Tag: mmo

Weekly Roundup – MMO Winter Fun and Games

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~ A quick recap of things around Empire Earth over the past week.

This Week in…
 Survival!
I survived my second Black Friday. If anyone was wondering why Weekly Roundup was on hiatus last week, you have your answer. With everyone opening Thanksgiving night now, we only get a few hours of sleep before we have to be up and at it again. Free food and Monster drinks were a huge helper in that endeavor.

MMO Land
December can be such a fun month; you have awesome festive food, treats, lights, gifts, and dual pistols that shoot giant snowballs.

 Screenshot is from last year’s Star Trek Online winter event

I love hopping into my favorite MMOs and joining in their winter events. I snag as many of the freebies as I can. It is the only time I actually enjoy *le MMO grind.* Lord of the Rings Online tends to have amazing outfits. Star Trek Online has awesome snow blasting weapons. I remember the original Guild Wars had a tradition of giving away amazing hats and headpieces! I would camp the timed instances for each of my characters in order to get the much sought after holiday headgear.

Currently Reading
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien – This book is awesome. There is no other way to put it. I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I am. I honestly expected something dull and long winded. It is anything but! The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars right now is because I haven’t finished it yet.

Matters of Opinion
My blunt, unabashed thoughts in 140 characters or less:
I want a month long vacation without any monetary consequences. I just want to take a month off from work and do whatever I want.

Video of the Week
It’s people like this guy who turn crummy situations into awesome things:

Announcement
There will be no The Outlanders update this month. I apologize for this, but ‘Tis the holiday season, the most busy time of year. I really want that month >.>

Remedies for a Cold

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Happy Spring Solstice! Here’s to hoping that the St. Patrick’s Day snow was the last of it until the fall. As much as I like snow, I am more than ready to wear sandals.

My regular habits have been slowed lately because I’ve caught a nasty little cold. When I’m sick, trying to be productive is a lot like hitting a hammer into cement with a shoe. In other words, it’s not happening. I’m happy to say that my remedies for this bug have worked out well. I’m finally getting over it!

My remedies:
Store brand Nyquil/Dayquil
Tea
MMOing. Lots and lots of MMOing.

Playing an MMO is by far the best solution. (^_-)-☆

Screencaps are from Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO)

It gave me an opportunity to gather the necessary points to trade in for mithril coins, which were then traded for this fabulous dress…One has to look her best when fighting orcs. I have no regrets.

A Peek at Casual MMOing

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As those who know me in real life already know, I am an enthusiastic MMOer (MMO stands for massively multiplayer online).  Most articles I read on the subject focus on the players who fall into the “hardcore” category. They are the ones who find the time to play several hours each day. They are the ones with the best armor, weapons, and equipment. They are the ones who run the guilds, fleets, and kinships, so it’s no wonder that they get most of the attention. *

Screenshots from Lord of the Rings Online

I consider myself to be a casual gamer, and this post is going to be all about those of us who log in for as little as ten minutes at a time! Let’s step into the spotlight for just a second. Every player is different, so I can’t say what is true for me is true for every other casual gamer out there.

Star Trek Online Fanart

External factors play a huge role in my casual MMOing.  Hobbies and obligations seem to be the most prominent ones—Time to call that relative from CA! Oh, I need to help out with XYZ! My novel and [ insert hobby that I take seriously here ] wants some tender loving care! There are times when I go a week without logging in. Do I feel bad about it? Yes, but only for those games in which I’m part of a guild/fleet…etc. The group leaders invest a lot of time in order to make it a pleasant place to log into.

Screenshot from Star Trek Online 

There is also the “I can’t keep up with the hardcore crowd and their group donations” guilt. It is always there! Some MMOs have made great additions for groups. Star Trek Online added fleet starbases, embassies, and dilithium mines. These group facilities can be upgraded with many options that, in turn, benefit each member of the fleet. It is really hard to keep up when you only log on a few times each week, and I don’t always want to devote what little time I have to farming for [ insert group item here]. I do what I can though, and I think this is the main reason that there is only one MMO where I’m a part of a group (they are the friendliest bunch of gamers, by the way, and that’s why I stick around).

Screenshots from Star Trek Online

Now then, what do I actually do when I log in? Sometimes the entire session is dedicated to perfecting my character’s outfit (glorified dress up, if you will). Sometimes I’ll team up with my fleet, and other times I’ll game on my own to try and collect the hottest points on the market. In Star Trek Online, it is currently dilithium and fleet marks.  Most of the time, and yes I’ll admit this, I log in just to chat with other players.  If I’m leveling a character, I spend my time completing quests, missions, and etc .  

MMOs I’ve played:
City of Heroes
Guild Wars
Lord of the Rings Online
Star Trek Online

* MMOs have an option where you can join a group of people who share the same interests as you. Think of it as a virtual club. It makes it easy for you and the other members of your group to keep in touch and game together.