Author: jcalvert

Another glorious weekend of SEC football is on the plate.  Well, except for the glorious part.  Tennessee/South Carolina looks like a decent game, with an interesting Spurrier/Fulmer backdrop, and Georgia/Florida always makes for a good story line.  The only problem is that neither game shapes up to be much of a contest.

Last week I was a perfect 6-0, which brings the total to 51-11 on the year.  On to the picks…

(7) Auburn – Mississippi
It would be safe for one to assume that the Tigers will crush Tommy’s former team.  This is really not much of a match up, and no chance for Ole Miss to get up for this one and pull some sort of upset along the lines of the Arkansas debacle.

Kentucky – Mississippi State
In a clash of too bad teams, the Wildcats will pull even to 4-4 on the year, while the pitiful Bulldogs will continue their lackluster (dare I say embarrassing) showing this year.  I wonder how much longer Sylvester Croom is going to be given to turn this puppy around.

(8) Tennessee – South Carolina
I think some people are going to think there will be some sort of Spurrier factor in this one, but the truth of the matter is that the Gamecocks are far, far away from having talent to match the guys in orange.  If South Carolina does pull off the upset, we will have to debate if Spurrier is really a genius or if Fulmer is a fool.

Vanderbilt – Duke
Vanderbilt pulls one step closer to .500 (and a bowl bid), while Duke continues their run of ineptitude.

Florida International – Alabama
Nothing like a healthy dose of a cupcake to get the Tide’s offense rolling, rolling, Roll Tide!

Louisiana-Monroe – (13) Arkansas
Another piss-poor game on the SEC slate.  Not sure why they bother to schedule these things, but they do, so souie!

Georgia – (9) Florida
Another year, another loss to the Gators.  I think the line is about 13, but I have a nasty feeling in my stomach (and I am not talking about the chips and coke-rum from last night), that the results are going to be more like 13-34 in favor of the bad guys.  One can always hope for an upset, but that seems highly unlikely.  But one can hope.

Go Dawgs!

I figured I would continue to write about my experiences with WoW; hopefully this is entertaining, if for no other reason than getting the perspective of a newbie.

I gave my priest mining and herbalism professions because I figured a dwarf should mine for gold (or gems or something), and I had seen enough silverleaf and peacebloom that I figured picking herbs would be an easy way to make some money.  Besides, it just seemed like gathering rocks and plants in between my travels would be more entertaining than crafting items.  Of course I could be wrong, because I have been wrong about a lot of WoW things lately.

I am almost afraid to write that I never thought that I would actually spend time in a game mining for gold, but things change.  In fact, I swore that I would not waste my time mining for gold, but last weekend I spent a few hours just traveling looking for minerals and herbs as I was going from point A to point B.  The end result was that I collected enough items to give the Auction House a try.

If you have never used WoW’s Auction House, it can be a little intimidating.  Where do you start?  How much should you list an item for and should you list a buy out price?  What is a good deal?  How are required deposits calculated and how are final auction expenses determined?  And so on.  I could probably find most of this in the manual, or on one of the many helpful sites I have come across, but I had not read anything about the Auction House other than some general information, so I did not really know what to expect.

Of course you cannot learn with out trying, so for my first auctions last Saturday night, I figured I would list my items somewhere between what a vendor would give me and a little less than the suggested start price (in most cases 2-3sp for my goods).  I did not search for items to see what the going rate was for the items I wanted to unload, which I later learned was a mistake; I should have did a quick search before putting my items up for bid.  For my first haul, I received the following per item (full item stacks, medium length auction, includes final price after auction house expense) – peacebloom 2.30sp, earthroot 4.79sp, and copper bar 2.78sp.  The earthroot and copper bar were priced much too low as I found out in my next round of auctions.

Last Sunday night I setup a few more auctions, this time searching for the going rate, and also providing a reasonable buy out amount.  By reasonable I mean that I put my prices right in line with current auctions, if not a little below.  I received the following per item (full item stacks, medium length auctions, includes final price after auction house expense) – silverleaf 3.25sp, peacebloom (no bids), earthroot 24.55 (a 500% increase over the first auction), and copper bar 71.65 (a whopping 2,500% increase over the first auction).

The bottom line is that in addition to the game mechanics, there is a whole economy to learn.  It is really good stuff, and for low level characters, the Auction House can be a useful way to earn some quick coin.  After all, why not mine or garden (or even skin, although I have not tried that one yet) while you are out questing?

I just thought this quote from Vick was so interesting, that it had to be posted.

“Winning this game today put us in position to where we can move forward with some confidence,” said Vick, who also rushed five times for 40 yards. “The drive in overtime, we put it all together. Players have to step up. Jerious Norwood started it off with a great run [11 yards], and I kind of took it from there.”

Vick may be a team guy, but he never sounds like one. Vick’s final statistics were nice, but not great: 18 completions on 30 attempts, good for 232 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs. If you throw in Vick’s 40 rushing yards, on 8 attempts, Vick was 28 yards shy of 300 (total yards). Nothing to sneeze at, but not worth all the ESPN hype that will be generated as a result of the Falcons’ overtime victory over the Steelers.

I just wish that Vick could put together this type of game on a consistent basis, but it seems like we never know what we are going to get next. Last week I said that I see Atlanta going 7-7 with swing games against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. All things being equal, the win over the Steelers gives the Falcons the potential of 8-7, so this Sunday’s game at Cincinnati is extremely important to having a successful season (9-7 looks better than 8-8). Of course if Philadelphia keep playing so poorly, the Falcons’ schedule may be a little easier than I predicted.

Just got back from the kids’ soccer games, cooking out some great food (chicken, hotdogs – Nathan’s famous of course, and some veggies), and realized that I have not gotten in my week 8 picks. In the interest of time, no reasons or summaries will be given.

(15) Arkansas over Mississippi. Georgia over Mississippi State. (8) Auburn over Tulane. South Carolina over Vanderbilt (Commodores are improved, but the Georgia game has to be a fluke). (7) Tennessee over Alabama. (14) LSU over Fresno State.

Texas over Nebraska. Hook ’em!

Go Dawgs!

Or I should say, not so much WoW gaming. One of my biggest fears going into WoW was signing up for a subscription service, only to run into dry spells of 2-3 weeks with absolutely no time to game. Such as been the case until last night. I am not even sure, but I bet I am past my free 30 day trail, which means the last couple of weeks were spent paying for a service that I was not using. For some reason that really bothers me.

Last night I decided to take Faltutin, my level 8 gnome mage, to level 10. I figured I would complete a couple of quests, and maybe do a little exploring, but in the process of exploring, my feet keep taking me to the eastern portions of Dun Morogh. I made a side trip to Gol’Bolar, which was not too smart because I got overwhelmed by a group of Troggs. That sort of sucked because it took forever and a day for my ghost to make it from the Kharanos graveyard to the quarry to recover my mage.

I also learned that random beast encounters in the wild are not always the smartest adventures for a mage. Oops, dead again; repeat long boring process of graveyard to corpse recovery.

I think I ended up in Loch Modan (or there abouts), running from a couple of dragon-something-or-another humanoid types, and killing some spider things. I know, real descriptive. The spider things were great because they left behind all sorts of goodies to help me build up my available coin.

One thing led to another, and before I knew it, Faltutin was level 10. Ah the joys of new spells. I love sitting back and blasting the crap out of beasties. Good stuff!

Besides gaming with Chris for a few minutes several weeks ago, this was the first time where I felt like I was actually having fun. Not just fun, but a damn good time. So far my experience with WoW has been along the lines of ‘take it or leave it’ – still not seeing the big deal if you get my meaning, but instead I have been playing for the purpose to level up. I may not be there yet, but last night I genuinely had a good time exploring the world, killing some spider-things, seeing my character progress (besides leveling up), and overall just enjoying the WoW experience.

I backed into tickets for last weekend’s fiasco against the Giants. It seems like there is a lot of finger pointing to go around, but what is really wrong with the Falcons? Vick is not accurate, but when his receivers drop passes in the endzone, it has to affect his confidence. Do the receivers drop passes because Vick throws so many balls at their knees and above their heads, so they are completely caught off guard when the ball actually hits them in the hands?

I do not know if a site keeps up with dropped ball statistics, but I counted at least 3-4 passes that should have been caught, including Jenkins dropping one that would have put the Falcons up 14-3 at the half.

Jeff Schultz thinks Mora should shoulder the blame

“There is a tendency in times like these to blame the quarterback. While you’re throwing your beer can at the TV, it’s easy to forget this is the same Michael Vick who four years ago won a playoff game in Green Bay, who two years ago led his team to the NFC title game, and who has played in three Pro Bowls in as many full seasons.

There is a tendency to look at the obvious, like receivers who can’t get open, or drop the ball when they do, or suddenly think they must be good because their paychecks say so.

But this is not about players. It’s about direction. That starts and ends with coaching.”

Schultz makes some great points, and if you can make it through some of the crap blog posts, there are some real gems to be found in the readers’ comments.

In the past I have waffled on Vick; I love him, and I hate him. While Vick is an amazing entertainer, his QB rating is just not very good. At this point in his career, Vick has a career passing rating of 75, which just plain stinks. If you say that Vick is a different type of QB, on the surface I could buy that argument, but take a closer look at what that means. If you say Vick is running QB, it is worth noting that he has 3,221 rushing yards, compared to 9,707 passing yards. That amounts to about 206 total yards/game. I do not have time today to look to see how these numbers stack up to other QBs, but a damning statistic has to be Vicks propensity to fumble the ball. In 63 games, Vick has put the ball on the ground 51 times, resulting in 25 turnovers. Vick clearly puts the ball on the ground way too much. [nfl.com source for statistics]

I am not sure what the heck is going on with the Falcons, but Vick has clearly regressed under Mora. I hope they get it figured out soon, because the Falcons’ remaining schedule is brutal. The Falcons are capable of wins against Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, and Tampa Bay. I do not think they will beat Baltimore, New Orleans, Dallas, Carolina, or Philadelphia. That would put their record at 7-7, with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati as swing games. It could get ugly in a hurry.

I am writing this in stunned disbelief as Georgia just fell at home to Vanderbilt, 24-22. Yes; the Bulldogs lost to Vanderbilt. At home. For homecoming. Lost to Vanderbilt; and no, Ray Goff was not strolling the sidelines.

WTF is wrong with this team? There are no words to describe this hollow feeling. Losses to Tennessee, Florida, and Auburn are one thing, and a loss to Tech really sucks. A loss to Vanderbilt is just unthinkable. Seriously. Un-f’ing-believable.

If you look at the box score, and not the score board, you would assume Georgia won. Georgia led in almost everything that mattered, first downs (21-17), total yards (370-290), passing yards (238-188), rushing yards (132-102), time of possession (33:25-26:35), and Georgia even won the turnover battle 2-1. Of course, none of this matters when you come out on the bad side of a last second field goal, which cost you the game 24-22. Stunned disbelief is the best way to describe my emotions right now.

Go Dawgs! No so much.

When I was a kid and my Dawgs took it on the chin, my dad would tell me not to worry, the sun would still come up. Here is to hoping the sun shines tomorrow, because it looks fairly bleak right now.

Last week was a major ouch for my predictions and for the Bulldogs. I was a lowly 3-4 on the week, with misses on Auburn, Vanderbilt, LSU, and of course Georgia. Going into week six, I am now 41-9 on the year. I think this week is much easier to pick, and the Dawgs should bounce back fairly easily.

Southeast Missouri State – (17) Arkansas
The Hogs think they are all that after their shocking upset of Auburn. Good for them. No chance of a near miss this weekend.

Jacksonville State – Mississippi State
The Bulldogs of Mississippi finally get to look good at home. Not sure who will suit up under center, but regardless, State will triumph at home.

Mississippi – Alabama
Alabama has no offense, and Mississippi has no team. ‘Bama wins, but it is hard to predict which Ole Miss team will show up, so this one could actually be close (remember the Tide has no offense), or it could be a run away victory as the Tide rolls, rolls, rolls to victory.

(2) Florida – (11) Auburn
This is the most important game on the SEC slate this weekend (other than the Georgia game of course). Dawg fans need Auburn to win, but can the Tigers bounce back. Maybe. Most likely not, but I going to pull for an Auburn win in the face of a loss to Florida. The Gators are the pick.

Kentucky – (14) LSU
The Wildcats are improving, but the Tigers from Louisiana are going to win this one fairly easily.

Vanderbilt – (16) Georgia
So we are all down after the Tennessee debacle, and now everyone is saying that we are going to struggle against Vanderbilt. No way. Vandy may be improved, but Georgia wins big.

Go Dawgs!

I am heading out of town for a mini vacation, so this will be the super short edition (i.e. quick picks).  (2) Auburn over Arkansas, (4) West Virginia over Mississippi State, South Carolina over Kentucky, (10) Georgia over (13) Tennessee, Vanderbilt over Mississippi, (9) LSU over (5) Florida, and Alabama over Duke.

The Tennessee game scares the heck out of me.  The Dawgs have plenty of defense to stop most teams, but can the offense put up enough points to win?

I almost picked KY over SC, but while I went with the safe pick, I have a strange feeling that the Wildcats are going to pull off the minor upset.  The SEC Shame of the Week Award will go to Mississippi State – they will embarrass the SEC.  I mean they should not win the game, but they are going to look bad in this one.

Keeping my fingers crossed for Texas this weekend.

Go Dawgs!

As I continue my WoW experience, I thought I would put down a few more notes for your reading pleasure.  I have been spending most of my time with Tuldar, getting him ready to have a pet.  I think I just have one quest left and then I can pick out a pet, which should be a good opportunity to switch back to Kaldur (dwarf priest, L7) and Faltutin (gnome mage, L6).

One of the pleasant surprises for me has been that I can spend 15-20 minutes playing (exploring, working on a quest, trying to level-up or find some items to sell for cash, etc) and put the game down.  I am not sure if this trend will continue at later levels, or if the commitment is much longer (i.e. 2-4 hours to complete a quest).  For now, this works great for me; I can play for a few minutes after supper, and then for a little more before going to bed.  I think using my laptop is making the experience almost like a portable system, which has been a huge plus.

Last night was the first time that I actually felt like I made a mistake (or a decision) that could have a lasting impact.  Tuldar, is now a L10 dwarf hunter, so he gained access to the hunter talent tree.  As I was looking at the different options, I accidentally clicked on Deflection.  What a waste; I really wanted to take Aspect of the Hawk, which seemed like a more useful talent for my current level.  I have read that later in the game I will have the opportunity to change around talents, but it will cost me some money.  So for now I have used my single talent point on what I consider an unnecessary parry skill.  Oh well, so it goes.

Last night I also ran into what I will call my first jackass experience.  I was looking for an ice claw bear as part of the final pet taming quest.  I finally found one, started the taming process, only to be interrupted by some JA that decided to take down the bear.  The thing that really sucked was that this person was some L60 fruity elf-type.  Really, what was the point in spoiling my fun?  Going into the game, this was (and still is) one of my preconceived notions about the game – random anonymous online interaction is just not that fun because there are too many JAs online.

I have also found myself doing something I swore I would never do – mining.  I decided that Tuldar should take up mining and engineering for his professions.  They seem to go hand-in-hand, and in the long run I think this combination will save me some money on shots, rifles, scopes, etc.  Supposedly, it is also a decent way to make some gold early in the game.  I started to do skinning and something else (seemed very hunterish), but I think the mining is more dwarfish.  At any rate, I have found a couple of copper veins, and smelted my haul.  I still cannot see myself spending time with the purpose of mining, but as an afterthought to my exploration, it was not such a bad experience.  I guess in a week or so I will write about my mining; I do have to admit that I feel damn silly admitting this here, but I thought it was worth sharing.

I have started reading a few sites to gain more info on all aspects of the game, which is extremely deep.  There is a fine line between reading spoilers (or step-by-step guides), and reading about necessary information to help provide for a better gaming experience.  The last thing I want is to have the game scripted (i.e. if you select this race/class combination, you need to take these skills, professions, talents, etc).  Like I said, I think there is a fine line here, but it is telling that I am starting to enjoy “reading” about the game.

The weekend has been fairly full, with lots of things going on (real life, sports, gaming, the whole gambit); let’s get right down to business.

SEC Wrap Up (Week 5)
I was a perfect 7-0 on the weekend (38-5) on the season. Even if some of my predictions (from a final score stand point) were off, the final W or L is all that matters. I know the Dawgs keep telling themselves that. Go ahead, keep on telling yourself that the offense will get on track. Tennessee looms.

Falcons Get Back on Track
While Atlanta took care of Arizona 32-10, there has to be some concern about the passing game. It is clear that the Falcons can run a lesser opponent into the ground (262 rushing yards today compared to 31 for the Cardinals), but a decent opponent (i.e. the Saints last Monday) are going to give the Falcons fits.

I am one of the pundits that believe that you have to look at Vick’s numbers in a different light, but 13-22 passing (no TDs and one INT); good for 153 yards is not going to get it against a good team. Even if you consider Vick’s 101 rushing yards on 11 carries, do you really want your QB putting in 100 yards on the ground?

This approach may be working now, but how much longer can Atlanta depend on a dominate ground attack, without some hint of a passing game? I am a homer, so I am not going to get off the bandwagon, but still, problems have to be just around the corner.

Braves are Done. Long Live the Braves!
So the Braves’ run is officially over. While they have been dead in the water, out of the NL East, and out of the Wildcard picture for a while, the Braves’ dominance of the NL East was not over until today. It was a hell of a ride for Cox and company. Thanks for the memories!

I know that many sports fans are going to going to judge the Braves as the Buffalo Bills of baseball, but that comparison is unfair. While the Braves did win 14 division titles in a row, with only one World Series title in hand, unlike the Bills, they did finish the deal, if only once. Like I said, it was a hell of a run, and really made me proud to be a Braves fan.

WoW Update
Let me just say that I have been putting some time into the game. I think I may have backed into being a PC gamer by accident. Seriously, I can do this WoW thing on my laptop, in the living-room, while watching TV, or otherwise visiting with the family. Sort of like one of the benefits of handheld gaming.

I will probably write more about my WoW experiences later, but for now know that I have spent some time getting Tuldar (dwarf hunger, L9), Faltutin (gnome mage, L6), and Kaldur (dwarf priest, L7) started on their WoW journey. There is still a ton of stuff that I am not sure about (how much do guilds matter, how long can I play solo, will Kaldur and Dwarn have a successful career as a gaming team, will I really pay $14.95/month, will I get bored with the game, and then some), not to mention all the game mechanics, but I am learning and having fun in the process.

This is the early edition of the SEC Preview (Week 5) thanks to tonight’s South Carolina – Auburn game, which by the way, the Tigers will easily take by 24+ points. Last week I was terrible, with a 7-3 mark; misses on Alabama (get a kicker already), Mississippi (man do they suck), and Mississippi State. I was right about one thing; one of the Mississippi schools would same the SEC. TRB SEC Shame of the Week Award goes to Ole Miss for their pathetic performance against Wake. For those keeping tabs, I am now 31-5 on the year. On marches Week 5.

(2) Auburn – South Carolina
No way does Tommy’s Tigers not win this one. Simply put, the Gamecocks have a long way to go to challenge the SEC elite.

(15) Tennessee – Memphis
Memphis is struggling this year, and while things are not perfect on Rocky Top, the Tigers from Memphis will be easily tamed.

Alabama – (5) Florida
I do not think Shula’s elephants will easily recover from the Arkansas debacle. If the Razerbacks can put up 24 on the Tide, imagine what the Gators are going to do this weekend. Scary stuff. The question is how many points will Florida unleash on the Tide? I am thinking something along the lines of 31-17. Oh wait, that would imply that Alabama has a field goal kicker. Never mind. Easy win for the Gators.

Temple – Vanderbilt
The Commodores will rack up two in a row.

Mississippi State – (9) LSU
Bad news for the State. 49-3? Something ridiculous for the Tigers, who are the favorites for the SEC Shame of the Week Award.

Central Michigan – Kentucky
The Wildcats showed some spunk against Florida last week, so they should manage to win this one. Then again, I have never been a fan of moral victories, but I am not a fan of the MAC, so I am sticking with Kentucky.

(10) Georgia – Mississippi
Will the Dawgs settle on a QB? Will Georgia find a running game? Will the Dawgs have an emotional let down? Will the Bulldog receivers finally learn how to hold on to the dang ball? Lots of questions, but my beloved Dawgs will go to 5-0.

Texas will have a tune-up against Sam Houston State before getting ready for some Red River nonsense. This will be a laugher.

I do not want to spend much time on poll bashing, but what is up with the West Coast bias? How does USC jump in from of Auburn? I can see Georgia falling a spot or three; they deserve it. Then again strength of schedule will be an issue for Auburn if they run the table this year. Their non-conference schedule sucks, but with that said, they did not deserve to drop in the poll after taking care of business last week against Buffalo.

Go Dawgs!

I think this the last post in my four part series detailing my experiences with WoW.  The articles were intended to give you my perspectives on the game, document my early struggles and successes, and focus on the fact that I am a MMORP and PC gaming novice.

Last night made for some interesting gaming.  When we last talked about the game, Chris suggested that I go in a different direction than a hunter.  Tuldar (dwarf hunter, L6) was a decent character once I started learning the game, but I took Chris’ suggestion and created Faltutin (gnome mage, L2).  I met up with one of Chris’ characters, who looked like a total bad ass, but he was nice enough to “trade” me some gold and invite me to join his guild.  While that was nice of Chris, let me be honest, I do not like the looks of the WoW gnomes.  My dud looked a lot like Dopey; in other words, very lame.  Thus Kaldur (dwarf priest, L5) was born.  Chris kicked Faltutin out of the guild, and invited Kaldur to the elite membership.  I figure it is elite because it looks like there are only 67 members.

I spent a couple of hours with Kaldur, completing quests, killing an assortment of beasts, and randomly healing folks.  I even joined two short lived parties.  As the Falcons/Saints game got out of hand, I grew sleepy, and eventually called it a night, but I did make it to level 5 in relatively short order (about two hours).  I figure another 2-5 hours should have me ready for the real fun, which Chris says starts at level 10.  I guess I will find out soon enough.

At this point in the game I have a few observations, which follow in no particular order.

First, I really like Tuldar, mostly because I like the idea of the gun.  The hunter seems like a fun class, but I have been repeatedly told that hunters are pretty much dime and dozen, and hunters are really easy to play.  I do not think there is anything wrong with someone new to the game playing with a class that is perceived as easy, but I guess I do not want to get boxed in with Tuldar later in the game.  I will play with him some more, but it sounds like he may not have a true future later in the game.  At least he is not going to be invited to join Chris’ elite guild.

Second, I really like the fireballs, but I do not like the gnomes.  Much like the elves in WoW, the gnomes look pretty ridiculous.  Since I have no desire to play as a human, and I really want to do something with a mage, I am sure we will be hearing more from Faltutin before it is all said and done.  I guess I could give Horde characters a go, but for now I am going to stay away.

Third, I could care less about playing with a bunch of anonymous folks.  That is really a topic for another day, but I think this game could be a lot of fun (and really deep) if you are playing with friends.  Why not get some friends together and start your own guild?

Fourth, there is a lot to learn, so reading the manual is a must.  That is crazy talk coming from me.  Since my realm server is down tonight, I have snuggled up to the manual (except for this post), which has actually brought about a few ‘so that is why (or how)…’ moments.

Fifth, I am still not comfortable with the $14.95/month fee.  I would much rather have some sort of pay as you play model.

Finally, it is pretty entertaining watch all the havoc in Coldridge Valley as new players are everywhere blasting an assortment of creatures.  Gnomes zipping left and right, followed by little purple imps (or demons or whatever) doing all manner of strange stuff.  Interesting.

Oh yeah, before I forget.  I am sick of other players challenging me to duels.  Shouldn’t they have something better to do?  Like maybe build up a party and get something accomplished.

I am sure there will be more to come later.

After a few more hours with the game, Tuldar is now a level 6 Dwarf Hunter.  Things became much easier when I figured out how to use my gun and use spells.  I kept pressing the thing (it looked like a gun), but could never make it work.  I knew I had ammo, but once again, could not figure out how to use the ammo.  I finally realized that I had to target as I normally would target with my axe, and then fire away.  I am sure veterans of the game are laughing, but basic stuff like this has been on the learning curve.

I have managed my way around Coldridge Valley doing an assortment of quests, killing monsters for loot, and the like.  I have not really been trying to level up; it has just worked that way so far while I practice my newfound skills with my gun (and the sing spell thing, which is pretty nice).

On one occasion I died.  I found myself in a cave full of trolls, which was not that big a deal, but after jumping done some sort of cliff/ridge, I got surrounded by four or five, and that was that – first death experience.  I did not really notice what (if anything) was lost or affected by going to the great beyond.  Recovering my spirit was a matter of leaving the Coldridge Valley graveyard and returning to the troll cave.  Once there, it was business as usual.

Speaking of learning curve type stuff, during the game I did not know how to use my healing herbs that I acquired as a quest reward.  I needed the damn things when the trolls were attacking, but I could not get them from my backpack fast enough to do any good.  I later learned that it would not matter, because you have to sit down to consume of the healing items.  I put the herbs in slot position 10, which shows as 3/0 (3 herb items, in position 10), but the herbs were also listed in my backpack.  I figured something was wrong, so I tried to move them back to the backpack, only to accidentally sit down, consuming (and wasting) the healing powers because I was already fully healed.  I did this twice before I realized that the 0 was for position 10.  Hopefully I do not need the extra healing later in the game, but in my book this is just part of the learning curve.

I have never played a MMORP game before, and it has been years since I played a PC role playing game.  Lots to learn.  Like how do I know what items my hunter is allowed to use.  It looks like I cannot use metal armor, but is there somewhere in the game (or in the manual or main site help) that describes items and what I can or cannot use?  I keep debating if I should read some strategy guides or something beyond the standard help page stuff.  I have no idea how to gain skills, professions, or the like.  I have gained all the skills that there hunter trainer in Anvilmar offers.

Thus far I have not joined any groups.  To be honest, I have never been a fan of online games (at least for consoles) because you typically run into all kinds of crap with strangers.  Someone did ask me to join them during my first play session, but I declined.  I have yet to ask anyone to join me, so my experience with the game is pretty much that of a hack and slash console RPG.  I know that is not fair and hopefully I can get some time with Chris (or other volunteers) to really get a different perspective on the game.

In the comments to my Part 2 post (see below) Chris suggested that I try something else other than a hunter – maybe a priest, warlock, mage, or warrior.  I wanted to start as a druid, but I just do not like the looks of the elves.  Same for the gnomes; they look so darn little and dart around all over the place.  What is the point in playing as a human?  I am human; I want something different in a fantasy game.  So I will create another dwarf; just not sure which class to follow at this point.

It has taken a few hours, but I finally have a few minutes of WoW under my belt. I have a couple of things to note about the initial setup before I get started. First, the copy of WoW was version 1.11.0.5428; this thing too a while to install (5 CDs). My wife’s laptop is not the fastest in the world, but I was surprised that the thing did not install faster. I lost track of time, but each disk had to take 20 minutes.

Once the game was loaded, the first thing I noticed was this little gem of a note

“If you do not wish to be billed for additional time, you must cancel your account prior to the end of your free month.”

I have always had something against monthly fee games; you cannot even start this one without setting up a credit card unless you have some sort of prepaid card. I would still rather do some sort of pay as you go plan.

I noticed that the Bronzebeard server is going to be offline Tuesday and Wednesday. Joy. Do you get a credit if your server is down?

Before I could get any further, the game started downloading patch 1.12, which was a good 465MB. Here we go with patching. The bane of PC gaming (for console fans). I noted that my download panel showed a yellow status – “your computer appears to be behind a firewall
change firewall and router settings (port forwarding).” While I did not have any problems downloading the patch, I setup my firewall and router to make sure ports were configured correctly for WoW. Still took about 25-30 minutes to complete the download. Then the download had to install. Yawn. Not so fun. Finally I was on version 1.12.0.5595 and ready to partake in some WoW.

The game suggested a server, but I picked Bronzebeard. Figured Chris may start a new character (or something) and play with me every once in a while. So off I go, but the game tells me that Bronzebeard is full (apparently I there are 24 players in queue). After a couple of minutes it was time to create a player.

I really wanted to create a druid, but I am not sure I like the looks of the elves in this game. I decided to go with a male Dwarf Hunter named Tuldar.

At this point I really do not know WTF is going on around me. The help icons (!) are nice; I think I would be really lost with out them. Right away someone asks me to join their party, but I declined. Still trying to figure out WTH to do and all that. I accepted a quest (have to get some wolf mean or the like), and off I go. Of course I saw bunnies, and my first thought was that I am not going to spend my time killing rabbits.

About 15 minutes later Tuldar was level 2, and had picked up some useful items (some sort of rob, belt, cloak, and boots). My reward for my first quest was a pair of Wolf Gloves (I think). I could have picked two other items, but I am not sure why I would want to pick up rabbit gloves. I think the other pair was something I could not use (part of the name was in read) because the gloves were metal. Of course I could be wrong, but I am thinking back to D&D games; there must be some restrictions.

Now the fun part. I needed to take the dog out, and lock up for the night, but I had no idea what to do to safely end the game. Is Tuldar going to get robbed? Should I have found an Inn? Instead the dude just sat down and that was that. I am now a veteran (but not so much) of WoW.