November Digest #3

Into the Dead

Today saw the large group of survivors deplete one by one until only Joe remained. The mission after recovering Hao's backpay was the Oil Refinery and discovering an escape route. The group eventually met up with Otto who was still stuck there. 

But they also met up with the stranger in the area who was sabotaging their efforts to escape. Unfortunately the group's demise meant the identity of the stranger and their motive for ruining their escape plans remains unknown. For now.

Keeping the group small makes better sense in starting out until the exit/exfil stage is reached. Because feeding a larger group is always going to be a problem. Water filtration and plant growing essential therefore.

Once the large group died out I started a new game tonight. Continuing with Hao and Mei as my starting pair because I have grown comfortable with them both. In scavenging the laundromat, Hao met a NPC character who was hostile so Hao (like he did with the brothers in the earlier game) took him out. No point beating about the bush. 

Hao might be a martial artist but he's as fragile like all the others especially when confronting awakened zombies. Whenever anyone suffers a deep wound from zombies, if it's not treated as soon as possible then invariably they succumb to infection and will turn. You really need pills, medicine kits, bandages, and (sometimes) unidentified pills. But be mindful that these pills can be anything. So, levelling up the medical station as soon as possible makes perfect sense. Or have Agnes or Aubrey in your team is a plus.

The revelation in playing this larger group has been Michelle. She developed into an ace scavenger, and was relied on the most. Much better than Hao if I was comparing the two. Each character though - male and female - do have their own scavenging strengths. 

Joe, and several others, have the same backpack space while others like Frank have less. Be mindful of this when allocating scavenging duty.

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I must have a soft spot somewhere in me because every time we run into another character, I always invite them into the group. Latest effort sees the pairing of Hao and Mei expand to five with Joe and Michelle and newcomer Barb whom they met at a local garage/fuel station. 

This time they're following Jingles path on his playthrough series. Set up is currently at a sports store because they have to check out the smuggler's network situated in Greenhaven. They met up with the mule Eva at the bookshop. She proved evasive in her responses to queries about the strange markings and talk of a way out of Walton City. 

Hao met up with Garrett (as part of his mission) and survived the combat. Being more careful with his fights. Joe's been picking up the slack mainly performing well on various scavenges and the seeking of the smugglers is, I believe, his mission. 

But the women have all chipped in as well when required. And all have performed much better stealth-wise. They operate better with bladed weapons. Yet to test out firearms however. Watched Jingles bumble his shooting moments.

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Met up with Christine at Mercer High School while they were attempting to find out more about the mysterious smuggler's network at the heavily zombie infested Pogo's in Greenhaven. Not sure where Pogo's will lead the group. It seems the best escape plan is to the north in the more affluent suburb there. But while the game is still new for me, all leads are worth exploring. And don't forget this game is still in Early Access so much more development will happen. 

The simplest plan would be to start new game with all the main pairings and see where their adventures lead. 

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Today I decided to run games with each pairing to see what and how. 

Darrel and Leo, the first of the new pairs trialled, spawned in a new and different location. They met up with Robbie, the novelist, at a location close to their initial shelter. Not long after the meetup they ended up moving to a house close to Millhouse Mansion, their target. In earlier visits they managed to scavenge the place but were not been able to access the top floor. Liking this pair because they've managed to avoid the oil refinery hell.

Sebastian and Dianne were the second pair I started next. They spawned in a familiar location in Southborough. Seb's mission is to hook up with an old army buddy. Keen to see how he goes with guns. 

The last two untried pairs - Hector and Kayla, and Penny and Daphne - both spawned in the same spot in the suburb of Buckland Yards.  

Darrel and Leo. Leo turned after a particular nasty attack. The survivors went to the mansion and met Red the homeowner. And met up with a trussed-up Cooper the helicopter pilot. Flight out impossible because the helo Cooper arrived in lies destroyed in the tennis courts. Now Cooper is part of Darrel and Robbie's ad hoc group, and they're searching for a possible lead to another helo. Will they do it though? Will Darrel and Cooper survive? 

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Returned to Sebastian and Dianne pairing today. New additions to the team with Barb and Rahul. Seb nearly turned zombie in a confrontation while scavenging but he managed to survive the ordeal thanks to prompt medical attention. While he was recovering Dianne and Barb took over sharing the scavenging duties. Rahul, the newest addition, should be an interesting addition. Barb and Seb know guns and have already repaired two pistols/revolvers and a shotgun. Yet to test them out however.  Rahul knows chemistry.

Priority for this grouping, after Seb hooked up with his old army buddy, has been locating hazmat suits at three specified locations. First one was already salvaged; new owner is happy to trade for it at a price. Where can I find four Chilli Con Carne? Second one was worn by the hanging (dead) CDC operator and is inaccessible. Currently prepping to locate the third hazmat suit at a location I know will be both tough and rough upon the character. Seen the "horror" inducing moment at this third location (from another earlier pairing) so know what to expect. 

Already experienced this trauma-inducing moment earlier when Seb reunited with his former army buddy at the militia's new home base and while doing so stumbled upon the "moment". 

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Tracy and Wayne's pair has expanded pretty fast. As of tonight they are now seven - Joe, Aubrey, Michelle, Frank, and Barb were all recruited tonight.

Expanded the scavenging position so now up to two can scavenge in the same phase. But they cannot scavenge the same. And it costs lots of base resources.

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Went with Seb and Dianne's group tonight. Aside from Rahul and Barb, they've also hooked up with Cooper, the helo pilot and Vince, the medical experiment at the local family clinic. All these meetings are not new having already encountered them through the other pairings. 

Vince was the rejected the first time met but this time he was welcomed into the group. Wasn't too sure how he'd go during recovery. He turned in the end. A lot of medical supplies were wasted on him. Cooper, on the other hand, was able to recover well enough to inform the group of another helo available. And thus a way out of the city. 

For now, the group is still trying to locate the third hazmat suit. Suspect it will be a dead end like the other two (still haven't found where I can locate chilli con carne, or if it can be cooked). More than likely they will end up at the obvious fourth location (discovered by another pairing/team in an earlier game).  

One new discovery was a flyer that randomly popped up one day of a new location with a fair amount of base supplies. The place is Keyline Storage. 

Access however is via the underground. Easy enough to gain entry once you deal to the zombies on your way in. And the two storage facilities give a gool haul of goodies. 

This team provided a good opportunity to test out the several weapons they have. Bit awkward fiddling with the keyboard at first but it went well enough in the end. Carbine is a decent weapon and an early favourite. Revolver and shottie were good too although the latter proved slow because it's a two-shot weapon. Don't forget to load up before you open fire. 

Also used grenades which proved lethal in tight spaces like in one of the hallways at the Kinski Gallery. 

Another early favourite weapon is the light cavalry sabre. Used it at the Millhouse Mansion to clear the entry. Seb just waited for the horde to attack and he slashed them to death one by one. It's a shame he couldn't kill Red. 

Every character can scavenge. But some are better at it than others. Even Rahul, whom the wiki consider a wimp and/or liability, performed well enough when presented with the right opportunity. Just have to make sure he's weaponised appropriately.  

Pioneer Motors presents another moment when you encounter rival scavengers. Killed the first one but the second one pleaded for mercy. Unfortunately Barb was not in the mood for granting clemency and down that second scavenger went. 

Ignored Hudson atop Briarwood Motel. His open hostility upon first meet towards my scavenger sealed his fate. Besides, the wiki claims he's more a liability than an asset anyway.

Postscript: Got the chilli con carne and delivered it to Julie (?) for an orange hazmat suit. Thus begins a repeat journey through the land of the green mist and the saboteur. 

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World of Warship

Aegis remains one of the more challenging Operations mission scenarios as far as I'm concerned. More so when you throw together a random group of players with varying intentions. Some may know what's required...and set out to do it. Others may not. Some will never know how to play this scenario despite best efforts. Occasionally, you will get a majority who do know and are able to take the initiative. And can wrest it from the enemy who are relentless arriving in wave after wave. 

Today was one of those games where one guy railed against the rest of us because we were losing the game despite his singular best efforts. He even swore in chat. I let it slide because he was clearly frustrated. The rest of us were fighting as individuals to really notice. 

I was playing the newly acquired German premium Tier X cruiser Prinz Aldabert today. Admittedly, on reflection, not the best choice. Playing it while also familiarising oneself was probably an even worse option. But it is what it was. 

I corrected my early poor choices by ending the grind playing the familiar and comfortable Libertad in Asymmetrics. Always a comfortable choice in the right mode for its OP stature.  

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Blyzkawica '52/Blyzkawica '44 Salvage event began today. Not interested because it's extortionarily over-priced. 

Read the update regarding next Update. Again, uninterested. 

Uninteresting grind on the whole today. Went outside and did yard work before playing probably explained the lack of interest playing thereafter. 

Brisbane fares well enough in Operations although it depends on the mission. Slow grind on Utrecht. Tempted to spend Free XP and Elite Commander XP to upgrade to 21 point because grinding for 700,000 XP is taking forever, especially in Co-Op. Operations and Asymmetrics are a boost but not by much. Plus, the amount of concentration required is not sustainable beyond one hour of intensity. 

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Cannot rave enough about Libertad in Asymmetrics. Overpowered for sure but ever reliable. Brought out Friesland for one of the Dockyard missions. Usual performances from both Utrecht and Brisbane in Operations. While Libertad and Ark Royal rounded out the day fulfilling Liberty Harbour missions. Earned 225,000 credits in total today from those Liberty Harbour missions. 

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Forty-three days before FREEDOM! Played just two ships - Brisbane and GQ Johnny today. WG tossed our way another Common Mission only worth doing because I needed the Commander XP.

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Brisbane, GQ Johnny, Ark Royal, Libertad, Mecklenburg played today. Operations, Co-Op, and Asymmetric. Another silly Common Mission event finished. At least the rewards are welcomed. Mixed day completing the Aegis mission when drawn; again, depends on the team assembled. The other mission are a lot easier challenge-wise - Raptor Rescue, The Ultimate Frontier, Hermes, Cherry Blossom, Defence of the Naval Station Newport,.  

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Brisbane main grind today. Libertad and Ark Royal only for specific Liberty Harbour missions. Upskilled another commander to 21 points: this time, it was Michiel de Ruyter (Seasoned) on Utrecht. 

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Brisbane, San Martin, Ark Royal, Libertad played today. San Martin, part of my commander uspkill group, struggled in Operations. It's weak AP, for its level, is its major problem. It felt like I was throwing feather dusters at the enemy ships. 

Brisbane again performed to expectation in both Operations and Asymmetric. Firestarter, long-range torps, radar, are some of its pluses which helped it sustain playing despite its more obvious weaknesses.

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Strange Antiquities (Demo)

Seen this available through the Steam recommendations, and have been tempted enough to download the Demo version. I have played Strange Horticulture (from the same creators), which I enjoyed a lot. And therefore expect a similar response when I've downloaded the Demo. 

Yep. Like Strange Horticulture. Intriguing but not creepy as some have commented though. But then I'm playing the demo version. Two days (in-game) allowed before the demo ends. Definitely getting it. Like a lot of such styled games, there are loads of questions, sparse clues, and weird characters to keep you engaged. The creepy part is only in your imagination.

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November Digest #2

Into the Dead

Much more fun with this game than World of Warships. Went with Hao and Mei like I said I would. We started heading west and then south instead of north like Jingles in his series of playthroughs. Hao met up with a former fighter -  Garrett, who was after the same thing as Hao - the money their promoter had stashed away at the abandoned factory. Anyway while Hao was tracing the codes to unlock the safe his enemy had somehow managed to open the safe and retrieved the loot. Quite a lot too. Anyway when Hao finally returned, he found the safe open and Garrett gone.

Or so he thought. Garrett was in another part of the factory complex in a secured location. He challenged Hao to a winner takes all final bout. Of course, Hao beat the crap out of his foe and won the stash but suffered terribly from the guilt.

Not long after that, and as he was recovering from the guilt Hao was ambushed when he was on a scavenge at a local abbatoir. And despite his best efforts to recuperate and recover he eventually turned.

But not before he and his sister hooked up with Kayla who joined their group. By the way, Kayla belongs to one of the pairs available to grind. She died too not long after Hao's fate whilst checking out a fire station in their locale after taking over the scavenging role. Got swarmed by a crowd of zombies. 

This has left Mei all on her lonesome. Be interesting to see how she copes. Hao was doing all the scavenging while she was stay-at-home doing all sorts of maintenance. And with recent arrival Kayla now gone as well, will Mei hook up with Joe, whom they met earlier in their moving but rejected at the time because they didn't have enough resources. Or will she meet up with others that are still hiding out in the zombie-overrun city. 

Sadly for Mei, Hao had buried the winnings in a secret location. Lol. Zombie activity has increased too. 

Twenty six turns is all it's taken to have me hooked. 

There are NPCs in the game. Some aren't friendly. In fact in another new game, Hao had to kill two brothers who were openly hostile to him when he was scavenging their location. And being mercenary about it, the brother and sister then moved in and took their digs for themselves.

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Four more crew members added to Hao and Wei's pairing.

Isabel is from one of the high schools. Joe, who found her, is another character from the first run through. Joe's interesting insofar as he's basically a mule, dogsbody for everything at the shelter. He sometimes goes scavenging but mainly he's at the shelter ensuring the barricades are maintained, and watching after Mei who basically stays at the shelter. 

The main scavengers happen to be Hao and Michelle whom they found at one of the suburban addresses. She's actually quite good, probably the best in the quintet: stealthier, more patient. 

Currently they've moved back north after dealing to Garret, and more west rather than north east. Went as far south as I could but then probably hit the game's edge.

Hao went back and found the military drop at one of the homes. 

Currently they're chasing after hazmat suits. But then they met up with Miguel hiding in the toilets at Pogo's and he told them there was one in the basement at the St Bernadette Hospital (Joe collected it eventually after Hao initially scouted the place for a telescope). 

Michelle met up with the dying foreman at the Oil refinery where she encountered the deadly toxic green mist exuding from the area. 

Increasing zombie activity is putting pressure on the team to find a way out of the city before it's too late. Can they make it though?

Constantly moving them from shelter to shelter mainly to achieve the various mission tasks.

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World of Warships

Brisbane does better in Asymmetric than Zao in that it has a faster torp reload. And has 12km radar alongside hyrdo. 

Playing Utrecht today was interesting; finally getting the hang of it. And resisting the temptation to push early solo. Will grind as close as possible to its 700 XP goal before spending Elite Commander XP.

All three cruisers do well as fire support, especially in pursuit. 

Played Libertad for the secondary missions. Easy to score over two hundred secondary hits. 

Several new super ships for sale that I'm eyeing at the moment knowing I will never play them once acquired. Collecting is the name of the game for now. Less than two months left to go. 

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Continued captain-grinding Utrecht. Did so until I got one-shotted by a Yamato while playing Newport Station Defence mission. Thought I was doing fairly well by sticking to my previous winning strategies of staying within the station perimeter when SPLAT! I was blatted. From full health too. 

Finally scored GQ Johnny. Don't remember much about playing Johnston so this was another reacquaintance session as I ran it through its own missions (+200% bonuses). Nice spread of torpedos but slow reload. The 'F' button takes some getting use to. 

For a change, I ran a couple of superships - Satsuma and Devastation. Played both in Operations. Not a good choice. Slow and not great at distance (which was why I ran them). 

Finished off session by captain-grinding Worcester. Yeah, weak armour is its downfall.

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November #1 digest

World of Warship

Latest Update (10.10) kicked in today. First off, like a well-known US streamer pointed out, today the cost of the infamous Puerto Rico B is obscenely ridiculous. Over four hundred Australian dollars! Absolutely not worth the asking price but you know some tool is going to spend that amount of money for it. And the same goes for all the others Black editions being foisted upon us. Unless you absolutely need it, keep walking.

They also have a Black Squadron event to further incentivize suckers whereby you obtain both original and Black versions. You receive various rewards - doubloons, coal, etc. Catch is you only get the rewards if you purchase a Black ship while the event is live. If you already own pairs, you just get what's in the progress bar listed above. 

More intrigued by the Poland! White and Red! common mission. Got the opportunity to run three of my Polish destroyers, the tech tree Tier VII Grom, the premium Tier VII Blyzakwica (an old warhorse favourite), and premium Tier VIII Orkan. Don't have the Blyzakwica '44. 

Played mostly Co-Op with this trio to grab the three rewards - the 60,000 Elite Commander XP on offer - because yesterday I had spent all my Elite Commander XP upskilling my Salem captain to 21 points (he started out as 17 point). Anyway, towards the end I jumped into Asymmetrics after the slow Co-Op grind was taking forever. Less competition from other players is the simple. More lively and challenging in Asymmetric anyway (less likelihood of falling asleep or being distracted by the dogs). Especially lively when facing a mostly enemy destroyer force with our friendly force of just three destroyers, one sub, and one carrier. Had fun all the same but it does require concentration. And normally most Asymmetric matches anyway go down to the wire. Same can't be said for Co-Op games. Snooze fest most times. Or it's over before you've even begun. 

Completed the usual Liberty Harbour mission goal of earning four collection tokens for exchange for 180,000 credits total. Of course, if opting to play Naval Command missions (PvP) as well that total jumps up to at least 270,000 credits. For one day's work, that's fair compensation. And the missions really aren't that hard.

For example, the carrier missions require obtaining a certain quota of rocket/bomb missions. For me, I just jump on the British Tier VI premium carrier Ark Royal, play a couple or three missions in Co-Op, and the task is done. 

Today I played Ark Royal (rockets & bombs mission), Grom, Blyzkawica, Orkan (all three for the Polish common mission requirement), Defence (bad choice for a certain Liberty Harbour task), Libertad (for the seconday hits ribbons mission). Played both Co-Op and Asymmetrics battle modes.

Yet to try the new missile scenario - Temporal Rift - that made its debut today. Received the three ships - a destroyer, a cruiser, and a battleship. Forgot this was a thing until after I'd finished my usual and daily grind. 

Not sure how I feel about playing it to be honest despite my reservations. As a gimmick, as with the Star Trek event, it should be fun. If this is going to a permanent feature (odds are this will be the case), they need to make it a distinctly separate battle mode like Asymmetric. And limit it to certain classes of ships (superships and above), then okay.

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Another new Battle of Trafalgar event. Rewards however are miserly - a few signals and one premium day. 

Spent dubs to progress through three phases in order to obtain Shinonome B in the Event Pass. Bonus was scoring some red economic bonuses from the Black Friday Squadron progress bar. 

Played Shimakaze (yeah, finally jumped on this ship), Ark Royal (rockets/bombs missions), Utrecht, Kalmar. Mostly Asymmetric but also Co-Op. 

Struggled a little with Shima in Asymmetric learning how to play her but persevered. Have to remember to save the third set of torps. Gone with the 12 km torps. Took this vessel out because of its torpedo offloads, but also to familiarise myself with this controversial ship. His proper skipper is grinding via Kitakaze. Yes, I could have taken Benham or Jager but the skipper being upskilled is Japanese. 

Performance was the same with Utrecht at the beginning but that was more me playing too aggressively. Once I adjusted however performance and outcome improved to the point where I now feel comfortable playing her no matter the situation in Asymmetrics. Its skipper is also my next candidate for 21 point upskilling (just upskilled today to 20 point from 19 point).

Kalmar was played to complete the Battle of Trafalgar final task. 

Completed the penultimate Dockyard mission.

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Last day of this ship-lean month. Played just two ships - Utrecht and Libertad. The former was the focus for today's grind; the latter just played to finish a Liberty Harbour mission. Considering spending dubs to buy some Event Pass phases to grab the sixty thousand Elite Commander XP so I can then fast track upskilling my first Dutch 21 point commander (not Helfrich) because I'm over playing Utrecht. Has its moment but requires a fair amount of concentration. And after a long day of concentrating, it gets tedious. And sometimes frustrating getting blasted by focus fire once too many times. 

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Into The Dead

Starting a new game this weekend. Introduced to Into the Dead through Jingles playthrough. Was unsure at first but the series by Jingles got me hooked. So will start this weekend and probably go with the new pair introduced, Hao and Mei. I believe they recommend going with Penny and Daphne to start out with. Apparently Penny is the best scavenger (according the Jingles). And from the playthroughs I've viewed thus far, Penny is great. But Hao and Mei have just been introduced and therefore relatively new to the game (one hopes). Will post a first game runthrough soon. 

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October Digest #6 - bonus

 Update 14.10

Temporal Rift

Saw these games on public server streams by YT streamers. Yes, missile are definitely coming to this game. Showcasing this through the Temporal Rift event. Faster firing vessels on bigger maps. Loads of detail about this new battle mode for which I am not interested in exploring. 

Black Friday 2025

Summarising quickly. May skip or omit finer details. But the gist is as follows:

Return of several ships in Black Friday colours - Puerto Rico B, Rhode Island B, Neustashimy B, Karl XIV Johan B, Schill B to name the more noted vessels. You can get them through the two kinds of containers, one premium. And through various ways - armoury, bundles, or cash.  

Other ships - Alaska B, Massachusetts B, Jean Bart B and Asashio B - can only be bought with cash. 

Smolensk B is only available via auction. 

Shinonome B will be the halfway reward in Event Pass. 

Polish Navy Day

New ship: Blyskawica '52. In line with this new arrival, there is the opportunity to earn new camo (wow, really pushing the camo thing - look, mum, pretty colours that do nothing, can I have it?)

Other new ships

Mostly for clans. Ovasen (based on Smaland), PTRPVLSK (based on Petropavlovsk), and Wahnsinn (copying Zeiten). 

Supership buffs

Yeah, not interested but improvements on the new French Tier X submarine Surcouf. 

European Battleship line

Seven ships. Starting at Tier VI: Yavuz Sultan Selim, Chios, Enighteten, Gustav den Store, Thor. Tier V Tegetthoff and Tier VI Laudon to be added later. 

There has been gimmicks associated with these ships many of which are historical (WW1 and interwar period) - low detectability, good speed, small HP, good armour, etc.

In line with this introduction, there will be associated premiums - Tier VIII battleship Turgut Reis, Italian cruiser Tier IX Messina.

Permanent camo 

For both Lanzhou and Nurnberg '44. 

Commonwealth Unique Commander

Finally! 

John Augustine Collins. Australian. 

When placed on aircraft carriers "Aircraft Amour" is continuous AA damage reduction of 12.5% instead of 10%. 

When employed on other surface ships, his "Adrenaline Rush" reduces reload time on all armaments per 1% of HP lost of -0.25% instead of -0.2%

His unique talents are:

• "Rise and Fight Again" activates only once per battle whenever ship HP drops to 10% and provides 2% per second healing for five seconds.
• "Tria Juncta in Uno" (lol - tripe whenever they use fancy language) triggers thrice whenever dealing 60,000 damage, increasing ships speed by 2% and consumables by 5%.

No portrait yet but I found this decent formal portrait.

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October Digest #5

World of Warships

I expect this will be the last post for the month. Nothing special thus far. Same old same old. 

Becoming more accustomed and comfortable with the three PvE battle modes and switching from one to the other. Ran a variety of ships today trying to complete a couple of Incapacitation missions for the Liberty Harbour event. The pace earning those ribbons started low at first but picked up eventually.

Today I ran Kitakaze, Salem, Defence, Libertad, San Martin, and A. Nevsky. The last performs well in Operations while all fared good to excellent in Asymmetric. Pointless playing Co-Op as it's always crowded at Tier X level and you don't always get the results you're after because it's always first-in, first-kill. 

What surprises me though is the lack of the popular destroyers in Asymmetric, the Marceaus and the Klebers. Or even the Shimakazes. The ease with which you get a game in Asymmetric and Operations in a cruiser and destroyer would be a golden opportunity you'd think. But no, it seems battleships are the preferred flavour rather than having fun in a "fragile" cruiser/destroyer. 

Battleships in Asymmetric however remains the most popular choice which is understandable. Of the most popular choices, you'll see regularly C. Colombo, Schlieffen, Libertad, Pommern, G. Kurfurst. 

Schlieffen makes perfect sense and is ideal for Asymmetric: it has great secondaries, torpedoes, and can be quite tanky. G. Kurfurst is on the same level (minus the torpedoes). Its firepower can easily one-shot cruisers and even some mid- to low-health battleships; it does well however when not yolo-ing. Pommern is like the younger feisty cousin to Schlieffen; it's also one of my best go-to brawlers back in day when I played her a lot. But you need to be careful playing her.

One needs to understand that the key moment happens early on. The first contact is the peak point when the situation is the most vulnerable for you. Once weathered however it then becomes a question of being able to pace yourself while dealing to the surviving threat for which a Tier X battleships (top of the tier tree) makes perfect sense. 

Like I've said previously several times over, getting into Asymmetric in a cruiser or destroyer is so much easier than queuing with a battleship. It's almost instant entry. 

The number of times I've played with Napolis, Michelangelos or Salems is a fairly common situation. And there is a simple reason why: the listed ships can handle multiple threats very well. But seeing a San Martin, Aleksandr Nevsky, or even a Defence is uncommon however, and usually down to personal choice. 

Oddly enough, I've not used Ohio at all in the current iteration of Asymmetric. Previously it was my favourite go-to battleship for this mode. But as my priority this time around is commander upskilling I've not had the need to take her out. Maybe once done with the Liberty Harbour event, and time willing, I might take her for old times sake?

I am describing the situation at Tier X level of course. Lower levels will be quite different and sometimes more challenging.

Your opponent still hits hard however at those lower tiers. And they are still quite accurate, especially if you don't vary your speed and/or choose to sail in a straight line. Becomes quite evident when you become the target for focus fire, especially out in the open. Even an intervening island might not always work to your favour if you aren't literally hugging that cover.

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Today's grind was all over the place, as per usual. Focused mainly on upskilling A. Nevsky commander. Also played Ark Royal and Kitakaze for the rocket/bombs/torpedoes mission requirement. Only played the one game in Asymmetric with Kitakaze but it did well. Paired with a North Carolina on a flank and we were able to clear our zone before moving to the middle and finishing off the game. 

Play style with the Kitakaze in Asymmetric is simple: initially use its quick-firing gunfire long enough for the torpedo load up. Then pick your target - usually a single battleship. Loose off your first set then immediately hit the torp reload booster to activate the second set. This is then loosed off at a second target - again another battleship. Most times it is quite effective...I say most times because you have to time it right (usually before the enemy turn away en masse). 

Upgraded to a new level in Liberty Harbour and received John Barry, a 6-pt special commander. Plonked him on my Tier X destroyer Burrows. Because the new skipper is now on a tech tree line ship, one has to either spend XP or doubloons to complete assigned training. Or else play him under the free retraining scheme. In Barry's case, and opting for the free retraining, he has to earn at least three thousand five hundred commander XP before he can fully take apply his commander skill points. Gives me the opportunity to learn about vessel's capabilities. 

Researched the Liberty Harbour collection and discovered that the collection tiles associated with the harbour build will NOT complete the collection on their own merits. D'Oh! The shortfall will be made up of excess accumulated Naval Base Supplies tokens. But how many tokens per tile is not disclosed. Typical. So, I was wrong in my previous post. At least by upgrading early, you can then just play and accumulate as much Naval Base Supplies tokens as possible to cover the shortfall. EDIT: 7,500 naval base supplies = 1 collection tile. 

I've forgotten about the Blast From the Past battle mode. Meant to join in but got sidetracked with other modes. Not that it matters anyway because I hear it's not doing so well. 

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Another commander upskilled to 21 points, the one on Nevsky. Focus for the rest of the grind today was working on upskilling the commander of Salem. 

And then there's the completing of the Liberty Harbour missions (managed to Upgrade the Fuel Terminal allowing more Expeditions (free NBS tokens). As a result, ended up running Ark Royal and Libertad. More missions. Upgrade the Fuel Terminal to Level 3 to get bonus boosts. More missions mean more Naval Base Supplies tokens. 

Burrows free retraining took only a couple of games. Different playstyle. Slow load up of torps and reload. Decent enough damage nonetheless but nowhere as good as Kitakaze. Its gimmick is the long-running smoke that can be switched on and off. Makes for interesting melees (best hope you have supporting team mates close by; you don't want to be fighting isolated). 

Co-Op, as usual, was crowded at Tier X level so resorted to jumping into Operations or Asymmetric. The latter battle mode proved challenging because playing Salem requires focus all the time. In Operations, it's much the same although not as demanding as Asymmetric. It really does depend on the scenario. ECHO: Playing a cruiser meant getting into games was quicker than trying with a battleship.

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Thursday grind was a long one. Started around ten am and finished one am. Played through to finish the Dockyard Event and earned Lushun B. Which then unlocked a (surprise) bonus mission - earn 4000 BASE XP in either Lushun or Lushun B to receive 2500 doubloons AND 2500 steel. Mission unlocked is available for 14 days. 

Cannot emphasie enough: play cruisers or destroyers in Asymmetric. You are guaranteed quick entry. In my last game tonight, I saw seventy-odd battleships queuing up. I was playing Salem and got in almost immediately. Earlier in the day I was in the queue with Libertad for over a minute before I got in. 

One more thing: playing cruisers teaches you timing and cooperation. Your survival depends on good positioning play and skill in playing but most importantly on the cooperation and support of your teammates. If you can understand that, then you will make a great impact with your team mates who will appreciate it.

In all my Asymmetric game today, I only saw a Marceau once. Laffey was frequent and very useful at times. Even had a Tromp.

Of the cruisers, Jinan was a very popular choice along with the ubiquitous and powerful Napoli. Even Utrecht popped up a fair few times in his 'usual' spot of holding the middle. Got that spot myself a few times. Most times I would reposition to one of the flanks hugging an island while offering fire support to my flank mates. Only once did I stay in the middle retreating all the way before pushing forward as both flanks pressed and collapse the enemy's offense. 

Knowing when to push is a very important skill. If the enemy turn to retire, and your teammates are pressing hard from the flanks, push. But don't be in a rush; go slow. Always keep bow-in, and watch for crossfiring. Maneouvre to cover should that happen. Don't be afraid to switch from HP to AP and vice versa; situation will demand what shell type you use anyway.

In the Salem I found that citadel hits are most likely to happen against enemy cruisers presenting broadside by aiming at the enemy ships bow tip at the waterline level. Or just below the forward turrets - up to whatever impact is caused. Sometimes midships to target propulsion. Against battleships I always aim for the superstructure. Both AP and HP. 

Battleships - the usual suspects are quite common: Pommern, Schlieffen, G. Kurfurst, Libertad. You get appearances from the likes of Los Andes, Niord, Montana, Yamato, C Colombo, Thunderer. Even ships like Navarin, Kearsarge, Illinois, Louisiana, Georgia pop in from time to time. But no Ohio sighted yet. Which is odd. 

Thing is choose battleships with great secondaries and which hit hard with either HP/AP and which has a decent to fast reload. And a degree of manoeuvrability, if at all possible. 

Played the premium carriers Ark Royal and Bearn quite a bit today for both the Liberty Harbour and Dockyard Event missions. Bearn because one of Dockyard missions required scoring ribbon hits through bombing or skip bombing; Ark Royal for two roles: torp hits, and bombing or rocket hits. 

Focus all day and night was on completing the Dockyard missions. As per usual the 400 Base XP mission task took longest. Eventually was able to complete, and end the long session, because I kept playing Asymmetric which boosts Base XP earnings. Not as much as Randoms, Ranked or Brawls though but definitely more than Co-Op.

In Co-Op was playing Kalmar on the Haven map for the DD torp mission (Dockyard). Paired with a Farragut who suddenly began targeting me with his gunfire. And he kept it up as we moved off, and then began impeding me as we entered the combat zone by blocking or crossing my path. Don't know why. My reaction was quick however; I blocked and reported him for everything possible. No point in reacting in chat. Then left the area to him. Obviously wanted the glory for himself. Got two ship kills despite his best efforts to sabotage my play. If that's happening in Co-Op, then how much worse in Randoms where cooperation is the name of the game but only in one's dreams? 

Also completed a few Battle of Trafalgar mission tasks along the way. Will focus on them more tomorrow now that I have Lushun B.

Expect to obtain Bridgeport either tomorrow or over the weekend. The rest of the time will be spending accumulating enough Naval Base Supplies to swap over for the outstanding collection tiles and finally collect David Farragut.

Black Friday mission began today as well. It's actually the name for the bonus Lushun/Lushun B mission. 

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Quickly scanned the latest Devblog. Big sigh. New ships. Stupidly dressed in garish camo (as if dressed up fancy camouflage is going to improve your ship's performance or your skill level anyway!). 

More interested in the upcoming Christmas snowflake event. No change so I hear which is good. Why change something which happens to be quite popular with the majority.

Completed the Black Friday task using both Lushuns and got the steel and doubloons. 

Completed the Liberty Harbour build by spending doubloons and thus got Bridgeport. Learned that each collection tile costs 7,500 Naval Base Supplies tokens. For me, I'm needing nineteen more tiles to complete and grab Farragut for Bridgeport. Already earned four tiles through today's grind. 

Now I can finish off the Trafalgar mission tasks.

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Saturday's grind was a bit all over the place because completing some of the Liberty Harbour missions took far longer than planned. And I was limited by the ships selected for the task. 

Ran Salem, Utrecht, Gambia then Brisbane, Libertad, Bridgeport, and Castilla. The last worked best for the Incapacitation missions. 

Bridgeport is meh. It's gimmick is the main battery reload button. Only for one minute twenty seconds. Like the second branch of the US destroyers (Hughes to Burrows) smoke timer. You can switch on and off. Cuts down reload from around 13 seconds to 6.5 seconds. Prefer Atlanta and Salem because both have quicker reloads. 

Forgot Castilla had torps when first playing. Was concentrating more on its F button's burst fire function and did not notice until I was in a melee and and about to die as I was surrounded by enemies.  

Four more collection tiles obtained through the naval base supplies token exchange. Thirteen left to go. 

Playing the Defence of Naval Station Newport mission in Operations is straightforward once you understand the simple requirement. Which is patience. Don't go chasing the threats if you're a cruiser. Just stay in or around your spawn location and use your guns. Let them come to you. The forts do much the same so why aren't you? You last longer by doing this. Let the others go chasing their tails if they're inclined. And when the big battleships (Satsuma, Yamato, Preussen) come in the main attack, get under cover or move back or forth (don't remain stationary). Followed this tactic whenever I played this mission and managed to survive through to the end. Wins were more common too.

Did better in the Aegis mission this grind round. Still playing cruisers, kept back relying on gunfire and evasion. Choice of teammates means it's pot luck to be honest. Surviving and eliminating the enemy vanguard and then getting beyond the gap is when the problems amplify because of the next two main threats - the captured convoy escorts and a small intercepting force. Things is to deal to both quickly so you can recapture the convoy and escort them to the exit point. Dithering or taking your sweet time shortens the time between the arrival of the big battleships and a second intercepting force (closer to your exit point) puts pressure on your team. And you're outnumbered too so you need to turn the odds in your favour. 

Other missions like Cherry Blossom, Raptor Rescue, and Hermes can be straightforward. Survival is the main task. Enjoying a high success rate thanks to everyone understanding what's required. 

Been playing The Ultimate Frontier mission in a cruiser so always spawn on the bottom end of the map and have to rendezvous with the others at the base to the north of the map. Taking out the destroyers and small force of battleships and cruisers is the first task. Knocking off the enemy cruisers entering from the right is the second. Heal up if needed. Then survive the several attacks from all over before facing off against the big battleships (usually Maine) and escorts (including a swarm of destroyers).  

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Sunday grind. Thankfully short several hours grind. Played Ark Royal, Salem, Castilla, San Martin.

Castilla is an interesting and strong enough ship, strong enough to charge in or hold a flank/middle. Played her in Asymmetric and she did well enough. San Martin is not as strong but useful in her own manner; play carefully however. 

Gets frustrating playing carriers which I admit I don't enjoy. However it's necessary in order to complete the Liberty Harbour mission demanding any quantities of bombs/rockets ribbons. Eight collection tiles left to acquire. 

Last Battle of Trafalgar event mission to go. 

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Finally got the monkey off my back regarding the Aegis mission in Operations. Played the Libertad and was stationed on the extreme left. Instead of playing it passively, decided to go on the aggressive by ignoring the vanguard and sailing towards the intercept force to the north. Had some help from a sub and cruiser. Further backed up by another battleship. Meanwhile the rest of our team took care of the vanguard while our small force dealt to the intercept force. Surprising, our force commander (in the Shchors) was still alive. Then our small force sailed for the map edge to await the enemy battleships (both Yamatos). While the cruiser (Napoli) dealt to one Yamato on its own, myself and the others dealt to the other and the third (G. Kurfurst). Our offensive strategy paid dividends as we were able to recover the convoy and escort it to safety. Just in time as a large third force showed up. And, surprise surprise, our force commander was still alive. 

Playing aggressive only works if you get cooperative teammates who understand the mission brief. Noticed that playing aggressively or taking out the intercept and vanguard early helps immensely. And remember a few times seeing a lone teammate in a battleship or sub heading north to tackle the intercept force. So being proactive does work provided the rest of the team is on board or cooperative. 

Four more collection tiles left to go. So, probably one or two more days? 

Played Salem, Kitakaze, Kalmar, K. Schonberg, Castilla, Brisbane, Atlanta, Libertad to fulfil the various Liberty Harbour missions. That meant playing all three battle modes - Co-Op, Operations, and Asymmetrics. 

Kalmar is strong at Tier V. Has no smoke but is a strong gunboat. Decent enough torps but she does not have enough of them.

K. Schonberg is okay. I am running my Hindenburg skipper on her for a while. Once he reaches 19-points I will switch him back to Hindenburg and grind from there.  

Loving the Kitakaze. Quick firing guns and potent torps. Just a long loadup and reload. But you have a torp reload booster. Looking forward to playing Harugumo, the Tier X upgrade. Not played Harugumo because she already has a 21-point Yamamoto skippering her. Kitakaze's skipper, once fully upskilled, will be my third or fourth Japanese 21-point captain.

In case you haven't figured it out, I've been running all my upskilling captains on available premiums because it costs nothing to transfer them in and train them. Unlike tech tree line ships. Initially figured to start at lower tiers mainly because running costs are cheap in Co-Op. But lately I've decided to return the captains to their assigned ships primarily to facilitate learning and becoming familiar with the designated ships. 

So, for instance, I've been running my assigned skipper for Salem (one of the Doe brothers) for a long time on both Marblehead and Marblehead Lima before returning him to Salem and continuing his upskilling. Lucky I did because I've become so attuned to Salem and know it well now. And it's a reliable go-to for both Operations and Asymmetrics. 

Currently upskilling another Pan-American captain for the San Martin. Started him first on the premium destroyer Jurua before returning him back to his assigned ship. Still coming to terms with the capabilities of this ship. Same can be said for my assigned captain on the Spanish Tier X cruiser Castilla. 

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Finally completed the Liberty Harbour collection (Tuesday). Relieved and appreciative of what's it's given me: playing higher tiered ships in various PvE battle modes has boosted my playing confidence as well as taught me how to play said ships in such environments.

But not every game was one of gratitude and fun. I got pissed off a couple of times when I logged into Asymmetric. The first time was when I was paired with a Kitakaze. I was in a Libertad. We were on the left flank of the Fault Line map (spawned in the north). Expected my teammate to last a lot longer than he did. Expected him to use his rapid fire to at least knock out the approaching enemy DD. But instead he just sailed straight and he died to a torp strike. Didn't even attempt to dodge. Or fire back. Bot player? Little I could do because elsewhere we were losing the fight. Besides the Kitakaze going down, the lone middle player was also dead. Only the right flank was putting up a fight. 

Next game, I immediately jumped on a Kitakaze. Inspired and angered by the Bot player. Scored four kills and survived the game. That victory and performance assuaged my anger somewhat because (a) I sailed straight into the cap and (b) took on the enemy DD, sunk the battleship, then farmed two more while (c) capping. 

But it rose again when I spawned in another Asymmetric game on the left flank this time paired with a Scarlet Thunder. We were up against two DDs - Mahan and Akatsuki, two cruisers - Hipper and Edinburgh, and two battleships. Sailed to the threat ready and with a plan but my teammate turned about as soon as he was spotted and fired upon and sailed off toward the middle like he was being pursued by hell hounds. 

I stay and managed to score a kill while keeping the enemy threat at bay despite them capping my flank. But I soon realised the flank was now vacant because the enemy were transferring to the middle and other flank. An Alsace was holding his cap all on his own. The other two teammates in that vicinity had already died by now leaving just us three.  

The Alsace asked for help in chat to which myself and the Scarlet Thunder (to my surprise) did respond by heading in his direction. Unfortunately the Scarlet Thunder, who was much closer than I, died before he could be any use whatsoever. I did not last much longer despite my best effort to contribute by loosing off a set of torps at the enemy cruiser but it dodged them and the enemy DDs congregating in the middle were able to zap me (I was on very low health) before I could get smoke happening. 

Despite these "moments of madness and grief" it was mostly a positive grinding session. 

Finished both the Battle of Trafalgar mission scoring the 6-point Cuthbert Collingwood, one of Nelson's admirals (he commanded the other van when they broke the Spanish-French line at Trafalgar), by playing the Marseilles, and the Liberty Harbour collection finally earning the 10 point David Farragut, an historical figure and one of Union's best admirals (David Porter was another), playing Libertad, Kitakaze, Ark Royal. 

Also managed to finally complete the last of the Campaign missions in the Zao. Do so love this ship despite it many varied flaws.  

Tomorrow (Wednesday) concentrating mainly on grinding Salem to 21 points. Will also likely take out other commander upskilling ships little or hardly used to get a feel for their handling. Ships like Worcester, Hindenburg, Halland, Gouden Leeuw, C. Colombo, Brisbane, and others. 

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PS: Just discovered today that once you've earned sufficient collection tiles to complete the Liberty Harbour collection and grab David Farragut who is a Seasoned commander by the way, you can continue to exchange Naval Base Supplies tokens for collection tokens. And then receive as compensation 45,000 credit per collection token. So, a cheap way to earn credits. 

October Digest #4

World of Warships

Rough mixed day at the office...Ran Salem, San Martin, Goliath, Castilla, and Kitakaze to fulfil Liberty Harbour, Dockyard and Battle of Trafalgar missions.

First time in a long long since I've taken Kitakaze out of port. Got reload down to 2.something seconds so that it was almost Groningen-level rate of fire. Slow torp reload however meant I had to use its guns early on to deal to the opposing destroyer (usually) first up. Once loaded up though that's when the fun began because I could loose off one set at one target and then use to the torp reload to loose off another set almost immediately at a secondary target. Double kills, especially against opposing battleships, is always satisfying. Once I've upskilled this skipper to 21-pt will plonk him on Shimakaze. 

Castilla has burst fire with longer reload (28.5 seconds). Useful at times. Trick I use is to use burst fire, then turn it off to bring reload back to 13 seconds before reactivating burst fire. 

Nothing special about Goliath. Nowadays it's been overtaken by other and newer cruisers. Kept it at a distance and relied on its excellent HP to farm opponents. Am considering swapping the commander over to Defence because it's a stronger vessel by comparison. 

Noticed today Tier X games in Co-Op was filled out with players. Weird or maybe I don't play Co-Op at Tier X level often enough to believe that this might be the norm? Loads of Marceau and Kleber too which seemed funny to me. A trend perhaps?

Trafalgar event means I also get the opportunity to take out both Marseille and Minotaur. Keen to see what the fuss is about a radar Minotaur while I've not really played the Marseille much if at all.

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Today's grind involved A. Nevsky, Defence, Kitakaze, Marseille, and Ark Royal in Co-Op, Operations, and Asymmetrics battle modes. Finish this week's Dockyard missions and managed to upgrade more Intermediate levels with the harbour build. 

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Just the two ships in today's extended and for the most part enjoyable commander skill upgrade - A. Nevsky and Salem. Played all three modes - Co-Op, Operations, and Asymmetric battle modes. Added the carrier Ark Royal to play out one of the Liberty Harbour missions. 

The Aegis mission in Operations at Tier X level can be tough. Especially today when the enemy vanguard consisted of the Yoshino and Harugumo. Just getting past them proved fatal as I quickly found out when I died very fast because I foolishly got too close to their withering focus fire. Expected some help because one of the early aims is ensuring the task force commander's ship survives past dealing to the enemy vanguard. But my teammates were hanging back as if...

In a later repeat, survived toward the end but our task force commander died before he even made the gap. What the...?!? What made it worse was some tool of a teammate (in a Libertad too) calling us all dogs in chat for not keeping task force leader alive. He himself didn't make it much further once we finally dealt to the vanguard. It made me all that aware that such toxic player behaviour is part of the reason why I don't participate in Ranked or Randoms. Often lapse back to my team sports playing days where teamwork was the whole point of team sports. But this is a pixel online game. Totally different arena. Totally different expectations. 

Thing troubling me was that the level of powerful battleships that we had could have easily knocked off the vanguard sooner rather than much later. Funny part, in that game where our task force commander died early, was that towards game's end there was just me in my cruiser, our carrier and our sub doing his valiant best to infiltrate and cause damage left. Our potent battleships - all four of them - died early and did not make it past halfway point (bar one but he was probably our best battleship player).

Did not know Ark Royal had guns. On the Two Brothers map advanced to help a teammate deal to an enemy battleship but drew too close to effectively launch my attack planes so figured to somehow play gladiator instead once I noticed the defensive guns kicking in the closer I got. Played the carrier like some lumbering Bob Semple tank against a 'modern' battleship. Hilarious to se and really expected to die quick but I survived. And we got the enemy ship...well, my teammate did. 

Reached Level 3 on Liberty Harbour. Wasn't prepared to accumulate the sixty thousand naval base supply tokens needed for the final upgrade so spent doubloons instead. Realised then that I don't want to continue playing the Liberty Harbour event any longer simply because effort is far greater than the value of the reward. Realised then that you can skip the grind altogether by just spending doubloons to reach all three levels. Then you will have completed the harbour, gotten Bridgeport, and collected David Farrgut. And sail on your merry way to the next event over the horizon. 

Finished the first week of the Trafalgar event yesterday. Nice change from the usual skipper grind because it allowed me to sail out other ships not usually deployed. Have yet to take out the Minoatur and test its known configuration - standard smoke or unusal radar. I see it so much on other YT streamers feeds that I already know it capabilities. But seeing and experiencing by association to actually driving are two totally different things, as we all know.

Marseille is an interesting ship. Did not fare well the times I took her out as it was really the first real time testing her. Familiarisation usually requires a week or so of devotion. Hope next week's missions will showcase her strengths, and I can improve. 

No new ships so far. In fact, no new ships this month. Not bothered however as I'm seriously done with this game. Just going through the motions albeit with some briefly high moments and mostly monotonous mind-numbing lows. The end of this year can't come soon enough at the moment. 

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October Digest #3

World of Warships

Upgraded my way toward Level 3 in the Liberty Harbour event today just before logging out. Initially baulked spending all that accumulated Naval Base Supplies tokens (old hoarding habit) but then realised I'm quitting this game at the end of the year. Pointless therefore to conserve so exchanged some Voyage tokens for dubs to upgrade my way to one intermediate level shy of Level 3. Once upgraded, I will upgrade the other sections at my leisure. Ample time due to playing daily.

Felt much more comfortable today playing A. Nevsky with my 19-pt commander. Expect to upskill him to 20-pt by the end of the week and then I can switch to my other 19-pt commander who is Seasoned (one of the Doe brothers) on Salem. If time free, I will then run Zao whose skipper is just 16-pt; but I do so love this ship. Priority though will be my 19-pt commanders of which there are three in total: the other one is on the Pan-American cruiser San Martin.

Flitted between Operations, Asymmetric and Co-Op without too much bother which felt good. Even keen to hook into it after taking a break to do some grocery shopping. 

Always a degree of trepidation whenever I step out of my comfort zone or realise that I will be earning my grinding stripes proper. But once immersed, that unease mellows pretty quick.

Nevsky shone in the Raptor (CV) mission. Led the way to the carrier then hung back close to the Engineer boat to facilitate healing up. Radar is very useful for pinpointing precise locations. 

Taking out the enemy cruisers is crucial in Asymmetrics. They pose more of a threat initially. Deal to them first up and the rest of the fight will become much more easier. 

Always keep one eye out for the rest of your team as you may suddenly find yourself all alone. Help out where you can; you never know when that assistance may be repaid in kind down the track. It costs you nothing to be a teammate but time and effort. 

Having played the Libertad and Karl XIV Johan in enough Asymmetric game, it is interesting to watch how others fare in her in the same battle mode. On the Shatter map, my Nevsky spawned to the north on the left flank with a K. Johan. Sailed south to the large island to my front and paused there using my radar to spot the enemy who seemed to congregate on the opposite side. I think they were expecting me to YOLO around in a blaze of glory. The K. Johan however sailed around the other (right) side and straight into heavy enemy fire. Half expected my teammate to brake and then pull back using his good guns and torps to do some damage as I would have done if my cruiser teammate had just revealed the enemy's location. But no, he blithely ignored my help and promptly died to the enemy's concentrated fire and torps. Left me to deal with the enemy on my own who chose at that point to push around my side en masse. I figured no point in hanging around and sailed happily to my death. My last view was of my remaining teammates on the far right sailing to the middle after taking care of their flank. 

Generally those who play the Libertad in Asymmetric understand the assignment and fare well. Those that die do so gloriously while those who survive and score high do so playing to Libertad's strengths. I'm glad I chose the secondary build upgrade instead of the recommended one for that slot. As stated in a previous post, scoring several hundred secondary hits at 12 km range is insane. 

Why not grind in Randoms or Ranked? Good question. Simple answer: not good enough and certainly not into being targetted by teammates trolling or trash talking you while you're trying to deal to a live opponent. Distractions I can do without even though I do get easily distracted. 

Asymmetrics is easily my favourite battle mode at the moment. I know exactly what I'm up against. No illusions. No expectations either. You can rely on teammates only so far; the rest of the way is on you. To contribute. To participate. Playing passively is not the way to go. Playing smart however is your only goal. Know when to push. Know when to back off or stay hid under cover. Where possible engage with your secondaries; their contributions can never be underestimated. 

Operations offer variety of scenario missions that test your ship's capabilities as much as showcase your own skill level. Sometimes you lose. Other times you win. Contribution is up to you and your decisions. Knowing the objectives can never be overlooked. 

Even in Co-Op, I always play the objective(s) unless it's blatantly obvious which is more important. Prioritise. 

Wow, six years of playing this game has taught me much...and yet so little. Perhaps the greatest lesson learned is that it is just a game after all. That's always been my attitude towards games whether on the sporting field or currently with online and tabletop gaming. Play to enjoy. Always. So the propaganda tells me. 

Yada yada...knowledge already known to many who play WOWS regularly. Guess that's why I'm quitting end of the year. Nothing new here, folks. Cheers...

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Waking up unexpectedly and playing pissed off is never a good thing. But circumstances being what they are, it's all there is until things settle down. 

Resumed grinding my 19-pt commander on A. Nevsky in Asymmetric. Started off badly (still pissed off) and it showed in my poor performance so switched over to San Martin. Stronger cruiser somehow. Luck changed. Improved. Finished off the daily grind on the Libertad to again complete another 350 secondary mission task. Finding this Pan-American battleship to be OP as heck some times. 

In the last game for the grind, just myself and a Yamagiri left to face off against the six enemies. While the Japanese supership kept her distance and provided useful crossfire with both guns and torpedoes, I sailed boldly toward the enemy from my flank which I had cleaned up with another Libertad. My flank comrade died fairly quickly leaving me to finish off the remaining enemies - a North Carolina and a Richelieu - and a cruiser (name forgotten).   

Anyway, sailed toward the remaining enemy who had capped the middle and far cap circles. Lucky for me they came at me one at a time. Not that it really mattered as I was fairly confident this game was over. 

It's a cocky attitude to have I know but that's how much faith I have in this ship in this battle mode. 

Stayed bow-in all the way as I closed the fight. Took damage as sailed to close but it was not as severe as if I had opened up my angling exposing my vulnerable broadside. Used my secondaries effectively which easily whittled down the enemy HP. Scored a couple of battleships off my secondaries pounding away mercilessly. 

Needless to say, we won despite the odds. Yamagiri capped off the win by finishing off the last enemy - Le Fantasque with her guns. Well played sir.

Note: At a certain point, the enemy will veer away after initially "charging" at you. It's in the makeup of this game setup. If you can weather that rush, and score kills (ie take out the cruiser/destroyer threat), that veering away will turn into a retreat. But if they get you first, then they will turn about and press on to your now-vacated post. 

Liberty Harbour. Fifty days left to run on the event. Be mindful of that time frame in case you ever feel the need to "sprint" your way to the finish. Over one and a half month's worth. Ample if you play daily and suffer no time playing restrictions. Even if constrained by time or life obligations (work, family) all you need to complete are the daily missions which should suffice for progressing your way to the end.  

You need to complete all the upgrades - Operation Command, Naval Command, Fuel Terminal, Military Port - to successfully finish the build. Each sector consists of three major upgrades and ten intermediate ones. Advancing requires spending Naval Base Supply (NBS) tokens. You need a fair amount for each harbour sector. You can fast-track (as with every WOWS event) by spending doubloons if you have them to spare. 

The harbour build upgrades offer Collection tokens. You need sixty to complete the collection. Reward is a historical American naval figure, David Farragut. Name I'm familiar with through my American Civil War gaming. 

Completing all twelve sector upgrades earn Memory Notes. Collecting Memory Notes count towards obtaining the ship reward Bridgeport.

Note: you can compete in either one or both Commands. Up to your personal inclination or preference. I am concentrating solely on Operational Command daily missions.

Operational Command is for all PvE missions. At present I am one intermediate phase shy off the Level 3. Needing sixty thousand NBS tokens before that happens however. Figure to upgrade all the others before accumulating the necessary final amount. That's the way it's got to be sometimes.  

Naval Command is for all PvP missions. Halfway between Level 1 and 2. Needing fifty five thousand NBS tokens in total to reach Level 2.

Fuel Terminal provides boosters that unlock extra missions for either Operational, Naval or Military. Two intermediate levels shy off Level Two.

Military Port is like Festival token bonuses - you get something for nothing; you just have to have enough ships to contribute to the expeditions being offered. One day missions are preferable if wanting the reward the next day. Same progress status as the Fuel Terminal.  

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Becoming more and more comfortable flitting between Operations and Asymmetric modes for variety and a change of pace. 

Today I was able to upskill my San Martin commander to 19-pt and the A. Nevsky commander to 20-pt. 

Finally took out my Salem commander, primarily to get a 100 incapacitation ribbons mission - one of sixty, the other of forty - after initially running both Libertad and Utrecht and not getting them quick enough. But Salem knocked them off fairly quick. 

Liking the Salem so far and looking forward to grinding her in Asymmetric where I believe she will do well. Her guns do damage for sure and looking to exploit that. In Co-Op she's a beast but that's Co-Op.  

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Stardew Valley

Marching toward Perfection with my third character is taking a lot longer than anticipated; just need to buy the ten million gold clock. At five million plus so far. Need to grow more money crops or something. Even with the farm on Ginger Island growing pineapples, it's taking a long while (both in-game and time spent playing). 

Everything else however is all done. Whoop-de-doo!

Current character is farming on the standard farm setup with the mineral quarry onsite. So there is little free land available for farming. Crops are sparse and has to compete with the row upon row lightning catchers. Fortunately the past spring and summer have been wet ones with lots of storms so useful. 

The cellar has one hundred casks for wine and cheese aging. Think I can increase the number but not going to mess with the current configuration. I could boost the quantity of Fairy Dust so as to fast track the cask yield but need lots of Mystic Tree sap for that. Fortunately there's available land at the Railway Station/Spa area. Will see how I go tomorrow night.

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Did not progress far tonight (Monday). Couldn't get the enthusiasm up to make any inroads towards planning. Same old same old mood overwhelmed me. Maybe tomorrow?

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You get odd requests sometimes so it pays to have at least one of each item that is foragable. Even trash has its uses. Like tonight, from my racoon neighbours - three topaz and one rusty spoon please! Certainly. I'll just pluck it out of my a*se. Learned that lesson from way back when I got a similar request for some trash and one other item which both took several in-game days (turns) to fulfil. Raced back to the farm, collected the items requested instantly, returned, exchanged for my reward - some more Fairy Dust. Needing one hundred so I can fast track Starfruit Wine aging in casks. And thus hasten the gold earned. 

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Online PC Games

Going to grab the Into the Dead zombie game soon. Saw Jingles video and while hooked I will pause jumping in impulsively. Not a fan of zombie themed games for some reason. 

Re-examining some historical-themed online games in my Steam library. There are a few games that should provide decent alternative options to WOW. Operative word is "should". None will have the same personal impact as WOW has. Nor longevity. But that's expected. And it will be hard. And none will have the same naval appeal as WOW.

These include Scourge of War - Remastered, Napoleonic themed; Scourge of War - Gettysburg, refighting the famous American Civil War battle; Field of Glory II Medieval, covers the whole Medieval period. And finally Command Modern Operations which covers the modern era from late twentieth century onward.

Not really into skirmish games although I do enjoy playing it on the tabletop. Tabletop wargames such as Blue Max/Canvas Eagles, Rapid Fire/Rapid Fire II, Charlie Don't Surf/any TFL games - to name a few - fulfil that niche very well thank you. Online games like Holdfast Nations and Counterstrike are online equivalents. 

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Tabletop gaming modelling

Really dragging the chain on these ECW figurines. Never enthusiastic about the period in the first place. My lifelong favourites have always been Napoleonic, American Civil War, and World War Two.  Always bypassed the period despite the colourful spectacle that it was. By inclination, I have always been a Royalist (loads of Sunday matinees probably had some influence); believed Cromwell to be a grand usurper. Unfortunately that favouritism is NOT helping me finish off this list that I've had for over a year now.

The Borodino Project was a one-off that evolved from a simple original desire to paint some Westphalians. Yet it snowballed into the massive venture that it became. And I am never going to ever repeat that endeavour again. Ever. And that begs the question: what else is there if you've already done something on this grand scale? For when I look at my unfinished work bench, I fear seeing Borodino Project resurrect itself and repeat.

Not having a live opponent to wage a very English civil war does not help for sure. I was wrong to commit when I did long ago. I regret that. But then there is that part that nudges me and say, "get on with it. It is what it is..." Trouble is, I wish I could shoot that internal voice sometimes. Silence is golden. 

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Tabletop Naval Wargaming

The problem with the tabletop naval wargame rulesets I possess is they're too long, wordy, and involved. The complexity might appeal to me on a certain level but I prefer simplicity and ease when actually playing. Which is why WOWS holds such a great appeal.

But the immediate problem with simplicity is it's very difficult to express in real life because of its inherent complexity. It's the trap that grabs every single ruleset of any complex design. Expressing that lengthy wordy involved rules into something coherent yet simple enough to be played easily can be a tricky wire balancing act. And it might never be truly resolved because of the simple contradiction.

That contradiction are the two core words: simple and easy. 

But adapting oneself to understanding and then implementing such involved rulesets may seem to approach the intent and meaning of those two words. Familiarity and continued usage (experience) aid that process. But is it really simple? Or easy? 

To an outsider, at first it may look a mess, a jumble of meaningless words. An obstacle. To those on the inside however it evolves into something familiar and therefore usable. 

It's a continual struggle I wrestle with whenever I pick up my favourite tabletop naval wargame rules. I don't play often enough so the familiarity and ease of play is forced and unnatural. Which leads to frustration and confusion. Bitching about the rules helps in some way - releases the tension generated. 

Yet, and it remains the forever appeal, I love the look of naval miniatures, whatever the period. I love the game. And it's why I continue, and will continue, to remain steadfastly loyal to it. Even as I approach my seventies. 

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Off-Topic - Cooking

Discovered a cheap lunchtime meal several weeks ago. Combine 2 minute noodle (I use chicken flavoured) with dried Laksa soup in a saucepan of water. Bring to the boil, stirring often. I sometimes add diced or shredded pieces of cooked chicken. Don't let the mix overboil. Once the noodles are fully absorbed by the steaming hot water, remove from heat. Always let it sit for a minute or two to allow the whole blend to fully settle. Then pour into a sturdy bowl. Sprink some chopped parsley or chives. Voila. A warming lunchtime meal in under five minutes. Hot, spicy, tasty. 

I sometimes substitute with Dutch Curry soup flavour. With the beef noodles, I combine them with Mushroom Soup. Dark, earthy, warming. I even throw in real sliced mushrooms to enhance that earthy tone. Mind you, don't add deathcap mushrooms as they can cause an upset tummy. 

And who can go past that old Kiwi favourite for snacking - onion soup dip. Aldi are currently running a Kiwi-themed section. Grabbed Nestle Reduced Cream and Maggi Onion Soup satchets and hurried home to make up this old favourite. Don't forget the dash of vinegar. Mmm.

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