Monday, 12 June 2023

Another game(or two), another week....

Still some general gaming news this week that had my interest; Among the torrent of Xbox/games/showcase news this last weekend. 

The greatest for me being the new hardware and Starfield. The new Star Wars Open game world looked interesting; But given it's out in 2024 the game that evolves could be nothing like the cinematic that was shown.
Starfield got a lot of info put out, making me think it's a game that's a cross between Star Citizen and No Man's Sky(more than it did before), never mind other games. A lot of game territory/genres are covered in it.... With an overall sprinkled seasoning of Bethesda being Bethesda. Although the new adoring fan was a hilarious touch.


The new iteration of the Xbox S in Carbon black with a 1 TB SSD! Is a Very nice. Says the Xbox head. 
I'll still wait to the end of the year or so for an Xbox X. With any luck by then it'll come with a 2 TB SSD.


Cities Skylines II also got some more info.... It should be a worthy follow up.


Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 news - Co-Op mode sounds good..... I'm not sure I'll do it but a friend may also be getting the game so more options are better. The game does look to be all things to all players who want it(including me). Looks like it will live up to it's expectations and more. Looking forward to it!


Another game I'd not heard of, Star Trucker; Seems to blend a lot I like, outer space content(STO, Eve, Rebel Galaxy Outlaw) and trucking(ETS 2 & ATS). What could go wrong! Another to Steam Wishlist and keep an eye on.


Over the weekend I also got to try a demo for another game I'd not heard of and it's proving fun. En Garde. 


A game that may as well be a Zorro game. It's a fun one no matter the source, coincidental or not.... But it screams Zorro to me... The one liners, the action and of course stereotypical Spanish accents. It knows it's own humor, even Zorro humor (pointy end of the sword joke etc). In a way it's also reminiscent of The Three Musketeers; Dogtanian on standby. Content nostalgia...

It's not that easy....

I say it's a fun game and the demo does prove it. It's a fun, good looking game that brings style with mechanics and difficulty into an enjoyable mix. Zorro meets assassins creed and prince of Persia..... Did I mention it's fun!


Time to rewatch the two Antonio Banderas Zorro films(Mask and Legend).... And possible every movie with him as Puss In Boots.... 






Onto my games!





Xcom 2....

Xcom, the first game, Enemy Unknown/Enemy Within, was a mile-marker of a game for me. It ticked all the boxes. I did many, many, reruns/replays and redo's from different campaigns(such as). So confident in the game-play I even started to get silly with it.


Xcom 2 should be a follow up that also 'works' for me. But it's not. Not even with War of the Chosen installed.

The intro handholding is too much hand holding and the cut loose is to much of a free form; So that you can do anything..... Like fail to hurry up given the time pressure getting stuck with your own poor choices with no easy recourse. 
RNG is a real killer with this game; Do everything right and the bad luck roll can really f you up. Not good for an initial playthrough. I don't have the will to play the game fully through 5 times. Never mind put in a thousand hours. Or hundreds of saves to work out branching options...... It's not fun where the first game was.

I'd still place Xcom2 behind chimera squad, and I'd put chimera squad behind the first game(enemy within). My priorities. Chimera squad may be considered xcom lite-ish but it was a pleasant surprise, it had fun. Xcom 2 an ongoing disappointment with more cons than pros. The fun factor really is missing(imho).


I'm ok with Xcom 2's just in the near future setting; But the story of your first game playthough/campaign being 'just' a simulation is very off-putting to me. That taints everything else that Xcom 2 is and could be to me. Which in turn lessens my motivation to really get into the game and accept more of it's story/narrative/gameplay, never mind accept it's changes/mechanics. 


War of the Chosen is a better version of Xcom 2 than the first iteration I've played; It just doesn't do enough to bring me in on it's side.


The game mechanics/system changes from the first xcom to xcom 2 do show some advancement; But overall I feel Xcom 2 has taken a fussy over-complicated take than anything thats better never mind helpful(by comparison).

Really high % chances to hit can still miss; Xcom is Xcom no matter the game. RNG gods both enrage and grant luck... Mainly rage. Which feels worse in Xcom 2 than Enemy Within. Maybe I was just extra unlucky. War of the chosen is still RNG harsh.

Xcom 2's 'out there' customization(more than soldier voice and armour) and after action squad photo shoots all make me not take things seriously. It's all a bit cringe to me. 




The anarchy's children custom stuff is just Mad Max bizarre no matter if that aesthetic can be 'explained' in Xcom 2 lore...... It does not fit for me. I have since read a comment that perhaps explains it better.... "It's more Saints Row than GTA".  I can take pink armour in the first Xcom, I can't take more than that in the second game. The 'silly' of my Xcom saves may be a fine line but for me the Xcom 2 stuff is just too much out there than getting silly..... If that makes sense.


All that said it's still installed so there's something that makes me want to try some more. Time will tell if I'm a gluton for punishment.... 




Planet of Lana....

Free access to a paid game can have a lessening effect. Up to release I wanted to play/try the game. The demo was very interesting to me; As I said back then, playing the demo was very much like my Alpha Planet playthrouth; A game-style that seems to appeal to me. A type of platformer I do like!!

Planet of Lana should be a game I'm playing. But now that I have access to the fully released game(via Xbox Ultimate for PC) I've not touched it after it's install. Granted other games have taken my interest, new and old. From Boltgun to Darkest Dungeon. I just don't know why Planet of Lana has gone from interest to ignored.  So another game that's still installed... That has to be a good thing..... Another week may see it 'tried'....





Darkest Dungeon....

The week started bad and stayed that way; luck was not with me again. An overflow from last week.
Like last week, progress was measured more in not going backwards than any forward momentum. 

After some heirloom conversion I managed to gain all but one of the 'normal' town upgrades(progress at last). To get the rest I'll need crystal shards etc from The Farm; So a while yet. I'll leave The Red Hook vanity monument to last once the gold is a lot more than plentiful. So with one more 'normal' building to get... It's something to aim for.


I found myself reverting to an old tactic. Expendable teams of recruits, straight off the couch and thrown into a dungeon or two for no other reason than to gather gold and/or heirlooms(till dead or released). Classsic Darkest Dungeon some may say. Part of which was a similar crew with the least useful trinkets to force the appearance of The Shrieker. It worked and I got back the expendable trinkets as well as the two rare's I'd lost previously(but really it was the garlic one I was after).




The hamlet still stands and good heroes are still alive; The fight goes on.




PowerWash Simulator....

Slow and steady, bit by literal bit. Enjoyment/satisfaction in it's doing. Only a few more subway items left to finish off and it'll be done.





I've not even checked if I can get more than standard map achievements(like the suit/washer mod). After the subway will be the wagon, I'll see about more achi's then(achi not triggering paranoia is still real).





Warhammer 40,000 Boltgun....

After what I said last time, I can now say that even I was overthinking it! Everything can be solved by a Power Sword to the face! 




I've been making progress. No mad speed run rush overall, just taking my time and making steady progress each map. 






As the game has gone on I've been really enjoying the atmosphere and aesthetic of the 40k settings. It's done it really well. Of course if your not into Warhammer 40k then this will be a love it or loath it shooter situation with 'meh' as a medium. Safe to say I'm pro 40k pixels.











Eve Online....

With the end of the event, the end of my Omega game time's's's's on even my 'other' main; Gameplay has whittled down to absolutely nothing. Alts were finalized and parked up in an orderly manner. One last alt needed to travel form Caldari space to Amarr space and back; There and back the guts of 100 jumps.... Talk about exciting gamplay. Auto pilot was not used(to harm me) in the making of this trip.






The only thing to mention is that the market screen seems to hang and crash the client more and more. I've only been using it in stations just in case; With luck the hang resolves itself, the screen comes back and prices are all shown.... Given the unreliability I'd not use it in space. But then again it wouldn't be called station trading without the station. Pity about the walking in stations part.




Star Trek Online....

A game across multiple gaming platforms where a player can trade and take walking in stations for granted.... Subtle dig eh.....

It's kind of nice the way events have worked out between PC and consoles. Some happen at the same time, like general summer and winter events etc; Events out on PC usually hit consoles a few weeks after. Some are enjoyable to redo; Some just a habbit to do and get a reward........ This next one for console, UNRAVELED will not be fun for me when it hits console... 
On PC I just about held myself together given the P.U.G's. Complaining to my wife all the way(granted she was complaining to me as well). If we'd not been doing it together I don't think either of us would be sane. PUG's that were both clueless and/or incompetent were by far the majority of those that played the events new TFO. I could go on a rant(not done already?) and if you've been a reader a while you've see all that before. I won't bore you again.... So yea the thoughts of redoing that event TFO on console are less than appealing. 
Will I do it on console.... Probably.... Maybe the console players will surprise me by being better at it! Maybe I'll do the solo alternatives if they are not.
The current filler week of Red Alerts is coming to an end so that next event will be soon enough.


On PC the last patch/update has brought a big change which is sure to alter the meta. Advanced consoles and batteries. The nature of those consoles is a massive boost to a players DPS.


The new consoles are in my limited opinion the wrong way to go. The game as was, needed enemies to have more hitpoints, and allow players to have more time on interations with content as they seem designed(strategy to interact with TFO objectives).
More power/dps for players is compounding the current problems. The better players will go from god like DPS to DPS that's blink and the TFO's gone. The devs can't make those super (soon to be everyone)players only do certain content. The consoles can be used anywhere if you have them and they will. 

New systems will I'm sure make those in the meta 'happy' as they work the new meta(for a week).

Weapon power consoles all the way as far as I see for the bulk of my character/ships.

Yea I can foresee a further power gap between those that know what they are doing and those that do not. Very compounding of STO's ongoing problems. Those that know will power on forcefully more than before(to say the least).... Those that do not will still not know what to do but can kill stuff 'better'. 
Imho the problem being players who do not understanding content and face rolling the keyboard can now face roll harder and still not understand. That can't be good... They will be more frustrated... I've waffled on about that in multiple events in multiple TFO's for a 'while'..... I'll leave it at that here.

I may not keep up to the minute on the game mechanic details but the Ten Forward Weekly was a must see for details on these new systems. Ultimately as the saying goes the best laid plans do not go to plan in contact with the playerbase. Eve Online gets this a lot more in concept and actuality than STO; Managing it better. Time will tell. 
This will be 'interesting' at the least and a cluster-duck at worst. At least the devs do seem to have the right ideas/intentions/plans........ Lets see what happens.


Back in the world of me, my alts and I; The thought of redoing ship setup's is not that appealing. All ships on all characters will needing to have at least one of these new consoles. That's a lot of work, never mind EC needed to buy the consoles..... If they are available never mind plentiful. This may take some time. No rush but the fear of being left behind. That's given the R&D/Meta scene has both worked out the new meta and the resource grind. First week of the new systems sees those new items on the exchange aptly new and expensive. To be expected.




While I will be waiting for the market to 'calm'; Some TFO's over the last weekend clearly showed that players already have some of those consoles and have fully upgraded them. The TFO's had barely started and the NPC's were melted. I'd not seen such TFO devastation. Too OP(?).

I've only just skimmed the surface of doing the new 'advanced' items in R&D myself... For now a brief look at making Advanced Batteries is doable.... Consoles not so much(for now).



On a lighter note Drozana station really is party central more than before.... Between groups popping disco balls....Reputation flurish's's's's's; And the dancing, everywhere.... All the time..... It's a place to have your head in the clouds... Read some mail, sort the banks, browse the exchange and forget about the hardcore meta. Alt-tastic.
 

Progress on my Klingon recruit's transponder regarding endevours really is coming to an end. Faster than I expected. 


I'll need another KDF recruit to get more bonus perk points from the transponder buff. The buff to stats is a significant one. Random as they can be to claim, gotta get them all is as apt as ever. Any plus to stats is not to be ignored for it.


I've no idea what to do with this character or his collected items once I'm 'done with' him.... First character to be like that...... 'used'.....
 



World of Warcraft....

The bulk of my gameplay via my wife's account has actually seen me 'play the game'. Mainly leveling up her donated to me Hunter(officially long marked as a character I can 'do anything with'). So some more accelerated leveling done. Yea I actually 'felt' like playing... What next... Paying?!

That said I did update her warlock... So far she's been liking her charterers makeovers. Noting fancy but a bit more class thematic in ways.


That hunter is now up to level 60, but that last few levels were a bit of a journey. I'd long since set his expansion as Pandaria for the most part; But being back in Panda land on a leveling character was nostalgic, weird and at times off-putting..... They were such good times, back in the day. I joined the guild in Pandaria.... Peek times of that old guild, yet to be surpassed; And I miss those times. Being back there now with no players around, no wonder I was feeling slightly weird at times.




Maybe I'm wearing rose tinted glasses now that I'm back given the guilds demise and the old officers current state.... Players all just playing for themselves(no big guild); Not that there's annoying wrong with that. Yea I just miss the old days. Guess I'm more appreciative of what I took for granted back then...

At 58 I did take the hunter into Dragonflight but the XP by comparison to an adjusted time-line was so much lower I went back and did the rest in Pandaria. Level 59 to 60 was quick enough to level... Then I took him to Dragonflight proper; Did the initial few quests and parked him in the 'first town'/quest hub of the expansion. My work here done.....

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