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 Mar 28 2010, 04:28 PM
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 Welcome to the new blog series "The Hunter's Trail". I will be updating this post with any new info I come up with as I grow with my hunter.
Hello, I am Dyekenee the Hunter. I have been on my new journey for sometime and to say the least, it's been a bit rough at times. Nothing like what it was in the past of old, slow killing and endless weakening rising suns, but never the less, a challange to face. One night hunting for the treasure to help fill my emtpy purse, I found myself thinking that I too, might not be the only one with a sore back and low income. Just maybe, there are other adventurers like myself, that also share the woe of being a.........Huntard...
But seriously, we need to drop this image now and start pwning some face. We aren't the only dudes on the block these days that are getting a bad image (*Cough* Death Knight *Cough*). We need to stand up, and shed the crappy past, of what may have been 12 year olds, and lack luster players have set in our way, ergo the image of the fail hunter.
The focus of this blog is to help Hunters with Need To Know info. Whether it is general, updates, content or simple stats. Anything and everything! Now I am no pro, or the "Need To Go To Guy" for hunters in general, but I would like to see myself as someone who also shares the goal of every player to become better then we are. And I don't mean Gear Score better, I mean player skill better. Awareness and knowledge base versus this image that hunters should be amazing and never are. It's just bullshit that needs to stop! I myself, am going to help this cause with this new blog series.
To give a little background on myself, and why I am a hunter, for those who care.
I have always wanted to play the Hunter class through and make it a main. Not because of the fact that I have played them before and enjoyed it, but more or less, it always looked like an interesting playthrough with different challenges than I have ever faced before. Well I got the shot to roll another hunter recently with some friends from Modcraft and I am truly glad I did!
Hunters present a new challange that I have been looking for in WoW and has forced me to try new things, use different set-ups, and of course, a new frame of mind. It still suprises me how much fun one can have getting into "new shoes" and different point of views. Now for me to get any better and improve my level of play, to be someone that can be relied on to play their roll well, I started the hunt (no pun intended) all the info I could get my hands on. Tips and tricks from all the other hunters that have been on their path much longer than I have. Well to say the least, there is a lot to be had and even more ways one can play their hunter.
Figuring out which play style fits me best, has been tough. Learning to avoid key turning while setting up and using skillful and meaningful keybound macros has been quite a challenge as well. Pick and lay out spec set ups while keep the pet, specs and other factors in place. While this can all be frustating at times, I have loved it and come to play MM as my choice spec.
I spend a lot of time making sure boss badess take the fall, but one of my favorite focus' is PVP. Nothing I love more than making friends with a fellow WoW nut and putting on the the hurt into some arena and battlegrounds.
Anyway to finish it up, Hunter MM Dwarf Male, Dyekenee on Mannoroth.
I plan to add more links to this blog as I find worth while ones and will invest more into new ones. Please be sure to check out my YouTube channel for some of my Vlogs and WoW videos. And if you have any questions or would like to talk, feel free to contact me here!
World of Warcraft Information Sites
WoWWiki.com, WoWHead.com, Wow.Allakazam.com, Thottbot.com.
Next on the list in just a general info source. There are a bunch of them out there and most likely you really don't need this info but I would like to try and get anything and everything up here that could help.
These are all great places for need to know info or common questions, Such as gatorerys as Quests, Items, Drops, Professions, Abilities, Stats, Specs, and so on. I like to look things up such as Stat Caps at Wowwiki.com or the functions of those stats.
PvE, PvP and Pet Information sites:
elitistjerks.com
A really great source in general for PvE, information is the Elitistjerks.com, now they do have some PvP topics available but I didn't find alot of solid info for that side of the ranged weapon toters.
Here is a link for 3.3 up to date info on some basics for rotations, specs, gear set-ups and goals for the new PvE Hunter.
www.arenajunkies.com
For good to know, up to date, info for PvP builds, strats, contexts and anything else under the sun, I like ArenaJunkies.com. They have a lot of amazing players with a good additude along with well run forums. I get alot of my questions answered along with meeting some really great people from this place, wouldn't go into a Arena with out it.
www.wow-petopia.com
This is a general Hunters favored site for scouting new pet options for their killing needs. I find it very useful for learning abilities of the different class pets and helpful for finding out the most imporant thing...How the pet looks! In the end, that's what it's all about!
Great Websites for World of Warcraft interfaces and Mods:
www.curse.com
Pretty much the WoW user Standard, been around forever with a big group supporting it. Along with nice user download programs that can make updating ones interface simple and quick. (Thats assuming everything works as it should.)
www.wowinterface.com
Another classic, alot of people from EU and off the wall mod users post and summet here. All in All another great place for those of us who want to tweek every aspect of our lay-outs!
World of Warcraft Video Sources:
www.warcraftmovies.com
www.youtube.com
PVP Helpful Guides
Arena Junkies - Hunter Macro's (PVP) 3.3.0
Marks Men Hunter+ Disc Priest Arena2v2 short guide
PVE Helpful Guides
Survival Hunter PvE Guide 3.3.0(Worldofwarcraft Forums)
Elitestjerks.com 3.2.2 PvE Guide for general Hunter Info
Mar 12 2010, 07:52 AM
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Well it's been rough, these last couple of weeks. Not only from a hard hitting work load and a ton of unexpected projects (some of which are not complete yet), but also from the monster, of which is known as, World of Warcraft. It's been a tough fight on both fronts, and slow at times, to the point that progression of any kind can truly be a big support. Which makes me thank my fellow readers and subscribers, because the number of YOU are one of the main things that has been growing slowly every day.
Along with late night gaming projects and early morning work schedule, I have been hard at work coming up with fresh ideas and making old ones come infuriation! One of my latest achievements has been a new Web cam! Granted I got it from a friend who was planning to chuck it away, so it's not the best of quality. But it's a start!
With this new web cam I have been wanting to incorporate it into my videos and silly projects. I have always been a fan of shows like IGN.COM, Daily Fix and The Instance, I love listening to gamers talk about what they love along with being an unscripted show. One of my dreams along with writing and editing, is to be a part of a show like this. So in turn, I am starting small by making my own. I completed my first "Test Run" with this idea and I plan to build off of it from there to take it to a whole new level.
Please check out this sample and let me know what ya think. Again, not the best start in the world but I gotta get things going from square one!
Now since I have the web cam option, I've been able to also work on my World of Warcraft instance projects! Which is something I truly have been excited about for a while!
This video here is my first recording to help me get run times solid and other tech features set up. It has helped me to learn alot and I plan on to make them nothing but better!
Here is my test recording.
Since I have been heavy at work, alot of my energy seems to like to go to the creative side of myself to help me get through the tough times. My reviews and previews are still very important to me and I hope to have more finished soon!
Awww, I can't wait anymore for something new to review! So I thought I would add this little cookie...or in this case, a Pizza tid-bit in for my readers.
The Papa John's Pizza review - Triple Pwnage!
A little while ago I had the urge to order myself a pizza while gaming, (as most gamers do when they want nothing more than to shovel food into their face, rather than moving from the screen of fading and glowing lights and go to the refrigerator). Since me and my friend on ventrilo had a warming conversation about which pizza place we enjoyed the most, it just fueled the desire of a hot pizza pie!
The next question was where to order from? There are alot of good places with different styles and quality ingredients, with price also to consider. My big favorite lately is Papa John's Pizza. It seems their toppings, along with their side items, they use are very fresh and satisfying. Along with the lack of oil and grease that most pizza's seem to have, ordering from the Big John just feels like the right thing to do!
But what to order? I mean there are so many combinations to try and so many favorites. Me being the kind of guy that gets stuck on classics or favorites, I tend not to try new things very often. Not this time however! I am in the mood to be risky and go for something that I seem to have been craving for a solid week! CHEESE! I don't know why, but cheese seems to be on my mind alot lately. Before taking the leap I asked my fellow ventrilo mates what they thought was too much cheese on a pizza (if there was such a thing), and I respectfully got the reply "there is Never enough cheese!". Well with this in mind and my new found mood, I ordered up a pizza that would fit the bill for my hungry belly and empty wallet!
Order as follows....
Thick Crust (Normal)
Green Papers, Mushrooms, Pepperoni, Spicy Italian Sausage, Ham and 3x's Cheese! (Also known as Triple cheese, the most cheese I have ever ordered on a pie!)
Ordered when there was a $10 special, any large pizza with all the toppings one wants, perfect for my budget! I hope this deal stays around for awhile :D
Given the frame of mind I was in at the time, along with the mood for cheese, this may not be one of my most solid reviews to date. With that being said, I truly enjoyed the combo and have ordered it 3 times again since then. Jzoop herself seems to be loving it as well, and for me that's always a good sign.
Although the pizza delivery guy implied "I liked some pizza with my cheese", done by Papa John's it isn't that over powering as one might think. The cheese itself is fresh and filled with flavor, while leaving the grease out! The veggies are fresh and robust with the right about of sweet and spicy meats that complete the soft crust. For me this was a winner and I would recommend it for sure! A+ and I thank the good people at Papa John's for the fast service and internet ordering option! Oh and Papa John's....... my WoW raid groups say "Hi"!
Jan 21 2010, 05:20 PM
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Mirror's Edge Review is complete, Finally right? Man I tell you what, with all the craziness around in my life lately, I feel like I have slain a monster 30 stories high! Well, I guess that's not too far from the truth...
Now I can tell you right off the bat, this isn't my best review to date. I know it and I am willing to admit it. But what I will say is, it still has an important role in my log of reviews, and is as truthful as any so far posted.
Mirror's Edge is a game I, myself, have been wanting to play for some time. It was a game that always seemed to come and go out of my line of sight in local ads and sale bins, but alas, it never ended up in my hands until this point. (Thank-you Steam for great sales, and the never ending, relentless stream of ads, you shove in my face daily!) Because of this, and me getting off my butt, I'm finally giving this game a full play through. Sadly, I feel like it has been a loss that I haven't sat down sooner to the clean grace of Mirror's Edge.
Story
The story of Mirror's Edge is a simple one. A theme that seems to be growing in popularity for storytelling in our day and age, the theme of an unknown evil getting more power over what we think is always ours. Until the line is crossed and we end up seeing how little freedom one has anymore. In this world, the powers that be have grown to the point of taking control of the world of electronics and open media. (Sounds like where we are heading right now.) Where one's e-mail, voice, cell phones and any other outlet of communication seems to be monitored to the point that no one has control of their own free will.
While this is being done behind most peoples backs, there is a Resistance that will stand and fight. One of those outlets is the Runners. A group of people who use the abstract purpose of ones legs, getting from Point A to Point B. No bikes or cars, only pure raw human power. These Runners take important info from person to person, with no interference from the man upstairs. In essence, you are an outlawed post man...or in this case...woman. (Sorry)
As you live your life in the New Age of steal and glass, one is on the run, not in the streets, but on the roof tops of major cities. Dodging the "Law" and anyone else in your way. Now instead of being a silly little back and forth message girl, you are quickly thrown into a world of lies, threats and the chance of death. This being nothing new for a Runner, it's not very shocking nor does it scare you from taking chances. But things do get personal when you find out that your sister gets in a world of mess from a murder set up. You, being one of the only people she can truly trust, along with you not willing to let anything happen to her, you are determined to find the truth behind it all.
While the story is engaging and wonderfully laid out, it does have a little bit of the Hollywood "rec-a-ma-roll" feel to it, that only leads to one being able to guess what happens next. There are some interesting plot twists along with great storytelling, it still has a bit of "been there, done that" kind of vibe.
Graphics
What can be said about Mirror's Edge Graphics...they're truly amazing. Not to say that they are the best, but they hold a perfection of detail and splendor that is something that one will enjoy through many hours of gameplay. While the world is built around the idea of a super clean and control freak mentality, it can get a little old seeing room after room of the same thing, it brings an element to show how at the same time it is a good world and still be a bad place to live. Making the story become part of the feeling with the graphics is something that I also enjoy and Mirror's Edge pulled this together beautifully!
Game play
In my mind this is the focal point of Mirror's Edge and what DICE wanted to connect with. With a whole game based around the smooth fluid energy of running and skill it took, to feel as if you have been used to doing it, the second you stepped into the shoes of Faith. I am here to say, that it was a treat to be able to sit down to a game that felt like I didn't even have to learn. While the game design and the idea of Mirror's Edge is very simple, it delivers the idea that one has their own style of how to get from point A to point B. Yes the game is very linear in the sense that there is only 1 true path to completing each level, but secrets and the ability to do it in ones own mind, due cross of deduction was for me satisfying. through process of elimination
While linear paths aren't always a bad thing, the game does build gameplay with the focus to let you, the runner, figure out where and how to go to the next level. It doesn't leave one hung out to dry or to fall off a hundred buildings before reaching the next doorway, the game is build with a few highlighting tips that will guide you through the apropriate course. This is done by Red coated suffices, letting you know where the next good place is to head for some death defying leaps.
At some points though, it can be rough going, I won't lie. Even though finding where to go to next isn't the main problem, getting the timing, or the angle right, might be. Death awaits and falling is a must, thankfully check points are everywhere and updated all the time. Let's just hope you don't get vertigo from gaming...I know I got the butterflies in my stomach a couple of times from some scary drops. I guess I enjoyed that somewhat, the first time I got that feeling from a game to be honest.
While 95% of the game is built around where to jump, land and grab next (making it feel alot like a high tech Prince of Persia) the other 5% is combat. While this is represented very well and easy for the gamer to grasp, it does feel a little clunky. While the idea in most cases is just to run, which is the best way to enjoy it since the game is made for it, sometimes you're faced with having to go through the enemies in your way, versus going around. This isn't a big problem, but I did find myself getting slapped in the face a couple times where I could have sworn that I had beaten them to the punch for the disarm. Maybe I am just getting slow in my old age, but it's not a friendly thing to be reminded of. Never the less, the combat was a very enjoyable element in the game that I would have liked to have seen more of, as well as tightened up a bit.
Ending thoughts
While most of my time spent with Mirror's Edge was a grateful and rewarding experience, I couldn't help but feel the story built around saving ones family member and going for the baddies, was a little out of place for the amazing world, and concept that DICE has made.
Amazing graphics and physics with great voice acting along with great sound and hair raising jumps. Something else I enjoyed, was that they took the focus of the first-person perspective gamer away from their familiar atmospheres and replaced them with multi-layered buildings to scale and hand-to-hand combat versus always having a gun to fall back on.
With just a few frustrations, such as missing a well placed jump or a missing a grappling maneuver, I felt that in the end Mirror's Edge is a must have for the fast pace, high height puzzle solver with the urge to punch some people in the face. I welcome you to play through and enjoy the fun!
Warning: Prepare for butterflies and some major vertigo...
Dyekenee-
Jan 14 2010, 06:32 PM
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As I am sure you have seen, Part 1 was about my PC gifts I got for Christmas and my birthday, it took some doing getting it all together. But me being so into getting things up and running I totally forgot to give some updates on my end, silly I know.
The biggest and major resolution I had this year, isn't that great of one, since the Big Goal in my life has been writing and reviewing, it's kind of a tough one to top for me. But something happened on December 31st.......World Of Warcraft has grabbed a hold of me again. It wasn't too proud of a moment when I saw the clock stroke 12:00 marking the new year and I was playing a new toon............ I had rerolled once again. Seems just like yesterday I was saying to myself, "I will never play this game again!" But Alas, that statement once again hasn't held true and I am paying for my monthly fee for the great world of WOW.
 I caught some of the tail end of the fireworks at midnight...sigh.
And once again, I have Modcraft itself to blame. I have enjoyed the group here very much, over the last month or so, spending long hours on Ventrilo and playing a handful of games, I guess it was only natural for old WoW retirees to start talking about playing again. Tarob you bastard!
With the drowning feeling aside, I have to be fair and say WoW is still a truly enjoyable game for me, and I am having fun playing again.
Being the MMORPG junkie that I am, it is something I have been missing!
We have a good group started that has the WoW bug under their skin and the "fire" under their computer seats. Some are new to the game, others are vets. Starting new characters to brave the world once again, has been really great, and in my opinion, the best way to play any MMO, or online game for that matter. From the start you are fresh, new and working together on the goal of never ending growth.
As a side note, if you have been interested in playing again, or for the first time, please feel free to post comments, PMs or talk to me on Ventrilo. Not trying to add to Blizzard's already bulging pocketbook, but there may be some readers out there, that are itching to get back into one of the greatest MMORPG's out there. Hey-the more the merrier!
Most of us are just going month by month, no preconceptions on what lie ahead. Just enjoying the process. If you would like to play with us and become a part of the group, we can send you invites for EXP bonuses or free trials if that interests you. Most us started with the free trial to see if it was worth it, maybe that will be enough for you.
I have to state the obvious,............you must be a mature person. If you aren't going to be a mature player you won't last with us, in the sense that, you just won't connect with our group, and more than likely, won't enjoy yourself fully. The bonus if you're mature, you won't need rules to govern your actions...we don't like rules. Let's be mature enough not to need them, that's my motto.
Thankfully, World of Warcraft isn't the only thing I have been working on! I have finished a lot of my program updates and I am back to replying to readers comments and questions. I also have been working very hard on new ideas, Some of which are Video Blogs (or Vlogs), new review prep, and some preview attractions, along with doing some new lay-outs and so on.
Right now I am working on a review for Mirror's Edge, which hopefully will be done soon. I am setting aside Section 8 for the time being, and possibly Dawn of Discovery as well. Although, me being the kind of person not liking to set things aside, I might just do write up reviews, if I get the time.
Another thing I am going to work on is updating Streamcast, we are still making sure new updates go in as normal but I would like to see a little intro and maybe some clips. At that point I may even start uploading them to YouTube as well. But again, these are all projects that take time and I'll see how much gets done before January 26th.
I think that's pretty much all on my mind for now, I still have a couple other things I am working on the blog it self that will take more time to get into do to funds. I gotta start somewhere! Sheesh, not easy paying the bills and funding your dreams, but boy is it worth it!
Peace for now gang! Please comment more, I would love to hear what you think!
Peace be the journey!
Dyekenee
Jan 4 2010, 12:21 AM
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Hey gang, another personal blog for you this week. I wanted to let you know a whole bunch of stuff that is going on these days. This is always a busy time of year for me for many reasons, first you have the Holidays and all the hoopla that goes along with them, then you add my birthday to the mix (double wish lists for me!) and not to mention all the games I want to review before the new releases hit the shelves! So much to do, in so little time!
First off I had a great Christmas with my girl! We opened alot of great gifts and watched some good movies. The 26th was my birthday as well, so I got double the gifts, which was very nice and thoughtful of my family. I had cake, took it easy and worked on the blog, as I always do, to continue to work on my journalist skills.
 Jzoop made the cake, yum!
Some of the gifts I got this year are really great, but the ones that changed things the most for me this week are my new PC Hard drives! I got 2x Valocaraptor Drives (300GB, 10,000RPM), a 1.5GB 7,200RPM drive, Windows 7 and some new Bose Speakers, I love them! ( I was thinking about doing some reviews on these items, but I'm not sure yet. If any of you are interested in having more info on them, let me know.)
Once I got all these great new toys, I spent the following week hunting down parts and articles for setting it all up. It took awhile, especially with all the running around after work to the local computer shop, but I managed to get everything together.
The goal was to put the two Raptor Drives in a RAID-0 striped configuration for insane speeds for video games and the operating system, that being Windows 7 which really puts my i7 processor to good use.
For the other drives, I wanted to do in a RAID-1 mirror configuration for back-up and recovery, since most high capacity drives have a high failure rate. But since I have a 1.5TB and 1.0TB, not being identicle drives, that will have to wait.
The problem with wanting to get this all done, is that I have been spending most of my time running to stores, reading on-line tips for the best set-ups, and I haven't had the chance to get much game review stuff together. Not to mention, reconfiguring all these drives will wipe all the saved video and pictures for reviews I have been doing.
So for the last week I have been doing pretty boring stuff: backing up files, shopping and reading mundane stuff. I want to play video games and write blogs, damn it!
I pushed through it and I am happy to say all my drives are now in, with Windows 7 installed! Woot!
 Before  Old Drive Removal  Old Drive Removal #2  Epic Loot!  All Done
It's only been about 2 days since everything has been in, most of the time spent with my set up now, has been installing programs and working on backing up. So I can't say much from a gaming point of view yet...but, I will say the windows proformance is NUTS! Windows from a cold start boots up in about 10-15 seconds and program operations is blazing fast. From the little time I have had with it, I am more than very happy! And not only do I have all of this new fun speed at my finger-tips, I also have over 2.5TBs of free game review space! In the end, this has set me back a little more when I was already set back from holidays, but it's a good kind of set back if you ask me! Now I can review much more content and have a place to store it. Hopefully I can also find time along the way to play games of my own and do more with my "Creative Projects" Series.
I am more than sure, I will be mentioning these drives quite a bit over the next few months and I hope it's nothing but more of the same!
On another side note, I want to talk about the speakers I got. Bose Companion II Series II, they are simply amazing! I own an old Bose Surround Sound System that is about 10 years old now, and I still use it to this day. I love the quality and their service is top notch. I will recommend Bose Systems to anyone who asks, what type of sound systems should they look at. Granted they're not very friendly to ones pocket book, but they are the kind of speakers you buy once and use for a very long time!
These may be one of the lower end models that Bose sells, in fact $100 for Bose anything is pretty much the lowest sticker price you can find, Bose Ear Buds cost more than these things. They're not surround, but there is no need for it. The sub-woffer is built into the back of each speaker, and is only big enough to stick a my pincky in, but my goodness, these things could blow my eardrums right out of my skull! Along with a rich, full sound that adds a soft quality for the perfect balance of listening enjoyment.
These are a must buy for sound lovers that need a really nice pair of computer speakers. These are compact weapons of mass seduction!
 These speakers own my face! Thanks for the read and please leave comments!
Peace,
Dyekenee
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