I did not have a good weekend last week. And saying it was "not good" is an understatement. And things have only gotten worse since then.
I did a check of my outstanding achievements in Gears of War 3 and I found that there were 160 points that I could realistically get in that game before I would consider myself done. Getting the achievement for onyxing every medal is not what I call realistic for me. I'm just trying to keep it real. But executing Minh 10 times is doable. Getting 10 reflective kills is doable. Re-upping for a 2nd time is doable. And maxing out the command center levels is doable. Among others.
Or should I say WAS doable.
I've been working on leveling up my "Ready for the Heavies" medal to onyx and I only had 10 more ribbons to get to do so. I was working on getting those last 10 ribbons all week last week. Sometimes it was easy. Sometimes I was playing with a bunch of idiots. And sometimes my teammates were just too good.
On Saturday night I finally got the last ribbon needed to make the medal onyx. When the match was over I jumped in to my stats and checked out my newest Onyx medal. It looked so pretty. I sat and admired it for awhile before searching around for the next medal I'd focus on to try and get it onyx.
The next closest one was earning money in Horde and if I also spent money repairing the command center I could get that achievement as well. It seemed like a win-win situation. Unfortunately it was late and I really wasn't in the mood to play some Horde so I jumped into some Guardian matches (another medal close to leveling up - sadly not to onyx).
I played a few rounds. I was the leader a couple of times and even killed someone as the leader (working towards another medal). After a couple of matches I called it a night and jumped out of the game and logged off for the night.
On Sunday I didn't get to play until later in the evening. I put in Gears 3 ready to grind away at some Hordes and hopefully getting an onyx medal or an achievement before the night was over. But things didn't turn out that way as soon as I hit the start button.
My system froze a little bit as it was "downloading player profile". No big deal, right? It's done that to me many times before. Unfortunately this time it was different. As soon as it unfroze I started to get pop ups for unlocking this character, or unlocking this weapon skin, or unlocking something else. I thought that was very strange and maybe there was a medal or achievement that was glitched and was hoping it was finally unglitched and I actually earned something I should have a long time ago.
Wrong.
On the party screen it said my level was 1. That didn't worry me too much. A lot of times it has taken my screen a while to update with my current level. When I got into my stats menu I realized things were worse than that. Much worse.
My level on the stats screen said 11. That's right. A one followed by another one. I was level 67 and about a third of the way to level 68 on my second go around on levels. I had "prestiged" once and my level was a different color. But now the system was saying I was 157 levels less than what I was when I played the night before.
Oh, but it gets worse.
When I looked at my stats I showed that I haven't even played the game at all. No Horde. No Beast. No multiplayer. And no campaign. Everything was gone. Almost everything. I still had the characters and weapon skins unlocked . . . but only up to level 11. It was showing that I collected every collectible item in the campaign, even if it showed that I had never played the campaign.
All my ribbons were gone as well. I only had 2 ribbons I hadn't earned yet. One was for reviving 3 downed teammates as a kantas in beast mode. The other was for killing 3 headsnakes in Horde. The headsnakes were much more doable in my opinion. All those 130+ ribbons were gone. Grayed out. locked up as if never earned. Ever.
And then there was the medals. I immediately got the onyx medal for earning achievements in Gears 2 so at least that wasn't taken from me. All the other medals (except one) looked like dusty unused trinkets found in the back of your grandmother's closet. Unloved. And not looked at for years. The only other medal that had something (besides the Gears 2 medal) was the medal for playing in Gears of War 3 events. That medal was sitting at 29 out of 30. I remember sitting at that level for so long wondering if I would ever get that last event to play in before they finally had something going and I was finally able to get that medal to onyx. Finally.
Except this time I was stuck back and 29 out of 30. And I don't think there's anymore events to play in to make it onyx. I was dumbfounded. I didn't consider getting the achievement for getting all onyx medals as being realistic for me. Killing your nemesis X about of time, and getting "number 1" in arcade mode are probably out of my wheelhouse when it comes to game play. But not having another "event" to play when I only needed one to make that medal onyx was a blow I just couldn't take.
I logged off. I would have cried but I was so shocked and dumbfounded that I just couldn't get the tears to fall. Three years of my life wiped out from one night to the next. And no hope of getting it all back.
I talked with a friend who knows someone who this happened to. Fortunately for him it was still early enough in the game that he could recover and earned everything back. He had sent Epic an email explaining what happened and wanted to know if they could do anything about it. Unfortunately for him, and later for me, Epic said they know about the problem, don't know why it is happening and have no way to fix it when it does. Way to go Epic.
I was so traumatized that I couldn't even look at ANY gaming console Sunday night. I was baffled and befuddled. Angry and anxious. It was like being robbed all over again. But this time it wasn't dumbass people being shitheads that broke in and took things, it was a dumbass company who took things because their shit broke and they don't know how to fix it. This happened to me before in Gears of War 2. I lost 15 levels from one log in to the next. My friend lost about 10 when it happened to him. It was early enough in the game that I got over it but I remember being at level 89 when everyone else on my friends list was maxing out at 100 (we use to be all close together in ranks). Once they maxed out they didn't want to play the game any more. It was really hard to get those last 11 levels mostly on my own. When I finally got to level 100 and got my wings my friends said "well it's about time". If I'm having a hard enough time finding friends to play with me right now in Gears 3 what chance did I have to have them play longer with me to unlock the campaign again?
I went to bed Sunday night not even wanting to play my Xbox 360 every again. But at lunch on Monday I thought I would try a bunch of things to see if that might help. One of the things I tried was deleting my profile and redownloading it. That didn't help. I even tried having the game download my profile to the cloud instead of my hard drive. Still nothing worked.
I then decided I would play a level in the campaign and see if that might magically unlock things for me. I played the first level on normal and when done my screen went ballistic with unlocking stuff. I jumped out and checked my stats and it seems like I got credit for fully playing the campaign on casual and normal and also playing those difficulties in Arcade mode. Hmm....
I played the next level on hardcore and the same things happened. I then played the next level on insane and next thing I know I've got an onyx medal for playing the campaign on insane and playing arcade on insane. I was starting to think that things might not be all bad. At least I didn't have to play the entire campaign again.
I next tried Beast mode and while I unlocked beast on casual and normal I didn't unlock anything else for all those other Beast medals. Previously I had onyx medals for all of beast mode but now they were still grayed out and locked. You could see the counter going up for what I played but I didn't get credit for everything like I did with the campaign. The only good news was that I got credit for playing an "event" when I finished the Beast mode game and that medal turned onyx . . . again.
I then gave up on Gears 3. Partly because I had to go to work, but partly because I had to decide if I was going to put the time in to get everything back that I previous had. That would mean starting over from scratch in Horde . . . when I was almost done with it. That meant trying to get those ribbons that I had to have a friends help me plan out and get. If I played Gears every night faithfully how long would it take me to get back what I had? How long would I get bored of the game and could no longer stand it? How many other games would I not be playing because I'm having to recreate everything in Gears again? I just wanted those 160 points in my gamerscore then I could put Gears 3 aside until nostalgia stuck and I felt compelled to play it again.
On Tuesday I put Gears 3 away and tried playing Lost Odyssey. It turns out I'm in the last area before I get to put in disk 4. That means I'm close to being where I was before I was robbed. And close to finishing the game. Unfortunately I was having a hard time with my magic users coming up against physical attack enemies. Two hits and my characters is out. And since they all come after the same character when it's their turn I always had a character down (sometimes 2) at the end of every round. And the first character they always take out is my designated healer.
Enough with the Xbox 360 games. I just couldn't take it anymore. I disconnected my 360 and stashed it away. I figure my gaming time would be better served playing on another system. It turns out it wasn't. I couldn't get my PS2 to load three of the games I wanted to play. I finally found a game that it would load (Champions of Norrath) and started that.
It was very obvious from my saved file that the last time I played this game was when I replaced it after having it stolen. And then, I only played it long enough to see that it worked (character was level 3). Unfortunately, after trying to play and dying all the time, because I was out of health potions, I gave up on that game and walked away.
I'm not sure what I'll play now. What game or what system. I just can't catch a break. If I can't catch a break I think I'll just have a KitKat bar instead. With my luck I won't be able to open the wrapper.
Showing posts with label Gears of War 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gears of War 2. Show all posts
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Monday, December 20, 2010
Missed it by that much
So for the last couple of months I've been working my way through the story of Gears of War 2 on Hardcore . . . and in Co-op. I've had several of my friends help me out with this. It started with Kralon, then Weasell and Evil helped out.
There were a few times when I played the game that none of my friends were available to help. For those times I started my game as "public" and waited until someone joined before I did anything. If that person left I would stop until someone else joined my room. Some nights it was frustrating, especially when the same person jumped in and out of my room multiple times. Because I was being careful I thought I wouldn't have any problems getting credit for those rare public co-op sessions. I was wrong.
Weasell and I finally got to the end of the game and I was richly rewarded for the achievements for casual, normal and hardcore, but I didn't get the achievement for playing the entire game in co-op. After trying to remember which chapters I played on my own, Weasell and I loaded a couple of them up and played through them. After 4 or 5 levels the achievement still didn't pop up.
Now I still have to get the achievement for Insane so Weasell and I talked about playing it through that way and the achievement would eventually pop up. I guess that will work but I thought I had kept track of everything. I guess I was off a little bit.
And that time hasn't been the only time I've been robbed of an achievement by one little mistake. There is an achievement in Fable III for playing the entire game without being knocked out in battle. I was doing really well in the game and then I jumped in with Genghis. We were playing in his game but during a battle I got knocked down. At first I was bummed but then realized it was his game so it shouldn't matter in my game.
A couple of days later I was playing in my game and I wasn't paying too much attention to what was going on. I got trapped in an area and before I could get myself out I was taking a lot of damage. Unfortunately I didn't have any healing potions or food on me. Before I knew it I was knocked out. I realized I messed up and I thought the only way to correct it was to get myself out of there. So I went back to the sanctuary. Unfortunately as soon as I did that I regretted my decision.
When you travel back to the sanctuary the game saves your progress. In my attempt to get out of a sticky situation I only made it worse. I had briefly considered getting out of the game completely by going back to the dashboard but I wasn't sure when the last time my game was saved and I didn't want to loose anything. It wasn't until I hopped into the sanctuary and saw that spinning wheel with the chicken that I knew I was screwed. Now the only way for me to get the achievement for not being knocked out in battle is to start the game all over again.
One brief moment of inattention in two different games and I'm out of a couple of achievements.
I will play Gears again to get that Insane achievement but I wasn't planing on doing that anytime soon. As for Fable III, that's also a game I'll put aside for awhile after I've finished it. I've got a lot of other games that I want to play and friends that want to talk about games without having to put out a spoiler warning first because I'm in the room. If I'm still playing "already finished" games then I won't be making any progress on "as yet to be played" games. At this rate I won't be done playing 2007 games until 2012.
The good news is I FINISHED GEARS OF WAR 2. Now all my friends can talk about everything in the game without me having to turn my mic off. The bad news is not many of my friends are playing, or talking about, Gears of War 2. I might have missed out on a couple of achievements by that much, but I've missed out on talking about a great game with friends by so much more.
There were a few times when I played the game that none of my friends were available to help. For those times I started my game as "public" and waited until someone joined before I did anything. If that person left I would stop until someone else joined my room. Some nights it was frustrating, especially when the same person jumped in and out of my room multiple times. Because I was being careful I thought I wouldn't have any problems getting credit for those rare public co-op sessions. I was wrong.
Weasell and I finally got to the end of the game and I was richly rewarded for the achievements for casual, normal and hardcore, but I didn't get the achievement for playing the entire game in co-op. After trying to remember which chapters I played on my own, Weasell and I loaded a couple of them up and played through them. After 4 or 5 levels the achievement still didn't pop up.
Now I still have to get the achievement for Insane so Weasell and I talked about playing it through that way and the achievement would eventually pop up. I guess that will work but I thought I had kept track of everything. I guess I was off a little bit.
And that time hasn't been the only time I've been robbed of an achievement by one little mistake. There is an achievement in Fable III for playing the entire game without being knocked out in battle. I was doing really well in the game and then I jumped in with Genghis. We were playing in his game but during a battle I got knocked down. At first I was bummed but then realized it was his game so it shouldn't matter in my game.
A couple of days later I was playing in my game and I wasn't paying too much attention to what was going on. I got trapped in an area and before I could get myself out I was taking a lot of damage. Unfortunately I didn't have any healing potions or food on me. Before I knew it I was knocked out. I realized I messed up and I thought the only way to correct it was to get myself out of there. So I went back to the sanctuary. Unfortunately as soon as I did that I regretted my decision.
When you travel back to the sanctuary the game saves your progress. In my attempt to get out of a sticky situation I only made it worse. I had briefly considered getting out of the game completely by going back to the dashboard but I wasn't sure when the last time my game was saved and I didn't want to loose anything. It wasn't until I hopped into the sanctuary and saw that spinning wheel with the chicken that I knew I was screwed. Now the only way for me to get the achievement for not being knocked out in battle is to start the game all over again.
One brief moment of inattention in two different games and I'm out of a couple of achievements.
I will play Gears again to get that Insane achievement but I wasn't planing on doing that anytime soon. As for Fable III, that's also a game I'll put aside for awhile after I've finished it. I've got a lot of other games that I want to play and friends that want to talk about games without having to put out a spoiler warning first because I'm in the room. If I'm still playing "already finished" games then I won't be making any progress on "as yet to be played" games. At this rate I won't be done playing 2007 games until 2012.
The good news is I FINISHED GEARS OF WAR 2. Now all my friends can talk about everything in the game without me having to turn my mic off. The bad news is not many of my friends are playing, or talking about, Gears of War 2. I might have missed out on a couple of achievements by that much, but I've missed out on talking about a great game with friends by so much more.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Real Gamers Do Cry
******SPOILER ALERT FOR GEARS OF WAR 2******
I got Evil to play the Gears of War 2 campaign with me last night. I was still replaying the game up to where I'd previously gotten in the story so I knew everything that was going to happen. And I still cried.
Yes, I'm talking about when Dom finds Maria. The first time you see this scene you don't know what to expect. Yeah, he found her! She looks pretty good. Oh wait. Oh no. I feel so sorry for Dom. Dom don't do it. Dom! Noooooooooooo! Okay, now lets go kill some Locust.
It's a sucker punch to the gut when you see what's happening. Dom becomes a real person with real emotions and you feel sorry for him. He's no longer the minority sidekick to Marcus Fenix. You start to see the price COGs have paid in this war. And if you're any kind of gamer you shed a tear or two. Or, if you're with friends you blame that something got in your eye . . . both of them.
The second time playing through the game you know what's coming up. The scene of loss becomes palatable the closer you get to it. As you get closer and closer to that moment you start to feel it weigh heavy on you. At least I did. I knew the spot. I knew what to expect. And I still cried. I probably cried more this time than last time. Last time I was too shocked to cry much. This time the water works started to flow. Last time it was the punch in the gut surprise. This time it was the emotional connection.
Maybe I got more emotional this time because things in my life have changed since the last time. Someone broke in and robbed me and left feelings of being violated. Friends have come and gone to war. I'm watching as my friend's love lives are struggling or crumbling apart and I'm left thinking about my own barren love life. Is there anyone out there that would love me enough to come looking for me? Would he forgo saving the world if it meant he could save me? Would someone think I'm beautiful even when I'm not? And if things were really bad would he save me by killing me? If I was kidnapped by the Locust I think I would live the rest of my life filled with nothing but work, torture and hours trapped standing up in pods. The world will have moved on from Pengwenn and I would not have a knight in shiny armor (or COG armor) to rescue me.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't sit at home every night and lament about the nonexistent status of my love life. I'm an independent person and I've enjoyed living on my own. And the thought of being a "damsel in distress" bothers me. If need be I'll rescue myself but sometimes I want someone to rescue me. Sometimes I wish I had someone in life to share things with. Someone to save me. When thieves break in. Or when Locust start kidnapping people and sinking cities. It would be nice to know that someone cares enough to look for/after me.
Yes, I know Gears is just a game. But it's a game with real life emotional context. And when gamers experience that they might get a little teary eyed. Now, if you'll excuse me, my eyes are getting a little misty just writing about this. But if anyone here at work comes by in the next little while I'll just tell them it's allergies, or I got something in my eye . . . both of them.
I got Evil to play the Gears of War 2 campaign with me last night. I was still replaying the game up to where I'd previously gotten in the story so I knew everything that was going to happen. And I still cried.
Yes, I'm talking about when Dom finds Maria. The first time you see this scene you don't know what to expect. Yeah, he found her! She looks pretty good. Oh wait. Oh no. I feel so sorry for Dom. Dom don't do it. Dom! Noooooooooooo! Okay, now lets go kill some Locust.
It's a sucker punch to the gut when you see what's happening. Dom becomes a real person with real emotions and you feel sorry for him. He's no longer the minority sidekick to Marcus Fenix. You start to see the price COGs have paid in this war. And if you're any kind of gamer you shed a tear or two. Or, if you're with friends you blame that something got in your eye . . . both of them.
The second time playing through the game you know what's coming up. The scene of loss becomes palatable the closer you get to it. As you get closer and closer to that moment you start to feel it weigh heavy on you. At least I did. I knew the spot. I knew what to expect. And I still cried. I probably cried more this time than last time. Last time I was too shocked to cry much. This time the water works started to flow. Last time it was the punch in the gut surprise. This time it was the emotional connection.
Maybe I got more emotional this time because things in my life have changed since the last time. Someone broke in and robbed me and left feelings of being violated. Friends have come and gone to war. I'm watching as my friend's love lives are struggling or crumbling apart and I'm left thinking about my own barren love life. Is there anyone out there that would love me enough to come looking for me? Would he forgo saving the world if it meant he could save me? Would someone think I'm beautiful even when I'm not? And if things were really bad would he save me by killing me? If I was kidnapped by the Locust I think I would live the rest of my life filled with nothing but work, torture and hours trapped standing up in pods. The world will have moved on from Pengwenn and I would not have a knight in shiny armor (or COG armor) to rescue me.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't sit at home every night and lament about the nonexistent status of my love life. I'm an independent person and I've enjoyed living on my own. And the thought of being a "damsel in distress" bothers me. If need be I'll rescue myself but sometimes I want someone to rescue me. Sometimes I wish I had someone in life to share things with. Someone to save me. When thieves break in. Or when Locust start kidnapping people and sinking cities. It would be nice to know that someone cares enough to look for/after me.
Yes, I know Gears is just a game. But it's a game with real life emotional context. And when gamers experience that they might get a little teary eyed. Now, if you'll excuse me, my eyes are getting a little misty just writing about this. But if anyone here at work comes by in the next little while I'll just tell them it's allergies, or I got something in my eye . . . both of them.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Bah Humbug to the Christmas Spirit!
I spent over 10 and 1/2 hours trapped in the the back seat of a pickup truck, feeling sick and listening to nothing but Christmas music on our drive home after Thanksgiving. Needless to say I was done with Christmas long before I finished digesting Thanksgiving dinner. Well, almost. I was a little sick.
Sense then I've tried to get into the Christmas spirit but a single note of a holiday jingle gives me the heaves. People laughing and joyous while I'm struggling to find a parking spot even remotely close to the store I want to go to makes me want to buy a baseball bat and take some practice swings out in the parking lot. I'm already tired of trying to find a specific gift for someone and having to go to six different stores looking for it. Six months ago I could have found that gift anywhere. And don't get me started on wrapping presents. I hate it. I spent a night doing nothing but that and by the end I wanted to step outside my front door and toss those gifts in the general direction of their intended recipients. If they don't make it all the way there? So what. Broken? Who cares. I'm done.
I'm trying hard not to let that Bah Humbug attitude get in the way of anything else, but it's hard. I'm irritable and crabby by the time I come home and no, it's not because it's that time of the month. When I sit down to play video games I don't have the energy or concentration to do anything. If the slightest error/cheap kill/problem comes up I'm out of there. I even pulled a "Pogue" the other night . . . and I was hosting the party. Sorry. I've tried playing several games. Gears 2, Mass Effect, Puzzle Quest 2, Harm's Way, Fable III, the new Doritos game, you name it, I've tried it. I just can't seem to get invested in anything.
It doesn't help my frustration when all I want to do is kill people online and none of my friends are playing. I've tried playing along but it's just not the same . . . and definitely not for someone who's already pissed off. There are too many pricks online who don't care about helping you out or playing like a team. They're only in it for themselves. At least when my friends play that way we all know about it and can compensate as a team for their Rambo style of play. Besides, I miss my friends.
I know it's the holiday seasons and I'm sure there are Christmas parties, family parties and other general meet-and-greets that might be going on that they are participating in. But that doesn't mean I still can't miss them. I also miss my friends who don't have the same games as I do (or vice versa). Some try a game out and don't like, others don't even try. It's hard when the usual group of friends played every night together are now slightly going their own separate ways because of changing tastes in their gaming habits. At least when Star Wars Battlefront was still around we could always go back to a classic. I miss that game.
So I guess if you play with me for the next couple of weeks and I seems a little more pissy than usual, it's just me in the holiday spirit. Don't let that stop you from playing with me (and I'll try not letting that stop me from playing with you). Maybe if some friends played a couple of games with me along with some of our highly entertaining bantar it just might be what I need to get out of my funk and back into the holiday spirit. Or at least a gaming spirit.
Sense then I've tried to get into the Christmas spirit but a single note of a holiday jingle gives me the heaves. People laughing and joyous while I'm struggling to find a parking spot even remotely close to the store I want to go to makes me want to buy a baseball bat and take some practice swings out in the parking lot. I'm already tired of trying to find a specific gift for someone and having to go to six different stores looking for it. Six months ago I could have found that gift anywhere. And don't get me started on wrapping presents. I hate it. I spent a night doing nothing but that and by the end I wanted to step outside my front door and toss those gifts in the general direction of their intended recipients. If they don't make it all the way there? So what. Broken? Who cares. I'm done.
I'm trying hard not to let that Bah Humbug attitude get in the way of anything else, but it's hard. I'm irritable and crabby by the time I come home and no, it's not because it's that time of the month. When I sit down to play video games I don't have the energy or concentration to do anything. If the slightest error/cheap kill/problem comes up I'm out of there. I even pulled a "Pogue" the other night . . . and I was hosting the party. Sorry. I've tried playing several games. Gears 2, Mass Effect, Puzzle Quest 2, Harm's Way, Fable III, the new Doritos game, you name it, I've tried it. I just can't seem to get invested in anything.
It doesn't help my frustration when all I want to do is kill people online and none of my friends are playing. I've tried playing along but it's just not the same . . . and definitely not for someone who's already pissed off. There are too many pricks online who don't care about helping you out or playing like a team. They're only in it for themselves. At least when my friends play that way we all know about it and can compensate as a team for their Rambo style of play. Besides, I miss my friends.
I know it's the holiday seasons and I'm sure there are Christmas parties, family parties and other general meet-and-greets that might be going on that they are participating in. But that doesn't mean I still can't miss them. I also miss my friends who don't have the same games as I do (or vice versa). Some try a game out and don't like, others don't even try. It's hard when the usual group of friends played every night together are now slightly going their own separate ways because of changing tastes in their gaming habits. At least when Star Wars Battlefront was still around we could always go back to a classic. I miss that game.
So I guess if you play with me for the next couple of weeks and I seems a little more pissy than usual, it's just me in the holiday spirit. Don't let that stop you from playing with me (and I'll try not letting that stop me from playing with you). Maybe if some friends played a couple of games with me along with some of our highly entertaining bantar it just might be what I need to get out of my funk and back into the holiday spirit. Or at least a gaming spirit.
Monday, November 15, 2010
A lament for a missing gamer
(Sung to the tune of "Oh Where, Oh Where has my little dog gone")
You've all been wondering. Now we know, a little bit anyway. Genghis is still alive . . . but his Xbox 360 is not. Nor is his Gears of War 2 game disk. He popped on to someone's computer last night and sent me a quick message to say he was still alive but that his 360 crashed and ate up his Gears 2 disk in the process. (And I thought the stuffed suits at Microsoft were the only hungry bastards in the company.) I don't know any more than that, so don't ask.
Once he can find a lending/buying solution to his Xbox 360 woes he'll be back. Don't know when. Don't know with what games (if any) either. If there ever was a time to pass around a collection plate, now would be the time. I'm thinking about it, but I'll let you know.
So, let us all bow our heads at the passing of yet another Xbox 360. I don't know how much the rights are to the song, but I think Microsoft needs to hire Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" song as their anthem. I think these parts are particularly poignant:
and
Oh where, oh where has our Genghis Khan gone
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his 360 dead and his Gears game broke
Oh where, oh where can he be?
You've all been wondering. Now we know, a little bit anyway. Genghis is still alive . . . but his Xbox 360 is not. Nor is his Gears of War 2 game disk. He popped on to someone's computer last night and sent me a quick message to say he was still alive but that his 360 crashed and ate up his Gears 2 disk in the process. (And I thought the stuffed suits at Microsoft were the only hungry bastards in the company.) I don't know any more than that, so don't ask.
Once he can find a lending/buying solution to his Xbox 360 woes he'll be back. Don't know when. Don't know with what games (if any) either. If there ever was a time to pass around a collection plate, now would be the time. I'm thinking about it, but I'll let you know.
So, let us all bow our heads at the passing of yet another Xbox 360. I don't know how much the rights are to the song, but I think Microsoft needs to hire Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" song as their anthem. I think these parts are particularly poignant:
There are plenty of ways you can hurt a man
And bring him to the ground
You can beat him
You can cheat him
You can treat him bad and leave him
When he's down
and
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Poll Results - How badly did I mess up?
I was so anxious to get this poll over with I actually shortened it one day just so we could all more on. Besides, nobody was voting any way. I'll have to come up with something good for the next poll. Anyway, here are the results:
I don't think it's any surprise that I voted for "all of the above" (I just hope I stuck my foot in my mouth BEFORE I stepped in shit). And while I've already explained to some friends my thoughts behind that post in question I think I should it explain it to everyone so we're all on the same page.
When some people get frustrated they vent right away. There's nothing wrong with that. For me I blow off a little steam but then keep most of it inside and try to analyze it and process it until it finally comes out in a blog post here. Sometimes I just don't care and that frustration melts away. Other times I've already got so much frustrations from work that playing games online only makes things so much worse. That's when I say I've had enough. And that's where I was mentally when I wrote that piece.
There was so much more in that post that I took out because I realized that I was whining about whiners and I thought that made me feel foolish and made things a bit ironic.
One of the examples I left out was when I was playing on my own (without my friends) and we were playing Security. I was in the front and ran to the frag grenades and picked them up. I guess my teammate behind me wanted the frags themselves so he spent that whole run firing at me and trying to push me aside to pick them up himself. He didn't get them. He then spent the rest of that round following me around and shooting at me. When I got in a battle with someone on the other team he just stood there and didn't help out even when I moved the enemy around so he could shoot him in the back. He waited until after I was dead before he engaged.
The next time frags came up I went there again. The same thing happened. This time the enemy came right over and downed me right away while I still had the grenades in my hand. I had tossed one grenade that killed the enemy but he had downed me before he died. My team mate stood and watched, never bothering to help me up. When I died he grabbed my grenades and ran off . . . only to be immediately killed by someone else.
Then there was a match on Ruins (once again I was by myself) where my own team mate pushed me out of the way when I was going for the frags under the bridge. He immediately ran to our torque corner and pushed two other players out of the way to grab torque. He then stepped in front of our cubby and had his head blown off. So he grabbed both power weapons, but didn't get a chance to use them. Guess what he did next? He quit. Unfortunately he was host and we were all booted from the game.
I give my friends a hard time sometimes when I tease them that nobody gets a chance to get the power weapons except them. But sometimes I struggle with that. I WANT a chance to use the weapons and get good with them, but I also WANT our team to win. If having the power weapons in an experienced player's hands vs. a complete and utter bumbling noob I would rather have the pro use it than me. Maybe if our team was slaughtering the enemy I might ask to use a power weapon on a round or two. If we are getting slaughtered I still think we can have a chance to win even down 4 to nothing.
I want to use the power weapons because I don't want my experience in Gears to be what it was like in Star Wars Battlefront. When I first started playing I could never get into a vehicle because everybody else would take them. It took years before I could get my hands on a land based transport (tank, speeder, etc) and then I couldn't do very much with it before I was killed. I just didn't have the practice with those options to be effective. And don't get me started on flying vehicles. I still can't use them.
I don't want to finish my game play in Gears and say I never really learned how to use the torque bow or sniper rifle. It's a part of the game and I would really like to have a go at it. Besides, I think it will help my kill/death ratio.
I don't really care so much about my kill/death ratio. I care more about getting a win . . . or a loss. But I've noticed a trend in Gears. Those that use the long distance power weapons (sniper and torque) have a higher kill/death ratio than those that don't. It's hard for me sometimes to listen to my friends and teammates berate the opposing team for having a low kill/death ratio. It's common to hear "you have a .5 kill/death ratio dude, you suck". Dude, that's what I have. I must suck.
It's not like I don't try. Some might even say I try too much ("Pengwenn what were you thinking?"). It's just that in order for me to get a kill without a power weapon I need to get closer to the enemy. Unfortunately that means I'll probably die more often than I kill them. It would be nice sometime to sit back in friendly territory and yet still have the firepower to knock out the enemy one by one. But when I do get the opportunity to use the power weapons I'm more likely to shoot myself in the foot due to my inexperience.
I wish I could tell you all the frustrations that lead up to why I wrote that post. But if I did you would complain that I'm being a whiner too. And I've probably bored you enough already. I just really want to enjoy playing games with my friends. I love winning. Hate losing. Everything else is whipped cream to me. And if I get a chance to use a power weapon and it helps my team that would be the cherry on the top. Let's just hope the host doesn't quit before the match is over.
In my "Done with Online Gaming" post did I...?
kick an ant hill = 1 vote
whacked a hornet's nest = 0 votes
stuck my foot in my mouth = 0 votes
stepped in shit = 0 votes
all of the above = 2 votes
I don't think it's any surprise that I voted for "all of the above" (I just hope I stuck my foot in my mouth BEFORE I stepped in shit). And while I've already explained to some friends my thoughts behind that post in question I think I should it explain it to everyone so we're all on the same page.
When some people get frustrated they vent right away. There's nothing wrong with that. For me I blow off a little steam but then keep most of it inside and try to analyze it and process it until it finally comes out in a blog post here. Sometimes I just don't care and that frustration melts away. Other times I've already got so much frustrations from work that playing games online only makes things so much worse. That's when I say I've had enough. And that's where I was mentally when I wrote that piece.
There was so much more in that post that I took out because I realized that I was whining about whiners and I thought that made me feel foolish and made things a bit ironic.
One of the examples I left out was when I was playing on my own (without my friends) and we were playing Security. I was in the front and ran to the frag grenades and picked them up. I guess my teammate behind me wanted the frags themselves so he spent that whole run firing at me and trying to push me aside to pick them up himself. He didn't get them. He then spent the rest of that round following me around and shooting at me. When I got in a battle with someone on the other team he just stood there and didn't help out even when I moved the enemy around so he could shoot him in the back. He waited until after I was dead before he engaged.
The next time frags came up I went there again. The same thing happened. This time the enemy came right over and downed me right away while I still had the grenades in my hand. I had tossed one grenade that killed the enemy but he had downed me before he died. My team mate stood and watched, never bothering to help me up. When I died he grabbed my grenades and ran off . . . only to be immediately killed by someone else.
Then there was a match on Ruins (once again I was by myself) where my own team mate pushed me out of the way when I was going for the frags under the bridge. He immediately ran to our torque corner and pushed two other players out of the way to grab torque. He then stepped in front of our cubby and had his head blown off. So he grabbed both power weapons, but didn't get a chance to use them. Guess what he did next? He quit. Unfortunately he was host and we were all booted from the game.
I give my friends a hard time sometimes when I tease them that nobody gets a chance to get the power weapons except them. But sometimes I struggle with that. I WANT a chance to use the weapons and get good with them, but I also WANT our team to win. If having the power weapons in an experienced player's hands vs. a complete and utter bumbling noob I would rather have the pro use it than me. Maybe if our team was slaughtering the enemy I might ask to use a power weapon on a round or two. If we are getting slaughtered I still think we can have a chance to win even down 4 to nothing.
I want to use the power weapons because I don't want my experience in Gears to be what it was like in Star Wars Battlefront. When I first started playing I could never get into a vehicle because everybody else would take them. It took years before I could get my hands on a land based transport (tank, speeder, etc) and then I couldn't do very much with it before I was killed. I just didn't have the practice with those options to be effective. And don't get me started on flying vehicles. I still can't use them.
I don't want to finish my game play in Gears and say I never really learned how to use the torque bow or sniper rifle. It's a part of the game and I would really like to have a go at it. Besides, I think it will help my kill/death ratio.
I don't really care so much about my kill/death ratio. I care more about getting a win . . . or a loss. But I've noticed a trend in Gears. Those that use the long distance power weapons (sniper and torque) have a higher kill/death ratio than those that don't. It's hard for me sometimes to listen to my friends and teammates berate the opposing team for having a low kill/death ratio. It's common to hear "you have a .5 kill/death ratio dude, you suck". Dude, that's what I have. I must suck.
It's not like I don't try. Some might even say I try too much ("Pengwenn what were you thinking?"). It's just that in order for me to get a kill without a power weapon I need to get closer to the enemy. Unfortunately that means I'll probably die more often than I kill them. It would be nice sometime to sit back in friendly territory and yet still have the firepower to knock out the enemy one by one. But when I do get the opportunity to use the power weapons I'm more likely to shoot myself in the foot due to my inexperience.
I wish I could tell you all the frustrations that lead up to why I wrote that post. But if I did you would complain that I'm being a whiner too. And I've probably bored you enough already. I just really want to enjoy playing games with my friends. I love winning. Hate losing. Everything else is whipped cream to me. And if I get a chance to use a power weapon and it helps my team that would be the cherry on the top. Let's just hope the host doesn't quit before the match is over.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Done with online gaming
Okay, I think I'm done with online gaming. Yep, you read that right. I'm done with all the host quiting because they're going to lose. I'm done with teammates, and opposing teams, whining about who got host. I'm done with glitches and cheaters as well. Do you want to know what put me over the edge?
Yahtzee.
Yep, that favorite game that requires you to roll 5 dice and try to make sets or runs depending on what you need on your score card. I'm sure you've all played it in real life at some point. Now it's one of the games you can play in Family Game Night.
I was eating dinner last night and wanted to play something mindless and easy while I got my daily nutritional intact out of the way. What a better time than to play a game of Yahtzee. Now normally I would play single player by myself, but I was feeling adventurous and jumped into an online game. We had three players and the game sets up the turn orders randomly at the start of the game. Our lovely host was player number one. I was player number three.
For most of the game the host was leading the scoring. A couple rounds towards the end I was able to eek a little ahead of the host in overall scoring. On the last roll of the dice the host only had the Yahtzee score blank, but failed to get one so they had to take a zero. As the scores stood then (even without me having my final turn) I won the match. While the second player was taking their turn I got the "host left the match" message and I was back to my lobby. Come on. Really?
You're going to quit a game of Yahtzee because you didn't win? Is winning that important to you that you can't play fair if you don't win? I was fuming by the time I put in my Gears of War 2 disk to play with friends. I asked if we could do an "open mic night" so I could vent my frustrations out on the other team (instead of my teammates). Unfortunately they weren't in the mood until one team decided to be dicks about the last kill. We opened up the mics then but after the match was over we went back into a party.
But even though killing the enemies in Gears helped my mood, listening to teammates whine about the game didn't. I'm tired of hearing about someone's connection being host. At one point someone on my team started to bitch about someone on the other team being host and getting the advantage. I had to tell them I was host, but that didn't seem to matter. The response I got was "then he must be in your f*cking living room". Come on. Really?
Just because everything doesn't go your way in a match doesn't mean it's because someone else on the other team has a host advantage over you. Some times there are people just better than you. Or maybe more focused on the game they you were at that time. Or maybe they have a better game plan with their whole team. Whenever we start to go our own way we lose more rounds than we win. You should know that. And you should also know that the whole team isn't there to support just you. Other people can pick up the grenades. Other people can get the power weapon. And just because they do doesn't mean they're going to cost us the game because they did. I'm tired of all the whining.
I'm tired of all the glitching and cheating too. I've played some matches recently where the other team found a way to hide inside a wall so we couldn't see them but they could see us and shoot us while still being protected themselves. I've also played matches where there was some definite lag switching going on. One moment my gun is using bullets and I'm shooting someone, the next minute they are behind me and my gun isn't using any ammo. Come on. Really? Is that the only way you know how to win?
I'm just tired of it all. There's no fun and joy playing with whiners, glitches, cheaters and quitters. A loss is just a loss. It's a game. Getting one more loss isn't going to prevent you from getting a loan on a new car. Or getting that big promotion you want. A win, also, isn't going to get you money to buy groceries. It isn't going to pay your mortgage or buy you clothes for the new school year. It's just a number. Winning and losing.
The point of playing games is to have fun. Enjoy the story. Marvel at the realistic graphics if you like. But don't be a dick about an obsessive need to win all the time. If there were more games that got people to play together off of a server instead of a host console I'd be more inclined to play those. Or if there has to be a host console could they at least design a host migration tool into the game so if the host does leave the match can go on. Granted that might mean the next host has a lousy connection for everyone else but at least the match still goes on.
Will I play games online tonight? I don't know. Right not; not likely. That's not going to stop some of my friends from begging, pleading and bargaining with me to join them I'm sure. Will I give in to their demands? I hope not. A night or two of single player gaming might be just what I need to make me want to come back and play games online. Otherwise, I just might be done with online gaming for good.
Yahtzee.
Yep, that favorite game that requires you to roll 5 dice and try to make sets or runs depending on what you need on your score card. I'm sure you've all played it in real life at some point. Now it's one of the games you can play in Family Game Night.
I was eating dinner last night and wanted to play something mindless and easy while I got my daily nutritional intact out of the way. What a better time than to play a game of Yahtzee. Now normally I would play single player by myself, but I was feeling adventurous and jumped into an online game. We had three players and the game sets up the turn orders randomly at the start of the game. Our lovely host was player number one. I was player number three.
For most of the game the host was leading the scoring. A couple rounds towards the end I was able to eek a little ahead of the host in overall scoring. On the last roll of the dice the host only had the Yahtzee score blank, but failed to get one so they had to take a zero. As the scores stood then (even without me having my final turn) I won the match. While the second player was taking their turn I got the "host left the match" message and I was back to my lobby. Come on. Really?
You're going to quit a game of Yahtzee because you didn't win? Is winning that important to you that you can't play fair if you don't win? I was fuming by the time I put in my Gears of War 2 disk to play with friends. I asked if we could do an "open mic night" so I could vent my frustrations out on the other team (instead of my teammates). Unfortunately they weren't in the mood until one team decided to be dicks about the last kill. We opened up the mics then but after the match was over we went back into a party.
But even though killing the enemies in Gears helped my mood, listening to teammates whine about the game didn't. I'm tired of hearing about someone's connection being host. At one point someone on my team started to bitch about someone on the other team being host and getting the advantage. I had to tell them I was host, but that didn't seem to matter. The response I got was "then he must be in your f*cking living room". Come on. Really?
Just because everything doesn't go your way in a match doesn't mean it's because someone else on the other team has a host advantage over you. Some times there are people just better than you. Or maybe more focused on the game they you were at that time. Or maybe they have a better game plan with their whole team. Whenever we start to go our own way we lose more rounds than we win. You should know that. And you should also know that the whole team isn't there to support just you. Other people can pick up the grenades. Other people can get the power weapon. And just because they do doesn't mean they're going to cost us the game because they did. I'm tired of all the whining.
I'm tired of all the glitching and cheating too. I've played some matches recently where the other team found a way to hide inside a wall so we couldn't see them but they could see us and shoot us while still being protected themselves. I've also played matches where there was some definite lag switching going on. One moment my gun is using bullets and I'm shooting someone, the next minute they are behind me and my gun isn't using any ammo. Come on. Really? Is that the only way you know how to win?
I'm just tired of it all. There's no fun and joy playing with whiners, glitches, cheaters and quitters. A loss is just a loss. It's a game. Getting one more loss isn't going to prevent you from getting a loan on a new car. Or getting that big promotion you want. A win, also, isn't going to get you money to buy groceries. It isn't going to pay your mortgage or buy you clothes for the new school year. It's just a number. Winning and losing.
The point of playing games is to have fun. Enjoy the story. Marvel at the realistic graphics if you like. But don't be a dick about an obsessive need to win all the time. If there were more games that got people to play together off of a server instead of a host console I'd be more inclined to play those. Or if there has to be a host console could they at least design a host migration tool into the game so if the host does leave the match can go on. Granted that might mean the next host has a lousy connection for everyone else but at least the match still goes on.
Will I play games online tonight? I don't know. Right not; not likely. That's not going to stop some of my friends from begging, pleading and bargaining with me to join them I'm sure. Will I give in to their demands? I hope not. A night or two of single player gaming might be just what I need to make me want to come back and play games online. Otherwise, I just might be done with online gaming for good.
Poll Results - What's more embarrassing?
So here are the poll results. Only two people voted, besides me. How embarrassing is that?
I voted for the pool. Come on people. There's nothing more embarrassing or humiliating than putting your goods on display, unknowingly, for everyone to see. I guess you guys think you're hot stuff and aren't afraid to show the world the way God made you. If that's the case then I would like some visual proof of your confident manliness. Just tell me who voted and I'll send you my email address.
Getting beaten by bots is not embarrassing. They've got the advantage in more ways than one. They don't have to deal with lag issues. They automatically know where you are without having to looking for you. And their aiming has pin-point accuracy even while running and firing blind. If you can beat a bot that's something to celebrate. But getting beat by them isn't something to be ashamed about.
What made it hard, the night in question, was that we had already beaten a team of bots on a different map. For some reason when we played that night we could never seem to get a full team of players on the other side. Sometimes when they were short handed they would stick around. Other times (twice to be exact) the whole team would drop out before the match started.
The first time we beat them easily. The second time we were playing on War Machine. It's a map we haven't played in a very long time. Besides the sniper rifle we couldn't remember what weapons spanned where or when during the match. Instead of working as a well oiled machine we were all over the place. We had no direction and we definitely didn't stick together. It didn't help when the bots started picking us off one by one that all we could do was laugh. If we had put our whole effort into the match (and knew where to go for the good weapons) I'm sure we could have won against them for a second time.
When it was all over two comments were made. 1) "lets never talk about this night again" and 2) "who's going to blog about it first". I guess I win. Although I'm sure there might be some counterpoints raised by my fellow bloggers that were playing that night.
So losing to bots in Gears of War 2 is like losing at the poker table when the cards are stacked against you. The game is stacked against you. It's cheating. And nothing to be ashamed, embarrassed or humiliated about. You try. You get killed. That's life. Now, walking around like a nudist at a public swimming pool without intending to IS something to be embarrassed about . . . unless your body is "cheating" too. And then I'll have to launch and investigation. Prepare to be thoroughly examined.
What's more embarrassing?
getting out of a public swimming pool without your swimsuit on = 1 vote
or
getting beat by a full team of bots in Gears of War = 2 votes
I voted for the pool. Come on people. There's nothing more embarrassing or humiliating than putting your goods on display, unknowingly, for everyone to see. I guess you guys think you're hot stuff and aren't afraid to show the world the way God made you. If that's the case then I would like some visual proof of your confident manliness. Just tell me who voted and I'll send you my email address.
Getting beaten by bots is not embarrassing. They've got the advantage in more ways than one. They don't have to deal with lag issues. They automatically know where you are without having to looking for you. And their aiming has pin-point accuracy even while running and firing blind. If you can beat a bot that's something to celebrate. But getting beat by them isn't something to be ashamed about.
What made it hard, the night in question, was that we had already beaten a team of bots on a different map. For some reason when we played that night we could never seem to get a full team of players on the other side. Sometimes when they were short handed they would stick around. Other times (twice to be exact) the whole team would drop out before the match started.
The first time we beat them easily. The second time we were playing on War Machine. It's a map we haven't played in a very long time. Besides the sniper rifle we couldn't remember what weapons spanned where or when during the match. Instead of working as a well oiled machine we were all over the place. We had no direction and we definitely didn't stick together. It didn't help when the bots started picking us off one by one that all we could do was laugh. If we had put our whole effort into the match (and knew where to go for the good weapons) I'm sure we could have won against them for a second time.
When it was all over two comments were made. 1) "lets never talk about this night again" and 2) "who's going to blog about it first". I guess I win. Although I'm sure there might be some counterpoints raised by my fellow bloggers that were playing that night.
So losing to bots in Gears of War 2 is like losing at the poker table when the cards are stacked against you. The game is stacked against you. It's cheating. And nothing to be ashamed, embarrassed or humiliated about. You try. You get killed. That's life. Now, walking around like a nudist at a public swimming pool without intending to IS something to be embarrassed about . . . unless your body is "cheating" too. And then I'll have to launch and investigation. Prepare to be thoroughly examined.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
New Poll - What's more embarassing?
So my new poll is simple, really. And here it is. You have one week to vote. Tell your friends to vote too. Thanks.
or
getting beat by a full team of bots in Gears of War
The poll is now open.
What's more embarassing?
getting out of a public swimming pool without your swimsuit on
or
getting beat by a full team of bots in Gears of War
The poll is now open.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Oh the dilemma
I have a dilemma this weekend. There's double experience points in Modern Warfare 2 but triple experience points in Gears of War 2. MW2 has brought out all the campers, snipers and glitchers. GoW2 we're just rusty on. What should we ever do?
Monday, March 29, 2010
Good Old Days . . . revisted
Last weekend it was all about the Good Old Days. We played older games. We caught up with old friends. And I think we all had a good time. I know I did. It started with Star Wars Battlefront . . . or maybe it was Gears of War 2. I can't remember which came first because I was having so much fun I lost all track of time.
Now that a death sentence has been placed on Star Wars Battlefront we've been trying to get a night together where all the old regulars (and some new friends we dragged along) met up for some friendly and high spirited fun in a Galaxy Far, Far Away. It was a blast to play again with Cleelost, DEWbird and others. Some of which I haven't played with since the original Xbox days. Some of which use their Xbox 360 as a DVD player more than a game console. It was easy to slip into old habits and familiar strategies while at the same time discovering new moves and friends along the way. In my opinion a good game should never have an expiration date put on it. There will always be people willing to play.
After (or maybe that was before) Battlefront there was Gears of War 2. With really not that much arm twisting we were able to convince Evil Ric to repurchase the game and get back into the multiplayer. It was a little rough trying to remember which button would reload your weapon, or how to run, after a couple of Call of Duty games, but we eventually got the swing of things and started to get our grove back. The second night of Gears was even better than the first. There were still those frustrating moments but I think there were more good memories than bad for most of us.
It was really nice to play again with G Sneaka. Our paths have crossed occasionally but I still long for those old Battlefront days and hours upon hours of nightly play with the same group of great guys. And that got me thinking.
When Star Wars Battlefront came out I think we played that game for 5-6 hours a night . . . every night. We never got tired of it. We never wanted to play anything else. Once the Xbox 360 came out we did start losing a few of the regulars as they spent time on their new system. But they always came back to Battlefront. And then Gears of War came along. We spent 4-5 hours a night, (we all started to feel our age and realized we needed to get some sleep at night) every night, playing that game. Then Gears of War 2 came out and the process repeated itself. These games kept us together and were played relentlessly. And since then it hasn't been the same.
All the people on my friend's list have fractured out into other games. Nothing was coming out that held everyone's attention for very long. Even games like Modern Warfare 2, a great game, but after 4 and a half months we all decided we would rather play Battlefront or Gears than another night of that game. I started to wonder if there would ever be another game that would galvanize the old gang back into playing 3-4 hours a night (still getting older) every night, every day of the year. . . FOR YEARS! Battlefront and Gears (both versions) had that impact but there doesn't seem to be anything out there now (or coming soon) that appears to promise that.
So until that game comes (probably Star Wars Battlefront 3) I guess I'll have to face the fact that sometimes the only time I'll play with old friends is when we become nostalgic and put in those old games. While we've only got a couple of weeks left for Battlefront lets hope that both Gears games have a longer life span . . . or another really good game comes out that will unite old friends with new memories. A Gamer Girl can dream, can't she?
Now that a death sentence has been placed on Star Wars Battlefront we've been trying to get a night together where all the old regulars (and some new friends we dragged along) met up for some friendly and high spirited fun in a Galaxy Far, Far Away. It was a blast to play again with Cleelost, DEWbird and others. Some of which I haven't played with since the original Xbox days. Some of which use their Xbox 360 as a DVD player more than a game console. It was easy to slip into old habits and familiar strategies while at the same time discovering new moves and friends along the way. In my opinion a good game should never have an expiration date put on it. There will always be people willing to play.
After (or maybe that was before) Battlefront there was Gears of War 2. With really not that much arm twisting we were able to convince Evil Ric to repurchase the game and get back into the multiplayer. It was a little rough trying to remember which button would reload your weapon, or how to run, after a couple of Call of Duty games, but we eventually got the swing of things and started to get our grove back. The second night of Gears was even better than the first. There were still those frustrating moments but I think there were more good memories than bad for most of us.
It was really nice to play again with G Sneaka. Our paths have crossed occasionally but I still long for those old Battlefront days and hours upon hours of nightly play with the same group of great guys. And that got me thinking.
When Star Wars Battlefront came out I think we played that game for 5-6 hours a night . . . every night. We never got tired of it. We never wanted to play anything else. Once the Xbox 360 came out we did start losing a few of the regulars as they spent time on their new system. But they always came back to Battlefront. And then Gears of War came along. We spent 4-5 hours a night, (we all started to feel our age and realized we needed to get some sleep at night) every night, playing that game. Then Gears of War 2 came out and the process repeated itself. These games kept us together and were played relentlessly. And since then it hasn't been the same.
All the people on my friend's list have fractured out into other games. Nothing was coming out that held everyone's attention for very long. Even games like Modern Warfare 2, a great game, but after 4 and a half months we all decided we would rather play Battlefront or Gears than another night of that game. I started to wonder if there would ever be another game that would galvanize the old gang back into playing 3-4 hours a night (still getting older) every night, every day of the year. . . FOR YEARS! Battlefront and Gears (both versions) had that impact but there doesn't seem to be anything out there now (or coming soon) that appears to promise that.
So until that game comes (probably Star Wars Battlefront 3) I guess I'll have to face the fact that sometimes the only time I'll play with old friends is when we become nostalgic and put in those old games. While we've only got a couple of weeks left for Battlefront lets hope that both Gears games have a longer life span . . . or another really good game comes out that will unite old friends with new memories. A Gamer Girl can dream, can't she?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Poll Results - One week to live/gaming story
Busy, busy, busy. Here's are the poll results:
I don't think I've ever seen the poll have such a wide spread before. Some of the results are surprising to me. Let's take it game by game.
Modern Warfare 2
I love playing the multiplayer stuff (although all my group will play is Team Deathmatch, can't we try something else every now and then?) and I haven't gotten very far in the story (hiding out on a snowy mountain tarmac). But usually these types of games are made for the online multiplayer content than a story line. The story line in almost any shooter game is just to give the player an objective when they start shooting. "Kill this guy". "Survive and make it to the rendezvous spot". That kind of stuff. I don't really pay too much attention to those "stories" which might be why I'm having a hard time making it across the snowy mountain without being seen.
Borderlands
With how much my friends have played this game and how excited they get when new content comes out I'm very surprised that didn't get any votes at all. I thought for sure it would get several. I think this is also a game that friends who don't care about gamerscore and achievements are playing this game and working really hard to actually get all the achievements in the game. The first couple of missions I accepted I really didn't read the description. You want me to do a job for ya? Okay, where do I need to go and what do I need to do? I really wasn't in it for the "why" of what I was doing. Is there an overall story to Borderlands? I don't know. Eventually I'll find out . . . I hope.
Gears of War 2
The story in the first Gears was great. Maybe not Pulitzer prize winning but I was engaged and wanted to know what was happening. I always felt the firefights in Gears were part of the story and not THE story, if you know what I mean. So I voted for Gears 2. If I only had a week to live I would want to know what happens next in that world. I want to know more about Marcus's father. How Dom reacts to losing Maria. And whether or not there are more Carmine siblings to join the war. I'm intrigued and I don't think I'd want to die without knowing.
BioShock 2
If I didn't vote for Gears I might have voted for BioShock 2. I say might because I loved the first game and was happy how it ended. On the other hand I love the world of Rapture and would love to have one more chance to explore it again. My only concern would be that some Big Daddy or Big Momma would jump out at me and then my week would be cut short.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
I mentioned I was very surprised that Borderlands didn't get any votes, but I'm even more surprised that Batman got 2 votes. Why? A lot of people said this was a good game but it's more about the game play than the story. They say there's not much story there to begin with. So why two votes people? I don't know what it is about this game but there are so many moves and commands that I can't keep them all straight. I'm doing the same button combinations in combat and I have to pull up the help menu to figure out how to grapple to things. I had to search for awhile before I could find a strategy guide for this game (since I'm late to the party) and this is the first game in a long time where I felt I HAD to have the guide while I played. I'm not so sure that's a good thing for this game based on how I'm playing.
Mass Effect
I am also a little surprised that this game didn't get more votes. I'm surprised that you didn't consider how many times you could play this story (I haven't finished, I'm trying to drive up a mountain in a vehicle, peak 15 I think) or have sex. Yes, there is sex in this game. And the sequel (which wasn't a poll option because I haven't finished the first one yet). And with the amount of time my friends have talked about how to have sex, who to have sex with, and the actual act of having sex you would think they've never had sex before (despite having children of their own). I've always heard great things about the story for this game. Was the reason that some of you didn't vote for it was because the game came out so long ago that you can't remember? I know some of you went back and replayed it prior to the sequel coming out. Are you going to do the same thing when the third one comes out?
So you might be wondering why I asked this poll. Well, it's all a mute point now but I started this poll a week before Final Fantasy XIII came out. I figured that once I have that game I wouldn't want to play anything else. If you check my games played history you'll see that I haven't actually play FF13 yet. Why? I got so caught up in the excitement that I didn't want to put the game in and be disappointed. I wanted to let some time pass, cool down, and then play the game (also because I keep playing MW2 with my friends online). So that "week to live" has actually turned turned into a couple more. Eventually I want to start it, but I have so many other games (all of those listed and many more) that I'm in the middle of (and hoping to finish) that I wonder if starting a new game a wise thing to do?
I either need to spend more time playing video games and less time working, eating, sleep, etc. or I need to spend less time playing with my friends and more time by myself. And I don't see either one of those things happening any time soon.
If you have one week to live what game would you play for the story?
Modern Warfare 2 = 1 vote
Borderlands = 0 votes
Gears of War 2 = 1 vote
BioShock 2 = 2 votes
Batman Arkham Asylum = 2 votes
Mass Effect = 1 vote
I don't think I've ever seen the poll have such a wide spread before. Some of the results are surprising to me. Let's take it game by game.
Modern Warfare 2
I love playing the multiplayer stuff (although all my group will play is Team Deathmatch, can't we try something else every now and then?) and I haven't gotten very far in the story (hiding out on a snowy mountain tarmac). But usually these types of games are made for the online multiplayer content than a story line. The story line in almost any shooter game is just to give the player an objective when they start shooting. "Kill this guy". "Survive and make it to the rendezvous spot". That kind of stuff. I don't really pay too much attention to those "stories" which might be why I'm having a hard time making it across the snowy mountain without being seen.
Borderlands
With how much my friends have played this game and how excited they get when new content comes out I'm very surprised that didn't get any votes at all. I thought for sure it would get several. I think this is also a game that friends who don't care about gamerscore and achievements are playing this game and working really hard to actually get all the achievements in the game. The first couple of missions I accepted I really didn't read the description. You want me to do a job for ya? Okay, where do I need to go and what do I need to do? I really wasn't in it for the "why" of what I was doing. Is there an overall story to Borderlands? I don't know. Eventually I'll find out . . . I hope.
Gears of War 2
The story in the first Gears was great. Maybe not Pulitzer prize winning but I was engaged and wanted to know what was happening. I always felt the firefights in Gears were part of the story and not THE story, if you know what I mean. So I voted for Gears 2. If I only had a week to live I would want to know what happens next in that world. I want to know more about Marcus's father. How Dom reacts to losing Maria. And whether or not there are more Carmine siblings to join the war. I'm intrigued and I don't think I'd want to die without knowing.
BioShock 2
If I didn't vote for Gears I might have voted for BioShock 2. I say might because I loved the first game and was happy how it ended. On the other hand I love the world of Rapture and would love to have one more chance to explore it again. My only concern would be that some Big Daddy or Big Momma would jump out at me and then my week would be cut short.
Batman: Arkham Asylum
I mentioned I was very surprised that Borderlands didn't get any votes, but I'm even more surprised that Batman got 2 votes. Why? A lot of people said this was a good game but it's more about the game play than the story. They say there's not much story there to begin with. So why two votes people? I don't know what it is about this game but there are so many moves and commands that I can't keep them all straight. I'm doing the same button combinations in combat and I have to pull up the help menu to figure out how to grapple to things. I had to search for awhile before I could find a strategy guide for this game (since I'm late to the party) and this is the first game in a long time where I felt I HAD to have the guide while I played. I'm not so sure that's a good thing for this game based on how I'm playing.
Mass Effect
I am also a little surprised that this game didn't get more votes. I'm surprised that you didn't consider how many times you could play this story (I haven't finished, I'm trying to drive up a mountain in a vehicle, peak 15 I think) or have sex. Yes, there is sex in this game. And the sequel (which wasn't a poll option because I haven't finished the first one yet). And with the amount of time my friends have talked about how to have sex, who to have sex with, and the actual act of having sex you would think they've never had sex before (despite having children of their own). I've always heard great things about the story for this game. Was the reason that some of you didn't vote for it was because the game came out so long ago that you can't remember? I know some of you went back and replayed it prior to the sequel coming out. Are you going to do the same thing when the third one comes out?
So you might be wondering why I asked this poll. Well, it's all a mute point now but I started this poll a week before Final Fantasy XIII came out. I figured that once I have that game I wouldn't want to play anything else. If you check my games played history you'll see that I haven't actually play FF13 yet. Why? I got so caught up in the excitement that I didn't want to put the game in and be disappointed. I wanted to let some time pass, cool down, and then play the game (also because I keep playing MW2 with my friends online). So that "week to live" has actually turned turned into a couple more. Eventually I want to start it, but I have so many other games (all of those listed and many more) that I'm in the middle of (and hoping to finish) that I wonder if starting a new game a wise thing to do?
I either need to spend more time playing video games and less time working, eating, sleep, etc. or I need to spend less time playing with my friends and more time by myself. And I don't see either one of those things happening any time soon.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
New Poll - One week to live...what story do you play?
Here's my new poll.
Okay, the doc tells you that you have less than one week to live. You only have time to play one video game before "game over" becomes permanent. Of those choices listed what game do you play FOR THE STORY! Yes, I know you like the multiplayer options on a couple of those games, but do you really want to spend the last week of your life listening to those idiots on Xbox Live? And what's the point of ranking up or moving up the leaderboards if someone is going to replace you once you kick the bucket? And yes, there's a reason why Mass Effect 2 isn't listed (as well as Assassin's Creed 1 or 2) but I'll get into that when the poll results are posted.
You have 1 week to live. What game do you play for the story?
Modern Warfare 2
Borderlands
Gears of War 2
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Bioshock 2
Mass Effect
Okay, the doc tells you that you have less than one week to live. You only have time to play one video game before "game over" becomes permanent. Of those choices listed what game do you play FOR THE STORY! Yes, I know you like the multiplayer options on a couple of those games, but do you really want to spend the last week of your life listening to those idiots on Xbox Live? And what's the point of ranking up or moving up the leaderboards if someone is going to replace you once you kick the bucket? And yes, there's a reason why Mass Effect 2 isn't listed (as well as Assassin's Creed 1 or 2) but I'll get into that when the poll results are posted.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Things that make you go hmmm....
There's been a couple of things that have struck me as odd lately. Good and bad. So I'm going to tell you about them.
1) I can't believe we played something other than Gears of War 2.
The regular crowd really cranked it up in Gears during the double points week for the new maps. Of course when the week was over we were pretty much burned out on Gears. Oh, we still played. But are hearts weren't really into it and we played badly. So I was only a little bit surprised when a bunch of us picked up Call of Duty: World at War and started playing that.
Of course that game just came out with more zombie maps, and who doesn't like killing zombies? A couple of the guys had already sold their original copy back in order to get another game (come on, why do you people do that?) so they had to purchase the game, yet again. Evil Ric couldn't find a used copy so he had to purchase it new . . . again.
We did some zombie killin' and jumped into a few multiplayer matches. One thing that hasn't changed is the glitching and manhandling we got occasionally. Yes, they complained about it. I did too, sometimes. But I'm more use to being the lowest scorer on the team, with more deaths than kills, so I guess the unfairness of it all doesn't bother me as much.
2) I can't believe we played a non-FPS game
On Wednesday 1 vs. 100 was doing a "Movie Quotes" game that Evil and c5ride suggested we join in on. I didn't think the idea would fly with everyone but Evil, c5, Genghis and I jumped in and started guessing. Evil and c5 really know their movies. There were quite a few that I just randomly guessed at (once I used up all my skips). It was fun, but mostly for another reason. Who knew c5 could cut a rug? It was hilarious to watch the three guys bust a move during the down times. I think I even heard c5 giggle like a school boy at some of his avatar's more spectacular dance steps. It didn't matter that I came in last either because I laughed so hard that even after a night of killing . . . I mean dying in the game we played next, I still went to bed with a smile on my face. Thanks guys.
3) I can't believe I got to play with Cleelost.
Clee's a friend from back in the old Star Wars Battlefront days. I played a lot with him when we first got our 360s. Lately though it seems like every time I see him come online he's watching a video instead of playing a game. When I got an invite from him to play Gears of War 2 I immediately jumped out of my Texas Hold 'em tournament and joined. And as an added bonus (I think it was a bonus) I got to hear MarcDNPain's voice. At least he use to be that gamer tag, now I don't know what he calls himself. That cackle of a laugh in my ear was unmistakable though. It was fun to reconnect with those guys for a night. Let's hope it doesn't take another several months before that happens again.
4) I got to talk to El Sand Dog.
Sand Dog's Xbox 360 has been on the fritz lately and he hasn't been able to play some of the games that he usually plays. Because of that his time online has been very limited or restricted to what he can do. I haven't talked to him in ages and I always love hearing that deep, slightly stoned out voice of his. He's one of those guys that can actually get the line "How you doin'" to work for them. It's worked on me. I miss Sand Dog. He's a blast to flirt with and a great guy to play with. I hope he gets his 360 issues worked out soon.
5) I got a message that I'm sexist
In my profile online my bio lists both the address for this blog and the address for the Xbox360GamingWorld site that my friend Pogue Moran (yes, I called him a friend) runs. I got a message from a total stranger, after playing some Texas Hold 'em that said "ur website is sexis". Yes, those typos and netspeak were in included. At first I thought they were talking about this blog. Sexist? Here? I don't see it. Yes, it's called "Life of a Gamer Girl" which might be sexist, but since I am a girl, AND I play video game, AND these entries are mostly about my life playing video games I really don't think it's sexist.
As for the Gaming World website? Eh? Maybe. There are quite a few guys on the site from all around the world that like to do a bit of chest thumping and fist pumping, but it's mostly guys just being guys and showing off. There have been a few avatar pics/vids that I wouldn't want to open up while at the office, but since the site is now banned at work for "gaming" because of all the flash games it's not a problem anymore.
There are quite a few girls on the site as well. We tolerate the boys for the most part and have put them in their place if the moment warranted it. But one things is certain those guys on the site are thrilled about girls playing video games. No matter how much trash talking, chest thumping or fist pumping they do, none of them have every berated a girl for playing video games. No "you suck because you're a girl" or "girls can't play video games". In fact some of them are very happy to admit when a girl gets the better of them in a match. Some other guys might call that a little perverse, but I find it welcoming and inclusive. I met a lot of great guys through that site and I don't regret any one of them, although Pogue isn't for the faint of heart. He's more of an acquired taste.
So a bunch of highs and lows for the week, but overall a very good week in the gaming world. It would be better if I didn't have to go to work but could stay home and play games all day. But then again, without the job I wouldn't be able to afford to buy new games or pay for the internet to play online with the games I do have. I guess I'll keep the job for now. My gaming habits will change a bit over the next couple of weeks, but only temporarily. You'll read more about that in a post sometime in the next couple of days.
1) I can't believe we played something other than Gears of War 2.
The regular crowd really cranked it up in Gears during the double points week for the new maps. Of course when the week was over we were pretty much burned out on Gears. Oh, we still played. But are hearts weren't really into it and we played badly. So I was only a little bit surprised when a bunch of us picked up Call of Duty: World at War and started playing that.
Of course that game just came out with more zombie maps, and who doesn't like killing zombies? A couple of the guys had already sold their original copy back in order to get another game (come on, why do you people do that?) so they had to purchase the game, yet again. Evil Ric couldn't find a used copy so he had to purchase it new . . . again.
We did some zombie killin' and jumped into a few multiplayer matches. One thing that hasn't changed is the glitching and manhandling we got occasionally. Yes, they complained about it. I did too, sometimes. But I'm more use to being the lowest scorer on the team, with more deaths than kills, so I guess the unfairness of it all doesn't bother me as much.
2) I can't believe we played a non-FPS game
On Wednesday 1 vs. 100 was doing a "Movie Quotes" game that Evil and c5ride suggested we join in on. I didn't think the idea would fly with everyone but Evil, c5, Genghis and I jumped in and started guessing. Evil and c5 really know their movies. There were quite a few that I just randomly guessed at (once I used up all my skips). It was fun, but mostly for another reason. Who knew c5 could cut a rug? It was hilarious to watch the three guys bust a move during the down times. I think I even heard c5 giggle like a school boy at some of his avatar's more spectacular dance steps. It didn't matter that I came in last either because I laughed so hard that even after a night of killing . . . I mean dying in the game we played next, I still went to bed with a smile on my face. Thanks guys.
3) I can't believe I got to play with Cleelost.
Clee's a friend from back in the old Star Wars Battlefront days. I played a lot with him when we first got our 360s. Lately though it seems like every time I see him come online he's watching a video instead of playing a game. When I got an invite from him to play Gears of War 2 I immediately jumped out of my Texas Hold 'em tournament and joined. And as an added bonus (I think it was a bonus) I got to hear MarcDNPain's voice. At least he use to be that gamer tag, now I don't know what he calls himself. That cackle of a laugh in my ear was unmistakable though. It was fun to reconnect with those guys for a night. Let's hope it doesn't take another several months before that happens again.
4) I got to talk to El Sand Dog.
Sand Dog's Xbox 360 has been on the fritz lately and he hasn't been able to play some of the games that he usually plays. Because of that his time online has been very limited or restricted to what he can do. I haven't talked to him in ages and I always love hearing that deep, slightly stoned out voice of his. He's one of those guys that can actually get the line "How you doin'" to work for them. It's worked on me. I miss Sand Dog. He's a blast to flirt with and a great guy to play with. I hope he gets his 360 issues worked out soon.
5) I got a message that I'm sexist
In my profile online my bio lists both the address for this blog and the address for the Xbox360GamingWorld site that my friend Pogue Moran (yes, I called him a friend) runs. I got a message from a total stranger, after playing some Texas Hold 'em that said "ur website is sexis". Yes, those typos and netspeak were in included. At first I thought they were talking about this blog. Sexist? Here? I don't see it. Yes, it's called "Life of a Gamer Girl" which might be sexist, but since I am a girl, AND I play video game, AND these entries are mostly about my life playing video games I really don't think it's sexist.
As for the Gaming World website? Eh? Maybe. There are quite a few guys on the site from all around the world that like to do a bit of chest thumping and fist pumping, but it's mostly guys just being guys and showing off. There have been a few avatar pics/vids that I wouldn't want to open up while at the office, but since the site is now banned at work for "gaming" because of all the flash games it's not a problem anymore.
There are quite a few girls on the site as well. We tolerate the boys for the most part and have put them in their place if the moment warranted it. But one things is certain those guys on the site are thrilled about girls playing video games. No matter how much trash talking, chest thumping or fist pumping they do, none of them have every berated a girl for playing video games. No "you suck because you're a girl" or "girls can't play video games". In fact some of them are very happy to admit when a girl gets the better of them in a match. Some other guys might call that a little perverse, but I find it welcoming and inclusive. I met a lot of great guys through that site and I don't regret any one of them, although Pogue isn't for the faint of heart. He's more of an acquired taste.
So a bunch of highs and lows for the week, but overall a very good week in the gaming world. It would be better if I didn't have to go to work but could stay home and play games all day. But then again, without the job I wouldn't be able to afford to buy new games or pay for the internet to play online with the games I do have. I guess I'll keep the job for now. My gaming habits will change a bit over the next couple of weeks, but only temporarily. You'll read more about that in a post sometime in the next couple of days.
Monday, August 3, 2009
I'm changing my gamertag
No, I'm not changing it to "Hot Fantasy Girl", that one's already taken. And I'm not changing it to any derivative of that name either. We encountered HFG again last night. The guys reception of her wasn't as warm and fuzzy as before (I think it didn't help much when she kept killing them with the Hammer of Dawn).
I'm going to change my name to "Buzz Kill". Or maybe "Kill Joy". Or "I ask a question and suck the life out of the party and distract my teammates so we lose the match". Do you think it's too long?
In my defense we weren't actually in a match at the time I asked the question. It just carried over into the match. And I thought it was a simple question to answer. Yes, I know there's a lot of baggage that comes with asking an ex-soldier what the Medal of Honor is usually given out for, but a simple "it's the grand-daddy of all war medals for going above and beyond the call of duty" would have sufficed. I don't think that belittles the recipients of what they achieved when they've earned a Medal of Honor if you sum it up that way. After all, I'm not military so my feelings are much more pedestrian than what an ex-soldier would feel when the talking about the Medal of Honor.
I'm sorry I brought it up. Not because we played horribly and lost the match. But because I'm sorry that it seemed to suck the life out of the party and turned a couple of outspoken-extroverted-guys-who-thrive-blowing-the-heads-off-of-locust into a couple of thought-provoking-introverted-let's-sit-and-ponder-about-it-road-kill in the middle of what should have been a fun match. It won't happen again.
And to mark the occasion and remind myself to keep my mouth shut I'm changing my gamer tag. I'm kind of partial to "Kill Joy" but what do you think?
I'm going to change my name to "Buzz Kill". Or maybe "Kill Joy". Or "I ask a question and suck the life out of the party and distract my teammates so we lose the match". Do you think it's too long?
In my defense we weren't actually in a match at the time I asked the question. It just carried over into the match. And I thought it was a simple question to answer. Yes, I know there's a lot of baggage that comes with asking an ex-soldier what the Medal of Honor is usually given out for, but a simple "it's the grand-daddy of all war medals for going above and beyond the call of duty" would have sufficed. I don't think that belittles the recipients of what they achieved when they've earned a Medal of Honor if you sum it up that way. After all, I'm not military so my feelings are much more pedestrian than what an ex-soldier would feel when the talking about the Medal of Honor.
I'm sorry I brought it up. Not because we played horribly and lost the match. But because I'm sorry that it seemed to suck the life out of the party and turned a couple of outspoken-extroverted-guys-who-thrive-blowing-the-heads-off-of-locust into a couple of thought-provoking-introverted-let's-sit-and-ponder-about-it-road-kill in the middle of what should have been a fun match. It won't happen again.
And to mark the occasion and remind myself to keep my mouth shut I'm changing my gamer tag. I'm kind of partial to "Kill Joy" but what do you think?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
I don't remember joining the circus . . .
I had a REALLY bad day at work yesterday. All I wanted to do was go home, have a glass of milk and go to bed. I didn't care what might be on TV or whether the sun was still up or not. I was hot, miserable, tired and grumpy. Throw in a few more adjectives and I would have been all the seven dwarfs rolled up into one.
One of the things that made me grumpy was paying my bills. I was already set to leave work when I realized I hadn't written the checks for my bills and they needed to get out in yesterday's mail. So after hanging around work for another 1/2 hour while I wrote check after check after check and watched my bank account dwindle to almost nothing I finally packed up and left the office. I was so tired that instead of turning toward the post office I started towards home. Oops. I made a U-turn and headed in the right direction. Now I wanted to get home and go to bed more than anything . . . and I was getting hotter by the second.
On the way home I realized that the new maps were coming out for Gears of War 2 today. While this thought was not earth shattering in its nature it was enough to brighten my day and I started to look forward to getting home and playing Gears and then going to bed. But I was still hot. I figured it would take a while to download the maps so I planned to log in as soon as I got home, start the download of the maps and then go out swimming to cool off while the map pack was being delivered to my system. Sounded like a good plan to me.
When I got home all that changed.
I changed into my swimsuit, logged onto my Xbox and went to the marketplace to download the maps. I saw that it would cost me 1,200 points to do it and I only had 990 points in my balance. I was hoping it would only be 800 points, but I figured I'd have to buy points anyway. I hit the button to "add microsoft points," selected an appropriate amount and then selected "confirm payment". Unfortunately I realized my credit card had expired in June and I forgot to update the expiration date. Because of this the system wouldn't allow me process my purchase. No points. No maps.
At the same time I started getting invites from my friends to play Gears. I jumped in the party and told them I was trying to download the maps and would be on later. I guess swimming might have to wait awhile. After looking around for five minutes for a place on my Xbox 360 to change my expiration date on my credit card (I opened up every menu options and then some) I realized I would have to change the date by using my computer. Great.
I went into my office and turned on my computer. I waited while it went through the boot-up cycle before it came to the screen for me to pick my log in ID (dain also has an ID on my computer for repair purposes). Then I had to wait while it loaded all of my preferences. Then I had to wait while my system ran it's virus, spyware, etc. checks. Once that was all done I clicked on my internet icon (Firefox) and waiting for my internet browser to open. What I got instead was a pop-up message box saying my Firefox application was being updated. Great. And how long was that going to take?
Now I was hot, tired, miserable, even more grumpy and looking at my dog I could tell that she couldn't figure out why I had my swimming suit on but wasn't going out side into the pool. I decided to say "screw it" and take my dog's advice. I would stay out and swim and cool off in the pool as long as I like and would come back in to change my expiration date, buy points, download maps and play Gears when I bloody well felt like it. So there.
At least that's how I thought it would go.
After about five or ten minutes in the pool, just when that knot in my head and body was starting to unravel Zoe went ballistic at the back gate. I floated over there to see if I could tell what set her off. All I could see was someone going back and forth in front of my house. Great. What now?
I decided to get out of the pool, go inside and see if I could tell what was going on in front of my house. So dripping wet, I trundled to my front window and looked out. There was a kid (jr or sr high school age) riding a skate board back and forth on the sidewalk. Really? It's 115 degrees outside and you're skateboarding? Go home and stay in the AC idiot.
Since I was already inside (when the AC kicked on it did a really nice job of cooling me off, but that was because I will still dripping wet) I decided to check up on my computer. I put my towels on the chair and sat down. Apparently after the update my system froze and I lost all access to my desk top. The only thing for me to do was to turn my system off and restart it. Which meant I had to sit through another boot-up, log in, virus check, etc. Once I got through all of that it took 2 minutes for Firefox to open up a web page. I was just about to give up for good and go back to my original plan of going to bed when I decided I came this far I might as well finish the deed.
I found the right web page, changed my expiration date and selected the map pack from the marketplace to download to my Xbox 360. While it was downloading I went and changed out of my wet swimsuit and waited for the system to finish. When it finally did I checked my friends list and found all of my friends were already playing in full groups. I thought about trying the new maps on private so I could walk around and learn them before I actually had to fight on them, but I had had enough. I put in Eternal Sonata hoping a nice quiet RPG with bright colors would improve my mood.
That's when the invites started coming again.
I seriously considered not joining Evil Ric and G Sneaka in their game but I had jumped through so many hoops just to play these news maps I wanted to see if it was worth it. I felt like a dog at the circus, performing trick after trick, and now I just wanted to hear the applause. What did I think of the new maps like, you ask? Eh.
I think I played 5 matches. Two on Sanctuary, two on War Machine and one on The Highway (I think that's the name). After that I just didn't care to play anymore. Not that they are bad maps (although I don't think I like the new War Machine) but I just wasn't in the mood. Sometimes at the end of the day this old dog just wants to lay down in her kennel and call it a night.
I went back into the pool afterwards and spent a good twenty minutes or so trying to relax. After that I packed it in and crawled under the covers. I was in bed about a quarter after 10pm and asleep abut one minute later. For me, going to bed before 11pm is early. I usually end up in bed by 11:30 and I don't usually fall asleep until around 12am. But last night I needed it. Who knew this circus life could be so tiring. I wonder what feats of daring I'll have to perform tonight when I get online. And you know, you can teach an old dog new tricks . . . it just takes too much out of her when you do.
One of the things that made me grumpy was paying my bills. I was already set to leave work when I realized I hadn't written the checks for my bills and they needed to get out in yesterday's mail. So after hanging around work for another 1/2 hour while I wrote check after check after check and watched my bank account dwindle to almost nothing I finally packed up and left the office. I was so tired that instead of turning toward the post office I started towards home. Oops. I made a U-turn and headed in the right direction. Now I wanted to get home and go to bed more than anything . . . and I was getting hotter by the second.
On the way home I realized that the new maps were coming out for Gears of War 2 today. While this thought was not earth shattering in its nature it was enough to brighten my day and I started to look forward to getting home and playing Gears and then going to bed. But I was still hot. I figured it would take a while to download the maps so I planned to log in as soon as I got home, start the download of the maps and then go out swimming to cool off while the map pack was being delivered to my system. Sounded like a good plan to me.
When I got home all that changed.
I changed into my swimsuit, logged onto my Xbox and went to the marketplace to download the maps. I saw that it would cost me 1,200 points to do it and I only had 990 points in my balance. I was hoping it would only be 800 points, but I figured I'd have to buy points anyway. I hit the button to "add microsoft points," selected an appropriate amount and then selected "confirm payment". Unfortunately I realized my credit card had expired in June and I forgot to update the expiration date. Because of this the system wouldn't allow me process my purchase. No points. No maps.
At the same time I started getting invites from my friends to play Gears. I jumped in the party and told them I was trying to download the maps and would be on later. I guess swimming might have to wait awhile. After looking around for five minutes for a place on my Xbox 360 to change my expiration date on my credit card (I opened up every menu options and then some) I realized I would have to change the date by using my computer. Great.
I went into my office and turned on my computer. I waited while it went through the boot-up cycle before it came to the screen for me to pick my log in ID (dain also has an ID on my computer for repair purposes). Then I had to wait while it loaded all of my preferences. Then I had to wait while my system ran it's virus, spyware, etc. checks. Once that was all done I clicked on my internet icon (Firefox) and waiting for my internet browser to open. What I got instead was a pop-up message box saying my Firefox application was being updated. Great. And how long was that going to take?
Now I was hot, tired, miserable, even more grumpy and looking at my dog I could tell that she couldn't figure out why I had my swimming suit on but wasn't going out side into the pool. I decided to say "screw it" and take my dog's advice. I would stay out and swim and cool off in the pool as long as I like and would come back in to change my expiration date, buy points, download maps and play Gears when I bloody well felt like it. So there.
At least that's how I thought it would go.
After about five or ten minutes in the pool, just when that knot in my head and body was starting to unravel Zoe went ballistic at the back gate. I floated over there to see if I could tell what set her off. All I could see was someone going back and forth in front of my house. Great. What now?
I decided to get out of the pool, go inside and see if I could tell what was going on in front of my house. So dripping wet, I trundled to my front window and looked out. There was a kid (jr or sr high school age) riding a skate board back and forth on the sidewalk. Really? It's 115 degrees outside and you're skateboarding? Go home and stay in the AC idiot.
Since I was already inside (when the AC kicked on it did a really nice job of cooling me off, but that was because I will still dripping wet) I decided to check up on my computer. I put my towels on the chair and sat down. Apparently after the update my system froze and I lost all access to my desk top. The only thing for me to do was to turn my system off and restart it. Which meant I had to sit through another boot-up, log in, virus check, etc. Once I got through all of that it took 2 minutes for Firefox to open up a web page. I was just about to give up for good and go back to my original plan of going to bed when I decided I came this far I might as well finish the deed.
I found the right web page, changed my expiration date and selected the map pack from the marketplace to download to my Xbox 360. While it was downloading I went and changed out of my wet swimsuit and waited for the system to finish. When it finally did I checked my friends list and found all of my friends were already playing in full groups. I thought about trying the new maps on private so I could walk around and learn them before I actually had to fight on them, but I had had enough. I put in Eternal Sonata hoping a nice quiet RPG with bright colors would improve my mood.
That's when the invites started coming again.
I seriously considered not joining Evil Ric and G Sneaka in their game but I had jumped through so many hoops just to play these news maps I wanted to see if it was worth it. I felt like a dog at the circus, performing trick after trick, and now I just wanted to hear the applause. What did I think of the new maps like, you ask? Eh.
I think I played 5 matches. Two on Sanctuary, two on War Machine and one on The Highway (I think that's the name). After that I just didn't care to play anymore. Not that they are bad maps (although I don't think I like the new War Machine) but I just wasn't in the mood. Sometimes at the end of the day this old dog just wants to lay down in her kennel and call it a night.
I went back into the pool afterwards and spent a good twenty minutes or so trying to relax. After that I packed it in and crawled under the covers. I was in bed about a quarter after 10pm and asleep abut one minute later. For me, going to bed before 11pm is early. I usually end up in bed by 11:30 and I don't usually fall asleep until around 12am. But last night I needed it. Who knew this circus life could be so tiring. I wonder what feats of daring I'll have to perform tonight when I get online. And you know, you can teach an old dog new tricks . . . it just takes too much out of her when you do.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
40 points and counting
Speaking of Gamer Goals I'm close to crossing another one off my list.
One of my goals was to get my gamer score to 11,111 exactly. I was stuck at 10,981 for the longest time. That is only 130 points away so I thought I would put in Lost Odyssey and finish the game. You get 125 points for finishing each disk and I am working on the last one. That would mean I would only need 5 more points to reach my goal. Very doable. But after looking through the achievements for Lost Odyssey I decided against that.
There are a couple of achievements that I'm probably close to getting and it would be just my luck to finish the last disk and have several achievements pop up putting me over the magic number. So as mush as I want to play that game and finish it up I'm not going to put it in for awhile.
So that left me trying to find a way to maintain control over my score and get the points I need. That's when I started playing Battlefield: 1943. I've picked up several achievements in that game and now I'm only 40 points away from my goal. Those achievements are very easy to get and I'm sure I can control which ones I get and when I want them. Of course that might me I immediately jump out of a game when I get my 40 points just so I won't accidentally pick up another achievement.
Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if I finish this goal before the weekend is over (since I'm sure to get some Gears of War matches in as well). I'm sure I'll blog about it when it happens and everyone will have to check out "my sticks". Maybe my next gamer score goal should be 12,345. Do you have a gamer score goal? If so, tell me about it. Please!
One of my goals was to get my gamer score to 11,111 exactly. I was stuck at 10,981 for the longest time. That is only 130 points away so I thought I would put in Lost Odyssey and finish the game. You get 125 points for finishing each disk and I am working on the last one. That would mean I would only need 5 more points to reach my goal. Very doable. But after looking through the achievements for Lost Odyssey I decided against that.
There are a couple of achievements that I'm probably close to getting and it would be just my luck to finish the last disk and have several achievements pop up putting me over the magic number. So as mush as I want to play that game and finish it up I'm not going to put it in for awhile.
So that left me trying to find a way to maintain control over my score and get the points I need. That's when I started playing Battlefield: 1943. I've picked up several achievements in that game and now I'm only 40 points away from my goal. Those achievements are very easy to get and I'm sure I can control which ones I get and when I want them. Of course that might me I immediately jump out of a game when I get my 40 points just so I won't accidentally pick up another achievement.
Anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if I finish this goal before the weekend is over (since I'm sure to get some Gears of War matches in as well). I'm sure I'll blog about it when it happens and everyone will have to check out "my sticks". Maybe my next gamer score goal should be 12,345. Do you have a gamer score goal? If so, tell me about it. Please!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Old School is not always fun
So Gears of War 2 this Memorial weekend was an "old school" weekend. Teams were now limited to 4 players instead of 5. Stun grenades kept your character upright, but stunned instead of knocking you half way across the map. Old school rules applies.
And it wasn't all that fun.
Now, I LOVED the original Gears of War and have many fond memories of playing that game 'til all hours of the night. But once you've played with a squad of 5 players it makes it hard to go back to just 4. Take the River map for instance. With 5 players you send 1 down to pick up the Boomshot under the bridge, 1 to cover him immediately, 1 to grab the frags and then come down to cover him (or throw them up to the sniper spot if there is no resistance at the boom), 1 player up to the sniper/torque on your side, and 1 player to keep an eye on the bridge/cover the player going for sniper/torque and maybe even go for the mortar is possible. With only 4 players someone isn't going to have enough protection for very long.
If you send 3 down for the Boomshot (1 with frags) that leaves the sniper vulnerable to someone coming across the bridge and coming up behind them. If you send 2 in each direction then there is some confusion as to where the frags would be best used. If the guy going for the Boomshot waits until he has frag support, the other team will get the Boomshot. If the person getting frags goes to help cover sniper, then they can't be used to throw up at the other team's sniper spot.
If you split up and travel in pairs to back each other up no matter where you go, if one of you gets killed that leaves your buddy all along to face who know how many enemies. Besides, it's a whole team effort, not mini Wingman matches in a larger game. Having that fifth person makes all the world of difference especially on maps where you can use them as roving support. Helping out where it's needed once you've learned the enemies attack pattern. Maps like Ruins.
And the frags? In Gears of War 2 I've thrown a stun grenade at an opponent knowing it would knock them back 10 feet right to the feet of my teammate who would promptly blow their head off. One down, four more to go. With the "old school" stun frags, the enemy just stands there cowering until they can move again. This reaction seems to not last as long as if the player was knocked down and had to get up. It's much harder to get over to someone to kill them if they don't have to take that extra time to get up.
Now, I'm sure someone will say that the original rule for GOW2 has made me lazy and that playing "old school" made you work harder to get your kill. Possibly. But another thing I did noticed while playing this weekend is that playing "old school" made my team communicate much less than playing with a squad of 5. Maybe it was the fact that we knew if we came upon the enemy we'd have to deal with them ourselves because help wasn't coming. With five man teams we could send 3 players to rush the enemy, 1 to stay pack and snipe and 1 to act as a scout and protector for the sniper. We would communicate all the time. Telling each other where enemies were; where they were headed; and where not to go because they tagged something. Maps that felt large with 5 player teams needed a lot of communication, but with 4 player teams you'll either end up dead or the victor before you could get any help.
A five player team also means you have someone who acts as leader. Someone to decide if your team is going right or left on Day One. If someone disagrees and it comes to vote, there is no tie. Someone steps up and takes charge. And sometimes it varies on the map. I have some friends who experience the kiss of death on certain maps and others who excel on those maps. We all know our strengths and weaknesses and with more players participating we have a better chance at exploiting that.
Supposedly these "old school" rules ended last night. We'll see what happens today when I play (and you know I will). Hopefully we'll be back to the way Gears of War 2 was meant to be played. While playing "old school" games can be fun, sometimes playing new games by those rules isn't.
And it wasn't all that fun.
Now, I LOVED the original Gears of War and have many fond memories of playing that game 'til all hours of the night. But once you've played with a squad of 5 players it makes it hard to go back to just 4. Take the River map for instance. With 5 players you send 1 down to pick up the Boomshot under the bridge, 1 to cover him immediately, 1 to grab the frags and then come down to cover him (or throw them up to the sniper spot if there is no resistance at the boom), 1 player up to the sniper/torque on your side, and 1 player to keep an eye on the bridge/cover the player going for sniper/torque and maybe even go for the mortar is possible. With only 4 players someone isn't going to have enough protection for very long.
If you send 3 down for the Boomshot (1 with frags) that leaves the sniper vulnerable to someone coming across the bridge and coming up behind them. If you send 2 in each direction then there is some confusion as to where the frags would be best used. If the guy going for the Boomshot waits until he has frag support, the other team will get the Boomshot. If the person getting frags goes to help cover sniper, then they can't be used to throw up at the other team's sniper spot.
If you split up and travel in pairs to back each other up no matter where you go, if one of you gets killed that leaves your buddy all along to face who know how many enemies. Besides, it's a whole team effort, not mini Wingman matches in a larger game. Having that fifth person makes all the world of difference especially on maps where you can use them as roving support. Helping out where it's needed once you've learned the enemies attack pattern. Maps like Ruins.
And the frags? In Gears of War 2 I've thrown a stun grenade at an opponent knowing it would knock them back 10 feet right to the feet of my teammate who would promptly blow their head off. One down, four more to go. With the "old school" stun frags, the enemy just stands there cowering until they can move again. This reaction seems to not last as long as if the player was knocked down and had to get up. It's much harder to get over to someone to kill them if they don't have to take that extra time to get up.
Now, I'm sure someone will say that the original rule for GOW2 has made me lazy and that playing "old school" made you work harder to get your kill. Possibly. But another thing I did noticed while playing this weekend is that playing "old school" made my team communicate much less than playing with a squad of 5. Maybe it was the fact that we knew if we came upon the enemy we'd have to deal with them ourselves because help wasn't coming. With five man teams we could send 3 players to rush the enemy, 1 to stay pack and snipe and 1 to act as a scout and protector for the sniper. We would communicate all the time. Telling each other where enemies were; where they were headed; and where not to go because they tagged something. Maps that felt large with 5 player teams needed a lot of communication, but with 4 player teams you'll either end up dead or the victor before you could get any help.
A five player team also means you have someone who acts as leader. Someone to decide if your team is going right or left on Day One. If someone disagrees and it comes to vote, there is no tie. Someone steps up and takes charge. And sometimes it varies on the map. I have some friends who experience the kiss of death on certain maps and others who excel on those maps. We all know our strengths and weaknesses and with more players participating we have a better chance at exploiting that.
Supposedly these "old school" rules ended last night. We'll see what happens today when I play (and you know I will). Hopefully we'll be back to the way Gears of War 2 was meant to be played. While playing "old school" games can be fun, sometimes playing new games by those rules isn't.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Poll results - New ranking system in GoW2
So here's the poll results:
I have to admit that it's nice to finally see some progress for all the hard work I put into Gears matches. That being said I will admit that I voted for "It's okay" and not "Love it!". I'll tell you why.
The reasons why I like it is the fact that you actually get to see what you're working towards. There's your progress. There's a goal. And there's a sense of accomplishment when you level up. Yes, I know there are people who'd play Gears online just for the fun of it whether there was a ranking system or not. I'm not one of them. Mostly anyway. I do enjoy playing online with my friends but sometimes the monotonous nature of online matches can get boring after awhile. When that happens I'd turn the game off and probably never come back. With a ranking system (and one you can actually see working and you understand) it's nice to come back to the game and see if you can "level up" one more time before going to bed.
Just the other night I was 7 points from leveling up and we were about to call it a night. Well, I just couldn't leave my rank that close and just go to bed so the group decided to play one more match so I would hopefully get those 7 points. Unfortunately the match we were in didn't turn out very good. We had 4 people in our party so we picked up a "FOUND PLAYER" and started the match. By the second round all players on the other team had dropped out and we were running around shooting bots. We were cruising to a very easy victory when with 1 win away from winning the whole match we got the "host disconnected to the game" message. Apparently that "FOUND PLAYER" was the game's host and he didn't want to stick around for 1 more round and an easy win. He would rather take a 1,500 point loss than play another minute against bots. Game over.
Unfortunately that meant I didn't get my 7 points to level up. We all wanted to see if we'd be penalized the 1,500 points for "quiting" the game just because the host quit. We stuck around for one more match and I was able to level up. We also found out that we didn't lose the penalty for dropping out. But that's not always the case.
I've played a couple of games where I've left early. One I willing took the penalty instead of sticking around in a laggy game. The other times I've lost connection to the host or that other error message (something about timing out). Sometimes I've gotten the penalty and sometimes I haven't. After talking to my friends that's happened to them too. One of them lagged out of a game due to his internet connection and got the penalty. It's wasn't his fault, but I guess a computer system wouldn't recognize that.
As much as I like the fact that you can now see where you stand, the random penalty assessment is very annoying. But does it matter anyway? If you play long enough everyone will be able to max out their rank in the game. A higher rank doesn't necessarily mean you're better than the person next to you, it just means you've played it long enough to accumulate a lot of points. Now, for some people it might take them one month to get to rank 20 (like me) when someone else can do it in a couple of days. That is a differentiation in rank but that doesn't show up when you get into a public room. You don't know if that "15er" has been playing a couple of days or just a couple of hours. I know the system that everyone has compared the new ranks in Gears 2 to is Call of Duty. But with Call of Duty it's the same way. I'm on my third level of prestige in COD4 and I'm not that good of a player.
Even though we have the "experienced" based ranking that you can see in a game lobby the developers said they still kept the "true skill ranking" for better matchmaking, but it just stays in the back ground. While I like the idea of playing against similarly skilled players instead of facing a room full of zen masters, it bothers that they say "you're a 13 ranked player but we're going to treat you like a 2 ranked player because of your skill". If I'm a terrible shot than just all me that. I can handle it.
And how can we be sure that "true skill" rankings are accurate. My friend Genghis Khan leads all friends in almost every single category on my friend's leaderboard, but he never achieved a gold stripe in the original ranking system. Evil Ric, who's not far behind Genghis on many of the boards, got a gold stripe and kept it for a very long time before losing it and then never being able to get it back. Then there's other players that got the stripe, lost it, got it back and lost it again. And they couldn't figure out why. Where's the consistency in that?
I think this new ranking system is a huge step in the right direction, but I don't think it's perfect. The "true skill" ranking is too much like Halo's system (which is Microsoft's baby) so there should be no surprise that it's used in this game. But it's a system that I don't think anyone's ever really understood. It's just now that the gaming population has cried loud enough for someone to do something about it. And while I will probably never max out my prestige levels in Call of Duty games there is some hope that I can max things out in Gears of War 2. It just might take me until the next game comes out before I do. Another year or two should give me enough time.
What do you think of the new ranking system in Gears of War 2?
Love it! = 3 votes
It's okay = 1 vote
Hate it! = 0 votes
I don't play Gears of War 2 any more = 2 votes
I have to admit that it's nice to finally see some progress for all the hard work I put into Gears matches. That being said I will admit that I voted for "It's okay" and not "Love it!". I'll tell you why.
The reasons why I like it is the fact that you actually get to see what you're working towards. There's your progress. There's a goal. And there's a sense of accomplishment when you level up. Yes, I know there are people who'd play Gears online just for the fun of it whether there was a ranking system or not. I'm not one of them. Mostly anyway. I do enjoy playing online with my friends but sometimes the monotonous nature of online matches can get boring after awhile. When that happens I'd turn the game off and probably never come back. With a ranking system (and one you can actually see working and you understand) it's nice to come back to the game and see if you can "level up" one more time before going to bed.
Just the other night I was 7 points from leveling up and we were about to call it a night. Well, I just couldn't leave my rank that close and just go to bed so the group decided to play one more match so I would hopefully get those 7 points. Unfortunately the match we were in didn't turn out very good. We had 4 people in our party so we picked up a "FOUND PLAYER" and started the match. By the second round all players on the other team had dropped out and we were running around shooting bots. We were cruising to a very easy victory when with 1 win away from winning the whole match we got the "host disconnected to the game" message. Apparently that "FOUND PLAYER" was the game's host and he didn't want to stick around for 1 more round and an easy win. He would rather take a 1,500 point loss than play another minute against bots. Game over.
Unfortunately that meant I didn't get my 7 points to level up. We all wanted to see if we'd be penalized the 1,500 points for "quiting" the game just because the host quit. We stuck around for one more match and I was able to level up. We also found out that we didn't lose the penalty for dropping out. But that's not always the case.
I've played a couple of games where I've left early. One I willing took the penalty instead of sticking around in a laggy game. The other times I've lost connection to the host or that other error message (something about timing out). Sometimes I've gotten the penalty and sometimes I haven't. After talking to my friends that's happened to them too. One of them lagged out of a game due to his internet connection and got the penalty. It's wasn't his fault, but I guess a computer system wouldn't recognize that.
As much as I like the fact that you can now see where you stand, the random penalty assessment is very annoying. But does it matter anyway? If you play long enough everyone will be able to max out their rank in the game. A higher rank doesn't necessarily mean you're better than the person next to you, it just means you've played it long enough to accumulate a lot of points. Now, for some people it might take them one month to get to rank 20 (like me) when someone else can do it in a couple of days. That is a differentiation in rank but that doesn't show up when you get into a public room. You don't know if that "15er" has been playing a couple of days or just a couple of hours. I know the system that everyone has compared the new ranks in Gears 2 to is Call of Duty. But with Call of Duty it's the same way. I'm on my third level of prestige in COD4 and I'm not that good of a player.
Even though we have the "experienced" based ranking that you can see in a game lobby the developers said they still kept the "true skill ranking" for better matchmaking, but it just stays in the back ground. While I like the idea of playing against similarly skilled players instead of facing a room full of zen masters, it bothers that they say "you're a 13 ranked player but we're going to treat you like a 2 ranked player because of your skill". If I'm a terrible shot than just all me that. I can handle it.
And how can we be sure that "true skill" rankings are accurate. My friend Genghis Khan leads all friends in almost every single category on my friend's leaderboard, but he never achieved a gold stripe in the original ranking system. Evil Ric, who's not far behind Genghis on many of the boards, got a gold stripe and kept it for a very long time before losing it and then never being able to get it back. Then there's other players that got the stripe, lost it, got it back and lost it again. And they couldn't figure out why. Where's the consistency in that?
I think this new ranking system is a huge step in the right direction, but I don't think it's perfect. The "true skill" ranking is too much like Halo's system (which is Microsoft's baby) so there should be no surprise that it's used in this game. But it's a system that I don't think anyone's ever really understood. It's just now that the gaming population has cried loud enough for someone to do something about it. And while I will probably never max out my prestige levels in Call of Duty games there is some hope that I can max things out in Gears of War 2. It just might take me until the next game comes out before I do. Another year or two should give me enough time.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I took a hit . . . but I didn't inhale
When I got on to play Gears of War 2 last night I already had a room full of friends playing. Thankfully another group of friends got together and we started up another room (twice, thank you very much Max). It was a nice casual, laid back room and we were having fun. Until we started one match.
We knew there would be trouble right from the get go when the option to vote for the game type (warzone or execution) didn't even display on most of our screens until after the voting had ended. Most of us did get a chance to vote on the map. We picked Jacinto. And then the lagging started.
It was very hard to run anywhere because while your screen would show you in an open place your character would act like he's stuck behind a wall. It took three attempts for me to be able to pick up some more ammo during one of the matches. And forget about trying to shoot anyone. I put a whole clip and a half from my lancer into someone who was standing still on my screen, but I never downed him. One second later he was crouched behind a block and firing at me . . . through a tree!
But what put me over the edge was when I died by mortar fire when on my screen the guy hadn't even fired it yet. It wasn't until just before I switch to the ghost cam that I saw the mortar shells fire towards my position. You can't play a game like that. It's impossible. So I quit.
Yes, I know with the new ranking system I was going to take a hit on my total experience points and I possibly lost a rank because of that (I was only rank 2 or 3 going into the match), but I didn't care. I can't be expected to stay in a game and "play" when shooting someone has no effect and I die before someone on the other team fires their weapon. It was a much better decision to take the 1,000 point hit for quiting (or whatever it is) then to stay in that game. My teammates, on the other hand, stayed in and tried to get a win.
Since I was still in the party I sat back and listened to what they were going through while I waited for them to finish their game. Apparently the only way one person on the other team could be killed was with grenades. Since those only come up every other round it made for a long match. After twenty minutes of listening to my friends struggle with the laggy game I pulled the disk out and shut down for the night (sort of). I turned on the TV and mindlessly watched a little bit of all 70+ channels before I had to turn my 360 back on and play something productive.
I set my preference to "off-line" because I knew my friends were still playing and I wasn't really in the mood to go back to Gears, and I put in Fable II. After chopping wood for 30-40 minutes I felt better (and I got an achievement for the effort as well) and THEN I called it a night.
I don't know what my total experience was prior to quiting the match so I'm not sure I can tell exactly how much I was penalized. When I log on tonight I just might see my rank a little lower. But for me it was all worth it. I took a hit for quiting . . . but I didn't inhale. And my night was better for it.
We knew there would be trouble right from the get go when the option to vote for the game type (warzone or execution) didn't even display on most of our screens until after the voting had ended. Most of us did get a chance to vote on the map. We picked Jacinto. And then the lagging started.
It was very hard to run anywhere because while your screen would show you in an open place your character would act like he's stuck behind a wall. It took three attempts for me to be able to pick up some more ammo during one of the matches. And forget about trying to shoot anyone. I put a whole clip and a half from my lancer into someone who was standing still on my screen, but I never downed him. One second later he was crouched behind a block and firing at me . . . through a tree!
But what put me over the edge was when I died by mortar fire when on my screen the guy hadn't even fired it yet. It wasn't until just before I switch to the ghost cam that I saw the mortar shells fire towards my position. You can't play a game like that. It's impossible. So I quit.
Yes, I know with the new ranking system I was going to take a hit on my total experience points and I possibly lost a rank because of that (I was only rank 2 or 3 going into the match), but I didn't care. I can't be expected to stay in a game and "play" when shooting someone has no effect and I die before someone on the other team fires their weapon. It was a much better decision to take the 1,000 point hit for quiting (or whatever it is) then to stay in that game. My teammates, on the other hand, stayed in and tried to get a win.
Since I was still in the party I sat back and listened to what they were going through while I waited for them to finish their game. Apparently the only way one person on the other team could be killed was with grenades. Since those only come up every other round it made for a long match. After twenty minutes of listening to my friends struggle with the laggy game I pulled the disk out and shut down for the night (sort of). I turned on the TV and mindlessly watched a little bit of all 70+ channels before I had to turn my 360 back on and play something productive.
I set my preference to "off-line" because I knew my friends were still playing and I wasn't really in the mood to go back to Gears, and I put in Fable II. After chopping wood for 30-40 minutes I felt better (and I got an achievement for the effort as well) and THEN I called it a night.
I don't know what my total experience was prior to quiting the match so I'm not sure I can tell exactly how much I was penalized. When I log on tonight I just might see my rank a little lower. But for me it was all worth it. I took a hit for quiting . . . but I didn't inhale. And my night was better for it.
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