Saturday, May 26, 2007

AFK = WTF?!

Late yesterday evening, I went back to the office after a game of badminton with my officemates. My Dad was going to pick me up after a few minutes, so I decided to play a quick round of GE. But I estimated his ETA a bit off...I was only able to play for a few minutes until he texted me, saying he's right within the vicinity of Buendia.

I've always wanted to try out what it's like to go away from keyboard (AFK) in GE, as most gamers have been doing in order to curb the impatience brought about by the level grinding. I was hesitant to do it before, as I had insane thoughts of the PC blowing up after being left open overnight. But yesterday night was different, so I took the plunge.

I switched on the electric fan and pressed the auto attack control on the keyboard. Satisfied in see my girls randomly killing monsters at the Tetra Grand Corridor, I turned off the PC monitor and crossed my fingers. Then I headed out.

I was supposedly not going to work today, as I was feeling really sick with this virus I caught in the office. But I knew I left my PC open the entire night, and I was getting anxious to see the level the girls have attained. Despite my sickly disposition, I was excited to get to the office (the first of it's kind, really XD). When I got to my station and brought the monitor to life, there it was...

My DeSanggria girls were still at the same level I left them, with Verdandi and Cyradis dead at Alaena's feet.

Great.

I figured they died after being mobbed by the monsters (the Tetra Grand Corridor is notorious for those monster mobs appearing after opening a suspicious-looking box), and they couldn't very well go on auto attack mode again with no one hitting the controls to activate it.

Oh well, my first AFK experiment...a MASSIVE FAILURE.

But still, there's a next time for everything. >:)

===

I've created another family in the Caravaggio (PK) server, and this time, it's an all-male team. They're actually the cousins of the three sisters, and they likewise share the same family name of Alaena, Verdandi and Cyradis. I took on creating Kahlil (Scout), Raquim (Musketeer) and Armeo (Elementalist), coining their names from my favorite GMA fantaserye. I actually wanted to have a male elementalist in my lineup, because his gay-ish voice cracks me up all the time. I decided on having a musketeer then, because it would look drab if I had the same lineup of characters, only of a different gender.

The boys are still at level 7 and are currently doing Idge's old armor quest at the Feruccio Junction (which also happens to be a boring quest in my book). Hopefully I'd be a bit more inspired to help them attain higher levels, as I'm currently busy improving the girls in the Cervantes server.

Too bad with the server separation, the DeSanggria cousins wouldn't be able to meet face to face.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

le pimpage

I haven't considered myself a serious gamer. True, I've played my share of console games, although I'm not that skilled compared to my brothers. I also do not spend countless hours finishing a boss stage, nor do I spend money in buying gaming titles. But that was before Granado Espada. In fact, I've become more like a chronic gamer everyday because of this. I look back on the person I was before and compare myself to who I am today, and I find a stark contrast between the two.


GE changed so many things in my life, among which is my blogging and cosplaying hobbies. I find myself blogging more about the game (and even creating this separate blog account for pure GEek talk XD) and posting a lot of GE stuff in forums. I like meeting fellow GEeks and learning useful stuff about the game. The NineMoons Family in particular share a lot of tips and useful insights about the game, now that it in the Pre-OBT stage. The game is so rich in stories that I enjoy taking screencaps of my family's exploit to write my own story amidst the GE backdrop. I haven't seen myself dedicated in such a task for a long time.


Cosplay-wise, I'm collecting loads of reference pictures for reference. I scour the Internet for all images I can get of a particular character. And I'm quite thankful that the game allows various camera angles as well as the diversity of the characters' attires. I did not have a difficult time looking for pictures of my first GE cosplay, the Fire Elementalist. I was able to get a hold of various pictures in many angles of the said character. It helped me conceptualize and explain to the seamstress how it's supposed to be done. The result was a fantastic real-life rendition of Verdandi's current costume.


While wearing the costume in the e-Games event, I was able to meet GE's Regional Community Manager, Hrin, in the
flesh! If it were not for my introverted streak kicking in that time, I'd have loved to talk to her in a better circumstance. She even said she loved my costume! W00t! That meant a lot to me, coming from the game's RCM no less.


I'm currently planning to cosplay Idge Imbrulia, who also happens to be my favorite NPC. I was able to do a bit of research about her & found out that contrary to her tomboyish look, she was actually a maid in Illier before moving to Granado Espada. I like her profession as well—she shows a lot of strength, skill and wisdom for someone who's in a job deemed to be a "man's world". The costume's going to be a lot of work though. The details itself look very challenging. I hope I can work on this as soon as I finish another priority cosplay sometime in July.


GE has totally made a significant influence in my life. And I've never been excited about a game like this!

Saturday, May 19, 2007

a strange world

Dear Mama,

We have arrived safely in Granado Espada, and so far, the Queen's officials in this New World treat the Pioneers with high regard. So many families have already set foot in this continent; some have already embarked on various missions to cleanse the place from monsters. We are confident that we too can take part in these quests. In fact, we've
already accomplished a few, much to the delight of Alaena.

We had this one quest in which we had to kill a certain number of giant hornets. Naturally, only Verdandi can take them down as they were airborne. Alaena took care of the monsters attacking us, while I made it a point to use my skills in order to heal my sisters from the wounds of battle. Thankfully, we were able to vanquish these monsters and claim our reward, the Hornet Amber (I daresay it would be of good use to us when we find ourselves in a fix).

While on our way back to Cite de Reboldoeux, we encountered a massive creature called the Hill Giant. Naturally with Alaena in the group, she wanted to take down the fiend for herself. Of course, we couldn't just leave her alone, so the three of us followed it around,
hitting it randomly with spells and swords. The monster proved to be a tough one as it
took Alaena by surprise with one of its massive attacks. Thank goodness I was able to heal her in time before anything fatal happened.

Other families also joined in the battle against the giant. The fight lasted for quite a while...it was really difficult to conquer a huge monster with such a high defense. If it were not for the other pioneers, I'm afraid we'd have been in a difficult bind. Nevertheless, we were able to bring it to its knees, thus finally putting an end to the destruction it caused.

As much as there were a lot of strange creatures in the battle field, we found a lot of interesting people in Reboldoeux
as well. The city itself is well on its way to becoming the next Vespanola with its fabulous architecture, quaint streets and avenues, modern facilities and excellent governance. Verdandi did not want to pass up the chance to explore, and she wanted to look up the latest fashion in Granado Espada. Thankfully, the money you gave us as well as our regular allowance from the Office of Pioneering Support was more than enough for Verdandi's whims, and so we sought a renowned couturier by the name of Andre Janzur.

This Janzur fellow seemed like a very famous person in the city. People actually flocked to his shop to browse for his latest creations. We were told that he made fantastic clothes and that his creations do not come cheap. Just imagine the glint in Verdandi's eyes when she heard that and you'll understand what I meant.

Anyway, we finally met this Monsieur Janzur, and he was...well...a trifle odd. I don't know how to describe him, but he particularly irked Alaena (she said his build was too queer and his mannerisms effeminate for him to be considered a man). But Verdandi took to him like a long lost sheep! In spite of Verdandi's praises on this strange man, he was a shrewd merchant and did not give us any discounts at all (I think this absolutely displeased Verdandi).

We explored this city a bit more. We bought supplies, enhanced our armors and weapons and took on a few more quests. Alaena likes to plan for our strategies in fulfilling our missions, and we took quite a lot of time planning our moves before we headed out.

In fairness to Alaena, she may seem to be too spirited sometimes, but her interest in battle and her strategic plans helped us a lot in the success of our missions. Alaena is a formidable leader and I'm glad we have someone who actually rationalizes over battles, unlike Verdandi who just wants to get things over and done with.

Ever since our arrival in Granado Espada, things have been very busy for us. With so many quests and tiring missions,
I sometimes find it strange why we don't tire easily. I guess being in a new environment forces us to be on our toes and to always be on our guard. We miss you all terribly. Verdandi and I sometimes talk about our life back home and the people we left behind. Alaena wouldn't have it, though. She says that it is our duty to see to the Crown's wishes and she wouldn't want to see us vulnerable with our thoughts of home. Yet, I know that she too misses our home. I sometimes find her deep in thought, and I know that she thinks of you and Papa as well. I guess Alaena means well for all of us; she is our elder sister after all.

Anyway, we are currently handling a mission
deep in the Al Quelt Moreza dungeons. The place is strewn with abominable monsters, but we've managed so far. We've recruited one person to our team, a little boy by the name of Ramiro,
yet Alaena does not want him to join perilous quests (she told me she doesn't want to be encumbered by a small one to worry about all the time).

Ramiro does not say anything, but I know he's rather disappointed not to join us. I agree with Alaena though. It's not that we don't want him around...we just don't want to put his life in danger with so many dangerous monsters stalking the dungeons. We do have our best interests for the boy.

We've been going to and fro the dungeons to retrieve items as part of the quest. At times,
we strengthen ourselves even more by killing more monsters. Other pioneering families are doing this as well, although sometimes it was pretty difficult to catch monsters and kill them as there were so many of us ambushing them in so many places.

While doing one of these "strength training" tests (as Alaena puts it), I almost got myself in serious trouble because of my carelessness. Thankfully, someone stood guard to cover me while I regained my composure. A tall, dashing musketeer saved me from being mobbed by these monsters, and I stood there immobilized for quite a while, not just because of my injuries, but also with the fact that this altruistic young man watched over
me. I do not know his name or where he came from, but I am eternally grateful for his help. I do hope I can see him again in much more amicable circumstances.

I believe we've finally attained a level of strength that would enable us to don new armors. Verdandi bought a dress
which matches her elemental abilities, while Alaena took on the Hack and Slash stance and put on two swords. I on the other hand, fortified my healing skills and donned a sturdy armor for defense. Thanks to the Stance Masters, I can say that we've stocked up and were more than capable to face the dangers awaiting us next.

We are finally ready for our next mission—the fight to rid the Al Quelt dungeons of the evil brought about by the priest, Dilos Latemn. I can sense a certain kind of mystery enveloping this person. Most of the people we've talked to are quite firm in saying that the priest brought upon evil in what was once upon a holy and venerated place. I for one do not believe such accusations, and this mission is just about the right moment for me to get to the bottom of things.

Meanwhile, please send Papa our love. Please do not worry about us for we all watch over each other. We can't wait to go home to be back with everyone.

Your daughter,
Cyradis