Alive

Wow, haven’t written something new in almost a month. Curse you writers block!

Life has been a bit busy lately. Gaming wise I have found myself dabbling in a few games:

  • World of Warcraft – I think I am going to call it quits for a month or two. I am stuck at level 55 and can’t seem to muster the strength to continue onward towards level 80. The time commitment alone is daunting and not something I am willing to undertake at the moment. Rest in peace World of Warcraft…for now?
  • Pokémon Platinum – Burned out on Dragon Quest IV, I decided to engage in something a bit more mindless. 🙂
  • Plants Vs. Zombies (iPod) – Good game!
  • Lord of the Rings Online – Abandoning the personal Titanic that is World of Warcraft, I have started a new character (Aubrik the warden) on the Landroval server. Anyone know of a good guild?
I watched the Sons of Numenor slowly canter through Bree (as a group) and then assemble in The Prancing Pony. I swear I'm not a spy...just a nosey hobbit!

New content inbound. Look for a journal chronicling my adventures in Middle Earth.

Surf Report – 3/1/10

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Surf Report.

.: God :

Slowly but surely, I have been working my way through The Love Dare book. So far I have learned a lot about myself and the way I function within my marriage. One of the more recent entries had me ask my wife what I do to irritate/ make her uncomfortable. The answers were interesting as well as enlightening. Good stuff.

.: Life :

Tired of the cold? I am.

.: Gaming :

Signed up for the Final Fantasy XIV beta last night. The limited beta, for the time being, is set to start March 11th. Not signed up yet? Head on over here.

Otherwise, below you will find a list of blog entries/ articles that have caught my interest:

  • Spinks has a post on the state of the World of Warcraft Dungeon Finder. (Check out Bridging the Gap for my own thoughts on the matter.)
  • Syp, over at Bio Break, has a retro article on Getting to Know Your Guild. I have a confession to make in regards to guilds, I have never found one that I have enjoyed being apart of. Somehow I always wander into guilds that are made up of rude little children. Perhaps one day this will change…
  • Tobold reports that the WoW Authenticator has been hacked. Yikes!
  • Keen explores old worlds such as Ultima Online.
  • Don’t know how many JBG readers have stumbled across Mike Minotti’s The Warcraft Hero, but I highly suggest checking out this WoW based comic.

That is it for this weeks Surf Report. Make sure to comment below and have a good week!

Bridging the Gap

Awhile back I blogged about World of Warcraft’s new Dungeon Finder system and my initial experiences with it. I ended the post with a list of thoughts so far. Today I would like to add to that list in light of continued use of the system (new thoughts in bold).

Pro’s-

  • Instant access to a dungeon party.
  • Easy experience (XP) earned.
  • Feels like you’ve accomplished something within an hour.
  • Instance Teleporting.
  • Meeting random new friends.

Con’s –

  • Your playing with random strangers.
  • Party members dropping out for no reason (not dedicated).
  • Dungeons seem to take about an hour to clear (45 minutes at minimum). Dedicated time is needed.
  • Finding out that the random person you just met and enjoyed playing with is on another server.
  • No penalty is given to party members who suddenly quit.
  • Lower level players are not able to play with higher level players (no scaling/ “Level Sync” system).

The friends that I play World of Warcraft with out-leveled me long ago (currently a 23 level difference and counting). Choking on their leveling dust, I manage to continue on towards that level 80 goal. (One can dream can’t they?) My high level friends occasionally fly down from Northrend and help me quest and run through dungeons — very kind of them I know–.  The other night I partied up with a few of these friends and decided to do a quick dungeon run with the Dungeon Finder. To my horror, I soon found out that the Dungeon Finder would not let me enter the queue due to my friends being too high of a level for the dungeon. What!?!

Bridging the level gap by adding a “Level Sync” system, ala Final Fantasy 11, seems like the next logical step for Blizzard to incorporate into World of Warcraft. Otherwise, for players separated by multiple levels — like me! — the level of frustration and feeling of being left behind makes one want to just give up. So Blizzard, add a scaling feature to the Dungeon Finder and let me play with my comrades in arms! Please?

Quote of the Day

Thought this was too good to not post.

Toilet etiquette appears to be an important part of ANA’s (All Nippon Airways) policy — the airline had previously asked passengers to use the lavatories before they board flights so as to reduce the overall weight of the plane, which would ultimately be better for the environment as it would mean less fuel usage. – Original Article

What we can learn from this is that your bodily waste is calculated into the total weight an airplane can carry. So remember, excrete before you fly. The Earth may be depending on it.

About

Reworked the about section for the site today. Take a look:

About Us:

The setting Pacific sun, surfboards dug firmly into the sand, friends sitting close by taking it all in. Perfection. As the sun goes down, you and your friends gather around a bonfire and reminisce about the waves of the day. The cool breeze coming off the ocean mingles with the smoke creating an aroma made of memories. You tilt your head back and laugh at a joke that wouldn’t be so funny if your weren’t so tired. Oh the joys of summer.

JohnnyBGamer.com is all about creating those conversations that stretch late into the night. Whether we are talking about issues of faith, life, or gaming, we are dedicated to promoting healthy conversations and building community in the world of video games. What does this look like? Take a look below:

  • Professional content
  • Discussions (reviews, editorials, and blogs) that dig deeper into the heart of our daily media intake (worldview and theology)
  • A mission that seeks to balance life and video games

So, pull up a chair and make yourself at home. Though the surf pounds the sand in the distance, take comfort in knowing that your friends are sitting close by.

-Bryan, iguanagirl, & ghostryder.

What do you think? Any suggestions?

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