3 Tips in Choosing a Class in an MMO

One of my dilemmas, aside from choosing a name, when I start to play a new game is what type of character to play as. Some people have it easy but when you’re paying for a monthly subscription in a game or taking advantage of the cash shop, you would want a class that you would stick to until you get bored after a year or so. With that in mind, choosing a character class becomes one of the more important choices that you make in the beginning. Here are some tips that I came up with when choosing.

Are you going to roleplay or not? Some people, like me, choose to roleplay in the game (no, I’m not making an excuse for creating a female character). If you are, then it’s a good thing to plan a background story for your character and design him/her based on the limits of the game. Also include name and speech pattern to make it a bit more detailed. If you’re not going to roleplay then this tip is not for you. Sorry.

How well do you go along with others? Do you like leading a party and taking all the damage while your partymates try to pick them off one at a time? Or are you more suited to being a follower and merely supporting your team either through Area of Effect damage spells or buffs? Do you like going solo instead? Try to answer these questions then read the character descriptions and choose. Remember that there is no best class in any MMO and they are usually designed for a particular role.

Melee, Ranged, Magic, Healing skills? Like above, plan ahead and determine what kind of character you want to play as. Also, you might want to check the community for suggestions on what class is good to start with. Some characters have trouble dealing with cash at the start of the game so you might want to avoid a character that spends a lot of money on potions, ammunition, and other stuff.

The best way for me is still to try a little bit of everything then decide which one I really like. That way, I make my own choice although a bit of time could be wasted by doing so.

Strength versus Endurance: Which is Better?

VERSUS

Alright, looking back, I seem to give the impression that I give a lot more focus on anaerobic exercises (read: bodybuilding) than aerobic exercises. Well, I believe I mentioned the reason in this post. Simply put, I’m a bit obsessed with having that perfect beach body. Anyway, aerobic exercise is advantageous as well since it develops cardiovascular strength and reduces the chances of heart related illnesses appearing.

Before we begin, let’s define both types of exercises first. Aerobic exercise refers to exercise that improves oxygen consumption in the body by the body. The word aerobic means “in the presence of oxygen”. The exercises of this type secures your heartbeat to around 60 to 65% of its maximum rate. The exercises are also done in an extended period of time which, as a result, would improve your endurance. On the other hand, anaerobic exercises are designed for training the strength of your muscle and joints. The exercises are performed with high intensity (70% and above heartbeat rate) but for only a short duration. This type of exercise usually have a reference like number of sets and repetitions (like the dumbbell exercises earlier).

Now on to the advantages. Let’s start with Aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercises are known to strengthen the muscles, particularly those involved in respiration and the also the heart. It reduces blood pressure and improves blood circulation. It also increases the number of red blood cells in the body which helps in the transport of oxygen in the blood. It improves mental health and helps treat depression by lowering your stress level. Lastly, it improves the speed of recovery (muscles) from high-intensity exercises. Examples of this type are jogging, long distance running (not sprinting), and singles tennis.

Anaerobic exercises build muscle mass and increases physical strength. It also improves endurance but not as much as aerobic exercises do and also reduces blood pressure. Anaerobic exercises are also known to strengthen the bones. Some sources state that it could help people sleep better. Exercise of this type include weights training and sprinting.

So which one should you pick? Well, aerobic exercises are good for beginners. They would improve your overall fitness and improve your endurance. Afterwards, it would be better to do some intense workout to build your strength and muscles. As someone who used to practice Tae Kwon Do, it was important to perform both types of exercises. Warm ups actually include both sprinting and long distance running. The two minutes of sparring actually feels like forever when you are doing the actual combat (compared to say, just watching). And if your endurance is poor, you’ll find yourself panting and unable to kick. So in conclusion, I’d say a mix of both types is better than only picking one.

3 Top Selling Mobile Games

As a gamer who travels a lot, there’s really not much I can do about console or PC gaming on the road. So I consider it a blessing that games have been made for handhelds and even cellphones. The problem with cellphones is that the graphics capability of the hardware isn’t up to par with handhelds and consoles. What they lack in graphics of course, they make up with gameplay. Here are the current top 3 selling mobile games.

Block Breaker Deluxe - Remember Arkanoid for the NES? The concept is basically the same - a bar moves at the bottom which you use to bounce the ball back and forth to break the blocks. Classic. It sold 8 million worldwide.

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Brain Challenge - The game, being similar to Big Brain Academy, features “brain exercise puzzles” in four categories: Logic, Math, Visual, and Focus. There are three difficulty levels and the puzzles grow more complex as you solve more. The game was well-recieved, especially the mobile versions. All-in-all it sold 1.5 million.

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Bubble Bash - Remember Puzzle Bobble for the arcades? Well, this is similar, but instead of an arbalest, you control the direction the bubble will take when the character on the bottom of the screen hits it. The objective is simple, you line up 3 bubbles to pop them. Clear everything to complete the level. Another classic. It sold 1 million worldwide.

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3 Flash Games To Test Your Reflexes

I just noticed that I’ve been writing a lot more about games these past few weeks. What can I say, gaming is really one of those things that stuck to me since I was little (aside from traveling). Anyway, there are certain good things that could come from playing and it depends on what you play. Here are some games that could train your reflexes.

Bubblephobia - The premise is simple, you control a “bubble” and you try to avoid the other bubble that would move around the area. The longer you stay in the game, the higher your score will be.

Rainmaker - Similar to the first one - you have to avoid birds as they fly from one side to another. While doing that, you have to make rain fall on the birds to make them white (they can still hurt you at that point). Hitting 2 or more birds in a single rainfall would give bonus points. Also, the longer you stay in the game, the more birds that would appear. A power-up is also available in the form a red ball that when you hit it by rain, you will be temporarily invincible.

Reflex Test - Not really a game but are you curious about how well your reflexes compare with others? Well take this test with 4 minigames. Mine was 50 seconds on the second try (had to repeat it because of the last test - my keyboard won’t allow 3 simultaneous presses), how about yours?

3 Fun Ways to Treat Beggars in MMOs

Admit it, you’ve had your fair share of these people. They run to you, often add you as a friend, then suddenly ask you: “can i hav som gold and items plz?”. What’s worse, even if you tell them no, they’ll pull you in to a lengthy debate on how you are more well off than he is since he’s new and you’ve been playing far longer than him. His conclusion, you should give him some stuff. I used to tolerate them before, giving them money or some old items but they just keep coming back. Annoying. So these days, I’ve devised some methods on how to shoo them without engaging into a shouting competition.
1. Have them go to an area where they’ll most likely die - Here’s how it goes: when somebody asks you for money, say “Sure, lemme just kill some mobs in <insert high level area here>. I’ll give you the loot.” More often than not they’ll agree to this. Bring him along cast some movement speed buffs then try to leave them in the middle of the area. They’ll have no choice but to die and respawn. Add him to your block list.

2. Trade with them but cancel it - Try to trade him some nice rare items then cancel it. Ask if he got it, he’ll say no of course. Then do it again. After the nth time, say “WTF?! Why isn’t it working?!” Then claim it may be a bug. Tell him you’ll try again next time and leave him there speechless.

3. Agree but give him some hard work to do - Well, not really. Here’s something I did back in iRO (International Ragnarok Online). A beggar comes up to me and asks “can i have some zeni?”. I said “Sure, I’ll give you 10k, but of course there’s some sort of a catch”. He asks what it is so I continue with, “Well, just to make it a bit harder for you, I’ll give it to you 5z at a time.” I was pleasantly surprised he accepted the deal so he went on trading with me. After a few rounds he got tired of it and went on to find his next target.

15 Troubleshooting Steps to Incidents Involving Beer

Well, me and my buds bought a few beers in celebration of one of my friends’ birthday. Okay, when I meant few, I meant enough to get everybody real drunk. Anyway, as much as I want to write about the funny stuff that happened that night I guess these troubleshooting steps I found from this website will do. Note: these stuff work better when you’re in a bar.

SYMPTOM: Your feet are cold and wet.
FAULT: You’re holding the glass at a wrong angle or it’s inverted. Beer just spilled on your feet (or pants).
ACTION: Rotate the glass so that the open end points toward the ceiling.

SYMPTOM: Your feet are warm and wet.
FAULT: Uhh, dude, I think you just peed.
ACTION: Stand next to the nearest dog you can find and complain about house training. (That should save you the embarrassment).

SYMPTOM: Beer is unusually pale and tasteless.
FAULT: Check your glass - chances are it’s already empty.
ACTION: Get someone to buy you another beer.

SYMPTOM:The opposite wall is covered with fluorescent lights.
FAULT: You have fallen over backwards. That’s the ceiling you are looking at.
ACTION: Have yourself leashed to the bar.

SYMPTOM: Mouth contains cigarette butts.
FAULT: You have fallen forward.
ACTION: Have yourself leashed to the bar.

SYMPTOM: Beer is tasteless. The front of your shirt is wet.
FAULT: Two things: One, you may have forgotten to open your mouth to drink. Two, you may have been trying to drink with another part of your face (like the nose).
ACTION: Retire to the restroom and practice in front of the mirror.

SYMPTOM: The floor is blurred.
FAULT: You are looking through the bottom of an empty glass.
ACTION: Get someone to buy you another beer.

SYMPTOM: The floor is moving.
FAULT: You are being carried out.
ACTION: Try to find out if you are being taken to another bar.

SYMPTOM: The room seems to be unusually dark.
FAULT: The bar has closed.
ACTION: Confirm your home address with the bartender.

SYMPTOM: The taxi suddenly takes on colorful aspect and textures.
FAULT: Beer consumption has exceeded personal limitations.
ACTION: Cover your mouth. Man, that’s sick.

SYMPTOM: Everyone is looking up to you and smiling.
FAULT: You are dancing on the table.
ACTION: Fall on somebody cushy-looking.

SYMPTOM: The beer is crystal-clear.
FAULT: It’s water. Somebody is trying to sober you up.
ACTION: Punch him.

SYMPTOM: Your hands and nose hurts. Your mind unusually clear.
FAULT: You have been in a fight.
ACTION: Apologize to everyone you see, just in case it was them.

SYMPTOM: You don’t recognize anyone or you don’t recognize the room you are in.
FAULT: You’ve wandered into the wrong party.
ACTION: Check to see if they have free beer.

SYMPTOM: Your singing sounds distorted.
FAULT: The beer is too weak.
ACTION: Have more beer until your voice improves.

3 Games That Could Blow Your Mind

I’ve been posting a lot of physical fitness tips and exercises lately so I thought of taking a break from all that and train one of the more important parts of our body - the brain. Here are some puzzles that could actually make you scream out of frustration in trying to solve them. Just a few tips: relax, focus, use all available resources (except looking for solutions over the Internet), and get some snacks and drinks when you feel like it.

Not Pron - A browser-based game that requires you to look for clues from every single page (including images, URLs, and page source - some levels even require you to use specific programs to solve). It has been years since I last tried to solve this and forgot what level I got stuck at. The solutions seemed to have changed since I last tried, although the methods of getting them are the same. It is very, very difficult and I highly doubt anybody can solve it in one sitting. Try it.

3 Endangered Species You May Eat to Save Them

People have been trying to figure out ways on how to save endangered species. Groups have performed demonstrations to tell people to stop killing the poor things. Laws have been made to protect them, but what exactly is the best method of doing so?

According to Gary Paul Nabhan, a conservation scientist, the best way to save them is to create a market demand for them. Makes sense, if there’s enough demand for the creatures, then companies may decide to invest in breeding them. What kind of demand does the scientist mean? As food. Read the article here.

If things go well, food that were restricted will be out in the market again or the Chinese will be able to create medicine from turtles and tortoises like before. Here are three examples of endangered species that can be used for food and other stuff.

Turtles and Tortoises - I mentioned these above. The Chinese people use them for food and medicine. Before we continue though, what’s the difference between a turtle and a tortoise? Basically, a turtle spends most of its time and is more compatible to water, while tortoises spend more time on land. There are a variety of medicine produced from different parts of the turtle. One example is a skin medicine produced from Cuora trifasciata or the golden coin turtle.

American mussels - These creatures were used for food, construction of tools and utensils, and also to make pearl buttons. Of course, as time passed, the increase in demand caused overharvesting of the mussels resulting in the decline in their numbers. The lack of these creatures affect the environment in a way, since other creatures at a higher level of the food chain depend on them as food.

Soy - It’s not only animals that are endangered but also a variety of plants. One of the latest are soybeans. Soybeans are crops that provide oil and protein. They have become part of the staple food in Asia, particularly in China and Japan. Although relatively common in Asia than in America, only 45% of the production comes from the former while the other 55% is in America.

3 of the Most Expensive Wine Bottles in the World

What makes wine expensive is not just the taste or how much it was aged. Sometimes, it’s not even the wine itself that gives it its value - it’s the bottle. People have the tendency to collect old stuff and would pay a high price to have a certain item. Here are three of the most expensive bottles of wine in the world.

• Christie’s London sold a Chateau Lafite 1787 in 1985 for $160,000. The bottle bore the initials Th J - Thomas Jefferson, the third US president’s initials.
• The most expensive white wine ever sold also bore Thomas Jefferson’s initials. It was a bottle of 1784 Chateau d’Yquem sold at Christie’s London in 1986 for $56, 588.
• A bottle of Chateau Margaux that also bore Thomas Jefferson’s initials was being sold for $500,000 by William Sokolin in 1989. However, before anyone could offer to buy it, the bottle was broken by accident - a waiter bumped the bottle with a coffee tray. Fortunately for the wine merchant, the bottle was insured and he got $225,000 for it, a price he could not have received had the bottle been safe and still being sold with the hefty price tag.

The wine in the bottles are no longer drinkable at this point in time (even if the Margaux managed to survive today). Like any item for collection, the rarity affects its value. And as time passes, the number of such items dwindle. Imagine how much those things would cost in the next century?

Source: http://www.forbes.com/2003/11/19/cx_np_1119feat.html

Dumbbell Exercises You Can Perform at Home (pt 3)

Finally, here’s the last part of the dumbbell exercises. For reference, here are the first two parts (Part 1, Part2).

CALF

Single Leg Raise
- Position yourself near a wall and lean against it with one hand for balance. Hold the dumbbell with the other hand which is far from the wall. Raise the foot near the wall.
- Raise the heel of the other foot (the one you’re standing with) by using your toes (tiptoe).
- Lower yourself slowly.
- Repeat 15 times and another 15 for the next set.

Seated Calf Raise.
- Sit on the bench with your feet apart.Rest the dumbbells on your thighs but keep a hold of them.
- Raise the heels by using your toes (tiptoe) while remaining seated.
- Lower your heels to the floor.
- Repeat 15 times and another 15 for the next set.

LEGS

Dumbbell Squats

- Stand with feet apart.and hold dumbbells to the side.
- Bend your knees until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor. Make sure to keep your head up and your back straight.
- Slowly return to original position.
- Repeat 15 times and another 15 for the next set.

Well, that’s everything. You can do other additional exercises for other body parts like sit-ups for the abdomen. Good luck on your training!