Lord Colby Jack's Once Upon a n00b Contest__________________________________________________ Everquest2 has been around for a while, and I'm sure we can all remember fondly how we all started out little and scared and newbish, blinking in the Norrathian sun. For some of us, that moment was in the far past; for others, well... we know that we will all grow to greatness eventually. This contest celebrates that initial newbness of the game, that one immortalized moment of your Everquest2 experience, and I'm giving away prizes for people to share that moment.__________________________________________________ WHAT: Take a screenshot, recreating (to the best of your ability) a moment that really captures that first memorable EQ2 experience, that first "zOMG this is the best game ever why was I not playing this sooner?" type feeling. Partner the screenshot with a short story explaining your moment, and why it was special. One entry per person, please. WHEN: This contest will run until March 4th, midnight PST (to allow for those of us who might not be as talented storywriters)WHERE: Please post all entries in this thread. Link or thumbnail screenshots to prevent huge scrolling issues, please... also, it simply looks nicer. Include under or above your screenshot your character name, server, and your short story. Oh, and I suppose guild if you're so inclined. Go nuts. HOW TO WIN: There will be three prizes. First, second, and third place will be determined by a few factors: 1. Humor -- I like my contests lighthearted. Remembering new experiences should also be lighthearted; I encourage not sharing the first time you were scammed or some other horrible thing. Being eaten by your first epic baddie, however, is acceptable. 2. Story -- I don't need to see a 20-page novel, but I also expect more than a single typed line. Try to explain your n00b moment, and why it was so memorable to you. 3. Nostalgia -- I understand that some of us started out on a rocking ship and bashing rats, while others have joined more recently. Nostalgia means capturing that sense of being new, of experiencing something great and wonderful, and just giving a nice sense of "hey, remember when....?" So just because you were not here at launch, don't feel like you have no chance of winning. -- all prizes and placements will be determined by Colby. Let's keep this a fun and civil contest, and remember that everyone is a winner! I'm just too broke to pay all of you -- PRIZES: First place -- one 2k SC card code, to spend or use as you desire! Second place -- up to 1k of giftable SC item(s) Third place -- pity prize chosen by me! -- BUT WAIT! -- You might be asking, but Colby... these is not plat prizes! That is highly unusual for you. And I answer yes, yes it is. I wanted to try out something different, so enjoy it! Due to the consolidation of EQ2 and EQ2x, I'm also very proud to announce that this will be my first contest NOT limited to the Freeport server! If you play on a different server, then you're able to enter and win prizes! So feel free to enter, to encourage your friends and guildies to enter, and I appreciate spreading the word far and wide.__________________________________________________I don't have a screenshot at the moment, I suppose I could remedy that, but I thought I would kick off my contest as well by sharing the Colby n00b story, a driving force behind this wonderful contest idea submitted by one of my superb guildies. Picture a screenshot here of a dead wolf in Antonica, with a treasure chest (unlooted) and random peeps doing whatever it is that random peeps do.I was introduced to this game by my boyfriend at the time. I'm not sure where he got the game from, or why, but I came home one day to see him sitting on the computer, playing a game that looked like fun. He had killed a wolf out in Antonica, and I was watching people zooming around for a while, before asking about the erratic behaviour. I had never heard of an MMO before, and the simple idea that I was playing the same game and in the same environment as other real live people from across the globe was simply stunningly boggling to me. I know I questioned multiple times about this. "So, those are, like.... REAL people? And they're playing? While YOU'RE playing, right now? At the same time?" This, being the best thing ever, I of course simply had to play this amazing game. I played on his account, rolling a cute dark elf. He had THE MANUAL TO THE GAME and it listed dungeons, zones, quests... everything. I recall specifically wanting to play a necromancer (he was a conjuror) and I looked up the whole path to follow to unlock the class. Good times were had by all.The Colby n00b moment was realizing that there were games that I could play, with other people, in real life time. I had connections across the globe, infinite new friends to meet and adventure with, and the concept was one that simply blew my mind. It was, to say the least, a phenomenal introduction to the genre of games, and a memory I will never forget. A close second might be my first time playing a healing class in Stormhold, and my pathetic failure at keeping people not dead (sorry for bailing, group! I didn't want to lose my xp or corpse!).So yeah. With that, I declare this contest OPEN!
Waaay back when, in the early days of EQ2, I started playing my first MMO -- this game. I had NO idea what I was doing, and stumbled along trying my best not to die. It didn't work out that way most times, but the game was fun and I kept trying. Sadly, my first fury, Tayne, had a giant bullseye attached to her back and died often (again, mostly because I had no clue what I was doing). At one point she was the leader on the leaderboards for most deaths. Poor Tayne. In her memory, I took this shot of the fairy ring in the peat bog. At one point, Tayne had six corpses stuck in the Peat Bog at this very spot. Growing weaker by the moment, I had to beg a fellow adventurer to go into the Peat Bog and help me rescue my corpses. We bravely went into the muck and he helped me get my bodies back! That interaction lead to a solid friendship that still exists almost 8 years later. All because I had to beg someone to come help me.
I had always enjoyed playing the single player fantasy PC games (The Elder Scrolls series, Baldur’s gate, etc…), but I had avoided the MMO world for one reason or another. I watched most of the major MMOs launch and each time I though, WOW those look cool but I just never bit the bullet and subscribed. Finally late in the summer of 2010 I heard EQ2 was going to launch a new server that was FTP. I figured “Hey why notâ€. I created an account and downloaded the full client. I jumped right in and after a few trials and error characters I settled on a Human Wizard (Vivec). I picked Kelethin as my starting city and as the intro moved played and I listened to the voice-over, I pretty much knew I was hooked (as evident by my 16 or so alts and 2 gold subscriptions now). I ran up to about level 10 thinking I was doing alright but then on top of Orc Hill I learned that my wizard was kind of “squishy†when you get 4 or 5 orcs attacking you at once. Apparently I learned the art of body pulling mobs without even trying (which isn’t a skill that a Wizard should be good at much to my newbie surprise). A kindly stranger grouped up with me and helped me get the book from Lieutenant Fa'Rak and gave me some hints on the art of “Root & Nukeâ€. We won’t talk about the time a level 15 Vivec wandered into Firemyst Gully all by himself….*shudder*…..o0(there were many, many deaths and a hefty XP debt to pay when I was "done")
this almost makes me feel bad that I was never a noob in EQ2....having played EQ1 for a decade+ before then :/ now I COULD tell some stories from there, heh.
