It's all about (MMORPG) games

It's not a secret that I am a gamer. I like to play PC games quite for a long time now. Started back in the 80's with a really dumb console, then C64, Amiga, and so on until I ended up with PC-Games.

I played a lot of genres. In the beginning I have been more the Ego-Shooter type, for example Unreal Tournament (the first version). I played it for about 3-4 years quite intensively. Then some years ago I started to play a genre called MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online RolePlay Game). And since then I stuck in this genre ;) I'm not sure how long, but I guess for 7 years now.

What do I like on playing MMORPGs, ... a lot, hell lot of REAL people in the game. You can join a guild and play with others. Not really the social isolation as many think that pc gamers have. I get to know a lot of people during the years, some come some go, but with a few the friendship lasts for many years now. Some I didn't even met in real life so far, but we chat a lot by instant messenger and phone. We talk about everything, like I do with my "real life" friend next door. The only difference, I can not say, come on let's go for a coffee or a beer ;) (theoretical we could, but just ingame ;)

It all started with DAoC (Dark Age of Camelot). This game infected me with the MMORPG virus hard. I played it for some years and reactivated it later on for some month again. It was and is still one of the very best game in MMORPG, even when it is outdated and the graphic is not up-to-date. I still think about reactivating it again for some month ;)

In the last years the genre exploded and hundreds of games flood the market. Some come and go, some exist rarely and some attained cult status. I guess one of the worldwide best known is WoW (World of Warcraft). No, I do not play it, I had played it, but only for a year.
One strategy for game developers is, that the game and the playing is for free. This market has grown exponentially in the last two years. (Yes, normally you buy the game with the first month included and then you pay every month about 10-13€)


I think I tried nearly every free MMORPG there is, but the satisfaction was never for long. I tried Fantasy, Science Fiction, Pirates, and so on...
Here some free MMORPGS which I think that they are not bad and maybe for people who want to test the genre without paying:

1. Perfect World
This one is quite nice. The graphic is high quality and the game itself is quite good. I didn't play it for a long time, but my impression was a good one. It's a classical Asian fantasy-MMORPG. It is free to download and free to play.
To get an impression, here is a video:



2. Exteel
Something totally different, a good start for Ego-Shooter type of player to enter the world of MMORPG. It is a Science-Fiction "Shooter" with Death-Match, Capture the flag and so on, all known by shooter games.


3. Rappelz
Another Fantasy-MMORPG which comes from Asia. Free to download free to play. Here's a ingame video.


4. Flyff
Ok, this one is weird. In the beginning I got shocked of all this kiddy stuff jumping around, I would have quit if not friend of mine wanted to play it. After some time it was not that bad as it seems on the beginning. It is also from Asia and it is, let's say, colorful *lol*. It is not a graphical high-end game, it's more kiddy comic style *g*. But see for yourself.


This is just a mix of free MMORPGS there are a lot lot lot more, just search for them in Google, or for the german speaking community here is a link to Onlinewelten Free-MMO.
Guildwars, Metin2, Shayia, and so on and on and on and on...

So lets now come to the MMORPGs where you have to pay for the game and for the playing. Actually, when you compare those games with free to play games, you will see, there is a difference.

1. Age of Conan
It had some difficulties when the game starts, a lot of bugs and not enough content. Therefore the game lost a lot of players. But Funcom worked a lot in the last few month, and I can say it was worth it. The game is the best in graphic (and will be even better when the DX10 update is released - soon), the music, the atmosphere, just cool. The game itself is a Fantasy-MMORPG which basis on the Conan stories. It is one of the games I'm playing at the moment. The price for the game is at the moment 29€ and the month cost between 11-13€ a month. For that money you get free updates and content and so on. It has a really innovativ combat system, just to mention that and it is for 18+ because of the sex, blood and violence ^^
Here's an impression:

2. Warhammer Online
Another game i play at the moment, or let's say i can't decide which of those two i should play, and at the moment i have not enough time anyway.
Warhammer is very similar to World of Warcraft, ... when it comes to the graphic. It is just not good, I mean the graphic, but the game itself is quite good and has also some innovative features. The PvP-system (Player versus Player) is at the moment the best there is on the market. (my opinion) No wonder, because the game was developed by the makers of DAoC.
Here is the impression:


Ok, what does the future bring:
MMORPGs to come are Stargate Worlds and some other I just don't remember right now.

So, this was a "short" inside few to MMORPGs. Of course there are a lot of games I haven't mentioned, like lord of the rings online, world of warcraft, tabula rasa and so on and on and on,
but this would become a neverending story. Another good site for that topic is mmosite, so feel free to inform yourself in more details.

Try MMORPGs, online gaming is the future, and it is really nice if you find friend to play with. It is just another hobby you can have. but of course never forget your real life !!

regards and game on!!

Merit Scholarship

Finally I took the last chance to earn a merit scholarship.
I got the e-mail yesterday, that I was granted
the merit scholarship for the year 2007/08 -> 726,72€
The second student of my year who "won" the scholarship
is Sandra, gratulations!!

I am really happy about it and I want to thank everyone
of my university for there support and the nice five years of study.

hoooray !!!

Murphy's Law

For those who don't know it,
one of my favourites, Murphy's Law.
And don't forget, Murphy was an optimist!

*No good deed goes unpunished.
*Leak proof seals - will.
*Self starters - will not.
*Interchangable parts - won't
*There is always one more bug.
*Nature is a mother.
*Don't mess with Mrs. Murphy
*90% of everything is crud.
*If you're feeling good, don't worry, you'll get over it.
*All warranties expire upon payment of invoice.
*Where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit.
*Never eat prunes when you are famished.
*Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.
*If you try to please everybody, nobody will like it.
*A short cut is always the longest distance between 2 points.
*Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
*You will always find something in the last place you look.
*The chance of a piece of bread falling with the buttered side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.
*No matter how long or hard you shop for an item, after you've bought it, it will be on sale somewhere cheaper.
*No one's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session.
*The other line always moves faster.
*In order to get a loan, you must first prove you don't need it.
*Anything you try to fix will take longer and cost more than you thought.
*If you fool around with a thing for very long you will screw it up.
*A $300.00 picture tube will protect a 10 cent fuse by blowing first.
*If it jams, force it. If it breaks, it needed replacing anyway.
*Any tool dropped while repairing a car will roll underneath to the exact center.
*The repairman will never have seen a model quite like yours before.
*When a broken appliance is demonstrated for the repairman, it will work perfectly.
*A pipe gives a wise man time to think and a fool something to stick in his mouth.
*Everybody should believe in something. I believe i'll have another drink.
*Build a system that even a fool can use, and only a fool will use it.
*Everyone has a scheme for getting rich that will not work.
*In any hierarchy, each individual rises to his own level of incompetence, and then remains there.
*You will remember that you forgot to take out the trash when the garbage truck is two doors away.
*The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet.
*There's never time to do it right, but there's always time to do it over.
*When in doubt, mumble, when in trouble, delegate.
*Anything good in life is either illegal, immoral or fattening.
*It is morally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money.
*A bird in hand is safer than one overhead.
*Murphy's golden rule: whoever has the gold makes the rules.
*Everything east of the San Andreas fault will eventually plunge into the Atlantic Ocean.
*Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
*The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of an oncomming train.
*Celibacy is not hereditary.
*Never sleep with anyone crazier than yourself.
*Beauty is only skin deep, ugly goes to the bone.
*To know yourself is the ultimate form of aggression, Freudian Psychology.
*Never play leapfrog with a unicorn.
*A smith & wesson beats four aces.
*If everything seems to be going well, you obviously don't know what the hell is going on.
*If more than one person is responsible for a miscalculation, no one will be at fault.
*In case of doubt, make it sound convincing.
*Never argue with a fool, people might not know the difference.

Career day at my university and my workplace

Just started working, but already presenting my company at the career fair at my university. There have been about 90 companies. The run to our stall was quite good, thanks all my study colleauges and students from CMS and SEC for there interests.

Here some impressions, made with my phone, so don't expect high quality:

our stall:


me and my division leader

I also want to show you some pictures from my workplace and the view out of my office. It is quite nice, maybe nothing special for some of you, but working there is smooth.

the view from our social room, I also call it the "living-room"



and my desk (the one to the right) YES, it is clean, not like home ;)


Let me see your workplaces guys !!!!
More about to come, still have some news about the graduation ceremony (but the photos not digital yet), so open your eyes for new news ;)

regards

Security Competence Day

Two weeks ago I had to hold a presentation about Business Continuity Management in my company for some customers. The whole afternoon was dedicated to Security and therefore I presented BCM. The feedback was good, as the buffet was ;)

Some Impressions:

Me in action:



The clients:



The presenters: