Rhododendron

You're absolutely right.
We need to put a stop to people bullying others' ears with this sort of thing.

Has some pretty awesome songs other than thrift shop

I'm more disappointed with how few landmarks there are from the previous game. The dwarven capital is under water and not very impressive, Eye of the North is vistable if you did the acheivements but for little else. Whole areas we spent hours upon hours in(Maguuma, Crystal Desert, etc.) are on the map but I assume awaiting expansions/content releases. The continuity from the previous game in alot of ways got the barest lip service.

You can find the graves of Reyna and Little Thom at the ruins of the Granite Citadel QQ

Another landscape, inspired by Thomas Scholes. Initially I wanted to put Daniel Frozenwind in there, but he just looked like a misshaped human, so he had to leave the scene again. Sorry!

Looks like the 3rd installment of The Longest Journey might just be upon us, if the studio doing this can get the funding for it. To help fund & create the game the studio has started up a Kickstarter project for it.

http://www.kickstart...longest-journey

"Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey is an adventure game for the PC that continues the epic journey that began in the critically acclaimed and award-winning adventures The Longest Journey and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.
Independently produced and funded by Red Thread Games, this project brings back the core team behind Dreamfall, including Ragnar Tørnquist, creator of The Longest Journey saga."

From reading the site and interviews, it appears that Funcom (who published both The Longest Journey & it's sequel Dreamfall) have no interest in making, funding or producing the 3rd chapter because they can't see how to turn it into a multi-player game or MMO. So the studio, which is made up of people who worked on the original games, is seeking funding via Kickstarter - they have licensed the rights to the game from Funcom, and are attempting to make, produce and publish it themselves.

An interesting article / interview about this whole new installment, the kickstarter, etc: Gamespot article/interview.

Personally I'm really hoping they can get the funding and pull this off. Because I loved the 1st two games, and have been bitterly disappointed that no 3rd installment was in the works (when it was obvious there was need for a 3rd installment). It comes as no surprise to me that it was not going to come about due to Funcom not being able to turn it into some crap MMO / Multi-player game, however hopefully this group can get the funding and make a game of the same caliber of the previous games.

Edit: Kickstarter has reached it's goal and made some stretch goals. This game will be going ahead! whoo! Now all it needs is help in getting through Steam's Greenlight process so they can sell the game on Steam once it's been made. Here's the Greenlight page:

http://steamcommunit...s/?id=129797136

GW2 2012 Best (Worst) of Awards

  It’s that time of the year again! Where we look back into the previous year and project into the new year. To make the best of 2013, we have to look at the good, the bad, and the awful in 2012. So in the spirit of the Golden Globe and everything else award related, <IRL> brings you the “2012 Guild Wars 2 Best of/Worst of and Everything in Between Award”. The 2012GW2Bo/WoaEiB award is the most prestigious award of GW2, because this is the only one that exists! It is based on prejudice, bias, stereotyping and to some extent lack of apparent knowledge of the game, proudly brought to you by all of the 5 active members in <IRL> (if you know what an iron ring is, HIGH FIVE!), so sit tight tight, (or sit back?), and feel free to agree to disagree! We would love to hear what you think, because we certainly won’t care what you say!

I. Profession Awards:

1. Best professions that seems like they are busy but aren’t doing anything award:

Award Description: They make a scene, they demand your attention, they radiate with apparent importance by shouting on top of their lungs and being colorful, they steal away your envy by leaping back and forth going in and out. Then you notice that they’re just randomly pushing buttons.

The Nominees:

• Elementalist: For all the particle effects, and the urge to let everyone know each time they switch and attunement.
  
• Mesmer: For the ability to make everything purple
  
• Thief: LEAP! SPIN! ROLL! EVADE! SOMERSAULT!

THE WINNER: Thief
Stand there and move only when you have to? Thieves will have none of that. They’ll run around the boss and swing their hands like a child desperate of attention, or as my guildmates likes to put it: a stabbed Kangaroo!

2. Profession that does a lot of work but no one notices award:

Award Description: You make it to the end of the dungeon and suddenly, a creepy thought occurs to you --- There’s not 4, but FIVE people in your group! How is that possible? Where and who is that fifth person! No wonder you feel that your run had been extra smooth despite having only 4 people.

The Nominees:

• Grenadier Engineer: For it’s 25 stacks of vulnerability
  
• Ranger: longbow shortbow bleed pierce move to the back pet control and all that, but sorry I don’t have a telescope, I can’t see as far as 1400 yards.
  
• Necromancer: Still scratching our heads on how they can be useful.

THE WINNER: Engineer

Common guys, why do no one appreciates engineers. We are giving them this one just so they can win something!

3. Profession most likely to end up dead in a dungeon award:

Award Description: They’ll trip over a rock by the way point and die to that. They’ll press space bar and die from fall damage. They’ll heal themselves to death. And they drown.

The Nominees:

• Thief (D/D Glass Cannon): No one goes from a somersault to dead on the floor so gracefully and smoothly like a D/D thief.
  
• Elementalist (D/D Glass Cannon): Fight like a warrior,  wear toilet paper
  
• Warrior (Signet): Hit like a truck, drop like a stone.

THE WINNER: Thief (D/D Glass Cannon)
Every piece of tile I walk by in a dungeon, I feel it is smeared with D/D thieves:D

4. Top Complainer award

Award Description: Do you ever wonder what you’re doing wrong and how bad you are in life? He’ll tell you, he’ll tell you no matter what. He’ll tell you in the middle of a boss fight, he’ll tell you when you’re afk, he’ll even tell you when he himself is afk.

The Nominees:

• Thief: Twitchy class results in twitchy behaviors.
  
• Warrior: “I never die, why do you die”.
  
• Ranger: Too much to complain about the class, so... they end up complaining a lot!

THE WINNER: Thief
Somehow thieves just... talks a lot both in game and outside in the community. Maybe it’s just the lone wolf lifestyle, or their frequent backstabbing business that makes them... a bit antisocial. Well deserved win!

5. Most silent profession award

Award Description: ...

The Nominees:

• Engineer: ...
  
• Necromancer: ...
  
• Guardian: ...

THE WINNER: Necromancer
… … …

6. Best Profession to annoy you despite being nice and polite award

Award Description: “I am rain and ice!” “Shake it off!” “Retreat!”, too much color on your screen, too many things stacking on the boss, or that big Norn booty is simply constantly in your face --- You can’t help but feel annoyed by all these.

The Nominees:

• Elementalist: If they switch attunement too much they are annoying, if they don’t they are bad at the profession, sad..
  
• Ranger/Necro: You just can’t help but feel that sour taste in the mouth when you see one join you in high level fractal
  
• Mesmer: Just because you like purple, doesn’t mean the whole world should be purple.
  
• Norn/Char: Mister, are you here in this jumping puzzle just to troll me?

THE WINNER: Elementalist
"Elemental fire, obey me!" "I am the flames!" "Consuming Fire!",
"Elemental air, heed me!" "I am the wind!" "Join as (or joyous? o_O) Air!",
"Elemental water, attend me!" "I am rain and ice!" "Persistent Water!",
"Elemental earth, hear me!" "I am rock and soil!" "Solid Earth!",
, etc, etc... or it could be "element of" =.=, well, w/e. Also a special shoutout to the male Sylvari’s, we like their indian-like accent twist.

7. Best profession you will shamelessly embrace despite being a jerk award

Award Description: Dignity is sometimes a luxury, especially if someone is desperately needed in your group, OR that bad behaviour is already expected of them.

The Nominees:

• Mesmer: The idea of asking for portal fee has come across every mesmer’s mind, sometimes even quite vocal about it, so what do you usually do? You roll your eyes while typing a lot of “Plz”s  and “Thank You!!”s.
  
• Guardian: Need a guardian, just a guardan, everything else is a bonus!
  
• Thief: We love you!! (only because of your stealth)

THE WINNER: Guardian
What else is there to say? Nothing really... Just need a guardian, PLEASE!!!

8. Best taste in fashion award

Award Description: They have the wisdom to make up a profession population of primarily human females. They have the good fashion sense of wearing as little as possible. And most importantly, you KNOW they’ll easily spend 20 gold to get that helm that you’ve just posted on the TP because it matches their boots.

The Nominees:

• Elementalist: We like their ability to decorate themselves with elements of nature
  
• Mesmer: We like the fact that showing a lot of skin is a necessary part of their profession.
  
• Ranger: Can get away with anything with a cute pet beside them.

THE WINNER: Mesmer
There is a reason why mesmers dominate the human nobility. Queen Jennah, Courtess Anise. Clothes and fashion and looking good is part of their profession, and they are rich, killer combo!  

9. Worst taste in fashion award

Award Description: Sometimes you wonder, how did they live to level 80 without ever tempted to look into the mirror.

The Nominees:

• Necromancer: No matter what they wear, they still only attract rotten flesh, insects, and foul smell.
  
• Guardian: Dress like a warrior, only talk about magic.
  
• Engineer: Have you ever seem a good looking engineer? (both in game and IRL?)

THE WINNER: Engineer
No one looks good in working suits holding heavy duty tool covered with a hard hat sweaty under the sun.. oh wait a minute... inappropriate pictures are forming in my head...

II. Dubious Mentions:

1. Best spec that no one played award

Blind Spamming thieves!
There is no fun making here, go play them!

2. Worst spec that everyone played award:
A tie between signet warrior and 2222 thieves. Stay classy!

3. Top (or worst?) combat noises:

• Sylvari females being attacked VO: Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
  
• The army of Rabsovich: Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!
  
• Glitched Raving Asura: Best remix ever.
  

4. Top excuses that are never true:

• "lagg!."
  
• "They are all focusing on me!."
  
• "bug!."

5. Most apparent and shameless lie

• Male Asura: "I feel six feet tall"! - only in your fantasy
  
• Lionguard Lyns: "all contributions goes to the rebuild of Lion's Arch!" -  I’ve been giving weapons armor and food for 3 months and now you have only managed putting up a wooden scaffold and two unfinished fish.
  
• “I have everything you need!” - Of course, Parsley is all I need!

4. Best glitches that should have never been fixed:

• Airplane: I’m like an airplane running into fight like a shooting star~~~~
  
• Sit Jump:Pity, nearly resulted in the entirety of our guild rage quit the game.
  
• Flamethrower Ooze: Don’t really mind seen them around.
  
• Land shark: You think you have seen everything Tyria has to offer?

5. Best trolling effort from Arenanet:

• The Commando: teased me good!
  
• Near Edge Jumping Glitch: this has raised a lot of self doubt before we knew about the bug. Know that heart sinking feeling? Expecting a jump while you walk off the edge?
  
• The Raining Dye Bug: We all thought we can afford to look good now! We can’t be more wrong... Didn’t cash in when unidentified dyes were 2 silver each and black dye were 1.5 gold each? *Yao Ming Face*

III. Fractal STAR Awards:

Oh good ol’ fractals, you think we forgot about them huh? WRONG! It’s the only thing people cared about in the past 2 month, so we feel it is necessary to honor the heroes who have contributed the most to cause of jumping into random places through space and time and killing everything for no apparent reason. We have also included a short version of the transcripts of the winning speech.

1. Urban Battleground

STAR: Elementalist

“Thank you, thank you. Well you see, it all came very natural to me, everything on staff being an Aye Oh Yee and all. My instructor had once told me that I had a problem with focus --- Get it? GET IT?! Focus! … What, I think that’s funny.”

2. Swamp

STAR: Mesmer

“You know, people have gotten so much better with wisp carrying, that is just aweful. Like, SO not fair. You know what? They should make the floor in swamp covered with traps that strip away stability and swiftness. Yeah that’s right, bring me or beat it girl!”

3. Raving Asura

STAR: Engineer

“It’s indeed pretty sweet that I can hit those harpies from below the platform... What? That’s not why I won? I won because of the glitch? Oh that’s just such an insult! I mean I can’t even.... No no no don’t kick me I’m putting turret down now...”

4. Volcano

STAR: Guardian

“I hear you are wiping on worms. So I thought to myself: how pathetic. Let me show you how much better your life would be with ME in it.”

5. Frost

STAR: Thief

“It’s not an easy win, those pesty mesmers have stealth too, and this spy kit thing is really bad for business. But of course, we still get some cash, because mesmers are a bunch of sissies and the Charrs in Ash Legion apparently don’t move.”

6. Dredge

STAR: Mesmer

“Oh the second one of the day, as expected. Why? Because I’m sexy and awesome that’s why. Yeah that’s right, it’s all about feedback timing baby... What’s that? You’re bringing me because of the portal glitch? Whaa... I don’t even... “

7. Underwater

STAR: Engineer

“Oh that is just so biased, what if I don’t use grenade huh? What if... No no no don’t kick me I’m switching now...”

8. Cliffside

STAR: Warrior

“Oh yeah, give the warrior an award because he didn’t win anything, real mature, real mature... And yes I’ll still take it. Suck on that Necros.”

9. Solid Ocean

STAR: Ranger

“Hey, hey! I’m here! No that’s my pet! Yeah I know he’s the one who ACTUALLY did the rezzing, but you see... No Snoopy don’t chew on that mommy needs it to show off!”

Overall

STAR: Guardian

“What would you do without me. Heh.”


GLHF 2013!!!!!!

P.S: If you are a winner, Feel free to pm for in game cookies.

You ppl don't handle rejection very well, do you? those complaining that no one is chatting with you type. i basically call for help for someone to come rez me (several times) and they came, most of them, they never utter a word, just arrived, rez, this time they even helped with the skill point challenge and they went on their merry way.

Guild Wars 2 ... always the same. People come, people go. Nothing ever happens. but if you have watched the movie, you know its not true, plenty of stuffs happening, if you cannot even deal with ppl ignoring your chat, you have a problem, its time to think, maybe what you talk about isn't interesting enough! or that Tyria is a very large world, and god damn, its going to rain, good for my gaming , and bad for my exercise.

Another landscape practice, didn't want to go into detail, more time for setting moods.

Hello Guru! This is my arty thread, thanks for looking and i hope you like my work ~

Dreamer
An illustration of my Sylvari elementalist dreaming of the white stag

Indecision
A sketch of me and my leveling partner's first asura

Happy birthday!
An illustration of my friend's ranger

Wintersday!
This was my entry in the Wintersday calendar, featuring me and my friends' warriors
-
Thanks for looking!

The trolliest organizations plagueing any MMO are SomethingAwful goons on Eve who've basically legitimized it into a Classy Artform by now.  FPS  (and some H2H Fighters) forums and Chat areas on the other hand .. (b/c I've been in dozens by now at all levels including administration) are the Trolliest you'll ever see and absolutely put MMORPG's to shame.  It's no contest and until you've done the same, you have no idea what trolling looks like.  We're talking crap here that rivals College Hazing.  People cohabitating for years at a time while treating eachother like absolute shit and that's just how they show they like eacother... don't even get me started on what they do to people they don't like.  (usually starts with proxies/tunneling/hacking & then calls to the FBI, falsified reports, phishing attempts, nuking, and that's just before the lawyers all get involved)

Play Dark Souls.

The addition of the like button really ruins any kind of seriousness this forum has. Official forum is looking good right about now.

Hi all!  First time poster, long time lurker.  I finally got round to doing some GW2 fan art, so I thought I would share it here.  If you want to check out some of my other stuff it can be found at http://ghosthause.deviantart.com/ Anyway, with out further ado...



Let the universe howl in despair! Gather ye 'round and behold the awesome majesty that is Scrambles Ratsbane, seventh son of the seventh son! Of Asura born and raised by Norn steel and might, he has gouged his righteous and kickass legend into the face of Tyria's rump!

Still the bards sing their power ballads of his deeds most good and splendid. Many a foe has fallen to his blade and neither housecat nor rodent can stand against his handsome killingsmanship, oh my!

((Scrambles here is sporting the crafted Bandit Greatsword which he's globetrottered up a few notches. Sadly though, the Ratslayer Armor is not available in game. Bum! Perhaps the eagle-eyed/fatally nerdsome have already noticed, but among his trophies is Bilbo's pipe...))

EDIT:  If anyone wants this for a wallpaper, I can upload a bigger version, just didn't know what size would be useful.  The original is nearly 6000x5000, so let me know

The Hobbit an unexpected journey.
9/10
I have just come back from watching this at the cinema an I can tell you it is an excellent  movie.
Do yourself a favour and go see it in 48 frames per second and in 3D I could almost believe that I was watching a live action play not watching a movie. Don't wait for it to come to DVD or Blue Ray as this will lose a lot going onto the small screen.
The movie sticks reasonably well to the source material. The story has been added to and expanded on to explain to the ordinance the how's and the whys of the main part of the story.