On Sunday, February 24th, I had the most restful night of sleep since 1998. After 50 years (25 before I was born), Team Canada has finally brought home the gold in men's (and women's) hockey. It is why I'm one of the happiest people alive. Overall it was a great tournament and I congratulate Team USA for having a good run through the rounds and for dispelling the Nagano demons as well. When I wasn’t screaming/crying/jumping for joy, I somehow found the time to read some threads, these in particular caught my eye.
The fans are finally cheering for Blizzard. How do I know this? Check out Thank you Blizzard! and Battle.Net: Action Against Cheaters. A step in the right direction, but what a happy day it would be if there were no duping at all? Maybe some day...
Have you ever seen a Sorceress with an axe? A Barbarian wielding a staff? This thread might be for you then. Entitled "Strangest character and item combos", it is comprised of interesting combinations of classes and weapons. Come and share your strange observations and read about others.
This first appeared a while ago but was brought back up recently. Do you wish there were a program that allowed you to keep track of your mules and inventory? Well look at this, Mirasame’s Inventory Program. A handy little tool for sure!
Ever wonder what the most popular weapons are for the barbarian? Poll: Favorite weapon class for barb may contain the answers you are looking for.
New to the forums and wondering just what all those abbreviations that everyone uses actually mean? Make sure you have a look at Scipio23's PlanetDiablo shorthand glossary. Or check it out if you can add some that may have been missed.
Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to go watch the gold medal game again, and again, and maybe one more time and then I have to go find some Team Canada parties, so ta ta for now!
Player Killers: Simply put, I hate them. I'm not talking about people who ask you to duel (duelists, if you will), I'm talking about those individuals who teleport out of an area right next to you, click on hostile, and kill you via their preset Traps or Hydras, or come back in to kill you while you are engaged with monsters.
I have no love for them, whatsoever. In normal Diablo II, I really didn't care one way or another as the most I lost was gold. But in Hardcore, my awareness has increased as has my feelings towards these lame individuals.
Case in point: This past weekend, I was working up a hardcore Amazon hybrid -- my third attempt. She was level 16. A Sorceress joined our party (level 50) and came in with another Sorceress (level 14). This tag team duo let us know that she was rushing the other character. So, we join in. She completes the Radament quest for us and takes us to the Far Oasis in search of the Maggot Lair. On the way, she drops a load of Hydras (a spell she hadn't used until now) on a group of monsters we are engaged in, teleports out, and goes hostile. Needless to say, one hit from the maxed Hydras on my 16th level Amazon resulted in one dead Amazon. So, this player was obviously a PKer (Player Killer). Now, where is the sport when a level 50 (of any class) takes on a level 16? There is none.
Now, if I had consented to the combat, a duel, that would be another matter altogether. So, why rant? It's part of the game. My problem is that it shouldn't be. The easy fix for Blizzard would to require both parties to initiate hostilities before any damage is allowed between those individuals. This is an easy fix that allows dueling, but not PKing.
I have been thinking and have developed a couple ideas in regards to why Blizzard has not changed Diablo II's party-hostility system.
A group of Blizzard Staff are heavy advocates of PKing as they themselves are PKers.
Marketing has projected a large drop-off of sales or playing of Diablo II should they change the process.
The first idea is probably not likely, but could be a factor in their decision not to address this issue. The second of the two I find more likely.
Given the prevalence of PKing on Open and Closed Battle.net, it is easy to see that there is a fairly significant number of individuals who endorse and practice it. If Blizzard was to remove this feature, there is a high probability that its actions would enrage this segment of users, enough to either quit playing and/or discourage the purchase of the game amongst their peers.
What Blizzard cannot anticipate is the amount of people (the victims) who are quitting and/or discouraging their peer groups from purchasing because of this same issue.
I have been PKed three times in two months of playing hardcore characters. This isn't a large number, mind you, but a frustrating event nonetheless. The last time was especially frustrating, even though it was a low level character.
What can we do? Well, the obvious answers don't seem to deal with the frustration that I am experiencing. Writing a letter or e-mail: Do I get a reply or action? Not likely.
What I will do is write down the account name of every person who PKs me. I will add that person to my friends list, and every time I enter Battle.net I will check to see if they are online. If they are, I will bring in one of my two high level characters and deal with them. Again, again, and again: Vengeful? Yep. Does it mean that I am stooping to their level? Yes, to a point. But the real question is: Will it make me feel better? I don't know, but I'm willing to find out!
Well, that's enough ranting and vigilante advocating for one SotF. Until next week...
Educate yourself with a word a day I recently got a present from my brother, Mycroft(jk). He sent me a word a day and I have been enjoying bloviating for the past several days.
Great glossaries batman! Although cited by Os first, I concur that this is a very helpful glossary, especially for "noobs". It is useful for many and I recommend all look to see who can add the final good glossary word to the list.
So you feel uncertain what monster is the worst to deal with? Look no further than the forums.
Not all educational material can be positive. Good can tolerate evil but evil cannot tolerate good. Check out the news here on the latest hacks and cheats. I am sure many of you are aware that the Arreat Summit front page is their news file but want to point it out. It is appropriate that news be in the forefront, whether good or bad.
Thanks to all the people who post here. Many of you provide education for the rest of us. Your "VIP" like efforts will not go unrecognized.
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