Launch nonsense aside, I’ve decided to join the masses playing SimCity 5. I’ve never played SimCity of any kind. For several years, I was a huge The Sims fan. I’ve played and owned every version and the accompanying expansions through The Sims 3 Apartment Life. I even played The Sims Online and was in the beta no less. Oh how the fall of that game broke my heart. It was like the designers had never played The Sims. *Cries big splashy tears*

My favorite game zones lean toward shire-like or Germanic folksy landscapes. I typically despise frozen zones and desert wastelands. In my experiences, they often lack imagination in their visualization – icy empty or parched empty…blah. Rift’s Shimmering Sands was a desert exception and GW2’s snow covered Frostgorge Sound delighted me and was the end-game zone I enjoyed best.

I am officially on hiatus from GW2. Although I love me some Mesmer, what I was doing became too repetitive. I was crafting, saving up money and doing monthlies for no real reason. I had all the gear I wanted, maxed crafting and amassing gold just cuz. I need some dings, places areas to explore or new skills/specs to entertain me. I think my days of deep end game are over.

This is my Lancer, Saylah Noire, finishing up a quest in Tuwangi Mire. TM is a tiny area south of Fey Forrest, that's easily missed. Sarzan (duoing partner) and I didn't quest there on our main characters. I stumbled on it while exploring. It's a cute valley with fun architecture that offers a change in scenery when questing on an alt character. Related articles Tera Online: Early Impressions Part 1 of 3 Tera Online: Early Impressions Part 2 of 3 Tera Online: Early Impressions Part 3 of 3

My Mystic hit level 26 last week. Friday evening I decided to try my first instance in Tera Online. Initially, I tried getting in a group via chat. I didn't want to main heal my first time doing an instance or for that matter, healing a real group. I've healed people through taking down BAMs here-n-there but that's nothing compared to dungeon encounters. No luck getting a group in chat, I used the LFG tool knowing by doing so, I stood a good chance of being the healer.

Locked. Loaded. Ready to be obssessed. I just finished watching the "Making of" and Pilot Preview for the new show. It looked like the complexity and backstory of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica + intimate and compelling characters from my beloved Firefly. OMG looks like BSG + Whedon had a baby. Am more amped about the show than ever before. How cool would it be if the game was also half decent. I'm not often a fan of the SyFy network. They have been known to pull acclaimed shows off the air and bastardized one of my favorite fantasy series of all time, Earthsea. They have a chance here to redeem themselves and prove to me at least, that BSG wasn't luck. Related articles Quick Look: Defiance PlayStation 3 Beta - with Gameplay Video PAR Editorial: Defiance is bridging the gap between TV and games; here's how, and lessons learned along...

Earlier in the week I encountered my 2nd Big Ass Monster that the players call BAMs. I'd only recently enountered my first as part of a quest a couple of levels ago. BAMs are designed for 5-man parties but I've seen players attempting them with less. Certain class combinations can duo them. I've heard of Lancers soloing them. I will definitely give it a try for shitz-n-grinz when my Lancer reaches this zone. My first BAM quest completions were done duo with Sarzan. Whew, it's one hell of a long fight with little margin for error when you're messing with BAMs. Stray too far trying to evade a big hit and you might pull another BAM or set of mobs. *Raises hand* Yep, I've done that. The aggro leash is so large that other players can unintentionally drag a pack of mobs across your combat area and if you just...

Let's recap the highlights of my impressions that started here and continued here, into a bullet list and final thoughts. What I like Best Solo / duo friendly Classes are what caught my attention and make questing fun Customizable UI - you're staring at it and using it, I prefer making it suit me personally not a designer's idea of where things should be. I'm talking to you ANet. Gear doesn't matter too much. You can function just fine wearing the drops provided. That may change later in the game. Creating combines in crafting provides levels. Sure it's the same ole create 1000 fozzles before making anything you really want BUT it helps when you can level making the stacks of cloth, leather, ingots, yada. Environments are pleasant to be in and ride around if you like typical fantasy. It's no GW2, Aion or AOC but it's nice enough and...

Continuing a discussion on my early impressions of Tera Online... The Classes Shine Where Tera shines for me are the classes. The world can be bland if the classes are cool. Back to the basic party trinity of tank, healer and damage, you have at least two options for each role. I messed around with a few and ended up enjoying Lancer (tank) and Mystic (healer/support) the best. From a pure combat point of view, I think the Lancer is pretty sweet. His moves have a visceral feel to them. I feel the impact in combat and his animations are tight. Who wouldn't enjoy slamming a wall of mobs in the face with a shield??? Or a basic lance attack that inches you forward with each thrust, with the 3rd delivering big damage if you can pull it off. Think fencing moves with a lance 2x your height and a...

For the past few weeks, I've been playing Tera Online 1to 2 evenings a week as a static group. The idea was to surf F2P games until the next big surge of enthusiasm for GW2. At least for me, that was the idea - find a "time away from GW2" filler game. GW2 is my home for the foreseeable future but an alternative is nice. Going in, I knew Tera Online wasn't targeted to players like me. I'm no FPS gamer. I've played a few in my day and have enjoyed them but I suck at them. I'm a die hard keyboard gamer. Me and PC games go way back. Me and controllers not so much. So I can't blame the game for aspects that are awkward for me merely because I prefer to do most things with the keyboard. So I'll skip my opinion on those aspects for the...

It's been a while since my last substantial post. In truth, not much has been going on in terms of gaming. I've been out of town for work 2 of the last 4 weeks is one reason. I've been spending more time teaching myself new jewelry making techniques in real life is the other. In the next couple of weeks, I hope to embark on the journey of hot-joining metals and hope I don't burn down my house! I'll need to make sure that my house insurance is in order. (jk) GW2 Maintenance Mode My life in GW2 marches on. No new friends have joined me in the game. Boooooooooo!!! Niece, nephew and daughter returned to their lives on XBox. The large but WvW focused guild I'm in has gone silent or tits-up, not sure which. Doesn't really matter, I'm cruising along doing what I do at end game -...

I took a gander at doing my first ever Reddit post. I hope they are kind! :-) Besides hoping and waiting for ANet to add more RP-worthy clothes in the gem shop, I'd like them to have more functionality. I started a thread on Reddit to discuss the idea of there being a costume for each of the crafting professions that spawns a temporary station. I think it would be a blast.

My Mesmer and newly finished crafting professions have me back into the honeymoon phase in GW2. The class provides better support and versatility for the aspects of game-play I focus on at max level. Plus her animations are flashy and her gear options are much more feminine, which adds to the overall appeal. Harvesting on EZMode I find harvesting nodes a relaxing thing to do. In most MMOs, its how I like to end my gaming sessions – bit of unwinding. Most of my harvesting is to support crafting but I don’t mind farming profitable items for resale. The Mesmer class is much more adept at convenient harvesting in high level zones. She has a nice arsenal of skills for “Don’t mind me, I’m just passing through.” She has a nice selection of sweet sweet anti-combat maneuvers at her disposal. A typical configuration for me is Scepter + Focus, Sword...

I'm always exhausted the weekend I return home from traveling. I was also ravenous for GW2 and spent the majority of the weekend at it. My Mesmer reached 80 on Saturday. Finishing the last few levels felt like a chore I wanted to end as quickly as possible. This is mostly due to the fact that I CAN'T STAND ORR. I might have skipped it altogether except that having parked the Guardian at the rich Ori node in Southsun, I need the Mesmer to harvest for her too when she's out. So if I had to be out leveling I should at least spend some time where I can get the top tier cooking items. OMG why are so many of them in Orr. I detest that place. I can tolerate Cursed Shore a bit more because navigating the area to harvest is a little less annoying but not by...

Continued from Part 1 Ding 62 / 300 Artificer & 250 Tailor The end is in sight. I’ve done AC and CM story modes twice each. I’m plugging away at these last two professions (Tailor and Artificer). They’re the last I intend to level for quite some time. For now, it’s something I do when I want to play but not in the mood to run around. It’s more costly following the “just buy the component” guides but it’s easy. I don't even take the time to dissect what I have mats for that I could make myself versus purchase. This time around, I’m stockpiling the supplies I harvested. I what I can for my Mesmer's armor, weapons and trinkets. But as far as leveling the professions, this time I'm following guides.

My posts have been a bit behind my current level in game. When I have the time, I often write several posts related to screenshots I’ve taken and schedule them to be published at regular intervals. All my holiday/vacation time postings are done. Boo! Back to work, growing my skills as a crafter in real life and playing a bit less of GW2.

I'm using a clone/phantasm build for my Mesmer. It's really the bomb. It might not be the best DPS but who cares. It's fun. I keep flipping between a build focused on Staff and Scepter/Pistol and one that uses Sword/Focus and Scepter/Pistol. For the latter, I enjoy having a run buff that's on a short timer. It's extremely convenient for harvesting. The Warden does excellent damage but the fact that she doesn't move is a bit of a pain. It also feels strange opting to be in melee range in cloth!?! Especially after being a Guardian in heavy armor. She doesn't seem to take any more damage then when I'm using all ranged weapons but I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around it in general. Both builds are enjoyable and suit my prone to solo anything style. I can take on more mobs at once with the 1st...

If the rumors are true, famed cyclist Lance Armstrong admits to using performance enhancement drugs during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. Oh Lance, I thought there must be something to the allegations when he stopped fighting the charges. I can understand the cost of being tried in the court of public opinion but for me at least, I'd go down fighting until I was deaf, dumb, blind and broke, before I'd let false accusations silence me.

What the hell happened to having a bonafied nighttime in MMOs? Have I lost my mind, or didn't WOW actually get dark in Vanilla??? From my recollection, we only have EQ2 and LOTRO that present a full on night cycle in the AAA MMO arena. I don't know what started the trend of dusk substituting for darkness but I AM NOT A FAN. No one followed AC2's lead with actual seasons which was A-ma-ZING! Can we at least have nighttime!?!

I hit 35 of my Mesmer the other evening. Wow, that came quickly. I dinged it just before completing the Gendarran Fields map. Only fifteen more levels to go and I'll have my second max level character.

One of the things I told my self after I stopped raiding in World of Warcraft, was that my days of carrying around multiple sets of armor were over! Screw having your healing set for instances and raids, plus a damage set for farming and leveling. Consequently, when I hit max level on my Guardian, I purchased crafting gear for the role I wanted to play for my "end game".

I purchased the Rift expansion a few weeks ago thinking I'd jump right in to level and build houses. That's now how it panned out after playing for a bit. Rift is still gorgeous. My cleric is still a fun class but it doesn't hold up to my experiences in GW2, which feels like Rift evolved and then some. I'm not unhappy with the purchase or having done a 6-month subscription. One of my nephews has taken a liking to the game. This one in particular enjoys player housing and hence, was on my EQ2 account a bit but finds that game too daunting for a 10 yr old. The travel alone confuses him - moving from my houses spread across different racial zones plus the prestige ones was always confusing to him. Rift he gets and likes having a max level character. Combined with the new player housing, it's...

The snow is melting, Winterday events are over in Tyria. I must admit I breathed a sigh of relief. I won't miss tattered and grimy articles of clothing clogging up my bag space. On the other hand, I should have farmed more of the various snowflake varieties. I'm sure the prices will skyrocket the minute Tixx and her crew leave town. No matter, the Wintersday versions of Orichalcum trinkets/jewelry didn't sell for much higher than their everyday counter parts.

Dear GW2, this is how SOE continues to syphon money out of me for a game I barely play. You've nearly matched their crafting system. At least, better than any I've played since, EQ2. The economy is decent and active. Most crafted good sell on the cheap but whatevs. Find the few that sell at a profit and score. However, none of these things earn you a dime from me and there are only so many costumes necessary for my closet. So how does EQ2 get my money when I'm not even playing???? HOUSING. I'll say it again, it's HOUSING. Curse Tipa for posting the picture of a new prestige house available for purchase. OMG how will I control the screaming impulse to run and buy it NOW. Even knowing I don't have any time to decorate it. I haven't touched the hobbit hole I bought in a few months...

I may join a PVE focused guild when my Mesmer reaches level 30 or is ready to do instances. For now however, I'm going solo, representing our family guild of alts. My Guardian is still in the monster sized guild she started in, which for me, is a bit too impersonal. Consequently, I'm often doing my own thing on her too. It would be the perfect guild if you're primary focus is WvW but I haven't ventured into that much.