One of the most addicting games in the history of gaming is World of Warcraft. I say this because I have definitely become addicted. While I freely admit I’m not as addicted as others (as in I don’t have to play all day every day) I really do like my 2-6 hours of game play. Most of my characters aren’t in guilds because I don’t play well with others and they aren’t at a level where I have to learn to play well with others yet. Here is the thing I’ve noticed. Just about any time I go into a semi populated area I get hit up to join a guild. If I say no politely people will ask me why and then about half the time get grumpy because I said no. Like I’m personally rejecting them. Which I’m not, I don’t care about them (ok in the grand scheme of things I care about all human beings but dude…shove off while I’m playing). I appreciate the offer (I guess) but once I say no, do you really need to push the issue?
On a side note, how cool is your guild if you want me to join. By me, I mean generically any twit who happens to be walking in your vicinity. I don’t even want to belong to a guild that just says hey you…yeah you over there walking….I want you. Thanks, I’ll pass. Stop with the harassment already.
Anyone else with me on hating the constant guild bombardment?
Photo Credit: AdobeMac
September 2nd, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
I know some of the more hardcore World of Warcraft gamers out there are going to laugh when they see this but here it is: I just found out about Quest Helper. Why isn’t this a built in feature dang it. Do you know how hard it is to find something out in the Barrens? Do you? Especially if you are alone and have never played before. Yeah. It is horrible. So I was complaining about this to a friend who has several level 80 characters and he laughed at me. Then he told me about Quest Helper and I couldn’t decide whether to hug him or kill him. Seriously this information should be handed out when someone signs up for World of Warcraft.
I know this is one of the most addicting games online, and I know that the people who play 20 hours a day already know about Quest Helper but what about the noobs? Hmmm? So here is my plan, all of you hard core gamers out there need to start spreading the word instead of making fun of those of us who are low level and not decked out in all the blue and purple stuff we can get our grubby little hands on. If you see a low level with normal gear on, they probably don’t know about Quest Helper and you should share your info. While you’re sharing info are there any other add-ons I should definitely be using?
Photo Credit: Shutter Monkey
August 17th, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
Oh my gosh, I am so excited. This past week Blizzard finally put out the much anticipated patch for one of my favorite games, World of Warcraft, that gave players all sorts of cool new toys. Being me, and yes I’m really this superficial, I was super excited about the new Druid skins. Now instead of everyone looking the same the look of the bear and cat form are based on hair color (for Night Elves) and skin color for Taurens. Oh yeah. So excited. There were lots of other interesting things that were functional that came out like Shamans being able to drop all of their totems at once (it’s a new spell if you are having trouble finding it) or being able to get a mount at level 20. That mount was my second favorite thing because most of my characters are kind of low level.
The Death Knights had so many talent changes their trees were completely reset, which is nice I guess. But back to me. I was so excited about getting a mount I bought one in each color. Does anyone else buy mounts to match their potential outfits or is that just a me thing? I know a few of my guy friends that it was hilarious.
So what was your favorite aspect of the new patch?
Photo Credit: Tambako the Jaguar
August 10th, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
First, let me start by saying my character isn’t a Warlock or a Paladin so she doesn’t have one of those cool options. Now on the unfairness that is the chicken horse. I know it isn’t actually a horse, but when you hear the word mount don’t you think of a horse? I certainly did and I was super excited about having my own horsey in game. Yes, it’s a girly thing to be excited about, but I’m a girl.
Instead, I found out after I made my little priestess (who I adore) that she was going to get stuck riding a chicken. Sure, they fancy up the name and call it a hawkstrider. But let’s face facts folks, it’s a chicken. And not really a cute chicken either. My husband, who has been playing WoW longer, tried to make me feel better by telling me I could ride one of the other WoW mounts once my status was high enough with them and that there was a horse available. The big liar. There is a dead horse. Yeah, and a wolf, and a rhino, and a dino. At least on the hoard side. The Alliance gets a horse, a big cat, and an elephant, which in my opinion look better and are way cooler.
What is it with WoW refusing to give pretty stuff to the Horde? I’m starting a new movement. Chicks for cute Horde stuff. Who’s with me?
Photo Credit: Aske Hoist
July 15th, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
I’ve been away from World of Warcraft for about a year now because I took some time off once the baby got more demanding. Now he is sleeping through the night and taking naps and I have all of this free time so of course I picked up the addiction again. How is this different? Well previously I only played with my husband who is really good at finding things and I just set to follow and killed and/or healed as needed. This time, however, I have more free time than he does so I’ve started making my own characters. I figured that it would be fun to do some on my own. I’d actually done this with a few Alliance characters but he mostly plays Horde so that’s what I’m doing this time.
So I made an Orc. Of all of the freaking races I have played she (my Shaman) has to be the most difficult to level ever. I mean really, what were they thinking? The quests I get are for multiple levels above where I am, they are a bajillion miles away from each other, and there are no real town with access to the profession I want until you get to O. Yeah…at like level ten if you did it by quest (I skipped to it so I could get some festival love in).
I ranted about it to hubby and he said it was because it was one of the first races and if Blizzard tried to revamp it now, old players who had leveling down would get pissed. Oh yeah? Listen up World of Warcraft….the new players are pissed. Revamp already.
Photo Credit: Chan Chan 222
July 10th, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
My husband loves World of Warcraft. I like it, but that man loves it. One of the things you do if you are really into the game (apparently) is play Arena games. These are games you and a few friends play against another group of the same number. It doesn’t matter if you are Horde or Alliance, there is an Arena game waiting for you.
My dear husband has a group of friends he routinely plays Arena with. Let’s just say that Arena time is not a good time to disturb the game. Unlike regular grinding you are playing against other people. Kind of like in a Battleground but with fewer people and cooler prizes on the line. Because there are fewer people it is really bad if one of your Arena team members drops out of the game or has serious lag. One of you missing or slow probably means all of you are going to lose… see not good. Unless you like losing, I guess…
Anywho, one of the easiest ways to irk everyone off (on your team, the other team would probably like this) is to lag frequently. What is the number one reason for lag (other than a bad connection)? A fragmented hard drive. If you’ve noticed in recent runs that your lagging a little bit make sure you defrag your computer before starting an Arena match. This will ensure that a fragmented hard drive won’t ruin your chances at earning those coveted Arena points and your fellow team members won’t try to hunt you down for revenge.
Do you have an Arena team that you play with on a regular basis? Do you find it is easier to play with the same people regularly or do you like the challenge of finding and playing with different people?
Photo Credit: Juanpol
May 29th, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
Probably my favorite thing to do in World of Warcraft is to play in the battlegrounds. I love love love it. I know this is going to shock those of you who are either rabid Horde or loyal Alliance members but I don’t even care which side I’m playing for. I do have a favorite class though, Druid. I play a female (I’m a chick, it’s ok) Druid no matter which side of the fence I’m on. My husband prefers Horde so if I’m playing with him that’s where I am. I like the way the elves look better so when I play alone I usually play Alliance. Yes, I’m really that shallow. Come on hot elf that turns into a cat or big cow that turns into a bear. I’m a girl, it’s not rocket science.
Back to Battlegrounding. I’m usually the flag runner (Alliance kitty) or a protector (Horde bear) but either way I have a fairly important role in most games. I’m not just out there mass killing to grind honor. This means lag is a really bad thing. My Internet connection almost never causes lag because I have a cable modem (who could play WoW with dial-up?) So most of my lag occurs when my computer is all fragmented. This usually isn’t a big problem because I have several hobbies that are memory hogs and that cause lots of fragmentation. Because of this I tend to defrag my computer pretty regularly.
Unfortunately, sometimes little things like work and life get in the way and I forget to defrag my computer. ::sigh:: You know what usually reminds me? Getting killed while running the flag across the field. That’s a wakeup call for ya ::sigh:: The worse time ever was when we were 2 to 2 and I had the last flag and got hit by lag. Lost the flag they grabbed our and won. GAH!
What is your lag horror story??
Photo Credit: ChanChan
May 29th, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
How does a fragmented hard drive affect World of Warcraft? Let me count the ways.
1. Increased lag during Arena games
-Causes you and your team to lose.
2. Increased lag during Battlegrounds
-Causing you to get booted, your team to lose, and everyone to hate you.
3. Increased lag during instances with guild
-Causing everyone in the guild to have to slow down, possibly having to resurrect allowing critters t regenerate. Bad all the way around.
4. Increased lag while hunting….alone
-Causing you to die all of your equipment to be damaged and a long (boring) run back to get your body.
You may have noticed a common theme emerging. The answer to how does a fragmented hard drive affect World of Warcraft is ultimately lag. Lag is something you want to avoid at all costs when gaming. I know people ::cough:: who buy gaming systems just so that they will have a more real time experience in the game. I know lots of people who upgrade their Internet connection speed as soon as they can and then every chance they can.
Oddly, however, I don’t know a lot of gamers who defrag their computer on a regular basis. The reason that is odd is because it is a free way to lesson lag. Your computer gets fragmented every time you add, delete, or change a file. With WoW you do all of those things a lot because of upgrades and updates. Spend a little time every so often (once a month might be a good place to start) defragging your computer so the lag monster doesn’t get you.
What is the most extreme thing you have done to reduce lag in game? Moved so you could access at a higher speed? Bought a super computer? Come on…I won’t laugh 
Photo Credit ChanChan 222
May 29th, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
Okay, if you are reading this and you don’t know what pwn means you are probably in the wrong place and you should just leave. The door is over there ::looks pointedly at the door:: Just kidding! Feel free to stay and learn more about the gaming world. I like teaching people new things. Before we get on to the main lesson (pwning your hard drive) we’ll start with a refresher course for those of you who stumbled upon my little post by accident.
Let’s define pwnage. Pwn basically means to be completely dominated and/or humiliated by an opposing force. If you pwn someone you own them. If you have been pwned then someone owns you. (this is not something you want to happen and if it does happen you don’t want to admit it) Pwnage is the degree to which one is pwning someone else or has themselves been pwned. I’m getting silly now so I’ll move on to the hard drive.
You have to show your hard drive who is boss. You must pwn that box. What is the best way to do this? You must defrag the beast. (I told you I was getting silly, but stick with me) Your hard drive, if you are any kind of gamer at all, is constantly becoming more fragmented. The beast, your computer, is covertly trying to destroy you with its ninja skills. Just when you think you are safely battling some repressed evil in game your beasty computer will try to pwn you by causing the game to lag and getting you killed. To fight this fragmentation beast you must defrag on a regular basis. Unfortunately this particular beast has more lives than a priest…or a druid. You’ll have to make a habit of defragging your computer if you want to pwn your hard drive instead of having it pwn you.
Photo Credit: ChanChan 222
May 29th, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
If you play World of Warcraft (and if you are reading this one assumes you do) I imagine you are always looking for a way to improve your game. If you don’t play World of Warcraft…what is wrong with you? Finish reading and then go sign up for an account immediately!
There are a number of ebooks that have made the rounds on improving your game. How to reach level 70 or 80 or 5 billion (yeah, I know there is no billion…duh) and they have tips on grinding and where to go and when to go so you can get the most gold/ coolest toys/ highest level in the shortest amount of time. You know what? I’m not gonna tell you any of that. Do you know why I’m not going to tell you any of that? Because it’s silly, that’s why. I don’t want to offend any power gamers out there, but really. What’s the point of playing the game if you just want the prize at the end as quick as possible. (of course if you are one of those people you probably aren’t reading my little ol’ blog anyway)
I role play to enjoy the process and the people. I like looking around the world and finding useless bits and pieces. I like interacting with people and being in a guild. I’m not looking to be top dog just so I can bark at other people. If that’s what you like…groovie. It just isn’t me.
That’s why my little tip is going to be about how to enjoy the game more. Not how to power play. Speaking of power hunting, since I don’t do that I don’t always have someone to play with (other than my husband) so I end up hunting and questing alone. This means that I need my machine to be running optimally so nothing nerfs me. This is where ‘defrag for a better game’ comes in. I’ve found that by defragging my computer regularly I am able to reduce lag and have a better game experience. It also helps increase download time for updates (which can take forever).
Now go defrag your computer and get in game and kill some Alliance…or Horde.
Photo Credit Silwenae
May 29th, 2009 by birdievogel | Posted in World of Warcraft | Comments (0)
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