Start to finish without sleep.

[Xanath]

So, I'm planning exactly what the title suggests - I've done this with countless games in the past, the difference here is that I'm interested in partnering up with someone to make the experience that much more interesting.

I come from an extremely competitive background and want to thoroughly annihilate any challenge this game presents. When I finish Normal, I want to say that I'd explored every nook and cranny, completed every quest presented (main and side), and generally overcame everything in my way. When I do sleep and wake up, I want to feel I've earned the right to step into the next level of difficulty and hash everything out all over again - provided my interests and the challenge, more than anything, are still there.

I'm planning to start out with a "Warden" that utilizes primarily the passive abilities of Defense (with Rally/Inspiration, of course) in conjunction with the spear-augmentative firepower of Hunting. I would probably be well-complemented by a pure DPS type (though without knowing the details of threat generation, I'd have to assume I'd be better off with a ranged partner than melee).


If you've a similar goal and don't think I'm a crazed lunatic powergamer (which I would actually take as a compliment), post up and let's see how much of a challenge this game really poses. Please have Ventrilo (I've a server available), a teamwork-centric mindset, and (depending on the netcode) it would probably help if you're not thousands of miles from FL, USA. I'll be starting as soon as I get ahold of a copy, which will hopefully be tomorrow or more than likely Tuesday - wouldn't mind holding off on starting if I can get a partner, though.

Any takers?


-Xanath


EDIT 1: Pre-launch, 26JUN:
Alrighty! Have at least one fellow powergamer willing to make the marathon work. Pesus brought up the idea of that we'd probably be better off trying for more people - right now, with him and I, we have a Warden and either Warlock/Druid (depending on which he'd be better off playing). Again, looking for people willing to sit in for the long haul with an orientation to teamplay (i.e. giving gear to who it's best suited, picking abilities to make the party and not necessarily yourself more powerful, etc.). Assuming on how difficulties scale, we're assuming that with the right group composition (little redundancy), we might even be able to power through more than one difficulty before turning in - in the end though, we're only human and can only go so far as the game remains interesting. Anyone else down?

EDIT 2: Morning, 27JUN:
Planning to start 5 PM EST. Still hoping for last minute additions player-wise. Ventrilo will be private, expect server name "Marathon X" with password "llama" - everyone's welcomed to drop by! Just keep in mind that once we're rolling, we're not stopping.

EDIT 3: T-Minus 10, 27JUN:
Setback! Pesus is having trouble getting ahold of his copy - he's expecting to be up and running by about 4 PST. Server won't be going up 'til he's ready, still time for anyone else to jump onboard. AIM XanathSVR for Vent info.

EDIT 4: 7 EST, 27JUN:
Game's up! Marathon X, password llama. Slackman, Pesus, and I rolling momentarily. Time to find out if the wait's been worth it...

EDIT 5: Midnight, 29JUN:
Act 1 Completion: 8.5 hours.
Act 2 Completion: 4 hours.
Act 3 Completion: 4.5 hours.
Final Level: 32

The verdict? Higher difficulties will tell, though I'll probably hold for a patch to try and grind that mess out again. GameSpy was a nightmare, couldn't keep people connected - we ended up switching over to Hamachi, though gameplay-related crashes came and went fairly regularly for everyone. All in all, I'd have to say the end-game here is going to depend on the mod community unless Legendary is a stark contrast to Normal and what I've seen of Epic thus far (gone about as far as the demo's length).

[ScottyBones]

Dude I would love to join you but unfortunately I have to work. Keep us updated and let us know how it goes. Maybe we can meet up this weekend if you haven't already beaten all three difficulties.


P.S. I'm originally from Orlando, where in Florida do you live?

[Xanath]

Originally Posted by ScottyBones

Dude I would love to join you but unfortunately I have to work. Keep us updated and let us know how it goes. Maybe we can meet up this weekend if you haven't already beaten all three difficulties.


P.S. I'm originally from Orlando, where in Florida do you live?

Will do and sounds good!
I'm sitting in Port Saint Lucie right now, little town 'bout an hour southeast of Orlando.

[ScottyBones]

Originally Posted by Xanath

Will do and sounds good!
I'm sitting in Port Saint Lucie right now, little town 'bout an hour southeast of Orlando.

I might be moving to Punta Gorda, what a small world.

[chooch709]

Got redbull?

[siege]

Good luck with that. The game is supposed to be about 30-40 hours long doing all the sidequests.

[LordDivine]

Too bad i'm from Denmark, but a powergamer none the less

1-50 in 3½ days when DAoC US Classic servers launched, set 8 man with 7 other powergamers ftw

Hope there's more gamers out there with the same spirit

[Safaex]

Originally Posted by chooch709

Got redbull?

Gots plenty of bull copies :s

[frankenparrot]

Nope...best of luck to you. That will be impressive!

[Stu]

Good Luck Xanath, be sure to post how it all goes.

Personally, that seems a bit crazy to me, I'd rather take it slow and fully enjoy the full game.
I always to it, as it makes me feel like it was money well spent.

But I'm not saying that It's a stupid way, of course everyone has their own gaming style.
Post up and tell everyone how it goes. :-)