ArcheAge
35 entries. 27,023 words.
2014-03
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ArcheAge RU – Foreign Invasion.
2014-03-10.
In a burst of ambition, I installed and played the Russian version of ArcheAge for a little while. You have to sign up for a Mail.ru account (which I guess is the Russian version of Google Mail) and then you can download it. At least you could over the weekend, I don’t know if it still works. I used these handy instructions: http://www.mmocast.com/featured/archeage-ru-account-registration-guide-english-patch/
Not being able to read or speak Russian hampers the experience a bit, but not as much as you might think.
- MMORPG
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ArcheAge RU – Growing On Me.
2014-03-17.
Note: Apparently you’re not supposed to be able to play ArcheAge RU from the U.S. anymore, but for some reason I’m still able to.
ArcheAge is growing on me. I feel like I was too harsh on it in my first report. The graphics actually aren’t bad at all, and better than Fallen Earth, at least color-wise. (The first time, I had played AA after FFXIV, which has drop-dead gorgeous graphics, so my perception was probably skewed.
- MMORPG
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WildStar, ArcheAge, and Landmark.
2014-03-21.
Some random news bits.
I pre-ordered WildStar, which now allows me to finally play in the beta. By the way I did sign up for the beta many, many long months ago, but they never invited me. They thought they could keep me out, but who’s laughing now?
Trion is apparently hoping to get ArcheAge out this year (2014). That would be super. I hope it’s after summer, though, so that I can be sufficiently bored with WildStar before it comes out.
- MMORPG
2014-04
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ArcheAge RU – Flailing Around.
2014-04-22.
I thought I would do a quick update on my progress in ArcheAge RU. I have made it to level 12. Update complete.
Thusfar I have still not been able to enjoy any of the vaunted sandbox features of ArcheAge, because I still can’t read Russian*. I have sort-of puzzled out how to grow vegetables from seeds, and how to make food from the vegetables. (I don’t precisely know what happens when you eat food - you get a buff but it only lasts about 30 seconds.
- MMORPG
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ArcheAge – Founder’s Packs, Resisting Temptation.
2014-04-28.
As announced on Trion’s live stream Thursday, ArcheAge Founder’s Packs are now available.
They are expensive. $149.99, $99.99, and $49.99 for Archeum, Gold, and Silver, respectively. Archeum gets you into the game right now, playing until launch day, otherwise you only get to play in beta “events” starting in June.
So let’s discuss. With myself.
My first Russian glider!
I think they are fair prices.
Based on the laws of supply and demand, it makes perfect sense that it costs $150 to get into the ArcheAge alpha.
- Advice
- MMORPG
- Opinion
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ArcheAge – It’s The New Black.
2014-04-29.
Remember how I said I talked myself out of buying the ArcheAge Archeum Founder’s Pack? That only lasted through Thursday night, Friday, and Saturday. Then I bought it Sunday. I hadn’t even published my post about how I wouldn’t buy it before I bought it.
Stupid peer pressure.
Stupid ArcheAge RU not being in English.
Stupid ESO not being addictive enough.
Warning: I didn’t feel bad about spending the money because I already knew that I liked the game.
- MMORPG
- Reviews
2014-05
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ESO – Decision Time.
2014-05-01.
Okay I’m just going to say it. ESO is not holding my attention. I keep logging in and thinking to myself, “You know, I don’t particularly feel like playing this.” I’ll go through a quest or two and then log out again.
It’s a major factor in why I went ahead and dropped cough cough dollars on ArcheAge.
And yet I can’t think of anything wrong with ESO (well, except for inventory management - it’s really a pain).
- MMORPG
- Status
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ArcheAge – Hello World, The Trade Run (Updated).
2014-05-02.
UPDATE: This post was written during the Alpha, and only applies to Humans and Elves. (I haven’t played any Eastern races yet.) As of the Western ArcheAge launch, the first trade run quest is no longer Strawberry Jam. It’s Solzreed Dried Food which requires 50 Trimmed Meat (made from e.g. butchering chickens) and 35 Grapes (made from e.g. harvesting grapevines). And the certificate, of course. The cash reward is apparently greater now, as shown below.
- MMORPG
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ESO – Sub Cancelled For Now.
2014-05-06.
I went ahead and cancelled my ESO subscription. I’ve got a few more days left but I suspect my Templar will stay at level 36. I think I will wait two or three months and return to see what changes have been made. I like the direction I’m seeing in the roadmap; I’m just itching to do other things right now.
Go to the light!
In the meantime, I’m planning to play Rift 2.
- MMORPG
- Status
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ArcheAge Stream – On the Road to Cinderstone Moor.
2014-05-15.
It occurred to me that I should probably post the YouTube videos of my streaming “shows” here on the blog. (I am nothing if not a consummate professional broadcaster.) So here is the first episode from Thursday, May 1, showing the long journey to Cinderstone Moor to find PvP. Others to follow.
Link updated.
- MMORPG
- Streaming
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May, The MMO Crisis Month.
2014-05-19.
May has been an MMO crisis month.
I can only stand to play ESO for a quest or two at a time. There’s nothing wrong with the game (except the horrible inventory management and dungeon grouping tools). I accept full responsibility for my lack of enjoyment. At level 41, my stupid Two-Handed Templar build feels weak and ineffective, and it has almost no AoE damage capability. Everyone around me in public dungeons is burning down big groups in seconds, but I have to wack on mobs one at a time.
- MMORPG
- Status
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ArcheAge – Austera Trade Run.
2014-05-29.
As an elf, in order to get your 16×16 farm design in ArcheAge, you have to complete four Trade Run quests. I’m assuming it’s the same for humans, and basically the same pattern if you’re one of the Eastern factions. (I don’t know of any other ways to buy these scarecrow plots … I have seen people with multiple plots but I don’t know how they got them. I haven’t been able to find them for sale on Mirage Isle.
- MMORPG
- Status
- Stories
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ArcheAge – PvP Jamboree.
2014-05-30.
I got a chance to experience a little bit of large-scale PvP during the ArcheAge Livestream: Beyond Bloodlust a while back. They invited everyone to go to Halcyana to fight it out while they talked about PvP.
Since I’m not feeling terribly witty or verbose, here are some screenshots to commemorate the event:
The battlefield. Tab, shoot, tab, shoot, tab, shoot.
Returning to the battlefield after getting killed.
The inevitable result of all PvP in every MMORPG.
- MMORPG
- Status
- Stories
2014-06
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Mid-June MMO Status Report.
2014-06-20.
Not much to talk about, so here’s a non-WildStar MMO status report!
ArcheAge. I’ve only logged in to pay the taxes on my measely 8×8 farm, and occasionally grow aspen trees. I don’t expect to play this any more until after it launches.
The Secret World. I have logged in every few days to grind through a mission or two in the City of the Sun God zone. I’m attempting to collect AP and SP so I can fill out my skills better, which will better prepare me to go back to the Besieged Farmlands and continue the main story quest, which will then eventually allow me to get to Tokyo perhaps sometime in 2018.
- MMORPG
- Status
2014-08
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ArcheAge – It’s Not A PvP Gank-Fest.
2014-08-20.
UPDATE 10/24 - Before you run to the comments to disprove me because of that one time you were ganked in a situation where you probably should have expected it, let me explain the purpose of this post. I’m not saying that ganking is impossible in ArcheAge, especially after level 30 (though I would argue that “ganking” is the wrong term to use after you’ve reached level 30). What I’m saying is that it’s extremely rare if you stay in safe zones, and you’re not going to lose anything if it happens, so there’s no reason not to try the game.
- MMORPG
- Opinion
- Responses
2014-09
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ArcheAge – Head Started.
2014-09-16.
ArcheAge continues to top the list of most popular posts and search terms on my blog for some reason, so I feel like I should say something about the head start.
Suddenly player collision doesn't seem like such a great idea. Make way! Coming through!
I played a bit over the weekend, but not as much as you might think. For one thing, I kept getting disconnected due to the persistent server issues, and for another, I didn’t particularly want to spend all of my time staring at a queue screen.
- MMORPG
- Status
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ArcheAge – Calleil Diary, First Five Days.
2014-09-26.
(Updated with the rest of the screenshots I meant to include.)
If memory serves, Trion brought up the NA Calleil server on Sunday afternoon (Eastern time). Since the queues on Naima were horrible at the time, and there was little or no chance that I would ever find a place for a house or farm there anyway, I decided that I would make a character on Calleil to see how fast property disappeared.
- MMORPG
- Status
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ArcheAge – Calleil Diary, Next Four Days.
2014-09-30.
Continuing my diary of ArcheAge on Calleil, the newest, emptiest North American server. To make a long story short, it looks like most of the land in safe zones was gone about a week after the new server came up. So if they start a new server and you want some good land, get ready to sprint for it. (The really prime spots.. those cool lone houses up on hills.. are probably gone within 24 hours.
- MMORPG
- Status
2014-10
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ArcheAge – Calleil Diary, Water-Faring Days.
2014-10-03.
Previously on Calleil Diary: First Five Days, Next Four Days.
Calleil Day 10, Tuesday
After I got home from work, I built my Harpoon Clipper ship! It took about 1700 Labor in total, by the way, which was just about everything I had at the time. Oh also I believe it cost 10 gold just to set up the dry dock, which was an unexpected cost. The order of packs you need to use is Lumber, Iron, then Fabric.
- MMORPG
- Status
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ArcheAge – PvE After Level 30.
2014-10-11.
I’ve been dinged in comments for not having experienced the PvE game after level 30 and misleading everyone about ArcheAge. While the game might be rosey for people under level 30, they say, the “real” game begins at 30, and after that milestone, they say, then the game turns into a PvP gankfest.
Well as of this post I’m level 40, and I’ve spent many hours questing in Cinderstone Moor and Halcyona, and sailing around on the ocean.
- MMORPG
- Opinion
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ArcheAge – What’s Wrong With It.
2014-10-17.
I feel like I’ve been giving the impression that ArcheAge is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it isn’t all sunshine and roses. I’m mainly playing it just because “it’s the new thing.” And I do enjoy the fact that you can progress by doing “non-standard” MMO things. But pretty soon, Rift’s Nightmare Tide is going to be “the new thing,” and then a bit later, Warlords of Draenor is going to be “the new thing.
- MMORPG
- Opinion
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Ping-Ponging My Way To Nightmare Tide.
2014-10-23.
I took a little break from ArcheAge and it turned into an unintentional gaming ping-ping-a-thon. Don't worry, I still log into ArcheAge to gather the fruit from my trees a couple times a day. Also, I finally destroyed my Scarecrow Garden to make a Farmer's Workbench. I hated to do it, though. I wish I could rotate my house to face a different direction. FFXIV First I dropped back into Final Fantasy XIV again because I had an active subscription.
- MMORPG
- Status
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Rift – Nightmare Tide.
2014-10-31.
I’ve been playing nothing but Rift since the expansion came out.* If you even remotely like the game, you should definitely check out Nightmare Tide. I’m a little biased though, since I think Rift is the best themepark MMO out there, far surpassing WoW in every possible way. (Except in the amount of available content and player population.)
A nice vista in Goboro Reef.
Good things about Nightmare Tide:
Ridiculously Plentiful Gathering Nodes.
- MMORPG
- Reviews
- Status
2014-11
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A November Kitchen Sink Post.
2014-11-11.
Hi! You may remember that I used to write blog posts. At least occasionally. Unfortunately this month two things have happened: Rift Nightmare Tide and NaNoWriMo. Those two things, particularly the former, are way more interesting than writing blog posts. But I thought I would take a break and quickly write down some stuff about things.
Chatting with Arak near the end of Draumheim.
Overwatch. Blizzard is making a role-based shooter (cough Team Fortress cough).
- MMORPG
- Musings
- Status
2014-12
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ArcheAge – Post-Mortum.
2014-12-11.
I’m determined to sit here and write a complete blog post.
Inspired somewhat by j3w3l’s recent post, I’ve been thinking about ArcheAge. Thinking, that is, but not playing, because my work schedule has been ramping back up and ArcheAge is not a game you can play when you only have a little bit of time to play it. Not to mention the possibly-related fact that I’ve lost interest in it. I still log into ArcheAge once or twice a week to make sure my taxes are paid and to stockpile more tax certificates, but that’s about it.
- MMORPG
- Musings
- Opinion
2015-01
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Year End 2014.
2015-01-01.
In most Steam sales, I have a fairly strict cut-off point of avoiding anything unless it is under $10. Over the past year or so, I’ve rarely found anything meeting that criteria that I don’t already have, so I was a bit surprised to find myself buying nine games in this Winter Steam Sale, including Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, The Walking Dead Season 2, Murdered: Soul Suspect, Democracy 3, Contagion, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Dominions 4, Thief, and Transistor.
- MMORPG
- Opinion
- Status
- Steam
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Arbitrary Mid-January Status Update.
2015-01-19.
I’m in a “bouncing around between games” mode at the moment, now that I’m done with Elite: Dangerous. I’ve been logging into two or three or four different MMOs a day, looking for one to capture my imagination.
Level 100!
WoW. My WoW subscription runs out on the 20th, and I won’t be renewing. WoW is a fun game, but I always tire of it pretty quickly. I did manage to reach level 100 with my Hunter and upgrade my Garrison, though.
- MMORPG
- Status
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ArcheAge – Patron Status Waning.
2015-01-20.
Ruh roh.
No more soup for you. Or land.
I logged in quickly to see what, if anything, changed. The only immediate change I noticed was that my Labor Points plummeted from 5000 to 1000. My house and land are still mine, but they are only “protected” until the 28th, after which I believe they will decay in a week.
I went to the web site to see how much it would cost to resume my Patron benefits, and realized I had never redeemed my Patron Compensation thingy, so I went ahead and did that to extend my time another 5 days.
- MMORPG
- Responses
- Status
2015-02
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Progression Report – February.
2015-02-28.
I think I’ll make this a “thing” and do a monthly progress report of all the MMOs I’m playing. I started running a time tracking program* called ManicTime so I can actually record precisely how much I’ve played every game now.
FFXIV (22 hrs)**. I unlocked most of the new 2.5 dungeons and World of Darkness, however I haven’t actually gone into any of them yet. (To this day I’ve only done one level 50 dungeon-Amdapor Keep for the Relic quest.
- MMORPG
- Progression Report
- Status
2015-05
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NBI Talkback – Early Access.
2015-05-14.
Early Access and Kickstarter – Do you support unfinished games? This question is worded a little ambiguously, perhaps intentionally... what does "support" mean? I certainly support the development of new games, by which I mean that I always want people to try to make games. As for financially supporting unfinished games, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I've been refining my criteria (see below), but it depends on the situation.
- Community
- MMORPG
- Opinion
- Responses
2015-08
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ArcheAge – Server Merges aka. Evolution.
2015-08-16.
ArcheAge is merging servers, and of course all of the ones I play(ed) on are affected: Naima and Calleil. (Of course those two aren’t merging together, so I’m still going to end up on two different servers: Kraken and Hanure.) So it looks like if you didn’t stick with one of the very first full servers with all-day queues, you’re getting merged.
Out of curiosity I logged in to see what the game looks like now.
- MMORPG
- Musings
2017-05
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ArcheAge – Random Screen Shots.
2017-05-12.
Here’s an oldie from Drafts… and I didn’t even have to find pictures for it!
Here are some screen shots that didn’t fit anywhere else.
I quested for quite a while in Hellswamp without being accosted by anyone. Reds and greens wandered around doing their own thing for hours even while the zone was in conflict.
Me and the puppy questing out in Hellswamp, not getting ganked.
Apparently if you harpoon the bottom of the ocean you can make your Clipper fly into the air.
- MMORPG
2018-03
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MMO Roundup #9.
2018-03-16.
A weekly diary of MMO news and observations.
The Bane Bard 330 outfit, mostly. The boots don't match! It’s been a very unusual multi-game bonanza lately. Normally I stick with one game at a time, but I’ve been all over the place. This is not a good thing. It means that none of the games I’m currently playing are all that interesting to me, and I’m in that mood where I’m searching for The Next Big Thing.
- MMORPG
- Roundup
2018-04
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Weeklies – SWL, Anti-PAX, Batteries.
2018-04-13.
It’s been a slow week.
City of the Sun God, near the Houy Sentinel. My primary game is still Secret World Legends though I didn’t play as much this week. Now that the Morninglight content is already out, I don’t feel any more pressure to “hurry up.” Also, Egypt is a bit dull, particularly the City of the Sun God, which is just a long series of tasks that don’t seem to have much story relevance.
- MMORPG
- Roundup
2019-08
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On ArcheAge Unchained.
2019-08-22.
I used to play ArcheAge. There was a time when I got a ridiculous amount of blog traffic on my ArcheAge posts, which to this day, I still can’t explain. (This post on PvE content after level 30 was a top performer for some reason.) I remember being very excited about ArcheAge. It was actually a great game.
Then I stopped playing. I was never particularly angry about it, I just didn’t agree with their decision to force people to subscribe to maintain a house and property.
- MMORPG