The Death of a Vanquisher

Some time ago a friend of mine thought I might enjoy a game called Torchlight, an action rpg from Runic Games playable on my laptop. He was right.

Now I'll admit my time in the game has been sporadic at best, but that's actually pretty typical of my game-playing style anyway. But the first character I created, named after one of my wife's online personas (from games) Aunika, received the majority of my attention thus far. She was a vanquisher, and I decided early on that I wanted the ranged style of gameplay for her, focusing on twin pistols.

 

She sometimes carried a shield too :)

Things were going great, and I even managed to finally finish the main campaign only to discover there was more to the game than just that, and I had a whole new dungeon complex to explore and kill more masses of enemies. Until this happened:

See that NPC? He's sitting on a quest item that I needed, and he won't move. For the life of me, try as I might, I could not get the item itself to highlight so I could collect it. I even tried to find an answer on the Runic Games forums to no avail. The problem with the quest is that it's part of a chain (as are pretty  much all of the quests in Torchlight) and to continue further in the quest chain I would have to complete it.

So, being the completionist that I am, I went with the next best thing. Using an in-game feature I retired the character of Aunika and bequethed her enchanted rifle to a brand new character, Aurelia, who will carry on her legacy as Torchlight's premier vanquisher (at least in my world).

Honestly, I'm a little sad. Any rpg character I make generally carries my personal imprint on them, which I'm sure is true of most rpg players characters. It's difficult, therefore, to distance my characters actions and motivations from my own. In that regard it has always been difficult for me to play an "evil" character, even when I set out to do so just to get the full enjoyment from a game that offers such options. The characters that I used to actually complete KoTOR 1 and 2 were both "good," for example. 

Torchlight doesn't have the choice/consequence model to make any personal decisions about how a character acts carry any weight. Point in fact you can consider your character to be a soulless mercenary and your actions are pretty much going to mirror mine, you'll go forth and slaughter mass amounts of enemies, collect loot, lather rinse repeat. But I can still lose myself into the game to a certain degree, so the decision to "retire" the Aunika character and then resurrect her via Aurelia wasn't an easy one.

Thus alas, poor Aunika, may your daughter carry on your legacy with pride, and bring me much loot.

Assassin's Creep!

Every once in awhile you come across something in gaming that you really want to love, but can't due to all the shortcomings of the game. Maybe it's the graphics, or maybe the gameplay just doesn't feel "right." Could be a strategic element that doesn't fit or what have you. Whatever the reason, major or minor, it can have a devastating impact on the game for the player and completely ruin the experience.

Take for instance Assassin's Creed on the PC. Yeah, I'm having my issues with the game, but the stealth-action element is something I very much enjoy in other games like Splinter Cell. The problem with AC isn't the gameplay, not really. It's the wonky GUI and inability of the game to adapt to my personal gaming needs. The gameplay has some lofty goals, and again the stealth aspect to reach specific objectives in my own time really appeals to me but, well, the game is barely hanging on with the problems it's presenting me.

For starters, such an open-world feeling game has one of the wonkiest checkpoint save systems I've seen. Some checkpoints seem to be set at specific intervals in the space of the game world, and at other times they seem random (though I'm sure they're set to a timer). And the game saves a checkpoint every time you complete an objective, be it a necessary one for the completion of one of your assignments, or one of the myriad flags dispersed throughout the game world and optional objectives in the cities. What's wrong with that? IT'S A FUCKING OPEN WORLD! I don't like the idea that I can't save where I am in that world at will, instead I have to deal with when the game decides I've completed a milestone, and to top that off I have to deal with the game spawning me in a location that's often far from where I was when I closed the game off. For instance, enter a city and then leave the game and you spawn at your Assassin's Burea when you relog into the game.

Which leads me to problem 2: IS THERE AN EASY FUCKING WAY TO ACTUALLY EXIT THE GAME? If you want to leave the game that you're playing you have to (MILD SPOILER ALERT) exit the Memory you're playing, then exit the Animus machine, then exit the game, the RELOG back into your profile, where you can finally exit all the way out of the game. I've gotten now where I'll alt-tab out and use Task Manager to close the application. Saves me time and I'm not losing anything thanks to the wonky checkpoint system. I absolutely detest this system.

And then there's problem 3: Do anything like alt-tabbing out of the game, or have a windows message come up ( I had the sticky-keys annoyance come up earlier today from using shift too much in the game) and the game goes into windowed mode. Ok, no problem, I'll just go into the game and change the setting to fullscreen. Now where is that setting.... wait, WTF??? Great, no fullscreen mode change, and now the game isn't even centered on the screen... FML and kick random puppy.

Concerning the gameplay, the only real complaints I can level at the game on that end is the guards, even though they're in a stealth game, are all a bit too jumpy toward the main character to pass muster for the suspension of disbelief and there needs to be some way to check up on continuing side-objectives like the Flags in the cities and Kingdom.

All in all, I want to love the game. The story is interesting, the gameplay is pretty much right there and the graphics are spot on. But in the end, it's showing itself as a poor console port rather than an improved game coming over to the PC medium. I'm going to finish this one (compared to Dead Island, which I might finish) but I have to be able to do it in phases. With my life being what it is, not having the ability to just drop the game or at least alt-tab out reasonably is a huge drawback.

What is a PC Gamer?

I was browsing around the PC Gamer magazine site the other day and I came across a forum conversation concerning the definition of a PC gamer. That discussion can be found here if you're interested. I didn't take part in it because 1) I didn't feel I could really add to the discussion as it was evolving and 2) the whole post was more a continuation of an disagreement between two forum members. But I thought, as an exercise for myself, I might disclose my own feelings on the matter here.

Also I needed something to write about.

For someone who's not an enthusiast of the hobby it would be difficult to understand what the distinction is, if there is one, between being a "gamer" and being a "pc gamer." The lines between the two have become as blurred as the very definition of "gamer." What makes a gamer a gamer? What then makes him (or her) a pc gamer? Where is the line drawn?

This guy has crossed the line, clearly. And wtf is he doing with a knife???

For some, anyone who plays a game could be considered a gamer. One of the posters in that thread would probably agree with that sentiment. Play a game of Monopoly with your family and you're a gamer. Put a quarter into a slot machine and you're a gamer. Poker with your buddies? You're a gamer.

No, you're a player, not a gamer. A gamer, broadly, is someone who take's on gaming as a hobby, as a means to express their enthusiasm for a game. A player can be viewed in this regard as someone who participates in a game in an off-hand manner. Participating in a pick up game of basketball doesn't mean the individual is going to go out and buy a basketball hoop and ball. Similarly someone who plays the occasional game with their children isn't, and shouldn't, be considered a gamer.

For many, the identity of "gamer" is tied up with the genre of games known as video games, and thus "gamer" is short-hand for someone who plays video games frequently, habitually, or as a hobby. That identity is pretty close to my own personal definition of a "gamer", as it pertains to this discussion. (Mine includes anyone who plays games regularly as a hobby, and isn't limited to video games.)

With that out of the way it should be pretty easy to make the distinction between gamer and pc gamer, right? Well, here's where things start to get a little screwy. With the sheer mass of games available to play on the pc, determining where someone goes from player to gamer to pc gamer is difficult at best. A player might, for instance, give a test run to a Facebook game or try out a random flash game on a site they're browsing. For some, that would make you a pc gamer, playing a game on your pc.

Personally, I think casually playing a game on your pc doesn't make you a gamer, or particularly a pc gamer. Facebook games can be played on any system that can run a modern browser, lowering the minimum requirements for enjoying said games. Can a person who plays Facebook games exclusively be considered a gamer? Sure, if they're enthusiastic about their hobby. But I cringe at calling some of the entertainment apps on FB "games." (And yes, I openly acknowledge the elitism present in that statement, I just can't help myself.)

Specifically to pc gaming, I think the bare minimum to consider someone a pc gamer is for that person to play games regularly on their pc as a hobby, perhaps even going so far as to purchase upgrades to their rigs to enhance their games.

Though this might be a bit much!

In the end though, I think the label of "pc gamer" or "gamer" should be self-applied and not assigned by someone else. Doing so means that person lives up to their own standard of what a "gamer" is, and not one pre-selected by another either to enhance their own image ("Look how many PC gamers there are!") or used as a means of belittling someone else (You play FB games, you're not a real gamer!).


In the end one of the great things about the hobby of pc gaming is it's ability to reach a broad audience and introduce new players to such a great pasttime, and allow them to enjoy it in any way they please. So feel free to keep sending me those FB game/app invites, I'll just continue to ignore them and be on my way killing orcs or exploring some digitally rendered landscape somewhere.

The past 4 months in Wolfowl77 gaming, a short review

For the past 4 odd months I've got one word for you...

With a healthy sprinkling of . . .

Oh yeah baby. Since I've stopped allowing Runes of Magic to dominate my game play I've learned some of the wonders and joy of Steam. I created the account a couple of years ago, and I even had a couple of games, but in the past several months (thanks to sales and the extreme generosity of a few friends) my Steam library has exploded into 73 games. (currently) And I honestly don't know how I'm going to find the time to play most of them!

One thing Steam is very good at is introducing gamers to the growing Indie game market. (see above) With prices ranging from a couple of bucks to around $15 and a growing library chances are there's an Indie game available on Steam to match any budget and gaming tastes. And they're not shy about advertising for these games, marketing the tower defense game Dungeon Defenders right up there with mega-games like Skyrim and Medal of Honor.

And Steam has just been perfect for myself and a small circle of carry-over friends from my RoM guild, The Black Tower. I'd love to add more from the guild, but most are still dedicated to RoM and aren't as interested in branching out into other games as I am. But with all the multiplayer options we have, we never lack for anything to play together on a given night. Hell, most nights it's hard to pick a game!

Recently we've been playing Borderlands, a post-apocalyptic shooter/rpg that allows up to 4 players to play together in co-op to complete missions and murder, er I mean pacify!,  hundreds of bandits and monsters on the world of Pandora.

Take that you damn dirty . . . WTF are you!\

The games humor and sheer numbers of random weapons to loot, combined with a unique art style make the game a fun pastime to kill a few hours (not to mention those dirty stinking bandits!) with some friends. And since our numbers on Steam are small, 4 player games are just perfect for us. Toss in some vehicles and some god-awful driving (Seriously Nick, this one's for you!) and you've got the right recipe for group play.

For my personal pvp tastes I now often enjoy the thrill that is Team Fortress 2, a now F2P game available via Steam. I've rarely had such random fun playing a game online. In the words of my favorite class, the pyro, "MMMMPH!"

Medic!

Resolutions: 2012 edition

Well it's that time of year again, when everyone starts making Resolution lists, obstensibly intended to remind ourselves that, while human, we can still better ourselves. Presumably, also, these lists serve as not only our reminder and motivation, but writing them down or announcing them to others feels as if we are forming a contract, and iron-clad obligation to our future selves, that we will not fail in the goals set forth by our own hand or lips. What follows is my list of Resolutions, from the multiple perspectives of my life as a father, husband, student, and gamer.

Father

Is there a name that conjures more fear in the soul of a man than that one? I don't mean fear of our own fathers, or of one almight father, but fear of the sheer awesome responsibility tattooing that name upon our own souls binds us to in this life. Being President of the U.S. must be easier by far than navigating the turgid waters of fatherhood. It's little wonder that so many fathers fall helpless into the trap the simple (and not so simple) act of procreation represents. The chance at living another life, via our own children.

Resolution #1: Don't fall into the trap of living vicariously via my children. My oldest son, like many boys his age plays video games, may not become an avid gamer as a hobby like myself. My job as a parent is to allow him to explore his own paths, while protecting him from becoming lost in a virtual world and forsaking the real one. My job is to teach him, by example and taking a direct hand, what it means to be an adult in an adult world, while simultaneously allowing him his childhood.

My job is not to color his experiences too much with  my own viewpoint or attempt to mold him into a copy of myself (regardless of his genetic structure, which in this case is easy since he's only my step-son) but allow him to become his own person.

The same for my other step-son, who I sometimes worry is too sensitive. My job is to balance how much of his sensitivity is ok, and how much is too much.

For my daughter, the stakes only go higher. Resolution #2: My daughter will not become a spoiled brat, by my hand, or another's. I will teach her, but not coddle her, revel in her accomplishments, but also her failures and lessons she overcomes.

Husband

It's difficult for any person to identify their own faults, to look inward to recognize the flaws within themselves they cannot see. That's as true for me as it is for anyone. Resolution #3: I will attempt, as only a human can, to recognize, and try to correct, my own flaws as a husband and to forgive those I see within my wife.

I feel that this section deserves more weight, though I know not how to add it. That resolution seems simple enough, but in the end it's the best I can do for the jumbled pile of emotions and motivations that composes my relationship with my wife. Sometimes rocky, sometimes smooth, that relationship defines me as who I am today as much as any other influence in my life, past or present. My identity as a husband is as complicated as any role I play, just more so. Distilling that role into a single resolution is the best I can do for it, though it does not do it, or my thoughts on the subject, justice.

Student

Resolution #4: Maintain a 4.0 GPA without completely losing my mind, and retain and learn to apply the knowledge gained. I know that much of the information I'll absorb during classes and reading the textbooks this year may or may not have a legitimate impact on my future in Criminal Justice, should I have one, but I will do my best to work that knowledge into how I react to situations and test the ideas presented against my own view of ideal justice and human rights.

Gamer

Here's where you might expect me to list the games I intend to play or the gaming achievements I want to reach. Resolution #5: I won't allow my gaming to become the focal point of my life, or to become so influential that other aspects of my life suffer (I'm looking at you, Runes of Magic). Gaming, so often an escape from the stresses of real life, too often becomes so focal to me that it hurts my relationships as well as other aspects of my life. I must strive for a balance, and while I believe I've struck a suitable balance between the two lives, real and virtual (with all it's flavor), that's a struggle I still have maintain. Getting too involved in a hobby is a trap that many people fall into. My goal is not to fall in, but to still enjoy it.

Which leads me to Resolution #6: I will attemp to strike a better balance between playing multiplayer games and those which I play alone (with or without an audience, my wife enjoys watching me play some games). I've got some great friends, both from within the virtual world and those without, and I greatly enjoy their company. They deserve some of my attention and time.

Obviously, if you've managed to read all that and have paid attention, you'll realize that I've not set any tangible goals that can be measured and accounted for (at least by me, I'm sure in later years my children will pass some kind of judgment on me, and my wife is almost obligated to do so daily by woman law) aside from the 4.0 gpa, but even there I set further future goals. That's not a deliberate attempt to absolve myself from attaining any of the aforementioned goals. I can still hold myself accountable, but these are not the kind of goals that can be achieved in a month or two, but long term commitments that I ignore at my own peril.

Ignoring my responsiblities as a husband will leave me single within a year, if not better. My faults as a father could endanger whatever legacy I hope to leave behind when I shake this mortal coil. My relationship with my friends will leave it's mark on me socially, if not emotionally. Neglecting my education, especially at this point, could do even more harm, affecting potentially my marital status and fatherhood. These are not, therefore, resolutions to be taken lightly.

Of course, losing a few pounds couldn't hurt either.

Your role as Leader

Recently I made a rather hard decision as a guild leader, probably the hardest I've personally ever made in that position. And that decision, upon reflection, has proven to be the only one I could have made if I wanted to stick to my principles.


I retired as leader of my guild.

Why? The most important reason is I could no longer give the guild what I felt it required, and deserved. I could no longer be a strong, present leader. Events and situations in my real life were distracting me from the day to day functions of the guild, and problems with the game itself were only adding to the distraction and sense of unease. I wasn't playing the game much, and don't see myself playing much of it in the near future. And if I wasn't playing I could no longer be there to direct the guild or deal with issues that crop up from time to time.

I could have easily just left the game, told the guild I was taking a short break from everything and was coming back later. Some guild leaders I've seen have simply vanished on their members, leaving them with no recourse and no clear leader. I didn't want to do that, and I didn't want to lie to the people I had come to respect and love so much. I knew in my own heart that the "break" was more than likely permanent, and despite the fact that I wasn't carrying the guild leader tag (an issue with RoM's Siege War) I was still the leader and I felt I had a responsibility to tell the guild the truth.

So I vacated the position and handed leadership over to the officers and let them make the decision about where to go from there, and who should be in charge. The didn't disappoint, instead of finding a new leader they elected to form a ruling council for the guild, making all major decisions by mutual agreement. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome, for while I held the end right to make all major decisions, I rarely ever did so without the input and consent of my officers.

Pictured: not my officers

I know I did the right thing.

But looking back on my experiences with being the guild leader I've asked myself what I did so right that the guild not only survived during my administration but thrived, becoming stronger than when I was given the guild. And what I did wrong. And I feel that I did more right than wrong, and only because I felt so strongly about the guild and about my own character (not my toon). I want to be a good person, so I try very hard to be one.

Ask anyone about leadership and they'll probably spout of some catchy phrases like "lead by example," or "lead from the front." Politicians usually claim they're leaders, though in my mind operating by political expediency isn't leading. Others may say they're leaders because they're "the best" at what they do. Personally I think being a leader is more involved than that, more personal. Being a leader means being there for those you lead, and always pushing them as well as yourself to do better and be better people. A leader doesn't automatically drop someone from an organization because they aren't doing well, but tries to find that niche that that person will excel in.

But foremost among leadership qualities I would rate the integrity and honesty to say "I am not perfect, but improving." The biggest sacrifice a leader must give is one of ego. Being a leader, one with a title, gives one a status that cannot be ignored, but for the good of the guild must be put aside. A good guild leader doesn't think of themselves as better than their guild, but a part of it, just another wheel that keeps the whole machine moving. Doing so allows the leader to accept the faults in others, and work with them.

As guild leader of TBT I did all those things books and motivational speakers and JROTC instructors tell you to do. I set the example, I lead from the front. Trying to promote unity and giving within the guild I would most often just give my old gear away to another member, upgrading them if possible. Sure my wallet took a hit (no selling means no gold) but I did it for the guild, another geared member meant more opportunities for all of us. I was the first in my guild to tier a weapon (unique to RoM, that I know of) and almost always one of the first to break into new content and instances. I maintained my composure and didn't give in in the face of something as disastrous as the guild breaking nearly in half. I would always try to calm an angry situation or find humor in troubled times, and I did my damnedest to treat each and every member of the guild with respect.

George Washington, perhaps one of the finest leaders this country has ever known, set the standard and the bar for the President so high that so many of our best have failed to live up to it. He could have been made leader for life, instead he elected to only serve as President for 8 years. He could have been called any number of things, but for him a simple Mr. President sufficed. He was in a position of great honor and prestige, and by his humble actions only improved upon it. If I could be said to be attempting to emulate anyone, Washington would be him.

So when it came down to my needs over the guild's needs, I made my ultimate sacrifice, and gave the guild to those it belonged to anyway, it's members. And while my story with TBT isn't quite done yet, I know that the little time I had with such people will be forever marked on my soul, and I couldn't be prouder of who they are, nor prouder that, for a time, I had the honor of leading them.

Dealing with "that" guy

You know who I'm talking about. The guy who's always causing you some kind of trouble. From the word go.


This guy can take many forms. It could be some snooty bastard who thinks his shit don't stink. It could be a younger person with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove. It could just be a guy who, for whatever reason, enjoys being a jerk. All of them can cause their own brand of mayhem, and can cause you nothing but grief as a guild leader.

But what if they're not breaking any of your rules? Kicking them, as I laid out in a previous entry, might be an option if you've got some ruling that covers their behavior and expressly mentions it as a kicking offense. But if they're just being annoying and not doing anything serious? Well, that's pretty much for you to decide there. You've got to decide if the pattern means more than whatever ruling you might have laid out.

As guild leader you have to be flexible.  Your first and foremost concern should be the welfare of the guild and whatever decisions you make should be to their benefit. So if putting up with an annoying little twit is what's best for the guild (say they all like the guy but he's just rubbing you the wrong way) then do it. But if their action is causing acrimony and disdain from other members the best thing to do would be to kick him, lance the boil before it becomes a serious problem.

Sometimes a player just isn't a good fit for a guild, regardless of how well liked they are how good a player they are. I'll give you a few examples just from my own experience, omitting any names. Not for fear of retaliation but because I just don't want to start any shit.

One member was kicked for violating our guild policy of respect. A simple rule, and one that nearly everyone had no problem with. Point in fact this guy had no problem with it until he suddenly started buying up gear. Once he was fairly geared for a tank we started testing him out on some runs to get a feel for his tanking style and basically to see if he could be a front line tank for us, something I get tired of being all the time lol. But once he started tanking that's where the trouble began.

He started berating others in the party for not doing their "jobs" and generally just being stuck up about himself. The final straw came while I was at work and he was tanking for a mixed group of TBT and an ally guild. An issue arose and he called down our allies in chat and in whispers. One of my officers witnessed the event and summarily kicked him for the rule violation. I had them send me a screenshot of the whispered conversation and upon reading it I upheld the decision made by my officer.

In that screenshot it was obvious he was being a controlling idiot on the run, and he outright told the other party "I have 3 rules when I group, I pull, I pull, I pull." (the incident in question involved someone pulling a mob that he wasn't "ready" for and it got him pissed off) That simple statement told me everything I needed to know about his attitude about tanking and working with a group, that is to say he wanted to be in charge and did not care for the input of others, making him a poor choice for a group member and an unwelcome guild member.

He's since formed his own guild with his wife and named it based upon our follow-up conversation. I liked the guy and I wish him the best, but the drama he and his wife have been in with other guilds since then have affirmed my action, he would not have been in the guild much longer if I had allowed him back anyway.

Another member voluntarily left recently when he discovered he could not buy access to the guild bank, something we keep from new members on probation so that a new person can't just walk in and steal a bunch of stuff from there, which has happened (thus the rule lol). He raised a fit and left instead of just waiting out the short period or asking for an officer's assistance. He wasn't willing to respect the rules and thought he could just buy his way out of them, and when that didn't happen he threw a tantrum.

He will not be missed.

But you gotta love that guy, without him it would get boring sometimes ... Nah.