Mom's life has gotten busier lately with her new job (congrats Mom!), so she has decided to bid a fond and probably final farewell to the World of Warcraft. She very much enjoyed her introduction to the game, however, and I definitely enjoyed the mother-daughter time we spent together in Azeroth.
A fond farewell to you too, dear readers, and hope you had as much fun with Mom's intrepid adventurers as we did.
Safe travels!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Mom in Moonglade!
Greetings, Intrepid fans! Mom is back from her yearly winter vacation and was anxious to spend more time in Azeroth. So yesterday, after re-introducing her to the joys of fishing in Elwynn Forest, we took a short trek to the human starting area of Northshire.
Mom especially liked the fact that no mobs were going to attack her in the abbey, so we spent some time admiring the architecture and checking out all the barrels up in the bell tower. We also discovered that the bellringer has a small library up there, which I pointed out to Mom. Her response: "Books about wine, no doubt." Given that Mom has never done the quest with Brother Neals that rewards the Wine-stained Cloak, I thought that was a pretty insightful guess on her part!
Today I thought she might like to explore the druidic zone of Moonglade, since the Lunar Festival is on now and it's easy to travel there. Mom wasn't sure at first until I said the magic words: "It's safe and we don't have to fight anything!" So after walking to Stormwind City and shooting off a bunch of fireworks, both of us got our Lunar Festival Invitation and zapped ourselves to Moonglade.
We had a great time exploring the zone, including the village of Nighthaven. Because the demon-monster Omen is awake and haunts the bottom of the lake during the Lunar Festival, we elected to go swimming in the rivers that meander throughout the village. This was a great deal of fun and the rivers were deeper than I thought they'd be, as I wasn't sure if we could actually swim or if they'd only be shallow enough to wade. Fortunately in most cases there was no problem swimming around. I guess all those waterfalls from the treetops help the water table considerably.
I wanted to take her on a flight to Darnassus, but we were stopped in our tracks by the Moonglade night elf flightmaster, who informed us that we could not use the direct flight because neither of us were druids. How rude! However, it was just as well since Mom had to get offline anyway. We hearthed our way back to Goldshire Inn and bade our farewells.
I'm glad I got a chance to show Mom around Moonglade, since usually it's a druid-only zone and not usually accessible to anyone else until they reach level 50 or thereabouts. So this was a great opportunity to show Mom a little more of the game. With luck, we'll get a chance to go back before the festival ends.
Mom especially liked the fact that no mobs were going to attack her in the abbey, so we spent some time admiring the architecture and checking out all the barrels up in the bell tower. We also discovered that the bellringer has a small library up there, which I pointed out to Mom. Her response: "Books about wine, no doubt." Given that Mom has never done the quest with Brother Neals that rewards the Wine-stained Cloak, I thought that was a pretty insightful guess on her part!
Today I thought she might like to explore the druidic zone of Moonglade, since the Lunar Festival is on now and it's easy to travel there. Mom wasn't sure at first until I said the magic words: "It's safe and we don't have to fight anything!" So after walking to Stormwind City and shooting off a bunch of fireworks, both of us got our Lunar Festival Invitation and zapped ourselves to Moonglade.
We had a great time exploring the zone, including the village of Nighthaven. Because the demon-monster Omen is awake and haunts the bottom of the lake during the Lunar Festival, we elected to go swimming in the rivers that meander throughout the village. This was a great deal of fun and the rivers were deeper than I thought they'd be, as I wasn't sure if we could actually swim or if they'd only be shallow enough to wade. Fortunately in most cases there was no problem swimming around. I guess all those waterfalls from the treetops help the water table considerably.
I wanted to take her on a flight to Darnassus, but we were stopped in our tracks by the Moonglade night elf flightmaster, who informed us that we could not use the direct flight because neither of us were druids. How rude! However, it was just as well since Mom had to get offline anyway. We hearthed our way back to Goldshire Inn and bade our farewells.
I'm glad I got a chance to show Mom around Moonglade, since usually it's a druid-only zone and not usually accessible to anyone else until they reach level 50 or thereabouts. So this was a great opportunity to show Mom a little more of the game. With luck, we'll get a chance to go back before the festival ends.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
...Keep on Going!
For those of you who have read Mom's latest comment on the last post, you're ahead of the game.
Mom wasn't enjoying her time in Dun Morogh lately for several good reasons -- which, roughly in order, were: 1) snow, 2) more snow, and 3) lots of snow. Dun Morogh isn't exactly tropical, and since Mom lives in the north woods, she was getting a bit tired of seeing lots of snow both outside and online.
So a few days ago we both logged in, and I took Jolynne on a one-way tour to summery Elwynn Forest, courtesy of the Deeprun Tram. This was a major excursion for Mom's alter-ego, which she quite enjoyed.
After setting her up in the charming and unpretentious Goldshire Inn, I introduced her to the fine art (science?) of fishing later that week. It took a little figuring how to cast and click on the bobber, but once she got the hang of it, she was reeling 'em in like a pro. It wasn't long before she caught her first edible fish! I advised her to stay well to one side of the island, as we didn't want to pull any vicious murlocs. Jolynne is still level 5 and I'm sure the local fish-men would find her easy pickings.
Mom says this is the most fun she's had in the game, which I find amusing since I also like to fish on my level 80s. I know, I know, most players think fishing in Warcraft is boring and only force themselves to do it when they have to. But Mom and I both come from a long line of fisherfolk (a long monofilament line, you might say) so I attest that it's in our blood. On a lake, on the computer, doesn't matter -- have fish, will... er... fish!
Whether this means that Jolynne will spend the rest of her days at level 5 beside Crystal Lake or not, that remains to be seen. But one thing I like about Warcraft is that there are so many different playstyles to choose from. For now it looks like Mom is having a halibut time, and I know her readers will be waiting with baited breath for her next cod-given adventure.
By the way, stinky fish jokes aside...
Today is Mom's birthday. For "reels"!!!
Mom wasn't enjoying her time in Dun Morogh lately for several good reasons -- which, roughly in order, were: 1) snow, 2) more snow, and 3) lots of snow. Dun Morogh isn't exactly tropical, and since Mom lives in the north woods, she was getting a bit tired of seeing lots of snow both outside and online.
So a few days ago we both logged in, and I took Jolynne on a one-way tour to summery Elwynn Forest, courtesy of the Deeprun Tram. This was a major excursion for Mom's alter-ego, which she quite enjoyed.
After setting her up in the charming and unpretentious Goldshire Inn, I introduced her to the fine art (science?) of fishing later that week. It took a little figuring how to cast and click on the bobber, but once she got the hang of it, she was reeling 'em in like a pro. It wasn't long before she caught her first edible fish! I advised her to stay well to one side of the island, as we didn't want to pull any vicious murlocs. Jolynne is still level 5 and I'm sure the local fish-men would find her easy pickings.
Mom says this is the most fun she's had in the game, which I find amusing since I also like to fish on my level 80s. I know, I know, most players think fishing in Warcraft is boring and only force themselves to do it when they have to. But Mom and I both come from a long line of fisherfolk (a long monofilament line, you might say) so I attest that it's in our blood. On a lake, on the computer, doesn't matter -- have fish, will... er... fish!
Whether this means that Jolynne will spend the rest of her days at level 5 beside Crystal Lake or not, that remains to be seen. But one thing I like about Warcraft is that there are so many different playstyles to choose from. For now it looks like Mom is having a halibut time, and I know her readers will be waiting with baited breath for her next cod-given adventure.
By the way, stinky fish jokes aside...
Today is Mom's birthday. For "reels"!!!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
All Good Things...
Mom let me know that, unfortunately, her schedule has gotten busier lately. The New Year has brought her a new job, and that plus some other projects has made it difficult for her to keep playing.
So it is with regret that Jolynne must retire from her adventuring, at least for now.
Mom and I would like to thank our readers for all the good wishes and support. She's enjoyed her time as a World of Warcraft newbie, and I've had a lot of fun teaching her about the game and writing about it.
Take care all!
So it is with regret that Jolynne must retire from her adventuring, at least for now.
Mom and I would like to thank our readers for all the good wishes and support. She's enjoyed her time as a World of Warcraft newbie, and I've had a lot of fun teaching her about the game and writing about it.
Take care all!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like... Winter.
Apologies to my readers for not blogging recently. Up here in Canada, winter has taken hold with a vengeance, especially in Mom's neck of the north woods. She lives in a region known not-so-affectionately as the "snow belt", which means that during the winter she frequently gets buried. There's been over 2 meters of snowfall so far (that's around six feet) with more on the way. Her power's gone out several times and that, combined with the usual Christmas rush in her busy little village, has made it difficult for her to get online to play.
My husband and I plan to visit Mom for Christmas. While we're there, I'll see if we can manage some gaming time, as I know she wants to continue. So keep an eye on this blog and hopefully there'll be some more posts soon.
Happy Winter's Veil, everyone!
My husband and I plan to visit Mom for Christmas. While we're there, I'll see if we can manage some gaming time, as I know she wants to continue. So keep an eye on this blog and hopefully there'll be some more posts soon.
Happy Winter's Veil, everyone!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Azeroth From The Air.
Since Mom's still in Dun Morogh, she's asked if it's winter all the time in Warcraft. I explained that each zone has its own climate, and I've been trying to figure out a way to demonstrate this to her without putting her low-level character in danger. (Since mobs in high-level areas go out of their way to attack lowbies, physically taking her to different zones is out, for now.)
Then I remembered this great video, which as well as showing some different areas in the game, also demonstrates why players don't own flying mounts in old Azeroth. This will all change with the Cataclysm expansion, of course -- but right now it's a good demonstration of both the scope of the game and the way Azeroth is currently designed. To save both design time and computer resources, the game doesn't display areas that your character can't approach on foot. This video shows what's behind the curtain -- the vast blank areas that players don't see.
Hope you enjoy this video as much as I do.
Then I remembered this great video, which as well as showing some different areas in the game, also demonstrates why players don't own flying mounts in old Azeroth. This will all change with the Cataclysm expansion, of course -- but right now it's a good demonstration of both the scope of the game and the way Azeroth is currently designed. To save both design time and computer resources, the game doesn't display areas that your character can't approach on foot. This video shows what's behind the curtain -- the vast blank areas that players don't see.
Hope you enjoy this video as much as I do.
Lesson #5a: Serious Damage
Just a little addendum to the last lesson...
_________________________
Say you've been fighting for a long time and you've died a couple of times. You might see something new appear on the far right side of your screen, under the mini-map. It will look like a little suit of armour, and parts of it will be coloured yellow or red.
This indicates that your character has suffered some serious damage to one or more pieces of equipment. The parts that are coloured are the worst damaged pieces. Yellow is better than red, but none of it is very good. Just the fact that you're seeing it is a warning. It means you should hightail it to the nearest blacksmith or weapon vendor, and get repaired. Hover over a vendor to see if he or she makes repairs. If your cursor turns into a little grey anvil, then that NPC does repairs. Right-click to open their window, and look at the bottom to find another little anvil. It will probably have a small yellow cross on it. Right-click it to automatically repair everything. Some money will disappear from your bag, but I gave you over 10 gold so you should have plenty. The more damaged your equipment, the higher the cost to repair.
It's best to keep your equipment in good shape, so that you hardly ever see that suit of armour. Just get in the habit of visiting the repair guys often and repairing whenever you have a chance. It'll save you money too. Once that suit of armour appears, you're in pretty bad shape and it'll cost you... and if you still have a bunch of mobs to kill, then chances are high you'll die before they do. So try not to go too long between repairs and chances are you'll hardly ever see the Armour of Doom.
_________________________
Say you've been fighting for a long time and you've died a couple of times. You might see something new appear on the far right side of your screen, under the mini-map. It will look like a little suit of armour, and parts of it will be coloured yellow or red.
This indicates that your character has suffered some serious damage to one or more pieces of equipment. The parts that are coloured are the worst damaged pieces. Yellow is better than red, but none of it is very good. Just the fact that you're seeing it is a warning. It means you should hightail it to the nearest blacksmith or weapon vendor, and get repaired. Hover over a vendor to see if he or she makes repairs. If your cursor turns into a little grey anvil, then that NPC does repairs. Right-click to open their window, and look at the bottom to find another little anvil. It will probably have a small yellow cross on it. Right-click it to automatically repair everything. Some money will disappear from your bag, but I gave you over 10 gold so you should have plenty. The more damaged your equipment, the higher the cost to repair.
It's best to keep your equipment in good shape, so that you hardly ever see that suit of armour. Just get in the habit of visiting the repair guys often and repairing whenever you have a chance. It'll save you money too. Once that suit of armour appears, you're in pretty bad shape and it'll cost you... and if you still have a bunch of mobs to kill, then chances are high you'll die before they do. So try not to go too long between repairs and chances are you'll hardly ever see the Armour of Doom.
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