((
I changed apartments this weekend and now I have no internet and thus no Warcraft.
With my newly aquired downtime, I have been playing Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. It's a fun game. I have been playing a thief. If it's not nailed down, I wants it. Horses, cups, silverware, you name it. I've also managed to break into a building, but the tenets were awake so I had to flee. That's one thing I liked about Oblivion right off the bat: I can be what I want to be, but what I want to be in-game has consequences. If you want to be a killer of innocents, you can be one; but you probably won't be able to go into a town to sell goods or get repairs for too long.
The consequence of being a thief in Oblivion is that people will come after you. They will also come after you when you least expect it. I was on a quest to follow some people suspected of wanting to harm a local citizen. I was setting myself up to tail one, when a random guard runs over and tells me that I'm under arrest! I had the option of doing the jail time or paying a fine. I went with the jail time.
One of the great things about Oblivion is its AI. All the NPCs in the game have their own schedules they follow. In the quest I mentioned above, I followed one woman as she went about her daily routine. She went to church in the morning and then she worked in a garden, talked to people and did a bunch of "daily life" type things. At one point another NPC attempted to pick-pocket her. She and a bunch of guards ended up killing the pick-pocket. It was amazing. Another person I tailed, went to the town hall and conducted business all day. Things like NPCs having their own "lives" really spices up the game. Businesses keep regular business hours. They won't be there when the shop is closed. NPCs also wander about on errands so nailing down a particular one can be tricky.
Overall, Oblivion is a great game and a lot of fun if you're into "open ended" game play.
But I wants my WoW back. :(
))
Monday, October 30, 2006
Friday, October 27, 2006
Alterac Valley
Alterac Valley
As soon as Khanzal entered the Valley, he could hear the braying of battle horns and the clash of metal on metal. He bolted from the tunnel riding his Frostwolf, a gift from General Drak for his service, and spurred the beast towards the front. En route, Khan linked up with several other Horde detachments and together they assaulted the bunker near the Stonehearth outpost. In short order, the bunker was in flames and the growing force pressed onward towards the Stormpike fortress. Khanzal noted with some disappointment the light resistance the Alliance were putting up. There were some token skirmishers here and there, but they were bowled down easily by the Horde.
Khan saw the narrow pass leading to Stormpike before them. He knew their force could be blocked in there if the defenders were strong. Fortunately, the group leader was also aware of this and led their group up a hill where they could drop down onto the road on the other side of the narrow pass. The Horde quickly swept through the defenders and crossed the bridge into the fort. Battle was quickly joined with the small but tenacious group of defenders. Using bunkers as cover, the Alliance forces put up a tremendous fight. The Horde struggled to take both the North and South bunkers and failed. Then they concentrated all their might on the South bunker.
Khan lead the charge up the steps and waded into the dwarven defenders, mace swinging. Shamans and druids seared a path through the Alliance force so a few rogues could ignite the tower. The south bunker fell. The same process broke the north bunker.
As the Horde stood outside the fortress gates where the Stormpike General waited, they could hear a cry from the far south: the Alliance were attacking the Horde base. They had skirted around the Horde force and swept southward as the Horde was making its way North.
“We need to hurry!” yelled the leader. “MOVE FORWARD!”
The Horde took the aid station and crushed the guards outside the fortress. Khan took on one of their battle masters, exchanging blows with the dwarf while other members of the party kept him alive and helped in bringing the seasoned fighter down.
“All clear! Take the fortress!” came the leader’s yell.
The Horde attacked the Stormpike General. All the while as they battled, Khan could hear the howls from their own fortress. He fought back the urge to report to the base in the south to defend General Drak. He decided to stay, to let the formidable Horde defenses hold the line in the south and to end the fight here. The Alliance fought valiantly to defend their leader, however, in the end, General Stormpike fell and the Alliance forces gave up the fight.
((It was a fun AV I was in last night. I remember the old AVs with their large troop movements, the summoning of the Ice Lords and the wing rider strikes. AV has unfortunately become a PvE race rather than an “epic” feeling battle between the Alliance and the Horde. It was still a fun fight, but it made me miss the old days, even if we would occasionally get grid-locked somewhere.))
As soon as Khanzal entered the Valley, he could hear the braying of battle horns and the clash of metal on metal. He bolted from the tunnel riding his Frostwolf, a gift from General Drak for his service, and spurred the beast towards the front. En route, Khan linked up with several other Horde detachments and together they assaulted the bunker near the Stonehearth outpost. In short order, the bunker was in flames and the growing force pressed onward towards the Stormpike fortress. Khanzal noted with some disappointment the light resistance the Alliance were putting up. There were some token skirmishers here and there, but they were bowled down easily by the Horde.
Khan saw the narrow pass leading to Stormpike before them. He knew their force could be blocked in there if the defenders were strong. Fortunately, the group leader was also aware of this and led their group up a hill where they could drop down onto the road on the other side of the narrow pass. The Horde quickly swept through the defenders and crossed the bridge into the fort. Battle was quickly joined with the small but tenacious group of defenders. Using bunkers as cover, the Alliance forces put up a tremendous fight. The Horde struggled to take both the North and South bunkers and failed. Then they concentrated all their might on the South bunker.
Khan lead the charge up the steps and waded into the dwarven defenders, mace swinging. Shamans and druids seared a path through the Alliance force so a few rogues could ignite the tower. The south bunker fell. The same process broke the north bunker.
As the Horde stood outside the fortress gates where the Stormpike General waited, they could hear a cry from the far south: the Alliance were attacking the Horde base. They had skirted around the Horde force and swept southward as the Horde was making its way North.
“We need to hurry!” yelled the leader. “MOVE FORWARD!”
The Horde took the aid station and crushed the guards outside the fortress. Khan took on one of their battle masters, exchanging blows with the dwarf while other members of the party kept him alive and helped in bringing the seasoned fighter down.
“All clear! Take the fortress!” came the leader’s yell.
The Horde attacked the Stormpike General. All the while as they battled, Khan could hear the howls from their own fortress. He fought back the urge to report to the base in the south to defend General Drak. He decided to stay, to let the formidable Horde defenses hold the line in the south and to end the fight here. The Alliance fought valiantly to defend their leader, however, in the end, General Stormpike fell and the Alliance forces gave up the fight.
((It was a fun AV I was in last night. I remember the old AVs with their large troop movements, the summoning of the Ice Lords and the wing rider strikes. AV has unfortunately become a PvE race rather than an “epic” feeling battle between the Alliance and the Horde. It was still a fun fight, but it made me miss the old days, even if we would occasionally get grid-locked somewhere.))
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Welcome
((
Welcome to the Battered Shield: my weblog for both In-Character (IC) and Out-of-Character (OOC) posts related to the World of Warcraft. I named this blog "The Battered Shield" since most of the characters I prefer to play are melee classes that can take a lot of damage. My only level 60s thus far are a Paladin and a Warrior.
More posts to come!
))
Welcome to the Battered Shield: my weblog for both In-Character (IC) and Out-of-Character (OOC) posts related to the World of Warcraft. I named this blog "The Battered Shield" since most of the characters I prefer to play are melee classes that can take a lot of damage. My only level 60s thus far are a Paladin and a Warrior.
More posts to come!
))
