May Digest #4

SurrounDead

Today was a "pull the train" discovery episode, so to speak. Discovered I could tow multiple vehicles. 

Picked up two vehicles in quick succession: an SUV and another modified Utility. The RV did a fine job. I was in the south-west corner heading to the last Primary infestation area but ended up picking these vehicles instead. 

Also took out a Coyote team not far from the Observatory. They were scrounging a downed military helo not far from their base. The approach was done carefully and after a quick initial recce, I attacked. Had little trouble using my grenade launcher to wipe nearly all followed by good old 7.62 support rifle fire with my Guardian. 

Running into more bandit groups and dealing to them with little to no trouble. Was heading to the safe zone when I happened upon a bandit group (more than four) ambushing a medical truck. Dealt to them easily enough and then scavenged the med supplies for resale at the Safe Zone just metres away.

Speaking of bandits I've encountered a couple of bandit bases by accident in my travels. Scored plenty of loot and supplies including legendary weaponry, attachments, access cards, and laptops after easily taking them out. Which is where having the grenade launcher comes in really handy as a valuable weapon asset. Don't care what other weapon you take but having the grenade launcher is essential because it allows you to cause damage from a relatively safe distance.

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Not far from the Redacted Airfield is another Redacted facility next to a mountain. Think NORAD.

It's a Level 3 radioactive area so plenty of breathing filters and lots of pills are crucial to survival.  

Clearing the facility is fine, not a problem. Knocked off the General zombie boss (why couldn't they be a corporal or second lieutenant?). Took out the turret guns positioned in certain locations. Was careful of the mines strewn about to the approach and entrance. Cleared all the buildings and looted a fair bit of weaponry. Knocked off the CCTV that watching me throughout. Then I noticed the huge blast door and tracks leading into them. That's when I got real curious. Spotted the small side door entrance. 

But as soon as you pass through this side door entry (need access card), you run straight into the alerted Coyote guards. Was able to escape because they weren't guarding the door but they came rushing towards me from some distance down the tunnel. I managed to take them out without suffering too much damage. And then decided discretion was the better part of valour and vamoosed out of there with my loot and life. 

I was both surprised and not surprised by their presence. The facility is some distance from their Observatory homebase and an important site. What are these fine fellows guarding? How did they get there? I suspect there is a network of underground access that Coyote have somehow uncovered upon moving into the area. Or else they took over these important locations early on and are guarding them in force. Anyway, I will be going back.

Not far from the site is an abandoned gun shop that I can utilise as an overnight base (if not taking the RV). Reason for this is there is a Primary Infestation area that needs clearance not far from the Redacted military facility. Both locations are on my current investigate-thoroughly-and-clear-out-totally list. 

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WOWS

Played both Operations and Asymmetrics today. Latter battle mode is still doable despite recent supposed changes. Was expecting a tougher combat based on the recent hoopla from the community about the nerfing but it turned out to be a fizzer instead. I encountered no real problems when I took my favourite ship for this battle mode - the Tier IX premium Karl XIV Johan. 

With Operations I ran Tier X German steel battleship Mecklenburg. Came close to getting 2 million potential damage on a couple of occasions which is a task needed to earn an Azure Lane comic crate to complete this particular mission run. No go unfortunately. Next time maybe. 

Otherwise it was another dull Co-Op commander upskill grind. Played both Kamikaze & Guilio Cesare for a short while before switching up to Operations and Asymmetrics. 

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Went back for a second evening session. Asymmetrics and Operations. Completed the Dockyard mission task for last week. New one starts tomorrow. 

Improved my record of sinking 8 ships in one game. Twice. Yay... Came close a few times trying to score 2 million Potential damage but proving elusive for now. One day, Roger Fitch!

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Thursday session was the usual continuation of the usual commander upskill grind. Played Guilio Cesare, Mecklenburg, Karl XIV Johan in both Co-Op and Operations battle modes. 

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Earning 60,000 BASE XP is a tough ask at the best of times. This is part of the last mission for the Dockyard Event. And it rewards one Dockyard token. 

Fortunately I made the decision to grab the two packages allowing me to skip eight phases and thus earn the final reward - Tier X German premium destroyer ZH-1 - earlier as a result. So I don't really need to grind the BASE XP mission. But for those who did not buy the early packages, this mission task is a bit challenging. 

And the 250 steel would be welcomed as a bonus reward. So I will grind for it. Or attempt to before the time runs out. 

Finally noticed the offer in the Hunt for Bismarck page advertising the offer of 600 Wharf tokens for AUD1.51. Figured why not? Paid the price and got a ship first go - the Tier VIII British premium destroyer Cossack. Fortunately I have it in port already so got 320 Wharf token compensation instead. 

With all these tokens I decided to have some fun and spent some more. Got credits, economic bonuses, and permanent camo. Did not spend all the Wharf tokens however. Got some left over for tomorrow. Not expecting one of the touted ships (Prince of Wales or Bismarck '41) since I only have 200 tokens left which is only good enough for four tries at the Wishing Wharf. The best I am hoping for is maybe another ship that I already have in port so I can keep playing. Tomorrow I will find out.

Played Cossack because it unlocked a new common mission with the 200% economic bonuses rewards. Played it alongside the Narai with ships contributing to the Dockyard missions.

Given up bothering about the Azure Lane Comics mission of earning 2 million HP Potential damage. Came close several times but it's a challenge, especially in Co-Op, that I am unable to complete. With only a week left and several ALC missions subsequent, I won't get a chance to earn more "wonderful Azure Lane Comics collection tiles". Woe is me!

There is a new Battle of Jutland Common mission that began this week which requires playing British or German ships for crates and permanent camo. So, playing Cossack today fit that criterion nicely. 

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Finished the Battle of Jutland Common Mission and obtained the rewards.

Spent the last of the Wharf tokens. No ships sadly. Contemplating getting some more Wharf tokens for more chances at a ship. There is one bundle available offering 30 chances. Even if no ship, lots of chances for more resources which I won't say "no thanks".

Logged out close to the halfway mark of earning 60,000 BASE XP. Playing daily at a rate of 8,000 BASE XP earned for the next ten days is an achievable goal. Which means I will likely finish this tough challenge (playing PvE). 

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May Digest #3

English Civil War

After setting up my ECW lists on a table (parade-style) the other day (Friday), I got so enthused by the sight of their display that I actually decided do some work on my Royalist list languishing on my hobby desk. 

Sticking with my original listing of Cary's Horse, Prince Rupert's Horse, Northern Horse, Prince Maurice's Dragoons, and Queen's Horse. Staying with my modified four-stand cavalry unit style (for Royalist at least) with 2 figures per stand. It's the representation rather than the historically accurate simulation that's more important to me at the moment. 

Also going to simply plant the unit's standard/cornet into the base instead of devoting one single converted rider for that. Necessity is forcing this approach which I personally don't mind. Will have to see if it pans out. It already does so in my mind, but you know how it is with what's imagined and what is real sometimes.

Decided to add another Parliamentarian cavalry unit that's long intrigued me - Hasselrig's Cuirassers. Have enough cuirassiers to achieve this.

Spent today (Saturday) away from the PC and it was a glorious day to be honest. I actually sorted out the bases - using the light craft wood obtained from Bunnings yonks ago. A substitute for balsa that intrigued me at the time. Attached these to the assembled cavalry and flocked a couple for visual impact. Happy with the result so will continue once the PVA glue dries out fully on the rest of them.

Will eventually make a start on the long-planned but oft delayed Royalist artillery and attendant Firedrakes. 

Finally add pikes for some of the Royalist pikemen that were hastily assembled without pikes. 

Then it's on to the promised fine detailing on several units and individuals before mass flocking both sides. Hope to have some finished shots over the coming days/weeks in time for their "march out parade" where loads of pretty photos will taken. Cheers.

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Sunday was a relaxing day doing some more ECW work. Grabbed the Royalist infantry to flock and do some finishing detailing on certain command stands. 

From left to right: one of the Royalist wing commanders (Sir Marmaduke Langdale, commanding the Royalist Left Wing comprising Cary's Horse and the "Northern Horse"). Behind him are two aides/couriers who will be attached to Prince Rupert, the Royalist army commander. 

Then begins the infantry lineup. First is Tiller's Foot. Next to them is the King's Foot, then Prince Rupert's Foot. Both units form the Reserve commanded by Charles I. Duke of York's Foot (red and black standard) is next. It belongs, along with Tiller's Foot, to Lucas' tertio which is part of the Centre Wing commanded by Lord Astley.

Above shows the Hopton's Foot (red flag) along with Talbot's Foot and next to them is Bard's Foot. Talbot's Foot is an add-on and will most likely join the reserve. The other two foot units belong to Bernard Astley's tertio, also part of Lord Astley's Centre Wing (all-infantry).

Unit above is Hasselrig's Cuirassiers, the new additional Parliament elite cavalry unit. 

With the cavalry it was first organising them into proper units which was done yesterday. Today was painting the bases a base green before flocking. Then base coated the individual horse - burnt umber for the troopers, white/grey for trumpeter, black for officer.

Next stage will be to individually paint the numerous figures accordingly. Basecoated those unpainted a quick matt white for now. Will return to these next weekend. 

Below unit is the Queen's Horse.

Above image shows a mostly flocked unit which is Cary's Horse (left). Behind it will be either Northampton's Horse or Washington's Dragoons. Most likely the latter for balance.

Above shows a unit in buff coat which is the Northern Horse with Prince Rupert's Horse behind it. 

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Wet weather set in strong today (Monday) meant more hobby time. Further work on the Royalist cavalry done. Slow progress though. Realised that really cheap-ass craft paints are really shit hobby paints and should be avoided at all costs. But I persevere because I can and because I have boxes of thee cheap-ass craft paints. Of course, some craft paints are better than others. But nothing beats proper hobby paints which I have but would rather save for other models. 

Priority today was flocking the bases. Rather than detail everything and then flock, as one might do so normally, I decided to do it in reverse order. A change I was determined to action because I ad done so with the Royalist infantry and wanted to continue with the cavalry. One less thing to worry about later. 

Trio of photos above in descending order: Image 1 - Cary's Horse (Royalist), Hasselrig's Cuirassiers (Parliament); Image 2 - Northern Horse & Queen's Horse (Royalist); Image 3 - Washington's Dragoons & Prince Rupert's Horse (both Royalist). 

With the rain expected to settle in for the next few days, am hoping to finally get this lot completed. Then I can make a start on the Royalist artillery and firedrakes. 

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WIP status. Nearly done. Next major effort will be the cavalry standards. Well, that's the plan.

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Turn of the Parliamentarian force to get the flocking treatment. Once all done - flocking and final detailing, it's finally the turn of the Royalist artillery and firedrakes. Lol.

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World of Warships

Last night's (Friday/Saturday) all-nighter was long but worthwhile as it allowed a pleasant change from my usual routine of daily grinding a few hours. I actually got some tabletop modelling done at a leisurely pace for once. Welcome change in routine.

As stated, last night I finally finished off the Dockyard event and scored the new Tier IX premium German destroyer ZH-1. Will most likely take out for her maiden sea trials over the next few days.

Haven't bothered to read the latest devblog for Update 15.3 or 15.5. Not really interested to be honest. Feeling quite flat about the game and have been feeling so for a while now. Will participate in whatever event WG has lined up but not interested in knowing beforehand as to what's on offer. Perhaps for the best.

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Today was a quiet grind Monday. Did enough to earn the Event Pass bonus then logged out. Played Marblehead, Prins van Oranje, Exeter. Doing so to continue my commander upskill grind. 

Interesting ship is Exeter. A Tier V premium, it does enough damage with both HP & AP. Torps are useful when played well although they are slow. Useful that they can fire singly or as a spread which is good for surprising an enemy that is quite maneouvrable. No smoke but she has hydro. And her guns are deterrent enough for all but the strongest battleships. Make sure to angle her whether kiting or angling in to prolong your life. 

Marblehead is just another Omaha. Nothing unique other than her guns can do some damage to any unsuspecting cruisers presenting broadside. And her torps are slightly better than Exeter but it's her guns I like. Fairly reasonable reload.

As for the Prins van Oranje, its twelve guns can molest any ship it chooses to target. And her bombers can whittle down an enemy ship's HP foolish enough to park behind an island. As I did with two ships on one map today - took out at AL Cheshire in that manner, and then an Iowa (which had half health left when the bombers made their run). 

Tomorrow it's the turn of Graf Spee, Kamikaze R, K. Schonberg, Viribus Unitis, P. E. Friedrich. Time to see how they perform as I aim for either the Event Pass bonus or daily Coal loot boxes (all three).  

Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and bloody repeat. 

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Quiet Wednesday. Tired but played nonetheless. Ran Kamikaze, Narai, Leipzig today.

Leipzig has strong AP. It's 10km torps are good for area denial and forcing enemy ships into your killing zone. The other two are familiar to me and I simply played them to their strengths. More of the same tomorrow with the same ships.

Next Dockyard event kicks off tomorrow. Playing for the steel but not too fussed if I miss out. 

Yeah, the next Update 15.4 features changes that will appeal to those with cash to spend. But for the rest of us, it's wait until Christmas for a chance at these overpriced ships. Expect to fork out over AUD100 per new ship, in some cases, more. So, no thanks. I will slowly grind for the daily loot rewards and resources. 

I get to try out Operations once more (one of the next Dockyard mission tasks). Know of recent changes so keen to see what and how. 

Asymmetrics is being withdrawn...again. A popular mode, it's now been nerfed in terms of rewards while the foe are now stronger and more AI independent. Which means you have to play more carefully instead of simply charging in guns a-blazing away as you might have done in the past. 

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Lol. WG's Update 15.4 kicked in properly today. Hard pass for me. So nothing new to report apart from continued commander upskill grind. Same ships as yesterday. 

New Event pass. New Dockyard missions. Same-old same-old. Summa summa. Rinse and repeat. Mind switched off. 

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Lol. The Hunt for Bismarck freebie enticed me enough to grab the Bounty Hunter bundle. Active for 24 hours or until you complete specific mission attached to it. Only thing is I will be playing Co-Op until it expires. Doing this to grab the limited resources being offered. See what unfolds.

Played both the Leipzig and Narai. Really comfortable with the latter. Still reacquainting myself with the former which I haven't played in a long while. 

Yay, the weekend is almost upon us.

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After a weekend of no play due to internet suddenly crashing and waiting for service person to call today (Monday), I noticed one thing - nothing bloody changed. Played both Narai and Leipzig to complete two of the Dockyard mission tasks. Another four to go.

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Naval Wargaming (not WOWS)

Keen to get back to some historical naval wargaming. Plenty of scenarios from the various rulesets I own that I'm keen to test out. Finding both the time and re-familiarising myself with the rulesets has always been the problem to which there is no real long-term solution apart from making time and playing as often as I possibly can. If I can do this with my WOWS (more out of habit rather than desire), I can do the same with my tabletop wargaming hobbies which have been badly neglected for such a long time now.

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One Page Rules

Been looking for a way to recycle my existing Warhammer 40K and Fantasy figures dusting away on my shelving. This might be a way to do so having just been introduced to this ruleset by a comment on my local hobby blogsite forum. 

I do like that they offer 3D printed models (and the files too) so the cost of minis are reasonably priced for the average wargamer.

I already know of Kings of War but never really cliqued to it when it first came out (I was still enamoured with GW's 8th edition at the time). Mind you, I was also testing out other rulesets over time such as Dragon Rampant as my devotion to GW waned and then died with the advent of 9th edition and major changes. Change for change sake is annoying when corporations attempt it.

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SurrounDead

Been playing offline since we lost internet before the weekend. Things of note in playing off-line. 

(1) Don't open multiple laptops and then die. You will lose all those "golden opportunities" which is either ELIMINATION (Coyote outposts marked with red shotgun) or CLASSIFIED documents (yellow crates as marked on map). Open them as and when needed. I therefore keep a few in each of my three 'favourite' vehicles - the RV, the modified utility, the ordinary utility - when I want a change in fortunes.

Taking the Coyote outpost out is made easier with the grenade launcher in your arsenal. Of course you can get "assistance" from hordes of zombies that serve as distractions as the above outpost found out when I happened upon it. Distracted by the zombies I was able to easily wipe them out using my trusty grenade launcher followed up by rifle fire cleansing.

(2) Weather changes happen abruptly. One minute it's fine and not a cloud in the sky, next minute you're driving in a rainstorm. Or fog suddenly descends for a few hours These weather changes can all happen within a few yards and is most noticeable when driving. Had that phenomenon happen several times which was disconcerting, especially when clearing a primary infestation location or taking on a bandit main base. 

(3) Creek Prison (below) is best entered from the side hole (right side when looking from main road or third image down)). Front door beware as the zombie boss is at the end of the corridor by the stairs. You will need access keys to enter both the front and through the side. Clear all the levels and individual cells as required. Loads of loot. Roof contains the special loot box. Don't detonate the unexploded bomb in the courtyard.

(4) Generating new ammo is simple. Collect as much scrap metal (scavenged burnt out vehicles), convert to refined metal (3 for 1), deconstruct unneeded ammo (either 9mm or 12 gauge) to collect the gunpowder, then construct your grenades or different rifle calibre rounds. With the latter, there is one more step - creating blank round casings. For me, however, it's the grenade rounds for my now-reliant and utterly dependable grenade launcher. 

Still on the prowl for a rocket launcher. Scored some rocket rounds but I want plenty for when I take on the Coyote Militia at their Observatory home base. Feel I'm going to need them. Have plenty of sniper rifles to tackle the abundant snipers thereabouts. Marking them on the map will be interesting as nothing is necessarily fixed unlike certain locations: for me, the Coyote defences will be fierce and it will be fluid. Everything changes daily. Zombies respawn daily so I expect Coyote militia killed one day may resurface the next, and not always in the same location when first killed.

Overthinking it? Probably. Doesn't hurt to do so sometimes.

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May Digest #2

World of Warships

Interesting moment that stuck with me enough to mention it tonight. Throughout today's session I would look at the various combat missions I'm involved in to check on my progress. Noticed this particular VE day mission (image below) was ticking over nicely throughout the session. Expected to grab the reward because it was close to completion before logging out. But then it just stopped at the amount shown below. Stared at the screen for nearly half a minute expecting it to resume ticking over. But there was no change. So I took a photo to record the moment. 

Could be any number of reasons why it should just stop, so I reasoned to myself. In the end, however, I just shrugged it off and moved on. Expect it will "done and dusted" and activating on the last mission happening when I log back in tomorrow. 

My question though is if the amount targeted was ticking over nicely throughout the day, why did it suddenly stop/pause when so close to completion? A more suspicious fellow would, if eliminating glitches, believe WG is prolonging the end just to get more playing time. You know, the salt mine mentality. Anyway, that's my thought on the matter.

In my previous post I mentioned unlocking Level 2 of the Event Pass because I was close to obtaining the Monaghan, a ship I already have in port. As expected, when it happened, I received the usual credit compensation. But this time it was 1.05 million less than expected. And, to be honest, I expected this outcome. The value of the compensation keeps dwindling every year. Compensation for a Tier VI premium ship was 8.25 million credits two years ago; now it's 7.2 million credits.

There are complaints that WG is nerfing Asymmetrics so much so that it's almost unplayable: the BOTS play is now more advanced and, in going up against twelve lower-tiered ships, a team of five is going to have a hard time winning out. At the same time the rewards are being reduced. 

I can appreciate playing more advanced BOTS. It just adds that much more excitement for those wanting a more challenging run. But the rewards in the past made such a venture into Asymmetrics attractive for the resources rewards. And it was, and still is, fun. Nerfing them now will impact negatively upon player interest. But as someone commented recently, Asymmetrics was always a testing ground for BOT development. 

At least one isn't confronting flying submarines dropping aerial torps and smashing you into oblivion with cruiser guns at the same time in Asymmetric.

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In the grind to complete particular Dockyard event missions, I've been using the French Tier V premium destroyer Siroco from time to time and pleasantly surprised by her performance. Got one of the Honore brothers as skipper (part of my commander upskill program). 

Impressed by the potency of her AP. Which is significant given she's a destroyer. Stealthily I play her as a gunboat DD as her torps are adequate but not a weapon I overly rely upon in combat. It's her firepower for me.

She is quite capable of taking on cruisers when the need arises. With the Main Battery Reload Booster she can sink (mostly) any unsuspecting cruiser presenting broadside. Her speed and manoeuvrability is good too for evading any torps coming her way. While having no smoke can be a worry she more than makes up for this disadvantage with her fighting abilities if you play her right. 

In the same no-smoke class, the German Tier VI premium destroyer K. Schonberg has more torps per spread although they're slow. Good enough for area denial or sinking an enemy battleship, if able to get real close without dying. 

Like the Siroco her guns (both HE and AP) will do some damage to enemy DDs and some cruisers, and thus makes her a useful gunboat DD. And like her French counterpart, she has no hydro. Which makes playing her an interesting challenge/prospect for anyone game enough to run her like I do with one my commander upskill captains (trained for Hindenburg). 

It is a fact that it's a different playstyle with no-smoke gunboat DDs as opposed to the usual smoke torp DDs.

Unlikely to finish this week's Dockyard event mission by the time the next Dockyard mission unlocks because I don't earn enough XP in Co-Op. Unless I jump into Operations or Asymmetric mode which I am loathe to do. My present frame of mind is one of disinterest as I'm currently spending more time and focus on home maintenance (winter is a great time for all those little to-do house chores I've been putting off). When I play this game nowadays, I just switch off (for the most part) and grind. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. 

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Saturday was a short grind because I had other plans for the day. Slowly whittling down the Dockyard missions. Today was not a day of interest or involvement however.

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Sunday (Mother's Day). Fifteen games in Co-Op in Narai upon whom I am upskilling one of the Rong brothers - Quan. Elevated him to 18 points using ECXP. Will most likely send him to the reserve or one of the other Pan-Asian ships I like to play. His brother - Da - I have assigned to the Tier IX battleship Yimeng for now but haven't yet played him. Once raised to 21 points both brothers will join Sa Zhenbing as my trio of Pan-Asian 21 point Special commanders.  

Ten different AL ships sighted today: Yukikaze, Tashkent (twice each); Kearsarge, Richelieu, Bismarck, Hindenburg, Montpelier, Gorizia, Cheshire, Marco Polo (all once each). 

The VE Day mission must have completed last night because it was not showing in the Combat Missions. No Victory permanent camo reward even though I participated. I did receive two Signal containers. Probably compensation? Or something unrelated? I was disappointed though as I was really hankering for that Victory permanent camo reward. :) 

Seriously, the reward was 500 community tokens which was not received. 

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Monday's grind was running the Flint to trim down the required XP target for the Dockyard mission. Seven games played. Seven games too many.

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Tuesday's grind. Finished the cruiser mission (earn 130,000 XP). Now it's the turn of the destroyer (same task). Will likely finish in the year 2027.

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Thursday means a new Dockyard event mission unlocked. Finishing this will unlock the Tier IX premium German DD ZH-1. Worth grinding therefore. 

The Azure Lane crates are basically just collection tokens. Not bothering with them therefore as I thought they might contain ships. Fooled again.

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Friday's grind resulted in one more Dockyard mission task to go in order to grab the final reward. 

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Pull all-nighter (started Friday evening) to finish Dockyard mission. Got ZH-1 which I've yet to play.

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SurrounDead

Visited the Factory in tonight's session whilst scavenging for airdrops. Building is huge but pretty empty. I did discover the manhole access to the underground labyrinth at the back however. Ventured down on a quick recce. Obviously it showed evidence of being occupied by survivors but they're either all gone or dead by now as it was now occupied by zombie tenants keen to greet new visitors. 

Winter wonderland makes it sometimes a surprisingly beautiful landscape. Certainly a change of visuals from the usual greens and browns.

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Steam PC Games

Sampling a few demo games tonight (Wednesday) and will do so for next few days. Starting with Battlestar Galactica: Scattered Hopes. Nostalgia was the reason for downloading this demo. Hope it pans out as I do enjoy space games, especially of favourite tv series from the past. Playing through the tutorial is quite involved to begin with however. 

Expect it will take me a few playthroughs to fully absorb the instructions. Not my thing - going through the tutorial instructions - because there is so much to take on board the first time. And I lose interest real quick if it doesn't grab me first up. Still, I will persevere before making a final evaluation, i.e. buying the game.

Next demo sampled was The Artisan of Glimmersmith. Simple puzzle game. Reminds me of crossword puzzles in that it's relaxing and also dull and boring. It's about shapes alignment by seeing patterns. Supposed logical thinking required. But often it's just impulsive application. The playthrough diverges after the first few puzzles solved where alignments add new shapes to the mix that need to be joined.

Not sure about getting this game however.

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Contraband Police Prologue. Seen it previously but never thought much about it at the time. Skipped on to something else. But then I saw Jingles playthrough first time playthrough the other night and was instantly interested. Lol. 

Did the border check training and nabbed a couple of naughty boys for contravening the rules and smuggling the sniffing powder. Transferred them to the labour camp in the police van. Then visited Vlad on the way back to pick up a weapon which turned out pointless as I learned later on in this chapter.

Long story short: dropped off the contraband. Chased a runaway truck that crashed the border gates. Learned a unit was compromised at the sawmill. Went to investigate with a fellow border guard and discovered the unit was working with the rebels. That's when the rebels spotted us and killed us. 

The game is basically one of survival. You can boost your meagre earnings by trading stuff like cigarettes and tools as you try to survive. Easy to trade in contraband, and you can't really trust your fellow comrades as they're all in it for themselves. Will I buy the game? Not sure.

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English Civil War

So tonight I have been contemplating getting back into the ECW project. Finally did something towards that goal by setting up a parade of what's been done thus far in the studio. This is mainly a way to motivate me to finish this dragged out project. First image shows the baggage train moving behind the Royalist line up. At the moment, just the infantry are done but unflocked and some minor finishing detailing required. Still to go: cavalry and artillery.

The Royalist lineup from a different angle (above).  The Parliament lineup (below).

The Parliament lineup. Some detailing still required so I noticed. Need to repair one of the artillery pieces (borrowed it to do some unrelated scratchbuilding) and finish off the high command bodyguard units (transfer to bases). 

Wanting to finish this project by the half year's end. 

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May Digest #1

World of Warships

The kerfuffle over the latest Azur Lane event is the fact that some of the new AL ships cannot be bought outright. Instead, they're located within a second crate that's within the first crate otherwise known as Golden crates. And the chances are slimmer this time round. 

Golden crates is an introduction by WG a few years back and is fast becoming the norm with their promotional events. Aside from the exorbitant prices for one ship that understandable given it's Azur Lane crossing over into a World of Warship game (licensing and that jazz), this loot box within a loot box thing is ruffling quite a few feathers. 

The Azur Lane event is also running a series of missions in conjunction with the 8th Wave release. It's, I believe, a strategy designed to keep players connected the AL event, a constant reminder there are bigger prizes just a click away. AL crates, credits, and AL tokens and other "goodies" are among the various rewards. These missions are available to everyone so you will participate even if you don't want to. It's run on the same format as the Dockyard Event with weekly missions. 

The easiest reaction toward this latest AL wave event will be seen by the presence of these ships within game. Noticed only one however since the release. But only seen it in Co-Op. And it's still early days of the event. 

There are several new Common Missions available which you basically cannot opt out of unless the conditions of the mission event specify otherwise. Just finished the Waves of Gold one for instance. Had to chuckle to myself at the pitiful rewards being offered on some of the mission tasks. Example: one Green economic bonus earned for one mission task requirement. The amount of effort for something so minor as one economic bonus is becoming both risible and pathetic. And yet it's now the norm in this game.

Ran (in other word, ground) four ships today (Friday) - P.E.Friedrich, Narai, Viribus Unitis, and K. Schonberg. These are the last of the 17 point captains on my current list for upskilling. Not enough Commander XP to elevate these four to 18 point status at the moment. 

I have already made known my preference for the Viribus Unitis over the P. E. Friedrich. The latter, while as slow as the Austrian, is awful with dispersion unless angled in when firing. And the former has more guns which helps her cause. And she's a tank. Nonetheless both were able to combine to complete their specific mission task in the Dockyard event which I believed would take longer. 

Both Narai and K. Schonberg played consistently within their defined roles, neither great nor bad. 

I might have continued (out of sheer stubborness) in order to complete the Dockyard event missions with just three left. But I had had enough for the day and did not feel like bothering so I quit for the day satisfied I had done enough. And there's always tomorrow. 

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Today is Saturday. Looked further into the Azur Lane Comic Wave 8 event, in particular the series of missions linked to the event. Similar in setup to Dockyard Event insofar as there are a series of mission tasks that constitute a weekly mission "chapter". There are seven in this series so six more weeks of this tripe. Within each "chapter" are eight individual specific mission tasks. Completing a mission task earns a reward. Breakdown for these rewards is as follows:

• Mission 1: completing four mission tasks rewards you with an individual collection token, the purpose of which is undisclosed right now. I thought it was similar to the other collection tokens in the Profile section. But, no. Completing the other four mission tasks reward you with 10,000 credits each. The final reward is 3 Premium days. NOTE: You only to complete five of the eight mission tasks to earn the final reward.
• Mission 2: Same setup but rewards have changed. This time completing half of the eight mission tasks rewards you with 10,000 credits each time while the other half earns you 1 Azure Lane Comic crate. The final reward is 5,000 coal.
• Missions 3 to 6 are identical in terms of rewards with half earning you 10,000 credits while the other half rewards you with one Azure Lane Comics crate each. Final reward is now 1 ALC crate.
• Mission 7 seems to be the main prize because while the mission structure is the same as the others, all the rewards including the final one earns you 1 ALC crate each. So, eight missions equates to nine crates. 

Of course, there is no guarantee whatsoever one of these crates will drop a NEW ship. And then there's the "joy" of finding a golden crate. Lol. As stated previously, the odds have now diminished. 

Speaking of NEW ships, during today's grind, I sighted five but in different games. I counted them: two AL Hindenburgs, two AL Richelieus, and an AL Massachusetts. So players are indeed participating and buying into the event. Expecting that number to gradually increase over the weekend. 

As I logged out, I checked the numbers playing. Out of over 15,000 globally, roughly half were on the Asian server. 

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Sunday. Azur Lane ship sightings today: AL P. Heinrich, AL Tashkent, AL Harbin, AL Montpelier, AL Cheshire. 

Quiet day grinding two of my 17 point captains on K. Schonberg and Narai.

What is noticeable is that against a ship like Minotaur the Narai is way outclassed for mass and weight of firepower as I quickly found out when uptiered into a Tier X game and ran into this British heavy cruiser. The slug-out was one-sided and short and sweet.

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May Day (Public holiday here in Queensland) Monday. Finally completed the last mission task for the fourth week of the Dockyard event. Played just the Narai and was able to finish two mission tasks as a result.

Azure Lane ship sightings: AL Yukikaze (4 times), AL Littorio & AL Hornet & Al Bismarck (each twice), AL Azuma, AL Montpelier, AL Sov Rossiya, AL Massachussets (once each). 

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Tuesday grind was short and sweet. Unlocked level 2 of the Event Pass because I am about to reach the halfway reward - Monaghan. Already have this ship so am keen to see what the compensation (in credits) will be. Expect it to be a lot less than what the compensation was two years ago for a Tier VI ship (over 8 million credits). If it is as I suspect, it will be typical of WG.

Didn't bother to record AL sightings today. But I will likely see a few AL Gorizia which is being released tomorrow at a discounted price. Also typical of WG. Already have the original.

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SurrounDead

Bought the modified Utility truck in tonight's session. Looted a number of local Zombie Bosses and weapon caches and supplies to reach the $20,000 Walshie was asking. Also sold off six stocks of ammo (where 1000 rounds equals $1000). Looks modified for sure, hobbled together to provide more protection(?). Certainly won't win beauty prizes. Wish it is possible to repaint the vehicle.

Planning to revisit the underground train network systems over the next few sessions, but in no rush. Simple purpose will be as a clearance and mapping mission. Will also revisit the redacted airfield to complete a full survey-loot of the location. 

Long-term plan will be (1) locate the secret facilities, (2) scout out the Observatory, (3) Take down the Coyote Milita, a tough mission but worthwhile.

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Went to the redacted airfield today to test out the horde machine recently acquired from the Ice Cream vendor. Worked perfectly as wave after wave appeared. After the fourth wave, I turned it off and then went scavenging for loot. Didn't do a thorough search of all the building mostly because a heavy fog descended, one so thick I could barely see beyond a metre or two. Will return in the future to finish the looting; and I will try from the other end for better access so I can bring in the RV.

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Returned to the redacted airfield. Found a side entry which was really a hole in the north fence that emanated from a path. Couple of unexploded bombs in craters at the western end of the airfield. Yet to loot the barracks and other buildings beside and behind the control tower complex which has already been visited twice. So one more visit should do it.

If I haven't already pointed this out, whenever you encounter a big bandit squad (five or six) that usually means they're attacking a supply vehicle. Well, once you eliminate the bandits, the supply vehicle can be looted repeatedly as long as you don't log out. Some good loot too for resale with the traders. Once you quit the session however, so does the vehicle. 

Finally scored my first Level 3 keycard. Can't recall where or when but the set is complete. Will start checking the numerous laptop I've looted for new specific quests. And in the meanwhile I will keep an eye out for that all-important valuable all-access keycard. 

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April Digest #5

SurrounDead

ANZAC Day. Nothing unusual about tonight's session. Had a laugh when I saw that Jingles posted his SurrounDead playthrough the other night. He had killed off his character by somehow activating the supposed dud nuclear bomb. Really Jingles? Hilarious but most probable.

Been almost a month since my last expedition in the valley. Didn't quite make it to the Port to clear the zombies and kill off the Infestation there along with the Zombie bosses as I kept getting sidetracked along the way. But I did pick up a flatbed ute. 

Comes with a glitch however: the vehicle lights look on as the image shows. At night though when you hit "L" the car lights do switch on. And it's a lot lighter in weight than the usual Utility vehicle I use for zooming around the valley. Can dump the yellow car and just use the flatbed for daily "shopping" runs. 

Hear there's a heavily modified Utility which is an upgrade from your standard Utility but it's a rare spawn so not worth pursuing; if I come across it, I will grab it. Otherwise, I will continue to trot along with the vehicles I do have.

Priority has therefore been house keeping at the base. And prioritising the weapons arsenal. Deciding to get rid of the M249 because it wastes ammo faster than I can scavenge or buy. Going instead to focus on more higher powered rifles instead. I will use the XM250 instead: same rounds but bigger mag.

There are several gun stores whose location I know of (either accidentally discovered or consciously sought out) so I will raid those for now. Sell off any surplus to the traders. Build up the cash reserve.

The grenader launcher that fires the 40mm round is a rare item. I suspect it will be found with military compounds/bases and/or secret locations. It would make a handy addition to the current weapon loadout my character carries. 

Loading out each of the vehicles in my car pool. Storing everything in either Duffel or Coyote backpacks (storage space). Any leftover room in vehicle storage can be for useful/valuable items scavenged. I make sure to have extra fuel, repair kits, spare water, a food container filled with food supplies and water, a crowbar, a hatchet/axe, a pick, a tent, and a sleeping bag (for when you get caught out in the open at night - which does happen quite easily if exploring). 

Inventory on my character. I always take the best kit I can scavenge or buy. So, hard helmet and night vision mandatory with spare batteries. Respirator - military grade plus spare radiation filters. Of course, take loads and loads of radiation pills in your obligatory medical kit bag (more storage space).

I also take a small day bag for storage when out scavenging. I also have a lunch box packed to capacity with food and water. 

I prefer the tactical hatchet because its tree felling and melee brawler capabilities are doubly useful. I tried the katana but didn't warm to it. I rarely use the modified Glock with its 60-round magazine, instead utilising the rifle or LMG instead to deal with both long-range and close-range foes.

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Today was another session full of distractions and side-trackings. Acquired three more vehicles. Maybe I should set up as a vehicle recovery trader, just like Walshy down at the bridge. Today's haul included a white golf cart not far from West Grove on the road to the port, a red jeep at Chester Lake, and the white RV with blue striping as I was returning from taking on an Infestation in a church in the far north.

The recently acquired RV allows me to sleep inside without needing a sleeping bag and/or tent shelter. Still keeping an eye out for that modified ute vehicle. 

Standing atop a vehicle is a posture I've adopted for 360 defence from zombies.

New thing discovered in this session as seen in the above two images. Whenever a creature is killed a white loot bag now appears at the spot of the kill. Discovered this is bonus meat that also goes with the normal cuts from the creature you've just killed. 

Tried to repair the roof of my base but the game does not make it that easy or straightforward like placing a tarp down or nailing temporary roof sheeting. It does not allow for horizontal alignment at sloping angles, as with a roof. It permits roof construction in modula form only which is at a set angle anyway. Nor does the game cater for other construction materials aside from wood which can be naturally sourced. So gib boards, sheet metal, terracotta roof tiles, and so on is perhaps outside the scope of this game.

Ran into the ice cream van clown-masked trader (third time only since playing this game) just as night was falling as I was returning to base towing the RV. Scored a few high-end items from him including a horde beacon which draws out waves of zombies. Apparently these carry better loot, so the wiki informs me. So it should be a fun time next time.

In the past I've been using grenades to force zombies to congregate. Then I toss more grenades and applied burst fire to finish off the job. Sometimes I change up by tossing a molotov, or three but it's messy and only useful in confined space as with bunkers and rooms.

The XM250 is an improvement on the M249. But I think that's because I've put better attachments on it as opposed to the other LMG. Semi and full auto that exhibit less recoil especially when firing three round bursts. Body shots preferable to head shots with this weapon on burst fire. Head shots work best when using single shot. 

Currently toting the Guardian rifle as my primary weapon, supported by the XM250. Swapped over from the Colonel's Revenge because the Guardian fires a 7.62 round as opposed to the Colonel's 5.56.

Remembered to check my skill level in this session and discovered I'm maxxed out on the skill tree. Still had plenty leftover skill points after I maxxed out. Wondering if there's scope for adding more opportunities for skill branching out, as with wanting to become a trader like Walshy or the Ice Cream van vendor which would be an interesting development within a multi-player game situation. 

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Monday's session saw me obtain a couple more vehicles - the ambulance and another truck (smaller than the big rig). Still on the hunt for that armoured utility but then learned it can be bought from Walshy for $20,000. The ice cream vendor trader also sells the grenade launcher for 40 credits. So been busy acquiring the required currency.

Ran into loads more bandits than usual. One lot I encountered just south of Walshy, on the other side of the bridge. Once I took them out (eventually), I investigated the vehicle they must have ambushed. It was a military supply truck. If you don't quit out of the game, you can always return to the truck daily to collect respawned loot. Handy to know. 

The Guardian handled itself well against the bandits. Found a Mosin Nagant. Historical bolt action rifle that's effective up to 100m. Does better damage than many of the weapons I have in my arsenal. But it has a 5 round mag which means it won't be as effective as those other weapons. But got one so going to test it out. 

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Went to the Redacted Airfield in today's session (Tuesday). Managed to take down to two Boss Zombies who were fortunately in the same spot - General Romez and The Bodyguard. Took out both from the airfield control tower using the Guardian rifle. Was prepared and made sure I wore my respirator with filter and loaded up on radiation pills. 

The airfield occupies a large area. Today I was pressed for time so my priority was as much loot to sell for credit. Luck was on my side today for I managed to obtain enough credits (needed just 3 to make the 40 needed). As a result, I was able to buy the M249 Grenade launcher. Again I got lucky because the Ice Cream vendor trader had the launcher for sale. Earlier in the day when I first ran into him, it was not displayed. Figured, and hoped, it would be there when I returned later in the day. And it was so.

Arrived through the main entrance. Attracted zombies and zombie/feral dogs using grenades then blasted away with my XM250. Did that a few times before I made for the control tower. Collected loads of ammo and other valuables before spotting the zombie bosses and took them down. Looking to return and do a proper sweep of the tower and adjoining buildings. 

Intend to revisit in future sessions and properly search the rest of the airfield so will probably camp close to the airfield and investigate real early. Hoping to discover unique and valuable loot as I've learned there's a locked hangar (see above image - left side) marked on the wiki map. Today however I was in a hurry so just grabbed whatever during a cursory sweep.

As per yesterday, I am encountering more bandits. Fortunately for me, they're just three-four man groups. I have yet to run into the larger groups who seem to attend ambush sites like the military supply truck yesterday. Have not yet discovered their base camps, nor encountered their boss man.

No rush to deal with the Coyote Militia having already encountered them with my other character. Priority at the moment is earning the necessary $20,000 for the Modified Utility from Walshie. 

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Did another short session to visit the locked hangar at the airfield. Had to deal to the zombies and boss zombie within first. Used the RV for this sortie and camped close to the airfield a few nights. Loads of military type crates and a safe within the locked hangar. Scored some more legendary weapons, credits, keycards and other loot which I traded for needed cash. But nothing of significant importance. Will check out the control tower and surrounding buildings more closely on my next visit.

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World of Warships

The Firepower X sequential bundle is interesting event. I don't mind paying for something when you also get freebies. And the resources and credits are always welcome. Pay for four bundles and grab the remaining twelve for free. Fair enough deal. BTW, I have all the Tier X ships being offered except for the submarine. Not too concern if it drops or not; all I'm really after are the resources - the Free XP, Elite Cmdr XP, credits, and coal.

Otherwise it was pleasant grinding session today (ANZAC Day). Leipzig had its day in the sun today performing really well. Graf Spee, not so much but that's fine; she has her good days too. The Kamikaze twins perform as per usual to expectations which is always decent to good. And it's always a relaxing day when you take the Okhotnik out for a jaunt.

In one of the grinds, someone was lauding his red camouflaged Warspite and then blasting (good-naturedly of course) about censoring Gilbert and Sullivan in chat. 

I personally don't mind G&S; I saw a totally enjoyable performance of Mikado at Sydney Opera House long ago. 

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Today (Sunday) was your typical rough grind. Rough as in making silly mistakes like poor decisions and positioning. It happens some days and varies in intensity and duration. That's WOWS for me. 

As a brawling cruiser, the Prins van Oranje sucks big time. She is potent in some regards but suffers from being quite sluggish in both movement and maneouvrability. She needs to be played to her strength which seems to be mid range. It fares better when there's room to manoeuvre so hiding behind an island might be perilous if caught in a crossfire. Use cover when needed but hang back; let the destroyers and others do their job first before throwing your hat into the fight circle. 

Same approach applies when playing the Graf Spee. As a brawler, conditions have to be ideal for her to be a top ranked brawler. But when does that happen in-game? Not often. Not consistently enough. Historically she's a pocket battleship so she straddles that gap between cruiser and battleship. She responds sluggishly so anticipation is your best ally when playing her in any brawling situation. Leipzig, by comparison, is a light cruiser and therefore more agile being more responsive to your keypad commands than the Graf Spee. 

Played to score the usual daily trio of coal crates and then upskilled two more commanders thanks to the Elite Commander XP windfall from the Firepower X sequential bundles. Just the last crate bundle left to acquire.

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Monday's grind was short and sweet. Played my Kitakaze captain on Kamikaze to grind AND to acquire the daily coal crates. He's on 20 points. Could easily have spent Free XP to elevate him to 21 points but have been saving Free XP for the Research Bureau exchange. 

Bought the last Firepower X sequential bundle (4 crates) and was happy to receive resources windfall. Overall I thought this package was good value and would not hesitate if something similar was foisted upon us again.

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Tuesday was a short-and-sweet-single-ship session. Stayed long enough to grab the daily coal loot plus event pass bonus rewards.

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Thursday session saw a new Event Pass plus the next Dockyard mission unlocked. 

Also it was the debut of the next Azure Lane event - Wave 8 series. Never been a fan of AL probably because it never held appeal for me personally. Don't mind anime per se but something like AL is not "ma thang!", so to speak. 

Anyway, there are those who complain over the cost of these NEW ships. If the Golden Week NEW ships wasn't enough, this AL event is just a continuation of the policy adopted by WG. Someone however will be tempted for sure. 

Excuse the photos (taken by my phone): screenshot capture not working either in-game or Steam or PC, and cannot be blowed figuring out the reasons why. 

Anyway there are loads new AL ships being offered as well as captains all of which are organised offered in three groups (as seen below). 

Cost is stupidly steep even for someone like me who is uninterested and will avoid the scam while it's still active. The new AL ships are of existing ships - both tech tree and premium. Nothing different between these AL and non-AL ships whatsoever apart from the anime camouflages and anime commanders to go with them.

Ran the Rhode Island today for one of the Dockyard event mission task. Went with it because it's one of the faster battleships in the game, especially with the speed boost (ship) and swift (captain skill), because I wanted it to be fast enough to capture or at least assist in capturing a cap. Forgot all about the defend option that's included in the mission task. Next run then.

Ran the Unitis Viribus, K. Schonberg, and Narai as well, part of the usual captain upskill grind.

New Event Pass is once again offering nothing of interest worth vying for - a couple of event commanders and an existing ship (which I already possess). Not sure about unlocking Level 2: not even the lure of resources makes it worth bothering. Only reason would be for the resources and they seem insufficient for my requirements - I need loads of ECXP. The final reward for both levels is just camo. Really? Will grind the free Level 1 for now - take the money and run as they say. 

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