a constructive exercise in its own right, but it causes too much hassle in the long run if the deceased return to seek retribution. Socialising can be informative as a source of new ideas to try out, but most of what people say is irrelevant or old hat. The real fun comes only from discovery, and making the most complete set of maps in existence.</blockquote><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;"></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">You are also:</p><h1 class="other" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">47% Achiever</h1><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;"></p><h1 class="other" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">47% Socialiser</h1><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;"></p><h1 class="other" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">33% Killer</h1><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;"></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">This result may be abbreviated as EASK</p><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: start;">Background & Acknowledgements</h3><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">The Bartle Test is based on the player types identified by the legendary Richard Bartle in his paper, <a class="ui-link" href="http://mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm" style="color: #3388cc; font-weight: 700;" target="_blank">Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDs</a>. It is strongly recommended that you read this paper if you wish to find out more about your player type, and what it all means. Bartle revisits and expands upon these ideas in his book, <a class="ui-link" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0131018167/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=62884663-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0131018167&linkId=10241f25d7456ab38bd9842a8e02f39b" style="color: #3388cc; font-weight: 700;" target="_blank">Designing Virtual Worlds</a>, which is also recommended if you wish to delve a little deeper.</p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">The original Bartle Test was created by Erwin S. Andreasen and Brandon Downey and this implementation is based on the question data which Andreasen has made available at <a class="ui-link" href="http://www.andreasen.org/bartle/" style="color: #3388cc; font-weight: 700;">http://www.andreasen.org/bartle/</a>.</p></blockquote>
As you can see, while I heavily fall in the Explorer group, I also have significant scores in both Achiever and Socializer, and occasionally might dabble in the Killer group. The folks at Carbine mistakenly (in my humble opinion) thought that players would be one or another type, when I suspect we are all more of a blend. I need to read Bartle's original paper to get more nuance, but I think it is worth noting that he was talking about (and possibly promoting) a specific type of game: Multi-User Dungeons.<br /><br />
As <a href="http://mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm" target="_blank">Bartle himself</a> wrote:
<blockquote><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: start;">Are MUDs<br />games? Like chess, tennis, D&D?<br />Yes - to achievers.<br />pastimes? Like reading, gardening, cooking?<br />Yes - to explorers.<br />sports? Like huntin', shooting', fishin'?<br />Yes - to killers.<br />entertainments? Like nightclubs, TV, concerts?<br />Yes - to socialisers.</div></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">While MMORPGs share many traits with MUDs, they are not the same. And few MMO players have ever played a MUD. As I wrote above, I do believe that Bartle types can be helpful in designing MMOs. However, they are just one of many considerations that should infuse the design of a game.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">~~~~~~~~
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0px;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div></div>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-14042521190072993492021-08-08T12:32:00.000-05:002021-08-08T12:32:52.883-05:00Updated My MMO History<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Greetings Traveler!</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>I am hoping to post another later this afternoon, but for now I realized I needed to update my gaming history to reflect our recent stint in GW2.</i> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you've read any of my posts, you probably realize that I spend a huge amount of my game time partnering up with my lovely bride, known here as Scooter, who is also an avid MMO gamer.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryeoujs8OXv4T1KVOjanCTiddUioF1YEbPcKVqCWwi6ZRU79pza-5mdouctkjlbMnsc0vg0oXqlltiaMGE2dOSpP3HGNtvBCFUBv84G89PZMIE0TFutHamLEVQGx7SvBu_toMVLwp-C0/s1580/HeideReina1580x400.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1580" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjryeoujs8OXv4T1KVOjanCTiddUioF1YEbPcKVqCWwi6ZRU79pza-5mdouctkjlbMnsc0vg0oXqlltiaMGE2dOSpP3HGNtvBCFUBv84G89PZMIE0TFutHamLEVQGx7SvBu_toMVLwp-C0/w640-h162/HeideReina1580x400.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/GW2" target="_blank"><b>Guild Wars 2</b></a> is a ton of fun (the most important thing in a game), easy to jump into and play for a few minutes or a few hours. The game has a good skill/progression system, great graphics, plenty of lore, and just a touch of whimsy—without going overboard. I especially enjoy the seasonal events like <a href="https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Dragon_Bash" target="_blank">Dragon Bash</a> and <a href="https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Lunar_New_Year" target="_blank">Lunar New Year</a>. Scooter and I began playing during the Summer of Betas (2012), and after a lengthy break, returned in the summer of 2018. We have been playing pretty solidly since. And, in fact, we recently pre-purchased the upcoming expansion "<a href="https://www.guildwars2.com/en/end-of-dragons/" target="_blank">End of Dragons</a>." I have ten characters, all at or near max level (80). As of August 2021, Scooter and I have played most of the story content at least once through the middle of the (current) <a href="https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/The_Icebrood_Saga" target="_blank">Icebrood Saga</a>, although not all in the exact episode order.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaYb1NLki3VJS545mYNJy0kbrbmuhI2xAhbde9FEPv58B7iBINHc0m-d7I1FoMJcf1UZMZLDm8fRoih1IeAs-R2KU-ibwt4owZzfHzDJpS2-L0vg3ghC6j2x0z0jBN26MtHryHN9y2gw/s1600/StormSoffeHatchlings.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="930" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSaYb1NLki3VJS545mYNJy0kbrbmuhI2xAhbde9FEPv58B7iBINHc0m-d7I1FoMJcf1UZMZLDm8fRoih1IeAs-R2KU-ibwt4owZzfHzDJpS2-L0vg3ghC6j2x0z0jBN26MtHryHN9y2gw/s640/StormSoffeHatchlings.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
I played <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/World%20of%20Warcraft" target="_blank"><b>World of Warcraft</b></a> from June of 2006, when a friend got me hooked, until October of 2011. I have <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/p/wow-toons.html">three level-80+ characters, plus many more lower-level ones</a>. I tried the Pandaren starting area in the "<b><a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2012/10/mopping-up-impressions-of-latest.html">Mists of Pandaria</a></b>" expansion (in October, 2012), but got a "been there, done that" feeling from the experience. With the release of the Warcraft movie in June, 2016, I again became interested in WoW, and Scooter and I re-upped a couple months before the release of Legion. Honestly, we never really experienced most of the Legion content, choosing instead to level a few new characters up through the expansions that we missed. Time and interest petered out in early 2018, and neither Scooter nor I have played since.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHtkB5lAqjEAqHSeHTvU3mtMIN0U6FwzpVWBMB5C2LkByTimANknc1HfyDjqYC7Rc4-ykMet-ndzgLtUhtCCgRTJb3mlWH6jsTfWwlMIhyqrrAo9A7ocfe4ZamDT17kBeFAW-wNqB6Ps/s1600/SilGinSwagger.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHtkB5lAqjEAqHSeHTvU3mtMIN0U6FwzpVWBMB5C2LkByTimANknc1HfyDjqYC7Rc4-ykMet-ndzgLtUhtCCgRTJb3mlWH6jsTfWwlMIhyqrrAo9A7ocfe4ZamDT17kBeFAW-wNqB6Ps/s640/SilGinSwagger.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
Prior to our stint in WoW, Scooter and I were subscribed to <b><a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/SWTOR" target="_blank">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a></b> from April, 2015, through June, 2016. Previously, we had played from the headstart in mid-December, 2011, to August, 2012, pushing to achieve 50 (max level at the time) and finish up the story on <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/p/swtor-characters.html">my Imperial Agent</a>. Despite issues I've had in the past with BioWare's customer relations, the game has a lot going for it. During our return, we enjoyed several class storylines, and loved a single run through of the new "Knights of the Fallen Empire" expansion. Unfortunately, the lack of variety in storylines in KotFE didn't help our interest level. And I still haven't completed the Trooper storyline.<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUP-7Bjwo6oIYBMaFdoYfQ_GP28Cps9g7c9h4XtCl6wIgpP9atEc6kDVECH5yWfFrQeQlYGDCZD6WZsdHf_PEeLNjrZoLnqxe36wF5HNBxwpDofLF0a2qqKWzVNRcgErUkhwMPThzJrZA/s1600/Odyssey.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUP-7Bjwo6oIYBMaFdoYfQ_GP28Cps9g7c9h4XtCl6wIgpP9atEc6kDVECH5yWfFrQeQlYGDCZD6WZsdHf_PEeLNjrZoLnqxe36wF5HNBxwpDofLF0a2qqKWzVNRcgErUkhwMPThzJrZA/s1600/Odyssey.jpg" width="580" /></a></b></div>
<a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/STO" target="_blank"><b>Star Trek Online</b></a> is another game I have returned to with some regularity, playing from just after its release in February of 2010 until May of 2011. I dipped in a toe again in June of 2012, checking out the Duty Officer system and other developments to the game. With the "Legacy of Romulus" expansion, I started up a new Romulan Captain and got my Main up to max level. Most recently, I played for a few months in the winter and spring of 2015. Amongst all my MMO characters, I am still most attached to <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/p/locke-and-crew.html">my STO crews</a> in many ways.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3-W0sVXen82SMlIZDXNNG7-UkKhiVcCos9bdYwx2dWkJcYhtmDOhia7BbBEfWWISNPuyxmHo78c0mIoR8bhIfA0naHX7MGBkmOXMPgjeDzAeyGj265hKmr9zFjIRQpUgF9HND8hxdUQ/s1600/Gira_Sonnen.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sonnenblume (Scooter) and Girasol" border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN3-W0sVXen82SMlIZDXNNG7-UkKhiVcCos9bdYwx2dWkJcYhtmDOhia7BbBEfWWISNPuyxmHo78c0mIoR8bhIfA0naHX7MGBkmOXMPgjeDzAeyGj265hKmr9zFjIRQpUgF9HND8hxdUQ/s1600/Gira_Sonnen.jpg" title="Sonnenblume (Scooter) and Girasol" width="580" /></a></div>
Scooter and I have drifted in and out of <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/Rift" target="_blank"><b>Rift</b></a> a few different times. We played regularly from the beta tests in January of 2011 through October of the same year. I cannot say enough great things about this game, or the developer, Trion Worlds. It's not perfect, but the polish and responsiveness of the game and company are things other devs should aspire to. For reasons not really clear even to me or Scooter, when our Mains hit 50 (max level at the time), the wind went out of our sails, and we really had no desire to continue playing the game. We got involved again in summer of 2013, with House Stalwart, but discovered that something about the game caused us both eye strain. We were back again in the autumn of 2014 in for the "Nightmare Tide" expansion, but quickly drifted off again.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6XWpXQtfFQgBdaRJhTKjOdXDQ9FZICTkIgIODlD3ghstajWhksbe1gL7XshwAU5QWYaHxOR9_8pPxx5qKt25urMMJZQ-HNKuN_ykeOcHD9I8uohy7O0WMPvVt2JOu6aiPfhfp4DhJRA/s1600/FlintLaveSergeantsNarrow.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6XWpXQtfFQgBdaRJhTKjOdXDQ9FZICTkIgIODlD3ghstajWhksbe1gL7XshwAU5QWYaHxOR9_8pPxx5qKt25urMMJZQ-HNKuN_ykeOcHD9I8uohy7O0WMPvVt2JOu6aiPfhfp4DhJRA/s1600/FlintLaveSergeantsNarrow.png" width="580" /></a></div>
We played <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/WildStar" target="_blank"><b>WildStar</b></a> in the summer of 2014. Scooter and I had two duos of Exiles, plus I had a few solo toons. It was a fun game with an engaging storyline and a delightful art style reminiscent of World of Warcraft, but in some ways an even darker tone. Despite the colorful cartoony look, this is not a game for young children. Sadly, Wildstar and Carbine Studios were shuttered by NCSoft in late 2018. I still listen to Jeff Kurtenacker's soundtrack to this day.<br />
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Judging from the shear number of posts tagged with <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/TSW" target="_blank"><b>The Secret World</b></a>, it may have been my favorite game. It's the smartest story and skill/ability system on the market, in my humble opinion, though the additions of the Augment and Aegis systems make an already complicated system unwieldy. The issues from 2013, "The Last Train to Cairo" and "A Dream to Kill," feature the most enthralling storylines I have followed in an MMO. I currently have <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/p/tsw-toons.html" target="_blank">a toon in Egypt's Scorched Desert, one in Transylvania's Carpathian Fangs, and one in Tokyo</a>, having completed the main story through "The Venetian Agenda." I stepped into Tokyo, the new zone that opened up with the release of Issue 9, "The Black Signal," but became discouraged with the AEGIS system. I haven't logged into the game in almost a year. I dipped a toe back in during early spring, 2017, but decided I was not interested in the format of the re-released <b>Secret World Legends</b>.<br />
<br />I have tried <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/LOTRO" target="_blank"><b>Lord of the Rings Online</b></a>, <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/Age%20of%20Conan" target="_blank"><b>Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures</b></a>, <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/Defiance" target="_blank"><b>Defiance</b></a>, <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/TESO" target="_blank"><b>The Elder Scrolls Online</b></a>, <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/ArcheAge" target="_blank"><b>ArcheAge</b></a>, <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/Landmark" target="_blank"><b>Landmark</b></a>, <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/EverQuest%20II" target="_blank"><b>EverQuest II</b></a>, and <a href="http://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/search/label/Neverwinter" target="_blank"><b>Neverwinter</b></a>, but ultimately found them not to my taste.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">
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Please see also my character pages. Links above.</div>
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<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-83407455169412571452021-08-06T21:48:00.003-05:002022-08-06T18:44:18.786-05:00Do I Need a Blogging Self?<div style="text-align: justify;">Greetings Traveler!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Naithin was talking the other day about a <a href="https://www.timetoloot.com/other/separation-of-self/" target="_blank">Separation of Self</a> on Discord. While I now can't find the thread, I believe he was responding to Roger's post about <a href="http://www.containsmoderateperil.com/blog/2021/8/4/your-writing-persona" target="_blank">Your Writing Persona</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF02PD3EcuVPpoyeYfAiXfKz9zYNAbeWB_GXEzTau24t1gYAhScXRLngUBz0ITmDEnWc6A0-H3US401D5RGclj_D7wGh5fXVSOODaM6pUp-IYubsD9tLcdctKEWzgsRxW0CC8t7eXmswU/s320/gnome_warlock_shop__final_.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="320" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF02PD3EcuVPpoyeYfAiXfKz9zYNAbeWB_GXEzTau24t1gYAhScXRLngUBz0ITmDEnWc6A0-H3US401D5RGclj_D7wGh5fXVSOODaM6pUp-IYubsD9tLcdctKEWzgsRxW0CC8t7eXmswU/s0/gnome_warlock_shop__final_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I guess I fall more on Roger’s view of this topic. A long time ago, a supervisor commented that I write the same way I speak, which made my correspondence much more warm and readable. Since we were part of a customer service (billing inquiry) department, this was an important trait. I took great pride in that assessment, and have never felt the need to alter my written communication to edit out that warmth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, it is true that I don’t always speak as well as I write. No one does, and linguists in recent years have worked to <a href="https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/the-preservation-of-words-oral-and-written-language/" target="_blank">capture that difference between spoken and written language</a>. However, by profession, I train people how to use computer systems to do their jobs. So I am experienced at speaking precisely and thoroughly to cover a topic and also engaging with my audience. Writing is a little more solitary in the beginning. But hopefully, I am able to engage with you, Dear Reader.</div><div><br /></div><div>Which is to say, you generally get “the real Rowan” when you read my posts. Now, what I say is filtered. I tend to focus on games and my gaming experience, because that’s the type of blog this is. But my political views have occasionally spilled out . . . when I am particularly agitated. And, of course, when I have cool pictures from some foreign land that I have visited, I share them here among other places. Also, you may have gathered that Rowan is not my real name. Like Naithin, I am a little leery of sharing that much about myself. I don’t think any of my views are particularly controversial, and certainly nothing I am ashamed of.</div><div><br /></div><div>While we all “perform” to some extent, depending on the people around us, I think some others may feel more pressure to not be themselves in certain situations. I either learned to resist that pressure long ago, or never really felt it. For the most part, I am the same whether at home or among friends as I am at work. And I always have been.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the extent to which you share yourself or adopt a blogging persona is really up to you. Your comfort level in sharing yourself with the world. Some will flock to read you just for your unique voice, whichever way you decide to present yourself. But having met a few of the bloggers on my blogroll, the ones I most enjoy reading are the ones who are essentially themselves in written form on their blog.</div></div>
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0px;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-73055081934082326432021-08-04T20:49:00.006-05:002021-08-06T21:42:13.762-05:00What If I Told You?<div style="text-align: justify;"><div><i>Greetings Traveler,</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>OK, a little cheat here. This tidbit has been sitting in my drafts for years–nearly eight, actually. I would like to get more creative writing in, but it required a certain mood. By way of explanation, this is my Illuminati character from The Secret World.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWbUzfoH6i91JWaVhTjgxE_T7dz6DWLTyDMxq8ECyJFD0x4NvsePIRzwuohWSMvxpvuUrI7bg35w0TqnmmP6iZ9WDERAwNLstUJzey6gSCzZOQmv41Iapvh176HpFY1CxFy6h8OThaCE/s1145/Sam.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="1145" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWbUzfoH6i91JWaVhTjgxE_T7dz6DWLTyDMxq8ECyJFD0x4NvsePIRzwuohWSMvxpvuUrI7bg35w0TqnmmP6iZ9WDERAwNLstUJzey6gSCzZOQmv41Iapvh176HpFY1CxFy6h8OThaCE/w640-h274/Sam.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
What if I told you that it's all real? What if I told you an army brat from Texas could find herself in the middle of one of the biggest conspiracies on the planet? I'm just a humble history professor. I almost had my tenure. Little did I know that it was not the fancy college education and degrees from ivied halls that would be most useful in my life. Instead it was the hours on the shooting range that Daddy dragged us to from the time I was five until I departed for said ivory towers.<br /><br />
Daddy was a Vietnam vet. Not one of those acidhead burnouts. He assisted in the evacuation of Saigon, then made a career of it. He made sure his whole brood could fire any number of different guns. Rifles, pistols, shotguns—you name it, I've squeezed the trigger. Among my brothers and sisters, I was always the most natural shot; but since the Bees came, my aim is downright uncanny. Big Bro followed in Daddy's footsteps, got into West Point and everything. He's a Light Colonel now, I think. Daddy was slightly disappointed that I didn't go the military route myself. But there was still no room for women in the infantry when I came of age, and I didn't need to play Army a couple times a year and spend the rest behind a desk or pulling weeds. And I wasn't about to become some G.I. Jane parody.<br /><br />
Oh, to be sure, my current employers take plenty of advantage of my skill in libraries and literature. But on such missions, I feel more like a Tomb Raider than a scholar, like my recent trip to Salamanca. They just had to have that Loyola manuscript. Turns out the accusations were correct, but like all true Illuminati, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_of_Loyola" target="_blank">Ignatius</a> escaped prosecution.<br /><br />
Anyway, so I went from pantsuits to jeans and camo jackets, unless I need to look the part of the university professor again. KG calls me her Lone Star Belle. A real NYC bitch, that one—or maybe La La Land. I hate The City, regardless of the coast it's on.<br /><br />
When I first joined the Firm, I hadn't held a weapon in years. They frown on that sort of thing in Academia. I actually thought I would try the fist claws. I love Hugh Jackman—couldn't imagine anyone else as the Wolverine (Dougray who?). And that X-factor healing ain't got nothin' on the Bees. The claws aren't as easy as they look, though.<br /><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Eventually, I settled on an array of firearms. See these pistols? My great grandfather wore them. Colt M1873s. Other folks use newer pieces, but there's a certain feel to the Peacemaker, especially since they're family heirlooms. Don't you worry about the "limited capacity" of a six-shooter. I haven't used bullets since Solomon Island.</div>
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<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-11914174112258798872021-08-03T20:21:00.008-05:002021-08-04T18:29:31.339-05:00A Place We've Never Been Before<div style="text-align: justify;"><div dir="auto">Syp asks, "<a href="https://biobreak.wordpress.com/2021/08/02/is-cantha-enough-draw-for-guild-wars-2/" target="_blank">Is Cantha enough draw for Guild Wars 2?</a>"<div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a1kDiLEKT2JpWg4fr1zyucK7U82D-UvwjP42Y2yClRCx5kIl_IT5m8ifZ2ImBRje-w33m1Xct_j5-_ptoLxj-Ec7zIFKkp1MbeuyVVGJVZSGNLABHLhICCpQCHpdf4VMBxmLwMvvNiji/s640/PvPHeide2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="640" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1a1kDiLEKT2JpWg4fr1zyucK7U82D-UvwjP42Y2yClRCx5kIl_IT5m8ifZ2ImBRje-w33m1Xct_j5-_ptoLxj-Ec7zIFKkp1MbeuyVVGJVZSGNLABHLhICCpQCHpdf4VMBxmLwMvvNiji/s320/PvPHeide2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>It may not be for a casual player. After all, the last time Guild Wars players saw anything of Cantha (other than some cosmetic items like outfits and weapon skins) was approximately 12 years ago. And I can see how someone who never played the OG GW would not be drawn back to such lands in the sequel.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">For me and Scooter, though currently slightly behind, making our way through the Ice Brood Saga will hopefully have us ready for the next phase of the story for the first time since launch. That's a good feeling. We missed out on Season 1 of the Living World because we were still working through the Personal Story at the time (on multiple characters). As it turns out, the biggest changes to the open world since launch occurred during that first season. After that, ArenaNet started adding to the map (and occasionally using instances) for new LW episodes. The learning curve for the Dev Team would be worthy of a post all by itself, if I had any real insight.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">But I don't know how many players care that much about new mount systems, or the "opportunity" to fish our way across Tyria. As Redditor Dr_Koss points out in <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/ox4d0b/why_i_am_excited_for_eod_its_not_about_the/" target="_blank">this post from just this morning</a>, "I am simply excited for an opportunity to play something new." I, too, enjoy seeing new places in the game. I'm sure GW1 veterans are interested to see old haunts in a more modern graphics engine. The game has always been gorgeous, even when grotesque.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMcFmy4v_S-yBEXkgl6Dk9RyxqfzIrcGlWOj_NdvubDHBx7jKSpYYUhYlmPWQLW3C6mkvLrSyi7Qw_RYwgeiON8L2XVgothfApQcJvVI9VHaFFSrMTDiSFsM1bn0Ko5wrynEl21mSqVY/s800/HeideReina.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMcFmy4v_S-yBEXkgl6Dk9RyxqfzIrcGlWOj_NdvubDHBx7jKSpYYUhYlmPWQLW3C6mkvLrSyi7Qw_RYwgeiON8L2XVgothfApQcJvVI9VHaFFSrMTDiSFsM1bn0Ko5wrynEl21mSqVY/w640-h640/HeideReina.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><div dir="auto">Perhaps of most interest to me, personally, is seeing the Gothic rendering of the Echovald Forest. You see, Heide Uhrmacher, my first character (and <a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2012/07/guild-wars-2-impressions.html" target="_blank">largely unchanged from the Summer of Betas</a>), is "from" there. Or descended from there. As is Scooter's corresponding character, Reina Echowald. So going to Cantha, and the <a href="https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Kurzick" target="_blank">land of the Kurzicks</a> in particular, is almost like going <a href="https://youtu.be/cOS5-n7dyj4?t=14" target="_blank">home to a place we've never been before</a>.</div><div dir="auto"><br /></div><div dir="auto">And, as always for me, it's a new place to explore and adventure together with Scooter. </div><div dir="auto">~~~~~~~~</div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0px;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-83444201749614172642021-08-01T16:50:00.000-05:002021-08-01T16:50:33.782-05:00Blaugust 2021 What Have I been Up To?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Greetings Traveler!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*Dusting off a chair for you* Welcome back to my little corner of the Internet. Things have been crazy around here. Well, not around the blog. Scooter started a new career. I've taken on new and different responsibilities at work, initially as a supervisor and technical writer, then more recently as a subject matter expert for a small flyaway training team. (Previously, I had been a classroom trainer for the same family of systems.) In mid-July, I "celebrated" my 14th anniversary with the organization; quite a feat, considering I told myself when I started that I would stick with this job at least 5 years if I could.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So it's Blaugust again, which I apparently haven't participated in for 5 years. I had seen Belghast posting a few days ago about it, but today's post kind of kicked me into gear. This month will be busy for me, but I'm not traveling, so I should be able to take a few minutes to kick out some posts. It may not be pretty. In the past, I have spent way longer than I should on any given post. Even now, I have been at this for a while today, because I was distracted by other things on Twitter and Blogger.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjFo4SaDDeqomDD-HHIwkJNos10fa3cZi8-G3Fl6NxZlNgi9_5rl3lxRFwtNpnRrP1Va6p6bNTSHhw5Xzif6X2AofcNX42vsV9LvREBtSlbbICxU0sQTaDxzLjF_gfDsxv13WsoocmSU/s882/unnamed.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjFo4SaDDeqomDD-HHIwkJNos10fa3cZi8-G3Fl6NxZlNgi9_5rl3lxRFwtNpnRrP1Va6p6bNTSHhw5Xzif6X2AofcNX42vsV9LvREBtSlbbICxU0sQTaDxzLjF_gfDsxv13WsoocmSU/w581-h640/unnamed.png" width="580" /></a></div>Anyway, what have I been up to lately in the realm of gaming? Scooter and I pretty much exclusively play Guild Wars 2 nowadays. Right now, there is a World Boss Rush event going on. We usually only do that stuff if we're in the area, but it's fun to bounce from place to place around Tyria and Zerg rush the bosses. I just realized it would be a good way to pick some of the achievements we'd been eyeing.<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.guildwars2.com/en/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="860" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDPUGY_dQqG-nHl5tmGBr15ORH5By2NCpUmVmzE_vyAdt1kyfow3oncmI-Tw1NXho21g69wwnUsvLla2I1HofJuo9328VuJTLprCIRQIG9idQZHT95T8a_TKs6PBna4HjrrWZ82ErzoU8/w640-h330/f83aeEOD-Hero-Carousel-Banner-v3.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><div>The other interesting news coming out of ArenaNet this week was a livestream with more information on the next expansion "End of Dragons." They announced a planned drop in about six months: February 2022, along with preorder options. Since we know we'll be playing, and I like to support the game, Scooter and I purchased our copies. Some of the perks were available immediately, a mount skin, cape, and more. Some, like a skin for the new skiff mount, will not be available until launch. </div><div><div style="text-align: justify;">~~~~~~~~</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0px;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div></div>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-41180104804378989162018-03-22T09:26:00.000-05:002018-03-22T09:29:52.508-05:00Happy (Con)trails<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fDA1SfiKFVQffBit-RCb77o_EoKkacWuui5CoE33Uo-lhKJ23Uy2xnEgZlH-D7eWRSp3qcXHTSFa2PUXiVSLEjTrfATxyjdV7QJQD4heSUojHw6jMUHUcgw5mwLcFta1fP_PlEcnDYE/s1600/20180127_135055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7fDA1SfiKFVQffBit-RCb77o_EoKkacWuui5CoE33Uo-lhKJ23Uy2xnEgZlH-D7eWRSp3qcXHTSFa2PUXiVSLEjTrfATxyjdV7QJQD4heSUojHw6jMUHUcgw5mwLcFta1fP_PlEcnDYE/s200/20180127_135055.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
Well, well, this place has gotten a bit dusty. *looks at the last post* DECEMBER! I have been neglectful, even missing my blogoversary. True that RL has kept me pretty busy, traveling to Korea in February to see <a href="http://reelydope.com/2018/02/27/black-panther-busan-south-korea/" target="_blank">Black Panther</a>, and preparing for a trip to Germany for some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0UVzdUzPUA" target="_blank">Hefeweizen</a> later this month. (Not really. Both trips have been for work, and I don't even like beer.) My autumn's ramped-up travel schedule is only continuing—and even increasing—this spring.<br />
<br />
<br />
Which brings me to this post. I just canceled my WoW subscription again yesterday evening. I had barely played since November, and Neither has Scooter, who canceled her account before it billed again this month. Technically, mine is active until mid-April, but I am unlikely to get a chance to jump back on before it does. And because it's due to scheduling rather than lack of interest, I don't have any other game I'm planning to replace it. This is the first time in nearly 12 years that I am not actively playing or at least subscribed to some MMORPG.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PSTICKFz1qm2pwYc4b2O9CkmlLM9bX2LCs9LgSt6xtaOTo9SCPO69AHK0o3LkjoXhw9EoG1RtYkIdCNDCwZ-k_1p77Sm6agVVKgMb_cQctSgdnn8yAvvmym0NwFrUctypq0gYLU8v0M/s1600/2018-03-21_07.15.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1600" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PSTICKFz1qm2pwYc4b2O9CkmlLM9bX2LCs9LgSt6xtaOTo9SCPO69AHK0o3LkjoXhw9EoG1RtYkIdCNDCwZ-k_1p77Sm6agVVKgMb_cQctSgdnn8yAvvmym0NwFrUctypq0gYLU8v0M/s640/2018-03-21_07.15.29.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
What's that mean for IHTtS? I'm not sure. I suspect I've fallen off several blogrolls of late due to my inactivity. Life rolls on, I suppose. And it seems like Scooter and I are busier than ever. Even our tabletop efforts have fizzled. Too many of my blog posts over the past year or two have been sort-of apologies for not posting more, but there we are. I'm not taking down the blog, but I'm not sure when I'll be posting again, and what I'll be posting about. I may share some photos from Korea, and Germany, as I have in the past, but I have no plans to turn this into a travel blog. And I'm active-ish on Twitter and Instagram. So, if you're subscribed, you may see a post come across your inbox every once in a while, but don't expect it to be any kind of regular for some time to come.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~~~~~~~ <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>
rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-77690518687077509142017-12-24T09:51:00.001-06:002017-12-24T09:51:16.694-06:00The Last Spoiler<div style="text-align: justify;">
<h2>
Or</h2>
<h3>
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Porgs</h3>
<br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNX-ofTNf_-3N2h_SQ2L2KqXncJkpwIqAFIQEweF91Y-g_l3czBNUqIwjrpwNACeYfHLsDwkINx7ipabOyTa8WQXtlWsG1qRQSZS9u1KusDjkgqFFlSOEZw4EiuKmU-AGQRl7Qa0SrM4/s1600/the-last-jedi-theatrical-blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1081" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNX-ofTNf_-3N2h_SQ2L2KqXncJkpwIqAFIQEweF91Y-g_l3czBNUqIwjrpwNACeYfHLsDwkINx7ipabOyTa8WQXtlWsG1qRQSZS9u1KusDjkgqFFlSOEZw4EiuKmU-AGQRl7Qa0SrM4/s400/the-last-jedi-theatrical-blog.jpg" width="270"></a></div>
So Scooter and I went to see <i>The Last Jedi</i> on Thursday, a week after it opened. Because I wanted to view the movie with as few spoilers as possible, I managed to avoid the online backlash (39 point negative critic/audience gap) and the backlash against the backlash. I have a few things to say about it myself. But to avoid spoiling anyone who still may not have seen it, I will hide it behind a break.<br>
<br>
BE WARNED: THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD!<br>
<br>
</div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-last-spoiler.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-36067774321827220052017-11-21T14:00:00.003-06:002017-12-22T12:58:14.631-06:00Out of the Loop<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvOeBpv98MZcTvvLKLkUMLMdlUGKlB8eD0LrRsgvKZPXNKtsDXR_M0Vq-HDo6F0aRix9FM2O9swRaNSFCJQwFRFBWAUunrxiy0DyPQstTA0p7XlobX2zabmtnZF6GzmS9IzqkplgKta0/s1600/20171029_153231-EFFECTS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvOeBpv98MZcTvvLKLkUMLMdlUGKlB8eD0LrRsgvKZPXNKtsDXR_M0Vq-HDo6F0aRix9FM2O9swRaNSFCJQwFRFBWAUunrxiy0DyPQstTA0p7XlobX2zabmtnZF6GzmS9IzqkplgKta0/s320/20171029_153231-EFFECTS.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Greetings Traveler,<br />
<br />
It seems like I've done little other than travel, myself, over the past couple months. As you may have gleaned from reading this blog in the past, my job takes me all sorts of places. But from the beginning of September until today, I've been out of the loop for half the season. And it won't really get any better in the coming months. The computer I built earlier this year has proven to be less portable than I would like. And even when I do bring it with me, I run into technical issues like the hotel TV not producing sound from the HDMI connection. Which means no big time gaming for me. Not really much table-topping either. After having played MMOs for so long, I am spoiled by not having to worry about the arcane dice rolls that are at the forefront of Pathfinder and similar pen and paper endeavors.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwWnbMf_TO8YU0Am4vMyCQFs40yA8rS1fIwQEntOizuJXVHc080mlxNbe2WrCrxvJ8_3wAHUpFVEKuOzNi__Q6Lcef9eqrCzZfutXm-tmXKPDlOf46wVgI_ye5lK-CQGnGd_1tK2sdHk/s1600/20171116_184533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwWnbMf_TO8YU0Am4vMyCQFs40yA8rS1fIwQEntOizuJXVHc080mlxNbe2WrCrxvJ8_3wAHUpFVEKuOzNi__Q6Lcef9eqrCzZfutXm-tmXKPDlOf46wVgI_ye5lK-CQGnGd_1tK2sdHk/s320/20171116_184533.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I should think this would be the perfect opportunity to get some fiction writing done—no need for sound to type in Scrivener—but my muse has proven elusive on that front of late. The inertia of not blogging has taken its toll as well. It's not a superhuman effort to post, but since I'm not gaming much, I don't really seem to have much to post. Nor am I involved in group efforts like MMOGC posting updates with the Battlebards.<br />
<br />
I am considering a tablet in order to read and write in more informal settings. My phone is really too small to comfortably read for very long, and so I am halfway through two books that really interested me, because I am reluctant to read them on that tiny screen. But then, I am caught between getting an Android that would be compatible with said phone or a Windows tablet that would be compatible with my PC.<br />
<br />
Anyway, hopefully this breaks the non-posting funk I've been in for the past few months. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
~~~~~~~~ <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>
rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-32180600691623754012017-08-21T10:53:00.001-05:002017-08-21T10:53:42.366-05:00Legends of the Secret World<div style="text-align: justify;">
Greetings Traveler,<br>
<br>
Much like an NPC that just sits in town, I did not go adventuring into Secret World Legends upon its launch a couple months ago. It's hard to tell for sure, but it seems like the core RPers I follow on Twitter have made the transition. No way to know what they actually think without asking directly, which I am reluctant to do for some unknown reason.<br>
<br>
I downloaded the game at home before going on a trip last month. But then, it would not start properly. I had to uninstall and reinstall to get it to work. Of course, I was in a hotel at that point, which meant a very slow reinstall from the internet. Then, trying to start my new character was a little frustrating. (a bit NSFW after the break)<br>
</div><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/2017/08/legends-of-secret-world.html#more">There's more this way »</a>rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-70956589382401176292017-07-29T12:42:00.001-05:002017-07-29T12:42:18.370-05:00From the Desk of Rowan Blaze<div style="text-align: justify;">
Greetings, Traveler!<br />
<br />
For the past couple weekends, I have been traveling around, myself—usually with Scooter along—gathering materials to craft a proper place for my trusty gaming rig. You may have seen some of these on Instagram or Twitter, but I figured I should share them here. <br />
<br />
The frame holding up the desktop is made from 3/4-inch pipe held together with structural fittings (allen-wrench driven screw clamps). I bought all the metal hardware from <a href="https://www.lowes.com/search?searchTerm=structural+fitting" target="_blank">Lowes</a>. In the picture below, the frame is upside-down and back-to-front, as well as missing two of the flanges I used for feet.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AwoMbeHxcmZQPUAdXqC_6MOJiaXpYV5vKR_8954MUtLTQ_HhvwEX2L2xI3P_hc13s1xKtnOgauwsM0Ug1m42Wc5-0GTOWmw3TwL4CFmzPOldj6V5dJuxi0TeoUfpUNooaJS3iWQPojk/s1600/20170716_171418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0AwoMbeHxcmZQPUAdXqC_6MOJiaXpYV5vKR_8954MUtLTQ_HhvwEX2L2xI3P_hc13s1xKtnOgauwsM0Ug1m42Wc5-0GTOWmw3TwL4CFmzPOldj6V5dJuxi0TeoUfpUNooaJS3iWQPojk/s640/20170716_171418.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
The double braces about a foot from the bottom are probably overkill structurally, but provide a place for a shelf. In the end, I moved the long cross bars further back to provide more foot room. The long lines seem out of square in person, but I checked and rechecked the level. The desktop itself is from <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10251352/" target="_blank">Ikea</a>, both light and sturdy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmhygIEajhCSdWnNQvAuooDkcdPGXUUFD_eNqz4If1j5IdDQA2pgEMaalRukxGLvOqrlOXRHGvDT78QdSRJAdnjP_CpMn5kIBlCttzqX3G6dK_TFO9CEBAE2J8wXYE_GdJRBFY3SQKBM/s1600/20170716_181107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqmhygIEajhCSdWnNQvAuooDkcdPGXUUFD_eNqz4If1j5IdDQA2pgEMaalRukxGLvOqrlOXRHGvDT78QdSRJAdnjP_CpMn5kIBlCttzqX3G6dK_TFO9CEBAE2J8wXYE_GdJRBFY3SQKBM/s640/20170716_181107.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
Below, you see my almost-finished setup. I have swing-arm monitor stands clamped to the back, but I need to get a DVI cable for my slightly obsolete HP monitor (shown on the left). I plan to use it mostly for holding open browsers and other programs while gaming on my newer one. I also dug out (well, Scooter did) a set of self-powered speakers (including a subwoofer, just visible below my keyboard) that have better quality than the on-board output of my monitor. (While I like Viewsonic OK, getting the one with speakers was a complete waste of money.) I also plan to get a cord hammock from Ikea the next time we're down there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgNFfAwkP8GiOybAD_rKAZHm8aWKkq_IGK1Uu97Y1arBtt0RC7XlJ5ZKyTeAixsP5VmNUswXWXK18ZMHn70lPXyxwExZO7ny4cgUTbJ1CfWD9-Qp6XUoPPiRwrujpYDNpiGkBMvtee9U/s1600/20170729_101922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQgNFfAwkP8GiOybAD_rKAZHm8aWKkq_IGK1Uu97Y1arBtt0RC7XlJ5ZKyTeAixsP5VmNUswXWXK18ZMHn70lPXyxwExZO7ny4cgUTbJ1CfWD9-Qp6XUoPPiRwrujpYDNpiGkBMvtee9U/s640/20170729_101922.jpg" width="580" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpz22NMl9coQqQLzUR78NDtjUFxARW4lw-82JFGGIqJTNDCgMZ_9Y-HnCA0G73_P56N3Vagm25yRexUM9xeAxHZFQoxAi4Trwh7k6TEc8jcKHRP3MRCp16btdWtIgM82k84vuiNcez7g/s1600/20170728_172232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpz22NMl9coQqQLzUR78NDtjUFxARW4lw-82JFGGIqJTNDCgMZ_9Y-HnCA0G73_P56N3Vagm25yRexUM9xeAxHZFQoxAi4Trwh7k6TEc8jcKHRP3MRCp16btdWtIgM82k84vuiNcez7g/s320/20170728_172232.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
All told, the dimensions are 59" x 29½" x 40" (150cm x 75cm x 102cm). It's high enough for me to stand at the desk if I want to, but I got a bar stool with a tractor saddle for when I want to sit. You may have noticed the bare concrete floor. The house suffered a minor flood in April, and the carpet had to go. The room needs to be repainted before we put down a new floor, when Scooter and I get a chance for another home improvement project. Which (lol) will involve dismantling both my new desk and the repurposed kitchen table I took apart in order to get it into the Game Room in the first place. </div>
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~~~~~~~~ <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>
rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-73556984484719008312017-07-15T11:09:00.000-05:002017-07-15T11:09:21.182-05:00Unplugged<div style="text-align: justify;">
Greetings Traveler, <br />
<br />
Syp has a post up about the <a href="https://biobreak.wordpress.com/2017/07/13/secret-world-legends-new-gear-grind" target="_blank">new gear grind of Secret World Legends</a>. It got me thinking. First, I am perceiving less and less
reason to make the jump from TSW, which itself lost a bit of luster for
me years ago. I loved the classless Ability Wheel, even if enterprising
individuals found “perfect” builds and the game itself encouraged other
builds through the outfit system. I loved the complex, mature story; though the unrelenting grimdark became tiresome. I've said it before, but it would be nice to have a similar underlying system in a different setting. I guess that is the appeal—such as it is—of game systems like GURPS, where the basic mechanics are the same, but many different settings and scenarios can overlay the dice rolls.<br />
<br />
But I never got Panoptic Core in TSW. That is probably the result of my SLC with Scooter, not to mention my innate altoholism. Maybe between the experience points on my three characters, I could have gotten all the abilities on the Wheel. As far as I know, I could always go back and finish if I want to. Funcom hasn't actually shut down the original TSW completely; they've just decided to develop the game in a different direction. What if Blizzard had done that on at least a few servers for each expansion of WoW, enabling players to return to those older versions of the game if they prefer?<br />
<br />
On the other hand, it's become a habit for me to lose interest in an MMO before ever really
reaching endgame. Despite playing MMOs fairly consistently for over a decade, I think its been at least a couple years since Scooter or I have hit max level and the "end of the story." It's been almost a month since either of us logged into WoW, on characters that are nowhere near max-level. Part of that is Real Life intruding on our game time. Just when all of the kids are out of the house (sort of), it seems that both of us are busier than ever with job duties. And more of our time off is spent completely unplugging than jacking in to whatever our favorite matrix is at the moment.</div>
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~~~~~~~~
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>
rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4765136501328523372.post-14220575615443133032017-07-12T20:25:00.002-05:002017-07-13T08:55:21.406-05:00Finding Our Path<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="top"></a>Greetings, Traveler<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4765136501328523372#note">*</a>!<br />
<br />
Scooter and I enjoyed a bit of a long weekend, though we didn't really go anywhere far, unless you count the awesome <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cyclone+Corral/@31.0201017,-97.2877253,58154m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x86456d587b5589a1:0xe6f46ebe9f55759c!8m2!3d31.0269214!4d-97.1509651" target="_blank">Cyclone Corral BBQ</a> in Burlington, TX, and a journey to IKEA, though that is part of another story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZH28ic60ouAOOr0K_W9KCVAuyq_MEESnXYbyR4djN5CIdPQn8H1d3XVHMdk41wj6vdVMn6o_eQ6YHqYRx1Zk1BWXQ_dPv9y-EVO-fp3somhrSfSTpRdKS_-mye-hTzvQnsUzmOdW_z8/s1600/PeachCobbler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kickin' Peach Cobbler!" border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="1080" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZH28ic60ouAOOr0K_W9KCVAuyq_MEESnXYbyR4djN5CIdPQn8H1d3XVHMdk41wj6vdVMn6o_eQ6YHqYRx1Zk1BWXQ_dPv9y-EVO-fp3somhrSfSTpRdKS_-mye-hTzvQnsUzmOdW_z8/s640/PeachCobbler.jpg" title="Kickin' Peach Cobbler!" width="580" /></a></div>
So, on Saturday, among other errands, Scooter and I decided to stop by a couple local gaming shops to see what they had available. At one, several people were conducting wargames of various types I wouldn't be able to name. They had a small selection of figures, scenery, and rulebooks for a few different tabletop RPGs, strategy games, card games etc. They had gently used copies of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook and Bestiary for half the cover price. What they didn't have was any beginner boxes for games we were thinking of taking up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigl9zZOW7t7elg1uJUCXYGHzssH0KV30aaw9fjuvRNaLDZWdR8P0n19_FL1wZ-IsM0pMvW2EhK9stU_qUnsC44vfOS5oKiWZdAIj6eHNlFbjsvPSXiPE3vpXFHA1_L6ZlkUsdAPBQk6-s/s1600/PathfinderBooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Saturday's Loot Haul" border="0" data-original-height="849" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigl9zZOW7t7elg1uJUCXYGHzssH0KV30aaw9fjuvRNaLDZWdR8P0n19_FL1wZ-IsM0pMvW2EhK9stU_qUnsC44vfOS5oKiWZdAIj6eHNlFbjsvPSXiPE3vpXFHA1_L6ZlkUsdAPBQk6-s/s640/PathfinderBooks.jpg" title="Saturday's Loot Haul" width="580" /></a></div>
The second store we visited has been in the same place since before I moved to the area almost two decades ago. This store has more stuff packed into a smaller space, including a wall of comic books in addition to the gaming items available. A card tournament was going on when we arrived; Magic the Gathering, I believe. The books we looked at were all full price, around $50 apiece, but they did have a couple introductory boxes for different games. We picked up the Pathfinder Beginner box, and decided to return to the first store to snatch up the half-price books. (Speaking of which, my daughter informed me that Half Price Books has several locations around Austin, about an hour from our home, that frequently have gaming books and other items we might use.)<br />
<br />
I did an unboxing video for the Pathfinder Beginner Box, if any one is interested.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vbIlXgj4_k4" width="560"></iframe></div>
As for the actual gameplay, it went about as well as you might expect with two duffers poring over the rules for a new game. We decided to use two of the premade characters, which became a bit of a challenge in a dungeon designed for a group of four. But at least no one has died yet. In addition to fielding my own character, I took on the role of the Game Master, but avoided reading much about the campaign for fear of spoilers. This was a mistake in retrospect, because I needed to be more familiar with the concepts the introductory session was trying to impart. Even then, the Game Master's Guide and the Hero's Handbook both seemed to be missing the answer to a bit of information that would have been helpful during one of the fights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKryN169hyTEgj5jgYvUwD2z2519yP66SXN7lA-366phBLojMudXov6qt4Jp1XY7LGdIqqPNwTfxIGIkUjumq2YjFIzGp_GE3d4G98t4KWUkkVEqAHNOa2CkVrzZq8idwbOko3mttaLg/s1600/PathfinderSession.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Game is Afoot" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmKryN169hyTEgj5jgYvUwD2z2519yP66SXN7lA-366phBLojMudXov6qt4Jp1XY7LGdIqqPNwTfxIGIkUjumq2YjFIzGp_GE3d4G98t4KWUkkVEqAHNOa2CkVrzZq8idwbOko3mttaLg/s640/PathfinderSession.jpg" title="The Game is Afoot" width="580" /></a></div>
The second session went much better. I was more familiar with what was going to happen, and we are both quick learners. Having to think about rules and calculations normally handled behind the scenes by computer games is quite an experience, but we got more opportunity for flexibility and "real" roleplay, which I like. Of course, I enjoy playing alone with Scooter, but I can imagine adding a couple more people would make the game more dynamic.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="note"></a>*<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4765136501328523372#top">Hmm, I like it. I shall now call you "Traveler" rather than "Dear Reader." Unless I forget.</a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-sa/4.0/88x31.png" style="border-width: 0;" /></a></div>
<i>This article from </i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a href="https://ihavetouchedthesky.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">I Have Touched the Sky</a></span><i> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/" rel="license" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License</a>. If you repost part or all of the work (for non-commercial purposes), please cite me as the author and include a link back to the blog.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Scooter proofreads almost all my articles before I post them, for which I am very grateful. However, any mistakes are mine and mine alone (unless otherwise noted). If you are reading this post through RSS or Atom feed—especially more than a couple hours after publication—I encourage you to visit the actual page, as I often make refinements after publication. The mobile version also loses some of the original character of the piece due to simplified formatting.</i></div>
rowanblazehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06820814610269599162noreply@blogger.com1