Its been awhile since I've been on, what with how busy things have been over here lately, but now that I'm here I can gladly say... "It's so nice to to be back and--- shoot. I think I need help..."

Nothing terrible, mind you, but just looking forward to hearing some opinions.

Right. On to the subject at hand.

As most of you don't know, I've been writing (or trying to) a SK Fanfic called 'The Olive Branch Petition', and this story started with some extremely clear scenes in mind. That's all well and good, but I have now remembered why I dislike the starting process of writing a story.

You first need plot development to get to your favorite moments.

Right now, I'm stuck on how I want everything to progress... Sess is new to the game, yes we have that, Kags is being adventurous, nothing problematic there... OH! PROBLEM ALERT! Shoot, what are we going to do now?

If you haven't caught on to my problem, then I'll just say it and say it now. I really am not sure at all how I'm going to continue development in the newbie town.

Okay, this isn't going to be a reccomendation-idea thread because then it would be in the wrong category, so I'm just asking for your opinion now that I've given you some background information on what I'm looking for:

How do you feel when you start a new game, Dokuga? (As a lot of you do play MMORPGs)

How do you judge if a game is good or not, Dokuga?

How do you know if a game has caught your interest, Dokuga?

How do you start out your games, Dokuga? (AKA: follow plot first/get the feel of everything first/flip through your instruction manuals or FAQs first...etc.)

And for those who really know their stuff: What landmarks do you specifically look for in your games, Dokuga?

These questions, if you haven't read the above non-bolded text, are based solely on plot-development/game interaction. No graphics, no ease of controls, no laggy-ness comments, please. I'm really just looking for how you like your beef... Rare, Medium-Rare, or Well Done.

Please and thanks!

Meh, I play games just for the fun of it or to kill time.
Usually I don't stay very long in the newbie town because I try and finish off all the quests they give you in the beginning to introduce you to the game and it lets me level enough to move on to the next city.

I play Perfect World International --> if you want 'extra fun research' XD go ahead and try it out

Hope you get over your writer's block soon!

How do you feel when you start a new game, Dokuga? (As a lot of you do play MMORPGs)

A: Excited, Suspenseful.

How do you judge if a game is good or not, Dokuga?

A: By how long you feel the urge to play it.

How do you know if a game has caught your interest, Dokuga?

A: You feel like you need to play it.

How do you start out your games, Dokuga? (AKA: follow plot first/get the feel of everything first/flip through your instruction manuals or FAQs first...etc.)

A: Pay attention to the storyline, run around for a few minutes while testing everything out and getting into the flow of the game, etc.

And for those who really know their stuff: What landmarks do you specifically look for in your games, Dokuga?

A: Towers, Fortresses, or anything distinctive and tall, really.

How do you feel when you start a new game, Dokuga? (As a lot of you do play MMORPGs)

(I get excited slightly apprehensive cause I don't know what to expect but at the same time my adrenaline starts pumpin)

How do you judge if a game is good or not, Dokuga?

(I play it once and if I feel the need to play it in the same day again, Im hooked.)

How do you know if a game has caught your interest, Dokuga?

(I think about the whole day. What going to be on the next level or how can I defeat this character. Question like this are in my head the whole day and I can't wait to get home to play it.)

How do you start out your games, Dokuga? (AKA: follow plot first/get the feel of everything first/flip through your instruction manuals or FAQs first...etc.)

( I'll study the manual for a bit to get a feel for everything. Then, I'll play the game for a little while just to get a feel for it. Sometimes Ill research the game depending on the difficulty)

And for those who really know their stuff: What landmarks do you specifically look for in your games, Dokuga?

(I tend to look for shortcuts, secret passage ways, which sometimes you can find in the sides of building or in the forest areas. Really anything out of the ordinary is usually where you find the good stuff.)

I've only been able to really get really involved in one game, a text based mud that I started playing about a decade ago. Sadly, the game is no more and I haven't been able to find anything else to capture my interest since. That's not necessarily a bad thing as I don't think I really have the time to invest in playing as I once did.

How do you feel when you start a new game, Dokuga? (As a lot of you do play MMORPGs)
When i first started playing, I felt a little bit of trepidation, it was something new, I wasn't sure what the people were like or what kind of interactions took place. I spent about a week or so just learning the mechanics and watching the interactions of those around me while i built up my skills.

How do you judge if a game is good or not, Dokuga?
Good storyline and background for the 'world' is important, an active game staff running live scenarios is also great. Equally important is the class of gamers that play the game. The players should be mature and not prone to malicious behavior for the sake of ruining gameplay for others. Evil characters are fine, as long as there is a they're truly trying to play a role and not just running around killing indiscriminately. The mud I played was heavily RP based, they heavily discouraged out of character moments. While this is probably not what your looking for, balanced Mechanics between classes and races are also important, especially in a game that allows PVP.

How do you know if a game has caught your interest, Dokuga?
Getting up at 5am in the morning to play for an hour or two before work, obsessively planning out character development and trying to figure out current scenarios when away from the computer. Staring over my husbands shoulder while he was playing, as only one IP address could play at a time in our game. Calling my husband at home to take my character in game to buy items at special events.... etc...

How do you start out your games, Dokuga? (AKA: follow plot first/get the feel of everything first/flip through your instruction manuals or FAQs first...etc.)
I tend to read up on whatever materials are available(manuals, forums etc) and watch others to figure out how everything works. I'm not the type to ask newbie questions, but take full advantage when others do by listening in. The game i played in had a 'Training Grounds' where characters started that had a non-pvp environment, limited levels for the players and lots of game play instructions embedded in room descriptions. I remember there were also several newbies who were terrified of venturing into the main game area due to rumors that they'd get killed by the 'older' players.

And for those who really know their stuff: What landmarks do you specifically look for in your games, Dokuga?
Since it was text based, anything with a creative and interesting room description. Areas of interest would sometimes be highlighted on personalized macros and scripts.

Incidentally, text based games have the best graphics

Thanks for your input, everyone! Even though self-experience is good, I believe whole-heartedly in the idea of getting another person's opinion.

Your answers are sure to help out in my hunting quest, so hooray for that! I also find it interesting that some answers really can't be changed and others have a bit more 'lose' feel to them... Some more wiggle-room, perhaps? And so, I shall answer my own questions asked just for comparison purposes and research.

How do you feel when you start a new game, Dokuga? (As a lot of you do play MMORPGs)

Excitement, something akin to suspense and perhaps a bit of anxiety mixed in with it all (:

How do you judge if a game is good or not, Dokuga?

Usually if the beginning 'flow' is good, I'll get a feeling that it would be okay to play again. Games with slow pacing that really drags on and on until I can't remember what I did last are a big no-no for me.

How do you know if a game has caught your interest, Dokuga?

Something plot-wise or game-feature-wise would stand out, maybe possibly being compared to the other mental list of games I've played. Usually if it catches my interest I'll get really into game play; forgetting what time it is until someone snaps me out of it all. I also wouldn't notice the 'exit' button of the game until some outer-world force pushes me towards it...

How do you start out your games, Dokuga? (AKA: follow plot first/get the feel of everything first/flip through your instruction manuals or FAQs first...etc.)

I personally read up on the characters and the plot-line before I even start! (AKA the download/setup process...) Looking up on how RL people like to do their builds wouldn't hurt either, so I can really get a feel of how people see this character's class. Also looking at the community wouldn't hurt at all. I know that there always won't be experienced players wandering the boards, even if most of them are, so usually I'll also look for a newbie's questions on a certain forum or thread.

And for those who really know their stuff: What landmarks do you specifically look for in your games, Dokuga?

Skill-jobs are a definite plus (AKA alchemy, crafting, mining...etc). Skills that sound powerful and class-relative are another point and some real integration of accessories would be nice but not searched for via flipping the whole game upside-down. If its a 3D game, I look forward to some features that MAKE it be a 3D game... like flying. If 2D, I'll be looking forward to how they make the enviornment really blend in with the game; not just being some platform to walk on. (Maybe a landmark that makes them jump up high, or ladders/ropes that you actually HAVE TO USE).

Events that are newbie-friendly and still oldbie-friendly are also looked forward to. Usually events show that the game-creators still take care in what they do on the game and also point out the mods are also working and playing with the normal players as well. A friendly cast is a friendly game!

How do I feel when I start a game?I feel aprehensive. I want to be good at it from the start, but it's so frustraiting to have to leval up. It sucks when things like rats can kill you by rubbing their fur against you.

How do I Judge if a game is good?I AM the character. I'm not just moving pixels around a screen. I want to curse when I get harmed or duped. I want to jump for joy when I win a battle and save the day.

How do I know it caught my interest?I will play constantly. Usually it will start off with 'just let me finish this battle'. Then, it progresses to 'I'll quit when I finish this quest/chapter'. Before I know it, real life becomes the video game and I am still in the realm of ______, smacking whatever baddie in the head with my sword or staff.

How do I start off?I talk to people...everyone. Then I start to level up as quick as possible. I cannot stand how slow leveling up is!! It's a pet peeve that the world you are in is so massive and you are stuck in the boondocks because you are as weak as a kitten. So I grind levels at the beginning.

Landmarks?I'm a sucker for sparkeling things. Shiney is good. However, the darker and deeper the dungeon, the better the prize.