Sword 2 - Granado Espada

"God save us, everyone, We're a broken people living under loaded guns"
- Linkin Park - The Catalyst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51iquRYKPbs

Damn that song. 2 weeks stuck in my head. And still hasn't got annoying.

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I promise, after this post, i'll make the China Glaze Crackle swatches post.
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- Ready to fire!
- YES SIR!

My signature for forums from when my characters reached expert.


So, you gonna keep stalling or you'll actually tell us about the freakin' game?

Chill, I'm on it!



Granado Espada is a game based after the colonization of the three americas.
It tells the story of the pioneers of the New World, the wars between Republicans and Royalists and much more.

I found this game in the weirsest possible way...

Ok not the very weirdest, but in a curious way.


I have a large collection of images i gathered along the years. And my warrior-gamer-geek-medieval soul is obsessed with female armor. But ACTUAL female armor. Not metal bikinis. How the HELL someone survives a battle with metal bikinis? Some sort of doom seductive thing that stuns men? What if theres other women? Theyll stab you due to jealousy!

BACK TO THE POINT
I ended up finding in one of those image-hunt adventures, this image:

I was quite curious towards what that game was, but I forgot to research about it.

Few years later, researching for a game online to replace my boredom of Ultima Online and Lineage 2 [I barely reached level 20. You see i played in a Brazilian server. After three weeks my nation fellas annoyed me so deeply i ragequit. Later i'll explain how brazilian game annoyance works.]

And the name, Sword of The New World, really caught my eye.

When i clicked, i spazzed. It was the screenshot of the epic armor! I must check that out!

Then it kept getting better.



MCC.

Multi Character Control

In Sword, or GE - we use both as shorten names - You can control up to 3 characters at once.

Of course, in the beginning, it makes you very confused. But in a day of playing you already get used to it. Combined to it, is another two great things:


UPCs

Unique Playable Characters

In GE you can recruit the NPCs with quests and have your playable version of them. They usually have unique stances, combination of weapons and crafting skills.



Quarters

In the game, you don't create a player - you create a Family.
Families make so when you create a character, you are the surname, and your characters have your lastname as the player's name.

Quarters are the character's home, and can host up to 72 characters.

In the game, you start with 4 slots for them, and can buy coupons to increase it to max.

Click to enlarge



AFK Leveling

Sword is great for it's easy leveling.

There are three propotion levels to your characters:

100 - Veteran
110 - Expert
120 - Master
And soon also Grand Master - 130.

Then you look back at games you already know, and rememer the lifetime someone takes to get to lvl 80. Then you kneel, cry, and say: Master is impossible.

But wait little pal...

There's something ingame called spacebar mode.
With it, you can go AFK (Away from computer) and still have your characters killing mobs and gaining great amounts of experience, and you can even have a pet the picks the stuff for you from the ground.


Then what the hell will i do on a game that plays for itself?

Leveling is a few of the things to do in this game. Of couse, it's hell important, and everythign requires certain levels for getting to. You can also level activelly - it's more effective than afking and still fun.

The questline in Granado is great. It has historical facts hidden behind everything; the graphics are unbelievable. They have architetonic refferences from all over the world - and character references too.



There are daily missions that hapen through the day by a schedule; there are lobby missions - all raid you can do daily and don't need to wait for the mob spawn to get.

There are also great huge raids which you need to be in a great squad to achieve, and the prizes are awesome.



Clan Colony Wars

You're in the New World. And why did people come to the New World?

To make colonies.

Clan Colony Wars is, for now, the biggest PVP (Player Versus Player) event in GE.

Clans will war eachother to take colonies, disputing their domain and taking colonies from other clans.




Factions

Choose a side: Republican or Royalist?



The New World is divided between the two groups.

Royalysts and Republican battle for several things, including Tierra de Amor - A place that makes an experience increasing buff available for the faction that won the weekly war.

Currently, Sword 2 is on 6.0 patch. in 7.0 patch we will have World Faction Wars.

It will be an insane open world pvp where factions will fight eachother ALL OVER the map. And I really mean all. Even cities will take battles inside them.

This is the patch video:

http://youtu.be/If0Kw42uuQ8




Costumes


I have a personal joke that says deep down we, Granado players, are all Barbie doll addicts.

GE has a great feature: Costumes.

There are back costumes, wigs, hats, glasses, sunglasses, dresses, swimsuits, chicken costumes...

It's just endless.

And we love it.


I'm pretty known on Sword 2 forums for something i made long time ago:

The Costume Images Compendium

I had found a dieing site in where several costumes were presented with great exposure.

Instructions on browsing are in the first picture of the main album.

For those who don't know it, take a peek! There are screenshots there as well :)


Granado is, overall, an amazing game.

It's hard to put all the features in a single post. There are unique weapon statting features, market systems, Baron lands, gorgeous female chars and hot males, expert stances...

I'll be oftenly posting about my ingame advetures, and i'll make sure to explain what i'm talking about when i mention a feature.

Stay tuned!

Eollicaº~

Finally!

Kill it with fire.

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Oh my god I almost choked photoshop. But it's finally done!
Official headers and markers, after 5 hours of work, are set. Tactics & Plastics will be runnign free, fun and fashionable now.

And why did i take FIVE HOURS?

Simple: Dumbness.


After 1 hour creating a background [Ok, actually i used the same background to the header as the signature i just created for GE's game forums. I confess], adding the shield, spinning the sword, rifle and staff one by one, makinf it all ruffly...
I decided to close the stock images because i was having a hard time switching between so many into the actual work in progress.

Except I clicked the wrong one.

And of couse i said "no' when photoshop asked "Would you like to save changes on xxxx.jpg?'.

When the image dissapeared i cursed. Real hard.

And then i went through another hour to do everythign again -.-


But it was worth it!

The only thing really, really bothering me now is the lines dividing the tiled background. Why, why is it that when it mends horizontally theres no white line, but vertically, this crap makes a white line? I tried making a big image so it wouldnt tile, but then file was too big to upload



If some kind soul knows how to make it go away plz tell me!!


Now, i'm off to make a work for radio class. Later, await the intro of the game that got me hooked 3 years ago (and still does today).


Farewell, minions!

Winter Solstice - Beltane, The Eclipse and New Year

(Artwork by Don Dixon)


At the first hours of December 21st, 2010, North and South americans will be able to witness a spacial event that has last occured in the Winter Solstice of 1638.



The Eclipse will be total, starting at 2 am, GMT -3, and reach it's full cover at 5 am, GMT -3.

Thanks to the Daylight Saving time currently up, It will be still night in brazil, so we shall be able to see it!

Source: Wikipedia. Click here for a better view!


So what's the big deal about this?

Total eclipses are rare, those into enough geekness know. But what fascinates me isn't just that, but the date i'ts goign on.

The Winter Solstice in the Northen Hemisphere, or Summer Solstice in the Southen, is a pagan holiday celebrated by several ancient religions.

I can't help but being overwhelmed, specially being a huge fan of Mists of Avalon; The holiday celebrates rebirthing of the soul.

It is said that the date for Christmas being December 25th was a way of adapting the pagans into Christianism; Taking traditional celebrations from paganism and turning them into the new religion's helped with making them attach to the religion of Christ.

Personally, I still rather the Winter Solstice.



The famous Stonehenge was built as a sun observatory for rituals of such celebrations, as far as I know. I believe it's very likely a gigantic year-wise solar clock.

Also relating to the new year, this Eclipse seems to be the announcing approach of the year that is soon to come. Netherless, tonight points to all form of renewals, introduced by one of the most beautiful beings in our sky.

For us, southern people, the 21st december is also the longest day of the year.



So for those on summer vacation, dont forget some sunblocker for Tuesday and binocles for tommorow!

Enjoy!~

China Glaze's 2nite - Less sleep, more spaz! - Swatch

As my first self-instructing post, this will be a Plastic one.


Are you familiar with those amazing multicolor gift wraps?

Ever since I was a child, I was amazed by them.

Caught at my grandma's house, staring at them - She tends to keep away the papers for later wraps - I started to wonder... Somebody needs to make a paint out of this.

A few months later, I started looking up blogs, that added a lot to my polish addictions. And then I saw them.

Holographic Nail Polish.



Needless to say, I died a little bit when I saw them for the first time at lacquerized.

And decided i MUST HAVE ONE OF THOSE.

Then I went to my newest best online friend, looking for them aimlessly: eBay.

In Brazil, its pretty much impossible to find any of the brands that offeed the holographic polish: Nfu-Oh, China Glaze, and I believe Opi too. It was my first time buying online polish but I didnt care; I was lucky enough to find a seller with 2nite, the gray-silvery one, available for U$ 3,99 , while all the other sellers had them up to U$ 18 each.

What can I say? Quoting the writer of Unha Bonita
I was risking my life wearing it, staring at my nails under the sun in the middle of the street~




2nite is a very metallic, silver blue toned polish, while in shade. When the light hits it, it turns out to have the amazing rainbow shade. China Glaze's polish is great for having the sparkle while at the same time, it shimmers like a high quality lacquer. You can have the effect and coverage with a single layer of polish, but I wear two to intensify the color.

I shall soon post the watch of my second Holographic, LOL, a lilac purpleish one.

Also, soon I will post about color changing nail polish! Yes, you read that right.


01111000 01101111 01111000 01101111

(I used this site to translate "Xoxo" to binary code. Online geek pals, please warn me if it's a scam!! lol~)

Salutations, Explanations

Hail, oh hopefully soon followers!

Naw, don't worrie, really. I'm not all that geek. Ok ok fine, maybe just a little.




I hereby have the pleasure of introducing you to my newest blog. I've never been famous online. Maybe I never will. Maybe I will be in 10 to 20 years, when my book's out to be a best seller. Hey! A girl can dream. And keep secrets. :X

Dont worrie about my current sassy curly freaky background. It will change. For now, my poor Eee PC netbook of mere 8 inches is working hard to install theCS4 Photoshop that i've been procrastinating for the last... Half year? Something liek that. Netherless, expect EPIC on the way, because I am a ninja photoshopper. Or at least I think so. Don't worrie I did not photoshop my profile picture. Except for the cropping.

So Whats So Special about your blog, Missy?

- Oh! It is full of rainbows and sparkles and unicorns and glitter!

IM KIDDING IM KIDDING!!

(But probably eventually, there may be some sparks and tales.)

This blog is meant to converge two extreme edges of human personality and two extreme opposite addictions:

The Plastic and the Geek.

And I'm living prof that such person can exist.

I previously apologize my use of badwords; they slip out. After all, nothing can express hitting your pinky toe on the table edge like them.

Back to what I was saying:

I am the one twisted person with a nail polish, eyeshadow and notebook obsession, spending most of my time in front of a 10 inches screen. Addicted to drawing and writing, wondering and reading. I have a collection of over 20 giga of images in my computer from random artists, and sooner or later caught deeply into online games, specially Granado Espada. I'm still trying to engage to console games, but there's a few barriers for me.

I will eventually mention all of it in this blog. Among many other things.

This blog is about heaven, hell and the inbetween, or the world, if you're atheist.

And as soon as I finish manipulating the interface, Posts shall begin!



Ps.: This blog will contain most posts in english, and others in both english and portuguese. Porquê afinal, não se pode negar de onde viemos!



Meanwhile, you could perhaps, pweeety please, visit some of the following!

My Deviant Art

My old dusty blog




Wish me luck and I shall see you soon!