Friday, October 21, 2011

You oughtta be in pictures

If Lenora was a punk rock star, this would be her poster.

Victoria and Ryan in this shot almost look like they should be in Vogue's fall edition in the article on Mod. They is too cool for school. 
~Heather

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Déjà vu

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. 
Fool me three times?
...
INCONCEIVABLE!
("that word you keep using...") 
Introducing the Nightmare pack for Halloween. Lord help us now they're seasonal.

Hmm anyone else having Déjà vu?
"  ...I think adding a feature like this into the game is not .... healthy. If any of you can remember WAY back to when there was the big backlash over wishing wells (Here's a TFN post talking a little bit about it) well I was painfully reminded of that when DH packs came out. The only difference is the fixed price and the way they package it. Basically it's gambling. ...You aren't guaranteed anything but spending money. Who's the one winning? KI! Right. They want to make money, that's reasonable, they are a company and it's part of how you keep the game running. But there are alternatives. What they could do is have a DH or WH pack and then offer select items from the pack in the crowns shop so someone who just wanted that really cool sword, or bone dragon mount could get it. But of course at some expensive cost, so that the DH/WH packs would still be appealing. "Ooh I have a chance of getting something for only 399 crowns instead of 7,500! I guess I'll buy one!" But obviously they don't want to do that. They want to make as much money as possible with the DH/WH pack system. (I seriously hope they prove me wrong here.) Also did anyone else notice that they, just happened to not release it on the test realm, they saved that surprise for live? Are they so worried that they will get so much backlash that they won't even let people test this feature?
Well until something gives here there will be no more Wyvern's Hoard packs in Heatherville. Because as the old saying goes: "Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me." "

That was "On How KI Drives me Cukoo for Coco-Puffs Somedays" August 19th, 2011. (Is it just me, or are they increasing in frequency? Ruuuuuuun! They're multiplying!)
Okay. Unfortunately KI is just living up to my worst expectations. Not only did they add another new (seasonal! YIKES!) pack, they have not made anything available for straight up purchase. And once again they bypassed the test realm-- even though there was content up there that they realized as well!

As usual, we (ze #twizard community (twitter wizards)) exploded. There were split camps. I'm just going to adress some highlights from what was said there, because some of it is really interesting food for thought:

@witchwarrior said: @LukeGoldHorn I agree with you to a point. These packs would work better if they made them a little cheaper and less random.
<-- Alric pointed out that they are actually 100 crowns cheaper than the usual, and he did get a nightmare mount on the first try.

@AlricRavenWiz went on to say: @LukeGoldHorn It's only gambling when you don't have the will to stop. If you can't stop buying a pack then you can't stop playing the game.In part thats not only gambling crowns that gambling life and time for kids who become addicted. So should [there] be no more games?

<-- I rebutted: @AlricRavenwiz Gambling in Merriam-Webster as defined as: to bet on an uncertain outcome 2: to stake something on a contingency take a chance ... All of the hoard packs live up to that definition. ...I was just saying that "gambling" and "gambling addiction" are [two] different things and you *can* have one without the other.

For me this is disappointing. I remember us being pretty vocal about Wyvern Hoard Packs when they came out mid-August. I really love Wizard101 and I don't see how this feature enhances the game in a positive way. It just make people like me go "OH NOES!" and have heated debates about crazy things like gambling addictions. It's actually comical! Wow this a game and it's supposed to be fun! Good grief Charlie Brown. We all (yes KI too) need a bit of a reality check. New mantra-- Games are fun.

To end this on an upbeat: I don't have anything against people who buy the packs. Have fun! I hope you get all the awesome swag! (I cannot join yous since I have exactly one crown. Hehe.) I love you guys no matter what. Group tackle hugs!

So... what do you think the mystery pet that we're going to get will be? And what do you hope it will be?

~Heather

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Boo

Muahahahahahaha. Have to checked the calendar yet?
Yes?
October! That means Halloween is just around the corner. 
I do love Halloween. It's oh so fun trying to scare yourself senseless. 
While Halloween is only one night, I don't see why you can't enjoy it for the whole month of October. 
So I've complied a little list of spooky entertainment for your enjoyment purposes. 
(The Mythspent Youth features something everyday, if you need a daily dose of cobwebs for your health.)

Ghosts
Throne of Blood (1957)
*Topper Returns (1941)
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
Shakespeare's Macbeth (I recommend the new Patrick Stewart version. Seriously creepy. No, I mean seriously.)

Mystery and Murder
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Dark Passage (1947)

Monsters, Aliens, and other baddies
"Blink" -- Doctor Who Season 3
"Thriller" by Michael Jackson
"Monster Mash" Bobby Prickett
War of the Worlds (1938) as performed by the Mercury Theatre

If I think of more wonderfully scary things, I shall add them to the list.
Happy Haunting! 
~Heather
P.S.
*Topper is actually a really silly comedy. FYI. =)