Blog Of The New World

An update? Yes, yes there is....

2009-07-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

In time for the 2nd anniversary of the game, they finally rolled out the rest (?) of the 2.9 updated, promised so long ago (back in November).

There's an article on it at Massively.com, which is how I heard. And looking at the comments, it seems that Neume is back on the game as well. While he's a bit weaselly, at least he's not a jerk like that Raiden guy.

Anyway, depending on how things go, I might be back for 3.0, but the rest of 2.9 doesn't seem to have much for me. Claire, which IIRC, requires an obscenely rare monster to kill or get a drop from. And even after you get her, just isn't that good.

I actually am getting a little burned out of Atlantica. But in that case, it's because I've basically reached the endgame. While I haven't reached the level cap (which is 120), I have basically hit their equivalent of "Expert" (113th level), which lets you use the best gear in the game.

In Sword, I'm only 40% to Expert, and that's only for my scout! My fighter and musketeer are only in their 20%s, if I remember correctly. And I would play 7-8 hours a day sometimes. Maybe if I ever get a better internet connection and can afk all day. But that doesn't seem likely.

Another month, no playing sword...

2009-04-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ugh. Even if I wanted to play Sword now, I couldn't. My internet is acting up again. Have I said I really hated Verizon? Well, I still do. Can't stay connected for more than 5-15 minutes, which makes it impossible to play anything.

Also, can't really even follow the game anymore, as the official forums for the game seem really screwed up...

OT: Killed my first Spartan (and Pirate, too)

2009-03-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

Still happily playing Atlantica Online. Reached 95, which is basically their equivalent of "Veteran". The slog to 120 (I guess their version of Expert) is pretty slow, but there are steps between the the two, unlike in Sword.

Anyway, I'm advancing pretty well in the automated PvP tournaments. My winning percentage is a pretty steady 44%, but winning 3 out of 8 still brings me in about 5 million per tournament, which isn't bad.

Just recently, I ran into two of the higher types of mercenaries available in the game (B Grade). They cost hundreds of millions (or billions) to acquire in game and are really tough apparently.

And yet while I didn't win, I came pretty close, despite having guys about 5 levels lower and mostly D grade ones.

3.0 at the end of May?

2009-03-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

Finally we've gotten a vague date at least out of the new AM for the game, "Raven".

Better than no date, I suppose.

He seems more forthright than Neume, though.

Q. Obviously Neume was stalling/didn't know the situation at IMC, can you explain what happened between K2 and IMC that communication broke down so badly?

A. .. same here, Business Related.. Only my boss knows the details, but things are back in good shape and working smoothly

Neume would either lie or ignore that question.

K2 takes action against Dupers...

2009-03-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

But the dupers strike back, apparently. K2 seems to have banned some of the dupers main accounts on Illier, but not their alt accounts. So at least one of the people on Illier got on his alt and dropped 100s of duped items for people to pick up.

Apparently this caused K2 to do a rollback of Illier.

I feel sorry for the 3 people who play there.

Another week...

2009-03-18T01:48:00.000-07:00

Still doesn't look like any word of update on a patch for Sword. The new AM Guin seems to be about as good at saying nothing as Neume.

In my own MMORPG news, I'm up to level 89 in Atlantica. For that game, "Vet" is really at 95, so I'm getting close. I wouldn't say I'm burning out of it, but I've heard bad things about the end game. So I don't know how much longer I shall play. It's been fun though.

LOTRO also came out with a big patch, a gig's worth, adding a new Elf area. I haven't even made it to Moria yet, but I logged in and played a few hours.

They changed the xp requirements for levels in that, to make leveling slightly easier (or smoother). In approximately 190 hours playing it, I had reached level 37. The changed xp chart bumped me up to 38 4/5s.

What's new in Sword?

2009-03-11T00:48:00.000-07:00

Well, from reading the official forums, sounds like the servers, or at least Orpesia, are having trouble with the hamsters that power them.

Still no apparent word of when the rest of 2.9 (or 3.0) is coming, so who knows when (or at this point, if) I'll be back.

In Atlantica I'm up to 85th (almost 86th level). I've now spent $20 on that game (buying 4 merc rooms, that game's version of quarter slots. The cash shop there is expensive!)

In LOTRO I've been playing once in a while, now up to level 37. They're about to roll out a big update there in the next couple weeks.

Right now though, I'm not playing much of anything because my internet is screwed up again. Constant disconnects, which makes play games almost impossible, and even just browsing not much fun.

And every time you call Verizon for help, they are just so clueless. "Oh, just update your networking program." Uh, no, that's not the problem. Your lousy network is the problem. If you spent half the money you do advertising saying how great you are, actually improving your network, I wouldn't be having this problem.

As much as I hate them though, my contract is up at the end of the year and I'm afraid I'll be out of options then. Verizon no longer offers the unlimited plan (which I have), but charging a quarter for every megabyte after 5 gigs. My normal usage in a month is about 15 gigs, which would run about $2000. Oy!

Hughesnet is an option, but not a very good one. And it's horrible for gaming, so I might be out of MMORPGs for a few years....

But I got 8 months left, so no need to completely panic yet. But at this rate, disconnecting every 15 minutes, I won't be playing games in those 8 months, either.

Well, another week...

2009-02-22T04:14:00.000-08:00

Doesn't seem like anything new on the Sword front.

I'm still having a lot of fun with Atlantica, so I don't know when I'll be back.

Just hit level 73 (it goes up to 120, like Sword).

One of the fun things about Atlantica is the PvP tournaments every few hours. Basically you just hit a button to apply, and you automatically get matched up with opponents (8 in a tournament which lasts 80 minutes, one every 10 minutes).

For someone who doesn't normally like PvP, I'm enjoying the heck out of it. I've got like 120 matches so far. My record stinks, 44-75, but I'm still having fun. Up to Division 9 (out of 18).

Although I'm not very good, it's still a thrill when I managed to beat higher level opponents. I just beat a 89 and then a 92! That's a pretty big difference, since you get new gear every 10 levels or so (and I've got nothing special).

The nice thing is you get prizes for winning and even losing. Gold (not CS money, but regular in game stuff) and experience books. You also earn points (either way) which can be used to get stuff.

My internet is really sucking though, and it's problematic because in these fights you only have 25 seconds to move 5 guys. That might not sound so bad, but you have to wait until the attack animations are done to make your next move sometimes (like seeing if you killed a guy or not).

And I'm starting to get a little disenchanted with the quest aspect of the game. There are quests, but the difficulty seems to have been ramped up once I hit 70 (set in Egypt). As either a way to fight botters or sell a CS item, they sneak in bosses with the mobs. I can't beat the bosses, so I have to run from them. And there are a lot, I've been running from half my fights...

Still on hiatus...

2009-02-15T04:37:00.001-08:00

Was going to log in if they had any V-day contest. But apparently not, so I didn't. Still playing Atlantica. Just got a horse!

The cash shop is a little expensive there, but you can buy most items. The horse cost me 15.8 million, but goes for $10 in the CS. So far in a month and a half of playing I've earned about 30 million? 25? At my level, 68, I can make half a million a day grinding, about a million by fighting in two full free leagues (PvP), and selling stuff I get adds a lot as well.

Strangely though, the horse was only 15.8 million, but the ratio seems to be about 50-60 million per $10 of CS items. I have no idea why the horse was so cheap, but having a speed boost is useful. Beats walking.

Target Cards now worth more gold!

2009-02-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

I've used these, because I've had problems (who hasn't?) with K2's credit card service.

Used to be though it gave you gold according to the old formula, which wasn't a real bargain, but not a ripoff either (especially since I got a $10 surcharge added to the cost when I bought online, thanks to Moneybookers being in a foreign country).

But now apparently, a $15 card gives you 5000 gold and 4 mystery boxes, while a $30 card gives you 11000 gold and 6 mystery boxes.

(Thanks to AllyK/Delacourte for posting this)

Ah, only getting one Santa costume after all...

2009-02-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

Instead of 5, one for each class, looks like we're only getting 1 costume

I know I'll get a lot of hate here, but we are only giving out one (based on the classes you have, yes you can submit a ticket to change them). It took us 2 weeks to get these out, if we did all 5 we wouldn't be done until summer and that would mean no events until then. So, we're just doing one.

Sorry for the confusion.

Santa suits on the way?

2009-02-06T23:29:00.000-08:00

Reports are filtering in on the official message boards that people are starting to get them.

Sort of. Seems like people are getting one suit, of a random class.

(Still playing Atlantica. Up to level 62)

That's a relief

2009-01-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

Take this as fact, I got this from our CEO, COO and VP of Game Operations today. SWORD OF THE NEW WORLD HAS NO INTENT OF CLOSING ANYTIME SOON!

I am sick of hearing about these rumors by former disgruntled employees. We are not closing, we have no intent to close and we have a full staff around the world working on the title on a daily basis (including myself).

I gotta say, the lack of 3.0 (or all of 2.9) has made me wonder about the future of the game. But Neume just today said the above.

I'm still having fun with Atlantica, though. Just turned 52nd and a couple days ago got my 9th Mercenary, the Beast Tamer. She's an axe wielding chick that rides a tiger. Pretty soon though I'm going to have to decide whether or not to spend money on the game. It's like Sword in that you have multiple characters. But each "room" to store a character beyond the 9 you use costs $5

Another month for 3.0?

2009-01-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

From this thread, we have Neume quoted as saying

I make no statement on dates for a patch... but we are working on it. Unfortunately imcGames will be out until the second week of Feb for New Years soo...

Sigh. Just what is the hold up, anyway? Sword seems to be relegated to the bottom of IMC's priority list, if that.

Woot! Got Emilia the Sage...

2009-01-22T02:48:00.000-08:00

Still taking a break from the game, but logged on to buy Emilia the Sage from a very nice fellow on the forums.

Probably paid too much (100 million plus 5 mystery boxes plus merc), but it was something I wanted just for the sake of wanting. And since I finally had ETS, had no more need for the mystery boxes (have enough ottite perfume and AA passes).

And really, wasn't doing me any good, hopefully he can put the vis and whatever he gets to good use.

Also saw I got my whatever it was they were giving away for New Years. Some sort of back accessory (which I've never used, think they are cheating, really).

3.0 coming soon?

2009-01-13T02:24:00.000-08:00

In a recent thread on the official forums, the new K2 guy said

"Keep checking the announcements on website and forum regularly, you might have a surprise soon rolleyes.gif"

Of course, considering the amount of times Neume has said something and was wrong, it's hard to get too excited. But still...

So, looks like I'll be playing Atlantica Onilne for the next month at least...

2009-01-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

Well, guess I'll be playing Atantica for a while, during my break from Sword.

I can definitely see myself getting sick of Atlantica, but seems like it will be fun for a while. I played during the closed beta back in August, and sort of liked it, but was put off by a number of issues, including having to re-download the client all over again (which is 2.3 gigs, which is a long time when my speed is capped. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate Verizon? Now I'm getting disconnected constantly again).

But some of the game issues they fixed. For instance, the text is no longer wacky. The community seems friendlier, and a lot more populous. There's I think 5 servers, most of which are pretty busy at any given time. That's my main complaint with Lord of the Rings Online, almost no other players (and no one that friendly) at lower levels.

I'm still not sure I like the stamina system, which limits you to roughly 100 battles a day if you are under 50th level, or 50 if you are above it. As it is, I've been running out. On the other hand, unlike I feared, they aren't selling "stamina" pills in the cash shop to let you get around it. You can regain it by simply being logged in and not fighting monsters, or fighting in PvP tournies. Or apparently by giving gifts to newer players. The latter is something nice, a lot of what they give you is junk, but one person gave me 200,000 gold (or whatever the currency is) and another 100,000, which is pretty decent amounts of money for my level.

Anyway, anyone else playing, I'm Vonradir (name of one of my alts on LOTRO) on the Thebes server.

Time for a break, I guess...

2009-01-07T21:13:00.001-08:00

Well, the search for a new clan has been futile, with only Telos showing any interest (and much thanks to the leader of Telos, it's nice someone at least asked. And nothing against Telos, I'm just incompatible, personality wise, with one of its members, his broads drive me up a wall).

I suppose I could get in a couple others, but as my experience with Core has shown, I want a clan that actually wants me in it, and will do things with me, not one that just lets me tag along for stuff.

And despite a large number of MBs, no Emilia the Sage. I did trade one Iron Chef Panfilo for Soho the Fighter, but honestly, I get kinda bored with melee fighters these days.

So, it's either back to LOTRO (which I'm also kinda tired of, it's really grindy, so much of the player population is at max level, so the lower levels are the game are empty, making grinding the only real option to level up, as opposed to group quests), or maybe a couple other "free" MMORPGs.

Thanks to an unexpected, but sadly brief, uncapping of my speed, I was able to download the clients for both Megaten Online and Atlantica (4 gigs worth) in only a few hours. Tried Atlantica in the Closed Beta, but the client wasn't updatable once they went live for some reason, and never got around to re-downloading it again. Didn't love that game, but it wasn't bad.

Megaten Online is an offshoot of the console games. Set in Post Apocalyptic Tokyo. Seems okay, though click heavy.

My Road to Expert...(January 1st)

2009-01-01T14:42:00.001-08:00

My XP rate for my highest Character, Alorra the Scout:
--------------------------------------------------------
Jan 3rd - 1st
Feb 3 - 44th
March 9th - 72nd
April 7th - 85th
May 3rd - 94th
June 1st - Vet 1.3%
July 5th - Vet 9.5%
August 26th - Vet 11.5%
Sept 16th - Vet 15.2%
Oct 16th - Vet 20.4%
Nov 4th - Vet 24.7%
December 1st - Vet 30%
January 1st - Vet 40.7%

XP Rate for my 2nd highest Character, Ripiel the Musketeer:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jan 3rd - 1st
Feb 3rd - 20th
May 22nd - 64
August 25th - Vet 1.5%
Sept 25th - Vet 6.8%
Oct 8th - Vet 10%
Nov 14th - Vet 13.4%
Dec 1st - Vet 15.7%
Jan 1st - Vet 26.2%

Mystery box take, Day 2....

2008-12-30T14:37:00.000-08:00

Not as good as last time.
1 Le Blanc
5 Ottite Perfumes
100 Triumph Fillers
80 Soul Crystals
20 AM Boosts
20 UAs
1 AA Pass
1 Vet Scroll
5 100 chips
10 92 chips
5 Ring Boxes
10 Vet Polish
And an an Iron Chef Panfilo

Here come the Mystery Boxes....

2008-12-29T19:26:00.001-08:00

The first wave of them, 5 for being logged in on Xmas eve.

Of course, many people made alt accounts and logged them in to get more. I showed some restraint, only making 2 extra (plus my regular alt). One guy apparently made 40. Honestly, I maybe have made more if I had more email accounts. But I only have 3.

Anyway, so I got 20 mystery boxes today.

2 Le Blancs
3 AA Passes
2 Types of Wings (30 day)
40 UAs
40 AM Boosts
40 Soul Crystals
40 Triumph Fillers
10 Ottite Perfumes
10 Ring Boxes
And an Iron Chef Panfilo

Not a bad haul, all in all. Though of course, Iron Chef was the UPC I wanted the least. Emilia the Sage is the one I want the most. Next is Soho the Wind. Then Battlesmith Idge, then Captain Adelina, then Iron Chef Panfilo

Happenings on Orpesia...

2008-12-29T11:40:00.000-08:00

The most fun was an epic battle during the holiday event. After I guess about half the people left, AM Ruffo spawned some more of those Elnugod things, 7 in fact. Took at least 20 minutes to kill them all. But lots of fun.

(Actually got something from this event - a 92 chip and a 80 bracelet)

In Colony Wars news, we saw a reemergence of Neph, taking several of colonies back from Telos and Core (and someone else).

And in my own personal news, my scout reached 40%. Took a month of afking (mostly) in Via. Whee! And Verizon still sucks.

Merry Christmas (events)

2008-12-24T23:25:00.000-08:00

Well, no patch, but K2 at least tried to do something...

First off, they gave out a free christmas hat and a free rudolph hat.

Secondly, they had sort of a treasure hunt game. An AM would give clues and you'd go to the next location. The first place was the clock in Rebo, then under the statue in FJ, the third was the beach, and that was as far as I got. Something about where treasure is hidden and evils lay unbidden. I thought first Fire Island (since they have the treasure hunt there). But no. Then the treasure quest in the quay. And apparently not that, as I was still wandering around when the contest was over.

Thirdly, there was a boss event (I guess). Said that Jack Frost and the snowmen were under the control of Novia, and to go outside Auch, Ch 2.

So I went. And there was a crowd. A huge crowd. More people than I think I've seen ever at an event. The lag was immense. Didn't help that at least 4 people brought Vikis and summoned those giant robots. Why do people do that? I don't know.

Anyway, I really had no idea what was happening for most of it, I stayed out by the edge of the crowd and occasionally killed stuff. What, I really didn't know, since I couldn't really see it. But the only drops I got were 9 Cabosse 99% (from the Valentines's event, I think). Never actually saw a proper boss, just mobs, really.

State of the Game...

2008-12-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

This seems to be a period of great turmoil, not just for me, but the game as a whole.

On the official front, it's now only a few days from Christmas and not only do we not have a holiday patch, there's no signs of us ever getting Claire and the rest of 2.9.
We may or may not get some events, like mystery boxes, but Neume could be talking out of his ass (which he does a lot). What's the deal behind the lack of further patches? Is K2 late on payments to IMC? Or some sort of disgruntlement between the two? Or does IMC just suck?

On Bristia, there is a raging scandal brewing, regarding the duping of items. I don't know how it works, but apparently people there have tons of +8 Serpent gear. Apparently some people were banned by K2, but apparently then later reinstated, complete with duped stuff. So the honest folk there are up in arms.

On Illier, apparently 1 of the 4 people playing there has also been using the dupe trick, only with fesos.

On Orpesia, there doesn't seem to be a major problem with duping, except for a mysterious seller of cash shop stuff (most notably of Mysterious Powder). All the excitement has been player done, with a serious shakeup in the power structure.

Citadel, the former top clan, appears to be no more, with only 1 member remaining (its leader). In colony wars, the new big clans appear to be Aegis (the people who split off from Citadel) and Elysium (who had been a fairly hard core raiding clan, but just entered CW two weeks ago). Telos has a couple colonies, so does Unaio BR. Maelstrom is still hanging on to a few, but Neph is down to one.

What does the future hold for Orpesia? While several long time players who had been getting bored with the game have apparently decided to stay thanks to recent events, the former statis quo getting shaken up might not have good long term effects. Citadel, for all its dominance, was a fairly benevolent overlord, not hogging stuff too much (not like the horror stories I've heard from Bristia). Will that be true for the new ones? And where will the ex-Citadel people that didn't join Aegis go?

The worst thing about leaving a clan...

2008-12-21T14:36:00.000-08:00

At least to me, is the realization that all those people who had spend hours talking with really aren't your friends, just acquaintances, sort of, and not really even that.

Some of them still talk to you when you run into them, but most don't seem to.

Well, no more Core for me...

2008-12-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

Lasted only 2 weeks. Seemed longer than that.

Most the guys in it were really nice and I'll miss them. But at the same time, the clan was just too hard core for me, I guess. Half the people (or so it seemed) turning Expert and now doing stuff I just couldn't do, like Secret Temple (from what I've read). And really Vergo even, I basically invited myself along for that and got clobbered.

And since becoming Core (and everyone went expert), seemed like doing the stuff that I could do less. Like Diablo. In No_NeeD, we'd try to do it a couple times a day. In two weeks of Core, we tried it I think 3 times, only winning FC once. And never the Angler, which we'd do sporadically.

Not that I blame them. Screwing around with Diablo can take 20 minutes or more (like 5-10 minutes just putting the talt in, then firecracking, etc) and the rewards are pretty minor comparatively - maybe a 96 or 84elite drop, a couple chips. Not much compared to Vergo or I guess what drops in Secret Temple.

But at the same time, I was pretty much back at the starting point, where all I did in the game was run around Rio Albi killing the Komodo for 92 chips. Compared to that, whatever dropped from Diablo was pretty decent, and my main (only?) source of 100 chips. So I liked doing it.

I guess I should find a clan that does Diablo regularly. But the only clans that used to show up there were Mael and sometimes Neph.

Vergo!

2008-12-08T20:00:00.001-08:00

2nd one for the clan (3rd including No_NeeD days), but first for me. I had no idea what the heck I was doing, mostly just ran around ressing people as much as the lag would permit.

Thankfully I didn't get anything good (would have felt guilty if I had), a mega talt and the key to the chest. Which opened up produced a couple of 84e and some junk. (Got an 84e Bracelet)

Core (clan) is born...

2008-12-05T00:15:00.000-08:00

I don't really like the name (I wanted Sky), but it got the most votes. So the clan has (hopefully) been reborn as "Core". We almost immediately did the 51 and 52 quests.

Hopefully we can get most, if not all of the old members. The leader of No_NeeD has apparently quit to join Maelstrom, so there's not much point in people staying. OTOH, the new clan seems to be more focused than the rather loose No_NeeD, and I think that might cause some members to quit, not join, or get kicked out due to inactivity. Me possibly for the latter as well, as the rules seem kinda strict.

Veteran number 10 is.....Claude

2008-12-01T20:49:00.001-08:00

Sort of an accidental vet, really. I used him along with the first Calyce, then him again with my second (who is 96th). But I didn't want to leave him at 100, even though I'd probably rarely use him (even got him a pole arm).

30% Whee!

2008-12-01T17:09:00.000-08:00

My highest vet just hit 30%.

Going back through screenshots, I put together an XP chart for how she's progressed:

Jan 3rd - 1st
Feb 3 - 44th
March 9th - 72nd (2 days later I finally got Catherine and left Torsche)
April 7th - 85th
May 3rd - 94th
June 1st - Vet 1.3%
July 5th - Vet 9.5%
August 26th - Vet 11.5%
Sept 16th - Vet 15.2%
Oct 16th - Vet 20.4%
Nov 4th - Vet 24.7%
December 1st - Vet 30%

So basically I get 5% vet per month for her. Best is 8%, worst is 2% in 6 weeks (when I took a break from the game, mostly)

At that rate, she will hit expert in 14 months, or March 2010

No more No_NeeD...

2008-11-27T23:03:00.001-08:00

Still a record for me, 6-7 weeks.

But basically it's splitting up for reasons I'm not 100% clear about. But basically, the titular leader Lig declared war on one of our allies, and our real leader, Unlimted, wasn't happy about it, so he left. And probably most people left to follow him, including me.

Honestly, I think it's overreacting a bit. But then, I didn't really like the clan the leader declared war on. At the same time though, you can't really go around attacking allies

Chipped a +3DR Striform...

2008-11-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! Had 11 chips, so I decided "Why not try to chip my Striform?"

So on the 8th chip (w/ EBs), I hit the jackpot. +3DR, +10 Def, +4 Evasion.

Now my Grace (or Musk) has as high as DR as my Fighter (56). I guess the next step is getting some Elite Plate...

Colony Wars...

2008-11-23T03:16:00.000-08:00

I missed it this week due to odd circumstances. The power went out in my living room, so I thought the breaker must be bad. But none of them were tripped. So I tried flipping a bunch, including the one that had my computer running in it. So that went off and reset, and when I tried to reboot it, it wouldn't. It would boot, but not make it to windows.

However, eventually I discovered that taking out my USB memory stick would let it boot. Which doesn't make much sense, because I leave it in there all the time, usually (it's how I back up my novels that I'm working on)

Anyway, I was pleased to learn we did pretty well in CW. Took 2 Colonies, apparently, but couldn't hold them against the combined forces of Neph and Mael.
Oh well.

OTOH, I later learned that part of the help our clan had was McGeezers new clan. As I really hate that guy (and he's a big part of the reason I quit playing for a month or so) that really turned my stomach.

I've never been too fond of being allies with Fatal either, I dislike their leader, but many of the members are decent enough, so I was largely willing to let bygones be bygones. But McGeezers is just too much.

So, I dunno what I'm going to do. Quit the clan is one option. Just not take part in CW any more is another. Taking a break from the game and buying Mines of Moria is yet another, though I can't really afford that until another month or so, given how much I've spent lately. Almost got Runes of Magic downloaded, so maybe that's an option. (Sadly, the room I leave my laptop in is the one without power, I think I need to change breakers. But I was going to have it patch tonight and try playing it tomorrow. Oh well).

A Raiding we will go...

2008-11-19T14:34:00.000-08:00

i

Last night was strange. It started off normal enough, but then one of the members wanted to try to get Grennmah. So off to the Skele Dungeon to a place I had never been before, Barrow de la Muerta.

Did that twice, but no item dropping, much to his disappointment.

Then one of our members who can only be described as mercurial, decided he wanted to do Vergo (which we had never done before). So we all tramped off there, not before checking up on Diablo first (where we actually won the FC).

Alas, Vergo wasn't up (and on the other channel, was being killed by Maelstrom), so we raced off to do Hellbreaker, another one we hadn't done before (but running to kill the Angler first. Where amusingly my Calyce did enough damage to draw aggro). On the way there we killed the Golden Bat only to find out Hellbreaker wouldn't be up for another 5 hours (and Mael was camping him, too).

I dunno if we could even have done Vergo or Hellbreaker, there were only 5-6 of us.

Sword of the New World and Burn out...

2008-11-16T23:20:00.000-08:00

Sword is a fun game. But it's also a fairly frustrating one. The grind from Vet to Expert is huge, probably even impossible to do actively without AFKing several hours a day. The amount of cash shop gouging is pretty bad, especially when it comes to the enchanting system. Lack of end game content, only a couple raids most clans can do and those you have to fight over.

And of course, one of the worst things, I think, part of the cash shop gouging, is the timed CS items. Rather than based on how much you are in game, they are based on real time. So people play far too much in order to get their money's worth.

All in all its a recipe for burn out.

It's bad enough when it happens to you, but it really sucks when it happens with your friends in the game. You never know if you'll see them again.

It's weird. In a lot of times you don't even know their real names. But you've spend a lot of time chatting with them. So I guess they are your friends. Not in the help get rid of a body sense, but still more than just someone you nod your head to.

Another Clan Wars...

2008-11-15T21:14:00.001-08:00

Dang, this was much easier when I was in a clan that had Citadel fight for us.

We declared on Neph, like usual. But then Maelstrom declared on us. So we had to fight Neph and Maelstrom. Which is pretty silly, as we really aren't a match for Neph alone. But they seem to be afraid of us for some reason.

We attacked Old Port of Coimbra. This was tough for some of our lower level guys, but every bit helps.

Did okay, but eventually we got overwhelmed by Nephs Experts (I think they have as many as we have vets, or close to it). I managed to take out a couple before getting killed, which is a nice feeling.

Then we regrouped and attacked Maelstrom at Tejeda Verde (top picture). This was more successful, we actually got the colony to about half before Mael stormed us, including former elements from my first backstabbing clan. (Boo!)

We do okay in colony wars, but our trouble is we never have any help from the other clans. We had a little from Fatal, one guy, Dragonmajere (who was 77th), but none from the other clans, really. (Telos apparently wared with Mael for a while).

We're going to have to be closer allies if we want to beat the Neph-Mael alliance.

Premiums are up on G1...

2008-11-11T02:47:00.000-08:00

Who can resist 8000 gold and 6 mystery boxes for $24.95? Not me!

It never fails to amaze me how fast you can blow through gold in this game, though.

1 Premium Treasure Chest (had to try it) - 2150 gold
1 Wheel of Destiny Pack - 1495 gold
1 Merc Warrant - 1495 gold
20 Enchant boost and 20 UAs - 950 gold

Got 1900 left. On the plus side, I got another Calypso and am busy powerleveling her. Had trouble with her fight, though, it's kinda tricky. Calypso and her opponents are all 5 levels higher than you. So I created a trio of 1st level guys and it actually worked.

Colony Wars fun and Citadel finally opens Caebolen

2008-11-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

All in one screenshot. Bottom shows our failed assault on Deserted Quay, and you can see who killed the Giant Keeper in the announcement field.

Top two show us getting ready for our assault on Deserted Cliff. This didn't go any better, sadly, though at least we damaged the colony. But then Neph's experts warp in and we're toast.

Calyce was fairly effective in CW, though not an unstoppable killing machine. The trick is getting burst shot off while the whole family is within range, then following it up right away with sub-machine shot while they are still on the ground.

Sounds easy, but the way people run around and all the lag, it's kinda hard. I managed it once, taking out 2 families , but that was pure luck.

Also, once you first burst shot, you're out of luck in terms of combat for a good minute until it recharges. Plus, the damange might not be enough to take out Experts.

So now what?

2008-11-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

I've vetted Calyce and maxed out her Sagitta stance. It really does kick ass for the most part, especially her 2nd AoE skill. I haven't used her in PvP yet, but for PvE, it's great for dragging mobs, since there is almost no casting time. Just about a second, then she jumps in the air and clobbers every one.

But now what do I do in the game?

Expert? Well, at the same pace which got me Calyce vetted in 2 1/2 weeks, I'd have her experted in about 3-4 months. Maybe. (She's 2% now). Ugh, no thank you.

I really like the gameplay in this game, but there's just not a whole lot to do once you hit vet. The long grind to expert is just too much for me, I need goals that can be acheived within a month or so.

Raids? There arne't many and those get fought over. And I rarely make it to them when they tell me. Same with PY.

Maybe it's time to start playing LOTRO again...

Woohoo, finally vetted Calyce...

2008-11-04T01:13:00.000-08:00

I say finally, but it's 2 1/2 weeks, which is by far a record for me. I can't actually believe there are Expert Calyces running around, but I guess it's technically possible legally. I'm worn out just getting her to Vet so quickly, though.

So far though, I'm pretty impressed. Her non-vet crossbow stance sucked, to put it mildly, but Sagitta, her vet one, is pretty nice. I guess it's pretty much comparable to a shotgun, it does splash damage and is pretty fast.

But the skills are what sets it apart. To go along with her normal built in buff, there's another one. Both of which can give you an extra AR if you have a ring for it to make it level 11.

Then there are 2 AoE attacks. One for only 5 enemies, so mostly for PvP, but the other for 15! Then a skill that immobilizes an opponent, and finally, one that makes her invisible.

Have only gotten the first AoE attack and seems easily interupted. Also the glow on the 92e crossbow isn't very impressive, just like little purple, blue and white sparkles glued to it.

Got it halfway....

2008-11-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

We tried that thing involving the Geraldo outside the Queen's Gate. We got it about to halfway, but that's about it, every time it did, it would regen a lot, then spaz out and kill most of us.

Sigh. Have I said I hate Verizon?

2008-11-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Because I do. I really do.

It's not just their incredibly crappy internet service. But trying to get support for their crappy service. If you go to their website, almost all the info they offer in terms of FAQs and such is for phones.

And if you call them, they are clueless as well.

I just want to know why my internet is constantly disconnecting (every 15 minutes or so). Is it my modem crapping out? Or is there something wrong with the service in my area?

Is it too much to ask? Apparently.

Scenes from the Halloween Event

2008-10-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

Done two, haven't gotten anything

First time in, I lagged for 30 seconds, then got killed by something. The lag was so bad I couldn't see anything. So eventually I logged out.

Second time, I waited a bit, then entered. Less lag, I guess because it was 5 am and less players. A bunch of Thoros wandering around. These were killed by the mob of players

Then I think some Fallen Knights (guys on big horses). Again, killed.

Then a big raid boss appeared. This lasted awhile, then it got killed. Lots of drops, but I didn't get any.

Then a little while later, a giant treasure chest appeared. Killed it, only one person got something (chips?)

Then the AM appeared, and we had some more Thoros. I actually got a drop from one of those. I think leather boots. Whee!

I guess better than nothing, but compared to events in other games, pretty lame, IMHO.

What's the deal with guys harassing women?

2008-10-29T00:47:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I don't get it. Two examples from tonight.

First off, my own clan, there was this 16 year old kid. For some reason, pretty much every time she came on, this guy would harass her. Talking about her chest, really stupid attempts to flirt with her, then tonight he starts blathering about her "time of the month" and PMS and stuff. So she gets pissed and quits the clan. Not that I blame her. I'm surprised she lasted that long. I was pretty close to quitting the clan myself (and still am, actually. Most the people are really nice, but there are always some in a clan that irk you. Maybe I'm just not a clan person...)

Secondly, with Catharsis falling apart again, out of the ashes has arisen a couple of clans, including the all-female Femme-Fatales. And yet pretty much every time they shout a recruiting message, they get subjected to some sort of harassment or snarky comment (like in the SS above). The wit later PMed me, saying there are no women on the internet (after I pointed out by his logic, the Brazilian clan was faking it as well).

Yet, we have clans full of Brazilians (as mentioned), Spanish speakers, even for a while, one full of Russians. I don't remember any of them being bothered like that, except when the Russians would use Cyrillic letters. And that was just making fun of the fact that no one else could even see the letters (since no ones but Russians have that font installed) and it just showed up as squares.

Seriously, just because someone in the game is a woman, doesn't mean you have to flirt/hit on her; make comments about her anatomy, or really, treat her any different than a guy, really. And same goes if they (or any other group) want to form a clan. Personally, it makes more sense than the one by country, because to me at least, one of the cool things about the internet is meeting (and playing games with ) people from all over the world.

I have no idea why people do that. I swear, the internet didn't used to be like that. Maybe it's kids are just getting more and more socially awkward, they don't meet girls/women in real life, so online they act like total asses towards them. Maybe it's the rampant sexism in the political campaign and media, first against Hillary, then against Palin. Maybe it's anime, which in my small experience, has creepy views towards women.

Calyce better be worth it...

2008-10-28T02:57:00.000-07:00

15 million vis to buy 50 MP (which took me like 2 1/2 weeks of farming to make)

14 million vis to buy a Mysterious Steel Piece

30 mysterious powders to make the ottite for her crossbow (bought from cash shop).

100,000 fesos to by the vet stance manual (since the quest to get it is buggy)

??? how many 92 chips and enchant boosts to get decent stats - actually, I got lucky and on my first try, got 30% attack, 27% speed, which is good enough for me (better than any of my other 92es)

300 gold on FA passes to level her up to vet (soon I hope, she's 86 now)

Calcye in Deserted Quay...

2008-10-23T17:37:00.000-07:00

I spent half an hour wandering around Deserted Quay before finding the right spot (eventually was given a clue by clan member Basque).

Except, you probably shouldn't do her quest yet, it's bugged, and on Orpesia, will prevent you from entering Los Toldos until its resolved

Colony Wars

2008-10-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

I missed the first 30 minutes of it, feeding my cats. I was impressed to find my clanmates had taken a colony.

Sadly, it didn't last, but still pretty cool.

Then we tried to take another colony, but got wiped out. I think we gave about as good as we got, though, as the picture shows

Hades Covenant is no more!

2008-10-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

Apparently my first clan disbanded yesterday. I dunno why, though I would speculate it might have something to do with the leader's impending marriage.

Part of me is sad, since it was my first clan and the leader put some effort into it, part of me also thinks it's probably a good thing for a lot of the members. (For the same reasons I left).

Got my pet...

2008-10-18T02:02:00.001-07:00

Looks pissed off, actually, and can't say that I blame him, me having killed his mother and siblings and all that.

Kinda slow at picking up stuff. On the plus side, came with a 24% charge, so can use him a little (since I'm lacking fesos to buy food).

Thoughts on the patch (so far)....

2008-10-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

Calyce is pretty cool. Only got her up to 49, but the Escrima stance isn't nearly as bad as I feared (in fact, I think I'm going to try a Lisa after I'm done with Calyce).

The pet quest is pretty evil, killing cute little furry animals.

The tweaked UI skin took a little getting used to, but seems to be a lot better.

The whole fesos thing has prices in an uproar. As well as the massively upgraded Bellem's boxes, which now drop mission lobbies, keys to instances, dyes, jewels (including high quality gems) as well as the occasional talt.

I'm not sure the fesos thing is going to make the game more friendly to non-uber people, since they are apparently available in PY, which means experts are going to crawl all over it (that was the case when my clan tried it, I got stomped, then lagged out). And people are going to be hunting all the mini-bosses to get jewels for the socket machine

The new patch is live, kinda.

2008-10-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Got Calyce (pictured above). Little trickier than I expected, the fight apparently scales to your highest character, and I had my scout (20% vet) and two 60 level guys. I ended up fighting a bunch of 107 level pirates.

Unfortunately, through a combo of server problems (they've been up and down) and ISP problems (Verizon still sucks) I haven't been able to play much. AFKed Calyce up to 27, but haven't actively played her much. She doesn't get her Xbow skill until level 60, either.

Citadel Owns Orpesia...

2008-10-12T01:33:00.000-07:00

Literally! They took over the whole map in this week's CW. Pretty fun, actually, my new clan tried to take over Deserted Quay, but were kept at bay by one or two Citadel members

Calyce is finally coming (next week)

2008-10-09T02:50:00.001-07:00

We should be getting an update next week, including Pets, Fesos, some other crap, but most importantly, Calyce!

I've had 50 mp set aside for her for months, and finally I shall have her. It's almost here.

Of course, it's from Neume, so take it with a huge grain of salt.

Ok, next topic. On patch day (a week from today) players will be able to add sockets to their items by talking with Claire (she won''t be available as a UPC just yet). Players will also be able to obtain jewels and socket them into their newly socketed items (Claire does this too).

After you do that players can head to the Pet Master in Gigante Beach and get their first pet: Poppet. He likes to pick up things for you... BUT you gotta remember to feed him. The pet food for him can be found on the Feso Exchange.

Feso will also be immeadiately available on the Bazaar. Just purchase an Earthstone and take it to the Feso Exchange. Players can also get Feso Stones by completing Andre''s UFC and killing monsters in the Forgotten and Ancient Areas. We will have additional ways to get these as well (e.g. AM Events, Community Events, F2P Promotions and Raid drosps).

The Feso Exchange will be live on Wednesday. This will change a few things on the Bazaar. From now on, most temporary items (excluding Premium Back costumes) will ONLY be available on the Feso Exchange. Consumables and Permanent items (as well as packages) will be what the Bazaar focuses on. What this means is that most of the powerful Cash Shop items will be available to all players through the Feso Exchange.

Wednesday will bring a host of other minor changes I have already posted about in my other thread. There is more I haven''t talked about yet and we will have more patches on the way before we get into Echoes of an Empire (anticpate an Update 5, 6, 7 and possibly 8).

Got a new clan and the Swamp Angler...

2008-10-09T02:42:00.000-07:00

I joined No_NeeD. Which I still think is a silly name, but seemed to be the best fit. Lots of members, including some fairly active ones. The guy that recruited me, Unlimted is nice (guess he doesn't need a second i).

And in the first hour of my being a member, we killed the Swamp Angler not once, not twice, but thrice.

So I've done that and most of the Bahamar quest line. I'm now stuck again near the end, I need 100 quartz, and I only have 16. There's no more on the market and I can't seem to find any as a drop.

Verizon Internet sucks...

2008-10-07T02:10:00.000-07:00

Ugh. No, I can't you hear you now, because your crappy internet service isn't working very well. If I'm lucky I can get on it for 1-2 minutes.

The One/Ceres kill the Hill Giant

2008-10-05T19:38:00.001-07:00

http://forum.swordofthenewworld.com/index.php?showtopic=28028

The guardian to the new maps of Xibola (however it's spelled in game).

Congrats to them (and the server).

But yikes, just looking at the pics, makes me realize just how futile this game can be. After 4 months of playing, my best vet is 20% to Expert. Some of the screenshots had people who were 40% to the next level (Master).

It's not just the cash shop (AA passes and all that), but people who can AFK can get 1-3% to Expert to in 24 hours. If you actively play for 4 hours, you'll be lucky to get .25%

Vetted my Karjalain

2008-10-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

She's really a fun character to play, but I worry about her post-vet, since she can only wear regular leather armor, not fighter nor scout, so she doesn't get a evasion bonus from those armors.

Searching for a clan, part three...

2008-10-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

This is a tricky task because there aren't a whole lot of clans in the game, and also because my list of enemies is larger than my list of friends.

I posted an ad and got a few offers.

Catharsis - I would have, except they let McGeezers in, who I don't like

Telos - the last time I got into a broading argument with McGeezers, the leader of the clan sent me a snarky message. I think it was her - some variation of Misiercorde

No_NeeD - maybe, I almost joined them once, but I'm allergic to funky capitalization.

Into the Forgotten Zone!

2008-09-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well, forgotten area. I had never been there before. But they had another contest/promo this week, buy 3 Ancient Area passes or 5 Forgotten Area passes and get 2 100 chips, plus some sort of lottery for extra crap.

Used one already. I was hoping to get enough strange stuff to get Viki finally, but only got 1 clock in about an hour in the zone Which is better than the 2 in all the time I've spent in the regular mansion, but still leaves me 17 short.

Spent some time leveling up my Baek Ho in Tetra. Got 3 harpoons there, useful for vindictive stones. Was hoping to get some Porto Bello uniques, but in about 3 hours there I didn't get any.

Argh, talk about pulling teeth...

2008-09-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

K2 finally started giving out prizes/rewards for last weeks Adelina the Pirate promo.

Finally. I could understand having to wait to announce the winners of the UPC cards, but not in handing out the 100 level chips and UAs.

Got the chips, but not the UAs. And I have no idea what I'm going to do with the lacquer I bought, since all my vet weapons are +4. At the time I had plans of selling it, but they aren't worth much, the market being flooded and all, so I guess I'll just hang on until later and hope the selling price goes up. Same with the 100 chips, I've got nothing to use them on, having no unchipped 100 stuff and no ability to get any more.

Another visit to the Land of the Dead...

2008-09-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

What, I guess 4 months after my first visit, I went back. First to get that Elite Dragon Tooth (second pic) that I had the recipe (and 20 Pure Ottites for) since the first visit. Then a 92 Rapier (Candlestick) for my Karjalain (who is getting close to vet), then another 92 Elite Pistol which I plan on selling or trading for some 84 Elite Leather Armor. And about 20 more Pure Ottites.

And oddly I ran into my friend Featherstrike who I hadn't seen in game for a while (I think he lives in Europe or at least someplace with a vastly different schedule than me). He was in HC and TWP with me. Then he joined Neph, which he quit, and now is in TWP spin-off, Shake the Heavens.

OT - My Lord of the Rings Character...

2008-09-24T02:47:00.000-07:00

While combat is kinda slow in LOTRO, you can customize your characters a lot more (even if the textures and hair sucks). It also has weather and day and night cycles.

Behold Galadthryth of Rohan, 30th Level Champion (on the Landroval Server, where sadly, almost no one talks, either. Once out of the free trial area, there's not a whole lot of people)

I'm now up to 7 Veterans...

2008-09-23T01:00:00.000-07:00

Whee! In the last week, I vetted Val, my Bernelli, and Fiera, my Elementalist.

Oooh, goodies from K2

2008-09-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

3 angel wings for having veterans, and 500 gold for giving suggestions in some thread.

(Model: Alora, my scout, who I find incredibly cute. For a video game character)

Titan Attack...

2008-09-14T21:44:00.000-07:00

The third I've been to

This was one somewhat sparsely attended, compared to the other two. But in this picture note 6 different Bernellis (including mine), plus a Musk and a Najib with a rifle. (My musk was using pistols at the time so she's so closer up. She used 16,000 rounds, then had to switch to a rifle)

Dead. That guy talking, stockmarket, actually got a drop, but I dunno if he collected it. First drop I've seen from an event boss

Kill-stealed by Catharsis....

2008-09-14T02:01:00.000-07:00

You'd think as probably the 2nd top raiding clan on Orpesia, they would have better things to do than hang around Rio Albi killing the Giant Komodo. Much less KS-ing clanless types like myself, for which the Giant Komodo is pretty much the most accessible boss there is.

But you'd be wrong. I was just KSed by Catharsis member Soleil.

As you can see in the pic, my Karjalain clearly has aggros, while the Catharsis guy rushes in with his ranged attackers. Since I don't have much in the way of gear, obviously he out dpses me, and thus gets the drop (I got the talt)

Man, I knew their standards had slipped when they get McBotters in, but sheesh.

Kaput goes my video card...

2008-09-13T02:06:00.001-07:00

Sigh. My desktop's video card, and XFX 7600 GS, just died. While I was playing Sword, no less. 2 years almost to the day after my previous card, a 6600 GT croaked.

So I guess I won't be playing Sword much of late. I actually had been playing more, getting a little tired of LOTRO. Not that it's not fun, but it's a lot of work to play, Sword is nice in that you can semi-AFK and play while doing other stuff.

I've been playing with Karjalain, Grace, and my Elementalist. Karjalain is a lot of fun to play, but the other two are better at AFKing. So while they are all now up in their 90s, Karja is only 90th and the other two are near 96th.

I've only got one vet scroll left, so I dunno which one to Vet. Grace, I guess. I'd buy another, but what with needing a new video card and just paying for a lifetime LOTRO sub, I'm flat broke. And all the vis I have in game is going towards Claire. (Already bought the MP for Calyce)

Competition for biggest jerk on Orpesia...

2008-09-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

I used to think it was McGeezers of the Autobots (now Catharsis), now I think it possibly could be that Dragonmount guy from Fatal.

Tonight he makes fun of some guy who doesn't speak English that well (and who is obviously a kid), and then when the kid gets angry, starts hassling and mocking him.

As an adult, seeing some kid (or maybe adult) bully a kid just pisses me off. And there's little you can do except insult Dragonmount back. Which doesn't solve anything, either.

Sigh. Makes me remember why I quit playing this game actively.

Titan Attack...

2008-09-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

This is the second one I've been to, since they started. Didn't get anything either time (the first time I actually dc-ed when it died).

Emilia the Sage comes to Sword...

2008-09-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

http://forum.swordofthenewworld.com/index.php?showtopic=27146

Basically she's like the regular Emilia, except she doesn't completely suck. She gets more wizard stances, including levitation.

The catch is, though, they aren't giving her out freely, basically a lottery system, a random person buying gold (well, lacquers) this weekend will get her.

Lottery systems and random grab bags are one of the ways a company can squeeze the most possible money out of a devoted fan base. Because people will go crazy trying to get a super-rare item. This is the basis for collectible card (and other) games.

I know K2 has to make money off this game, but cash grabs like this are pretty tacky

Argh! This close to bagging a swamp angler...

2008-09-05T23:42:00.001-07:00

I've been stuck on that damn swamp angler part of the Bahamar Quest since, well, about 2 weeks after Bahamar has been released. So what, 4 months? Something like that.

No one in either of the clans I was in wanted to help me (though at least my first helped with 2 of the pioneering seal quests in part one, though I did the others solo as they quickly lost interest in Bahamar). And I never had much luck finding anyone else via broad that wanted to do it.

But tonight I was playing and someone was putting together a squad to kill it! Alas, I was in the middle of doing another quest in an instance (one of the dumb Ustiur farming quests) and by the time I was done, they had killed it. So I missed out. Sniff.

Heh. On my way there, though, I did actually get an item drop, the first I've ever gotten in Bahamar, period (and I've probably spend 15-20 hours there, getting the pioneering seals and the explorer memoes and boxes). Wee, a 84 polearm with no mods. So I can't even trade it in for chips.

Why I don't like big clans...

2008-09-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

Recent observations I've made: Apparently Catharsis, who I formerly had some respect for, have admitted McGeezers, notorious botter and all around obnoxious asshole to their clan. (He's one of the main reasons I quit playing actively).

Citadel members also seem to be hunting/camping out the giant komodo boss in Rio. I guess they aren't content to monopolize pretty much every big raid, they have to get the little bosses as well.

While semi-afking at the Old Port of Coimbra, this guy from Lords of Destiny pulls mobs through me, twice. That's annoying because your guys will chase the mob. The first time it was only nearby, but the second time it was right directly through me, I guess deliberately trying to screw me up.

K2 comes through...

2008-09-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm usually not a huge fan of K2, but this time they really came through, finally giving out the costumes as compensation for 2.4 characters who lost theirs.

Really, I never thought it was something they needed to do (and indeed, I spend $20 buying the costumes for my guys from the cash shop in case they ever were removed, since we had warning). So I'm quite happy.

The only one I was really excited about getting was the La Ventisca dress for my elementalist. In the game itself, it's wore by some sort of tranny (like a shrunken Abe Vigoda), which is creepy. But on an elementalist, looks much better. Probably raises the rating of the game to M though (basically the skirt is in shreds, and she's only wearing a thong).

What's happening on Orpesia this week...

2008-09-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

I don't know really (since I haven't played much actively). But it looks like CW this past week as different. Citadel still has a lot of colonies, but Nephilim is down to 5 (they used to have more than Citadel at one point), and Catharsis has made a surprising return to CW. They have 3 clans by my count.

Also a new clan, Maelstrom, has a couple. At least I've never heard of them. And Vespanola has one.

Calyce coming October 1st?

2008-09-02T14:03:00.000-07:00

In this post http://forum.swordofthenewworld.com/index.php?showtopic=26910&view=findpost&p=255153

Neume says we'll be getting her in 28 days (which would be October 1st).

Of course, Neume says a lot of things that aren't true. Not that he's deliberately deceptive (other than his denial about the mineral exchanger exploit), he just gets overexcited....

Noooooooooooooooooooo!

2008-08-30T01:18:00.000-07:00

Drat. Looks like the release of Calyce will be delayed from September to sometime in October. And I guess Claire later than that (since Calyce won the poll to see which character comes first).

http://forum.swordofthenewworld.com/index.php?showtopic=26910

Caebola is coming today...

2008-08-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

Which would be the new area for the game. Based on the legends of Cibola, presumably.

The Singapore version has some decent info on the place

http://www.playge.sg/wiki/index.php?title=Requiem

Including a suggested minimum 62 AR and 60 DR.

Eeek. My best AR is 57 (my Vet Romina has a +5 Ancestral Rifle), and my best DR is 54.

Guess I won't be going in there anytime soon.

Another week...

2008-08-19T13:02:00.001-07:00

I think I played maybe an hour in the last week. Nothing exciting seems to have happened.

Looks like one of the Dark Carnival leaders has quit the game, Wicked_Clown. While the whole clan is a bit goofy, I thought he and the others added a sense of enthusiasm and glee to an otherwise dull and dour community.

2.4 Costume Restoration is finally here!

2008-08-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

http://forum.swordofthenewworld.com/index.php?showtopic=26097&view=findpost&p=244427

Looks like if you had a cash shop costume, you are out of luck, but otherwise you can pick a costume for each character that lost the costumes in the recent expansion.

Honestly, a lot of the costumes just suck, so no big deal picking out the new ones. But for fighter it was a tough choice between Bone Frame and Metallic (the latter looks nice on a female fighter at least). I went with Bone Frame.

There were no good options for Scout (glad I bought the School Uni from the Cash Shop). I went with Rescue.

For my female Musk, I went with the Dragoon Coat (ooh, fishnets), Elementalist I went with that La Venticia thing (I have a bunch of costumes for her in game, anyway), and my female wizard I went with the mutation costume (I had the original wiz outfit on her).

Some Orpesian gossip...

2008-08-13T18:47:00.001-07:00

Looks like my former 2nd clan, the Wolf Pack (of which I was a member for a whopping 2 1/2 weeks), has disbanded and reformed under a new name.

Why? I dunno, the specifics, only what I heard. I had heard the leaders had been having some real life issues, causing them to not be in the game all that much (indeed, that was my experience with them, when I was a member, I rarely saw the leaders).

What these issues were, I dunno, I heard things from ex-members, but I'm not going to repeat them (since I promised not to). Hopefully they seem to be resolved.

However, in the mean time, the vice of TWP, Slythe, apparently got demoted for reasons unknown (he apparently had been keeping the clan together in the leaders absence). Once he got demoted, a bunch of people quit the clan, either thinking the clan was dead, or upset that Slythe was treated poorly (he's a pretty good guy, though I never talked to him much, either, actually, when I was a member). Then things were quiet for a while, the leaders of TWP came back and haughtily announced they were forming a new clan.

Why was a new clan necessary? Beats me.

Anyway, it seems to be some of the trouble with clans is how the game handles clans. When the leader of a clan has real life issues, the rest of the clan is somewhat paralyzed. It should be possible for the leader to resign the leadership to someone else, and at least one vice should have th same powers as the leader.

Not much happening...

2008-08-05T01:30:00.000-07:00

at least in Sword. In Middle Earth, my main character just bought a house. Near the waterfall in the Bree homesteads.

Kinda a letdown, there's not much you can do there except look at the furniture and scenery.

They're also having a summer festival there. You can win costumes just by particpating in the special events. Mostly fishing. Kind of weird, but at least you don't have to pay $10 a costume....

Sigh - I hate clans...

2008-07-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

I really should just stop playing this game, I guess. It's more aggravation and feeling left out than anything else.

Part of the reason I left my first clan (HadesCovenant) was they never really did anything, and the one time they finally did do a raid, they didn't tell me about it or invite me.

They also didn't help me with any of the high level quests I needed help on, like fighting the Swamp Angler to do the Bahamar quest, or the Katovic quests. I know some people say they are easy to do solo, but I just don't have the gear for it.

So when I posted looking for a clan, I specifically mentioned I was looking for help on those things.

When I joined the second clan, it was pretty much the same as the first. No one ever did anything except AFK, really, except some AFKed in Forgotten Areas. Tried to get help to do the Swamp Angler in particular, but no one wanted to.

Anyway, I've mentioned why I quit them. But today I hear they are finally helping some members kill the Swamp Angler. Arrrrrrrrrrrgh! I've been wanting to kill him for months.

Ugh, maybe it's me? Maybe people just don't want to do things when I'm around.

But I dunno why. I go out of my way to help others. I pretty much am not nice to people only after they've done something to me to really piss me off.

Some fun in the game, actually...and then not...

2008-07-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

I helped some clan do the level 51 quest, along with a bunch of others. It always seemed strange to me that clan members would get non-clan people to do their quest. But in this case, I think the clan just had one member. Anyway, I helped out. Didn't do much, since we had a couple of experts along, but I was proud that I was the only non-expert (I think one other) that didn't get completely killed while fighting the final boss.

But then tonight, during CW, being clanless, I wasn't going to pay attention. But then the jerk leader of the Autobots has to insult my old clan (TWP - which I have no ill will against, they might have gotten me harassed by the Autobots and ganked, but are basically a bunch of nice people and don't deserve to be harassed by someone who cheats).

So I fire back a shot or two, and get a bunch of people mad at me. And one of the Autobots vices to apparently admit they botted. (They dared me to prove it, which is pretty much an admission.)

Heh, more fun with the Autobots...

2008-07-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

As mentioned, Baek Ho was released 2 nights ago. Last night the head of the Autobots was bragging via broad that he was already selling a vet Baek Ho, saying he got him to vet already because he used so many EXP cards on him.

Some people were dubious via broad, so I broaded something like

"Considering how much he bots, it's hardly surprising."

Heh. This must have gotten under his skin, because moments later he broaded back something like

"VonBel likes it up the bum, Fukoff!!!!"

I was irked by his bragging, so I was already logging off, so I only saw his reply a moment before the game quit. But it made my night. I wish I had a screen cap of it to use in my sig for the Sword boards, though.

Then tonight, because the LOTRO servers are down (the most recent update has been very buggy, alas), I was leveling up some guys in Jezebel Glen. Cullen, my 38 level Musk, Opehlia by 44 level Fighter, and Lia, my 43 level Emilia.

Along comes a guy from the Autobots. Around my levels, and he didn't harass me. So I wasn't going to do or say anything. But then I watched him, and it sure looked like he was botting. Not the most sophisticated one, either, the sort that RMT bots used to use ages ago.

So the more I watch, the more I get pissed off. Even had a gibberish name like the RMT bots. So finally I get mad and use a bunch of mystic spinelles, killing both of us.

Part of me feels remorseful if the person was innocent. But the Autobots as a clan did seem to be harassing any TWP members after the last CW, behavior that should be unacceptable to any good hearted members.

Heck, part of the reason I left TWP, besides getting tired of being ganked by Fatal and harrassed by the Autobots over the last CW, was that the clan message was to Kill all Fatal Members on sight. If you've got a problem with a clan, you should take it out on the specific members you have a problem with, or the leaders. Not bystander members.

Yeah, I know, big talk for someone who spinelled a 40 level Autobots member. But I wouldn't have done that if I honestly didn't think he was botting.

I guess during the next CW, I will see if anyone fighting the Autobots wants a non-clan member to squad with, to serve as a rezzer. Cheating, but then what the AB do isn't exactly playing kosher, either.

Baek Ho is here!

2008-07-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well, two days ago at least. He's another martial artist, and cash shop UPC that takes 50 MP.

I thought about getting him, but only had 36 MP and not enough vis or gold to get more, so it was an easy decision. Instead I put them on the market manager at a premium. 505k each. They all sold, too.

I hate to gouge people, but since I'm likely not going to spend any more cash on this game (since I've just sprung for the lifetime LOTRO membership, at $200) and don't have a way to make much money in game anymore (with the price of 84 chips going down and my fighter over 10%, making killing the Komodo in Rio Albi less profitable, since I get fewer drops).

I don't know if I should buy MP again when the price drops (which is how I got the MP in the first place, buying when it was 350k or less each), or buy a MSP for an 92Elite Bracelet the next time I go to the LoD (though this would likely mean less powder).

Well, another clan gone...

2008-07-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

My time in the Wolf Pack was pretty brief, 2 1/2 weeks, not quite enough to move past "Trial" status (would have been later today, I guess, they updated status on Sunday night, I think).

All in all, other than the colony buff and colony wars, it wasn't better than my old clan. Still no raids. No squadding in the high level areas where I need help with the quests. (Heck, there's almost no one high level in the clan to squad with, to be honest).

I could have lived with that though, except we got stuck in a permawar with Fatal and the their proxies, the Autobots (lead by the Cath3rine botter guy). Which mean I could no longer AFK, as the Autobots would camp over me or Fatal would kill me while AFK (or ambush me when I got back with spinelles to get rid of the KSers).

Which would be fine, but when I told my clan mates I was getting killed by Fatal and KSed by the Autobots, none of them offered to come help me. Maybe they couldn't do much, since like I said, there aren't a lot of vets in the clan, but at least some effort would have been nice. I've helped them whenever they ran into a KSer or something similar, why not show me the same respect?

The trouble with clans, is that clan spirit and togetherness always seems to be a oneway street. They're always eager to let you help them out, but when you need help, it's like crickets chirping in the woods.

K2 finally comes through on Anniversary Stuff...

2008-07-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Whether it was just them being late or being nagged to death, K2 came through today with goodies for the anniversary.

10 Karjalain boxes and a Le Blanc Costume. Personally I would have preferred gold, but something is better than nothing.

Also they mentioned they didn't do the boss event, because the servers were too full. Brilliant explanation!

Lets say for the sake of argument that's true (which I doubt), does it make sense to advertise the anniversary, including sending out email to members, get them to log in, and then have nothing? Even a really laggy event is better than disappointing all those people who returned to the game for one day to see what they got or what's happening. How many people hadn't played in a while, logged in, saw nothing happen, then completely uninstalled Sword from their computer, never to play again? More than a few, I bet.

And for f's sake, how hard is it to communicate with players? Have an AM in game say "Ooops, we're posting the boss and prize event a few days", or a post on a message board, or even send out a mass mailing. All of a minute or so?

Colony Wars, week 2

2008-07-14T02:32:00.000-07:00

Well, this weeks Colony Wars was pretty uneventful. Last week I had no idea what I was doing, and had a blast fighting a whole bunch of people.

This week I still really didn't know what to do, but didn't fight anyone. Only saw one guy and he ran around in circles.

Apparently all the action happened right away. Unfortunately, I miss the first 20-25 minutes feeding my barn cats. But it's something I have to do, they expect me, and a hungry cat is a dangerous cat.

One year anniversary event - so far, pretty lame....

2008-07-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

I don't like to bash people when they try to do something special, but the one year anniversary is really a letdown.

Basically items drop from monsters which you can turn in for prizes. Except the prizes sort of stink. A rat hat, a pouch that increases experience for 10 or 20 minutes, and pajama costumes (that cost 25 mysterious powder as well).

So, I've got a new clan...

2008-07-09T01:41:00.000-07:00

The Wolf Pack.

So far, not a huge improvement, but an improvement. The leader has been sick and so hasn't played much for the last few days, so I can't really judge. But if nothing else, it's got a lot of members on while I play.

And we participate in Colony Wars. That was fun, even though I had no idea what I was doing. I mostly stayed in Fercuccio Junction, guarding the place from attack from other clans.

Not that I really needed to, since we are allies with Citadel and they seem to provide back up. But I had quite a few good fights. I think 2 hours might be an hour too long, though

And even more drama...

2008-07-05T03:08:00.000-07:00

D'oh, besides PMing me, one of my old clan leaders also replied to me in a public thread. Which I had to answer so as to not look like a wimp, but at the same time probably makes me look like a hothead.

Geeze, while I'm pretty pissed at them (not so much for me, I was over that, but how they've treated a couple other members.), I was hoping to let things go. Whenever I mentioned my problems with my past clan on the forums, I always made sure to not mention any names.

Just when the game was getting better, too. It's too bad you can't transfer servers..

Drama with my old clan, sigh

2008-07-05T01:57:00.000-07:00

Out of the blue today I get a PM on the official forums from one of the leaders of my old clan (which I never mention the name of on the forums, since I don't want to bad mouth them publicly - I know there's here, but no one ever reads this).

"Blah blah, you should have told us you were unhappy. The raid which you weren't invited to (which was my final straw and why I quit) wasn't planned"

My first reaction, was when, exactly should I have said this? 2 of the 3 leaders were on actively maybe 2 hours a day, and when they were on, they mostly chatted with each other. Am I supposed to break in and say "Hey, this clan sucks"?

But beyond that, I know I've told them at least a few times when they did talk to me, that I did want to raid sometime. Or go into the Land of Death.

But somehow, they could never find the time to do that with me. Of course, the day the 2nd leader gets a veteran fighter ( a gift from a player quitting the game), boom, they are off raiding without me (inviting non-clan members, no less)

Still clanless...

2008-07-01T01:30:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's just me, but it's hard finding a decent clan.

If you go with a big, established clan, then you miss out on all the stuff like clan quests and learning how to raid. And to a certainly extent, you feel like a free loader, since you are gaining a +2 family level and possibly colony buffs for something you had no part in.

If you go with a small, newer clan, then you don't get to do stuff like colony wars. And there's no guarantee you will ever do clan quests or raiding, because the other members won't bother to tell you they are doing that.

Also, beyond that, there's finding people you fit in with. In my old clan, it was always awkward, because there were like 5 existing members who were friends. They'd really never talk to me while they were on, even if they were actually on and not AFKing, instead talking with each other. And then when the clan finally got some new people, it was like in a clump, and they all talked to each other (and some were already friends from other games). At least then they actually talked to me and I made some friends (ironically, one I talk to more after leaving the clan than when I was in it).

When I posted about looking for a clan on the official boards I had several offers. The first, Dark Carnival. They seem like nice people, but at the same time, I think they are fans of that rap group that copied Kiss (with the face paint), Insane Clown Pack or something. .I don't think I could take regular doses of that sort of stuff.

Then there is Kazouku. I can't stand one of their leaders. Kept arguing with him/her over broads because he/she kept insulting new people asking questions via broad, making fun of them. Which is just not very nice, and ultimately not good for the health of the game, either.

Catharsis. While they seem active enough, they also have a lot of members I just don't like. A couple smaller clans, one in gibberish speak which I can't spell and one just starting out whose name I can't remember. The first just has a terrible name, the latter, well, in theory it would be okay, but I don't want to waste another month of doing nothing in a clan.

Autobots - Uh, no, particularly given the first member of it I ever saw was probably the server's most notorious botters

The Wolf Pack. They seem to be a very nice clan, though bigger than I would have personally liked. They asked me 3 times, 2 times missing me, but on the third I agreed, only to find I still had a waiting period. But then they never got around to asking again, so I've been having second thoughts.

Part of me wants to just take a break from the game. But having tried most the other free MMORPGs, I really don't like them much. For one, I'm lazy, I hate having to click everything I target. Or move my guy exactly. I've gotten used to the auto attacks and the pathfinding in the game.

Nocturnal Sonata - The aftermath

2008-06-27T16:57:00.001-07:00

Well, just some observations.

The market for 100 level enchantment chips has exploded. People are selling them for 10 million. I don't know if they are selling at that price, but lots of people have them up for that much.

I bought one for 3.5 after the patch, which I thought was exorbinant, but wanted to chip my Scout's armor (since she's the one having trouble staying alive). Now I wish I had bought more. I don't even know where they come from, I've gotten one 96 piece of equipment from killing the Phob. General in Topolo. (Which I've killed about 10 times). I've never seen anything higher than 92 drop in the 100+ areas I've been in.

The lower levels seem quite a bit harder. I broke down and bought Vicente (who I named "Barry" in honor of "Barry the Bard" one of my characters from "The Bard's Tale", the first CRPG I played by myself). I'm not sure how good he will be, basically he seems to be just another elementalist. I only got him up to 20th or so, though

There seems to be a lot of reported lag. I've had some, but it doesn't seem that worse from when I was in the Land of Death (where I DC-ed about 6 times, and died once thanks to a lag spike). So I dunno.

Well, the patch is live...

2008-06-26T02:24:00.001-07:00

It's like a whole different game.

Well, not really. But it does feel different, like a remix or expansion pack (so I guess that name was justified after all). A lot of the text is different. For instance, on items, instead of saying the class name in a small font, it uses a 3 letter abreviation in a large font. Characters now have more stats, like sonic resistance and a couple others. Things are a little different.

I was going to buy upgrade accels on the market, but there were only 10. So I didn't get Vicente. All my mysterious powders had been sold, which I were hoping wouldn't be, since I needed them for buying the new veteran equipment (had 24, which let me buy 2 metal and 1 leather armor). I had some left, but I was saving those for my next trip into the LoD.

Sadly though, no 100 level enchantment chips to be found. I got the armor, but with the chips, no bonuses, which make them worse than my current armor in all respects except DR (which is 3 better). I imagine the prices of those will be in the roof for the next week or so, along with Upgrade Accels. I paid 650k a piece for the 10 I bought. Which is basically just spending the money I made off the powder.

Also a big change - the costumes on pre 2.4 characters are now gone. I had bought the school outfits for my scout and fighter in case this day came (and paid 4000 gold for the school pack). Ironically though my fighter now wears a mutation costume costume. But my scout wears the school outfit, which I really like the look of (and my musk, too. Looks ugly on the wizard and elementalist, and so-so on the female fighter)

Added more options, like being able to ignore clan, squad or group chat invitations. Sound seems more muddled, though.

Here comes the "Expansion"

2008-06-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

Really just patches 2.5/2.6, I guess they call it an expansion for marketing purposes. But they have made some new changes and added a new area, so its something. Only one UPC though, Vicente

I dunno if I want to get Vicente or not. He's not that expensive, apparently only 20 upgrade accelerates (or 850 gold, I think).

What I do want though are the 100 level polishers. At least for armor. I'm still using level 80 armor. The level 100 polishers do make some of my weapons obsolete. I spend what, 45 million on my Pizzaro (20 for the MSP, 12 for the cap sickle, plus 20 upgrade accels and enchant boosts). It's so sweet though. And I bought a sniper rifle for 20 million, then 6 million on upgrade accels for that and a few enchant boosts.

Postcard from the Land of Death

2008-06-24T23:12:00.000-07:00

I had bought the LOD pack when it came out, but I was waiting to do it with my clan. But I guess that sort of stuff interfered with their AFKing on the beach, and we never got around to it. I wanted to do it solo, but didn't want to leave my clanmates out. But since I left the clan, I no longer had anything stopping me. I also bought some more gold and bought a couple more LOD packs (since they are a really good deal). And so off I went, late night Monday.

First off, the entrance to the Baron city is a pain to find. I had the coordinates, but had to broad for help. And I might add, almost everyone who had been there gave me directions. I was impressed, I never had gotten so many PMs at once. Basically, as you come out of Porto Bello, hug the right wall.

The land of death is pretty, but really bogged down my computer. I don't know if it was the lighting, or all the flowers, but I was getting some huge choppiness. It's an old computer though, 3 years, and my graphic card isn't the best (7600 GS). But the first time the game was ever really choppy, graphically.

Other than that, and my internet connection deciding to lag horribly (good timing on their part, I knew it would happen), it's a fairly easy area. Harder than Toppolo, but easier than any other 100+ map I've been to. The only really nasty enemy on the map are the Muertos Elementalists, (especially the Elite ones) because they use that skill that picks you up and knocks back down. That can take off half your hp and knock you prone for a while. Usually you can see them cast, but sometimes they hide in the flowers. And they run fast, too.

(I went with my Fighter, Romina, and Scout, all pioneer armor. Used Forte Ring)

The quest to get Kurt/Ed is actually pretty easy. It's just long. Sort of half delivery missions, half boss fights. I didn't have any troulble with any of the fights, though my fighter died in the 2nd one vs Montoro when Kurt and Ed help you. But basically just let them do it. I think that took me 5 hours total (I got Kurt, since Ed looks like the female scout's transsexual sister. Yech)

It takes about 12 minutes to do the hunting mission to get 1 pure ottite (very rarely it gives you 2). I guess squading might cut down the time, but not by too much, because it's just a matter of finding the ones you need to kill (they die really easily, 2 shots from my Romina). You need 30 pure ottites to make one 92 Elite. So basically 6 hours of farming. Which really isn't bad at all, considering how powerful they are
But it's just kinda boring.

I only made enough for 1, but I sold some of the excess junk from the LOD pack and bought some more pure ottites others had farmed (they go for about a million each). So I ended up with 2 pistols. Wasted 5 chips (with boosts) trying to get something good on one, stopped on attack 20% up.

It's really not a bad investment in buying pre-farmed pure ottites. Figure MP goes for 350k on average, so basically you're paying an extra 550k or so. Sure, that's a lot for 12 minutes of effort, but at the same time, it saves you from a lot of boredom and it also takes away time pressure.

I mean, you don't have to worry "Oh no, I only have 1 hour left on my wheel. I need to get 6 ottites. Argh!". That actually making farming much more relaxing.
In my case, I probably DC-ed in the Land of Death about half a dozen times, so that wasted a lot of extra MP. So it was an even better deal buying the ottites.

The drops rate of items isn't terrible, but what you get isn't very good. Cheap stuff to sell, bracelets, sabers, robes. 80-84. No megas.

Mics are only 3000 vis in the Baron City. I bought 400 of them, which should keep me in them for a few months (I use about 5 a day).

Well, so much for being in a clan.

2008-06-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I lasted about a month, but finally called it quits. There were a lot of little things, but the final straw was when they did their first boss raid and never bothered to tell me about it.

Now admittedly, since they did it on Saturday morning, I likely would have passed if they had asked me, since I like to sleep in on Saturdays. But how about at least mentioning it to me? Like "Hey Jeremy, we're thinking about doing a raid and we'd like you to be there." or even just putting a notice in the clan message or on their website. I mean, I play every day, and I checked the website daily as well. It's not like I was one of the members that was never around.

But at the same time, they bring in other non-clan members to help. I mean, thanks a lot. I stuck with the clan when there were only 4 active members, 2 of which completely ignored me to flirt with each other (which is creepy as one is apparently a high school kid and the other married). I stuck with the clan when all day the other 3 just AFKed on the beach, and I just talked to myself. I stuck with the clan when the leader didn't remember I was in it on the Gamefaqs message board (where I've known the leader for 5 months). I stuck with the leader when she had us all help her alt account get another Catherine and level it on the beach (yay!, fun for all the clan). I stuck with them when the leader tried to weasel a ring from one of your lower level members during a mission lobby, whining she never got anything good (despite getting an insistendo ring the week before in one). And in both cases, I provided the mission lobbies.

And for my patience, how was I rewarded? By being ignored the first time the clan did something major.

Geeze, I'm 36, so you'd think I'd be too old for that sort of drama. But being left out is never fun at any age, I guess.

Well, I joined a clan...

2008-05-29T01:35:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make vet on my own, but it had gotten kinda boring post-vet. So what the heck...

It's led by the other frequent poster on the SOTNW Gamefaqs board, Delacourte (or KittyKat2003 on Gamefaqs).

So far, it's okay, I guess. They are nice, but there aren't very many members. Just basically 5 active ones. And by active I mean play a couple hours a day, then AFK for the rest of the time.

Plus, they know each other and I don't. So it's a little awkward at times. Still, no one is a jerk, no one bots, they all seem to be adults, or mature enough

Heh...

2008-05-23T00:49:00.000-07:00

On this thread on the official message boards

http://forum.swordofthenewworld.com/index.php?showtopic=22870

They mention a "review" at a site called "MMOFury"

But basically it was a fluff piece. All the "reviews" on the site are incredibly positive. The lowest one I could find 89/100. Most of the others got 94-96s.

And in the review of Sword there is an affiliate link to the Sword website (which basically means the "review" site gets money by everyone they direct there).

Anyway, that's okay, but I made a post pointing this out. And it got deleted! Mwhahaha. Touchy, I guess.