How far does one have to go before someone strikes back at them? How long can you pull the dog’s food bowl away from him before he bites your hand off? Looking at it on the other side of the coin; how long do you have to be nice to a hostile stranger before they  accept you?

Quite a conundrum. People in general are very set in their ways – they have strict beliefs, superstitions – although some of them won’t admit it, they have some semblance of a routine each day, be it work, school or a daily walk. Just as some people are determined about right, wrong and routines, there are those who refuse to accept it when they are wrong. One of the best quotes I ever read in the Harry Potter series is this:

‘It is easier to forgive someone for being wrong than it is for being right’.

This is so true.

Almost everyone in the world enjoys the feeling of being right, more so than being wrong. These same people will forgive those who are wrong much more easily than those who are right (because it would mean the ‘forgiver’, so to speak, is wrong).

But back to the matter of ‘baiting’. Which comments or actions will trigger which emotions? If I disagree with a volatile person, I wouldn’t want to be within arm’s reach. If I give a gift to a friend, and the friend likes it, the friend will say ‘thank you’. (No, I’m not joking. A genuine word of thanks is a show of emotion) If I told someone their relative had died, they would burst into tears. If someone’s house was on fire, they’d panic.

So we have a difference of opinions, a material present, death and dangerous situations.

Add to that weather, negative economical situations and (sexual) relationships and there are a whole catalogue of sub-triggers (ie: simply rain as opposed to ‘weather’), and it quickly turns out that almost everything in the world triggers an emotional response.  It requires a person of unbelievably even temperament to go even a single day without responding ‘majorly’ to any stimulus.

Spending a day completely calm must be an enlightening experience – I suggest some

It is with regular displeasure that I hear of new videogames receiving raving reviews. No, this is not because I hate other people having success – indeed, I encourage it, as success is the only way for a society to move forward, and ‘be successful’ in itself.

My post on Grand Theft Auto (and several replies which I deleted for the good of young eyes) touched majorly on this, but in this post I will make a generalisation on computer gaming.

There are several categories of games: Shoot-em-ups, fantasy, role-playing, multiplayer, console games, PC games, fighting games, puzzle games, platformers and strategy games. I’m sure I’ve missed a few out there, so please add more if you know them.

For now, I’m going to lump these into two categories: Violence and non-violence.

Taking a look at a list of top-ten bestselling videogame franchises, I was both saddened and pleasantly surprised. I saw 3 violence oriented games – most notably GTA, of course, but even this was only 5th. I’ve already posted a rant on why this shouldn’t be so, and if you haven’t read it you can guess for yourself.

However, I was pleased to see that the top of the leaderboards was occupied by much more friendly, PG-style franchises: Mario and Pokemon.

In between wondering how many readers let a snigger escape their lips and writing this sentence, I tallied up the amount of Violence/Non-violence games I own. The answer? 14/1, with the 1 being a James Bond game received from a well-meaning aunt and never opened.

I by no means cite myself as the ultimate example. What I do wish to emphasise, however, is my longing for a more civilised world. People play violence games until they get bored of shooting pixels, then go and shoot real people. Taking Pokemon as an example, what is the parallel? Playing until one’s fingers bleed, then buying a hat with Pikachu on it and running around in the grass frantically, searching for oddly-shaped creatures. Both are two examples of dangerous obsession, and I’m not saying it’s what everyone does. I would however like to point out that considering the age restrictions of the 2 franchises, running around crazily is perfectly allowable for young players of Pokemon. Shooting people is not allowed for players of any age.

What I really wanted to hit on today is the genius of strategy.

The human brain is a fantastic thing. Humans are the most advanced (brain-wise) creatures on earth, and our ability to retain knowledge and plan ahead according to said knowledge is what makes us the superior species on the planet.

Chess is a fantastic game. Chess is one of the best exercises in lateral thinking that this planet will ever see. I class myself as an above-average chess player, and in every tournament I have entered, I have been struck by the countless opportunities presented to a player. The situations that can occur in chess are endless, and so it logically follows that and the opportunity for strategical play presents itself every single move. A well-timed piece sacrifice can tear holes in an opponent’s position; a good combination of moves will ultimately result in a checkmate.

I lament the popularity of gun games. Why? Because there is no strategy. There is no thought. For some people, playing GTA and friends is a finger workout at best: They are like drones, knowing exactly what to do, and the only skill required is in reading the two word objective: Kill people.

After that dramatic statement, I close with a question, the answer to which I invite people to add in comments: Why, with all the glorious strategy in the world, do videogamers of 18 and above (and frighteningly, younger people who manage to get their hands on a copy of the game!) choose to shoot and kill people continuously, to ‘rack up points’?

Hype is an unfortunate aspect of the modern world just as celebrity and conflict are. That new book, film, sports match or even perfume release that everyone looks forward to can often become an obsession before it is even read, watched, or sprayed.

It would be a gross exaggeration to say that there is nothing in my life that I look forward to. However much one may try, the fickle human psyche will run riot when subjected to expectation, in the same way as a cat becomes ‘mad’ on catnip. Expectation is an opportunity for the brain to conjure and imagine rich scenarios, especially when one builds up a concept before ‘trying it out’.

The 6th film in the record-breaking Harry Potter franchise will be released in less than a week, on July 15th, 2009. Originally, the film was scheduled for release in November of last year, and there was understandable outrage when the film was delayed, presumably to give the actors a rest; filming concluded in mid-September and the first instalment of the 7th film began filming a few months later.

There have been 8 months since the original scheduled date. 8 months in which every of the legion of Harry Potter fans’ brains have visualised huge sections of plot exactly as they wanted it to be. The brain is extraordinary because no-one’s is the same.  2 people reading the same descriptive passage will not both see the exact same scene in their heads. Fans of the franchise young and old have thought of what was in their opinion the perfect film.

Let’s imagine I am David Yates – the director of the 6th film. I will create the film and direct the characters to make the film exactly as I want it. Because it is my input which shapes the film, it is in my opinion a masterpiece. Now imagine that a fan heads to the cinema and begins to view my masterpiece. Throughout the film s/he twitches with dissatisfaction as parts that I saw as perfect appear wrong to them.

The fan leaves the film dissapointed, and then may well write a negative review with phrases such as ‘Did not run well’, or ‘disappointing action scenes’.

Who is at fault? Everybody except the director. The director’s job is to make a film which he considers perfect, and a director to the quality of Yates would not rest until this had been done.

The people deciding the release dates are perhaps at fault. They delayed the release for such a long period of time that all fans decided in their own minds exactly what would happen during the film.

The fan is at fault, too. S/he played his/her favourite parts through their head during the 8-month delay. They decided what they wanted to happen. And they were disappointed.

The moral of this post is that when one builds the tower of their expectations up, the army that is the real thing will come and knock it down, hence: Don’t expect the best and get the worst – expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised!

Please note that the Harry Potter films were an example and the point of this post was to get across a message as opposed to slating anybody who may be concerned with the example given.

King of the Hill: Reloaded

Tama po ang nabasa ninyo mga frenships! Muling nagbabalik ang astiging bakbakan ng mga ultimate mamaw ng RAN Online. Kung last year ay ang mga level cap players lamang ang pwedeng sumali…abah! Don’t be sad and teary-eyed mga RANatics dahil ibang-iba na po ang mechanics na inihanda ng e-Games para sa event na ito.

Ayon po sa aking nasagap na information, mahahati sa tatlong league/division ang King of the Hill ngayon. Yan ay ang Extreme Class League (level 100-150), Junior Division (level 100-157) at ang Senior Division (level 158-210), kung saan ang 2nd and 3rd divisions po ay para sa mga normal characters. O diba?! Bonggang-bongga mga refafifz, dahil lahat kayo ay pwedeng sumali! Ipamalas na ang inyong mamaw powers kahit anong level ka pa! ‘Ika nga nila, all’s fair in love and war.

Ito pa mga ka-tropa—knockout system ang laban at duel type ang bawat match, kaya ipakita mo na sa sangkatauhan ang iyong galing at diskarte sa pakikipag-duel. Best of 3 ang mananalo during eliminations, 5 rounds during semi-finals at 7 rounds naman during finals.

One representative per guild lamang ang pwedeng sumali and take note na once nakasali ka na, hindi ka pwedeng mag-change name or mag-change ng guild. Stick to one po muna, di pwede gang-hopper. Hehehe. During the fight you can use any consumable item. Ano yun kamo? EP pots, PUM boxes or Destiny Boxes. Pwede rin ang mga items na galing sa Event Shop or Item Shop. Pwede nyo din gamitin ang mga items na napanalunan nyo from any in-game event.

May schedule po ang bawat laban kaya bawal ang late, mga kapatid! Bawal ang malamya, makupad at mahilig umabsent dahil kapag na-late kayo ng 15mins or hindi kayo sumipot, automatic disqualified na kayo sa laro. Sayang naman ang bonggang bonggang preparations diba?

And speaking of premyo, I’m sure mapapa-oh em gee kayo sa prizes natin for this event.

Champion:
King of the Hill in game costume shirt (permanent)
King of the Hill in game costume headgear (permanent)
+9 attack/+9 defense necklace accessory with 300hp
King of the Hill loading screen appearance

1st Runner Up
+8 attack/+8 defense necklace accessory with 200hp

2nd Runner Up
+7 attack/+7 defense necklace accessory with 100hp

Talaga namang bongga ang prizes this time di ba? May loading screen eklavu pa…ewan ko na lang kung di ka pa maging sikat nyan! Abangan na rin ang announcement ng mga GMs dahil kelangan naka-costume kayo bago umariba sa pakikipag-bakbakan. Para naman may arayb habang nakikipag-rambulan diba? Hehehe!

Conqueror’s Path: Ang Ikalimang Yugto

Yes, yes, yow! Nandito na naman ulit ang hinihintay ang pinaka-a-abangan ng bawat guild sa RAN Online—ang Conqueror’s Path: Chapter 5. Naging big success ang bawat CP na nangyari for the past years kaya naman heto at muling nagbabalik ang bakbakan at sagupaan ng mga astiging gangs for each server.

No need to register na po mga RANatics! Once nag-start na officially ang CP5, nasa gang na ang diskarte at strategy kung paano at anong e-room ang sasakupin nila. There will only be 2 alliances allowed for each guild. Each e-room ay may kaukulang puntos pero heto ang exciting dyan…mas malaking puntos pag ang nasakop ninyo ay ang Golden e-room for the night! As usual, ang guilds na may pinaka-maraming nalikom na points ang tatanghaling champion, 2nd runner up at 3rd runner up. Magtatagal po ang CP5 ng tatlong buwan kaya dapat active kayo lagi at go ng go sa pagsakop. Magsisimula ito sa July 8 until September 2009.

Prizes:

Champions (non-droppable, for all main guild and alliance members)
+10 Def/+10 Atk Platinum Earrings with +300 HP, +10 Hit Rate, +10 Evasion, +1 HP/MP/SP Regen/Recov (3 months)
“Conqueror’s Path V” in-game costume shirt (6 months)
“Conqueror’s Path V” loading screen appearance

2nd Place (non-droppable, for all main guild and alliance members)
+9 Def/+9 Atk Platinum Earrings with +200 HP, +10 Hit Rate, +10 Evasion, +1 HP/MP/SP Regen/Recov (3 months)

3rd Place (non-droppable, for all main guild and alliance members)
+8 Def/+8 Atk Platinum Earrings with +100 HP, +10 Hit Rate, +10 Evasion, +1 HP/MP/SP Regen/Recov (3 months)

OMG! Bongga to the max ang ating prize para sa kasalukuyang CP5. Kaya naman mga guild leaders and guild members…ano pa ang hinihintay nyo? Mag-plano na kayo ng mga strategies at mga diskarte kung paano makasakop or makaagaw ng e-room! Mag-ipon na ng sangkaterbang PUM boxes at iba pang Destiny Boxes! Tiyak na sulit na sulit ang effort kapag nanalo kayo!

Hanggang sa susunod na latest update mula sa mundo ng RAN Online. This is your e-Games Correspondent, -khryssa-…lalong gumaganda! Hahahaha!

Nag-hold po ng in-game event ang ating mga nag-gugwapuhang GMs na sina Vrael, Chromium at Raven, ang Mamaw sa Tag-araw: Suryun Boss Rush Mode Event! Take note mga ka-tropa dahil hindi lang ang mga mamaw bosses ng Suryun ang lumitaw sa event na ito kundi pati ang mga bakulaw characters! Korek po kayo sa nabasa niyo! Do you want some proof? Well, tignan nyo na lang ang screenshot na ito…

O kita niyo naman naglipana ang mga naka level 195 set!

Nang i-announce ng mga GMs na gaganapin ang Suryun Event na ‘to sa Sports Field ng mga school campuses, agad nagsilipatan ng channels ang mga sumali sa CW at naghanda ng kanya-kanyang PUM at party para sa isang umaatikabong bakbakan! Talaga naman pong sikat sila GMs Vrael, Raven at Chromium dahil dinumog agad sila ng ating mga players… dinumog ng tanong! Meron din namang mga nagpapa-greet at meron din namang nakiki-usyoso lang.

Maya-maya pa’y nagsimula na ang ultimate bakbakan ng mga players laban sa Suryun Bosses. Kanya-kanyang lure ng mobs at kaladkaran sa kanilang respective spots ang mga players! Lahat ng skills na meron sila ay ginamit na nila para lang dumafa ang mga nagfafanetang bosses na itech. Pero out of the blue ay ganito na lang bigla ang nangyari.

Ay! Ano ba yan Fafa GM… lumaki bigla ulo namin, nawala pati poise. Kita nyo naman feel na feel ng DAM ang kanyang long hair. Nagpa-rebond pa ata talaga para sa event na ito!

Talagang mapapa-oh em gee ka sa laki ng weapons at ulo ng mga mobs! ‘Di lang ‘yan, mga ka-tropa! Pati weapons ng ating mga players ay nagsilakihan din! Takutan ‘ata ‘to at palakihan ng weapons at ulo, hindi Suryun! Pati ang mga pets na Turtle, Tiger, Ranny Bear at Siberian Husky natin ay nagmistulang mobs na ‘din sa laki ng size nila!

Pero kahit ganito na ang nangyayari sa kanilang mga itsura, wala pa ‘din pakialam ang ating mga RANadeks na tuloy pa ‘din sa pag-kill at pagbato ng mga skills. Kahit naman sino ay ganun ang gagawin dahil once napatay mo ang mga fanet na mobs na ito ay sangkaterbang items naman ang mapupulot mo. O, ‘di ba bonggang-bongga to the max level ang Suryun na ito?! Bukod pa sa mga refines ay may mga rare weapons and armors din na nalalaglag once napatay mo sila!

Ang Suryun Boss Rush Mode ay gaganapin sa lahat ng servers randomly, araw-araw, mula Monday hanggang Sunday! Ang Suryun at Boss monsters ay tatawagin sa Sacred Gate, Mystic Peak at Phoenix Campus Sports Field sa channel 1 ng bawat server. Kaya naman sumali na sa umaatikabong Mamaw sa Tag-araw: Suryun Boss Rush Mode! Rumaragasang NK, CJ, DAM at iba pang bosses ang naghihintay sa inyo! Tawagin na ang guild mates at ang mga frenships at patunayan ang inyong mamawness ability sa exciting Boss Rush Event na ito!

Hanggang sa susunod na ariba ng inyong lingkod, ito po si CuddlyBear, lalong gumaganda!

Great news RAN Bayan! Ang pinaka-aabangan niyong Extreme Class ay narito na! Korek kayo dyan mga katropa! Kaya naman basahin niyo na para malaman niyo ang pinaka-latest at pinaka-mainit na info tungkol sa eksayting na Episode 6: Extreme Class.

Sureness ako na unang papasok na tanong sa inyo ay kung papaano ang pag-create ng mga astiging karakters na itech. Very easy po mga RANatics! Dapat ay nakarating kayo sa level 195 pataas para makuha ninyo ang Extreme Class quest, after niyong makipag-bakbakan at magpakahirap para matapos ang quest na ito, bibigyan kayo ng Extreme Class character card bilang premyo. O diba napakadali?! Yakang-yaka ito ng mga powers niyo. Ngayon pwedeng pwede na kayong gumawa ng karakter na may dual class skill, o hybrid kumbaga.

Ano ba ang ikinaganda ng mga karakter na itech? Dahil sa kanilang kasipagan at dedikasyon ay narating nila ang tinatawag nating supremacy level, meaning super duper malakas talaga sila dahil naiiba ang kanilang powers kaysa sa normal class. Kasi po mga frenships, kapag gumawa kayo ng Extreme Class, pwedeng-pwede kayong gumamit ng dalawang sandata or weapon sa iisang karakter lamang.

Korek na korek po ang nabasa nyo mga katropa! Pwede niyong pagsabayin ang alinman sa gauntlets, swords or blades, bows and spears or wands sa iisang char lamang. O talaga namang bonggang-bongga at sikat ang beauty ng mga karakter ninyo. Ito po ang aming patikim kung anong mga astiging weapons ang dapat abangan mga katropang RAN.

Talaga namang magsisitakbuhan ang mga kalaban mo pag nakita nilang bitbit mo ang mga astiging weapons na ito. Mamaw na mamaw ang karakter niyo. Mapapa-oye ka to the maximum level!

Wait a minute RAN pipz! Hindi pa ako tapos para sa mga hottest information para sa inyong lahat. Kung may mga astiging weapons tayo aba’y hindi mawawala ang mga pang pormang armors na magpapakunat at magpapatingkad sa beauty ng mga Extreme Class characters ninyo. Ang super eksayting po dito ay hindi lang siya parang ordinaryong armor lamang. Pwedeng-pwede mo siyang i-mix and match para pang-japorms at pang-rampa! May pang-porma na naman ang mga beauties and hunks in-game! Basahin nyo na lang ang fashionista commentary ng aking co-Correspondent na si Krizantie!

Oops! Para sa huling pasabog ng aking nagbabagang report, ito pa ang importanteng pahabol, mga frenships. Sa bawat pagpapaka-adek niyo para magpa-level ng inyong beloved characters ay makakakuha kayo ng 4 stats points and 2 skill points para lalong maging exciting ang life ninyo! O diba talagang madali lang lumakas

Kaya naman dalian niyo na ang pagpapalevel para makagawa na kayo ng super cool na character na itech! Lalo na’t may premyong nakalaan para sa mga unang Extreme Class na aabot sa maximum cap level na 150. Yakang-yaka ng mga powers nyo itech!

Ito na ang pinaka-magandang timing para maipakita nyo sa sambayanang RAN kung gaano kayo kagaling sa paggawa ng perpektong build, naglalakasang combo skills at ng makukunat na armors. Paunahan na sa paggawa at pagpapa-level para kayo na ang maging Ultimate Extreme Class Warrior ng RAN Online! Kaya naman ano pa hinihintay niyo? Gawa na!
]]> http://khryssa.wordpress.com/2009/04/02/extreme-class-andito-na-_/feed/ 0 -`khryssa`- weapons http://khryssa.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/extreme-class-tidbits/ http://khryssa.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/extreme-class-tidbits/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 06:18:14 +0000 khryssamae22 http://khryssa.wordpress.com/?p=23 ]]> guys kng pwd lng po sana iwasan ntin ang mag badmouth….own opinion po ang hinihingi d2 so sana respetuhin na lgn po ntin ang opinion ng kapwa player…

i’m an egames correspondent,we’ve learned a great deal of information about the extreme class…
jst want to clarify sumthing po about sa mga pnagsasabi nyo…abangan nyo nlng po ang full article sa RAN website as soon as matapos nmin maisulat ito…

agree po ako dun sa nagsabi na kahit papanu wla clang alam na info about extreme class kc wlang nilalabas na official info ang e-games…so here it is guys,clarification and explanation…

extreme class will be unlocked by players na nka attain na ng lvl 200…pro gngawan nla ng paraan na bumaba ung lvl req pra mka create ka ng extreme character,hopefully mgng lvl 195 ito….

if ur problem is about balance,uniqueness and individuality of the characters, based on our information hndi nawala un… na retain pa dn ung pagdepende ng bawat character sa isat isa….u still nid a normal class shaman sa pt nyo, healer and buffer…ung swordsman na taga TQ….and archer na taga EC….ETC…. so pag nagpalvl cla kagaya dn cla ng normal class,dumedepende sa mga buffer ng party…. hnd ung cnasabi nyo na pag nawala ang shaman ng party ang brawler na extreme ang pwdng pumalit or watever extreme char na may shaman build…hint: wlang HT ang extreme…

pag nag self buff ka once na magpalit ka ng weapon automatic mawawala un…unlike sa private servers na nkikita nyo na npapanatili nla ung buffs na un…sa private server madaming skill points at stat points kht lvl 1 ka pa lng,d2 hnd gnun,kea nga may tntawag na BALANCE…ull have to work hard pra ma acquire ung mga skill points and stat points…kng sa private pwd mong makuha lht ng build (shaman brawler swordsman archer) at the same time dhl nag ooverflow ang stat points at skill points mo,d2 ull have to choose or focus sa dlawang build…

me nabasa ako na ang title daw ng epi 6 is RISE OF THE ANCIENTS?…..sorry kuya its wrong, wer did u get dat idea?…ang title po is EXTREME CLASS…un lng…

and last der will be new hair styles,new npc’s, new faces and skills….
kindly wait for the article to be posted po pra maliwanagan taung lht….

thank you….