Of Bucklers

I buckled and lost.

I did capture this poignant scene before going down.



It took every nerve I had not to report the clown and once I realized I didn't report him, I also realized that I had willingly not done the right thing out of fear of retribution once more. Hence, I resigned and will now move on on my own. I will not hunker down to peer pressure once more and will carry on as I please. At many points, in real life and otherwise have I been pulled between what is right and what is socially acceptable. In real life, Right always prevailed and I should care to let Boombaye1 follow this example.


Oh, and to Sam: Use private chat, you got lucky.

Blargh, on the bright side, I hit my first 3.7 million. Somehow, I may have picked up some twisted responsibility and have learned to save my money. So, I may now be able to soldier towards that Saradomin Sword. In a word, I'm also pulled between Saradomin Sword and Dragonfire Shield. The Sword will give me a capacity to finally pull some Strength out but the Dragon Longsword is just as useful for said puporse. A Dragon hatchet is just as tempting.

The censor update isn't something I'm incredibly happy about. Being a teenager myself, I've tossed a few profanities at the twelvth graders on my first day of high school. It's all about context. Yelling out "Suck my ass, noob!" in a conference room is not a very charitable thing to do. There are times and places for cussin'. Runescape is not high on my list of good places to do so.



I find that exposure to swearing may prompt someone to do the same, it's not so much the fact that 9 year-olds don't know the word than they fear punishment for use of the word. Once others catch on, thery realize they may get off clean free with this and carry on to worse things.

After a run-in with Sandwich Lady at the trees, I realized that probably a year ago, I did an experiment which consisted of leaving a baguette in my bank for a month and then examining it afterwards. It's examine info still included the word 'fresh' even after one month made so little sense.

Though leaving my cat in there for 9 months without any attention may be just as baffling.

There is something wrong with this picture. The only hint I'll give you is that I'm the one wearing Guthan's, Whip and Dragon Square.

Stuff I achieved since the last post which I may soon regret: 83 Strength, 80 Defence, 57 Slayer, 73 Ranged, largest amount of money ever seen in my bank account.

Of Fluidization

Well, I'm gonna list a few goals for this year and post a screenshot. It seems to have been such a long one, with me spending much of it as a non-member.

Goals for 2009:

99 Attack/Woodcutting
Dragonfire Shield/Saradomin Sword
Completion of Falador Achievement Diary

Simple enough, I need a level 99 in something. The Dragonfire Shield or the Sword will give me an edge in the fights and that Falador Tower Shield looks awesome.

As I type this out, I'm whittling away the remainder for my Strength level. I personally believe it's been a year since I trained that skill. With 13k till 84 Hitpoints, I feel somewhat relieved that I was able to pull off a Hitpoints level on such short notice. Either way. My new choice method of training Strength which is just an Obsidian Splitsword with a Berzerker Necklace allows me to hit just as high as I would with the whip and a Steel Minotaur at my side provides some Defence experience which I so devastatingly lack. An inventory of noted Minotaur Pouches and Lobsters ensure a long stay should the need arise.


Now, as to my goals for the year.

99 Attack/99 Woodcutting I simply feel due for some kind of level 99. I've been playing Runescape for a good 2 years now and I still haven't picked up any maxed out skills for which I happily blame my lack of focus and laziness. Attack has held the mantle of my favourite skill throughout these years as I personally think that there's no point in hitting hard if you can never hit. Woodcutting has been a faithful source of money for a while, sinc that day I discovered the joy of Yew trees, I could never abandon the idea of so much money. Even now, as Farming acts as a source of good, raw cash, I still look to Woodcutting for that quick pile of coins.

The Dragonfire Shield has been a long standing personal achievment set for myself as it is arguably one of th best shields up there. Not incredibly expensive, either. A Saradomin Sword will fill the void left by Skybreak's ultra expensive Bandos Godsword and as a valuable source of Strength experience.

The Falador Shield 3 A.K.A Falador Tower Shield is big, provides decent defences and looks cool. A must have for this and the next 28 seasons.


As for JaGex's year, I find that several parts of the game do need some improvement. A Slayer task I had earlier showed that Catablepons in the Stronghold of Security seem to have no attack sound effects or had their graphics updated.

I can see the Phoenix as a future pal. Rise from the ashes, set stuff on fire. It's a win-win.

I relish in the 5 minute till logout time, it'll allow me enough time to make a sanwich without having to run back to the PeeCee and click on the screen. I don't care much for the whole spellbook rearranging.


Stuff I achieved since the last post which I may soon regret: 88 Attack, 110 Combat, 55 Slayer

Regards, Boombaye1

Of Motivation and Debate

My goal for now which should be reached within 24 hours is 55 Slayer. Not for access to a great method of completing the Barrows minigame but for a Leaf-Bladed Sword to match my skilling outfit.

This alone was enough to force me into pondering over what motivates us to pursue our goals.

Many half, new, quarter and full moons ago, I tried for 55 Slayer so I could handle Barrows, but now, I merely want a sword that looks good.

When I swell on it, I find that I would much rather pursue casual over more functional ones.

I spent the last months of my original Pay-to-Play career using a Dragon Scimitar as my primary weapon due to the simple fact that I wouldn't spend a couple days at the Magic Trees and get a whip, yet I gladly forfeited time to cut some trees for a set of Red Elegant. Mere hours ago, I considered a Saradomin Sword as a good alternative for training Strength but then noticed how well that sword went with that armour...

Hell, even motivation for updating my blog comes not from pride of my latest level ups but for a need to drive you lazy bums into thinking about something.


Earlier, I had a debate with a friend of mine who hated Summoning. her argument was based on the idea that Summoning gives 'fake' level A.K.A a lack of pride from self achievement and that it wastes too much time.

I retorted by saying that the only reason Summoning levels seem fake is because it's a new combat skill and therefore, easy to train. She fought back by saying that fake or not, you could merely be stuck on a skill and ask a familiar for help near instantaneously for help. My rebuttal came in the form of using the Exchange an example. If you're in need of an item, you can merely walk on over, place an order and immediately receive it.

Well, this isn't about how the debate went. This is about how useful Summoning really is. Sure, for higher level players, the easy levels may come too...well, easily, but when you think about it, had Defence been released after Summoning, you'd also have thought about how easy the new Defence levels are coming in.

Bleh. I'm bored and I want to get another level soon.


Stuff I achieved since the last post which I may soon regret: 57 Summoning, 47 Farming, 53 Slayer and I might as well add 88 Attack to the list as I'm only 64k away from the level.

Regards, Boombaye1

Of Sunray

In the last 7 days since I regained my so sought after membership, I've already picked up many levels.

Too many to list.

So, I'll just ahem, borrow the "Stuff achieved since last post" bit from every second blog and put it to use here.

But today's topic is the Godsword. I loaned one from a friend of mine by the name of Skybreak for 19 hours just to see what it was all about. Well, suffice it to say, it passed some expectations and simply didn't even get near others.

The Godsword is widely regarded as the top melee weapon in the game, rightly so as it has some of the highest strength and slash bonuses in the game and coupled with it's impressive speed, you have a very deadly weapon.

Each has a useful and powerful special attack and each is massively powerful on it's own, with or without the special attacks.

The amount of damage this weapon can deal per hit is normally enough of an incentive to buy it. I managed a 47 with Prayer and a little help from a potion on the normal attack.

Such things come at a price.

A high one, at the time of writing, the cheapest version of this sword goes at a staggering 15 million coins. That will turn off many potential buyers. It's ability to train all of the melee skills puts it a stupid ahead of the other contender, the Whip.

As I type this out, I realize such a weapon may not be worth the money as my staying power is drastically reduced by the lack of a shield. Against players, this is made worse as they seamlessly rip through my defences and carve me up like spring chicken.

My verdict is that I won't go after it, simply too low, cumbersome and it lacks the defence I require so much.

I'll fous on obtaining the Saradomin Sword for now, faster, looks more sleek and that much cheaper.


Summoning

13 days from now a year ago, Summoning struck Runescape like so many tornadoes. Players ran up to that guy's house to pull off the quest and get a head start. It was a new skill, anyone with a dual digit I.Q and a pile of coins could put themselves at the forefront of the Hiscores and reach the top for once.

At first, I didn't notice the cost of the shards, I merely wanted to be able to Summon my first Minotaur and feel complete.

Fat forward a year and I'm still in love with the skill, it's vibrant, colourful and those familiars have some of the best dialogue ever written.

I'm now at a good level 55 and still going strong.

I intend to slow down once I hit level 57 or 58.

My short term goal for now is 56 Summoning so I can access another tier of Minotaurs and the Ibis. I train melee vigorously nowadays to keep my stockpiles of charms high and mighty, my primary targets are still Crimson and Gold charms for the skill and I'm gradually working closer to that squirrel.

That is all.


Stuff I achieved since the last post which I may soon regret: 55 Summoning, 47 Hunter, 87 Attack, 83 Hitpoints, 46 Herblore, 58 Agility, 46 Farming, 86 Woodcutting, 53 Prayer, 51 Runecrafting, 63 Magic, 70 Fishing, 61 Firemaking, 57 Prayer and a personal record for the largest amount of money made in a week (1.1 million).

Regards, Boombaye1

Of Boombaye1 saying "I gots members bak on christmas pwn lol"

The universe welcomed her back with it's mix of borderline mature players and a cocktail of fine items.

No sooner had she used her earnings to buy the Abyssal Whip she had so longed for, did she realise the truth.

Boombaye1 was broke.

Stupid economy, thanks for making my day and then ruining it !

Oh, we still have 12 minutes of Christmas left so: Merry Christmas and a Happeh nu yargh !

Regards, Boombaye1

Of MechScape Speculation

Copied and pasted from a thread I made 'ere.

Hand written. Thanks to the miracle of caffeine !

Introduction
I'm not an overly experienced member here, my only posts were utter trash but being a registered sci-fi nut and Co-Founder of the League of Runescape Players Who Spellcheck and Don't Abuse Syntax and Grammar, I'd like to post my ideas for the possibilities of combat in MechScape.

Combat is an important part of an MMO, it allows us to gain skill, shoot stuff and vent our frustrations on lesser NPC type beings.


MechScape, judging from the name would have one assume it's Humongous Mecha on gargantuan flying surfboards dodging so many missiles that it shouldn't even be possible to house them all.

I have soemthing to say about that.

Much of the concept art depicted treaded vehicles and humans in armour.

This is where I make my move.

Armour.
I want to stress the fact that I expect you to start as an average human and maybe be able to pilot MEGAS XLR types later or as part of a minigame.

Therefore, in the future, suits made of strong, flexible and light carbon plastics would hold up well as a ranger's choice. Melee combatants (I don't care if melee sounds odd in a world where lasers exist) will carry bulkier, more cumbersome suits of ceramic powered armour that sacrifices speed and manuevorability for protection and sheer awesomeness. Melee takes strength. Micro hydraulics implanted in say, gauntlets of a suit will use said hydraulics to increase the user's strength ten-fold. Higher level powered armour may even offer speed and protection. Riot Shields could offer additional protection through the sacrifice of speed.

More agile hover vehicles should use the plastics. A hovertank could simply strafe their target to death. Heavier treaded tanks or APCs might include the ceramic armour. Humongous Flying Mecha could also use the light armour, might as well dodge them missiles.


Melee Combat
Melee is still feasible in this world through the use of think-headed guys in thicker armour stepping on tanks. Take a page from the Space Marines of Warhammer 40000 to get some good melee weapons.

I like dual wield. Use of twin longswords, however, should limited as in real life, you ever try to use 2 swords each as long as you are tall ?! A longsword and a dagger in the off-hand is more feasible, use the dagger t defend and or for a quick jab at the guy while he's occupied with the longsword or vice versa. Now, this may affect balancing since the guy might have access to to much firepower in a short time. That's why, we have Duelists. Duelists would be players who use a single 1-handed weapon to great effect, honing their abilities on 1 weapon may prove efficient against less well trained dual wielders.

As someone suggested in another topic, energy shields will work to close quarters defence. There are personal shields which wrap the user in a field and traditional shields used in the off-hand for defence. Personal shields should degrade after too much damage or have limited numbers of uses. Traditional shields may require recharging or repairs.

As you can see, even in this futuristic world, melee may have advantages.

Besides. Humongous Mecha on giant surfboards with dual wielding. How cool is that ?!


Ranged Combat
Naturally, MechScape needs a way for you to sever individual arteries in a target.

Ranged weaponry could be divided into categories; Light, Medium, Heavy, Specialist.

Light is composed of Pistols, Micro-Submachineguns and Carbines. Possibly used for dual wielding.
Dual wielding, short ranged combat and playing cowboy are where these weapons shine.

Medium hangs onto Assault Rifles, Rifles, Sniper Rifles and Light Machineguns.
Shooting stuff for the Average Joe. Good from medium to long range, these are your most practical choice for domestic ordnance.

Heavy pulls up on the idea of Energy Rifles, Heavy Machineguns Chainguns (not miniguns) and Grenade Launchers.
Short to medium range falls in love with this. And then turns it to swiss cheese with your neighbourhood laser guns and shooty dakka machineguns of infinite pwnage.

Specialist might have Rocket Launchers, Thrown Weapons (grenades), Flamethrowers and Emplaced Turrets and Weaponry. Orbital Strike beacons are optional.
No explanation needed. (only because I don't have one)

Combat could work in a way similar to the Ranged skill. Accuracy and damage are gauged through distance of the target, a moving target and user skill. All these dactors may complicate the game enough to discourage 10 year olds.

Dual wielding could only be used with Light Weapons. Dual wielding should double potential damage but cut accuracy by at least 30%. Dual wielding will not allow one to hit 2 targets at the same time. That's stupid and borderline impossible. Most specialist weapons may only be used in minigames.

Ranger armour would consist of light armour that allows for getting the hell outta there when things turn pear shaped.


Other Stuff.
As you can see, there is no triangle here. That's why I picture melee players as slower and bulkier, therefore easier to shoot. Rangers could have armour piercing weapons or cannons that fire tiny goblins through hell and into a guy's skull to combat armour and Warriors could put shields that dissipate weapons fire to use and even limited teleportation into play.

I commend you for reading this far. You deserve a cookie. A futuristic holo-cookie !


Groundbreaking Conclusion
This is gonna be awesome.

Regards, Boombaye1

Of Morning Glory

It's been a year.

I'll say it again, it didn't get through the first time. It's been a year.

This blog has, from slightly humbler than average beginnings, turned into something worthy of the ages ! Yep, I'm gonna see if I can write a single massive post. As many reviews as I could possibly cram into it within 5 hours along with some updates on RuneScape. I'm also gonna reminisce on what's been happening through this year.

Oh, and this blog has 120 posts. That's 1 post per 4 days. That's without updating for a good 2 months.

Portal: A Review

I praise Portal. Just like any other review for it's innovative gameplay, dark humor and well designed levels.

Pros:
Dark humor
Stimulating

Cons:
Short
Like, really short
Just so short
Easy, too

Story
There is no story. This game doesn't need one to perfect. A few tidbits left behind by another subject and the junk GLaDOS spews at you is plenty. Eventually, you should be smart enough to realize something is very wrong when nothing alive is watching you.

Graphics
A notch above average, the art direction is at least somewhat fun throughout. A bit bland when you consider most test chambers look the same. Graphics are shiny here, there and everywhere. Just like Half-Life 2, Portal has lenient system requirements and will run on most PCs. Real pretty for a game in which most rooms are blue and white.

Sound
This is where the game starts to shine. Wonderous voice acting from Ellen McClain gives life to those adorable turrets and GLaDOS, injecting most of the grim humor into this game through her snarky remarks and marvelous charm. Music is a dark, mysterious type of ambient stuff. Sounds are well done.

Gameplay
The Portal Gun. It's all that one needs to make this game perfect. The whole concept of walking into a wall then falling out of the ceiling followed by shooting upwards towards the ceiling and follwed by using momentum gathered to fire out of a wall through an energy barrier. Most of the game is just one monstrous tutorial that readies you for the last few chambers. With plenty of fun with physics and being flung out of walls through walls makes this something new and fun.

Pros
GLaDOS may be one of the greatest female antognists ever. Her dry sense of humor and habit of helping and very well trying to kill you make her that much more charming than anything ever released. Every turret is adorable. They cry when brought down, they coax you out into the open. They make you feel sorry for killing them.

Cons
It's short. I was at level 18 out of 19 within an hour. Test chamber are real short.

Really, really, really, short. Really.

The fact that I made it to level 18 out of 19 within an hour means it's easy too. The myriad of challenge and advanced maps grant you several extra hours even after you're done with the story.

Overall
Forget about this. Just go and buy it ! If you already have it, play it !


Half-Life 2: A Review

Half-Life is well known as a straighforward, action orientated first person shooter. Go here. Shoot this. Die. Run from this.

Pros
Pretty water
Pretty
Level design that's near legendary
Gentle on any rig

Cons
Zombies are just so realistic
Dumbest allies ever

Story
You're Gordon Freeman. You're awakened into a post apocalyptic future/present and sent on your merry way. You meet old friends. Kill one or two ugly things and end up starting a war against the local evil overlords unintentionally.

Graphics
Pretty water and light effects with wonderful ar direction throughout. From the graffiti on walls right down to the hideous enemies you deal with, art direction is quite original with an Earstern European style running from border to border.

Sound
Voice direction and acting is intriguing , everywhere you go, someone has something to say. Every weapon has a kick to it, no matter how often used. You don't talk. At all. Alyx's man of few words comment in the beginning is an indication of this.

Gameplay
This is where it shines. Half-Life 2's level design is spectacular at best and impresive at least. From the zombie infested mining town of Ravenholm through Highway 17 and into prison complexes, old and new, this game surprises you at it's every turn with object palcement and sheer creativity. Squad AI is smart enough to make a beeline for cover and dumb enough to run headlong grenades. Ammunition must be preserved and the Gravity Gun will accompany you through the areas where you can't use average gunfire. The physics in Half-Life 2 are great. The Gravity Gun is a nod to this as you can very well soar through much of the game througj it alone.

Pros
Whereas the ID engine deals in shadow, the Source engine renders massive areas in flawless perfection. Water is wonderfully detailed. The light system requirements mean your computer is under less stress and performs well on most rigs, even at higher details.

Cons
The zombie's groaning is unnverving at any rate. Oh, and in later stages when you're forced to baby sit a squad who run into grenades. Into machine gun nests. And don't do anything other than apologize when they're in your way means you'll rip out your hair in sheer frustration at them.

Overall
I highly recommend it. Wonderfully designed and built, it has many things a proper first-person shooter should


Evolution of the Blog.
As of now, I'm running out of words in m vocabulary to stay with the reviews. So we'll leave them for now.

I originally started The Bored Runescaper as a way to display my achievements and adventures in RuneScape. This blog has evolved onwards to Musings of a Small Mind. With reviews, rants and the occasional useful thing, this blog is something I've wanted for some time now: a journal.

If one reads from the first posts, one may even see the evolution of this blog and watch it mature.

Refer to post 2 for an immature rant. Back when I was just another noob. I see myself looking on in a more mature way, offering proper opinions instead of just 'lol'.

I also see myself as a snappy dresser.


RuneScape: A Review

Where there are games, there are places where player do stupid stuff, kill stuff and avoid the real world.

Pros
Broswer based
1.3 mb download
Impressive Java graphics
Great variety

Cons
Weak graphics in when compared to others
Addictive
Immature playerbase

Story
You're an adventurer. Is that enough or shall I list the birthdays of everyone who plays this game ?

Graphics
The graphics of RuneScape push the envelope on what is possible in Java. They are incredible for anything browser based. Fully 3d, dynamic shadows and more. Runescape is what the Browser based MMORPG should be. The only complaint I have is with Runescape, I set the bar too high for future MMORPG reviews.

Sound
The sound is rudimentary at best, with few effects for most actions. Music is a different story. With no less than 570 songs, RuneScapes music is vibrant, well crafted and that much larger than anything I've ever seen.

Gameplay
Gameplay is where this game shines beautifully. With addictive gameplay at every turn, a slew of skills, quests and other things to build your character on. Setting personal goals for yourself merely adds to the fun. The world isn't small considering what it can offer. The game is updated no less than once every 2 weeks.

Pros
The fact that it offers full 3D graphics for no large download on your broswer should arouse most into registration

Cons
Graphics seem dated when compared to other superior games and do seem pixelated at times. Addiction poses a problem and RuneScape has her fair share of mishaps and scandals. The fanbase is made up of mostly teenagers and pre-teens. The game offers simply chat. The game is big. Hilarity ensues.

Overall
Highly recommended for gamers on a budget. Well presented and almost child friendly.


The stupid spellchecker doesn't work. There will be many errors in this post. I apologize.

Evolution of the Character.
I was introduced to RuneScape via Miniclip. Ironically, I consider myself a slightly more mature player who was introduced via Miniclip. Boombaye was the first account I ever made. He is lost to the winds now. I resent the 1 after Boombaye. It's not what I wanted. I registered in late December of 2006, missing out on the Christmas event. I headed out back of Lumbridge Castle and trained. I just killed goblins by the truckload. Eventually, I met my first random event and became hooked to these events.

Boombaye1 evolved from a mere reason to test the waters of RuneScape into a full-blown main account. I am proud of her.

Naturally.

So.

What you see is a very long post, dedicated to my first year, reviews and a little update.

I'm far from gone in RuneScape. I've picked up 85 Woodcutting, which may very we;; be one of my greatest level yet. Because for the first time in ever, Boombaye1's highest skill level is on par with her highest combat level. Impressive for me.

I expect 59, possibly 60 Firemaking by the end of the day. Rapidly (by free world standards) closing a 45k experience gap towards 86 Attack. The first combat level I'll gain since leaving members. Elegant proof of how long I've been gone. An additional 71 Cooking and 50 Runecrafting have been achieved with 37k left on the way to 70 Fishing. All this in 3 days.

Need I remind you: This is a free world.

With Christmas en route, I'd like to take a moment to remember something incredibly stupid. The fact that I want to give my friends gifts. The last gift I gave was a Dragon Spear to Megs60 1 day after Christmas. She's long gone now. I wish JaGex would let us give gifts. Just for 1 day.

The polar ice caps are melting.

By this time in a few years, Santa will die from that.

THE BLOOD OF SANTA CLAUSE IS ON YOUR HANDS !

Regards, Boombaye1