Blog: The Checker Maven Draughts Maker
WhatS More Fun Than Playing A Computer Game2009-03-10 00:00:00Youd get to use the very latest techniques available C and in computer game development, as in other areas of computer animation and design, new ideas and techniques are becoming available all the time. When Andrew Adamson directed the 2005 movie of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, he said he was using techniques simply not available just a few years before. The same is true of computer game design. Every year, games are more realistic, more innovative, more gripping to play.
You might love to play computer games but never imagined you could design them. After all, playing games takes no special skills, but developing them surely takes many skills and ...
What2009-03-10 00:00:00This post isn't going to be about how to "fix" leveling or make it faster or easier or anything like that. Instead, I'm writing in defense of the leveling process. I actually enjoy it even though I'm having a hard time thinking of anyone else I know who doesn't just want to get it over with. I enjoy questing and I enjoy the charge I get when I learn a new spell or add a new talent point. When I hit level 70 I was quite disoriented without the XP bar to cheer me along. I can't get my head around the idea that I no longer need to log out at an inn becaus...
What2009-03-10 00:00:00One of the nice things about WoW is that it allows you a variety of choices for your character. You really aren't pigeon holed into one thing or another. There are some cases in the upper echelons of the game and theory crafting where one weapon or armor choice becomes superior C but that's only if you want to take the game to such a level.
And even then, min-maxing to that extent isn't really necessary to be successful in raiding anymore.
I've come across this in my play recently. My weapon of choice (and hence the forever awesome Christopher Walken music video attached to this article).
As a Shaman ...
When AFK attacks redux2009-03-10 00:00:00Matthew Rossi's triumphant tale about his wife's taming of the elusive Loque'nahak, otherwise known as the Death Star pet, reminded me of a similar scenario that happened with a guildie. This time, it was nowhere near as peaceful, nowhere near as innocent, but every bit as triumphant. See, my guildie, a Shadow Priest, had been looking for the Time-Lost Proto Drake in the Storm Peaks for almost a month. Every day, he'd log on and spend a few hours circling the rare mob's known path hoping to get the Reins of the Time-Lost Proto Drake. As the mob is guaranteed to drop the mount, he wasn't the only one on the hunt.
One day, though, he got lucky and finally spotted the fa...
When AFK attacks2009-03-10 00:00:00My wife is a hunter. I don't say plays a hunter because that might give you the idea that she's playing and oh heck no. She's not playing. She's very very serious about taming rare or unique skins of pets, to the point where I find myself leveling a second shaman for the express purpose of using heroism to tame a spectral lupine.
The other day, she completed her most recent mission, which was to tame the attractive fellow in the picture above. As you might expect, there were other hunters trying to accomplish it, so we ended up with a two day marathon of sleeplessness, calls from work asking me to check the zone to make sure he hadn't spawned, a mix-up with a hunter who followed her around dropping flares at her feet while she wasn't shadowmelded, and other exciting (and not so exciting) adventures.
The other day while I was gleefully stealing baby wolvar from the still-cooling embrace of their mothers because a walrus paid me to, I heard a strangled gasp from my wife over at her computer. Somewhat distracted by wrangling bereaved pups, I at first didn't process what "I got the spirit beast" meant, especially since she gasped it out as one word. Eventually, of course, the congratulations ...
When do you Play2009-03-10 00:00:00Its a simple question with pretty complex answers. Im not thinking about this because I want to spark hardcore vs casual discourse or anything like that. I was just wondering if at all theres a period of time on your given server when things die down.
Ive tried this little experiement a few times now and it seems the server (for a medium population) is always packed pretty much everywhere I go regardless of the time of day. Playing during the prime time hours on the server is pretty self explanatory, its packed. Trying to maybe login around the early morning or rush-hour periods ...
When should you Life Tap2009-03-10 00:00:00Elleiras in her blog Fel Fire posted a humorous yet insightful entry about when Warlocks should Life Tap. She apologizes to all the Priests, Druids, and Shamans (sorry, Paladins, you're out of this equation) for not Life Tapping when there's an HoT on her. This is actually an excellent question for many Warlocks, who either don't Life Tap enough or on time, or Life Tap too much.
When to use Life Tap during a fight is actually kind of tricky. Life Tap eats the GCD, which eats into rotat...
Where Did World Of Warcraft Come From2009-03-10 00:00:00My opinion of the origins of Warcraft is that is has come from the people who play it. There are designers and staff that make it, but without the people who play it there was be no encouragements for new and improved versions. The creators of Warcraft have been extremely successful in the Marketing of the game. When a lot of games see the shelf with one cover Warcraft has been on the shelf with many new box covers and many new versions. The creators have done more than just make a games; they have also created a following, literally, another world.
For my personal desires I like games that never truly end, which is the case in World of Warcraft. There is never really an end since you can constantly improve yourself. There is always another way to bet...