Save Scumming 2.0. AKA XCOM2: War of the Chosen.

I've admitted it before, but I will say it again--I'm the most piteous save scummer.  I, sadly, have no qualms about loading up a recent save as a means of avoiding the outcome of my own stupidity.  In most games this isn't really much of an issue--autosave is there for a reason, right?  In turn-based strategy games part of the challenge is moving your set pieces in an intelligent and beneficial way.  If you're smart about it there really shouldn't be any reason to be scumming.  Yeah, I haven't reached that benchmark yet.  I've been teasing my weakness with the fantastic expansion to XCOM2--War of the Chosen.

I've been eyeing War of the Chosen since it was released several months ago.  Although I will admit to not being a tactical genius, I have always enjoyed the challenge present in the new XCOM games.  There's management on many levels--managing your squad while they're out on a mission, managing the Avenger--picking engineering and research projects, managing your troop roster, assigning construction and building projects....there's constantly a decision to be made.  War of the Chosen adds several entirely new layers of stressfully enjoyable decision making.

What's new/different:

The Warlock, Hunter, and Assassin comprise the ranks of the Chosen.

--The Chosen.  War of the Chosen introduces three new nemeses in the form of "the Chosen."  These uber-aliens are extra deadly and each have a different set of skills.  There's the assassin who can enter stealth and then launch devastating surprise attacks at inopportune times.  The hunter specializes in ranged attacks and can summon extra help in the form of "beasts"--which mostly means chrysalids and the faceless.  The warlock possesses powerful psionic abilities and can mind control your soldiers, launch devastating psionic attacks, and summon psi-zombies.

On their own the Chosen aren't too difficult to defeat.  The problem is that they rarely appear completely alone.  Each Chosen occupies a different territory on the world map.  Any mission that takes place in one of those territories is subject to the appearance of that particular Chosen during the mission.  Not only are you battling Advent soldiers, but now you've thrown a tricky, tough alien into the mix.  It can be a very difficult and brutal mix.

Once you've engaged a Chosen you have a few choices.  Choice #1) kill it!  This might mean shifting your focus off of your current targets in an effort to quickly burn it down.  It usually means that you're not going to come out of any mission completely unscathed.  #2) Do your best to avoid it and manage your losses.  Each Chosen has an ability to disable and then "scan" your soldiers for intel which could lead to them eventually locating the Avenger and launching an attack.  The positive side to this strategy is that the Chosen will leave the mission on the next turn and you don't have to deal with them.

If you choose to take down the big baddies they don't stay down.  They leave the current mission, but are able to resurrect themselves at their secret bases.  Locating these bases requires working with the three special factions that are another new addition to War of the Chosen.  Taking them out is almost mandatory as they will continually gather intelligence about the location of the Avenger as time goes by.  You can't simply ignore them and hope they'll go away.  They won't.  And they'll continue to deliver long, rambling monologues the entire time.

--New factions with special abilities.  Fearsome new enemies means you need some fierce new allies to help in your fight.  Three new factions offer aid in the form of special faction related benefits and special "heroes" who will fight in your own ranks.  The Reapers specialize in stealth and can remained concealed for long periods of time.  Their soldiers are good for scouting ahead and attacking from the shadows.  The Skirmishers are a group of rebellious Advent soldiers who have gone rogue against their alien creators.  They are versatile soldiers with the ability to attack multiple times in one turn, to use either melee or ranged attacks, and to utilize a grappling hook to maneuver to advantageous positions.  The Templars utilize psionic abilities and have a unique style of attack with a melee focus.  Each successful melee kill builds "focus" which makes future attacks more powerful and which can be expended to fuel other special abilities.

Each faction also unlocks special "covert operation" which are completed behind the scenes.  Covert ops require one or more of your own soldiers and have certain specific outcomes--most importantly, they are the method for tracking down and eventually permanently disposing of the Chosen.  Managing your roster gets even more complicated as you send soldiers out to complete ops.  Those soldiers are unavailable for the duration of the op and can possibly be wounded, ambushed, or even captured by the Chosen.  Successfully completing ops grants an outcome but also grants influence with each faction.  Once you've reached a certain level of influence each faction offers special benefits that vary--some help lower the time to build new rooms on the Avenger, others offer resource gathering boosts.  Each month you can choose a different set of boosts to satisfy your needs.  Raising your influence with each faction increases the number of boosts you can utilize.

--New enemy types.  You know what every game needs?  Zombies.  This is almost a scientifically proven fact.  War of the Chosen features a brand new type of enemy known as "The Lost."  Although the Lost are technically former humans who have been poisoned by Advent technology (remember all those weird, glowing green canisters from Enemy Unknown?  They were good for high cover...but weren't ever explained.  Well, ta-da!), they are basically zombies.  The Lost tend to appear in groups and can easily be killed--for each Lost you headshot and kill you are granted an additional action, mowing down groups of them isn't too hard.  On their own the Lost aren't too bad but, like the Chosen, they have a tendency to pop up at inopportune times--like when you're in the middle of a nasty fight with Advent.  The nice part about the Lost is that they don't discriminate--they'll go after anything that's alive, including Advent.  They can serve as a handy distraction while you pick off the deadlier Advent soldiers.  The really bad part is when you get Advent + Lost + the Chosen....I had that happen...and it was ugly.

--New Maps!  If you were tired of all the old map sets, there are some nice, shiny new ones in War of the Chosen.  There are sewer-like tunnels, Lost-infested cityscapes, farmhouses with train tracks (I loathe trains  they box you in and are difficult to maneuver through.  I always inwardly groan on train/subway maps), and new specialized bases for the Chosen.

My squad celebrating killing the Hunter.

--Photobooth.  This might sound menial and stupid to hardcore turn-based strategy gamers, but I am absolutely loving the posters that you can create in the game.  Each mission provides an opportunity to make a poster featuring your chosen squad.  Or you can make posters for your favorite individual soldiers.  There are a variety of backgrounds, filters, text/font options to make a unique tribute.  The fun part is that these posters will periodically appear on the walls of other missions that you are playing.

--Soldier bonds.  You can further enhance the abilities of your soldiers by pairing them up with similar squadmates on each mission.  As they learn to fight together they will develop bonds which can provide benefits as they are strengthened.  Once you've developed these bonds you can build a special training room which allows soldiers to level up these bonds and which provides extra combat benefits.  Every soldier can have a battle BFF!

If you've gotten bored with the same ol' stale XCOM2 I would highly recommend the upgrade to War of the Chosen.  It offers so much new content that it makes the game feel completely different.  My favorite part has been the quest to destroy all of the Chosen.  This is something that isn't easy and consumes a great chunk of playtime.  But, when you watch those last few bars of life spill out of one of those giant goobers, it's fist-pumpingly fun.  Not to mention the fact that you can research and equip their own super-powerful weapons on your own soldiers.  It's totally worth the extra effort to hunt them down.

I'm Playing Okami on my PC...and it's Magical!

I've decided to dub 2017 as the "Year of the Port."  It seems like there have been a bunch of console-only titles that have finally made their way to PC.  I highly enjoyed delving into the strange world of Bayonetta and have been floored to play one of my all-time console favorites--Okami (Okami HD)--on my PC.  In general, I try to avoid re-masters and re-releases.  This time I just couldn't keep myself from jumping at the opportunity to have a better version of a game I truly enjoyed.  But, was it worth it?  Is Okami still the game that I remember it being almost ten years ago?  ....Sort of.

It's back!

Okami was originally released on the Nintendo Wii in 2006.  I used my 2008 stimulus money to stimulate the economy and purchased a Wii (I am not much of a console gamer and mostly enjoy Mario Kart).  It was only after buying the Wii that I discovered that besides the Zelda series that there weren't a lot of notable titles.  And I can only play so much "Mario" themed stuff before I get bored...So I began searching for the best games for the Wii and kept seeing the name Okami pop up.  I decided that it would be worthwhile to check it out...even if it sounded like something that was completely bizarre.

The story in Okami is based around Japanese folklore, something that I know absolutely nothing about.  You play as the resurrected god/wolf/deity Amaterasu and are on a mission to lift an evil curse from the land of Nippon (that's an old-school name for Japan).  Of course, the story is never this straightforward and you will find yourself zigging and zagging to try to keep up with all the twists and turns.  Probably the most interesting aspect of Okami are the "celestial brush techniques"--these are special abilities that you unlock throughout the game and they are very much like painting.  Certain enemies are susceptible to attacks using these techniques and mastering them is a lot of fun.  (I'm going to say that they are more fun on the PC--most of the time when I was playing this on the Wii I had moments where I contemplated throwing my controller through a window--the motion controls on my Wii were particularly picky...especially after I accidentally vacuumed the cord to the motion sensor bar and cracked one of the lens covers)

Should you bite and spend another $20 to add this classic to your PC library?  I'm going to say yes, but that it's not perfect.  Here's the list:

Pros:

--Art style/graphics.  Okami has always been celebrated for its traditional Japanese inspired art style and the HD upgrade means that it still looks amazing after more than ten years.  The floral theme, scrolls, and block prints that are used throughout the game are stunning and make me want to learn more about Japanese art.

--Interesting and quirky story.  Like the art style, the story also has its roots in traditional Japanese stories and characters.  It's enlightening to learn the names of the deities and to see their stories unfold into the fictional story in the game.

--Combat style/celestial brush.  I don't know if I can say that I've played another game with a combat system that is as unique as Okami.  The whole idea of drawing your abilities seems absurd.  Sometimes it can be frustrating (some of the brushstrokes require you to be fairly exact--this was really challenging on the Wii, but is less so with mouse and keyboard), but it adds a new layer to the traditional system of attacking and dodging.  Learning which enemies are susceptible to certain skills through trial and error is enjoyable.  Mastering the brush strokes is the highlight of the game.

--Side quests....tasks...beads...there's much more than just the main story.  My PC playthrough clocked in at around 36 hours (I would guess that if you stuck to the main storyline that you could definitely finish it in less than 30) and I made a somewhat concerted effort to complete side quests and do some collecting (there's 99 stray beads...I've never gotten remotely close to finding them all).  If you're looking for something to keep you busy--there's plenty here.

--Boss fights.  Every boss fight challenges you to utilize your knowledge of the brush strokes.  It's not simply about avoiding or doing damage--it's about figuring out what works best.  I have always enjoyed how the strokes you learn directly apply to fighting the very next boss.

--Replayability.  There is rating system built into the game that challenges players to earn the coveted "cherry blossom" ranking (you're rated on the time in which you complete the fight and the amount of damage you take).  If you're feeling driven enough you can continue playing and try to earn those cherry blossoms for every category.  Personally, I got three on this last playthrough (out of six...I think) and that's the most I've ever gotten.  There are also those stinkin' beads.....or the unlockable demon fang items...or the fish tome....there are plenty of reasons to play again.

--Amazing soundtrack featuring traditional Japanese instruments.  I especially enjoy the music when you enter combat.

Cons:

--Cutscene animations are weirdly shaky.  It's a weird thing that bugged me throughout the game.  I don't think it is intentional and am hoping that it is a bug that can be sorted out relatively soon.  If you're bothered by the way that the characters seem to have a shimmery, shaking effect...you're not alone.

--Effin' camera controls.  This is my #1 complaint with so many console games.  The camera never stays where I want it to and just won't adjust to movement.  It's kind of nice that you can click the middle button to recenter the camera, but even that can be annoying on scenes with a lot of movement.  With mouse/keyboard controls, the mouse is used to control the camera.  It's also used for doing other things like tackling which means that it's something you need to use.  Unfortunately it seems to be so touchy that I had to mentally make myself take my hand off the mouse when I was exploring so the camera wouldn't be jumping all over the place.  (There are some settings for the camera that I didn't mess with.  There's a chance I missed something ridiculously easy to fix.)

--Reading.  I personally don't mind a game where you read the dialogue, but I know that there are some people who don't believe that reading and games should mix.  If you dislike reading, you're in for some torture.

--It repeats.  (SPOILERS...yup.)  Didn't I just fight that same boss before?  Why yes, yes I did.  And I'm going to fight it at least 2 more times.  This didn't bother me in previous playthroughs, but it bugged me this time.  Yes, the fights are fun the first time...but not so much on the third time.

I have always enjoyed Okami and it was great to play it on the PC.  Gaming has changed so much in the ten plus years since it was initially released, but it still has a unique style that makes it stand out.  Those of you that played it on consoles will enjoy the improved performance, graphics, and controls on the PC.  

SteamWorld Dig 2. There's More Digging to be Done!

Steam's Black Friday sale was an opportunity for me to impulse buy a bundle of games for a nice, low price.  I snatched up three SteamWorld  games for under under $20 and have been gradually playing my way through them.  At first I was worried that I might've wasted my money on something that I wasn't going to like, but boy was I wrong!  I've had fun playing all three of the games (if you're interested you can read about SteamWorld Dig here and SteamWorld Heist here) and after finishing up SteamWorld Dig 2, I feel great about my purchases.

SteamWorld Dig 2 continues the story of the spunky, steam powered robots who populate a place that is very much like the old American West.  Rather than playing as Rusty, the robot protagonist from the first game, you play as Dorothy--the cute, little robot vendor from the same game.  The story follows Dorothy as she tries to locate Rusty, who disappeared after he handily defeated the evil robot mastermind, Vectron.

Dorothy visits the town of El Machino.

Dorothy finds herself searching the area around the robot town of El Machino.  On the way she stumbles across an odd, sprite-like entity known as Fen.  Fen is a feisty little bugger who enjoys destruction and serves as a sort of helpful follower.  Similar to SteamWorld, the town of El Machino is filled with robots who provide a number of helpful functions--there are vendors who buy minerals and sell upgrades, there are pneumatic transportation tubes to quickly zip Dorothy to different locations around the map, and there are friendly robots to chat with.

The gameplay in SteamWorld Dig 2 is very similar to the first game--much of it revolves around digging through different areas and searching for minerals and caves to search.  Luckily, the developers paid attention to some of the minor annoyances in the first game and did a fabulous job of addressing and changing some of them.  As players dig further below the earth they will find that the pneumatic tube system is much easier to find and use.  There's no need to depend on expensive teleporters as a more efficient source of movement--you can use the map and easily teleport directly back to El Machino.

Dorothy has access to a number of handy implements that greatly improve her movement and make digging and navigating a literal (and metaphorical) blast.  The grappling hook is handy for grabbing onto and boosting Dorothy over and above certain obstacles.  It also alleviates one of the problems I ran into in the first game--digging a shaft too far down and then getting stuck because you couldn't wall jump out--which meant you had to rely on ladders, which cost gold.  As you progress even farther into the game you unlock the rocket pack which allows Dorothy to briefly fly.  When used in tandem with the grappling hook, there's almost no movement that's impossible--you can fly up into spaces that seemed unreachable or traverse wide areas.

Another aspect that was improved was the upgrade system.  You can still upgrade your tools using the money you make from digging up minerals, but there is also an upgrade system that uses special cogs that are hidden/sprinkled throughout the game.  These cogs grant special abilities for each tool--for example, you could put a cog into your lamp slot and gain a bonus to the amount of light that your lamp provides.  As you collect more cogs you have to figure out exactly what abilities will be the most beneficial--some upgrades cost only one cog while others might require three or possibly four cogs.  The nice thing about the cog system is that you can easily swap cogs from one ability to another since they aren't locked.  Many of the challenge caves have cogs hidden throughout them and they are well worth finishing just to find more cogs.  There are also hidden "artifacts" that you can trade to a certain archaeologist robot to unlock special blueprints that unlock cog-based abilities.  Each blueprint requires you to find a specific number of artifacts and increases as you make progress.  (I think I found something like 42% of the artifacts--they are hidden well!)

Besides all the gameplay related improvements there are plenty of other things to like about SW Dig 2.  The soundtrack isn't really what you'd expect from a game that is set in an area that resembles the American West and instead has a cool, electronic ambiance (especially El Machino).  The variety of environments you will find yourself in varies from the traditional mine shaft to an ancient temple filled with conveyor belts (and puzzle-like areas) to an area filled with bioluminescent plants and unfriendly critters.  The story has some interesting twists and turns and even manages to give you a large dose of the feels.

I would heartily recommend SteamWorld Dig 2 and would say that purchasing the entire Image & Form Games bundle is a good idea.  Even though the three games aren't directly linked, they take place in the same universe and it's fun to see the connection between them.  (I don't want to spoil it, but when you finish SW Dig 2 you get a strong feeling that it and Heist could be closely related in the future).  Get your dig on!

Pros:
--Digging and navigating has improved since the first game.  It's still very similar, but it's better.
--A mix of old and new tools.  There's the ol' reliable pickaxe used for most digging but there's also a
   grappling hook and rocket pack.
--Fleshed out upgrade system that rewards players for exploring and finding cogs hidden throughout
   the world.
--Cute story and characters.  All the robots have unique personalities and Fen, your friendly guide, is
   good for some laughs.
--Variety of environments to explore.  Mineshafts, ancient ruins, glowy, plant-filled areas...you won't
   get bored.
--Challenge caves offer a fun way to earn extra cogs/minerals/artifacts.  My personal favorite was the
   "Floor is Lava" cave (covered with buttons and required you not to touch any of the buttons while
   utilizing the grappling hook to navigate).  It took me about twenty tries, but I finally unlocked the
   artifact at the end.
--Replayability.  Making it a priority to try to find all the artifacts in the game could provide a reason
   to replay.
--Family friendly.  There's some violence and fighting, but this game would be appropriate for kids.
--Keyboard/mouse controls are good--you don't really need a controller.

Cons:
Hmm....I don't really know that I have any serious concerns.  I wish Dorothy had more hats like in SteamWorld Heist.

Happy holidays everyone!  The SteamWorld games would make a great gift for gamers of any age.

Ready for a Catventure?

I love cats and spend more time than I would care to admit watching videos and liking posts featuring cute, frisky felines.  When I saw a game appear on the Steam top sellers list that was an RPG featuring cats, I just couldn't resist.  Plus, the price tag was just $10.  I've been adventuring in the fictional, fantasy world of Cat Quest for most of this week.  I haven't quite finished the entire story yet, but I've played enough to have a good feel for the game.

Pros:

--Easy controls.  It plays like an ARPG--click to attack, numbered skills, dodge button.

--Tons of cat puns and jokes.  If you're a fan of cats you will enjoy all the cat references.

--Large map with lots to explore.  There are traditional quest boards, but you can also just wander around and look for caves and dungeons to clear.

--Gear to support any playstyle.  You can gear up your cat to be a mage, a warrior, a ninja or almost any combination of those.  Ninja-mage cat could be your thing...you don't know until you try it.  There's also special gear that drops from locked chests that makes your cat look extra cool.

--A very cheery soundtrack (it's also a bit of a con...)

--Different enemy types that require you to change up your strategy.

--Low PC requirements--you could probably play it on a toaster.

--Appropriate for the younger crowd.  Your kids could definitely play this game--there's really

   nothing questionable other than violence (you kill monsters, but it's not bloody) and pseudo

   swear words that are turned into cat humor (godcatit!  furry...etc.)

--For a $10 game there's plenty to keep you busy.

My catventurer taking a rest in Windmew City.

Cons:

--After several hours of playing the aforementioned "very cheery soundtrack" gets a little annoying. 

   Fortunately, you can choose to turn it off in the options menu.

--Quests are the best way to level up your character, but they can get repetitious.  There was one set

that required running from one side of the map to the other every time you wanted to advance the

quest.  It was extremely annoying.

--Upgrading your gear is a crapshoot (and follows an in-game lootbox-like system).  You can

   purchase crates from Kit--50 gold for a crate containing regular gear or 5,000 gold for a large crate

   that contains upgrades for special gear.  Each crate gives you one piece of gear (or one

   upgrade for a piece of gear if you already have it).  I've geared up my cat with an armor/attack

   focus, but I keep getting caster gear.  My arcane set is level 36 while my prefered warrior set is

   only in the 20's.  It's irritating to have to repeatedly purchase 50g crates only to get stuff that you

   don't want and can't get rid of.  It's the same way for loot that you find in caves/ruins.  They

   seriously need to rethink this whole system.

I think Cat Quest is worth its $10 price tag.  I will admit that I've gotten a little bit bored at points and that I don't see anything groundbreaking about this game.  It's a cute, cat oriented RPG that would be better for someone who sees themselves as a more casual gamer or for someone who is looking for an appropriate game for their kids.  I don't regret buying it, but it falls firmly in my "meh" pile.

Steam Link:  Cat Quest

Tearjerkers--When the in-game Feels hit ya hard'

We've all been there--we're blithely playing our favorite game when all of a sudden a real soul-crushing moment presents itself.  I'm talking about the moments where you find yourself blubbering all over your keyboard (or controller if you prefer consoles...).  This seems to be a question that pops up all the time in many of the gaming groups I follow and it really got me thinking about some of mine.  There might be some spoilers ahead so read with caution.

1.) Ori and the Blind Forest

Seriously, who cries in a platformer?  A freakin' platformer!  A game that is about jumping and running and double jumping and floating....  Ori manages to pack a ton of feels from the first ten minutes of the game all the way until the end.  I was already bawling like a baby after watching the opening prologue.  Watching Ori get rescued and grow up with his big, goofy friend is so cute!  Then watching the big, goofy friend basically sacrifice itself to keep Ori alive AND seeing all the memories of the fun things that they did together...grab the Kleenex 'cuz you're gonna need 'em.

Later on in the game you discover why the villain (a large, very angry raven-like bird) keeps trying to kill you.  You wind up even feeling bad for the thing that is trying to kill you!  I applaud Ori and the Blind Forest for managing to be a fun and challenging platformer and for having such touching stories woven throughout the game.

2.) Mass Effect 3

The Mass Effect series has been one of my absolute favorites since I originally picked up the first game for a steal.  By the third game in the original trilogy, players had gotten to know the crew of the Normandy pretty darn well and had definitely developed some feelings of attachment.  I was excited when I reached the point in the game where I would finally get to help the Krogan out and cure the genophage.  I took all the best paragon stances--I told the Salarian dalatrass to shove her offer of support in exchange for sabotaging the mission, I warned my loyal crew members about her shady dealings, and everything looked like it was proceeding well.  In one of the many dramatic and memorable moments of the game I guided Shepard,  as she sprinted past a FULL ON REAPER, to reach the maw hammers and watched in awe as a flippin' thresher maw destroyed the giant, robotic monstrosity.

It is directly after this amazing moment that you witness one of the most heroic sacrifices in the game.  Mordin Solus, the singing Salarian doctor (the very model of a scientist Salarian), tells Shepard that the Shroud is damaged and that the only way the cure for the genophage can be administered is if he travels to the top of the rapidly disintegrating Shroud.  You can try to talk him out of it (and if you've chosen some specific major choices it's possible to)  but he demands:  "It had to be me, someone else might have gotten it wrong."  Then you mostly just mop the snot off your keyboard.

3.) The Witcher 3

I love big RPG's that have strong storytelling and characters.  The Witcher 3 is a grand epic and one of the few open world RPG's that really manages to hold tight to the story and characters.  The tutorial for the game (if you opt to play it--I play it every time even though I've done it about six times) not only gives you a basic run through of all the controls in the game, it also gives you some great insight into the relationship between Geralt and his adopted daughter Ciri.  Ciri was rescued by Geralt and then raised by the witchers in Kaer Morhen.  It's cute to see the freckled little scamp running around the crumbling castle while all four of them dote over her.  From those very first moments it is completely obvious that they have a close father and daughter type of relationship.

The bulk of the main storyline involves trying to pick up Ciri's trail and find her.  Geralt runs around following leads in at least three different zones before he's finally able to extract the information (and a magical, weird, glowy firefly-like object) from the mysterious elven mage, Avallac'h.  The clue leads him to the Isle of Mists--a forsaken, magical island from which no one returns.  It all seems very ominous....

You find yourself leading Geralt through a boneyard of scuttled ships and onto a misty, freaky, desolate island.  As you search the island, you find a small, locked cabin smack dab in the middle.  Upon examination you discover that it is currently the hiding place of some unfortunate dwarves who have managed to become stranded.  They demand your/Geralt's help to find their three missing friends before they will unlock the door.  You scamper around the island helping (but mostly not helping) the remaining dwarves.  As you guide the only surviving dwarf back to the cabin the dwarves drop some definite bad news--a girl matching Ciri's description is inside, but she was dead when the dwarves arrived.

There's so much about this scene that is amazing--the way that Geralt cautiously moves towards her, like he's scared of what he's going to find; how he is so dejected that he has failed to find her; how he embraces her body and just seems absolutely crushed.  And then...that weird, glowy, little spark floats right into Ciri...and she opens her eyes!  She's alive!  As she wakes up we see a flashback from when she was a child at Kaer Morhen--she sees Geralt in an open field and runs toward him to give him the biggest hug.

If this doesn't give you a hardcore case of the feels--you're like Olgierd von Everec and have a heart of stone.

Not-So-Great Expectations...but I was Wrong.

Like every other major consumer industry in the Western world, Steam decided to have its own version of the "Black Friday" sale.  The "Autumn Sale" has featured some decent deals and I decided to get in on the reduced price action.  My one major purchase has been a three game (+2 DLC) bundle featuring games from the SteamWorld series (I think it's a series....they all feature robots...so let's just say they're a series).  I played through the relatively short, but still enjoyable SteamWorld Dig and then moved on to SteamWorld Heist.  I'm not really sure what I expected--I had read that Heist was a turn-based strategy (TBS) game but at first glance it just didn't seem like most of the TBS I've played in the past.  I will admit that I walked into it thinking it was probably a laughably easy TBS game that I could dance all over.  Wrong...wrong...wrong... but in a fantastic way.

Piper, Ivanski, and Seabrass.  Part of your robot crew.

The premise of SteamWorld Heist is that you are commanding a band of renegade steambots, known as cowbots--the honest-folk type of robots who farm moisture, the fuel for steambots--who are being attacked and exploited by gangs of ruthless Scrappers and also the diesel driven Royalist forces.  You start off with your own mostly empty ship and just one crewmate.  There's definitely room for more!

Aboard your ship with Piper and the expanded crew.

Unlike many other TBS games, SteamWorld Heist isn't a top down type of game--it reminds me of platformer in just the way the levels are presented.  I walked into the first mission expecting things to be extremely simple and was shocked to find that to be successful you really do need to strategize and plan ahead.  Similar to other TBS games your characters can only move forward so many tiles before you either have to choose to take cover to attack or to sprint forward, giving up your chance to attack on that turn.  There's cover strewn about each mission but one of the more unique features is the vertical way a level can play out.  You are able to shoot through some floor surfaces--this offers the chance to locate yourself above or below your target and still be able to attack them.  This also means that enemies can do the same thing so it's extremely important to think about your own movement--horizontally and vertically.  There's something really satisfying about destroying an enemy, there's a loud metallic clanging noise as the enemy bot breaks apart into a pile of small, but recognizable, lumps of former robot.  It's not so satisfying when those lumps are your own crewmates....

Generally the priorities on each mission are to gather as much "swag" as you can.  Swag is loot that is scattered throughout the mission.  This might sound easy but many missions feature a countdown timer that will up the difficulty as time goes by.  All too often you will find yourself having to choose between trying to grab all the swag while increasingly difficult numbers and types of enemies appear or evacuating before you're completely overwhelmed and destroyed.  If your team is completely destroyed it will cost you half of the resources you currently have to be re-built.  Losing is costly so grabbing that one last bag of swag just might not be worth it.  Once you've evacuated your crew you get to open all the swag that you've just grabbed--each bag contains water or a nice piece of loot.  You can also grab "epic swag" which grants a nice item and reputation.

Completing missions grants players "reputation" in the form of stars.  Finish a mission and complete all the objectives...get all three stars.  Finish a mission and lose a crew member...lost a star.  Cleverly enough rep is used as a sort of checkpoint for progress--you have to earn a certain amount of rep so you can advance to the next part of the story.  Rep is also used to unlock certain rare items available at vendors--you can only purchase those items once you've earned enough rep.  Getting maximum rep on each mission is tough--especially the challenge missions.

But say you fail a mission.  What happens?  First, you have to pay a penalty in water (resources) to have your team rebuilt.  50% of your current water goes toward those costs.  It's generally better to spend water if you have it.  You restart the level and can re-choose the crew members you take along and also re-outfit them.  Here's where things get interesting (and awesome):  many missions are randomly generated.  The layout of the mission you just failed is probably completely different.  This keeps things fresh and throws in another layer of challenge.

As you advance through the game you are able to recruit new crew members.  Some are free and will willingly accompany you for nothing, while others cost water--your main resource as a steambot.  Each crew member has a certain class and features their own set of unique abilities--each can wield a certain set of weapons--assault characters have the ability to do bonus damage when hit, sentries gain a bonus to damage if they don't move for a turn, sharpshooters can wield long-range sniper pistols.  Along with the class skills each character has their own unique story and set of abilities that tie in with their personality.  Piper Faraday, the captain of the ship, can inspire nearby crewmates and increase their damage.  SeaBrass, the salty former sailor, is just grouchy and gets mad whenever he gets damaged...which in turn increases his own damage (payback).  A large part of the fun is mixing and matching your crew members to figure out exactly what combos work the best.  The number of crew members you can take on each mission varies so figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of your crew is vital to your success.

Some of the hats I've collected.

One of the more enjoyable and less serious aspects of SteamWorld Heist is hat collecting.  As you fight enemies you will notice that some are wearing hats.  When those bots are destroyed you can loot their hats and add them to your collection.  There's a hat for every occasion!  You can also purchase different hats from vendors sprinkled throughout the game.  There's an entire DLC that is strictly dedicated to adding hats to the game.  Your crew can also have their own hats shot off which triggers a very dramatic slow-motion moment in the action (not to worry though, once you have a hat it stays in your inventory).

I haven't quite finished SteamWorld Heist yet, but I've been so pleasantly surprised at how good it is.  I would recommend it to any gamer who enjoys TBS games--the serious players can crank up the difficulty and try to challenge themselves with maxing out rep and unlocking all the items and the more casual player can enjoy the challenge of the missions and story without the risks of losing resources when you fail a mission.  The story has been enjoyable, the missions are varied and interesting--survival, beat the countdown timer, boss fights--and there's a certain goofy charm about the cast of misfit robots.

Now I've just got to finish it--I know the last boss fight is gonna be a doozy.  Pick up SteamWorld Heist for PC on Steam:  SteamWorld Heist

Digging Up Fun at $1.99

I received a notification today that eleven items on my Steam wishlist are currently on sale--you gotta love random sales!  I especially love them when they make a semi-cheap game into an outright steal.  I landed the GOTY edition of Middle Earth:  Shadow of Mordor for $4.99 last year.  For the same price as a fancy coffee I got the joy of repeatedly and violently stabbing orcs to death.  Suck it Frappucino...just sayin'....  This year I decided to take a gamble on a bundle that includes all the SteamWorld games.  The first game in the series, SteamWorld Dig, was offered for a whopping $1.99.  How good could a game be that costs less than a hamburger?  Pretty dang good it turns out.

Rusty, a mining robot.

In SteamWorld Dig you play as Rusty, a steampunk-esque robot, who sets out to visit his robot uncle in the tiny Western themed town of Tumbleton.  When Rusty rolls into town he finds out that his uncle is missing in action and a helpful local robot named Dorothy points him to a nearby cave.  Unfortunately for uncle robot he has met a sad and unexplained end.  After recovering his uncle's handy pickaxe, Rusty decides that searching his newly inherited mine for clues would be a good idea.

The bulk of SteamWorld dig involves using your tools to dig and locate special upgrades which allow you to go even further and find more clues about what happened to Rusty's uncle.  It's sort of like a highly upgraded version of the classic game DigDug...but so much better.  Part of the fun of digging is locating the mineral nodes and orbs that are hidden throughout the different levels.  Minerals can be cashed in on the surface at Tumbleton and used to buy items and upgrades.  Rusty's tools can be upgraded to mine harder rocks and do more damage to the enemies scattered across a level or Rusty himself can receive upgrades to health and water (which is used as fuel for special moves and for certain tools).  You can also opt to buy helpful items like ladders, dynamite, or transporters--some of them cost cash while others cost the rarer orbs which are primarily used for upgrades.  Part of the challenge is to figure out how to spend your limited resources--there are only so many orbs and so many minerals sprinkled around each zone.

Tumbleton--Home of Robots.

As you dig deeper into each level you will find doors which contain puzzle-like challenges.  Figuring out how to solve these challenges will usually net you a bunch of minerals or some orbs.  There are also specific numbered doors which contain upgrades which will allow you to reach the next part of the story.  As Rusty is upgraded and advances the town of Tunbleton grows and more merchants pop up to sell improved items.

Like DigDug there are enemies sprinkled throughout each zone.  The decision to fight or avoid them might be based on your current health or resource level.  Defeating enemies means that they drop health, water, or oil.  One of the more clever mechanics involves Rusty's lamp and oil level.  As long as Rusty has oil for his lamp the area around him is illuminated and you can easily see any minerals or enemies that might be located underground.  If Rusty's lamp runs out of oil the area grows dark and it is almost impossible to see where those objects might be located.  Players must frequently return to the surface where the game is saved, your lamp oil is refilled, and you can sell any minerals that you might currently be carrying.

Moving deeper underground means that the number of enemies increases and that there are more dangers.  These dangers can be enemies, but they can also be self-created.  Certain heavy stone blocks will fall directly down if the dirt below them is destroyed.  One careless mistake means that Rusty gets crushed and must be revived on the surface.  Not only will you feel really dumb for not paying attention, but you'll also have to cough up 50% of your current gold to pay for this service.  If you're able to plan accordingly stone blocks can be a handy way to crush nearby enemies.

I played through the entirety of SteamWorld Dig in 7 hours and think that I got a great deal for this cute little game.  If you're in the market for something that's fun and relaxing, I would recommend picking up SteamWorld Dig.  Have fun digging and pay attention to those stinkin' stone blocks!

Thar's Some Loot Crate Drama Brewing....

I don't really play multiplayer games, but I do pay attention to what is happening in the wide world of video gaming.  Lately it seems like you can't look at anything gaming related without some sort of major controversy popping up.  The current backlash seems to be aimed at the loot crate system that seems to be spreading like a horde of Call of Duty-esque Nazi zombies.  It seems like every new game (especially the AAA titles) has some sort of microtransaction or loot crate system built in.  The question begs to be asked:  is this a good thing for gaming/gamers or is it a blight that we should be fighting before it completely swallows all of our hard earned cash?

Much of the controversy seems to lie around a very central issue that has made its way into the legal systems in several different countries--are loot crates a form of gambling?  The developers and companies who produce the most loot crate laden titles (EA, Activision....namely) argue that it's not really gambling.  When a player spends money they are guaranteed to get something.  It definitely won't be an uber/rare thing every time, but you do get something.  It's not like putting money into a slot machine where you aren't guaranteed to get something for your money.  So, basically in their eyes, this is not technically gambling.

Overwatch loot crates.  Buy em' by the batch!

My major issue with the developer stance is that no one buys loot crates because they just want some basic items.  People buy loot crates because they are definitely betting on the chance that they will get that uber item/thing that they want.  Developers are taking advantage of the fact that many people are willing to continue laying down real money for that chance.  When the issue of gambling came up in China they made it a law that the rates for items to appear in loot crates/boxes must be published.  I think this is a positive step and wish it was a requirement around the world.  Not that I think it would keep some people from continuing to buy crates....but some people would probably balk at spending an additional chunk of change on top of what they've already spent to purchase a game.

There are so many issues with loot crates beside the whole gambling aspect.  Terms like "pay-to-win" come to mind and it seems like some games are trying to steer away from giving players direct gameplay advantages from buying crates.  I am more willing to accept the idea of loot crates if they don't give players a distinct advantage.  If someone wants to spend $50 to unlock a special character outfit or a skin for a weapon...that's completely their choice.

A loot crate from Call of Duty:  WWII

One of the more insidious uses of loot crates I've read about is currently appearing in Call of Duty:  WWII.  Players are rewarded for watching other players open loot crates.  You can see exactly what loot another player has just unboxed.  So what's the big deal?  Isn't it kind of fun to watch other people opening boxes and seeing their reactions?  Yes, totally!  But, on a psychological level, players are being socially influenced--watching others get something you really want is going to make you want to get that item even more.  Plus, someone else just got the thing...you'll definitely get it too!  Unfortunately this isn't true and this strategy is the perfect way to influence people to buy more crates.

I don't see the loot crate system going away anytime soon...especially in multiplayer games.  Developers argue that microtransactions and loot crates are an integral part of the system.  Modern games can cost hundreds of millions of dollars to produce and in order to make them better they need more cash flow.  They also argue that there is usually a way to earn loot crates without paying actual money--usually players can spend a bunch of time playing to earn the same rewards.  I experienced this firsthand during my brief stint playing Hearthstone.  For completing daily "quests" that involved winning a certain number of matches or participating in arena matches you earned in-game currency that could be used to unlock packs of cards.  The problem with this system is that to earn enough in-game currency to unlock a pack of cards would require many hours of gameplay.  Wouldn't it be simpler to just pay $2 and unlock some cards?  Yes, yes it would.  In our time strained/constantly busy world I can understand that buying cards is convenient.  (I never actually bought any and ended up quitting Hearthstone because I realized how much of a time sink it was turning into)

Personally, I won't be buying into any loot crate systems and wish the whole system was more transparent.  Players should know exactly what their chances are of unlocking items if they choose to buy loot crates.  I understand that part of the fun with loot crates is the mystery of opening them and seeing what you win but wish people would think about how much money they are spending.  Why not just say "this skin costs $40?"  Profits...that's why.  But what if those profits are helping to make games bigger and better?  /sigh.

Failure and OST's from Weird Games I Like

Sadly I have to report that my efforts to "git gud" at the ARPG Grim Dawn have failed.  I resigned myself to failure in the last couple of days.  It's kind of weird because when I played Diablo III things usually went pretty well.  I wasn't playing on Torment 89 or anything, but I wasn't getting constantly one-shot by every heroic mob that I met.  I am trying to figure out where I went wrong--is it my gear?  Unlike D3, Grim Dawn doesn't have a system that gears loot drops toward the class you are playing.  I've had a really difficult time getting armor drops for my class.  I've gotten a literal crap-ton of caster stuff...a billion pieces of plate armor...but almost no good demolitionist items.  I've questioned if I should spend more time grinding out faction rep to unlock some items.  The answer to that is "probably."  The other possibility leading to my failure is the allocation of my talent points.  I have no idea if I am putting them in the right place.  I feel sad and pitiful when I look up builds on the interwebs, but it would undoubtedly help.  So, for now at least, I'm taking a little break from the frustrations in the land of Cairn.

My demolitionist...is now retired.

Much of my struggle now involves trying to figure out what I want to play.  I'm bouncing back and forth between a bunch of games and feeling listless about what exactly I want to do.  I started a men's prison in Prison Architect and have been spending some time trying to make it into a rehabilitation paradise.  I learned much from my first sandbox prison and things have gone relatively smoothly.  Not as smoothly as I would like as my report card shows an 8 for punishment and a 5 for rehabilitation..oh, and a -2 for health.  This time around I decided to up the difficulty and add in random events and guard needs.  Random events can vary from a burst water pipe, to random fires, or to my personal favorite, neighboring prison overload.  When other prisons are overloaded they will send you a large contingent of new prisoners--and, for some diabolical reason, they are always maximum security.  It was in one of the two times I pulled this event that I landed a legendary prisoner who enjoyed riling up everyone in max. sec. and liked to attack and slaughter my guards.  He was good at attacking and overpowering the armed guards that I set up on constant patrol around him and then using their own shotguns to kill them and any prisoners around.  I moved him into his own "supermax" wing and set up guard towers, armed patrols, and multiple guards around him.  That slightly helped...  The story ended when he somehow ended up being temporarily stored in the holding cell and then managed to escape.  I actually cheered when he was gone even though it was a failure.

Apparently you do poop and eat in the same room.

Guard needs also adds in a new twist if you choose to go that route.  Like the prisoners, the guards also have specific food and bathroom needs.  When building a breakroom it should now include serving stations for staff meals and toilets so that your guards have a place to take care of their bathroom business.  If you don't meet the needs of your staff they will perform their duties in a less than satisfactory manner--they move cripplingly slowly while performing their tasks--and if they are angry for long enough they will eventually demand a pay raise.  If you don't meet their pay demands they will go on strike.  This means no guards, no cooks...no staff in your prison--a catastrophe in the making.  I would recommend that more experienced players turn on this option as it does add some challenge.

Part visual novel, part drink mixing simulation.  100% awesome.

One of my favorite things to do while playing certain games is to listen to music.  Generally the music I prefer to listen to is music from other games.  Ironic, yes?  I very much enjoyed the quirky game VA-11 HALL-A:  Cyberpunk Bartender Action and was floored when I discovered the soundtrack available for purchase.  All those sweet, sweet, electronic hits from the jukebox are available to download on Bandcamp.  Just listening to the music has gotten me in the mood for another round of dishing up drinks to the assorted characters in Valhalla.  I really hope another game is in the works!

Blizzard Announces Next World of Warcraft Expansion with Epic Cinematic!

Even though I try to completely avoid multiplayer games (for so many reasons that would require their own separate post) I have many fond memories of the years that I spent playing World of Warcraft.  WoW seeped into my blood and I was as close to addicted as I've ever been to anything in my life.  I quit a few expansions ago because I decided it was time to move on and that I didn't have the energy to dedicate to the semi-serious WoW lifestyle.  Sadly, I still pay attention to what's going on in WoW and there was a hot new announcement yesterday.  This has been reported on literally every major gaming news source on the magical interwebs...but here you go, just in case:

Just watching this made me feel some serious WoW yearnings for so many reasons.  Sylvanas was always one of my favorite characters from the original Warcraft games.  She has the perfect backstory--someone who fought bravely for her people, the high elves, and who attempted to stand up to Arthas to keep him from capturing the Sunwell.  Arthas decides that rather than killing her that he will turn her into a banshee--an undead wraith-like creature who cannot die and is forced to serve Arthas in his quest to exterminate her people and conquer the world.  All the while she plotted and planned and found the perfect opportunity to literally stab Arthas in the back and break free from his domination.  From there she was able to gather her own army from among the ranks of the other undead outcasts left in the wake of Arthas' path of destruction.  The Forsaken became the Undead in WoW and Sylvanas is their de facto leader.

I love Sylvanas as a character because she embodies vengeance and has this tragic existence.  She remembers her past life as one of the now extinct high elves but is cursed by being one of the undead.  She can never go back to her own people and that rage boils inside of her.  But there's also a sadness about her--hence the "Lament of the Highborne."

It has been exciting to see this new cinematic and see a favorite character fleshed out.  I have no intent of going back to WoW, but damn it if this cinematic isn't absolutely amazing!

Microtransactions are the Bane of my Existence.

Lately I have found that there are many games that I would love to purchase.  My Steam wishlist has a whopping 20 items on it!  This is a lot for me..I usually pick five or less that I am interested in and don't add many more than that.  Even with a packed wishlist I have found myself unwilling to start dropping the cash to start ticking some of these games off the list.  Why?  Microtransactions.  It feels like what should be a fun gaming experience is all too often being driven not by what gamers enjoy, but by shameless money grabbing.

Just this last week this article came out.  A former developer who worked for BioWare (who has made some of my favorite RPG's in the form of the Mass Effect trilogy....and, also, Andromeda--which I disliked) stated that developers are pushed to make larger open-world games and especially to make sure they have some sort of multiplayer aspect.  Because gamers love multiplayer?  No.  Because it's easier?  No.  Because they are listening to what gamers actually want?  No.  Because you can make more money.  Period.  Although this isn't earth shattering news, I find it refreshing that someone is actually copping to this.

A lot of Mass Effect fans were very irked by the fact that Mass Effect:  Andromeda wasn't going to include any singleplayer DLC.  The only updates and support it would receive would be in terms of adding more multiplayer options.  This was a extremely disappointing because there were many hanging storylines that many understood would be resolved in the form of additional DLC.  But, at least we know why--money.

Another new game that I was highly anticipating was Middle Earth:  Shadow of War.  I enjoyed sneaking around and stabbing orcs in Shadow of Mordor so I actually considered paying full price to pick up the next chapter (I usually wait for sales).  Unfortunately all the reviews revealed that once you get to a certain point in the game microtransactions in the form of loot crates are really pushed on players.  Reviews reveal that the end of the game seems to be a huge grind that is designed to bore players into buying additional items just to make it go by faster.  Other reviews revealed that players are required to sign up for some sort of WB account right from the start and that from the first minute that microtransactions are pushed.  A game that I was highly anticipating has turned into an instant 

"no."

Some Deus Ex:  Mankind Divided microtransactions.

Sadly, Shadow of War isn't my only example.  Deus Ex:  Mankind Divided was another that I was really looking forward to but decided not to buy.  The clear cut greed gets even worse in this case--players could buy Praxis kits (items that grant you skill points) but these were only single use items.  In a singleplayer game....seriously?  Reviews also stated that the main storyline ends and that the only way to see the story resolved is through purchasing a DLC.  A...freakin' DLC...just to finish the main storyline!  Absolutely ridiculous.

I could keep listing off examples, but I think you get my point.  It has become completely standard fare for the big dogs (EA, Activision, etc.) to use these anti-gamer, anti-consumer practices to simply inflate their ridiculous profits.  But maybe we're the ones to blame and not the companies.  They wouldn't use these practices if they didn't work and apparently, they REALLY work (that same article that I listed above mentions a specific example of someone dropping $15,000 on loot crate equivalents).

I personally try to avoid microtransactions and loot crates like they are the plague.  I don't want to pay more for something I've already paid for.  All too often the rewards we hope to gain don't happen.  I would encourage others to do the same thing as a way to discourage developers from using these anti-consumer practices.

As someone who really enjoys singleplayer RPGs this makes me concerned about the future of one of my favorite genres.  Is the push to make more cash going to make strong story and character based RPGs a thing of the past?  Are we doomed to a future of nothing but multiplayer games filled with thinly veiled forced purchasing schemes?  I really hope not.

ADDENDUM:  10/29/17
I stumbled across this gem of an article that came out just in the last couple of weeks.  It describes a patent filed by Activision (makers of Destiny and Overwatch) to use matchmaking as a scheme to influence players to purchase loot crates.  It sounds a little weird on the surface, but they are using psychology to influence people to buy crates.  Basically they pick a number of experienced players or players who have unlocked a lot of great items (through buying crates) and pair them up with newer players.  The idea is that the newer players will see how amazing the experienced/geared players look (and probably perform--due to skill or their uber-items) and will be influenced to want to buy crates so they can look just AS LEET!  Nice use of social psychology Activision...  I get a weird slimy feeling just writing about this.

Another part of this patent seems to be giving a certain unlockable item an advantage in certain matches.  Maybe a map pops up that rewards sniping--and before the match players are given the option to buy crates with the hope of unlocking a really good sniping weapon.  This would also put pressure on players to buy crates so that they could rack up more wins due to this advantage.

Activision vehemently denied that this is what they were trying to do.  They claim that they were just "testing out" the idea.  Sounds fishy to me.

From Nothing to Something

After having accomplished the tasks that I had originally set out to I felt that old familiar feeling of "what do I play now?"  Luckily for me that feeling was short lived and a couple of new opportunities fell squarely into my lap.  Oddly enough these two choices couldn't be any less like each other.

Back on the ol' slime ranch.
I didn't think I'd be playing the very enjoyable Slime Rancher anytime soon.  I had captured every possible type of slime, unlocked many (but not all!) of the hidden treasure pods, unlocked all the 7Zee fan club items, decorated my ranch into a stylish retreat, aaaand discovered all three of the hidden treasure vaults.  Fortunately a new update arrived this week and I now have a reason to be vacc-ing up plorts.

This week Ogden's Wild update introduced new content into the world of Slime Rancher.  So, what exactly is included in this update?

A feral tabby saber slime in the Wilds.

1.) A new zone--"The Wilds" which has a very ancient ruins/pre-historic slimes type of vibe.  The Wilds are populated by ferociously feral "saber slimes" who are on the prowl for the flesh of young slime ranchers.  All these nasty feral slimes are largos so there is no chance to capture the default saber slime and add it to your menagerie o' slimes.  You can collect saber plorts and sell them at the plort market.

Ogden's ranch exchange.  I'm working toward a ranch upgrade.

2.) New tasks.  Along with the new zone is a new ranch-like area that was owned by Ogden Ortiz.  Ogden tasks you with gathering a new type of fruit, the Kookadoba, which can only be found in The Wilds.  At Ogdens retreat there is a new ranch exchange board where you can deposit the kookadoba fruits that you gather.  For every three fruits Ogden will reward you with a spicy tofu, a type of slime food that you can feed to any slimes.  Spicy tofu will leave those slimes still hungry even after eating.  Extra plorts!

A new ranch area!  It's going to require a mountain of kookadobas to unlock.

Beside just getting some spicy tofu you can opt to grind out many kookadoba fruits for larger rewards.  After gathering 75 kookadobas you unlock an upgrade--the "miracle soil" upgrade allows you to add a special compound to your garden plots that keeps your fruits/veggies from rotting.  This is perfect for ranchers who want to spend some time away from the ranch exploring.  The rewards for gathering kookadoba don't end there though!  You can continue to gather the fruits and unlock a ranch upgrade (not really sure what exactly this is), and eventually you can unlock Ogden's retreat as a nice addition to your own ranch.  It's a little grindy, but hey, it's something to achieve.

3.) New treasure pods with brand new The Wilds themed decorative items.  I'm not really sure how many of these there are.  I think I've found four so far.

4.) New and improved interfaces for the plort market and the ranch exchange missions.  They both look much nicer and exchange missions now have a 24 hour timer on them rather than simply expiring at midnight each night.

Mysteriously enough....there are several blank spaces on the plort market interface.  Maybe this means some additional slimes in the future! 

5.) Bug fixes and minor gameplay changes.  Now your chickens don't get stuck under the stairs in the Overgrowth section of your ranch.  Depositing plorts into the hopper or the market makes a slightly different noise.  Vacs seem to suck things up faster...but that could just be my imagination.

Although Slime Rancher seems a little childish, it's actually a fun and cute little game.  If it has been awhile since you've played this update this might make it worth your time to re-enter the world of bouncing, happy slimes.

Totally worth getting carpal tunnel.
My Steam library is chocked full of gaming goodness and I have a tendency to miss major news about many of those games.  Apparently I missed some big news about Grim Dawn, a Diablo-esque ARPG. getting a brand, spankin' new expansion.  The Ashes of Malmouth expansion came out earlier this week and I've found myself back in the button mashing, carpal tunnel inducing world of Cairn.

The expansion features two brand new classes, the necromancer (deja vu, no?) and the inquisitor, an increase in the level cap to 100, new factions, new items, and two new zones to explore.  All of this for just $17.99!  I didn't balk and added this new content to my library almost immediately.

My mismatched demolitionist.

So I've rolled a brand new character, a demolitionist, and am happily gunning down the undead.  I am liking the demolitionist more than my previous melee shaman.  The ability to attack from afar has been considerably easier than getting stomped into the ground by crowds of bad critters.

I'm looking forward to continuing my loot soaked march across the baddie infested world of Cairn.

Mission(s) Accomplished!

Last week I posted about some silly goals that I made up for myself in a couple of casual games.  I was much closer to completing those goals than I had initially thought.  After a little concentrated effort I managed to finish both of them.  It feels stupidly good to have finished something in a game.

Goal #1--Pimp out my slime ranch in Slime Rancher.
My slime ranch was full to bursting with every variety of slime to be found scattered across the many zones...and yet it still felt oddly empty and unfinished.  I worked on keeping my slimes producing plentiful plorts and managed to produce enough items to unlock the MKIII treasure cracker.  This meant I was free to search for and open the coveted dark purple treasure pods.  Some of the treasure pods contained some great decorative items and curios.  Others...just contained crafting items...which just isn't as exciting as getting a new type of tree.  After locating many of the purple pods I decided I had enough decorative items to finally start setting aside more plorts for those exact purposes.

Look at my beautiful trees!  Not to mention the gorgeous, golden slime lamp.

I hadn't really paid much attention to how many items you can plop down around the ranch...but there are a lot!  Feeding the science hopper became a high priority as I amassed the numerous different plorts required to make a wide array of grasses, trees, ruins, and other random decorations.  Now my ranch feels like a unique atmosphere and a fabulous place for a novice slime rancher to call home.

Special curios let you give your slimes costumes.  Look at my cute Pink Tabby Largos.

My efforts to beautify my ranch were almost quashed by disaster due to some unruly tarrs forming while I was off exploring.  I returned to my ranch to find ALL of my main ranch corrals completely empty.  I had to head back out and wrangle up some more slimes to re-fill my empty pens.  Luckily this was fairly simple due to my extensive system of teleporters.

Right now I feel satisfied with my Slime Rancher efforts.  The ranch is pretty; I've found and pillaged all three of Hobson's vaults...it just doesn't feel like there's much else to do.  I haven't found all the hidden treasure pods yet.  I guess that's something.

Goal #2--Make a sandbox prison that has 1,000 prisoners in Prison Architect.
My Prison Architect lady prison had slowly been creeping toward the coveted 1,000 prisoner mark since I initially started it up this summer.  I finally hit that mark earlier this week.  Getting to 1,000 wasn't easy and I definitely made some mistakes and learned some things along the way.

My stats when I hit 1,000 prisoners.  Nothing to brag about.

You'll notice from my grading that my security rating and health ratings are both on the low side.  I don't fully understand how the security rating works.  I know that I did have some issues with escapees early in the game (13 people escaped in one tunnel that my dog patrols kept missing).  My health rating was low because I completely failed at keeping my prisoners from obtaining contraband like drugs, alcohol, and cell phones.  Even with metal detectors and multiple dog patrols it seemed like I couldn't stem the tide of illicit items getting into my prison.

My worst stat is the sheer number of deaths that happened.  Almost every day someone was getting shanked to death.  My snitches had a low chance of surviving to their parole date.  Towards the end I finally decided that they would be safer in lockup rather than trying to safely work or attend reform sessions.  The number of deaths was reduced...but it still never failed that someone was where they weren't supposed to be and was killed.  I also made the mistake of making one large building to handle almost twenty parole hearings a day.  Then I didn't assign a guard to EACH parole room because I felt like that was excessive.  As a result of that bad decision a large number of parole lawyers met an untimely end at the hands of angry parole denied inmates.

My next prison is going to be for male prisoners.  I think I have some ideas about how to make my prison better.  We'll see if it actually pans out.

Goals

Oddly enough I've firmly entrenched myself in a circular rut involving two games--Slime Rancher and Prison Architect.  The main reason why I've found myself switching back and forth between the two is because I have made my own mental long term goals.  One of them is actually mildly achievement based and the other is purely for my own sense of achievement.  I've been spending what little time I usually have to play switching back and forth between the two and chipping tiny little pieces of rock away with the hope of completing my masterpiece.

Lately I have found myself pulled back into the grindiness of Slime Rancher.  I've discovered all the zones, wrangled all the slimes, finished the "adventure mode" that leads to the final credits...but I'm still not satisfied.  My ranch is a flat, boring collection of corrals and fields.  There is an entire list of purely cosmetic item which I could use to make my slime ranch into something beautiful.  My ultimate goal is to pimp out my ranch and make it into something genuinely awesome.  This has become quite time consuming because of my own weird self-imposed strategy--items which I consider vital are the first priority while cosmetic items should be the absolutely last priority.  All they do is make things look pretty...they don't contribute anything else.

A shiny slime lamp and my one awesome tree.

I also found that after I had completed the adventure mode that three hidden "vaults" were scattered across the world.  I've managed to find two but am lacking the slime keys to open them.  Oh, and I don't have the treasure cracker that is required to open the numerous treasure pods that are piled up in these vaults.  The vaults are on hold right now while I grind out the necessary plorts to build the one hundred items required to unlock the mega-treasure cracker.  I think I'm getting close, but really have no idea.

For now, I'm content just running around my ranch trying to keep my slimes fed and producing.  I have amassed a network of teleporters that are saving much time and effort in running around.  I even managed to place a few cosmetic items (slime lamps and one tree...one measly tree!).  It's a work in progress, but I am determined.

Another of my self-imposed mental grinds is taking place in my long running women's prison in Prison Architect.  My little sandbox prison has grown into a sprawling complex of almost 900 prisoners.  I've purchased land and attempted to work through the hiccups that come with managing a large number of prisoners.  These hiccups include the following enjoyably frustrating scenarios:

--Daily shankings.  I still haven't figured out a good way to keep my snitches safe.  They have their own wing that is located away from the rest of the prison population.  Most of the deaths seem to occur when they are travelling to different locations around the prison for work or reform programs.  The best solution would be to put all protective custody prisoners on lockdown.  I've been hesitant to do so because I want them to have the opportunity to attend reform programs.  I suppose having to be cooped up in a cell is a better alternative to getting stabbed to death while trying to make it to the alcoholics anonymous meeting.

--This yard ain't big enough!  As my population has burgeoned my small normal security yard just wasn't doing it any more.  I attempted to create a new, larger yard on a piece of land I purchased toward the upper corner of my prison.  The main problem--its location is too far away from almost anywhere that prisoners were coming from--they spent the one hour a day that I designated for yard time simply trying to get to the yard.  I had to move some things around (a big pain in the buttocks) but now I have one large yard and one smaller yard conveniently located near larger cell blocks.

Look at all these slacker cooks who are doing nothing!

--Why aren't the cooks cooking?!!!!  Another major struggle has been trying to keep my kitchens cranking out enough food to feed a prison population of almost 900.  I've built additional canteens but have run into a weird possible bug.  For a brief amount of time I watched as the army of cooks that I had hired milled around...not cooking...in the kitchen that prepares food for a large number of prisoners.  I checked the kitchen distribution logistics and everything looked fine.  After a few days of my prisoners getting maybe one meal a day (and getting volatile in the process) I finally decided to try de-zoning the room and re-zoning it.  That seemed to mostly do the trick.  Recently I built another kitchen/canteen to facilitate a new set of cell blocks and I am seeing almost the same thing.  Cooks are standing around...not cooking, not washing dishes...I don't really know what is going on.  One aspect of the game that I wish could be improved is the ability to assign cooks to specific kitchens.  I'm seeing a bunch of cooks standing around in one kitchen while I can barely get any to report to a different kitchen!  It's frustrating.

I don't know if anyone else makes weird mental goals like this, but I am bound and determined to see mine out until the gory end.