Podcast Updates... Again!

Black Wings of Atreia - Episode #2 - Now Boarding Flight: Aion Airlines, 101!

The hosts discuss Community Feedback, News, Patch 1.5, and the Week in Review.

Aion's World - Episode #5 - Classes and Other Bedtime Stories...

Ari and Desi discuss Open Beta and Corrections, give a Community Shout-Out, Answer Feedback, and give some Class Overviews.

The Abyss - Episode #6 - The First Stone

As always, the Abyss follows its same agenda of News, Clean Up, Mail Call, Basic Training, Music Break, The Main Topic, and then Zephyr Delivery. Another great episode.

Multiplaying - Episode #5 - Holy Tight Underwear Batman!

Show notes to come later. There's some Batman, Aion, TF2, and other stuff... (I mean c'mon, if they don't have their shownotes up what else am I supposed to type? XD)

All shows are also available via iTunes.

My apologies for not posting lately, not too much to talk about unfortunately. Once Open Beta begins and the game is released, I'll be able to write more.

Official Press Release

Within the next four weeks, we will treat European and North American gamers to two opportunities to jump into the world of Aion and explore Atreia as Asmodian or Elyos characters ahead of its release in Europe on 25nd September and North America 22th September. Aion's Open Beta Test featuring version 1.5 will take place 6-13th September and will include numerous Western enhancements, including improvements to Aion's innovative character customization with a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements. Open Beta will retain a level cap for both Elyos and Asmodians characters at 30 allowing players to focus on getting to the same level so they can explore the lands of Atreia together, as well as the Abyss.

Players who have pre-ordered Aion will be treated to a Pre-Select and a two-day Headstart period giving them the opportunity to explore, organize and progress through the game prior to the official launch. Pre-Select will take place on 18th September, while Aion's Headstart will begin 20th September. Players can still participate in the Aion's Pre-Select and Headstart programs by pre-ordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers.

Looks like I owe NCSoft my soul.

Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

My parents always told me to give credit where credit is due. This is a graph of the hits on my blog. I think it goes without saying that if it weren't for the existence of other blogs, podcasts, and fan-sites, I would never have reached the milestone of 1,000 hits that I have today.

Now obviously, in the grand scheme of the interwebz that number is fairly insignificant, but to a young shmuck blogger like myself, it means a lot. I'm not the kind of person that measures subscriptions and pageviews as a means of success, but it is nice to know that people do happen to browse by my little slice of the Aion Blogging Pie.

So thank you fellow bloggers and community members, it just goes to show that the more we assist one another, the better off everyone is in the end. Obviously, I also want to thank you, the reader, for continually visiting my blog. As of right now, I plan on being around for quite some time, so here's to the future! *Chugs a Sunkist*

People's Progessions Into Aion...

are really rather strange. The process is almost universal. (Though obviously there are exceptions) You begin with apathy and misinformed stereotypical hatred, and then somehow end up buying the Collector's Edition and starting up a fan site, blog, or podcast. There are just two things I can't seem to figure out.

First is the middle part of the process. Where along the line did I, along with many others, go from blind and stupid discontent to fan-boism, borderline obsession? What changed our minds? Was it the positive reviews, movies, blogs, podcasts, and betas? Perhaps it was coming off of a lackluster gaming experience, whether it be due to boredom or a sub-par game?

Second, why did we start the process with such misinformed stereotypical hatred? How could we fool ourselves into a false sense of truth? Was it the fact that the game originates in the East, and hence must be an anime grind-fest? Did we buy into some cheap review from a gamer who only gave the game five minutes of their time and then considered themselves an expert? Perhaps we gave into our previous gaming experience and simply allowed ourselves to believe that this MMO would just be more of the same?

I dunno, I suppose I'm just writing this because I love Theorycraft. Nonetheless, I am very curious of your thoughts on this, even if this doesn't pertain to your experiences at all (in which case you should tell me I'm a moron for considering this a universal process <3). Sidenote- WTT Soul For Official Press Release On When Open Beta Will Occur, PST.

Videos

So, today I figured I'd try something new. Recently, I had received numerous emails from friends, family, and random readers that while Aion did interest them, they still weren't convinced. Specifically, they asked to see Aion videos. While yes, there already are hundreds of videos about Aion that give great information and showcase some cool features of Aion, I felt I should do my part to assist. So, I present my first Aion Video Journal. This episode showcases a few of the Asmodian starting zones.



Oh... and you know... there is also that new Patch 1.5 Developer Gameplay Walkthrough... not that you'd be interested in that or anything.

(Hopefully) A Great Idea

Yeah, I'm still not sure of if I'll continue to play Chinese Aion or not, but I am sure that my guild's podcast is up and running!

Yes folks, I am very pleased to present Black Wings of Atreia, a podcast about the adventures of Bel, Daefire, Inergy, and myself. Give us a listen, and after-wards provide feedback. We'd love to hear from you.

Here's to hoping our podcast is a success.
____________________________________________________________

The podcast should be on iTunes within a few hours, but if for whatever reason it still isn't, you can subscribe to us by doing the following:

1. Click "Advanced" up on the menu toolbar.
2. Click "Subscribe to Podcast".
3. Then type in the following URL: http://www.coughinyourface.com/bwa/bwa.xml

Thanks for listening!

(Seriously though, if you're able to listen to me for an extended period of time, you have no excuse to not listen to the other great Aion podcasts!)

Bad Idea?

I'm starting to have second thoughts about playing the Chinese version of Aion. I mean sure, its great playing with everyone... but I'm a little concerned.

I've done the starting zone like... four or five times now. I'm worried that when Aion does finally release here in the States, I'll be burned out on the first twenty levels. I don't want my first days of release to be full of apathy and boredom, I want them to be full of wonder and excitement.

Here's the problem though, I don't really have much else to do. I mean sure, my college classes start up tomorrow, I could go play WAR or something else, hell... I could even socialize with people in real life (GASP!). However, I want to hang out with my friends, I want to be ahead of the learning curve, and I want to be chuck full of information so when some noob whispers me I can tell him exactly what he needs to know.

A conundrum to say the least. So I suppose I have a choice to make, do I continue to play Chinese Aion, or do I stop and anxiously await the American release? I'm having trouble deciding, your thoughts?

Podcast Updates

The Abyss:

Big thanks to "Motor Mouthed" Tony and "Beautiful Voiced" Lori for mentioning me on their podcast (even if the name was wrong, lol, s'ok). Go check out Episode #5.

Aion's World:

Their forums are up and running, and they'd love to hear from you. Stop by for some good polls, information, and a few laughs. I know they're very excited about their next couple of episodes, so stay tuned.

Aion's Wrath:

Episode #2 is up, just finished listening and would you look at that, I get mentioned here too. Thanks guys, appreciate it.

Open Beta

Open Beta confirmed to be announced next week with Version 1.5 included via BitTorrent.

Linky

*Marching Bands and Parades Commence*

/victory, and /thanks to Arithion from Aion's World for spreading the news.

Also make sure to check out Aionic Thoughts for news on EVEN MORE new things coming to Aion.

I Caved... Again!

Recently, I've been frothing at the mouth over the release of Aion. I went to my doctor and he prescribed that I play the Chinese Version of Aion until release.

Hey... doctor's orders right?



SEE YOU IN BEIJING BABY!

Many New Things!

Wow, today is just full of new things!

• I just moved into my new dorm room today. (No AC!! QQ I'm cooking like an Easy Bake Oven right now! Shake and Bake!!!)
• My guild-mate and good friend Bel has started up her own blog, which will primarily be about Aion along with random thoughts like yours truly.
• Many new things are also in store... but I cannot reveal them just yet. Patience young fledgling.

Sadly, there is no new news (alliterations ftw!) in regards to Aion yet, besides a possibly big issue in regards to EU players (poor guys always seem to get shafted).

I R T3h Sadness

[Children:] So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night
[Marta:] I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

[Children:] So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu
[Friedrich:] Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu

[Children:] So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

[Microsoft Sam:] Sadface, :(
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Well folks, that about wraps things up for Aion's final Closed Beta. Our characters are only but a lovely memory. So naturally, now we need to find a way to keep ourselves from going insane while we anxiously await Aion's release. We have a few options...

1. Play Other Games: I know that personally I'll be playing a lot of CoD4 and TF2 while listening to Aion Podcasts.
2. Go Uber-Fan-Boi: Zomg I can't stop reading stuffz bout Aion best game evur!!!!!! I R t3h forum top ranking poster and i has full knowledge of game. I pwn ur nubsauce.
3. Try This Thing Called "Real Life": Meh... can't really recommend it. Not enough PvP.

Seriously though, do at least shower. Its been what... 3-4 days?

Closed Beta 6: Final Thoughts

I'll be honest in admitting that this is the first time I've ever beta-tested a game... but then again, this doesn't feel like a "test" at all. The game is near perfection.

There are a few things however, that I found mildly irritating, though no where near stopping me from loving the game:

• No Auto-Loot Option: I'm an American, I'm lazy, sue me XD
• Small Questing Issues: Just little things here and there like incorrect descriptions, the inability to assist others with some quests, etc.
• Flying Accessibility: Surprisingly enough, I'm not referring to the flight mechanic. Some cities have Obelisks, but no flight points. So when you die, it can be bothersome to get around sometimes.

Of course, there are also some things that I really enjoy about Aion (that I haven't already mentioned):

• Aion's Crafting System: There are so many things that I love about this, that I'm going to make a list within a list!

1. Universal Resource Gathering: This is huge! By making it so all players can gather resources, regardless of their professions, players are able to be much more efficient and helpful. A Blacksmith need Iron Ore? Ask the Cook, he probably picked some up when he was questing!
2. Abundance of Resources: I love being able to gather without having to worry about resources being scarce. Aion's zones are chuck full of material goodness.
3. So Much to Do!: Fairly self explanatory, Aion's Crafting System is very detailed. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different items players can craft. Normally, I'm not that obsessed with crafting, but I've fallen in love with Cooking.

• Customization: From your UI to your abilities and very appearance, Aion is filled to the brim with customization. You play how you want to play, with little to no borders.
• Emotes: Aion's abundance of emotes is amazing. Whether it be the l33tness of /victory, the sadness of /despair, or the silliness of /taunt, there is definitely an emote for you.
• Channels: Someone farming a mob or quest item you need? No problem, a quick switch of channels and your competition is but a faint memory. (Just an fyi, channels mean different instances of Aion. As in there are 10 different instanced versions of the same zone.)
  
• Difficulty: This is another big thing for me. Aion strikes a good balance between hardcore and easy mode. If you're doing an elite quest, you need to be on your game and paying attention. Players have to rely on each other for well timed CC and heals. Succeeding in Aion isn't impossible by any means, but its no cakewalk either.
• Community: I've yet to meet a single person in the game who has been a jerk. Players are very helpful to one another. If you have a question that you feel may be dumb, you need not fear asking. Even players within the Arena are polite enough to not kill you if you are turning a quest in.
  
• Much MUCH more: That's just it, Aion never ceases to impress. The further I get into the game, the more I find to enjoy!

Honestly, this game is the waffle. Aion's foundation is more solid than Fort Knox. If you're on the edge about buying Aion, fly your butt off the fence and join the party. Hehehe... /taunt.

Update: Every player just received free in-game items for filling out a quick survey about what excites them about Aion v 1.5. Free stuff for telling the creators of the game how much I love it? Alright!

Closed Beta 6: First Impressions

After having played nonstop since 2 pm (servers went up early), I can safely say that Aion is awesome. A few words come to mind when thinking about the game:

Its l33t. Its smooth. Its beautiful. Its interesting. Its fun. Its fresh. Its captivating. Its innovative. Blah blah, onto the details!

I began the day rolling a Ranger up to Level 11, and I was going to continue leveling him... but then a guildie logged on. Mind you that pretty much everyone else had gone through the first parts of the game in 6 man groups with each other. We went through the UI together, quests together, dying like noobs together, and we had all ascended. So basically, the poor guy was alone.

Yeah, I wasn't about to let that happen. No one should ever have to step into a new MMO alone. So, I created a Mage... and had a blast. (Literally! Waffle got blown up! >:D) Not only did my partner and I succeed in Ascending within 3 hours (without a healer and not even attempting "hardcore questing/grinding"... though I was able to somehow memorize every quest the first time through... I didn't even have to use the locator the second time through [is that healthy? lol]), but I also really began to enjoy the Sorcerer. It felt like I was playing Vanilla WoW again. (Perhaps this was a sign of my true class? I'm struggling between which one I want my main to be now, needz moar data I suppose.)

Besides my adventures though, I really have to go into "fan-boi mode" about Aion:

• The in-game cut scenes, almost all of which have voice overs, are fantastic.
  
• The graphics are positively amazing, and don't lag up the game whatsoever. Back in WAR, I was lucky to be running 40 FPS with high settings on in large ORvR battles. In Aion, I have everything maxxed out, and I'm running at a bare-minimum of 60 FPS, maximum of 120 (and not to be hating on WAR, but Aion looks much better in my opinion).
• Don't even get me started on how awesome the Flight Mechanic is.
• Character customization is extremely detailed. You can change almost everything shown on your character. From how pointy your ears are to how big your feet are. Its easy to forget something obvious (like leg muscles on my Ranger, lol) because you get so into it.
  
• In Aion, you feel like you're somebody with influence, you matter. In WAR, you were just another body ready to be chucked into the zerg at a moments notice (and I realize that they did this on purpose, but I just don't like it).
  

So, in conclusion, if you haven't already pre-ordered Aion... you're missing out big time.

My Former Enemy Is My New Community Comrade?

Soooo, you're probably thinking something along the lines of "What the waffle?!" right? Let me explain.

Back when I was playing Warhammer Online in full swing, I had situated myself with a wonderful guild known as Black Death (I'm still with them to this day). Naturally, as a Destruction player, I hated Order. I mean I really hated Order. They would always kill me, even when I was only rifting them towards me to say hello.

One of the top Order guilds on Volkmar, our server, (in my opinion) was Halcyon Affinity. You can imagine how I felt when I realized that two lovely ladies from the guild that used to pwn my sorry Magus butt are the hosts of the Aion podcast Aion's World. To make things even worse, their podcast is informative and entertaining! Blast!!! Looks like I'll have to forget the transgressions of the past and move on towards a dark and hairy-backed Asmodian future together. Keep up the great work ladies.

Also, don't forget to check out The Abyss (Episode 4 was just released) and Aion's Wrath (Remember, friends don't let friends code drunk. Hehe), two other fantastic Aion podcasts.

Off Topic: The War On Video Games

Yeah, I know this is a blog about Aion. I realize you probably come here to read up on information, or perhaps get a quick chuckle out of my horrid humor... but from time to time, you should also come to expect a few "Off Topic" posts. They will always be about Video Games in some way, but not necessarily related to Aion.

So, today's Off Topic post is about: The War On Video Games. Everyone knows that this has been going on for some time now, the dispute over the supposed link that children playing violent video games increases their chances at becoming a violent criminal or murderer.

I could go into a long discussion about how this is utter bullwaffle... but I think I've found two gentlemen who can do that better than I can.

Penn and Teller

Now before you go thinking about anything else, I want you to know that while this show has been known to be humorous... the end of the show is far from it. So, if you're able, take 30 minutes and go watch the episode. I can certainly say that the world would be a better place if some politicians and lawyers watched this show more often.

Side-Note: Yeah, three posts in one day, I realize that's a bit excessive. Once the game releases, I probably won't be posting so much. (Unless you want me to post that much... O_o) I just felt very strongly about this issue, and I enjoy sparking conversation with people.

Update: Sorry folks, the videos have been removed from Youtube.

Someone's Done Their Homework

Gah! Blasted Thulf is at it again, making high quality maps and guides for both the Abyss and the Stigma System.

How am I supposed to compete with that?! QQ

Nah, I'm kidding, his maps/guides are top notch. So if you're still unaware/misinformed about those parts of Aion, definitely glide over there and read up.

Sippin' On Hatorade

Mmm, nothing quenches my thirst more than Forum Flamin' Fruit Punch, Hatorade's best flavor by far.

Seriously though, what's with the hate? I'm touring different forums, such as the Ranger Forums on Aionsource.com, and roughly sixty percent of the threads are covered in mindless, insulting comments.

"L33t players" are drowning out legitimate posts asking basic questions with "get lost newb", "go roll another class", "stupid question", etc. I mean c'mon, is that really necessary?

In case some people haven't noticed, a lot of people haven't had a chance to play Aion yet, myself included. Perhaps I'm a bit out of touch, but aren't forums where you are supposed to ask questions, and then (hopefully) receive answers?

Judging from the responses, evidently not. Worst of all, some people are actually purposefully trying to drive people away from classes so their gear won't be so expensive on the Auction House... I mean that's just a whole new level of pathetic.

I realize that forum flamers are nothing new, but I've never seen them as bad as this before. (Then again... I never dared look at WoW's forums) With any luck, once the game finally releases and people start enjoying the game, this negativity will dissipate. /shrug

Update: One of the worst flamers, a Ranger who will remain nameless, was banned from Aionsource. This pleases me.

The All Important Question

What class should you play.... If by now you are still unsure of what class you want to play, try some of the following:

1. Study and Research. - Check out everything you can about the different classes. Don't just read the basic introduction about each class, take it a step further and use Youtube Videos, Guides, and In-Depth Discussions to your advantage. Don't forget to read other blogs also. For example, Weekly Ranger and Quirky Quiescence may be able to help you out.
   
2. Take Opinions with a Grain of Salt - This isn't to say that you should disregard forum posts and opinion based threads, but you should try to remain objective when making this decision. Take everything in, and then form your own opinion.
   
3. Go Play It Yourself - If you have access to the beta, do yourself a favor and play numerous different classes. Just keep in mind that classes have been known to change dramatically by the time they reach the higher levels.
4. Trust Your Gut - Choose what feels right for you. If you feel like you're having too many doubts about whether this is the right choice, repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 until you feel comfortable that you've found a class that works for you.
5. Do NOT -

• Pick a class because your legion is low on them.
• Pick a different class than your friends, based solely on the fact that they chose your class.
  
• Pick a different class because the one you wanted is the "over-populated" or "newbs only" class.

Hopefully by following this list you will be able to narrow your choice down to a class that is just right for you.

"Micro-Transactions"

I'm going to do my best to calm the up-rise that seems to be appearing over this issue.

This is a direct quote from Ayase:

Aion is and will remain a subscription-based game. The "micro-transactions" I know have been discussed so far only involve lesser additional services, rendering "micro-transaction" a fairly erroneous word to describe it. Overall I think we're looking at a fairly conventional subscription system, but as the reply in the interview states we aren't at a stage in planning yet where we can tell you exactly what we'll have. Rest assured that it wouldn't make sense to anyone to have a game which requires both micro-transactions and a subscription fee to be played decently.

So from what I gather, the term "micro-transaction" in this case probably will result in a few of these:

• Server Transfers
• Name Changes
  
• Character Re-customization
• Elyos/Asmo Transfer (Iffy obviously)
  
• Vanity stuff (Maybe, because I doubt most people would pay)
• Etc.

So calm down, I highly doubt they'll put in anything too controversial. <3

A New Beginning... Again!

Hello World!... Again!

Yes its me, your old pal Firstto Fall from (Insert Clever WAR Name) a Warhammer Online Blog. As I previously announced, I've decided to move onto (hopefully) greener pastures with Aion. Along with my move, I've decided to return to my more well known alias, Rer ("Rare"). I'll be experimenting with classes during the next closed beta, but I think I'm pretty settled with the Ranger.

Sure, everyone keeps saying its an extremely annoying grind for the first 20 or so levels... but if I come out all the stronger for the endgame, I figure it's worth it.

As always, I'm big on getting to know my fellow gamers and community members. So, please PLEASE... seriously please QQ, leave comments if you have the time. I always enjoy reading your opinions and thoughts.

Before I go, I've decided to continue the tradition of the WCPI (Warhammer Community Promotion Initiative) with Aion. So make sure to check in from time to time to discover some awesome blogs, fan-sites, and podcasts.

On a Side-note, Happy A Few Minutes Late Birthday Bro!
That's all for now, come back soon!