WoW Study: A Look at Past and Current Horde Leadership

Thrall: Welcome to Orgrimmar. Have you come to serve the Horde?

Garrosh: YOU WILL SERVE THE HORDE............ (pause for dramatic effect) OR BE CRUSHED UNDERNEATH IT!

Ps: For the Horde.

Oh and:

Yeah...never gets old.

We could of had it all.

Ding
I recently hit 50 on my mage in Rift. Hurrah!
...
Like any level cap, it's a big build up to get there, and when you finally do, nothing exciting happens. I think they should make the level up animation have confetti and stuff. An achievement banner is not enough.

So now I am faced with the dreaded endgame. Which is ironic because just last post I was complaining about not being at 50. Now I'm kind of sad I am in. It basically means the end of a journey and the start of a new.
We had this conversation in the guild I am. What does endgame mean to us?
Guild mergers. Raiding. Expert Dungeons. These were some options. 
We kind of all came to the conclusion that guild mergers weren't really what we wanted. While meeting new people is fun, a couple of us, myself included, expressed not wanting to be committed to a guild or raid of some kind. Raiding was something I was open to exploring once school ended, but I'm really hoping to work more.
So far, it looks like Expert Dungeons, Rift-ing, and Slivers may be in our future. We did lose one of our healers, so it's basically been 4 of us doing some level 50 regular dungeons. Kind of fun.

Rolling the deep.
When 1.2 hit Rift shards, the biggest feature was the Dungeon Finder system. Perhaps to avoid what happened with the WoW LFD, Trion decided to take the advice of many and make it shard exclusive. I liked this because it would destroy the anonymity of the LFD system, and (hopefully) make people take responsibilities for their own actions. I believe the LFD system is what is normally blamed for the downfall of social interaction in WoW.
Well of course, within the next few days, my Level chat exploded. People still were LFG and complaining constantly about making the LFD system cross shard.
To be honest, this frustrates me. For one, I believe Trion made it shard only because of the freaking out a lot of gamers did when they heard about the LFD system in Rift. Being a game that prides itself on being the WoW killer, with a fanbase who is also very opinionated, I'm surprised that Trion even decided to add such a system so early on. At the same time it made sense; reducing Q times etc. I think the level specific channels really do what the LFD system does without the talking.

You had my heart inside your hand.
Blizzard recently announced that while yes, their account subs have fallen to a "meager" 11.4 Mill, they expect ex-WoW players to come running back from Rift soon. I'm sure, especially with how I've been feeling, that this has some truth to it. But at the same time, the people I know who played WoW, have left in a very permanent way. And there's no running back from it. While yes, some of these people have dappled in Rift, not all of them have. I originally did leave WoW, but not for Rift, and I didn't play Rift right away when I left.  
My boyfriend has a year long subscription, so I hopped on his account. My original plan was to try just leveling for  bit. I wanted to re-experience the lore and was looking for a single player experience. But unfortunately, after struggling with my addons for 6 minutes, I promptly logged after 7 minutes of being back. I just don't know.

And you played it, to the beat.
To be honest, I think I'm loosing interest in MMOs in general. The social gaming aspect has changed a lot for me. I'm not good at handling the stress and elitism, and while it's always been present in the game, I find it to be a lot worst. Isn't the point of an MMO, some sort of social interaction. I do know a lot of people do play the game solo, but I would've thought the biggest draw of an MMO was the endgame and social content.
I'm moving soon after finals, but once I'm settled, I hope to get back into my Ps3 and Final Fantasy XII. Maybe some Chrono Cross. The problem with console games is that they no longer make games the way they used to, especially Square-Enix. They are so obsessed with evolving the genre that I don't find interest in their games. And I'm sick of the rereleasing of the older RPGs. Can't they just make a traditional game? I hated FF13. Hated it. I loved the graphics, the story was okay, Vanille's voice made me want to break things. But nothing is like the first time I played 7, 8, 9, 10, or even 12. Square has sadly failed me. I miss you Squaresoft!

I still got a couple finals to get through, and then the move, so gaming is kinda a second thought right now. But I still think about it. I miss those days.

Rolling in the Deep: Adele

Oh hai! I'm alive!

Oh Hai!? I’m alive!: The Super Duper Update Extravaganza!
I've been missing in action because of college. It's basically taken over my life. I'm on the home stretch though and I've got a couple days off to just relax. Even though I'm not relaxing. I think, every second, I'm forgetting something aren't I.

BTW, I’m writing this on Word because Blogger is down! I didn’t know Blogger could go down D:. I’m itching to write, and I can’t get on my blog. It’s sad really. What I don’t understand is the status page. On Monday, they announced a maintenance day on Wednesday for an hour starting at 10:00 pm. It’s Friday, almost 2:00 am, and I can’t get on. I don’t get it. I want to blog.

What I miss from WoW

Nothing is Perfect
I think it's about time I understand that nothing is perfect. I've learned that, time and time again with WoW, and I'm currently learning it with Rift. If I could combine the two games, I would probably be the happiest gamer ever in the history of gamers.
The problem with Rift is what makes WoW good, and the problem with WoW is what makes Rift good. It is an unfortunate give and take, and unfortunately, there is not enough time in the world to devote to both games.
Things I miss about WoW
-UI Building: No matter where I move my Raid Frames, or adjust my target of target, it's not the same. I love my UI I had spent years creating on WoW. I miss the ability to change the overall look of frames. And oh boy, do I miss Mike's Scrolling Battle Text. I hate how my numbers are flying around the screen; I can't add them all up either which is depressing, 
-Lore: I've always been a writer, and I love a good story. WoW is an amazing world, with complex characters and beautiful, lush environment. Rift doesn't have the luxury of games before it that could set up an intensely focused world. I have yet to be intrigued by either the characters or the plot. I've even spent a few hours reading the Rift website, reading lore stories and profiles on characters, yet nothing seems to stick. The overall beginning was interesting- a world falling apart and the only thing we can do is go back in time and try and change the past. The main characters, in particular, Asha Catari, aren't really interesting. in fact, her and Orpheil are the only names I can even tell you.
-Questing: I miss questing. WoW has evolved questing into such an engaging experience. Although leveling has become something of a speed run, being able to experience variety, as well as cutscenes and phased areas, while still with their problems, do create a wonderful individual story and experience. Rift has nothing more then, kill this, loot that, destroy this, close  that. This is perhaps the biggest problem I have with Rift, and a huge reason I'm dragging behind everyone in levels. I tend to fill boredom with quests with some rifting and invasions, but they don't give as much experience, or what I've noticed. Questing seems to be faster.
-Telera is a small world: Kind of. The individual areas are large, but questing itself is fairly linear and the areas don't offer an extra experience. By 40 there are about 4 areas that branch out, but that seems extremely late in the leveling experience. Telera is no means as big as WoW; It probably barely fills one continent. But of course, first expansion. It does however, kill a lot of Alt interest, which, well we all know I love alts.
-Running through mobs: Running through mobs in Rift is a death sentence. There is a 95% chance you will get knocked off your mount, and a then 70% you will die if you keep trying to go. Thank god my Mage knows Feign Death.
Still
The reality of it is that if I went back, I would find myself alone, with nothing to do. And that's not something I want to deal with. More and more people are making the switch, meaning less and less people to go back to. In the future, there's a possibility of me going back maybe for the next patch or expansion. I regret ever getting so deep into the raiding experience. I'm extremely competitive now, and want to involve myself with that endgame competition, even when it's not necessarily in my best interest.
Things I love about Rift
I don't want this to be a dismissal of Rift though. I love Rift. I'm just not addicted. That's a good thing.
-Invasions: major, minor, epic. I love Invasions. It's just so overwhelming but it's a lot of fun running around with 20 or more people in the zone, closing rifts, defeating invasions, fighting the final boss. While epic invasions are getting frustrating, because the amount of people isn't enough to finish the invasions, it's still a lot of fun. Honestly, this is the hugest selling point for me. It's like raiding without raids. I love it.
-Artifacts: Questing, running, killing, running, questing, SHINY!
-Event for 1.2: I like the extra dailies, the chance at a pet and the more rare artifacts.   
-Class system: It's not just the quantity, it's the quality. I love that you can kind of mix what the composition can be. It's nice that we can all find something we like, and if we're missing a role, we can make up for it decently. I can't wait to see what my Chloromancer can do at level 50 and with some nicer gear. 
In the end
I want to play SWOTR. Honestly, I miss the lore the most from WoW, but I love invasions. And now that more of my friends are playing, I'm beginning to think 10 mans are in the future. It's a nice feeling. 
As I edge closer and closer to 50, things seem to be falling into place. But if you ask me about devotion, I really can't ignore the attachment I felt for WoW. Patch 4.1 really didn't have much for me, enough to warrant a renewal, but I think 4.2 might. We'll see.
It's always an evolving process.

Recent Media News: Hunger Games, X-men, Immortals, and Will & Kate+ Eight Billion Viewers

(Okay, maybe not 8 billion)
Lots of pictures. :)

Rift Part 4: Levels 33-41

Don't you love the weird levels I decide to review :).
I've been slacking a little on Rift. I tend to lose interest if I'm just questing kind of fast. That and if an Invasion comes storming through late at night, meaning it won't get completed, I tend to just log. Lately it seems there are far too many invasions where we fail just as we're almost done. Like, only need one more Rift closed or have three invasions left to kill, but instead the wardstones fall. Yeah, that's not depressing. 
I have most fun when I'm with everyone. I didn't get to play with them a lot recently because of work and Easter, but the last couple of nights we've been running stuff together, doing invasions and finishing up some group quests. Instant running has been pretty fun. The bosses are hard enough, but at the same time, doable, even though me and our healer were a couple levels from yellow mobs.
I really like Chloromancer as a healing spec, but with the way I am leveling and the things I do with my group, I am finding that it has one serious weakness/flaw. If mobs are not my level, or at least in yellow range, then I cannot solo heal the instance. And considering that half my usual running mates are a few levels higher then me, I find myself seeing Resisted quite a bit. It certainly is frustrating.
Once you hit about 38, the leveling areas start to branch out. Up until then, it has been incredibly linear. There are certain areas or certain levels, and while the levels of the areas may overlap, in general, the gap has been fairly large, about 5 levels. Now, as I get closer and closer to 50, the gap seems to have been narrowed to about 2-3 levels. At 40, you can go to Droughtlands, finish Moonglade Highlands, or Iron Pine Peaks. I've also found that levels of the quest kind of jump around. You can do some quests at higher 30s in Droughtlands, but then there's a gap where you have to wait a couple levels before you can take on the 43 quests. You then journey to Moonglade or Iron Pine Peaks. Then you out grow those quests and move back. Then you go back again.
We did an instance, Runic Descent, which takes place in a beautiful garden. It's very Japanese, cherry blossom trees grace the ruins and gentle petals continuously rain down on you. There's a small pool fed by a waterfall, where the sun glistens through the trees. Absolutely stunning.
The other instances are all well made as well, but remind me of different movies. One reminded me of running around the ewok village in the Return of the Jedi. Silly stuff. A lot of the dungeons seem like they're outside, but you can't mount.
I do miss the lore of WoW, as well as the quest variation. A lot of Rift is the usual grind, and the lore is interesting, but I'm not that into it. Asha Catari, Defiant female leader, is kind of like Sylvanas. Asha was killed, then in death, was tortured by Regulos in hopes of getting her on his side. She is brought back to life as an Ascended, but not after developing a huge grudge against Regulos. She's out for revenge. That doesn't sound familiar at all. Clearly, WoW has the advantage of having a long standing lore that came from a couple games previous to WoW, and then 3 more expansions. Rift has yet to develop that strong standing. All gameplay aside, the lore of WoW is unbeatable. It's complex, interesting, and has a fine line with right and wrong. I hope Rift can create a world just as rich.
As I edge closer to 50, I begin to wonder what I will be doing. Raiding, since 10 mans were announced, is not entirely out of the question for me anymore. However, I'm not sure my laptop is up to the task; We did an invasion last night, and I could barely move during the final boss killing. It was bad.
Maybe if I lower my settings?
I kind of miss WoW's UI. I loved UI building and I miss my Vuhdo. Yes, I am reliant on addons. Oh noes!
I miss my druid and is direct heals. I do sometimes regret making a mage, simply because I'm limited to Chloromancer. I love Chloromancer; it's so fun and when I can hit stuff, it's a lot more different and unique. However, I wish I had more direct heals that Cleric offers.
I wonder if I should resubscribe. I feel like if I did, I'd find myself bored pretty fast and leave WoW quickly. I look at scenes of old WotLK days, and there was lots to do and everything was a lot of fun. Cataclysm simply doesn't have enough. Although I think they added more archaeology items. Ruh roh... Intrigue.

people are starting to disturb me

Let me just say that I am an animal lover. While I'm not a  huge dog lover, I have 4 cats, who I love deeply. I buy them silly toys and those expensive Fancy Feast Appetizers for them. I spent a week watching my new kitten because we rescued her and were worried about her health. I also rescued my cat staying with my dad. I had to put up with my best friend freaking out as he drove us home, afraid she had rabies. I had to walk to Petsmart because my family was on a trip, to buy cans of kitten milk for her. I cried when she wouldn't eat because I didn't want something to happen to her.
And I am not a big dog lover, but I oo'd and awe'd when I saw those cute puppies on Game of Thrones, and I thought, I wouldn't mind one of them. And when Lady met her gruesome, fateful end, I was saddened by it all, hoping Ned would figure something out at the very end.

However, this recent controversy has disturbed me quite a bit. And it's only been a couple hours.

Game of Thrones is causing a little bit of hoo haa after the killing of Lady. Her death consisted of: shot of her face, shot of Neds, shot of dagger, shot of sad puppy dog eyes, shot of Ned's face, doggy yelp. The end.
This subtly violent scene has apparently caused a lot of mad animal lovers, who are enraged by the killing of this animal. Apparently, it's gone as far as letters being sent to HBO to stop the madness.

I love Game of Thrones, so I've been diligently following this story. I actually read the comments from the original EW post that reported on this, and added my own 2 sense. Yet, the more and more I read the comments the more I come to a freakish understanding. Has media desensitized us to human deaths.
Many of the arguments for the animal outrage express hate of animal killings, but seem to be unmoved by human killings.
In fact, one of the comments that sparked this whole thing says:
“[They can] sleep with as many people as they want, but don’t kill [animals]. Or I’m done!”

Comments following the post include some pretty harsh ones.

As I pointed out in my post, one commenter simply shows ignorance in how children are treated, and justifying human depictions of death with a simple:
"Dogs are innocent. People are not."
He then follows up with: "It’s more emotional for a lot of people because animals are mistreated exponentially more than kids are in the world. People are allowed to care about whatever makes them the most emotional."
I would almost respect his opinion if his ignorance wasn't so disturbing.

Other comments include some from an article about the EW article on Sodahead.com.
This commenter mentions a person who is writing/wrote a letter to HBO expressing their rage.
"I agree with the one fan who wrote HBO to complain, saying she'd rather see people killed off than the animals. I'm like that, too. While watching a movie, when characters die, I'm not as bothered as when animals suffer and die in the film. But hey, this is TV -- FANTASY TV, to boot -- so the producers and writers of "Thrones" can always pull a rabbit out of the hat and somehow make it so that the wolf didn't REALLY kick the bucket. Maybe it was all just a dream, like that entire season of "Dallas!"
I really don't understand this person. How can watching people die be less painful then watching animals. They do realize that when they eat a hamburger the animal had to be KILLED for them to eat it. And don't get me started on their delusional hopes of keeping the animal alive... 

 Back to EW, which has reached 250 comments in a few hours. 
"The fact of the matter is a thousand thousand Ladies die every day, butchered by their masters in order to feed human beings. These people who whine about one animal or pet dying in a medieval-style fantasy television show are simply people who are far too protected from the reality they exist in. They’re sheltered from the blood and guts of the butcher shop they buy their meats from, sheltered from the septic tank their crap goes into, sheltered from the pin pricks and starving kids from where their sweatshop clothes come from. These people whining about Lady being killed are a legion of Lady Sansas who think that life is as pretty as a song, only to find out that heroes get their heads cut off and there is no such thing as justice in the end."

I don't know if PETA is going to get involved with this. Honestly, if they do, I will start respecting them less. I don't like the way they go about some things, like throwing flour on celebrities. Good motives, but some shady ways of going about it.  

"I’m not really sure why its okay to kill “just an animal” and not a human. Humans ARE “just another animal”. Some humans are civilized and some humans are more savage and cruel than the most savage four legged animal. And in general animals are not intentionally cruel in their kills while humans very well can be."
I don't really know how to react to this. I think she has some good points, but at the same time, this is incredibly insensitive. Humans are cruel because they have emotions. That is what sets us apart from "just another animal" for better or for worse.

"I don’t care about the people being killed, but don’t kill the animals, it really puts me off watching programs and films when animals are killed. If any more animals are killed in the series, unnecessarily, I won’t be watching any more, it isn’t that good up till now, so it won’t be any great sacrifice."

Again. Don't care about people?!?
What is worse is that either these people are REALLY stupid, and think they actually killed the dog, or they really don't care about when people being killed. I know it's all fantasy, but I can't watch brutal shows/movies like Saw. I cringed when Will was decapitated in the beginning of Episode 1. I hate violence of a realistic nature. Silly nonsensical violence that is impossible is one thing. But maybe its scenes like that, that are the problem.

Are we desensitized by the media?