Two Point Hospital....

Back to Two Point. The new 'green' DLC is fun; I've been pottering away with it. The First Star on the first hospital of the DLC was different. A lot like the desert island DLC but more approachable for me. I guess that's down to the more lax objectives(from what I can remember of the other DLC).

The first Star unlocks the second hospital(which my wife is already well into, not that it's a race or anything).

I'd have played more of the DLC if it wasn't for the draw I felt to go back to Pelican Wharf. It's turned out to be a lot less hassle than I thought a return would be. A fresh attempt has been almost... easy.

Well into getting the first star the map was pretty much looking after itself. Including the finances. Maybe something was changed in a patch.

Having the main 'quest' of raising researchers means an R&D department has paid for itself in no time. The hardest part of getting the second star was the experience of the researchers so they could be trained; So the second Star was easier then the first, it just took time.

Star three should only be a matter of even more time.

ETS 2....

The latest event in ETS 2 has some interesting rewards with more to come when the game gets it's next update. Plus a games company helping out during a global pandemic, awesome!

This time round it's an event in game that needs a long distance covered; Or many, many short journeys by accumulation(2500km). I decided to take on very long distance contracts to get things done sooner(in a one fell swoop way). I completed the personal goal with that one journey. However getting in a 'bind' that can't be driven out of is annoying when your 800km into a 1200km contract; More so when it happens twice in a row..... So yes, there were 'accidents' in getting there.... Unfortunately for me I was still glancing at youtube etc....

Or at least that's the excuse I'm going with for my bad driving. I've found that long distance contracts are not for me. 500km is long so 1500 and longer is too much of a marathon!

These things happen and in the end I got the required distance covered. I may not get more done for a day or two.... Or three....

Ori And The Will Of The Wisps....

Ori And The Will Of The Wisps just as in the first game is a gorgeous looking game and an audio dream of sound, music and effects. I can appreciate all of that from the offset.
Same again with the story/narrative. More of the same greatness in how both games do it(or so I understand from those that really know).

Will of the Wisps was free for me so worth a try for that alone. I got to play the PC version of the game via the Xbox Ultimate Pass. It's not a game I'd have paid to play so maybe my views doesn't matter. I couldn't get into the first game maybe that's doubly damning.

Straight up, gameplay wise like the first game, it's just not for me. I was annoyed by some of the mechanics that seemed imprecise. Like jumping which seemed to have a millisecond lag delay between button press and action(which happened whether the game was streamed or played directly). That and the fact that the backgrounds are murky so jumping onto something that should(or at least looked to) be solid turns out to be anything but. Those were my two main quibbles. I'm nitpicking because it's annoyances that build up and frustrate to make a game un-enjoyable.

Water in the first game was a no go from what I saw(until it was cleansed via your progress). In the second game it's not so clear cut. The second game is confusing beyond all reason in that regard. Go in water your fine, go in different water that looks the same and it's back to a checkpoint. That's it's own level of frustration for me.

So I stopped playing. Not even scratched the surface; But I've heard a reviewer say that the story only really started to kick in 3 or so hours into gameplay...! That's a massive NoNo for me; If I was frustrated  straight off the bat I'm sure I'd be breaking controllers 3 hours in.

It was free to try and I tried it. Like the first game it's just not for me. A game series I can't get into. At least I tried it. But I do feel like I'm missing out. Time to go watch a good playthrough on YouTube; While playing some Dead Cells.

Dawn of Man....

While I completed the overall scenario achievements. I'd not fully finalized the Northlands map/scenario from my own gameplay points of view, one milestone remained; The iron age and all it's tech upgrades.

So, yet more pottering about with the Northlands map saw entry into the Iron age. I'd maintained the village population hovering around the 130 to 150 mark by over micromanagement in the copper age. The greatest problem with maintaining a high population was due to the miners. Some mines were far(but not that far), yet villagers would go to or be in the mine in 'summer' clothing then only return to the village hauling ore and die of hypothermia because the season had changed. I worked around this by doing a call to arms just as autumn ended; That way the population would gather in town; Then when winter had just begun I'd end the call and they would head straight to the store houses and get wool clothing etc before restarting their tasks. Not perfect but it helped.

I also found it handy and more effective to search for young animals on the map that could be 'captured' rather than hunting the adults. It's an easy, quick way of gaining the same food value and maintaining your own stabled animals. It saves the danger of the hunt.  I also think but not searched for info online that doing so stops disease from popping up and killing your domesticated stock. So it's good to keep capturing some wild versions of the animals you keep. Which does make sense.

Going into the iron age I was able to unlock all but three of it's tech in one go, which felt good. The last of the tech was gained by trading.

Once bought it popped up the last Milestone.

In getting to the Iron age I was able to 'enjoy' the map a lot more. I think that was down to only really needing Iron instead of Copper and Tin for Bronze(closed those mines down). Also with the added bonus of Steel production, again without the need for extra mines or minerals(same resources as with normal iron production).

Sticking with the copper age for tech point hoarding in retrospect works for all other ages bar copper. The faster you can get to Iron from it the better.

Some metalsmith to blacksmith upgrades as well as bloomery upgrades were easy. Deep Mining makes the iron mines last longer and for me they were a lot closer than any other minerals to mine. Happy days indeed.

Add in a few ovens and the change from copper to iron age is a massive workflow improvement. 

Just a bit more faffing about with the village to do, for pure enjoyment of a great game.

STO....

I made a gut reaction reply to a tweet from STO, in retrospect, as a reply it was a bit harsh; but not by much.

I'm generally not a reactionary. PR is something that can slip on one word and for me this time round it did and uncharacteristically I started typing. I don't regret it but still; If only they had changed 'present' to 'presentation' then the expectation wouldn't have created such backlash. They are sticking with their message and so am I.

I've been pottering away with STO but more generally of late(Two Point DLC/ETS 2 DLC etc etc etc). While I know the Dot-7 is from the Discovery series; Seeing it in game all I can think if is that it's the Blinky robot(from the short film).

I can't say for sure that using the reward kit module has been of benefit, the only reason I equipped it was for the damage bonus it gives. Only, I can't see a tangible improvement. Not that he/it lasts in combat; Breath on it and it's destroyed.

So section one of the new campaign is done. I guess the next event will coincide with the summer event.

I kept on doing the daily for the Dil reward for the few extra days.

There's not been been much else to write home about in game; Some endeavour dailies when they seem 'doable'.

My Science main is still trying to max out the reputations(for the traits); But I've been getting lax about it.

My Xbox character has done the last daily needed to claim the new KDF/FED ship.

So I've transferred her fit from the 2019 summer event ship to it. Not had any use of it in space beyond being a taxi.... So far...

One upside of the ship change is some extra firepower; The downside is the sluggish turn rate.
Time will tell if I last with it or go back to my old main.

Darkest Dungeon....

After many, many more turns/weeks done on the Stygian save I was happy with the roster(again). The ongoing clearing up of the hero roster gave some new heroes, level 3's. With them I finally felt I'd got a crew together to ran The Farm successfully and defeat The Miller.

Week 288 was a good one.

Here's the full run:

And here's 'just' the boss fight:

A Casual Carebear Gamer

Overall I felt it was an easier run and end Boss fight than I expected and remembered from a previous 'normal'(Darkest) Miller run. Glad to have it done with.

Next step is to potter about with gaining shards to buy the trinkets but more importantly to get another crew started with the Crimson Court(finally).

C&C Remastered....

I'm trying to temper my nostalgia for C&C(more than Red Alert but not by much) regarding the remasters that are due out.

While I picked up the mega 17 C&C games bundle a good while ago; I've only ever faffed about and not done much with them. The remasters may feel like a new game and be worth it for a 'new' experience... I just don't know(if I get them) if I'm going to play them.... Properly.

The Nostalgia is strong....

Electronic Arts

ETS 2....

I've been pottering about with ETS 2 again. Besides that faffing about and doing any in game events I felt that I needed something new in ETS 2. The only DLC expansion(currently out) that I didn't have is the Road to the Black Sea. A DLC I always said I'd wait for a discount before buying. Yet I wanted something new so that need gave way to any cash saving sale over the weekend.

So far it's been a good DLC. I've only scratched the surface. Different sights and vistas; Road systems and architecture amalgamations. It's a DLC that's less about massive changes and all about the little differences. Getting some new countries added has saved me from over micromanaging my other garages/drivers/trucks and trailers.

I've never had any Volvo trucks in my fleet so decided on going Volvo as a theme for my new garages in the new countries. I chose 5 new garages, each with 5 drivers(and trucks) and 6 trailers.

Having a lot of cash in the company account lets me splash the cash and if I check out a new truck I usually get all the additions.

I like GPS but not all the GPS.

Like the rest of my company in the game I've no massive strategy. Garages based more on distance coverage than specific tasks.

The average drivers truck doesn't have any fluff options but still above average to cover all trucking contingencies; Like the mix of trailers in each garage(2 flatbed, 2 curtainsiders and 2 refrigerated).

Staffing is always a problem and the better drivers are sparse; I've had to take on about 12 drivers of the lower end skill set (1.7). Given that I've a lot of road to travel in a new truck for myself I don't mind spending time seeing those lower end drivers skilling up.

Sights to be seen, deliveries to be done, profit to be made, drivers to be trained and many, many traffic violations while glancing at youtube.

Battlefield 1....

Frontlines is(was) back as a theme and I had a great moment as a sniper. The type that doesn't come around often(at least for me). Great when the enemy bunch up. Worth a share:

A Casual Carebear Gamer

The Ross MkIII Marksman rifle is my new favorite to use as a scout(for now at least). I've never been into the statistical side of the class weapons but I know what works for me. Sweetspot aiming is more about the instinctual reactive feel rather than deciding to aim at specific body areas. Besides time to aim for a perfect shot in the heat of combat isn't usual. There's always 10 other players with snap reflexes waiting for a still target. I felt very comfortable with the Gewher 98 Marksman but I'm getting better one hit kills with the MkIII Marksman. It's the results that count in the end.

Battlefield 1....

Interesting how this weeks theme is a different theme each day!

I received a pretty negative message about my recent Planetside 2 post. Regarding my like of Battlefield over PS2, my comments on themes and objectives.

I shouldn't have to say that on a personal blog my views are my own and I wasn't trying in any way to say that anyone else can't find that game fun. Worth mentioning in a post. When I said that the game has 'no real meaning for a player'; I meant it in the context of a match not as a gamer with a game. Fun is fun and if a player finds fun in a game I have no problem with that fact. I would ask that if you really like a game that much, look at what you think it's flaws are.... Some of the best games I've played and enjoyed are flawed to bits(and/or a Bethesda game....). Some can be ignored others not so much. Balance it out. Each to their own....

Besides my posts all come with a waffle caveat....

I had a great match two nights ago that exemplifies why I'm so into Battlefield 1 and why I think it's better than PS2. Clear simple objectives; Protect the carrier, kill the enemy. I played as a Medic, reviving players, healing and shooting. Many gameplay objectives from many angles within a match. Most of all Battlefield gives time to act. Even if it looks like I get spam killed a lot in a match it's not frustrating. I found PS2 way worse in it's 'time to kill' mechanics(almost insta kill).

So that match I mentioned. It's not a perfect match and I'm no pro Battlefield 1 player, I trod on a tripwire, I aim badly, I missed opportunities, I slipped off a wall and died not to mention some horrendous grenade throwing. But the match was great fun. I shot, I killed, I helped, I was mentioned in dispatches at the end. Most importantly the game allowed me time to act with meaning and purpose and I really enjoy it for that.

Here is that match in full:

A Casual Carebear Gamer

Two Point Hospital....

Back to Two Point again. With the completion of the R.E.M.I.X. content I was tempted to retry some of the other DLC that I've skipped over/ignored/ran away from. Instead I went back to the main campaign/base game hospitals. One in particular was a stumbling block, Duckworth-upon-Bilge. I took a broader look a this map and gamed the system with copious amounts of foundation research.

Still the see-saw of month end dept and task rewards brought both horrific lows and soaring highs.

The more that was added, rooms, treatments and staff; The more the running costs went up(up and up). Rewarding tasks are random and can be anything from water 10 plants and unblock 8 toilets to curing X amount of patients in a room you've not setup yet(never mind got the staff for).

Train a staff member and get cash, promote a staff member costs cash. So yea I used foundation funds to make things a lot less harsh. Still there were months that started with +50k went do -75k by the end and then up to +150k. It's a rollercoaster of costs and incomes with this hospital. Get a task to upgrade a machine costs 20k and your rewarded with +75k...... It's not all bad but it is random and down to luck.

Thankfully I was lucky this time round.

I also left the staff moral boost(from 84% to the needed 90%) till the end, getting the 200 patient cures first(gotta bide that time). Then I whacked up the salaries(to dark green on the sliders) to get the 3rd star to pop.

I tried that map before and failed hard. Glad to have it done now(never to return).

The next three have their own problems to overcome. I've taken a quick peek at the first two but I'll need to restart them.

Deep breath!

Dawn of Man....

Mission accomplished; Right before a cascade failure, just like last time.

My village popped 150 population just before I had the roundhouses needed; But the achievement appeared as the last hut upgrade completed. Then the 150th villager promptly got a disease and died. 

Still mission accomplished. All scenario challenges unlocked.

That's when it all really went downhill.

Having spent a good bit of time with this map/village and it's struggles I wanted to salvage it and finish off the remaining tech unlocks.

In trying to get a handle the situation the population went down from 150 to 50 in a year. All the while popups bringing new disasters to attention.

Winter hit killing a lot via hypothermia even with a lot of surplus wool and extra wool clothing in the wilderness.

A large raider attack then disrupted activities and killed villagers.

Diseases also started to hit the population, human and animal.

75% of crops then failed where no crops had failed before(had good mix and spacing).

With no farmed crop/straw in stock the animals started starving and dying.

Overworked villagers? Nope; Active jobs was constant at 45%(88% when planting)  

The year went on and for the first time villagers started dropping of dehydration even with many wells and an entire freaking river beside them.

Cascade failure for sure.

I abandoned my attempts and returned to a save about two thirds the way into the hut upgrades. Once an achievement unlocks for the map reverting to a previous save doesn't undo what you have unlocked. So I'll potter away and unlock the tech from there keeping an eye on all going's on...