Altered Tundra

Discussion: Microtransactions in Games

@Monacho I don't think I would consider DLC packages part of the trend of microtransaction. In my experience, microtransactions have been utilized for things as simple as items that help you increase your stats. DLC has always seemed like additional portions of the game. Sure, some DLC hasn't always been the greatest for certain games, but to some, it's been worth it.

Discussion: Microtransactions in Games

Certain games tend to have these kinds of systems to where real life cash give you in-game currency and that it's the focus of the game. As in, you wouldn't be able to play the game effectively if you didn't have copious amounts of the green stuff. Now, as someone who has played his fair share of free-to-play games that utilize microtransactions(Naruto Online, Mobius: Final Fantasy, and Forge of Empires, just to name of few), I can say with absolute certainty that each treats this system different.

Let me start with the worst of the bunch: Naruto Online.

This is a game that is rigged from the start. Be it from the pseudo-gambling "treasures" within this game or refinement runes that are needed to up certain attributes, this is a game that hardly offers anything useful in the long term for those who prefer the free-to-play(using time to increase your overall stats) as compared to going the pay-to-win route, which, as you could probably guess, is using your money to shortcut your way through it. Even when you do use irl cash, you hardly get anything unless you throw in thousands of dollars.

And this is all because the company that runs the NA servers, Oasis, are pretty much on the same level as EA: all they care about is the cash-money. The players will doubtless express their concerns about how they [Oasis] run the game, but at the end of the day, they don't care. Even after being outed by one of their former admins, they continue to utilize the same practices. PEople still play the game because it's quite the addiction, but less and fewer people go for it in the long-run.

Forge of Empires, however, isn't so shady. Same with Mobius. Both games, though they utilize microtransactions, offer plenty of events and chances for the free-to-play players a chance to grow in power with the other players in the game who use the cashmoney to get ahead.

And now we arrive at my point.

I don't like microtransactions and I loathe how they hinder the jinder in all of us. I hate how we won't be able to fully enjoy the game because I lack the irl cash to give me the in-game currency, but I can also see how it's necessary for certain games. At the end of the day, it really is about how each gaming company manages the game. If they offer you chances to get the IGC without having to use the change out of your wallet, then it's not so bad, but if it's utilized in games you've already paid full-price for, then that makes you the lowest of the low.

Book Game

Up on the top of the hill and around the corner, and Maxi's house would be the fourth one on the right.

Broken Time by Maggy Thomas

Naruto: Revival

^{Konohagakure | Chunin | NinTai-nin}

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^{TIME: Present Day - Morning | LOCATION: Kohonagakure - Training Field | INTERACTION: Hokage Clone, Cloudy Eyes: The Sequel @Ladyinink, Light the Way @Grey Sama Gonna Build that Wall @BladeX Little Miss Impatichiha @Eis Yui-a bitch @GlitchyBugger}

Jaakuna had to admit that it was a clever plan. One, the fact that there had been some fakes spread throughout the very innocent civilians of Kumo made it nigh impossible for Jaakuna nor his teammates to forsake everything and kill this person before they could do anything. The fact that some plants were within the group of hostages was, in some regard, making Jaakuna and the others on the team hostages themselves. To make matters worse, their choice was easy. They were given specific indicators, but the actual action of resolving the issue of the fakes would prove to be more complicated than it needed to be.

“So, if we strike, they might explode.” Jaakuna mused aloud. His emerald eyes seemed to be going from the hostages to Yui every other moment. He was gauging every expression from all of them. Truthfully, Jaakuna wasn’t the type for this kind of thinking(or any for that matter), but the situation called for a different approach and he could be thoughtful when the situation demanded it.

As Jaakuna thought long and hard about what their captor had said as well as what Kiku had asked the group, he did like the idea of separating them. And, as it was noted beforehand, finding the fakes wasn’t the real issue - it was what’ll happen once they acted that made this complicated. Of course, what if they were given false information? Goddamn it, Jaakuna really wasn’t made for this kind of overthinking.

He scratched his hair out of frustration, looking directly to Yui. Part of him wanted to believe this was false information, but there simply wasn’t enough of the facts to convince him. “Let’s just do what you said, Kiku. Our choices are limited as is. The innocents are more important that weighing the odds are.”

Music Appreciation Thread

@Arya10108909 Not exactly sure what I just listened to, but do you know what? I honestly don't care because this was refreshingly pleasant. I got an earnest delight from listening to this. I'm not one for these types of folkish songs, but this one seems to be one of the rare few that got me to smile. 8/10

Buuut, I'm bringing it back to hard rock and metal. >>

Roots by In This Moment

Dance With The Angels - A GFX Shop by Altered Tundra

@Altered Tundra
Hey Tundy! I'd love a banner. It's for my bio so if it fits I'm happy :)
Here's the photo- i.imgur.com/LOjT9rQ.jpg
I'd like it to say. 'Friends' come and go but your chosen family are a gift. They will be with you forever, even if only in your hearts and your thoughts

@SouffleGirl123

And here ya are! :)

Hi everyone

Simple yet effective. Like a fart in a crowded elevator.

I mean, welcome~! :D

Hi lin the lewdy here :>

Well then. You sure are a...unique breed of internet folk, aren't ya?

I mean, welcome to the Guild. I'm sure you'll find people to RP with. Though not public, the site does have a decent ERP following. Just adhere to the rules and you shouldn't run into any problems with your search. :)

Time Stops For Fire(Altered Tundra and Hero)

Mood music

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It had been hard for Savayna to gauge what actually was happening to her. Just a minute ago, all but her sense of touch had faded away. She couldn’t hear what the two of them were saying. She couldn’t see their two faces. If it wasn’t for that final sense, Savayna wouldn’t even know what was going around her. Savayna had only the feeling of a gentle caress stroking her arm until there came the feeling of a warm glow surrounding her body. She couldn’t hear anything, so she couldn’t tell if this was a misleading glow that would soon reveal itself into what her mind convinced her was death or if it was going to cure her.

Even being in the darkness for only a minute, Savayna did not do well. She just never realized how much she valued the simplest things like being able to see the sight of that idiot Jaakuna and the bothersome Nadeline. She didn’t realize how essential it was to her mental health to hear her ex-husband’s voice and how he never thought about what he said. He simply said it and hoped for the best. Savayna never knew how much she would miss hearing the princess scold her for doing what Jaakuna always did. She didn’t realize just one or two minutes in the silent blackness that she would find herself missing all of that.

And as she counted down the time, her mind began to race back and forth from the past to the now, and all the way into the future that she had planned out once everything had been settled with the Creature and eventually Venat. Her mind was still her own. She had that at least and with it, she could picture all of Ivalice celebrating the union of the three great nations with Wesley and Nadeline marrying, uniting Dalmasca and Rozarria. She saw the union of Archadia and Dalmasca with the arranged marriage between Wesley’s younger sister, Cassandra and Jaakuna’s older brother, Roman.

And then, in the distance, on top of what seemed like the balcony of the palace of Stigma, she saw it. She saw her in a dress that glistened like fresh snow at the peak of winter and her hair elegantly folded above her head, tucked in several layers with a few strands hanging over her forehead, showing just how beautiful she was when she had been given the works.

In this scene that she was picturing and that had flashed before her was a future where she was about to get married to Grant, who was directly across from her. His hair was put in a single ponytail, though, due to the length of his hair, it still fell down to his midback. He had royal Rozarrian robes on that had the emblem of House Roselia on the center.

Savayna was admiring every inch of his body and how handsome he truly looked. She was savoring this moment. The sight in which she and Grant, throughout all of their troubles they had in their time together, this was it. They had made and all eyes were on them.

Behind Savayna, dressed in varying shades of blue and white, were Nadeline and Emiri who had looked nearly as beautiful as Savayna herself was. She saw Wesley and Jaakuna behind Grant. Separating all of them was the High Priest of Stigma’s First Church. His mouth moved and the sacred rites of marriage began to be recited from the ancient texts. This was it. The final moments of Savayna’s planned life. All of it amounting to this.

Or at least, it’s what her life would’ve been like. Had she lived to that point, it would’ve been the perfect end of her adventuring days and the start of her life as Empress of Rozarria and wife to GRant Marshal Roselia. The man who tamed the Ice Queen of Glacie. The one whom she loved with all of her heart. But most importantly, Grant was the one who wouldn’t even be by her side as all of that which she had dreamed.

And as she let the final thoughts linger for a moment longer, a sort of mental timer went off. Five minutes are up already, huh? She let out a smile, chuckling at how the Gods truly wished her to rot in her own pity. They put her through trial after trial only to let her take her leave from Ivalice’s soils because of selfish, hume greed. All of the livelihood had faded and she would only have herself to blame.

In the end, it truly didn’t matter. No one was to blame but Savayna Glacie, the Ice Queen of Archaida. She was at complete fault. So, might as well embrace the facts. This is your ending. The story has been written and in an ironic twist of fate, her undoing was an unexplained curse put upon her.

Savayna…

What sort of torture were they pulling up there? Within minutes, they had robbed her of all senses, but right when she accepted what life led her, now she heard a voice. Now was the time that she would be able to hear something that wasn’t her own consciousness? Truly, what lows weren’t out of bounds for them?

Savayna! Can you hear us?

Of course, I can hear you, but why are you doing this to me? Just..just…”Just leave me alone!” Savayna shouted, standing up as she took out her Ice Queen Sword, raising it high above her head.

In that moment, frost glimmered in her eyes, scanning around her. This seasoned general of battle had only the short moments in front of her to figure out what was happening. Above everything else, the first thing she noticed was the ground she had been looking at. Grey stone laid beneath her feet..her feet, which had been robbed of her were in her periphery. Those snow-colored heels and her blue nail polish shining with her porcelain skin. Savayna’s heart skipped a beat, then another one as she slowly rose her sight from the ground and slowly took in the sights of familiar features: golden hair and emerald eyes, and another set of golden locks with eyes like sapphire. She saw both of them look back at her.

She wasn’t sure what was happening? Was this the afterlife? It had to have been. What other explanation was there? These Gods truly loved to toy with their creations, didn’t they? “I’m not going to fall for your lies!” Savayna took a big step backwards, arming her free hand with an idle blizzaga spell.

“Savayna what are you doing? It’s okay. You’re fine now. Nadeline healed you.”

She shook her head, blocking out all of the sounds of what sounded like Jaakuna’s voice. She knew better than to let this facade confuse her. No, she would not let them deceive her. She was dead and whatever they tried to put into her mind, claiming she wasn’t was, to her, a lie of the worst kind. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Savayna charged forward, pushing her free hand forward as a wave of powerful ice magick consumed her sight as it made contact with two swords. The image of Jaakuna blocked it with a fire spell, but Savayna wasn’t done there. Her sword, on her command, floated from her hand and twirled over Jaakuna and what looked like Nadeline and began to replicate what she had done before: a tornado of air and ice gathering and shooting down to swallow both of them in the chilly breeze.

Current Mood in One Gif

>When you ask the voices in your head if you're okay and they lie and be like...