A Casual (Carebear) Gamer: New Year, sale'ol same'ol....

There's been a lot of updates big and small for a lot of games in the last few weeks.

XO has received a very large update. Major Update! XO 1.48 “Wave Bye Bye”. In their own words; "Custom play styles! Big UI update! New ships and items! Tons of new content!". Having a game that's been 'in development', getting updates for so long has drifter away from me. I like the game it's mechanics(for the most part) and it's game intent. But the longer it's been updates the less I've been back to it and so I've become detached from it's gamplay. With this update I found myself logging in, not knowing what to do, with no motivation to play the game. I guess I need to ignore even the updates and in a few month's 'rediscover' the game in my Steam list.

INFLUXIS is a game that's so very much in an early access form. In such a form it's easy to let a lot slide. An idea of a game with barely a form. That said it's smaller Alpha updates have been showing improvements to what's there; Which is always nice to see. The end of this month will see a major update from Alpha to Beta... I'm hoping it will bring a meaningful, more playable, form of the game to life.

Watching a video from Splattercatgaming about a game called Underspace was interesting. A game that does bring a lot of 'old skool' space combat/trading alive. A larger more alien universe to get lost in than say Rebel Galaxy Outlaw. Underspace is one to keep an eye on.

Noah Caldwell-Gervais has done another video(essay), this time about the Quake franchise. I've been listening to so much more of the Quake II soundtrack since. A great video; Well worth a watch.

Noah Caldwell-Gervais

With the Winter Steam Sale I took the opportunity to buy En Garde! I've not played the game since the Steam demo some time ago; But this last week has seen a lot more fun than I'd played pre-purchase. A lot of improvements with the release version brings a very playable and more fun game. Only scratching the surface but I'm taking my time. On a side note it's kind of interesting that synchronicity has struck with both En Garde and Mad Max(both X attack, both Y to parry etc); Both games have such a similar combat control system.

Taking time to get to know Heat Death Survival Train demo has been, interesting. I really like the clean look/aesthetics. The game systems/mechanics and overall style are intriguing. Looking forward to more info and it's release which will no doubt bring so much more with it.

Two good Youtubers I watch have had playthoughs of the Demo worth a look for different takes.

Splattercatgaming - The New Ice Planet Survival Demo That Left Me Excited For More - Heat Death

Angory Tom - AMAZING NEW SCI-FI SURVIVAL GAME! - HEAT DEATH

With the year done and the next started all the 'winter' events have come to a close.

Euro Truck Sim 2/ATS players have until the 14th of Jan to finish off the Christmas event. SCS has always been generous with their event timings. Good for personal and community reward tiers. I'm sure the thoughts behind that was more to do with getting the community event goals completed. But time after time the community really smashes those goals. This year it was well before the end of the year never mind the end of the event. The community is strong. I've been taking some more time to explore the latest ETS 2 maps, taking my time with it all.

While also taking my time on ATS. Not making as much income as I thought I'd get to do with the event but I've been taking my time and enjoying it.

Dave the Diver has very much been taking a back seat. The joy of the new and free expansion has been smothered by it being an event that goes into the mix of other event rotations leaving a lot of the normal play to do. Skipping may be doable for a second time to see the new event but as I said last time the effort of skipping, missing out on 'normal' gameplay does not seem to be better financially than 'just doing' the normal anyway. So I've ended up skipping the normal gameplay but not being in the game at all. So a back seat for sure. For now the new event is not a gameplay driver, nor is the normal gameplay..... Time away from the game is needed and it's whats happening.

Darkest Dungoen is in a long pause as well. I've not been back to it's gameplay at all since well into last year. This last week has seen me just load in and recheck the roster; They are all as sick and cursed wiht the crimson thirst as I remember.

I'm sure a good push would see a lot done and a lot cleared up but for now there are other games I'm more into(Mad Max) that are draining my time. Darkest Dungeon has been waiting for so long in other forms I'm sure some more time won't matter....

Mad Max(on Xbox) is still a game I'm pouring so much time into. The game is so very playable, a real time sink that you don't see going. A game that's not felt harsh in any way with regard to grind as other games(imho). In many ways the game as you progress helps in that regard. Previous stronghold upgrades all benefit the next section of story and the new stronghold. It all works for me. Taking my time and enjoying the characters and the world. I'm very much into the Fury Road world so I guess I'm biased(never read the comics; Not a big fan of the Gibson movies, no hate, just meh about them). Anyway screenshots!

Speaking of winter events; Star Trek Online saw both Q's Winterwonderland and the Phoenix Prize events end. So much for my Breen on Xbox getting a Breen ship. Yea that didn't happen at all in the end.

The new event, a classic Red Alert filler week is on and should at least see a claim of it's tokens to the account banks(PC and XBOX). As the saying goes the more things change the more they stay the same. Every bit helps.

For now hassle is all of my own making. Characters and their ships/fits are getting my attention and so are being reworked/refitted; So a lot up in the air. Mainly due to the Maelstrom Torp. It's so good it's forcing it's way onto ships that have had a lot of thought put into them previously.

Eve Online has been interesting just in it's doing with a friend, a good mate. I've become his best customer in regard to T2 mods and ships. Not that I necessarily need them but more is better. It'll all get used one way or another at some stage. Picking them up at mates rates is better than any market buy.

With the end of the winter event the market for Abyssal loot seems to be heading swiftly back to a normal price; Players are returning to abyssal content. I'm still continuing to do low level Abyssal's on an Alpha, enough to make me want to up my game there on an Omega. That said my Alpha has made some good isk with the loot but I'll be hanging onto any more I get. Then again upping that end of things with an Omega and a serious ship may take the quick and easy fun out of the activity.

In doing the Abyssal content I've noticed I was getting the odd notification now and again; It was only recently that I actually read it and saw something about a reward. It took a bit to dig out the location of the rewards in the UI and claim them. Nice to get but it's not an intuitive system. A system brought in with fanfare and promoted with gusto that makes me wonder what they were thinking. Let me just be nice and say it's an unintuitive bunch of system and leave it at that. AIR, Opportunities and the Agency. I really thought it was supposed to be one all in one ease of use system..... Eve is Eve, CCP is CCP. Eve Echoes is Eve Echoes....Sooooo CCP is copying whatever they think works from Netwase...