We both had trouble with the last topic (random things) so we will revisit that later. However this…? THIS we can do.
I’ve only ever mentioned in passing the naming conventions we both use, so this is a good forum to discuss it I guess.
You can find our character bios in more detail here (Mrs) and here (Mr).
My main is Louloutte. Most people who know us call me Lou. This is shortened from my RL name and I’m happy with that. Louloutte is actually derived from a nickname I was given by colleagues when I lived in France. Originally it was spelled correctly (Louloute), but when Mr B server changed us it wasn’t available so I got this version. I’ve come to love it, even with its spelling error.
All of my char names also have French-style names – Poulette (little chick), Pichouette (naughty little girl I suppose if you had to translate it?!), Chouchoute is an endearment with the -te on the end, Burquette I created and levelled with Mr B and is a play on our surname… with -te on as always 🙂
I’ve no idea why this naming convention happened, but that along with my trademark silver hair and all-female characters is how you can recognise me in game.
So my first character was Kwame. He was replaced after a while with Sinnius – named after my guild, SIN. Lots of characters have kept this naming convention even after the guild disbanded – Sinnaty, Robsin etc. I then started naming characters after my surname – Burqus, Burq, Burqini etc. These days, I’ve run out of Sin names so tend to go with a variation of Burqus… All except my Demon Hunter which I named after my daughter, Felizza.
I’d love to come up with a clever warcraft name though. I found this on the forum.
There’s so many cool names, loads are overused though with the game being around so long. I love to find the funnies in game and have a chuckle – Pandamonium the Monk or Alarmclock [the Wakener] anyone?!
I also like RP names like Fizzlecrank for a Gnome, or Grimli for a Dwarf. The problem is, I’m not sure I could give up my naming style. I think if I ever created a male character (I’m desperate to do a Draenei, but really can’t be bothered levelling it from scratch!!!!) I’d do something completely different. I’d use a fantasy name generator I think and see what it came up with. There are some beautiful ones out there.
I’d just settled down to play, when my first child decided to screech that she wasn’t tired, which woke my second child up. Cue half hour of trying to sort them out… in the end, I brought sprog 1 downstairs and bribed her with TV whilst I finished the last 9% before 110. Excellent parenting skills amirite? 😉
Anyway, I finally did it!
Sorry about the terrible screenshot, I only realised as it was happening!
I then went back to Dalaran and was instantly overwhelmed with all the quests to pick up and stuff I had to do… anyone recommend what to prioritise?!!
Anyway, it’s only a quick post as I still have to put mini-WoW into bed, so goodnight, and happy weekend gaming!
This week I decided that even though I was enjoying my new DK alt in WoW, that I’d like to try a new game out. One that was suggested several times was a game called RIFT. Several people have described it to me as “fake WoW”, so I figured that at least I have a good chance!I didn’t want to miss out the fun, so I downloaded it too.
First Impressions
I watched the opening trailer:
…and first impressions were pretty good. It seemed like the type of thing I’m into (lots of fantasy, MMO, questing etc) and the graphics, for a F2P seemed really nice. So, we decided to give it a go.
I get onto the character screen to create my first toon on a medium pop PvE server (I don’t like WoW PvP, I don’t see how this would be any different!), and I’m faced with a decision straight away: which faction to choose. I am unashamed to say that I chose Guardian purely based on the fact the other one looked like the Horde symbol. I just did as I was told! Then… Elf, Dwarf or Human. Well, as cool as Dwarves are, the Elf looked really beautiful so I chose a female. And I a male.
I wanted the same race/server as we don’t know if different races start together, so this is why we chose Gelidra and the High Elves.
Creating a Character
We haven’t read a single thing about the lore or the background to this game, so I pick a class that I am most familiar with – a Mage (there was Warrior, Cleric or Rogue as well). I chose a Warrior Destroyer… because it looks cool. However, you must then further specialise… you can be a healer, tank or damage Mage, depending on what you wish to do. I didn’t want to heal, as the tool tip says that it “takes longer to solo mobs”. I thought this would be silly seeing as I doubt I’ll be grouping with lots of people just yet – I wanted a class that could hold its own as I learn the game. In the end, I chose the Pyromentalist, it seemed the most logical at least!
Customisation
This was a really fun experience. In WoW, you get hair style and colour, face shape, accessories (ear/nose rings/tattoos) and skin colour. In RIFT, you also get make-up tones, mouth and nose size/shape, highlights, eye colour… many more options to explore! It also gave you a preview of gear at different levels which was pretty cool.
Here they are, as new level one’s in the starting area.
The first five levels
Level 1 and 2 were pretty easy… moving is the same as WoW (W,A,D) and you right click to interact with quest givers. The storyline is pretty linear too – one quest leads to another etc. I found it really quite simple to level those first couple of levels. It’s a bit weird using 1 and 2 for main abilities (when I’ve always used Q, E etc) but as we’re grouping together, the mobs die quickly anyway. I also realised at around level 5 that I have an Elemental pet – similar to a Warlock voidwalker. Pretty handy!
Levels 3,4,5 were more complex purely as the mobs became hostile and started attacking you. The world was also pretty cool to explore, even if the quest givers tend to change places from where you picked the quest up from – rather confusing.
I was a bit overawed by the amount of abilities you get as a level one – a lot to get your head around. Each class seemed to have abilities from the other. Like in WoW a fire mage using arcane missiles, it seems a bit bizarre. The ‘soul tree’ (talents) seems complex too, we just opted for the automatic fill-in feature for now.
I also changed our key bindings, she was getting confused using 1 and 2 for abilities usually on Q and E….
Beyond level 5
We only got to level 10 in our first sitting, although I think that was a valiant attempt. We stopped here as I wanted to try a different class.We tried duelling a few times and I could barely touch her before I died, I couldn’t be having that! It started to get a bit complicated with things that needed research – what do the Porticulis do? Why are people in my party if I didn’t invite/accept them? Why is there a quest which is completing without me doing anything?
The World
From what we can gather, the world is interactive with quests that you can complete as part of a team – you turn up, complete the objectives and get a reward. I’ve had one experience of this (completely accidentally), but it seems like a cool concept. We killed some big firey dude and I got some rocks as a reward. I didn’t get anything though…
So far, we haven’t explored much out than the starting town and its relevant quests. However, I did get chance at the end to stumble through a large part of the map into new questing hubs further into the zone, in what looks like a college. I’m sure we’re not doing them in a logical order, but we’re gaining xp… We also got our first taste of the ‘dimensions’ – player housing we think. Not entirely sure what it’s for, but I put a bush down and it looked like home!
Heading forward
I’m quite looking forward to continuing this adventure! It’s fun exploring a new world and learning something new. Here we are at level 10…
This was my first ever mog and I loved it. Doesn’t my Mage look amazing with her Witch’s Cat companion and Halloween broomstick? This picture is the best one I have and it’s over a year old, so I’ve made a couple of tweaks and recreated it on Mogit to show it better:
This is me Evocating whilst I’m using the Rime of the Time-Lost Mariner item, which drops from a rare on the Timeless Isle, The pretty pink appeals to me. If only there was a glyph….
I might upset some of you hardcore transmog farmers out there with this post, but I had to enthuse about my transmog early on.
I am by no means a pro. I have no idea what the different tiers are all about – I absorb some of Mr B’s chattering by osmosis but I don’t take an active interest. The fun of transmog, for me, is about the challenge of finding that perfect shade of purple to match my hat. Not grinding BC raids for drops… *yawn*.
Below is Louloutte, my main, a Gnome Mage. I am almost finished with my genius, but as you can see, finding a witch-y two handed staff is proving to be difficult. I have a star wand, which is amazing, but until I get two one-handers, its a no-go. Suggestions welcome!
Items
Hat: Skywitch hat
Back: Netherfury Cape
Shoulders: Shoulders of Ruinous Senility
Chest: Robe of the Magi
I also think she looks pretty cool at Halloween, with my black cat, outside Karazhan. I would use the broomstick year-round if I could!
No more words now, I shall let you admire the beauty 🙂
Mr and Mrs WoW 