I Have Been Dancing In The Penny Arcade

So I've made three decisions:

1. I'm going to use a pattern for entry titles for a while (and no, I'm not going to say what it is just yet.)
   
2. I should put up something that isn't talking about my computers.
   
3. Barring that, I should cut down on how often I post entries. (Ok, so this is only number 4, excluding a few that came out still-born and never made it past the draft stage.) I'm thinking one or two a week unless I have something to actually say.

So, what am I going to talk about then? Well, to keep things from seeming to get too far-fetched, I'm going to talk about my all-time favouritest game in the whole wide world!

What? You expected me to give away the name in the intro? I think not!

So, what is this game that makes me want to write an entire blog entry dedicated to it? Why, Progress Quest (hereafter refered to as PQ) of course!

"PQ is the methadone for your EverCrack" - DiabloAddict, Progress Quest Forums

So what is PQ? To put it simply, Progress Quest is designed to be a next generation RPG, one that encoporates all the best features of traditional RPGs whilst at the same time eliminating the more tedious and mind-numbingly boring sections.

Game Modes:
The game itself can be played in two sections: Single Player and Online.
Of the two, single player is often looked at with derision by most of the online community who prefer the massively multiplayer function of the online with its automatic ladder ranking capability.

Realms
Like any good MMORPG, the game itself has multiple "Realms" or servers, with characters existing on one server being unable to interact with those located on another. As of this time 4 realms exists:

• Knoram - Oldest of the realms. This realm is usable only by players with characters already residing within the realm. No new characters are currently permitted.
  
• Expodrine - Second realm. Designed to remove some of the load from Knoram. It is missing some of the features available in Spotlog and Oobag as well as being plagued by rumours that it too shall be closed off to new characters.
  
• Oobag - Newest realm. Only non-beta realm that provides support for the guild system.
  
• Spotlog - Beta realm. Provides support for guild system but is the only realm that requires a special user id/password to create characters in.

Guilds
Ah! Guilds! What's an online multiplayer game without some way to subdivide yourself into a clique so as to further define your character by forcing them to conform with some sort of norm! Well, PQ has those too.
Don't expect any special bonuses from joining the guild, all you get is the distinction of being able to identify yourself as yet another face within some larger group. Just watch out for the First Church of Progress, bunch of greedy wankers that they are!

Races & Classes
This is where PQ really shines. Elf? Dwarf? Mage? Fighter? I think not! PQ boasts what is probably the most imaginative set of race/class combinations ever to grace a role playing game.
Want to indulge your furry fetish? Try playing as a Panda Man or a Talking Pony.
Got a Star Wars hangup? Then Double Wookie is the race for you!
Hate the thought of playing as an animal? Well, how about the Enchanted Motorcycle?
There are of course some concessions (Half Orc, Low Elf) to the standard roleplaying crowd, but half of the joy of Progress Quest comes from its willingness to go beyond the traditional standards and branch out into more experimental areas.

Online Community
Ah! What's a MMORPG without a dedicated online community? Nothing! That's what!
But never fear, PQ has a dedicated following who are always more than willing to listen to your suggestions for improvement or answer any questions you may have. Just stop by the forum and make yourself at home!

So what are you waiting for? Go! Try it out! Now!

Oh wait, you probably want screenshots, don't you?