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Monday, October 18, 2010

not quite dead

Obviously I haven't updated this recently. That doesn't mean I've stopped playing WoW or even contemplating updating this place though. The release of the pre-Cata 4.01 patch is probably the most recent event for me - I should get back and revise my hunter pet information since a whole lot of changes have been made.

The other thing I've been doing in game has been Recruit-a-Friend and now dual-boxing. I now get to be a poor-ish player on two toons instead of one - but I'm having a blast doing so!

If anyone wants to chase me down I'm most often on Dath'Remar, Moon Guard, or Nessingwary servers.


I'm also still playing AION whenever the mood strikes me and have maintained my Eve accounts.

More updates "soon".

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Disbelieving Suspenders

One of the key things in role-play and indeed any storytelling is maintaining the audience's "suspension of disbelief". This is perhaps all the more difficult when you yourself are part of the "audience". Suspension of disbelief is where an audience is willing to overlook certain aspects in order to be entertained. We as players of online computer games overlook many obviously unrealistic things in order to immerse ourselves in the story. Some of these are limitations with computer gaming - non-realistic graphics and sound, clunky keyboard/mouse interface etc. Others are inherent in the genre of fantasy - elves, trolls, dragons not being things we can experience in our real lives.

As players of an online fantasy game, we willingly suspend our disbelief in these things to take part in an enjoyable experience. Familiarity with other fantasy stories and movies means that we are unsurprised at non-human races, that dragons exist and can fly, or that magic has practical applications. All these are accepted as part of the new "world" we are involved in.

Where things break down however is the introduction of something well beyond our newly accepted framework. Instanced dungeons is one of the main "belief suspenders" in WoW and similar games.

How do you rationalise the "fact" that Ragefire Chasm and Stockades, instanced dungeons in the main Horde and Alliance capitals, are STILL full of hostiles, more than 5 years after WoW's release? Surely someone would have cleared them out by now?
How can my rogue claim to have cleared the place, and have an achievement to prove it, yet your priest also make the same statement, at a different time?

As you can see, issues like these can make or break your immersion into the story. There are a fair number of these issues imposed on us because of the nature of online computer gaming.

(not finished, but published so I embarrass myself into working on it later!)

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Musings on morality

This post is a part of my preliminary thinking for the backgrounds of my newest roleplay characters. A long term friend and officer on my Dath'Remar guild has convinced me to join his roleplay guild over on Moon Guard, so I've erased several alts on unused servers and created:

Cryptbred, a gnome male Deathknight,

Satrith, a gnome female Warlock,

Helacea, a draenei female Hunter.

Don't worry about their gear or levels; I've barely started working on any of that.

The guild The Tainted Legion has several members with well developed RP that I'm only starting to get my head around. The legion itself is pro-Alliance, but more willing to "do what must be done". It has a high number of deathknights and warlocks in its ranks, as well as disillusioned or fallen paladins. I had chosen my characters based most on what I enjoy playing rather than what would fit the guild but it looks like they will fit in easily. It will be a challenge to create distinct personalities for each that don't rely on too many clichés.


Concepts of good and evil, honour, loyalty, duty, pride, regret, remorse, vengeance and others are all things to think about. Warlocks and deathknights use powers that are viewed as evil by most. Some warlocks are described as mages that were lured to the "dark" side by easy power. Deathknights were once significant heroes of their faction that fell in battles against the scrounge and were raised as minions of Arthas. Though now supposedly free-willed, their skills and powers are definitely of darker aspect. It would be fairly far-fetched to portray either class as a do-gooder. The best most can do is to minimise the harm done.

Cryptbred and Satrith are both gnomes, sometimes described as lacking understanding of good or evil. Most gnomes are not deliberately harmful to others but can be blindly focussed on their goals and cause destruction as a side effect of seeking what they want. In Crypt's case, hes been recently freed of evil control and is likely still seriously confused.

I will continue posting later but will publish as is to spur further ideas. feel free to comment!