Cause and consequence

There are those who would say that they did something because somebody is bound to do it. A good example would be the bot, or programs designed to play some game for a gamer who doesn't want to play 24/7.

There's this popular bot program for the game I'm addicted to, Openkore. It is an open-source software that is quite resilient to the various measures that the game providers put up, and is still widely-used these days. As there are no tangible results from the numerous security measures that Gravity placed to counter this program, many are half-thinking that perhaps the company itself is not serious as regards disabling the bots, also called gundams and motmots in-game.

A few months ago, Master Diwa interviewed one of those who created the program. Under the name, Kaliwanagan (enlightenment), the programmer answered most of the questions that pRO players wanted to ask. A special question struck me as very much peculiar, "Why did you create OpenKore?" (or something to that sense). Kaliwanagan's reply was, "Because someone is bound to do it."

This is something that had me thinking ever since. Of course, there are other instances wherein the instigator did it because, "someone else is bound to do it."

But if my opinion is to be sought, I'd say that I'm not one to believe in such. Sure there are those who are bound to do it, but if I wouldn't want to do it, I won't, especially if the consequences are pestilential to others.

Not because I can do something, I will do it. There are some things that can have devastating consequences, and it takes a great sense of responsibility and moral fiber to always consider the results of one's actions before carrying them out. If ever presented with the chance, I definitely will not do anything that might wreak havoc and widespread devastation. (Well, I can always dream that I'll be made to make world-changing decisions, right?) :P

I guess there are just those who are content with unleashing their powers for the whole world to see. I won't say that I won't admire their intellectual capacities if they are really to be admired for their wit. But I will admire them more, honor them even, if when they find out that their "skillful endeavors" resulted to catastrophes, they would do ways to rectify their errors. Then, they'll truly deserve greatness.

Roaming in Valhalla

While I'm at home, my Y!messenger status will likely be "Valhalla." Of course I didn't give it much thought that there'd be some who'd misinterpret it. LOLz.

Actually, I was hoping that the misinterpretation would be something like I'm walking in the legendary hall of the fallen heroes of Norse mythology. But to my surprise, a friend of mine commented one time, "Panget yang Valhalla, subukan mo na lang 'tong game na to..." (That Valhalla game sucks, try this one instead...) :P

Owkay, to set things straight, my messenger status meant that I was roaming, er, actually playing in Philippine Ragnarok Online's second (stress on the word second, not last) free-to-play (F2P) server, Valhalla. This server used to be Thor, but since the population there dropped to very low levels, Level Up! Games Philippines made it an F2P server and drastically changed the way they do business.

Anyway, I'm quite active there now for two important reasons, 1. It's F2P and I can log in anytime I want without thinking about running out of paid game time (as opposed to the other pay-to-play, P2P, servers); 2. I've found a new family in the form of my guildmates in the Fanfare Secret Cafe guild.

Oh yeah, I guess I haven't gotten around to write about the guild, even if it's almost a month already into existence. To keep it short, let's just say that Anna and I decided to leave Valkyrie a few weeks ago coz of the crappiness of that server, and settle in Valhalla. Part of the decision was that several other tambays (regulars) of the fanfic section of ragnaboards have their characters in that server long before they quit playing, and that everyone seemed to be thinking of putting up a guild.

Seeking another home server was quite difficult, especially since we've invested (financially, that is) much on Valkyrie. WTH, I've even placed my Note Head Phone in that server (said headgear is very much rare, unless one wants to buy another Memory of Ragnarok OST). But choices have to be made, and with the constant disconnections, omnipresent lag, and ever-present difficulties in logging into Valkyrie as opposed the fairly stable Valhalla, we made the tough decision.

So, off to Valhalla Anna and I went. Within a few hours of playing, her now new boyfriend, Jet, joined us (back then I knew there was something going on in Jet's mind). :P And with the help of RB's Indulgence, we created the first Fanfare guild with Anna as the guildmistress. That first guild was quite short-lived, however, since Anna didn't want to head the guild. We therefore created a new one, which Mai now leads.

And with the new members who subsequently joined us, we've managed to reach guild level 2, and our guild roster is full. Now, we're making nifty plans for the year ahead.

I say, full speed ahead mates!

Comeback

I actually have a lot of topics in line and if I had the time to write them down, there'll be quite a flood of new posts around here. But of course, something came up. Yeah, yeah, you may say I'm palusot ka na naman Jherskie, eh, and I won't take it against you.

Actually, I was thinking of going back to writing provided that I couldn't connect to pRO's Valkyrie server. And yeah, I wasn't able to connect during the earlier parts of the evening so I decided to take a peek in Valhalla (pRO's SECOND, stress on the word second, not last) free to play server. What happened next is really life-changing.

Anna and I decided to party and test the server if it'll be a good server to migrate in, given the loads of technical problems in Valkyrie. An hour later, we were joined by Jet and we partied for almost 3 hours! :p This is quite a comeback, as Jet hasn't logged in-game since 2006, and I haven't partied like crazy since 2003!

I'm not really a party sort of player, but this experience brought joy and relived the delightful memories of the days when pRO was at it's peak. And yeah, I'm now an inch closer to fully deciding to leave everything in Valkyrie and go to Valhalla. And along with that decision, is the choice to actually go on playing this game, which had me in a love-hate relationship for the past 4 years.

Long overdues

My last updates have been posted more than a week ago. The inactivity is largely my fault, as I couldn't redirect my thoughts properly after what happened to LU! Live 2007. I have actually decided, when I put up this blog, that I will never focus on anything negative since I believe that life is too short to continuously dwell on one's problems. Yeah, I'm channelling all my optimism and positive life outlooks on these posts because I've decided that Blue Phoenix will be just that.

It took me quite a while to fully recover from a bit of disappointment over the aforementioned activity (I guess, we were all disappointed) and office responsibilities had not been cooperative with my blogging. But enough of that, I have some long overdue posts that I should have blogged about several days ago.

First things first. When I decided to actively participate in LU! Live 2007 way back a few months ago, it was because I wanted to end my ragnaddiction (or addiction to Ragnarok Online) with a bang. Yes, my love-hate relationship with this game had been going on for more than 4 years already and there had been a point, a few months back, when I decided to finally put things to an end.

Two things, however, had changed my mind over quitting: Valkyrie, the free-to-play server, and the on-going Ragnabattle in the Ragnaboards. Add the fact that I can't find any other game that appeals to my gamer's heart, and I now realize that I'm really not ready to give it all up.

In my honest opinion, LU! should have made Valkyrie a few years ago. If they did, perhaps they could have managed to retain many of their loyal players. But enough of the game talk at this point, coz I'm supposed to focus on what happened during the event.

To get the ball rolling, so they say, we started on the wrong foot. There'd been so much hassle before the event that there'd been a point in the midst of all troubles that I had been numb. I was so impervious to the grief as though I've been injected with strong doses of anesthesia (and the effects are still to wear off, even at this point of time). When I think about it, I did have a great time back then, but I was too numb to actually feel the enjoyment.

So, we didn't sell all our merchandize (which were only a hundred mugs and fifty slim potion replicas), we didn't win the best over-all, nor best RO booth which we were eyeing (but we did manage to get the best Pangya booth), and our cosplay was not so good (*cough* extreme understatement *cough*). Everything didn't work out as planned, and there'd been problems right from the start and up to the very end.

But now that I look back at what I thought had been a harrowing experience, and behold things with an objective point of view, I can see that it had been one of the best experience of my life. There'd been bickerings, but there was camaraderie. Problems sprouted in every corner, but we managed to gather all our strengths together to overcome them. We never had enough sleep, but who cares anyway?

Yes, only by looking at things objectively can one see the great picture. Only now that I finally calmed down and mulled things over with (a bit of) peace in my heart have I realized that I still want to go through the same experience next year. :p

Hayyz, next year, next time. Though I may not be so sure whether I could participate or not, there's still the possibility that I could. So, see you again next year guys! Let's try our best to win then.

UPDATE: Here's a picture of the tarpaulin wherein the guests of the booth signed.

The Proper Mix

Life itself is but a great blend of homogenous and heterogeneous mixtures, which bring about the colors of, and spice up, the world we live in. The essence of existence is a delectable concoction of the various elements of joy and gladness, of sadness and bitterness, of excitement and glory.

There is a proper balance for everything – and happiness maybe found in that exact formula wherein the equilibrium resides.

Balance: Both Lock and Key
Even one of my hobbies, online gaming (MMORPGs in particular), is very much dependent on an appropriate fusion and subtle balance, which is between real life and the virtual world in this case. It might sound a bit too philosophical, but I’m sure every online gamer would understand what that means. :)

The greatest challenge in MMORPGs is this: to find your true happiness in a virtual world while at the same time enjoying real lifeTo put it simply, the best way to enjoy online gaming is to do so while enjoying the real world for, indeed, the greatest challenge in MMORPGs is this: to find your true happiness in a virtual world while at the same time enjoying real life. Putting it succinctly may make it sound too easy, but striking the balance between cyber life and real life is a tad difficult feat that those who gain mastery of which are the epitome of gamers in general.

Virtual in Reality
First of all, the virtual world is there to make up for the boredom of living in a rather monotonous world – but it exists in a dimension wherein it is nothing but a figment of imagination. This virtuality, or the so called cyber world, caters to the people’s need to reach beyond the limits of their physical boundaries, to interact with others as much as they can, and touch (figuratively) as many lives as they could.

The cyber world provides a rendezvous where crossroads meet crossroads, and new horizons are born. It exists though it is practically inexistent, in a place wherein it resides but cannot really be found. An enigmatic puzzle, it may surely be, but a beautiful picture it is to those who chance upon it.

In other words, the virtual world isn’t real, but it exists. As such, it entails several characteristics to extract the essence, and to get the most fun out of it.

Mixing Seven Components
My life as a gamer is but a colorful story love story filled with the usual pangs of resentment and failures and the joy and tribulations of beating the odds and making it through the strongest of downpours. There had been ups and downs, and some of the ordeals I went through contributed largely to who I am today.

Seven key factors had helped me grow more into this hobby of mine, and made me realize how online games such as Ragnarok Online can play a central part in preparing an individual for the real world ahead of him. These are: commitment, dedication, integrity, a deep sense of vision, maturity, efficient management of resources, and maintaining the proper balance between work and play.

In the game of Ragnarok Online, choosing the path to wizardhood entails great dedication and a true sense of commitment for the grueling task of leveling is but long and tedious. I remember the endless waves upon waves of Alarms (clock-like monsters), Stings (slow-moving lumps of mud with a glove on top), Geographers (sunflower monsters who heal each other), Enchanted Soils (bouncing clump of sand, anyone?), Argiopes (giant worms) and whatnots who I engaged in kill or be-killed battles. Reaching the needed job level of 50 for my mage certainly tested my dedication to this game, and it surely made my sense of commitment as strong as steel.

Furthermore, I can tell off anyone from saying that online games are a waste of time and resources. It is because the game imbibed upon me the value of integrity, and it made me develop a deep sense of vision. True, one’s identity is anonymous while online, but I believe (again, after through all the in-game experience) that whatever people do anonymously speaks more for themselves than for what they are publicly acknowledged for doing. Integrity and vision are but very personal characteristics by which one can gauge himself; for my part, I can say that I value my integrity and I stand up for everything I believe in.

To participate in an online game where events transpire in real-time, a player needs to be more mature and he also needs to manage his resources efficiently. I remember the time when I was deeply engrossed with RO – it was during my college days. Being in college means that resources (particularly financial resources) are sparse, and responsibilities are mountain-high. But through it all, I managed to keep my grades up, maintain my scholarship, run the student publication, participate in inter-collegiate and regional quiz bees, and bring honor to my school while my character in the game was also leveling and maturing as I am in real life.

I matured to keep up with the times – I micromanaged my time and made efficient use of my resources to ensure that my gaming life and my student life are not pulling each other down. Piece of cake? No. But it was truly FUN now that I look back upon it.

Studying was of course top priority then, but I sneak some time in-between research just to let my mage catch up, especially when there are experience modifications (for faster leveling). There were times, too, when I went online more than I studied just because the latter drains me more (gaming lets me recharge, as a matter of fact).

At that particular moment when the virtual meets the real in perfect harmony, there you should be to have the best of both worldsThat’s the greatest part of it – maintaining the proper balance between the virtual and the real. In the end, whatever virtual will only be real in its own context, but the real as of the moment might just be virtual, in a sense. Both are temporary, and are also affected by the wave of change that shapes the face of the earth. But at that particular moment when the virtual meets the real in perfect harmony, there you should be to have the best of both worlds.

~~~~~~~
This is my entry to the final week of GM Tristan's Group Writing Contest. Good luck to all who joined! (Wohoo! finished six weeks at last) ^_^

I R Wizzie

As it had been for the past 5 weeks already, GM Tristan's Group Writing Project, which is nearing it's final week, had me racking up my brains for memorable moments and comic antics related to one of my passions: online gaming. For this week, GM T gave this topic: "REALITY OFFLINE: If Online Games Were Real, I would… "

So what will jherskie be if online games are real? A Ragnarok Online WIZARD, of course. There'd be nothing else ^_^

Well, if i'll be a wizard, things in this country will change. And I do mean MAJOR CHANGES, to put it succinctly. So how will teh Filipinos know if jherskie had become a true-blue wizard? Read teh signs... Read teh signs...

First Sign: The SM Skating Rink will close down business...

Of course, the SM malls' pride will lose all their patrons after I use STORM GUST!! and freeze the Pasig River. This is actually a two-pronged approach to address a few problems I see in the metro. As the river is frozen, no one will (hopefully) dump their wastes in it, and the squatters living by the river banks will have a new hobby (figure skating) that will likely supplant their current past times (ie, pollulating and drug addiction). Hey, we'll produce more figure skaters for international competitions, address the pollution problem, and curb the runaway and ballooning growth rate! WIN-WIN-WIN!!

(Oh, nevermind Henry Sy's business. I bet he'll come up with something to replace lost revenues)



Second Sign: Agriculture will boom once more...

With my WATERBALL!! skill, cloud seeding will be a thing of the past. Need water for the crops? Who do you call? (Not GHOSTBUSTERS, demmit!) Again, who do you call? Tadadadadaaaaa.... jherskie! I'll be taking all the excess water in flooded areas and use it to refresh dried up streams and agricultural lands. Another two-hit combo, I might say. (Hmmm... I seem to be getting more useful for the country... Note to self: ask for some tax discounts for all the services I'm rendering)



Third Sign: Byebye Corruption!

Oh come on, I know you thought, "No more kurakot in teh government? impossible!," and just admit it coz I've got teh remedy with the aid of my SIGHT!! Nothing hidden can't be revealed to me, and I bet there'd be much ill-gotten wealth I could give back to the public treasury. Another one-two punch delivered by yours truly; no more corrupt government officials, and more money for proper use on government projects.

WOOT! Scalawag days over, boys! I'mma watching j00. (Another note to self: make sure to write a book containing teh secrets of top personalities. It'll be bestseller. RLY)



Fourth Sign: No more brownouts!

Pick your choice among my electric attacks: Lord of Vermillion!!, Jupitel Thunder!!, Thunderstorm!!, Lightning Bolt!! I've got more charge at the tips of my fingertips than the electricity output of all coal-fired power plants in the country. No more need to import coal, and no more harmful by-products released to the atmosphere. Add the cost for importing fuel, and I can say that I'm teh saviour of teh Philippine Islands!

Shame that I wouldn't be able to hand out autographs for fear of electrocuting someone. Oh! that's right, instant electric chair, table, couch or whatnots for executing criminals!

-^*0*^-

There you have it folks, the things I'd do if online games were real and I'm blessed with the chance to be a wizard (or to put it into other words, how jherskie will save the Philippines). A very pretty picture, isn't that right? LOLz :P

Loner No Longer

Perhaps one of the things that people don’t know about me is the fact that I used to be a total loner. I love going places on my own, and I readily take sole responsibility on activities that normally would take collective efforts from group members. But no man is an island, so they say, and it is quite something that it took a game to make me fully realize how truthful that adage is. How did gaming make me a better person? Here’s how.

The massively multiplayer online RPG, Ragnarok, is but a loner’s haven, so to speak. There are lots of things to do that would require one to take on challenges alone. But of course it wouldn’t be massively multiplayer for nothing; like all games, Ragnarok advocates camaraderie, teamplay, and endless interpersonal interaction among the gamers.People need to come out of their shells and work together for the betterment of the world...

While games are basically virtual, they still reflect the real world to a great degree. In the case of MMORPGs, gamers are expected to build communities and foster an environment of fair play and unadulterated fun. This is very true of real life, wherein people need to come out of their shells and work together for the betterment of the world.

I still remember how I, a total loner since I could remember, learned to gradually step out of the boundaries of my lonely comfort zone and reach out to others. While I was beginning to become more sociable in-game, I started to let the people around me to know who I really am.

Yup, at first I appeared aloof, conceited, vain and proud. I need not say that I enjoyed how people used to shy away from me. There was a time when I even downright reject my parent’s advice that I need to have friends (I really didn’t have close friends until late in highschool). Back then, I was glad to carry things out alone just because I could get away with it.

It’s quite amusing that I was drawn to play Ragnarok because it fits into my then lonesome world – I could freely wander without the hassles of tugging others. At that point of time, I believe I could create a nice little nook for myself, wherein there’d be no disturbances, no troubles, no worries. Just plain me, myself, and I.

But lo! I soon learned, and I’m grateful I didn’t have to learn through the hard way, that to do certain tasks requires the efforts of another. I believe most games, in general, at one point in their gameplay, would need the player to actually associate with others.

One in-game event after another slowly made me realize that asking others for help doesn’t lower one’s dignity. It is the other way around. Giving and receiving some form of assistance is never derogatory, and they instead make an individual a better member of society and boosts his morale.

At that certain point of time, I began reaching out to the very first persons who I could call my true friends. They were never ashamed to ask for my efforts, and they showed me that they would love to help as much as they could. I am indeed grateful, that I learned the proper lessons at the right time, and it was brought to me by a game.

The more I got engrossed in the game, I got to know how bad my attitude was. I soon left behind the old, totally lonely, me, and began to open up to others. I found a true sense of happiness with how people would approach me out of nothing at all, perhaps just to have some little conversation that, although may be about worthless and mundane topics, made me feel better nonetheless.

Thanks to the game, I learned a life lesson that my parents were never fully able to imbibe upon me because I resented it: No man is an island.

So when the time comes, I’d gladly allow my future kids to become gamers. I learned how to be a better person because of a game, perhaps they may learn a few lessons that I may fail to teach them.

Maybe they, just like me, will become more adept at touch typing (a very, very handy skill for writers and bloggers), or become well-versed with trading (and become future successful entrepreneurs), or they may integrate into their characters the nobility of swordsmen, the steadfast faith and patience of acolytes, and the mages’ love for wisdom.

Special thanks to Level Up for this great game, and to GM Tristan for continuously seeking to improve MMORPGS through events such as the Group writing contest. I made this entry for the fourth week of that particular challenge.

So to all game developers, particularly those behind Ragnarok, ROK ON!

Learning from one's mistakes

If you’ll be a bit more attentive to that quotable down there at the bottom part of my blog, you’ll see that I regard the scars from past mistakes only as reminders of the errors I have done. As much as possible, I try to learn from my mistakes coz that’s how experience teaches (in other words, tests first and lessons later).

Of course everyone makes mistakes, but what one does after committing the error is what really matters.

In my life as a gamer, personal and professional lapses have become so numerous that I no longer keep a tab on each and every one of them, or I’d be having a sky-high list by now. Owkay, so there are times that we need to relive the past and try to see some humorous incidents among those mistakes. I’m a serious type of person, so I can’t really say that these are bloopers, but what the heck. Read on.

Mistake 1: Ignorance is excusable only for a short period of time

Back in the beta days of Philippine Ragnarok Online (pRO), most of the players have not much knowledge of proper builds, good skill trees, nor optimum hunting grounds. At that time that many are optimizing and honing their knowledge to the best they could, I stepped into a public chatroom at Geffen hoping to make a good deal.

So, what’s really laughable at me was that the item I wanted to trade was an Antler. For those who do not know pRO, the Antler is a headgear (an equipment put on the character’s head) that gives STR +1 (well, at that time… I’m not so sure if it’s the same these days) and weighs a great deal. What’s wrong with that? Oh, I have to say this part: I only have a mage back then.

Mage what? Oh well, for the uninformed. Mages, or magicians, DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT need strength as they rely on INT for magical damages. Also, mages have a very limited carrying capacity. If by now you don’t think a mage using an Antler is a laughing matter, sue me. I’d welcome the charges :P

By the way, I was trying to trade the Antler with an unripe apple. Pretty dumb, right? I guess the creator of the pub thought so, as she kicked me out at once.

More on the NO STRENGTH FOR MAGES bit. At that time, I knew that STR increases physical attack and carrying capacity… so what do you expect? My level 30 mage had about 20 STR, and battle sages are not even conceptualized then!


Mistake 2: Bad Joke

For the sake of experience, as well as the in-game prizes, I joined the cosplay competition during the Ragnarally back in ’05. For those who might be able to recall, I did the Baphomet monster though the costume almost rendered the impersonator almost indiscernible (but I did make it to the top 20!).

FYI, Baphomet is a boss-type monster that is a half-goat, half-human demon. So basically, I had the goat horns to match the outfit. After the event, of course I don’t have any other use for the costume, so I decided (out of boredom one time) to make a public chatroom with the topic: “Selling Majestic Goat iRL”

Whoa! The joke seemed to be on me, as several people immediately thought I was trading the real in-game item, and thus they heaped their offers. I had to log off for several hours :P


Mistake 3: “Is it a pumpkin?” NOT!
I also tried playing Philippine ROSE Online (Rush On Seven Episodes) when the game was just launched. I was able to roam freely for a few hours while doing the quests that were required of my character.

I still remember that the quests were like, “Kill 20 Choroppies,” or something. Then after that, 20 big choroppies, and so on. I remember that next to the choroppies are the pumpkins.

So there was I, with my visitor (er, I seem to have forgotten the proper term for novice charaters) roaming freely and exploring. I remember that I chanced upon pumpkin-like monsters at a particular map, and given my rather-photographic memory that can easily remember (only) map coordinates, I led a fellow-newbie to the map. Poor visitors only lasted a single punch each, as the monster we attack was not a pumpkin.

After that incident, nobody was asking me for directions again. I’m not wondering why.


Oh well, there goes a short list of some of in-game irregularities. I might update this post if I do recall a REALLY humorous blooper, should I chance to remember one. This is in response to GM Tristan's challenge for week 3 of his Group Writing Contest.

Top 5: From In-Game to IRL

So the Group Writing Contest of GM Tristan enters the second week. I admit that when I first read this week's topic, I thought that I don't have any top 5 list as a gamer. But taking GM T's theme as a challenge, I scoured every corner of my memory to think of a worthwhile list.

And then I remember one of my favorite threads in the Philippine Ragnarok Online Messageboards, or Ragnaboards, which gave me an idea on what to jot down. The thread was about the Ragnarok online skills (in-game) that players would LOVE to have IN REAL LIFE. As a regular SPAMmer poster there, I was able to keep track of the top five skills that players want to take with them into real life. By the way, here's my personal list:

1. Uno: Hide/Cloaking
   
   
   • Effects: Need I emphasize that most of the posters in that thread are boys? (^_^) In-game, the skill Hide is readily accessible by the thief class, while Cloaking is available to the assassins. Other job classes also have access to the skills provided they have Smokie (Hide) or Frilldora (Cloaking) cards. Hiding or cloaking allows the players to become invisible, lurk undetected, and sneak up on their target.
     
     
   • Real life applications: Now, do I have to explicitly state how useful the skill will be for the boys? Nah, I'm pretty sure you've enough imagination to come up with whatever practical uses for these.
     
     
   • Words of caution: Make sure no one uses Sight or Ruwach when hiding or cloaking. Also stay away from insects; after all, in-game insect-type monsters can detect hiding players. And it's a damn giveaway if somebody sees a floating fly if its wings are stationary.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Dos: Teleport/Warp
   
   
   • Effects: Teleport brings the player to a random area on a map while Warp takes one to a fixed, predetermined location. These are among the skills that make the acolyte class desirable; teleport takes away the costs for flywings or butterflywings while warp allows a player to come back to a specific map over and over again. Creamy cards allow other job classes to use Teleport, but no card can mimic the Warp skill, which may also be used as a punishment (rarely done nowadays but was once popular) or as part of an unfair strategy during guild sieges.
     
     
   • Real life applications: Everyone hates being late for work or class. Climbing the stairs, especially if the destination is the fifth floor, also takes away precious time that could have been spent happily sitting inside the classroom or office. Imagine doing away with all those inconvenience of traveling. And pollution! Gone with the need to use motorized vehicles! And it might be a good business, too, offering tour packages to those who can't teleport themselves. Now, if only Harry Potter or Hermione Granger can teach us how to apparate...
     
     
   • Words of caution: Teleportation can go bad; as in randomnly bad especially when you're repeatedly being brought back to your starting point. And for warpers, be sure never to run out of blue gemstones; the journey to Geffen from EDSA is an awfully cumbersome travel. Don't expect merchants to sell stones cheap; mark-ups will likely be sky-high. So this brings us to our next most-wanted skill...
   
   
   
   
   
3. Tres: Discount
   
   
   • Effects: Gives the player, a merchant class specifically, a discount when buying items from non-playable characters (NPCs) in-game. The percentage of discount is dependent on skill level; at level 10 it is at 24%. Back in the beta days, merchants usually gave discount services for a nominal fee.
     
     
   • Real life applications: Now, who doesn't want a discount when purchasing stuff?
     
     
   • Words of caution: Be sure to suppress the urge to splurge! Discounts can only get you so far, you know.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Cuatro: Blessing
   
   
   • Effects: Increases the target player's intelligence, strength, and dexterity for a duration of time, this skill is the reason why the acolyte class (skill is exclusive for them) is a must-include in a party. The added int, str and dex is the second reason why acolytes are persistently pestered in-game (healing skills being the foremost).
     
     
   • Real life applications: Students will greatly benefit with the boost in their brain power (byebye brain stimulants!); fighters and acrobats will likely welcome the added strength and dexterity (steroids? nah!).
     
     
   • Words of caution: Lasts shorter than the available stimulants on the market, be sure to keep the acolyte close at hand. Surely, you don't want to lose your uber wit while in the middle of the exam, right?
   
   
   
   
   
5. Cinco: Lex Divina
   
   
   • Effects: Exclusive to the priest job, Lex Divina silences its target for a certain duration. While silenced, target cannot cast any spell nor use several skills. Being silenced is a big problem for job classes that are heavily-dependent on spells.
     
     
   • Real life applications: You've got to love that Level Up! Games, Inc. commercial way back when Ragnarok online was quite new - the one where a girl, very much bored by her date's droning on mundane stuff such as his dog, used Lex Divina to silence the him. Of course it didn't work like it would have in-game, but the boy (and practically everyone else) was stunned by the girl's boldness. Or ragnaddiction. Or imminent mental degradation due to the addiction. Whatever. She's so cute ^_^
     
     
   • Words of caution: Well, we're talking here about the skills actually working in real life, right? So, provided that the skill does work, be sure not to use it on your mom. Yeah, mom's constant nagging about the amount of time you play Ragnarok online is giving you a headache. But silencing her would likely mean byebye to your headache, and hello to pocket-ache (and RO, too, most probably) when she cuts down your allowance :P

Alrighty, there goes my first list of top 5. I think I'll make another list within the week, I have other things in line. By the way, if you like my posts, please vote for me, owkay?

MMORPGs: More than a mirror

In a world of make-believe, everyone can be a star in their own right. When exists a world where people can willingly shape their own fates, there individuals shall be seeking their own patch under the sun.

An exhillirating four-year journey, Philippine Ragnarok Online had been. From it's humble beginnings at the time that it relied on the cutesy factor and the chance to TRULY have choices, the game had progressed into a legend that forever etched a mark upon the face of the country's gaming community. Now Ragnarok Online, or RO, had gone even further in providing gamers a haven where they can truly co-exist with the fantasies of an alternate world and realities of life.

Such is the experience that RO and other Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) provide - a virtual existence that is entwined with real life drama, humor, and fun.

The moment players log on to their favorite MMORPGs, they assume a new persona - whether it be a wielder of mystic arcana, a full-support party-saver, or a materialistic money-maker ekking out a fortune - and they leave behind the unnecessary clutter of real life that prevents them from becoming the legends they desire to be. Nonetheless, the new persona is still but an extension, a deeply-longing portion of an individual that seeks to break free from the binding chains of the physically mundane. Whoever they become in the MMORPG's fantastic realm is yet the person trapped within them, living in a place reflective of the real world.MMORPGs have evolved, through the addition of each players' idiosyncracies, into a place that is more than a mirror of the real world...

Nonetheless, the reality in which they consciously immerse themselves is a totally new world in itself. Virtual as any a game could be, MMORPGs have evolved, through the addition of each players' idiosyncracies, into a place that is more than a mirror of the real world.

Like many of the several worlds of MMORPGs, PRO's Rune-Midgard is no longer just a reflection of the Philippine community. As a matter of fact, in a completely turn-around fashion, Rune-Midgard had effected great changes into the Filipino society.

How many booming computer shops owe their success to MMORPGs? How many searching soulmates found their completion online? And how many among the Filipinos can supress the desire to sing along to Kamikazee's "Chicksilog" ?

The list goes on and on. So, are online games and MMORPGs mirrors of the real world?

Yes and no.

Yes, because they showcase the realities that reality cannot truly realize. And no, because the virtuality had ceased being just a mirror - it is a real world in its own right.

Kudos to Level Up! Games for introducing that world to us. For more direct facts about LU!'s games, please visit the blog of GM Tristan. Various articles are in there about RO and other games (there are contests there, too). Oh, before I forget, this post is an entry to one of GM T's contests, the Group Writing Project. More posts about the contest in the next 6 weeks (please vote for me owkay?) :P