Dawn of Man....

Dawn of Man version 1.0.6 changes look great! Just in time to help me with my Northlands challenge playthrough!

Dead Cells....

The latest(free) DLC for Dead Cells (Rise of the Giant) is an interesting change and advancement in the game. It's been a while since I  last played but the 'ol muscle memory seems to have kicked back in.

Motion Twin

Star Trek Online....

Interesting update for STO's road ahead; Looking forward to the summer event ship!

Star Trek Online

Battlefield 1....

A Casual Carebear

Hidden and Dangerous 2

Speaking of "Ye olde captured footage". Hidden and Dangerous 2!!

I wish there was a modern iteration in the Hidden & Dangerous franchise. A squad based semi-tactical first/third person shooter. It had so much detail.

There was a few years gap between the first and second game.... For the third? Hope springs eternal for it's return.

If you alert the guards on a map they tend to rush that position. A bad thing if you want to go stealthy, great if you want to attract guards into a crossfire/ambush/kill-zone in a loud gratuitous manner.

A Casual Carebear

The second game was less quirky than the first but had it's A.I. "issues". Still a game I love. I got it again through gog in 2017. I've a lot of older footage but as I was listening to "commercial" music as I played 99% of it wouldn't be remotely YouTube-able without hassle. No matter how apt it seems. But feck it!

Ye olde captured footage....

Silent Hunter 3, a great game, a classic. I've been hunting(pun intended) for a game as good ever since. Two are on my wishlist UBoat & Wolfpack; While the third is proving that complexity is in the eye of the beholder. I purchased Cold Waters some time ago. It ticks all the box's for me but is missing the easy to get into factor. I need to give this game more time but there always seems to be something else easier to do.....

Silent Hunter III:

A Casual Carebear

Games with Gold....

The Games with Gold titles for April have two interesting titles for me. The two Xbox One games.

Xbox

Well in saying that, I'm leaning more towards Technomancer over Outcast.
Technomancer was a game I recall as having a lot of flaws on it's release. Being free it's worth a look.
The Outcast games have never appealed to me but I'll give this second Outcast a look and see if I do anything with it.

As for Battlefront 2 its of zero interest to me; And Ghost Recon AW 2 was a game I played on the 360 way back when but I don't think I'll go back to it at all.

That Division....

After having posted the video I get a copyright warning/monitisation. Which from my point of view is as irritating as F**K. It's gameplay footage, fair use in my book. So I've reedited my gameplay footage to remove the action music.

This has really made me bítchy today! I can totally understand the youtubers who do monetise and then get hit like this for their gameplay. Makes me want to vent negatively about this type of shenanigans. I'm sure it'll be hit again....


Original post:

The last time I posted about The Division it was the second post I ever did on the game. That post was done for the first and only time I got to try the game out as a trial. Even being a few years old, it seems to my minds eye as if it was a lot, lot longer. I'm still not interested in it, even with all the changes in it's lifetime. With the second game out I decided to look for the clip of the tutorial I did. Long story short I'm posting the old clips to YouTube since I never did before. Another for the 'Ye olde captured footage', maybe not a game that's quiet "Ye olde" just yet.

Reedited footage:

A Casual Carebear

WoW....

It's been so long since I played WoW not even the launcher was installed. But the free weekend meant both myself and herself could revisit our characters and do some WoWage. And WoWage was had, on a pair of 33's we had leveled up in the last free weekend. Which seems like years ago.

Things have changed, I may have been on a mid 30's hunter but after much thought and analysis I now think hunters suck. It may be the effects of WoW classic, but things took so long to kill. The hunter rotation was very basic. 30 ish hunter or not it was never that slow before. 

I only briefly hopped onto my old characters, checked mail etc. I didn't touch the reset talents. 

The guild seemed to have been deserted for a long time, no surprise really. They were all jumping ship even when I was playing.

The only real thing I did was a small bit of transmoging to bring the old mains back to a nostalgic look.

If there is any more gameplay it'll be because I can do so with the missus. Still no other reason to return to WoW.

The character rotisserie by old play preference: Warlock, Tard, Mage, Priest, Pala, Druid, Monk, Shammy, Demon Tard, D(i)K, Warrior, Rog.

A Casual Carebear

Far Cry 3....

A video of my Far Cry 3 gameplay, a clip I used way back was never on youtube. I have no idea where the original video went, but at least I could download it from the blog and upload it now.

A Casual Carebear

Star Trek Online....

Time for some grumpy frustrated waffling about the recruitment commendation.

Recruitment assignments are randomly mixed into the normal personal(as in my own)/officer(first officer and Ops) assignments. Even at that they are rare. It's not fun randomness. Assignments for recruitment xp in sector space from my experience are just as elusive due to that randomness; Which has the added time wasting bonus of hauling my azz around the galaxy looking in each sector for them. Maybe I'm just being unlucky, but no matter how unlucky I may be I'm getting more pissed off with this side of the commendations.

I thought it would be better to do the assignments from Starfleet Academy. Speaking to the personnel officers and waiting around for the exchange (rather than the reassignment) assignments to finish even if it takes seconds; It takes planning and visits to the exchange to buy expendable officers. Again and again and again. There should to be a better way! It's a head banging on desk kind of a grind.

Doing the daily TFO helps break up the time. I do as many assignments as sanity can take, do the TFO and then back to the officer grind. The grind is made a grind not only because of the monotony of the process but the lack of any real XP movement. Or so it seems. Even with the bonus XP!

TFO:

I've read up on the recruitment grind. And it is as much a grind for everyone. It's not just me.  The grind is real.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sto/comments/5aftqs/recruitment_commendation_fed/

https://www.reddit.com/r/sto/comments/5fd96x/recruitment_grinding/

https://www.reddit.com/r/sto/comments/5vjbw2/recruitment_xp/

Reading up further confirms some more options but that the "fastest way" is the officer grind.

https://www.reddit.com/r/sto/comments/96mdar/ultimate_guide_to_doff_assignments/

*bangs head on desk*

Even with the last commendation level being a grind I've still got some assignment chains to complete. Granted I don't need to really finish them off but looking at them with a completionist eye ...... they are a thing that needs to be finished.

They are also unfortunately a random chance as well. I've been in and about space looking for the various "next step" but again been frustrated by randomness...... Even in the Crown system.

I need to step away from the game for a bit, clear the head etc. This is the first time I've really been frustrated at the game. Any STO grind hasn't ever felt like a grind, but this recruitment lark has brought the vengeance of the grind gods down like a ton of bricks to the noggin. All self inflicted, I don't really need to do any of this. So yea, some grinds need a break, time to step away, reassess and make a plan from some google searches.....

Dawn of Man....

Temple of the Sun, another challenge down. Not a bad one at all. Just needed to prioritise the stonework and in doing so everything needed for the supply chains to make that happen. Mainly Wood and leather leading onto lots of wood chopping, flint knapping and hunting. The village stays small at 12. Only towards the end of the challenge in a push to get things finally done did the village ever come close to starvation. A fine line but it worked. The other problems were down to getting the village sustainable (quickly) at the start and clothing for the first winter done in time.

In retrospect I was probably lucky with the time limit. Getting it all done in the lifetime of (lazy non-working) Morkar, I doubt he would have lasted another year.

The usual reward for the efforts, a quick 'well done' message.

*pats self on the back*

Next one up....

Battlefield 1....

The last week has seen another mixed bag of highs and lows. The good moments being good straight alongside the bad and the weaker matches.
I've noticed an influx of people complaining about BF V. Imagine that...

A Casual Carebear

Oculus Rift S....

I've (still) been mulling over getting a Rift. Last year I saw there would be an updated version for 2019 so decided to hold off for more information; And here it is: Oculus Rift S
I think I'll be heavily leaning towards getting this.

Adam Savage’s Tested

Hitman 2....

Attempting the ballet of Colorado Master mode I've been hitting walls of frustration. Having only one save and waiting to make that save is a push on the limits of luck. Especially with 4 targets. Taking a break from it I moved on to do the more challenges on the Hokkido map. Including the last (5th) part of The Meiko Incarnation escalation. Thought it would be fun to muddle through and put it up as a video:

A Casual Carebear

Stadia....

No matter what way you pronounce the 'a', the idea of Stadia is a game changer. I'm not 100% sold on it and I don't think I will be until the entire planet has gigabit fibre to the home. But the initial idea of it is so very interesting. Especially the use of the controller as the controller of your content access. Then reality kicks in. Practicality really. Lag is eternal no matter how low the milliseconds go. If it does catch on and can run over a 56k modem on a windows 98 pc then good but I'll mourn the loss of today's status quo. I have chromecasts but streaming on the TV furthest away from the Wi-fi router gets choppy without intervention. The new service will find it's the users limitations that are the real stumbling blocks. *Stadia home wi-fi booster kit sales!?!?* Who will pay for a service that is different for everybody. 

I don't do games as a service. I don't do any paid services like that at all.

I'm not sure where google is heading with this new service. It's way too early to tell. My gut tells me this jump is a jump too far for me.

Anyway the console market was heading to a streaming base wasn't it?! I wasn't concerned about that because I thought the current generation was my last. No exclusives on the platform any more meant I could get it all on PC anyway. This new service has the chance to nuke all hardware into irrelevance. That's too big a change to really quantify today. Nothing else has even seemed like it would compete let alone obliterate the competition.

This Stadia is an evolutionary step that will trip me up.

My main gripe is that I like to have the software/game software I buy. Maybe not a physical copy but a software executable for my own installs; regardless of if the company has gone bankrupt.
Steam was a big jump for me when I started it first. Paying for a game 'I own' on their service; What if the service is down or 'gone'? Then so are the games, money down the drain?
I truly do value having the content I buy. That's why I still have physical games from the 90's. GoG was a godsend and I'm more happy to pay for a game there and download it's installer than see it listed in my steam library. Am I sounding like an old fuddy duddy.

To put it another way I like to control the content I buy. If I have an original Xbox and DOA 3 I can setup that console in 20 years time, pop in the disc and play the game. But if I pay for a game and the service is dead 20 years ago what hope of playing what I paid for!

Steam for now is too big to fail; If it did it would be snapped up by the likes of google or Microsoft. Other services like Uplay/Origin etc would no doubt be in the same boat. I do question the likes of if the xbox were to be phased out, how long would they allow games to be downloaded and used!? The same goes for uplay/origin etc. Being bought out and still being accessible or content amalgamated etc.... Still too many unanswered questions. A gaming existential crisis seems imminent.

Online games like WoW, STO or Eve Online are very much a going concern. Of the three I listed two are a paid service that I've cut out. But it's an assumed given, an unwritten rule that with MMO's you get as much out of them as you can while you can. Because they can disappear or change radically in a year. Is that to be the fate of PC gamers!

Way to many questions and philosophical considerations being brought up by this.

Time will tell....

BF 1....

A quieter night out indeed....

A Casual Carebear

Battlefield 1....

A Casual Carebear

Hitman 2....

The legacy content progression continues on the Colorado map. The easy stuff has been done, now to tackle the harder suit only master mode challenges.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit.....

Have a good one!!

Tharsis....

I've been back to Tharsis a lot today. 99% of the attempts have been horrific due to 'bad luck' rolls of the dice. Every now and then there was a glimmer of good luck. I almost said 'hope' instead of 'good luck', there's no hope in this game. As for luck, The mechanic below was dealt with a massive unworkable problem. He did solve the module he was in. If only it was an escape pod. He went out fighting. Little victories. WD40 and duct tape.

Here's that full run to see the brick wall that they went into! (no game music or cut-scenes due to the hammer that would drop on the video, and I don't even monitise!):

A Casual Carebear

In fact it's been a bad day for all ships involved in gameplay today, FTL, Tharsis and Race the Sun!

No wonder my wife said I shouldn't log into Eve Online!!!!

Hitman 2....

Thankfully it happened. A slam dunk on the last chance I was giving it of the day.

With Bangkok as complete as it can be I've moved on to Colorado next.
speaking of which I've completed The Vector 'sniper' level.

 

As well as about half way through the Hacker escalation. Which would be easier if I'd unlocked a lot more on the map. But it's being done for completion rather than style points. A bit like the entire legacy content.

Dawn of Man....

After some more water aerobics, the predators were distracted by two herds that went to drink at the lake. They followed and chased them down giving my mammoths time to break out.

Pity there is only a popup message to end the "mission".

A Casual Carebear

Now to move on to the next....

No Man's Sky....

No Man's Sky has for me gone from underwhelming to interesting to overcooked in it's lifetime. My balance point was at the "interesting" stage(maybe a year or so ago). After holding out for changes for so long it seems that too many changes were not my thing, I've since uninstalled the game. In saying all that the next update may prove interesting at least from afar. I doubt I'll be back into the game('famous last words').   

No Man's Sky Beyond.

HelloGamesTube

Hitman 2....

I took some time to do the new "The Butler Did It" challenge. I saw and choose to use the same path/tactics as in the excelent MrFreeze2244 vid. Of course the ideal timing that he has for his perfected methods doesn't make it into my version of such a run. But it doesn't need to be as exacting to complete the challenge. I've only been on the normal map for a full run once, so I'm not in tune with it's patterns.

Great to have but I'll be letting the feather duster gather dust.

My run:

A Casual Carebear

Battlefield 1....

BF 1 - More pistol than rifle....(reedited with music); Sure why not.....

A Casual Carebear

Battlefield 1....

While I considered the last BF1 mash up video as a 'jinxed' edit; I've 'fixed' it up a bit by redoing the music. Better now I think....

A Casual Carebear

Star Trek Online....

Recently I've 'gone mad' doing Duty Officer Assignments. Early in the game and before the Admiralty system assignment missions were a way of getting items(deployable space turrets for me) and dilithium. Small amounts but every bit helps. Oddly enough I'd seen but ignored the assignment variations chart -  commendations.

In seeing and understanding the benefits(a little more), I decided to finish off the remaining commendations. Diplomatic and Recruitment are the remaining two. Over the years by luck(?) I'd already completed 7 or 8 and didn't even know it. But I'm making progress to finish them all now.

In the past the in space area's that you needed to go to were "better" but since some changes they haven't worked "properly", or so I've been informed. But the areas still have assignments for officer missions. There is a lot of cross-over with various assignments chains for the same end(like colonization). Doing it now even if it's a broken system, is an interesting change to the norm. It's not often that you find yourself doing a lot on the space map outside of travelling to a ground location. The only down side is the amount of time it takes to for some assignments to finish. Some between 12 to 20 hours. Many are shorter - 1, 3 or 6 hours. All in all it's been boiled down to doing a set of a assignments, daily. Trip around the Alpha and Beta quadrants. Set my own second officer/sector space and Doff assignment missions, repeat the following night etc. Sounds more grindy than it is. The officers do the work I'm just managing things a little(hah officers doing 'work').

Battlefield 1....

A Casual Carebear

Dawn of Man....

Thinks are getting worse. The wolf and 4 bears have been joined by 6 cave lions..... Ridiculous!
No way out now, they follow.

Hitman 2....

It's an additional item and even if it's to sit gathering dust(pun?), I want it!

Tomorrow it's time to find you inner butler - when The Butler Did It Challenge Pack goes live in HITMAN 2.

Complete all 6 challenges and you’ll unlock your very own “Feather Duster” !

Cleaning has never been more fun – or dangerous 😱 pic.twitter.com/j0oYbLWgVn

— IO Interactive (@IOInteractive) March 13, 2019

Dead Cells....

We're super excited to announce that our first free DLC, Rise of the Giant, will hit the PC on March 28. You can already check out the Steam page:https://t.co/zHSvebDacQ

Celebrating the news with this brand new accolade trailer!#Steam #gamedev #gaming pic.twitter.com/7pkDVLKTGc

— Motion Twin (@motiontwin) March 12, 2019

BF 1....

I've been getting a mixed bag of maps with the latest weekly rotations. Some maps are epic for the scout class. Sniper nirvana. The others have seen me reverting back to Support and leveling it up. I've tried to force the issue a few times but I end up as a sniper in the back waiting for targets, usually ending a 30 minute match with a low kill/death ratio. Not much fun in that. Even less so when you start to get abuse from idiots in your squad even if the K/D ratio is in the positive.

One map that is ideal for snipers is the "Ballroom Blitz" map. Great map for multiple match styles. I thought I'd be able to snipe as much as I wanted. As it turned out the match was moving so fast back and forth that I ended up getting more kills with my scouts alternative weapons(pistol/tripwire).
A hard fought but great match even in defeat.

A Casual Carebear

I've also been reading about the main difference between the shorter and longer range scopes. Up to about 4 times zoom is a marksman and above that is a sniper scope. While the longer scope is a greater zoom I'm definitely more confortable as a marksman(scope) shooter. The smaller scope allows me to be (somewhat) more aware and acquire targets faster. Plus I can still judge and hit longer distance targets. Marksman scoped rifles it is for me!

Phoenix Point....

I've not been motivated to get games (other than freebies) on the Epic store but this is the first game to make me consider it.....
Phoenix Point will be an Epic Store exclusive for one year: https://t.co/YRhw0IO6w2

— A Casual Carebear (@ACasualCarebear) March 12, 2019

Dawn of Man....

I've completed my first playthrough. The endless mode nature of the game allows you to play on and that is fun in itself. Allowing you infinite time to finalize the micromanagement/sustainability etc.etc.

So once I was feeling fully finished I moved on to create a new village on the next difficulty. The Northlands. 

The change from 'Accessible' to 'Challenging' is massive. My starting location was surrounded by wolf packs, bears, cave lions and woolly rhinos. Gathering sticks and fishing in the river were life and death tasks. You can't take an eye of the plebs for a moment. Only just starting and I had already lost two people. It's a ramping up of difficulty that makes me not want to see what "Difficult" would be like. 

Giving the village life a break I took a look at the Challenges. The first is to guide 3 adult and 2 young mammoths to their destination via a series of way points. 

Even with it being listed as "accessible" I found it hard. There were predators that sprang out of nowhere. Almost as if spawned in on purpose. That was and is frustrating.

I can get them to the 4th or 5th waypoint but then they seem to get swarmed by predators. Even one wolf is almost too much to handle. Especially as the adult mammoth's are slow and the wolves go for the babies first.

The only saving grace is that the predators don't swim so my mammoth's have been doing a lot of aquatic aerobics to buy time!

The journey continues.....