A Casual (Carebear) Gamer: Gaming, gaming, more gaming again....

The last week has brought......

The 14th update (all free) for Kingdoms and Castles(Infrastructure & Industry Update) has been deployed. Games cared for long-term like this are always a good thing; More so when I own them! Developers that keep on giving, can't be beaten. Quality of life all the way. Not a game that I've had on my 'playing' list in a while. Unlike the VR update I'll probably look at how the new changes effect my old saves(and if I rework them). I've been so far out of the game it can be hard to get back into it but worth a try.

In getting my 'old' 360 consoles out of storage I was greeted by my first 360 from the original release; As well as it's replacement. A Modern Warfare 2 themed 360. A bit of nostalgia was had and surprisingly updates to some software/games got downloads as well. The original red ringed a long time ago, was repaired and then finally stopped working..... The good thing about the OG 360 is that the hard drive can still be put onto that other 360 and booted. Long since transferred to the other 360 but still a nice touch today. After checking out/updating games and some saves nostalgia for the hardware was sated. Long story short, one of those games was Battlefield - Bad Company 2..... I've not played it's multiplayer in yeeeeaaaaaaarrrrrrsssss.... Still haven't even now, yet apparently it's telling me I'm getting better at it.

Speaking of Multiplayer, I've avoided all to do with Battlebit Remastered; Till today. The 'fun' factor seems high.... The release trailer reminds me of Battlefield back in the day.

BattleBit Remastered

Space Reign has been on my radar and Steam wish-list for a bit. A cross between a dog-fighting trader like Fleelancer and Elite Dangerous with elements of Homeworld and more than a touch of Astrox/Eve Online as well.....

Yea it's got a lot of elements and aspects. A really interesting game for sure; But now that it's got a playable Early Access 'release'(even on an initial sale price), I'm second guessing buying it. It's so very early in it's development... Do I invest in hopes of a great game? Or wait and see....... A lot of weigh up.

A player review says it's a good mix of fun and difficulty.

I've also seen another Steam review say it has a great foundation for a game when when it releases, in a year or two.

I've not bought it but I've left it on my Steam wish-list..... Seems like I'm gonna wait and seeing.

A surprise game I saw as it was being promoted on the tweeters; A cute 'Souls-like' game; Who'd have thought!

Another Crabs Treasure looks fun and worth keeping an eye on. Another game coming to GamePass so one to try for a while when it's out.

It also has a steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1887840/Another_Crabs_Treasure/

Aggro Crab

Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Ultimate Edition....

Given my like(to say the least) of Assassins Creed Origins. It made sense for me to finally take the plunge with Odyssey. For the sale price of €23 I got the games Ultimate bundle; A bargain to good for me to pass up.

Time sink that the Assassin games are; I've not yet dared to get stuck into it as I know it'll need a lot of precious time.

Planet of Lana....

Another week a bit of gameplay finaly done in it.

The story/art/style is so very very much the same as Planet Alpha.... The more I play the more is reminds me of it. Which I've said before is a good thing. I do like Alpha Planet as a game. But the changes that make Planet of Lana it's own game are well worth the gameplay.

Ultimately for me it's a case of too many games not enough time! I have however finally gotten further with the main game. To a stage where the demo's gameplay comes from; which I'm now about half way through. So progress is progress......

The Sims 4....

Yea The Sims. I've never played a Sims game before. My wife on the other hand was all in on the Sims 3 back in the day(expansions and all); Less so with the Sims 4 today but still very much into it. So in both passing media and seeing what she's doing/playing I'm well versed in the Sims. Just haven't played it myself. Till now. Free is free and my wife's had a lot of fun..... She's killed the Sim of me in it often enough in both mundane and weird ways(toaster trauma); What could go wrong.....

With the base game for the Sims 4 going free(no doubt to bring players in to sell them all the DLC) I've been collecting any freebies that've popped up. The bulk of which came on Epic(not just locked to Epic), last May. EA's own launcher comes in handy after all(double edged sword I know).

Anyway something else to potter about with, maybe it'll last, maybe not......

XCOM 2....

The more I play the more I like and dislike XCOM 2. There are certain aspects that frustrate me, that I dislike and yet in the heat of combat surprise me when I like them. Talk about a mixed bag.

War of the Chosen is a big change and a better change for the game in my book. It really does make me like it more than when it came out first. It has a hook I can't let go of despite the down sides. I may not be doing it fast or with maximum efficiency but then again I don't think I'll be playing that many times to get that good at it. The scales of play are still tottering pro and con on this one; Maybe a bit too much. More time will tell....

PowerWash Simulator....

Progress has been made and enjoyment had with it. Achievements done as well!

The subway station was finished off.

The Fortune Tellers Wagon done.

And the Ancient Statue started..... What would be easy is made hard by the achievement to clean it solely with the white nozzle(wide spray). Talk about slamming into a brick wall.

The achi to knock over the buckets is an easy one on this map/level(hint, ignore the bucket that's unside-down on the shovel).

But, yea; A white nozzle to clean the statue.... This may take some time.

Darkest Dungeon....

It's been a good news, bad news week in the hamlet; Given hero rest and recuperation etc. In retrospect I was too hasty in taking a crew to clear the Sunken Crew Boss.

A lot of things went wrong with the run; Including not heeding my own previous experience/knowledge. Blight, I should have gone full blight!

From the start stress was a killer. Not doing enough DPS was apparent, especially when on the boss and his healing was without any push-back from me. I was also unlucky; A lot of hits missed or did little damage to him. Heroes getting shuffled was the main pain given their need for placement to use said skills. 50% into the fight it was a stalemate. Progress wasn't happening and so an escape was used. To be tried again as a full blight crew.

Normal dungeons and hamlet works were of somewhat progress based. Money added, heroes trained and enhanced etc etc. Beaten but not broken. Work done, more to do.

Warhammer 40k Boltgun....

Progress in Boldgun so far has been more about Bosses than large rooms of enemy waves. Which is nice as the waves were getting samey. There's even a large room or two that's a fake-out as they have no boss or enemy waves.... Large rooms in 40k with little to no use, who would have thought!

Progress is progress.

En Garde Demo....

Fun is fun; A demo that's fun to go back to and play again! It's been a long time since I've had a demo like that. A game to really am looking forward to.

Eve Online....

In the latest Pulse update video for Eve Online the items for the new collectors edition are not store items but it seems 'unique' items... Seems like my slap in the face is coming. CCP making the 2nd collectors edition a much better effort than the first. I know I'm going to be disapointed. Well expletive me! Expletive you CCP, expletive, you! Chance of one of those unique items(never mind more) being a first collectors edition thing? Very unlikely.... How hard would it be for those items to include a line that says that unique item X will also apply to owners who also own the previous collectors edition.... What am I saying, a glimmer of hope? What was I thinking!

I was appreciative of the 7 days free..... CCP does something good....Pity the new monument got in the way of it happening for the anniversary. Things happen.

There was a lot listed in the update. Like ever it's good to see things update and change for the greater good. https://www.eveonline.com/news/view/viridian-expansion-notes

As for me, alts have been training, PI being imported/exported and sold. Asteroids mined. Assets shuffled etc etc.

It's been a while since one of my longterm Alpha alts has sat in a bardge that he needed to alter it's fit. Yea that long.

CCP still gonna do blockchain eh.....

Star Trek Online....

The first day of the new event(Leviathan TFO) on Xbox was interesting. I was optimistic for the rest of the event. Day two brought the true colours of players; Since day 2 all I've gotten were PC level experiences... 90% of p.u.g. players being non-objective based..... The exact same as PC P.U.G. players. Shooting anything red even if they don't have to. Not avoiding large purple one hit kill torpedoes that launch on a fixed repeating schedule. Constantly wanting to shoot anything red when the objective hasn't been interacted with and the 'red' is not stopping a player from doing so..... I've never been more pro min max on a TFO as the best way to do it is so obvious..... So yea I'm still persisting.

I'm too tired of it(players not being objective) to be a team player. Being a team player neither teaches them nor makes me feel better. So I wait having done my part.

Waiting....

I play WoW and have done for years; The first run of a new dungeon is all about learning what happens. The second run on a dungeon gets players called out for "don't you know how to play/know this dungeon"; And here we are MONTHS after the PC iteration and a week into the console version and players on both versions are still so clueless about what to do! It's easy to see players who are like me; They do as I do. They are passed the help players in the TFO phase and are in the resigned to wait mode... Wait till the clueless catch up and actually stop shooting and do the objectives.

I get if players are unable or are in need of help, but they don't ask their 'team' for help. I've seen players say "Left" then crash and burn on the first enemy.... Almost as bad as entering a TFO and seeing a bought, expensive or rare ship and knowing they are the ones that will explode the most and help the least!

Am I being leetist? I don't think so. It's a casual game yes but I'm not playing it to fill other players slack; Let alone understand the game for them. Why should they do more than they do in TFO's for me? Well lets all drop to a base common denominator where nobody does anything and nothing will be completed.... I am a team player by letting them do their own thing. I'll wait.

Like minded waiting....

On PC both my wife and I are still doing an Elite Starbase One TFO after doing the daily TFO. To gain some of the new advanced R&D materials. It's been interesting.

The more common of the new advanced consoles are dropping in price. Seems players are making the market more even even. It'll take another lil bit to get to a 'norm' where prices are 'cheaper'.

I've been making a few of those consoles to test out those consoles. So much so that it's more easy to buy R&D materials and make it yourself than buy them. But it takes luck and market watching.

On my main the newly created console(stats) in comparison to the 'old meta' do not make them an immediate replacement for some of his 'highest' meta copied ship/fits. That's a heavy meta theory take that would need someone versed in such matters to verify....

But the new consoles by comparison are not worth replacing whats already there.

At a very base level and with a loose console to mess about with; As a simple take on making and using these consoles for a quick and nasty use.... I tried one without too much effort on a ship my main already had. Just to see... And it kind of works.

A Disruptor build on a T5-U retrofit heavy cruiser.

To change it I added in the console re-engineered to match the fit, and changing the science officer station to proc it.

The results were not amazing, it still did the job but felt a little lack luster.

To enhance it I changed the other sci boff ability to be tachyon beam. Which helped. Not much but it helped. None of the setup is ideal but work in progress for testing purposes.... It worked.

A test of the advanced console for hanger pets was the opposite and fully blew(literately) away my expectations. Again not lot changed/altered to the ship. Console upgraded/re-engineered and placed on the fit.