New Computer Time

As posted on the other blog, this is the proposed build if I can manage to get the parts:

ComponentCurrentNew
CPUIntel Core i7-2600AMD Ryzen R5 5600X
MotherboardAsus P8Z68-V/GEN3 ATX LGA1155MSI MAG X570 Tomahawk
Video CardRadeon R9 280Nvidia RTX 3070
MemorySamsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-13332x G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3600
StorageOS is on an SSD, data is on a large ass HDDSamsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB M2.-2280 SSD
PSUCorsair 850W ATX12VCorsair HXi 850W
CaseAntec P280Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C
CoolingCooler Master Hyper 212Noctua NH-U12S
New Damn Computer Time

On Becoming a Casual/Console Gamer

Let us reflect upon my lack of posts on this site. In addition to well, losing interest in MMOs and blogging in general in favor of other activities, I have realized that I have become mostly a console and casual gamer? The majority of all games that I have played have either been on a console (PS4 and Switch) or on iOS (roguelikes + board games. The iPad is great for board games and stuff like that).

I never would have thought that it would come to this, but I now see the appeal of sitting back in one’s easy chair, in front of a large TV + sound system, with a cat on your lap and controller in hand instead of in my computer chair in front of my desk. I spend so much time in front of the computer at work nowadays, it’s nice gaming in a different type of environment, if that makes any sense.

Also if we are being honest, my computer is getting a little old at this point and because we kind of like going outside instead of living in front of the computer, we would rather allocate entertainment funds into travel and other hobbies rather than dropping a grand or two on new gaming machines. So, kind of in the awkward situation now where if a new game comes out, might as well just get it on console because, reasons.

Odds and Ends: Quarantine Edition

I had honestly forgotten that this site even existed for a period of time but suffice it to say, I have much more indoors time now to poke at my blogs and personal projects. So as such, I have taken it upon myself to post more regularly. Here’s the catch though, I started a personal-ish blog a while back and have been posting there. So if anyone is interested in mostly non-gaming related nonsense: Here is is.

I have been actually, kind of wondering what to do with this site given that it’s never updated since I’m not really that much into MMO gaming anymore. I have decided that, so long as the domain renewal on hokage.org is available and not unreasonable I might as well just keep it since I’ve had this domain for almost 20 years.

I guess we should count our blessings that between all of the streaming services available, all of the video chat options, and all of the games that are out, there is quite a bit to watch/do/and play even if we can’t really go anywhere too incredibly interesting. So here is what I have been playing as of late:

  • Animal Crossing New Horizons: If there ever was a time for a new Animal Crossing game it is now.
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake: I haven’t finished FF7R yet, but I am pretty sure that I am approaching the end portion of the game. Really enjoying seeing both Midgar and the characters really fleshed out. There are a couple of portions of the game that feel a little padded out but as a whole, I hav been having a lot of fun playing it.
  • Slay the Spire: So, the Switch update was finally released a while ago (with the new character) and I haven’t had a chance to play it because of the other games on this list. Favorite game of 2019 by far. Such a great game.
  • Dwarf Fortress: I still play DF, but in an on-and-off basis. Current fortress was just promoted to Mountainhome. Trying to find the hell layer with a massive amount of lava later exploration. Have find adamantium! No luck on hell.

Odds and Ends: I Still Exist

Hah, long time no post. In short, I started using the other domain as a personal blog and then more-or-less fell out of interest with blogging in general. Kind of want to write on the other blog, but kind of don’t know what to do with this one. I mean, I’ve had this domain for over a decade and a half… I think it’s more of a, we don’t play nearly as many computer games anymore thing.

That said, we are currently continuing the cycle of: Resubscribing to WoW for the current expansion, playing for a few months, and then probably quitting for another two years when the content gets overly grindy. No BlizzCon this year because November is going to already be a pretty packed month, but maybe next year.

[Dwarf Fortress] The Fortress Endures

This is the first time I have seen the chief medical dwarf actually do any doctoring. He’s usually in a constant state of drinking and partying to the point where the farmers and other non-medical dwarves are diagnosing and setting bones.

Just survived a goblin siege with relatively minimal losses (8 dwarves).

Legion and Storytelling

The topic of storytelling came up the other morning while my husband and I were discussing how much we were enjoying Legion so far. We had both decided that Legion may actually mark the first WoW expansion (at least since Wrath of the Lich King) in which story has been a primary motivator for content completion.

Each zone in the Broken Isles has its own distinct story to tell, all ultimately tying into the legion invasion (thankfully different stories with a different flavor, aka not all green fell shit). That element in itself isn’t unique to Legion, but I feel that this expansion pack is the first in which I am able to actually complete each zone before moving to the next one. There are two main reasons for this:

1. Level Scaling: In the previous expansion packs, each zone was designed for a specific level range. Since it was pretty easy to out level any particular area, the general flow of things was to half complete a zone, move onto the next one once all of the mobs and quests turn green, complete the questlines at max level when there isn’t anything else to do. Since Legion content scales with your level, there’s really no pressure to continuously zone hop.

2. Non-Prohibitive Gameplay: For example, not having to compete with other players in tagging mobs and not having to wait indefinitely for named quest mobs to spawn. Few things in a new expansion pack are more of a bonerkill than huge questing bottlenecks.

Maybe I just have a short expansion pack memory, but without spoiling anything, the quest lines seem more…personal this time around. I feel like there are a lot more character driven events and quests. So far, Blizzard has done a great job of communicating just how dire the invasion is. It certainly feels more ‘important’ than alternate dimension orc slaying.

Legion Day 1: Paladin Things & Azsuna

Sitting at work while everyone is having fun playing Legion kind of sucks but adults gotta adult I guess.

Thus far, no queue, no lag, no disconnects, no waiting to tag named mobs, or really any of the typical expansion release bullshit. Smoothest launch to date; Having 4 starting zones + level scaling = best idea ever. No more funneling half the server into one zone or feeling rushed to drop a quest chain in one area for the sake of moving onto a more level appropriate zone. Good on you Blizzard.

….it’s still weird though not having any new talents.

There are three paladin artifact weapons, each corresponding to one of the three paladin specs. Everyone, or at least all true paladins of course know that there is realistically only one choice, and that choice ain’t no hammer or shield. So alas, after a decade and change of pining for it: The Ashbringer is mine.

Pretty zone.

I started in Azsuna because it was located in the lower left hand corner of the Broken Isles map. If there are no obviously breadcrumbs, I will probably just go left to right.

Going to honestly resist the urge to power level to 110. What’s the rush?

Progress report for day 1: Hit level 101, managed to complete one-and-a-half quest chains in Azsuna, obtained Ashbringer, did some of the class hall quests, sighed at Khadgar. I don’t know what the other class hall content is like but the paladin quests so far are fantastic in both content and lore. They feel more connected and important than anything from WoD if that makes any sense. I am also enjoying having a secret paladin clubhouse, though we will see how they pan out after the novelty wears off.

[Spoilers for Azsuna] Favorite new NPC so far has to be Runas the Shamed. I was expecting a betrayal but he kept his word, helped save the oldest blue dragons and in the end, thanked you for giving his last sane moments meaning before slipping away. I didn’t expect that to come from an NPC that initially felt like a parody of Tyrone from the Chapelle show. Feels.

On the second to last day of WoD, my garrison finally gave to me…

…That stupid S.E.L.F.I.E Camera that I have been wanting since re-subbing a month ago. And with that my lovely garrison, I bid you adieu. You were a cool idea but ultimately ended up being an elaborate iPhone game that killed half the social aspect of the game. So, here’s to a new expansion pack’s worth of good times and stupid selfies. Going to try to avoid spoilers and screenshots while at work tomorrow.

[Disney World] Min-maxing Test Track

TL;DR: We were vacationing this past week in Orlando. Our goal was to hit the high score on the Test Track leaderboard in which we had almost achieved (matched it at 230). I am pretty sure that the score cap however is 232; I haven’t seen any indication online or in the actual attraction that it can go any higher. We ended up riding test track 3 times, each with the following score: 208, 222, and 230. I am not quite sure where we lost 2 points, I suspect that it was either a screw up when drawing the contour of the car or wheel size. It is worth noting that only higher scores will override the current leader. If you want to stay on the board, ride early.

There are a total of four categories: Power, responsiveness, capability, and efficiency. Your overall score will be the total of all four categories combined. So, the trick is to max out your overall score not just a particular category.

For vehicle type, choose the sports car on the far left. When drawing the contour of the car, you will want to draw something resembling a normalish car shape (small curve for the hood, larger curve for the body). It should resemble something like this:

tt1

When sculpting the car, make the tail as tall as possible (drag it to the upper left). For length and width, make the car as short and wide as possible. The hybrid engine is by far the best choice as it gives you an additional accessory slot.

For accessories, the trick is to use the selection that nets you the most overall gain. It doesn’t matter what category it boosts so long as it offers the most points. So for example, if accessory #1 offers +2 power but accessory #2 offers +6 capability and -2 power, you will want to go with accessory #2 because the overall gain is +4 (vs +2). The max amount of point gain for accessories seems to be 20 (front +3, hood +4, side +2, top +2, rear +3, tail +6). Same deal for the wheels. I am not sure if there is an ideal ratio for wheel size.

[WoW] The Invasion

Huh well image that… If you add content to a game, it becomes fun again; Who would have known? But in all seriousness, we enjoyed the invasion scenarios and cutscenes quite a bit and are currently enjoying catching up on the bits and pieces of content missed during our absence from WoW. The invasion gear has also rather quickly replaced a fair amount of the crappy LFR and Timewalking gear that I have been slowly accumulating. Overall, it is a suitable farewell to WoD and transition into Legion, which we are looking forward to playing at the end of the month.

I really wanted to boost either my Shaman or Druid to 100 but the Shaman is only 20 and the Druid is 45. In order to get the profession boost, which is what I really want (because screw grinding anything, especially JC, from 1 to 700), the boosted character needs to be 60+. The only character even remotely close to 60 would be my DK, who had previously been at 58 since Wrath of the Lich King. I guess if we are being totally honest, the likelyhood of me even playing a 4th alt beyond profession muling is abysmally low. In that regard, I suppose it doesn’t matter which character I boost so long as it is above level 60.

WoWScrnShot_081116_221117

The hunter is finally 100 as is my newly rolled Demon Hunter. This marks the most max level characters that I have ever had (up from 2 to 4). I think my favorite part of the new class is either the eye beams or being able to jump off of your flying mount at great heights and gliding around with the wings.

I was hoping to get Draenor flying before Legion, but I have a feeling that Saberstalkers rep is going to take too long to grind out. Everything else can be completed relatively trivially.

Draenor Flying