Redwolf's Journal (continued)

Well, it didn't measure up as one of my primary complaints, but it looks like Arenanet is changing the cost of the elite specialization trait lines from 400 total to 250 total. A lot of people complained about that. It bothered me a little, but not that much. After playing through the weekend, I ended up with most of the spec line unlocked on my main character. But perhaps the big difference is I wasn't really expecting to rely on it while others went into the expansion expecting to play this 'new build for their character' immediately. All about the expectations. Not much else to add, as my playable time has dwindled with the introduction of work schedules (and some odd at that).

Well, that was... a thing I watched. Moment by moment, there's a lot of annoying dialog with a villain who's rambly-mad and a heroine who's constant-positive-chatty. The Gatchamen (is that the plural?), as alien-empowered protectors of Earth, only have a few fights that really seem worthy of that. But... it's clear on a larger level that the series is examining heroes and empowerment on a broader scale. That's definitely the redeeming part of the series. Even so, however, the message is a little unclear. Small groups of superheros can be sort of redundant when people really pull together, except when they're not. Giving people power to perform superheroic acts is good, except when it's not. Galax and the Crowds are shown both in a positive and negative light, capable to both destroying and saving civilization. It's the most awesome and terrifying possibilities of the internet-driven world all in one. At the end of the day, things (of course) work

Well, I'll start by saying as the weekend winds down that my experience with the GW2 expansion has gotten better. I've been able to play more story missions, which have been generally engaging. I have more access to movement abilities in the new zones, so I feel less restricted. And I've been able to engage in a little group content, which seems fine. That said, a lot of my complaints stand. The mastery points/XP issue seems part of a larger, systemic design choice. Guild hall improvements, for example, make use of at least two currencies plus various materials. Everything seems... complicated by multiple requirements. And all the while, there's very little instruction on how to use any of it. You sort of have to learn by doing. Or research online, I guess. Even then, I'm still not sure what these Resonating Slivers are really for . I got one for participating in a guild mission, but otherwise... uhh... ??? It's all still very solo-unfriendly, as most of

Well... Prior to today, I might have said the MMO expansion that was the least fun for me to pick up and play would have been GW: Factions, largely because I found the main city annoying in layout, unappealing in appearance, and the enemies boringly repetitive and frequently frustration. HoT now gets the prize. Admittedly, I'm only a few hours in, but those hours have been... a chore. It's poorly explained, but to unlock the new mastery abilities, you need to earn both 1) mastery points (which seem to come from story missions that I've done one of and map challenges - of which I haven't reached any yet) and 2) XP earned in either the new zones (for the new area movement masteries) or old zones (for the masteries added to that including legendary crafting and such). And opportunities to gain XP? Seems to be largely tied up in the same event-zerging play that has become common in the Silverwaste and some major events prior. It's exactly what I commented on disliki

Mmm... seems like a lot of "this could be bad" looming. - Couple large projects on the horizon at work that don't have a clean and clear path to accomplishment. - Talk about mold in the attic of one of the condo units, and given the construction, I wouldn't be surprised if that were an issue across the board. - Very subtle shuddering in my car while driving home today. Brief research indicates that could be anything from spark plugs to air filter to serious engine problems. Getting anything diagnosed is likely to be a hassle. (Edit: Nothing discernible the following morning, though. Hrm...) Wrrf.

Arenanet gets points for doing some cute things with some major news site(s?), like this . Still, I feel like Heart of Thorns is being rushed out the door. The pace of the reveals of new specializations has seemed to run up pretty darn close to the October 23rd release date. It feels like that stuff should have been shown off a fair bit earlier. Then there's news that their Halloween-style events are ramping up on the 23rd as well... that seems like unnecessary content glut that you would want to space out a little bit. A raid was just recently beta tested. A recent post about new legendary weapons indicates they'll be released into the game a few at a time, starting with three (of sixteen total?). Raids also apparently are going to be staggered in release. This is the stuff you want live in the game when the expansion is released. To me, it seems like they're trying too hard to get the expansion out in October when it should have been pushed back until more of its conte

Woke from a dream this morning of having been on a camping vacation, meeting up with some distant friends and such. Then there was a long drive after to... go back to college. And settling in with three other people in a room. And an overwhelming sense of futility about it when I actually thought about the value of returning to school. ...

... so little ability to do any of it. Every mood at state of me at present is laid over a bubbling morass of frustration at work. We've got several things, large and small, going on right now or looming, yet I can't seem to accomplish anything. Some items, my supervisor/co-tech has taken on himself, so I don't even know if any progress has been made until we cross paths in the afternoon and he fills me in (usually the answer is "no"). Five weeks later, I have not been able to get anyone at the phone company to return any of my many messages. I've waded through menus and call centers, been referred to three different salespeople, and only managed to talk directly to someone who seemed able to help me once. But he never followed up and no one since has even talked to me. (Edit: Holy crap. As I was writing this, I actually got called back from the latest salesperson, who apologized for having been out for training remotely for the last few weeks. So... th