Thursday, February 25, 2016
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Heroes of the Storm (PC) (2015)
20160218:
I recently heard my friends were into Heroes of the Storm, so I thought I would go ahead and give it a try.
First Impressions:
The closest thing I've played to HoTS is League of Legends. In any case, while some of the mechanics carry over, the attacking felt different, but perhaps something I could get used to. While I liked the layout of the game, the queue times (for Quick Match) were so long. In the end, I decided just to play Versus A.I.
Tomb of the Spider Queen
Sky Temple - Pretty fun.
Raynor - This hero feels solid. Interesting that he's ranged assassin though.
Infernal Shrines
Towers of Doom - So far I like this stage best
Muradin - Whoa, this guy's CC is off the hook! I like his E jump also.
Tomb of the Spider Queen - Perhaps my least favorite mode so far. Not as clear as the other ones.
Battlefield of Eternity - Fun!
Anub'arak - Hmm a bit difficult to play
Cursed Hollow - So-so
Sky Temple - Oh, actually this one might be as good as Towers of Doom
Zagara - Not so bad. Kind of fun. Still like Muradin more, but Zagara feels explosive. Yeah, quite fun. Have to keep distance.
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Try feature: this type of mode with the cooldown option, the AI option, neutral camp option, and so on is something that I really wish were implemented in League. Imagine being able to go into a single-player mode where one could set Champion Level, etc.
+ Clarity with skins, clarity with skills
+ Randomization of game modes is interesting
+ Can set game options from Launcher/Client
+ Overall, all the features being implemented makes me stop and wonder, why doesn't Riot have any of this. Alternatively, it's almost like Blizzard made a list of everything Riot has done wrong or perhaps a list of everything the LoL community has asked for and implemented it.
Neutral:
~ Seemingly larger learning curve due to the skill choices. Although I'm guessing like Runes, Masteries, Itemization there are specific builds. I think I'll try to play around in Heroes of the Storm instead of using guides. Something I should be doing more with League.
Con:
- The gold rewards and reward system is much slower than that of League of Legends. Thus while LoL allows reasonable collection of champions through grinding, Heroes of the Storm seems to push and encourage the player to shell out some cash.
Blackheart's Bay - Sort of
Garden of Terror - Decently fun, though partially dependent on the player who becomes the monster.
Tyrael - Meh. Perhaps too dependent on allies. The second game was more fun than the first.
My first quest! Play 3 games as a specialty hero. Guess I'm playing 3 games as Zagara then.
Cursed Hollow - Pretty fun
Towers of Domb - So I like this mode, but when teammates don't gather for the objective, it's annoying
Dragon Shire - Being the Dragon Knight is so fun!
Zagara - The more I play Zagara the more I enjoy her damage
I resume the process of playing each of the free to play champions. By the way, I've been going in order of cheapest gold to most expensive gold.
Tomb of the Spider Queen - Steamrolling spiders is a good feeling.
Battlefield for Eternity
Falstad - Holy cow, this guy's pretty fun!
Towers of Doom - Hmm, I take it back. It might actually be a bit slow since so much damage comes from keeping control of the turrets.
Cursed Hollow - I find the cursed debuff not so interesting
Sonya - This character is pretty all in. I find her dependence is on her sustain off of E. Get damage down and then leave the fight.
Battlefield of Eternity
Garden of Terror
Kharazim - This champion is awesome. Pow pow pow pow.
That's all the free to play heroes and I would say I like Zagara best, followed by Kharazim, and then Muradin.
20160221:
Purchased Li Ming. She's OP.
20160223:
I begin leveling the new Free Rotation Heroes up to level 5.
20160227:
I finished the last of the new free to play champs up to level 5 (Total hero level 105: 5*21). This gets me to Level 28 (982156XP) and I have a bunch of gold (19645 gold, would have 29645 gold without Li Ming purchase). (168 games played)
Unfortunately I couldn't use the free Stimpack to its full potential cause I had some other business and travel, however I got a pretty good stretch out of it.
Perhaps I will use the remaining hours to level up to level 30? Dunno.
too exhausted. Stop afer last free to play champ as mentioend above. 5:11AM EST
Woke up at 9:05AM EST. No more Stimpack :( hahaha
20160307:
Hours remain before the end of the current week's free rotation, also my third round of free rotation.
Here's a recap:
FW#1) Started playing the game with the following heroes available (Feb 16-22): Anub'arak, Falstad, Kharazim, Muradin, Raynor, and Zagara. With my first 10,000 I purchase Li-Ming. Before the free rotation is over I've unlocked the 10th Hero Slot and level the entire free rotation plus Li-Ming to level 5. The remaining free rotation (in order of slots) are Tyrael, Sonya, Tyrande, and Greymane. Of these 11, Li-Ming was my favorite followed by Zagara. Excluding Li-Ming, I would choose Zagara followed by Muradin.
FW#2) The next free rotation is available and I'm still on the Stimpack. I rush to make use of the Stimpack to level the entire free rotation as close to level 5 as possible before I have to go on a trip. The rotation is Diablo, Kerrigan, Malfurion, Nazeebo, Sylvanas, and Valla plus Tassadar, Lunara, Stiches, and Leoric. Of these 10, Diablo was my favorite followed by Kerrigan.
FW#3) When the next free rotation comes around I go through the struggle of leveling the heroes without a Stimpack. The rotation consisted of Artanis, E.T.C., Gazlowe, Jaina, Li Li, and The Butcher plus Uther, Thrall, Azmodan, and Nova. Having accidentally bought Jaina, I didn't bother to level her (but I would have eventually bought her anyways, so its a happy accident). In addition, I managed to achieve Gazlowe's level 5 in the nick of the time, having returned to the Hero Select Screen after to find the week's free rotation blacked out.
Stats:
Li-Ming 37 Games, Zagara 17 Games, Falstad 12 Games
Player Level 36, Total Hero Level 153
Warrior 76 Assassin 117 Support 45 Specialist 51
289 Total Games Played
Li-Ming 8, Jaina 1, All other free rotation mentioned above are 5
17 Quick Match Games:
20160302-3 (Thursday): E.T.C. ST Loss, Li-Ming TotSQ Win, Li-Ming ToD Win,
20160303-4 (Friday): Li-Ming CH Win, Li-Ming BoE Loss, Li-Ming ST Win, Li-Ming GoT Loss, Uther IS Loss
20160307-8 (Monday): Li-Ming TotSQ Win, Li-Ming ToD Win, Li-Ming CH Win, Li-Ming IS Win, Li Li GoT Loss, Li Li ToD Loss, Li Li DS Win, Gazlowe BB Loss
Double-check date of games by going to I:\Users\XXXXXXX\Documents\Heroes of the Storm\Accounts\300729426\1-Hero-1-6290233\Replays\Multiplayer
In any case, the burden of leveling 10 heroes to level 5 is lightened by the fact that this free rotation has some overlap with the first: Kael'thas, (Kharazim), Lt. Morales, (Muradin), (Raynor), and (Zagara) plus Johanna, Illidan, Arthas, and Rexxar.
20160314:
4) I leveled all of the week's free rotation to 5, Jaina to 5, Raynor to 6, and Zagara to 6. My initial thoughts find Kael'thas fun, but squishy and Illidan was also fun. Initially Lt. Morales was fun but I feel like out of the various heroes, she would benefit from more coordinated team play. Among the 10, I would still pick Zagara followed by Muradin, though either Raynor or Kael'thas in third. Overall, I would continue to main Li-Ming, eventually play more Jaina, and perhaps pick up a tank like Diablo or E.T.C.
Stats:
Li-Ming 47 Games, Zagara 21 Games, Raynor 18 Games
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 190
Warrior 108 Assassin 167 Support 54 Specialist 55
384 Total Games Played
The upcoming rotation will be as follows: (Anub'arak), (Malfurion), (Sylvanas), Tychus, (Tyrael), and (Valla) plus Rehgar, Sgt. Hammer, Chen, and Li-Ming. (By the way, free rotation in NA happens at 3AM PST)
20160315:
I decided to purchase Rehgar and Muradin with in-game gold.
20160321:
5) I leveled all of the week's free rotation to 5, Gall to 4, Jaina to 6, Cho to 7, and Li-Ming is 108K away from level 9. Among the free rotation, I would of course pick Li-Ming as my favorite. She'd be followed by Sylvanas and then Rehgar. While Chen can be tanky and annoying, I don't think I would enjoy playing him long-term. As for Sgt. Hammer, she's fun to play, but she's not quite my play style. Finally, among the free rotation that I've already seen, Sylvanas is the only one I revisited.
Stats:
Li-Ming 55 Games, Zagara 21 Games, Raynor 18 Games*
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 222
Warrior 139 Assassin 190 Support 64 Specialist 67
460 Total Games Played
*While the stats list the number of games played, apparently the champions which appear are by the number of wins. Since I mainly played Zagara and Raynor vs. AI, I have 21 and 16 wins for them, respectively. I have, however, played more games with Cho than either. Cho: W L L W L L L; L W W W W W L L W W; W W L; Gall: W W L; Cho: W L. tl;dr: 12 in 22 on Cho.
The upcoming rotation will be as follows: (E.T.C.), (Falstad), (Greymane), (Li Li), (Nazeebo), (Tassadar) plus (Sonya), (Kerrigan), Cho, and Gall.
20160325:
Purchased E.T.C. (I've been having a lot of fun and success with him) and Diablo.
20160328:
Basically having already leveled all the free rotation to 5 already, I went through and leveled some to 6. Besides enjoying Cho and Gall, I would say E.T.C. is my favorite among the Free Rotation followed by Greymane. Li Li has a strong late game, but by then I find I'm already losing. Furthermore, I think her Cloud Serpent is not visible enough (so the player you cast it on might not know). Falstad is fun - though I didn't realize he's a ranged assassin. One problem though is I've started to get in the habit of mounting and his mount doesn't work that way. Perhaps I'd rather play as Kerrigan over Falstad.
Towards the end of the free rotation, I had a better understanding of Li Li and consider playing her more. I might even pick E.T.C. to Cho'Gall to Li Li.
6) I leveled all of the week's free rotation to 5, Diablo to 6, Greymane to 6, Kerrigan to 6, Li Li to 6, Muradin to 6, Nazeebo to 6, E.T.C. to 8, and Li-Ming to 9.
The upcoming rotation will be as follows: (Azmodan), (Diablo), (Jaina), (Muradin), (Raynor), (Uther) plus (Zagara), (Thrall), (Lunara), and Brightwing.
20160402:
While I made the effort to level Lunara to 6, it never clicked with me how she needs to be played and I'd probably never play her again. At least for a long time. Similarly. I'm not huge on Azmodan.
20160404:
While playing this past week I started to feel a growing likeness for Melee Warriors: Diablo, E.T.C., and Muradin. Although I still like Li-Ming's burst, playing as a Melee Warrior can be fun too. I should also add that playing as a support is difficult when playing with strangers, because making use of the healer generally requires a coordinated team effort: healer and damage dealers in the back of a front line, attacking together and kiting together.
7) I leveled almost all of the week's free rotation to 6 (excluding Thrall and Azmodan).
Stats:
Li-Ming 76 Games, E.T.C. 29 Games, Zagara 25 Games
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 241
Warrior 169 Assassin 230 Support 87 Specialist 77
563 Total Games Played
The upcoming rotation will be as follows: (Artanis), (Gazlowe), (Illidan), (Malfurion), (Tyrande), (Valla) plus (Stitches), (The Butcher), (Lt. Morales), and Xul.
Champions that I have yet to encounter through Free Rotation are Abathur, Dehaka, Murky, The Lost Vikings, and Zeratul. With Dehaka almost certainly to be in the Free Rotation 3 to 5 weeks from now, I'm curious when the others will show. From most recently released to oldest released: Dehaka, The Lost Vikings, Murky, Abathur (original), Zeratul (original).
I should note that both Zeratul and The Lost Vikings were in the Free Rotation prior to the one available when I started playing. Abathur and Murky have both been in the Free Rotation once since Post-Release.
20160405:
Apparently all heroes will be available to play this weekend (plus 50% more XP) as a way to celebrate the Heroes of the Dorm tournament.
20160407:
So Xul is pretty good, but he's not really my style. There is, however, a good chance I could build him differently or that I'm playing him wrong.
20160408:
First up is Zeratul. Pretty fun.
Second a little Abathur. Well, the terrible team comp resulted in me playing only one game as Abathur.
I decide to pick Dehaka to make a stronger impact. My allies were newer players. I stop playing with the newer players since they kept playing the harder AI but were inexperienced and it was hard to organize. I finished up Dehaka and he's kind of cool, but for the most part I'm not good at using his kit.
Next up, The Lost Vikings. Thoughts: too much to think about. Or perhaps there's a secret to what you should think about. If so, I don't know it. Actually, by the time I got to level 5, I was beginning to get the hang of it. I'd say a major ingredient is to get the hang of which character is #1, #2, and #3. And then occasionally using #4 or selecting for greater unit control.
After getting The Lost Vikings to level 5, I decided to play Murky. Murky is pretty fun and he doesn't actually die that often when a player plays him.
Finally, back to Abathur. Slowly, one by one I get some tips and learn how to play him.
: First there's soaking XP with the body.
: Then there's soaking XP with the Symbiote on a minion.
: Try to do both when the team doesn't need Symbiote at an objective.
20160409:
Then I begin leveling up various characters to 6 (many were already close):
AI: 3 Zeratul, 1 The Lost Vikings, 2 Murky, 2 Gall,
QM: 2 Muradin to 7, 1 Stitches
AI: 2 Sylvanas, 4 Nova, 4 Abathur, 1 Sylvanas, 1 Tychus
20160410:
AI: 1 Tychus, 3 Illidan, 4 Kael'thas, 1 Tychus, 2 Kharazim
: I was told about a Kael'thas bug in my second game, read about it and tried to understand how to use it in my third game, and used it fully in my fourth game. It was a fun bug, but not one I would exploit.
: Basically you use Verdant Sphere and then die. Then don't use Verdant Sphere again and you will be able to spam Living Bombs.
QM: 1 Kharazim, 1 Falstad, 2 Johanna (incomplete)
: Incredibly hard to make plays or impact as Johanna. I will not get her to six, at least not today.
AI: 4 Sonya, 3 Thrall, 3 Valla, 3 Tyrael
: I don't like Sonya's kit. I like Thrall's kit. Out of Valla's Rancor/Multishot/Hunger Builds, I like Multishot most. Finally, Tyrael is decently fun.
20160426:
8) The only free hero I hadn't played from this week was Xul, but he wasn't my style. This week, however, also consisted of free heroes during the weekened and I leveled all the missing heroes to 5 and started leveling some to 6. In any case, among just the 10 free rotation heroes, I'd say Lt. Morales is best, while Valla and Illidan are runner-ups.
9) (E.T.C.), (Kael'thas), (Leoric), (Li Li), (Sylvanas), (Tychus) plus (Rehgar), (Sgt. Hammer), (Johanna), and Zeratul. While I have notated that this would be the first time I could play Zeratul from the free rotation, I have already leveled him up via last week's all heroes weekend. Among this selection, E.T.C. would be my favorite, followed by Li Li, and then Sylvanas. Actually, Sylvanas is awesome, but I haven't taken the time to play her.
10) (Kerrigan), (Muradin), (Nazeebo), (Raynor), (Tyrael), (Uther) plus (Sonya), (Arthas), (Tassadar), and (Li-Ming). I'm a bit surprised to see Li-Ming back in the free rotation already. In any case, I think I've mostly reached the point where I've found who I like to play and don't really worry about the free rotation. In particular, I've purchased Li Li and Zagara. Among the free rotation I dislike Sonya, my favorite would be Muradin, and would follow that up with Nazeebo. Kerrigan is fun, but not my style, and Tassadar might be a reasonable third pick.
Stats:
Li-Ming 86 Games, E.T.C. 38 Games, Zagara 26 Games
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 299
Warrior 222 Assassin 280 Support 108 Specialist 124
734 Total Games Played
That brings us to the current week's free rotation: (Chen), (Falstad), (Kharazim), (Malfurion), (Valla), (Zagara) plus (Azmodan), (Thrall), (Rexxar), and (Nova).
20160503:
11) Leveled Azmodan, Chen, and Malfurion to 6. Leveled Rexxar to 6 at the last possible match. Also clutch choice to move the difficulty to Veteran for the last game.
20160512:
Previous free rotation: E.T.C., Gazlowe, Jaina, Li Li, Lt. Morales, The Butcher plus Diablo, Illidan, Greymane, and Dehaka
12) Leveled Gazlowe, Lt. Morales, and The Butcher to 6. My favorites are definitely Li Li, then E.T.C., then Jaina. Diablo depends a lot more on team comp due to lower damage output, Lt. Morales does actually require some skill to be good, Gazlowe is definitely not my style, and neither is Dehaka.
Stats:
Li-Ming 89 Games, E.T.C. 42 Games, Zagara 26 Games
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 307
Warrior 246 Assassin 293 Support 123 Specialist 134
796 Total Games Played
My first time playing Hero League!
20160513:
By the end of tonight I played 6 Hero League matches, winning the first five and losing the sixth.
In the fifth match my team was a 9, a 9, a 4 [MMR: 2460], a 4 [MMR: 2452], and myself (?) - I banned. Supposedly, banning means my MMR was highest. That's some volatile MMR.
On the opponent's team was a 14, an 8, a 7, a 7, and a 7. In the sixth match my team was an 8, a 5, myself (?), a 1 [MMR: 2902, Diamond *], and a 1 [MMR: 3409, Master 673]. I didn't ban, so my MMR wasn't highest, but I used the previous game as an estimate. On the opponent's team was a 14, a 9, a 3, a 1 [MMR: 3231, Diamond 532], and a 1 [MMR: 3391, Diamond *]. While I didn't play my best Li Ming game in the sixth match, I would first point to some weird early game deaths (Johanna, the rank 8, died before the creeps even met in lane). I would assume that the lost would be a big hit to my MMR, as by MMR, we were more likely to win (lost 307!).
HotsLogs made the following estimates: 1700 -afterM1> 2075 -afterM2> 2478 -afterM3> 2676 -afterM4> 2843 -afterM5> 3059 > 2752. While I know the initial MMR is extremely volatile and can drop, it was fun to shoot up to the top and play a match with rank 1 players before dropping back down. We'll see how far down it goes.
Current free rotation: Johanna, Kael'thas, Muradin, Raynor, Rehgar, Xul plus Anub'arak, Tyrande, Lunara, and Abathur.
13) Leveled Anub'arak and Tyrande to 6. Now I only have Sgt. Hammer at level 5 and Tracer at level 1.
20200526: (AM hours)
I've revisited Heroes of the Storm and played some games over the past two to three months. Today I played again with some friends.
Gameplay Log:
Win with A.S., H.S., and D.L. I play Li Ming.
Win with A.S. and H.S. I play Li Ming.
I purchased Cho'Gall for 10000 coin.
Two games as Cho'Gall (H.S.'T.T.) with A.S. and H.S. A loss and a win.
20200527: (AM hours)
Today we played more Cho'Gall and there are various excuses we could make for losing, but I think overall the major reason which makes sense is that we don't know how to gain attention and advantage. If we're in a lane against one opponent, then the enemy team is at an advantage, because we're placing the resources of two players plus potentially resources from Abathur into a lane. In hindsight, doing theory crafting, we have to do our best to either attract a second or even third player to the lane of our choice and if they don't respond we get to push and then roam. In any case, I proposed at the end of our session today that the next time we switch roles so that H.S. can experience Gall. I've played both so I have a vague idea of Cho's role, but it would be good for me to refresh on Cho as well.
Gameplay Log:
Played four games as Cho'Gall (H.S.'T.T) with A.S. and H.S. All losses.
Heroes of the Storm
Relevant Links:
Heroes of the Storm Website
Heroes of the Storm (Wikipedia.org)
I recently heard my friends were into Heroes of the Storm, so I thought I would go ahead and give it a try.
First Impressions:
The closest thing I've played to HoTS is League of Legends. In any case, while some of the mechanics carry over, the attacking felt different, but perhaps something I could get used to. While I liked the layout of the game, the queue times (for Quick Match) were so long. In the end, I decided just to play Versus A.I.
Tomb of the Spider Queen
Sky Temple - Pretty fun.
Raynor - This hero feels solid. Interesting that he's ranged assassin though.
Infernal Shrines
Towers of Doom - So far I like this stage best
Muradin - Whoa, this guy's CC is off the hook! I like his E jump also.
Tomb of the Spider Queen - Perhaps my least favorite mode so far. Not as clear as the other ones.
Battlefield of Eternity - Fun!
Anub'arak - Hmm a bit difficult to play
Cursed Hollow - So-so
Sky Temple - Oh, actually this one might be as good as Towers of Doom
Zagara - Not so bad. Kind of fun. Still like Muradin more, but Zagara feels explosive. Yeah, quite fun. Have to keep distance.
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Try feature: this type of mode with the cooldown option, the AI option, neutral camp option, and so on is something that I really wish were implemented in League. Imagine being able to go into a single-player mode where one could set Champion Level, etc.
+ Clarity with skins, clarity with skills
+ Randomization of game modes is interesting
+ Can set game options from Launcher/Client
+ Overall, all the features being implemented makes me stop and wonder, why doesn't Riot have any of this. Alternatively, it's almost like Blizzard made a list of everything Riot has done wrong or perhaps a list of everything the LoL community has asked for and implemented it.
Neutral:
~ Seemingly larger learning curve due to the skill choices. Although I'm guessing like Runes, Masteries, Itemization there are specific builds. I think I'll try to play around in Heroes of the Storm instead of using guides. Something I should be doing more with League.
Con:
- The gold rewards and reward system is much slower than that of League of Legends. Thus while LoL allows reasonable collection of champions through grinding, Heroes of the Storm seems to push and encourage the player to shell out some cash.
Blackheart's Bay - Sort of
Garden of Terror - Decently fun, though partially dependent on the player who becomes the monster.
Tyrael - Meh. Perhaps too dependent on allies. The second game was more fun than the first.
My first quest! Play 3 games as a specialty hero. Guess I'm playing 3 games as Zagara then.
Cursed Hollow - Pretty fun
Towers of Domb - So I like this mode, but when teammates don't gather for the objective, it's annoying
Dragon Shire - Being the Dragon Knight is so fun!
Zagara - The more I play Zagara the more I enjoy her damage
I resume the process of playing each of the free to play champions. By the way, I've been going in order of cheapest gold to most expensive gold.
Tomb of the Spider Queen - Steamrolling spiders is a good feeling.
Battlefield for Eternity
Falstad - Holy cow, this guy's pretty fun!
Towers of Doom - Hmm, I take it back. It might actually be a bit slow since so much damage comes from keeping control of the turrets.
Cursed Hollow - I find the cursed debuff not so interesting
Sonya - This character is pretty all in. I find her dependence is on her sustain off of E. Get damage down and then leave the fight.
Battlefield of Eternity
Garden of Terror
Kharazim - This champion is awesome. Pow pow pow pow.
That's all the free to play heroes and I would say I like Zagara best, followed by Kharazim, and then Muradin.
20160221:
Purchased Li Ming. She's OP.
20160223:
I begin leveling the new Free Rotation Heroes up to level 5.
20160227:
I finished the last of the new free to play champs up to level 5 (Total hero level 105: 5*21). This gets me to Level 28 (982156XP) and I have a bunch of gold (19645 gold, would have 29645 gold without Li Ming purchase). (168 games played)
Unfortunately I couldn't use the free Stimpack to its full potential cause I had some other business and travel, however I got a pretty good stretch out of it.
Perhaps I will use the remaining hours to level up to level 30? Dunno.
too exhausted. Stop afer last free to play champ as mentioend above. 5:11AM EST
Woke up at 9:05AM EST. No more Stimpack :( hahaha
20160307:
Hours remain before the end of the current week's free rotation, also my third round of free rotation.
Here's a recap:
FW#1) Started playing the game with the following heroes available (Feb 16-22): Anub'arak, Falstad, Kharazim, Muradin, Raynor, and Zagara. With my first 10,000 I purchase Li-Ming. Before the free rotation is over I've unlocked the 10th Hero Slot and level the entire free rotation plus Li-Ming to level 5. The remaining free rotation (in order of slots) are Tyrael, Sonya, Tyrande, and Greymane. Of these 11, Li-Ming was my favorite followed by Zagara. Excluding Li-Ming, I would choose Zagara followed by Muradin.
FW#2) The next free rotation is available and I'm still on the Stimpack. I rush to make use of the Stimpack to level the entire free rotation as close to level 5 as possible before I have to go on a trip. The rotation is Diablo, Kerrigan, Malfurion, Nazeebo, Sylvanas, and Valla plus Tassadar, Lunara, Stiches, and Leoric. Of these 10, Diablo was my favorite followed by Kerrigan.
FW#3) When the next free rotation comes around I go through the struggle of leveling the heroes without a Stimpack. The rotation consisted of Artanis, E.T.C., Gazlowe, Jaina, Li Li, and The Butcher plus Uther, Thrall, Azmodan, and Nova. Having accidentally bought Jaina, I didn't bother to level her (but I would have eventually bought her anyways, so its a happy accident). In addition, I managed to achieve Gazlowe's level 5 in the nick of the time, having returned to the Hero Select Screen after to find the week's free rotation blacked out.
Stats:
Li-Ming 37 Games, Zagara 17 Games, Falstad 12 Games
Player Level 36, Total Hero Level 153
Warrior 76 Assassin 117 Support 45 Specialist 51
289 Total Games Played
Li-Ming 8, Jaina 1, All other free rotation mentioned above are 5
17 Quick Match Games:
20160302-3 (Thursday): E.T.C. ST Loss, Li-Ming TotSQ Win, Li-Ming ToD Win,
20160303-4 (Friday): Li-Ming CH Win, Li-Ming BoE Loss, Li-Ming ST Win, Li-Ming GoT Loss, Uther IS Loss
20160307-8 (Monday): Li-Ming TotSQ Win, Li-Ming ToD Win, Li-Ming CH Win, Li-Ming IS Win, Li Li GoT Loss, Li Li ToD Loss, Li Li DS Win, Gazlowe BB Loss
Double-check date of games by going to I:\Users\XXXXXXX\Documents\Heroes of the Storm\Accounts\300729426\1-Hero-1-6290233\Replays\Multiplayer
In any case, the burden of leveling 10 heroes to level 5 is lightened by the fact that this free rotation has some overlap with the first: Kael'thas, (Kharazim), Lt. Morales, (Muradin), (Raynor), and (Zagara) plus Johanna, Illidan, Arthas, and Rexxar.
20160314:
4) I leveled all of the week's free rotation to 5, Jaina to 5, Raynor to 6, and Zagara to 6. My initial thoughts find Kael'thas fun, but squishy and Illidan was also fun. Initially Lt. Morales was fun but I feel like out of the various heroes, she would benefit from more coordinated team play. Among the 10, I would still pick Zagara followed by Muradin, though either Raynor or Kael'thas in third. Overall, I would continue to main Li-Ming, eventually play more Jaina, and perhaps pick up a tank like Diablo or E.T.C.
Stats:
Li-Ming 47 Games, Zagara 21 Games, Raynor 18 Games
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 190
Warrior 108 Assassin 167 Support 54 Specialist 55
384 Total Games Played
The upcoming rotation will be as follows: (Anub'arak), (Malfurion), (Sylvanas), Tychus, (Tyrael), and (Valla) plus Rehgar, Sgt. Hammer, Chen, and Li-Ming. (By the way, free rotation in NA happens at 3AM PST)
20160315:
I decided to purchase Rehgar and Muradin with in-game gold.
20160321:
5) I leveled all of the week's free rotation to 5, Gall to 4, Jaina to 6, Cho to 7, and Li-Ming is 108K away from level 9. Among the free rotation, I would of course pick Li-Ming as my favorite. She'd be followed by Sylvanas and then Rehgar. While Chen can be tanky and annoying, I don't think I would enjoy playing him long-term. As for Sgt. Hammer, she's fun to play, but she's not quite my play style. Finally, among the free rotation that I've already seen, Sylvanas is the only one I revisited.
Stats:
Li-Ming 55 Games, Zagara 21 Games, Raynor 18 Games*
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 222
Warrior 139 Assassin 190 Support 64 Specialist 67
460 Total Games Played
*While the stats list the number of games played, apparently the champions which appear are by the number of wins. Since I mainly played Zagara and Raynor vs. AI, I have 21 and 16 wins for them, respectively. I have, however, played more games with Cho than either. Cho: W L L W L L L; L W W W W W L L W W; W W L; Gall: W W L; Cho: W L. tl;dr: 12 in 22 on Cho.
The upcoming rotation will be as follows: (E.T.C.), (Falstad), (Greymane), (Li Li), (Nazeebo), (Tassadar) plus (Sonya), (Kerrigan), Cho, and Gall.
20160325:
Purchased E.T.C. (I've been having a lot of fun and success with him) and Diablo.
20160328:
Basically having already leveled all the free rotation to 5 already, I went through and leveled some to 6. Besides enjoying Cho and Gall, I would say E.T.C. is my favorite among the Free Rotation followed by Greymane. Li Li has a strong late game, but by then I find I'm already losing. Furthermore, I think her Cloud Serpent is not visible enough (so the player you cast it on might not know). Falstad is fun - though I didn't realize he's a ranged assassin. One problem though is I've started to get in the habit of mounting and his mount doesn't work that way. Perhaps I'd rather play as Kerrigan over Falstad.
Towards the end of the free rotation, I had a better understanding of Li Li and consider playing her more. I might even pick E.T.C. to Cho'Gall to Li Li.
6) I leveled all of the week's free rotation to 5, Diablo to 6, Greymane to 6, Kerrigan to 6, Li Li to 6, Muradin to 6, Nazeebo to 6, E.T.C. to 8, and Li-Ming to 9.
The upcoming rotation will be as follows: (Azmodan), (Diablo), (Jaina), (Muradin), (Raynor), (Uther) plus (Zagara), (Thrall), (Lunara), and Brightwing.
20160402:
While I made the effort to level Lunara to 6, it never clicked with me how she needs to be played and I'd probably never play her again. At least for a long time. Similarly. I'm not huge on Azmodan.
20160404:
While playing this past week I started to feel a growing likeness for Melee Warriors: Diablo, E.T.C., and Muradin. Although I still like Li-Ming's burst, playing as a Melee Warrior can be fun too. I should also add that playing as a support is difficult when playing with strangers, because making use of the healer generally requires a coordinated team effort: healer and damage dealers in the back of a front line, attacking together and kiting together.
7) I leveled almost all of the week's free rotation to 6 (excluding Thrall and Azmodan).
Stats:
Li-Ming 76 Games, E.T.C. 29 Games, Zagara 25 Games
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 241
Warrior 169 Assassin 230 Support 87 Specialist 77
563 Total Games Played
The upcoming rotation will be as follows: (Artanis), (Gazlowe), (Illidan), (Malfurion), (Tyrande), (Valla) plus (Stitches), (The Butcher), (Lt. Morales), and Xul.
Champions that I have yet to encounter through Free Rotation are Abathur, Dehaka, Murky, The Lost Vikings, and Zeratul. With Dehaka almost certainly to be in the Free Rotation 3 to 5 weeks from now, I'm curious when the others will show. From most recently released to oldest released: Dehaka, The Lost Vikings, Murky, Abathur (original), Zeratul (original).
I should note that both Zeratul and The Lost Vikings were in the Free Rotation prior to the one available when I started playing. Abathur and Murky have both been in the Free Rotation once since Post-Release.
20160405:
Apparently all heroes will be available to play this weekend (plus 50% more XP) as a way to celebrate the Heroes of the Dorm tournament.
20160407:
So Xul is pretty good, but he's not really my style. There is, however, a good chance I could build him differently or that I'm playing him wrong.
20160408:
First up is Zeratul. Pretty fun.
Second a little Abathur. Well, the terrible team comp resulted in me playing only one game as Abathur.
I decide to pick Dehaka to make a stronger impact. My allies were newer players. I stop playing with the newer players since they kept playing the harder AI but were inexperienced and it was hard to organize. I finished up Dehaka and he's kind of cool, but for the most part I'm not good at using his kit.
Next up, The Lost Vikings. Thoughts: too much to think about. Or perhaps there's a secret to what you should think about. If so, I don't know it. Actually, by the time I got to level 5, I was beginning to get the hang of it. I'd say a major ingredient is to get the hang of which character is #1, #2, and #3. And then occasionally using #4 or selecting for greater unit control.
After getting The Lost Vikings to level 5, I decided to play Murky. Murky is pretty fun and he doesn't actually die that often when a player plays him.
Finally, back to Abathur. Slowly, one by one I get some tips and learn how to play him.
: First there's soaking XP with the body.
: Then there's soaking XP with the Symbiote on a minion.
: Try to do both when the team doesn't need Symbiote at an objective.
20160409:
Then I begin leveling up various characters to 6 (many were already close):
AI: 3 Zeratul, 1 The Lost Vikings, 2 Murky, 2 Gall,
QM: 2 Muradin to 7, 1 Stitches
AI: 2 Sylvanas, 4 Nova, 4 Abathur, 1 Sylvanas, 1 Tychus
20160410:
AI: 1 Tychus, 3 Illidan, 4 Kael'thas, 1 Tychus, 2 Kharazim
: I was told about a Kael'thas bug in my second game, read about it and tried to understand how to use it in my third game, and used it fully in my fourth game. It was a fun bug, but not one I would exploit.
: Basically you use Verdant Sphere and then die. Then don't use Verdant Sphere again and you will be able to spam Living Bombs.
QM: 1 Kharazim, 1 Falstad, 2 Johanna (incomplete)
: Incredibly hard to make plays or impact as Johanna. I will not get her to six, at least not today.
AI: 4 Sonya, 3 Thrall, 3 Valla, 3 Tyrael
: I don't like Sonya's kit. I like Thrall's kit. Out of Valla's Rancor/Multishot/Hunger Builds, I like Multishot most. Finally, Tyrael is decently fun.
20160426:
8) The only free hero I hadn't played from this week was Xul, but he wasn't my style. This week, however, also consisted of free heroes during the weekened and I leveled all the missing heroes to 5 and started leveling some to 6. In any case, among just the 10 free rotation heroes, I'd say Lt. Morales is best, while Valla and Illidan are runner-ups.
9) (E.T.C.), (Kael'thas), (Leoric), (Li Li), (Sylvanas), (Tychus) plus (Rehgar), (Sgt. Hammer), (Johanna), and Zeratul. While I have notated that this would be the first time I could play Zeratul from the free rotation, I have already leveled him up via last week's all heroes weekend. Among this selection, E.T.C. would be my favorite, followed by Li Li, and then Sylvanas. Actually, Sylvanas is awesome, but I haven't taken the time to play her.
10) (Kerrigan), (Muradin), (Nazeebo), (Raynor), (Tyrael), (Uther) plus (Sonya), (Arthas), (Tassadar), and (Li-Ming). I'm a bit surprised to see Li-Ming back in the free rotation already. In any case, I think I've mostly reached the point where I've found who I like to play and don't really worry about the free rotation. In particular, I've purchased Li Li and Zagara. Among the free rotation I dislike Sonya, my favorite would be Muradin, and would follow that up with Nazeebo. Kerrigan is fun, but not my style, and Tassadar might be a reasonable third pick.
Stats:
Li-Ming 86 Games, E.T.C. 38 Games, Zagara 26 Games
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 299
Warrior 222 Assassin 280 Support 108 Specialist 124
734 Total Games Played
That brings us to the current week's free rotation: (Chen), (Falstad), (Kharazim), (Malfurion), (Valla), (Zagara) plus (Azmodan), (Thrall), (Rexxar), and (Nova).
20160503:
11) Leveled Azmodan, Chen, and Malfurion to 6. Leveled Rexxar to 6 at the last possible match. Also clutch choice to move the difficulty to Veteran for the last game.
20160512:
Previous free rotation: E.T.C., Gazlowe, Jaina, Li Li, Lt. Morales, The Butcher plus Diablo, Illidan, Greymane, and Dehaka
12) Leveled Gazlowe, Lt. Morales, and The Butcher to 6. My favorites are definitely Li Li, then E.T.C., then Jaina. Diablo depends a lot more on team comp due to lower damage output, Lt. Morales does actually require some skill to be good, Gazlowe is definitely not my style, and neither is Dehaka.
Stats:
Li-Ming 89 Games, E.T.C. 42 Games, Zagara 26 Games
Player Level 40, Total Hero Level 307
Warrior 246 Assassin 293 Support 123 Specialist 134
796 Total Games Played
My first time playing Hero League!
20160513:
By the end of tonight I played 6 Hero League matches, winning the first five and losing the sixth.
In the fifth match my team was a 9, a 9, a 4 [MMR: 2460], a 4 [MMR: 2452], and myself (?) - I banned. Supposedly, banning means my MMR was highest. That's some volatile MMR.
On the opponent's team was a 14, an 8, a 7, a 7, and a 7. In the sixth match my team was an 8, a 5, myself (?), a 1 [MMR: 2902, Diamond *], and a 1 [MMR: 3409, Master 673]. I didn't ban, so my MMR wasn't highest, but I used the previous game as an estimate. On the opponent's team was a 14, a 9, a 3, a 1 [MMR: 3231, Diamond 532], and a 1 [MMR: 3391, Diamond *]. While I didn't play my best Li Ming game in the sixth match, I would first point to some weird early game deaths (Johanna, the rank 8, died before the creeps even met in lane). I would assume that the lost would be a big hit to my MMR, as by MMR, we were more likely to win (lost 307!).
HotsLogs made the following estimates: 1700 -afterM1> 2075 -afterM2> 2478 -afterM3> 2676 -afterM4> 2843 -afterM5> 3059 > 2752. While I know the initial MMR is extremely volatile and can drop, it was fun to shoot up to the top and play a match with rank 1 players before dropping back down. We'll see how far down it goes.
Current free rotation: Johanna, Kael'thas, Muradin, Raynor, Rehgar, Xul plus Anub'arak, Tyrande, Lunara, and Abathur.
13) Leveled Anub'arak and Tyrande to 6. Now I only have Sgt. Hammer at level 5 and Tracer at level 1.
20200526: (AM hours)
I've revisited Heroes of the Storm and played some games over the past two to three months. Today I played again with some friends.
Gameplay Log:
Win with A.S., H.S., and D.L. I play Li Ming.
Win with A.S. and H.S. I play Li Ming.
I purchased Cho'Gall for 10000 coin.
Two games as Cho'Gall (H.S.'T.T.) with A.S. and H.S. A loss and a win.
20200527: (AM hours)
Today we played more Cho'Gall and there are various excuses we could make for losing, but I think overall the major reason which makes sense is that we don't know how to gain attention and advantage. If we're in a lane against one opponent, then the enemy team is at an advantage, because we're placing the resources of two players plus potentially resources from Abathur into a lane. In hindsight, doing theory crafting, we have to do our best to either attract a second or even third player to the lane of our choice and if they don't respond we get to push and then roam. In any case, I proposed at the end of our session today that the next time we switch roles so that H.S. can experience Gall. I've played both so I have a vague idea of Cho's role, but it would be good for me to refresh on Cho as well.
Gameplay Log:
Played four games as Cho'Gall (H.S.'T.T) with A.S. and H.S. All losses.
Heroes of the Storm
Relevant Links:
Heroes of the Storm Website
Heroes of the Storm (Wikipedia.org)
Monday, February 15, 2016
Ethan: Meteor Hunter (PC) (2014)
Ethan: Meteor Hunter (PC) (2014)
Overview: A physics-based puzzle-platformer where you play as a mouse with the ability to pause time (using a power-up) in order to interact with blocks and progress through the game.
Relevant Links:
Ethan: Meteor Hunter Website
Ethan: Meteor Hunter (Steam Store Page)
Ethan: Meteor Hunter (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Game Mechanics:
Progress through a level like a standard platformer (except without the modern wall jump). Collect "Pauses" and use them to move stone and wooden blocks to help you cross gaps or reach platforms higher than you can jump. Like characters in Dustforce (2012), Ethan can build up momentum for bigger jumps by first sliding down slopes and then jumping at the bottom.
Upon reaching the end of the level, the player's # of fragments, pauses used, and time for completion are compared to in-game benchmarks.
20160215: [20160224]
I gave this game a try today and it wasn't that bad. Unfortunately, it crashed on me and it wasn't anywhere interesting enough to boot back up.
20160224: [20160311 Edit]
I didn't remember if the crash that happened was the game's fault or the fault of an incompatibility between my video card drivers and Windows 10. Giving the game the benefit of the doubt, I gave it another go.
Having finished the tutorial, I felt the game's potential puzzle mechanics were interesting but hardly felt compelled to play anymore of it.
First Impressions:
With less than half an hour of gameplay, it wouldn't be fair to make any final judgments, but I wasn't fond of the graphics and the controls felt unrefined.
Steam: 17 minutes.
20160311:
Today I decided to play at least three levels beyond the tutorial.
In the end I completed four and quit during the fifth.
Steam: 53 minutes (total game time)
Comparison:
While initially interesting, the gameplay that comes from pausing and moving bricks has a tendency to break the flow of the game. This effect is, perhaps, exacerbated by the limited use of pauses. In contrast, layingblocks is an integral part of Blocks That Matter and moving around boulders and platforms is an integral part of Trine, but the game flow in both of those games feels more steady.
Thoughts:
Pro:
+ In general there seemed to be a healthy amount of checkpoints. The fourth level I played was an exception to this (no checkpoints), but the gameplay was also a bit different and fresh.
Neutral:
~ End of level goals has the potential for replaying a level (I did so for one of the levels, but I didn't feel compelled to do so on the others)
~ Graphics grew on me a bit. I'd say they're decent.
Minor Cons:
- Slightly broken game flow
- Controls feel a bit off
Cons:
- The game lacks appeal
Recommendation:
There have certainly been games which I have not enjoyed in the first fifteen minutes and then suddenly play them for hours. Unfortunately, Ethan: Meteor Hunter remained lackluster and I would not personally recommend it to anybody.
Overview: A physics-based puzzle-platformer where you play as a mouse with the ability to pause time (using a power-up) in order to interact with blocks and progress through the game.
Relevant Links:
Ethan: Meteor Hunter Website
Ethan: Meteor Hunter (Steam Store Page)
Ethan: Meteor Hunter (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Game Mechanics:
Progress through a level like a standard platformer (except without the modern wall jump). Collect "Pauses" and use them to move stone and wooden blocks to help you cross gaps or reach platforms higher than you can jump. Like characters in Dustforce (2012), Ethan can build up momentum for bigger jumps by first sliding down slopes and then jumping at the bottom.
Upon reaching the end of the level, the player's # of fragments, pauses used, and time for completion are compared to in-game benchmarks.
20160215: [20160224]
I gave this game a try today and it wasn't that bad. Unfortunately, it crashed on me and it wasn't anywhere interesting enough to boot back up.
20160224: [20160311 Edit]
I didn't remember if the crash that happened was the game's fault or the fault of an incompatibility between my video card drivers and Windows 10. Giving the game the benefit of the doubt, I gave it another go.
Having finished the tutorial, I felt the game's potential puzzle mechanics were interesting but hardly felt compelled to play anymore of it.
First Impressions:
With less than half an hour of gameplay, it wouldn't be fair to make any final judgments, but I wasn't fond of the graphics and the controls felt unrefined.
Steam: 17 minutes.
20160311:
Today I decided to play at least three levels beyond the tutorial.
In the end I completed four and quit during the fifth.
Steam: 53 minutes (total game time)
Comparison:
While initially interesting, the gameplay that comes from pausing and moving bricks has a tendency to break the flow of the game. This effect is, perhaps, exacerbated by the limited use of pauses. In contrast, layingblocks is an integral part of Blocks That Matter and moving around boulders and platforms is an integral part of Trine, but the game flow in both of those games feels more steady.
Thoughts:
Pro:
+ In general there seemed to be a healthy amount of checkpoints. The fourth level I played was an exception to this (no checkpoints), but the gameplay was also a bit different and fresh.
Neutral:
~ End of level goals has the potential for replaying a level (I did so for one of the levels, but I didn't feel compelled to do so on the others)
~ Graphics grew on me a bit. I'd say they're decent.
Minor Cons:
- Slightly broken game flow
- Controls feel a bit off
Cons:
- The game lacks appeal
Recommendation:
There have certainly been games which I have not enjoyed in the first fifteen minutes and then suddenly play them for hours. Unfortunately, Ethan: Meteor Hunter remained lackluster and I would not personally recommend it to anybody.
Saturday, February 13, 2016
DiRT 3 (PC) (2011)
20160213:
Not including the Mario Kart series,* I've played less than a handful of racing games. In fact, from what I can recall, prior to playing DiRT 3 today, I've only played Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (PS2) (?), GRID 2 (PC) (2013), and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit (PC) (2010).
Steam Game Time: 33 minutes
*Super Mario Kart (SNES) (1992), Mario Kart 64 (N64) (1996), Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA) (2001), Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN) (2003), Mario Kart DS (NDS) (2005), and Mario Kart Wii (Wii) (2008).
[20170312:]
I don't remember much about this game, but today I learned it was developed by Codemasters, the same developers responsible for the GRID series.
DiRT 3 Complete Edition (PC) (2011)
Relevant Links:
DiRT 3 Webpage
DiRT 3 (MetaCritic.com)
Dirt 3 (Wikipedia.org)
Not including the Mario Kart series,* I've played less than a handful of racing games. In fact, from what I can recall, prior to playing DiRT 3 today, I've only played Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (PS2) (?), GRID 2 (PC) (2013), and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit (PC) (2010).
Steam Game Time: 33 minutes
*Super Mario Kart (SNES) (1992), Mario Kart 64 (N64) (1996), Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA) (2001), Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN) (2003), Mario Kart DS (NDS) (2005), and Mario Kart Wii (Wii) (2008).
[20170312:]
I don't remember much about this game, but today I learned it was developed by Codemasters, the same developers responsible for the GRID series.
DiRT 3 Complete Edition (PC) (2011)
Relevant Links:
DiRT 3 Webpage
DiRT 3 (MetaCritic.com)
Dirt 3 (Wikipedia.org)
Cargo Commander (PC) (2012)
Overview: You're an employee for Cargo Corp and your job is to collect cargo from abandoned cargo containers. Of course, you're likely to die from aliens, bombs, or the cold vacuum of space.
20160213:
I played some of this game for the first time today and was initially skeptical when I read that it was a rogue-like. However, after the first couple minutes of play and after one or two deaths I definitely had a positive opinion of the game.
Setup: While I decided to play the game with keyboard and touchpad, the game supports gamepad control and might be more efficient than using a keyboard and mouse.
Tip: While various guns run out of ammo, you will always have your Fistcannon, so upgrading its damage first may be worthwhile. Similarly, investing in the speed of the drill seems beneficial to me.
Tip: Along that note, it may be beneficial to avoid fighting enemies whenever possible.
Tip: While you can cheaply purchase health, you can opt instead to purchase a health upgrade (e.g., 3 hits to 4 hits) and your health bar will automatically be filled (in addition to the hit point increase).
Tip: When everything is breaking apart, I suspect buildings either fall off in reverse of the order they attached or starting from the furthest attached.
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Good tutorial/Teaches gameplay the way I expect every game to teach gameplay
+ Customize the way you play by choosing what you want to upgrade
+ Occasional humor
+ Minor attention to detail such as recoil and crashing
Neutral:
~ There's a sort of theme song that seems to play and its catchy, but repetitive.
~ As with other rogue-like's death in Cargo Commander is a die and learn experience
Con:
- The rogue-lite experience mainly comes from exploring a new sector. Otherwise, as far as I can tell, replaying a given sector will always be the same. Unfortunately, every sector begins to feel the same.
Recommendation:
While Cargo Commander is essentially a platformer, it actually brings several novel gameplay mechanics to the table and I would start by applauding the game developers for coming up with the Cargo Commander gameplay and the coding required to make it work.
With that being said, I didn't like Cargo Commander nearly as much as FTL: Faster than Light (PC) (2012) or Rogue Legacy (PC) (2013) and the major difference is in variability.
I will, however, recommend this game to anyone who enjoys rogue-likes and anyone who already owns the game.
Steam: 76 minutes (total game time)
Cargo Commander (PC) (2012)
Relevant Links:
Cargo Commander Website
Cargo Commander (Steam Store Page)
Cargo Commander (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
20160213:
I played some of this game for the first time today and was initially skeptical when I read that it was a rogue-like. However, after the first couple minutes of play and after one or two deaths I definitely had a positive opinion of the game.
 |
| Firing the nail gun (and wasting ammo) |
Setup: While I decided to play the game with keyboard and touchpad, the game supports gamepad control and might be more efficient than using a keyboard and mouse.
Tip: While various guns run out of ammo, you will always have your Fistcannon, so upgrading its damage first may be worthwhile. Similarly, investing in the speed of the drill seems beneficial to me.
Tip: Along that note, it may be beneficial to avoid fighting enemies whenever possible.
 |
| Using my ship's magnet to attract abandoned cargo. |
Tip: While you can cheaply purchase health, you can opt instead to purchase a health upgrade (e.g., 3 hits to 4 hits) and your health bar will automatically be filled (in addition to the hit point increase).
Tip: When everything is breaking apart, I suspect buildings either fall off in reverse of the order they attached or starting from the furthest attached.
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Good tutorial/Teaches gameplay the way I expect every game to teach gameplay
 |
| The bar indicates the remaining breath while in a vacuum. |
+ Customize the way you play by choosing what you want to upgrade
+ Occasional humor
+ Minor attention to detail such as recoil and crashing
Neutral:
~ There's a sort of theme song that seems to play and its catchy, but repetitive.
~ As with other rogue-like's death in Cargo Commander is a die and learn experience
 |
| Death comes swiftly to those who trigger bombs. |
Con:
- The rogue-lite experience mainly comes from exploring a new sector. Otherwise, as far as I can tell, replaying a given sector will always be the same. Unfortunately, every sector begins to feel the same.
Recommendation:
While Cargo Commander is essentially a platformer, it actually brings several novel gameplay mechanics to the table and I would start by applauding the game developers for coming up with the Cargo Commander gameplay and the coding required to make it work.
 |
| Occasionally you'll get e-mail. This one explains your job. |
With that being said, I didn't like Cargo Commander nearly as much as FTL: Faster than Light (PC) (2012) or Rogue Legacy (PC) (2013) and the major difference is in variability.
I will, however, recommend this game to anyone who enjoys rogue-likes and anyone who already owns the game.
Steam: 76 minutes (total game time)
Cargo Commander (PC) (2012)
Relevant Links:
Cargo Commander Website
Cargo Commander (Steam Store Page)
Cargo Commander (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Monday, February 8, 2016
99 Spirits (PC) (2013)
20160208:
Having trouble sleeping, I decided to play a game. Originally planning play for about an hour before heading back to sleep, I ended up playing 99 Spirits for a whole four hours.
Skimmed through an 100% Achievement guide.
Prior to receiving Gokon sword I try to avoid the enemies.
After obtaining the Gokon sword I use a Spirit Index guide to make it easy - a situation where I don't mind cheating a bit; Spirit List by Location.
Before fighting the boss of Shura Valley. [S] Page 1 Slot 3.
When asked to "Keep fighting?" against the spirit that might be Hanabusa's father, I answer "No." [S] Page 1 Slot 4
[L] Page 1 Slot 3. Fought the boss again. This time I waited for the guess power to fill and I guessed "Katana." While this unlocked the Steam achievement "Telepath," the game doesn't accept guessing in this situation without going through the story which requires using the hint power twice to reveal "Father" and "Smith." Also I answered "Yes." [S] Page 1 Slot 5.
[L] Page 1 Slot 4. I continue with this save file.
I make the realization that the fun of the game entirely revolves around guessing the word.
The guide says the encounters at the Tamagami Shrine probably come from the same list as spirits in the Tamagami Shrine area. The list confirms "hat," "hoe," and "torii." I encountered "torii" and "sieve." I didn't know what a torii was and without the guide I never would have guessed it.
I purchase Gem 2 Raise, Gem 1 Info, Gem 2 Info, Gem 3 Info, and Gem 2 Escape. From this I gathered that "Info" and "Escape" are one-time purchases.
During a fight (hatchet) the game bugged out. Hanabusa still moves and I could press 'R' to bring up the Message Log, but nothing else triggers.
The game bugged out again, but ever since the last one I save the game after every new Spirit. :D
Gem 1 Raise. Gem 2 Escape.
Steam Game Time: 4.0 hours (total game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ The Message Log is available from the Config menu (click on "Confirm) as well as during any dialogue (click on "L"). Approximately 25 blocks are saved.*
+ Great character art.
Neutral:
~ Without a guide, definitely requires some proficiency of English vocabulary. Can get by with a guide and knowledge of the Roman alphabet. Actually, the game has some uncommonly used words as well. For example, torii, katana, kusarigama, naginata, and inkstone.
~ Not as grind intensive as some other games may be. Perhaps only so if one is going for a 100% completion rate.
Minor Con:
- Perhaps not programmed for English text, letters with a descender get cut off (g, j, q, p, y).
Major Con:
- Game seems to have some bugs which requires frequent saves.
*On that note, press "A" for autotext and press "T" for a prompt to return to the title screen. Note that all progress since the last save will be lost when returning to the title screen.
[20160208]
Recommendation:
While the game has several bugs, it was unexpectedly fun to play and the annoyance of constantly saving is worth at least an hour of time with this game.
[20160208]
99 Spirits (PC) (2013)
Relevant Links:
99 Spirits (Steam Store Page)
99 Spirits (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Having trouble sleeping, I decided to play a game. Originally planning play for about an hour before heading back to sleep, I ended up playing 99 Spirits for a whole four hours.
 |
| The protagonist, Hanabusa. |
Gameplay Log:Warning: Trying to bring up the Steam Overlay (Shift+Tab) causes the game to shut off.
Skimmed through an 100% Achievement guide.
Prior to receiving Gokon sword I try to avoid the enemies.
 |
| Komiya functions as a guide throughout the game. |
Before fighting the boss of Shura Valley. [S] Page 1 Slot 3.
When asked to "Keep fighting?" against the spirit that might be Hanabusa's father, I answer "No." [S] Page 1 Slot 4
[L] Page 1 Slot 3. Fought the boss again. This time I waited for the guess power to fill and I guessed "Katana." While this unlocked the Steam achievement "Telepath," the game doesn't accept guessing in this situation without going through the story which requires using the hint power twice to reveal "Father" and "Smith." Also I answered "Yes." [S] Page 1 Slot 5.
[L] Page 1 Slot 4. I continue with this save file.
 |
| Use the Gokon sword's power to reveal the Tsukomoaami's identity. |
The guide says the encounters at the Tamagami Shrine probably come from the same list as spirits in the Tamagami Shrine area. The list confirms "hat," "hoe," and "torii." I encountered "torii" and "sieve." I didn't know what a torii was and without the guide I never would have guessed it.
I purchase Gem 2 Raise, Gem 1 Info, Gem 2 Info, Gem 3 Info, and Gem 2 Escape. From this I gathered that "Info" and "Escape" are one-time purchases.
During a fight (hatchet) the game bugged out. Hanabusa still moves and I could press 'R' to bring up the Message Log, but nothing else triggers.
The game bugged out again, but ever since the last one I save the game after every new Spirit. :D
Gem 1 Raise. Gem 2 Escape.
Steam Game Time: 4.0 hours (total game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ The Message Log is available from the Config menu (click on "Confirm) as well as during any dialogue (click on "L"). Approximately 25 blocks are saved.*
 |
| Tamagami fixes one of the orbs on the Gokon sword. |
Neutral:
~ Without a guide, definitely requires some proficiency of English vocabulary. Can get by with a guide and knowledge of the Roman alphabet. Actually, the game has some uncommonly used words as well. For example, torii, katana, kusarigama, naginata, and inkstone.
 |
| This dialogue shows how the descender of "g", "j", "p", and "y" get cut off. |
Minor Con:
- Perhaps not programmed for English text, letters with a descender get cut off (g, j, q, p, y).
Major Con:
- Game seems to have some bugs which requires frequent saves.
*On that note, press "A" for autotext and press "T" for a prompt to return to the title screen. Note that all progress since the last save will be lost when returning to the title screen.
[20160208]
Recommendation:
While the game has several bugs, it was unexpectedly fun to play and the annoyance of constantly saving is worth at least an hour of time with this game.
[20160208]
99 Spirits (PC) (2013)
Relevant Links:
99 Spirits (Steam Store Page)
99 Spirits (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (PC) (2012)
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (PC) (2012)*
*Dark Souls (PS3/360) (2011)
Relevant Links:
DARK SOULS: Prepare to Die Edition (Steam Store Page)
Dark Souls (Wikipedia.org)
20150102:
After spending twenty minutes customizing my character, I played this game for about twenty minutes at the airport today. However, I barely made any progress in it.
[20160207]
20160207:
Today I decided to revisit Dark Souls and so I made a new character and started a new game. Like the last time I played, I put twenty minutes into the customization of my character. This time, however, I played for a good forty minutes and actually made some progress before taking a break from it.
Explicitly by "some progress" I mean to say that I finally talked to the Elite Knight, but was stuck until I looked up something I overlooked: after triggering the boulder trap, the boulder will roll down the stairs and break down the wall. After the boulder fell on me, I continued up the stairs and encountered the locked door.
Not knowing what to do, I backtracked all the way to the start of the game and back before looking up the above mentioned piece of information.
First Impressions:
Knowing that there's a lot of gameplay opportunity when it comes to Dark Souls, it follows that I've barely scratched the surface.
Thus far, I could say that the game has a solid tutorial and good gamepad support. I would give it another thumbs up for the detailed character customization and look forward to spending more time with the game in the future.
Steam Game Time: 69 minutes (total game time)*
*The time I spent playing on 20150102 isn't tracked because it was offline.
[20160207][20181218 Edit]
*Dark Souls (PS3/360) (2011)
 |
| (20160207) |
Relevant Links:
DARK SOULS: Prepare to Die Edition (Steam Store Page)
Dark Souls (Wikipedia.org)
20150102:
After spending twenty minutes customizing my character, I played this game for about twenty minutes at the airport today. However, I barely made any progress in it.
 |
| How did I miss a gigantic gaping hole in the wall? (20160207) |
[20160207]
20160207:
Today I decided to revisit Dark Souls and so I made a new character and started a new game. Like the last time I played, I put twenty minutes into the customization of my character. This time, however, I played for a good forty minutes and actually made some progress before taking a break from it.
 |
| Part of the opening cut scene (20160207) |
Explicitly by "some progress" I mean to say that I finally talked to the Elite Knight, but was stuck until I looked up something I overlooked: after triggering the boulder trap, the boulder will roll down the stairs and break down the wall. After the boulder fell on me, I continued up the stairs and encountered the locked door.
 |
| I decide to play as a knight (20160207) |
Not knowing what to do, I backtracked all the way to the start of the game and back before looking up the above mentioned piece of information.
First Impressions:
Knowing that there's a lot of gameplay opportunity when it comes to Dark Souls, it follows that I've barely scratched the surface.
 |
| So many adjustable details! (20160207) |
Thus far, I could say that the game has a solid tutorial and good gamepad support. I would give it another thumbs up for the detailed character customization and look forward to spending more time with the game in the future.
 |
| Originally I played as a warrior (with purple hair) (20150102) |
Steam Game Time: 69 minutes (total game time)*
*The time I spent playing on 20150102 isn't tracked because it was offline.
[20160207][20181218 Edit]
Shantae: Risky's Revenge (PC) (2014)
Overview: Sequel to the Game Boy Color game Shantae, this game is a 2D platformer and Metroidvania. Play as a half-genie named Shantae who is tasked with saving Scuttle Town against the unknown plot of a pirate named Risky Boots.
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (PC) (2014)*
*Shantae: Risky's Revenge (DSi) (2010)*
Relevant Links:
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (Steam Store Page)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge (Wikipedia.org)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge Webpage
20160207:
Unaware of the game's genre, I was surprised to learn that Shantae: Risky's Revenge was a Metroidvania. Before this realization, I first thought the game had an excessive amount of talking. In hindsight it makes sense.
Setup: Used a gamepad and used the default controls, though the confirm button was 'B' instead of 'A'. I had trouble getting used to this.
Gameplay: At the beginning Shantae can jump [A], attack [X] (whips her hair), dance [Y] (does nothing yet), crouch/crawl, and dash backwards [LB]. She's also able to jump into the water and swim. Later, at a shop, the player can purchase various magic attacks [RB] which consume Shantae's mana when used. Eventually Shantae's dance will allow her to transform (Monkey, Elephant, Mermaid).
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Great, beautiful art style
+ Promising gameplay
+ Great soundtrack
Neutral:
~ Decent story.
Minor Cons:
- Hands-off/minimal approach to how to play.
- Limited video options: 4:3 windowed full screen, original resolution, and stretched.
- Map should have a hotkey
Recommendation:
Playing Shantae: Risky's Revenge today was a delight and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Metroidvania genre. While it didn't play as smoothly as a Castlevania game, the gameplay was solid and quenched a longing for Metroidvania games which I didn't know existed.
Steam: 93 minutes (total game time)
 |
| Shantae |
*Shantae: Risky's Revenge (DSi) (2010)*
 |
| Risky Boots |
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (Steam Store Page)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut (PC) (MetaCritic.com)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge (Wikipedia.org)
Shantae: Risky's Revenge Webpage
 |
| Whip it. |
Unaware of the game's genre, I was surprised to learn that Shantae: Risky's Revenge was a Metroidvania. Before this realization, I first thought the game had an excessive amount of talking. In hindsight it makes sense.
Setup: Used a gamepad and used the default controls, though the confirm button was 'B' instead of 'A'. I had trouble getting used to this.
 |
| I didn't immediately realized Shantae could climb chains. |
 |
| The Dance Spirit grants Shantae the Monkey Dance at the magic fountain. |
Pros:
+ Great, beautiful art style
+ Promising gameplay
+ Great soundtrack
Neutral:
~ Decent story.
Minor Cons:
- Hands-off/minimal approach to how to play.
- Limited video options: 4:3 windowed full screen, original resolution, and stretched.
 |
| Run Shantae, Run! |
Recommendation:
Playing Shantae: Risky's Revenge today was a delight and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys the Metroidvania genre. While it didn't play as smoothly as a Castlevania game, the gameplay was solid and quenched a longing for Metroidvania games which I didn't know existed.
 |
| Shantae's a monkey! Cling to walls and jump higher. |
Steam: 93 minutes (total game time)