Video Games

What I’ve Been Playing Recently

# What I’ve Been Playing Recently

I like the idea of this sort of regular, generic post, but I don’t really want to give it a schedule, so I’m just going to throw em out whenever, for now, I think. Considering this si the “first” one, it’s also not clear what “Recently” should mean in this context. It’s my post, my blog, my rules, so I’m thinking, whatever I want to mention really.

Fortnite

Roughly a year ago, I decided I wanted to give Fortnite a go. It’s been popular for years, and i was looking for something relatively mindless to play as a filler game to fill the void left by Overwatch. So I decided to try Fortnite. I had no idea what I was doing, though I managed to win my first match, which felt really cool, until (much later) I learned that all the matches for the first ten levels or so are against Bots. It was Christmas season, so I got a few free cosmetic items, and I even enjoyed it enough to buy a few skins. i also opted to go for the Battle Pass, which I completed to level 200.

I’ve taken a few breaks, but I’m still playing a year later now. Chapter 4 just started, which means a fresh new map to play on. i am pretty sure the new map is a lot smaller than the last one. Honestly, in general, it feels like Epic really wanted to try to break people out of the “Run around and hide” all match mindset. Everything is righter and faster and you’re forced into more encounters. I’m not sure I like it honestly. I usually moved around the map a lot, but I also generally would avoid conflicts. I’ve actually been playing a lot of Bot Matches just so the games are more chill and less stressful.

Something that’s a bit annoying, I actually kind of prefer playing random, NON Battle Royale maps and modes. I played a TON of their Among Us Clone, in the Imposters Mode. Though that got old because groups, completely break that mode. Groups will just tattle on who the Imposter is to their friends. I also do a lot of “Death-run” Obstacle course maps, though there are a lot of these that feel really uninspired these days. Probably my favorite are the Musical Soundwave Series events.

Sky Children of the Light

This one is a super chill “Relaxing” movile game, though it recently came to Switch and Playstation. It’s made by the same folks who made Journey and definitely FEELS a lot like Journey. You float around this world collecting candle wax and meeting people and doing little Spirit Quests. There is only one zone in the entire game where you can be harmed, outside of The End zone. I have not been able to bring myself to attempt The End yet. I hear it’s really hard, plus you lose everything, by default, and start over, after completing the game.

Currently they are having an event themed around the singer Aurora, which was part of why I started playing the game in the first place.

Retroid Pocket

I want to do a proper write up on my Retroid eventually, but I’ve been playing old games on this as well. Nothing in particular yet, I’m still kind of in the “Mess around and see what it can do” phase. Mostly I’ve been playing Genesis and PlayStation Titles, with a few PC Engine games thrown in. I am trying REALLY hard not to fall into my usual Emulation Trap of just playing Zelda and Mario…. again… for the ten thousandth time.

Overwatch 2

File this one under what I’m NOT Playing. I got so tired of Overwatch and it’s unbalanced mess. I quit a year or so ago and every attempt to come back failed within days or hours of every reinstall. I came back more hardcore for the end of Overwatch 1, hopeful that Overwatch 2 would be a fresh, new beginning. I even bought the Battle Pass. Oh boy I was disappointed. I expected nothing and it was worse. Every single match, almost without fail, is a complete steamroll win or loss, and neither is fun. Experience is a slow pain int he ass as well, I gave up on the Battle Pass around level 50 I think. I was not having fun and I didn’t want to grind out 30 more levels. I don’t even care about winning, I just want the game to feel enjoyable I never win in Fortnite and I always enjoy playing. Overwatch should be like that.

It should be fun!

Fortnite Fracture Event, Quite Disappointing

Dec 3rd, 2022

by Ramen Junkie.

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Every so often, Fortnite has these big “Event” moments in it’s story line. They are essentially just an excuse to destroy the island and revamp it, at least from a game play perspective. These often happen at the end of the Chapter, but sometimes also between Seasons. (The game is Chapters, subdivided into Seasons). For the end of Chapter 3, Fortnite had an event called Fracture. Compared to the Collision Event for Chapter 3, Season 2, this event felt incredibly lack luster.

The way the events work, a half hour or so before the start time, it becomes the only game mode you can queue for, at which point, you get dropped into a holding pattern lobby with 3 other players. For Collision, this was the cockpit of the giant Voltron Like Mech, for Fracture, you just get stuck on a small island floating in space.

Waiting for the event to begin watching the TV countdown

There wasn’t much to do on the island besides run around and emote. There were no weapons and it wasn’t particularly large. The only thing really there was a TV with a countdown. Slightly disappointing, I believe due to the slight slop of the island itself, it was difficult to use the “Emote Together” emotes where two players can interact. Eventually the count down ended and the TV lit up bright and the event itself began. There was a brief little movie bit where the Herald attacks the Reality Tree before the entire island is overrun by the Chrome that has been slowly consuming everything all season. After-which it explodes. Or I suppose, more accurately, it Fractures.

After the fracture, you find yourself simply floating in space alone. Before The Paradigm starts narrating about the Zero Point reassembling the world…. or something. Eventually you are roped in and pulled to a small floating island in space, along with your squad and some other people, maybe 50 or so players total, at least I assume they were all other players as well, it wasn’t real clear.

At this point, the actual game play starts. And it’s… ok, at first, but lasts for like, 40 minutes, and is extremely repetitive, and not very clear on what needs done exactly.

Basically, you are collecting these little zero point Orbs. Some are just laying around the island, others are gotten through doing various mini quests and tasks. There is no shooting, or Battle Royale, or even any weapons, you just, run around randomly, doing random shit. Some of these things include, doing “bounties” of throwing a snowball at a player, or finding hidden props hidden around the island, or apparently fishing, though no one seemed to have figured that one out, or spotting things floating in space, using a telescope. These were the easy ones. Others, like assembling the snowman, or throwing a chicken into the Zero point (WHICH SOUNDS STUPID EASY) were not clear on the goal. I probably tossed 20 chickens into the Zero Point and didn’t once get credit for that one.

Every 5 minutes or so, The Paradigm would talk about the Zero Point reacting and it would pull another piece of chuck from space and more activities would unlock. More of… the same activities. Just in a new little chuck of island. It honestly wasn’t clear if the activities of the players were causing this, or if it was just on a timer. There was no meter or anything that players were working to fill by collecting Zero Point orbs, which would have at least helped a bit with how pointless it all felt.

Eventually, the thing just unceremoniously ends, The Paradigm says she is going to sacrifice herself to save the island and then the island gets reformed a new as a bunch of promo teasers of locations and characters for next season come flying in to form the new island.

The Paradigm doing... something? with a sky whirlpool.

The whole event was kind of dull, and judging from other reactions I have seen online, I am not alone in this thought. Here is hoping the next season is better, but I’m already thinking I may take another break like I did for Chapter 3 Season 3. Doomguy is probably in the next Season Pass, which is kind of cool, but I’m not sure if I really want him that bad. I would be a new island at least to mix things up a bit.

Final Shot as the game went offline until tomorrow.

EDSM Fortnightly Report 2022.09.01 – 2022.09.14

Sep 14th, 2022

by Ramen Junkie.

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Here is your fortnightly report from Sep 1, 2022 to Sep 14, 2022. Most active day
Sep 4, 2022

Least active day
Sep 14, 2022

Total FSD jumps 19 Average per day:
1 Best day:
7 Total scanned stars 6 Average per day:
0 Best day:
4 Total scanned planets 9 Average per day:
1 Best day:
9 Total mapped planets 0 Average per day:
0 Best day:
0 Total fuel used 90.07 t Average per day:
6.43 t Best day:
36.81 t Total distance traveled 398.32 ly Average per day:
28.45 ly Best day:
144.64 ly Top friends RamenJunkie
398.32 ly

Last unlocked badges:

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EDSM Fortnightly Report 2022.08.18 – 2022.08.31

Aug 31st, 2022

by Ramen Junkie.

Comments are off for this post

Here is your fortnightly report from Aug 18, 2022 to Aug 31, 2022. Most active day
Aug 26, 2022

Least active day
Aug 30, 2022

Total FSD jumps 20 Average per day:
1 Best day:
9 Total scanned stars 5 Average per day:
0 Best day:
3 Total scanned planets 0 Average per day:
0 Best day:
0 Total mapped planets 0 Average per day:
0 Best day:
0 Total fuel used 31.70 t Average per day:
2.26 t Best day:
21.85 t Total distance traveled 149.50 ly Average per day:
10.68 ly Best day:
88.97 ly Top friends RamenJunkie
149.50 ly

Last unlocked badges:

No badges unlocked recently!