WTF!?!

So, Update 1 was a bit of a surprise to me. I heard a few rumors about an impending update on Monday, but dismissed it. Turbine has a history of not keeping their word, so I've taken a rather cynical stance on so-called improvements to the game.

However, I was astounded when I tried to log in this evening and the game began downloading Update 1.

I decided to go shovel the snow that's fallen from the first half of the storm while my computer did its thing.

My internet connection isn't the fastest, so I decided to have some dinner after shoveling snow, without even bothering to check the game's progress. In fact, I thought it highly doubtful that I'd even be able to log in this evening.

To my surprise, the game had finished it's update by the time dinner was finished.

Wow!

Then I tried to log in...



Seriously!

What the... !!!

I have *never* had any free play time in this game.

And I have to *wait* to get in?!?

This better be good...

The End of DDO???

You be the judge...

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95570-Dungeons-Dragons-Brought-to-Life-Using-a-Microsoft-Surface-Table

I know, I know... it's probably another form of vaporware.

But...

Some of us miss the days of gathering 'round the table for an evening of adventure.

It's just that it was sometimes a huge mess, what with all of the die sets, books, papers, figures, etc., strewn all about the room. Why not let the computer do all of that rule-keeping for you, and let you and your friends get together to hang out while you spend more time adventuring, and less time arguing about the rules or rolls, or whatever?

Oh... wait... That's what we have DDO for, right!?!

Well, in DDO, we aren't all sitting together in the same room.

Same *virtual* room, if we're all using voice chat.

Does anyone else wish they could play an adventure from the comfort of their living room recliner?

I do.

And, what about those headsets we all use???

Mine becomes extremely uncomfortable after more than about an hour.

Seems like this might make for a nice coffee table.

Could maybe even load it with other things, too.

Looks interesting, though. Would be nice to have friends over for a gaming session, and still have the benefit of computer assistance, but actually be able to share a social experience in person.

This one's interesting; I'll have to keep an eye on it.

In the mean time, several of us got together for some adventuring last night, and we found our way to the plane of Shavarath.

It's a fascinating landscape, for sure. And the monsters in the "outdoor adventure area" are certainly a challenge; we managed to find two of the rare encounters. And fought a relatively long, drawn-out battle to defeat them.

So long, in fact, that, while running PEBKAC, I was seriously depleting my mana pool. I *had* to launch the DDO Store and buy some mana potions, just to keep going.

What happens when I run out of Turbine Points?

I'm a subscription... err... VIP member already. I'm not about to use a credit card to pay for more Turbine Points. The wife would have my hide, for sure. Seems to me that players ought to be able to buy mana potions from in-game vendors, much the same way they buy healing potions.

Or, better yet...

How 'bout we finally give the crafting system a proper implementation, and allow player-characters to craft potions, scrolls, weapons, etc.???

I mean, shouldn't our characters be doing *something* when they aren't adventuring???

Just a thought.

In the mean time, I'm interested to see more of Shavarath, and the other Planes the folks at Turbine have opened up for us.

Keep it fun!

Where's Trin?

Quite a few people have been asking that question lately.

Rest assured, I haven't gone anywhere.

Well, I haven't left the game, anyway.

The truth is that I *have* been going somewhere.

Regularly.

I've been going flying.

That's right, I'm taking flying lessons.

I'm working on my Private Pilot Certificate.

Aviation has always been a significant force in my life, and my wife finally agreed not to let her fear of flying keep me from doing one of the things I've wanted to do all my life.

So, there have been quite a few evenings where, instead of running amok in the streets of Stormreach, I've been carefully studying maneuvers and proceedures, and preparing for my limited time in the cockpit.

I say limited, because I can only go flying once every couple of weeks. So, I have to make the most of that time.

However, studying for this does consume a considerable amount of time.

Approximately 45 minutes, every day.

So, if you don't see me in Stormreach, please forgive me.

I'm still here.

Just working on one of those things that's *very* important to me.

And, for those interested, the landings are getting good. I should be able to solo soon. Then it's on to cross-country and night flying. If I maintain a good track, I should complete my certificate sometime next Spring. We'll have to see how that goes.

In the mean time, many of the Face Stabbers who've taken a leave of absence from the game are beginning to return.

Even Meany is back.

So, now we're planning the FSM Reunion Raiding Tour.

Not all of the stops have yet been planned. We're working on that one.

I look forward to seeing everyone in game, even if it isn't as often as it once was.

Keep it fun, everyone!

Catching Up

Despite my preferences, my new job simply doesn't have any spare time in which I can take a few minutes to post a new blog entry.

Which is really too bad, considering the rather tedious aspects of the administrative functions I'm currently performing for projects in construction and nearing completion. But, I suppose it's what I signed up for. Particularly since I'm *finally* nearing the end of my internship, and preparing to sit for the architect's registration exam.

Still, I *have* to take some time for myself, to relax and unwind.

And, maybe...

in the process...

catch up on some of the going's-on within the Face Stabbing Misfits, and in DDO in general.

First up... DDO: Eberron Unlimited.

Yep, it's finally live.

Granted, some will say "but it's been live for nearly two weeks now!"

Well, that may be true, but it was *OVER* *A* *YEAR* in waiting.

Seriously. I refuse to cut Turbine a break over that one.

In the mean time, "Free2Play" has gone live as well. And we're even starting to see an influx of players, both new and old, as a result.

Of course, you've probably seen that Kruella and Craygar are back. Apparently, so is Meany. Who's next???

Now, in the process of Kruella and Craygar getting back into the swing of things, some interesting topics have been posted in the guild's Message of the Day.

Including a reference to Tramp Stamps.

Yeah, tramp stamps... tattoos.

Kru had first suggested that we all get tattoos. Then she changed her mind and decided that really, only Trin needed one. On what she referred to as "his buttflanks."

Yeah.

Sorry, Kru, but, despite the fact that Turbine has opened up all sorts of new possibilities for character appearance through add-ons in the new Turbine Store, I just don't see any "tramp stamps" or tattoos.

Besides, I like Trin's image... unblemished.

It's not my fault you can't accept Dwarven perfection, as it has already been presented to you.

Besides, Kru, if Trin were to have a tattoo applied to his already excellent physique, there's only one place you'd be able to find it...

My guess is that Craygar might have issues with you inspecting it. :-P

Of course, there's been other madness in the guild.

It's no secret that some of the guild's best members are the result of earnest and sincere recruiting efforts on the part of Kruella. She is, in fact, the one who recruited me into the Face Stabbers.

(Bet she's regretting that now...)

So, upon her return, she was officially conferred the title and responsibility of Guild Recruiting Officer.

But, I think that may have backfired on her, somewhat.

You see, Soulencer has already met the first prerequisite for becoming a Face Stabber...

He has a twisted sense of humor.

Which has manifested itself in a most interesting way.

Apparently, while I was away on a business trip for work, Soulencer had created himself a new character.

However, without myself or Belzur available to invite his new lowbie into the guild, he turned to the only logical alternative...

Kru!

But, apparently, Kru didn't realize who it was.

And, Soulencer, having such a twisted sense of humor, decided to have a little fun with it.

So much fun that Kru took to avoiding him, and refusing to admit him into the guild.

I think she became particularly frustrated with him once he began offering gold to join the guild.

But, it gets better.

Since Kru wouldn't admit him, Soulencer began asking Craygar for a guild invite, too.

Now, since Kru and Craygar are married in real life, it should be obvious that they *must* have discussed this "turd" that had been bothering Kru amongst themselves. So, as if there were any doubt, Craygar refused, too.

But, Soulencer didn't give up.

Nor did he reveal his true identity.

Instead, he kept pestering both Kru and Craygar until they both /ignored him.

I'm not sure whether you're aware, but the /ignore command makes it so the recipient doesn't hear *anything* from the /ignored character. And, as empirical evidence has shown, you can't even hear a fellow guildie within your current party if he's been /ignored.

So, Kru and Craygar thought they had heard the last of Soulencer's new lowbie, whom they didn't know belonged to Soulencer in the first place.

To them, he was just some random "turd."

Well, while driving across the plains of Kansas and eastern Colorado, on my way home from my business trip, I decided to give Belzur a call to see what had been happening while I'd been gone.

I had no previous knowledge of what had been transpired in my absence, but Belzur explained to me what had happened with Soulencer's new lowbie.

He also informed me that Soulencer had let Belzur in on the joke, so that Belzur wouldn't spoil the fun.

Belzur had first suggested that he should invite Soulencer's new lowbie into the guild, just to see how Kru would react.

However, the conversation took on a life of its own, and before long, it was decided that, since I'm notorious for inviting "stray cats" and "lost dogs" into the guild, perhaps it should be me that sends the invite to Soulencers new lowbie, *while* Kru and Craygar are grouped with me and Belzur, and anyone else who's heard the stories of this "turd" who's been stalking Kruella and her hubby.

To be fair, Kru, it might have something to do with the fact that you like to strip off and dance naked in public.

Maybe...

So, on Monday night, everything had fallen into place. Kruella, Craygar, Tanision, Belzur, Soulencer and I were all grouped together for some Gianthold adventuring.

After we'd been playing for a while, I sent a /tell to Soulencer, suggesting he make an excuse to drop party and switch characters, so that he could log in as Enob, his new lowbie, and nemesis of Kruella and Craygar.

At the same time, I sent a /tell to Belzur, letting him know what was about to go down.

Although Tanision had been aware of the harassment Kru and Craygar had been suffering at the hands of Enob, he didn't know that Enob was really Soulencer, though he suspected that whoever this Enob was, it was surely someone Kru was at least acquainted with.

Still, I kept the secret, and didn't let Tan know what was about to happen.

So, when the time was right, and Enob was finally logged in and ready, I spoke out in voice chat "Hey, Kru! I found us a new guildie, too!"

"Oh, yeah? Who???"

"Hang on just a sec..."

...

*ding!*

...

(in guild chat) Welcome, Enob!

"Oh, *NO*!!! Trin, no! You gotta boot him, like right now!"

Craygar joined in the stern protest, too.

I couldn't hold back any longer. I burst out laughing, and so did Belzur. And Tan joined in, too.

Particularly when I revealed that Kru (and Craygar) had been had.

Not thirty seconds after inviting Enob into the guild, Kru exercised her Officer's abilities, and booted him out, anyway.

Truth be told, I think she'd have booted me from the guild, too, if she'd had the ability.

Of course, I brought Enob back in, but he also logged back over to Soulencer to re-join the group.

Kru has had more than a few choice words about the whole thing.

I think she belives it's all been some sort of conspiracy. However, it was all a simple misunderstanding that took a rather humorous turn, and took on a life all unto itself.

Granted, torturing someone as nice as Kru is somewhat mean, but considering some of the many practical jokes that have been played on the various members of the guild, I couldn't help but play my part in the shenanigans.

Still, Kru promises that "revenge is a dish best served cold."

An apt line from Shakespear.

I look forward to it!

Keep it fun!!!

Evil Rumors

I heard an evil rumor today...

I was told that Meany is back.

I know that can't be right, because Meany fled Stormreach as soon as he learned what Barbeque Fats intended to do with (to) him.

Ms. Fats later took her life in despair over the loss of her beloved.

I can't believe Meany is back because I, myself, heard Ms. Fats swear that she would haunt Meany forever after.

Knowing Ms. Fats, I would believe that.

And I can't imagine Meany would be so desperate, as to risk returning to Stormreach, knowing that the spirit of Ms. Fats may linger.

...

I hear another evil rumor a couple weeks back, as well...

It was said that Trin had gotten himself a "tramp stamp."

This is certainly the most evil of rumors. And, one that I must refute.

But not right now.

I'll have to let that rumor simmer a little longer.

It's fun watching Kru stew over a topic she wants to see appear in my blog... very badly.

:-P

Keep it fun!

PRIAPISM!

That's the way Kruella likes it.

Always hard or not at all.

To be fair, Kruella is *not* the only pervert in the guild. Far from it. In fact, the vast majority of us are. It's just that... *most* of the time... we try... *TRY*... to keep it under control.

It... is... difficult... however... *not* "hard"... to restrain ourselves... when we have Kru in our group.

All it takes from her is just one, perfectly timed giggle.

She would assert that it's an innocent giggle.

Perhaps "innocent" isn't quite the correct word for it.

Simple, instinctual, maybe... But you get the idea.

Honestly, I do the same kind of thing.

Someone in the group will say something that (unwittingly) falls into the category of double entendre, and I will let out with a chuckle into voice chat. Sometimes even a deep-belly laugh.

Which is why Kru was the one to point out, quite clearly, that if it weren't for the gutter, my mind would be homeless. Too right, Kru!

On occasion, others in the group will even respond with a "that's what she said."

But it's never quite as amusing as when Kru does it.

Particularly since she is a lifetime member of the fairer gender.

But I think it all has something to do with the unstated prerequisite that anyone who wishes to join the Face Stabbing Misfits must, in some way, at least to some small extent, have a perverted side to them.

I mean, the Face Stabbers are a mature guild.

Not that everything that goes on within guild and/or voice chat should be rated NC-17, but that we all appreciate adult humor. Nor do we necessarily restrain ourselves from using coarse language. But that our behavior is still respectful, despite having adult themes and/or undertones.

It's just that Kru and I happen to be the more vocal of the group.

But that Kru has a particular talent for opening the flood gates.

Such as it was last night...

We had logged into our lowbies, so that we could run with Kru, as she has not yet brought any of her characters up to Dragon Raid level. Yet.

The question was put before the group... what to run. Bashal had suggested either STK, Shan-To-Kor, or Tangleroot, meaning the Splinterskull Fortress quest chain within the Tangleroot Gorge. (I'm getting carried away with commas this morning.)

Because we were all more concerned with hanging out with our friends and enjoying each other's company within the game, rather than imposing the false burden of "having" to complete something, we all expressed some degree of ambivalence toward the decision.

We left it up to Bashal!

I mean, as Guild Leader, it's my prerogative to delegate responsibility to the officers as I see fit.

Perhaps I might have been mildly abusing my authority as Guild Leader, but... Bashal *IS* an officer...

So, he decided for us... Tangleroot... and no one objected. And, we made our way out confer with Chief Ungrz and offer him our assistance.

As we approached the quest entrance, the question was put forth to the group, what level of difficulty. After all, we could open the first quest in the chain on Elite, and the Favor from completing the quest on such a difficulty contributes to the goal of earning the Pendant of Time from the Elves of House Phiarlan.

After a full round of "I dunno's" and "I don't care's," Bashal finally declared that it was the Cleric's decision.

Bashal had found a way to reverse the delegation and sent the decision back to me.

Yeah... I was running Taciturn... the Cleric.

I announced to the group that I didn't care. That they all fully realized that their so-called Cleric was in fact a Trin-built Cleric, and that they assumed responsiblity for whatever risk may be associated with their choice, but that I'd simply follow along with whatever they chose.

So, once again, I delegated.

It was Harshbringer (Tanision) who made the decision to open the quest on Elite...

;)

It didn't take long to determine that such a decision might not have been the most wise, but we continued on despite the obvious challenge.

But, *while* we were slogging our way through, Kru asked how many character slots we were now allowed within the game...

Kruella has a penchent for giving her characters names that *could* (and generally *do*) have suggestive meanings, depending upon how someone might read it.

And they're always names that we Face Stabbers enjoy, particularly due to the nature of our membership.

If you know what I mean.

Upon completing the first quest in the chain, though, Bashal decided he had to call it an evening, lest he wake up in the morning with an impression of his keyboard upon his forehead. Which actually simplified things, as Belzur had logged in and wanted to join us, but the group had already been filled.

So, after sending Bashal off to bed and bringing Racenda (Belzur) in to replace him, we continued on.

Both with the Splinterskull Fortress quest chain, and with our discussion of what Kru should name her characters.

When DDO was first released, each player was limited to six characters per server, per account. Over the course of the past three-plus years, that limit has increased to the current legal limit of ten characters per server, per account. However, when (if) Module 9 is finally released, players will be able to purchase six additional character slots, up to a total legal limit of sixteen characters per server, per account, using the new Turbine Points system.

Which led Kruella so solicit suggestions for names for her characters.

And a rather entertaining, if not adult-oriented conversation.

Which Bashal was now missing out on.

Silly Bashal.

In the midst of this discussion, Harshbringer (Tanision) asked which difficulty for the next quest in the chain... Normal or Hard.

Actually, as I recall, Tan asked "How d'you guys want it? Normal or Hard?"

*THAT* is when Kru giggled into voice chat.

And then, so did Lilmortician, running on her lowbie, of course.

Which caused me to laugh out loud... in voice chat.

And, although we couldn't hear them, I'm sure both Soulencer and Belzur were now laughing out loud, too.

Tanision hadn't realized what he'd said.

Until we ~explained~ it to him.

That only served to make the conversation all the more entertaining.

Which is where the conversation turned to the subject of Priapism. Particularly since Kru likes her "quests" Hard, or not at all. From the male perspective, I tend to agree. It seems that certain "quests" would be... pleasureable... only when run "Hard."

It *is* funny, though, how quickly our conversation went into the gutter from that point.

Tan only verified "Hard" on one other occasion.

After that, he gave up.

Chicken! :-P

Rest assured, though, Priapism was a subject of extended discussion throughout the evening.

Especially so when Racenda charmed one of the Hobgoblins. Which remained charmed. For a... very... long... time...

Having been previously released from my inhibitions for the evening, and with regard to the now excessively "charmed" Hobgoblin, I declared into voice chat "this is what's wrong with Priapism... you get it "hard" and then you can't do anything with it..."

I'm pretty sure I heard each and every member of the group fall out of their chairs, laughing so... hard... that they each needed both a bottle of oxygen and a break for the restroom.

Nevertheless, I maintain that if you can't have fun in-game, you shouldn't be playing.

However that may be taken...

Keep it fun!

Things We've Forgotten

Thanks to our recent reunion with long-lost guildies, it seems there have been some things we've forgotten over the course of their absence.

It came to light last night when we were running with Kruellah, dragging her through the Waterworks at break-neck speed, so that she could join the rest of the world in the areas of Stormreach beyond the Harbor. Most notably, the Marketplace.

We started our run being a bit chatty, but nothing (yet) that belongs in the pages behind the NC-17 sign.

Kru had questioned whether I remembered such conversations, and I replied simply that not only did I remember them, but that I missed them.

She thought that maybe I'd forgotten how... interesting... such conversations could become.

Certainly, I have not forgotten that.

I mean... The Main Vein...

And...

~other~ topics.

Always enjoyable!

But, apparently, there were other things we *had* forgotten.

We weren't long into second part of the four-part quest, when Kru noted how quiet the voice-chat had become.

Had we forgotten what it's like to conduct a completely random and unrelated discussion *while* we were slogging our way through quests we'd completed so many times that no one could count?

It seems we had.

Tanision even offered that we were simply concentrating on the encounter at hand.

True...

We were running the quest on Elite.

And Unarius, my new "pure class" Barbarian, had long since run out of healing potions. Meaning that Phrudin, Belzur's new lowbie Cleric, spent quite a few resources providing life support.

Which I have to reimburse him for.

Tan was also running his new lowbie Paladin, and Kru was running the latest version of Kruellah, also a Drow Paladin, like the original. They, too, were providing Unarius with life support, and they too, also deserve reimbursement for their efforts.

As soon as I log over to a character that has some cash on them.

So, there was a certain amount of concentration going on.

I was trying to do the proper amount of Barbarian zerging, without causing undo stress on the healers, but I wasn't the only one "tanking" either. Robinous and Soulencer were running their lowbie Fighter's, too.

Not to mention the fact that Soulencer's lowbie, Forbiddious, is a 'forged.

Phrudin's healing spells certainly don't work as well on the 'forged as they do on the fleshies.

But, the point is...

We came to a point where there was almost no chatting going on.

And, Kru noticed.

And said something about it.

Our excuses were pretty lame. But, the truth is, it's been a *long* time since we've had the pleasure of Kruella or Craygar in our groups. According to the guild member list within the game, 1 year and 10 months.

1 year and 10 months without the irrelevant chatter we used to be famous for!

Time to resurrect old traditions!

Who knows *what* will come up the next time we group.

Perhaps Themainvein?

Well, maybe not.

But, Kru's sister, Trowser Snakecharmer is back...

;)

Keep it fun!

The Most Unbelievable Thing Happened...

So, last night, Tanision and I were hanging out with Soulencer, trying to figure out what we were gonna do next with the new generation of lowbies we'd all rolled-up, when Soulencer chimed into voice chat with...

"Hey, I was supposed to tell you guys something."

"What's that?"

"I was over in the tavern with the brawling area when I received a /tell from someone. The were asking if Trin was still in the guild."

"Really?"

I thought to myself, well, I've played this game with a lot of people over the years, and there're quite a few who've left the game, so that could be anyone. But it was the next comment that got my attention...

"Yeah. Said he and his wife used to play and are coming back to the game."

Both Tan and I immediately replied with "NO WAY!!!"

"Yeah. Said he was hoping you were still around, and was hoping to run with you sometime soon."

"NAME!!! What was the name of the character!?!" (rather emphatically, if you couldn't tell)

"Umm... Azindra, I think..."

Poor Soulencer. I'm pretty sure I cut him off when I told Tan I had to run back to the tavern to switch over to Trin.

This, of course, quickly side-tracked our search for the next quest and instead turned into a search for this illusive character by the name of Azindra.

After switching over to Trin, I ran over to the Wayward Lobster, where Soulencer said he was standing when he received the /tell.

It was stupid, really. Especially after Soulencer told me he'd looked around for whomever had sent him the /tell, but didn't see them. Tanision and I quickly realized that Azindra had (smartly) used the Who panel, as any experienced DDO player would have, to check to see whether there were any Face Stabbers online. From there, it would be a simple matter of sending a /tell without regard for location.

Oh, well... I had to go look for myself.

Without any luck, though, I ran Trin back over to the Marketplace, to drop him off at the Phoenix Tavern before bringing Taciturn back out for more lowbie entertainment.

On the way over, though, I decided to stop by the Lightning Post to send a message to Azindra. When I arrived, I was surprised to see a message from Kruellah waiting for me.

Either I was being haunted by ghosts of Christmas Past, or my suspicions had just been confirmed. Either way, I quickly shot a message off to Azindra, and replied to Kruellah.

In the mean time, Tan and I had jumped back onto our lowbies, and were yammering speculations about whether it was really true.

What was truly perplexing was that Bashal had just logged off for the evening, and Belzur had not yet logged in. This was such surprising news, that it was unfortunate that the other two weren't around to share in it.

Tan and I were *really* surprised when not but twenty minutes later, Soulencer informed us that Azindra had logged in.

I stopped everything I was doing and immediately sent a /tell to Azindra... "Craygar?!?"

"That's me. Who are you?"

ZOMG!!!

"Trin!"

"Trin! How are you?"

/invite

"Craygar!!!"

"..." (silence)

"Guess he hasn't turned on his voice-chat yet."

"..." (more silence)

"Hey guys! Can you hear me now?"

"CRAYGAR!!!" (in stereo)

It quickly devolved into a social gathering, rather than an adventure party. I felt bad for Soulencer; he had *NO* idea who Tan and I were so excited to talk to. And then things got even worse, when Craygar asked us if it was okay if he logged off, because Kruella (aka Trowser Snake Charmer) wanted to log in for a bit.

I guess they no longer have two computers, or they're sharing only one account at the moment. So, it was a bit sad when Craygar logged of, but it was exciting when Kruellah logged in.

This time I had my Friends list updated, so I saw the message the moment she logged in.

"Is this the real Kruella, or simply an imposter?" I asked.

"There's only one way to find out."

Not exactly an authentication, but she'd replied first in general chat, which meant she was nearby, or I wouldn't have seen the message, and then she replied to my /tell.

We were standing near the entrance to Garrison's Missing Pack, so I lit off like a rocket, searching the Harbor for this character named Kruellah.

I quickly found her... over near the Lightning Post.

She was facing the other direction, and didn't see me coming.

I wanted to sneak up on her and give her a surprise, but I was running Taciturn. He isn't sneaky at all!

So, instead, I dashed up to her, grabbed her, and started to dance.

She turned around, removed her clothes, and began to dance herself.

It really *IS* Kruella!!!

LOL!

In fact, Craygar had been walking past the computer when he saw she was doing her naked dancing thing again. He, of course, made a comment Kru was obligated to relay to the rest of us...

"Craygar says... you're naked already!?!"

I'm still having a difficult time believing they're back.

We ran the rest of the evening with Kru, chatting about all sorts of things, but very little about our actual quests.

Some things never change!

It's so good to have Kruella and Craygar back. And it's good to have them both back as Face Stabbing Misfits.

There really is a future for this game!

Keep it fun!!!

Will This Really Be An Upgrade?

Okay, I may not have blogged about it, but anyone at least interested in DDO has heard the news by now... DDO: Stormreach is becoming DDO: Eberron Unlimited.

This can be nothing less than the "vast and mysterious" thing that Turbine's Tolero has been alluding to since she was recruited out of the player pool and into the developer's cube.

And, I suppose there *is* something "vast and mysterious" about it...

To a point.

But, as I found out this weekend, there are some things that continue to be typical of Turbine...

Let me start with the delivery method for the Beta of Eberron Unlimited... The "Turbine Download Manager." This lovely little piece of software, based on my limited experience, doesn't quite work the way Turbine has advertised it...

"TDM: The Turbine Download Manager downloads sections of the DDO Unlimited client that will get you into the game within minutes, starting with character generation, then the new player experience, and finally the full game. For questions or assistance with the Turbine Download manager, please visit the DDO Beta TDM Forum."

The TDM did *not* get me "into the game within minutes."

It seems that, because I have sixteen characters spread across several servers, which Turbine surrepetitiously copied onto the beta server back in December during a "server maintenance" cycle, I was not able to start with character generation or the new player experience.

Instead, I had to endure a twenty-eight (28) hour... 28 HOUR... download.

So much for minutes.

And, despite the way the advertised peer-to-peer mode is *suposed* to make the download process go faster, I found that it made the process *much* ~slower~. In fact, I had to pause the download, turn off peer-to-peer mode, and restart the computer. Once the TDM was back online, it was running a bit faster. Maybe 3-5% faster, but faster nonetheless.

Now, I'll give you that part of the problem is likely the fact that my connection to the internet *barely* qualifies as DSL, but it *is* still a broadband connection. Barely.

Once the download finished, I was finally able to log into the Beta.

I was surprised to find that the character selection screen had the only two available character slots set to two characters I haven't played in almost a year, both lowbies, and no way to select a different character without either deleting a bunch of other characters I might like to play instead, or entering the DDO Store to purchase additional character slots, up to a maximum of ten slots. Since I was sitting at sixteen characters, I decided to simply choose one of the two lowbies and log in to see what all the hubub was about.

Interestingly, the lowbie I had selected had never been run. It turned out to be a character I'd created on another server to reserve my character name for some of the permadeath stuff some of us guildies had given a go of.

*Because* I'd never run this character, even though it was created long before the New Player Experience was released, I was promply dropped off at the shipwreck that begins the NPE.

Despite the fact that I had 15 other characters, most of whom who are *well* above Level 5, this new character was *forced* to endure the tutorial; I was not allowed to bypass the NPE.

I decided I'd switch to the other character I had available later on, saving the chance to experience some of the changes Belzur had told me Turbine had made to the Marketplace and the Houses for later. (I like to save the anticipation, and let it build.)

I did, however, find a few minor changes to Korthos Island, once my character finally made it through the tunnel.

I'm not sure why anyone felt those changes were necessary, but, whatever...

After verifying that I couldn't take the boat into Stormreach just yet, I ran a couple of quests to whittle away at the bare minimum requirements to get me off Korthos Island.

Until I became tired of the tedium, that is. Then I logged off and had some dinner.

After dinner, I found that I preferred to log into the live game and work on my latest laboratory experiment instead, but found that I couldn't log into the live game.

Suffice it to say that I was *extremely* disappointed, angry and upset.

I wanted to ~PLAY~!!!

Alright, then, I'll go back to the Beta and see if I can't venture into Stormreach on the other character.

ERROR [201]

WTF!!!

I couldn't play *EITHER* version of the game.

After tinkering with my system for about 10 minutes, I finally gave up, shut down my computer for the night, and joined my wife in the living room, watching a rerun of a movie Hollywood should never have released in the first place, but it was better than fighting with my computer and losing.

The next morning, I decided to go back in and troubleshoot the problems I was having with "my game."

Because I wasn't exactly thrilled with the Beta, I decided to work out the problems with the live game first.

To my surprise, the live game actually started this time. Granted, it was *incredibly* slow through the loading of the Turbine logo animation, at which point the previous evening, it would crash. But, at least it was now loading, and I could get into the game.

Satisfied that the live game was now working, I went back to give the Beta another go.

No dice... ERROR [201]... again.

Okay... fine... back to the live game then...

But now, it was crashing again.

WTF!?!

Alright... reboot the computer and start over...

Huh!

The live game actually launches, and doesn't crash at the Turbine logo animation, as long as you haven't run the Beta version first.

Funny that!

However, the license agreement screen that precedes the login to the Beta version is now showing up in the live game.

Fan-friggin'-tastic!

Well, at least I can play... for now.

As for the Beta...

I'm going to uninstall it when I get home this evening.

Hopefully, the live game will still run when I'm done with it.

No, I'm not going to attempt to reinstall the Beta.

I did, by the way, visit the Beta forums for assistance, and found none, and I also submitted a ticket to Turbine's Technical Support site (which still has not replied). So, I'm done with the Beta.

It's not worth the level of frustration involved.

Instead, I'll simply try to be content with my live game, and wait until the end of the summer, when Turbine finally gets around to releasing this so-called module.

By then, it will have been a year... a whole year... since Turbine initially promissed us this particular module.

Perhaps I should consider downgrading to the Free 2 Play option.

I dunno. I'll have think it over.

In the mean time, something positive worth mentioning... I participated in my first Hound of Xoriat raid. And, so did Belzur. I think, maybe, it was also the first time for Bashal (Confrag/Stonehands), but I'm not sure. I do know that it was *supposed* to be the second time for Tanision, but he was, sadly, unable to join us, since, when he arrived at the raid entrance, he didn't have the quest. This was a result of a very bad mix-up and the fact that we were pugging the group as a "new to raid, need guide" raid.

Troop was helping us, and ended up being the leader, even though it wasn't his preference. Personally, I think he did a good job. There is, after all, a reason I spent most of my time following him through the Tempest's Spine, and the other raids we conducted with all the old faces.

Anyway, Belzur pulled Levik's Bracers:

A *very* nice pull for my Dwarven Fighter friend. One I hope he uses well, as it will help PEBKAC keep Belzur's fleshy hide alive. :0)

Another of our raid party members pulled Lorikk's Champion:

As it turns out, this is a rather exceptional item for a Cleric, and the player who pulled it wasn't a Cleric. Because the PUG Cleric in our group already had one, he suggested that I, playing as PEBKAC, the Warforged Cleric of ill repute, should take it, as it would do him the most good.

Thanks to the generosity of our PUG players, PEBKAC now has a shiny new shield. Here's hoping it helps!

I suppose, now, we'll have to make another attempt at the Hound of Xoriat, to see if we can pull the paired items to go with them.

It was fun, though.

As Troop put it, "it started out messy, but it ended well."

If only all quests were to turn out that way...

Keep it fun, everyone!

What's Wrong with This Picture?!

I've been meaning to post this for a while now, but kept forgetting to do so.

As it happened, Belzur and I were hangin' out, waiting for other Face Stabbers to log in, and decided to waste a little time out in the Vale of Twilight. I mean, how much better could a fighter have it than having his own personal Cleric.

Still, even though Belzur and PEBKAC are Level 15, the sheer number of mobs was quickly taking a toll on PEBKAC's spell points. After a party-wipe and resurrection, we decided that we should bring a few hirelings along to even things out a bit.

You'll notice that I brought Norax along. Another Fighter. Not that Belzur couldn't handle things, but we really didn't have much need anything other than a caster. And, since Belzur brought Barrage, a Wizard to the party, it seemed only fair that I spend a little change on a hireling, too, and brought another meat-shield.

Funny how, once we'd wandered out far enough, we discovered Lykomedes had decided to pay us a visit.

Things were moving along quite well, and Lykomedes was nearly dead, when this happened...



You'll note that neither Belzur nor myself had the ability to charm this devil.

Nor would we want to.

After all, if we want his loot, we want him to die.

Which is why it was so ironic that Barrage, the *hireling* Wizard, managed to succeed in charming the one monster we *absolutely* did *NOT* want to charm.

Ugh!

So much for "artificial intelligence!"

We ended up waiting about five minutes before Lykomedes succeeded his saving throw.

Go figure!

Just goes to show, you can never say you've seen it all. Especially because as soon as you *think* you have, something like this happens.

Still, it was pretty funny.

Only after we booted Barrage from the group!

Keep it fun!!!

Don't Tease!

I keep seeing this message every time I log into the game...























"You find a secret door..."

Can it *please* be the door that opens up Module 9?!?

Don't tease!

Logs In, Looks Around, Sees No One, Logs Out

This seems to be a common theme around the game these days.

Eight months after Turbine promised us Module 9, and it's still not out.

Funny thing is...

If you read the forums very carefully, Mod 9 is done and the developers are already working on post-Mod 9 content.

But players are weary of the wait.

It's especially discouraging when, on any given night, you can log in, look around, see no one, and then log out because there isn't anyone on that you want to run with.

Nor is there anything in particular you want to run.

At least, not without your friends.

And your friends don't want to run the same old content anymore.

Apparently, there's some contractual or legal stipulation that's holding up the release of Mod 9, but no one from Turbine will come right out and tell the players what's going on.  I'm beginning to think Turbine is working in collusion with the Cheney administration.

No, I'm not going all political on everyone.  Just an observation that both Turbine and Cheney prefer to keep everyone in the dark.

Perhaps its a matter of national security?

Who knows.

All I know is that when you do manage to find a few friends in-game, it's pretty sad when you *have* to resort to hirelings just to fill out your party and run a quest.

A big part of the reason I joined DDO was because there were other people out there to enjoy the game with.  Those other people introduce a certain degree of randomness to otherwise predictable encounters.  That's what makes the game interesting.

But, when you have to substitute those other people with artificially intelligent characters that, in many ways, behave the same way as the artificially intelligent opposition, the game loses its appeal.

I'm not putting down the hireling system for what it was intended to be, I'm putting it down for what it's become.

It was supposed to be there to help folks who were having difficulty finding someone to help them complete a quest, or to accompany them when they were feeling somewhat anti-social, or when they wanted to otherwise solo some content.

The problem is that hirelings have become a necessity to run the better part of the game's content.  At least, on the Ghallanda server, it seems that most players are running the high-end content to cap all of their characters before the level increase...

*IF* we ever get one...

or they aren't running anything at all.

We have a small, select group in the Face Stabbing Misfits who like to run some of the lower-level raids, like the Vault of Night.  Sure, it isn't near as "exciting" as The Shroud, in terms of the loot you *might* be able to pull, but it's still a lot of fun to those of us who enjoy the occasional raid with lower-level characters.

Some of us aren't in the game to bolt to the level cap.  Rather, we're in the game to enjoy the game's content and the time with our friends.

The problem is that most of our friends are finding other things to do because Turbine has seriously dropped the ball this time.

To quote South Park...  "I'm a saaaaaaad Panda."

Is There Any Hope?

According to an interview with Kate Paiz in an episode of the DDOcast podcast last summer, Module 9, which was advertised to include the increase in the Level Cap to 20, etc., etc., those who were listening distinctly remember Kate telling us that Module 9 was targeted for release in the December/January time frame.

The last time I checked my calendar...

The Gregorian Calendar...

... the calendar accepted internationally to help coordinate... everything...

*NOT* the Turbine Calendar...

It's now just past the middle of April.

APRIL!

I'm usually pretty patient with the folks at Turbine. After all, I've done my fair share of programming and application development. But,

...

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN' ME!!!



As any long time readers (if any are left) may know... I've been working with Autodesk applications, like AutoCAD, 3ds Max and Revit, for over twenty (20) years now. During that time, I've seem something quite remarkable in the way they develop "improvements" to their software.

Namely that, when they promise to release something, they release *something*, ON SCHEDULE. It doesn't have to be ~everything~ they promised, but it has to be *something*.

Especially once they'd committed to requiring an annual subscription (maintenance) agreement for those who like to upgrade to new releases without paying full retail price for the new version of the software.

In fact, on an Autodesk Subscription, end-users are GUARANTEED at least one major update each year, along with at least one (but usually three) minor updates in between.

For this service, it costs about $700 each year to keep your software up to date.

Granted, that sounds like a lot, compared to the subscription for DDO, but investing in *any* software title written by Autodesk is quite significant. (As in, you can buy a brand new car for the price of some of their software.)

It seems to me that there needs to be a fundamental attitude adjustment on the part of the folks at Turbine. *IF* you're going to tell your user base that a new "Module" (an update) is coming, then you'd better stick to it. Even if it means you didn't get everything into it by the time you told people you were hoping to release it.

Actually, I wish Turbine would treat DDO in more the same manner that the company that produces my wife's game does. They publish small patches and updates to her game on an almost monthly release schedule. And, this is during the interval between any major updates they have planned.

Granted, the player base for my wife's game is significantly larger than that for DDO, which means they have far more money to throw at development. BUT (however)...

*THEY* seem to take development of her game more seriously than Turbine does of my game.

And the result is quite clear... it brings more players into her game. And the game continues to grow.

Meanwhile, I keep seeing folks growing tired of waiting for Turbine. And they end up taking a sabbatical, or even permanently leave the game.

How is that good for the longevity of DDO?

I mean, DDO is three years old now. But it *feels* more like it's sixty-eight.

I'm not saying that I have any intention of leaving DDO. But, if Turbine can't take my game seriously, then neither can I. I was once a seven-day-a-week player. These days I'm lucky if I put in three two-hour evenings.

I suppose there's *some* hope, however...

Turbine did announce that a Module 9 preview has been loaded onto the test server for players to beat on the new features before the prime-time release.

But, then, they haven't committed to a release date yet, either.

Oh, well... I guess I can go play with my Character Planner and see what new multi-class experiment I can come up with next.

Keep it fun!

What to Blog About???

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for the lack of posts lately is the lack of something to blog about.  Back when we had thirty-some-odd active guild members, there was no shortage of tales to tell.  These days, with only eight active members, the juicy details are more difficult to come by.

Particularly now that we're all fairly seasoned veterans of the game, too.

That's not to say there aren't the occasional n00b stunts, but that they aren't quite as entertaining as they once were.

I think this means it's time for some fresh meat...  I mean... new guild members.

At least, that is...  if we want someone with some fresh material.

But, at the same time, the guild is small enough that there isn't any drama at all.  Something of a rarity in MMO games.  This past weekend, for example, was the first time in over three months that my wife had logged into *her* MMO game.

(No, she doesn't consider DDO to be *her* MMO...  despite my best efforts.)

No sooner had she logged in than she saw two of our real-life friends who ~encouraged~ her newly discovered addiction, were removing *all* of their characters from the guild.  And, these two were officers and well-seasoned veterans.

Apparently, there had been quite a disagreement going on while she'd been away.

And, as it turns out, the *only* reason my wife's characters are in that particular guild is *because* of our real-life friends.  Once things finally calmed down a bit, we managed to contact our friends to figure out whether my wife should keep her characters in that guild.

I mean, she has no real loyalty to the guild beyond the people she knows.  After all, she hasn't ever played with anyone besides them.  All the other so-called Player Characters are nothing more than scenery to her.

But all turned out well in the end.  Our friends had a nice hour-long discussion of matters in her guild and were re-admitted and promoted back up to officers before the weekend was out.  It was all very stressful for my wife.

Having seen that kind of thing happen in DDO, I certainly had a full-helping of sympathy for her; it's not something anyone should ever hope to experience.

It makes me appreciate the fact that, although the Face Stabbing Misfits may not be as big a guild as it once was, we are a collection of strong friends out to have a little fun.  It just so happens that I was the one nominated to head-up the guild when Althenna decided to take a break from the game.  So far as I'm concerned, any one of us could be the guild leader, and it wouldn't bother me in the least.

After all, it's not about the drama...  it's about the FUN!

Keep it fun, everyone!!!

Long Time No Blog

Okay, I confess... I've been remiss in updating my blog. I don't suppose an excuse signed by my doctor would be sufficient?

Probably not. Not since I haven't actually been sick. Rather, I've been particularly engrossed in work.

Not that that is much of an excuse, I know, as I constantly profess that everyone in general should respect the need for rest and relaxation. Despite that, however, I haven't been as active in DDO as I once was.

But I do still play. Usually two or three nights a week, in fact. Just not the five or six I once spent.

Of course, work isn't the only factor influencing that change, as my propensity for playing DDO did not go unpunished by the wife and real-life friends.

I've always maintained that so long as the wife is happy, I'm happy.

Turns out the wife is happier if I don't spend five nights a week in DDO.

But I still play.

Odd that a great many people seem to think I've left the game.

I haven't. I've just been playing some of my "younger" characters. Especially Trinarias, the construct forged by Trinarius (the Dwarf), thanks to a little assistance from Haywire and his foundry.

In fact, the construct Trinarias is now Level 11, and pushing steadily toward Level 12. He promises to one-day succeed Trinarius as head of the clan, if he lives that long.

That still doesn't explain why I haven't been blogging very much. Actually, the last time I posted a blog entry was January 10th. Almost three months.

Well... sorry. I've just been busy doing many other things. Creative writing simply wasn't one of my higher priorities.

And, if you must know, it's because of some of the guildies and allies that I finally decided to get back into Blogger and post something new.

In fact, Redraider posted a comment about my lack of Blog entries in a discussion thread on the guild boards the other day. And, one of the officers harangued me in the Message Of The Day on the in-game guild board for the same thing. If I ever figure out which officer actually did it... Belzur, maybe??? I may have punish him. In the mean time, I might be able to do what my Drill Sergeants used to do back in Basic Training... when someone screwed up, but they couldn't figure out who it was, they *smoked* the entire platoon...

:-D

Call me a sadist, but I actually enjoyed those smoke sessions.

'course, I was far more fit back then.

Still...

"Just drop and beat your face, until *I* get tired..."

:-D

I wish.

At any rate, Trinarius still plays, and with luck, the mid-level characters will be ready for their first Dragon raid sometime in the very near future.

Until then, I expect Holley the Cleric, from our allied guild, the Lifetakers and Heartbreakers, to be keeping an eye out for us Face Stabbing Misfits, to help round-out their adventure parties. It's more convenient to post on the LFM panel "come group with some *real* Misfits."

Keep it fun! (I'll try to blog more frequently.)

The Elusive Cult of Six

Trinarias has managed to climb fairly steadily up the ranks to Level 7, and is now within reach of Level 8. In the process, Krinjen/Krynjen (Belzur), Lumma/Bastim (Robinous), Plagiarist (Tanision), Sephrena (Bashal), Soulencer/Sillencia and Talgarth (Bingster) have been doing their parts to level up as well.

As you can see, though, there's quite a cast of characters involved.

So many characters, in fact, that it's been interesting trying to get a group together to attempt an actual run on the Cult itself. It seems that every time we've put a group together so far, at least one member has needed to first complete the Greymoon series that precedes it.

Now if it's been a while for you, you might have forgotten that there're four quests in the Greymoon chain. Granted, they aren't particularly difficult, so long as you run them on Normal, and have a reasonably diverse group of characters somewhere fairly close to the level of the quest. But, at the same time, the four of them strung together can take a fair chunk of time to complete.

I think, in all, I've run Trinarias through all four of the Greymoon quests at least five times.

Which is interesting, I think, when you consider that Trin had *just* turned 7 when he started the series for the first time. And that, following our latest completion of the series the other night, Trin is now less than eight thousand XP from earning Level 8.

And he hasn't run Stormcleave or The Pit yet.

Nearly all of his experience through Level 7 has been earned in the four Greymoon quests.

Nearly.

We did run a few House Phiarlan quests here and there, working on favor for those who need their House P buffs or are interested in earning their Pendant of Time. But, the vast majority of Trin's XP has come from Greymoon.

I *think*... I'm not entirely sure, but I *think* everyone now has at least one character ready for a run on the Cult.

Until now.

We've been having a few issues with regard to our Clerics lately.

Particularly since none of the Player Characters are actually Clerics. The closest any of us come to playing Clerics are those with Ranger levels, or those with Bard levels.

And, even then, they aren't really much of a substitute for a true Cleric, as Bards aren't nearly as powerful as their divine counterparts, and those of us with Ranger levels are largely restricted to using wands.

Which has meant that, on those occasions where we decided we'd be better off with a Cleric in the group, we've resorted to purchasing the services of hireling Clerics.

As strange as it may sound, I think the hireling Clerics are even more retarded than any of my own.

At least, that's the way it seems.

According to the way Turbine has implemented them, hirelings have three modes of "artificial intelligence": Active, Passive, and Defensive. It would seem, however, that amongst the Cleric's I've hired, they instead have three modes of artificial stupidity.

Of course, it *could* have something to do with the fact that *I* am the one who hired them, but still...

When a group approaches choke point, and the Rogue does indeed find and reveal a trap, why do the hireling Clerics insist on fighting enemy monsters *within* the trap? Particularly when the rest of the party has purposely setup a defense outside of the trap, and is attempting to use the trap to their own advantage against the enemy monsters?

I'll give you that the art of programming for artificial intelligence is imperfect, but I've written a great many programs that implement a certain degree of artificial intelligence for CAD applications. Yes, the programming becomes quite lengthy, but it is possible to write the program to recognize certain conditions and respond appropriately. Instead, I seem to have been offered hirelings that I literally have to tell when to breathe, lest they suffocate themselves.

And, with that in mind, I think I've come to a point where I'm going to have to ask everyone to re-run the Greymoon quests one more time...

I think it's time to bring my own Cleric to the party.

Which is why I took a little time to bring EmmDee up to speed. He's now Level 7; in-line with most everyone else in our little group, so I think we'll have to make several goes of the Cult series, too. At least once with Trinarias, and at least once more with EmmDee.

That is...

If we can get everyone through Greymoon...

;) :P

Keep it fun, everyone!