Real life first name: Jim
Forum handle: Pomaikai
Main Character name: Pomaikai Po`okela
Server: Zebuxoruk/Xegony
Guild: Infinite Alliance
Infinite Alliance was formed in 2003 from the remnants of a disbanded guild who missed the comraderie and friendship they had enjoyed and looked to continue it. We grew from friends and family exploring this wonderful world, learning to raid together starting with NToV and VT, and growing into a raiding force that has entered Tacvi and is close to Anguish. Through it all we have kept our family outlook, encouraging guild interaction, grouping, and helping each other out while still maintaining a very capable raid force. You can find us on the web at: www.eqia.com
Where in the real life world do you live? Baton Rouge, LA where our population has doubled since Hurricane Katrina. Our traffic sucks now. No, really it does...
How long have you played EQ? ~6 Years
What other MMOs have you played? I beta tested EVE Online. Does that count?
What type of work do you do? I'm a Route Salesman for Merchant's Foodservice. Who needs groceries? PM me if you have a restaurant, bar, C-Store, daycare, deli, etc and are in the Baton Rouge area! What can I say? I'm always on the job...
How long is your typical gaming session when playing EQ? 4-6 hours when I get to play. I think I'm down to maybe 2-3 days per week if I'm lucky. My wife and I are trying to get pregnant right now, and it seems the RNG is against me there as well, so the time I am able to play nowadays is even more special to me as my wife gets a large portion of my free time, which she totally deserves. Whatever momma wants, momma gets! Feel free to wish us luck! We can use all the help we can get...
What does a typical EQ day consist of for you? On raid nights during the week I get home, log into EQ, and start heading for the raid location meeting point. Once there I do some buffing, and then AFK to start making dinner for my wife Cari who is a NICU Nurse and doesn't get home until 7pm. What she does every day is just totally amazing, and I am very proud of her. She's my RL hero by the way! So anyways, lots of dashing back and forth while I make dinner and the raid gets started. Then a quick break to sit down and eat with her, discuss how her day went, and then back to the raid! On the weekends I get to group and solo for exp, missions, and such. After that it's raid time! If I am lucky, I sometimes get to play 8-10 hours on a weekend day.
What was the race and class of your very first character? A Wood Elf Ranger named Terras Elvenfire. I sucked as a Ranger.
What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? I started gaming with the original box set D&D game. Yes, I said D&D and not AD&D. I'm that old... I've always been a fan of RPG's, from fantasy to science fiction. I've played D&D, AD&D, Tunnels and Trolls, RuneQuest, Traveller, and many many more. I really enjoy roleplaying and have a degree in acting and directing, but as of now online games like EQ really don't allow for any type of real roleplaying. So much of that is facial expressions, gestures, and vocal changes (including accents), and we're just not there yet in the online world. Typing in "Ye Olde English" is not what I consider roleplaying. That type of "roleplaying" mainly just gets annoying, fast...
What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other then playing EverQuest? I play disc golf, read a lot of science fiction, cook for fun, and enjoy a fine glass of wine or a wee dram of good single malt scotch. Once upon a time, long long ago, I was the voice of Driver Ed in Sierra Online's "Driver Education 1998" driving simulation software, and I once appeared in a really off-off Broadway play.
What is your highest level in EQ? Level 70, at least until the next expansion. ;-)
What race and class is your main character? Pomaikai is a High Elf Cleric. I had my Ranger to level 23 when the main Cleric in the guild I was in at the time (Fate's Sentinels) quit the game. We didn't have many people in the guild at the time, and we certainly didn't have much in the way of Clerics, so I camped out Terras in South Karana (Where he sits untouched to this very day.) and created Pomaikai. Once I started playing him I knew I found the right class for me to play. I loved playing a Cleric, and that's all I've ever played to this very day!
What do you like the most about the class you have chosen for your main character? I enjoy being able to heal, cure, and rez my group and the raid. I also really enjoy the fact that playing a Cleric is almost like a puzzle game, rather than an action game. Yes there is plenty of action as a Cleric, but the mind game is so incredibly stimulating! It's all a dance between keeping your group alive while managing your mana and agro. I tend to liken it more to chess than anything else. It's a very challenging and satisfying class to play.
I also am really enjoying the soling ability of the class now that I have reached the appropriate level of gear and aa's that really allow a Cleric to do so. Vindi is my goal, but I'm not there yet in terms of gear and aa's. Soon though, he will be mine! Oh yes, he will be mine...
If you are new to the class, or are an old pro, feel free to stop by the Cleric class boards at www.eqcleric.com and say hello! Tons of helpful people and information to be found there for people of all levels of play!
Does your main character worship a deity? Tunare, even though she's got that horridly wimpy cure neck instead of something useful, like snare. Actually, if I had known about the snare neck quest when I rolled the character, I would have chosen a Dark Elf. Tunare needs a snare item quest. Really, she does. Trust me on this one... Merloc! I have your first assignment!
How did you choose your main character's name? My character's name is Hawaiian. I was looking for a good name that actually meant something, and seeing as I have a massive Hawaiian shirt collection (Feel free to send me more!), it seemed like the perfect fit. Roughly translated it means "The Best One Chosen by the God's." I thought it sounded pretty Clerical...
Which classes in EQ have you NOT played? I have played a Ranger to level 23, and did that badly, and my Cleric to 70. That's it. I'm not a big fan of having Alt_07. It just takes away my focus from my main, which I still really enjoy playing.
What is your favorite expansion? Velious was a great expansion that came out when I first started (It was a stand alone expansion box.), but DoDh has been one of my favourites. Really well done for the most part.
What is your favorite zone? Anything totally flat, because the Line of Sight issues are just out of control these days! Actually, I am a huge fan of the Ruins of Illsalin right now. Lots of undead fun with our 32k dd aa toy!
What is your favorite npc? I've always loved the Fennin Ro fight in Plane of Fire. He is just one of the coolest looking mobs around, and that crazy spinning mace of his and a belly full of fire... Tres cool! Besides, he is one of the few raid mobs that I actually got to see as a Cleric. Most of the time it's just staring at walls, cubbies, tapestries, wall maps, safe rooms, and safe hallways. With Fennin, I got to watch the whole thing!
Which expansion do you like the least? PoR because of the sheer number of bugs and other heartache introduced with that expansion. I like the content, the zones are gorgeous, and the mobs are varied and cool looking, but its release has been such an utter mess...
Which zone do you like the least? Any zone with a single grain of sand on the ground that would cause me to get the dreaded "You cannot see your target." message, even though the durned mob is standing right there in front of me whacking me on the head! While that is true, I do have a complete and undying hatered for Solusek's Eye, or Sol A, due to the NPC listed below...
Which npc do you like the least? Lord Gimblox! I truly HATE this mob! Three long days of almost constant camping and sleeping by my PC while trying to complete my Epic 1.0 quest. I avoid this mob and the zone he lives in like the plague now. Hate, hate, hate!
What is the most platinum you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? 400k platinum for a GM BP and Legs when they first came out with DoN. The RNG just plain HATED me! I must have gone through close to 15 Metallic Drake Scales on the BP alone due to all the failures. Oi vey!
Do you have an item you no longer use but keep around for nostalgic reasons? If so what is it and why do you keep it? I completed up to like the third or fourth Coldain Shawl quest. I will probably never complete it though. I have no need of either the Shawl I still have, or the final result, but I just can't bear to destroy it. It was a pain in the butt to get this far, and who knows... Maybe our new Itemization Developer will decide to expand the Shawl Quest into something that was actually useful at my level. Hint, hint, hint...
What do you like best about EverQuest? The ability to meet so many wonderful people from all over the world, group with them in lots of interesting places, see lots of cool looking monsters, and kill them for their phat lewtz!
What do you get out of playing EverQuest? EQ is a great stress relief valve and a way to escape the everyday pressures of real life.
Describe your best experience from playing EverQuest? I have met some of the most wonderful people in my guild, and the guilds I have been in previously, in real life! Love you Jeli and the kids, and you need to come down and visit next year for crawfish! Tadyen, we need to go out and get drunk again, and I still owe you lunch Burns. I've also had the great fortune to become acquainted with an incredibly talented artist named Hijinks who has done all of the signature, background, and avatar artwork for Pomaikai. Check her out at www.hijstudios.com ! She's just one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Oh, and wish her well on her pending nuptials! Good luck hun!
Do you run or work for an EverQuest Fan Site? Yes, I am a board moderator for the Crossroads of Zebuxoruk/Xegony. We were the server board for Zebuxoruk before the merger, and seeing as Xegony no longer had a server board following the merger, we all just snuggled up like one big happy family. Well, not in a Jeff Foxworthy "You might be a redneck if" sort of way if you know what I mean. We're not THAT close...
We have an assortment of class boards, general topics, The Crossroads of EQ2, as well as forums for those who have gone over to the WoW side. We also have an arcade with classic favourites, and a whole lot more! We now offer, after a very long time, due to a change in our hosting plan, e-mail aliases ( yourname@zebuxoruk.org and yourname@zebuxoruk.com ) to anyone who always wanted one. Just a small way we can give something back to the community for their contributions.
Are you a Guild Leader or Officer of your guild on Xegony? Please contact Silxie to get access to our GM's Den section on the board. The GM's Den is a specific place where the Guild Leaders of Xegony come together to make arrangements and talk about contested zones (and soak in the hot tub). Just send a private message with your guild website and roster to Silxie.
We also offer private forums on our message boards for small guilds, as well as a lot of old guilds who have faded away or disbanded, but whose ex-members wish to stay in touch with one another. Please contact Kathrynn, Auruspex, or Janet on the boards via PM for more information!
We can be found on the web at www.zebuxoruk.com or www.xegony.us , and our forums are at www.zebuxoruk.com/phpbb/ . We hope to see all the players from Xebugony or Xebuxoruk (Our two top name choices for when the servers merged by the way...) posting and contributing to the community! See you on the boards!