July 2020 - Alternate Image Gaming

WoW: The Worst News of Shadowlands So Far

July 29, 2020July 31, 2020

During Blizzcon 2019, it was announced that the Mythic+ weekly cache would now have multiple options we could choose from and possibly a currency option if none of the gear was desirable. This was to help solve the issue with our weekly disappointment box (such as how I once got the same exact piece of loot 3 weeks in a row and the same slot 7 out of 8 weeks). Sure, the options could all be bad, but it directly increases the likelihood of getting a piece of gear that is usable in some way. Truthfully, as far as new systems go, this was the thing I most looked forward to. There was a few weeks where I was getting a +15 on every single class and somehow still went 2 weeks in a row without getting a single upgrade, including on characters whose overall item level was under 460 (the box drops 475, for context). The idea that we were looking forward to was a straight-forward quality of life upgrade, not MORE loot or less effort, just a little more “player agency” as Blizzard is fond of saying right now. However, thanks to a Wowhead post… I’ve learned it isn’t quite that simple.

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Ashes of Creation

Ashes of Creation: First Thoughts

July 27, 2020July 27, 2020

When I first learned about this game, it seemed alright. I put it on a list of upcoming games to watch and kinda moved on. Then, I heard some odd things about their battle royal mode that they kept messing with when everyone was wanting more information on the MMO and felt like maybe it was going in a weird direction. Add it to the list of probably dead on arrival games (or dead before arrival, in some cases). However, I saw this video (embedded above), a video that many, many people apparently have watched and enjoyed, including Asmongold and Summit1g. And after I saw that video, well, it’s back on the top of my interest list for future game releases. This in development MMORPG has such broad focus including: PVE, PVP, crafting, politics, religion, exploration, world building (literally). I’m going to discuss some of the things that really set this apart for me after the break.

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Magic: Legends

July 24, 2020July 24, 2020

It was probably a year or so ago when I first heard that Cryptic Studios was going to be working on an MMO based on Magic the Gathering. My mind was immediately inundated with World of Warcraft x MTG ideas. It seemed… like it could be something special. Cryptic Studios is the team behind Neverwinter, a Dungeons and Dragons based MMORPG and some others. I played that one a bit and thought it was pretty decent, so I was hopeful they could take their experience, add to it, and apply it to another game adaptation. Unfortunately, when actual information first appeared, it wasn’t the epic MMORPG that I had imagined, it was an ARPG. Now, action role playing games can be fun too, but my expectations (which was my own fault to have) were a bit dashed. Let’s talk a little about what has been announced so far. Also… I may have gotten invited into the beta, so, that’s partially inspiration for this post. Trailer, some links, how to sign up for the beta, and thoughts after the break.

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Shadowlands World of Warcraft

Shadowlands Beta: What I Hope to Accomplish

July 23, 2020July 23, 2020

This week I found out about two people in my social circle who have gotten invites to the beta. One, a good friend that is in a top 200 world raiding guild and has been, prior to this expansion, typically between top 100 to top 10 in his raiding progression. However, a friend of a friends mom got in and that player is very casual. So, perhaps they are starting to let in a little more diverse group. You can read more about my thoughts on who they invite in my last post HERE. In this, I’m going to talk a little about what I hope to accomplish when(if) I eventually get into the beta. Maybe you’ll get some ideas for things to focus on, or maybe you can suggest something I’m missing.

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Shadowlands World of Warcraft

Shadowlands Beta: Who Gets In?

July 17, 2020July 17, 2020

While, this blog isn’t quite back up and running yet, I did want to talk a little about the Shadowlands beta and the access (or general lack of) to it.

The alpha test for this expansion was almost exclusively limited to streamers, youtubers and other such content creators. In addition to those type, the very top end of competitive content players also had a high rate of invitation (as is true historically as well). At first, this made sense to me. The very best get rewarded for their accomplishments. The content creators will create content with their access. Even further, WoW streamers and high end content runners tend to be very active and are very likely to spend a lot of time in an alpha test to either get an advantage for when the expansion goes live or, naturally, to have something in demand to stream. Win, win, win, right? Maybe… Some thoughts about this, and a tip about beta access, after the break.

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