The Beat and the Timing

Wow, I was afraid it had been much longer than 2.5 months since I updated anything here.  Now I only feel marginally delinquent instead of horribly delinquent. *grin*

So anyways, got some fanarts, both finished this month.  Well, technically one is a fanart and one is a manga page coloring, but same thing, kind of.

( Check them out! )
So enjoy the pics!

This is an updated version of my previous character painting that I did earlier this month.  I was sufficiently bothered enough by the lack of a real background that I went in to do that and ended up making some changes/improvements to the image overall.  I didn't care for the way the skirt was looking because the folds just didn't seem real and properly placed to me.  Made the overall tones darker; it seems like I'm afraid of the darkest shades in so many of my works.  Fixed the hair and changed the color of the dress.  The overall image was looking a bit too green so I went with more of a blue shade.  I think it turned out better for the rework.

So the EQ2 expansion Rise of Kunark was released yesterday.  I'd played in the beta a bit and tried out the Sarnak race since that was new this xpack.  Not bad and the Timerous Deep starting area was huge compared to the old newbie island experience.  It's more of a seamless progression from the starting area through the levels than a distinct "play this area until level 7-8 max, then leave for a new zone" experience.

Still, I enjoyed it enough to want to get the expansion now that it's been released (and because it includes the Echoes of Faydwer xpack with it as well.  I missed buying that) so yesterday evening I ran out to pick up the box.  It's available for digital download, but I want the discs just in case, especially for the EoF part.

First stop - Target.  It's my store of choice and I happen to have room on the old Target card to boot.  No luck.  They didn't even have shelf space alloted to any EQ products, but I did count about 10 versions of WoW on the shelves.  Strike one.

Second stop - Gamestop.  There's one in the little strip in front of the Target.  No luck.  They'd gotten one box in, because they didn't have any pre-orders.  One box.  Guy nicely offered to call the shop up the road (which I hadn't realized was there - it's closer to me) - they were out as well.  Strike two.

Third stop - Circuit City.  I was close to the local outdoor mall, so I figured I'd stop by CC and see what they had.  Well, I was getting closer.  They had two versions of the original EQ and one box with the basic EQ2 game, no xpacks though.  Checked with the staff, they were scheduled to get any boxes in this morning but couldn't say how many were coming in.  So.. strike 2.5?

Fourth (and last) stop - Wal-Mart across the street from the mall.  Once again, nothing.  No idea if they were going to get it either (hey, I know it was a long shot...).  Still, I managed to find the candle plate/holder I'd been looking for, so not a total loss.  And I had the personal amusement of using my Target Visa card at Wal-Mart. 

There is a new Best Buy across the street from the mall, but I was tired of wandering around stores and didn't stop in, so it's entirely possible they had a copy and I missed out.  Maybe I'll check in before going to the movies tonight (if I go).  But my point is - a brand new expansion to what I've come to think is a better game than WoW just came out and no one knows it.  Oh yeah, the current player base knows, and there are some adverts running on the VN and IGN boards, but where is the hype?  Where is the marketing?  EQ2 and WoW came out within a week or so of each other at this time back in 2004.  WoW's just now announced their second expansion and who knows when that will come out; it only took them almost two years to release the first one.   Yet this is the fourth expansion for EQ2, in addition to smaller content packs (three I think?) and the game has done nothing but improve as time goes by, and almost no one knows about the game any more.  No shelf space, no large scale marketing, no Toyota commercials (although I did get a kick out of seeing that), no nothing.

It's sad in a way.  And now I must harass Grimwell for not managing his community well enough.  LOL!

So here's the next installment in my "Return to Gaming" series.  You can call it a series when there's two of something, right?  Anyways...

Yesterday was a good day.  Whilst taking mental breaks and logging into EQ2, I managed to level myself from 13.5-ish to dinging 17 by the time I logged out finally for the evening.  Not a bad deal.

I plowed through the blue quests I had in my log, which is how I prefer to level when I'm solo.  White con means it's equal level to me, blue is one level lower, green is two levels lower.  Yellow is one level higher than me, orange is two levels higher and red is instant death.  So I like working on the blue ones at once, white when I can handle the mobs (some are easier to kill than others) and I don't like letting quests go green on me.  Sometimes a quest line will be tagged yellow or orange though, but the initial requirements are white/blue to me.  That's because if it has multiple steps, later on the quest could lead me to a yellow/orange area.  Of course, by the time I reach that area, I should have theoretically leveled to the point where the previously too high bits are now just right!