ATI 1950 Pro and Everquest II

First, this is a very preliminary report.  I hope to do some objective tests of performance on my new 1950 Pro.  Yesterday I purchased a new box, and put a Viper ATI 1950 Pro with 512 mb of memory into the machine.  This required a 550 watt power supply as well.  Other modifications, including a TV tuner and some networking issues, as well as real life, left me watching Everquest II update from my fresh install around bedtime.  Everything worked flawlessly.  I was waiting for some component to fail, some switch to go bad, or just general bad luck, but nothing surfaced.

This morning, I bounded out of bed in order to get a glance at my new setup in game.  I really cannot describe the view if you haven’t experienced the game on its higher settings.  Gaff was parked on Gazer Isle in TT–I logged in and upped the performance settings.  Breathtaking.  Amazing.  Awesome.  To quote my 80s peers, it was absolutely and totally wicked.  I even called my wife down to see it–the scrolling on my level 60 mount’s barding was exquisitely detailed in itself.  And, in case you were wondering, the movement in game was completely smooth–not a rubber band in sight.

Screenshots upcoming! 

One more day until the weekend!

Sigil Games RIP–SOE Ups the Ante

Several sites have posted the demise of Sigil–or the partial demise, as some have reported.  You have to keep someone employed to do the firing.  Rumor has it that some employees will be rehired by SOE.

Me?  I haven’t played Vanguard and don’t plan on it either.  However, if they are able to pull of the same turn around EQ2 went through, who knows what may happen when I have a new machine.

Here is a good amalgamation of links, in Wilhelm’s article.  Here is the press release from SOE.

Balancing Time

I have mentioned this to a couple of people, but one of the most time consuming things about blogging is putting up photos.  I use some free hosting sites–you can figure out which by clicking on my pictures.  To crop, resize, upload, and link the pictures, especially a bunch of pictures, takes awhile, especially considering the number of screenshots I take.  I am always looking for a better picture, so to speak.  The easiest part is actually writing–though I do spend some time trying to proof what I write.

With brevity being the soul of wit, I should say I have been less than willing to spend the requisite time with my blog of late.  In fact, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I have rarely read anyone else’s site either.  It is a busy time of year for me, and that means making cuts to certain activities for a bit–though I do hope to pick up the pace again with the start of summer, giving you several posts a week anyway.  Yesterday after work I took my daughter outside and taught her how to water the flowers–sometimes the important things trump the periphery.  By the time the family was fed and I had settled down to the computer, I could only play–not report on anything.  I was able to get a few Claymore updates with some guildmates, and then it was all too soon bedtime.

However, I did have a piece of good news yesterday evening.  As Stargrace pointed out, both Wilhelm and myself were linked on the Town Crier.  This is the second time in as many postings I have made the cut.  I look at all the blogs linked and have tried to ascertain what the criteria is, past EQ2 news.   I think they just want to spotlight the buzz in the community, and that is a good thing.  I said it the first time and it bears repeating–I appreciate any extra traffic that is sent my way. 

Both Gaff and Lurk are progressing, with Gaff hiting 67 in Sanctum of the Scaleborn.  It seems cliche anymore, but most times I mention that zone someone says that they “hate it.”  I actually like the zone, and have been able to duo a lot of the content.

I should be back in the swing of things shortly.  Thanks for the comments and the views!

Kunark Repost!

I fished for some info and got it–thanks to the commenters on the previous post.  The link Cuppy posted was spot on, of course, and helped clarify the somewhat erroneous first reports of Rise of Kunark.  Apparently, the version on Allakhazam’s was a draft (seems odd, doesn’t it? or does SOE own that site?). 

The actual SOE site is now up and functioning, so take a look here:  Rise of Kunark

 Thanks to all the posters, as I said in the comments.  I really appreciate the help nailing this down during my very brief blog time this week.  Now the long wait sets in–of course, there is plenty to do in the game now, the expansion will compound that significantly.  I only wish these things would release during the summer when I tend to have a bit more time to play.

Rise of Kunark

I have been overwhelmingly busy both at work and with the family of late, and the blog has suffered.  On another note, this has kept me from reading any real commentary on the new details of “Rise of Kunark.”  I found the notice on the front page of Allakhazam’s which delineated the specifics, which is now common knowledge I’m quite sure.

A couple things tweaked my curiosity–guild level 80.  We will be jumping from 60 to 80.  I don’t think this is a bad idea, and it always seemed a bit odd they weren’t aligned before, but will there be a new mount at 70?  A title? I am guessing yes, but haven’t seen anything specific as of yet–it may not be decided.

New level cap, both artisan and adventurer, raised to 80:  this seemed to me to be an obvious choice.  Does this seemingly huge number intimidate would-be players?  Is EQ2 not looking for new players?  I don’t know, and utimately as long as my server stays up and we have a robust market, I am not too concerned.  Another 10 levels will just be more time–and of course that is what we spend on the game anyway.

One thing that always hits you with a new release–the planned obselesence of gear.  All the raid equipment, crafted pieces, etc. soon go the way of the vendor, or to your deity in more recent times.  Will you sit on your coin now that the expansion is looming?  How about your DKP points?  I probably will continue to spend points, but I’m going to stockpile coin.

I also do not know if this is an EoF-like expansion in that it puts zones of all levels into the game, or just the starting area and the new tier 8.  I bet it is posted somewhere, if only I had time to go find it.

Free Character Transfers a Plus for Two Boxers

I did not realize, until Lanipedia told me ingame, that you could transfer toons between two accounts for free under the character transfer promotion.  I thought it was only for transferring characters between servers.  This is a great deal–and even better because I got in on it.

 I have a 69 guardian I quit playing, mainly because he lacks damage and is difficult to solo–he takes on two blue mobs in crafted rare armor and has to train them to avoid dying.  This is mainly post-mitigation nerf.  He doesn’t do much damage, which I understand, and lacks any real raid gear.  So, I rolled my berserker and matched him up with my mystic.  I have started a fae fury twice on the adjecent account so I could have a healer to play with my “old” original alts–a 47 assassin, a 23 troubadour, and the above mentioned guardian.

But the free transfers solved all of that!  I have made alts on the new, second account, but only for farming adepts and low level drops in my aborted attempt making a transmuter.  These were easily deleted and space made for the move.  My assassin and guardian transferred quickly–I can now hit 70 if I feel like it with my original main.  It took less than five minutes after putting in the move request for them to show up on the other account.  By contrast, when I moved my toons in World of Warcraft, some took two hours, some took two days, and several didn’t move at all until I resubmitted the request a number of times, going through all the prerequisite forms and logins ad naseum.

With the addition of the extra character slot, this will bring me to 14 slots, basically two more than Station Access for the same money–please don’t tell SOE about this.  On another note, I have seen a few posts of a similiar nature, but I wanted to state publicly I have always, and I mean always, had a great experience with SOE’s customer service.  I have had to call them several times over various issues, and they resolved them quickly and to my satisfaction every time.  The errors were not even their fault–for instance I had bought Station Access a couple years ago, and somehow cancelled my account in the process of trying to change back to the regular billing cycle–they fixed it and were polite and pleasant.

There is no disclaimer to the above–I don’t work for them, I am not a fanboy, and the only time I even lived in San Diego was when I was in the Marine Corps.

If your interested in the character transfer information, I think you have today to get it done, unfortunately.  Here is a link to the information–click this Character Services link if you are ready to move.

SOE to Increase Character Slots With GU 35

So, all your whining has done its work.  SOE recently announced that all accounts would have an increased number of character slots in the update, scheduled for the end of May.

Regular accounts will now have 7 slots, while Station Access accounts will have 12.  One more slot?  Well, it is actually 3 more than they released the game with, so every new slot is a victory of sorts.

Find the article here:  EQII to increase character slots…

First look at the Arasai

I am beginning the Peacock line (aka epic 2) and surfed over to Allakhazam’s to find the quests.  When I hit the front page, I noticed they had a first look at the new race, complete with character creation screen shots.

The seem to be a filtered version of the Fae, with some different wing configurations–I am still satisfied.  It’s free, so far be it from me to complain.

See the screenshots here:  Arasai! First Look!

Neriak is Coming to EQ2?

Not to start a rush, but I recently read the current news at Everquest II Players–wow.  An ambitious release is in the works, and I must say I am excited.  An excerpt from the release:

With Echoes of Faydwer, we had hoped that people would enjoy a return to a more traditional MMO starting experience, and were pleased with the results. We got a lot of positive reaction by introducing the starting city of Kelethin inside of Greater Faydark, as well as a new race, the Fae.

Later this month, we’ll be releasing the largest free content addition that EQ2 has ever seen. The complement to that experience: The city of Neriak, the large outdoor zone of Darklight Wood, and a new playable race, the Arasai, one of the races who will be able to start there.

These zones are another collaboration with our SOGA studio in Taiwan, the same studio that developed the characters and environments for The Fallen Dynasty. Their artists working in conjunction with our designers and artists have really brought Neriak back to life.

Later this month?  Good deal.  I hate a wait.  I wonder how the Vanguard pundits will spin this–does SOE’s continued release and development of EQ2 forbode ill tidings for Vanguard, should it come into their fold?

Other highlights:  a new playable race.  I have no clue what an “Arasai” looks like, but should be interesting.  According to one source, they will be the evil Fae with bat-like wings.  Also will have the new zone “Darklight Wood,” which is where the Arasai will have their hometown–obviously they feel decentralizing starting cities is a positive move, and it seems to be a step towards (notice I did not say backwards) the old EQ1 paradigm.

Now for the conspiracy theory–coincidence that Station Access prices are going up and a new race is going into the game?  Perhaps not–most established players have their 6 toons, I’m quite sure.  If your attached to them, there are only two options to getting more slots–Station Access or two accounts.

I am aware all of the above is obvious, but I just want to ensure no one thinks I am an elaborate script myself.

Read the entire release here:  Producers Letter May 2007

Scripts and Stones

I have pushed this article back for some time—two full weeks in fact. I tossed around not writing it. I thought about blurring names, and decided against it. I have finally decided to run the piece because the problem is so widespread it is impossible one will not encounter it on some level. On countless occasions I have ran into “bot” crews in both EQII and WoW. They are typically easy to spot—the names do not follow what are typical vowel/consonant rules, one toon moves, and shortly after the other four follow together (five toons controlled by one user is typically called a hydra). Most people attribute these farmers’ activities to the gold for cash business that has been booming since EQ1 if not before.  There are, I’m sure, legitimate players controlling 5 toons at once–I am talking about farming the same named mobs over and over, for weeks and months at a time, without ever logging out of the game.

So, I am not writing this story to blacklist anyone. I am not trying to point fingers, demand retribution, or expose someone. In fact I have never encountered or talked to either of the people in my screenshots.  That being said, I have not altered the screenshots either.  I have left the decision up to the reader to draw their own conclusions.  I am sure if you have played any popular MMO for a period of time, you have had similiar experiences, and have perhaps already seen some of what I am describing.  The screenshots merely add some visual aides to my story.  If someone feels my logic or assertions are misguided, please post a comment, but do so in a mature way, or no one but me will see it. I leave it for you to decide if these are cases of a script or not, and perhaps raise the larger question—does this type of behavior hurt the average player? By the way, framing comments in a way that seeks to “flame” me or anyone else is ill-advised. You will move to the spam list.

The Obelisk of Lost Souls was a mainstay of so-called hydras for some time (it may still be for all I know). In The Feerrott, a bot team lead by a Kerra named “Chains” farmed headhunters 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for over 6 straight weeks in 2005. I know because I was off from work and harvesting that zone like a farmer myself at the time.  I recall seeing harvest bots on occasion–they would scour an area like a locust, and work all day long.  Periodically, SOE would announce they had closed a large number of accounts, and these people disappeared, Chains and friends included.  We had reported him for weeks before it happened.

However, recently I have noticed what I would call mainstream players engaging in what appears to be scripted behaviors. My only indication that they are mainstream players is they belong to a guild that seems legitimate, they are wearing decent gear, and have names that make sense phonetically. Upon my return to EQII, one of the first seemingly scripted toons I observed was in Sinking Sands. He stood on a certain rock, and harvested ore nodes as they popped. Nothing special with this scenario—I have farmed for long periods of time in a limited area on many occasions. Except for three things: he never moved, only pivoting to address the node he was harvesting; the toon was there all hours, in the open, for no less than 8-10 hours at a stretch (this is as long as I spent at one time in the Sinking Sands, passing him to get quests, repair, etc); and finally, after a long period of observation, the toon always struck the node with the same delay between it spawning, and his harvesting. Here he sits, though I have not seen him there of late.

The next incident occurred in Loping Plains. I came around a corner, close by the ruined spires, and found someone pet pulling mobs. I waved, and pulled the ghouls I needed to update a quest. Shortly after my first pull, his aery pet began to assist me, and he was casting spells on my mobs. I even thanked him. It didn’t take more than 4 or 5 pulls and assists to realize something wasn’t right—every time I maneuvered a mob within a certain distance, he attacked.  For reference, and in case something similiar is happening on other servers, here is the exact location.

Pulling and slaying:

After roughly 15 minutes, I remembed a post from the WoW forums that had discussed a pattern much the same as the one I was now observing.  Apparently a player had found a toon running a program which attacked mobs, looted, and moved on to the next target.  What made that toon’s behavior suspect was the pattern of movement, and that it attempted to loot, no matter who pulled/attacked the mob first.  I decided to try the same tactic that was employed in the above scenario.  I pulled everything I could.  I pulled and pulled and pulled.  Without fail he sent his pet, then nuked.  Everytime.  Then, he came over to loot.  Everytime.  He reset, faced the same direction, and then pulled a mob (unless I had one in range).  Everytime.

Here he moves to loot my kill:

Here he is at his “reset” point:

Eventually, I took to locking the encounter to see what would happen.  The results were predictable; as soon as the encounter locked, the pet reset, the toon reset, he targeted a new mob and pulled.

After perhaps 45 minutes of this pattern, something changed.  The toon reset, but then he turned towards me (180 degrees from where he had faced every other time), and then this happened:

At the time, I was unsure why he was pulling mobs here anyway.  I am not very familiar with Loping Plains, but I’m becoming more so.  I do not spend a lot of time there, but that is changing.  Not 10 minutes after he logged out, this popped up, along with a friend:

I pulled, killed, conquered.  However, does this type of behavior hurt we players playing the game?  I found that he was a great help in getting my quest updates.  But is this behavior, outside of the tradeskill instance, widespread amongst players we typically don’t think of as “gold sellers” or “farmers?”  And if so, what action should be taken, if any?  Are you unconvinced, and perhaps there can never be any real proof a player is running a script or “botting,” as it is called?