18 August 2024: Weekly Digest

18 August 2024

PC Gaming: World of Warships

Only 79 Premium days left on my account then I am free...! Today's session is a reminder just how bad this game has declined. Concentrated on finishing the Colourful Regatta event tasks; figured it would take just two runs in the Pommern, and it was so. Done, I logged out and went and did some work in the garage setting up new shelving and a general tidy up in the workshop area in preparation for its new use. 

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19 August 2024

Wargaming: English Civil War

While waiting for my Royalist army list to arrive from the UK I finally pulled out the remaining New Model cavalry - Vermuyden's, Whalley's, Ireton's Horse. Ireton's Horse will be Ironsides so three per stand while the other two units will be 'lighter' cavalry with two per stand. Aiming for four stands per Horse unit. Any spares will likely be converted to guidon ensigns...that's if I have any spare. Sat staring at the carefully laid out pile of untouched minis for a long while before I got up and walked out locking the door behind me. Lol.

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21 August 2024

News Update: COVID

Recovery still slowing me down. Lacking energy all the time - fine for a short while before it kicks in. Feeling tired always. Sleeping it off helps but then I get tired of sleeping. Continual cycle that is wearing.

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Mapmaking: Maps for my story

Passes in the Eagles mountains. A visualisation based on a description in the Background notes.

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World of Warships

Enjoying a happy routine for once. Incentive is to play my Pommern as many times it takes to grab the two Base XP rewards in the Colourful Regatta event. This usually takes between 2-3 games to accomplish. Then it's log out time. Today's highlight was on the Tears of the Desert map when myself and a Shchors were on our own to cap on the left. Didn't expect the enemy to show up in force though. Faced off against a Pommern, AL Agir, Azuma, Seattle. 4 on 2. Good odds. Lol. Charged in and managed to survive my bravado. Sunk three; missed out on the Azuma as the remainder of the team finally showed up just as I was lining up for the killing blow. Shchors hung back and provided supporting fire: it would have been smashed by either of the enemy cruisers so it chose wisely. Me? Well, wisdom I lack anyway. Good game though.

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22 August 2024

News Update: Sick again..!

Thought I had a pretty bad head cold but it turns out it's COVID...again! Dang! Having to endure that awful lingering aftertaste of the medication makes recovery an uncomfortable situation. Tempting to eat and drink just to kill that taste but it's not really an option that works because that bitter awful aftertaste stays throughout the entire period of pill popping. Aftertaste goes away once you stop though.

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PC Gaming: World of Warships

Longer session than usual because the next mission in the Dockyard event was released and therefore played extra games as a result. The Colourful Regatta event had three instead of two objectives but this was nothing major or even minor; more affected playing those extra Dockyard mission tasks instead. Played the Pommern as per usual thoughout. But drained afterwards. Going to crash now.

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News Update: Lancashire Games

Summer Sale extended to 31 August due to backlog in orders and queries, so I've just been informed by email.

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23 August 2024

PC Gaming: World of Warships

Finished the battleship requirement for the Dockyard event using the Pommern. Then did the cruiser requirement using the Zao CLR using economic bonuses to fast-track the grind, so only two more phases to go before receiving the Almte. Oqendo. I actually like the Zao and its derivatives and am learning its capabilities - strengths and weaknesses. It's one thing reading the pros and cons but I learn better playing. Sometimes I forget that a salvo of five torps can, if all score hits, total over 100K worth of damage so basically most ships are fair game even the superships. But 12km range makes it easy to avoid so use it to ambush instead. Low health pool means it can be one shotted if not situationally aware. AA defensive fire is better than average for a cruiser so it can support capping DDs without too much problems. 

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Mapmaking: Watabou

Is a town and city builder familiar to RPG and D&D players. Found a YT streamer who used Watabou to create a town map and integrated his townscape into Wonderdraft as a symbol. Pretty brilliant so I reckon. Watabou is free. Below is an example of what it's all about. After using Watabou and you're happy with the final layout export it to GIMP, and further edit to your satisfaction before importing it into Wonderdraft as an asset in Symbols. And voila! Below is what's standard in Watabou. Randomly seeded town/city scapes galore. Not 3D but plan view with structures in block form.

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News Update: COVID

On the mend but won't really know until Monday.

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24 August 2024

PC Gaming: World of Warships

Played three ships today - all Tier IX, all battleships. Did so to upskill their captains to the next level. Ran Pommern first and upskilled its skipper to 14-pt. Then it was the turn of the Alsace (now 11-pt) before ending session playing Lepanto (now 12-pt). Next few sessions will concentrate on upskilling my Unique commanders - Yamamoto Isoroku (Japan), Sa Zhenbing (Pan-Asia), Nikolay Kuznetsov (Russia), and Luigi Sansonetti (Italy). These four are at the 18-pt skill level. Will play them on whatever vacant premium ships that I have spare with/without economic bonuses (depending on how well they fare in-game). Will also run Jerzy Swirzki (Europe) who is the lowest ranked Unique commander at 14-pt. And possibly Adrian Johnston who is going to be my Commonwealth #1 captain; he's currently at 16pt. Expect it will take me through to Upgrade 13.8 (September) and beyond some to achieve my goal. 

Thought about creating my own clan just for the economic bonuses but then I remembered I've done all the nations tech tree lines except for subs and carriers. Only reason to really start a clan therefore is for the clan bonuses on coal and oil, and perhaps play with like-minded clan mates. Having tried it twice already, I'm finding it preferable going solo.

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25 August 2024

PC Gaming: World of Warships

First of the commander upskill grind. Sansonetti is first up so played him on the Leone, an interesting Tier V premium DD. Reached halfway mark (needed 300,000 Commander XP) and then used some of the Elite Commander XP already saved to cross the 19-pt line. 

Rather than make it a long grind, I am now going to switch to the next commander off the rank, Kuznetsov. Tomorrow, I will run him on the premium cruiser Kirov. Playing lower tiered premiums in order to save on the running costs - the higher the tier, the heavier the cost. 

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Wargaming: ECW Royalists

Received notification that the package has not left the UK because of some stuff up with the Royal Mail postal service. So the retailer is sending the package by courier instead. Should arrive by end of next week, so one hopes. Not overly concerned but then I am still distracted by this COVID situation which is slowly going away (test tonight showed I've still got a trace of it). But I've run out of medication. Being extra careful not to re-expose myself to the flu/cold again otherwise COVID will return. 

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Writing: Memo to Self - Be Consistent

When writing becomes an overwhelming passion, then fulfil that itch. Once done however, if it was only ever a one-off thing, move on to the next project or item on your to-do or bucket list. Keep moving. Before you do, ensure it's finished to the best of your ability otherwise it will haunt you to finish it fully. 

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PC Gaming: Command Modern Operations

Getting back into this game. Like the complexity of its design, the overall strategic and tactical objectives, learning to master and then coordinate the various elements that comprise the game, beating the AI who are more organised and efficient than you...stuff like this makes this game very appealing all over again. But I haven't played it in a while so having to read the manual fully this time to full reacquaint myself with the game mechanics. Will post a few sessions next month.

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PC Gaming: Black Myth Wukong

This game is selling gang busters, a trend that is encouraging given the recent flops like Concord and Dustborn. Over 10 million copies already sold on in the first week globally across all platforms since its release. Easily outperforming favourites like Cyberpunk 2077 and Helldivers 2 in sales. On Steam it's going for over eighty dollars (AUD) so that a whole amount of profit to the game/developers. From the few snippets I've seen from other YT streamers, and the overall comments thus far, this game is a big winner simply because it gives the gamers what they overwhelmingly want - a great game. Personally not my kind of game but I am sorely tempted to buy it just to see what the fuss is all about. Tempted being the key word.

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4 August 2024: More Writing than Wargaming

4 August 2024

World of Warships

Finally quit the clan today. Trigger was a very poor performance in clan battles. Spent the rest of the day session feeling miserable with myself and ended up playing the Venezia in Randoms. Suffered way more defeats than wins, but I didn't care. At least, I wasn't always dying within the first two minutes. Logged out but returned later in the evening to run the French token event - Personal Challenges. Bar reached earns 10 tokens which go towards obtaining the next reward in the Early Access French destroyers (second line). Got the Tier VI DUCHAFFAULT as a result. Thought about spending real cash to buy the bundles but then thought "Nah! Spent enough". So I logged back out and will wait for the new line to be released for free grind. Relieved I am no longer in the clan; aside from being useless and a liability in Clan Battles, I felt pressured to participate when I really didn't feel like it or wanted to. Now that pressure is off and I can relax and enjoy the remaining Premium days left to me (over 70 days). Cheers.

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5 August 2024

Writings

This blogsite is devoted to both hobby (wargaming) and writings (prose/poetry/paintings). This is the writing part which from time to time resurfaces for air then returns to the depth of my mind. 

Found an old story that has its origins back in March '90. Found it sitting on my printer but didn't recognise it under a pile of awful poetry during the Night Owl session. It is MSS size. Reread parts of the "newer" version (opening chapters) and immediately got back into the story flow. Lots of revising but the essence remained as engaging as when I first conceived the notion of writing this fantasy opera-style melodrama. Lol. The characters I well recall now with fondness. Dare I return to it and complete it as part of my unfinished business bucket list? Have to wait and see.

World of Warships

Logged into WOWS today and played out the Personal Challenges for CVs to obtain more French DD tokens (event ends in two days). Proved a frustrating (but in a pleasant way) time as I failed to reach the first bar - earn 300 Base XP. Up-tiered to Tier VI. Still no success. Finally quit the session and logged out. Not really pushing it as the event ends soon anyway. Learning how to play CV and realising that commander skill is essential to even having a chance. Hosho (T4) has only one torp attack while Ryujo (T6) has two. Bombing was fun and managed to knock out a couple of ships with well-placed bombs. 

Scourge of War: Remastered (the Waterloo edition)

Checked out Scourge of War Remastered after viewing the latest YT video from the dude that inspired me to buy the game. His game tag is DarkRob. He is a veteran of the game, well known for his intelligent play (will to win) and insights. Loads of tutorial play-throughs which he's updated recently. The mod is an improvement on the stock standard toolbar. Had to smile when he went through the attack column (by divisions) process using the Grog mod toolbar. Noticed that the stock standard version showed a brigade in mixed order, the standard attack formation. But the tutor showed his version that leaves smaller footprint and enables a concentrated attack. He then mentioned and showcased "the fortress" considered (within the game) the most impregnable defence. How much deviating from the real-life case arises from this confession? How much more is this a game therefore and not some milsim? Cheers.

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6 August 2024

PC Gaming - Scourge of War: Remastered

Spent a session learning how to use the Toolbar. Having already downloaded and installed the Grog mod toolbar I figured it would make using it easier. But it wasn't to be. I was too busy figuring out how to move the units around in the tutorial; I would follow the tutorial but it wouldn't work out as intended. In the end, I just ignored the tutorial instructions and played after it ended and kept at it until I'd had enough and logged out. Gradually became accustomed but still having problems selecting commanders and entire brigades. Not sure if I'm using the stock standard Toolbar or the Grog one. Will have to check out DarkRob's tutorial videos for clarification. Enjoyed it nonetheless because I felt I had progressed a little more than previously. 

Map Making tools

Today I went searching for map making tool. This came about because in trying to locate the earlier sketches I did for my MSS characters, I located copies of several drafts (the original but out of sequence and several redrafts - earliest 1992, latest 2015). Among them were several sketches of geography and locales which got me interested in locating suitable map makers. 

In the end, I found a listing of the top ten. And chose a couple of likely looking fantasy map makers and installed them. First one is free - Azgaar's Fantasy Map Generator. Reminded me of Minecraft map seeding. Each map seed comes with fully labelled states and so on; it all depends on how full you want your map (check boxes everywhere). Type in your requirements and voila, a full map is created just for you. You can also start with a blank canvas and take it from there. 

However it wasn't quite what I was hoping for so I ended up obtaining the second, Wonderdraft. It cost around USD30. A one-off payment but you could download three files (the original old file plus the latest version as well as extras in a zip file). This app is more map-looking than the other. When installing the icon to open the program will be in the Program folder. Why? I don't know. Tried moving it to the Desktop but it wouldn't open. Anyway, it allows you to create the map the way you want it. Which suits me as I already have much of my DR fantasy series mapped out (sketch maps mainly). But having proper-looking fantasy maps seems more appropriate. And it certainly helps with the storyline. 

However the map maker will also prove useful drafting up batreps (presentation counts it seems these days) and proposed scenarios, not just fantasy but also historical. Below is a sketch of one of the locations within my story - a hidden city. Shades of The Silmarillion and the First Age? For sure. 

The second app has several options depending on the scale being used. And it shouldn't be too hard to replicate the geography once the program has been mastered. Certainly an improvement on MS Paint.

But the map maker also comes with the option to generate overviews or close ups of habitable areas (villages, towns and cities), a very handy tool to have as a map maker. Above is a pencil and pen sketch plan view of the Hidden City sitting atop a mountain top.

And here is another graphical representation of the Hidden City and surrounding defensive walls (or Gates as I called them) done all those years ago. 

Steam has a couple of map making programs available. Both are more geared towards D&D style gaming. I did download a demo of Fantasy Map Simulator. Full release in September of this year. Haven't really studied it properly but for now I will stay focus using Wonderdraft.

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7 August 2024

World of Warships

Noticing something odd regarding this game. Whenever you get a free premium day as a reward, it does not boost your total; in other words, it does not count because it's separate from your daily diminishing tally. Whatever you're existing total is (through purchasing), any bonus days earned does not improve your overall tally even though it may look so at a glance. So, the other day I got a free premium day that I thought would boost my current total from 74 to 75 days. But today when I logged in, my total days was 73!! And this has happened multiple times whenever this bonus is earned. Please explain WG!

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Wonderdraft

What's possible in Wonderdraft. Just started playing with the program. There are tutorials but nothing like simply jumping in and having a go, so to speak. I had already designed my landscape and needed a program able to replicate that original vision, which Wonderdraft is doing perfectly...for now. 

Five Free Cities is reminiscent of the Hanseatic League and those independent cities in northern Germany historically. And such independent states existed throughout history; statehood was a concept that occurred after the existence of city-states. 

Anyway, their example worked perfectly for my original story back in the early nineties. This example map is from my DR story and is replicated perfectly by this program . Bay of Winds from the story as are three of the Five Cities - Prodogg, Yrta, Urit. 

I fluffed it when I saved this over the first maps of the Penelanor state (should have simply worked on it and then saved with new name upon exiting instead of during the process. The different coloured ground represent those states as originally conceived: FFC are puce while Lammoria, the central state in my story, is green. The yellow region is a state whose name I can't recall but it features in the second book of the series because of the ruler who is able to stand up to her foes instead of folding and fleeing into exile like many did in the story. 

Next example is not quite there by any stretch. But it suffices as a memory jogger if I need to revisit the place. It is Calmar, capital of Lammoria and opening scene for my story. Cheers.

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A Possible New Campaign Based on my writings??

Thoughts of revisiting my story stirred the creative juices. Enough to contemplate doing something I have always wanted to do wargaming-wise. In the late Donald Featherstone's Wargames he devoted a chapter to a fantasy game based on Robert E. Howard's Conan. A fellow English wargamer (name escapes me now) was inspired to create a Hyperborean wargame campaign using 30mm(?) flats. You can see where this is going, right? Why not create a fantasy list of the armies and play the story? I already know the combatants and the landscape (well, mostly). 

Lots and lots of room for being creative and painting minis according to your choices. 

Sort of reminds me a great deal of Phil Olley and Wars of Vaubarian Succession games, set in an alternative 18th century European style landscape. Only this will be Dark Age era or thereabouts. Without too much sorcery and fantastic beasts. There are no historical accounts of anything other than humans killing one another so why deviate now? But mysticism or profound spiritual belief is not absent. There are those with deeper spiritual connections to their environment within the story; it's just not the most dominating feature of it.

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