Black Raven Dragoons

[Lithium]

Hey guys, how is everybody? I up and vanished a while back. Long story short, I had a really long-standing issue with opiates and checked into a treatment center. It's not an interesting story. Junkie starts getting dopesick on a daily basis, junkie gets strung out, junkie decides to do something about it. Pretty standard story. Now that everyone knows about that embarrassing situation, enough with the unpleasantries.

What's everyone been up to? I'm guessing Mists wasn't too big of a hit. I've tried hunting folks down in-game and my friend list is a ghost town. Miss you guys.

Anyway, I'm going to run. Hope to hear how you've all been. G'night.

[Grimblast]

Good to hear from ya, Lith! Sorry to hear about the personal issue
Yeah, Mists of Pandaria just didn't really do it for most of us. To be honest, Cataclysm was pretty boring and put me off from WOW. We played Star Wars: The Old Republic for a few months until content dried up. Some of us played Diablo 3 for a bit and then Highgrade and I had a few month adventure in Champions Online. We ended up beta testing Guild Wars 2 and it was pretty much an instant hit! For an MMO that doesn't have a pay to play structure it's been very awesome! You just buy the game, download/update and you are good to go! They do have a real money store for gems that are used to buy some goods for collectors purposes(to be honest, if you are impatient, you can go that route but you can literally get everything over time so there's no rush). I guess that's where they can make up for the lack of a subscription but besides that, the game is a lot better than the first Guild Wars was. This one has quite a bit of PVE to experience as well as keeping the PVP and World Vs. World separate from each other. I've not done the structured PVP but I do enjoy playing World Vs. World against the other servers they put us against on a weekly basis. Their dungeons(instances) are very creative and since the game doesn't have a holy triad in play(tank, healer, dps) everyone just has to play smart and dodge attacks when they can(yep, an actual dodge mechanic is in the game). I've been meaning to get a proper review up on the site but I've been so sucked into the game that I haven't found the time as of yet.

Anyways, good to hear from you! I was wondering why we hadn't heard from you in some time and now I know why. We are still in the usual teamspeak address that you can see in the guild part of the forums. Most of us pop on later in the evening since we are all usually working during the day or in class. Look forward to catching you on one of these nights! If you do check out GW2, let one of us know and we can suck you into the guild in game.

[Zancarius]

Lith! Holy cow. Today is a good day! With as horrible as 2012 has been for everyone, it's a relief to end the year on a good note.

The timing of this is oddly peculiar, because I was just wondering a couple days ago whatever happened. Mostly, I figured any number of bad scenarios (including the possibility that the 'goons just weren't worth it anymore ). Glad you're back to the land of the living. Hopefully we'll get to see a bit more of you now that you're back in action!

First off, I second everything Josh said, although my experience differs. If you're not sure about GW2, here's how it's been for me as someone who jumped into it a bit late (some 4-5 months after release; basically, I just started playing it at the beginning of December). TL;DR version: It's not like WoW and that's a good thing. If you jump into the game late, you're not going to miss out. In fact, the game is so vastly different that you don't even have to worry about missing the initial "gold rush." Unlike WoW where joining up a couple months post-expansion pretty well cuts you out of loop completely due to gearing requirements, GW2 is entirely accessible no matter when you join up. Yes, gear helps, but it's not something that matters entirely.

Long version:

First, our home server is Isle of Janthir. Although the home servers don't matter a whole lot, it does dictate whether or not you can join someone in the game world (I think you can still play cross-dungeon with people, though), so if you do decide to get it, you'll need to pick that server if you want to hook up with us in game. Second, I wasn't a huge fan of the original Guild Wars. I'm not completely sure why. Whether it was the clunky UI feel, odd animations, or strange ability system, it just wasn't ever something I could get into. Thus, in spite of everyone's insistence that GW2 was way better (better than WoW, even!), I approached it with a healthy dose of skepticism. Frankly, I was surprised.

Admittedly, it took until about level 10-20 before I realized that it's a game I'd enjoy. Everything is mostly accessible. There's a level 80 cap, but you can reach it in about 2 weeks of casual play, and the end game content (fractals) can be accessed at any level since you get boosted up to 80. Dungeons don't quite work that way, but because of the level adjustment system, anyone can join you (yep, if you're at level 80, it'll down level you to match the zone you're in). It's a brilliant system. Also, resource nodes are entirely unique to you--meaning everyone can access them (you don't have to fight the farmers). Local map events or group events don't actually require groups. If you just jump in and do some damage, you get complete credit. Mob loot works the same way: As long as you hit a mob, there's a chance it'll drop something for you even if you're not the one who hit it first. Basically, GW2 does something no other MMO has done: It encourages everyone to cooperate. To put it another way, you're actually relieved to see other people rather than overwhelmed by a strong feeling of animosity that they might steal your kill.

In fact, the game is so brilliantly designed that you don't really have to grind. You get experience from gathering materials (ore, lumber, etc.), crafting, and damn near everything else. I was in a rough spot of leveling around 76 where I didn't feel like doing any exploration, but I'd gathered so much material during my previous levels that I crafted most of the way to 80 then ran two dungeons with these guys and leveled up the rest of the way from that. Need another example? Josh has built up enough materials that he's going to level another character from 1 to 80 from crafting alone--and yes, that's entirely possible, too. There's no need to even do zones that match your character's level: All experience is proportional percentage-wise to your "real" level, so it's feasible for a character to do nothing but all of the starter (1-15) zones, the next ones up (15-25) and so on, hitting 80 without ever setting foot in anything higher than about level 50. It'd be like hitting the level cap in WoW without ever leaving a zone higher than Stranglethorn Vale.

Now, there's no real questing system in place. You just go to a zone, look for hearts on your map, and do whatever is required to "fill" the bar for the heart. Then you move to the next. Once the zone is complete and you've gotten all the vista points (basically exploration/jumping puzzles) and skill points, you get a reward at the end which usually involves some gear and a few odds and ends plus tons of experience. It's a great system.

It does get somewhat tiring, but the benefit of GW2 is that you can put the game down any time you like, pick it back up, and you don't fall behind. Given the messy bullshit that Mists of Pandaria was and the total screw up of a talent system, I think you'd enjoy GW2. Highly recommended.

Also, we have a Minecraft server running. It's between versions right now, so I'll have to update it and fix some plugins since the version you'd download would be higher than the server, but that's another option sometime. I can show you the ropes. The graphics are abysmal, but I think you'd enjoy it as a little break. It's like Lego for adults.

Anyway, pop on our TeamSpeak server sometime (TeamSpeak 3 in case you need to find a download link). Same address as always like Josh said. If we can get you into Guild Wars 2, I think you'll enjoy the feeling of not stressing out over gear and the daily grind of WoW. I can't speak highly enough about that game, but just remember to pick the right home server. Here's the original thread on it.

I'm glad to see you back! Here's to hoping we'll get to see you in GW2 sometime!

[Lithium]

Hey Turus, Thal!

It's nice to be back. And to have my own room again. Bunkies tend to get old after 8 months. No matter how cool the dude is, watching a "Duck Dynasty" marathon because it's his favorite show is just annoying. I'm glad to hear you're both well and that the Goons have kept together outside of the letdown WoW's become. Speaking of which...

GW2 sounds worth checking out. Mists has been really lackluster from what I've experienced. That whole streamlined talent thing feels like a choke point compared to giving people some freedom in their options. Somewhere between that and the panda bears, it felt like a really half-baked attempt to toss in Chinese culture while replacing the people with bears. That idea sounds as bad as it does on paper as the end result ended up being. Not much was changed to adapt to Warcraft lore. Just pretend that the Han Dynasty was accustomed to wearing panda suits, and you've basically got Mists. Combine all that with wandering around by myself, and it just wasn't much fun. Not that I'm all complaints, though. I liked the pet battle thing for whatever reason.

So, yeah. Something new would definitely be a welcome change. I'll make a valiant effort to pick it up today, as I've managed to Ebay some stuff I had in storage that I no longer needed. So I have a small budget to work with. I also need to grab a headset. I don't know what I do to those things, but whatever it is, they don't survive it.

I have to hit an NA meeting in about fifteen minutes, but I should be around. We're anonymous, so I didn't just type the first part of that last sentence, see?

Anyway, hopefully Frys or Best Buy won't be packed. If all goes well, I'll pick up those two items. If there's a crowd, I'll try to convince myself that it's not okay to drive through the front doors, and that the elderly are not worth double points.

See youse guys later!

[Zancarius]

Glad you popped on this evening into TS. Good to hear you more or less in person again! Apologies we weren't super talkative, but we were enjoying the scenic tours of the undead lands. Really fun stuff (and I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible). Plus, I realize that you were a bit busy with other things--and GW2 takes forever to download. I suspect the fact they jam everything into a single archive probably doesn't help much.

Anyway, your GW2 download has probably been finished for a while now, and you may have taken some time to get it up and running. Pop on over to TS or drop a line here if you run into any issues. I'll be on sometime either in the morning or early afternoon, probably getting ready to start up with a lowbie. The friend/contacts UI is a little awkward, but the neat thing is that you just add someone's base ID (mine is Zancarius) and you can see all their characters.

For your first character, I'd suggest something ranged or wearing plate. From what I've seen personally, it seems the thief and mesmer classes are a bit rough. Guardians are kinda like your paladin (and can outlast all kinds of things), but warriors--properly spec'd--can have some pretty impressive healing capabilities for themselves and the group. My first was a ranger, and I admit that it's definitely a lot of fun. Certainly, it's more fun than playing a hunter in WoW, although the pet AI is a bit retarded.

Side note: Biggest complaint in the game that I have is the auto-targeting system and tab targeting. If you punch abilities right when a mob dies, the game will immediately target something else to hit. You can disable this at the expense of having to manually target everything (I think), but the system itself really needs some improvements IMO. Although, if you're joining up with a regional event (depending on the time of day), there's usually so many people around that you don't have to worry about accidentally whacking another mob. It'll die like the rest.

Speaking of which... even your plate classes can use ranged weapons effectively. Rule of thumb: If your class can equip a weapon, you can use it. Each weapon has a unique set of abilities that are specific to classes and sometimes are pretty dependent on the situation. One odd example that comes to mind is with the ranger. Longbows give you some pretty basic but decent AOE abilities and pretty good single-target damage plus knockback. Shortbows give you slightly better single target damage at the expense of limited AOE, and instead of a knockback, you have an evasion skill that will launch you backward. Likewise, rangers can use swords and do decent damage in melee, but their abilities are vastly different from warriors and others (mesmers, one of the casters, can also use two handed swords--fancy that).

If I catch you on sometime, we'll go through the basics. Just let us know what race you've picked since they all have different starting areas.

Anyway, hopefully Frys or Best Buy won't be packed. If all goes well, I'll pick up those two items. If there's a crowd, I'll try to convince myself that it's not okay to drive through the front doors, and that the elderly are not worth double points.

This reminds me! The Carmageddon reboot should be out sometime early this year. That's gonna be a blast. And yes, the elderly are worth points (but I'm not quite sure if they're worth double--unless you do a wheelspin over their walkers).

[Lithium]

Heya!

It was way cool to talk with you guys for a bit. I didn't mean to be rude by disappearing, but I had a sponsee show up out of the blue and he'd relapsed earlier that day. Suffice it to say, I had to drop everything else and help him to get through it. Right now he's snoring his balls off, and I'm worried that if he wakes up before I do, he may make a bad decision by sneaking out and scoring. So... I'm on my second pot of coffee to try and ensure that doesn't happen. But, hey. If it keeps the guy from getting loaded, it's got to be worth giving up a little sleep. Anyway. Probably rambling a little bit, there.

Anyhow, my download did finish! And I logged in a few minutes ago, and SON OF A BITCH, I'll be fucked sideways to Jupiter if someone didn't jack "Lithium" already. So I was like, "Cool. I'll just put 'Lith"."... And, again, someone's already got it. So I decided to be assy and name a necromancer "Incorrupted". So he's a Norn, and I killed some gryphon thing for a trophy, if that sounds familiar.

Although, after your post, I'm considering that maybe a guardian may be more my speed. But I'll give this thing a try and see if it's a class I like. I'll probably be on sometime in the morning or afternoon, once I can get my sponsee in a sober state and get him talking rationally about what's going on.

I hope he doesn't piss on my couch cushions.

[Zancarius]

Hah, yeah. Someone took Thalaria, Talvarie, Shandaria, etc. So, I just borrowed a name from my SWTOR legacy. Show that lot!

Edit: I think I have the right "you" added. My full ID is Zancarius.5186, so if you think about it, feel free to add me!

[Lithium]

Heya,

I'll be popping on within the next hour. Just have to pay bills, and that's it for the grown-up shit for today. My ID is Lithium.9532 if you or anyone else cares to add it. See ya in-game!

[Highgrade]

Good to have you back man.

[Snobal]

Boo!

So... I don't wanna go about highjacking a thread, but is now an okay time for me to make a re-entrance too?


<3 Sno

[Grimblast]

You are always welcome! We are still the same bunch of silly as we have always been. Our primary poison currently is Guild Wars 2 and various other games we dabble in. The more, the merrier! You can catch us in TS just about every day really.

[Zancarius]

'bout damn time.

[Snobal]

Sorry for the brief tidbit folks, but I hopped on earlier during my lunch break and saw so many old friends I got ten different kinds of excited. If you all are still the perverse old fucks you used to be, you may creatively interpret that as you will. I hope everyone is getting along just fine. Lith, it's good to know you're doing better man... keep that shit up. I've had a lot of friends transition from party drugs to opiates and it's a sad sight to see first hand. Good on you for reaching out and getting help. I gotta apologize to everyone for disappearing for so long; between college/work/research/girlfriend I struggle finding time to shit these days.

So Guild Wars 2 is what all the cool kids are doing now? How big of a time commitment would you say the game is to have fun and be competitive? I'd love to hop on and dick around with you guys for a bit but I'm afraid I'll never be able to experience the content I'd like to with everyone. I've missed you guys muy mas.

<3 Sno

[Grimblast]

Well, the game is well paced and leveling isn't too bad. The whole game is about fun really. PVE has a leveling side to it up to level 80 while PVP and World vs World vs World(yep 3 way, mhmm) both scale everyone to level 80 so you are on equal footing with everyone in those places. There's a dungeon called fractals of the mist which scales everyone to 80 as well so you can dungeon run with each other. To be honest though, based on casual play, you can knock out levels like it's no one's business. You get experience for gathering materials, killing stuff, discovering places, vista's, finding waypoints, and the list goes on! And the beauty of it all, high level characters can't necessarily power you through. When a high level character enters an area, their level and stats are scaled for that area. Everyone is always on equal footing. No matter what your level, the experience of anything you do is scaled with your level so no matter the area, the experience is still rewarding. This game is great for casual play and competitive play.

Currently we've got most of the guild upgrades but I haven't touched the PVP related benefits since we mostly do PVE content but sometime soon, I should be able to get some of the nice PVP buffs going so when we storm a keep or supply depot in WvWvW and claim it for our guild(because who wouldn't want to see our banner flying?) we and our allies gain buffs to make it harder for enemies to take the point back. I'm sure I've missed soemthing in this short description of the game but it's a pretty large gaming world and we are still bumping into fun things to do! You can solo most content but I still recommend group play since there's a nice experience modifier on top of survivability.

Oh and that reminds me, events. There are no quests in this game as I've mentioned somewhere here. The events do scale in difficulty the more people there but that just means more loot opportunities. You don't have to be in a party to get credit for an event which is a nice touch. Everyone just works together to take down a boss or a group of bandits etc.

[Snobal]

Well that sounds pretty shnazzy. I played Guild Wars vanilla for a while many years back but I can't remember much what it was about. It sounds like it isn't WoW, which is awesome. I just might have to pick up a copy and hop on with you fellas. My roommate here at Uni might follow suite as well. Thanks for the details dudes! I'd like to catch up sometime soon, so I might be hopping on TS.

<3 Sno