EU3 Live Stream and Giveaway

What: A two hour live stream of an EU3 game, with the audience helping to rule my fledgling empire. It's also an experiment to see if streaming a strategy game can be fun.

When: This Saturday, the 22nd at 7pm EDT to 9pm EDT.

Where: http://www.twitch.tv/weritsblog

Giveaway: There will be two giveaways during the live stream. The prizes will be EU3 Sprite Packs via Steam. The winners can choose which one they want.

First order of business is: Which country shall I play?

1) Venice
2) Portugal
3) Austria
4) Other?

You can also check out the thread on the EU3 forums for more info.

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SWTOR Data Dump 2.2.2 PTS

Last week, I spent a little time revamping my SWTOR data mining tools.  I managed to increase the speed at which I pull new records out greatly, which means I can process even more data, yay!  BioWare pushed the Nightmare mode for Scum and Villainy to the PTS, which means another data dump!

The interesting part?

abl.test.jr.mount.tauntaun

Take that as you will, it is under test.

abl.exp.macrobinoculars.roth.multi.nar_shaddaa.shroud_finale.bossfight_shroud_mine/7/0

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abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.shadow_dealer.logic.assassin_passive_player/14/0

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abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.shadow_dealer.logic.probe_passive_player/10/1

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.shadow_dealer.logic.probe_passive_player/10/2

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.shadow_dealer.logic.shady_customer_passive/13/0

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abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.shadow_dealer.logic.token_passive/40/0

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abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.warlords.devaronian.health/24/0

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abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.warlords.gendai.health/19/0

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.warlords.gendai.health/19/1

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.warlords.human.health/22/0

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.warlords.human.health/22/1

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.warlords.whiphid.health/24/0

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.warlords.whiphid.health/24/1

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.wraid.health/26/0

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.wraid.health/26/1

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.wraid.health/26/2

abl.qtr.1x6.raid.darvannis.enemy.boss.wraid.health/26/3

abl.test.jr.mount.tauntaun

abl.test.jr.mount.tauntaun/5/0

abl.test.jr.mount.tauntaun/5/1

abl.test.jr.mount.tauntaun/5/2

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A New Idea

To the readers of this blog it probably doesn't come as a big surprise, but I am kind of feeling lackluster about MMO's these days.  I am not really playing any right now.  SWTOR is on the back burner until the double XP weekends begin.  WAR, well, I'm done with unless a big effort on the studios part happens.  WildStar and ESO look somewhat interesting, but they are not starting up anytime soon.

So that really leaves me with old fashioned single player games.  Specifically my first love, strategy games.  And that brings me to my 'new idea.'  It combines my love of strategy games and my desire to do more live streaming.

What would you think of a regularly scheduled live stream of strategy games? There would be voice commentary, of course.  Audience participation would also be a big factor in the decision making process.  I'd play games like Crusader Kings 2, Europa Universalis 3, and Distant Worlds.  Hopefully I could work in some contests too :)

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Inconceivable!

This week, the wife and I took a mini-vacation to the Jersey shore.  As expected it rained for one of the days, we cannot seem to avoid that pesky weather.  Anyway, we ended up going to the new Revel casino one of the nights.  It was pretty nice, considering most of the other casinos are rather old.

I'm not much of a gambler.  The wife enjoys the table games.  Me, I just like to wander around and look at all of the slot machines.  I'm all about finding an interesting looking slot machine and getting as much time out of it as I can for $20.  During my exploration I came across something unexpected, a Princess Bride themed slot machine!

Surely, this had to be a sign.  I had been in search of a Back to the Future slot machine which I heard existed but it was not to be.  Instead I parked myself in front of the Princess Bride machine.  It was a penny slot, but not really.  The minimum bet was 30 cents.

Luck was with me that night, at one point I was up to $624 from my initial $20!  I won a couple $300 mini-jackpots and had started to bet $2 per spin.  Eventually I hit a losing streak and was down to $525 when I decided to call it a night.  So after dinner we left AC ahead, which is always a nice way to end an evening.

Maybe the winnings will go towards an XBox One :)

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Double XP weekends are stopping me from playing

One of the most exciting aspects of the Summer of SWTOR is that double XP weekends are making a comeback.  Starting June 22nd, XP will rain down... like rain. I for one, can not wait.  My plan is to make more progress through Makeb, and work on my Imperial Agent who is still doing Chapter 1 of his class story.  But as the title infers, there is a problem.

My motivation to play without the double XP is very low.  Just knowing that I could be making double has prevented me from logging in and playing.  I know it shouldn't matter, but it does.  So I'll just wait for those weekends.  That way, I can progress just doing the things I like (i.e. Class missions).

There are 25% boosts I can buy on the AH or in the Cartel Market, but 25% is not nearly as fruitful as double.  I will of course be stacking these during the double XP weekends, yay stacking!  So right now, SWTOR is pretty much on the back burner until the double XP weekends hit later this month.

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Werit plays WoW?

It's true, I installed and played WoW yesterday.  It all started with an email from Blizzard offering me Mists of Pandaria for free and seven days of game time.  I applied the game code to my Battle Net account and figured I may as well download the game while I was there.

I also  took a look at their recent 5.3 patch and was impressed by the amount of stuff that was added.  Lots of scenarios, which always looked like a neat idea to me.  They also have a robust LFG system which includes raids.  Since they have the gear score system (unlike SWTOR) they can put requirements on raids, allowing them to add more to the system.

I have not played WoW in quite a while.  My main there is a Human Warrior at level 80.  So I still have to work my way through Cataclysm content.  It also seems like I was a bit of a pack rat the last time I played.  Just look at this inventory.

My first order of business was to clean up that mess.  I either sold or destroyed pretty much everything that I did know I needed.  Then I cleaned up the quest log, laving just the breadcrumb quests for Cataclysm.  Then there is my gear, ugh.  I look pretty awful.  SWTOR has definitely spoiled me when it comes to looking good.

I then went to upgrade my professions (Mining and Blacksmith) so I could continue my progression.  Then I noticed my flying mount would not actually fly in Stormwind.  It seems I need to buy an upgrade for that too. Flying is one of the things I really enjoy about WoW, so I was happy to spend the 200 gold.

Next up, speccing my Warrior.  I went with Fury, as I intend to just be a simple DPSer.  I also love Titan's Grip.  Dual wielding two hand weapons is just cool.  Although, I could not find any reference to that skill, maybe it is innate now?

My next stop was Mount Hyjal to start the Cataclysm content.  I had to get my keybinds setup correctly first, then figure out a rotation.  I actually died to the Rock Elementals right outside the starting area.  The item level from he first quest reward was surprisingly high, much higher than any gear I was wearing.  Of course, it was mail, not plate.  To the vendor it goes!

That about covers my time in WoW.  We'll see how much more time I spend in the game.

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Trouble with Defiance

Lately I have been having a few issues with Defiance.  Most of it stems from the TV show rather than the game.  Initially, I could not help but be intrigued by the potential of a MMO with an accompanying TV show.    There are so many possibilities, so I went ahead and bought the game.

The game itself is pretty decent.  It feels good as a shooter and there looks to be a good amount of depth.  That being said, I have not played much lately.  Instead I have been watching the TV show on the SyFy channel.

The problem is I'm not sure I like the TV show.  I've watched all of the episodes except this weeks, and it really hasn't hooked me.  It's good enough for me to keep giving it one more chance though.  Howevr, I'm not sure I would be disappointed if I forgot to record an episode.

One issue I have with the show is the lore.  They don't really tell you much about the world and the history.  They mention the Arkfall and a war, but they never really go into the details.  I would like to get an episode that was all about the back story... if there is one.  Maybe the game talks about the who, when, where and why's more?

I'm also not a fan of most of the characters in the show.  Nolan, the main character, is alright but the rest of them just don't click with me.

So my lackluster feelings about the show are crossing over to the game, even if it is not the games fault.  I'm just not excited about the universe they created.  If I were, I'd be more inclined to play the game more.

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My Summer of SWTOR

Not too long ago, BioWare revealed their summer plans for SWTOR.  As I wrote, I am not very excited about what I read.  This is going to be a selfish post, hence the 'My' in the title.  So, what would I like to see this summer?

Looking for Raid. I will never see Nightmare mode Operations.  So instead of adding these modes, I would much rather see their Story Mode versions added to the group finder. I am much more likely to see that content if they were in LFR.

New Events.  There is a new recurring event coming in 2.3.  The fact that it is recurring totally kills my excitement for it.  Let's be honest, it is really just a set of temporary dailies.  I would much rather see new one time events instead.  The Rakghoul Plague and Chevin Scavenger Hunt were a lot of fun and memorable.  I don't consider the Gree event to be either.

New Story Quests.  We are getting a new daily zone in 2.3, but I'm not sure I count that as story content.  I want a voiced quest lines instead.  For a game that is supposedly based on story, there is surprisingly little of it introduced in patches.  The Secret World seems to do a better job of that than SWTOR since they add quests in their Issue releases.

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Summer of SWTOR... meh

Last week, we got a detailed look at what will be coming up for SWTOR this summer.  Overall, I found BioWare's plans to be lacking.  I am quite pleased that they laid out the details for us to see though.  So kudos to BioWare, even if I am underwhelmed by their plans.

Basically, the next 2 patches will involve adding Nightmare modes to Terror from Beyond and Scum and Villainy Operations.  As I don;t really get a chance to do Operations, even in story mode, these don't do anything for me.  Some players will like them though.

In August, 2.3 will arrive, and bring a whole bunch of content along with it.  That includes new flashpoints (plural?), daily area, recurring event, and graphical upgrades.  I have very little interest in the first two.  I don;t really go in for dungeons, and I only do a daily area once.  The recurring event sounds cool, as do graphical upgrades.  I'm happy to see them included.

The best part of the post to me?  The comeback of double XP weekends!  I am very excited about that, as it will be a great chance to work on my alts while only doing class/planet content.  There was also a mention of PvP for patch 2.4.  That's pretty far off, so it really isn't something I'm going to get excited about just yet.

Overall,  there is not too much for me this summer in SWTOR.  That's fine though, there is a glut of games I have to play.

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Taun Fawn Winners

Today marks the end of the Taun Fawn Giveaway.  There were a lot of great entries,  but only 10 could win.  I selected them at random, using random.org.  Which, by the way, is a very cool site.  So lets get down to it, below are the winners in no particular order.

nekohime
Drew Winters
Peter Lustig
Elaine
Reth
Rohan
Bodhi
Alan Earl
Hibiki
Ghworg

I've sent emails to the winners.  Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway.  It was a lot of fun and I'll have to do it again someday!

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