What I Played Today: June 30

Terraria

There was an update to Terraria! I cannot believe this is still happening! But I booted it up to see what else was new, only to find that ALL MY SAVE FILES WERE GONE. Hahahaha, I had switched computers since I last played, whoops. So I started anew, built a little house, starting digging a bit, and then stopped. This is how I play games, with mild disinterest.

What I Played Today: October 4

Civilization 5, Terraria

Got into a bit of a Civ funk, just starting a game, and then stopping when I realize that the game is too slow, then started playing the game again. It was a sad state of affairs.

Also, I MAY have committed some social faux pases during an online session of Terraria? Like, I was standing near some chests for a while (I was putting stuff I didn't want into them, but they didn't know that) and after we fought a boss I decided that I was done playing and logged out? I don't know, social interaction is hard. I'm sorry, those guys I was playing with. I'm sorry.

What I Played Today: October 2

Terraria, Rune Factory 4

I accidentally tricked someone else into playing Terraria with me, and we did that for a long time! We played on somebody's server and built stuff and dug underground and there is a snow level now! With penguins! Anyway, I managed to upgrade my pickaxe and axe, so things should go a little faster now.

Also, I got Rune Factory 4! And it's perfectly suitable! The UI and artwork is a lot cleaner now that they have more space on the card, and everything seems a bit more reasonable. For one thing, the field is no longer gigantic and imposing, there are maybe 48 spots to plant a seed instead of 300, and the game is a lot tighter in general.

The story is beyond stupid though. For one, the first thing you do is select your gender, except you do it in a fairly insulting way. You are asked to respond to being an airship; one response is pretty gung-ho, another is a bit timid. Because I hate gung-ho characters, I chose the timid option. Apparently choosing that option will make you a female character, because ALL women are timid and scared of heights and all men are boisterous assholes. UG. Just...just ask me what gender I want to play as.

Anyway, some bullshit happens, you fall off an airship and into a castle with a dragon, and everyone in the castle assumes you are a Prince named Arthur, who is coming to run the town. So they set you up with a cool room and give you run of the castle and then the real Prince Arthur shows and just...let's you keep being the Prince! SURE! That makes sense.

What I Played Today: October 1

Grand Theft Auto V, Terraria

I am still clicking through Grand Theft Auto, did some desert stuff, including tracking down a bailjumper, then leapt back on the main mission trail, and I am starting to feel like this game is intentionally wasting my time. There has been ZERO reward for the last four major missions that pull all the characters together. You get absolutely no money for a high-risk helicopter extraction, an explosive theft in which you ultimately just return what you stole, a smash-and-grab of an armored car that leads to a prolonged police shootout, and a chase mission that inexplicably requires you driving THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE MAP. Wasn't this game about fucking heists? Wasn't I going to be casing joints, hiring drivers and hackers, building up these detailed plans, and getting paid? Because so far, I appear to be jerked around by a bunch of assholes who can't even bother to pay for my fucking expenses. I paid good money for these masks, guys.

There was also this really really weird part in which I had to get a getaway car for a mission in which they never told me where the mission would be taking place? So I just...parked a car somewhere, hoping that was good enough. Then the mission happens, cops show up, cops GET BORED and go away, and then I have to jump into one of the vehicles we used (just one! There's still another vehicle there that we used that probably has a ton of evidence all over it), and drive it halfway across town to the getaway car and destroy the vehicle I was driving previously. Um...why?! Why the hell did I need to do that? Why did I need to blow up this vehicle again? Was that part of the plan? Why was that part of the plan? Who the hell came up with the plan? And isn't the point of a getaway car to get away from the scene of the crime? Because I quite easily got away from the scene of the crime and then drove somewhere else to create another crime. And ultimately, the real package, the thing we stole, was being transported in someone else's easily-traceable private car, so that entire thing was extremely pointless. Like I said...intentionally wasting my time.

Also there was apparently a huge update to Terraria, which is great because I love Terraria, so I decided to start playing from scratch. I built my little hut, starting digging into the ground, apparently there is lead and tin now? I don't remember if there was lead and tin before, and if that means anything. Also when it rains, goldfish just start walking around on the ground, and the zombies wear raincoats. That is adorable.

What I Played Today: June 17

Terraria

It was really hot and I didn't feel like doing nothing so I played Terraria. I do not like that even though I have max health and cobalt armor, I still only get about six hits from the new monsters before I explode. How fair is that?

What I Played Today: June 14

Papa's Wingeria, Terraria

I was stuck at home today because there was a fire, so I had a lot of dicking around time available, and I decided to burn that extra time doing jack shit!

There was a new Papa's game, and because I'm an idiot, I spent way too much time playing it today. This one is about wings, and son of a bitch did it make me want to get some goddamn wings. The usual patter of these games is the same, although this one is less focused on timing and more concerned about positioning, as the majority of the time is spent very carefully arranging the wings on a platter. It's kinda stupid, but less irritating than the others, and I managed to stick with for a good long while.

Also logged into Terraria because why wouldn't I? Nothing all that interesting happened. I found some adamantium, and got killed by bats a few times too many. Lame.

What I Played Today: May 17

Terraria

Ho hum, just digging. Man this is dull. I should really play something else here pretty soon.

What I Played Today: May 15

Terraria

Blah blah blah cobalt blah blah blah this is boring to write about

What I Played Today: May 13

Terraria

Hey I killed that stupid Wall of Flesh! I was using the wrong weapon; I was supposed to be using the boomerang, not the sword. That way I wasn't constantly stepping in the mouth and getting eaten. So after I killed him, some crazy stuff happened to the world, and I got some neat toys, including a laser gun.

From here it's a matter of gathering even more materials and contending with stronger monsters, which isn't too bad except for those freaking unicorns. I like the new lands, gives me some interesting territories to explore, although the steps I have to take to mine the new ores is kinda silly, especially since there's no guarantees that I'll be able to find them all, since they are dispersed randomly.

What I Played Today: May 12

Rhythm Heaven Fever, Terraria

I made it to the end credits of Rhythm Heaven Fever! Apparently I was literally right there, all I had to do was pass one more level. Of course there's still more to do, more levels etc., but it was cool to see the end, and figure out what everyone's name was. The best part is that the zeppelin with the weird birds and the octopus are credited as "Um...these guys?" As in the creators themselves weren't even sure what they were thinking with that one. That's great.

Also have figured out what I'm doing in Terraria, and I have to kill some creepy wall of flesh in order to unlock the next mode, and it is hard as hell. Tried killing it without setting up any walkways, and died pretty much instantly. I build what I thought was a sufficient platform for it, and I was wrong, as I ran into a dead-end while I was still halfway through killing it, and then died. So extended the platform, and I still keep getting killed by too much damage, so now I'm upgrading my armor. This is a lot of work.

What I Played Today: May 10

Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Terraria

I was looking for something to do, so I jumped back into Assassin's Creed multiplayer, and spend about thirty minutes trying to stab dudes. I did okay, not great, people's current game isn't that good, I kept on spotting people right away. There was this one guy who I thought was playing like a jackass, but he was apparently gaming the system, because he always finished first with twice as many points as everyone else. Interesting. I'm also glad that the stupid stun-and-poison trick is no longer in vogue, I hated that. It's back to basics as usual.

Also dug some more in Terraria. I've started from scratch, which is kind of a dumb plan, because now I am frustrated with how long it takes to dig. It's so slow you guys, and water kinda makes things awful. But it's been so long since I've played that I look at everything my main guy has and am just confused.

What I Played Today: May 9

Terraria

I tried to play Terraria. Apparently there has been a lot of changes to Terraria since I last tried to play it. Now I'm kinda excited, although a little concerned, because after the Minecraft bed was invited, I really really want that in Terraria, and it's not there. And I died a lot from zombies.

What I Played Today: August 22

Rift, Bastion, Terraria

I ran into a crafting rift today! I didn't even know it was one, all I know it was a death rift, and I needed to close those, so I walked up, and it was a disaster. There was only one other guy there, a member of the other faction, so we couldn't really communicate, but I helped him close the entire thing, and when I got the rewards, I was shocked, because it was all stuff I needed, eternal planar dust and minor catalyst and some cloth. Super exciting! For...some definitions of exciting.

Also played some Bastion, and man I love this game even more. It's just so dang tight and tense and player choice and variety and more please. I have a new favorite weapon, the pike, and found another dang gun, this one for long range. I want to keep playing.

A few moments in Terraria found me finding a successful way to mine hellstone then quickly bored of it. I understand the tension of having hellstone spill lava when you mine it, but man it makes life so difficult, you guys. But I have three of the four swords I need to craft the Super Sword, so I'm going to work towards that.

What I Played Today: August 17

Terraria

I put in a little time in Terraria, because it got an update recently. Well, turns out that update sucks, because it nerfed the hell out of the weapon I had been using, cutting its damage by over half. Which means I had to switch to a lightsaber. I went down into the depths and finally got around to mining some hellstone, which is obnoxious as hell. A recent change means that hellstone will now spawn a small bit of lava when it's harvested, which means you have to be supercareful or you're going to get burned. I eventually got in a good position where the constantly spawning enemies couldn't get to me and started mining, using buckets to clear out the lava. It was tough, and it didn't even net me that much ore, but slow and steady they say.

The update also changed how the dungeon works, and I took a look in there again, only to find that I've pretty much done all I can in there. If I want a better dungeon experience, I'll need to go to another world.

What I Played Today: July 20

Rift, Terraria

I logged into Rift for a while. Did some quests, at one point was asked to go back to the starting region and dig up a grave, so that was fun. Frankly, I was more interested in the Doctor Who I was watching.

Also went into the dungeon in Terraria. Sometimes there are just too many enemies. That's all.

What I Played Today: July 11

Terraria

Oh man I am sick of telling you about this game! I finally beat the dungeon guardian, so I can go into the dungeon, and it is boring down there. There's a bunch of skeletons and some treasure chests and it's not really worth killing that dude. There's supposedly a rare sword in there that I'll need eventually, so I'll dive back in when I have the chance, but it's a game that just drags you in and doesn't let go, and gives you nothing interesting to say. NOTHING.

What I Played Today: July 10

Terraria

I meant to play something else today, I’m pretty sure. I even bought some more games in the Steam sale! But alas, I got sucked into Terraria. I’m finally to the point where I’m just plowing through bosses, I must have killed four today, just to get the necessary materials to craft a new suit. I also created a hellevator, an elevator that drops you directly into the underworld (took me like an hour), so if I ever want to go to the worst area in the game, I can.

What I Played Today: July 7

Terraria, Puzzle Agent 2

I beat a boss in Terraria! Which is apparently something that you need to do in order to move to the next level, which requires having a specific NPC sell you a specific product so that you get to some specific orbs so that you can summon a specific Eater of Worlds and oh boy, if it were not for the Wiki, I would have no idea what is going on. But I'm still engaged, so that's nice.

A few minutes of Puzzle Agent 2 as well, with plot stuff, in which Agent Tethers sees something creepy, screams, and then runs away, and you are left wondering when you finally get to do something, damn it. I know it's mostly puzzles, but some decisions on my part would be great, like, say, punching.

What I Played Today: Fourth of July Weekend

Terraria, SpaceChem

Not a lot of gaming, on account of travels, but I did end up taking advantage of Steam's sale and getting a couple of games that I've had my eye on, Terraria and SpaceChem.

SpaceChem is a puzzle game that has a bit of science and programming, in which you have to get something from point A to point B, maybe combine it with something else and, set it up to repeat ad naseum. It seems easy at first, then it starts throwing some funky combinations and you start thinking "How in God's am I supposed to do this?" But eventually you figure it out, and you feel smart.

Terraria is obviously comparable to Minecraft, as they have the building, exploring etc. nonsense, but I like it a lot better, because it built in the RPG elements from the get-go, so there's a lot to do and a lot to explore. There is quite a bit of fighting you have to do, though, as there are monsters freaking everywhere. But I like it a lot, I like having a goal, things to fight, places to go, resources to build up. It's a lot more satisfying to play opposed to Minecraft, which has a very steady level of experience and plateaus very quickly.