Leafshine: Lust for Flower

Quit WoW? Nearly…

2009-07-16T17:53:22+01:00

I was sent this screengrab a couple of weeks ago by Dale, who managed to come up with this while using the in-built YouTube video browser to look at other videos after watching the one I embedded here.

I uploaded the picture, intending to blog about it, but didn't get around to it. And, while it sat unseen on Typepad's servers, it very nearly came true for me. For one reason or another, I just didn't have time to play WoW at all for a couple of weeks. And I found that I'd stopped thinking about it, and wasn't missing it. Three weeks in, I was seriously contemplating quitting for good.

By last weekend, I genuinely thought that the next post on this blog would be the "goodbye, WoW" post that has been so common on blogs of late.

And then, I signed up for one last Naxx raid last Monday evening and, to my complete surprise, I had a complete and utter blast. Despite the fact that we spent much of the evening learning Heigan and his dance dance revolution, which meant lots and lots and lots of death, everyone stayed very good-natured. We got better with each iteration, and people were still laughing and joking as we did so. And, in the end, we had a massively successful night (for us).

So…

I'm back in the game, and back on the blog. Didya miss me? :-)

Would Saying "It's Just A Game" Help?

2009-06-24T08:38:37+01:00

A kid freaking out because his Mum cancelled his WoW account:

I hope I would act better if my other half ever pulled the plug on me. :)

The New "Supermarket" Arena

2009-06-17T06:57:00+01:00

This is, in fact, deeply awesome:

Pity that I live in the UK and can't buy the product. :)

A Naxx WTF?

2009-06-16T16:21:00+01:00

A guildie, and good buddy, is a bit of a server hopper. When our server, which is a quiet, RP backwater, can't provide the action he craves, he hops server for a while, and then comes back.

His latest blog post contains something I find utterly inexplicable: a server where you need the Epic achievement before you can join Naxx 10-man pick up groups. WTF? You need to prove that the run is useless to you before you can join it?

Can anyone from a non-backwater server explain?

The Great Warcraft Ennui Escape Plan

2009-06-16T15:15:43+01:00

Like 67.56983214%¹ of the WoW blogosphere, I've been going through a period of WoW ennui right now - and I know exactly why. I've moved past the questing stage with Leafy and am now occupied solely with a combination of dailies, instancing, raiding and clearing out my remaining group quests. And, as happened in Burning Crusade, that leads to a touch of, well, boredom. I'm a narratively-driven gamer, and once you reach the end of the questing road, your narrative incentive goes.

So, I find myself just a few Champion's Wotsits away from a nice Epic weapon, but unable to summon up the enthusiasm to log in and do a few rounds of jousting to bag the reward.

And so I don't play.

And so I don't blog.

But then, the social pressure of the need for Leafy Haelz gets me raiding in lovely ol'Naxxramas last night, and we have a satisfying night, with Noth falling before us on our first ever guild attempt on him. Hurrah, us. Hurrah also my uber, Decursive-assisted, curse removing skillz. And Hurrah for guildies who are bringing their new alts into the instance. And as I look at the alts, electrons leap the vast gap between neurons in my brain, new connections are formed and an idea takes shape.

I need to get back to my alts. Nice as the idea of "completing" Northrend on Leafy appeals, it's never going to happen unless I rekindle my enthusiasm. And the best way to do that will be to get my alts, sadly neglected since the launch of WotLK, back in action.

I have A Plan. Will report back.

¹The legions of researchers I have working on this blog are very precise in their investigations.

New to The Blogroll: Weak and Zen

2009-05-29T09:02:36+01:00

I've added a couple of new blogs to the ol'blogroll this morning.

Rez the Weak posted one of the most interesting responses to my post on blogging basics. And I just love the interviews Xeonio is doing with fellow raiders. Fascinating reading.

Also new is a Resto Druid (hurrah!) called Zaralin. And she got on there on the strength of this post. The image in there made me laugh out loud.

Both come highly recommended.

The Newest Raven on the Blog

2009-05-29T08:48:04+01:00

A guildie has just started dipping his toes into WoW blogging. Please go and say "hello" and give him some encouragement. Thanks!

Once Upon A Leafy

2009-05-28T18:01:31+01:00

Once upon a time, a very long time ago in fact, I was tagged to do a meme. And I thought "ooh, that looks fun. I must dig out a really old screenie and do that". And promptly forgot all about it.

Once upon a much more recent time, Admiral Bob Llianion got around to fulfilling his tag. And I thought "oooh, blimey, I should have done that". And this time I remembered to dig out my old screenie! And there is young Leafshine, in her 16th season, exploring Westfall, and being awestruck both by the sunset, and by how clean her UI was, back in those 1.x days of WoW.

So, what were my n00bish moments?

In EU beta, wondering what the heck that red man over on the right hand side of my screen meant. Given that the guy was in armour, and I'd just seen my first centaurs on the edge of Mulgore, I jumped to the conclusion that Mulgore was being invaded! AMG!
Hanging onto grey items, until I found out what they could be used for.
Lagging into the Ironforge lava, back when EVERYBODY hung out in Ironforge.
Being petrified of going into the Southshore area, in case I got ganked...on an RP server.
Not being able to figure out how to get to my corpse when I died underwater.
Not figuring out that you could buy gear, or get your guildies to craft it for you, until I was well into my 30s.
Not knowing to do the Menthil Harbor to Ironforge run naked, to avoid the inevitable repair bills.
Wait, food gives you buffs? Ooooooooh...
Having no idea that you could train to use other weapons.
Taking nearly a year to hit level 60.

And just for something a bit different, here are the things that scarred me from my early WoW days:

Endless corpse runs into caves in the starting areas, because you would always end up getting aggro as soon as you ressed, and before you could buff or heal
Those bloody furbolgs near Dolonaar. I still drop by to wipe them out for old times' sake whenever a world event takes me their way.
How darn big Ashenvale was in those no-mount, one flight-point days.
But not as big as Desolace.
Being perpetually poor as an Enchanter, because all my greens were being disenchanted rather than sold.
Oh, and my first run from Menethil Harbour to Ironforge, in my low teens. Just when I thought I was safe, because I was beyond the crocalisks, I got ganked by the orcs between the tunnels. I hated that run.

Sometimes I forget just how much the game has changed since 2005.