What's in a name?

I'm going to change the name of my blog to Malfi's Meme-o-pad!!

Not really, but I saw this fun Meme by Ysharros over at Stylish Corpse and decided I wanted to do it too. Feel free to post it on your own site if you like. No obligations with this one.

1. What is your current main character’s name (or names, if you play multiple games)? Explain how you chose the name.

Current main character? Well... Let's see:

EQ2 - Malfi Autumnmist (Antonia Bayle) - Wood Elf Conjuror who is a compilation of the names of the two characters I first started playing back in EQ on the Rodcet Nife server way back when (see below).
LotRO - Malfirio (Windfola) - Man Hunter. Extension of my "primary" game name.
W101 - Morgrim HexMender - Myth Wizard exploring the world of Krokotopia. (No variation of Malfi)

The not so current:
WoW - Malfi (Proudmoore) - Undead Warlock and proud owner of a Fell Stead, a ridiculous imp, and a succubus who doesn't quite get it...
SWG - Malfi Iqu (Tarquinas) - Twi'Lek Grand Master Entertainer/Image Designer. Proprietor of Iqu's Hairdo's & Body Styling and the Pauze8 Saloon. (Well, former proprietor, since they are now packed up and on my pleasure barge, orbiting Tattooine).
MxO - Malfi (Syntax) - Are you sensing a pattern here?
V:SoH - Malfi (Um.... Wherever the League ended up) - Poncy druid of some sort I think.
CoH - Nyte Ember (Freedom? I think) - A Fire/Fire Blaster who has shadow abilities
CoV - Ahbra Kadaver (Freedom?) - Zombie/Dark Mastermind. LOVE this name and character build
FFXI - Malfi (No clue) - I think he was a Taru? Or maybe the human looking one? Don't remember, I didn't play very long.

2. What was the name of your very first character in an MMO? Explain how you chose that name.

I don't know where I pulled it out of, but I decided to call my very first character - Malfizorous, the half elf rogue of Qeynos (Rodcet Nife server) in EQ1. Yeah!! At level 20 I added in "Shadowslipper" as his surname. I may or may not have been reading through Lord of the Rings again when I named him. I guess "Z"s sounded more fantasy oriented to me? Malfizorous degraded (pretty quickly) to Malfi in guild chat, which is where my current crop of names comes from. Five characters are MUCH easier to type than the ten I started out with. After 55 levels (old school EQ levels) I picked up a high elf mage by the name of Xhar Autumnmist from a friend who swapped over to playing his bard. So that's where my current EQ2 character's name comes from - Malfi Autumnmist. An homage to the two of them.

3. Have you kept a specific name through various games, or do you tend to change your naming habits based on the individual game?

Depending on the world I do try for some variation of the name Malfi that fits in with the game culture. Barring that, Mattexl, an old, old, OLD Bulletin Board name, will do. For example, my Hunter on Landroval in LotRO is named "Texl". My tertiary name is Ashtarel (My secondary in SWG and the name of my Ratomancer in EQ2) as I like the sound of that name too.

For my alt army, however, all bets are off. There is no similarity between any of my other 23 alts in EQ2. I've always envied those people who manage to pull together names for all their alts that are recognizeable as being the same person - ending them in "gar" or starting each with "Vesp" or some such. But not me. My current EQ2 alt army includes Traigo Leafskimmer (Elf Ranger), Giagundous (Troll Berzerker), Purdi Durnuglee (Ogre Bard), Krylek (Arasai Wizard), Trincket Gnimbledigits (Gnome Warlock) and Poemia (Erudite Illusionist).

4. Do you ever reserve names, planning to use them for characters that you might play later? If so, what are they and why do you hold on to them?

No, I haven't ever reserved names. I always try for Malfi right away and if I can get that I'm pretty happy.

5. Of the three common archetypes in MMOs — tank, healer, DPS — which is your current main character?

My current mains are, all of them, DPS of one sort or another. Typically ranged, and usually with something I control between me and the bad guys.

6. What archetype was your very first character in an MMO? Why did you choose it?

Rogue was my first foray into MMOs. Unlike other people, I didn't swap around. I built the rogue and ran with it, right out the gate. I don't think I discovered the joys of altaholism until I was well into the 30s. Why did I choose the Rogue? Probably sneak hide, as I like to explore and I figured that combo set would let me get through the most places if I really wanted to. Oh! And I like staring at butts. I have a screen shot gallery somewhere of all the Norrathian butt I've stared at over the years, as that is just about all you would see as a rogue back then. Just get behind it and backstab to your heart's content. If you don't see a butt in front of you, you're doing something wrong!

7. Are you usually attracted to one archetype over another, or do you play them equally? Why?

Pets! PETS! PETS!!!! I loves the pets! Oh how I loves my minions! I'm hooked on pet classes and really enjoy playing them. I started with the Rogue but once I had a taste of mage goodness with Xhar, I've tried to find pet classes in every game I've played. I love the versatility, soloability (usually) and the fact that I have a custom made speedbump/meatshield right there whenever I need it. I was in HEAVEN when they added Masterminds to CoV. Too bad there isn't a Hero side equivalent.

In general, though, I prefer DPS classes. I don't like the responsibility of a healer, as I have ADHD to the extreme and have a tendency to wander away from the computer when things slow down and I'm bored - hence why I mostly solo. I'm much too pretty and WAAAY to intelligent to be a tank. (J/K to all the meat shields out there!)

8. What is your favorite feature from an MMO you no longer play?

What about a favorite feature of an MMO that I DO play, but it has been taken out? My most missed feature from EQ2 is the original crafting system! Complain all you want, I loved the complexity and interdependency of it. It wasn't the dump things in a hopper and press a button to get a "CLOAK OF AMAZING AMAZINGNESS" ten seconds later. Subcombines, usually made by another class, that required thought to gather items up for and coordination to make sure you could get to the point you wanted to get to. It spoke to OCD me (Who manages to beat ADHD me into submission when I've got something to REALLY focus on) and was one of the things I enjoyed most in the game.

9. Is there an MMO that you would play if it was free? Which and why?

I'll try any free MMO, just to check it out. Why not? I'm not losing any cash over it. And you can find some real gems. Wizard 101 is an EXCELLENT example, that I have subsequently dumped a bunch of cash into with my crown purchases. I've also got Dream of Mirror Online, Runes of Magic, and Mount & Blade on my computer waiting to play some more. The best thing about them? I don't flog myself for NOT playing, as I'm not spending any money on any of them.

10. How do you measure the success of a character in an MMO (total kills, titles accumulated, wealth, rare items collected, level reached, etc.)?

I agree with Ysh on this one. Fun! If I'm having fun playing the character, then it is a successful character. If I'm not having fun, and spending hours and hours doing it, then I really need to step back and reevaluate what I'm doing and why.

A MEME! A real, live, MEME!

Wow! Stargrace tagged me in a meme. I'm very touched, and appreciative of her doing so. She is a great friend, and an excellent writer, so head over there and check out her blog if you haven't yet.

In any event, Here is the MEME:


"This award is bestowed upon a fellow blogger whose blog content or design is, in the giver's opinion, brilliant."

Now, I know for SURE that the little bits and bobs of writing I've actually placed on here (few and far between to be honest) are short of anything resembling brilliance. However, since this is my first MEME tag I'm going to leap into it with GUSTO! Here are the rules:

1. When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to the said person so everyone knows she/he is real.

2. Choose a minimum of seven (7) blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don't have seven friends. Show the seven random victims' names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were pized with Honest Weblog. Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.

3. List at least ten (10) honest things about yourself. Then pass it on!

How exciting!!! I have a TON of bloggers I read. I may have some trouble getting comments posted (for some reason many blog sites HATE my work computer, which makes me a blog lurker most of the time) but I'll get a message to them somehow. So, in no particular order whatsoever, here we go...

The Ancient Gaming Noob - Great writing that encompasses a weekly gaming group, interesting stories about Eve Online, and truly heartwarming family gaming.

Bannable Offenses - The rantings of GM Dave never fail to amuse me. Even though my career in FFXI was short lived, I love to hear about his exploits working on the game. And of course there's Susan. EVERYONE loves Susan!

Shattered - I enjoy reading Kasul's take on the various games that he plays, and hope to spend some more time in game with him in the near future. I think we'll have a blast journeying through Middle Earth together.

Dragon Chasers - A circular tag, since Pete tagged Star who tagged me, but whatever. :-) Pete's writing is interesting and fun, and lot of his thoughts about gaming are similar to my own. Many times I'll find myself nodding my head as I read through his posts about this and that.

West Karana - I think you would be hard pressed to find a gaming blogger participating in this meme who DOESN'T link to West Karana. Tipa is the most prolific writer and gamer I've ever met. How she finds the time to play all the games she is into, and write intelligently about them, and create her AiM comics, and get her finger into all the other things she pokes into, as well as maintaining a life, job and sanity, I will never know. My hat is off to this very classy lady.

Gnewton's Journey - Gnewton is a gnome I know. We played together for a while in the Nostalgia guild Tipa put together in EQ1 last year. While we don't see as much of each other in game any more, I enjoy checking in on his blog every now and again. His journeys, both in and out of game, are inspirational for all of us.

Ommatidia - While not really a blog, but still able to be loaded into Google Reader, Ommatidia is an ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING creative writing experiment. Each "post" is limited to 101 words, and is used to further the story of one of the many characters that the author has created. They are not continuous and rarely is the same character written about day to day, but the various vignettes come together into a cohesive story "whole" (for lack of a better term) that is enthralling. This is one of the sites that I most look forward to reading each day.

Whoo!! Limiting it to just seven is tough! Hopefully you find one or two bloggers you haven't read before and will be adding them to your regular reading schedule.

Now for the facts:
1. I love my 18 year old cat Tobie more than anything, and every time I think about losing him I start to tear up.
2. I miss my family on the west coast terribly, and look forward to moving back home in the next year or two.
3. I like to eat brussel sprouts. With garlic. And salt. YUM!
4. I have more Lego than I know what to do with.
5. I am an Aries through and through. I exhibit just about every trait associated with this sign (both positive and negative) to a "T."
6. I have more games (video, computer, console, handheld, board, card) than I know what to do with.
7. I danced ballet for 10 years after high school, and miss it a great deal. Especially around Christmas, when I'm NOT dancing in the Nutcracker.
8. I have more Magic:The Gathering cards than I know what to do with.
9. I could be the poster child for ADHD.
10. I need to exercise more. A lot more. (Points to the Wii Fit gathering dust in the living room)

And there you have it. My first Meme! Fun for EVERYONE!

Room to spare

With the influx of so much new shiny, you'd think I'd have plenty to keep me occupied when I get home from work. And I do, it's just that presented with so many options I tend to lock up and can't decide what to do.

So after dinner last night, I just went with my old standby, EQ2. Since I played my carpenter up from 50 - 62 primarily on the new TSO instances, I had a backlog of Carpenter recipes to get through. Including the new Wantia recipes from the Village of Shin. An hour or so at the woodworking table, and I was 15% through 64 with all recipes completed.

Taking Kasul's advice from this post I headed to the daily tradeskill instance to grind out the rest of level 64, even though my vitality was shot. Why would I do this you ask? Well... it has to do with space.

See, I'm an altaholic. I've got 24 characters on Antonia Bayle. They are all in the same guild, spread across two accounts, and space is at a premium for me. I don't have enough of it. Malfi (my main) has had a bank account stuffed to the gills since about level 2. I'm an insatiable collector of anything that isn't nailed down. And I never throw anything away. I still have some blown glass tradeskill components on my alchemist, and those have been out of game for over a year - or is it two now?

I need space.

Level 65, for carpenters, has the LOVELY Rosewood Strong Boxes. 32 slots of storage goodness! And I need 334 of them. So my goal was to hit 65 and start grinding out the storage for my bank slots. I managed to upgrade all of Yrkin's (Carpenter) bank slots as well as Maellendy's (Alchemist) before I headed to bed. This weekend I hope to finish off the rest of the characters on my main account and start working on the second.

I'm also going to make some Ebony Furniture Shelves so all the bits and bobs I've made over the past 20 levels can get onto the broker and stop clogging up my bank space!

My next tradeskiller to focus on will be the tailor, as my alt army needs storage space while adventuring. Texl is only in his 20s now, so he has a long way to go, but with experience potions and full vitality he should be able to get there fairly quickly.

Holiday Gaming

I'll admit it. I spoiled myself ROTTEN this holiday season. Despite dire predictions by my manager, I actually pulled in a very respectable end of year bonus for all my hard work in 2008. Enough to pay off the debt I wanted to tackle and leave some left over for fun! My holiday gaming gift(s) to myself were:

Guitar Hero III w/ guitar (PS3)
Guitar Hero World Tour w/complete band (PS3)
Wii Fit (Wii) - Thank you Canadia!!
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party (Wii)
Ultimate Ghosts N' Goblins (PSP) - Circuit City bargain bin
Devil May Cry 2 (PS2) - Circuit City bargain bin
Myst (DS) - Circuit City bargain bin
Lock's Quest (DS)
Lord of the Rings Online Lifetime Subscription and Mines of Moria (PC)

Let it be know I did my part to support the American (and Canadian) economy!! And my amazing family gave me two more Wii Motes and two more Nunchucks. Merry Christmas to me! I can't wait to crack into all of them with friends, especially World Tour and Rayman. I'd forgotten how much fun the Guitar Hero series is and have really enjoyed getting back into it.

For now, though, my gaming is focused on a golden oldy. Like many of the bloggers I read, I have a HUUUUUUUGE backlog of single player games for my consoles that I haven't finished. My current goal is to finish off God of War I, so I can work through GoW II. I last seriously played GoW in April of 2007, where I got stuck on the beam walk section of Hade's Challenge and, after dying many, MANY multiples of times, gave up in frustration. When I fired it up the other night I buzzed right through that and completed a huge chunk of the remainder of the game.

After I finish Kratos' journey I may look in on Dante and work through the Devil May Cry series. Or maybe I'll finish up the Prince's journey through Persia. So much good gaming to be done, and the freezing heart of winter is the perfect time to do it!

Wii wish you a Merry Christmas!!

Here it is, Christmas Eve and I am home in California, far from the freezing ice in Boston. In all the years I've lived away from mom and dad, Christmas always meant a couple of days away from the hustle and bustle of my every day life and getting to recapture what it was like to be a kid. This year I decided to bring along my Wii to pass the time on Christmas Day waiting for my sister and nephew to get here.

When I set up the console last night, I plugged in Wii Play to teach my mom how to use the wiimotes. We had a great time playing the cow racing game, knocking down scarecrows and running into trees. Then I plugged in WiiSports when my dad came in for the night. We ended up bowling until midnight, which was a lot of fun. They both kicked my butt (beginner's luck!!) and we all had a lot of fun.

This is what the holidays are all about. Spending time with friends and family, playing games, having a good time, and making memories together. Like laughing about how you get nothing but splits no matter how you bowl. Or how impossible it is to get a strike even if you get it right into the pocket. >:-)

Wherever you are and whatever you are up to tonight, have a wonderful time and remember to tell the people you care about that you love them. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and lots of gaming goodness under your tree!!