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Thread: Is it Fun?
Jun 19 2012 09:08 PM #1
Is it Fun?
Good question. Here's a very interesting article about fun from Colin Johanson, lead content designer for some other MMO. It's all about, fun. The paragraphs that hit me in the eye:
"The answer can be found in the mechanics and choices made in subscription-based MMOs, which keep customers actively playing by chasing something in the game through processes that take as long as possible. In other words, designers of traditional MMOs create content systems that take more time to keep people playing longer. If this is your business motivation and model so you keep getting paid, it makes sense and is an incredibly smart thing to do, and you need to support it.
When your game systems are designed to achieve the prime motivation of a subscription-based MMO, you run the risk of sacrificing quality to get as much content in as possible to fill that time. You get leveling systems that take insane amounts of grind to gain a level, loot drop systems that require doing a dungeon with a tiny chance the item you want can drop at the end, raid systems that need huge numbers of people online simultaneously to organize and play, thousands of wash/repeat item-collection or kill-mob quests or dailies with flavor text support, the best stat gear requiring crazy amounts of time to earn, etc.
But what if your business model isnt based on a subscription? What if your content-design motivations arent driven by the need to create mechanics that keep people playing as long as possible? When looking at content design for Guild Wars 2, weve tried to ask the question: What if the development of the game was based on wait for it fun?"
Read on: http://www.arena.net/blog/is-it-fun-...asures-success
Jun 19 2012 10:18 PM #2
While I disagree that the subscription-based model is the cause, the "grind = content" attitude is very ingrained in both MMO developers and players. ANet is talking pretty big about dismantling that concept, but it's yet to be seen how well they can put their (our?) money where their mouth is. From what I've read, it's sort of a mixed bag currently.
::: The Waywatchers of Cardolan : The Palantiri :::
Balgr Snowmantle: Curmudgeon :.Saladoc Willowleaf: Stick-in-the-mud
Ciruth of Gondor: Itinerant Scholar : Halvr, Khasi Flamebrow, and Kholi: At your service!
Austreven.of Cobalt (Bismarck)
Jun 19 2012 10:24 PM #3
A factor that isn't mentioned there is that gamers--particularly good gamers--can chew through content far, far faster than any reasonable team can develop it.
--W. H. Heydt
Old Used Programmer
Jun 20 2012 12:24 AM #4
Then there are players like me that don't ever want the game they enjoy playing to end, or in other words, they try to never actually get to endgame. For me, the best part of a game is how your character develops and what he/she acquires along the way(both skills and items) while exploring every nook, cranny and conversation in the game, not just racing to endgame content which in most mmos is raiding for equipment so you can raid some more, oh and of course bragging rights for having got there....
Unfortunately this "journey" kind of gameplay, in most current models, is less profitable for the stockholders because their developers haven't tapped into the ready and willing market for cosmetic choices and hobbies that allow said players to expand their game without taking away from those who prefer to hack and slash their way to the end so they can move on to the next "newly released" game, or penalizing those who are more patient and would rather take an even longer road to acquire those special items, albeit while paying a subscription fee to do so.
LoTRO has probably done as good a job at "tapping" as any, unfortunately they are doing so in a manner that is making their longtime subscribers question whether they've just become another wallet to be siphoned as quickly as possible, instead of the valued loyal member that they had previously been treated as.
Jun 20 2012 12:29 AM #5Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming "WOW, what a ride!"
Civ II rules after all these years......
Jun 20 2012 12:30 AM #6
Only if that content is disposable, one-time-use content. FFXI (and I'm sure other games, as well) has had dynamic content (example: Besieged) since early '06, and six years and 24 levels later it's still relevant to the playerbase and still draws hundreds of players each occurrence. That's just one event, though. Build an entire game around that concept and you can have an endless supply of something interesting to do without relying on rote repetition or artificial time sinks.
Turbine made a halfhearted attempt at adding dynamic content (Annuminas, Forochel), but quickly abandoned it when it became obvious that the playerbase would rather obsessively hump the Rift (for worthwhile gear) than do something fun and interesting (for what amounted to fugly cosmetic outfits). Go figure.::: The Waywatchers of Cardolan : The Palantiri :::
Balgr Snowmantle: Curmudgeon :.Saladoc Willowleaf: Stick-in-the-mud
Ciruth of Gondor: Itinerant Scholar : Halvr, Khasi Flamebrow, and Kholi: At your service!
Austreven.of Cobalt (Bismarck)
Jun 20 2012 12:48 AM #7
Jun 20 2012 01:01 AM #8
None of that correlates to Lotro, where they have accelerated the pace you go through the game and leveling is so quick, you out-level a quest hub having done only a portion of the content (I couldn't even imagine it with VIP rest XP).
If you really want to learn about fun, read about Flow, a psychological explanation of what provides "fun", or the most joy.
You might be surprised at how closely Lotro (and the general MMO experience) fits that, particularly the challenge meeting the reward, losing yourself in the activity, etc. (Ever notice that easy piddling quests offer minimal reward, while the harder challenges offer more, ever wonder why? Now you know why simple festivals give fluff and hard instances give goodies. Now you know why there's a bigger carrot at the end of a long grind. And why grinds without carrots, virtue deeds for example, are generally detested.)
However none of that has to do with the subscription model. And since Lotro now has multiple subscription models (monthly subscribers, lifetimers, F2P, and people who do both, a hybrid), the generalizations of that article don't really apply. If anything, it frees them from those constraints.
They don't seek to keep people on the subscription path, they expect some churn, and instead continually draw in new folks--thereby negating the need to draw out the existing content. And it's working, as evidenced by their increasing how much XP folks get from level 50 onward a few updates ago.
"Sometimes survival comes down to not being hit. Actually, most times." -the chicken skill, Bob and WeaveClick here for our community LOTRO store pricelist, conversion rates and pictures, please contribute too!
Jun 20 2012 10:40 AM #9
Neat stuff, but carrot-on-a-stick game design doesn't get me there. There's nothing intrinsically rewarding about simple, repetitive tasks (just ask any factory grunt), nothing challenging about "on farm" content, and nothing skillful about waiting for the RNG to roll in your favor. The reward at completion doesn't factor in; flow (as presented in that article, at least) is about the reward for participation, and there's precious little of that in traditional MMO design.
Also, that concept of flow has very little to do with "fun". Fun is entertainment; flow is engagement, and the two don't necessarily go hand-in-hand.::: The Waywatchers of Cardolan : The Palantiri :::
Balgr Snowmantle: Curmudgeon :.Saladoc Willowleaf: Stick-in-the-mud
Ciruth of Gondor: Itinerant Scholar : Halvr, Khasi Flamebrow, and Kholi: At your service!
Austreven.of Cobalt (Bismarck)
Jun 20 2012 10:47 AM #10
I can answer this question with one word... Here goes... Ahem... Yes!
My signature is brocken.... Oh woe is me
Jun 20 2012 10:55 AM #11
I disagree.
I love Besieged and Campaign, and do them a lot as I like the free-form chaotic nature of unorganised 'group' activity (100 people killing Medusa is awesome ), however your idea that an entire game could be successfully built around such a concept think I flawed: if that's all there is to do then even 'dynamic' content like that (and let's be honest here, Besieged is pretty rigid in how it works, and the only really 'dynamic' aspects of Besieged and Campaign in the randonmess of the enounters) will become boring.
Also, the FFXI playerbase is still grinding gear in 2012 as it was in 2006, they're still grinding gil for relics, cruor (sp?) for AF3 in lolAbyssea, etc. Besieged, Campaign and one or two other game mechanics are simply entertaining diversions for brief periods between the grinding sessions.
GW2 will fail, I have no doubt, to bring about a significant new type of MMO. I'm not saying it will 'fail' as a game, by all accounts it has some features that players will enjoy and, after all, GW1 was a bit different from the more conventional MMO and did very well.
Jun 20 2012 11:03 AM #12
I've asked myself this question a lot when playing LotRO and for many of their systems I've come to the conclusion that it's not fun and that enjoyment couldn't have even been among their design objectives. For example I find it impossible to believe that anyone would really think people would enjoy picking flowers for an hour. Other examples include the way fishing and slayer deeds have been implemented but there are numerous other systems in this game that I simply cannot believe anyone designed to be fun or as anything other than the grind explained in the article.
I usually choose not participate in these activities as much as I can and I look forward to playing GW2 to see how much truth there is to their claim. From what I've seen in the beta weekends it certainly seems to have some truth.
Jun 20 2012 11:07 AM #13
Did we need another Guild Wars 2 vs LOTRO thread? I mean, really? Did we? Is there anything left to say? Is anyone really going to change their mind?
Just because a Lead Developer says something in an interview doesn't mean GW2 is better. Ooooo! He said 'fun'! It must be fun then!
There are many different games to suit many different tastes. We are all well aware that GW2 is on its way and it's soooo big! Yup. And some of us, myself included, have already bought the game. This is the LOTRO forum. Not the Guild Wars 2 vs LOTRO forum. This is general discussion. About THIS game. Meaning the actual game. Like stuff in the game.
I am so tired of GW2 hype.
Jun 20 2012 11:24 AM #14
Well we had to have SOMETHING replace the SW hype. So I guess GW2 is the flavor of the quarter.
I have lost track of all the games that were going to destroy LotRO. So this will last a few more months until GW2 is released, then many will run off and play and after the cheap introduction sub fee period is gone, folks will be back as they have always done over the last 5 years.
Then a new XYZ game will be announces and we will get a new hype thread. LOL
Jun 20 2012 11:28 AM #15
One of the biggest annoyances I have with players is the belief in the following equation: something takes a long time = hard = fun.
This belief tends to lead to just throwing more monsters into a zone to fight through or run through or the grind where you need to get a bunch of stuff to succeed. Yet, these things don't neccessarily make something hard or fun. Witness the criticism over Moria. Nothing in Moria (out of the instances) was hard, it just took a while to get somewhere because of so many individually easy fights that didn't add up to anything hard either, even if you pulled large groups. Yet people still seemed to equate lots of easy mobs slowing down your movement speed to hard and fun.
Hard is actually having to break out of your standard button mashing button sequence and think about your surroundings, think about the way your skills actually work. This doesn't even require group play (another pet peeve. Just because something requires a group or raid doesn't mean it takes more skill). LOTRO is a beautiful game and I enjoyed the PvE to a point, but there's very little challenging in the PvE. I wish they could put more mechanics modelling freep vs creep fights where you need to make split second decisions and not just button mash. The epic quest in the Misty Mountains where you fight the Nazgul I remember as being one of the more challenging fights, though it was my first character so not sure how it would seem now.
I played Guild Wars alot and it was a blast. I liked the level cap of 20 because it really took out the grind and forced you to get better by just knowing your skills better (plus fighting elite bosses to cap your best skills). However, I heard so much criticism over the level cap from people so ingrained into believing a game could not be fun if you weren't grinding out levels. One of the reasons I like all the quests in LOTRO is because it allows you to change how you level with new alts. I hate having to do the exact same sequence of quests everytime I play a game, which is how most games do it.Last edited by avengingbananaslug; Jun 20 2012 at 11:30 AM.
Jun 20 2012 11:28 AM #16
I used to be quite dismissive, TBH. I remember seeing an early promo video & thinking, not my cup of tea.
Wasn't until the press beta prior to the start of pre-purchase w/beta access that my tune changed. Seeing a youtube vlogger free roam around Divinity's Reach tweaked my curiosity.
The exploration side of me KNOWS, this will be fun. I have never been curious about PvMP here, but WvWvW there looks ridiculously fun. The questing is presented in a much more organic fashion, but at the end of the day, it is questing. For me, not a problem as I don't mind taking that route. The more co-operative encouraged gaming is going to be a breath of fresh air. In my early days here, I used to help people, until I found out that is frowned upon. So now I tread extra careful, but it still feels unnatural to me. So really looking forward to that aspect. No more drama over ore nodes, etc.
Going to be a new learning curve with combat, but this would not be the first time I've had to relearn things. Also will be nice to never again have to sympathize for folk spending 2 (plus) hours making LFF calls for a tank, or healer. So that is just plain ole RELIEF to me.
As long as things are balanced out sufficiently for launch and the progression curves aren't terribly steep, I think I am going to have a blast working my way up to the most challenging content.
I guess I am also grateful to see someone not wholesale copy the WoW model (or what has become to be know as.) So another refreshing change there.
And visually, deeply satisfying. Soo... Overall, it definitely looks like fun to my eyes.
Jun 20 2012 11:43 AM #17
My main issue with participating in the closed beta for Guild Wars 2 was the lack of incentive to level up. You had essentially obtained all your skills for each weapon by level 15. Each subsequent level was more or less the same thing.. no new skills to look forward to, same strategy, no more customization.
I think you need a grind to have something to work towards. Guild Wars 2 didn't have that from the months I played. Since it's F2P though, I suppose this will work for them. They'll probably focus on pushing out expansions faster that may add new gameplay features.
Just my two cents.
Jun 20 2012 11:46 AM #18
Wow. Incredible article. Thank you for linking it.
One thing I took from this is their business model. They took the model one step further than most games, including this one in my opinion.
At the core of any MMO their model is to make money. It seems that arena net has incorporated their vision into this model. For example their vision is fun, they believe that they can derive their income by providing "fun". More "fun" = More money.
Compare this model with other games.
Providing a Grind = Money
Herding players into RMAH = Money
Ranking/achievement separation from other players = Money
Threat of performance (P2W) = Money.
Dynamic content = Money
Scripted content = Money
Each one of these models works, as they currently represent mechanics of several mmo's out there. If you saw these vision models on paper which one would you play?
*Lotro is still my favorite and tons of fun. With the exception of RMAH and P2W I think all of these are healthy and necessary portions of a successful game.Last edited by Armitas; Jun 20 2012 at 11:51 AM.
Jun 20 2012 12:06 PM #19
See, I think it could work.
Besieged may not be the best example (it's old, tied to a very grindy traditional MMO design, and was something of a departure from the rest of FFXI), but it's the only one I have personal experience with (the few times I dinked around in Campaign don't count any more than the 3-4 Annuminas runs I conned people into trying).
Expand on the concept so it's less structured, then apply it to multiple aspects of the game (PvE, PvP, crafting/resource gathering, weather, seasons, etc.) and I think you'd have a solid foundation to build an amazing game on. At the very least, a structured system where you have a chance for a different encounter than you did the last time is better than one where it's identical every run.
Either way, we won't know for sure until someone actually pulls it off.
Yeah, FFXI itself hasn't really changed that much. I love certain aspects of the game to death (XNMs, the job system, the underlying mechanics, certain boss fights), but taken as a whole I'd never claim it's anything other than an old-school carrot+stick MMO.
Those were my thoughts, also.
Amen to that. It absolutely blows my mind that some people don't make a distinction between those concepts.Last edited by CWood; Jun 20 2012 at 12:09 PM.
::: The Waywatchers of Cardolan : The Palantiri :::
Balgr Snowmantle: Curmudgeon :.Saladoc Willowleaf: Stick-in-the-mud
Ciruth of Gondor: Itinerant Scholar : Halvr, Khasi Flamebrow, and Kholi: At your service!
Austreven.of Cobalt (Bismarck)
Jun 20 2012 12:31 PM #20
Ah good, this is no longer in general discussion, so I don't have to kid glove my post to make it fit there any longer.
The MMO industry has gone stale. Sales have been declining across the board. It is overdue for a kick in the backside.
Unfortunately, suits are still oblivious. Copycat, follow the money, deadbeats; with puppy dog trained, pee on the paper followers.
They are more likely to throw in the towel and say the industry just isn't viable, then step out of the mold.
Obviously GW2 can't throw everything out of whack as some things need to be a tad familiar.
My 2 biggest concerns:
1.) Instead of copying WoW, new game devs will just copy GW2. It isn't about copying, it is about innovation & inspiration. Tried & true counts, certainly, but why is that an excuse for laziness? Mimicry is certainly flattering, and if floating in the wake of the big guy is easier than making your own, by all means... but at some point, the comfortable, just becomes complacent. Why get stale?
2.) New pie hype & dirty corporate fingers. The hype over GW2 is attracting attention. Folk who aren't part of the innovation process should have the good sense to stay the heck back from it. Nexon is a cause for concern. Can they add to the potency, or will they just dilute things? Grass roots tend to have roots, top down tends to topple. Basically ArenaNets success can also draw out the sharks. External pressures from power players and all that.
Anyway, glad this is no longer in the general section as maybe a legitimate discussion can happen now. The hypersensitivity over a This Vs That was well misplaced IMO. I will continue to play LotRO. This unique IP should be kicking over a few industry sacred cows itself.
Ah, that felt good!Last edited by Jarryd; Jun 20 2012 at 12:35 PM.
Jun 20 2012 10:13 PM #21
If GW2 causes Blizzard to make changes with WoW that remove the Holy Trinity from that game, then I will see that ArenaNet has made a direct impact on the industry. Blizzard is pretty apt to make changes when they see how the wind is blowing, so if they follow ANet's lead on this, you can be sure that the industry as a whole will also borrow from ANet's innovations, or simply innovate themselves (in a few cases).
Jun 21 2012 12:46 AM #22
Yes it is easy to unlock your weapon skills, but you seem to have discounted the utility skills. The ones that are unlocked via skill points. On BWE2 My mesmer made it to level 31 and still had quite a few utility skills to unlock, not to mention elite skills which aren't even available until level 30. If you only made it to level 15 then I can tell you that you really didn't even begin to see how your skills work together to synergize yet at that point. Around level 20 or so you will start to notice that the skills you have are situational and depending on which ones you bring to the battle, and how they work together when slotted on your skill bar you just might get you're butt handed to you a few times..lol. I know I did.
Personally I don't need grind of any kind. I had a blast exploring areas and finding new events and locations. Games should be fun & not work. Spending All day staring at my screen because my cook has to make food for herself and alts it's not fun, It's grind. Even the crafting grind is going the way of the DODO bird in GW2.
When you have the type of world where you happen upon various "quests" simply by exploring and not running for the NPC who has the marker over their head, you are almost guaranteeing a different leveling experience for a player who chooses to roll alts, as well as each player. The exception too that being the player who finds one path on their first toon & sticks to that path with alts.
When you make sure that no matter what level a player is they can still enjoy any content in any area, you remove the requirement too have repeatable content, because you can double, triple or even quadruple the amount of content available fairly easily. This also means you can add new content anywhere at any level and no one person is left out because they are too high to participate. While some people may genuinely enjoy raiding & repeatable content, it's been my experience while conversing with many others in the mmo community, that quite a few people find it at least annoying if not out right painful to have to run repeatable content to get the best items, gear, etc, only to have it outdated or relegated useless when the next level cap is added.
I personally don't mind doing an instance because that instance drops something that will look really cool on my character, and if I don't get the rare cool looking drop, but still get something well that's okay too, because at least I'm getting something. But to have to grind an instance because I need gear to grind another instance is not fun and not acceptable which is why most of my characters on LOTRO and WOW have never seen top end raiding gear. I don't want to take a few hours to run some content on the chance that I "Might" get some loot should the RNG favor me, or because I have to have x amount of tokens from the content to get it.
Playing a game shouldn't feel like work, it should feel like a game. The grind most MMO's have packaged and sold us for so long as a way to stretch out gameplay is not just not fun for a good portion of the game playing community. This fact seems to be evidenced in the way that most MMO's that have been out for any length of time, normally have a huge surge of activity from returning players because something new was added to it for people to experience.
I think Arena Net is on too something by making sure it's fun, because I mean if a game isn't fun then it by it's very definition does it really deserve to be called a game?Last edited by MrsAngelD; Jun 21 2012 at 12:56 AM. Reason: Spelling & Grammar
Jun 21 2012 01:59 AM #23
For me, the fun part is story. I like being involved in the lives of all these characters and traveling through gorgeous atmospheres along the way.
Jun 21 2012 02:36 AM #24
Jun 21 2012 02:54 AM #25
True, but I think that amulets and sigils had a large part in that.
Lot's of us are looking for something new. I'm tired of the same grind in MMO's. The sort of "oh, you'll die alot unless you grind X armour." Next expansion, X armour is useless, because Y armour is now here.
GW2 offered lots of fun. The small time in PvE I had I enjoyed, but got distracted. I was trying to do renown hearts and noticed a Dynamic Event nearby, then completed the rest of the chain.
Healerstevo - Rank 6 Warleader
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Browsing the forums till GW2 is released.
Jun 21 2012 03:21 AM #26
Are you freaking kidding me?
Some major expert in propaganda and marketing bla bla has convinced you that there is the first game ever that considered 'fun' as the prime motivation ?
Judging by this mind-bending bull they are keep talking. They are either afraid of nobody will be interested in that super casual pvp fest with xbox controll scheme. Or Anet is preparing the biggest F2P fraud till now.
If you want something fresh and inovative play tera. It looks so good its frightening. And it plays so smooth that it becomes a truly new mmo experience - sub based.
Jun 21 2012 04:49 AM #27
Jun 21 2012 07:37 AM #28
Well, it's important to bear in mind that we all have different definitions of "fun". Some like exploring, some like PvP, some like solving puzzles, and there are even some that like the mindless gear grind.
For me, personally, it's exploration and marveling at a beautifully developed gameworld. That's what's kept me in LOTRO all this time, and when time permits I still do it. I love lore, and I love story.
So using those criteria and judging by what I've seen with...um, kittens...so far--yes, it's fun.
Jun 21 2012 12:31 PM #29
Jun 21 2012 12:35 PM #30
#2 dumbest post on the forums, yay!
Aside from that, I haven't personally played GW2, but I am still massively excited for it. As a GW1 and Lotro founder, it's rather clear to me, and many others, that Anet are trying to change some of the decade long bland, stale MMO mechanics. And, with that, it appears to be a whole lot of fun.
As another aside, GW2 is really only being overly hyped by the players, not Anet themselves. So, blaming Anet for not creating the best thing ever really isn't fair at all. IMO, it will probably get overall Skyrim like praise. Skyrim freshened up the RPG market, but not without some flaws, and GW2 seems to be on the same track.
Jun 21 2012 12:37 PM #31
Jun 21 2012 12:38 PM #32
Jun 21 2012 12:50 PM #33
Jun 21 2012 02:47 PM #34
Could it be the character graphics style that isn't to your taste since this game certainly has its own grinding too(tasks/deeds/rerunning dungeons/skirmishes for drops so you can move on)? I do really like LoTRO's graphics style even though it would be very nice if we had a bit more character customization, but for gameplay I'm holding out for ArcheAge because it seems to be the first game on the horizon that harks back to my UO sandbox memories, albeit with much younger(FF style) looking character models. I'm more worried that they will do the typical f2p/p2w style that has been all the rage rather than a good solid sub based game. :/
Now if it's the lore that keeps you, I doubt you're going to find anything else that has works such as Tolkien to draw from... and try to stay within the boundaries of. I know alot of people slam WoW for it's "lore", but I've been reading the books that came after and I have to say they are engaging and have definitely made that game more than just a place to hang out when I got tired of deeding or waiting for a group so I could play through the quest line in this one. Whether the story and gameplay in ArcheAge will meet expectations, who knows, though as a sandbox much of that will be up to the people who play it but the teaser videos from their beta testing surely do look like everyone is having fun!Last edited by Newtoo; Jun 21 2012 at 02:49 PM.
Jun 21 2012 07:52 PM #35
Really? None of that?
From the first post:
" loot drop systems that require doing a dungeon with a tiny chance the item you want can drop at the end, raid systems that need huge numbers of people online simultaneously to organize and play, thousands of wash/repeat item-collection or kill-mob quests or dailies with flavor text support, the best stat gear requiring crazy amounts of time to earn,"
Sounds all too familiar to me.
By being both subscription-based and F2P at the same time, LOTRO has an even wider variety of fleecing strategies from both business models to choose from. LOTRO just doesn't employ all of those strategies. In this case, Turbine had simply chosen to make levelling easy and instead pile all of the grind into other aspects of the overall gameplay. If a character isn't at end-game, that character certainly has little motivation to invest more in LIs, virtues, raid buffs, stat tomes, PVP consumables, amongst other things.
Not directed at you in particular, but I want to quote this because it's one of the main things uninformed and new players to the game are misunderstanding.
You are not supposed to focus on the renown hearts specifically. The basic objectives of the hearts appear to be close approximates to the traditional types of quests that we're all so used to by now, so it's hard to get out of that habit.
Players who fill one heart with menial tasks and then move on to grind the next heart are missing the point and missing out on a lot of content, i.e. the dynamic events, and rewards and EXP. The hearts are just there as hints on where some dynamic events might take place. The basic objectives of the hearts are just there for you to kill some time before the next event pops up. The dynamic events are not "distractions". If you participate in and follow through with the event chains, the hearts will fill up naturally as a side effect. The events are the actual quests, so-to-speak, with storylines and cause-and-effects. The hearts are more like LOTRO's reputation vendors in that sense.
GW2's PVE experience is very skewed towards exploration and "completionism", which works well for people who like exploration. Players who are too used to the traditional questing structure do need to drop the "grind this quest hub, move on to next quest hub" mentality though.
Jun 21 2012 08:58 PM #36
That was my biggest hurdle in enjoying Bethesda's single player RPG, Skyrim. In fact, that hurdle was so big that by the time I over came that hurdle in dropping the quest hub mentality I had to start over and make another character to enjoy the game the way it was meant to be played.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming "WOW, what a ride!"
Civ II rules after all these years......
Jun 22 2012 12:34 AM #37
I was referring to Tera. I didn't really want to go to much into it, because if bastardoGrande is happy there, then I don't want to bash a game someone is enjoying. I hope he finds his niche & is happy playing there. So I only stated the one positive thing I know for a fact about Tera; it's combat system is very solid (tight.)
I do have a list of things I don't like beyond the Asian style grinder elements. If I were to start that list with:
The smart among you will probably understand the gist of what else would be the top items on that list.
Anyway, this thread is about how game monetization models effect design & how subscription based games, design with maintaining a players sub in mind.
GW2 won't be designing around a subscription model. They will have a cash shop. So we shall see if they design the cash shop around the game, or the game round the cash shop. I, and pretty much everyone who is showing interest in GW2 is hoping it is the former, rather than the latter.
Time will tell. Pandaria looks entirely like a contrivance to me. I wonder how long Blizzard will keep 'Titan' on the back burners.
If GW2 does hit, I expect we'll see Blizzard pull Titan out from hiding and start working on it in more 'official' ways. If it doesn't, I would expect them to milk the industry behemoth for a few more expansions.
As far as dropping the Holy Trinity? I don't think so. WoW players are some of the best trained MMO'ers out there.
Jun 23 2012 11:26 AM #38
I agree. I have had more fun playing GW2 in beta than I ever had playing EQ1 or LOTRO (played each for 5 years).
There is also no hype as some claim in this thread.
Turbine has been locking and deleting the GW2 threads, which speaks for itself what they are worried about.■ Windows7 x64 ■ Asus M4A87TD EVO Motherboard ■ AMD Phenom 1055T CPU ■ XFX 6950 2GB Video Card ■ Samsung T260HD Monitor ■ 8GB G.Skill DDR3 ■ Asus Essence STX Sound Card ■ XFX 750w PSU ■ Intel 80GB SSD ■
Jun 23 2012 11:37 AM #39
I started to have more fun in Lotro after moving in RP server. It's good to stop grinding and do that for a while.
Until people pull up all their instruments and start so called "music wars". Lol...Last edited by Lindaelle; Jun 23 2012 at 11:42 AM.
'There now the numbers of Eldar increase,' Voronwë said, 'for ever more flee thither of either kin from the fear of Morgoth, weary of war.'
In Laurelin - Lover of Tolkien's lore
Jun 23 2012 03:26 PM #40
I don't think being worried is the reason. The reason I say that is because when Rift was coming out they were locking and deleting all references to that game, and nothing was done about the Star Wars the Old Republic MMO. And the SWTOR threads had all sorts of LOTRO bashing and doom predictions too.
I'm guessing it's some sort of contract issue or the threads getting too nasty and mean.Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming "WOW, what a ride!"
Civ II rules after all these years......


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It was a somewhat disjointed post. I informed you all that I was officially six months clean. There was a photo of the week, and in the end I ran out of steam and just asked a bunch of (fairly) random questions.
We got quite a few responses to the questions, and I wanted to take the time to show you the results. Keep in mind that many people only answered certain questions. It was a very small sample of answers. Not only are the answers not indicative of the population as a whole, but they may not even be truly indicative of the readers of this blog in general. Even still, I had fun going over the numbers. Here are some of the results.
To Blog or Not to Blog
Of the people responding to that post, only 4% were shown to be non-blog writers. 22% of respondents made no indication in the body of their comment whether or not they were blog writers. Here the data had to be skewed slightly, because I knew that some from this group were blog writers. If someone didn't respond to the "do you write a blog" question, but I was familiar with their blog beforehand, I put them into the "writes a blog" category. The respondents indicating that they blog numbered 74%. I believe the "writes a blog" figure would have been higher had everyone given an explicit yes or no answer to this question.
Where Are You From
Readers of In Review who responded on the day of the posting in question proved to be from a wide range of places. Here they are:
California - 4 readers
Florida - 2 readers
Australia - 2 readers
Trinidad and Tobago - 1 reader
Kansas - 1 reader
The UK - 3 readers
North Carolina - 1 reader
Atlanta - 1 reader
Ohio - 1 reader
Canada - 2 readers
New York - 1 reader
Texas - 2 readers
Pennsylvania - 1 reader
St. Louis - 1 reader
Utah - 1 reader
New Jersey - 1 reader
Again, not all respondents answered this question. But just glancing at the list of folks who did respond gives us a pretty good idea of the kind of scope a blog can attain in just a few short months of operation. Pretty cool.
How Do You Find Blogs To Read?
I will just give you a quick list of the most popular ways readers responding that day use to find blogs to read. The most common ones were:
-Word of Mouth
-Blog Rolls (link lists from other blogs)
-Comments On Other Blogs
-Red Means Go! (Annah, you are a connector)
-Blog Of Note (the blogger system's daily blog recognition feature)
There were some other ones but these seemed most signifcant.
How Old Are You?
This data really made me smile. Quick stats of note regarding respondents to this question are as follows:
Youngest Reader - 17 years old (WOOT!)
Oldest Reader - 63 years old (I am humbled by this)
Average Age of Reader - 30.04 years old
Yay Or Nay On Capital Punishment?
I threw some of these questions in essentially as a farce, but this outcome really surprised me. First, I should be clear that some of the "yays" and some of the "nays" were teetering on being "undecided" but I tried to ascertain the feeling behind the response and compile a list that was as close to accurate as possible. I am displaying this stat visually below.

subset: commoncrawl


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Kildare & Wicklow »For a drive with a difference, check out the luscious landscapes of Kildare and Wicklow on the Grand Tour Touring Routes.
Spa & wellness »Ireland's most tranquil and secluded spots are home to some of the finest spas in the world. Why not try them out?
Irish Home B&Bs »Choose from remote farmhouses, seaside bungalows and cottages, city townhouses and historic estates. Each Irish Home B&B is Quality Assured by Fáilte Ireland.
Explore what's on »Ireland is filled to bursting point with amazing festivals and events. Let this year be the year that you see that amazing performance, run up that mountain or learn something new. Go on - catch some festival fever!
Explore special offers »Great value quality breaks await you in Ireland. Find the one just right for you - there's something for everyone. The fun starts here.
Search »Start your search for the perfect Irish break now. What's stopping you?
Hotels Finnstown Country House Hotel
WEEKEND BREAK: €110 in total - 1 B&B for 2 adults & 2 kids sharing in a Lawn Family Room. Includes full use of the leisure centre including swimming pool, steam room and tennis court. Bar food & Peacock Restaurant available for dinner, children's menus available in both. This is a weekend offer, valid March 12 to June 30, 2012.
At Finnstown Country House Hotel, guests will enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and unique charm, as it is tranquilly set in 45 acres of mature grounds. Located in Lucan, County Dublin, the hotel is just 25 minutes from the bustling activity of Dublin City Centre but also within reach of the beautiful Irish countryside of Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. Finnstown Country House Hotel provides a range of facilities, including cosy, modern bedrooms and comfortable suites with separate living areas. Rooms are furnished with hospitality tray, TV, Internet access, ironing facilities, hairdryer and more. During a stay at Finnstown Country House Hotel, guests can make use of the property's leisure centre. It includes a gymnasium, swimming pool, and tennis court, while several world-class golf courses are also available nearby. After spending some time on health and well-being, people can enjoy a splendid meal at The Peacock Restaurant, which is renowned for excellent food and service, and boasts an AA Rosette. The restaurant overlooks the estate's majestic grounds and serves up creative dishes made with fresh, local produce. There are also venues for private dining, conferences and banqueting, making the Finnstown Country House a wonderful venue choice for any kind of function, whether private or corporate.
Newcastle RoadLucanDublinRepublic of Ireland
Discover Ireland is not a booking site but below are your booking options


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Got another Pokemon that my brother didn't want. It came with:
Barrier: Doubles defense.
Mimic: Can copy a powerful move.
Psychic: STAB, good power, high accuracy.
Shadow Ball: Good power, high accuracy, used to deal with Ghost types, decent chance to lower Sp. Def.
Mr. Mime Learnset
Gen V
Mr. Mime (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 236 SAtk / 252 SDef / 20 Spd
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
Make use of Technician. Icy Wind gets a boost and slows down the foe. Charge Beam is boosted and has a great chance of raising your Special Attack. This is a make-shift BoltBeam combo. Magical Leaf provides further coverage and gets boosted by Technician. Also, it can be used to hit Sand Veilers. Psyshock gets STAB. Life Orb gives your moves more power. The EVs give you some bulk, along with enough Speed and Special Attack for Icy Wind and Charge Beam to help out.
Mr. Mime (M) @ Leftovers
Role: Sweeper Killer
Trait: Filter
EVs: 30 HP / 30 Def / 196 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
Power Split ( Unlike power swap which only affects stat changed ) Is the obvious way to power down physical Sweepers, with his HORRIBLE physical defense, this screws them over. And Thunder Wave takes their speed, and many times their ability to attack for a turn. While Taunt stops toxic users Willo Wispers and to avoid being Taunted. And Protect is for Leftovers stalling, and just plain annoying people with Taunt + Protect.
Ability: Technician
Magical leaf (doesnt miss, powered up by technician, coverage)
Shock wave (doesnt miss, powered up by technician, coverage)
Hidden power Ice (if you are lucky and get one with exactly 60 base power, coverage and being powered up)
Psychic. (STAB, a 60 base power hidden power would make no sense because it would be as strong as psychic which also has the effect of lowering the foe's sp.atk.
Replace mimic or barrier with focus blast to deal with dark types
DOuble/Triple Battle
Mr. Mime (M) @ Life Orb Trait: Technician EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk) - Charge Beam - Icy Wind - Teeter Dance - Psychic
Icy Wind hits multiple Pokemon and lowers their Speed. It is also boosted by Technician. Charge Beam is boosted by Technician. I've said before that stat bosting was risky. However, when your stats are boosted by an attack, it is much less risky. Psychic is STAB. Teeter Dance cn be used with Own Tempo teammates to give Mr. Mime a better chance at survival.
Mr. Mime
Ability: Filter EVs: 200 S. Atk 200 Spd 110 HP Nature: Modest/Timid Moveset:
Mr. Mime @ Twisted Spoon Ability: Filter Ev's: 252 SpAtt / 152 HP / 104 Spd / 2 Leftover Modest Nature (+SpAtt -Att) -Substitute (To Set Up Calm Mind) -Calm Mind (To boost Psychic) -Psychic (Wipes out basically anything with calm minds set up) -Toxic (For stalling with Substitute)
This is what I use and it proves to be very effective
Best moveset for mr. mime
psychic is good because its strong and has a better chance of hitting. Magical leaf is good because it never misses and its strong barrier is good because it doubles your defense and mr. mimes defense pretty much crap and now finally brick break. this I good against dark types which is mr. mimes only weakness other than ghost type. and its better than focus blast and focus punch because it performs an attack in one turn rather than two. also, it hasa better accuracy.
That is the best moveset for mr. mime
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It was very clean, neat, tidy. Good Prices. Excellent management. They were very kind to us. It felt like new pillows. The room smelled good. I will recomend this place to everyone I know. Sincearly, Mr.& Mrs. Moore
- Also Known As:
- Frederick Hotel
- Frederick Hotel Fredericksburg
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Rooms have microwave, sm. refrigerator, coffeemaker w/coffee, free HBO, free wireless, and approximately 70 cable tv channels, daily housekeeping, weekly thorough cleaning. ... more less


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Vintage Pulp | May 14 2009 |
It almost looks like promo art for a forgotten Hitchcock movie but it isn't. It's the poster for Diamantia sto gymno sou soma, a Greek erotic thriller directed by Omiros Efstratiadis and starring Eleni Anousaki as a woman who convinces her boyfriend to run over a jewel thief so they can expropriate the haul from his diamond robbery. The movie premiered in 1972 at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, but hit Italy four long years later as Erotication. If it ever had a VHS or DVD release in North America, which we doubt, it was under the title Diamonds on Her Stolen Flesh. But even if you can't see the film, we had to show you the dead-on-target art, with its Playboy-era Marilyn Monroe at the center of a fractured bullseye. Erotication premiered this month in Italy in 1976.


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i am trying to make the best possible moveset and i figured out a set that has moves that are either super effective or neutral.There are 0 types of pokemon that can resist this set! I need a pokemon that can learn these 4 types:
Electric Ice Rock Ground
Smeargle all i know right now will edit with more as i find them. PS some pokemon will fit the requirements but wont have all of them being attacking. Like they can learn all the types but one or two will be status moves not attacking moves. I will point them out.
Edit: Mew Arbok Nidoqueen Nidoking Clefairy(Stealth Rocks if you count that) Clefable(SR) Wigglytuff And many more...... Okay look there are many of these i didnt even make it out of the kanto dex and i found so many, if you want me to add a few more i will but there are just too many to list.
It can learn Thunderbolt and a lot of other electric moves Ice Punch by breeding Earthquake by TM Rock Slide by TM (It cant learn Stone Edge)
There you go! Its invincible!!!
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text:
Hotel Alpi Rome - Great modern hotel.
Hotel Le Regent Paris - Walk away a lot of monuments.
Hotel BEST WESTERN Opera d'Antin Paris - Pleasant and convenient.
Hotel Garance Paris - A practical hotel in the French capital.
Hotel Beau Site Brussels - The heart of the Belgian capital.
Hotel Muguet Paris - Very clean and tidy.
Fusion Hotel Prague - Young couples and groups.
1er etage hotel Paris - Air-conditioned rooms in France.
Hotel Aston Paris - Near the Opera Garnier.
Hotel Cujas Panthéon - Near Saint Germain des Prés.
Hotel Via Augusta Barcelona - Modern hotel near Paseo de Gracia.
Les Vignes de la Chapelle Ile de Ré - Spa, Sauna and heated pool.
Pershing Hall Paris - Near the Champs Élysees.
Akka Antedon - Quiet and relaxing atmosphere.
Hotel Holiday Inn Elysees Paris - Cozy and quiet.
Mandala Suites Residence Berlin - You will live a unique and personalised experience in a luxurious environment.
Hotel Spa Balmoral - A modern hotel.
Hotel des Ecrivains Paris - Within walking distance to many cafes and restaurants.
Hotel Bellechasse Paris Saint Germain - 2 blocks to the Seine.
Hotel Pergolese Paris - The staff were very helpful and pleasant.
Hillside Beach Club Resort - There is all kinds of entertainment and sports activities.
Hotel Etoile Pereire Paris - There are plenty of restaurants.
Profumo bed and breakfast Roma - Spacious comfortable.
Ryad Dyor Marrakech - Peaceful, luxurious and authentic.
Hotel & Apartments Amister Barcelona - Cosy rooms and bathrooms.
Hotel Selene Roma - In the heart of Rome.
Rambla Catalunya Hostel Barcelona - Rambla Catalunya is a charming tree-lined avenue.
Two Pillows Barcelona - Just steps from the world-famous Plaza Catalunya.
Ehpad Emeraude Guadeloupe - Specializing in the elderly.
Hotel V Nesplein Amsterdam - Lots of light and high beds.
Hotel Armoni Paris - Tired of sightseeing place.
Hostal Barcelona - From Single to Quadruple Room.
Hotel Du Chateau De Vincennes - Hotel rooms with a continental breakfast.
Hotel Carre Noir Corse - Wireless Internet access at the hotel.
Europe Hotel Paris - French capital.
Entre Cielos Mendoza Argentina - The rooms are brand new and very stylish and unique.
Hotel de Bellevue Paris - Not far from the train station.
Hotel Petit Palace Lealtad Plaza Madrid - Spanish Luxury At Its Finest.


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The examples listed in this site provide a little something for everyone. We've included at least two activities for each of the three curriculum organizers listed for General Outcome B, and grouped them by division. Most examples include variations on the activity to make it grade-specific.
Keep in mind the size of your class, their ability and the class time available to you. You can alter many of the activities to suit your situation. We've included activities that may be suitable for part of a class, an entire class, and in some cases a series of classes. There are also activities you can do in the gymnasium, outside the gymnasium or in a classroom situation for those days you lose your gymnasium time.
Go ahead and choose your division (e.g., K-3 ) from the navigation bar.
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By Joyce Ravitz (Contact)
To be delivered to: Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science
The St. Mark's Bookshop has a long tradition in the Lower East Side and serves an admirable and increasingly rare function. St. Mark's is struggling to pay the market rent that Cooper Union is charging them at 31 3rd Ave. A significant rent concession by Cooper Union could save this irreplaceable neighborhood institution.
Note: MoveOn Civic Action does not necessarily endorse the contents of petitions posted on this site. MoveOn Petitions is an open tool that anyone can use to post a petition advocating any point of view, so long as the petition does not violate our terms of service.


text: CULTURE - Crucible of civilisationSurvey written by Anver VersiIt has been said that the most important driving force in a nation's fortunes is its culture. Without a strong grounding in culture, a nation is like a stricken ship, pushed and pulled hither and thither by prevailing currents and winds. This has been the unfortunate fate of many developing countries which, having forgotten where they came from, now drift aimlessly on the vast cultural oceans of the world. On the African continent, where the cultural crisis is most acute, Tunisia and Egypt are the rare exceptions. Both have very deep histories and both have worked tirelessly to keep their histories as fresh as possible. But culture is not only about ancient history; it is the story of how people adapt and change as events around them change. It is about evolution and unbroken identity. Well aware of the enormous resources that European countries and the US pour into their own cultural spheres, Tunisia has embarked on a unified national strategy to maintain and deepen its cultural identity. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has decided that over the next four years to 2004, a full one percent of GDP will go to culture. The annual budget for culture is expected to grow from $45m in 1999 to $140m in 2004. Budgetary allocation is as follows: Cultural exhibitions (24%); museums and institutions (20%); cinema (14%); literature (14%), theatre (9%) and poetry (4%). Despite all its economic and social successes, Tunisia has never taken its eye off the vital importance of culture in the grand scheme of things. "Culture provides us with our values and identity," says Abdelbaki Hermassi, Tunisia's Minister of Culture. "It enables us to cope with the many challenges and changes occurring as we expand our relationships with the European Union." Custodian of world history Tunisia already contains some of the most important World Heritage sites. Its cultural roots go back three thousand years to the glory that was Carthage. The subsequent history of the world can be said to have flowered from this beginning. Here in Tunisia, one can see and touch the milestones of world history-the Numedian and Punic civilisations, the Roman occupation, the Vandal destruction, the Byzantine elaboration, the Arab conquest, the Turkish lordship and the French colonisation. The cycle has gone full circle and the Tunisian of today is custodian to one of the world's richest national heritages. It is to protect this fragile but unbroken historical chain that last March, an exciting new venture was given the go-ahead by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Some $32m has been allocated to develop the Carthage-Sidi Bou Said National Park. The aim is to halt the urban sprawl that is threatening to encroach on one of the world's richest archeological seams. "We want to stop talking about the destruction of Carthage by the Romans and launch the reconstruction of Carthage by the Tunisians," says Culture Minister Hermassi. The park will contain six segments: the ancient city of Carthage; La Marsa nature park, Sidi Bou Said village, the gardens of Hamilcar, the Yasmina sports and leisure park and the Carthage coast. One of the first projects will be a $3m memorial to Hannibal, one of the greatest generals of all times, who took 40,000 men and 38 elephants over the Alps to punish Rome. Next in line is a $5m reconstruction of the ancient Punic port, seat of one of the most extensive commercial networks of the old world. Carthage, according to Francisco Carillo, Unesco representative in Tunisia, is an "unrivalled marvel with many riches still to be uncovered". The park will provide the structure and facilities needed to recommence archeological digs. This is a spectacular conservation project. The World Bank, Unesco and other countries are already participating in it. When it is completed, Tunisia will be the only country in the Mediterranean to have made such a massive conservation undertaking so close to a capital or major city. Cultural gems Tunisia's cultural treasures are not limited to Carthage and its neighbourhood. The whole country is dripping with cultural gems. Go to the Bardo museum in Tunis and feast on the sumptuous cultural banquet spread out before you. A new section, Mediterranean Treasures, was inaugurated by President Ben Ali in August. It contains a wealth of rare and precious ancient Greek objects. Here you will see dazzling mosaics, including a picture of Ulysses straining against the songs of the Sirens; Roman sculpture and mosaic paintings; Arabic calligraphy and coins and thousands of other objects collected and preserved over the millenia. In the fabled Medina of Tunis you will find the famous Ez-Zitouna Mosque, relatively unchanged since the founding of Islam in Tunis in the 8th century. Take a trip to Kairouan, the first Islamic centre established in the 7th century and marvel at the Great Mosque of Okba ibn Nafi' where it is believed resides a hair from the Holy Prophet's beard. Visit Sfax and walk around the vast Roman amphitheatre at El Jem. Go to Kerkouane and gaze at the only example of a Punic settlement that has miraculously remained intact to this day. Join the Jewish pilgrimage, Lag be Omer, on the 33rd day after Passover to El Ghriba - the first synagogue in North Africa - on the island of Djerba. Do all this and you only begin to scratch the surface. There are at least 26,000 historical and archeological sites in Tunisia, with 670 monuments in the medina of Tunis alone. A new project, 'City of Culture' in the heart of Tunis will be the "greatest cultural complex in the Mediterranean" according to Culture Minister Hermassi. It will include a Civilisation Museum, an art museum and galleries, three large auditoriums, a cinema and a media library. With so much culture oozing from its pores, it is hardly surprising that culture tourism is high on the agenda. Currently some 5m tourists visit the country but only 10% take the trouble to leave the sun and sand and visit cultural sites. The potential is therefore enormous when you consider that millions of tourists visit countries like Britain, or cities like Florence, Venice and Rome purely to soak up culture. The Ministry of Tourism, in conjunction with the Ministries of Culture and Environment are working on plans to diversify tourism. In addition to the Carthage National Park and the City of Culture projects, a number of cultural circuits are being developed throughout the country. By 2005, an extra 20 circuits are expected to be completed. These will range from archaeological circuits, themed tours such as mosques or fortresses and visits to bygone civilisations. Cultural tourism should increase visitor numbers by 20% to 30%, tourism officials say. While the extra revenue will be welcome, the aim is not just to chase the tourist buck. The goal is to protect and preserve Tunisia's cultural heritage. "We will move very slowly to ensure that we don't destroy our heritage and environment," says an official. A cultured people The country's cultural wealth does not just reside in monuments but in the people themselves. This is why half the culture budget will go towards developing and enhancing human cultural achievements. Tunisian cinema already enjoys a well deserved international reputation for quality. The country has a distinguished tradition in literature and poetry and Tunisian theatre is beginning to create waves on the international stage. The colours, the forms and the quality of light in Tunisia have inspired both local and international artists such as Paul Klee and Auguste Macke. Additional art galleries will expose the works of such Tunisian masters as, Aldelaziz Gorgi, Rafik El Kamel, Adel Megdichi and Rachid Koreichi, the Algerian who lives in Tunisia, to a much wider audience. There are some 50 festivals between June and September each year in addition to the biannual Carthage Film Festival. With the annual Jazz festival in Tarbarka attracting greater world-wide attention, Tunisia can now claim to be the culture capital of Africa. Perhaps the most important aspect of Tunisia's cultural renaissance is that the people are fully involved in its every aspect. A cultured people are a confident people and a confident people can achieve anything. As President Ben Ali said on the occasion of the National Day of Culture (June 22nd, 2000): "Culture is no longer simply a mirror reflecting the soul, the realities and the aspirations of people. It has become a prime area of action and production, and an unavoidable path to achieve excellence and distinction and to assert one's identity in a world where the disappearance of frontiers is endangering the very attributes of national identity." n Read also: A passion for creativity Copyright © IC Publications Limited 2001. All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means or used for any business purpose without the written consent of the publisher. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained herein is as accurate as possible, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from its use. |


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Be Active Your Way Blog
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month! This month, organizations, schools, worksites, and communities across the nation are celebrating the benefits of being physically active, and the strides we've all made to help Americans move more. During May, take some extra time to enjoy the fun and excitement of being physically active with your friends, coworkers, and family.
How are you or your organization recognizing National Physical Fitness and Sports Month? E-mail us at email@example.com if you would like to contribute a blog post!
This week, we highlight reports on school-based physical activity, as well as the cost-effectiveness of print vs. electronic physical activity information:
The Association Between School-Based Physical Activity, Including Physical Education, and Academic Performance (Source: CDC) Literature review and policy implications.
Cost Analysis of Internet vs. Print Interventions for Physical Activity Promotion (Source: Psychology of Sport and Exercise/PubMed) Researchers estimate break-even points for print vs. web-based interventions.
How could this information be useful in confirming or updating the direction of your programs?
Tags: school, youth, print, internet, education, cost
News & Reports
Blog Archive
All Posts
HHS | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Freedom of Information Act | Disclaimer | Contact Us
This page last updated on: 11/04/2009
Content for this site is maintained by the Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.


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Alexis Castle
Alexis Castle is Richard Castle's 15-year-old daughter, but she operates primarily as his therapist, chef, and research assistant. She is the only stable member of her family — and is not yet out of high school. Near the end of almost every episode, this intelligent, thoughtful, and pretty girl off-handedly mentions something to Castle that cracks the case for him. It's been estimated (by us) that she has solved 85 percent New York City's homicide cases.


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(14 Reviews) Read Reviews
Low Price Guarantee
Scorpion EXO100 Spitfire Half Matte Silver Helmet. Item: ScorpionEXO100SpitfireMatteSilver Color: Matte silver Features: - The EXO-100 is an all-new open-face helmet design with removable ear skirt and external sun visor. Internal SpeedView retractable faceshield and external removable visor are included with every EXO-100. - Advanced Polocarbonate half shell to offer true wind-in -the-face freedom. - EverClear no-fog faceshield (Light Smoke) and sun visor both included. - KwikWick moisture-wicking breathable helmet liner and cheek pads: Cool and dry in warm weather, warm in cool weather. Easily removable and washable. - The EXO-100 uses a D-Ring chin strap for the retention system. - DOT Certified.
Comment: OK !!!
Comment: Very nice quality,looks good.Thank you very much
Comment: great fit, flip up is awesome. would like to see a snell rating. 4 star due to rating
Comment: Excellant fitting. Wind protection is good.
Racine, Wis
Comment: Excellent helmet. It fits great and looks great. The drop down visor is easy to use.Thanks Jafrum for the very fast shipping. I will definitely do business with Jafrum again.
Zephyrhills, Florida
Comment: Very good helmet but snaps on the Kwickwick liner can break off inside and can't be repaired. Besides that one flaw it's a very good helmet. And the price can't be beat.
Tim Baxter
Mobile, AL
Comment: This helmet is better than expected. I was looking into purchasing a Harley Davidson retractable faceshield helmet and the price was 3x what I paid for this one and the quality is SUPERB! As always, Jafrum YOU ROCK!
Amelia, Ohio
Comment: Helmet works great and fits good.
Jim Kitchens
Brady Texas
Comment: Bought this helmet for my husband for Christmas. He was very satisfied with it. It is a good-looking and well made helmet. The price was Great also.
Chalmette La.
Comment: Bought a couple of these for my wife and I. With measurements made and selection per chart they were a great fit for us. Have not ridden yet with these but quality seems to be great and looking forward to trying them out later this spring.
Marty J
St. Louis, MO
Comment: The best price in town and fast shipping too. A little bubbly on but great protection for the your head. And the drop down visor works great and wont fog up. Can't beat it with a stick.
Long Island New York
Comment: I really like everything about this helmet except,the pockets,for the speakers are located too low for my ear canals,therefore I can't hear my communications with my wife very well at all.
Wayne Miller
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Comment: I think my new helmet is great! It's comfortable, it fits well, and I really like the way the visor hides away when not needed. The detachable ear curtain will also prove useful this fall when traveling in the mountains of Wyoming and Utah, where weather conditions can change rapidly. Great buy, I would reccomend this helmet anyone.
K. Saulsbury
Comment: Effective design for both fit and function. Both the wife and I got one after seeing it showcased in Daytona. We love having a removeable washable liner. The retractable faceshield is especially amazing for when you get caught in the rain. We got the amber lens for this and it's quick and easy to use. The best helmet we've had!
Jim Furr
Northern Virginia


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Commissioned in celebration of the coronation of Leopold II as King of Bohemia, Mozart's opera, »La clemenza di Tito«, was premiered in Prague in 1791. In this opera, Mozart provides a surprising answer to the question as to how a ruler or a ruling class should behave; unexpectedly, the opera is more of a thriller than a celebratory hymn to power. Intrigue abounds until even the city of Rome goes up in flames. The motives of the characters, however, are grounded not in political gain; rather, their actions are governed by deep passion. Vitellia loves Tito; Tito, on the other hand, wishes to marry Sesto's sister Servilia. Sesto loves Vitellia, who promises him her hand if he kills Tito. Openly courted by Tito, Servilia admits her love for Annio. Tito praises their sincerity while ignoring a message warning him of deadly conspiracy. Then, in an unexpected turn of events, Tito seeks the hand of Vitellia, now no longer able to prevent her own assassination plot. As Sesto is on the verge of being condemned to death, Vitellia confesses that it was she who incited the murderous plan. In the ensuing conflict between questions of state and the love of friends, Tito recognizes the fundamental problem of the enlightened ruler who wishes to unite power and humanity. In the end he shows tolerance by extending general clemency. But is this triumph of compassion really more than simply utopian?
Opera seria in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Performed in Italian with German surtitles.
Running time 2 hours 30 minutes
Premiere 26 May 2012
Musical Director: Jonathan Darlington
Staging: Bettina Bruinier
Set Design: Volker Thiele
Costume Design: Mareile Krettek
Lighting Design: Fabio Antoci
Choir: Christof Bauer
Choreography: Mohan Thomas
Dramaturgy: Nora Schmid
Tito Vespasiano: Steve Davislim
Vitellia: Rachel Willis-Sørensen
Servilia: Nadja Mchantaf
Sesto: Anke Vondung
Annio: Stephanie Atanasov
Publio: Tilmann Rönnebeck
Vitellio, Vitellias Vater / Eine Wanze: Hannes-Detlef Vogel
Wächter der Wand: Michael Grimm
State Opera Choir
Staatskapelle Dresden
With generous support of the foundation of the Semperoper Dresden


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- baxter, 5 years old, speaking on behalf of himself and his toyfriends as they anxiously await christmas day. :)
Thursday, December 22, 2011
t minus 3
- baxter, 5 years old, speaking on behalf of himself and his toyfriends as they anxiously await christmas day. :)
13 comments:
- Kerri said...
Want. to. smoosh. that. nose!
I'm hitting the road for Internet-free land today, so I want to wish you, Mom and Big Boyfriend a wonderful Christmas! - December 22, 2011 at 10:10 AM
- Jeanne said...
- December 22, 2011 at 10:42 AM
- A MilShelb Mom said...
Mom won't let us open any either, Baxter! Actually, she says she;s gotten us gifts but they are NOT under the tree. Hmmmmm....
~Milly and Shelby - December 22, 2011 at 10:44 AM
- kalyxcorn said...
miss kerri i hope u have a very safe trip and a happy happy christmas and new year!! :)
hee hee, thank u miss jeanne! just do not tell duk duk a girl kissed me ok? :) - December 22, 2011 at 10:45 AM
- kalyxcorn said...
milly n shelby, how come they gotta keep our presents so high? mine are up there too! :)
- December 22, 2011 at 10:46 AM
- docsdox said...
MWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! that look is CLASSIC! did it work? didja get to open a present?
-ramsay - December 22, 2011 at 10:55 AM
- Nola said...
Just one!!
Dachshund Nola - December 22, 2011 at 12:44 PM
- Amy said...
Oh Baxter, this pic was just what I needed this morning!! I dropped Jasper off last night at his Auntie Heather's & I miss him soooo much, thank you for cheering me up with your handsome face! :) I hope you & your family have a very Merry Christmas!!
- December 22, 2011 at 2:36 PM
- Lovable Lily said...
More kissies on your nose Baxter! Me knows where my prezzies are hiding. Must be in the cold, dark, dreary, scary basement with Santa Paws. Mommy keeps coming home with packages, going downstairs and coming up empty handed. I think she is an Elf!
Hugs, Lily Belle - December 22, 2011 at 3:36 PM
- Max the Quilt Cat said...
wooohooooo we're getting very close now.
Have fun, Baxter...
pawhugs, Max - December 22, 2011 at 3:47 PM
- Matilda said...
Hi baxter!
You are sooooo cute! Love your face!
Have a happy holiday!
Matilda - December 23, 2011 at 8:46 AM
I'm counting too!
- Hildy - December 23, 2011 at 1:39 PM
- Pia said...
i LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of you!
dachshund kiss - December 26, 2011 at 7:43 AM


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When music is streamed to a plugplayer renderer to be able to scrobble music played to a last.fm account.
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Elizabeth Olsen Picture 16
Actress Elizabeth Olsen attends the 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' photocall at the Palais des Festivals during 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2011 in Cannes, France. © Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Image 16 of 31 |
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Public Group active 2 weeks ago agoOrganizing…Specialized is group where we help each other with the home organizing challenges we face raising children with special needs. While our moderator is a Professional Organizer, she is not able to personally address each question raised, especially as the group grows. We can all share our tips, offer suggestions and help one another. Leslie will address as many questions as she can, but please remember she is our volunteer moderator.


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Surfer Bethany Hamilton has been who the "Bravest Girl in America." Raised in Kauai, Hawaii, Hamilton has been a surfer since the age of seven, and is said to have sea-water in her veins. Her love of big waves has never left her, not even after a shark attack on Halloween of 2003 that nearly took her life and severed her arm near the shoulder.
Most of us cannot fathom what life would be like after a catastrophic injury like what Bethany sustained. I find her resilience amazing, and inspiring. Instead of focusing on all the things she can no longer do, Bethany pushes herself to do things that would all but seem impossible to the rest of us. One of the scenes in the film that I found the most amazing was a quiet scene where Bethany strives to help put breakfast on the table. The simple act of cutting fruit for the family becomes an incomprehensible task. Yet Bethany quietly sits on the floor with fruit, cutting board and knife, and finds a way to make it happen. And if the simple act of cutting fruit with only one arm seems like an impossibility, then just wait until you see the scenes where Bethany gets back on a surfboard.
Bethany credits her family and her faith for helping her to persevere and get back on a board. Not only did Bethany re-learn how to surf, but she also went on to compete in numerous surfing competitions. Bethany has received numerous awards, including the 2004 Teen Choice award for Most Courageous Teen and the 2004 ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete.
Bethany's story has been turned into a feature length film, SOUL SURFER, starring AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood and Lorraine Nicholson (Jack Nicholson's daughter). The film hits theaters nationwide on Friday, April 8.
A young adult book accompanies the release. Soul Surfer – A Movie Tie-In: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board is available for purchase now. Click here for more info on the book. If you are looking for a hero, someone your kids can really look up to, then pick-up this book and read it with them. You'll both be amazed and inspired!
Now, for a little present for you. If you live in the Oklahoma City area, Bookend Babes wants to send you and your family to the movies, for free !
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The film is rated PG. I've seen the film myself and wouldn't hesitate to bring my youngest child with me. Some people may have an aversion due to the shark attack, but I promise, this is handled with sensitivity and without gory detail. This is a film that the whole family can enjoy, so I hope you get the chance to do just that!
Here's the pass, and then you'll find the trailer to the film. Enjoy!


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3. | Funkalicious | ||
A combination of the words funky and delicious. Synonymous with cool, unique and steezy.
Some times sung to the song Fergalicious by Fergie, from "fergalicious, so delicious, but i ain't promiscuous..." to "funkalicious,so delicious, but i ain't promiscuous..." Check out those kids skating, they are SO funkalicious.
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Something which is both Fun or Funky and Delicious "Wow Kinder Suprise there Funkalicious"
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An adjective used to describe something that is funky, awesome, exciting, amazing, terrific, etc...
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5. | Funkalicious | ||
Full Of Delicious funk. thought up by a mental patient (roughly 2004). FUNKALICIOUS!!! "Dude, That Party Was Funkalicious!"
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Unique pendant made of high quality clear resin and oxidized sterling silver.
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Crown Family PlayLab Programs
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The Crown Family PlayLab invites you to join us for Artists and Authors, a special program that brings storytellers, musicians, painters, and other performers to the Museum to meet you and your little one!
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The Crown Family PlayLab is free with basic admission and is open Thursdays through Mondays from 10am to 4pm, last admission is at 3pm. For more information, click here.
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