Today's tidbit:

well... i decided it was time to try another pretty colour.  I'm feeling the green right now.  It's all nice and cool and stuff, right? 

that and the whole spring thing.

~k

It could be bunnies...

Oh wait.  Sorry.  Wrong show!

For the whole four people who read this (thanks btw) you are now going to be subjected to my rambling thoughts on the cyclical nature of... well basically everything but specifically gaming/society.  The three of you who aren't Radar can go ahead and run away now, I'll understand.  Radar has to read the whole damn thing though, because it's his fault I'm writing it.

As a rule I don't involve myself in politics and whatnot.  However I do have a few very politically savvy friends and relatives and tend to just sort of soak up the information they shove at me on a regular basis.  I learn a lot this way.  One of the things I've learned is that politics goes in cycles.  For a while we're very conservative.  Then things swing in the other direction, until those policies no longer work for society and things swing right on back the other way.

Whilst I don't study politics, I do tend to study people.  Fascinating animals, we are.  And I've noticed that just as with politics, society tends to swing from one extreme to another.  If you've ever been to a science museum and seen the giant pendulums that swing super slow but you can see that they do tend to move over time, you should understand.

Everything tends to end up coming full circle in the end.  That isn't to say that everything always ends up staying the same.  But the patterns tend to return after a while.  How the hell does this apply to gaming?

Believe it or not it does.  While we've evolved in the gaming world, we still tend to return to the same patterns.  We started out as kids playing cowboys and indians or whatever sort of FPSish game we played when we ran around til we passed out.  We got older and started playing arcade games like Pac-Man and Galaga and the fighting games (Mortal Kombat ftw!).  Then we started gaming on PCs.  Hello Doom and Quake and Unreal etc etc.  From there we moved to MMOs.  Now, even our MMOs are shifting back towards FPSishness.  Only now they're somewhat evolved FPS games and our deathmatches have matured.

There's also a cyclical pattern to the way that people seem to play online games. 

My personal example.  EverQuest and EverQuest II tend to be my base games.  Touchstones that I always play.  When I played EQ, I'd stray now and then and play something new when it came out (Dark Age of Camelot!) but I'd return and apologize for having been an MMOslut and promised to once again be monogamous.

I quit EQ when I had a kid cause I spent all my time playing with him and sleeping.  Then I found out that EQ2 was coming.  WOOHOO!  I dove back in (i cut out sleeping, cause really who needs to sleep?) and learned everything I could and eagerly waited for the beta.  I even jumped back into EQ for a while to enjoy the nostalgia. 

With EQ2 there also came an explosion of other MMOs (I missed SWG pre-cu and I'm terribly bitter about this!).  WoW, DDO, LoTRO, TR, etc.  I've tried darn near all of them at one point or another.  I've missed a few here and there, whether from lack of time or money for yet another game. 

The point though is that all the sampling of other games aside, I keep coming back to EQ2.  Someday a game will come along that will woo me away (I know, how fickle, right?) but that is going to take a hell of a game.

There's all this speculation right now about how Age of Conan and Warhammer are going to spell the death knell of EQ2.  That's a crock of shit.  I fail to comprehend how people can honestly believe this.  Vanguard was supposed to be the death of EQ2.  And while it did have a ton of potential, it was released unfinished.  It could have been a great game.  But that's neither here nor there.  Would it have killed EQ2?  Not a chance.  Because every game appeals for different reasons.  That's why people keep coming back.  Just like they keep going back to WoW or any of the other games on the market.

A game doesn't need ZOMGZ 10 MILLION!!!!one11eleventy subscriptions to be a success.  Having a player base that can't stay away and speaking to people on a level that keeps them playing through all the growing pains and shinie new games is what makes it a success.  Yeah, people will leave EQ2 for a while to try the new games.  And they'll be back.  Then it'll start over again with the next round of releases.

I've been slacking here.  Well not with the reading, but with the talking about reading.

I restarted The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind (dude box sets ftw... I may have to just get all new paperbacks).  Mostly because he's finally finished it and I need to catch up before I read the end.  Else I'd be hopelessly lost.  I still need to get into the boxes and pull out the rest of the books as well as pulling out the Martin series that Tainda told me to read and will kick my ass for not starting yet.

I also want to go out and pick up The Ancient.  It's the sequel to The Highwayman by Salvatore.  It should be fantastic because The Highwayman was simply incredible.  Sometimes when a writer gets too into a certain world they tend to get formulaic (this ended up being my issue with Dean Koontz and Stephen King) and you forget just how talented they really are.  This is outside of the whole Dritzz, Forgotten Realms business and just blows you away.

I also read The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and some guy.  I feel bad for not remembering his name and when I go to look it up on Amazon to link it here I'll remember and feel even worse (James Mallory!!!  HAH!).  It's the usual light fluffy fantasy that Lackey writes.  That doesn't make it not worth reading.  I read all her books.  She's a terrific writer and I like to see things from a female perspective.  Her character development is a definite strength.  There's the usual good versus evil battle, but it manages not to be trite.  I like that she goes in and asks at what point "for the good of all" leads you from actually doing good to oppression.

I'm also re-reading The Dark Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop.  Hands down and without a doubt one of my all time favourite series.  Period.  Read it.  Now.  No, really.  Now.  I'll wait.

I'm also going through my usual (slower) classics.  I've picked The Decameron back up (more like lifted from my step-sister, but she wasn't reading it anyway).  Reading a few pages of Pride and Prejudice here and there, interspersed with Sense and Sensibility and Vanity Fair (sidebar:  does anyone else find it funny that Amazon is selling the Barnes and Noble publication of this?).  It isn't that these books are less interesting to me.  They're fascinating and I love them.  The problem is that they are more immersive than the lighter mainstream books that I read and require more time to devote.  As time is something that I'm short on currently, I can't really spend as much time with the deeper books as I'd like.  Fortunately Fan Faire is coming up and I can get some good plane reading in.

I ran across this little blurb taken from glamour while I was trying to figure out what the hell the chick dj on the radio was saying.  (Incidentally she was saying vlogger not blogger... and yeah vlogger is just... one of those WHY??? things)

Anyway.  I read this and it sort of tickled me since I'd just done The Man FAQ. 

7-things MEN have always wanted to know

1. How do you feel after a one night stand?

2. Why do you take so long to get ready?

3. Do you ever get used to wearing a thong?

4. Are you a feminist when the bill comes?

5. Will something from Tiffany's solve everything?

6. Do you watch porn?

7. How often do you think about sex

ahem.

1)  Like crap actually, which is why I don't do it.  I ran through that phase REALLY fast.

2)  I don't actually.  I don't like doing my hair and I hate wearing makeup.  I tend to want comfy clothes vs sexy clothes and all too often the two are mutually exclusive.  (Course this could also be why I'm single.)

3)  Yup.  Thongs are actually very comfy.  Plus, no panty line.

4)  I'm assuming that means, do I want to pay my own way.  Yes.  More often than not, I'll fight for the bill because I don't like the idea that someone will ever feel like they are obligated to pay for me.  Especially if I'm the one who has done the inviting out.

5)  No... It's actually more likely to start a fight.  Now... hit me up with a video game I want or a new computer part and we'll get on to the making up.

6)  Not really.  I never actually "got" porn.  Until very recently I just thought it was all ridiculous and pointless.

7)  More often than you do.

Might be time to come up with 7 things that women have always wanted to know...

So, there's a thread on the offical eq2 forums right now. 

Basically, someone caught a guild member using a power leveling service and wanted advice on how to handle it.

There have been a lot of responses already ranging from boot him, to report him and boot him, to you people are heartless he made a mistake get over it.

The responses are certainly telling.  The vast majority are outraged because this person is putting their guild at risk after the recent widespread account stripping that's been going on.

The question is, what do you do about it?

Does it matter if the person is a friend?  A good friend?  Online vs RL?

My opinion has pretty much always been that anyone who will cheat at a game that you can't win deserves whatever they get.  This includes having your account information stolen, your credit card number jacked, your debt run up out of control, your credit ruined, and your lazy stupid ass kicked out of your guild.

It isn't like the game is hard.  There's no prize for getting to the end first.  Hell, there's no prize for getting to the end.  It's continuous, on-going entertainment.  It's like going to see a movie but watching the end on YouTube first or reading the last chapter of a book before you start it.

Grow up.  There are other people who play and the actions of one individual can negatively affect the gaming experiences of all of those others.  So, why?

So, I meant to do this the other day, but silly things like not existing in the work computers because HR got a wild hair up its butt and decided to terminate me, my permadeath contest over at zam (and my super uber screw up!), and having to drive to dallas for the kiddo's karate tourney kind of got in the way of blogging goodness.

On the other hand, I did manage to pull off the MMO Player's FAQ which just made me giggle like an idiot (sidebar: richard cheese's version of enter sandman is funny as shit go listen to it).

So I figured it was time to get my woman card revoked :)  Go me right?  I can always use more hate anyway.

The Woman FAQ

(At first I was just going to go with questions that are asked of us and to which we respond, but that just was too limiting... so now I've expanded it to questions we also ask and the answers we expect and all the neurotic shit that goes along with our reasons for asking in the first place.  Also, please note that this is deliberately and very tongue-in-cheekishly skewed to sound as bitter as humanly possible, because that's actually how it sounds in our heads while we're silently hating you.)

Q:  What's wrong?

A:  Nothing.  Of course something really is wrong, but I'm saying nothing for one of several reasons.  I might not be ready to talk about what's bothering me yet because it's still too fresh in my mind and therefore I know that I'm upset but not really why I'm upset and until I figure out what about it actually made me upset in the first place it's pointless for me to try to explain to you cause you'll just make it worse by trying to fix it instead of understanding and trying to help me get to the root of what's bugging me. 

Of course, I also could know exactly what's wrong but I don't want to talk to you about it because you're what's wrong and it's something I've talked to you about so many times now that I'm just frustrated and pissed off that you don't seem to care enough about me to remember that what you just did upsets me and that leads into a whole other seething cauldron of emotions because if you don't care enough about me to remember that one little thing do you really care about me at all and now I'm having to deal with all these questions about our relationship.

Then there's always the fact that I've already told you what was wrong and you either ignored me or didn't care enough to remember what was wrong and while I'm wanting comfort and to talk about it you were off involved in your own little piddly shit while I've been suffering so now on top of being uspet about whatever was originally wrong, now I'm mad at you because you let me down.  Again.

Q:  Does this make me look fat?

A:  There is no correct answer to this.  No matter how you answer it will be wrong.  It's really just a test to see what you think of us.  See, we already think we look fat in everything.  Even if we're 95 pounds soaking wet, we still think we look fat because society has conditioned us to think that we can only be attractive if we look like anorexic crack whores and of course since you're a man and you think with your dangly bits you buy into all that crap and stare at girls who look like something we couldn't look like even with the help of the best plastic surgeon on the face of the planet.  So really all this is, is our way of getting back at you for being a pig cause we get to ream you and be angry at you for however you answer this.  So just suck it up.  Btw...  without hesitation saying "Of course, not.  You're perfect and beautiful."  will ameliorate your suffering just a little.  You don't want to know what happens if you're stupid enough to hesitate or tell the truth...

Q:  Do you think she's pretty?

A:  Whilst this seems like a perfectly innocent question, any man with any experience at all will immediately hit the ejector seat button and run for safety.  This is another one with no right answer.  You're boned no  matter what you say.  Cause see, we saw you watching her.  And no you didn't just glance, assclown.  You gave yourself whiplash you watched her so hard.  So obviously you think she's pretty and you'd do her in a heartbeat.  What we really want to know is if you think she's prettier than us.  But of course you do because you're a man and you think you can get any hot chick out there even if you yourself are only barely presentable and should really be down on your knees thanking all the gods that ever existed or were worshipped that we are with you in the first place.  But because of the genetic drive to sow your seed everywhere you can, you are also blessed with the delusion that every woman in the world wants you.  We don't get this.  So now you have to suffer.

Q:  Is it okay if I go out with the guys?

A:  Sure.  Go.  See that right there?  Any guy with any experience would immediately call the guys and say "Dude... I can't.  I just screwed up huge and need to do major damage control."  Most guys, however, can't recognize the tell tale signs of danger.  We really need to come with rattles in our asses like snakes...  I think it'd be safer all around.  See, that answer right there?  What that really translates to is something along the lines of:  Sure... go out with your friends you jerk.  I hate you anyway.  Go get drunk and look at other women.  Course the sexy lingere that I bought to surprise you with tonight and the 62" TV that I got you for our ANNIVERSARY are going in the trash.  And while you're out ogling strippers I'll be out with the girls having sex with some random guy or maybe even GUYS because you are a total creep and couldn't be bothered to remember that we've been together for 10 years now.  So rather than waste any more time on your inconsiderate non-commital ass, when you do finally get home, all your shit will be on the lawn and the locks will be changed.  Go sleep on Bambi's couch you jerk.  No, really... she likes you for you.  Never mind that she's a stripper and the nicer she is to you the more money you give her.  You stupid piece of crap.

Q:  What do you want for (your birthday, our anniversary, christmas... whatever)?

A:  Oh, I don't want anything.  What this really means is that I don't want to have to tell you what to get me you lazy jerk.  You should be sitting there all year long thinking about me and what you can do to show me you really care and planning out some thoughtful gift.  That's what I do for you.  I'm sick and fucking tired of having you wait til the last minute and having to go out and get my own damn gift and wrap it and give it to myself for you because you can't be bothered to drag yourself away from that oh so much more important model airplane to think for a second about all the things that I do for you all damn year and you can't spend 10 freaking minutes to observe that I nearly creamed my jeans over the new video card or quad core processor?  The least you can do is watch a commercial and be lame and go with the generic jewelry thing if you can't exercise a whole damn brain cell to think about me or anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are we getting the general idea here?  Everything we say or think ends up having at least 800 other hidden meanings somewhere in there.  Course everything YOU say also ends up having at least 800 other meanings and our minds are constantly racing.

Some women are cool enough to spell it out for you.  These are women who have had a lot of experience.  Been married, been in a long relationship... whatever.  They've learned.  Make it simple.  Make them go back and repeat it back to you to make sure it stuck...  You know.  Like you're talking to a five year old.

The rest of the time is spent in a morass of self doubt and total frustration...  And people wonder why there are communication issues lol.