Wings Over Atreia: Aion your way
Though a recent catchphrase for Aion's conversion to the Truly Free model, having it "your way" (® ™ BLT) predates NCsoft's usage. Burger joints and assassins for hire alike touted this business motto long before the game. So there is no real infringement if I borrow this philosophy and mold it to my own purposes. And mold it I will, like Playdoh on a hot summer's day.
Some of you may have noticed that I have been livestreaming on a weekly basis to help expand on the Aion experience. (If you haven't, it's never to late to watch!) The thing is, if we just follow my own personal playstyle, you might be stuck watching me rearrange furniture in my little condo for hours on end since I usually play however the mood strikes me at that moment. That's where you come in.
It's time to vicariously experience Aion your way! This week's Wings Over Atreia is all about getting to the heart of what you want. Then I can incorporate the things that you find interesting into the livestreams and even the weekly articles. How shall we accomplish this? Well, although it seems some of you have been able to resist the lure of the spiffy tag at the end of every column that asks for reader suggestions, how many of you can resist... *dramatic music* The Poll? So quick and simple, just a few clicks...
If you ever wanted to tell me where to go, now is your chance.
Just go to...
Have you ever sat back and thought, "I really want to see such and such," or "I wish MJ would show off this and that"? Maybe you want to see how the other half of Atreia lives or get a little taste of what you have to look forward to when you finally get that next level. Or maybe you just want to set up an elaborate ambush to be caught on film for all to see. Don't stay silent; now's the time to make your voice heard! It doesn't matter whether you are a launch-day vet or a brand new Daeva who decided to give Aion a whirl since it went free-to-play; all opinions have equal weight. And I want them all.
I have made no secret of the fact that I am willing to be led by viewer decisions during livestreams, but it will certainly help if we can have a game plan set before we start. Of course, sometimes even the best laid plans are laid to waste, especially when it comes to getting groups for instances or the ever dreaded queues. But that won't stop us from starting with one. Then, once we get going, who knows what will actually happen -- I expect (and welcome) the unexpected!
Choose My Aion
Unlike Choose My Adventure, this endeavor, at least for the foreseeable future, won't give you the option to actually create my character or class; unfortunately, all of my slots are already full. But where we go with said characters is open for debate. For instance, do you want to experience things at the lowest of levels or stick with the higher? What about the mid-level range where rifting is available? Or perhaps you'd rather we started with one character at the beginning and progress through it all, thereby finally debunking the oft-bemoaned level grind stigma? Take your stand:%Poll-74901%
Obviously I will be doing a variety of activities, but are there things you want to see more of than others? Do you prefer tours, walkthroughs, or just straight-up action? Go ahead: Make your choice and compare it to the opinions of others. %Poll-74906%
Finding the time
Certainly an important part of making this your experience is finding out when you can actually experience it. So the next question is: When do you want to see the streams? The selections are currently limited to what I can physically offer (although if someone out there will actually be awake to watch at say 3:00 a.m., I might just toss one of those in for fun!). Keep in mind that a time/date combination may not be available on a given week because of a conflict with another scheduled stream or if real life crits me, but I will make every attempt to accommodate the preferred schedule. (Don't forget, all listed times are EDT!)%Poll-74925%%Poll-74918%
Enter, stage left
And last but not least, I'd like to have some of you along for the ride. The experience is certainly more fun when shared, not to mention more unpredictable. So what do you say? How many of you would be interested in participating in the livestreams, either in groups or as opponents? %Poll-74914%
Resistance is futile
There you have it: the chance to play puppet-on-a-string with your very own Wings Over Atreia correspondent. Did you make all of your choices? Come on, you know you want to click! Can't... resist...
Whichever way the vote goes, our direction henceforth shall be influenced by you. I will take your picks and suggestions and use them throughout the coming months. Perhaps every few weeks I might toss out a new poll for a quick "What shall we do this week?" And as always, you can leave comments and suggestions below as well as send them to me via email.
So hop on the bandwagon and grab the reins. Don't miss out on the chance to be in the driver's seat and steer. Then watch every week to see where we end up!
Soaring through the Aionosphere, MJ Guthrie touches down weekly to bring you Wings Over Atreia. Featuring tips, guides, and general snippets of life in Aion, the column is better than Tutty-on-a-stick, ackackackackackack! Have a suggestion to share? No need to bribe a Shugo -- just send mail to mj@massively.com.
