What I've been up to...

I don't have a whole lot to talk about. Life has been ticking a long at a pretty fast clip lately. How in blue blazes is it already mid-November?

One thing I love about this season, well besides the deliciously cool weather, is the proliferation of pumpkin objects. I love pumpkin candles, sprays and plug in, so I had to give myself a budget. Otherwise my cleaning closet would be overflowing and I would be broke LOL!

Game wise I have been busy in Dragon age. I know I know... stop staring at me. DDO is still fabulous and I love it and play at least once a week, but Dragon age is simple yumminess and I am, for the moment, completely hooked :)

I do have something to say though, I am not in love with the way every game seems to have some sort of "social" site. Just how connected am I supposed to be exactly?

I use myddo because I am at heart a DDO fanatic. I can't resist keeping in touch with all my gaming friends. I don't use it for Lotro, I play too sproadically and its simply not worth the headache. Now Bioware has a whole social site set up for Dragon age?

I have been looking at how connected I am lately and bemoaning the amount of work it takes to keep everyone in the "social loop."

I want one program that does it all, and for now I am trying out Digsby. It connects your social networks, IM's and various e-mail accounts in one smooth application. It takes some work to input everything, but after you are done, its all rather seamless.

Just to highlight the issues I speak of, when I am finished writing this blog, I am going to have to copy and past it into the blogging software over on MYDDO. If there is a way to get the MYDDO system to automatically bring this information in, without the need for my intervention, I have yet to find it. So it's another step I try to remember when I post blogs these days.

Here's a link to my Dragon Age info. That is supposed to work, but I hear it sometimes requires you to be logged in to see the info... kind of pointless really except I can use the site to look at my character when I am not in game. What in the world is it useful for except bragging rights?

Look, I'm not saying its a horrible thing, I am just asking how interconnected do I actually need to be?

Gaming wise, I utilize Xfire to keep up with my shennaigans, and on the Xbox I use their little program (which I have a link to on my blog.)

So someone explain to me why I need all this stuff? *bangs head on her desk*

And Xbox is adding in twitter and facebook functionality. WHY???

I'll stop complaining now LOL.

There is something to be said for simply unplugging, yes?

Mmmm... And don't forget to head over to DDOcast to hear this weeks episode :)

Ohhhh and while I am thinking about it, I am awfully glad I didn't log into DDO today. Maintenance seems to have been a wee tad wonky and everyone on Thelanis lost their guild? ROFLMAO... I shouldn't laugh, its had everyone in an uproar, but can I just say as oppsie's go this one was Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious :)

Game on!!!

DDO quest list updated... and DRAGONAGE ORIGINS

A quick drive by blog...

Zeff worked on the quest list, and it should be current as of 11/1/2009. A reminder, if you have it as an RSS feed, you should have seen an update this morning :) If you have never taken a look at the list, you can do so by clicking on this following link. Rowanheal's Quest List

Look like DDO is getting a new server :) I saw the update on my twitter yesterday. Awesome news. I especially like that it is being open only to new players. It means for those of you who like to play untwinked, you can go over there and enjoy the challenge. I have no idea if I will venture over there or not. I dislike pugging...

And now onto my favorite news.

DRAGON AGE ORIGINS is finally here.

If you were unaware of the game, its the spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate 2 and playable on the PC, XBOX 360 and PS3.

I personally ran my happy butt down an picked up my collectors edition yesterday. I will also admit to playing until my eyes were squinty and dry at about 1 am, and to waking up this morning to the mess of paper plates, water spills and two full ashtrays and going "Oh yeah, this is when I know I like a game!"

Good character development, excellent RPG elements, fully immersive storyline and overall I am simply loving it.

I'm putting in a video for it below. Watch it just for pleasure, or let it hook you in :D

One word of warning, DragonAge Origins is rated M for MATURE... please be aware when watching this video!



GAME ON!!!

DDO in Print, and a whole lot about PINK!!!

Just a short snippet here.

I am super busy with life at the moment, but wanted to at least make an attempt to blog.

For those of you who listen to DDOcast, I have been either doing a segment, participating in a live show, or being a guest voice in a commercial over the last month. Have fun picking out whose voice is whose on there :)



Thats the back cover of PC Gamer's December 2009 issue. Don't faint, but DDO has ACTUAL print advertising :) Who knew?

In other news, I tried to attend the air show here a couple of weekends ago, but the absolutely cruddy weather kept me from seeing anything fly.

I did however have time to ask the hubby to shoot pics of the pink things :)

Ok seriously, I don't know why we need a pink construction truck, but I thought it deserved a nod.
The pink Delta airplane. If I were rich and famous, I would totally have to have one of these.

I know I am late in saying this, but October is Breast Cancer awareness month in case you were living under a boulder and completely missed it :)

I used to almost ignore Breath Cancer Awareness. While I knew it was important to my health and to my gender, I was younger, much less evolved, and generally thought there was no need to think about cancer.

Reality crashed around me when my mother was diagnosed several years ago. I became intimately aware of risk factors, ports, drug therapies, Chemo, Radiation and how to tie a scarf properly.

She is a survivor and I type that with a great deal of emotion. Nothing has ever rocked our family like cancer has.

Never take your world for granted.

So do yourself a favor, do a breast examine routinely, get a baseline mammogram, and remind your girlfriends to touch, check and keep track of changes in their breasts.

I love the color pink for many reasons, October reminds me its more than a fashion choice. It's about stamping out Breast Cancer, treating out bodies with respect, and being an advocate for our own health.

Click on this link to find out the new recommended way to do a Breast Self Exam.

I am off to do some work. Tonight is Static group night in DDO, and I am looking forward to finding new ways to kill some monsters.

Game On!!!

Wait just one minute...

I was looking for ideas for a segment (insert rant) to do tomorrow or Saturday. Turbine was feeling generous and gave me a whole list of things to work with *blows Turbine a kiss*

If you're wondering where the list is, please follow the link here.

I would expound further, but don't want to steal my own thunder. You will simply have to listen to this weekends show.

Moving on... (forces herself to focus through the red haze)...

I have still not been able to run the new raid. Zeff got in on one run tonight, but since both of us only have clerics flagged atm, I sat it out. Didn't think it was fair to run 2 noob clerics in one run. Well that and my guild leader yells. I have a short temper. Didn't seem harmonious :D

I'm redoing one of my accounts as we speak. Still thinking of taking one of them free to play in the next few months. I have 6 of them to think about it since I was wrong about my billing date HA! My second account really has only one character that is played, my Sorc for static group. I figure I can back enough points in the next 6 months to take it completely free and not miss a thing.

Quest list is looking pretty complete and I think Zeff and I will put out the revisions on Saturday. If you have anything else to get to us, PM me on the forums, or e-mail me. BTW THANK YOU to everyone who has been sending in information, its been really helpful.

I've gotten my new inventory system under control. My mule is having a field day. A massive hug to all you plat laden folks over on Argo who are shopping the Auction House. You make me smile every time I log into my mule and see the little gold coins in my mail box :)

On another front entirely, the Navy has been busy putting out promos. I am pasting in the link to this great vid below. It's music and clips only, mostly historical navy stuff. Pretty darn cool.

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/featurePlay.asp?id=27

Shared via AddThis

I am off to crawl in bed and watch some Star Trek Next Generation.

GAME ON!!!

Survival of the fittest

I decided to roll a monk for my Permadeath character a couple of weeks ago. I guess I could only boycott them for a year :) I still don't have a pink belt on my female monk, but I have to admit, I am enjoying her.

I don't know that most people notice, but I truly don't like playing melee characters. I don't know why, I just like support classes. Plus, there is something so satisfying about nuking a kobold into oblivion!

However, I am finding all the kicking and punching on my monk terribly fun. I can't seem to help myself. I want to play with my ki points, so I run up at any baddie I can find and whack on them.

I've made it to level 4 on my permy, Rowanfists. I know, who knew? I survived the gun barrel of butchers path, visited Durk the Deranged 3 times and have yet to meet Muck, ran threw waterworks, and exploded Yar Yars ship in Irestone Inlet.

Can i just throw in here, that the ship's explosion has to be one of the coolest additions to the game they have made. I simply had to run that content to see it. KABOOM!!!

In other news, I finally got my cleric flagged for the new raid. Not sure when I am going to eek out the time to run it. I've been busy with my new inventory system and spreadsheet lists.

I want to thank everyone who has been sending in information on the quest list. I think we are going to publish a huge revision this weekend. The hubby has been super on top of checking things. We got word from a player some of the previous quests had their favor changed. He was right. Not to mention it looks like a ton of the quests had their XP revisited again. I love the unpublished changes :(

My hand is slow to heal. I am still playing without the use of my index finger, and part of the hand. I am finding it near impossible to heal on the new content and owe my guildies a huge thank you for putting up with me.

I've wondered if that is why I am enjoying a melee character all of a sudden. All I have to do is move and punch stuff, no spell casting, no real specials, just hit it and kill it. It's less complicated, so I am less frustrated.

I've played a lot of DDO in the last week or so. It's full of new people, which is fabulous. I am enjoying the enthusiasm for the game I see from them.

I haven't pugged at all. I am staunchly an in guild person atm. The hubby is looking for a way to help out new players, and we are giving it some thought. We have heard of a friend who is running a guild for lowbies to show them th egame. I am fairly sure the hubby will join it.

I am off to accomplish some actual work. If I am good girl, I will get to game later. :D

Game on!!!