Revisiting My Plans for 2016

It’s been a month and already my MMO plans for 2016 have changed so I wanted to revisit my gaming goals for the year and adjust them a little. And since I wasn’t sure what was going on with Waiting For Rez at the start of January, I’ll also include my plans for the blog. There’s a good chance this “revisiting of goals” will end up being a monthly review (and possibly a running joke) because as the year progresses some plans will work out while others will prove to be the wrong direction for me. Honestly, iterating on plans made for a causal hobby is not a bad thing. While I want to accomplish some goals, I also want to be flexible because it is after all just for fun!

The Secret World

First of all, I did decide to go ahead and purchase the Grand Master pack. While I have some concerns about long term gameplay (like what I’ll do once I’ve finished all the current issues) I still believe I’ll get plenty of use out of the subscription perks and bonus points. As for my goals in The Secret World, I’d like to complete the current story content such that I end the year up to date. I’d also like to complete the skill wheel by the end of the year; not the one for auxiliary weapons but the primary wheel. For the sake of staying invested in the game long term I’d like to find a good Cabal to join and to participate in group activities like dungeons, raids, or whatever else TSW offers.

Black Desert Online

In my previous post I had mentioned The Elder Scrolls Online as a secondary MMO, one that would provide similar skill-point progression but in a fantasy setting. Once again, by no fault of its own (I really do enjoy the game) I’ve taken ESO off the table in favor of Black Desert. BDO was on my “games to watch” list but has rapidly moved into something I am genuinely excited about and definitely going to be playing. I pre-ordered the game so that I could participate in the second beta and now with the announcement of a March 3^rd launch, I’m only a month away from playing the live game.

Assuming I enjoy Black Desert as much as I think I’m going to, my plans are to level a Tamer to 50 and then work on a few low level alts (Wizard, Sorceress, and Warrior or Valkyrie) to help create infrastructure for crafting and trade. I don’t know what kind of time commitment any of this will require, but I would like to focus on ship building and fishing first, and then farming and horse breeding second. All in all I think Black Desert will make a nice companion to The Secret World, each one offering what the other lacks.

Blogging

My plans for the blog are to continue writing 4-5 posts on MMOs to publish during the weekdays, each around 500 words (or less). Then on Sundays I would like to publish another 500 word post on something I’ve been reading in the Bible lately. It was always my goal with this blog to have some kind of reflection on scripture on a regular basis but while these are often my favorite pieces to write they can be the hardest to get started. Still, I have a lot of ideas written down already that I want to pursue so even if it means cutting back during the week, I want to make this a priority. There’s a reason why “Waiting For Rez” has two implied meanings after all.

Single Player Games

I’m actually backing away from my goal of working through single player games as a part of my schedule. First of all, between The Secret World and Black Desert, I have plenty to keep me busy. In addition to a full plate already, I haven’t really enjoyed my time playing through the single player games on my steam acount. Sure, it could be the particular titles I’ve tried thus far, but I think what it comes down to is that I’m not a gamer, I’m an MMO player. Of the games on my list, I definitely want to complete Life is Strange but the rest may end up as a loss.

 

So that’s it for 2016, The Secret World will still take top priority while Black Desert will be a solid secondary MMO and a strong companion for TSW. The Elder Scrolls Online and single player games are off the menu (with the exception of Life is Strange) and my blog will focus on regular, 500 word posts. I think that’s plenty to keep me busy for the year; here’s to a productive (and enjoyable) 2016!