One Down, 2 To Go
Well, I’ve finally done it.
I finally beat a game for the PS2. An amazing game, at that 
Game-play wise, it was good. Story-wise, it was very intricately woven with some astonishing revelations. It actually reminded me of an old PC game I was very much enamored by… Deus Ex.
I think the thing about the game that surprised me as much as it did, was Snake’s reason for living, in the purest sense. For those that haven’t played it, I won’t ruin it, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised.
Now it feels like I at least won’t be in the dark when MGS4 gets it’s playtime. I may start into MGS3 and potentially MGS1 prior to playing #4, but we’ll see how time goes. Lots of house work and yard work this week won’t be leaving me much game time.
Keeping Busy
I’ve found that I’ve been doing my best to stay busy. I miss Tabula Rasa, but can’t bring myself to pay-to-play until I’m happy about where the game is, and not just where it’s going.
So I’ve bought a copy of Lord Of The Rings Online from eBay, and should be getting it this weekend. The nice thing is, I got a founder’s referral. What’s that mean? That means that I get to play for only $9.99 a month (regular price is $14.99 a month), billed monthly. If you are interested, let me know, and I’ll see about hooking you up with the same.
I’ve also been spending time with the PS3, playing Guitar Hero 3, Gran Turismo 4, and Final Fantasy X. I’ve had a lot of fun with these game thus far, and Lord knows that I’ve got more I can play if I get bored.
The one other thing I’ve been working on is a coding project that I’m trying to accomplish for my home church, a web-app that will manage contacts, and is customizable (by me), using php and MySQL, tools I’ve been developing with now for near 4 years.
Happenings
I downloaded the free trial to Lord Of The Rings Online this past Saturday. I’ve spent maybe a total of 8 hours actually playing it (non toon creation screen, that is). I must say that I find it a great change of pace. It’s been well thought out and I really like all the polish I’ve encountered.
Holydragon and I are on Landroval, the unofficial role-playing server, and anyone that wants to come visit, look for Aldstar or Belstar – my captain and my minstrel, respectively
My Non-Tabula Rasa Time
Well, since Pious Sodality disbanded over a week ago, I’ve stopped playing.
Sure, there’s a laundry list of reasons, and personally, I can’t stand the fact that it’s come to this, as I’ve invested a decent amount of time in the game as well as clan oriented stuff, as I did run the forums, custom built some back-end apps, etc. All that work, feels like it’s gone down the drain
I hope to be able to pick up Tabula Rasa again sometime, but it won’t be soon. I’ve been giving the PS3 lots of attention with the lack of MMO stuff I’m involved in. There’s nothing amazing going on non-Tabula Rasa related other than the games I’m attempting to catch up on now.
Still Kicking After 48 Levels
I made 48 with my Spy last night, and while I really enjoy all the amazing skills and abilities, especially my Sword of Doom, I can’t help but feel blah about hitting 50.
With a x6 exp modifier, and a +50% exp bonus token, I went from 46.5 to 48.2 in probably about 2 hours in Descent. It’s actually very fun, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I think its too much. The max bonus really should be like x4, and with a 50% modifier, that’s a x6. But for me, that will come too late. I’m going to be staring down level 50 this weekend, and I’ve not got much to look forward to.
It’s no secret that there really isn’t any elder-game content and unfortunately for me, I’m not up for consistently farming CP’s for tokens for alts, or just item grinding. Maybe I’ll take this toon back and actually do everything I missed, as I jumped to grinding after I almost finished Plateau (Maligo Base and Uster Yard are all I’ve got left there).
Pushing To 50 – With A Stop Or Two On The Way
Well, I think I was able to kick myself out of a lull I fell into. I’ve got almost half my level at 46 from Assault Token farming in Marshes. Not too shabby, and I’ve easily gotten my needed 2 respecs (which are transferable via the storage box, btw). I used one of them to help me respec for more PvP purposes. Let me just say, Lightning 4 is nasty (the stun is just what I need!)
So, I hope to hit 50 this weekend, and maybe spend some more time recruiting and PvP’ing. On Monday, my recently scored Guitar Hero 3 Wireless Bundle will be here, and I’ll probably take a good couple days off for some much needed console luv’n.
Back In Business
My video card RMA was a seemingly long & tedious wait. I mean, I sent it out on Monday, and I had it back Friday, and that was great. It just seemed very long due to no Tabula Rasa or PC usage. I’m usually on the PC, if not the game, almost every night. Instead, my PS3 got lots of attention, and I still plan to pay it some much needed attention.
When my UPS package was sitting by the counter Friday night, I was excited. I opened it up, hoping they had done something for it. Maybe give me a faster 7900gt, or a 512mb card, or something. But even if it was my 7900gt, that’s all I was expecting. I guess that’s why I was stunned when I opened the box up, and un-packed the card. This replacement was a two-slotter, and it piqued my interest, so I unwrapped away. All I could say was “wow”.
They replaced my 7900gt 256mb OC card, with an 8800gts 320mb OC card!!!
To say I was astonished is appropriate. This is a huge upgrade for me, as it’s basically what I would have gotten if the 7900gt didn’t have a lifetime warranty. Thank you BFG! Remember, I bought the original card 2nd-hand from eBay back in June of 2007, RMA’d it due to defects then, then just RMA’d it again due to defects starting to show again. I’m glad I didn’t jump on a new card. The wife was right in telling me to wait. I knew I should wait. I just didn’t think they’d actually give me a better card, but hey, no complaints here!
I can honestly say that I will continue to buy BFG stuff, as they’ve shown me time and again that they take care of their customers.
Still In Downtime Mode
It’s been a long week. I’ve been real busy with non-game stuff, and it’s getting to the point where I just hope my video card shows up soon. I’ve been staying entertained as best as I can, but I’d really like to get some TR in.
Hope to see you in-game soon!
Downtime – No Tabula Rasa Due To Graphic Card RMA
My 7900 GT went bezerk on Thursday, and I’ve got an RMA setup with the Manufacturer. They’ve been great, but this is my second RMA for the same card in under a year. I can’t say that I’m overly joyful about this, as I’m not sure what’s going on. It’s been causing me nothing but issues lately, and I’d just like to replace it. I guess eyeballing those new 9600gt’s isn’t helping.
I should be gaming again by the end of the week (at least by the end of March).
Class Management
It’s no secret I’ve got a 34 Spy. It’s also no secret that I’ve neglected my Demolitionist lately. But now with them at similar levels, I find myself wanting to balance my playtime for both.
The demo is much better in a PvP situation than a spy, and since I’m in a PvP clan, I figure that accounts for something. It’s also just tons of fun to use ripper + shotgun, or tear down kaels with nanites. It’s not as fast as a spy, but I also don’t die if more than 5 mobs get on me.
The spy is great fun in PvE, as the backstab ability is crazy. I do on average 10k damage at 34, 12k if I’ve got rage 5 going. If it gets too hairy, I use traitor to distract a few mobs, and even my 1 pump in magnesium flash has done me well, as it tends to reset the mob to it’s spawn-point via a nice little walk.
My biggest issue is that the play-styles are so different. I’ve found myself getting cremated regardless of the toon I’m on. If it’s my spy against a few mobs or my demo against more, I just haven’t been as focused as I ought to be. And it’s really throwing me off.
For me, it’s just been hard to get into a groove lately. I’m thinking I might just need to take a few days off, then jump back in. I totally enjoy Tabula Rasa, and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, but I think I just need to withdraw from it for a couple days.
