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Fortnite Festival

I kind of really rejected Fortnite Festival, the music mode, when it was launched last year. Which feels kind of surprising because I really like Rhythm games and am a huge DDR fan. I never was super into Rock Band though, and Fortnite Festival.is basically the latest iteration of Rock and, it’s just, built into Fortnite. Harmonix, makers of Rock Band, was bought by Epic and folded in to create this game mode.

Anyway, I have decided to give it another try lately and it’s not that bad. It’s not DDR, but it sort of scratches that itch. It doesn’t replace it and I still want to get my dance pad set up again, but maybe Fortnite Festival can spur that along. I know Rock Band is arguably more popular than DDR, but DDR will always be my baseline for rhythm games.

I think a lot of my hang-ups with Festival stem from that baseline too. I really dislike the downward fall of the notes vs the upward push. I hate that there are not arrows, though not too terribly. I have been using the same arrows based key binds I used to use when I did Stepmania on the keyboard, as in using the left, down, up, right, arrow keys, in that order. Even though every lane has a little bar in it, I still have muscle memory of which key is which lane.

Though this throws me way off on expert level songs, which are 5 lanes. Frankly, even if I were a Rock Band pro this would be frustrating, it’s literally like playing an entirely different game. Which is made worse because in theory, working up through difficulty trains you on how to hit note of increasingly more complicated patterns. Adding another lane is like moving from DDR to Pump It Up (which uses diagonal arrows and the center), and expecting to be an instant expert.

Another “it’s not DDR” annoyance, the songs are soooooo long. Most DDR tracks are like, 2 minutes, tops. Probably partly because DDR is a very physical game. Yeah, you can play it with a controller or keyboard, but if you are playing it the proper way, you’re standing and moving. Even if you use instrument controls in Fortnite Festival, you aren’t moving that much. It uses a lot of popular music and it’s always the full track, so some songs can be 5-6 minutes long. Which really starts to drag on a bit when pushing these sometimes repetitive note sequences in.

I also really dislike that there doesn’t seem to be anyway to adjust the fall speed of the notes. Some of them move way too fast and I would much rather slow them down into a bunch so I can pre-read them, or speed them up entirely so it becomes entirely single note reactions. This isn’t help that all the notes are the exact same color. In DDR, half steps, quarter steps, etc, all had slight different colorings, which made them easier to read.

This feels like it’s just turned into a bit of a random about why I never liked Rock Band. DDR is so full of perfect visual queues, and everything here is just so, flat and identical.

Like, as an example, there is this Billie Eilish track, and the notes are very clearly this sort of back and forth between two notes, and a third that is a regular rhythm. Like left, up, left right, left, up, left, right. It would be a fun pattern in DDR. But in this game, because everything is so samey visually, my brain can’t quite process the changes fast enough. Eventually I could probably memorize it, but I really hate playing rhythm games based on memorization. I want to play based on learning skills and techniques so when I recognize a pattern even in a new song I can get it.

Another one in that same song I think, I am pretty sure it’s a standard “front/back/front back” step pattern from DDR, but once again, it’s all visually identical so it just clutters up.

Or maybe I am just out of practice.

Whatever the case, I am really enjoying the mode.

Rocket Racing is still lame though, and I will stand by that forever. The tracks are boring, the cats are boring, everything in it is just, “like other racing games but way worse.”. They should have just stuffed Rocket Racing into Rocket League and it may have helped make RL actually worth playing.

What I’ve Been Playing – Celeste Edition

Been a bit busy lately with other games actually. Part of it is that the Overwatch season ended, and I got frustrated with it again, almost immediately, so I blew some Mythic Currency on the Anubis Reaper then uninstalled and moved on.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

Apparently over seas, this name.was used a lot, but for this moment, I am referring to the US version, I think maybe also called “Final Fantasy US” in some regions. I have had a vague urge to replay this game for a while off and on, and I finally just started doing it. I am up to the second world, I want to say there are 4 worlds and an end zone, it’s not a super long game.

It has a pretty rocking soundtrack too.

Fortnite

The new Marvel season dropped. I am not really pushing myself on this one and I have not even bought the pass, but will once I get closer to level 100+.

I am also doing all Bot matches like I used to do. It’s a lot more enjoyable that way. The new Marvel weapons are pretty neat, but the War Machine auto turret and Captain America Shield are both broken as fuck and seriously overpowered.

There was also a nice little music event for someone named Karol G. It really reminded me of the old ones they used to do when it felt like they gave a shit about these events.

Celeste

The “big one” as far as time spent. I have been meaning to play this game for a while and finally did.

And I finished it.

It’s like she is my spirit animal…

It was frustrating a bit because personally, I found the controls to be slightly less responsive and a bit more floaty than I would like, but it was fun and difficult in an “I can tell I am improving” way and not a “Ha ha cheap shots all around” way.

The story is 🤌 very nice as well. I have like 200 screenshots of just snarky dialogue options. So good. A nice little morality tale about dealing with self-doubt etc. All buried in this rather brutal platform game.

Alan Wake Remaster

I bought Alan Wake 2 back around the holidays because it was like half price and included the original remaster and some Fortnite skins. It was a super deal.

But I wanted to refamiliarize myself with the first game, which I have previously completed. So I am replaying it with the remaster. I know it’s a different sort of game, but after loving Control, I am really looking forward to AW2.

It’s surprisingly kind of tough, even on easy mode. I actually also may be stuck where I am at the moment because I am limited to flash-bang weapons only, and I kind of used up a lot of them taking a detour that went nowhere.

Fortnite Mobile

I’ve shifted back to Fortnite from Overwatch,   Maybe.  Probably.  Anyway, the newest Fortnite Season is a pretty sweet Marvel themed season with a Marvel BP, which is way more exciting than the upcoming Overwatch BP, which is, kind of hodge-podgey, sort of Ancient Egypt?

Also, no Venture Skin for like 3 more seasons.  What the fuck Blizzard?

AnywayI’m not really here to discuss Overwatch or the Marvel season of Fortnite.  What also dropped this season is the return of Fortnite Mobile.  Currently available in the EU on iPhones and on Android Phones anywhere, through the Epic Launcher.  This is key, because you have to go get the Epic Launcher from Epic’s website separate from the Play Store.

The question is, is it worth while to do so?

Frankly, probably not.  I will say, I did not play a regular BR match at all.  I played a few creative maps to test things out and to get the 100,000 experience needed to complete a few quests for items.  I started on one I’ve been using as filler on PC for the daily creative XP, Rainbow Run, which is simply, running in a straight line, collecting coins.

I moved on from here to a regular Deathrun map.  I have played a ton of Deathruns on PC, and they are definitely my favorite type of custom games.  I will say, I managed to finish the 200 level Deathrun I picked.  It was definitely one of the easier DR maps I have played, and didn’t have a lot of the more tricky jumps and traps I’ve encountered across a myriad of maps.  But they do require some precision in jumping and moving.  I also died way more than I normally do on these, something like 60 times in the 200 level map.  For comparison, I usually die like 5 times max, even on maps I have never played, and I am pretty sure I have finished this exact same map on PC in like 20 minutes or less with 0 deaths.

I needed a bit more experience for my 100k after finishing this one and moved on to another Dr map.  Pretty much the same experience.

Overall though, it kind of felt pretty weird and janky.  Framerates and graphics were fine.  The controls left something to be desired, and I wasn’t even trying to shoot anything while moving.  I had a lot of deaths because there is a sort of, autorun that seems to randomly trigger, and I would run off the edge into a spiked pit a lot.

I also had an issue where I would randomly open the “ping” menu near the controls, which would interrupt other inputs.

It’s less critical, but the quests menu is opened by clicking the mini map, which wasn’t present on one of the map I played, making the menu inaccessible.

It’s also just weird.  I’m not a huge fan of 3rd person or FPS games on mobile at all.  I can’t see ever using this again unless they offer more drops, or there is a skin I want to log in and get when I otherwise can’t do.

What I’ve Been Playing

I’ve been, really bad about keeping up on these.

Oh well.

Anyway, let’s take a little trip down what I’ve been playing since uh… (checks notes) … wow, January. I’m definitely going to forget some things.

Horizon: Zero Dawn

I started this one a while back, then in traditional fashion, got distracted and stopped playing it. I don’t really know why, it’s quite a lot of fun. I got just out of the initial starting zone and to the point where the plot started actually moving along and just sort of, got overwhelmed, I suppose. I often try not to fast travel too much in these sorts of games, because I find you discover more by traveling, and it’s just, more immersive. But sometimes it’s useful. In this game, fast travel is a consumable item, which means I just, never do it.

Yeah, probably a bad mindset.

Notable on this game, i was playing on a controller, which is unusual for me in anything 3D, especially on the PC.

Fortnite

It’s worth mentioning, I am sure I probably played some Fortnite, though, I’m not positive, considering I mostly just idled for XP last season. I have not really bothered with the current greek season. I’m not big on any of the Pass Skins and I’m just, kind of burned out.

Instead of playing real games though, instead, I went back to…

Overwatch

Because I apparently hate myself and can’t game without playing tedious grindy games I hate. Also, there was a sweet Ramen Noodle Bastion skin in this season’s pass. I ended up unlocking it instantly because I had several rounds of “free battlepass tiers” from Amazon Prime stacked up and I used Bing Rewards points to get the pass. I have been playing a lot of, and enjoying Mystery Heroes. Anything else, not so much.

I’ve also really enjoyed the goofy April Fool’s mode “Totally Balanced Overwatch.”

I am not sure if I’ll keep going much longer. It’s getting a bit dull and regular Quickplay is annoying. Also annoying is the locked heroes from seasons I missed, though I guess they are changing that next season and just giving everyone all heroes. I didn’t get to play as Tiny Mauga in the april Fool’s mode, because I don’t have Mauga unlocked.

Lame.

Sky: Children of the Light

I’ve been coasting out the last of the Season of the Nine Colored Deer. I’ve rather enjoyed this season. Next season adds player housing, which sounds like it could be quite fun, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll probably keep going and get the pass, since I have new ways to get currency and hearts. I still feel incredibly candle poor though.

Pokémon Go

One I have come back to lately, in force is Pokémon Go. The Sinnoh Event was really great. Sinnoh is my favorite region. I even went downtown and cause special Palkias and Dialgas. I’ve been doing some remote raids with Poke Genie too, which is cool, because I can get neat Pokeymans like this rocketship Pokeyman.

I am getting really close to level 40, which isn’t the top anymore, but starts some new special style of leveling, up through level 50.

What I’ve Been Playing – Idling For Hats Edition

A new year, a new time to try to build new habits. Hah ha ha, yeah right… probably. Anyway, I picked up a slew of new-ish games over the holidays in various sales, and I look forward to forgetting that I wanted to play them over the next few months. Off the top of my head, I picked up, yet to really play, Spider-man Miles Morales, Alan Wake 2 and Alan Wake Remastered, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Horizon Zero Dawn. Plus some cheapies in bundles or randomly, A bunch of Oddworld Games, Need for Speed Payback, Tron 2.0, Karateka. This doesn’t even include the whack of free games from Epic, though of those I only really care about Saints Row, Deathloop, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

I might be a bit slow getting going on these though as I’m doing some work-related training in the evenings 3 nights a week for most of January.

Spider-Man Remastered

I bought this one back at the start of December. I’ve since finished it. I started on some of the DLC, but I’m not really sure I’ll bother doing much more. I really enjoyed the gameplay in this one, but the combat is kind of super repetitious. It’s just the same 3 or 4 enemies in groups but in different outfits depending on the stage of the story.

The game itself is fun, the story is decent, I made the stupid assumption about the end boss not being in the game because, unlike all the other big villains, there wasn’t an explicit achievement. It did a pretty good job of weaving together several unrelated subplots all into one larger narrative. Swinging and running around the city is fun, but it starts to feel a bit slow after a while.

Spider-Man Miles Morales

If I am going to do more of the same Spider-Man, I may as well mix it up, which is why I’ve started on the “Not number 2 but still a sequel” game of Spider-Man Miles Morales. Miles shows up in the first game, and you play as him a few times, as not Spider-man. There is a subplot that sets up Miles gaining his powers and then this game lets you play as him. It’s the same map with a few changes, and the same basic combat with a few new additions, but it’s basically more of the same. I’ve only done one major mission and the game says I am 22% done with the main story, so I guess it’s pretty short compared to the first.

The first isn’t that long either really, it just has a ton of optional mini-missions you can do scattered across the map.

Deathloop

I decided to give Deathloop a quick try, it was a freebie from the holidays. In the 10-15 minutes I played, it kept losing the controls. Repeatedly. I don’t know if it’s something I was doing or if it’s just THAT buggy, but the experience was pretty awful.

Hogwarts Legacy

I played a bit of Hogwarts Legacy again. I really enjoy this game, but it’s taking up space on my drive, and I want to uninstall it, but I need to play up to the last achievement with a Ravenclaw character. It’s really odd just how tedious replaying this is. I am not real sure why it’s like that, but even skipping the cut scenes and rushing, I just don’t want to keep going. I think it took me like 2 hours to do this as Gryphondor and Hufflepuff, but somehow this last run is just so annoying. But I don’t want to reinstall it, I want to finish this and be done.

Fortnite

The game I am not playing, but making progress on. I’m super burnt out on Fortnite, but because I had a screw sub from the last season, I got this season pass. Most of the skins are pretty meh, but it has Solid Snake or will have Solid Snake. A lot of people are going crazy for Peter Griffin, but I don’t care about that at all.

I also have not written about the new Rhythm game or Race game, because both are pretty lame. LEGO is, ok, I’ve gotten a bit better hang of it, but it’s still pretty tedious. The new modes are great for leveling up though. I’ve never leveled so fast in a season ever. In Fortnite LEGO and Fortnite Festival Jam stage, you can load it, and walk away and gain about 5-6 levels a day, for EACH mode. I’m already something like level 165, but I’ve stopped for now until Snake drops. Also, occasionally I kind of need to drop in to catch up on the Weekly quests for those item drops.

It’s like back in Team Fortress 2, when you could idle for hats.

All I wan to add is the pricing on the cosmetics, especially for the new modes, is fucking bonkers nuts. You can buy a Lambo in Fortnite and play their mediocre Mark Kart clone, or for the same price you could buy Forza Horizon 4 (on sale), and get infinite Lambos and a real racing experience on a large, open-world map. The music tracks are like 3x the price of buying the track itself in MP3, and the game mode needs some tweaks to make it playable (lanes should be different colors).

Sky: Children of the Light

I’ve shifted into a weird phase with Sky. It’s brought on by the Steam version being available. I’ve now shifted to alts and mechanical farming mode. I’ve got like 5 or 6 total accounts now, one being my main account. I spend a short bit each day, generally in the morning when I would have been eating breakfast (which I am not at the moment, but that’s for a BI post later), where I’ll log into each account, send my main a Heart, and farm out 3-4 candles, to replace the candles I’ve spent on the heart. Two of these accounts have a pile of reserve candles now because the season ended, so if I am feeling time crunched, I’ll just eat into those.

Hearts are one of several in-game currencies. The only way to get them is to be sent one from a friend, at the cost of 3 candles, once per day, or to gather bits of light sent from friends, which I think takes like 60 bits. Getting these normally, is a pain, even with a lot of friends, because half the time, they don’t send you anything even when you send it to them, because who wants to spend their candles on strangers? You can only get like 20-25 candles per day, and Candles are the main currency.

Anyway, I did some rough math, to complete just the main tree, none of the Traveling Spirits trees, I need like 1000+ hearts. Even with 4-5 accounts feeding me hearts daily, that’s 200 days. You start throwing in events and Traveling Sprits, it’s easily a year of farming.

I will probably give up before I get there, but it’s a little nuts. Granted, the bulk of this is the handful of Ultimate Capes, which tend to run 100-200 Hearts each.

I may look into automating the candle and heart farming with some automation tools later, so it just sort of, happens. It would be pretty easy to use some sort of input macro tools to log in, run to a handful of regular candle sources, and send the Hearts.

Part of this exercise in creating accounts also meant running through the game some to unlock areas. Twice now, I’ve done a no cape run, once as a test, and once recorded, which can be viewed in it’s entirety below.