Tunic....

Tunic is a game that up to it's release had my interest. The graphics and main character with his bushy tail and bouncing quiff cutie Zelda style all point towards me wanting to buy and play it. 

When it released it was available to play for Xbox Ultimate members; Being one I downloaded and tried it.

However in playing the game......It didn't work for me(as a gamer). I felt no need to play it, no drive to figure stuff out and no motivation at all to know more. I've been into games like it before(like here).

The music is great, the world looks and feels great.... The combat is decent. The dodge mechanic fluid enough with a sense of heft. Nothing about it is terrible but I just can't get into it.

As I play the game(as little as I have), even free, the quality look and feel falls rapidly away and I'm instantaneously in what feels like a gut churning grind(and I play Darkest Dungeon, I know what a grind is!). Not that Tunic is a grind, it just gives me an aversion to play; It's giving me that vibe, that feeling, so I'm very turned off by it.

It's not the first game I've looked forward to and been interested in(like the Ori games) but not gotten into. 

These things happen, if a game clicks with a gamer it clicks, if not, then.....  

It is what it is. At least I didn't have to buy it to find out.

Eve Online....

With the patch yesterday, the stars returned to prominence in the view of space. It now looks a lot clearer and like actual space... Rather than a sea of dust clouds. Maybe it was a small change to up the star brightness.... Maybe it was 'just' the DirectX change; But it' looks a lot better.

That said, with the good you get the bad. I know nothing of the internal CCP Q&A team but it's not a good look when you latest patch FK's up the game. The game as is, is borked 50% of the time for me, with glitched graphics or invisible icons/text ui in general(like local) of one degree or another. So much for seeing/testing the new content....

I've not played it today so I've no idea if it's been patched..... I'm in no rush to find out.

The latest update also introduces a form of achievement system. One good thing about it is that it has introductory video's as a 'motivational'(I guess.) driver; The kind of over the top, hopes and dreams enthusiastic cráp that is a far cry from reality. The same as saying "you can go anywhere and do anything in Eve"..... *^{See below.} 

But it's a new thing to the Eve client that makes me 'hope' that the Eve academy video's or preferably the explanation animations will enter the game. Anyway long story short the new system is as pointless as the previous version 'activity tracker'; Granted this time it's got rewards for completing it's 'goals' or landmarks....

But then again I'm not the newb target audience. Which is a pity. CCP never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

Why do I say it's pointless.... As pointless as the previous activity tracker.... Because with all Eve Online's massive data hording it does not give credit for previous activity. So my oldest character that has been and done 'a lot' needs to start from scratch to get anywhere in it. Even with the rewards there's no motivation for my decade+ of skill points and activities, to chase after a few hundred more by going out of my way to do what the system needs.

 The same goes for the 'career points' and it's rewards which are seem as useless as the logon rewards. My characters, even the new ones do not need the basic skill books. The rewards are not even racial.... If you are a Caldari the reward skillbooks tend to be Gallente. Plus I've noticed previously on a new character rewards there were not character based... Male character gets female clothing reward. Q&A... eh?

A rewards grind that does not seem worth it having been there and done that already. Yea I'm not the target audience. Had there been some sort of credit for what a character did previously then maybe, but CCP is CCP and does not do good will (player rewards) well and definitely does not do good faith(company profits overrules all). Again CCP never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

This new system is a grind for the sake of it. If it wasn't they would have been all up front about the rewards rather than the glory of a new system and gotten veterans crowing for it.

True that I'm bitter and the only way CCP can make that better for me is by fully 'making up' for the Mystery code. 14 times bitten twice shy sand I've waggled on the blog enough about that.

* 

Go anywhere and do anything is technically true just not practicable straight off the bat.

A new player joins the game and goes to do their 'thing' (usually PvP or some sort of combat) and usually gets fúcked six ways from Sunday. Of course there are other 'interactions' that go with it. Like those that blow you up get talking to you and share why they blew you up etc etc etc.... But there's not that many players that get such sweetheart advice; Nine times out of 10 it's only for the benefit of the player who blew them up... There are plenty of groups that do the same thing for recruitment(take you under their wing). It's as much a cannon fodder recruitment tactic as anything else. More cheap new cannon fodder joined under the moniker of 'fun'. Either your used or abused even if you don't know it. You need to keep your wits about you. The longer players are in Eve ; Almost everything they do is tinged with a side hustle, an alternative motive, subterfuge, smoke and mirrors. The deeper they're in the more it happens; More on the PvP side than PvE. I'm a PvE carebear first so what do I know. 

Yea there are good players in the game from a moral perspective; But there's only one player that goes out of his way in any big way with freebies and advice for new players Mike Azariah; For no other reason than to be 'nice'. I've been in a few systems as he's done his thing and for the most part I'd say he gets 50% ignored, 30% dubious questions and 20% actual new new players who are still hesitant. There are others with other (new player friendly) activities but that's for their own reasons and gratification(newb help/fun is secondary(as in learn the hard way), at least from what I've see); And they are the 'better ones'...

Eve is Eve but CCP sure doesn't make it easy to play any part of their game(like cutting off their PvE nose to spite their face).

I've waffled enough..... o7

Star Trek Online....

The summer event is around the corner. I like the event on Risa, doing the daily for it gives you options and verity on the holiday theme. Granted I like the winter event/location more but summer on Risa is as close a second as can be. 

I may finally get to bring my KDF 'recruit' Gorn to the beach..... Or a return with a certain Jem'Hadar.

This year there isn't really much new that I see in the event store as a must have. The usual new Caracal and tribble are of interest but more the Caracal than the tribble(I may get more of last years Caracal/tribble).

The event ship(a Farpoint Cnidarian) was one I had a bit of hype for(via looks alone) but the ships stats post hit yesterday and I was meh about it. The more I read the more meh I became. 

Two main disappointments exist with it(imho at the moment) the tentacle jellyfish 'look'/mode(Star-Jelly) is only visible when the console the ship comes with is activated. That console ability is not a good one(again imho at the moment); Activating it turns all your weapons off! That's not a good 'side effect' at all. Not for a general player and not for the DPS meta. It's a tanking ship and tanking is only done in very high end TFO's(as far as I know). So it's a ship of extremes. Low end generic or high end "niche"(like niche niche!).

The fact that activation also slows your movement to a dead crawl all sounds like compromises too far. 

Maybe I'm missing something; Maybe in practice the benefits are worth it(team buff and electrical damage)....

                Toggle, Lasts Indefinitely until Deactivated

                Deactivates Automatically if Hull drops below 10%

                While active:

                Weapons Disabled

                Flight Speed and Turn Rate Set to 3

                After 5 sec, then each sec, within 10km:

                to up to 5 Allies: +Hit Points and +All Damage Resistance Rating for 5 sec

                to up to 5 Foes: Heavy Electrical Damage and 10% chance: Brief Hold

                2 min recharge

Maybe? Maybe not? Time and trials will tell. 

For now on the face of it I'm being more 'negative'.

The starship trait 'Gelatinous Membrane'; Is a lot like the consoles ability(for me) not worth the benefits it brings. In this case a % Kinetic/Physical damage reflection. Unless that % is super awesome and reflects so much that it's 'OP'. In which case it's going to be the 'in thing' to tank TFO's in. Or the ship that all players fly regardless.

This new ship is going to be an interesting one to try after doing the 'grind' of dailies to get it; To actually see it in action.

It can be surprising what some theory crafting boffins can come up with. Maybe in practice the ship and console will be wonderful, if niche.

This ships slots are about as generic as can be. Event ships can be surprising, some very surprising. Some event ships have been the best ships I've ever had(Bajoran Interceptor, Risian corvette, Vorgon Xyfius Heavy Escort). Granted in saying that, there're way more that I've not flown so it's all give and take. Free is free after all. But this one is looking to be one that's claimed and forgotten. This year I feel it's a ship for those that lack any other ships apart from free leveling ships. It's a generic, base level, common denominator. But it's also a very niche use ship(wishful thinking?). 

If your a new leveling player a better ship is anything you can get cheap off the exchange.... 

Like a Hirogen Hunter Heavy Escort.  

Or a Tholian Meshweaver Escort.

Time will tell. 

Either way I'm looking forward to the event and a change of 'pace' there. I'm looking forward to all the internet boffins discussing and arguing about the ship.

Games with Gold....

Another month another 4 games to claim.

Beasts of Maravilla Island - An interesting looking game(with an art style that I like) and another one of those games that I'll be trying.

Relicta - A first person puzzler that I'm sure I'll either love or hate..... Given I'm a player who never got into Portal.... I'll have to try this to know.

Thrillville Off The Rails I'm not sure if this game could be called a lite version of Theme Part/Planet coaster but fun will have aged better than the graphics.... Free is free and playing it will prove the point.

Torchlight, a classic game and one that was given away in 2019. I'd claim it again if I didn't have it already... 

Torchlight is the best of the bunch(imho) but a game I've played before. At least the other three will be worth a try.

Euro Truck Simulator 2....

Having not posted about the game all year, till last month; Since then I've noticed even more so that I'm missing new changes. More than any previous break/absences. A bit like going away on holiday and on returning you start to notice the little things that've changed while you were gone. Only it's been more than two weeks and I'm noticing a lot of big changes(and the next DLC). 

SCS Software

All of the quality of life improvements are great to see. It's great as a gamer to have a game I like get an update or a change of quality so frequently. 

Again it's the eternal gamer problem, too many games and not enough time. 'First world' gamer problems. The gaming cycle goes on. So needless to say I'm not getting much ETS 2 gameplay in. Plus it's not like I've been 100%'ing the game. so theirs no rush..... I 'just' enjoy it and I want to get back to it. A growing urge to get back to it..... That said; It's not a game that can be jumped into for a few minutes... Not for meaningful driving gameplay. Not for me. Definitely not if I need to setup a steering wheel as well. It's a problem thing that's been gaining ground and I'm not sure how that can be resolved(time vs gameplay). Exceptions and sacrifices.... Time as always will tell.

Steam Summer Sale....

With the summer sale on Steam now on I got a few e-mail updates saying games I'd wish-listed were now 'cheaper'. This lead to two things. Me buying some of them and removing others from the list altogether.

It's been a couple of years since I last did an overview post on what I'd been playing, what was 'done', what was being continued and what was 'removed'. I did this list in 2018,  this list early in 2019 & updated again in late 2019 and this one in late 2020. The early 2021 version was in progress when the post got wiped and it's content lost. With it I lost motivation to recreate it(it was a long post). I'm hoping that I'll get around to it again.... Maybe later in the year with a massive update of 2021/22. Time will tell.

Anyhow... 

Three games kicked from my wishlist.....

They are Billions is a game I've watched streamers play and one I've wanted for a while. It's not been on a 'good' sale price so I never got it. Funny(not haha funny) that now it's on a 'good' sale price I'm removing it. It's a hardcore game of wave/rush RTS survival. Maybe a bit too much so for my casual tastes. I'd only end up buying it to have and it'd not get the gamepaly it or I deserve... If you get my meanings..... The killer blow on my decision this time is that I've previously bought Diplomacy is Not an Option on sale a while ago(still not really played it yet but on my list todo). A more 'fun' experience even if it can get hard.

Synthetik 2 is from the looks of it a better game than the original. It improves on the first in many ways. Like being on multiple platforms etc. The reviews seem to say you take the new good with it's own issues. It's still an Early access game so has some leeway on it's current 'issues'. That said it's been a 'while' since I last really played the first game. The second hasn't really been on my radar, just the wish-list to keep and eye on. So seeing it now even on sale isn't conducive for me to get it from what I've seen. I'm happy with the first game. There's noting I've seen in the second that makes me want to get it over just loading up the first. 

Comanche is a game I wanted to see due to my nostalgia for Comanche Gold, back in the day. The 90's had a massive overkill of sims and sim like 'gunship' games. So my nostalgia was real for Comanche. Playing it via Xbox Ultimate was good at the time if short lived. I'm not sure if some of the graphical choices were on purpose for retro nostalgia but in retrospect it took away from it being 'modern' and didn't grow on me. Also in retrospect I think it's casual arcade but simulation take was too blurred. A mix the original pulled off but I feel didn't work here with the new iteration. The game may be 'released' but it still 'feels' early access with work to be done. I'd seen it on sale on other occasions but was always hesitant; That alone should have removed it from the list.

Four games I did purchase....

Fights in Tight Spaces.... A game I've wanted and tried, just waited for the sale price and this is it.

Slipways.... A space management, game that is a slimmed down grand strategy take. So grand strategy 'lite'. It's a game I've seen streamed and liked what I saw. A pretty chill game with lots of micromanagement to get lost in.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's Revenge.... As recent a game to the list as can be. As I posted, it ticks all the boxes for retro playable fun. A no brainer on more than just the price front.

As for Shooty Skies Overdrive.... My recent return kick to VR had me looking for something else to virtually do/shoot This game looked to be 'it', cheap(cheaper now on sale) quick fun.  

ABC Gamer

Speaking of that channel, ABC Gamer has gone through a few reworked iterations over the years. It's gone more younger viewer friendly(tho not so much now but still not watchable for me) since the Nichboy days. Which is a pity. Really liked it back then(but also like his new 'show' Back Pocket)...

Then again so many channels in competition to one another that all do such similar content....

Broken Sword 5 - The Serpent's Curse....

Maybe it's because it's been so long since I last played the original, back in the day(yea that long); That my more puzzle based investigation (as a serious(?) thing) expectations of 5 were truly trashed when seeing it in person. Something I've been wrestling with while playing this game from the start(here and here). Where I should have been embracing the absurd, comical and bizarre as a par for the course all the while. 

Everything I should be lauding as retro and a homage to the series are in my current gameplay view impediments to a better game-play experience. In playing I had to embrace the crazy and run with it, not asking too many questions(if at all), just to get through.

It seems that if your into and surviving the late game your part of the top 15% of players that make it.

Seeing the stats it's easy to see a bigger falloff in % of players as each story achi progresses early on than in late game(there's not that many players make it and those that do are 'committed' in more ways than one).

So I've finished the game. Spoiler waffle! I'm not surprised by the revelations at the end of the game, nor the 'bad guy' abilities. 

The story wraps up fairly quickly and with so much more coincidence and synchronicity it's really absurd... More than before. But then again my suspension of disbelief was well blown out of the water at that stage.

It's not the word puzzle mix and match that are the problem, they are the logical bumps in the road to be expected. But the journey of the adventure and the wacky ways of solving situations that I can't take seriously..... Then again I'm not really supposed to am I..... Is it because I'm older in real world life that I don't find the joy in the absurd shenanigans that I should be getting?! Each to their own and perspectives change with time.

It's again the absurd, when all else fails actions that 'do my head in' that lacking suspension of disbelief; That can be guessed by all the crap your carrying in your characters pockets. Broken biscuit with the cockroach with the paper clip stuck to his back to bridge an electrical connection .... But how did you stick a paper clip to his back.... With the jam from the lunchbox that you threw into the gears of a cable car mechanism.... Of course! OF COURSE!!!!!!!!

There is comedy in it, the little comment from Nico as you break the luchbox with the mechanism...

The inner monologue of George as he uses the cockroach Trevor.

The more absurd things get the more I think that a straight up investigation game would be better; Then I start thinking that if I did get a game more like that I'd be bored by the lack of absurd.

I'm not sure what I feel for the game and the ending. It's a game about the journey and in doing so should be taken slow. Very slow. The kind of slow where you start to forget what went before.

I don't regret having played it to the end; Overall it was worth it more than it wasn't. That said I can't see myself doing it again any time soon, even in a similar game...

Darkest Dungeon....

It's not that long ago since my last two posts(here and here), but the grind has really kicked in. Not so much in the doing of the grind but the logistics aftermath. It's taking about two dungeon runs(weeks/turns) between shard grind runs just to get a preferred crew back up to speed after their last run(let alone the heroes doing the normal dungeon filler weeks). Swapping heroes on the roster helps but I'm at a stage where nearly all of them have issues, either with disease, quirks or stress; And only so many can be treated/cured at a time.

The game is about drastic decisions and I've had to make some. In order to get the 'normal' hero roster(level 6's with a lot of history, dámn my nostalgia) and the shard hunting mercenaries back to fighting form as quick as possible, I've gone back to an old tactic. The expendables. Level 0 or 1 'heroes' straight off the coach and into a dungeon, maybe two and then 'dismissed'. Buying time with them doing small dungeon runs. In doing so I've had some really random group combinations that I'd not have taken normally. Interesting in it's own right, sometimes in entertaining ways when it all goes to héll.

Some weeks pushing such 'expendables' can be a step too far. Some groups can fall apart faster than others when things combine with excessive stress.

But with the bad luck you get some good luck.

All said and done I've now gotten two of the 4 'Farm' buildings.

And 10 remaining trinkets to get.

Given The Millers stun resistance I was a bit shocked that on an attack round where there were no other better options(desperation), that using a stun on The Miller ended up working on him.

Still plugging away with it all.