Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Inspired by the Ironforge floor

We are getting a new kitchen floor. Hurray. After trying to find someone to redo our kitchen since last summer, we finally have someone. He's the son of my son's godfather's glass blowing partner. A very nice young man who is really into his work. I am so happy. He starts Thursday. We're going to replace the old floor in the kitchen and front hall with tile, replace the kitchen counters, reface the kitchen cabinets, and redo the powder room.

What all this means is the for the next two days all my time is going to be getting rid of all of our junk in these rooms. Then we're going away for Spring break. And then it's time to do our taxes. This is all going to cut into our levelling, big time. Sigh.

Call me Michael Jordan

I haven't master the jump shot quite yet, but I can sure run, jump and twist back, and then land and keep running in the direction I started. At least I can do it in IF. I can do it going upstairs. I can do it going into the AH. I can do running back to check the mailbox. Thanks BRK!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Workin' on the Jump Shot

Here's the scene. I'm sitting at the dining room table with dad's laptop and the wireless-mouse-from-hell in front of me. I'm sure I still don't have this stupid thing configured right. Anyway, there I am. I've got my eight-year-old son standing on my right and my six-year-old son standing on my left. I've logged onto our dwarf hunter, Nikibrik, and we're all set up to start practicing our jumping and turning. And jumping and turning. And jumping and turning. We picked a spot away from the action by the AH and bank, near where the Lunar Festival display is set up.

Run toward tunnel, jump-turn-look-at-the-light-turn-back-to-the-tunnel, keeping running, jump-turn-look-at-the-light-turn-back-to-the-tunnel, keeping running.
.
At least that was the plan.

With the boys cheering me on, I kept trying. Then there came a point where suddenly I felt like Michael Jordan in his prime. I was up in the air and had all the time in the world to twist and twist back. It was so cool. It also didn't last. Little hands can't help wanting to help by moving the mouse around. Actually, they'd probably be great at this since they use the mouse all the time at school as well as on our old computer. Anyway, despite my helpers, I was getting better. At the very least, I don't feel completely disoriented anymore.

Well, the last time I took Nikibrik out to practice in the "Real World" it didn't work out so good. So we created yet another new character: Jumpshooter, the dwarf hunter.

I think it might be impossible to jump shot without an instance cast shot. Auto Shot didn't seem to go off while we were in the air. Also we ran into a lot of trees. And sometimes found ourselves jumping up, twisting and running straight into the wolf. Or else losing it because we couldn't get a shot off. But we kept at it and slowly. painfully, got up to level four and our first instance shot: serpent sting.

It was bad. Sometimes I'd hit the little run button in the middle of the mouse and nothing would happen. Other times. It would work perfect, but then for some reason as I'd jump and turn, the attack would turn off, so no shooting. Just shoot me now. Or else shoot the mouse.

Then my helpers and I had to quit. The fire we had built needed more wood. And popcorn was required for movie night.

I am going to master this, stupid evil mouse-from-hell and all.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Mom's to do list for the weekend

Work on the Jump Shot. With BRK's second movie, how could I not. Thanks BRk. You're the best!!!

Respec one of our warlocks from Affliction to Demonology.

Right now they're both Affliction. One has been sitting in the Undercity since last spring at lvl 20. The other has been in SW for about a month, also at 20. Our undead warlock Rosishu, which we started over a year ago, had an "experimental" talent build going. In other words, a few points here and a few points there. We got her out this week, emptied her bags of crafting mats, finished up the secubus quest, killed a bunch of bears and spiders around Tauren Mills, and then did a couple horde quests in Durnholde. And dinged 21 and 22. And discovered I had never trained her in First Aid. D'oh. Back to the UC. Train. Train up in first aid. And respecc pure Affliciton. D'oh again, because our lvl 20 human warlock is also Affliction. I should've gone Demonology. So instead of respeccing again, I'll just spend another gold and respec the human. I don't want to do two the same. I just don't.

Get our lvl 43 troll hunter Danishu up to at least 46.

We have a bunch of character with the -ishu ending. The boys invented it. My youngest thinks it sounds pretty for a girl's name.

I ran into my brother's hunter in the Western Plague lands the other night. His main is a 70 tauren shaman, but he started a hunter after the tauren hit 70. Elmor, the Belf was at 49. I was on our Tauren hunter, lvl 60. We had fun killing undead for a while. I was hoping with my help, ding 50, but not quite. He wanted to run ZF, but there neither of us had time to wait while we pulled together a group.

Could a 60 BM hunter and a 49-almost 50 BM hunter manage ZF alone? Hmmm.

Jumps Shots

Thank you BRK for the latest Movie on the "Jump Shot". I can't do it. It's a great awesome movie which explains the mechanics quite clearly. I just can't do it. I've been playing on a laptop with a trackpad since I started over a year ago. We didn't even own a mouse until I got one for my husband last month. Using the mouse is so weird. I get completely disoriented.

But heck, I wanted to be able to do this. I just need to practice.

So I longed into my hunter who's been hanging out in Ironforge. Since it was morning, IF wasn't all that crowded. I just ran around with the mouse for a while, crashing into walls, getting stuck under stairways, running into fires and getting burned. I was trying to get used to moving with that stupid mouse. I'm sure people thought that some parent had let their 5 year old play with a toon while home from school on a snow day.

Finally I started to get control of the camera angle — most of the time — and stopped crashing into things — most of the time.

Time to start running, jumping and spinning.

So I did that for awhile. Start running, jump and twist and landed looking straight up and crashed into a staircase. I swear it felt like landing flat on my back. "It's okay...I meant to do that." But I stuck with it. Gradually, I started to get control. I discovered that I need a focal point, something to focus on in the distance to keep from getting disoriented. Then it happened. I started running, eyes fixed on the Lunar Festival glowing light thingy. Hit space bar, twist-twist, and I AM STILL GOING TOWARD THE LIGHT. Wow this is so neat. Over and over. Into the light. Into the light.

Then I'm taking the show outside to see if I can shoot anything. Run down the hill. Target a wolf. Turn the camera angle so I'm looking at the little dwarf. Fire and run. And jump and twist and the wolf is out of range. Stand there and shoot again, and the wolf is dead. /sigh.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Back to Winter

We were away for the weekend visiting family and friends in Charlottesville, VA. I swear it was 60 degrees on Saturday. No WoW for me, but I got to see some old friends. We all went to see Arlo Guthrie in his Solo Reunion Tour: The original band together again at last. Arlo is an extremely funny story teller. If he's coming to your town, go see him, just to see a part of American History.

Anyway, yesterday we had wind chill in the below zero range. Today is no school because of snow. And the furnace isn't working.

But I did get my Drenden dwarf hunter up to lvl 32 and a half. Feign Death is the best ability ever. I am really enjoying leveling and questing in totally new areas. There is a lot of running around for the Alliance, but there is also more of a storyline. Duskwood, Wetlands, Stormwind, back to Duskwood, then Redridge, and back to Stormwind and then to Ironforge, and then the Wetlands again, and back to Duskwood. I finally just got on a boat to Kalimdor to do get to Thousand Needles and all the racing flat quests, which lead back to Stranglethorn — my next stop!

Friday, February 8, 2008

When Real Lfe comes knocking

We haven't been able to do much these days. Mom and Dad have managed to get their druid couple up to level 7. That's big. Dad likes thorns. In other news, by playing 30 mintues here and 20 minutes there, our dwarf hunter on Drenden, Nikibrik, dinged 30 and ogt Fiegn Death. Love Feign Death.

We're going out of town this weekend and will be away from the computer until Monday. So we'll see ya then.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Leatherworking is Lame, except when it's not.

Not happening this weekend. Yesterday, Dad spent stripping wallpaper. Then the boys had their acting/singing lessons and the family went to a late lunch. We got home. Dad went back to work on the walls while mom checked the AH, did a bit of mat farming and levelled up my sencondary leatherworker a bit. Now I just have to level him up. After that we all watched an old favorite: The Music Man, with Robert Preston, John Ford, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, and a very young Ron Howard. We chose this movie because the boys are learning the song, "Gary, Indiana". Besides, it's one of my favorites.

Before I get into the leatherworking part of this post, a bit more about the boys. They started taking tap dancing last year after watching "Singing In The Rain". After knocking the crowd dead at their recital last spring, they wanted to try being in play. So I signed them up for a children's production of "The Aristocats". In the fall, instead of doing soccer, they chose to continue with the tap lessons and do another play, "The Jungle Book." This winter, in addition to tap, they are working privately with the acting teacher to work on their singing. Plus they've started piano. My husband and I joke that we are doing everything we can to prepare our children for a career in Vaudeville.

Now on to the awful profession of Leatherworking.

Actually it's fine at beginning. The stuff you can make for yourself, assuming you're playing a class that wears leather, is better than anything of the early quest rewards. And the light leather armor kits are nice, too. This is doubly nice for us since we typically run a bunch of low level characters. They can all start off with a Handstitched Leather Vest at 45 armor, plus a +8 light armor kit. With two or three low level skinners feeding our low level LW, everyone gets decent armor and the LW is able to progress fast enough to make decent stuff for everyone's level. Until you get to the items requiring tough mats. But this is universally true in the crafting professions. You drool over the propect of making those sweet Toughened Leather Gloves, only to find that by the time you can either farm the mats or have the gold to buy them, you're sporting better gloves. But this isn't unique to LWing.

No the real problem with LW is twofold. First is that Leatherworkers-in-a-hurry to skill up, following a guide or something, will make about 30 of some decent but piece that doesn't require anything but leather and thread. And then dump them all the AH. Items like the Dark Leather Belt, which has decent stats for it's level, same than an "of the Monkey" piece of the same level. So forget about making and selling nice belts and pants at around level 20. This also goes for any selling any drops. Or bracers in the 30s. Or head gear in the mid 30s. I have seen 20 or more Nightscape Headbands priced at less 60 silver. Actually I like this situation. I buy them all up and DE them for Vision Dust and Lesser Nether Essence.

My main grumble with LW is at the upper levels around 250-300. My lvl 60 LW can make all these blue items with mats that she can easily farm, that no one wants because the only stats they have are resistances. I know these were for pre-BC content that hardly anyone ever does anymore, so of course no one want to buy them. Frostsaber and Chimeric and Living. Make 'em and DE 'em, I guess.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Mages


I like blasting things from range, hence hunters. But I have also enjoyed mages, until it comes to the first talent point. And then I can't decide what to do next. Frost is supposed to be better for leveling, unless fire is better. And what about arcane?

We have about five or six baby mages scattered across the Realms Where We Roam. Three of them are at about level 10 and that first talent point. Another one, the original mage — Sheeshuu — was actually doing fine up until level 25. She had a kind of a random Arcane build with a bit of fire and a hint of frost (10/3/3), but she also had the Phoenix pants (+4 int, +10 fire) and Phoenix Gloves (+9 fire). Add the Dwarven Magestaff of Fiery Wrath with +13 fire damage. And an elixir of fire power (+10 fire), Minor Wizard Oil (+ 8 all spells) and the Bronze Band of Force, we're getting a +58 spell bonus to fire spells. Add some Frozen Wrath Booth with +11, and we're looking at +38ish to frost spells, as well. With this get up we have 1686 mana.

Okay, then we also have Azure Pants with +6 int, and +10 frost, along with the Spidersilk Boots (+4 int) and the Cresent Staff (+ 7 int). When we change into this gear, mana increases by almost 100, but fire spell bonus plummets, although frost goes up a bit.

She sits in Orgrimmar, buying and selling herbs and potions. So I don't know what to do with her. And I don't know what to do with the rest of our herd of mages. /Sigh