This is a guest post from Ganga Wolf, who originally posted this onto the Star Trek Online Forums.

Thanks also to Silk for the screenshots.

Captain’s Log, Stardate 90210.1

I have headed out into Romulan space, ready for the missions ahead of me. I start with some patrols because I’m short on time. I set a course for the first system and let the auto-pilot go. I sit back at the Conn and watch as my ship makes the most unusual set of turns and twists, travelling in anything but a straight line to my destination. I ask my science officer if the nav computer has been infected with some sort of virus that causes the ship to walk a straight line like a drunk 3 times over the legal limit. He tells me he put in “Bug report” to the “CS’s at Starfleet Command” but it’s been over a week now and no reply. I shrug and remain thankful that the inertial stabilizers on this ship work, unlike the old Constitution I first commanded that threw everyone from their seats every five seconds…
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Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

I’ve been invited to test a new networking system called SmallRivers. They describe themselves as “a tool for bloggers to network content and audiences“. At first glance, I thought it was simply another blog circle, linking from one site to the next. But it’s actually more useful than that.

Rather than just a directory of blogs, SmallRivers allows you to choose the network (a form of category) that you wish to post a specific post to. So when someone goes looking around, they can flip through the various networks of interest, see actual posts on the specific subject they asked for, rather than being stuck with rather broad categories attempting to encompass the full blog content.

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Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

I’ve previously written about the fascinating new Web-game Echo Bazaar in an abstract sense but some people prefer a more solid explanation as to why I’ve not had time to respond to your email regarding the game I’ve been playing. This post is dedicated to those people (Hi Mom!).

Echo Bazaar is basically a choose-your-own-adventure narrative story that you can play on your web browser. You start in Newgate Prison, with a single focus: get out. There is a deck of six cards but you can only look at one. Deal a card and decide what to do: play or discard?

Most cards offer you a choice: it will outline an action or two with your likelihood of success based on your skills. You can choose one which will use up an action or dismiss the card and then discard it and pull another one. Your cards refresh every seven minutes so once you’ve gone through the initial six, you may find that you have to wait a few minutes for more.

Red-bordered cards have a specific effect and use up an action simply by viewing them. Generally, however, you do not use an action by viewing a card. Either way, you’ll need to use up cards and actions to find a way to get out of Newgate Prison.

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Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

Well, well, well, what have we here?

I’ve tried to piece these together but to no avail…and the script is not one taught in the good houses of Qeynos.
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Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

The primary way to level in Island Life is to plant crops and harvest them. In most cases, the crops you plant take several hours or days to ripen and gain you experience in three different ways.

First you have to till the land. This costs 10 gold per plot and gains you one experience point. Now you plant your crops gaining up to two experience points per plot and later you harvest them, gaining an extra experience point only if someone has fertilized the plot.

Assuming you wish to level quickly, the answer is cabbages. [More...]

Posted by Sixes on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

Hurray: Erollisi Day Returns to Norrath. The live event will last until February 16th, so you have plenty of time for romance.

Holiday Merchants Steven and Douglas can be found in Qeynos Harbor and East Freeport with a lovely selection of goods for the lovelorn Norrathian, including volumes 1-3 of the recipe book Romantic Gifts to Craft. The third volume offers brand new recipes to be crafted using the love notes and candies dropping during the week. Conversely, you can hand in the items for coins to use at the Holiday Merchants to buy exciting new items. [More...]

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

EverQuest II Sentinel’s Fate expansion is fast arriving – only a few more weeks! It includes a new tier of crafting (with hundreds of new recipes) and a great new set of items to harvest in order to make those items.

Before every expansion, I make a point of getting every character to the cap, so that they can hit the ground running in the new lands. Harvesting caps at 400 for level 80 characters (whether adventure or tradeskill) and I’ll be going through all of mine to make sure they have reached that skill level. Also, I like to have a good supply of top level harvests to hand so I can start levelling up my crafting immediately. I will get a level or two using the known recipes before using the new harvests for the recipes of Odus.

Unfortunately, I have a lot of alts and not all of them are as hardworking as they should be. So I have to put in a concerted effort now to get their harvesting up to scratch. That’s why I have put together this quick reference guide so that I can efficiently harvest without a lot of searching.

Here is my list of questions: Everything I ever wanted to know about Norrathian harvesting but was afraid to ask!

What are the materials that I can harvest in each tier?
Harvested Materials

Where should I go to harvest them?
Harvesting by Zone

How can I harvest quicker?
Harvesting Tools

How can I avoid attacking badgers when I’m trying to harvest stones?
Utility Macros

Are there harvesting quests I can do while I am skilling up?
Duggin the Hungry Halfling

What’s this about a Signature quest that’s all about harvesting?
A Gathering Obsession

How do I get magma fish?
Sathirian Specialities: Cooking with Magma Fish

What else do I need to know? Drop me a line in the comments with your favorite tips and tricks!

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

I spent yesterday in a state of confusion after learning the dark secrets of a friend. My nights are still plagued with nightmares. But now I know that as long as I keep my cheerful goldfish close to hand, I will remain this side of sanity.

This is part of the learning curve for the residents of Fallen London. This is an everyday occurrence in Echo Bazaar.

Echo Bazaar is a web-based card game set in the heart of Fallen London, “a short boat-ride from Hell”. As soon as you log in, there is an otherwordly feeling, despite the almost familiar descriptions of London. You are surrounded by the neutral dark colors of the ‘Neath with the simple words at the top of your screen: Welcome, delicious friend.

On the surface, it is a simple turn-based role-playing game with quirky text. But that doesn’t begin to describe Echo Bazaar. [More...]

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

Serious Quitters’ Arcade is a gaming website aimed at "Serious Quitters" – people who are serious about giving up cigarettes. I’m not quite sure of the connection but I have to admit that when I quit smoking, I was certainly looking for distractions to keep me from thinking about lighting up. Fun flash games seem as good a way to keep your hands busy as anything else.

Sponsored by Pfizer, Quitter’s Arcade has three video games for you to choose from, which have been modified to reinforce negative messages about smoking so you may even find they help to keep you focused on your goal.

There are three simple games based on video arcade classics. You have to give your name and email address to save your highscore on the scoreboard (and you can share your score on Facebook) but you can opt out of the newsletter. I tested this with a custom email address and I can confirm that as yet, I have not received any unwanted emails.

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Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.

There’s a new game in town that’s caught my attention but it’s not something I’m sure I should be admitting publicly.

You see, it’s not a new MMO or some great new console game or even an exciting new web application combining clever AJAX scripting with edgy graphics.

It’s a Facebook app. Worse, it’s a Facebook app based very closely on the runaway success known as Farmville.

I suppose I might as well say it outright: Island Life launched as a beta application on Facebook last week and I’ve been playing it ever since.

I have to be honest, I have not been paying a lot of attention to the games on Facebook. I added a couple of applications to give my friends bonuses until I realised it was a never-ending proposition and covered my “profile” with spam. Then I removed and/or blocked most of them and went on my merry way. Tiny Adventures caught my eye as a text-based offering by Wizards of the Coast and it was fun for a short while but ultimately lacking in depth. I presumed that this was a general issue with Facebook applications and redirected my attention to PC and web-based games.

Metaplace was one of the most interesting Web-based projects that I had seen, a new launch by Raph Koster, well known for his work as lead designer on Ultima Online and creative director of Star Wars Galaxies. [More...]

Posted by Taymar on http://www.mmorpg-info.org.