mj-guthrie
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Choose My Adventure: How I fell in love with The Kingdom of Loathing
Well, it's time for me to say goodbye to The Kingdom of Loathing. It's more accurate to say that it's time for you to say goodbye to the KoL diary that I've been keeping over the last several weeks. Perhaps we can meet in-world to discuss the game further? Before you go, allow me to recap what I learned from my time with this odd browser-based MMO. I guess it'd be easiest to tell you what kind of player I am and why this game fits my playstyle so well. That way you can ask yourself if it sounds like the right fit for you, based on a comparison of our two personalities. No matter what conclusion you come to, you should still try the game. I don't know how someone could not want to try any new game he came across, but that's getting into my preferences. Even then, there is no denying the convenience of a free-to-play, browser-based, multi-platform sandbox MMO that also offers years of content and a very unique fanbase. It all started several weeks ago...
Previously on MV TV: The week of July 28th
You know what time it is? That's right: It's time for me to heckle you for missing out on some of our awesome streams! Sure, you might have been at work, or perhaps you visited that strange, outer world people call "real life," but that's no excuse! Still, I've got your back. I gathered some of the best moments from the past week of livestreaming, tied them up with a bow, and set them under that little line down there. All you have to do is click the "continue reading" and BAM! All of the presents are yours. Share with your sister. Oh, and bookmark the livestream guide on your little browser there so you won't ever miss a stream again. What went on this week? Well, we started off with Richie doing some sort of multi-armed attack in SMITE and then switching to a character who shares my name. (That must have given him extra points.) Next up we had MJ with all of her streaming glory. She dived into some Xsyon, the indie post-apocalyptic world where giant dogs tend to bite your ears off. Next she visited Tinkerfest in EverQuest II, escorted somebody's trunk into a toilet (don't ask me) in The Secret World, and rounded her week off with a bit of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Speaking of Vanguard, I wonder if you heard about the free-to-play release date. No? Well then click here and read all about it. I finished things off with a Rise and Shiny revisit to good old Face of Mankind. Yes, I get shot. Read that Vanguard article after you watch these videos. Your Aunt Beau went through all that trouble to put them together for you, so go upstairs right now and try them on!
Previously on MV TV: The week of June 9th
Last week was yet another fun week in Massively's livestreaming history. We try to offer a variety of games for viewers to enjoy, but of course, your suggestions always come in handy. If you know of a game or area or activity within a game that you would love to see explained or streamed, send us a note on our tip line. Also, be sure to bookmark our MVTV guide so you will always be the cool kid on the block who knows what's coming up next! This week we had Mike with some World of Tanks and EVE Online, the infamous Psykopig playing a bit of Star Wars: The Old Republic, MJ streaming some Lord of the Rings Online, EverQuest II and Aion, and my wrap-up with some horrible PvPing in Luvinia Online. Remember, let us know if you are dying to see a game streamed live. In the meanwhile, click past the cut and enjoy!
Previously on MV TV: The week of April 28th
Ah, another fine week of streaming videos! Who needs television when you have such killer content right at your fingertips, for free? Well, we need Game of Thrones, but other than that, we'll stick by Massively TV! Be sure to bookmark our livestream schedule page so that you won't miss any of the cool videos. Sign up, join in the chat room, and participate! This week we had Mike back with his EVE Online and RIFT streams, followed by MJ with a ton of great stuff, including Aion, Lord of the Rings Online, TERA and City of Heroes! Woo! I finished up by showing viewers how to build clothing attachments in Second Life. So stop reading this and click past the cut. Check out the videos and let us know what you think in the comments section. Here, have some popcorn.
Previously on MV TV: The week of April 14th
So you accidentally missed your favorite MassivelyTV livestream featuring your favorite Massively personality or writer? Don't worry; we'll forgive you as long as you promise to bookmark our MassivelyTV guide and check back on this weekly recap. That way you are sure not to miss another stream, and you wouldn't need to come back to us, begging for a link. You could also follow Massively on Twitter, one of the best ways to be alerted to new things. This week we featured a Tboo Thursday, one of our most popular livestreams, which stars resident APB: Reloaded expert Taryn. We also had some more World of Warcraft Mists of Pandaria action from Richie, a bit of newbie content in EverQuest II with MJ at the helm, a quick introduction to skybox building in Second Life hosted by me, Mike's return to EVE Online in his shiny new Drake, and Adventure Mike's leap back into Final Fantasy XIV. Pretty exciting stuff if you're into giant rats, explosions, beautiful sunsets, and piles of bullets.
Previously on MV TV: The week of April 7th
Oh hey, guys and gals, did you know that it was just Friday the 13th? Yes, it was. Don't worry; you'll have nothing but good luck on this week's recap of livestream goodness. If you missed a stream that you really wanted to see, or if you've never tuned in to check out what we do, head on over to our Twitch.tv page and keep an eye out. Be sure to bookmark the livestream guide as well so you can keep up with the current schedule. We have a lot of variety in our line-up, so it's always good to check back! This week we had some great stuff! MJ has been streaming like her life depends on it lately, first jumping into EverQuest II, then spending some time in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. She had to pay some attention Aion, of course, and there, she showed off some player housing and took a trip on an airlink. Mike was back in EVE Online avoiding death-rays and spacemen and later found himself dead in RIFT... again. The Mists of Pandaria have tempted Richie once again, and thankfully our cameras were there to capture it. Meanwhile, I spent some time boating in Second Life and gave a first look at Stronghold Kingdoms. Just look at that lineup, will you? We're proud! Now click past the cut and get to viewing!
The Daily Grind: Do you miss player-written books in MMOs?
In her sandbox column a week or so ago, Massively's own MJ Guthrie brought up an MMO feature that's fallen by the wayside in recent years: player-written books. Ancient sandboxes like Ultima Online and modern classics like EverQuest II give players the ability to write their own books, which then populate player-run libraries, serve as tavern menus, explain quests, and mark the memory of friends who left the game. Later games, however, have sadly passed over the mechanic. I can't say that player-written anythings have no potential for abuse and inanity. There's a guild in UO, for example, that uses books as advertising spam, and the game's designers were forced to implement a system to lock-in text to circumvent the "Dudebro was here" graffiti that miscreants would otherwise inscribe on other players' masterpieces. But the potential for cool outweighs the potential for abuse for me, and I miss writing and reading in-game books so very much. What about you -- do you miss player-written books in MMOs? Or do you think they're a niche idea that was retired from MMO design with good cause? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Pix or it didn't happen: Calling for your SWG house screenies!
In exactly one month, the Star Wars Galaxies servers will be shut down forever, but that doesn't mean your creations have to be sunsetted along with them. MJ Guthrie, the co-author of our biweekly sandbox column, Some Assembly Required, is hoping to immortalize the niftiest player-decorated SWG houses, but she needs your help to do it. If you'd like to pitch in and make sure that SWG's amazing housing mechanics aren't lost to time, just email screenshots of your favorite homes and player-run cities to MJ (mj@massively.com). If you haven't got screenies, a waypoint or coordinates (and the planet and server name) will work just as well, assuming you've unlocked the building(s) for visitors. She's also open to taking a personal tour! The December 9th edition of the column will feature the highlights along with a gallery of all the submissions. As MJ herself posted: "Don't miss out on being a part of this housing extravaganza! Something so great deserves to be savored for a long, long time to come."
One Shots: Always better with friends
While the Massively staff is somewhat split on the topic of alts, we all love to play as many MMOs as we can squeeze in. Take our very own Jef Reahard, who is currently playing Darkfall and Age of Conan and has also spent time playing and writing about a plethora of other games like EverQuest II and the game in today's One Shots, Aion. As a special bonus, you'll even see that this screenshot offers double the Massively fun, as Jef wasn't alone on this adventure. Jef sent along a note to explain: "Here's a shot from T-Labs (Theobomos Labs really, but no one calls it that). It's a pretty fun high-level dungeon that isn't too stressful, and as you can see, boasts a kaleidoscope of color/light/etc. This shot is me and a sorceress pounding on the end boss. If you squint really hard you can see Massively's Aion columnist, MJ, going toe to toe with the thing on her Assassin." We can do it; so can you! It's easy to take part in One Shots. All you have to do is send in your screenshots to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in. Couldn't be easier! %Gallery-85937%
