I’m not one for making daily entries to a blog or diary, but I’ll do my best. This will be my way of remembering the past and how far I’ve come in PE.
The Beginning: My humble beginnings on Calypso started 12-20-04 (If memory serves) in Cape Corinth with the usual trappings of a newcomer - Ie. Nothing except orange clothing and the will to learn and succeed.
To say my early days were exciting and confusing would be an understatement. I had read a lot about how PE worked and all the guides I could find..but hadn’t joined any forums yet (Where the REAL good information is found) so things were very hard. I quickly learned after talking to a few people and getting some questions answered (Plus receiving a few free items for simply asking about PE stuff), that deposits while not strictly required would make life much easier to start. Case in point, my mentor (Someone that latched on to me realy quickly and helped a good deal) gave me a Mann MPH handgun and someone else I had spoken with gave me 100 rounds of ammo for the gun - but I had no armor and knew nothing about Sweating (Tricks and techniques) or even what mobs to hunt.
I wandered around and tried a few mobs near Corinth. Nothing much really, Sabakumas, some Atrox (I think they were Guardians) and a huge mob I hadn’t heard about called a Longu Provider. Well you can guess how THAT turned out! I quickly realized I was NOT being bright, and worse yet stupid.
More research ensued, exploration of Calypso and the internet gave me some nice mobs to hunt, and moved me around the world collecting TPs (Thank GOD for internet maps!) I made a small $10 deposit and bought some TT armor (Remember I was new and had NO clue really) then went hunting Snables, Snarks and Plums mostly. I didn’t have much success, but realized I loved the game and simply HAD to deposit more for better gear. I talked my wife into letting me deposit $40 more and got some Pixie armor to complete the set (After some Snables had given me some parts already) and really started hunting. In those days I used the Pixie armor with Mann MPH and a Jester D1…not knowing about 1x0 axes or melee beyond (To me) high end expensive swords which I couldn’t afford.
A trip to get some TPs in one area led me to one of my first true friends in PE - Andova Andie Wise. I happened across her doing some mining and was curious. She gratiously explained how mining worked, and even gave me a few pointers and offered to take me mining. After directing me to a nearby TP I was looking for she did something that shaped my future in PE - she handed me a fully repaired RepEdge 1x0 axe! Well I VERY quickly learned they were one of, if not THE, most cost efficient weapons in the game. Soon after I acquired several more, thanks to my Mentor, at a good rate and was OFF to the races!
Along the way I met another person that took me along on a high-end mob hunting trip with them in my first team hunt..and even split the loot with me evenly. Of course my pixie armor with MPH and Jester D1 woudl be no help for Atrox/Atrax so this person gave me their EP-40 Mercenary, an A106 amplifier and a GOOD amount of ammo for the gun - so I could help them slaughter Atrox. It was GREAT fun, but sadly we never really got anything nice…this person even let me KEEP the EP-40 Merc and Amp! Sadly soon after this person stopped really playing very much. I’ve seen them from time to time in the months to follow and hope they realize how much I appreciate their kindness. (Sadly their name escapes my sleep deprived brain right now, but I’ll edit once I get home and check my FL)
Around this time I hit my first hunting global, 52 PED off a Snablesnot Young Male and was completely and totally hooked! I was in for $50 USD total deposits by now and had (In my young mind.) a good collection of gear - Pixie Armor, some Goblin, Jester D1, Mann MPH, about 7-9 1x0 axes, and more importantly some very good friends. Well as the fates will always do my luck turned bad and I quickly started to bleed PEDs, not necessarily due to bad loot - but more likely my bad knowledge of the RIGHT things to hunt and how to efficiently use my weapons. I had been hunting Cornundos and Molisk near the crashed spaceship south of Camp Phoenix and doing fairly good..but not good enough. It’s not that I squandered any PEDs (I’m a miser really) but rather that I had hunted over my head (Thanks to the EP-40 and A106) and got no loot to show for the time spent. I had sold the EP-40 and A106 amp in an effort to stay afloat without another deposit…but sadly this didn’t work.
I agonized for a few hours over making another deposit (After trying to get my wife’s agreement) or simply turning to sweating to boost my Mindforce skill and try to earn some PEDs for trading. In the end I made another $50USD deposit and repaired my stuff, rearmed and went back to hunting. 10 minutes later I saw staring at my screen and doing my level-best to not scream out load at the top of my lungs (It was 3am EST and my wife and daughter were asleep) - I had killed a Cornundos Mature and looted a 717PED HoF! (My first!) with some REALLY nice items including a FF8kM (That I later sold for +350) Justifier MK1, Z1001 pistol and other stuff with 500 peds! I was bouncing off the walls and had to actually head outside to jump around and scream a little - albeit somewhat subdued since I didn’t want to wake my neighbors and bring the police! :laugh:
Well after that things moved rapidly, I bought full Rascal Armor - had 12 - 1x0 axes, plenty of ammo (Even though my gun usage is simply a backup - since I’m a melee hunter first and foremost.) PLUS I had found my perfect mob for skilling - Cornundacauda Youngs on the beach north of Fort Argus.
Sure I hunted other mobs, mainly to explore new areas, and had already found Bercyleds near Port Atlantis - and had my Cornundos and Molisk which still looted for me well (But only at very specific times of the day) - but here was a mob VERY well suited to my Rascal Armor, axes and skilled GREAT!
2.5 Months later, several globals (Including my first mining of 55ped) and nice item loots (But no Nemesis parts or HoFs) I had grown in Longblade skill to over 2k (Along with other skills) and was having a BLAST! I had a society I had joined a while back (nAn - nothing AND nowhere) that quickly became GREAT friends, and I was more importantly having a BLAST!
Fast forward to present day (Mostly so I don’t have to hear your snoring any more :laugh: ):
I’m $300 USD into PE so far, and haven’t made a deposit in just over 2 months (A fact of which I’m VERY proud) - Have a great group of friends, and an awesome society. Item wise I feel I’ve grown considerably since those early days. True my Jester D1 is still a part of my use, as well as my Rascal armor and 1x0 axes..but they have been joined by a Kangoo (Gifted by a close friend), MF-105 (Same friend- For my Disciple graduating gift - Thanks again Andova!), Katsuichi Honor, Marber Bravo-Type Plasma rifle, Full goblin, Mostly full Pixie (never finished recollecting the parts after selling it RIGHT before my HoF and getting my Rascal armor) - and many other items I borrow from friends on occasion (Thunderbird armor! ME Whip, Nemesis Armor, etc.)
I’ve been fortunate in my loots over the months (Mainly the past 2 months) - In addition to the 717ped Hunting HoF and 55ped Mining Global already mentioned I’ve gotten 16 Hunting Globals (2 in team with Socmates - plus one I helped get even though I wasn’t a teammember at the time.), my 1st, and only so far, mining HoF of 337 Ped worth of Oil (Extremely Large deposit) – Thanks to socmate Hawk for running out his MD102 and several other TT extractors so I could pull it all up, 13 GSIs, a table, Viking Armor helmet, and other stuff. Plus I’ve actually become less of a miser recently, getting a medium sized apartment, new weapons (The Marber Bravo),full 4C Armor plates - plus most recently CLOTHES! Urban Nomad Black Jumper and Slacks, plus a Rancher hat, hobb Bomberjacket and Reilly boots made from Cornundacauda Leather - tailored and colored purple last night by the amazing tailor Pieces. So things in PE are looking up for sure! I’m even far ahead basde upon my RL deposits. If I was to sell out now (No a chance in hell!) and liquidate JUST my inventory and MAYBE get Market prices for it all I’d be ahead near $150 - and that doesn’t even include skills (Over 3.4k longblade and several others over 1k, 2k and 3k.)
BUT more to me then anything else is the fact that I have some dear friends in PE that I treasure. You folks ARE what make PE so great, all the uber armor, clothes and weapons - while they would be nice, and I still want (Hint: Ghoul Armor, Justifier MKII, Ambulimax Master Coat and Linestrip Shades for starters!) - I would trade EVERYTHING away and be a complete and total PEDless pauper if I had to choose between my stuff or you folks.
Look for updates to this dairy (I’ll try to keep the sappy stuff to a minimum) on a semi-regular basis.
Take care!
I can’t wait, 3.4ghz processer, 2gb memory, 256mb high-end video card, a few (Probably 4) 80gb 10kRPM SATA drives, high-end sound card, DVD Burner to go with the fancy high-end cooling case, 56x CDRW, Wireless Keyboard and Mouse (Optical as well) and 21inch monitor I already have…Ah! :tongue2: I can’t wait!
Looks like I’ll be heading out to the show this weekend after all, most likely with $1100-1200 dollars in my pocket. I’m hoping I can get the parts I need for around $900 to finish the machine. I bet you can guess where the remaining $200-300 will be going? :tongue2: Yup, probably into a better part! Or at worst into PE! I simply HAVE to get my Ghoul armor. 
Loot wise it’s been rather sparse, mostly since my play time has been limited (Damn foot hurts if I sit at the PC without it up..and the way my desk is situated I can’t keep it up in front of me..so it’s rather uncomfortable sitting twisted to the side. Some low level guns looted, a GSI, but no globals or anything of real note..I’m down maybe 150 ped in the past week..but thankfully last night and the night before I turned in break-even runs..so the luck might be turning
