BF1....

I've still been plugging away with BF1.

It's been getting harder to get "average" skilled matches. The bulk of matches now seem to be filled with clan based OP stomping. The number of times I've been on teams that are crushed is insane. I've watched these teams (while being dead) advance and it's been interesting. Very much so in regard to actual tactics. Some clans are using very real world tactics. Support providing suppression (lift and shift) both with LMG and mortars, allowing the assault crew to push in with medics no far behind. All moving in support of each other; Steamrollers. Impressive to see.

I'm still getting some fun out of the game but after a few matches of being stomped on it's no fun and just leads to a quit option. I wonder if BF5 will kill off the BF1 playerbase....

Hitman....

The Marrakesh section of the game will be free from tomorrow for a 'limited time'.
Another section of the game I'll get free for my Xbox Version.

Tomorrow the HITMAN: Summer Pack arrives. Giving you access to download Episode 3: Marrakesh. It's FREE to download for a limited time only. ☀️😎

Don't miss out! pic.twitter.com/iE9iWD8MEv

— HITMAN (@Hitman) July 16, 2018

Hitman....

The latest elusive target is another one that I can complete on both XBox and PC. I'd thought the PC version would be easier but it's turned out to have needed more mission restarts than I care to mention. So much so that frustration set in. I should have walked away altogether and come back to it in a day or two. But no, I messed it up and followed mistakes with mistakes compounding the shítstorm I'd created. The XBox run on the other hand went flawlessly.

PC:

XBox:

A Casual Carebear

Hitman....

Restart.....

A Casual Carebear

STO....

I've missed a few day's of the summer event grind; And I've not been min/maxing that daily mission's 20 hour cooldown. With the end of the event being the 16th of August I've thankfully still got a lot of leeway left(almost double the day's to complete the remaining 600 vouchers). It's a casual grind, Risa beach life.

Darkest Dungeon....

Ten more trinkets, 1350 shards to go....

Darkest Dungeon....

Le Boofff... Yea I'm pro-BUFF....

RNG the RNG....

Extra Credits

Defiance 2050....

Defiance 2050 looks like it should be a game that draws in a crowd. In reality it's an altered version of the original game.

Defiance

Some back end and game systems changes but with the old problems of the original. Laggy and graphically poor by today's standards. For a game like this, being free to play, the gameplay needs to be "the best thing ever". The reviews say it's not. From what I've read I can't be bothered to even try it to see for myself. Any amount of time would be a waste. I've also read that the pay-wall is very obvious and bars players from any real meaningful progression without paying.

I might have to try Planetside 2 again..... Maybe not.....

BF1....

No joy with doing a poll, pity; But too good of an opportunity not to do a chopped down version with the added Benny Hill music.... Just for laughs.

A Casual Carebear

STO....

Had to be done....

I'm now a public menace.

Hitman....

The Blackmailer is on his way.

This Friday.

With him taken down on Friday it'll only leave 3 more targets to complete the roster.
2 missed from when the game came out and I hadn't owned it yet plus one I failed to kill properly.

I'd consider it complete then but I still have Colorado and Japan on Pro mode to really "complete" the game..... Pro Colorado kicked my áss last time I attempted to do anything with it.

STO....

That +20 increase in speed is very noticeable, very happy with that upgrade.

+50 run here:

New +70 here:

BF1....

Another good video from LevelCapGaming on Battlefield 5, this time on weapon balance.

LevelCapGaming

It may still be in Alpha and there may be buckets of balance and patches to come but I'm still not liking what I'm seeing of the gameplay.

---

On a side note I've been continuing to poke about with editing my gameplay recordings. In doing so I've been reminded that I used to listen to a lot more music(a whole lot more) while I gamed in the past. To a large extent that's been replaced by the colossal avalanche of Youtube content. Looking back at old footage is funny as it's got that background music on. Like a kind of fun time capsule, some music is niche and some of it is of it's day. Or whatever I was into at the time. Eclectic tastes and all.

Aaaaaaaaaaaanyway I got messing with the latest video edit and thought about adding in some non-copyrighted music... Just to see.... I'm no video or sound editing guru but I think it worked out well o.k. Picking the right music for random game happenings is a sound tech's job and I'm far from that.

To add background music or leave it as is.....?

Music version:

Non music version:

Darkest Dungeon....

With the last memory collected I've built The Mill to complete the DLC additions to the districts. Another nice addition to the passive buff's for the roster.

With that done my next aim is to gather shards (1625 shards) to claim the remaining new trinkets from the nomad wagon. That'll be a grind.

STO....

I've said it before but the summer event doesn't feel like a grind; I think that feeling is due to the event having a very holiday activities, relaxing vibe. Apt and done well, really well. I've not been into any other games summer "events" more. I even feel out of place in my characters main uniform. It could be time to go full on Risa Picard and get the chest hair out...

I've not been interested in the new emotes bar one, the bat swing.

 I'm a big fan of the new holographic versions of the caracal pets.

The best of which (imo) is the Pink/Purple version.

It's the small things in the game that make it well worth playing (at least for me).

BF1....

Not a bad match, some sniping, some medic'ic'ing.....

A Casual Carebear

Quake Grunt Comment Etiquette....

A Casual Carebear

STO....

There are worse grinds in gaming.  Time to get all the pets!

A Casual Carebear

Quake Champions....

With my thoughts on BF5 and the considerations of the Time to Kill in FPS games; I decided to dive into another multiplayer shooter, Quake Champions. Which was free for a time on Steam last month.

It's been a long, long time since I played the original Quake in multiplayer. Lots of memories of LAN matches. Quake Champions for all it's modern graphics and enhancements feels just like the original game, at least to me, even in it's current build. Fast but controllable in a meaningful way, survivable.

The match I recorded below was 50% A.I. on each team, so not too bad for a mid-day game.
The only thing missing for me was the Doom double jump, that in this game would be cool. I was thinking of retrying the Doom Multiplayer, then I reread my old post.... So old school rocket jumping it is!! I need to relearn that and not singe myself in the process.

It's a game I jumped into and liked from the start not just for nostalgia but for the gameplay. The classes seem well balanced to my amateur eye. There's a lot to like about Quake Champions, the gameplay as well as the out of match systems. Badges, classes,  reward crates to open that give cosmetic items, XP levels etc. etc. You can see those at the end of my video.

I may not play it much but it's a game I'll be keeping installed and an eye on when I'm not dipping my toes in.

A Casual Carebear