Busy Busy Busy...

I have been extrememly busy in game crafting and more crafting. I love the way that it is so involved but at the same time dispise it. I mean I got almost an entire level just from crafting. I have been tryin unsucessfully I might add to crit a bow for Infuse. It has become the bane of my existance.

In the meantime of my crafting I have spent alot of time talking to Ari of Aion's World. Just shooting the breeze with her etc... The community for the most part that I have met are very cool and I wanted to give a shout out to her and her Blog + PodCast. Thank you for all the help Ari, I really appreciate it and the conversation as well :)

Also I have been following a thread on Aionsource.com LondonRain has to be one of the most talented graphical artist that I have seen. She does really great work. As her list for requesting sigs is actually closed and she isnt taking anymore request I still wanted to mention her and maybe point a few people over to show off her work. Great Job London.

Ok that is it from me for now. Our new podcast should be out soon. So keep a look out for it :)

Not so OPEN, Open Beta + Beta Client Download info

Pulled directly from the official site.

Open beta client now available for download!


August 27, 2009 4:55 PM



Following our recent announcement regarding the commencement of Aion's open beta, we have taken steps to ensure a smooth setup and preparation process for all participants. While our Launcher will incrementally update your client, the new and patched Aion open beta client has been distributed to a select few partners around the web to prepare for our open beta test. To get your hands on it, you may visit FilePlanet or download it from GamersHell (available later this week).



We have also added a new option that the Aion community has long anticipated: downloading the full open beta client via our BitTorrent tracker. We have even arranged for a totorrent patch for those of you who already have the closed beta client installed but want to get prepared for open beta!



As added extra spice, FilePlanet will--in addition to distributing the client--be giving away a load of open beta keys starting on Tuesday, September 1, 2009. Get on the starting line if you do not have an eligible Aion account already! Eligible accounts include any previous closed beta participants and those who have preordered or prepurchased Aion.


All the links should be useable if not please let me know.

Open Beta info...

Finally we get the official press release from NCSoft :) I have links to Aiononline.com official website and the press release over at massively.com. But it all boils down to ...


Open Beta Sept 6-13th.
Pre-select Sept 18th
Early Access Sept 20th both NA and Euro
Release NA Sept 22nd
Release Euro Sept 25th.

It is saying people that have not had the chance to experience it yet will now have the opportunity to. So I will assume for argument's sake that you will be able to download the game client somewhere if you have not been in any of the prior betas nor have preordered. Looking for more info on that.

To do or not to do...

Crafting...

On our podcast we got into a little bit about the intensive crafting in this game. Well playing C-Aion I have actually gotten to do a bit more of the crafting than I was able to do in Closed Beta. I have a few minor concerns with the crafting. I went Handicrafting since I am playing a Ranger I wanted a viable craft for my class. YAY home made bows. Anyway ... As I am crafting and doing the craft request to get my skill up (which I love btw no wasted collected mats) The first design I am actually able to make is a skill lvl of 60...wow yeah to get to 60 lol. Anyway no problems, I spit out 3 bows and 2 of the 3 crit so me and Infuse now have new shining bows for our Rangers and Byrnes as a non crit version for his Gladiator.

Infuse finds this design for some Rose Quartz earrings.. I think ok this will be a cinch no problem right? Well I get to the crafting station, not only does my skill have to be 90 to make it but I have to first make and CRIT on Silver earrings. Ok no problem on making the silver earrings, but my issue here is this. I have to first crit on the silver earrings using all the mats for the silver earrings the main mat that is not all that easy to obtain is the lesser or minor accessory stones. Each earring recipe takes a certain number of these stones and then the Rose Quartz takes a certain number of them too. Plus I am not getting the crits I want off the silver earrings nor the Rose Quartz ones. I made 8 pair of Silver Earrings and got 5 crits out of those I was able to only crit 1 pair of the Rose Quartz. Not to mention I need 11 Aether per silver earring I want to make and 16 per Rose Quartz one.


So my issue I guess is that yes the crafting system is extensive, yes I have never seen a crafting system like it in any other game, but the amount of dropped items needed to craft vs the amount of gathered items needed to craft vs having to crit on 1 recipe to even get a non crit version of another recipe vs the time sink.. I am not so sure that it is actually worth it until you have lvled up because you spend so much time gathering materials and crafting that it seems like everyone else is just leaving you standing still. I am not sure if 1.5 has made any changes to the crafting system or not so we will have to see. No I am not going to give up on it just yet but I will be honest and say I have never really been a big crafter at all. In Lotro I was lvl 50 before I even started crafting and had to go back and master the crafts I wanted. Same in WAR, I was lvl 40 before I even started the crafting there. So... we will see. Just my thoughts on the crafting system now that I have gotten a bit more into it. I am currently sitting at 95/99 of lesser handicrafting and I will continue to move forward in it while play C-Aion.

Happy thoughts...

Unlike Rer I have no problems playing C-Aion. I am not afraid of burning myself out on the first 20 levels or so. Actually if anything playing C-Aion these last few days has just confirmed my main class choice, as well as taught me a few things I didnt know in closed beta. I am looking forward to release and hell even open beta and I am not even upset about playing the same zone over and over until such time as release :) I am playing the game and enjoying it with friends, not much more I could want atm. I just wished weeks were full of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday's lol.

As this week progresses and we learn more about the crafting system, classes, gear and questing we will have a whole new mess of stuff to discuss in the podcast that I currently Co-host with Rer, Daefire and Inergy from Black Death, Black Wings of Atreia. Comments, suggestions and things you would want to hear on the podcast are always welcome on our website.

Classes, Classes and more Classes

I again rolled a priest. The last priest I rolled I converted into a Chanter. I leveled her to 15 so I guess I didn't really get to see the class at it's strength. So this time I rolled a Cleric. I pretty much soloed all the way up to 10 on her and I will leave her at 10 until my leveling partner gets in game. Granted our guild Black Death will need healers while we are playing C-Aion but we have a few others that are currently playing Cleric/Chanter so I think we are ok for me to take a day off from leveling mine.

In every game I have ever played I have always been a main healer. I do not know what it is about Aion but I am just not feeling the healing class all that much. You would think that I would like the fact that they can carry shields and wear chain and aren't the softest target in the group like normal. I just really have issues with the targeting in the game, it throws me off badly. I can not keep my offensive target and have a defensive target and I am not sure why that messes me up so badly but it does. I really think it has something to do with the fact that if I can only target one at a time my mind locks onto that and wants to complete it before moving on. What I mean by that is if I have something targeted to kill and I am seeing it's health meter I am thinking about killing it and not paying attention to other peoples HP for heals.

So today I am going to roll my Ranger. I am almost 100% positive that I will have a Ranger as a main in NA release. I keep waffling between it and a healer because that is just what I am used to. Although I have to admit that a Gladiator just looks bad ass and I have contemplated playing one of those as well.

One last thing... My Ranger will be SHORT.. I love the fact that I can make her tiny as hell and no they don't look like little children Rer.. that is just your preception of them, and that honestly makes me worry about you a little bit!!!! ;)

Back in the game...

Aion... I am not sitting here drumming my fingers on my desk anymore. I am currently playing C-Aion as my good friend Rer said today "I caved" I am a bit over the top obsessed with the game. I am OCD ofc so I have to finish all the quests, I have to collect every resource I see as I am running through the game. I love that even though I am not playing on American Servers I am still getting very minimal lag. Every now and then I get a rubberband back to a spot. I have only actually crashed the game twice and not exactly sure what caused those crashes but given that I am playing on a server thousands of miles away from me it is acceptable in my book. If I could just figure out why in the hell my Wireless adapter losing my internet connection from time to time even when my router light is green I would be golden.

Ok going back to playing. I will write more on the game tonight or in the morning when I get my fill of the game :)

(yay Bel and her ability to spell the right word the wrong way lol... thank you Rer for correcting me :D )

School's In...

And I find myself bored out of my mind. My children went back to school on the 17th. So here I sit looking for something to do...

I was playing Warhammer everyday for 10+ hours until I decided that I didn't want to pay the bill when it renewed last week. Lildevil Rank 40 Zealot almost to RR 70 (about 12% or so away when my account canceled) on Volkmar. I had been playing since about January in closed beta and went through the remainder of closed/open and early release. A game that had/has so much potential that really has turned into a zerg vs zerg. I went through the begining of the game where the population was so high on both sides we were in ques of 300+ and they had to make a duplicate server for us (Magnus). The server balanced out and there was never want for a fight could always find one on even ground. Order pushed forts went to IC... Destro pushed forts and went to Aldorf. One side did not over populate the other we were pretty even. Then as the game progressed and people stopped playing as people will do. Some of the servers got merged. With the first server merge we got Sylviana and Azazeal (I know I am not spelling either of those right sorry) All of a sudden we are Order heavy... My guild at the time stayed strong and rearranged things and joined a new alliance full of great people. (Black Death my new home and the DPS Alliance) We were finally getting some footing on the server again and going to Aldorf etc... Then all of a sudden we get 2 more servers merged into us that were both order heavy and all of a sudden we are back to square 1 again. I just can not do it again. I can not go through those growing pains again. Being outnumbered 2:1 or 3:1 is doable but not 10:1. Then yesterday I am reading the Herald cause I actually still read up on the game and talk to my guildies etc... they are making it even easier for the zerging faction to capture keeps and forts etc... So not my idea of a fun game where there is no challenge, where it is we have the numbers and it doesnt matter how many you bring to the party we will just run you over anyway.

Ok ok ok ... I need to get off the Warhammer topic. I really do not like to complain and I will stop on that for now :) On to brighter better things to come. Such as Aion.

I have been playing the closed beta for Aion for a while now. I have had the pleasure of playing a very polished and smooth game. Granted it is Beta and the servers probably are not full etc.. But Sunday night we are out there pvping open field (rifts) and it was easily 20 on 20 if not more sitting at full graphics and I did not drop below 60fps. The spell graphics going off all over the place and I did not die one time to a lag spike like I did so many times in WAR. The game is beautiful. There is enough challenge to make it intresting. To know that the things that I have seen in the game up to this point isnt even half of what is coming in release makes me so excited that I am literally sitting here tapping my fingers waiting on Open Beta and release. Sept can not get here fast enough for me.