I guess I should be happy I don't know how exactly how many spawns are being blown, like that bad ass Paffa dude on the first wave, but it still bugs the shit outta me VI hasn't yet learned, contrary to their belief the Euro/Asian timezone guilds are upset about patching during primetime, they could not be happier to have full reign over the server when it comes up. This problem has been around for a long time, and it's almost passe to bitch and moan about it except the fix is easy...

The 3.5 day respawn? Please. Unless we pull some gimp shit like PnP a standing raid force, that half day is meaningless - it's just enough extra time to piss people off. So until we start making the unreasonable request for guildmates to to take days off from work or gank spawns at 6:30 AM PT to compete, we sit here, ass fucked and locked out HoH and Tactics, losing Bertox to griefers who send taunting tells right after the deed. Good thing BoT is comparable for spec parchments, and PoS is so well laid out, jeje. =P

Which brings up an honest question: did anyone even run through PoS and test playability on a required min spec system? Or more to the point, did anyone even run through with a P4-2.8, 1 GB RAM, GeForce4 Ti-4400 at 640x480, 16 bit color, no models? There are places in PoS where frame rates drop to 1-7 fps on the above - I can't image what a min spec system would do as the vid card bursts into flames. A /viewport of 200x200 made it roughly playable again, but I can't fathom that was intended. Please fix the clip plane when occluded or remove some of the fucking trees.

HIGHER!!

Oh yah, and to add insult to injury, while L61+ rogues now get an innate no-cost run speed increase faster than SoW while hiding/sneaking, bard fleet of foot is either broken or totally gimped - I don't whine much (jeje), but the description alludes to a significant increase in speed. What's the deal?

So, despite all that shit, the Evil Empire steamrolls on, and I love going into encounters without a clue, flying blind and yelling what lands, what's resisted and suddenly find yourself winning. Even losing, the thrill of trying it first, of not having it all laid out in Safehouse spoiler threads, of learning from your losses - how, and more importantly why, you, collectively, regroup from such is far more the mark and measure of a guild than hollow wins on someone else's coat tails - I suppose LoS could go it the easy path, but that wouldn't be half the fun or near the drama. LoS would like to thank Daelomin for stepping up and PoP'ing this expansions cherry and we all look forward to seeing the fruits of his labor soon - Bzul brings LoS full circle, back to a pulling warrior GM, and as always... all Jangos complains should go to him, not us - we have nothing to do with Jangos, honest.

Anyhow, everyone keeps bugging me to post loot - I have to be honest, however, and say that loot is nothing spectacular, I would post it otherwise. Better stuff drops in CT, but truth be told, I'm fine with this on the lower tier planes. I've had as much fun as I can recall aside from 1-50, in PoP and the sheer size and need for exploration leaves me hungry for more. As long as loot scales with that challenge and time commitment, then PoP is going to shape up nicely. C'mon - have I ever held back from you guys before - am I trying to hide uber leet stuff to prevent it from getting nerfed? When something kick ass drops for us, you'll be the first to know about it.

Working As Intended

Bad Idea Jeans

Speaking as a bard in the rogue group, my fellow patriot Zykium <Chaos and Order> on Tarew Marr throws down the gauntlet,

We didn't fight and win the Cold War for nothing - don't give into those pinko commie monks who whine about pulling and dying!

Heh... and I thought I was shameless.

Stalkers, Wanna-be's and Unoriginal Bastards

Quotes of the Day

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Resolved, That it be recommended to the respective Assemblies and Conventions… where no Government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs has been hitherto establish, to adopt such Government as shall, in the opinion of the Representatives of the People, best conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular and America in general. -By Order of Congress, May 15, 1776

Of the many obligations and responsibilities imposed in a democracy, it is telling one of the most important is purely optional: the right to vote. I won't begin to tell a person how to vote, like religion and other matters of faith and belief, the choice is a personal one, thought I certainly enjoy true debate and discussion of such, rather I only ask the jaded grumblings of inefficacy or the apathetic tenure of ignorance be shrugged off such, at least for a day, that the worst form of government, except for all others, remains vibrant and alive, rife with not just the wardrums of political grandstanding but with a informed, opinioned and expressive citizenry - as has been demonstrated in perfect clarity, each individual vote counts, and the course of an election and a nation has swung on the precarious pendulum of those who would manipulate minds with the siren song of predigested life or coaxed and cajoled media sound bits. More to the point, if you don't vote, you can't complain.

Lots of Shit Dead!
Tork slacks with the updates!

Actually the TT encounter is a lot of fun - and if someone says they won the first time without Safehouse spoilers, they're full of shit. TT alone was more enjoyable than all of VT and the loot sucked. I am sincerely glad to see the return of fights which require some strategy and tactics vice pushing 'a' and then going afk for 40 mins while your clerics/mages/shamans prop up MTs - even burning down Trak, with its rate limiting factor hardware which forced you'd people to balance damage Vs. numbers lest the entire raid go LD involved some planning, especially in group composition, placement and charging, was more innovative.

I have high hopes that as more of PoP is cracked open we'll get pushed harder and harder to think, compose an attack and execute it successfully, but I'd ask please don't reuse trials and character flags ad nausem; while the intent to stratify guilds and encounters is a good one, having so very many flags off fixed duration raid-only encounters screws even the most hardcore player - RL, net connections, zone/script errors and 1018 bugs among others can leave you out in the cold, and with flags building on one another (again, good on paper), if you miss the initial flag as above, then you're locked out of subsequent encounters until your guilds goes slumming.

Oh, and what's up with some flag mobs not being on random timers? Now more than ever, being at the mercy of patch day sucks - PST guilds get fucked in the ass by 5 PM after the Asian/European guilds polish off all the initial flag mobs, effectively cock blocking not due to talent or skill, but location and a Safehouse bookmark. It's ccc and wuwu to be unable to progress to the higher planes as your flag mob is down, while those who killed it, received the flag and are good to go are... off killing Kaas goo. Surely this wasn't the intent, but I can assure you in the days, weeks and months to come there will be major drama if key mobs which are not player spawnable aren't on random timers, and I mean wide-band random timers, not +/- 2 hours from the server coming up.

Which brings us to the PoV dragon, and a picture says a thousand words:

Dr. Wuwuccc, I presume.

But hey, you win some, you lose some and occasionally you do both at the same time - like killing the dragon and having warping/summoning mobs lay waste to the zone, and that takes real talent, but to do it and still not get flags because you're all dead? We fuckin' own. And to those who asked - yes, you're entirely correct, we intentionally did that - there's no fooling you, is there?

Anyhow, belated Happy Halloween to you freaks. I actually like the fun aspect of Halloween, not the horror films (yah, I'm a pussy), but the chance to dress up in a costume, do the make up and act like (an even bigger) fool. This year I decided to be a Cowboy, and I did it right with the Wrangler's and a Stetson. I felt like fucking Clint Eastwood when I hopped out of my truck, Chris Ladoux blaring, and walked - no, swaggered up the gangplank and into the office. I knew I was going to win the yearly competition, I was a two-time champion, after all - like I said, I like Halloween.

But I got fucking robbed.

I got second place.

To a girl.

Dressed up as a HOOVER VACUUM.

Hot dammit, how can I compete with a girl licking her lips, wearing a see-thru garbage bag?

But anyhow, enough bitching. Sorry for the late update, this week has been a painfully busy balancing act, so here's a real treat, some more of Dada's awesome work.

Dada Artist!

Stalkers, Wanna-be's and Unoriginal Bastards

Quotes of the Day