Moving on Over

Hey all....just a notice that this site has now moved to:

http://www.commonsensegamer.com/

Direct link here.

Go ahead and update your bookmarks. This site will have a lot more features for me to play around with...hence the move. I appreciate everyones support on this site...so tally-ho onto the next one.

D out

P.S. Please excuse the mess on the new site while I clean it up a bit. It might get a bite dyslexic over there....so be warned.

Toddler Rules

My 2 year old has one of the best bibs everrrr. Going to write this down for you all because I crack up at it every time I read it. It may also remind you of a certain segment of the MMO player base....

Toddler Rules

1. It's mine if I like it.
2. It's mine if I think it's mine.
3. It's mine if it looks like it's mine.
4. It's mine if it's in my hand.
5. It's mine if I can take it from you.
6. It's mine if I had it for a while.
7. It's mine if it's yours and I take it.
8. It's mine if you left it at my house.
9. It's mine and it can't be yours in any way.
10. It's mine! Mine! Mine!

...hehe...I love it.

D out.

I Still don't get it...

Well...apparently this is happening, i.e. SOE is taking Vanguard. Can someone please tell me why this makes any bit of sense? Anyone...? And don't say "because" or I'll feel the need to smack you :)

...shortest...blog posting...everrrrr.

Warhammer is Delayed

...again shocking news that I never would have seen coming. Tobold got the recent news letter (mine is sent to an account I have no access to right now) so I'll send you all there to take a look.

I'm actually glad they did this because this makes me think that they really do get "the polish" message...but we'll have to wait and see to really make the final judgment on that one. Two down for "getting it", 5-6 more to go for 2007.

Now, with it being foretasted to Q1 2008, there is still a possibility that they'll push it out to Q2. I'm not getting that vibe yet, but prepare yourself for that possibility.

D out.

I'm Still Not Dead yet...

Tobold put up a counter to my blog entry last night and I just wanted to do some clarification here. I put a comment on his sight as well.

Couple of things...I never said what Pardo stated about the was "...not true" as Tobold suggests in his counter. What, in fact I did say was that it either "....jumped out at me", or "...it bugged me" and finally "...struck me as an odd thing to say." Before that I illustrated, quite sarcastically of course, the reasons being the end game (key words here...end game) grind that most players are encountering with respect to raiding, farming, reputation and crafting. Never said what Pardo stated was "not true".

I then went on to say how much content there is and how my wife is actually running out of levels before content...to that, Bravo to Pardo for keeping her suitably entertained.

Now, take this with a grain of salt please. I'm not "smacking down" on Tobold...far from it, because the stuff he wrote in his counter to my article is perfectly valid regarding WoW. It does have a lot of content (2000 hours? Sure...easily). It is extremely fun to play from 1-70. I think we're both on the same page, we're both just a little burned out on WoW, and we both never expected it to last forever.

Thanks T :)

D out

It's Buffet Day

So we'll start off with some podcast news. First up is the guys at MOG have posted up show number 61. Their guest for the show is Denis McCauley from gamepolitics.com. This show deserved some mention because they tackle all of the issues behind the recent events at Virginia Tech. Gary and Ryan bring up a very important fact about what happened and that it is the issue of how mental health played into this whole thing. It looks like this kid was just sick in the head ...well, obviously. That, unfortunately doesn't seem to be the focus of the debate...because hey, politicians will get more votes if they "save children from video games" than if they tackle mental illness. As usual...it's guns, video games and media in general (rap music or movies) as the central issue. Sadly, we will see more events like this happen again until we address the real issues of why people do things like this. So, thanks Garry and Ryan...great show boys.

Next, looks like TelonCast is signing off for good now. Mikael has decided that Vanguard is not the MMO for him I guess and has opted move on to other things. I'm really not surprised to tell you the truth. If you look at the podcasts, they've been getting shorter and shorter...also, his tone and enthusiasm seem to change at around show 6-ish. It's hard enough to keep a podcast going...it's even harder when you don't have a passion for the game you're playing. He's starting another general podcast called Wildly Divergent in the near future. So, good luck to Mike with his future podcast.

LoTRO has announced their first update called Shores of Evendim. Check it out for feature details and such. It's great that they are already announcing new content and like I said, I'm really eager to start to experience this game after the level cap is removed.

So Brent keeps posting content from his recent contest and one caught my eye on Friday. The article hits an angle I never really thought of, i.e. how could the VG team keep moving on their vision despite having the MMO successes and failures to draw on since 2001-2002 (or whenever they actually started designing VG)? That's a really good question. They saw the massive success that is WoW and how it absolutely killed EQ2 at launch in 2004...and yet, they stuck with their vision. They saw how well Eve Online was doing, and yet, stuck with their vision. Nat has a point, this vision may have just translated to either bad design or outdated gaming norms that just don't appeal to gamers anymore. Remember how I said that the word "potential" has an expiry date...well, we're really close to it I think.

There are some who think that Sigil is in a bit of trouble and that SOE may be a candidate for taking over Vanguard. I really don't know what to think about that. One question is: Why would they? They already have a fantasy game in EQ2. Why on earth would they pick up on another one? Given EoF, EQ2 has just finally come into it's own and, in my opinion, is on par with WoW in terms of game play and accessibility. SOE spent two years getting to this point with EQ2, why would they spend the money, resources, and another 2 years getting VG up to snuff? Personally, I think they have their hands full with something else...because besides the station pass thingy and the new launcher, SOE has said nothing about what they're doing next (more knowledgeable people...please correct me if I'm wrong).

D out.

The Gaming Blahs

There seems to be nothing going on right now...and that usually means that something is going on.

Do you ever have one of those weeks when you've had a busy day at work, you've made dinner for the family, gave the kids a bath, put them to bed. You then turn on the computer and settle in for some gaming...and then, nothing. You just stare at the computer screen for 15 minutes wondering wtf you're going to play? I've had one of those weeks. A week where I turn on the computer, stare at it, fiddle around a bit and then leave to go do something else downstairs....it's very weird. I think I watched more TV last week than I have the last six moths combined.

It's not as if I don't have anything to play. LoTR Online...check. My Captain is up to level 15 and my Champion is up to level 7. I guess I could mine nodes and work on my crafting but the crafting system really hasn't motivated me in this game just yet. Eve Online...check. Skill training is still going. Silent Hunter 4...no so check. Lots o' bugs in the game still, so I continue to hold off really getting into that one. Vangurad...no so check. I haven't logged into that game for a bit and it looks like that adventure is coming to an end for me. WoW...account canceled. I didn't like doing it, but it had to be done. My wife and her friend are planning to start a couple of alliance characters in the future, so maybe I'll resub around that time. BC fell really short in my book, but maybe I just need a new perspective on the game and start fresh....but then again...

I'm in zero betas right now, so I have nothing to report there....so what the heck have I been doing lately? Well, I've been going gang busters on my guitar playing (...yes, I can play. No, you'll never hear me play, so don't ask :) . Oh yeah, and barre chords are the devil!!). The good news is that even though there is really no news, there is still lots to talk about...so stay tuned for the usual stuff from TCSG.

Bah...I usually get into this game blah state once every 1-2 months and then it promptly disappears. LoTR launches tomorrow, so I can finally get past 15, so I'll be going gangbusters on that title as soon as I can. My goal is to get past level 30 by June because come that time it's "Avast you sorry sacks of entrails...hoist the main sail!!"

D out.

Ahh Crap

I've been tagged...not once, but twice. Damn you Cuppy and Bildo...I will get you eventually.

So, here it is: 5 Reasons that I blog:

1. I needed someplace, please, anyplace to write my thoughts down about MMOs. I've laid low for quite a while...browsing webpages, reading forums (but not posting...dear gawd, never posting). I find that keeping all of these ideas in your head without some kind of outlet was not good for my sanity :)

2. I really don't have any real gamer friends....or none to really talk to about gaming on a regular basis anyway. I'm finding people I would have never really talked to if it hadn't been for this site. I'm finding this whole blogger/podcast community network is starting to form all around me, and I like what I see.

3. Writing down my ideas sharpens and shapes them...especially when someone comments and changes my perspective on an idea (...this happens more than you think...)

4. Networking. You never know what doors will open if you write about what you love.

5. This point comes from me looking back on it from where I am now. It still amazes me that people actually read what I write down. It amazes me that I have readers actually. It amazes me that they take the time to post comments.

No one to tag, as I'm sure everyone has already been hit. Plus....the madness has got to stop somewhere.

When we all fall down...

You know, I wasn't going to say a word about what happened recently regarding the event at VT...because I really don't trust myself in making this whole post either about a) gun control, or b) The King Asshat (need I say more) or c) video game violence (see b).

You see, I'm Canadian, so the (a) option has never registered with my brain for anyone to need (note the word "need" not "want") a gun. It's just a cultural difference there. I just think that this murderer would have done less damage had he only had access to a knife or baseball bat. I was a big time hunter when I was in high school. I hunted rabbits, deer and of course, moose. I made it point to use only a single shot weapon, as I personally thought that if I didn't hit the animal the first time, I didn't deserve it. So, I never got the whole for semi-autos for hunting thing. This is just my take, and I know we all have our own. The whole thing just makes no sense what so ever.

I'm a gamer at heart, so it absolutely infuriates me to hear King Asshat and now Dr.Phil (W...T...F!!!). We as gamers know that millions of people play video games. We as gamers also know that if there was any correlation between school shootings and video games, we'd have a bigger problem on our hands than we do now. I get angry enough when a guy like this thinks he had the right to take other peoples lives because he can't deal. It gets me even angrier when lawyers, politicians, TV show hosts and "news" reporters use a high impact event like this to push their own careers along. We've got real families suffering here and these talking heads can't get their heads out of their ass.

As for part (c), well, it's closely linked to King Asshat because thats the drum he likes to beat...repeatedly.

As a father of two little girls, this thing absolutely scares the shit out of me. We haven't had that many of these school shootings up here, but we have had them. Part of me never wants to let my 6 year old go to school again. Part of me just wants to say, "ok, everyone hand in the guns now...enough is enough". Part of me wishes that kid didn't kill himself so that he could truly understand what the moms and dads of those kids are feeling. But, hey, I really can't have any of that...realistically anyway.

D out.

P.S Sorry to law abiding gun owners.

P.S.S I'm not sorry to King Asshat...you truly are a D bag.

P.S.S.S Rush as the voice of common sense...amazing and bravo.

CALLER: What I really think is an issue is video violence, video gaming. I will guarantee you, I'll bet my last dollar in my pocket, that this shooter will be found to have been a compulsive video gamer, and when people are living that kind of lifestyle -- and college students do this a lot.

RUSH: (sigh) Let's say you're right. Not every video gamer goes out and murders 33 people on the college campus though. There's more to this than that. We can find all kinds of societal problems and ills, but the fact of the matter is that whatever you would look at as a bad influence -- video games as you mentioned -- it may desensitize people, but it doesn't turn everybody into mass murderers.

I know it's natural that everybody wants to throw their theories into this, and perhaps come up with perhaps a unique explanation or to understand, and I think it's natural, because people have a tough time accepting a relatively simple explanation for something of this scale. But how many people are playing video games out there? How many millions of people play video games, and how many millions of people have guns?

If you start blaming the video games, you may as well demand video game control because it's the same thing when you start trying to blame guns for this. You have here a sick individual, an evil individual who committed a random act. But if you want to start blaming the video games, this guy was this or that, weeeeell, then you've gotta maybe talk about banning them because that's the same tack that's taken with guns. You got one guy who used a gun that's it. You're falling prey to the same way the Drive-Bys propagandize, and that's, "Well, we need gun control! We gotta get guns out of the hands of people."

So you gotta be real careful here not to paint with broad brushes on these things. You gotta be very careful not to plug this into your own individual political prism, because then you become no different than what the Drive-Bys are doing. If you just wait, eventually we'll find out more than we want to know about this guy, and you're going to have to listen to what's reported about this guy with keen ears, and you're going to have to read with sharp eyes out there, because the Drive-Bys are going to report about this guy in ways that will advance their political agenda because that's what this story is to them.

Gary Responds

Gary of MOG was kind enough to post a response to my "MOG no longer Massive or Online" article. I thought I would bring it up front for everyone.

"Hey Guys...Gary here from MOG here

When I said that I was done with MMO's right now it's more of a frustration with the current market...

We are absolutely going to be trying Conan, POTBS, Tabula, and probably every other MMO that comes out...

We LOVE the genre...it's just in a really boring place right now...consoles are forging on creating some really great experiences while MMO devs are giving us alot of the same over and over again...it's frustrating...

As for your first commenter I am sorry you think that we stopped making sense for giving what was supposed to be a monumental title(D&L)a shot...and at that time Shadowbane went completely free!! Why wouldnt we try it out...we didnt play SB in it's hay day...

Do we have a drink once in awhile...sure

Do we crack some jokes...sure

Do we talk about video games...sure

That is what we do...hopefully we make you chuckle at something and you realize we are talking about video games here...not Global Politics...it should be FUN!"

Glad to hear that they're going to stick it out and try all of these titles. It's going to be an interesting year.

D out.

The Walls have Eyes!!

It's getting insane again and the seven horsemen of the apocalypse are on the move. Why? Simple...SOE hired a VP of Business Development from IGE to to head up Business Development and International Operations. That's it then....I got lots to do before the fit hits the shan.

So far, the only people who have been even close to level headed about this is Cuppy and Brent (who agrees with Cuppy and will say no more). Everyone else seems to be, well...not so much. Now, don't get me wrong, these guys may prove to be right at some point...but right now, I just think that they are over reacting just a tad.

Look, SOE is a business and their job is to make money. David Christiansen has experience in business development and will help the SOE's corporate strategy to make money. Yes, this is an odd move due to IGE's affiliation with RMTs and such....but that's all this is for now, "odd". Saying, "well, hey, this means that SOE is now going to expand station exchange and start making RMT a core business model" is jumping the gun at this point. So no, SOE making this move does not mean that they want to eat your babies, steal your lunch money or give you a wedgie.

OK, so what if these guys are right and SOE does expand RMT and this guy is heading that initiative up. Well, here is the fun part....vote with your wallet. Don't buy SOE products. You see, thats the fun of being a customer. You get to decide where your money goes. You get to decide who to support. However, predicting doom, raining frogs, dogs and cats living together etc. , to what is right now, a non-event, just weakens your position and the point you're trying to make.

For me, I'll sit back and see what unfolds. Let's leave the crystal balls packed up for this one and actually comment when something REALLY happens with this story. Wow....that would be a switch, wouldn't it.

D out.

The Journey

OK, so Eve continues it's love/hate relationship with me. Man, playing that game reminds me of a girl I dated in high school once. She's very pretty and is a great dancer, but sometimes she'll kick you square in the balls.

I opted to start communicating with my corps again (yes, I've been kinda silent while I figure this game out) and start the journey to 0.0...an area of the game which I haven't experienced yet. The corps officers immediately wanted me on vent and catch me up on things...which was really nice. They answered all of my stupid questions and even gave my sorry/poor ass some cash for supplies for the next month or so.

I did some equipping for the journey and started my first journey in 0.0...and I was very nervous for the trip, despite the corps telling me that the path is all clear. I mapped out the path and off I went, each jump I checked local for anyone who wasn't green or blue to me. With all of the talk about 0.0 that I've heard over the past year, I honestly thought that I'd be blown up after the first jump. Suffice to say that I made all jumps into 0.0 without incident and now I'm ready to experience Eve in a different way...at least, that's what I'm hoping.

Not too sure how much longer I will last in Eve given the MMOs that are coming out. PoTBS is a definite right now, and it's coming out in June I think. Let's face it, Warhammer will be a Q1 2008 release (at the earliest). Conan hasn't pushed any of my buttons at all...yayyy, I can chop off heads and it looks good, but what else? Oh yeah, their magic system is very interesting. Gods and Heroes is a possibility but again, the only thing I see right now are the animations and that ultimately won't sell me long term....and honestly, I'm still suspicious of the minion system. Who knows who will be on top of my play list at the end of 2007...it's interesting to speculate though. My guess is PoTBS, Eve and LoTR right now.

D out.

The Day that will never end

This will probably be my only post for the day. I've got a half day meeting plus a "teambuilding" event here at work...so, sucks to be me ;)

Not much coming out of my usual news sources this morning...but lots of bloggers are picking up and commenting on Brad's latest post on Vanguard. No shortage of opinion there. Some are predicting the doom scenario for Vanguard, and some are analyzing the areas that Brad touched on: Performance, Server population, Marketing etc. I liked Ancient Gaming Noob's take on it the best so far. Cuppy went to town on Brad and pulls no punches on how she sees the situation. Note to self: Don't release an unfinished game or Cuppy will kill me ;)

...I still think we should leave the guy alone though ;)

D out.

Oh gawd my eyes....the goggles do nothing!

So I was taking a look at Site Meter for the site yesterday, you know, to see who's jumping in and to also see if there are any new faces taking a peek. I was doing this at work...important point. There were the usual sites visiting (thanks guys) and some google search links...and there it was, a new site taking a look. Well, I clicked it and I couldn't find the close button fast enough.

Nothing like a little gay porn site popping up at work to get your heart rate going.

[Edit: And that would be an "oh gawd, I'm going to get fired" kinda heart rate...not a "oh kewl..gay porn" kind of heart rate. I know some of you were thinking that...sickos :) ]