Dragon Warrior Revisited

Last week I was moving around some boxes in the garage when I came across my old strategy guide for the original Nintendo game, Dragon Warrior. I was immediately renewed with interest in one of my all time favorite games, and quickly thumbed through the pages, damaged by the years of neglect and use in my youth.

One thing that struck me promptly, was the concept of saving your data or progression at an Inn, like in Dragon Warrior, compared to logging out at an inn in World of Warcraft. I cannot help but wonder how much these old games had an effect on current games.



Above is the screen shot I took this morning of me saving my data at an Inn in Dragon Warrior. After fighting monsters and gaining experience or increasing your level, simply visit the inn in Breconary and sleep at the inn. Your HP is rejuvenated and you can once again go on to kill more monsters and level up. To store your progression, the use of the inn allows you to continue your journey, where you left off!

In World of Warcraft, things are similar, yet very different.

Below is the screen shot of an Undead Rogue visiting an Inn in the low level town of Brill in World of Warcraft.



Obviously, the first difference would be the 3D environment versus the bird's eye view of the old Nintendo games, however the concept of saving data is similar. Allowing both players to simply visit the inn, and save their progression point. In Dragon Warrior you pay a small fee of gold to sleep, in WOW it is free.

I can't help but take note that I have been saving at Inns for over 20 years, but considering I have been playing these role playing games since the 80's when I was young, until now, the similarities between killing monsters over and over for experience to increase your Health Points and equip more powerful armor and weapons are too many to list.

In Dragon Warrior you simply need to talk to the innkeeper and he will ask you if you want to save. In WOW, you simply choose "logout" from your menu.

The games of the past were the foundation for what is to come, and as an adult gamer now, I can only imagine where the gaming industry will take us next...

Until then, you're never too old to bust out one of the old games gathering dust and breathe life into it again.

Blackfathom Deeps

Update: New WOW dungeon map added for Blackfathom Deeps

Last night I wanted to run a few quick dungeon instances on my Holy Priest and level her up a little... I got from 25 to level 27 doing a couple quests and a few dungeon runs.

I have played World of Warcraft for awhile now, have leveled a 70 Mage and have never had many problems playing successfully with other players online.

But last night, some mage decided to try and blame me for his own lack of skill. He kept pulling aggro and I kept having to save him, he was draining my mana and taking away heals from the main tank (whom I've done plenty of runs with) so once we get to the first altar in Blackfathom Deeps I encourage him to right click the altar to get the buff, I can't recall the name, but after you defeat one of the early bosses you click his altar and it buffs you for the 60 mins with a nice spirit + intellect +frost damage buff.

I wasn't even looking his direction, but as I swung my camera view around I noticed he was drinking for mana... his reply to me "chill, I am drinking" as if I was rushing him, he then started to go off saying I was "awful at the game" which made the other four members of the group quickly defend me and my heals, considering I had kept them alive through many dungeons in the past and in addition had kept this specific DPS alive LOL

So I LOLed at him, and kept my cool and calmy stated "relax, I just wanted you to get the buff, I wasn't rushing you, and my heals must not be that bad because they've certainly kept you alive through your aggro management errors." he didn't like that, but it ended the quarrel...

Negative players always amuse me, trying to blame the healer because you keep pulling aggro and getting attacked, is hilarious. As many have told me, let him die and just heal the others, but I refuse to do that, I rather look like a great holy priest who kept every member alive through 4 dungeon instances with no deaths than let some guy die just because he sucks at being a mage. However, I must be honest, I DID let his HP drop to less than half a couple times before bubbling him with Power Word: Shield and healing him lol just to make him nervous. :)

As usual, I then said, lets just keep moving, so we finished the dungeon and I went turn in the quests, and hit level 27, then logged.

My advice to anyone in a group with an abusive member, either try to ignore it and push on, or simply leave. Especially as a priest, you are keeping the entire group alive and without you, they couldn't move forward, there is no need to take anything from some 14 year old behind a nick on an MMORPG.

Undead Priest Healing In Warsong Gulch Battleground

So I was playing a mage but got bored with it and decided to roll a Holy Priest. Yes, undead and of course horde! And despite the obvious downside of having and playing a holy priest as a main and not focusing on damage, but healing, I am having a great time! I enjoy doing instances with groups much more than questing, so this allows me to log on and have less difficulty finding a group to run an instance with...

However, while waiting in the queue for a dungeon instance, I decided to start doing battlegrounds and I am having a blast healing groups! Here is a screenshot from last night, me and the flag runner in Warsong Gulch!

Image above: Undead Priest healing in Warsong Gulch Battleground sitting drinking water to replenish mana after PVP

So far I am having more fun playing my healer. Previously my main was a mage, but unless things change, I think this will be my main from now on! I'm having way too much fun. It also seems more challenging than just sitting there casting fireballs over and over LOL

I have gotten many compliments on my healing, and despite the learning curve of going from DPS to heals, last night I set up my healing macros and ran Blackfathom Deeps and Razorfen Kraul without any deaths. Yeah yeah, I know those are low level dungeons, but right now my holy priest is only level 25...

WOW Maps

Announcing: World of Warcraft maps released through GamerDungeon.com

"WOW Maps" will be an ongoing project of uniquely designed World of Warcraft maps for dungeon instances and the lands of Warcraft.

Ragefire Chasm - Low level dungeon for horde players, located in the city of Orgrimmar. Usually the first dungeon instance horde players are introduced to, and a great place to learn how instances work and how to play your class in a group.

Wailing Caverns - Another low level dungeon - however much larger than Ragefire Chasm.

World of Warcraft players should look forwar to more news on GamerDungeon.com covering the release of the latest expansion to WOW - Wrath of the Lich King, as well as future updates regarding this very popular MMORPG.