7/19/2004 05:33:39 AM|||Foton|||Lately, the discussions around Grumpy's SWG household have concerned their gaming future. Mostly it's conversations like "we've done all this and do we really want to do all that?" And, to be candid, his gf/business partner isn't too happy with how slovenly and unshaven Grumpy has become recently, now that he's running around SWG in his boxers, wielding his Fishmaster 3000000, and muttering about chum bait and the price of fish filets.

Everything came to a head one night when Grumpy told his gf he was going to the starport to auction for cigarettes so he could pick up another bad habit to add to public belching, gambling and drunkenness. Well, that and his new /shout advertisement that goes something like this "...Master Weaponsmith weapons including *whatever his gf makes, Grumpy forgets* at /wp X Y, short run *Direction* of the starport...and we got some architect crap too".

Grumpy figured his gf/business partner should get top billing now that she's the leader of a vast Weaponsmith Empire and Grumpy is just the janitor. Which is good work if you can get it.

His gf chastized him for wallowing in self pity and suggested they revisit some of the other online games they have enjoyed (and hated) as a refreshing break from the vast Weaponsmith Empire. Grumpy thought this was stupid and wondered what's so wrong with self pity, but asked her "like what?"

She suggested...Anarchy Online. Grumpy replied...stupid.

She suggested...Camelot. Grumpy replied...stupid and money's tighter there than in an Iraqi ghetto.

She suggested...(after shuddering from flashbacks) EverQuest. Grumpy rolled his eyes and said he'd go back to EQ when his life was almost over and had nothing to live for.

Final Fantasy, Horizons, Planetside, et al ... stupid, stupid, stupid and stupid.

After telling Grumpy he was acting like an asshat (something similar to that, actually), she said he should give it some thought and either pick another game for them to play or think of something new he'd like to accomplish in SWG because he was APPARENTLY embarassing her with his wanton ass scratching at the starports. Also good work if you can get it.

So, a few nights ago, on a whim, and as he was unsupervised and likely to get involved in RL mischief without his gf to remind him that he wasn't nearly as kewl of a dewd as he sometimes thinks he is, he reactivated his Anarchy Online account and decided to give it a go.

It has been some time since Grumpy played AO -- he remembers it with a certain amount of fondness; beautiful graphics, not-too-annoying music, easy to solo or group...in general, a pastoral landscape where the emphasis is on player fun! and all the other players are friendly!, helpful!, non-asshats!

For crissakes, what could he have been thinking?

Within the first five minutes, Grumpy could clearly recall exactly why he left that h*llhole and, until now, hadn't looked back. It probably didn't help matters that Grumpy was so out of practice with AO combat that he managed to poison himself and nearly died to a noob mob because he couldn't figure out how to start combat. His interface was cluttered, he couldn't see where he was going and help/tip windows kept popping up with such hints like "You'll want to slay creatures to gain combat experience!" No sh*t, you don't learn quality info like that in SWG.

Grumpy logged out of AO (after a five minute search for the Sit toggle and logout command) and wished there was some way he could get back the previous 60 minutes he had just wasted. His gf arrived home later on, was surprised to learn that he had tried out AO again and asked him what he thought.

Much as he wanted to renew his arguments in favor of becoming a SWG bum, hobo or miscreant, he told her he would redouble his efforts to turn his stealth alt into a l337 coMbAt d3wd and might actually leave Corellia, Naboo and Tatooine to do this. She agreed that this would be fun for them both and would join him as soon as she was finished restocking. (The irony of this was not lost on Grumpy.)

While she was busy wrestling with her factories and unresponsive vendors, Grumpy went to his workshop to get some clothes and stopped off at his favorite fishing puddle for a while before heading to the starport. Grumpy knew it might be a while before he would pass this way again.

His planned five minutes of fishing turned into over an hour, and, with a catch of almost three dozen fish, it's definitely good work if you can get it.

The Grumpy Master Architect ©

|||109024059920872192|||Grumpy was an Anarchist (01-05-04)