Choices....

 

 

 

No Mans sky has seen a lot of news with it's updates of late; Even with all the new systems etc I've not been able to 'get into' the game again. I've blogged and waffled a lot over the years suffice it to say the more the game has 'become', the more the game is over the top in getting me to play again. All that said there is a NMS youtuber I watch that has also done Planet Crafter content. Jason Plays. As Plane Crafter has had a big update I checked back on his channel to see if I'd missed any Crafter content. Which I didn't..... Long story short he did have a new series started on 'getting into' No Mans Sky.

A Fresh Start Part 1 No Man's Sky Beginners Guide 2024 Well worth a watch. For me even watching it I can see from those vids that I'd still not be 'into' redoing the game. Much as I 'feel' I could, I know I'd be wasting a lot of time for little reward. TheYamiks did a video on it recently as well.

 

Speaking of TheYamiks he's also done a good video on Star Citizen. So 'what he said'.

Star Citizen WORTH IT in 2024?!

PowerWash Simulator's next paid DLC is based on Warhammer 40,000 and I quiet like the trailer. Another DLC to add to the wish-list for some sale down the line.... Very down the line.

The 2024 roadmap is interesting but no sign in sight of it slowing down.... So a sale on DLC seems very far away.

 

 

Gameranx had a recent video on 10 WEIRD Gaming Stories of February 2024, interesting to me in that they had two sections Part 6 regarding Xbox and Part 5 regarding Deca and Star Trek Online. More on the Star Trek Online angle later down the post....

 

Darkest Dungeon saw a good bit of game-time this last week. That time was a 90% RNG nightmare.

 

 

My first run getting back to the Crimson Court was a great success; It all went downhill from there and fell further with every run no matter what and where. I made a lot of mistakes. The Hero Roster is back to a declining state. The available heroes are no longer in sync with compatible groupings which I prefer. The need to mix and match is there but the heroes I can choose is far from ideal. RNG just makes it worse.

 

A Casual Carebear Gamer

 

 

In playing Planet Crafter I've realized that after the patch my active on launchpad rockets are not missing; Just invisible. I'm sure that will be 'resolved in time'. Maybe?

 

 

Patches for the most recent update seems to have updated the randomly generated biomes you reach via portals. I've still been doing a lot of them. New is the new new after all.

 

 

 

 

Star Trek Online is still the 'old reliable'. The game had a 50% off on it's Lifetime Subscription. Again I'll say that if you are into STO and you get a lot from 'just' playing, the Lifetime is well worth it. Pays for itself over time(rewards, details).

 

MC Stu had details regarding the CEO To Address Star Trek Online Community On Ten Forward Live

 

CasualSAB  has two recent relevant videos:

Jonathan Herlache is no longer at Cryptic / Star Trek Online

&

More STO Devs Leaving? - DECA/Cryptic Update

Of the recent updates to the game a patch brought a nice quality of life tag to new items in a players inventory/mats inventory etc.

 

That said recent patches have brought back to me an old bug... walking in space(take that Eve Online). So STO, it's only happened 2 or three times, tis haha funny.

STO on Xbox still has the zoom issues but fingers crossed the fix will be here in a couple of weeks(apparently it's fixed and internally developed to 'work'). As for overall PC/Xbox gameplay; Gameplay is gameplay. I've been doing it more and enjoying it. Events/Dailies/R&D..... Gameplay.

 

 There can never be enough Borg balloons in the bank! 

 

World of Warcraft has seen a slight uptick in gameplay but I'm still not 100% 'into it'. I have a feeling I'm definitely wasting game-time. That said I did get a tour from herself with the Emerald dream etc. 

 

 

Getting some gear to get me into the last of the raid wings for LFR. For the first time in a long time I'm considering not getting the next expansion.... If not for the overarching multi-expansion plans I think I'd have fully checked out. 

 

 

Eve, Eve, Eve online. I've been doing the 'usual' for my preferred gameplay; No surprise's there(that's a good thing).  PvE,R&D with a side of rock harvesting.

 

 

OZ_Eve has been interesting re the markets. The Oz Report (Mar 2nd, 2024) - Eve Online Market Insights. A 'show' that makes me think about 2 previous market youtubers(EVE-Prosper and delonewolf if anyone is interested).

Loru Gaming is a tuber I came across but his 'excitement' about Vanguard makes my eyes roll.

EVE Vanguard UNRECOGNIZABLE In 6 Months   I look forward to being surprised at the epic game that will be Vanguard by the end of the year; I just don't think that's gonna happen(*see meme about google app graveyard).

 

I've seen Eve Status tweets more in the last week than in a long time. https://twitter.com/EVE_status

Eve is Eve; Eve'n after their patch of a patched patch.

 

Only it won't

Initial client run is confused it's already running.

 

 

 

 

Star Citizen....

In recent weeks a good gaming friend(a guy who I started my Star Citizen journey with) and I have been talking about the game. We've kept up on the most general news over the years and bemoaned the lack of actual 'real' content you could call a 'game'. We've bítched, moaned and groaned mocking the minute details of the 'game' and it's development. All the while the game as a game doesn't seem to see it's forest(end product) for the trees(how NPC's eat and move etc). It's current form is a tech demo testbed. Overall we are fairly shocked at the amount of work, effort and cash that has gone into such vaporware. It's a head scratcher on so many levels. So much done so little to 'really' show for it.

Yea it's gonna be fair to say this is going to be a negative look at the game; This reflects my expectations and what I'm seeing currently and being greeted with. I'm disappointed.

I've not put much into the game, financially. A basic game pack at the time(2014), containing an Aurora Legionnaire, Squadron 42 and access to Arena Commander / the 'universe'. As well as some hanger(old hanger) items like the fish tank and fish. Oh and of course a Greycat. On top of game item inflation(in game items/currency given, taken, re-given, changed etc etc, plus free items/gifts like holiday baubles) All in all I'm €65 in the hole.... Not much in the grand scheme of things(especially compared to my friend); The game has some massive whales out there(star stats). 

My friend is in 'deep deep'.... Thousands of Euro for software items alone. He had been subscribed for years...... He's bought ships and been hyped..... No wonder he's been in a 'mood' about the game(disenfranchised... peeved etc etc) for so long now. The ships he has bought and never seen in game, huge ships in concept.... Never seen in game after years!! It's nuts when you think about it!!

For the last few years I've not blogged or even commented on Star Citizen. My previous blog posts by year(listings even posted with a remote hint/mention of the game are there).

Late 2014 - 3 posts.

2015  - 6 posts - Also the last year I can remember actually flying a ship in game! 

2016 - 16 posts - I guess it was the year I had most 'hopium'.

2017 - 3 posts -  In one of which I said "The game is possibly coming closer to a more final product....."; I know.... I know! Please commence historical laughter.

2018 - 1 post - But not really a post.

2019 - 1 post - https://acasualcarebear.blogspot.com/2019/06/star-citizen.html

2020 - 0 posts

2021 - 0 posts

2022 - This post.

As 'little' cash as I've 'invested' in the game compared to my friend and compared to some others(lots and lots of others) I still quiet can't believe that there's nothing to play for Squadron 42....

Squadron 42 motion capture performances..........Done seven years ago!

MMORPGcom

So coming back to the game after years with all it's changes, all it's updates, all it's micromanagement of minute detail and infinite tweaking. What does it say to me? 

To me it says it's worse than cyberounk's release. Or as I sent to my friend.....

     "Wow man Star Shítizen may actually be worse than Cyberpunk when that released. NPC's walking into walls or just standing there, unintuitive UI, unintuitive everything. NPC chat ui is a menu stapled on their chest only they don't stop f**king moving so selecting a choice is 'fun'….. To get to a hanger from area 18 I need to get out of bed, take an elevator to the ground floor, walk to a tram station, wait for a tram, get off, walk to a hanger console, select a ship, find where another elevator is to get to the random hanger it puts the ship, get off the elevator and then wonder where my f**king hanger fish tank went!!!!! Never mind my Greycat.."

Yea my initial take was not favorable.

As much information is on display and as much information is there for you to see and get, the game tells you nothing about how to do anything! But NPC's can sit and lean in 14 animations to not look stiff(they still do).

Still life artwork.... NPC watching guard NPC watching wall.......

Is it me or is this area looking like something from Planetside 2?

Vampires exist.... The game is so detailed it correctly removes the reflection of NPC's who are, Vampires.... Of course.... A game about details..... Winning me over.

Fidgety NPC's are the worst to click on......

The new Greycat issue..... I present......Hanger dude. So much detail..... That A.I. at work eh!

So much talk of detail and it's the first thing I look for in the active installed version only to be greeted by a shoddy Cyberpunk 'thing'.

It's got a laggy low framerate mess feel. I may have a graphics card that's a generation old but my friend has top of the range and he was having the same issues. Both on SSD's. So Alpha game is Alpha and not tuned for all rigs.

For all the NPC's dotted about it still 'feels' dead. As such for me it gave off vibes that remind me so, so much of the old Doom 3 game from 2004. Then again I've not been to other planets. I've little motivation to do so. Everything seems like so much work. I like detail but I don't want to spend 30 minutes to prep for a journey..... The PR expectation from RSI is shockingly bad.

I wasn't wowed by visuals or locations. The game is so very, very, very Alpha. I'm not sure that the game can deliver Sq 42 to the expectation it's saying it can deliver. All talk and no action. 

As is on release I see it being received as a cross between No Man's Sky(under delivering the hype) and Cyberpunk(car crash on a tech/game engine level) when they release. Day one will have a massive player number but after the longterm retention will suffer.Proof in the pudding!

The 'servers' only allow the old cap of 50 players per server and the new cap of 100! So it doesn't really put the massive into MMO! I've known Eve Corp's with more active players than 100!

No development end in sight, no release, only more years of promises. Yet more changes to mechanics that then get scrapped and replace in a never ending development loop. It's a ponzi sceme and players don't get anything. A joke on players who want to play. Those that do now are free testers! But you can't be casual about it either way. Such a massive disappointment.... To me. Best to prepare for the coming shizstorm(it's still on the horizon) when they finally get to the pointy end of delivering it.

There is gameplay to be had if your patient. If you can see past the Alpha state..... And live between server wipes. That said how is the current world of casual players going to get into this game!

Players who have not been back to the game in years like me will not be happy. If they were happy they would be constantly active in it already! I can't imagine what fresh players, knowing only some hype and expectation are going to think. 'Yeay space combat.... Here's a 800 page manual, good luck'. 

Previous iterations of the game had a tutorial for docking and undocking... WTF is Squadron 42 going to be like or do for that! 

2019's Intro to play! Has no intro to actual gameplay! It's not a tutorial.... It was a sales pitch... AND THERE WAS NO SECOND PART to follow on! Typical Star Shitizen!!!!

BoredGamer does it better! That said it's nearly 30 minutes long and it's filled with detail both said and unsaid.

What can I say to make the most of this 'game'... A MASSIVE amount of patience. A virtue I have not had with this look at the game.

There is too much detail. Far too much detail in how to do anything. See patience above.

It takes an 'age' to get anywhere and do anything at all. Again see patience above.

Everything is 'quirky' in game, it's not you, it's the current game mechanics. Or rules. Unless it's you pressing buttons.

F12 opens and closes the chat

F11 opens your comm link, for chat and friend options(as far as I can see)

F1 opens MobiGlass.

F2 opens the Mobiglass route/map.

'I' for inventory.

'F' for mouse over actions while clicking withe the mouse (left or right button depending on the situation).

And from there it just gets complicated..... As well as not telling you anything to add in frustration.

This game is not 'casual'. 

This game is not 'intuitive'.

Keyboard layout for flying:

and on foot:

Right now I'm a combination of peeved, frustrated and demotivated. So I'm not in a forgiving mood. Hence the waffling blog post..... Hence the overall aggression and 'talking down' the game. Not totally without cause. Fans and shills can forgive, casuals not so much! I want in but the game makes it hard to do so.

The game needs motivation and patience to play. The right mood at the right time and with time to spare... Lots and lots of time.

I've not played for long this time round. Everything is hard/complex to do, I've no motivation to learn anything in game to make the 'complex', 'simple'. For me, for now it's a game that's too swamped in processes of processes to offer meaningful short term play... 

Star Citizen....

I've been disconnected from Star Citizen for years. I still hop in and out of the game when there were updates but less so the last few years(maybe once a year!?!). So it's fair to say I've distanced myself. Changes and complications mean the more I would have known the more would have changed. Keeping interest is a double edged sword. The less I know the less I have to keep track of.

I do keep up to date on some things, mostly through BoredGamer's update video's. One of his latest has me really thinking about the game again. Mainly about the ships. Specifically about the only ship I have in the game.

Back in 2014 I opted for the Aurora LN, the legionnaire. It made sense at the time for the cheaper cost pledge.

In that old image I have no idea where the other Aurora in the background came from.

I also miss the old shooting range/Greycat obstacle course!

Anyway the new ship video from BoredGamer shows an anticipated general purpose all rounder that has also taken my interest in the past. The Carrack. It now seems to be the all rounder now more than ever. Which in turn makes me wonder if the Aurora LX would have been a better choice than the LN.

Not that I'll be getting either but it's nice to theory craft. Besides the Carrack is supposed to cost around the €1000 mark!!!! Seeing that makes the Cutlass  or  Constellation look cheap and I'd not be buying them! In fact looking at what ship packs can be bought, there isn't one under €50! That's not cheap either for something that's constantly changing in a pre release state!

One of my friends went 'big' into the game, even so far as to have friends and relatives gift Star Citizen ships/credit to him. His personal in game ships and assets must be in the €1000's. He was even a subscriber for years. Yet talking to him about the game now is like even he has lost all hope/faith in the game. 

It'll be interesting to see how all this pans out in the coming year(s). I don't feel so bad about getting a cheaper LN over an LX now.....

Star Citizen....

Done for Crytek publicity!? Didn't expect that from Crytek...

BoredGamer

Star Citizen....

Good coverage of Star Citizen 2017 from BoredGamer; The game is possibly coming closer to a more final product.....

Star Citizen | CitizenCon 2017 Summary

Star Citizen | Chris & Erin Roberts Interviews + Procedural City Internals


Star Citizen | CitizenCon 2017 Gameplay Demo

Star Citizen Talk | CitizenCon 2017

Star Citizen, Domina, Waffle, GRW, more waffle, Earth 2.0, bad formatting, Sandbox's & Darkest Darkest Dungeon's....

Despite my inability to come up with a sensible or witty title for this post I've decided to drop everything I want to waffle on about in the title as well as the post, the flood gates are open....




I've found myself being a bit more random in some area's of gaming. No surprise given my mood/circumstances etc. etc. etc. Having more time to while away yet not wanting to be fully using a brain, with a mix of looking to be 100% distracted.


 
I noticed on Facebook (I forget the affiliate) a few day's ago that Saints Row 2 was free for a day on gog.com. I did claim it. Will I ever play this game? Probably not. I got the third game from a friend and I played it for about 20 minutes on the PS3 two years or so ago....



 
A link worth a share and a mull over: http://www.gamesradar.com/the-best-free-shooters/
It has me thinking again about CCP's non confirmed FPS. What it has to compete against in the Free-to-Play market never mind the paid games (Overwatch). The more I think about Dust the more I think about the newer version they demoed, the more thankful I am they didn't go with an arena shooter. It makes me think about what they could be doing. If CCP hadn't been so taken aback at the reaction the community had over that fanfest we might actually have a game the community would actually warm to.



There are a lot of games I just can't keep up with, the sheer volume of changes, patch notes, tweaking and adjustments. Especially with the likes of Star Citizen, BoredGamer does a great job of whittling down the information (like this & this) to what you need to know. Even at that I can't get through all of his content. By the time I do it's been replaced by more video's.
 



GRW had another 6GB patch. It contains one of the best quality of life changes in Ghost Recon Wildlands, when you mouse over a campaign save it now changes to show the character it belongs to....

The mods scene has exploded since I last talked about it. The community does love the game.

I've been casting an eye on trying to complete my NG+/Stygian mode run. The final crop of top level characters do not seem capable of doing it so I've been levelling up a few more classes to try out in a final run.
With the release of the expansion in the next few month's I also want to try and do a quick run of the Radiant mode.... That might be a bridge too far.
It's been interesting to watch 
BaerTaffy He has been running a modded version of the game PBD, Pitch Black Dungeon and it has been kicking his ass. His return to the normal version in a stream has been a welcome return, but it seems that he is changing that to be a fresh Radiant mode run now as well. I'll be interested to see how he gets on in that run.






Cities skylines, a game I can tweak and make small changes without much thought. Set the time to 4 times speed and mentally disengage. Not much has happened here.

Star Trek online has had at least two updates in the last few weeks and since I don't have a proper internet connection I'm choosy about how I spend my data allowance. Like a child in a tuck shop trying to squeeze the maximum value out of that pocket money.

Papers

1.2 GB patch and then another for 800mb, STO has been less value per megabyte so it's lost out(patch the patch). With the new season out now may as well ignore the game for the next month as the patch for that will be another huge one.....

For anyone tempted by a sale on Zen you probably already new there was a sale on, I was in no way tempted.
I do seem to have a growing interest in my mind with regard to the summer event, and the ship it will have as it's main prize.

Star Trek Bridge crew is interesting but not a game for me. Max enjoyment means corralling as many friends as possible and I only know of one friend that has a VR headset. So if I bought one there would be two of us. This is not the game that "makes" me buy a headset.
YOGSCAST Hannah did two interesting vids in the game:

Rome Total War has had a brief look in. A save from an older Brutii campaign was left at a battle where one of my armies was being attacked by multiple armies from the Scipii. It's been interesting to see how the A.I. reacts to various tactics.

 
What has worked is to square up my legionnaires with missile support in the centre and brace the storm as a rock on the shore line. It's worked for the most part.

Many A True Nerd's recent playthrough has been entertaining. 

Rome: Total War - Grand Finale - All Roads Lead

Rome: Total War - Epilogue - All Good Things

Speaking of Rome I have played a few rounds of Domina, getting to know it's way's. Three full attempts and one where I lost the ability to complete the game due to very, very bad RNG. It's still fun and it looks like it will receive a lot of content tweaking.






Heroes of the storm 2.0 has given a lot of loot but I'm clueless with regard to changes, updates and whats makes 2.0 so special. Opening loot is nice tho.....

I did plan on more waffle going into my time with Eve Online but I think I'll do that as a separate post.... This one is long enough.




Two video's worth a share:
TheLazyPeon 'Ashes Of Creation: MMORPG Overview "Why I'm Excited"'

Noah Caldwell-Gervais 'How Does Mass Effect: Andromeda Compare to Previous Mass Effects? [Spoilers]'

On a final note I'm liking the new version of Google earth, worth checking out.
You do need Google Chrome to use it. Pity but I'm sure that it'll be available for Firefox.... at some stage....

https://www.google.com/earth/