Music to Hunt By

I know almost everyone has their own custom playlists of tunes when they get tired of the in-game tracks, I was just curious as to what you listen to get your "hero mode" on? :) I suppose I should lead by example, here are mine (strangely all from Vindictus):

Havan
Crom
Sand Guardian
Regina
Ahglan
Glas

Yep, what might be amazing for me is probably just noise for the next guy so please share your top tunes to hunt by!

And just for laughs, here's an awesome English fan dub/cover opening for the new "One Punch Man" anime! For those who haven't seen the series, I suggest watching the first few episodes as it is quite entertaining.

Coming up next on the blog: I'm going to try out a week or two of MMO Agendas (much like the ATITD test) that I hope all of you participate in, followed by the continuation of the Darklands story and more of my Nameless Writing Experiment sometime in the future!

Taking it Slow

Sorry for the picture madness as of late. You can blame Chestnut at Gamer Girl Confessions for running IntPiPoMo2015, the more visual cousin of Nanowrimo where the goal is to post 50 screenshots in the month of November. The best way to describe my attempt is via another screenshot from Wizardry Online. :P

Anyway, after what feels like a year of -almost- daily posts I think I'm going to cut down a bit again on the frequency of my posting. Yes, it is draining but more importantly there are other things I want to do too. One of which might ironically be starting up another blog-type site! :P Not sure yet how that is going to pan out if I actually go that route but don't worry, this workshop will still be going - just a little more quietly like it used to be before.

Apparently I'm not the only one either, if this chart is to be believed. This is the number of "active" blogs I've had links to, and my definition of "active" is having at least one post every three weeks. That first 150 is also not accurate, I just noted "150+" in the past so I don't have the actual figure - in reality I think it was more 175-200.

Gone up again to 90ish from IntPiPoMo though!

Speaking of charts, things look pretty glum for most of the games I play on the steamcharts too, which I know doesn't represent the entire player base but still:

Neverwinter Online
Mabinogi
Vindictus
Warframe - the exception, seems to be thriving!
Elder Scrolls: Skyrim -Funny to compare the numbers of a single player game to the MMOs

Anywho, to perk up your spirits again I've got youtube links to something called Skill Con which involves a whole slew of random abilities people have and most are pretty cool to watch: Everything from Cardistry to Juggling!

MMO Design: Vindictus Quest Structure

[Part of my MMO Design folder.]

Most MMO's I've played have the quest structured similar to this:

• NPC Person has Obvious Marker (?/!) that they have a quest for you
• Talk to NPC Person to pick up quest
• Do something which 80% of the time involves fighting
• Return to NPC Person and get monetary / XP rewards
• With enough XP your Stats might go up

While Vindictus also has that, there are extra and somewhat hidden quests (mentioned only once during the tutorial phase and never again) you can undertake in the form of Equipment Sets which serve as both a gold drain and time wall. How it works is this:

• Find NPC Person in town (no obvious mark)
• Purchase a Story scroll from them and read it to begin Quest
• Quest is often a combination of collection, crafting and luck
• When complete, you gain some "title"
• Each title you earn boosts stats (STR/DEX etc)

It's the first time I've seen a "Pay for Quest" structure that gives out permanent Stat bonuses as a reward but I think it's pretty clever as it really rewards those who play the game longer (to go after those quests). Two of the same character with the same gear at the same level can still vastly differ in power levels due to the title system, and I for one would actually like to see this system in more games. Properly implemented with a few tweaks I think it could even replace the old XP and level structure that everyone is used to.

What do you think?

MMO Design: Getting Players back in the Game

[Part of my MMO Design folder.]

What does your MMO offer as enticements for long absent players to return?

In Vindictus (Australian server anyway), the answer is a "Tour of Duty Box" and a "Redeployment Pack", both are non-tradable, character bound items that can only be obtained by not logging in for x amount of time (I think 30-90 days?). The Tour of Duty Box contains random consumables like precious healing potions or time-restricted performance / XP boosters. They also come with another Tour of Duty Box you can unlock as you level up. This is pretty neat but I think can also be found in some other MMO titles.

The Redeployment Pack however is new to me. It comes with full sets (armor and weapons) of near end game equipment, enabling you to curb stomp your way quickly up the levels. All this gear is also zero weight and costs mere pennies to repair. The catch? You can only use them for 30 days at which point they vanish. That incentive of a 30 day curb stomp rampage is a pretty decent one for me, and one I haven't really come across elsewhere.

I'm just wondering what your previous MMO's offer you to come back after a long absence?

Photo Story: The Magic Bow (Part 4)

[Part of my Photo Story Folder.]

Fortunately the healing potions I carry could 

negate the damage the giant bear caused.

Meaning it was time for round two! It was a long fight, and we both got tired.

After some civil conversation we decided to call it a draw, 

and the giant bear let me continue on my quest.

Finally I found the bow I had heard of, only... it wasn't magical. 

Upon returning to town I asked Azuis, my pet polar bear, 

why he thought it was so and angling his furry head to one side 

simply said "because it makes arrows fly." 

*Face palm*

Photo Story: The Magic Bow (Part 3)

[Part of my Photo Story Folder.]

With the pink lady on her way back to the surface 
(sure hope she avoided those boulders), 

I finally found myself in a large chamber.

The lone inhabitant didn't look pleased to see me.

He certainly moves well for a big fella. Just have to keep on my toes and eva...

Son of a bitch!

Photo Story: The Magic Bow (Part 2)

[Part of my Photo Story Folder.]

I came across an oddly dressed woman down in the depths.

She was being hunted by kobolds so I... uh... 

I have no idea what I did to them but it sure looks painful!

The kobolds were going to sacrifice the lady in pink

 to some hideous plant thing so I exploded that too.

Got a little too close to the blast though.

I don't recommend setting yourself on fire to keep warm.

Photo Story: A Night to Remember (Part 3)

[Part of my Photo Story Folder.]

The fight against the vampire emperor was tough.

He liked to fly around in the air with those wolverine-like claws.

It was then I saw his weakness. It was gross.

His face should tell you everything you need to know 
about where the final shot landed.

With the vampire emperor dead, the morning sun rose 
and it was time to sail on home.

Photo Story: A Night to Remember (Part 2)

[Part of my Photo Story Folder.]

I used my jet pack to fly deeper into the village (and away from the scary spider), 

burning some houses and crops on the way.

Finally I found a vampire and shot him with bolts, 

then I punched him in the face until he died. Again.

The stone columns exploded releasing two more vampires. 

"En Garde!"

Upon beating those two came the shadowy form of the emperor vampire whom I promptly punched in the face AND detonated an explosive in his crotch. The only effect was him yelling numbers at me, "4608!" I began to worry that there was a tiny pacman ghost hovering above my head.

Photo Story: A Night to Remember (Part 1)

[Part of my Photo Story Folder.]

The hour was getting late when I finally defeated the creature in the graveyard.

To my surprise, Cichol (an evil demi-god) showed up and said "Now the vampires will kill you!"

"Vampires?" I scoffed, readying my spiked knuckle duster 
because punching vampires in the face is what true heroes are made of.

Cichol laughed as he vanished and dropped a giant spider beside me instead. 
WTF dude.

Photo Story: Hammering Gnolls (Part 3)

[Part of my Photo Story Folder.]

Once I could stand again it was time to finish my job here... without the giant hammer.

I learned that shooting explosives into an enemy's crotch makes for a pretty good substitute.

It would send them flying!

After sending a few gnolls into orbit I considered this mission done.

Photo Story: Hammering Gnolls (Part 2)

[Part of my Photo Story Folder.]

I tried to sneakily take out all the sentries...

... but you can only be so quiet with a giant hammer.

More and more gnolls showed up to get hammered.

Eventually I ended up having to throw mine at one of their leaders 

and switching back to my cross gun.

Dropping a giant hammer on your foot is not recommended. Ow.

Photo Story: Hammering Gnolls (Part 1)

[Part of my Photo Story Folder.]

Trying something new again today, somewhat inspired by Missy Mojo and Ravalation's love for screen shots. I thought I'd try entertain you all a few quick (non-too serious, mostly made up) photo stories based on my time in Vindictus (for starters anyway). Hope you enjoy!

It all started when my wife decided to beat up some gnolls...

After hacking up a few with her sword, one of them begged for his life 

in exchange for giving information on a weakness their boss had.

He was thanked for the information (via beheading)

and I was promptly dispatched to see if this information was true.

Though I did suspect most things have a natural weakness to a giant hammer.

Vindictus: Titles and Special Potions

[This is part of my Vindictus tutorials.]

To be the best you can be, you must hunt titles. I didn't realize that for a long time, thinking that like in Mabinogi - only stats of your active title are given to you. Nope, ALL the stat boosts of EVERY title you earn applies immediately regardless if you are "wearing" any title or not. Press "c" to open your character tab and then you can click the "titles" button to see what you already have. The ones that you have learned about but not yet earned are grey, but clicking on them will reveal what you need to do to earn it. Be sure to check with Aislinn at the general store for the equipment set quests too as those also give titles.

Speaking of stores Ernmass at Colhen inn sells some neat stuff for AP, the handiest I think being the Merc Heal potions. Unlike regular potions that have a drink animation and are less effective when moving, these heal the full amount immediately. Alas the other two handy potions I've only seen from Level Up gift bags - the Lion Roar potion which basically nukes all spawned minion enemies and the Dead Run potion which doubles your movement speed for 30 seconds. These also have no drink animation and activate immediately. The Dead Run is pretty handy to out walk attacks that are otherwise difficult to avoid.

Easily out walked Shadow Shaman Ingkara's explosive tracking spells.

As a bonus tip for Crossgun Kai players, you can shortcut your way through Ainle by placing grenades at the wrong side of locked gates and detonating them. The explosion radius is large enough to trigger the switch saving you a little time and usually an encounter or two.

Vindictus: Executioner Pantheum

[This is part of my Vindictus tutorials.]

There are a number of Raid missions in the Twilight Desert and Executioner Pantheum is probably the easiest one there for a Kai. As a raid though, the rule of thumb is go with a full party just to make things go faster. Pantheum has his own large arena which features four corner pillars around an open center stage that actually does him no favors. For starters, all his regular moves match that of any reaper you've previously fought so you should know how to evade if he gets up to you.

Use the pillars as cover during the fight if possible as they block Pantheum's movement and attacks. When Pantheum goes into "lightning" mode, he becomes invulnerable unless he walks within a set radius of an active pillar. Make sure you are using the same pillar the rest of the team is while you do this as the pillar activation times are much shorter than his lightning mode (and each pillar has a long recharge time) meaning you'll need to displace a few times if all is going well.

Just pretend you are in an FPS. Use cover!

When he goes into "Fire" mode the central stage lights up with damaging flame. Continue combat as before, using pillars as cover from his fireballs but keep an eye on the stage. As soon as the central flames go out, get in there because everything outside will pretty much die in a big explosion. Rinse and repeat until you win. :)

Vindictus: Bosses of the Summit

[This is part of my Vindictus tutorials.]

Since we already covered the easier enemies of the Misty Summit, its on to the main targets of the zone. The first one you run into will probably be Excavator Gianoo, a flying drill wielding gremlin who happens to be one of the hardest for me. He comes with many annoying adds but really only has one move that will put you in danger - a long drill charge which is surprisingly maneuverable. I'm assuming you know to keep away from his wild swinging at close range and triple stomp hop that many previous bosses have shown before. The hard part about his charge move is reading it because he has one that's much shorter. Either way you need to evade at the last second, or it will hurt. A lot.

Gianoo was troublesome for me because of this, until I found out that he simply cannot catch you if you run. Yup. Run circles around him and drink potions to full. That was my solo strategy anyway, because I'm one of those guys that carries 100+ healing potions at all times. :P Much further up the mountain you will encounter Crazy Masaka, a chainsaw wielding version of this guy - but he is much easier to read as he does an aerial backflip before charging. Just remember to dodge at the last minute and be patient as you whittle him away.

This is how close before you should dodge.

Of the wood men bosses, Venukan is probably the first you'll encounter and you'll recognize him from the bristling array of weapons he carries. His fighting style varies depending what he wields (eg. axes = gnoll) and is most dangerous when up close with his sword, but you can still multi-dodge-dance around him. For an easier time keep your distance and convince him to change to spear/bomb stance, which he will try hurl at you but are easily evaded. Stay at the same distance so that he doesn't feel inclined to switch to something else.

Foreman Markan is the next wood man boss you'll meet, and his fight is in an enclosed room (Twilight Desert reaper tomb) and all his moves are basically denial of space. He summons exploding poison shrooms (which will get in the way of your arrows), do an easy to evade double roll, glow green for a bit then shoot a trio of green spinners (harder to evade) but most dangerous of all - he will stomp after you which I'm pretty sure needs three+ dodges to evade. There's nowhere to go in this fight so you need to out DPS him in whatever space the shrooms don't occupy. Evade as best as you can. Steel Muspell is another angry stomper who fights in a small arena. He is a lot easier to read after he throws his hammer at you, but while he wields that massive tool you need to be on your toes to evade the purple seeky orbs he can shoot which is best evaded by going under it I think (towards him). For both these fights I recommend being ready to transform.

Lastly we have Quick-Hand Seira, a bomb throwing gremlin who can do some serious damage if all her grenades connect with you at short range. The solution for her is pretty cheesy for a Kai though. In the area is a ladder to a high perch. Despite having wings she can't actually fly or attack that high so once you get up there just snipe her at your leisure.

Better safe than sorry.

Vindictus: Misty Summit Minis

[This is part of my Vindictus tutorials.]

Home to fat gremlins and slow moving wood men, Kai players will find this area easier than the Twilight Desert. Even when on thin cliff sides and such, you will have plenty of room to eliminate all the normal baddies without taking any damage.

That leaves bosses and the "mini bosses" who show up every now and then so lets get those "minis" out of the way first: Observer Morgue, Xaehawk, and Scout Surtr (who only looks imposing) are morons. Just treat them as normals with slightly more health. The Drill Rants can be easily sniped with a longbow. Ghireal is my favorite, he tosses giant (low damage) baseballs at you. Kick them back at him to defeat him.

You can also let your cute pets deal with them!

This leaves Overseer Chiakal, a giant hammer wielding wood man who likes to slam the ground with his hammer. Strangely, the slam isn't so bad. It's 2 seconds after when the ground explodes that you have to dodge or get literally blown away by the massive but fortunately low damage explosion. The other "random" boss is the spirit of Vengeful Langro who is basically a golem that forms after you kill ANY boss in this zone.

Just like in Mabinogi, Vindictus golems are made up by the random stuff nearby which can either make him really easy or really hard, depending on his hit box size. Keep at a distance, strafe, and prepare to dodge for when he tosses junk at you or jumps. Any time any boss jumps, you'd better be dodging. :P

That's it for the mini-bosses. Next up will be the main (non-raid) adversaries of this area! :)

Today I Smiled: FPSing through Vindictus

So, I decided to play Vindictus on the Australian server (starting from scratch) and chose to be a cross-gun Kai this time around and have found it to be remarkably fun since it plays very differently - almost like a shooter. I'm find myself curious what a full team of soldiers with ranged automatic weapons with grenades and grenade launchers could do to the club wielding foes in the game. :P

Pew pew pew!

I've also tried and tested my "Game 5" board game which is pretty much a mash up of all my favorite boardgames to date. It plays pretty decently (hard) but ultimately doesn't make sense thematically - and kinda feels like a mash up of games - so I'm going to be moving on from that idea. Hope I'll eventually have one that works better and that I can eventually produce! Maybe "Game 6" will be the answer, whatever it is? If only I had an office with cats.

Blog wise I've had a pretty good run of daily posts and have finished Project Zomboid "End-Times story". That's going to be slowing down a little bit in the next few weeks due to real life stuff. Good to see some talk about the next NBI too. I'd like to be a part of that again. As usual I need to have a musical entry here and I think this time, Lady Gaga's Sound of Music Medley at the Oscars does the trick nicely.

Lastly I just got a supply of these delicious chocolate crinkle cookies. OM NOM NOM NOM. If you ever are in the Philippines, I highly recommend visiting Becky's kitchen. That's it for now! Hope you all have a wonderful day! :)

Vanquishing Vindictus: Tutorial Compilation

After posting that Attack on Titan Tutorial Compilation I decided to do some house keeping with my Vindictus guides and whack them all here. As I often point out in the posts themselves, most of these are for a Kai (archer) type, but hopefully you will find some of it useful regardless. :)

Newbie Guide
Lessons from Vampires
Monkeys in the Snow
King of the Trolls
Oversized Enemies
Sewer Sniping
Snake Worshippers
Pirates of the Graveyard
Reapers of the Twilight Desert
Misty Summit Minis
Bosses of the Summit
Executioner Pantheum 
Titles and Special Potions

Vindictus: Reapers of the Twilight Desert

[This is part of my Vindictus tutorials.]
 
More tips today but these are more for a Kai/ranged type.

If you haven't felt the grind in this game so far, you are certainly going to feel it now with the amount of times you are going to be sent into this otherwise pretty place. If only it wasn't full of undead! For a solo Kai, all the reaper bosses (anything wearing a hood) are easy prey. They move slow, use attacks you've seen many times before, and shooting them in the face does a lot of damage.

I do have to give special mention to the ones that summon other spirits or hell gates which spawn more spirits. Kill the adds (or hell gates themselves) to make it easier. Also the one that summons hell gates has an over hand scythe chop followed by a 360 degree "magic laser". Evade the scythe then evade left as the laser nears you. You can dodge right too, but you'll need to dodge the laser twice that way.

I keep losing my shoes. :/

The crab at the oasis is exactly the same one at the Ship Graveyard. This time you have a huge oasis to run around too, and since the crab gets confused if lured to the South end of it you can dance with it (walk forward, shoot, back off, repeat) or simply magnum it when it gets stuck until it dies.

The circle marks the spot.

The other guardian guys (apart from the rather stout and easy Judge Vakram) pose a harder challenge though, as they can all sprint into melee range quickly and have a range of combos to hack you up with. Fortunately they are all mostly skipable.

Unfortunately the worst of them, Commander Ikrium, is the subject of many quests including the main story. This guy can be annoying with his seemingly undodgable giant seeking ball and equally bad sword combos. Strafe backwards and around to avoid his trinity slash (it's like the pirate captain's one but bigger, faster and more painful),  and dodge FORWARD to avoid his magic missile orb. He also puts sand mines that detonate after awhile - just get distance from them and dodge the blast as it comes. You'll have to use best judgement when it comes to the rest of his melee sword skills.