The Shopshank Redemption (OCC)

Okay, some of you people might wonder what the heck is OCC? They are Orange County Choppers, a company making Chopper Bikes and is featured in Discovery Channel's American Chopper. This is one series that features a family business filled with antics and quarrels but at the end of the day, they still end up making a good bike. This show actually is fun to watch since you could see how well they could make fancy bikes, not to mention the pressure involved especially when Paul Sr. comes around.

Now while watching the HP bike episode (Yes, they made a bike for Hewlett Packard, and OCC is also now endorsing the new HP desktop), HP gave them the new gadgets that they are promoting. Now Mikey (one of the main casts of American Chopper, and also the funniest person among them) got inspired on making a short film using the HP gadgets that they got. It was about a teen gangster, got stabbed by a man and stole his necklace. But a cleaner saw what happened and took revenge by throwing a "mop spear". Now this is actually funny for an amateur video but they did it very nice (not to mention that they are famous and all). So, without further adieu, I give you the video that OCC made. Directed by Mike Teutul, here is The Shopshank Redemption. (just got this vid in youtube)

My First impression on the PW game

mga TURPIS!!..i started playing it at around 3 pm cause i got a CBT account..well my impression for the game is not what i was expecting..my anticipation got so low i never noticed that my is up..LOL...well to be frank..il speak in tagalog..kasi kanina lang nagulat ako sa "QUESTS" as in sobrang hirap na hindi mo alam minsan kung san mo kukunin ung Qitems and kung ano papatayin mong monsters..then u wouldn't notice sometimes that your quest list is so piled up cause you thought that getting those items would be easy..kasi di nila sinasabi kung anong paptayin mo..and hindi sya todong detailed on what to do..the game play is quite easy..but the Grinding..OH SO MUCH..in 3 hours i thought that i would be atleast level 15 or 20..but nooooo...i was only level 9..hahaha...well..this just a first..il be posting more and more about what i think...

oh by the way..i have a CD on the CBT account..hehehe...:D

Final Look...

Okay. Now, Perfect World is here. I already left Rose online in which I also see you guys play and enjoy. After a month or so, we'll see one another again, this time as a new clan. But before I go, I would like to give an ode to my beloved Gobi. He is now officially retired in ROSE online and will be migrating to PW. This would be my greatest MMOment.
Forever Elysium.

My Journey In PW Japan

Yes, I tried playing Perfect World Japan. Do not think that I am too anxious to play PWphil and resorted to playing the Jap version, I only played the game to test out their features. I can surely tell that this game is totally different from other MMO's and is worth waiting for. During those journeys I even got some info (and believe me, those info's that I got are based on my own experiences in-game) that would help you guys out when you enter Perfect World.

Settings/Lag:
I do not have a screenshot of my specs but I would just tell you what I have:

Intel Celeron 2.00GHz
Nvidia Fx 5200 (128Mb)
768 Mb RAM

With those in my computer, I was recommended with 800x600 resolution and medium graphic settings. But do believe me, you would still experience lag (and for my own personal taste I don't like the 800x600 resolution). So I tried changing it to 1024x768 resolution and changed all graphic settings to low (yes, even the grass details) and since then I haven't experienced any lag in mob areas, with the exception of th town of course, in town I do experience lag but not much, I don't see my character teleporting from one place to the other (lag effect), instead I only see my character doing the 2-step from time to time (y'know the dance step of 1,2 step by Ciara? just like that).

Connection/Loading:
I know, I know A lot would ask that since there are no loading screens in-game except for dungeons, would the first loading take too long? Based from my experience, the Initial loading of the game (for PW Jap ok?) from executing the game to your spawning entry, takes about approximately less than minutes. Fast eh? You'll see the loading screen just whisking away as if that its afraid that you'll get mad if it takes too long. You'll see the loading screen for just about secongs tops and you're already connected But then again, It's PW Jap, let's wait for PWphil if it's the same.

Customization:
Just like what GM Tristan said, the face editor of this game is like Sims 2. from the whole head to the extra fine details (eyebrow, eye color etc.) is noticed here. The scrolling of each tab is so smooth and each slide gives a different shape to your character's face. You could really make your own face here (yes, me and Twist are actually gonna make our virtual faces in PWphil) since the face customization is fully detailed. This helps to give you the real meaning of uniqueness.

Area:
The area is huge! It's so big you'd probably end up being lost! Nyahahaha! It's true, and one thing that's great, is you can actually go anywhere you want. Whether its on the top of the tallest mountain or the deepest sea, you can reach it. Also, people do really mind the "flying" abilities. Yes they can all fly, there are also monsters in the air. But what's fascinated me is the "swimming" capability of the characters. They do not walk on water, they actually swim! you'll see the swimming action of your character which makes this game slightly into realism. But, like any other MMO's, you won't drown hehehe. Actually, It's kinda hard to memorize all the areas in the game since it's so big. everywhere you turn you'll see the horizon stretching out without ends. Good thing you could save some points in the map that actually acts like a radar and gives you directions on where to go.

NPCs/Towns:
Different races, different towns. But other races can actually enter or "visit" other towns to see their friends. And you should not only familiarize yourself on your town. There are also small villages, merchant stands, and blacksmiths outside of town, not to mention that the main city already has a lot of NPCs, you'd probably end up not memorizing all their names. And you should visit each and every town, village, or merchant you see. They might also have quests for you so this game has a lot of exploring in it. might as well discover them all. Who knows? we might get our own "secret Hideout" in there.

Quests:
There are a lot of quests, usually giving the same task as the other. But doing the quests are better than grinding. There are a lot of monsters out there that's for sure, but they are scattered all over the map. no concentrations of monsters where you could pick your spot then hack away til your fingers hurt due to clicking the mouse and doing AoE attacks on the monsters. In my level 5 quests, one quest gave me a whopping 50% of experience. Now, imagine multiplying it to ten, or maybe even 20 since 20 is the maximum number of quests you can take at a time, wouldn't it be easier to levelup? So a piece of advice: do all your quests. And always click on the upper left button in your quest window. It would give you the NPC's location to take a new quest. And do take all of the quests, some really do give you similar tasks.

The ever famous vend:
Gaining money in-game is hard, Really hard. So you would result into vending your items to get more money. The solution? A vending cat.
Items, Equips, Weapons:
There are a lot of loots in-game. ranging from arrows (for archers) to gems. and there are also ordinary loots which are used for item crafting Whatever you do, do not sell them right away, check those items first if they are meant for something or not. About weapons and armor, all of them depend on your strength and dexterity points. you can wield other items too (e.g. a priest wielding a sword) as long as you do meet the required stats of the item. You could also wear any type of armor, no job specifics for them. But my advice is, stick to the equipment you want. you might end up lacking stat points to wield the best weapon / armor.


That's it for now, I'll give it a couple more test runs and check what more did I miss.

Gaming Psychology

Source: Wikipedia

I did a search on the net for articles regarding human behavior towards online gaming, particularly that of MMO's. Here's what i've found. (P.S. Take the Bartle Test while you're at it. :P)

"Since the interactions between MMORPG players are real, even if the environments are not, psychologists and sociologists are also able to use MMORPGs as tools for academic research. Sherry Turkle, a clinical psychologist, has conducted interviews with computer users including game-players. Turkle found that many people have expanded their emotional range by exploring the many different roles (including gender identities) that MMORPGs allow a person to explore.

Nick Yee has surveyed more than 35,000 MMORPG players over the past few years, focusing on psychological and sociological aspects of these games. Recent findings included that 15% of players become a guild-leader at one time or another, but most generally find the job tough and thankless; and that players spend a considerable amount of time (often a third of their total time investment) doing things that are directly-related to, but outside of the game itself.

Many players report that the emotions they feel while playing an MMORPG are very strong, to the extent that 8.7% of male and 23.2% of female players in a statistical study have had an online wedding. Other researchers have found that the enjoyment of a game is directly related to the social organization of a game, ranging from brief encounters between players to highly organized play in structured groups.

Richard Bartle has classified multiplayer RPG-players into four primary psychological groups. His classifications were then expanded upon by Erwin Andreasen, who developed the concept into the thirty-question Bartle Test that helps players determine which category they are associated with. With over 200,000 test responses as of 2006, this is perhaps the largest ongoing survey of multiplayer game players."

Really, we've come a long way since the good 'ol Mario days. Gaming is not only for enjoyment or leisure or for any other unprofitable use. It's become a social tool for most...where lives are built and bonds are made. The world is indeed not small, after all...we are. So don't sue us for playing. Don't nag because we grind and grind for 25/8. Don't blame us for the bills. Because if truth be told, we're here to stay. No Game overs. Whether the rest want to or not.

Clan MMOments...

I was thinking of some stuff to post here, not game related, but something snazzy or wordy...heck maybe some other day then. So i ended up with this find instead...funny, it was the only time we were all together...one clan, one group...i hope more will come when Perfect World arrives...

[Prongz] Okay! So those are the subordinates! Time to bring the cavalry in... hehehehe

Elysium's Clan Master [Gobi] and Clan Deputy [Prongz]

Want To Be A Member?

THIS IS FOR ELYSIUM CLAN APPLICANTS (Perfect World Philippines)

Some might enter this blog and wants to apply as a member of this clan but do not know where to apply. Before applying, we suggest you to take a look at this post and check if you do meet or requirements. We know requirements are unique for gaming clans but we need to certify that the members truly fit to be an Elysian. This is not a clan recruiting for the number of members, this is a clan that we, the leaders, treat with respect and honor. And thus we do not pick all of the applicants, we test them.

*We do not accept instant in-game applications. Applicants in-game shall also be directed in our site.

Application requirements:

1. Frequent online attendance required but not a must. (excuses are understandable but not tolerated).

2. Willing to be a mainstay of the clan, no matter what the odds, or what the issues in the clan are (we are looking for members who would show complete loyalty to the clan, if you plan to change clans when you reach higher levels, don't bother applying)

3. Willing to undergo tests and screenings before acceptance (this would notify us how willing, or desperate if that's you call it, to be a member of this clan).

4. Must be willing to be active in the forums once you become a member (we need members to join the community, help new members, and familiarize with other members and leaders online or offline. We need communication amongst one another to promote unity).

5. Unique names are a requirement (no -=name=- or iamqt658585 etc. We only accept unique names to promote uniqueness in PW. Make your name unique and simple).

6. Must be a very good team player. (Applicants must be willing to work with his teammates and build a very strong team to be alerted for clan wars, territorial battles etc.).

7. Independent (applicants can work on his own with regards to lvling or pvp. without asking for help in pvp, frequent asking for buffs, money items, etc. Partying is acceptable, but you must certify that you can also level on your own).

8. Must know how to communicate well among other members (including respect for leaders, friendliness towards members etc. We need communication to build a good clan).

9. Accepts the fact that he/she may not be promoted (Promotion will be hard work. Details for promotion will be available after membership)

10. New members may choose a certain team to be assigned unless the team chosen exceeded the maximum population required (If this case happens, member may choose another team or will let the clan master decide the assigned team. You may ask for team exchange with another player but both parties should agree).

If you think you qualify to these requirements and want to be a part of our clan, follow the application guidelines and post a new topic in our Clan Recruitment thread.

Members shall have full access to the clan forums, clan exclusive goodies (TBA), and a privilege to be an author in this blogsite if you love blogging.

We shall await your application and we hope to see you as an Elysian!