Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Friend List

I want a friend list that can be configured. I am not sure if I am "alone" in my behavior but I have slowly but surely pulled all my toons out of guilds. My Undead Lock is the only toon that I have that is still a part of a guild but I rarely do anything with the guild. The guild does heroics and raids. I really do not care to do heroics, I feel as though I can invest my time more wisely. My guild has scheduled raids on the nights when I really can not make it. Wed, Fri, and Sun. I have church on Wed, I chose Fri as "Date Night" for my wife, and Sunday is "family time" (no games.) My guild is going to start raiding on Sat but nothing has been set in stone as of yet. It is probably just me but I will more than likely weasel out of that too.

I like my guild, I really do. The people are cool. They are level-headed. They are tolerant. Most importantly, the "bad eggs" have all been weeded out. I do not mind raiding. I do not mind wiping. I do not mind progress. I love to see the content. I just really do not want to invest 2-4 hours of my precious time to one thing. I generally only play about 2 hours a night. I like to do other things as WoW is my daily unwind from the stress of work. It would defeat that purpose if I was to add to it the stress of farming for consumables, and make the promise to devote time to progress in a raid.

Now... the point...

I want to be able to manage my friend list. When I play all my toons I have friends that I /p with to talk. I enjoy this aspect of the game as it takes away from the tedious aspects of the game without being an undue burden. I have some friends that I just use. I do not chat with them... they are just reliable, trustworthy "crafters." I have made a semi-bond with them and know what to expect for the services I require. If I am going to tip, I like to know how my money is being invested...

I want to be able to sort my friend list by what kind of "friend" they really are. For the most part I know who they are... but what if that blacksmith that I love goes unused for quite a while... and I forget what he is there for. I want a label system sort of like a guild structure. Let me give them "tags". I think this would go a long way to increase the economy of WoW if you were able to track and maybe advertise who and what you are. No more tedious /s in General, or Trade. Just a simple tracking system on your friend list.

Better yet, how about a title. You could have an uber-cool quest when you hit 300, 375, or beyond to let others know... Hey... I am the crafter you are looking for.... Not only did I grind out the skill, I also have most recipes and the title.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

NAWAP

As some of you may know, I have a very fond affection for the alt. I have many many alts on many different servers. I have alliance alts, horde alts, pve alts, pvp alts. I even have name reservation alts in case I ever want to play that particular class / race combo. Recently out of “boredom” on my last TDY trip I returned to my Draeni Shaman that has been gathering dust for quite some time. He is the only shaman I have ever got to level 20, and that was my real challenge… just to get there.

I thoroughly enjoyed this past week with him. I did not devote the whole week to him. There were a few nights on crappy hotel wi-fi that I did not even get to log in. The nights that I did make it and was able to pull myself away from leveling blacksmithing on my paladin… belonged to my shaman. It was like a breathe of fresh air. I loved it. I have an enhancement spec and was just mowing through things. I have no twink gear mind you just ah greens here and there and quest items.

Every now and then I come across a gem of an alt that I have been “saving.” They truly are GEMS.

This post has been brought to you and paid for by NAWAP. The National Association of Warcraft Alternate Proliferation.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The pains and joys or the respec

I am currently working on a new spec for my paladin. I need one that meets all a tank needs but is still fun for me to play. I do not really care for the "Cpt America" Shield but know that it is a good thing to have.

Now to the point...

I am so glad that we are not stuck with the choices that we make when it comes to talents. I always wanted to dump my build in Diablo but did not have that option. Now, the ability is relatively painless... providing you have the gold. I have changed my spec a lot. The only toon where I have not changed much is my Warlock. I have been demo since the BC talents were released. Prior to that I had the classic level 60 raid build of shadow/ruin. All my other toons... been changed a lot.

Now if only Blizzard can do something about that 2 profession limit.....

Monday, May 19, 2008

On the road...

Posting may be light this week or crappy. I am on the road and not as much time as usual. No witty anecdotes for today... .... .... No really.... Ok ok... check back tomorrow I promise to find something to blog about, as for now... long day... another tomorrow /breathe

Friday, May 16, 2008

Linkage test...

Ok... I have done some searching... I will now attempt to do the text link and be cool.... Netherwhelp Collar.

Ok so here is what you do...

You add this code ( script src="http://www.wowhead.com/widgets/power.js" ) ( /script )somewhere in your site. You will, of course need to replace the ( ) with proper tags like < and >. If you use a template for your blogging like I do then add it to your template. I put it just near the top, but you can put it anywhere.

This is the official wowhead info on the linkage...

Renovations and Conudrums

Ok. I have made a lot of changes to your right... over there... no... look. There? Do you see?

I have a question that needs to be answered... How do you do those "popup" link things? I know html... but do not know of any tag that will allow me to do this. What I mean is, when say BRK links a new toy, if you hover over it pops up with the item. I want to do this. I am envious.... I implore you... Short of harassing Mr. BRK for his knowledge, anyone having any thoughts?

So much to do so little time....

The more I do in WoW, the more it seems I have left to do. I need to rep farm with my paladin and my lock. I need to level my 60s hunter and druid. I need to work out some more bugs on my Dual Box project. I need to level both sets of dual box toons. I need to farm gold so that my Paladin can finally get his epic mount and ride the uber copter. Bah!

I can't wait to get the hunter and druid to 70 so I can arena point farm. I do not plan on winning much going in dual box style but I will have some fun and net 200 or so points a week. I will have the worst rating EVER, but it will be fun.

A lot to be done before WotLK gets here. When that happens, I have two - four dark knights to play with. My son will want one just because he thinks it is cool, and I have to try it. What I read now, I am pretty sure it is going to fit my playstyle. To me it feels like a paladin with more dps :)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

The Dark Side...

I do not mind mixing geek “metaphors.” I often get the feeling when I am playing WoW that the Alliance is the light side and the Horde is the dark side of the force. My toons further complicate this matter in both their play style and their appeal to me. I am not sure if others feel this way or not, but it is, in fact, how I feel. Allow me to explain…

Alliance Main:
Human
Paladin
No-Epic Flyer
Purple Healer Set
Blue Tanking Set (A little Purple)
Blue Grinding Set (A little Purple)
Great Heals
Horrible Farming

Horde Main:
Undead
Warlock
Epic Flyer
Purple DPS Set
Great Damage
Farming is relaxing

By those comparisons the Horde is the easier, “Darker” path. The paladin goes around healing things and protecting his peers. He can res, he can bless, has a passive buff, all around good guy. The lock… just dot dot dot, then felguard attack. Sure I can give you a res…. After I take this guys soul. For me the lock is just so much more fun.

This may come as a shock given my name… but I like to play alone. Yea….. I will let the one soak in… The paladin can handle himself just fine by himself, but he needs peers to really shine. I love leveling him as I can take on almost any non-spellcaster mob. I love trying to tackle elites by myself. The lock can also handle himself just fine, but in a different way. He really needs no others by his side to shine. I can do the same thing in a group or by myself. I can not take on the same type of elites, but I sure try.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

New Blogger Alert!

Sonvar!

Drop by and say hey. However, chances are if you are here you already know... but... just do it :P

Cloning

I “cloned” myself last night to see what Drenden was like. I wanted to say hey to the likes of TJ, BRK, and Ratshag (in his dwarf costume.) Only Ratshag was on at the time so I chatted him up then got to work leveling another Warlock. I think this makes number 5 for me now counting my son’s account. I am currently undecided whether I should make a hunter or a lock to follow me around.

I like having a “pet” class behind me as that is one more auto-attack. I have not got around to trying the Voice Commander that Nibuca pointed out to me yet, but I am going too. I am just rather lazy and get side tracked easily.

I added several blogs to my blog roll. I try to spread the love as much as possible. Us lesser bloggers enjoy traffic just so that we know somebody comes by…. Well… at least I do. I use google analytics very often to see where people are coming from and if they get here from searches… how they are getting here.

I notice odd spikes in visitors… I have steady numbers around 5 – 8 unique page visits a day, then all of a sudden it will spike into the 30s for a day. I am not sure why, unless I have people out there that pop in on certain days of the week. I am more of a daily troller. I visit numerous blogs throughout the day to kill the boredom between work orders. I am an IT Contractor and spend a lot of time at my computer waiting on something to break or be added to the network… fun fun…

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

In Honor of...

Today’s post brought to you by the following….

Duel Spammers
Party Spammers
Gold Spammers
Beggars

I love you all. You make my WoW time the greatest ever. I love to run by Org and get duel spam. Thank you. My day would not be complete without it. Obviously I wanted to duel or I would not have ran into Org. There is no other reason I would have ran to Org, thanks. I must have forgotten to jog off the road and put my name in the hat. I appreciate your concern.

As to me being a wuss, punk, prick, loser, etc… yes that is true. I am sorry I am all of those but must decline and keep on going. I have less important things to do and will be unable to join in your stimulating conversation and amazing duel prowess. Please forgive me and spam me again a few minutes later when I come back out of Org.

Obviously I want to team up for this level 5 quest line. I am not sure how I could make it without you. Please. I have forgotten how to whisper, /s just does not get enough attention, please /y. If that fails then please just invite me. I know I am too stupid to accept. I know that I suck. Please be patient with me and spam it over and over. It is not you, it is me. I just keep missing the accept button. I really do want to join in your party though. Honest.

I am unaware of the gold selling services that you offer. I did not know that I could get large quantities of gold for low low prices. I did not know that it was both fast and secure. This is great. I would tab out right now and visit your sight but I am a cheap skate. I know I know… it is cheap, fast, and secure…. But still…. It is me… Not you.

5g? That is all? You sure you do not need more. Of course I have 5g I could give you so that you can get that new sword, new armor, new recipe, retrain, and get your mount. I just do not have the time right now to stop. Sorry. If you could ask me again in a few minutes… perhaps….

Monday, May 12, 2008

Feral Again

The Druid has gone back feral. I decided to let my son decide what spec to keep the druid since he now owned him. My son likes running around as a bear….. so there you have it, choice been made. I even let him run my mage through RFC just for kicks. He just runs around swiping things and loves every minute of it.

I realized this weekend that I am too darned lazy when it comes to this game. I got an invite to a 25 man this weekend and I turned it down. Bah! I view 5 mans, 10 mans, 25 mans about the same way. I start playing and think…. I don’t know… what if we take too long… what if I go all the way out there and…. And … I don’t know… Lazy!

I love killing things with my lock. I love being in groups that work. I love seeing new content… so…. What is my deal? I think I have a fear… It all stems from my days back in Final Fantasy Online. I would wait 4 hours for a group only to have it dissolve after the very first pull. I can’t explain why this would carry over to WoW, but I can not think of any other reason.

I need to make myself get in there.

Friday, May 9, 2008

The Adventures of a Druid and a Lock

Pros and Cons of Dual Boxing with my lock and druid…

Last night I finally transferred my Druid (62 now) to my son’s account and took him for a walk in Hell Pen with my Lock…..

Pros
I was able to complete almost all the Hell Pen quests last night. The only thing that held me back was time. There is no mob in Hell Pen that gave my lock trouble, so no quest is too difficult. I always feel like I am “cheating” on my lock when I play the druid, and dual boxing, I can always have him there…. You know… smiling at me…

Cons
The xp is just NERFED. I tend to get into just “locking” things to death and let the Druid die 3 times last night when he could have healed. I know this part sounds absurd, but I was doing the Colossal Menace and those elites spawn adds which got the Druid when I was not into the “groove” yet. My lock died once while waiting on the Druid to run back…. Again… on the Colossal Menace.

Conclusion
I still enjoyed the evening. I would have enjoyed it more if I was getting my rested 1k xp per kill rather than my rested 240ish. I think the farther into Outlands that I get with the Druid I will enjoy it more. When I get to rep like the Nagrand Ogres, I should be beaming with joy.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Transfer Underway

My Druid transfer should be completed by this evening. I just made the account transfer. Tomorrow I will be able to give an update on how the dual boxing goes in Outlands. My goal as of right now is just to use my Lock as a Immolate / Wand / Felguard button for my Druid.

My macro will look something like this….

/petattack focus
/cast [target=focustarget, harm] Immolate
/assist focus
/cast [target=focustarget, harm] Shoot

My only real dilemma at the moment is what spec to keep the druid now that he has a lock-bot. I recently switched to balance and I am enjoying it, but I am wondering if going back feral would speed up the leveling process. Decisions decisions….

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Toon Transfer

I have decided that I enjoy dual boxing so much that I am going to transfer Tsarbovine (61 Druid), and Drakhan (65 Hunter) to my son’s account so that I can see if this is still fun at BC level. This will accomplish several things….

1. I will finally be able to finish those last 9 levels on Tsar.
2. I will finally be able to finish those last 5 levels on Drak.
3. I will have a pwrlevel toon on both of my accounts for those pesky low end dungeons.

I also built another set of toons last night for my son and I to try. I have never really played a warrior or a priest. I have toyed around with the. I have leveled some up to the late 30s… but nothing serious. I made an orc warrior and troll priest combo last nght to try out. I figure a tank healer combo should work out nicely. We shall see…. The lock\mage combo still takes priority.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Memorial Service

The Runnin of Da Bulls was this Saturday evening and it was a huge success. I would guess that there were easily over 1000 people there showing their support for Sharvan’s family. Reading over BRK’s post on the subject it appears that her family came to run with us as well. For the most part the event was full of decent people paying their respects, however, being an internet function you are bound to get the dirtbags that either do not realize why they are there or do not care. I died 18 times while enroute from TB to Arathi, and it was a blast. The racers ended up heading on down to and through IF and then on to raid Hogger. Great fun!

Soooooo……. I have recently picked up dual boxing with my son’s account. This is causing me to neglect my “guild duties” and I need to better manage my WoW time, but it is still highly entertaining. I am running 2 Blood Elves, Arkhanis (Mage) and Daemus (Warlock) and it is working out nice. I dinged level 20 last night with my Mage (he cheated and had a head start) and have only died once….. I tried to “dual” the Elite Abomination in Ghostlands and he hurt me….

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Army of the Hermit

I love guild banks. The greatest thing ever. I play on two different servers still and now have the "Army of the Hermit" on both. I invested 4g per signature and now have the first three bank slots. Those things really add up.

I have no one in the guild, nor do I wish too. Just my alts, and my son's account. It is nice having all my junk in one place for when I am tooling around on an alt. I never have to discard things and then miss them later. Truly inspirational, thank you Blizzard.

I have recently begun dual boxing. I am not sure how much time I will devote to it, but so far I like it. I play on a mac and a pc though, so I can not do the typical setup. I keep both laptops by my side and just have macros assisting me.