MMORPG: How a Computer Game Becomes Deadly Serious by Emile van Veen
Authors: Emile van Veen
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pointed. “There’s an auction house in each major city. They work together, so if you put something up for sale in Thunder Bluff, a player in Undercity can buy it on the auction house there.” Before he could say something, she started off again.
“This is the bank, right here is the mailbox. Watch it for messages from me. I’ll be sending you new gear to wear as you progress. So check your mail!”
“Yes, boss!” he answered, unsure if he was ever going to find his way back here again.
As if reading his mind, she said, “If you get lost in a big city, you can always ask one of the guards for directions. Remember that, at least.”
She walked into a different building that wasn’t so much a tent as a real building.
“This is the Inn of Thunder Bluff. Click on the Innkeeper and make this your home.”
Robert did as she told him. A shower of rays descended on him.
“What does this mean?”
“Look inside your backpack. Do you see the hearthstone in there?”
He checked and saw it. He moved his cursor and saw that it would take him back to Thunder Bluff with a cooldown of half an hour.
“You can use that twice every hour to transport yourself back to your home. You can set it at any inn you like. It can be a way to get yourself out of trouble, but it’s also a way to win precious travelling time.”
She showed him how to enter and leave the city. Because it was built high on some isolated cliffs connected to each other by bridges, there was an elevator to the plains below. She continued to show him where to buy ammunition and where to go for training.
After that, Robert had had enough. There was only so much one could absorb. He told Rebecca so, and she agreed. He used his hearthstone to return to Thunder Bluff. Seeing that Killermage was still online, he sent her a message just before logging off: “See you tonight!”
~~~
CHAPTER IX
She was early. Robert arrived exactly at nine o’clock to find her already sitting at a table at the window. She had a large beer in front of her that was half finished. In her oversized denim shirt she looked very much at ease. The place was moderately full of people, hanging around a huge copper plated bar.
“Did you ever wonder why there are so many Irish pubs all over the world, and no English or Scottish pubs at all?” she asked by way of greeting.
“Eh, no, not really,” he answered. “Do you know why?”
She shook her head. “It’s not as if the Irish make the best beer in the world. Far from it. And they’re certainly not the most cheerful people of our sunny island. I can’t see why there are Irish pubs all over the place.”
Laughing, Robert sat opposite her. The bartender came over and he ordered a large Jupiler beer. “It’s even more mysterious that they serve Belgian beer,” he remarked. “I’m not sure I can handle so many mysteries at the same time.”
She leaned forward, bringing their heads closer together. In a slightly softer tone, just audible over the music, she said, “Right after you logged off, your neighbour came online.”
He looked around. Nobody was paying attention to them. “What happened?”
She shrugged. “Not much. There were five of them, all from The Hammer of Grimstone. They met in Shattrath City, which could be called a little unusual. It used to be the hotspot and meeting point once, but was replaced as such by Dalaran two years ago. They went to the Forge of Souls. They did the whole sequence, so also the Pit of Saron and the Halls of Reflection.”
He held up his hands. “You lost me. What are you telling me?”
“Apart from the ordinary world, there are places called instances. The typical thing about an instance is that a player or group has it entirely to themselves. Also, they are many times more difficult.”
Robert didn’t understand a word. “Please clarify. I still don’t get it.”
For the first time, he got the
“This is the bank, right here is the mailbox. Watch it for messages from me. I’ll be sending you new gear to wear as you progress. So check your mail!”
“Yes, boss!” he answered, unsure if he was ever going to find his way back here again.
As if reading his mind, she said, “If you get lost in a big city, you can always ask one of the guards for directions. Remember that, at least.”
She walked into a different building that wasn’t so much a tent as a real building.
“This is the Inn of Thunder Bluff. Click on the Innkeeper and make this your home.”
Robert did as she told him. A shower of rays descended on him.
“What does this mean?”
“Look inside your backpack. Do you see the hearthstone in there?”
He checked and saw it. He moved his cursor and saw that it would take him back to Thunder Bluff with a cooldown of half an hour.
“You can use that twice every hour to transport yourself back to your home. You can set it at any inn you like. It can be a way to get yourself out of trouble, but it’s also a way to win precious travelling time.”
She showed him how to enter and leave the city. Because it was built high on some isolated cliffs connected to each other by bridges, there was an elevator to the plains below. She continued to show him where to buy ammunition and where to go for training.
After that, Robert had had enough. There was only so much one could absorb. He told Rebecca so, and she agreed. He used his hearthstone to return to Thunder Bluff. Seeing that Killermage was still online, he sent her a message just before logging off: “See you tonight!”
~~~
CHAPTER IX
She was early. Robert arrived exactly at nine o’clock to find her already sitting at a table at the window. She had a large beer in front of her that was half finished. In her oversized denim shirt she looked very much at ease. The place was moderately full of people, hanging around a huge copper plated bar.
“Did you ever wonder why there are so many Irish pubs all over the world, and no English or Scottish pubs at all?” she asked by way of greeting.
“Eh, no, not really,” he answered. “Do you know why?”
She shook her head. “It’s not as if the Irish make the best beer in the world. Far from it. And they’re certainly not the most cheerful people of our sunny island. I can’t see why there are Irish pubs all over the place.”
Laughing, Robert sat opposite her. The bartender came over and he ordered a large Jupiler beer. “It’s even more mysterious that they serve Belgian beer,” he remarked. “I’m not sure I can handle so many mysteries at the same time.”
She leaned forward, bringing their heads closer together. In a slightly softer tone, just audible over the music, she said, “Right after you logged off, your neighbour came online.”
He looked around. Nobody was paying attention to them. “What happened?”
She shrugged. “Not much. There were five of them, all from The Hammer of Grimstone. They met in Shattrath City, which could be called a little unusual. It used to be the hotspot and meeting point once, but was replaced as such by Dalaran two years ago. They went to the Forge of Souls. They did the whole sequence, so also the Pit of Saron and the Halls of Reflection.”
He held up his hands. “You lost me. What are you telling me?”
“Apart from the ordinary world, there are places called instances. The typical thing about an instance is that a player or group has it entirely to themselves. Also, they are many times more difficult.”
Robert didn’t understand a word. “Please clarify. I still don’t get it.”
For the first time, he got the
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