New New?

This is an odd time in my gaming career and in my adventures as the Do-Nothing-Man. Disinterest has infected my perspective of gaming. I mentioned earlier that I'm consistently playing Diablo 3 on my computer and Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness on my hacked PSP. That's it.

I've taken little breaks to play things like Aliens: Colonial Marines and The Walking Dead. I even sat down to play Halo 4 with my roommate for the first time in several months last weekend. The point is: I haven't been playing much. And, I'm not necessarily happy with what I have been playing.

Even with games like Diablo and Disgaea, the repetitive nature of each game is wearing on me. On both of these titles, it's the grinding and leveling up that initially peaked my interest; however, I find myself only able to stand Disgaea in smaller and smaller segments. Clear a couple levels in the Item World, and then I'm putting my PSP to sleep. Diablo 3 is getting a similar treatment; I measure my playing time in accumulated gold. Once I acquire 100,000 gold in a play session, I'm done. Paragon levels don't even interest me anymore. In both games, I'm chilling in the end-game, doing only the things that I want to do. And I'm still getting a little burnt out.

What I've noticed while playing these two favorites is that I'm in no mood for marathon gaming sessions. A couple years ago, I could sit and play Fallout 3 all freakin' day. That doesn't happen anymore. Part of it could be that I have a standing desk now; when I'm playing Diablo 3, I'm on my feet. Not sitting on my ass. But I've had the standing set-up for over a year and when D3 first came out, I was playing marathon sessions to power level my crazy Witch Doctor.

The PSP is a little different; I'm usually playing Disgaea while sitting on our porch (now things are warming up) or while in bed right before going to sleep. Plus, that little machine is hacked, so I'm constantly tinkering with it while it's connected to my computer. I need to learn how to take my own screenshots. There must be a way.

I thought, for the longest time, that I could be a perfectly content gamer only playing Disgaea and Diablo (at the time I was thinking of Diablo 2), maybe include a Resident Evil 2 play-through every so often. Disgaea and Diablo will always be go-to games for me for me, but maybe it's time for me to branch out and play something that's completely outside of my gaming repertoire.

What a weird word.

Re-Router For Diablo 3

With too few hours into my Diablo 3 witch doctor, I can't really complain about the game yet. Nor can I shower it with praise. I've enjoyed the little time I've spent hucking spider grenades at goatmen. However, one foe as popped up and presented a challenge that I had not suspected. Last night, whilst fighting spiders with spiders, my router melted, ate itself, and then died. In that exact order. Now I can't play Diablo 3. And I need a new router.

I know I could plug straight into my cable modem; however, I used the downtime to revert to Diablo 2 and kick some ass in Kurast. The always online issue has been a hot topic as of late. I don't see Diablo's requirement to always be connected to the Internet as a violation. But it is an annoyance. For instance, if Diablo 3 didn't require an Internet connection, there is no way that I would be running out to replace my router right away. I want to play this game. And I'm enjoying this game. But this is the first time that I've ever owned a game that I don't feel is completely mine.

I hopped over to Diablo 2 for many reasons: I was already in my click-demons-to-death mood, both games are installed on the same machine, it wasn't time to go to sleep, and I didn't have to be connected to the Internet. There are plenty of games that I love to play that do not require an Internet connection. I wish Diablo 3 were one of them; I understand why it is not. But still, if, for whatever reason, I don't have access to the Internet, I will play a game that does not require access to the Internet. Duh, right?

This might be a reason that I don't play or enjoy Diablo 3 as much as other gamers.

Picking up a new router means a trip to the local MicroCenter; it's always fun meandering through the store and checking out new technology. The old Netgear router (may she rest in peace) has been due for an upgrade; I'm pretty sure the thing is about seven years old. Old enough that my Nintendo DS can't connect to it. That should've been the reason to upgrade long ago. Must trade Pokémon.

If the replacement router can instantly connect to my DS, I might drop Diablo and move right back to Soul Silver in trading mode. Setting up the router should be quick and if I can plug and go with ethernet cables, I might be right back into Diablo 3. We'll see.

Or I might go back to Kurast and brain Mephisto. Actually, this sounds like the most fun.

What's the Password?

The new quarters is coming together well. It's not done, that's for sure, but it'll soon be complete. I've been playing Diablo 3 since Saturday night; yeah, I've had a late start because of, you know, moving. All of the Diablo 3 hype has me thinking of the fun times in Diablo 2. And they were good times. I can't really complain about Diablo 3 yet; I'm only a level 13 witch doctor. But I can complain about people complaining about Diablo 3. They suck.

Thanks to Diablo 3, I've been itching to crack open Diablo 2 again, but, I don't think my little netbook could handle Diablo 2 and its expansion pack. Although, it does play Fallout Tactics very well. I might just give it a shot. Recently, my Acer netbook suffered a serious blow, which got me thinking about backing up data. Almost a week later, I lost my 1GB USB flash drive; I have no idea where it is (but I have been packing things up in boxes); I'm hopeful that it'll turn up. Until then, I've initiated a complete password overhaul. That's right, any account of mine that has a password is getting a new password.

I've already changed a couple of them, but I have a whole list to update (and a copy of said list might have been on my missing flash drive). Being the crazy person that I am, I have many, many email address and various accounts tied to each email address. Every time I open a web browser, I feel like someone could be trolling out my passwords.

Password construction has been going all week. I have a couple good ones. The lists tops off around thirty, so I still have some work ahead. Password creation is a tricky subject; I've heard lots of ideas about how to make passwords and more specifically, how to remember passwords. Frequent use tattoos most passwords to my brain; I guess I'm just sharp like that. The ones I don't use often get written down (typed up) and stored where I can easily access them. Unfortunately, when the storage is digital, there's always the risk of corruption, theft, cash, or simply misplacement. So I make my list, print said list, store it in a Resident Evil 2 GameCube game case, and save the original file (usually a text document) in some obscure folder on my hard drive.

Oh crap, now the Internet knows where I hide my passwords.

I am ashamed to admit this, but one of my passwords I've had since high school. It's my favorite one, no doubt. I am going to change it. To honor its memory, I'll drop a visual clue.