Online PC Games: Rapterra (the demo version)
Interesting game. Recommended by Flambass. Played the demo. Survived the three waves; the last one was massive compared to the first two, over six hundred dinos coming from all directions. Knowing where the three waves would arrive from though helped with the defensive preparations. Built my defensive walls in layers so the dinos would waste their attacks on them while I waited my opportunity to counterattack. It's an age-old tactic that, for me at least, worked really well. The poor critters never really stood a chance.
Is it worth getting the game when it releases later this month? Probably. At least it ain't zombies.
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Played it again. Still fun. New dinos. Updates. Still awaiting full game release.
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World of Warships
Interesting session from today. Playing my 16 point captains, and had some interesting results early on including this 7-kill game. Few live players; those that existed seemed to die early leaving me to try and survive. Sad part though was that only myself and BOT scored kills in this game. Apathy or indifference seems prevalent in this game these days.
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Latest devblog has come out so I hear. Again, new ships are in the offing. And new events. Am I excited? No. Do I care? Not really. Example: the latest ship being offered, the Aberdeen, has a new mission where there are TWELVE mission tasks. Usually it's a lot less. Rewards are twelve individual crates (one per mission task) with the final reward the premium version of the same crate. All for a chance at the Aberdeen.
Common Missions have always been linked to your playing on the server; you are therefore linked to this event whether you want to be involved or not.
Of course, you can also jump into the Armoury, and buy loads of crates for the same chance at the prize. Cost you doubloons. Or cash. Is it worth it? Up to you, but I am not interested. Focus remains upskilling my set list of captains to 21 points.
And reaching my set goal of ships; currently thirty shy.
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Even though it's Co-Op and PvE, it makes you wonder why you bother at times. On the Strait map, spawned in the south west corner. Usual stuff. Ended up myself and one other player who was racing south from up north where there were still four active enemies. Didn't think too much at the time as I was trying to deal to the enemies in my sector. Managed to win out by which time I noticed the other had now joined me. Or so I thought. Thought it was going for the enemy carrier to our immediate east, and left it to it. Because the enemies from up north were now racing south to take us on I turned around to deal to their threat. Dealt to three of them when I noticed my compadre was shying away from taking on the carrier even though he had closed distance enough to launch torps (he was in a DD) while the enemy carrier had beached itself. The last enemy I had to face was a Laudon. Figured I had time so I turned away to help my comrade out who had by now retreated a safe distance from the enemy carrier. I was puzzled as to why it hadn't taken out the carrier. Took me three salvoes of gunfire to finish off the carrier. Ally was still alive so I turned back to take on the Laudon. Easily done. When I turned back however, I saw my teammate had died from the now sunken carrier rocket planes. I just shook my head in stunned surprise. After a few expletives, I moved on and joined a new game.
This sort of behavious is now common daily. Can be discouraging sometimes.
The Heart of Oak (Fortitude Marathon) missions are interesting because each mission task generally dictates specific ship/ship type to play. For example, one mission task may require scoring 2.5 million Potential Damage hits. Obvious choice therefore is play a ship that will be a shellfire magnet, one that can take the focus fire damage without dying too quickly. A cruiser with fast-firing guns and smoke or a battleship with a strong health pool and strong secondaries such as a brawler are ideal candidates.
In another mission task requiring spotting quotas, playing a fast scout ship like a DD makes perfect sense.
Base XP missions require playing a specific battle mode instead of a certain ship/ship type. Asymmetrics is well suited for this. That's if you don't want to play either Randoms or Ranked. Operations is also good for this but I prefer Asymmetrics.
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Saw news on the big changes coming to the game the other night. SLM was reviewing a video presentation from WG that briefly covered their move from Belarus to their new home in Belgrade and explained the loss of their original staff because of the relocation, and subsequent refounding of their company in their new business home. But the presentation interestingly covered the new changes several of which are supposedly huge such as heals for mid-tier cruisers.
To be honest, if they follow through on their claims then well done to them. I will still play the game regardless so they haven't lost me completely.
New tech tree lines are coming such as French subs and Pan-American cruisers. Some changes to matchmaking such as making less unbalanced whenever double uptiered. Incorporating existing external mods into the game. New map. More changes to the visuals (if they're not already fantastic - their art department remains top tier for quality and consistency). Improved additions to Operations. Changes to Battle Pass. Return of Dockyard event after a short absence (huh?). And the continuation of extended events like the 10 year anniversary that proved very popular. Like the Bismarck '41 event. And the return of the cards event (Dunkirk evacuation event of last year).
Overall, so some YT reviewers are pointing out, WG seem to be actually listening to its player base. And it does sound intriguing. Only time will tell how much so.
PS: Changes to Unique commanders concerning activating their talents. Didn't read it too closely so can't comment.
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Dismissed enough captains today and tonight (two separate sessions) to obtain enough ECXP to upskill a commander to 21 points. Upskilled my Elbing captain.
Having fun playing the Dutch Tier X premium cruiser Prins van Oranje at the moment. It has some decent guns too. Put my Gouden Leeuw commander on him to grind. In the future I will most likely place Conrad Helfrich on the Oranje and grind him as his Unique skills should suit this type of cruiser. But if I should ever earn enough steel to grab the Willem de Eerste I will go that route.
My commander upskill list is now no lower than 17 points. A couple are at 18 points and one is at 19 point.
Playing ships like Viribus Unitis or Oklahoma is interesting in that you know they're old and slow as heck but they do smack big time. Especially one-shotting unwary cruisers exposing broadsides. Contrast that to playing more modern ships like Prinz E. Frederich and Poltava that often prove frustrating when they're bow-in or angled; they don't seem to have as much punch as the former two.
Siroco is an interesting DD. No smoke but the main battery reload booster is a fair enough trade-off. Not as potent as her higher-tiered sisters (Marceau and Kleber) but you can see the potential. Able to dodge incoming torps with relative ease.
Flint is an excellent substitute to the more noted Atlanta. Lots of dakka for farming. Smoke, hydro, torps. High arcing trajectories however (like the Atlanta). Easily a favourite of mine at the moment while doing the grind. This, and the Narai. Still, they're cruisers, and cruisers are made of "explodium" as someone pointed out recently, so caution is always uppermost when confronting superior odds out in the open.
Example: On the Shatter map, in the PvO I spawned on the left in the south with a Pommern. We both angled in as we sailed to the cap making for the right side. Anyway, I paused at an island in front of the cap namely to protect myself from the two enemy ships sailing towards us - a Pommern and a Neptune. While I targeted the enemy Neptune who was skirting around a large island, my teammate sailed boldly into the cap circle to deal to the enemy Pommern. Or so I thought. Teammate unfortunately died as his enemy sunk him with torps. Teammate did loose off torps that struck, but not enough to sink the enemy.
Meanwhile I had managed to sink the Neptune and was now left with a simple decision - stay and fight the Pommern, a renowned brawler with fiersome secondaries, or flee.
I hightailed it out of there while being focus fired both by the Pommern and enemy Buffalo and Yodo who were capturing in the centre cap. Quickly checked the map to see one teammate still hanging in there in the middle but he was obviously outnumbered four to one.
My "tactical withdrawal" earned me respite as the Pommern sailed around an island. This break allowed me to continue sailing for the centre cap where I citadelled the Buffalo twice forcing it to seek cover behind an island. But I managed to sink a low-health Yodo who presented broadside. My twelve guns spoke forcefully.
But things were looking dire as the enemy sank the lone friendly as well as capped the middle. An enemy Libertad on less than half health suddenly appeared to my front. Could not resist giving it some grief but couldn't quite finish him off as it too sailed behind island cover in time.
Meantime, the enemy Pommern re-emerged from around the island but was too slow to take me on as I now sailed toward the captured middle cap using islands to block any deadly gunfire. Aided by the two remaining teammates, a Daring and a Moskva, we retook the middle cap and then dealt to the remaining enemy ships, one by one.
The PvO performed really well in this game, so I thought. I didn't waste my health opting instead to use as much island cover as much as possible (easy to do on the Shatter map). I took my opportunities when they presented themselves, and I profited from them. I can easily say the ship is not a frustrating experience, more good than bad.
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Technical issues meant a short and disrupted session today. Becoming more and more frequent. In the past, disconnection was usually connected to WG notifying I can create a new account which is odd because I join the game through Steam. Anyway, I eventually logged out after getting tired of the disconnection, and returned after a short break in order to finish the daily loot coal crates. And complete a couple of Heart of Oak crates mission tasks.
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Seven Years War
A period I have an abiding interest in albeit without ever really committing to it as with other periods. My involvement include several false starts. Still haven't managed to finish my Battle of Hastenbeck project which I began years ago. Got part of the Anglo-Hanoverian list assembled which amounts to around one-third. Don't know when, or if, I'll ever complete the OOB listing.
Tonight however I watched an engaging battleground visit and account of the Battle of Leuthen (Dec 1757) where Frederick the Great defeated an Austrian army of superior number. Really got me interested enough to want to drag out my SYW collection and stare at it longingly. Watching the battle review with actual location shots seriously impressed me enough to subscribe. Wondered how the Prussians were able to outflank the Austrians so easily, and the dude showed. What was amazing though was the explanation that the battleground fought upon was the training grounds of the Prussian army. What a stroke of luck by Freddie.
Tempted to pull out my copy of Might and Reason by Sam Mustafa and read it through again. Keen to find other SYW rulesets I can use.
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