November 2024 In Review

 November 2024 has come and gone and with it I'm a year older and wiser as I celebrated another birthday that puts me somewhere in my mid-40s.

The Blog

 Blogger provided number (last 30 days graph so a bit off a full month): 18,200

 In other metrics:

• Posts:
  
• Target: 16 (weekdays minus vacation)
  
• Posted: 14
  
• Difference: -2 (the election results deflated my mood for a few days)
  
•  Search Trends
• "new world roadmap 2024", "new world 2024 roadmap", "new world road map 2024" continues to be the top driver of traffic even while I was on hiatus playing Throne and Liberty.  Of course we already had the 2024 road map and recently got the "whats next" update (which I need to post about still)
  
• "best battlefield game", "best battlefield", "best battlefield games" is proving it has a long run as it proceeds to drive traffic to Best Battlefield!?
• "throne and liberty daily checklist" also creeped up the list for a short run in November but dropped out fast
• "ashes of creation pirate software" also blipped driving some traffic to my post going over the video between Pirate Software and Stephen Sharif 

What I Played

 November started out strong with a lot of Throne and Liberty, but the game wore on me and I found myself less and less interested in the progression system which kept me from logging in.  By the end of the month I had given up on the game entirely.

 Which meant I had a hole in my MMO play space and to fill it I leaped back in New World.  It is honestly the better MMO of the two games and I'm enjoying my time back in New World far more than I was enjoying my time in Throne and Liberty.

Years Ago

1 Year Ago

Nov 2023 was dominated by New World posts

• New World Economy
• Brutal Road Map Update for New World
• New World Arena
• Rethinking New World's Progression
• and plenty more during that month
  

5 Years Ago

Nov 2019 was in the 'not a lot of blogging' era and nothing comes to mind.

10 Years Ago

In Nov of 2014 we got the first teaser trailer for The Force Awakens.  Oh the promise!  The excitement! Can we go back and pretend none of the other sequel movies happened?

And I was playing ArcheAge at the time.

15 Years Ago

In Nov of 2009 the rumors began to swirl about the imminent shutdown of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning as the grim reaper that is EA began to cut staff at EA Mythic.  I miss WAR.  I think it had a chance to be a better game than it turned out to be.

We also got our hands on Left 4 Dead 2 which I still revisit from time to time all these years later. There is nothing better than playing as the zombies in that game!

I was also celebrating World of Warcraft and Firefox hitting their 5 year anniversaries.  I swear this was just yesterday though... but 15 years... 15 years ago... that means we've had both of them for 20 years now!

Oh and WTF (What the Favre)!

 20 19 Years Ago

 Technically I have 20 named years on my sidebar, but mathematically 2005 is only 19 years ago.

 In Nov of 2005 I was posting about the keys to the World of Warcraft's auction house; a pastime in every MMORPG I've ever played.  The online market and economy is one thing that sets these games apart in my book.

Star Wars Galaxies' ill-fated New Game Experience (NGE) was getting the proper drubbing it deserved.  No more tears, or words, shall be shed in remembrance of this event.

Monday Screenshots: Brighter Shores

 I gave Brighter Shores a few minutes of my time and well... no... just no.  These screenshots will be the only record of my time in the game.

Almost feels like an AI-generated title image... and the buttons feel like a game from 25 years ago

Another world, another "heartlessgamer"!

And that's it.  I didn't play too much past the tutorial.  The game is clearly for an audience other than myself.  It feels like a game meant for web browsers 25 years ago.

Thursday 11/28/2024 Post

 The Packers beat the Dolphins and Jordan Love finally got his turkey leg!  Two legs in fact!

Happy Thanksgiving 2024!

 Happy Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for all of you; you imaginary blog readers!

AI image generated with Microsoft Designer.
Prompt: A video games blogger who plays a lot of MMORPGs getting ready for a Thanksgiving feast.

Monday Screenshots: So Much To Do

Thanksgiving week is here, and you know what that means: chaos! There’s the turkey to pick up, the house to clean for guests, and... the map in New World to conquer. Yes, you read that right. I didn’t take time off just to prep for a feast with the family—I took time off because my New World map is an absolute disaster. Take a look:

Just look at all those quest and other markers! The New World: Aeternum update didn’t just shake things up—it packed the game with tons of new story quests and repeatable quests in zones like Cutlass Keys. Personally, I’m all for MMORPG maps that glow like a Christmas tree, brimming with things to do at every turn.

Note: this post was edited with the help of AI. The thoughts are my own.  The grammatical correctness is the AI.

Sunday 11/24/2024 Post

 The Packers beat the 49ers and damn did it feel good considering the recent history against them.  Better yet; this loss likely puts the 49ers out of playoff contention.  Stick a fork in them; they're done!

Still Got It: New World Arenas and Outpost Rush

My second day back in New World, and I proved I’ve still got it by securing back-to-back victories in 3v3 PvP arenas. Afterward, I jumped into an Outpost Rush, which we won, and I ranked in the top 10 overall (top 5 on my team) with 11 kills and only 3 deaths. It felt great to be back!

 One thing to note; I am still using my "Frozen Inferno" build with minimal changes since I last played.  The artifact firestaff I use, Inferno, was my first upgraded artifact so is now 725 GS and also now has a gem slot so I slotted an electrified emerald.

 Oh and happy birthday to me (damn I'm getting old)!

Top damage and a 3-0 win in 3v3 arena

3-1 win in 3v3 arena

Outpost Rush; top 10 and an 11/3 KD ratio!  I'm back!

 

Why I Quit Throne and Liberty to Go Back to New World

I just can’t bring myself to play Throne and Liberty any longer, and it took logging back into New World for a few minutes to see why. New World is the better MMORPG. It’s better in every aspect I care about.

Sorry Helpie!

One thing I missed while I was in Throne and Liberty was how being zoomed so far out affected my experience. Playing effectively in Throne requires you to zoom way out, which creates a sense of detachment. Over-the-shoulder gameplay becomes impossible. In contrast, New World limits the zoom, keeping you behind your character, which feels far more immersive.

I spent almost no time staring at the UI in New World. There’s no constant tabbing to check if I have the right enemy targeted, no staring at my hotbar waiting for skills to come off cooldown, and no constant glances at a minimap in the top corner. Instead, I’m engaged with the game world itself, which feels much better.

Combat is a night-and-day difference between the two games. Throne’s tab-targeting system, paired with its overwhelming “word salad” abilities, is replaced in New World by an intuitive and immediate action combat system. What you see on screen dictates your actions—big fireball? Dodge big fireball. Enemy in front of you?  Press attack and hit them.  It’s that simple.

Then there’s the PvP. If there’s one triggering event that pushed me away from Throne and Liberty, it was may last dominion PvP event where I was repeatedly getting stunned and killed in seconds which was frustrating. I thought maxing out my gear and tank build would unlock the “can’t kill me” status tanks are supposed to have in Throne. Instead, even with 3,500+ CP, I died within seconds, often while stunned. Purge one stun? Another is coming.

Even without the constant crowd control, Throne’s combat remains unintelligible, drowning in poorly explained skills and convoluted mechanics. I had no idea what was happening half the time, leading me to mash my emergency buttons out of desperation. It’s the worst PvP I’ve experienced in an MMO.

In New World, PvP is a breath of fresh air. The combat makes sense—dodge the fireball, hit the enemy, block the attack. Even in larger battles, I can understand what’s happening, and the game is responsive enough for me to make an impact. Stuns and crowd control, while present, are manageable and nowhere near the mess they are in Throne. I’d still like New World to refine these mechanics further, but compared to Throne, it’s night and day.

Even with New World introducing aim assist and target lock (which I’m still getting used to), the PvP remains far more enjoyable. In large-scale fights, I can follow the action and feel like I have a role to play. In Throne, battles often felt like meaningless chaos, leaving me with no sense of agency.

Best of all, gear in New World contributes to power without creating an insurmountable gap. Even though I’m still at 700 GS and many players are now 700+ (with a max of 725), I’ve noticed no significant disadvantage in PvP. It feels like I’m competing on skill rather than being outclassed by someone’s gear.

Another thing I missed was the trading post. Jumping back into New World, I was reminded of how satisfying the economic side of an MMO can be. Throne’s auction house, limited to premium currency, was a disaster. Not being able to trade for basic materials was frustrating. In New World, the economy feels alive. Items that were once worthless are now valuable, and I love placing buy and sell orders to carve out my slice of the market.

I don’t understand why New World isn’t more popular. And I don’t get why so many players are still sticking with Throne, especially with the upcoming Tier 2 items doubling the grind required for gear progression—unless you swipe your credit card. New World is the better game and offers so much more to players. Now, I just need to figure out how to convince my friends to leave Throne and Liberty and join me back in New World.

 

Note: this post was edited with the help of AI. The thoughts are my own.  The grammatical correctness is the AI.

Throne and Liberty is a checklist simulator

The more I play Throne and Liberty, the more it feels like I’m trapped in a checklist simulator. Sure, the checklist(s) are long and varied, but a long checklist is still a checklist—and that doesn’t scream “fun” to me.

When I log in, the first order of business is teleporting to Stonegard Castle to do what every Throne and Liberty player loves most: shopping. Not for gear or anything exciting—just my daily/weekly ration of time-gated items. Cooking supplies? Check. Daily materials? Check. Mystic keys? Check. Thrilling stuff.

Since everything in this game revolves around contract coins, my next task is to knock out the daily contracts. There’s a faint whiff of strategy here—optimizing which contracts can be done the fastest—but let’s not pretend it’s exciting. It’s just a checklist within the daily checklist.

Next up? The daily dungeon runs. I burn through my dungeon currency, loot the rewards, and, when the currency’s gone, move on to other tasks. Because why enjoy exploring a dungeon when the game can cut you off once you hit your quota?

At this point, I’ll pull up the event schedule and start planning my life around the game. Is a world boss happening? Maybe a dynamic event? Oh, wait—I missed it because I dared to have a life outside the game. Too bad, no random low chance at loot for me.

When there’s no event to crash, it’s back to the grind in open-world dungeons, where I chip away at another time-gated currency. Of course, I’m not just grinding aimlessly—I’ve got more checklists for that! Open-world dungeon contracts bought earlier? Time to tick those boxes.

Somewhere in all this, I remember my guild contracts. Gotta kill the right enemy types in the right locations because if we don’t finish the guild contracts, the guild rewards vanish into the void. And while I’m in the guild menu, let’s not forget my mandatory time-gated guild donations! The sooner I check that off, the sooner I can donate more, because donating isn’t about generosity—it’s about efficiency.

Oh, and the weekly missions. Can’t forget those. Grit your teeth, win three PvP arena matches, and pray your teammates don’t expect competence from you because you’re just here to get it over with.  Track down those mystic portals, complete events, spend currency.  Don't forget to check off collecting your random reward for the weekly missions.

Somewhere along the way, I remember the battle pass. Yep, another checklist! This one even has me setting my “world tree leaf” to 90% so my amitoi can heal me when I don’t need it. Why? Because the battle pass demands it. Resistance is futile.

Speaking of my amitoi I need to remember to teleport to my amitoi house and send them on their next mission.  Then set a reminder to come back a do that again at the allotted time I set (1,2,4, or 8 hours).

Notice a pattern here? Almost nothing I’ve described is something I wanted to do. It’s all dictated by the game’s endless checklists, none of which care if I’m enjoying myself. Sure, I might want to do some of these things—but I’m doing them because I have to, not because I want to.

And when the checklists run dry? Might as well log out. The PvP is awful, the event schedule is rigid, and the PvE is fine, I guess. But without those rewards dangling at the end of a task, there’s little reason to stick around.

Some folks argue that “it takes forever to run out of things to do,” and fine, I’ll give them that. But that’s not the point. The problem is the compulsion. I’m not playing because I’m having fun—I’m playing because the game demands it. My personal enjoyment rarely aligns with the game’s busywork, and that’s why Throne and Liberty is wearing out its welcome.

Note: this post was edited with the help of AI. The thoughts are my own.  The grammatical correctness is the AI.

Block Twitter and X via uBlockOrigin in Firefox

 If you are like me, use Firefox, and have no desire to accidentally navigate to Twitter (or X) then follow these simple steps.  

1. Get the uBlock Origin extension.
2. Open the extension's settings
3. Go to My Filters
4. Add these two lines:
   
   ||twitter.com^$document
   ||x.com^$document
   
   
5. Click "Apply Changes"

This will ensure any link clicked for either domain will result in a blocked message instead saving you from feeling too dumb from clicking the link in the first place.

Enjoy!