Valdy

Wow...so I got the message while I was out of town, and generally out of touch with the game. Complete kick to the gut.

I’ll never forget things like:
- Running 10 months of Rikti Ship Raids with Global Shift.
- Running 33 minute STF’s when STF was the gold standard.
- Creating memorable characters and storylines with my friends.
- Being part of a great community.

Granted, I don't play all the time like I used to, but I'd be remiss if I didn't at least thank a lot of people that I've run into along the way. Some of these people will probably never see this, and I'm sure I'll accidentally exclude a couple (sorry!!)...but this is just the way I like to do things.

So...here we go. And for the record, I hope to keep in touch with everyone on here.

Articblade, Blade-1, Brimstone Bruce, capjtkirk, Chrysalis, Escher, E.Normus, Jimmy Vine (Go Steelers!), Khelben, kissable, mcmackie, Ridgid, Speed Trap, Summer Heat, SS., Static Blizzard, Gristlebone and Pimpstress Bambi – Always great running with you all. Lots of great teaming!!

3Deviant/3Diva – Wow. It was trippy watching you come into the server quietly, and hit the ground running.

Beer Pig – That guy sucks!!! It was awesome running with the Night Shift. Now get in SG mode!

Blitz Auggen – You put up with a lot of Penguins/Steelers crap from me. You’re an aces guy, and as honest as they come.

Bold Garlic – Always reliable. Always with kind (or snarky) words. Was glad to meet you in person!

Chad GulzowMan – Dude…just a guy who likes to have fun, and always great to run with you. And seriously, even though the “Black Scorpion Incident” was a little rough at the time, you took all the crap we gave you in stride. And we did give you crap. But that’s why we’re friends!!

cozmic – What can I say? You’re coz. Always will be. However, I’ll never forget the “I think a bullet just came through my window” episode. And I still can’t hear Pet Shop Boys and wonder if you’re having a good day.

Crazy Badger – You are enthusiasm personified. Glad we discovered a challenge we have in common. Always was great talking over that with you!

EagleEyez/StarrShyne – Although we’ve only recently met, you’ve both been great to me, and picking up some of my slack when I’d go underground for a bit.

Kirjath – Although I doubt you’ll ever see this, you were one of the first people that made me laugh till my guts hurt, and made me realize how fun this community could be.

Lady Gale – You gave me my first SG home. You were always kind and helpful to the community at large. You will always rock in my book.

Master Charge – Man, I’m glad we met up here. Funny as all get out, and I loved talking about anything with you!

Raith – I can count on one hand the times you logged on and didn’t at least say hello.

Roderick – Holy geeze man. Seriously. Where the hell do I start and end with you?? I’ll say you would come up with some really off the wall stuff. Always enjoyed it!!

Teh Hippeh – I always loved running on things with you. Another person that made me laugh a lot in here.

Tharkhaad – Another person I just enjoyed running with and had great teams with. Lots of great commentary and enjoyed talking family with you!

Work Ethic – Part of the original Global Shift crew. Lots of great contributions! Always liked how you related to us.

Ryxx and Elegost – You guys are in a class of your own. From Monster pulling, to speed runs, to just sheer fits of inspired insanity…you guys broke the mold. And Ele, you always get a special recognition for coming up with Valdy – whether it was intentional or not (as the story goes, it was a complete accident)!

Madame Pistacio – Kind of odd how long we’ve actually known each other. Back from the very first days I came on and started running Hamidons. I remember the first thing I thought was, “Oh…a toon with a ‘Madame’ name. Neato!” And then they started sprouting up like wildfire. I don’t know if some people realize how much work you put into this community.

Major Blahga – I was always happy to talk on the side. You’re one hell of a character. I liked that you always said what was on your mind.

Masque – The one and only. You brought a lot to this game. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with you during downtime. I missed running with you the day you left.

Vivace – The Red Wings will always suck. Sorry, had to say it. Although we catch up now and again, I truly am thankful to have gotten a friendship from you.

Zerlina – My New York sister in snark! From meeting at Dragon*Con to just general everyday teaming and chatter, you’ve always got a place in my heart.

Hamster – THE Hamster. THE man. Always with kind and encouraging words for me. Always willing to help. Always willing to lead. By far, one of the truest people I’ve met here. We have to meet up IRL someday.

Warchicken – From day one, I knew you were someone I’d be friends with for a long time. Because you’re clucking nuts. I remember after teaming with you for the first time, I turned to GypsyWitch and we just both said something to the effect of “Yeah, that guy is a keeper. We GOTTA team with him more often.” You’ve been a hell of a supporter.

SadysCHICK – Wait…you’re a guy?? Honestly, I don’t remember how we ended up getting to be such great friends. But I’m glad we did. I’m always thrilled for Dragon*Con because I get to hang out with you a bit every year. And the fact that we bust on each other always brings a smile to my face.

Fyre Knight – Another person who I can trust with anything. Driving home is so much better when I get to chat with you on the phone. You’ve welcomed me into your home, you’ve welcomed me into your life, and I’m eternally grateful for that.

Eric Nelson – Screw you.

Eric Nelson – Ok, not really. If I had to pick a second older brother (because I have one) you’re it. And I do mean older. I mean, dude…you’re old. And all that bluster and crap that I throw at you is because I do truly respect you. And you always ground me when I go a little apepoopie.

Celerity – Where would I ever be in this game, and in life without you? You are one of the most helpful and genuine people I’ve met. And I don’t mean in this game. I mean period. You ran with me, you led things, you organized things, you did a lot more in this game than more people will ever know. You stuck up for me when things went lousy, and wanted none of the credit when things went right. I’ll never be able to think of Belle without thinking of Celerity (and Zoe). Thank you for being in, and staying in my life.

GypsyWitch – Well, obviously you know everything I think. Maybe since you’re sitting next to me as I write all this. But to everyone else – if it weren’t for GypsyWitch, I wouldn’t know any of you. I was in a very bad spot in life, and Gypsy gently prodded me into giving the game a shot. Mainly since I always said I HATED MMO’s, and why the hell would I ever pay for a game every month?

Well, it gave me an outlet to try and recover from some things. And it helped me get myself back together. And it gave me someone who would stick by me through anything. And I can’t be more thankful.

In conclusion, I’m really truly sad to see this game go. It was always there when I needed a short escape from the daily doldrums and let me get some creative ideas going.
And while I’m sad that there’s won’t be a “live” representation of Madame Belle, Tysperax, Vhaasen, Techno Logic and countless others, the company can never take them away from my mind, my heart and my thoughts.

If you’re going to try and kill off my characters, I’d like to see you come and try to take them from me. They’re mine and always will be.

I’ll miss seeing you all on a daily basis. If you want to keep in touch with me, send me a PM.

Valdy

I should be able to make this.

@Valdy - Grav/FF Troller, Tier 4 Hybrid Support

I should be able to make this.

@Valdy - Madame Belle, Grav/FF troller.

Tier 4 Hybrid Support

For DC: I'll just say thanks for spending your time with us, and the best for you and your family. You will be missed.

I should be around for my EM/Nin Stalker or Widow to fill in should anything open up.

[QUOTE=The_Masque;3129837]Back in my day we ran things because they were fun not because we were going to get rewarded for it! I mean pre-IOs didn't you ever play a level 50, you weren't getting xp, influence at that point was a joke, I guess people may have played for prestige but for the most part it was for the fun.

Hey, you forgot the /em canewave

I was on the second "15 minute" run with my grav/ff troller. I wasn't on Vent, but it seemed pretty well coordinated between Vent and the local channel. It was, for lack of a better term, a flat-out steamroll job.

I think Rularuu got knocked down to about 30% on the first attack before the next summon, and after that got wiped out, just melted. i thought there were more than two heavies though, because I had one out, and thought I saw at least two others.

Thanks to all that participated!!

Yeah, turns out when it was over, I just shut down Excel and didn't save. But for absolute sure, I turned to Silent Zoe and told her just before the last race that Voodoo had it won, and that it was between Satanic Hamster and Patriot for 2nd. If SH had won the race and Patriot didn't score, then SH would have gotten second.

I really enjoyed watching everyone scatter at the start of each race and how they did it, and it made me wonder how everyone was processing the clues. I felt it a great success when people kept saying what they thought it was, just because it made me feel like the clues made people think.

Well, I *do* have a toon called Vald the Imp Tailor...but I digress.

I'm pulling this off memory atm on my lunch break, but I know Voodoo was far in the lead. Somewhere around 9-10 points.

I know it was very tight for 2nd and 3rd the whole way through. I think the final difference was probably 2 points between 2nd and 3rd. I think that's about right. I'll have to see if I actually saved the spreadsheet at home.

I'm really pleased with how well this went over. It was a little hectic at the beginning, but it seemed to go very smoothly as it went along.

Here's how the clues went and what the location was:

- Springtime Hide and Seek. - Easter Egg badge in Faultline.

- Lions are valorous felines. Especially the southern variety. - The lion statues on the southern end of Valor Bridge in IP.

- This gate guards the cosmos. - The Landlocked badge in Galaxy City.

- Control the bridge, control the turf. - Territorial badge in Perez.

- If the police wore red, you'd find them banded together here. - The Thin Red Line marker in RWZ.

- Sam's Video Games. - Raimi Arcade marker in DA.

- The island circled by believers. - The island in Croatoa that Sally circles.

- This gives new meaning to the term Royal Flush. - The Kings Row sewer entrance.

- Paradise Lost. - The Eden gate in Founders.

- Island of Swords. - The Cutlass Isle marker in PI.

- Nimbus watches over new generations of heroes from here. - Plaque in AP where the Nimbus status is located.

- Not as epic as the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, but these sailors were not forgotten. - Plaque in Striga detailing a shipwreck.

I had a lot of fun with this, and glad everyone else did too!!

Originally my handle was Vhaasen (the same as my Stalker). That's a name I created ages ago for my pilot in Tie Fighter for the PC (I still love that game, btw).

However, over time people seemed to enjoy the fact that I go cueball bald, and one day Elegost combined "Vhaasen" and "Baldy" and called me "Valdy".

I immediately changed my global since it seemed to fit so much better.

This has been long in the planning, but it is finally getting off the ground.

Thanks to contributions made by myself, @The Spear, @Celerity, @Zerlina, @EricNelson, @Brimstone Bruce, @Fyre Knight, @olo, and @Bold Garlic, there will be a Scavenger Hunt on August 7th at 9:30 PM EST.

Why should you be interested? Here's the prize list:

- Full set of Armageddon (Superior PBAoE) Recipes.
+Chance for Fire; Damage; Damage/Endurance; Damage/Recharge; Damage/Recharge/Accuracy; Recharge/Accuracy

- Full set of Luck of The Gambler (Defense - all level 50) Recipes.
+7.5 Global Recharge; Defense/Endurance; Defense/Endurance/Recharge; Defense/Recharge; Defense; Endurance/Recharge

- Miracle +Recovery (level 40); Numina's Convalescence +Recovery/+Regeneration (level 30); Regenerative Tissue +Regeneration (level 10); 1 Respec Recipe

Here's how it will work. This will be a Blueside event (I'm eventually planning a redside one, but with GR, that may become moot) that starts in Pocket D. You will be required to join an announced Global Channel while in Pocket D.

There will be 12 separate races, each beginning in Pocket D. I will give a clue, and it will be up to the participants to find the 'finish line' - a toon that will be waiting at the answer to the clue.

You MUST announce to them in /local "Found you!". The judges will take note of the first three people to find them.

Once three people finish, the round will be announced as over in the Channel, and participants come back to Pocket D to start the next round.

The winner of each race will receive 4 points; second gets 2 points; third gets 1 point. At the end of the last race, the totals will be tabulated, and winners announced. First place gets to choose from the above prizes first, second place gets next choice, and third gets the remaining prize.

You MUST sign up with a global name and a SPECIFIC toon name that will be running the event. You can do this by replying to this post or sending me a PM with the information.

Anyone found to be distributing information on locations or otherwise to be deemed cheating will be immediately disqualified.

If you have any questions at all, please send me a PM!

Good luck to all that enter!

- Valdy

Oi...this is tough. So, I'll go at it from the good side/bad side perspective.

If I'm in a good mood, would most likely be my BS/SR scrapper a close second being my Earth/Sonic troller (save for the fact he's an 8' Anubis replicant!!)

If I'm in a bad mood, almost assuredly my Energy/Nin Stalker. Being able to take down things obstacles quickly, vitrually unseen, self-healing, ability to dodge attacks, confuse my opponents, leap from rooftop to rooftop.....yeah, that sounds good.

Hang on a minute, there's a couple people in suits with dark sunglasses at my door. I wonder what they want...

Happy birthday!! My gift to you is a STF Flier Sensor. I wasn't sure if you already had one though... j/k j/k

Have a great day!

Currently, we (NightShift) haven't discussed getting back on a schedule to do these.

Aramina has the link to the guide that Silent Zoe wrote for the Ship Raids, and as mentioned above, the added wrinkle of making sure team leaders are level 50 should be noted.

The one thing I enjoy about the Ship Raid, is that it's been "passed-down" from players - Aramina picked it up from NightShift who picked it up from Ryxx and Elegost.

All in all, these are pretty standard to run. The major issues are dealing with teams who don't pay attention to where the action is going, and of course, the bomb-ninjas

If someone else would like to pick up on these, you're more than welcome to drop me a line @Valdy and ask questions.