The Tattered Notebook: The forum thread round-up

Greetings fellow Norrathian travelers! This week, right on the heels of the Dave Georgeson interview, we're back to investigating the issues in the community.

So far, this Tier'dal investigator has uncovered some community gold! Plus, we've got some big events coming up for the EverQuest II community, including the annual Fan Faire registration and the Mr. and Ms. Norrath contest! And, of course, I'm still looking for great tip threads for all of the new (and old) players who are wondering on how to play their MMOs better.

So come along and check out what's been documented in this week's notebook entry!

Vote for Mr. and Ms. Norrath 2010!

Ah, spring is in the air! Of course, with the increased pollen count comes the yearly beauty contests, and Norrath is no exception. Ten of Norrath's best men and ten of the best women have been chosen for this year's polls, and all community members are encouraged to vote for their favorite characters!

Of course, all of this voting will be moot once my specially created disease spreads across Norrath, deforming everyone into ogres while leaving the true Tier'dal untouched.... and did I just say that aloud? I just said that aloud. Drat it all! You win this time, Norrath!

Did you register for this year's Fan Faire?

If you didn't, you should consider it! The Fan Faire, held in Las Vegas once again, will be a great source of SOE game news, developer talks, and swanky dinners. But, those events are nothing compared to all of the members of the community you'll get to see, the guild meetups, the costumes, and being able to have a bunch of fun with the creators and players of your favorite games.

So, drop on by the Fan Faire page and check out the packages, and consider a vacation out to Sin City this year. The Tier'dal demands it!

Are you ready? Norrath isn't!

One of the things that the game has been missing for some time is the ability to perform a ready check in raids, a command that has worked its way into World of Warcraft. Ready checks have greatly streamlined raid leadership, giving raid leaders a visual indicator of who's ready and who's not. This system is much easier and more accurate than voice ready checks, or running in and hoping that everyone in the raid is paying attention.

A thread requesting the addition of a raid ready check command in the game has popped up in the forums, getting some pretty good community traction. Throw in some of your love on this thread when you get the chance -- it would be a welcome addition in a future patch.

Dead means dead!

You ever wonder what you'd do if your character suddenly up and died, taking all of his loot and things with him? What would you do? Would you reroll? Would you leave the game? Would you just remake the same character and do it all over again?

Wajamacallit has started a thread on the forums asking what class/race everyone would play if their character would stay permanently dead upon dying in the game. The responses have been quite scattered, from responding to the original poster to discussing a "hardcore" mode being added via a new server in EQ2 that would literally delete your character upon death.

Having trouble leveling harvesting?

Sometimes it goes up a lot. Sometimes it goes up a little. Harvesting is one of those things that may be a bit hard for newbies to wrap their heads around. But, the community has come to the rescue!

With the crazy experience being offered this weekend, this crafting thread was started to discuss how to control your crafting level ups, as they weren't in pace with your adventuring level. But, the thread has evolved into a discussion of how to level your crafting appropriately, especially with regards to your adventuring level. It's worth a look for anyone entering into the game.

And that's all the news that's fit to print this week, Massively darlings. Be sure to tune in next week, where we're back on our usual schedule, discussing EverQuest II and the unique features it offers over other MMOs. Until then, may your blade be sharp and find its target swiftly.

If you have any questions, comments, death threats, or cute kitten pictures for me, send them on over to my human contact, Seraphina Brennan, at sera AT massively DOT com! Your questions (or kitten pictures) could be featured in an upcoming Tattered Notebook!

	Massively's dark elf reporter around town, Seccia Ravenloft, is a committed follower of the Overlord. When not adventuring, Seccia prefers a large ale and the company of kittens. She can be reached in Norrath via the Norrathian Express Mail (Server: Lucan D'Lere), or via her human friend, Seraphina Brennan, at seraphina AT massively DOT com.