We’re trying ‘dungeons’ for the first time in Guild Wars. Tried one, low-level, didn’t get quite through it, not enough firepower.
So what do we do? We volunteer as cannon fodder for a much higher level dungeon. I’ll say we learned a bit…but we also went way, way, way late. Poor Lynn was up til 2 am her time.
I do not think we will say yes to a GW2 dungeon unless we are much much much earlier in the evening.
And we still didn’t make it through.
We get better. We learn. But last night was like way late!
I’ve been working extra long at the computer, even for me. Yup, easy to get kinda pie-eyed and loopy. The work I’ve been doing is (most of it) also fun, and making progress, so I’m happy with that.
Heh, but it sounds like y’all had a good time and it was worth it.
I have also been reading more. Still not up to my former habits, but at least it’s becoming more regular and more frequent.
This makes up for other nonsense which has been a great pain in the posterior, the past few weeks. But it is on the way to being resolved.
However, really gotta make progress towards increasing my income. Not happy with that yet. As with writing, it’s a feast-or-famine thing, a couple of payments and then sales or residuals, with no real way to know if the public will really love it or if it will languish. I’m hopeful that once I have something out there and more on the way, it’ll at least begin to make a difference. Just won’t know how much until I get there.
—– Off-Topic —–
Do any of our esteemed Shejidaniin associates do Asian calligraphy or watercolors?
While looking for (Western) calligraphy pen sets, two Chinese calligraphy sets turned up in the search. Both are quite affordable. One is a kit in a rectangular box, about $20. The other is a kit in a pie-wedge, sector-shaped box, which I suppose may be traditional, for around $11. Both look like they have about the same tools. I could get one next month, another in another month, to try both. These were shown on Amazon, and a specific brand name for either was not given. I think the sellers are either Asian importers or else direct from China or elsewhere in Asia.
These were brush-style calligraphy tools, for sumi-e, I think it’s called. I have always admired the beauty and difference in style of Asian calligraphy and watercolors. But I’ve never tried them.
I have only recently tried a Pentel “brush-pen,” and though my technique felt like a rank beginner’s, it also felt freeing and of interest, to try a different way altogether of writing, with a brush instead of a reed-like nib.
Although my mother was a professional painter (oils mostly, but any medium) I have painted very little, I’ve mostly drawn, and didn’t get formal training in that, really, from my mom. So my brush-handling skills, especially for something like lettering or calligraphy, are not developed enough. I need practice, and intend to improve that. I know the way of holding a brush for Chinese / Asian art and calligraphy is a different style / technique than the Western tradition.
Any advice on Chinese calligraphy or watercolor tools and techniques, books to study, and so on, would be greatly appreciated.
Since I’m resuming my (Western) calligraphy practice and going further with font design, it seems like a good time to try out using a brush for lettering, both Western technique and — brand-new for me, Asian style.
Thanks in advance!
My understanding, having worked for a Japanese company and visited Japan a few times, is that each kanji has a particular order and direction of brush strokes, even when it appears not to matter. If you aren’t aware of them, you might want to look at Kinokuniya book store.
I saw a man-on-the-street interview video. The question was, “How do you get rich?” Five people said to work hard. Two people suggested investing, one over generations. One said budget and all that personal finance stuff. My answer is much simpler: spend less than you make. Once you get the habit, it’s painless, except the trouble of pushing money from checking to investment account when needed.
Paying $13.65 may seem extravagant for a pound of cinnamon tea, but it makes hundreds of cups of tea, dropping the cost to pennies a cup. Compared with many other drinks it’s a bargain. How do you like it? Some people find it too strong; if so, I suggest cutting it with black tea if using less gets too bitter.
My understanding, having worked for a Japanese company and visited Japan a few times, is that each kanji has a particular order and direction of brush strokes, even when it appears not to matter. If you aren’t aware of them, you might want to look at Kinokuniya book store.
Thanks, Walt. I’m also looking for advice on what tools and materials to use. I’m here in the US, and I can either order onlihne, or possibly find things at Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, or find a local Asian market.
kinokuniya.com/us/index.php/fho003 — you could call one of the US stores if they aren’t convenient to visit.
You can also shop online, I think.
(Stripped down url since that may have been my earlier problem.)
Thank you! Copying that down so I don’t forget it.
Ieie….
Oh I sympathize completely!! I have only done one dungeon on GW2 and it was super challenging – and that was with everyone else in the dungeon having good gear and knowing the layout, haha!
Good times can be had though – late hours and all. I have many fond, fond memories of long hours spent in dungeons and raids (bigger dungeons, more people) over on World of Warcraft. Those were some amazing Saturdays spent with wonderful friends, and despite the challenges and frustrations that we faced in mastering those fights, it was worth it, and it was fun. Those memories are what keep me playing even now, honestly – I still get to chat with my friends even if I don’t do dungeons so much anymore.
I also think it’s AMAZING and wonderful that you are enjoying the game so much! It just tickles me pink, to think of someone I admire and look up to enjoying the same game I do 😛
What server, out of curiosity? I’m Jade Quarry.
Crystal Desert server; my main’s name is Mirien Flameborn. If that doesn’t work to find me, give me a poke 🙂
I’ve had some trouble posting. Have the spam daemons run amok?
Remember to check out the tab for ShejiCon V planning.
No troubles that I know of.
Well done for trying the dungeons. I’ve never tried the dungeons as EU servers can be a rather “not nice” experience. A lot of trolling and scamming at the moment of new players in the dungeons. Not to mention that as I play a ranger – well they seem to be as popular as a STD outbreak in a nunnery at moment as we have to go max range to work best, and everyone else wants to huddle close. Bring on the revenant!
Yes. The revenant should be interesting. I mostly run an ele and a mesmer and a guardian, my 3 top ones, 2 80’s and a 40 on his way up.
Pity about the EU servers. We generally have very polite players on JQ. Politeness pays. Most of the rude folk are young who just need to be left out in the woods to mature. I’m not fond of Player v Player mode because I don’t like to trash other players, unless they’re being jerks—in that case I take delight in their misfortune.
We love rangers…at least in World V World. And mesmers, for Guild work, particularly. My ele can’t jump worth a damn, and if it weren’t for mesmers in the group, he’d be a real drag. But he’s also getting better because my timing is getting better. And also since I got a mouse that actually works for me. We were laughing the other evening because Jade Quarry got up a WvW group that were all necromancers. I don’t have one of those. But I’m convinced any ‘type’ can score well. Ironically, the most exciting to run early on in development was the warrior; but now that he’s pushing 80 he’s getting to be a chore. He has ranged, but no better than the ranger. And if he’s after a fast enemy, he’s sort of like Indiana Jones—just draw your gun and shoot the blighter. The ele is also slow as molasses in January, but he can stand and throw a variety of things, which at least makes you use more buttons. 😉
Elem’s are great fun. But I got to admit there’s a lot of buttons to press. Ranger is nice and easy. Locate target. Shoot it before it gets near you. Repeat 🙂
All types can do well, especially in WvW – I’ve got one of each to 80 – but the ranger is the one I go back to.
I think a lot of the professions have a sweet spot during leveling. My warrior really struggled in the 44-70 spot and then really picked up again at 80. But I’m still unsure on what build to keep with him.
Ellies just generally get trashed by everybody until they reach 80. Then, with a good build, and enough Earth, they can stand up and deal it out. Do a 1-2-3-1-1-1-1-2-1-1-3-2 rotation (meaning fire fireballs like mad, hit everything with a sequence, then fire fireballs until 3 can rebuild its charge. then back down and let 2-3 rearm. I used to use mostly fire. Now I lean heavily to earth, depending on what I’m dealing with. The ‘throw rocks’ is a piffle compared to ‘fireball’ but the earthquake is nice, and you don’t have a blazing-retreat skill in there like an armed grenade in your pocket…hit 4 by accident on fire and you can go right over a cliff backwards. 😉
So, that would be “Go down fighting”, “Orbital Strike” (a.k.a. ‘drop a cinderblock on them from orbit’), or “JATO misfire”? 😀
Oh my yes. The disappearing-over-the-cliff scenario. I’ve done that a few times 🙂
I’ve been arming my ele for water and air recently. Trying to get an area effect dps/healer build working – I spent far too long in other games in which I almost always played the healer and old habits die hard (unlike the players!)
I figure as an ele if I stop to heal, I’m going to die. I may stand and lay down damage while somebody else stoops down and heals; and sometimes now that I’m tougher I’ll duck down in mid-zerg in boss-fight and get somebody back up—it’s a pita to miss their shinies at the end—but in general, I just try to lay down fire.
Elem here; though she’s not 80. Partly due to my own struggle with “gamer ADD” where I play one game for hours at a whack, but then stop for two months, and play something else. And I tend to, after a while, be that person who’s on at odd hours compared to everyone else in the guild. That isn’t a bad thing, but it gets lonely, and I tend to wander off and do other games that are intended for solo play – usually world-building sandbox things, Minecraft or Terraria. For MMOs I have to say, GW2 has had some staying power. I’m doing a lot of WoW now because I’ve got four or five friends who play regularly and who’re on when I am. When that changes, odds are I’ll be on GW2 a LOT more. But I do get on at least once a week and poke zone quests and whatnot.
I run an 80 ele, Dresuros, a very recent and soft 80 mesmer, Cariadoc, a soft 80 warrior, Mekkonen, and a now 45 guardian, Childemer, Minions of Grenth guild, or MOG. I’m getting pretty good with the ele—I’m still learning the mesmer, but I’m so rotten at climbing that I’m not sure I’m going to be much help to the guild: one of the most useful things a mesmer does is make portals to lift not-good-climbers to things they’d otherwise fall trying to climb. The one I’m becoming intrigued with is the Guardian, who is a heavy-armored, sword-wielding tank who produces a book and curses his enemies with Puritanical fervor, doing major damage. Thorough-going prig, the way I read him, but potent enough as a 45 to do in enemies in groups. Don’t know how he’ll hold up as he rises in ability: some types get better, some get worse. And they’re bringing in a new character rank—Revenant, which is yet to explore. I may try that, but it’ll require buying a new character slot, since I also have an asura and a charr that have too much invested to take down.
Let me guess, Guardians read from the Boom of Armaments: “And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, “O LORD, bless this Thy hand grenade that with it Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits, in Thy mercy.” 😀
Oops, should be BOOK, not BOOM (although I suppose as a typo that’s not inappropriate).
Lol—I think you’ve got him pegged. TO me he’s kind of a horrifying character: the holy hand grenade would certainly be his choice. If you’ve got headphones, he talks while blasting people, and is certainly sure of his righteousness. I gave him a Carolingian-style name, and I wasn’t far wrong as far as his behavior.
That typo gets an 11 on the scale of “unintentionally wildly appropriate typos.” Love it.
I may have to watch that movie this weekend.
So many great lines and great scenes in there.
I’ve recently started to get back into playing my ele and am learning to enjoy playing her despite her squishiness, but I main a ranger and have done everything from dungeons to WvW to level 50 fractals with her. Rangers get a lot of flack for several reasons, it’s the easiest class to play lazily (ie. let your pet run amok and hang back with the longbow), and it’s also the hardest (IMO) class to master. It took me forever (and much prodding by guildies) to shift from my concept of a dual-wielding bow ranger and settle into a LB/GS build, that I enjoy playing more than dual-wielding bows and feels more effective in dungeons.
I want to say that for Revenants they’ll give at least one character slot with the expansion, but nothing’s been said on that front. I’m hoping they’ll announce more specifics regarding that this weekend at PAX.
Had no idea you played :v