BETA!!!!!!!1111one!

EAMythic is now accepting sign-ups for the WAR beta.

Click here for beta sign-up goodness.


Well, what are you waiting for?

Oh, That I Had Lived 1000 Years Ago...

... and apprenticed a blacksmith, or some such thing.

To this day, I don't know what I want to do with my life in the long run. Seven years and tens of thousands of dollars worth of higher education elapsed, including an MA, and I still have no set direction or desire. Such is the dark side of a well-rounded liberal arts path. Sure, I'm killer at trivia and a veritable "jack of all trades," but it all seems for naught when the only thing my job searches turn up with positive eligibility are entry level sales and service positions. Everything else seems to prefer that you be a "master of one." Is it just me, or does every single job that pops up on Monster.com look like it sucks?

At the moment, I'm in a relatively low-paying hourly retail position. I suppose it could be worse. After all, I did just finish one of two allowed weeks of paid vacation, and I'm already eligible for full benefits (when the next 27-second open-enrollment window comes around in November) not even having worked a year. I just feel unchallenged and directionless, and there are days on which my job performance suffers because of it.

Over the course of my long-yet-fragmented work history (something most people can attest to through their college/graduate years), I have come up with a list of things I absolutely DON'T want in a long-term career - with most boiled down to a keyword:

• sales
• financial
• marketing
  
• manual labor
• victimization (law enforcement, loss prevention, legal, etc.)
  
• food - be it cooking, serving, hauling, cleaning up after, etc.
  
• anything requiring me to set up my own appointments (See: Vector Marketing/Cutco)
• door-to-door
• up before the sun and/or the graveyard shift
  

Things that I would strongly prefer to avoid:

• work on weekends/holidays
• getting extremely dirty on a regular basis
  
• frequent long-distance travel or relocation

Must-haves at this point in my life:

• health insurance
• more than I'm making now
  
• reasonably near current residence
• something even remotely drawing on my education and/or talents
  

Would really love:

• casual dress
• any position at Google (HA!)

Fields that have piqued my interest:

• broadcasting (preferably radio)
• public relations
• quality control
• civilian support for USDoD
• selling everything I own, leaving the rat race altogether and joining a monastery, though they may take issue with my reformed/Calvinistic theology...
  

This post is partly a personal tool as I contemplate where I am and where I want to be. I'll probably update it several times, as I add/modify my lists.

Like A Rock

There's absolutely nothing worth blogging about regarding the Warrior Priest or Warhammer Online in general right now. With that being said, I did just finish up a week of vacation during which I traded in my '95 Ford Probe GT (teary eyed salute) for an '06 Chevy Colorado with less than 4k miles.



And there was much rejoicing.

Mirror Mirror On the Wall...

... I'm starting to look like the Apostle Paul.

Or a Warrior Priest of Sigmar for that matter. I knew it would happen eventually. Hair loss supposedly comes from one's mother's side of the family, and my uncles and (late) grandfather all sport the 'do (or lack thereof). I'm standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom tonight, and I pull my front hair back to reveal a hairline performing a slow but steady "redeployment" (read: retreat). It has already been thinning at the crown, and it doesn't help that my hair's texture hasn't thickened much at all since I weighed in at 7lbs 11oz. My first reaction was mildly depressing - I'm only 26, after all. Then I thought about the humble little character class we're focused on in this blog, and all of the screenshots and video I've seen, and chuckled.

This little thread has been running on the Warhammer Alliance forums for some time. Even if they put in the option for hair, I'm going to probably honor my inevitable end and sport the (at last partially) bald 'do in the greatest traditions of ecclesiastical orders. Here's to you, great men of faith - I'll be joining the club soon.


The Apostle Paul



St. Augustine of Hippo



Warrior Priest of Sigmar

"Stop that! It's silly!"

Enough with the politics and sillyness. It was a fun detour, but it's time to get back down to business. The irony with this post is that it again focuses on Paul Barnett - if not the key driving force behind WAR, certainly it's most widely recognized (and humorous) developer. As highlighted on Warhammer Alliance, Paul sat down with MMOG Nation for a multi-part interview. Here's a little sampling:

MG: Excellent. The reaction to the move-back was pretty resoundingly positive. Do you think that people have had their expectations changed by the level of quality in games like WoW and LOTRO?

Paul: Well, the difficulty with our bloody game industry is that people keep spending more money and getting more talented people to work on them. As a result they keep getting irritatingly better. It’s really really unfair. And those bloody people who make the graphics cards won’t stop! They keep putting in bloom effects, and more MIPS, and better resolution! And the monitor people! The monitor people, for god’s sake! Will they not just leave it alone? Enormous clarity monitors. Bastards! So, you have that and then you add in the WoW factor. You know: hundreds of millions of dollars, five years in development, all they did was get 8 Million subscribers. You’d think they’d come up with a clever idea. And all of a sudden everybody realized you’ve got to do a lot better. It’s sort of like when movies moved to color with sound. All of a sudden the old ways are no longer acceptable. And so, yeah, of course you’ve got to try harder. You’ve got to try better. It’s not good enough to ‘get away with it’ any more. The customer - irritatingly - learns things!

:: MG and PR Guy laugh ::

There's nothing in there about the Warrior Priest (or any class info for that matter), but it's still an amusing and informative read. I especially like the bottom line for the staff working on WAR: FUN! Fun, you F***ERS! Ah, if only Blizzard had held to this in their Paladin design philosophy.

As an added bonus, I just found out Paul has a MySpace. Naturally, a friend request submission immediately followed this discovery.

You Have Been Warned

I ran across this while browsing the WoW Paladin forums. It was in someone's signature. Relax, it's SFW (unless your boss(s) are completely devoid of a sense of humor).

DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK
SERIOUSLY, I'M NOT KIDDING
ok, click it




































Ok, so you clicked it. How long did you watch it? Post in the comments : P

If 10 Long Shots Debate In a Forest...

... does anyone hear it?

As the owner of this blog and someone who holds a BA in Political Science, I'm exercising my right to go off topic. Besides, news on Warhammer is slow these days. The 10 declared GOP candidates are facing off tonight in a debate. I don't get cable, and I can only stand so much of a crappy internet stream, so I'm not watching it. I'm not even motivated, because honestly I don't think any of those 10 have what it takes in overall appeal and/or core support to slay the hate monster driving the Democrat candidates' support. The truly conservative hopefuls debating tonight lack the face/name recognition, and the well known ones (I'm looking at you Mr. Giuliani) aren't conservative enough. Whichever Republican snags the nomination is going to have to overcome a massive set of obstacles, including:

• The ferocity of the "Bush = Hitler/Satan/worse" crowd, tightly networked on their left-wing blogs, and now financially supported by the likes of George Soros.
  
• An admittedly unpopular predecessor who respects the Presidency too much (and lacks the communication skills) to have fired back at his harshest critics throughout his terms. As a result, the Republican side of the political no-man's land is full of impact craters, while the Democrat landscape remains largely pristine.
  
• An American public tired of a prolonged war, having lost its resolve thanks to a combination of ingratitude, decadence, and an incessant smear campaign and steady stream of bad news from the left and the mainstream media respectively.
  

I'm going to remain disengaged in this campaign until my man - Fred Thompson - makes the big announcement. He's well known, charismatic, pragmatic, and unabashedly conservative. Thompson doesn't have to worry about getting his name or face out there. He doesn't have to make excuses or backpedal on his voting record or convictions. I also think he'd mop the floor with Hillary in a debate. She's popular enough in her own political circles, but her sharp voice, sneering face, and liberal track record will make great fodder for the national voter landscape. Don't get me wrong, I believe we'll have a woman president in my lifetime, but I see her as much more of a Margaret Thatcher than a Hillary Clinton. As for Obama, it would take someone with powerful charisma and a quick wit to peel away the well-spoken and smiling exterior to reveal his true liberal core for all to see, should he secure the Democrat nomination. (Alas, in the ethnic barrier-breaking vein, my choice for the 2000 nomination - Alan Keyes - didn't get very far.)

Until Fred steps in, all this debating and campaigning is just background noise to me. If only...

From the Archives

So I went digging through my media folders today and ran across this music video I made many moons ago. When I made it, I had just recently ran across Manowar's Defender and liked it so much that I stayed up later than normal throwing this together. It was my first attempt at anything like this, so be kind.

This is what being a Paladin should have been all about. Destroying evil for the greater good, and doing it up close and personal - with a large blade or blunt object. I'm just glad someone is getting it right. Pity it won't come out until 2008.

Have They No Shame?

Animated figures and text by Don Hertzfeldt, from his animated film entitled, "Rejected" which can be found here. I added the inset topic of ridicule, and moved the figures/text around to fit it in accordingly.

I had to comment on this. I know I'm late to the party, but the connection was itself late in arriving. Will nothing stop the hybrid-hating leviathan named after a favorite Dairy Queen menu item? Apparently, serving as a significant influence on the college drop-out rate wasn't enough for them. Now they're going after the more financially naive. I, myself, don't have a single credit card. Money has never been something I've had difficulty managing. My debit card gives me all the flexibility I want without the chance that I'll end up an indentured servant to the debt monster. If I don't have it, I can't spend it, and the world won't come crashing down if I can't have that new toy TODAY!

I suppose I'm just a little bitter that a company that took a big dump on my favorite class archetype will now be even filthier rich. Granted, if used responsibly, it could be a good thing. Make all your normal cash/check purchases with your Devilcard, pay it off every statement, and your hobby is now free. There's just something about an entertainment entity growing to engulf an entirely different realm of income-via-usury that disturbs me.

"Leaked" Warrior Priest Abilities

I found these in this thread. Apparently, they're legit and gathered from the Warhammer setup at the Toronto Gamesday. Given the game's still pre-beta state of development, I wouldn't get too attached to any one ability. Also, information for quite a few is not known - things like cast time, for example. Personally, I'm hoping most of the heals are instant-cast with a cooldown. I've taken the liberty of color-coding a number of them, with offensive in red, debuffs in orange, buffs in blue, and heals in yellow. I've also added my own comments in italics.

See the Warrior Priest in action early-on, in this Google video. Video found in this article, which includes several other videos.


Abilities
These seem to be the more powerful abilities available, and which hinge on the Righteous Fury mechanic.

Judgement
Action Points: 100
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Melee attack, dazes your target, reducing their stats by 5% for 4s, builds righteous fury

Wave of Righteousness
Action Points: 100
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Melee attack that heals all allies within 25ft of the target, spends righteous fury

Divine Light
Action Points: 130
Description: Heals your entire group, spends righteous fury

Prayer of Absolution
Action Points: 90
Range: 0-100 ft
Description: Removes 1 damaging attack from an ally

Blast of Faith
Action Points: 130
Description: Melee attack damages enemies in front of you, up to (x) feet away, spends righteous fury

Righteous Blow
Action Points: 100
Description: A powerful melee attack, spends righteous fury

Armor of Faith
Action Points: 80
Range: 0-100 ft
Description: Increases the target's armour by 20% for 12s

Prayer of Lasting Devotion
Action Points: 130
Range: 0-150 ft
Description: Target is healed over 9 seconds, spends righteous fury

Rending Strike
Action Points: 80
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Melee effect that shatters one beneficial effect on you target, causing additional damage, spends righteous fury

Scorn of Sigmar
Action Points: 90
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Melee attack that causes additional damage over 9s

Prayer of Burning Faith
Action Points: 130
Range: 0-100 ft
Description: Deals low damage to your target and all enemies within 30ft, deals additional damage to any daemonic or undead, spends righteous fury

Touch of the Divine
Action Points: 140
Range: 0-150 ft
Description: Greatly heals the target, spends righteous fury

Bludgeon
Action Points: 50
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Strong melee attack, builds a large amount of righteous fury

Divine aid
Action Points: 90
Range: 0-150 ft
Description: Heals the target, spends righteous fury

Throw
Action Points: 50
Range: 0-65 ft
Description: Basic throwing attack

Weight of guilt
Action Points: 60
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Melee attack that snares your target by 20% for 4s

Healing hands
Action Points: 100
Range: 0-150 ft
Description: Heals the target, spends righteous fury

Breath of Sigmar
Action Points: 50
Range: 0-100 ft
Description: Resurrects the target

Morale

Divine Replenishment
Description: For 6s, all your melee attacks will restore 50 AP

Twin-Tailed Fury
Description: For 8s, all melee attacks will strike the target a second time, dealing additional damage

Do or Die
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Heavily damaging melee attack, leaves you drained causing AP to regen slowly for 9s, builds righteous fury

Sigmar's Wrath
Description: Strike the ground with your weapon, damaging all enemies within 30 ft, builds righteous fury

Penance
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Melee attack which heals you for a portion of the damage dealt, build righteous fury

Purgatory
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Melee attack which reduces target's attack speed by 20% for 12s

Blessed Weapons
Range: 0-150 ft
Description: For 15s, the group's melee attacks will deal additional lumina damage

Divine Aegis
Description: Damage you take is reduced by 25% for 9s

Cower, Ye Faithless
Description: Damages and dazes all enemies within 30ft of you, reducing their stats by 20% for 8s

Glimpse of Divinity
Range: 0-10 ft
Description: Melee attack that stuns your enemy for 4s

Tactics
These appear to be something akin to talents in WoW, or traits in LOTR Online. That is, they're"always-on" buffs that you can slot and change around to customize your character's desired playstyle. Just my guess.

Blessing of Unending Might
Tactic Slots: 2
Description: Your AP regens 10% faster

Vengeance
Tactic Slots: 3
Description: Any time a groupmate dies, remaining members gain 5s of morale

I shall not fall
Tactic Slots: 5
Description: When you are killed, there is a chance you will be resurrected (not yet implemented)

Stride of the Purposefull
Tactic Slots: 3
Description: All snaring effects are 25% less effective against you

Blessing of Protection
Tactic Slots: 3
Description: Group's spirit and lumina resists are increased by 15%

Blessing of wrath
Tactic Slots: 3
Description: Group's chance to crit with great weapons is increased by 5%

Blessing of restoration
Tactic Slots: 4
Description: Group regains hit points every few seconds

Blessing of strength
Tactic Slots: 4
Description: Entire group's strength is increased

Blessing of Purity
Tactic Slots: 3
Description: Group deals 10% more damage against Daemonic, undead, or chaos enemies

Sigmar's Shield
Tactic Slots: 3
Description: Any time you suffer magical damage, 20% chance damage will be dealt to your attacker

Martyrdom
Tactic Slots: 4
Description: Build righteous fury each time you are hit in melee, but all damage you take is increased 10%

Aggressive negotiations
Tactic Slots: 3
Description: Deal 5% more melee damage but your heals are reduced by 5%

Insightful Mediator
Tactic Slots: 3
Description: Heals are increased by 5%, but you deal 5% less melee damage

Deus Sigmar
Tactic Slots: 5
Description: Your group gains Morale 5% faster

I Love Paul Barnett

And I especially love his words on healers in this video.



"There will not be any namby pamby healer-only classes! There is no sitting at the back going, 'and I heal and I heal and I heal and I heal and I heal,' 'cuz it's boring! I'm really sorry. If you're really one of those people who just likes being a medic, if you like sitting at the back not doing anything, going 'and I heal and I heal and I heal,' go away. Stop watching. Click away. Don't even leave a comment on the board going, 'I hate this game because it has no healers,' because we're telling you now we're not the game for you.'"