Monday, March 9, 2009

Last one before wormholes and stuff

Blogging... great lunch hour activity :)

Hi there! I'm not exactly what you'd call "back" but with having not much choice but to log in because of stuff to haul, stuff to trade (making sure I'm not out of ISK when I REALLY get back), and just hanging out on channels with people I got to know and with zero pressure for PvP ops, I still have a foot firmly stuck in EVE, but I admit I've been getting a lot more sleep than I've ever had in the past year. This does wonders in breaking the funk I was getting in!

So as I'm writing this everybody and their cats have been preparing for the arrival of Apocrypha, the newest expansion that will bring many changes in the way we play the game, and new stuff to make players' eyes flash with ISK signs. The only downside I see so far is that this is my parental week and at the boys' place is only my old computer with EVE Classic and a very damaged Windows install. So yeah, I won't be able to see Apocrypha until I get behind my gaming rig.

Back to Apocrypha. One thing I'd really be interested in knowing is how many scan probes will be going off in the first hour after Tranquility is restarted. Something tells me this is going to be the biggest scanning op in the entire history of New Eden! Also something to be given some thought, in more populated systems the same wormhole will be scanned down by various people, and I'm pretty sure that some particularly nasty fights will be starting in W-space not only against the so-called sleeper rats, but also between people wanting to get the Tech 3 stuff first. The first few weeks starting this Wednesday should be extremely interesting as most of EVE start going on a rush for the virtual Klondike. And to make things even more interesting, there are chances that ships will become locked in W-space until a new wormhole can be scanned down, which will lead to... God knows where! Could be a few jumps away from the player's starting point in normal space (aka K-space), or clear across the galaxy, or even yet another W-space system. Exploration fleets will be in for quite a treat, and I'm pretty sure that a lot of people will have to do the Logoffski in unexplored space if they want to get some real-life zzz's. It'll be some time before a) my new alliance is ready to start operations and b) I commit myself to more than casual game play, but more than any other expansions in the 1-year-something I've been in the game this one will surely make things a lot more interesting for everybody, from complete newbies to well-established (or resurrected in the case of KenZoku!) alliances. Even though I'm not as active as before I'm happy to say I'll be active enough to see this.

In other news, my break from EVE has given me a chance to reconnect with my passion with hands-on piloting, as in with a steering wheel or a flight control system. I haven't done much of the flight sims but I've been pushing the crap out of my Lamborghini Gallardo, my Toyota Atlantics, my modern F1s and my 1979 vintage F1s, which are a complete bitch to drive but are so rewarding when you finally get it right! But again, I'm showing moderation in my play time and I'm really proud of that. One thing that really caught my eye (or ear as I heard about it on a podcast) is the upcoming Jumpgate Evolution MMO. Will this thing knock off EVE as far as space MMOs go? Nah, don't think so. Does it look like a complete blast to play? Oh Hell yeah !!! Being the hands-on piloting freak that I am, and also with the massive X-wing vs TIE experience I had amassed back in the late '90s (God I'm ancient) I'm going to HAVE to try this game out when it comes out. I did download the client for the first Jumpgate before I went on Dad Week so I'll probably do the 2-week trial for that one when I get back. I'll do my best not to get sucked in before the new game comes out.

So there you go. You have proof that I'm not dead and/or completely burnt-out! I hope all of you have remembered to set a super-massively-long skill in case the extended downtime gets, well, extended, or if like last time for Quantum Rise Tranquility blows up mere hours before the downtime. I think I'm covered as my current skill will take until St.Patrick's day to get done :)

Everyone fly safe and see you on the other side of Apocrypha !!!

o7

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