Thursday, December 31, 2020
Elite Dangerous (PC) (2015)
Overview: Space flight simulation that's massively multiplayer and open world.
Friday, September 18, 2020
Path of Exile - Heist
Overview: Heist is the Path of Exile challenge league. The mechanic consists of completing heists, collecting markers, leveling up rogues, and running grand heists. The entire mechanic came along with alternative equipment (replica uniques which are tweaked versions of their corresponding uniques), new equipment bases, and alternative gems (spell gems with different spell gem quality bonuses from the originals). The league started on 20200918 and ended 20210111.
20200918:
I played the first day of league but only for about 4.5 hours.
20201002:
Today I was excited about crafting a 7% increased maximum life Viridian Jewel with 9% increased damage and 8% increased attack speed with bows. This was good for the Pathfinder Scourge Arrow build I was following.
20201020:
Today marked the first exalted orb drop of the league (a little over 90 hours into the game).
20201109:
Yesterday I hit level 95 by joining some Beachhead runs. Today I fought A3 Sirus (Awakening Level 3) but I wasn't able to defeat him.
20201204:
Took a break from Heist League and played Mayhem (a Path of Exile event league).
20201205:
Today I hit level 50 in Mayhem. Time played on the character was 7 hours 17 minutes 20 seconds.
Gameplay Log:
Got to level 50 in Mayhem League.
Defeated Kitava Act 5
Hitting level 50 unlocks a free chest. Unfortunately, I unlocked an MTX which I already owned (sunrise footprints).
Resumed Heist League.
Hit A6 and ambitiously tried A4 Sirus, but failed.
20201208:
Today I attempted A3 Sirus and I was able to defeat him using the 5th portal - he was very low after the 4th.
20201213:
Recently I fought A3 Sirus again and was able to defeat him using the 2nd portal. Being able to use both a hybrid flask and Forbidden Taste were likely the biggest factors in the difference between this attempt and the prior attempt (20201208). The best drop was a 1/10 (level/quality) Awakened Melee Splash Support. In any case, today I tried to fight A4 Sirus and defeated him on the 5th portal! The best drop this time was a Hands of the High Templar. I bricked it after seven Vaal orbs.
Remark: future me here noting that I instead could have just sold two A8 Sirus's for a couple of exalted orbs
The above entries were added on 20210326.
20210326 Comment:
A lot of people didn't like the Heist mechanic, but I enjoyed it. There was an entire meme about opening doors which was indeed an annoying aspect of Heist. However, I liked the characters and story that came with Heist - even though the mechanic should have worked by leveling particular rogues as opposed to essentially having to level all the rogues. Separate from the league itself, I enjoyed the Pathfinder Scourge Arrow build and was able to invest a decent amount of currency into it.
Speaking of currency, this league I did noticeably better. In my Harvest league post, I made a table of purchases and a table of sales with a minimum cutoff of 40 chaos. This resulted in six purchases and eight sales. But in this post, you will find a similar number of purchases and sales (seven and six, respectively) using a much higher cutoff.
The following were my purchases involving at least 100 chaos or 1 exalt:
The following were sales involving at least 100 chaos or 1 exalt:
With respect to hours played, I put more hours into the game this league compared to last league. Even though the league lasted a month longer than the average league, I barely played during the extra month. In fact, my pattern of play this league appears to be much different than that of Harvest. In Harvest, I put a lot of hours in at the beginning and played less over the course of the league. This league, however, saw a much slower start with a huge sprint in early December (30 hours a week for three weeks) during which time I thought the league might end.
 |
| Earlier in the league |
20200918:
I played the first day of league but only for about 4.5 hours.
20201002:
Today I was excited about crafting a 7% increased maximum life Viridian Jewel with 9% increased damage and 8% increased attack speed with bows. This was good for the Pathfinder Scourge Arrow build I was following.
20201020:
Today marked the first exalted orb drop of the league (a little over 90 hours into the game).
 |
| Heist Blueprint |
20201109:
Yesterday I hit level 95 by joining some Beachhead runs. Today I fought A3 Sirus (Awakening Level 3) but I wasn't able to defeat him.
20201204:
Took a break from Heist League and played Mayhem (a Path of Exile event league).
20201205:
Today I hit level 50 in Mayhem. Time played on the character was 7 hours 17 minutes 20 seconds.
 |
| Heist loot drops on death and can't be recovered if the alarm has already triggered |
Gameplay Log:
Got to level 50 in Mayhem League.
Defeated Kitava Act 5
Hitting level 50 unlocks a free chest. Unfortunately, I unlocked an MTX which I already owned (sunrise footprints).
Resumed Heist League.
Hit A6 and ambitiously tried A4 Sirus, but failed.
 |
| Later in the league |
20201208:
Today I attempted A3 Sirus and I was able to defeat him using the 5th portal - he was very low after the 4th.
20201213:
Recently I fought A3 Sirus again and was able to defeat him using the 2nd portal. Being able to use both a hybrid flask and Forbidden Taste were likely the biggest factors in the difference between this attempt and the prior attempt (20201208). The best drop was a 1/10 (level/quality) Awakened Melee Splash Support. In any case, today I tried to fight A4 Sirus and defeated him on the 5th portal! The best drop this time was a Hands of the High Templar. I bricked it after seven Vaal orbs.
Remark: future me here noting that I instead could have just sold two A8 Sirus's for a couple of exalted orbs
 |
| Near the end of the league. |
The above entries were added on 20210326.
20210326 Comment:
A lot of people didn't like the Heist mechanic, but I enjoyed it. There was an entire meme about opening doors which was indeed an annoying aspect of Heist. However, I liked the characters and story that came with Heist - even though the mechanic should have worked by leveling particular rogues as opposed to essentially having to level all the rogues. Separate from the league itself, I enjoyed the Pathfinder Scourge Arrow build and was able to invest a decent amount of currency into it.
Speaking of currency, this league I did noticeably better. In my Harvest league post, I made a table of purchases and a table of sales with a minimum cutoff of 40 chaos. This resulted in six purchases and eight sales. But in this post, you will find a similar number of purchases and sales (seven and six, respectively) using a much higher cutoff.
The following were my purchases involving at least 100 chaos or 1 exalt:
| Item | Price | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Thicket Bow | 100 chaos | The average cost to craft is 47 c in 5 tries and 103 c would buy 11 tries. A 6L Thicket Bow was selling for 6 ex |
| Large Cluster Jewel | 1 exalt 25 chaos | (1 ex is 37 c) |
| The Embalmer | 1 exalt | (1 ex is 90.1 c) |
| Assassin's Garb | 1 exalt | (1 ex is 103 c) An extra 192 fusings (~62 c) were spent to fully link it (6L) |
| 6L Darkscorn | 7 exalt | (1 ex is 107 c) Earlier in the league I purchased a 5L Darkscorn for 60 c. |
| Mechalarm Belt | 1 exalt | (1 ex is 107 c) |
| Viridian Jewel | 200 chaos | 7% inc. max life, 6% AS w/bows, 3% AS. Bargained down from 2.5 ex (~275 c). |
 |
| Messing around in Standard (testing a summoner build) |
The following were sales involving at least 100 chaos or 1 exalt:
| Item | Price | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 21/20 Corrupted Fork Support | 2 exalt | (1 ex is 98.3 c) |
| Replica Emberwake | 1 exalt | (1 ex is 100 c) |
| Jewel | 1 exalt | (1 ex is 105.4 c) |
| Abyssal Jewel | 1 exalt | (1 ex is ~107 c) |
| Jewel | 2 exalt | (1 ex is 110 c) |
| Inspired Learning | 1 exalt | (1 ex is 112 c) |
With respect to hours played, I put more hours into the game this league compared to last league. Even though the league lasted a month longer than the average league, I barely played during the extra month. In fact, my pattern of play this league appears to be much different than that of Harvest. In Harvest, I put a lot of hours in at the beginning and played less over the course of the league. This league, however, saw a much slower start with a huge sprint in early December (30 hours a week for three weeks) during which time I thought the league might end.
 |
| Note: the chart excludes time spent playing Mayhem, time geared towards blogging, any standard play time, and an outlier with respect to idling. |
 |
| First Exalted Orb drop this league. |
Friday, August 7, 2020
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (PC) (2020)
Overview: "Fall Guys is a massively multiplayer party game with up to 60 players online in a free-for-all struggle through round after round of escalating chaos until one victor remains!"
20200807:
Normally I wait for games to go on sale but Fall Guys appeared to be a fun party game and a few of my friends were getting it. As such, I decided to drop the full retail price ($19.99) and get the game. At the time I was able to join, two of my friends were still logged on. I managed to play a round in which I got eliminated. I continued to watch as my friends played advanced. Unfortunately, our attempts to queue and enter another set of rounds were met with failure, because the servers were unable to keep up with the demand (the game released earlier in the week, 20200803, but this day marked the start of the weekend).
Setup: Keyboard.
When one of the two friends left, the remaining friend and I decided to play the co-op for Portal 2.
Steam Game Time: 32 minutes (total game time)
20200822 AM Hours:
So far I'm not a fan of the load times. That is, I do not like the balance between the amount of fun I gain relative to the load times. What would be great is an almost seamless experience where if I get eliminated, I'm automatically thrown into a new queue and ready to play another round.
On 20200807, a friend of mine remarked that the luck element of this game is high. At the time I said that perhaps it may be that way at the start and certain elements of strategy will improve one's chances. For example, timing one's descent down the slide across the gap with the moving doors is an obstacle that can be executed through skill. Having played more today, I was able to see a little more of the lucked based elements. However, there are still strategies that may sway the luck in the player's favor - kind of like how Blackjack is has statistical, arguably luck-based mechanics, but by counting cards, the player can sway those odds in his/her favor.
Setup: Changed the graphics settings to high.
Steam Game Time: 54 minutes (total game time) / 22 minutes (session game time)
20200822 Evening:
I played some more this evening. I previously made a comment in my pros and cons about wishing the game had a Mario Party mode. I realized the main difference, however, is there are only so many different levels in Fall Guys. Mario Party or not, this game is starting to feel repetitive.
As a remark: I've only played this game three times in small chunks. This reads to me as a game I'm not addicted to.
Steam Game Time: 91 minutes (total game time) / 37 minutes (session game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Simple controls.
+ Cute character design.
Cons:
- No private multiplayer options (either local or online). I feel like this game could have easily took on a Mario Party type of game mode, but due to the popularity of the Battle Royale genre, I guess it took that route instead.
- Repetitive.
- As of 20200822, this:
[20200822 Afternoon][20200822 Evening Edit]
20211219:
Claiming some free skins and decided to play a couple of rounds.
Steam Game Time: 2.1 hours (total game time)
Summary:
TBD
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (PC) (2020)
Relevant Links:
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Wikipedia.org)
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Steam Store Page)
20200807:
Normally I wait for games to go on sale but Fall Guys appeared to be a fun party game and a few of my friends were getting it. As such, I decided to drop the full retail price ($19.99) and get the game. At the time I was able to join, two of my friends were still logged on. I managed to play a round in which I got eliminated. I continued to watch as my friends played advanced. Unfortunately, our attempts to queue and enter another set of rounds were met with failure, because the servers were unable to keep up with the demand (the game released earlier in the week, 20200803, but this day marked the start of the weekend).
Setup: Keyboard.
When one of the two friends left, the remaining friend and I decided to play the co-op for Portal 2.
Steam Game Time: 32 minutes (total game time)
20200822 AM Hours:
So far I'm not a fan of the load times. That is, I do not like the balance between the amount of fun I gain relative to the load times. What would be great is an almost seamless experience where if I get eliminated, I'm automatically thrown into a new queue and ready to play another round.
On 20200807, a friend of mine remarked that the luck element of this game is high. At the time I said that perhaps it may be that way at the start and certain elements of strategy will improve one's chances. For example, timing one's descent down the slide across the gap with the moving doors is an obstacle that can be executed through skill. Having played more today, I was able to see a little more of the lucked based elements. However, there are still strategies that may sway the luck in the player's favor - kind of like how Blackjack is has statistical, arguably luck-based mechanics, but by counting cards, the player can sway those odds in his/her favor.
Setup: Changed the graphics settings to high.
Steam Game Time: 54 minutes (total game time) / 22 minutes (session game time)
20200822 Evening:
I played some more this evening. I previously made a comment in my pros and cons about wishing the game had a Mario Party mode. I realized the main difference, however, is there are only so many different levels in Fall Guys. Mario Party or not, this game is starting to feel repetitive.
As a remark: I've only played this game three times in small chunks. This reads to me as a game I'm not addicted to.
Steam Game Time: 91 minutes (total game time) / 37 minutes (session game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Simple controls.
+ Cute character design.
Cons:
- No private multiplayer options (either local or online). I feel like this game could have easily took on a Mario Party type of game mode, but due to the popularity of the Battle Royale genre, I guess it took that route instead.
- Repetitive.
- As of 20200822, this:
Notice: We underestimated the number of jellybeans in the jar. We're working hard to increase server capacity but please be aware that matchmaking may be up and down during the launch window.
[20200822 Afternoon][20200822 Evening Edit]
20211219:
Claiming some free skins and decided to play a couple of rounds.
Steam Game Time: 2.1 hours (total game time)
Summary:
TBD
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (PC) (2020)
Relevant Links:
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Wikipedia.org)
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (Steam Store Page)
Friday, June 19, 2020
Path of Exile - Harvest
Overview: Harvest is the Path of Exile challenge league which introduced the Sacred Grove gameplay mechanic. Seeds can be found in each area and planted in the Sacred Grove. When the seeds have grown, the player can harvest them for their Lifeforce (by defeating the enemies that spawn from them). Either use the Lifeforce immediately for a variety of crafts or store them for later use. Unfortunately, the mechanic was essentially too overpowered to carry forward as a permanent mechanic. The league started on 20200619 and ended 20200914.
20200619:
I started playing the first day of the new league. I played for about ten hours!
[20201206]
20200729:
Today I did some reading and apparently using Righteous Fire adds a lot of damage to the build for not that much cost. In particular, my notes indicate that I bought Opalescent Oil (5 chaos), Cloak of Defiance Lacquered Garb (30 chaos), and Golden Oil (29 chaos) for the build (at 4 AM on 20200730).
[20201206]
20201206 Comment:
This league was fun for me in part because I was able to craft some gear and generate some currency. The following were my purchases I had made greater than or equal to 40 chaos:
In terms of generating currency, the following were sales I had made greater than or equal to 40 chaos:
 |
| Ready to harvest a patch of fully grown Wild seeds. |
20200619:
I started playing the first day of the new league. I played for about ten hours!
[20201206]
20200729:
Today I did some reading and apparently using Righteous Fire adds a lot of damage to the build for not that much cost. In particular, my notes indicate that I bought Opalescent Oil (5 chaos), Cloak of Defiance Lacquered Garb (30 chaos), and Golden Oil (29 chaos) for the build (at 4 AM on 20200730).
[20201206]
 |
| A sample of the crafting options available after harvesting. |
20201206 Comment:
This league was fun for me in part because I was able to craft some gear and generate some currency. The following were my purchases I had made greater than or equal to 40 chaos:
| Item | Price | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Perepiteia Synthesised Ezomyte Spiked Shield | 40 chaos | |
| Hate Spell Prophecy Wand | 80 chaos | |
| Kitava's Teachings Small Cluster Jewel | 68 chaos | There were listings for 55 and 65 c, but I couldn't get them. |
| Horror Claw Fingerless Silk Gloves | 48 chaos | |
| Watcher's Eye Prismatic Jewel | 2 exalt | (1 ex is 165 c) |
| Vengeance Song Prophecy Wand | 120 chaos | The person asked me to make an offer. An ex was currently 144.9 c, so I decided to offer 120 c. |
 |
| Mapping with Righteous Fire and Perepiteia Synthesised Ezomyte Spiked Shield. About to enter The Sacred Grove. |
In terms of generating currency, the following were sales I had made greater than or equal to 40 chaos:
| Item | Price | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| my previous pair of Fingerless Silk Gloves | 100 chaos | Someone made an offer. I figured they were similar to the ones I just bought for 48 c... |
| jewel with 7% life, intelligence, and physical damage leeched as life | 50 chaos | |
| 21/0 Malevolence | 1 exalt | I had listed this for 120 c and the person offered 1 ex (1 ex is 170.9 c) |
| jewel with 9% global critical strike, 16% critical strike multiplier | 70 chaos | |
| jewel with 5% attack speed while dual wielding, 15% melee critical strike multiplier, 7% life | 150 chaos | |
| 21/20 Arc | 1 exalt | (1 ex is 149.9 c) (20/20 is 139.5 c on poe.ninja) |
| 42% opal wand with 60% (tier 4) spell mod | 40 chaos | |
| 21/9 Vaal Blade Vortex | 2 exalt 100 chaos | (1 ex is 131.0 c) (21/20 is 8.5 ex, 21/0 is 50 c on poe.ninja) I listed this for 3.5 ex, person offered 2.5 ex, I countered with 3 ex, and the person say he/she only have 2 ex 100 c. |
 |
| Left, Center, Right: different angles of Denaba. Bottom: Righteous Fire enabled. Top: using arc with consecrated ground automatically triggered. |
In addition to the fun of the Harvest mechanic itself, changes in some game mechanics and game balance made it so that a build I partially played during Delirium league, Enki's Arc Elementalist, was reworked from the Elementalist ascendancy to the Necromancer ascendancy. I'm glad I was able to play Enki's build more fully this league - even though it was quite different. The important part was that it was fun to play. I should note that a big boost in damage came partway through the league when somebody noticed that Righteous Fire synergized well with the build.
Finally, I want to be sure to mention that I spent a lot less time playing this league compared to last league. Of course, in the last league, I essentially put time into two full characters. In addition, there was a good amount of inefficiency caused by my inexperience with the game. In particular, in hindsight I realized that my attempt to farm Oni-Goroshi was extremely inefficient. With that being said, this league definitely had it's own set of inefficiencies which I had not yet overcome.
Finally, I want to be sure to mention that I spent a lot less time playing this league compared to last league. Of course, in the last league, I essentially put time into two full characters. In addition, there was a good amount of inefficiency caused by my inexperience with the game. In particular, in hindsight I realized that my attempt to farm Oni-Goroshi was extremely inefficient. With that being said, this league definitely had it's own set of inefficiencies which I had not yet overcome.
 |
| Note: this chart is not as accurate as it can be. |
Friday, April 10, 2020
Death Squared (PC) (2017)
Overview:
"Death Squared is a co-op puzzle game about cooperation, communication, and robot explosions."
"Death Squared is a co-op puzzle game about cooperation, communication, and robot explosions."
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Risk of Rain 2 (PC) (2019)
Overview: Third-person rogue-like and sequel to Risk of Rain (2013).
20200405:
Today I tried playing the game with three friends; the game was having a Steam Free Weekend.
Unfortunately, only the standard character was available and I found myself disoriented in the 3D world.
Steam Game Time: 2.2 hours (total game time)
20200423:
Today a friend shared a deal on this game and the price was low enough that I decided to get it.
Gameplay Log:
Apparently after the previous game session, the Huntress class was unlocked, and so I decided to play as her.
Steam Game Time: 3.0 hours (total game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Cool graphics
Cons:
- No map.
- I feel easily lost compared to 2D
- Don't know where to go
- Kiting is difficult.
Summary:
I'm not sure why, but I don't like this game as much as the first Risk of Rain (2013). Perhaps it's because I'm not well versed with navigating 3D games, e.g., Left 4 Dead 2 and a countless number of first-person shooters.
Risk of Rain 2 (PC) (2019)
Relevant Links:
Risk of Rain 2 (Wikipedia.org)
Risk of Rain 2 (Steam Store Page)
20200405:
Today I tried playing the game with three friends; the game was having a Steam Free Weekend.
Unfortunately, only the standard character was available and I found myself disoriented in the 3D world.
Steam Game Time: 2.2 hours (total game time)
20200423:
Today a friend shared a deal on this game and the price was low enough that I decided to get it.
Gameplay Log:
Apparently after the previous game session, the Huntress class was unlocked, and so I decided to play as her.
Steam Game Time: 3.0 hours (total game time)
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Cool graphics
Cons:
- No map.
- I feel easily lost compared to 2D
- Don't know where to go
- Kiting is difficult.
Summary:
I'm not sure why, but I don't like this game as much as the first Risk of Rain (2013). Perhaps it's because I'm not well versed with navigating 3D games, e.g., Left 4 Dead 2 and a countless number of first-person shooters.
Risk of Rain 2 (PC) (2019)
Relevant Links:
Risk of Rain 2 (Wikipedia.org)
Risk of Rain 2 (Steam Store Page)
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Path of Exile - Delirium
Overview: Delirium is the Path of Exile challenge league which introduced the Mirror of Delirium gameplay mechanic. The Mirror of Delirium can be found in each area and spawns additional Delirium enemies when triggered; rewards will drop based on the number of enemies defeated. Related mechanics include Delirium Orbs for augmenting maps, Simulacrum (twenty waves of Delirium enemies; unlocked via Delirium splinters), and cluster jewels (a means of extending the passive skill tree). The league started on 20200313 and ended 20200615.
I realized after the end of the Delirium challenge league that each new challenge league brings with it an emphasis on a new game mechanic, and that emphasis brings about a much different experience from the permanent leagues (e.g., Standard). As such, I decided to create a separate post for Delirium (and moving forward I'll create a separate post for any Path of Exile challenge league I might choose to play).
[20200822]
20200322:
Played Delirium league with my friend (AS) and his brother (HS). I created a Witch and by the end of the session I had leveled the new character to the same level as my previous Standard Witch character. In addition, we had progressed further in the story than I had reached before.
Steam Game Time: 4.9 hours (session game time) / 15.8 hours (total game time)
20200323:
Played some more.
Gameplay Log:
Created a mule (Templar) and played beginning with MN and x.
MN logged off.
AS and HS join.
We help x go through the game.
x leaves.
AS, HS, and I resume our progress.
AS chooses to help Kraityn despite the plan that Kraityn most surely should be killed in favor of 2 passive points.
: This both was and wasn't a big deal. It wasn't because HS and I still got to kill Kraityn. It was because it made AS temporarily feel like an enemy despite being part of our party.
: [20200324: I read about the Bandits and, in general, the player's choice of who to help is tagged by the game. So it will always be the case that anyone in the party of a different choice will be marked as an enemy in the vicinity of the battle. Simply have that person not be there. As to who to help, under the current patch, Alira is good for a starter character who may need the resistances, whereas the general value is in 2 passive skill points. Fortunately, players who chooses Alira, can later craft an item to change their choice to get the 2 passive skill points instead.]
Steam Game Time: 8.9 hours (session game time) / 24.9 hours (total game time)
20200324:
Today I forgot to record my gameplay but I was able to recall the main details below. Throughout the duration, various players are joining and leaving the party. In particular, I joined some time after some of the players got a couple of hours in so I had to catch up on a handful of quests. Players who didn't have anything to catch up on would help the newer players. It was a lot of fun. Estimated order of most-to-least play not including me: AS & HS, RD, GMS, Dx, Jx.
Gameplay Log:
Completed Bandits (helped Alira).
Completed Act 2.
AS, HS, and I remain.
Completed most of Act 3 (except Library and Siosa's Quest).
: Got one shot by something while in Sceptre of God during Delirium.
: Got killed once during fight against Dominus.
Steam Game Time: 7.6 hours (session game time) / 32.5 hours (total game time)
20200325:
Gameplay Log:
As a group, we get started with Act 4.
After we defeated Daresso and Kaom, I called it a night for grouping.
Inventory management.
Completed the Labyrinth (Ascendancy Trial) and ascended to Elementalist.
: I was going to call it a night but wanted to ascend. I thought this was going to be short so I went and did it on my own. It turned out taking a good amount of time (over an hour).
Having unlocked Scion class, I made a Scion class character. I want to follow a Cyclone build.
Steam Game Time: ~7.6 hours (session game time)
20200326:
Gameplay Log:
Picked up Act 4 where we left off as a group with Belly of the Beast.
Completed Act 5.
Steam Game Time: ~4.3 hours (session game time) / 44.4 hours (total game time)
20200327:
Earlier I was playing around with some game mechanics. In the evening, I joined my group of friends. AS, HS, and I mostly repeated old portions of the game as needed by friends who were catching up. In particular, we repeated parts of Act 5.
Steam Game Time: ~1.4 hours and 4.0 hours (session game time) / 49.8 hours (total game time)
20200328:
Today I resumed playing with my Scion character. I would note that I've spent approximately 34 hours on my Delirium Witch character.
Gameplay Log:
Completed Act 1 with my Scion character.
Steam Game Time: ~3.9 hours (session game time) / 53.7 hours (total game time)
20200329:
Completed Act 2 with my Scion character and parts of Act 3. During today's play I hit level 28 and was finally able to start using Cyclone. Unfortunately, while I'm really tanking, I also feel like my damage per second (DPS) is incredibly low. In particular, I tried the Trial of Ascendancy before going to sleep and I was able to barely beat the first encounter with the boss by ever slowly reducing his health. I did not have the same luck during the second encounter and died. I decided to call it a night there. Perhaps I'll look towards replacing my axe and shield for a two-handed sword with some stats for damage.
Steam Game Time: 6.7 hours (session game time) / 60.4 hours (total game time)
20200330:
Today, over multiple sessions, I joined random parties, leveled up, got some tips and items (from "BN") which greatly improved my DPS, fixed my equipment, skills, and gems to further improve DPS, and got to Act 8 (through aforementioned parties).
Gameplay Log:
Progressing with various parties.
Played with "BN." Got some equipment.
Fixed my equipment, skills, and gems.
Completed Labyrinth
: What a difference!!!
Played with a part to Act 8. Started dying a lot in Lunaris Temple.
I tried farming for the sword. I started getting tired and stopped.
Steam Game Time: 15.6 hours (session game time) / 76.0 hours (total game time)
20200331:
Besides the log below, I also spent a fair amount of time reducing the items I have stored. As a rough overview, I tossed a bunch of low level flasks, many non-support gems, and gear with low links. I still have room for improvement.
Gameplay Log:
Did some casual leveling and completed some missing quests throughout Acts 1 through 7.
Completed Act 8.
Played second level of the Labyrinth and chose Slayer.
Steam Game Time: 7.8 hours (session game time) / 83.8 hours (total game time)
20200401:
Today I continued my efforts to reduce my inventory. During this time, I noticed that the indication of quality on gems is subtle and it's possible that I sold some gems yesterday with quality on them - not a big deal.
What to Keep (for now):
Quality: Page for quality items.
Unique: Page for unique items.
Gems: Vaal, leveled to 5 or greater, teleports, quality, support, detonate mines.
Flasks: utility flasks, divine regular life, magic life, divine regular mana, magic mana, colossal hybrid, magic hybrid
Rings: ??? (I've been keeping at most six of each and trading in regular+magic+rare sets whenever I get more than six)
Head, Gloves, Boots: 4L
Belts: ???
Steam Game Time: 3.3 hours (session game time) / 87.1 hours (total game time)
20200403:
Gameplay Log:
Completed Act 9.
Played parts of Act 10.
Steam Game Time: 102.8 hours (total game time)
20200409:
Today at around 8 PM the stash tab sale started and I bought a variety of stash tabs. Prior to that, I put effort into getting rid of unnecessary gear. While I was theoretically purchasing more space and organization, I knew that I also had to focus on ways to keep less loot. This exercise mostly consisted of selling low level loot and/or relatively garbage loot (e.g., most things that are not max socket and items with less links).
Steam Game Time: 130.8 hours (total game time)
20200615:*
What a rush. There were 40 challenges and at 12, 24, and 36 completed challenges the player receives different cosmetics (horns, cloak, and wings, respectively). Due to work and various other commitments, I played much of last night and this morning to complete 35 of the 40 challenges. Due to my commitment to work during the day, the only way I was going to complete 36 out of 40 challenges was from a challenge called "Leave to Chance." The challenge is so-named, because it requires using an in-game currency called a chance orb on certain items with the chance of the items becoming a unique version of the base class.
With the league set to end at 3 PM Pacific, I logged on at 2 PM and asked for help (on Global 820). At first, I got some orbs for free (but I decided to tip the player for his/her kindness). I then started spamming. About 20 minutes before the challenge league ended, I got one item to finally turn into a unique, but I still needed another and I was running out of chance orbs. Once again I asked around on global and this time I had to pay upfront. Then when I got the orbs, I started spamming away. I had started running low and thinking I might not get the 36th challenge. Fortunately, around 8 minutes before the league was set to end, the second item turned into a unique.**
*Adapted from a message I sent elsewhere.
**Unfortunately I could not record the entire experience because I was playing on my gaming laptop.
[20200822]
 |
| Mirror of Delirium |
I realized after the end of the Delirium challenge league that each new challenge league brings with it an emphasis on a new game mechanic, and that emphasis brings about a much different experience from the permanent leagues (e.g., Standard). As such, I decided to create a separate post for Delirium (and moving forward I'll create a separate post for any Path of Exile challenge league I might choose to play).
[20200822]
20200322:
Played Delirium league with my friend (AS) and his brother (HS). I created a Witch and by the end of the session I had leveled the new character to the same level as my previous Standard Witch character. In addition, we had progressed further in the story than I had reached before.
Steam Game Time: 4.9 hours (session game time) / 15.8 hours (total game time)
20200323:
Played some more.
Gameplay Log:
Created a mule (Templar) and played beginning with MN and x.
MN logged off.
AS and HS join.
We help x go through the game.
x leaves.
AS, HS, and I resume our progress.
 |
| Unlocking the Scion class. |
AS chooses to help Kraityn despite the plan that Kraityn most surely should be killed in favor of 2 passive points.
: This both was and wasn't a big deal. It wasn't because HS and I still got to kill Kraityn. It was because it made AS temporarily feel like an enemy despite being part of our party.
: [20200324: I read about the Bandits and, in general, the player's choice of who to help is tagged by the game. So it will always be the case that anyone in the party of a different choice will be marked as an enemy in the vicinity of the battle. Simply have that person not be there. As to who to help, under the current patch, Alira is good for a starter character who may need the resistances, whereas the general value is in 2 passive skill points. Fortunately, players who chooses Alira, can later craft an item to change their choice to get the 2 passive skill points instead.]
Steam Game Time: 8.9 hours (session game time) / 24.9 hours (total game time)
20200324:
Today I forgot to record my gameplay but I was able to recall the main details below. Throughout the duration, various players are joining and leaving the party. In particular, I joined some time after some of the players got a couple of hours in so I had to catch up on a handful of quests. Players who didn't have anything to catch up on would help the newer players. It was a lot of fun. Estimated order of most-to-least play not including me: AS & HS, RD, GMS, Dx, Jx.
Gameplay Log:
Completed Bandits (helped Alira).
Completed Act 2.
AS, HS, and I remain.
Completed most of Act 3 (except Library and Siosa's Quest).
: Got one shot by something while in Sceptre of God during Delirium.
: Got killed once during fight against Dominus.
 |
| I purchased enough divination cards to obtain Oni-Goroshi. |
Steam Game Time: 7.6 hours (session game time) / 32.5 hours (total game time)
20200325:
Gameplay Log:
As a group, we get started with Act 4.
After we defeated Daresso and Kaom, I called it a night for grouping.
Inventory management.
Completed the Labyrinth (Ascendancy Trial) and ascended to Elementalist.
: I was going to call it a night but wanted to ascend. I thought this was going to be short so I went and did it on my own. It turned out taking a good amount of time (over an hour).
Having unlocked Scion class, I made a Scion class character. I want to follow a Cyclone build.
Steam Game Time: ~7.6 hours (session game time)
20200326:
Gameplay Log:
Picked up Act 4 where we left off as a group with Belly of the Beast.
Completed Act 5.
 |
| A six-linked weapon drops, which at the time I thought was cool enough to screenshot... |
Steam Game Time: ~4.3 hours (session game time) / 44.4 hours (total game time)
20200327:
Earlier I was playing around with some game mechanics. In the evening, I joined my group of friends. AS, HS, and I mostly repeated old portions of the game as needed by friends who were catching up. In particular, we repeated parts of Act 5.
Steam Game Time: ~1.4 hours and 4.0 hours (session game time) / 49.8 hours (total game time)
20200328:
Today I resumed playing with my Scion character. I would note that I've spent approximately 34 hours on my Delirium Witch character.
Gameplay Log:
Completed Act 1 with my Scion character.
Steam Game Time: ~3.9 hours (session game time) / 53.7 hours (total game time)
20200329:
Completed Act 2 with my Scion character and parts of Act 3. During today's play I hit level 28 and was finally able to start using Cyclone. Unfortunately, while I'm really tanking, I also feel like my damage per second (DPS) is incredibly low. In particular, I tried the Trial of Ascendancy before going to sleep and I was able to barely beat the first encounter with the boss by ever slowly reducing his health. I did not have the same luck during the second encounter and died. I decided to call it a night there. Perhaps I'll look towards replacing my axe and shield for a two-handed sword with some stats for damage.
 |
| Cyclone with Oni-Goroshi. |
Steam Game Time: 6.7 hours (session game time) / 60.4 hours (total game time)
20200330:
Today, over multiple sessions, I joined random parties, leveled up, got some tips and items (from "BN") which greatly improved my DPS, fixed my equipment, skills, and gems to further improve DPS, and got to Act 8 (through aforementioned parties).
Gameplay Log:
Progressing with various parties.
Played with "BN." Got some equipment.
Fixed my equipment, skills, and gems.
Completed Labyrinth
: What a difference!!!
Played with a part to Act 8. Started dying a lot in Lunaris Temple.
I tried farming for the sword. I started getting tired and stopped.
Steam Game Time: 15.6 hours (session game time) / 76.0 hours (total game time)
20200331:
Besides the log below, I also spent a fair amount of time reducing the items I have stored. As a rough overview, I tossed a bunch of low level flasks, many non-support gems, and gear with low links. I still have room for improvement.
Gameplay Log:
Did some casual leveling and completed some missing quests throughout Acts 1 through 7.
Completed Act 8.
Played second level of the Labyrinth and chose Slayer.
 |
| Fog of Delirium |
Steam Game Time: 7.8 hours (session game time) / 83.8 hours (total game time)
20200401:
Today I continued my efforts to reduce my inventory. During this time, I noticed that the indication of quality on gems is subtle and it's possible that I sold some gems yesterday with quality on them - not a big deal.
What to Keep (for now):
Quality: Page for quality items.
Unique: Page for unique items.
Gems: Vaal, leveled to 5 or greater, teleports, quality, support, detonate mines.
Flasks: utility flasks, divine regular life, magic life, divine regular mana, magic mana, colossal hybrid, magic hybrid
Rings: ??? (I've been keeping at most six of each and trading in regular+magic+rare sets whenever I get more than six)
Head, Gloves, Boots: 4L
Belts: ???
Steam Game Time: 3.3 hours (session game time) / 87.1 hours (total game time)
20200403:
Gameplay Log:
Completed Act 9.
Played parts of Act 10.
 |
| Getting read to fight Sirus. Wish me luck... |
Steam Game Time: 102.8 hours (total game time)
20200409:
Today at around 8 PM the stash tab sale started and I bought a variety of stash tabs. Prior to that, I put effort into getting rid of unnecessary gear. While I was theoretically purchasing more space and organization, I knew that I also had to focus on ways to keep less loot. This exercise mostly consisted of selling low level loot and/or relatively garbage loot (e.g., most things that are not max socket and items with less links).
Steam Game Time: 130.8 hours (total game time)
20200615:*
What a rush. There were 40 challenges and at 12, 24, and 36 completed challenges the player receives different cosmetics (horns, cloak, and wings, respectively). Due to work and various other commitments, I played much of last night and this morning to complete 35 of the 40 challenges. Due to my commitment to work during the day, the only way I was going to complete 36 out of 40 challenges was from a challenge called "Leave to Chance." The challenge is so-named, because it requires using an in-game currency called a chance orb on certain items with the chance of the items becoming a unique version of the base class.
With the league set to end at 3 PM Pacific, I logged on at 2 PM and asked for help (on Global 820). At first, I got some orbs for free (but I decided to tip the player for his/her kindness). I then started spamming. About 20 minutes before the challenge league ended, I got one item to finally turn into a unique, but I still needed another and I was running out of chance orbs. Once again I asked around on global and this time I had to pay upfront. Then when I got the orbs, I started spamming away. I had started running low and thinking I might not get the 36th challenge. Fortunately, around 8 minutes before the league was set to end, the second item turned into a unique.**
*Adapted from a message I sent elsewhere.
**Unfortunately I could not record the entire experience because I was playing on my gaming laptop.
[20200822]
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Hearthstone Battlegrounds (PC) (2019)
Overview: A free-to-play auto battler based on the cards and characters in Heartstone.
20200229 Gameplay Log:
Played Battlegrounds.
|-Sylvanas Windrunner. 4th.
|-Edwin VanCleef. Beasts. 2nd.
|-Alexstrasza. Forced Dragons. 6th.
|-The Rat King. Dragons with some Mechs at end. 4th.
| |- His power is difficult to stick to one type.
|-Millhouse Manastorm. Dragons to Mechs to Beasts. 8th.
| |- His power benefits from quickly buying and selling, but I'm still not familiar with the game and took too long to read stuff.
|-Nefarian. Murlocs. 6th.
20200321 Comment:
Since 20200306, I've been mostly playing Battlegrounds with games of Heartstone (e.g., Casual and Tavern Brawl) just for quests and rewards.
20200421 Comment:
While I really enjoyed Battlegrounds (past tense), recent changes (20200407) have deterred me from playing. Explicitly, one can either play the game for free or get the Tavern Pass for either $20 or 2500 Gold (Gold is currency earned within the game) - the Tavern Pass lasts for the duration of the current expansion, currently Ashes of Outland. In terms of gameplay, the only difference between playing for free and getting the Tavern Pass is the ability to choose among four heroes (with the Tavern Pass) instead of two (free-to-play).
Personally, I'm not going to spend $20 to play Battlegrounds. Since a player can spend 100 Gold to purchase a card pack, a purely free-to-play player like myself who also enjoys the main card game has the choice between spending 2500 Gold on card packs or 2500 Gold for two additional hero choices throughout the duration of the current expansion. In my opinion, anyone who enjoys playing the main game as much as Battlegrounds would hands down spend the money on packs and just accept the disadvantage of choosing among two heroes instead of four. Theoretically one can create a second account and grind out extra dailies for playing Battlegrounds separately, but that's quite the hassle.
tl;dr: the Tavern Pass is overpriced and probably will only be purchased by players who play Battlegrounds competitively.
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Different style of play from Hearthstone.
Neutral:
~ Relies a little more on RNG than the main game.
Cons:
- (Android) Same client as Hearthstone and so suffers the same problems: large file size, sluggish, and difficult for a beginner who needs to hover and read text.
- The advantage from getting a good hero pick is unfortunate.
Major Con:
- Starting 20200407, the ability to pick from four heroes instead of two comes at a significant cost, either $20 or 2500 Gold.
Hearthstone Battlegrounds (PC) (2019)
Relevant Links:
Battlegrounds (Hearthstone Wiki)
 |
| Without the Tavern Pass, choose from two heroes. |
20200229 Gameplay Log:
Played Battlegrounds.
|-Sylvanas Windrunner. 4th.
|-Edwin VanCleef. Beasts. 2nd.
|-Alexstrasza. Forced Dragons. 6th.
|-The Rat King. Dragons with some Mechs at end. 4th.
| |- His power is difficult to stick to one type.
|-Millhouse Manastorm. Dragons to Mechs to Beasts. 8th.
| |- His power benefits from quickly buying and selling, but I'm still not familiar with the game and took too long to read stuff.
|-Nefarian. Murlocs. 6th.
 |
| Buy from Bob's Tavern |
20200321 Comment:
Since 20200306, I've been mostly playing Battlegrounds with games of Heartstone (e.g., Casual and Tavern Brawl) just for quests and rewards.
20200421 Comment:
While I really enjoyed Battlegrounds (past tense), recent changes (20200407) have deterred me from playing. Explicitly, one can either play the game for free or get the Tavern Pass for either $20 or 2500 Gold (Gold is currency earned within the game) - the Tavern Pass lasts for the duration of the current expansion, currently Ashes of Outland. In terms of gameplay, the only difference between playing for free and getting the Tavern Pass is the ability to choose among four heroes (with the Tavern Pass) instead of two (free-to-play).
 |
| The minions battle it out. |
Personally, I'm not going to spend $20 to play Battlegrounds. Since a player can spend 100 Gold to purchase a card pack, a purely free-to-play player like myself who also enjoys the main card game has the choice between spending 2500 Gold on card packs or 2500 Gold for two additional hero choices throughout the duration of the current expansion. In my opinion, anyone who enjoys playing the main game as much as Battlegrounds would hands down spend the money on packs and just accept the disadvantage of choosing among two heroes instead of four. Theoretically one can create a second account and grind out extra dailies for playing Battlegrounds separately, but that's quite the hassle.
tl;dr: the Tavern Pass is overpriced and probably will only be purchased by players who play Battlegrounds competitively.
Thoughts:
Pros:
+ Different style of play from Hearthstone.
 |
| Dragon comps are my favorite. |
Neutral:
~ Relies a little more on RNG than the main game.
Cons:
- (Android) Same client as Hearthstone and so suffers the same problems: large file size, sluggish, and difficult for a beginner who needs to hover and read text.
- The advantage from getting a good hero pick is unfortunate.
Major Con:
- Starting 20200407, the ability to pick from four heroes instead of two comes at a significant cost, either $20 or 2500 Gold.
Hearthstone Battlegrounds (PC) (2019)
Relevant Links:
Battlegrounds (Hearthstone Wiki)
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Hearthstone (PC) (2014)
Overview: A free-to-play digital card game by Blizzard Entertainment with multiple game modes.
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Blameless (PC) (2016)
Overview: You've been clobbered and you find yourself trapped in a house. Can you escape?