May 2025 - Part Four

World of Warships

Bought one of the Logistic Kits to obtain the last of the Adventure tokens to acquire the Eskimo. 

Also acquired the Scharnhorst '43 from the Logistic Kits bundle drop, loaded up the secondary mods for it, then ran it to complete the last mission in the Dockyard series (Chapter 4: Fate of the Blucher). Swapped the 10-pt commander that came with the ship with the special commander Erich Bey that I had sitting idly in the Reserve. 

Main guns performed well enough given their action resembled a shotgun - dispersion at longer range was tough. Yet it was saved by the superb secondaries at closer ranges. Managed to sink a few low-health enemy ships through their contribution. 

Saving up more Adventure tokens to grab the event special commander who is famous historically. A Victor Crutchley. Will place him on the Eskimo. Option also to have him command the Warspite, as he did historically. 

=========================

Three ships from the Narvik to Dunkirk event obtained offer 200% bonuses on XP so will get a good run while the missions lasts - over three weeks left before they're finished. Ships are Cossack, Eskimo, Scharnhorst '43. No time left, nor desire, to obtain the remaining two ships - Warspite and Montcalm: already have them in port.  

Scharnhorst '43 is interesting to play. Cossack is the better of the two destroyers with the speed boost which the Eskimo doesn't have. Both are decent gunboats against fellow DDs. 

Drew up a list of unobtained ships available through the Armoury. There is a quite a few. But there is also a list of rare or unavailable ships that intrigue me. Ships like the Smaland. Almirante Abreu, the original Missouri, and so on. The last (the original Missouri) will never be available because it was mistake that WG only realised too late and removed it permanently. But there is more than enough to reach 700 by the end of this year. 

=========================

Thinking of acquiring more ships via resetting lines through the Research Bureau. For now, it's just an entertaining thought. 

Update: Reviewed Clyde's old YT video regarding resetting lines for Research Bureau points. All I need is 20-plus million credits and 1.5 million Free XP. Something to plan for. 

=========================

Got the K. Albert, a German T3 rare ship, today. Spent coal to acquire it through the Battle of Jutland crates. I had previously attempted to do so but spent piecemeal and therefore got put out by the guaranteed drop after 250 crates. No luck after several purchases. 

But today I decided to spend big (using coal) and "bought" 100 crates (at the rate of 1 crate for 1000 coal). This attempt proved successful and finally acquired the ship. 

Ran it in a game and while it contributed nothing toward the win, I am pleased with its acquisition. Slow as heck. Secondaries are meh. No special feature or module.  

=========================

BrisCon 2025

Unable to make it due to not having any spare money (basic survival needs - bills, food, medicines). Envious of those attending. Hope to read or view postings on the internet regarding the event over the next week. Or maybe not...

Nothing on the interweb apart from a praise from one of the organisers via facebook. Maybe you just had to be there on the day?

==========================

Counterstrike

Been viewing a lot of CS2 content lately. Admiring the play of the professionals who make it look so easy. Learning also about how skins have became integral to the game since CS:GO was released. And realising that's where WOWS got its monetization from. Not that it really matters given that's how the game has developed nowadays but it's nice to have some understanding that this phenomenon is common in most games these days. 

Got excited enough watching the reviews to crank up the old CS:CZ game. But quickly realised just how bad a player I truly am. Aim was off considerably - shaky hands. Awful spray control. Kept YOLO-ing when I should have paused. Ecetera. Got frustrated during several games when I could not close out because I kept stuffing things up. And repeating the same mistakes.  

Then I spotted I had Condition Zero Deleted Scenes in my Steam library so installed it and started playing that for a change. Even so, I was still terrible even with the robotic AI enemy so much so that I quit after a few chapters. 

Looking back after trying out Counterstrike, I wonder if that's how my current WOWS playing ability is like. Playing Co-Op is no indication for sure but I dare not venture into Random or even Ranked because of the toxicity and poor player base. The new game modes - Operations with Flagships and Perilous Route - have not yet enticed me. Waiting on the return of Asymmetric Battles (due out in the next Update 14.5) before I move out my existing comfort zone. 

==========================

April 2025 - Part 2

English Civil War

Finished off the baggage train...

Then the cannons...

Next the cavalry...

Trimming and filing and repairing a common theme with this group. Not happy with some of the models (bent legs on the horses, excesses flash and trim as well). 

King's Lifeguards before their issue of new uniforms. Making them 3 per stand to give them weight. Know nothing regarding their battle history and/or performance yet still giving them a stronger complement as opposed to the Northern Horse below who are 2 per stand. May increase the number of stands though to twelve for the unit. Lots of trimming excess flash and mould lines.

Then finish with the commanders.

=====================

Terrain Build 2025

Next month I am planning to make a start on a desert-style village for a future game. For now, I have sketched a planned layout (subject to change, of course). Given it an imaginary name. This oasis is a small cluster of building sitting atop a small knoll consisting of a merchant, headman, blacksmith and several villagers. Eventually I will add a few more building clustered around the village itself.

It will join the Beau Geste-style Foreign Legion fort I created long ago but never quite finished. Imagining it as a service centre for the fort and its garrison. Nearest civilised town is several days march so the village is fairly important. More so since it has a deep freshwater spring-well that had been a mecca for miles around. 

Based the plan on several existing Middle Eastern/North African style buildings that are available commercially. 

======================

World of Warships

ANZAC Day was yesterday. Weegee, to my surprised, introduced an ANZAC Day-themed event within it's Common Mission mode. The naming is a bit misleading as the landing at Gallipoli was just one small part of the broader Dardanelles campaign that involved other landings and naval engagements up the Dardanelle straits. And they have a Dardanelle campaign flag as one of the reward items along with a patch. 

There were multiple landing by Allied troops over the two years of this fruitless failure; it was not just the ANZAC Corps (not "corpse" as one local tv journo broadcast nationally) who beach landed. Admirable effort by Weegee but it would have been better to name it the 1915-17 Dardanelle campaign event instead. 

ANZAC Day is specifically attributed to both Australia and New Zealand, and has greater significance to both nations than anywhere else in the world. There were however televised dawn services broadcasts in other countries like PNG and Thailand as well as serving locations. And of course Gallipoli. 

The day itself has now shifted from celebrating the service of those from WW1 where all the vets are now all gone to commemorating the service of those from WW2 and on to more recent wars. In ten years time the focus will shift on to the Korean War and then Vietnam. And so on. 

Australia and New Zealand also celebrate Remembrance Day (November 11), another throwback to World War I. But the significance of ANZAC Day (so we are told) is greater to both nations than any other commemoration because of the heavy losses suffered and the identity forged in war together by both young Dominion nations. 

On the gaming front, I managed to upskill my Italian legendary commander, Sansonetti, to 21 point last week. Currently grinding Auboyneau and Honore, using premiums - Strasbourg (battleship) and Toulon (cruiser) respectively. Also got Tier VIII versions (Picardie and Bayard) if I get tired of the Tier VIIs. About halfway through Auboyneau's journey to 21 point. Honore is on 18 point. 

As forewarned, am skipping the insane offer to purchase the overpriced ships. And the crates-within-a-crates event (name forgotten).

The Battle Pass event (second stage) kicked off a couple of days ago. The Agincourt is the only ship reward. I have it already. 

Paid for the unnamed sequential bundle event in the faint hope of a rare ship but was rewarded with none. However my low resources were boosted so I wasn't complaining. And for just over AUD40 it was worthwhile. Like I said above, I was able to fast track Sansonetti's rise to 21 points as a result. 

Weegee announcing a new map competition is both welcomed but maybe too late. Subs and carriers are still OP. More and more I'm watching favourite YT streamers and their adventures on Lesta (Russian) servers. They certainly are having more fun. 

=========================

BrisCon 2025

Attending this annual convention. Will post attendance report and hopefully some pictures. Cheers.

=========================

Review of the 2023 Pine Rivers Model Train & Hobby Exhibition

A two-day event. Went to the last day. Parking no problem. Amenities. Canteen.  

Event held at the South Pine Sports Complex, Cribb Road, Brendale, QLD 4500. Initially I wasn't planning on attending as I was up most of last night and only went to bed around 5 am. But after a few hours kip, I went anyway. Glad I did. Met and chatted with several interesting people such as the lovely Kiwi lady from back home but living in the Gold Coast who was selling hobby tools. The display owners/creators proudly explained their works to me and answered a noob's simple questioning. 

I honestly marvel at the quality and skill of their works. For instance, the Walloon display (below) is an actual depiction of a real station from 1985. The group took photos of the place at the time and they built it from those photos. The elderly gent who explained the display drew up the buildings and others scratch-built them.

Got know the scales in my casual stroll and was able to quickly recognise them like the smaller N scale as opposed to the HO scale. 

 

There were several interesting displays that caught my eye such as the working ski gondolas and cable cars.

I learned that nearly all the models are available locally. But they can be expensive such as the steam engine for the Banff Canadian Rockies train display (below photo) which cost much much more than the standard diesel locomotive which cost only a couple hundred! All up, so he told me, he'd spent over sixty thousand dollars on his "passion".

Old and young showcased today. This young lad made this display.

 

One display raised a chuckle. It's of Nothing, Arizona. An actual location so I was informed by the drowsy owner.

 

There was even a Leggo train and scenic display...

Several trade stands operated with the usual paraphenalia associated with trains and the hobby in general. 

But the highlight for me has to be meeting up with Bruce, Don, Daniel and one other as I was about to leave. They are a local garage gamer group based locally and they were tabling a Lion Rampant pairs exhibtion game in 20mm. Of course they were using the latest LR ruleset (version 2).

The gents play historical (mostly) in 20mm. Hoping to join their company and engage in some casual gaming.