View from the Bottom Bunk
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I finally got a chance to play some more and test out the post-merge
world of Telon this week. I noticed a couple of things. First,
the performance increase I claimed in Nuclear Winter
has been canceled out by the increased number of players in the busy
chunks, so I am back to square one there. The other thing I noticed was
that the Xeth server feels a lot like my freshman dorm from college:
we're a bunch of strangers coming together in the same space and
learning to live together.
When I went to college, I was lucky enough to room with two of my
friends from high school. We were in one of those quads that share a
bathroom. The bathroom was like one you find find in a fast food joint;
it had 2 or 3 three stalls. It also had a large shower with heads at
either end.
Thus, it was the shower stall that led to the first "rule" in our dorm:
"Dude, if I am in the shower, you may NOT come in and use the other
head. Consider me as using BOTH."
The next bit of business we had to sort out was who'd be on the bunk
beds and who would get the single bed. I was able to easily compromise
to volunteer for the bunk bed because I am very blind without my
glasses and wanted to be closer to the bathroom door. My two friends
somehow quickly sorted out the bunk bed vs. single discussion, and then
I was left to decide whether I wanted top of bottom bunk. Because of my
poor eyesight without glasses, I took the bottom.
All of these memories of my first college dorm came flooding back to me
as I played around on Xeth this weekend. I had already missed the
"Great Land Rush of 2007," which sounded a lot like fighting over the
beds in college. But I saw plenty of activity in regional chat. You
know, the usual mix of people really trying to play the game and those
who just like to see themselves type.
When it comes to mobs, it seems like the competition has heated up a
little. We all know that two groups can't use the shower at once, but
everyone wants to. The economy is immediately different, too. There are
more expert crafters on Xeth now, so it is a little easier to get
goods. This reminds me of the finding out that the guy next door also
has a Genesis, so I don't have
to borrow my roommate's.
Of course, there is always some negative. I see more jerks now because
there are more people. I see those jerks and want to strangle them with
a sock like I did my roommate once. Yeah, we got into an argument and
he called me a name (oooh). I should have been able to play it off, but
for some reason it struck a chord. I challenged him to say it again,
and he did. Why shouldn't he? He is bigger and stronger than I am. The
next thing we knew, I had a dirty, stinky sock around his neck, and our
other roommate was pulling me off of him. Ah, the good old days!
How is the merge going for the rest of you? Has it revived your
interest in playing like many of us were banking on, or did it do
nothing? Can you find groups easier, or are you too caught up in your
"clique" to meet new people? A lot of things seem rough--maybe a little
lawless--right now, but I know things will settle into an order soon
enough. I Told You So.
Comments? Thoughts? Criticisms? Share them here.
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