May 2014 Archives

FFXIV: End of May Progress

Posted on May 30

Tai got his first piece of ilvl 90 armor – Wyrm’s Greaves! I like the coloring on this set of armor a lot more than the current set I have. Super shiny!



FFXIV: More FC House Pictures

Posted on May 29

Have a few more shots of our new Free Company house!



FFXIV: Free Company Housing Get

Posted on May 29

After working so hard on my relic quest for Zuri, I’ve slowed down a good bit in FFXIV. I do my beastman dailies, and the occasional dungeon or Brayflox run for myth. I ensure I get my ventures checked and do my challenge logs weekly. I’ve been leveling Paladin as a second job on Tai. But I haven’t been breaking my neck to get it all done, and it’s been fun.



Sims 3: Upping My Game

Posted on May 28

Right on the edge of official announcements for the upcoming release of Sims 4, I find myself lately rediscovering Sims 3 in ways I never have before. This is mostly due to finding the community of Sims folks who share experiences and content through Tumblr. These people often call themselves Simblrs, and the Simblr tag is an amazing array of story, images, downloads and all things that makes a game like Sims 3 flourish.



GW2 vs. Zerg at Crown Pavilion

Posted on May 21

As I posted last week, my interest in GW2 has been rekindled a bit with the announcement of yesterday’s update – The Festival of the Four Winds. It was nice to see the (short) interactions between Ellen and the Zephyrite elder, as well as the NPC heroes from the previous Living Story. It’s been stated that this is mostly a festival update, so I didn’t expect a lot of story here. It was just enough to give the players an update on what’s happening with the Lion’s Arch restoration and point us towards the two festivals at the Bazaar and the Pavilion.



FFXIV: Paladin Tai

Posted on May 20

Tai reached level 35 Paladin in FFXIV tonight. He still denies the possibility that he can be a Paladin.



Sims 4 is on the Horizon – Here’s a Video to Prove It!

Posted on May 17

I was first introduced to The Sims back in my early college years, when I was working at EB Games. A co-worker started going on and on about this great new game, the idea of a household simulation instantly taking my interest. I’d played Sim City and such before, so I knew Maxis put out good games. I wasted no time in bringing this one home and now, several game generations and all expansion packs later (I don’t do stuff packs), I can still pop in a Sims game and have fun.



Just Not Feeling the Hype: ESO & WildStar

Posted on May 16

The last major MMO I’ve felt hyped up about was Guild Wars 2. And that was… two years ago. Man, was I super hyped about that game! I launched a fan Tumblr, made lots of GW2 friends even before the game was released, set up everything for the little guild I was launching, introduced friends and family, co-oridnated servers for release night, and was in game before midnight on the night of pre-release, capturing all the names I wanted to use.



Landmark Beta: Improving Usability & Steam Launch

Posted on May 15

Landmark released some interesting changes this week, most of which will assist new and existing players by providing more direction in the crafting process.



Let’s Craft the World: A Review

Posted on May 14

For my birthday, my sister gifted me the indie game Craft the World from my Steam wish list. I’m not sure where I first heard about the game, which is still in early access stages, but I was stoked to try it out this past weekend. Not sure what to expect, and having really not delved into any tower defense type games, I found it to be a charming and addicting game worth recommending.



Giving Guild Wars 2 Another Shot

Posted on May 13

It’s no secret that I’ve been grouchy at Guild Wars 2 lately. Before launch and the first half year or so, I was a big supporter of the game. Then came the Living Story, which didn’t quite pan out the way some of us hoped. I went from logging in every day to being disgruntled at too much temporary content crammed together and not enough time to soak it all up (go figure!).



FFXIV: Running Roulettes

Posted on May 12

So, I only started doing low level roulette dungeons in FFXIV last week. Today’s about the fifth time I’ve finished one.



FFXIV: Relic Reborn, Legendary Weapon Quest

Posted on May 12

Earning my relic weapon in FFXIV was my big gaming accomplishment this past weekend (I took a long weekend off work due to my birthday). I want to note that I haven’t started with the upgrade quests for this weapon, so this post is just looking at the Relic Reborn questline by itself.



Checking in with Landmark Closed Beta

Posted on May 10

It’s been a while since I’ve written about Landmark Closed Beta, mostly because the game has been slowly tweaking small stuff up until now. This week, however, the first phase of oceans and water saw the light of day.



FFXIV: ARR Relic - Going Hard Mode

Posted on May 9

Hydra and Ifrit HM down! Huge thanks to wonderful FC members who have been more than helpful getting me through.



FFXIV: ARR Relic - Amdapor Keep Down!

Posted on May 9

Amdapor Keep is complete! Even though it was part speed run, I managed to keep up, and didn’t get snagged on the Demon Wall or other boss fights. A ton of thanks to Queos, a great healer in our FC, who ran two things with me today!



FFXIV: ARR Relic Chimera

Posted on May 9

It’s been a good day for Zuri in FFXIV. Sold a high-price housing item, finally, which more than makes up for the gil I had to pay to get my relic base weapon.



FFXIV: Making Progress for Zuri

Posted on May 8

Been working hard on progression with Zuri in FFXIV the past two days.



FFXIV: Gearing Progress

Posted on May 7

Zuri got her second piece of ilvl 90 armor today – the belt! Broke ilvl 60 for the first time. Gonna work on replacing those low level accessories next.



Final Fantasy XIV: A Look at Story

Posted on May 5

I’m a writer. So, naturally, story in an MMO is highly important to me. From quest text, item descriptions, event dialogue and cut scenes, good writing, character development, lore and NPCs can make an otherwise mundane game into something engaging for me. Lack of these things tend to cause me to drift from a game sooner or drop it all together.



FFXIV: Rough Brayflox

Posted on May 5

Ran Brayflox HM for the first time today. Had a really cruddy first group (nasty healer who wanted uber speed runs, then let the party wipe and dropped when he didn’t get it). Eventually made it through and got new Bard boots and a new Darklight ring, so that was worth it.



FFXIV: FC Grand Opening Meeting

Posted on May 4

Guard of Midgardsormr had our official grand opening meeting, where members got to meet and greet with each other. Lovely location, fun people. Happy to be here!



FFXIV: Manderville Man

Posted on May 4

Zeb and Tai finally got to finish the Hildibrand quest line in FFXIV. Love it! :D



FFXIV: MSQ Complete!

Posted on May 4

Woot! Finally – Zuri has completed the main scenario stories!



FFXIV: Castrum Carry

Posted on April 4

So Zuri “beat” Castrum for her story mode today without… actually… beating Castrum.



FFXIV: Zuri's Expressions

Posted on April 4

Getting used to Zuri’s new look. I love the facial expressions in FFXIV!



FFXIV: Cutter's Cry

Posted on May 2

Zeb and Tai beat Cutter’s Cry in FFXIV today with Zak’s help. Working on that hunting log stuff!



FFXIV: Bard's Tights

Posted on May 2

Zuri got the Bard’s Tights – her first piece of ilvl 90 armor today!



FFXIV: New Free Company!

Posted on May 1

Syn and I bid a farewell to our previous FC, and joined up with a newly-formed FC called Guard.



FFXIV: Social Possibilities

Posted on May 1

Zeb and Tai finished Dzemael Darkhold in FFXIV and actually made a new like-minded friend, Zaknafien (pictured on the left).



Newbie Blogger Initiative 2014 Launches

Posted on May 1

It’s the first of May, and that means it’s finally time to kick off this year’s Newbie Blogger Initiative (NBI). The NBI focuses on supporting new-ish or almost-blogging gamers through information, tips and community.