Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The Best an MMO has to Offer. Norrathian Edition. Part II

This is a reprint from my MMO blog on guildportal.com.

In Part I, I told a story of Iari. It was my way of detailing what I loved in that game. EQ2 however, will be described with a list of what makes it stand out in the MMO world.

During the Christmas of 2004, I took what I thought would be a small break from Star Wars Galaxies. Many of my friends were no longer playing, which wasn't a big deal since I soloed mostly anyway. But their absence spoke of greater problems with the game.

In the new year, I bought EverQuest II on a whim. I installed it and entered the world and was blown away, quite in the same way I'd been blown away when I first entered Star Wars Galaxies a year and a half before. The first time, it was all "new" for me, and I was amazed that the game and everything in it was even possible.

With EQ2 my amazement was from a more "experienced" perspective. There were things I'd come to accept and expect from an MMO, and EQ2 met and exceeded my expectations in many ways. I'll list a few of them.

*Player characters and npc's looking at each other, whether it be to the side, up or down. Excellent touch of realism.

*Voices. No, not the ones in my head.. npc voices (and later player character voices).

*Relatively good character and npc animation, like pointing, motions made during battle, walking and running (not so much for the females, but the run for them has definitely improved).

*Character creation. This is a big one. Slider bars rather than pre-selected faces. Slider bars that do not go to an extreme like in Vanguard.

*While I think they are ugly as hell, I appreciate the idea behind SOGA, or the alternative models.

*Crafting. EQ2 has had many forms of crafting and they have all had merit, even back in the day of interdependency (community).

All of these things and more that I won't mention here boil down to the one thing that sets EQ2 apart from all other games past and present: realism. Sure, sometimes EQ2 takes its commitment to realism too far, as is the case with its drab armor models. But the realism for the most part lends itself to one of the things necessary for keeping people playing (aside from community, risk and reward, and an escape from real life): immersion.

The graphics potential in EQ2 is immense, and the better the graphics, the more realistic the game, the more immersive the experience. That is what, in my opinion, sets EQ2 apart from every other game on the market.

In Part III, I will attempt to combine my favorite elements from SWG and EQ2 into a recipe for the Perfect (imho) MMORPG

The Best an MMO has to Offer. Galactic Edition. Part I

This is a reprint from my MMO blog on guildportal.com



In this Part I of what I think a game should have in order to be a success, I will take a trip down memory lane to another world.

My life as a gamer began in 2003, when I was able to enter a world I had admired nearly my entire life.
The following recounts "actual" events that took place in that game, told from a roleplay perspective.

Iari, the human, hailed from the small town of Keren on the planet of Naboo. She was a dancer; it was all she knew. She was very shy and not well suited to life on the stage, but she was even less suited to life as a fighter and felt that the cantinas were the safest place for her.

In time she braved the wilds of Naboo and found herself in the capital, Theed. There she met Icoup, the Mon Calamari talent scout. She soon joined his guild of other dancers and musicians: Entertainers United.

They hosted many parties for the growing towns near Theed. Outside of the main hall, party-goers could enjoy brawling, pet fights, and fireworks displays. Inside, they could be soothed by the guild's finest dancers and Nagalorn players while enjoying the refreshments of the bartender.


While working in the Theed cantina, Iari listened to the many tales of adventure told by her customers. As a Rebel in the Galactic War, she kept her opinions to herself, aiding the rebellion from time to time by secretly delivering information to rebel agents. However, these stories eventually began to make Iari yearn for something more than the confines of dancing halls. It was then that she began her training as a Rifleman.

She continued to dance. And she continued to pass information to the Rebels. Her training with rifles was slow but steady. She was pleased to find that others who were also learning the ways of the Rifleman could give her the training she required.

One night, as she entered the Cantina, she stumbled upon a fight between a Rebel and an Imperial soldier. The Rebel asked for help, and she could not resist. Not giving the danger to herself a thought, she reached down and helped him to stand.

The Imperial cursed at her, enraged. Before she could draw her weapon, Iari was on the ground, unconscious. The other dancers and entertainers gasped in shock, but none of them helped Iari. They understood the price of openly aiding a Rebel.

When she regained consciousness, she and the Imperial had a private, and very heated discussion. Neither of them would have believed what would come of that discussion. Though Iari was gentle and kind, she knew that living on Naboo as a Rebel was dangerous. As she could not leave the home she loved, Iari renounced her loyalty to the Rebellion, and became a member of the Imperial Army. She and the Imperial soldier remained friends long after, and she was an Imperial for the rest of her days.

She was making progress as a Rifleman and was close to mastering her profession. She still ran delivery missions, only this time for the Imperials. On such a mission, she found herself in Moenia, a gloomy town in the swampy southern hemisphere of Naboo. Moenia was very close to the Imperial stronghold where it was rumored the Emperor was in residence.



It was during one of these missions that she came upon a wookie creature handler. He had many creatures with him, all obeying his commands. She inquired as to how he acquired these creatures. He taught her many things about his life as a creature handler. On that day, Iari began training in Creature Handling while continuing her training in Rifles.

She spent less and less time in the cantinas now. She spent most of her days in the wild, finding and taming baby creatures. Iari's goal was to capture an elusive Narglatch cub.

Finally she found her Narglatch. She named him Zephyr, and trained him from cub to ferocious beast. He proved to be her most loyal protector. Iari was rarely seen without Zephyr by her side.


It was during her last visit to the cantina as a dancer that she met a woman who would change her life's path. The woman was shrouded in mystique. Iari could feel her calm and power from across the room. At first, she thought the woman was of the Jedi Order. But it was known to be a dead religion, with its members scattered across the galaxy, the order having been destroyed during the Clone Wars.

After watching the woman for a time, Iari gathered the courage to approach her. The woman explained that she was a Teras Kasi Master. Iari asked what Teras Kasi was, and the woman informed her it was a way of fighting. She would not say much more than that, however. Iari felt compelled to investigate elsewhere.

She found a trainer in brawling who informed her that Teras Kasi trainers would not consider anyone a potential candidate who had no experience in close range fighting. He encouraged Iari to study under him, and she gladly accepted.

She never danced on a stage again.

The next day she took Zephyr to Yavin. They spent the day hunting various creatures and the occasional rebel. She met a few Imperials who were being attacked and she and her cat gladly aided them before running off through the jungle. The cat no doubt could sense Iari's excitement at the new life she was embarking on. In order to become a Teras Kasi, she would have to give up her training as a Rifleman, and would no longer be able to use her weapon.



Through many days and months Iari trained in the arts of brawling and later Teras Kasi. While studying her new combat arts, she continued her Creature Handling. She met a Twi'lek named Ta, a fellow creature handler not as far in his training as she. She taught him how to name his creatures.



Iari's devotion to her studies proved successful, as she gained more and more abilities. Her proudest moment as a Teras Kasi artist was when her trainer gave her the secrets to healing mind and body through meditation.



She had many favorite mediation spots throughout the land. She discovered many places that seemed to have a history, places just begging to be explored and enjoyed.


While exploring the dangerous area near the Maulers Stronghold, she came across a shocking sight: a Jedi! She knew that this man had trained hard, for it was not an easy path to choose. He was one of perhaps only a few jedi in the entire galaxy. Though she was an Imperial and knew the Jedi to be enemies of the Empire, he asked her to not reveal his presence to anyone. It was as though the bounty hunters could smell the ignition of his lightsaber, he'd said, and he was being hunted by them day and night. Iari respected his hard work and bravery, and agreed to keep his secret.




Her first guild of entertainers disbanded when its leader vanished. A few people tried to breathe new life into the guild, and for a time it worked. It was first disbanded and taken over by Taya, who was later encouraged to relinquish her control by Bowdon and the council. Bowdon took over the guild, and Taya remained the elected mayor of Caserta.



During its prime, the city of Caserta flourished as one of the only towns in the galaxy that welcomed both Imperials and Rebel sympathizers. The city had many crafters as well, and its builders helped to construct municipal buildings such a shuttle, city hall, guild hall, hospital and cloning facility, banks, fountains and parks, and mission terminals. The city also had a large militia, of which Iari was a member.

People could often be seen there, resting after a day of adventuring, enjoying each others' company.



Of course the members of the town, and all of Naboo, were sometimes called upon to protect the palace. Across political and city borders, the people of Naboo would answer that call, for no gain other than the pride of defeating a common enemy. And perhaps for a nice new title.



Eventually, political strife tore apart Iari's home of Caserta. The leadership split, new leaders took over, and the town became dominated by Rebels. Iari and her friends Ta and Merthos fled to Dantooine. There they formed an Imperial guild, and founded a new town near the Imperial Outpost. They called it River's End.



The town enjoyed a brief period of prosperity, but the winds of change were fast approaching for all in the galaxy. Strange rumors were being whispered.

Among the rumors: The Order of the Teras Kasi was to be outlawed. By that time, Iari had reached the level of Master, and was as deeply committed to it as she had been when she'd first agreed to begin her training. Equally disturbing was the rumor that creature handling would be outlawed as well.

By this time many of her friends had begun disappearing, seeking new worlds. She spent many days in the wilds of Dantooine with her faithful cat and her newest pet, her beloved Hamadryad, or "Hamy".



One night she went to the hill overlooking her town. She looked out over a beautiful Dantooine sunset as she contemplated how much her world had changed in such a short time.



Not long after that night, the Order of the Teras Kasi disbanded, and Creature Handlers lost the ability to train and fight alongside their pets. Iari was never seen again.

Coming Soon: The best a Game has to Offer Part II, Norrathian Edition

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Everyone Line up!

We are the line up,
The line up crew.
Line up! Line up!

Everyone line up.
You know what to do.
Line up! Line up!

Put your hands at your sides.
Stand up straight.
Put a smile on your face.
You're doing great!

Line up, line up.
Line up, line up!


Ron Brown


My child attends a youth center, or what amounts to an after school care program. He attends for purely social reasons. Each day, we meet his publicly schooled friends, who have been escorted from school by a few members of the youth center staff to the front entrance of the center. The kids are told to line up outside the door. They must form a neat, straight, quiet, still line before they are granted entry into the building.

They are, naturally, totally jazzed about not being stuffed into their tiny classrooms, where they have spent the last six hours at a desk, not allowed to stand, bounce, jump, talk, laugh, play, or work on their own talents and interests. Now, faced with a few hours of fun before their parents pick them up, they are made to stand in line.

Often, we will arrive late enough that all the kids are inside and unburdening themselves of their backpacks, thereby missing out on the lining-up hoopla. Sometimes, we arrive in time to experience the ritual, as I think it is quite the educational experience (and dinner conversation piece) for my son.

Sometimes it takes a good five minutes before they are lined up good enough to go inside.

Am I the only one that sees something inherently wrong with this?

I never was struck by the absurdity of making kids line up until my youngest began attending the youth center. As I watched the kids being made to stand perfectly still, against their natures... it occurred to me that it's no wonder our society is a screwed up as it is. I mean, seriously, lining kids up like cattle, or robots?

How would you like it if, every morning, your boss made you line up outside the office while he (or, she) stood at the front of the line demanding compliance before you could go inside? Or, how about this one: you must beg for the opportunity during the workday to use the toilet. If one of your peers recently used it, your request will be denied because.. well.. we can't have everyone running off to the restroom! Or, how about: a coworker shows up late for work, and so you are all made to stay an hour after quitting time?

Sounds perfectly reasonable, yes?

Why do we treat kids as though they are less than us? They are smaller, and perhaps less developed emotionally and physically, but they are still just as human. It's ridiculous how we treat them, how we dominate them.. and sometimes, how we seem to derive some kind of twisted pleasure making them bend to our wills.

Just another of the reasons why I homeschool.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Humane, Global, and Farseeing

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) began as an annual conference where the brightest and most innovative of our species could gather together and share ideas.

On the TED website, one can find numerous videos from the conferences, as well as blogs and other information. If you have never visited the site, I urge you to do so. There is something there for anyone.

I found a few videos of interest this morning. One is of the atronomer Martin Rees, as he discusses the next 100 years on Earth.



The other is of my favorite biologist (doesn't everybody have one of those?), Richard Dawkins, as he discusses "militant" atheism.





Here is another from my favorite cookbook author, Mark Bittman. Two of his cookbooks, How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian are literally falling apart, I've used (and abused!) them so often. I disagree, of course, with his assertion that the term "locavore" and the movement that goes along with it is elitist. But hey, his opinion is his own :) What I love about him is that he believes, first and foremost, that good food is real food.



Other themes include:

A Greener Future
What's Next in Tech
Bold Predictions, Stern Warnings
What Makes Us Happy

and dozens of others. Check it out! :)

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Refreshing and Inspiring

It's not often that I'm inspired by the words of a preacher. But this man's words literally gave me chills. John Shelby Spong gave me hope that even an Episcopalian minister, whose job it is to preach a Christian doctrine, can see past the smoke and mirrors to a possible enlightened truth.

I have often been told that I should be afraid. That through my failure to accept Christ, I will suffer forever. That God, though He loves me, is bound to his promises and will have no choice but to cast me to Satan, who will torture me for an eternity for the horrible crime of skepticism.

Try as I might, though, I just can't reach a level of fright large enough to make me believe in something in which I do not. I can't even muster up mild trepidation.

I see hell much as this minister does; that even if a god does exist, hell, heaven, and all the fancy trappings of religion, are man made, used to manipulate our natural tendency to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

To quote John Shelby Spong:

"God is not a Christian...All of those are human systems which human beings have created to try to help us walk into the mystery of God."

"The function of the Christ is not to rescue the sinners, but to empower you and to call you to be more deeply and fully human than you've ever realized there was the potential within you to be."

Beautiful.


New to This Here Blogger.com

Doesn't everyone do these things? These blogs that don't really say much other than, "Hi. I'm new here. Just trying it all out!"

Well.. hi. I'm new here. Just trying it all out!

I come from the Land of Myspace, which is intended to be a teenage social tool rather than a mid-thirty something's blog space. I love myspace , don't misunderstand me. It's a wonderful way for incurable lazies like myself to keep in touch with multiple people all at once. Back when news had to travel by way of paper and stamps, I lost contact with so many people. Not so with myspace. Now, with the simple push of a bulletin button, ten different people from around the world (social butterfly I am not) know instantly what fabulously exciting things I've been up to, like what color underwear I have on, what I ate for breakfast, or the identity of my current crush.

I love it.

But this place... ahhh! A place just for blogging! Where has it been all my life?

As you can see from the picture of me (/points to the top of the page), I am seemingly confused. Aren't most of us? (Except for those who voted for Bush the second time around, who are actually and truly confused. Kidding kidding! Sort of... ) Most of us do not fit into neat little boxes of liberal, conservative, hippie, redneck, pro-this, pro-that, etc. Most of us are a mix of various viewpoints.

The media, and those who control the media, do not wish us to know this. At least, that is the impression that I get. They appear to do everything in their power to prevent us from knowing this: there is a mix of viewpoints which resides within most people, giving the majority of us a common ground from which we can prosper together, even across political, age, gender, and religious divides.

Sure the country is "divided". How could it not be when we are inundated with red states and blue states. Democrat and Republican. Believer and non-believer. But, that is just on the surface. If we could look deeper, we could see we are not so shallow as that.

There are nuts and fanatics, of course. People who attack doctors who perform abortions and women who use abortions like the latest birth control method. Those who use religion as a sign of superiority and a method for social control, and those who "don't believe in god" because they are in rebellion against their parents, society, conformity, or who use atheism as a sign of superiority. There are those who think the solution to the crisis in the middle east is to blow the entire region off the face of the earth, and those who think that soldiers are rapers, pillagers and baby-killers. There are the patrionuts who chant that the US of A is the end-all and be-all of civilization, and the down-with-the-USAtards who can't see any good in this country no matter how hard they try (they don't try very hard).

But most of us, I know, are much more moderate than that. We may disagree on topics of great importance (as well as those of trifling silliness), but compromise is within our grasp.. if we would only try. I really hope we do, and soon. I fear the consequences for us, and the world, should we fail to do so.


(It seems I had more to say than just hi. When I say I have just a little to say, don't believe me; it's almost never the truth.)

:)