Hey all,
[Warning: I was a bit upset when I wrote this it's just a thing I feel strongly about so you may encounter grammatical and spelling errors]
This is gonna be a short and passionate post about something I feel needs to be saved. In our present world a lot of things take precedence one of the major thing is simplifying. Making things for easier for us or at least having us do less. Less is more. Sometimes less is worse. Sometimes technology is a double-edged sword.
Books and Magazines - With technology that's out now reading actual books is becoming more and more rare (I believe in general reading is more rare especially among minority and young groups). It's obvious how obvious? Look at our world places like Borders closed out as well as many independently owned bookstores. Point is why go to the book store when I can just download it all to my E-reader. Even Barnes and Noble the top dog (for now) is still having issues. It's future is still uncertain now and even more at risk in the future. Here is the problem I have with E-readers first off it's mechanical and machines eventually break down or need repairs. What if your internet goes out? Oops no downloading for you but me? I'll take my book and be on my merry way to a porch or windowsill enjoy a read for a few hours. Books can be destroyed too and they do get brittle over time. But it's like an antique you see it's age in the pages...the story can tell it's own story. I can leave a legacy with my book; Here you go son I read this when I was little.....Now I might have to say: Here you go son this is my old Nook......lol what? Point is my son is gonna loose out on the experience of physically having the book something that was personal to me and perhaps him. waste wise my book can be recycled but your plastic and metal? It takes more money to recycle plastics and metals. Tom also made a great case for magazines and books (in my opinion) with information reaching people in an instant magazines are becoming obsolete the same can be said for books leaked illegally on the internet.
Games - A recent article on IGN left me speechless...in it the author implies gamers don't wanna go to the store and pick up a game. His alternative: instantly downloading games into our consoles. I also read the comments of the article and I can firmly say not all of us see it that way. Again it's the commodity going to the store and picking up the game (and Often talking to fellow gamers) is just as part of the fun as when you first pop in the disk. Do I want less and more substantial patches into my games? Yes. Do I want to download my games? No. It goes onto the same way I feel about books nothing beats having the book and in my opinion nothing beats having that disk and case...especially collector's editions. Also this instant download option also kills another thing.....bonus items I can tell you now I rather have a physical game world map than a virtual item within the game. Don't believe me? Well that's your prerogative....(Looks at my 4 game maps of Skyrim, Cyrodiil, Morrowind, Mournhold, and Shivering Isles as well as my Pokemon figurines and stylus)
You can agree with me or disagree point is...what will you think when in 50 years from now none of these things exist anymore.
Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Wizard101: Lore potential? Wizard101: Origins!
Hey all!
Wow! It's been awhile since my last post and I am sorry for that. It's been a busy month or so first off SorceressMiklai - my dear love visited me for Thanksgiving and stayed with me for 3 weeks. It was simply amazing and it was such a great experience to have her in my neck of the...erm....cactus. I don't think Sorceress will mind that I say this but she isn't accustomed to large families nor gatherings and it was a dream for me to see her finally get her wish if only for awhile fulfilled by being in a family - all our craziness and bickering included.
Anyway this post is about something I have always been interested in: Lore. Ask any of my friends in KT and they will tell you of how I annoy them (Jk!) with my constant deciphering of Wizard101's lore as well as other games. (I'm looking at you: Pokemon and Elder Scrolls) I've had countless discussions with Ronan Dawn, Luke Goldhorn, and many others. All these discussions lead me to believe in one absolute truth: there is no established lore in Wizard101. I know what your rebuttal is going to be of course there is established lore.
The creation of the Spiral and all it's inhabitants are skeletons of stories at best. The books in game only provide basic overlays of past events that have shaped the great worlds of The Spiral. What we need is a chance to see what REALLY went down back then. I don't know about you folks but I'd love to see stories on how the Dogs and Cats of Marleybone became civilized. I'd like to see the wars past that shaped Dragonspyre into a militant power before the Dragon Titan came. I WANT to see the stories of past emperors who fought the ancient Oni demons.
There is signs of hope however. Zafaria is one of the first worlds I seen where the story is based on what happened. Morganthe at one point ruled Zafaria or at least it was a seat of her power. It took the Council of Light as well as the People of Zafaria to stop her. The new animated history quest paints a picture (literally) of this past conflict foreshadowing her return to Zafaria. This is great it is old and ties into the new. The past directly telling a story to the present about what was and what can be once again.
I'm not asking for KingsIsle to establish lore like Elder Scrolls a series that prides itself on it's expansive lore so large I've only seen one other series with such a large volume of lore and that's the epic fantasy the Lord of The Rings. All I am wanting is a definitive story or collection of stories. Recently the Elder Scrolls employed Author Greg Keyes to write 2 novels to Re-establish the world of Tamriel after the Oblivion Crisis. Yes they are game novels. Darn good ones too as they tell of a chaotic time after the Oblivon Crisis where the Empire is crumbling, Vvardenfell has been destroyed, and murder is everywhere. (Books are intended for adults)
What Keyes did for the series is refreshed the palette of the TES universe while using established lore from previous games to tell a compelling story. What if KingsIsle contracted someone? To write a series of novels?
Wizard101: Origins! A comprehensive series on the chaotic times that shaped The Spiral. I'm not asking for books like Keyes' novels but a dang good set of stories that make us cry, hate, and love characters past that helped craft this amazing world. I want to see younger Morganthe and Merle. Perhaps we can see the old kings and queens of Zafaria as they fought for their lands.
All of these are just wants of course but maybe one day.....my dream will come true until then I will remain vigilant and hopeful. For The Spiral!
Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger
Wow! It's been awhile since my last post and I am sorry for that. It's been a busy month or so first off SorceressMiklai - my dear love visited me for Thanksgiving and stayed with me for 3 weeks. It was simply amazing and it was such a great experience to have her in my neck of the...erm....cactus. I don't think Sorceress will mind that I say this but she isn't accustomed to large families nor gatherings and it was a dream for me to see her finally get her wish if only for awhile fulfilled by being in a family - all our craziness and bickering included.
Anyway this post is about something I have always been interested in: Lore. Ask any of my friends in KT and they will tell you of how I annoy them (Jk!) with my constant deciphering of Wizard101's lore as well as other games. (I'm looking at you: Pokemon and Elder Scrolls) I've had countless discussions with Ronan Dawn, Luke Goldhorn, and many others. All these discussions lead me to believe in one absolute truth: there is no established lore in Wizard101. I know what your rebuttal is going to be of course there is established lore.
The creation of the Spiral and all it's inhabitants are skeletons of stories at best. The books in game only provide basic overlays of past events that have shaped the great worlds of The Spiral. What we need is a chance to see what REALLY went down back then. I don't know about you folks but I'd love to see stories on how the Dogs and Cats of Marleybone became civilized. I'd like to see the wars past that shaped Dragonspyre into a militant power before the Dragon Titan came. I WANT to see the stories of past emperors who fought the ancient Oni demons.
There is signs of hope however. Zafaria is one of the first worlds I seen where the story is based on what happened. Morganthe at one point ruled Zafaria or at least it was a seat of her power. It took the Council of Light as well as the People of Zafaria to stop her. The new animated history quest paints a picture (literally) of this past conflict foreshadowing her return to Zafaria. This is great it is old and ties into the new. The past directly telling a story to the present about what was and what can be once again.
I'm not asking for KingsIsle to establish lore like Elder Scrolls a series that prides itself on it's expansive lore so large I've only seen one other series with such a large volume of lore and that's the epic fantasy the Lord of The Rings. All I am wanting is a definitive story or collection of stories. Recently the Elder Scrolls employed Author Greg Keyes to write 2 novels to Re-establish the world of Tamriel after the Oblivion Crisis. Yes they are game novels. Darn good ones too as they tell of a chaotic time after the Oblivon Crisis where the Empire is crumbling, Vvardenfell has been destroyed, and murder is everywhere. (Books are intended for adults)
What Keyes did for the series is refreshed the palette of the TES universe while using established lore from previous games to tell a compelling story. What if KingsIsle contracted someone? To write a series of novels?
Wizard101: Origins! A comprehensive series on the chaotic times that shaped The Spiral. I'm not asking for books like Keyes' novels but a dang good set of stories that make us cry, hate, and love characters past that helped craft this amazing world. I want to see younger Morganthe and Merle. Perhaps we can see the old kings and queens of Zafaria as they fought for their lands.
All of these are just wants of course but maybe one day.....my dream will come true until then I will remain vigilant and hopeful. For The Spiral!
Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
MMORPG unveils....
Good Morning/afternoon wizards!
Seems like only yesterday I gave everyone another new teaser that KI have so graciously given the community to get us excited for the coming of a new world. Oh wait I did do that only yesterday so in a shocking move KI has released a new picture today. This time MMORPG.com has been selected to be the bearer of sceenshot news! It just confirmed my original intentions on the previous post. That we would see Middle or a race/species that have involvement in the story line. Who? You might ask....well it's Morganthe's critters of terror --- the Shadow Weavers! Hopefully this time KI does them justice and we get an actual story on the Shadow Weavers. In fact just more cowbell in general on Morganthe and her dark army. Please KI? People like me love to delve into the mythos of a world -- give us a treat not a trick?
Once again Team Kev-Kat have deciphered the message in record time. Great job guys! You rock! This time the message says: "Find her there" Now it's all full cirlce as the mystery of the message has been solved.
Seems like only yesterday I gave everyone another new teaser that KI have so graciously given the community to get us excited for the coming of a new world. Oh wait I did do that only yesterday so in a shocking move KI has released a new picture today. This time MMORPG.com has been selected to be the bearer of sceenshot news! It just confirmed my original intentions on the previous post. That we would see Middle or a race/species that have involvement in the story line. Who? You might ask....well it's Morganthe's critters of terror --- the Shadow Weavers! Hopefully this time KI does them justice and we get an actual story on the Shadow Weavers. In fact just more cowbell in general on Morganthe and her dark army. Please KI? People like me love to delve into the mythos of a world -- give us a treat not a trick?
"Down in the depths, At the top of the world, find her there"
Find who? Perhaps Morganthe? That seems to be the popular theory. Only time will tell but I'm sure the wizard community is right on the money....we usually have good instincts.
The picture title says graveyard at first I admit I thought it was a temple of some sort perhaps of worship. I do believe this new world and in this image particularly is above water. The sky DOES look like sort of underwater but honestly it looks more stormy as in a storm is about to break out. Further on the far left we see some vine growth. Vines don't grow like that when in water so it leads me to believe they are above it. Again though only time will tell if I am right or wrong.
What are your theories?
Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger
Monday, October 24, 2011
ZAM unveils....
Howdy again!
Fresh off the ZAM site. A new teaser again Team Kev-Kat have deciphered it in record time....again. 3 points for them personally and 2 points for KT/ Wizard-kind.
New's link: ZAM's Teaser Post.
According to Team KK this hidden message says "At the top of the world"
So now we have..... "Down in the depths, At the top of the world, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"
Bring it on KI! I know my friends will have your messages deciphered!
(If you notice btw the message correlates to something in the image i.e. depths; Oni's seem to be at docks of some sort. Monkey men seem to be at the top of the world literally in some treetop village of some sort)
My guess is we will see middle since we have low and high. Or a major character/race/species within the storyline whether they help the player or are possibly villainous.
Your thoughts and insight are welcomed and appreciated!
Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger
Fresh off the ZAM site. A new teaser again Team Kev-Kat have deciphered it in record time....again. 3 points for them personally and 2 points for KT/ Wizard-kind.
New's link: ZAM's Teaser Post.
According to Team KK this hidden message says "At the top of the world"
So now we have..... "Down in the depths, At the top of the world, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"
Bring it on KI! I know my friends will have your messages deciphered!
(If you notice btw the message correlates to something in the image i.e. depths; Oni's seem to be at docks of some sort. Monkey men seem to be at the top of the world literally in some treetop village of some sort)
My guess is we will see middle since we have low and high. Or a major character/race/species within the storyline whether they help the player or are possibly villainous.
Your thoughts and insight are welcomed and appreciated!
Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger
Friday, October 21, 2011
Massively unveils...
Earlier today Massively gave us a sneak peek at new content coming to Wizard101.
Check it out! Massively teaser post. I will also provide the image below!
KTers (Kinky Twizards don't know take a look at who they are here: KTwizards Who they are!) Kevin Battleblood and Katherine Light deciphered the message! It says "Down in the depths" Not bad by my count they got it before anyone! It's good to have smart friends eh? Anyway look forward to more upcoming images in the coming week!
This is so exciting hopefully we have new content on the way for Legendary wizards! We need some story and level progression already! What are your thoughts?
Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger
Check it out! Massively teaser post. I will also provide the image below!
This is so exciting hopefully we have new content on the way for Legendary wizards! We need some story and level progression already! What are your thoughts?
Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Treats, Tricks, and Hey! Spare parts!
Hey all!
As you may know the Wizard101 community is going wild right now for one thing: The Nightmare Pack.
This post will NOT be how this suckers people into a downward spiral of gambling cause 1. I don't want to fight people. 2. I am allowed my own opinion and hey this is my blog. and finally 3. As I stated before.... "It's only gambling when you don't have the will to stop. If you can't stop buying a pack then you can't stop playing the game." Meaning games like Wizard101 can cost you more than crowns so maybe you shouldn't be playing. It's all about you as an individual and if you blame KI for your lack of will and responsibility it's on YOU not them.
Update: I think everyone should have a look at this post made by Heather Raven more importantly look in the comments. It's true if you have the addiction to keep buying you need more supervision if your an adult then maybe it's you. Point is again your own Willpower to overcome your problem and not let it overflow. I'm going to steal Icy's comment and change it up a bit. We can't blame the Ninja pigs (KI) that your obese cause you can't stop eating the bacon!
This pack is simply amazing because it gives us who like to decorate a plethora of new items which means more intricate Halloween themed houses which is fun! I had a rough day on Petnome cause of the influx of new pets added by this pack which is bad (All that work! It ain't easy ya know?) and great! Who doesn't like new pets right? KI also did a great deed in my book by giving us 1st generation pets that were previously only available as hybrids. What this does is for newer players to the game who missed the promotions or that month on KIFG now have a chance to have the pet. What is better is now they and older players will have pets with "pure" talents.
So far I know of hybrid turned 1st generation pets are:
Grim Scarab (Which I got myself)
Ghost Hound
Red Ghost
Also in the pot are older pets such as:
Death Scarab
Black Cat
Ianthine Spectre
For completely new pets known so far are:
Death Treant
Gob-O-Lantern
Gold Armored Skeleton
Also available is new gear as with previous packs it gives boosts to a variety of stats as well as cards! Also present are new wands which look pretty neat like a mix of a dark dragon staff with the special effects of the Celestial Trident. I will also say the new cowls available in the pack make me look like a Jawa from STAR WARS! Any SW fans out there will see the resemblance immediately if not I have provided a picture below hehe.
Finally the most highlighted item of the pack well it is amazing! I was lucky enough to get it on my first and ONLY bought pack. That's right yours truly was graced by the Loot Gods and given the insanely awesome "The Nightmare" mount! Woot! Look how cool Alric looks in his Observatory on his ethereal mount. Pretty sweet right?
My advice when it comes to buying these packs. Limit yourself it's all about fun anyway right? The thrill of getting a good item. Besides think of it this way you can mix with your friends for any pets you didn't get! My tia Cassandra Dragonheart limited herself to only 5 packs and she got 3 pets! Point is to limit yourself and look within yourself before you blame others for your mistakes.
Until next time your spookified friend,
Alric Ravensinger
As you may know the Wizard101 community is going wild right now for one thing: The Nightmare Pack.
This post will NOT be how this suckers people into a downward spiral of gambling cause 1. I don't want to fight people. 2. I am allowed my own opinion and hey this is my blog. and finally 3. As I stated before.... "It's only gambling when you don't have the will to stop. If you can't stop buying a pack then you can't stop playing the game." Meaning games like Wizard101 can cost you more than crowns so maybe you shouldn't be playing. It's all about you as an individual and if you blame KI for your lack of will and responsibility it's on YOU not them.
Update: I think everyone should have a look at this post made by Heather Raven more importantly look in the comments. It's true if you have the addiction to keep buying you need more supervision if your an adult then maybe it's you. Point is again your own Willpower to overcome your problem and not let it overflow. I'm going to steal Icy's comment and change it up a bit. We can't blame the Ninja pigs (KI) that your obese cause you can't stop eating the bacon!
This pack is simply amazing because it gives us who like to decorate a plethora of new items which means more intricate Halloween themed houses which is fun! I had a rough day on Petnome cause of the influx of new pets added by this pack which is bad (All that work! It ain't easy ya know?) and great! Who doesn't like new pets right? KI also did a great deed in my book by giving us 1st generation pets that were previously only available as hybrids. What this does is for newer players to the game who missed the promotions or that month on KIFG now have a chance to have the pet. What is better is now they and older players will have pets with "pure" talents.
So far I know of hybrid turned 1st generation pets are:
Grim Scarab (Which I got myself)
Ghost Hound
Red Ghost
Also in the pot are older pets such as:
Death Scarab
Black Cat
Ianthine Spectre
For completely new pets known so far are:
Death Treant
Gob-O-Lantern
Gold Armored Skeleton
Also available is new gear as with previous packs it gives boosts to a variety of stats as well as cards! Also present are new wands which look pretty neat like a mix of a dark dragon staff with the special effects of the Celestial Trident. I will also say the new cowls available in the pack make me look like a Jawa from STAR WARS! Any SW fans out there will see the resemblance immediately if not I have provided a picture below hehe.
Finally the most highlighted item of the pack well it is amazing! I was lucky enough to get it on my first and ONLY bought pack. That's right yours truly was graced by the Loot Gods and given the insanely awesome "The Nightmare" mount! Woot! Look how cool Alric looks in his Observatory on his ethereal mount. Pretty sweet right?
My advice when it comes to buying these packs. Limit yourself it's all about fun anyway right? The thrill of getting a good item. Besides think of it this way you can mix with your friends for any pets you didn't get! My tia Cassandra Dragonheart limited herself to only 5 packs and she got 3 pets! Point is to limit yourself and look within yourself before you blame others for your mistakes.
Until next time your spookified friend,
Alric Ravensinger
Friday, October 14, 2011
GDC Online Awards! Wizard101 takes the Audience Award!
I went to a fellow Twizard who plays Minecraft as well as some Minecraft enthusiasts from other gaming forums I frequent. Here is what they had to say:
"Their entire team utilizes Twitter on a regular basis with as many people as they can. Not to mention Notch's blog, Minecraft Chick's blog, Notch and Jeb_'s respective Google+ pages, leaked pictures of upcoming events, lots of info on Reddit." - John LifeglenI admit it would be nice to see some customer support on Twitter or other social mediums. Here is some more that had to be said.
"the community projects that take place within the confines of the game realm as opposed to relying on fansites for a sense of community.
If you take the time to recreate the Empire State Building, the Starship Enterprise, or a Stargate with a large number of people, there's a HUGE sense of interaction." - John LifeglenWhat I gather and what John and others have told me is Minecraft deals in currency of items gotten within the game and the player or a group of players can build their own worlds, structures, and even cave systems. While I and John were at odds on Best Live Game I gotta admit Company to Player interaction and Community in Minecraft seems great!
Do not fret my fellow Wizards I haven't given up on Wizard101 but I think it's good to shed light on why sometimes the games we love are outdone. The MMO gaming scene is rapidly changing and people are starting to see hey! this is great to interact with others as oppose to handhelds and consoles. Although console gaming especially with the newer systems like Xbox360, Playstation 3, and even the 3DS are breaking those barriers although at a steadfast pace.
Good job to all the winners and hey we still get our mystery pet and the honor of knowing we have a great community here in Wizard101 to the point of being nominated.
Until next time your friend,
Alric Ravensinger
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