With the recent writing for DDO Daily, family and computer issues, blogging on mmo voices (which I recently stopped due to their censorship and sneaky policies) I honestly neglected this blog site.  Cant say that will change yet since I really dont feel the issues I bring up get as much traffic as the other sites ive been on.  Im hoping to be on more pod casts soon any place my nutty opinion can be heard right? But every once in awhile hopefully i’ll leave a thought or two here.  Lately without getting to play much I havent had much of an opinion on DDO.  Looking forward to seeing how the Red Fens turns out, I got to raid last night peacefully for the first time since I moved to GA.  Most of the time I had to deal with pushy family or other issues then recently had my gaming laptop quit on me so its been rough.

Needless to say once im playing again i’ll be able to give informed opinions since anything but is talking out once crap hole lol.  Either way this blog is just a quick update and I noticed the alt list I Had got buried so here again are my mains on Sarlona.

1. Kalari- level 20 elven wizard

2. Kamari- level 20 elven cleric

3. Nyxy- 19 ranger 1 rogue elven

4. Foxiefist- 18 cleric 2 monk elven

5. Korobot- level 20 wizard warforge

6. Korovai- level 20 wizard human

7. Trinaty- level 19 bard 1 fighter elven

8. Kovari- level 20 sorcerer human

9. Kaderi- level 20 rogue elven

10. Severi- level 20 ranger dwarf

11. Suoress- level 20 favored soul elven

12. Kahayla- level 20 paladin elven

13. Euphro- level 18 bard 2 rogue elven

14. Korosoul- level 13 favored soul warforge

15. Mechanie- level 13 barbarian warforge

16. Mendibot- level 10 sorcerer warforge

17. Tamiya- level 7 human paladin (True Res from ranger)

18. Algaia- level 6 ranger level 1 rogue elven

19. Korei- level 4 barbarian dwarf

20. **Shanaenee- level 4 monk human

** Shaneenee is my human monk who I plan to get to level 20 then tr when half orcs come out.  Those should be all my alts they are all under the guild tag Lost Legions and are officers of the guild.

Wont lie will be saving most of my true thoughts for my next ddo daily article especially with the latest mentality of “guild stuff is this or that” look the system is not perfect but ive been steering clear of the forums because I really dont want the anti guild stuff bringing me down. Farming renown for now has been a little distraction and enough fun to get me by if I start looking at it for what it truly is it may kill ddo for me.  I know it has flaws lord knows im not looking forward to the decay thing but till it happens im going to leave the rose colored shades on just a bit longer.

Update five got its big release and as usual it had its issues, but unlike other releases this one was full of things that had people begging to have the dev’s rethink releasing it.  Stuff got sent out broken theres no way to sugar coat it and while they have fixed many issues there are still plenty abound and its giving players who were unhappy with the news of changes even more ammo.  Why have a preview server at all? And what the heck are the people on the true test server doing? Either way ive been tossing back and forth between finding happiness in running with my guild and feeling like the game is losing so much of what kept me over the years.

Reincarnated my really gimped ranger rogue Tamiya and now she is a Paladin who will be KOTC like Kahayla my 20 paladin.  Not to happy about Censure Demons changed id rather have Censure fiends as Angelus in the forums put it.  But I can get by with that, I think my biggest gripe right now is the Radiant Servant. I know the cleric class needed a boost especially when the Favored soul class is kicking our arses compared to feats, features and their level 20 capstone, believe me as a player who has both classes I know both are equally appealing to me while many are favoring their Favored Souls..

So Radiant Servant is supposed to be the thing that makes Clerics all shiny (which it does literally) But Im not impressed. I did roll up a new lowbie cleric Algaia in the hopes of making her one until an incident last Friday night made me reconsider.  I may still take the line who knows? I did take Empowered healing for the first time on a divine class (You see my divines use all spells not just healing they are debuffers, combatants and healers).  But last Friday watching what Im expecting to be the new mentality of some clerics with this enhancement is making me leary.  Note to many clerics with Radiant Servant, your aura may help those fighting trash or even your fellow clerics if they get hit by orthons in TOD.  But its not enough to heal the main tank, please use healing spells.  As someone considered the senior healer on most TOD runs it aggravated me to see my fellow cleric die not once but twice because the shiny aura they gave off was something they thought was enough to keep people up… Needless to say I was more then a little pissed off.  My job in the raid in the end part normally is to keep an eye on everyone especially the tank and since im pretty good with multitasking keeping the others up to.  Its mana consuming yes and sometimes in a rough run I will chug potions but this one I wouldnt have even had to pop one if I wasnt busy stopping my heals to raise my fellow cleric.  So needless to say just that is enough to make me leery of the new Radiant Servants.  Your aura is pretty cool, regenerating stuff like DV’s and the like, but if you plan on using your aura only to heal main tanks..good luck with that.

All in all the new update has had its misses but a few hits, Ive enjoyed what ive saw of the new quests and hope this is the standard of all new quests.  I have to continue to work on my idea for the module ive been imagining up. But I will say im am blown away by the new house P quests (and not just because im an elf lover lol).  So I leave with good thoughts and hopes that some of the other troubles will disappear with the feedback thats been given.  Yes there are many yellers in the forums right now but many people are leaving genuine, honest feedback and I hope its listened to.

Had to take a break due to family issues I hope to be back blogging soon. Till then I will be submitting a new article to DDO daily and I will be on Yakcast in a future cast soon.

Now before you get all hyped up this wont be like the George Carlin (rest his soul) bit.  Honestly I have a lot of conflicting emotion regarding ddo right now. Mingle it in with a turbulent personal life and its been rough. I know lately ive been very moody in the forums even more so then before but its because of the lack of respect I feel are given to players who have been around, who see the drastic changes to the game that has it feeling like a completely different game from what we came to.

Now just that line in the forums the use of the word “Drastic” would bring out the doom pointers. Im not doom crying doom crying would say this is the end of ddo. No im saying that this game is not the game I came into in 07 and to me the game has drastically changed. Some of it good to bring in new blood, many of it I felt has been bad. Microtransactions is the new heart of the game, challenges that used to shape us are fading, and the ease of soloing in a group oriented game has me wondering what happened? I know being niche dont bring in money but did we really have to lose so much that made us stand out?   You gave us quests that tested our ability to think, some people who came with EU complained about the challenge and now they are being changed or have been.  Our beloved die system is being dumbed down as well.  When will the line stop?

Right now the main thing keeping me is my guild I love them despite our ribbing. But there are times I wonder if hanging out with them running quests will continue to be enough when the level I really start to want to enjoy my girls seems to be a stop point. Lately farming boot ingredients in Amrath, running epics which I still find boring but do so because of the people I have fun with. I just wonder if soon I wont be adding my name to the list of people leaving this game behind.

You see I could make a thread about these feelings just to get them out see if others commiserated, but then id expose myself and instead of getting understanding id probably more likely be bashed or flamed, told to leave already instead of “keep hope up the update hasnt dropped yet maybe it wont be bad.” No there are too many people posting now who prefer not to see all the sides of ddo, they wear the rose colored glasses or are so cynical that they think its either be happy or get out.  There are still a few things that do make me happy about ddo and yes I know its a game, I guess I just dont want it to be game over yet but I dont see that being so far off anymore.

I guess im wondering how my journey will finally end, I had always hoped it would be when the game closed its doors. I know I wont be posting my goodbye on the forums I may post it here or in an article to ddo daily, I just know that when it does happen no one who knows me well enough will be surprised.  I guess I just needed to get this out after seeing two players I have enjoyed reading in the forums decide to pack it in its really got me thinking about my future with Ebberon unlimited and im not liking the amount of time I have left here..

More thoughts soon…

Seriously it never ceases to amaze me the amount of close minded people who post on the forums.  Telling people their builds are fail when they have not been playing a hot minute, going on about how casters should “ONLY” cast how Clerics and Favored souls should “ONLY” heal and other closed minded jargon. What the hell is up with this? Why dont people get that yeah for your groups if you want your role to be that way fine, but if someone has found a way to make a role they like better by doing it their own way to let them? Sure no one likes being in a group with a battle cleric but I say they are paying their subscription just like I am, who am I to tell them how to heal a group?  If they are bad I wont run with them again and thats my right, whats not my right is to tell someone how to play the game and so many people forget that.  It just aggrivates me then they throw up the insults, oh your gimped or you dont know the basics of ddo or dnd, excuse me? Ive been playing Dungeons and Dragons since the 90’s not as long as others but wasnt allowed when I was younger to play.  Ive played arcanes and divines almost exclusively hell my first two ddo characters was a Wizard and a Cleric. I didnt think of myself as a melee type and im starting to enjoy those classes as well.

But back to the point in D&D we came across things that magic couldnt be used against so I had to use my brain to think my way out of the situation. Sometimes I had to bluff my way out, others I had to pick up whatever was handy and fight my way out it happens.  Its what Ive come to love about ddo I can pull out a rapier on my wizard and melee when out of mana or even when its unnecessary or detrimental to cast a spell.  I am sure as our game grows hopefully our pool of enemies. There are tons of mobs who absorb all forms of magic making using it against them null.  Some would balk that this kills the caster roll, while id welcome the chance to strategize.   I just think im sick of seeing people pigeonhole others, I loved my clerics in pen and paper I fought more then I ever needed to heal. But in ddo its a near crime to some and it amazes me, so im supposed to spend 15 dollars a month (yes I am a full subscriber) to baby sit your boo boos because “you” think thats my only function as a cleric?

People really need to get over themselves what works for you and your circle of friends isnt what makes our game world go round. You want to define roles for yourself and your nit of friends fine, but insulting everyone else for thinking outside the box only makes you look ignorant and foolish.

Since the forums are acting kinda wacky going to post this here.

[I]You know I felt the need to bring this up as a discussion. I can hear my fellow long term forum posters groaning but it needs to be said.  I am what is considered a veteran. Ive been here since before the re release of Ebberon Unlimited. While not a true Beta player ive been here long enough to see the tail end of xp debt, remember the original newbie area and when the harbor was run by Gerald Goodblades who gave you a crappy sword after running his quest arc after the wavecrest challenge. Threw all of that Ive made friends lost my “why cant this be like pnp attitude” got over the “pure classes rule multiclass drool” and we need “x or y classes to complete.” I think in the nearly 3 years ive been playing that I evolved from someone who could not think passed my own hang ups to someone who has immersed herself into this game and learned to try new things, not to shun differences and to try to suggest better things for the game without putting it down for what its not.

Last summer when they changed our game I was not happy about it, I did not like the fact that it felt like our subscription fees were not relevant enough to keep the game going anymore. I felt like we were going to be put out in the cold in the wake of the new store and new blood.  It was not an easy transition, with the new easy features of the game, dungeon scaling, dungeon alert, sharing the quest, changing traps so that they were easier to access thus taking challenges away from groups and even the change with casual and vons 2 it was like blow after blow to those of us who used those challenges to make better characters or learn from our mistakes.  Some may feel its elitist to think this way but having dungeons that challenged your party made the game fun for me. I like that if something knocked me on my tush with its toughness that Id have to rethink my strategy or even redo somethings to get threw a quest and it saddened me that route was slowly eroding for ease. I know that to a new player it can be overwhelming and no one likes to fail but failure motivated many of us to be better and think harder.

Im not saying there has not been good from the changes, having advertising and seeing every night multiple instances where earlier in 09 I was afraid we wouldnt have a game this year.  Reincarnation giving people the option not to throw away a build they love but make them better, looking forward to guild airships, half orcs and hopefully a little more rogue/monk love.  And there has been an influx of nice fun people joining our game and even forums. Though with the good their has been bad to.  They are the types that flood our chats with nonsense and obscenities, who come to the forums suggesting we be more like other games without appreciating that what kept us going for so long even in our drought, and for the four years we were kicking without many knowing who we are is that we are different.  Now many people have brought in suggestions from other games, I played LOTRO for a while while it wasnt a game that hooked me I loved some of the features in it for music and crafting and said such.  But not in a way that made it seem like ddo should be like Lotro because they are two separate games.  If I loved Lotro so much id be playing it instead but I play DDO I love the friends ive made both in game and in these forums, I even love the debates. I may not agree with everyone but when a good debate happens it can be just as fun if not more so then an agree fest.

The fact is many argue that we think our game is perfect and that anyone who nay says is going to get flamed. Im sorry but thats just not the case, there are ways to state how dissatisfied you are. Many of us who have been here for a long time have done it and continue to without flaming our developers who work hard without telling people that another game is better.  Its the way you carry yourself in this forums that gets noticed. Its real easy to judge us who have been here for awhile as stubborn unwilling to listen to ideas but when a good idea that can help the game is put forward I hardly ever see anyone flaming it. When something is suggested that does not fit you will be prone to disagreement and if the OP gets belligerent then people are going to respond in turn. It really comes down to how you expect to be viewed if you dont care then why whine when people eventually treat you as if you have no clue of what your talking about?  Thats my major beef lately with some posters who spout off things about mechanics, what would make this game better or even how classes should be when theyve barely played the game. Having a attitude as if your way is the only way doesnt even work with us long term players so you can imagine how far it will go when your new..

I guess what truly bugs me is the lack of respect for this game, we are still the underdog in so many people’s eyes and so many have their ideas on what would make our game better and many of the ideas just dont fit. And even explaining it in a mature way is met with automatic hostility.  Well im tired of trying to defend myself if not agreeing with such requests makes me an elitist, snob, troll, communist then i’ll wear those moniker’s proudly.  Just like im sure if I went to another forums devoted to a game and spammed their forums with anti this and how much my game is better I would be inundated with nice attitudes right? I think that we here at ddo forums are tamed compared to others I am apart of and I find it funny that people think that we are the mean ones but you know what im no longer going to act like I am not. I am a ddo snob and I am proud of it I love my game and Id like to see it grow and expand using its own innovative ideas.  I do not feel that we need to be like anyone else I feel we need to set our own standards and have others long for their game to be like us.  So hate me if you must but im not changing my attitude.

Flaws and all this is the game that I love to play so much so that I stay a paid subscriber. I will continue to make suggestions balk at changes I feel hurt the game and hope with each updates the game becomes more well rounded. And if someone knocks this game I am going to knock back within the guidelines, thats just the way it is and hopefully people reading this will gain a better understanding how some veterans feel instead of assuming we are all just out to hate you. [/I]

Last night I was very angry still think I may not play as much. But yesterday seemed to hit a nerve worst then any other gaming day.  To me its been slowly building up, I tend not to say anything because it seems selfish and petty to get so upset. But its come down to getting tired of logging on with a plan joinning friends because they say part of their plan is something I am shooting for. Having said plan change and im stuck helping others and not getting what I wanted to get done even started.

Normally stuff like this dont get to me, but if you needed to flag you would think hey let me stick it out and at least get it done. no instead he drops everyone else becomes too tired and im stuck hoping to get an sos done. Tried going in on my own that damned ice master pissed me off big time by the time I got him down it was far to late to finish the quest so I logged off pissed.  Im just sick and tired of pushing back plans for people to get their crud done and if I do play today going to pug and hopefully get something for my characters done. I just really needed to get this out my system so sick and tired of pushing stuff to the side for others when I said a few times last night what my hopes to get done were.

Between that, frustrating pugs and just wondering what the point is because 20 seems to be a stop for me in developing my characters I just felt the need to vent. I knew getting my friend ready for Tod was important but when he dropped and we didnt even finish flagging him all I could think was all that time I could have run that Sorjek and been done. So today if I do log on which I really wanted to nothing much else to do right now im going to get what I planned done everything else be damned.

Think its break time for this girl could vent about whats bugging me but no point when I start taking things this seriously its time to give it a rest for a bit.

Cya when im in the mood for ddo again.

Seriously this topic has been brought up on the forums but I have to personally ask, is My ddo really working as the creators intended it to? I just can’t believe it is.  Unless we have drama mongers or secret Jerry Springer employees what is the point of having a tool where people can look up others character items and info to judge and shun?

Now it dont affect me even if im gimped to some I know im a valued member of my guild and when I cannot run with them I know im smart enough to get threw most quests on my own if needed.  But there have been people who use this tool to screen water works groups.. seriously a level 3 quest for goodness sake is this what my ddo was created for?

Add to that but some of us (im an admitted show off) have to deal with putting our characters together and it still not updating for us.  Its crazy how it is to I have some that update just fine Kalari and Korovai who I just reincarnated to fix their hp problems are updated just fine. While Suoress (level 20 perma stuck at 15) Kaderi who is 18 but stuck at 16 and a few others who just wont update at all and it is annoying. And I give up on Nyxy ever showing its not even that shes all that uber I just want people to know that yes I play an elf who has only 368 hp and I still get threw epics and elite amrath with her just fine.  But meh I know its beta I just wonder if the effort being put into this undertaking is getting the results they wanted?

I love the blog portion (obviously) but even that is not enough to curb the frustration with the lack of updates and the way my ddo is being used. So im wondering if the next update will really be worth the effort? We gamers are just not ready for such things (IMO).

Ahh well more thoughts to come…

Well greater reincarnated used the points to up her con and intel so now shes looking a lot better no more super squishy just semi squishy now she has over 300 hp and I think i’ll feel more comfy with her in Amrath, maxed out her force line again gave her spell pen and grt spell pen and spell focus necromancy and grt spell focus necromancy…

Though still wont be touching pale master ahh well at least shes not so squishy right?

More thoughts to come…