Gaming – Page 367 – A Pixel Nomad

Create a Sim Demo

EA was kind enough to send me an invite to try out the Create a Sim Demo for The Sims 4. I was incredibly excited. Not only have I been following the game since it was announced, but I have been a huge sims 3 fan for years (and years). I ended up streaming it on my twitch channel, but for some reason my microphone was on mute or not working, so even though I spent a glorious 30 minutes squealing and chattering about everything, you’ll have to be content with the game music.

Stream located here

Right now you’re only able to create young adults (male and female), and while I DID enjoy creating sims, I REALLY wanted to play the game.

Anyway. There’s no real tutorial in the demo, but that didn’t stop me from exploring. Everything is very intuitive and easy to figure out but I did have a few issues with a lack of options. Men get fewer options than females, at least in the demo. I didn’t particularly care for many of the items that were options for either sex (clothing, shoes, accessories), but I did really like the enormous possibilities in character creation as far as body / hair / eyes go. I also found attributes were severely lacking but because this is just a demo, I don’t expect to find everything there.

Having 7 different styles of walk is neat, but I’m sad that it came at an expense (losing toddlers and pools for now at least).

You can adjust everything. I mean, everything. Just click on a body part and you can zoom in and drag any body part any which way. There are also some traditional sliders if that is more your thing. Once you have created a family you’re able to upload it into their gigantic database, complete with hashtags. There are categories for different types of sims, like celebrities, and you can go through and import other sims from the gallery or add yours to the collection.

I found the demo fun, but again it just made me want to play the game, and I lamented over the fact that if you’re coming from a game like Sims 3 where there have been numerous expansions and ‘stuff’ packs, you may find the options available slightly lacking. You may want to wait a few months for the game to get a little more robust (and perhaps go on sale) before investing, and keep playing Sims 3 in the mean time.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Stylin’ Chua

I made some time to game a bit this week, and finally inched my way to level 21 in WildStar. I was having some issues grasping the combat style of the esper, but then realized that it was because of where I had spent my AMP and skill points, so I looked up a guide and created a second spec. Things are going MUCH smoother now, though I am missing a lot of AMP that would make life easier – they’re just way too expensive. I think the cheapest T2 AMP I saw on the CX was 5 plat and the most expensive over 50. At 21 I’m just nearing my first plat, I may have a bit more but well, housing and crafting are not cheap businesses.

I haven’t purchased a mount yet because I’m waiting to get 25, but I haven’t found it that much of a hindrance at all. Sure, I run a bit slower, but quest hubs are pretty close together. The cost of reviving at the fight spawn has gone up drastically, so I tend to run back these days.

I looted a few neat fabkits, but I also craft them since I’m an architect. I haven’t tried to sell any of these on the market yet, but I may in time if there is any market for it, I suppose we’ll just have to see.

All in all, I’m having a LOT of fun. More than I thought I would. I even nosed my way into some PvP earlier in the week. Lost one match and won the second. I’m not very good at it (imo), but I had a lot of fun and I tried my best to help the team out. I’ll probably need another spec for that, too.

I know the game is not for everyone, but for me at least WildStar is filling that themepark void since I don’t currently play World of Warcraft (I’ll wait for the expansion more than likely). A good portion of my friends are also playing though not everyone is, and it is nice to see an active guild chat in the evenings (though I tend to play EU time, and things are much more subdued then).

The hardest part, of course, is finding the time! There are just not enough hours in the day.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Steam Sales and New Games

I haven’t had a reason to purchase very many steam games lately, I just haven’t had the time to play. That changed slightly with this past sale though. One of the best gifts I got was “You need a Budget 4” – the flash sale marked this app down to $15, a huge deal considering regular price is $60. I had already used the 7 day trial and knew that this app is wonderful for keeping on track with budgeting. In school I never really learned how to budget, or what money should be going towards. While I’m lucky enough to have a fantastic job that may not always be the case and I want to be prepared for whatever life tosses my way. Because I’m such a fan of lists and charts and graphs, this app is perfect for me. Teaches me to assign every dollar a purpose, and then helps me keep on track, with some room for changes so I don’t feel restrictive. Highly recommended.

The next game I got was Edge of Space, which is a lot like terraria, but in space. I found the font a bit difficult on the eyes, and the tutorial was more confusing than it needed to be, but the game is still in development, so there’s room for them to improve. It’s also a lot more difficult than terraria, or so I found.

Of course a steam sale wouldn’t be complete without goat simulator, which was also gifted to me. This game looked hilarious but I’ll be honest, I had absolutely no intentions of purchasing it (or even adding it to my wishlist). I noticed that a lot of my friends had picked up the game (for reasons I couldn’t fathom) and bam, there it was in my inventory.

Finally, the talk of the town lately, Divinity: Original Sin. An RPG that has solo and multiplayer hosted on steam servers, I was incredibly surprised by how much FUN this game has been so far. The story is great, and while playing with a friend I had a blast doing rock / paper / scissor fights in order to see which way an argument would sway. The game also comes with an RPG toolkit, so if you would rather create adventures instead of play through them, have at it.

Did you pick up any games this steam sale? Let me know in comments below!

Home Sweet Home

I finally did it, I managed to inch my way to level 14, and completed the city quest to purchase a home. Further than I had gotten in beta (I didn’t want to spoil the game for myself) I had no idea what to expect. Basically you’re given a plot with 7 sections to it. Each one can be dedicated to a use, with the center one being for your home. I had the rocketship home already as an account bonus, but I had heard that it’s quite small, so I decided to go with a Cassian house instead. Most of the housing items I have collected so far are plant like in nature, so my house is still quite bare. I have a fireplace, a couch, my Snuglug plushie (pictured on the bed above with my Chua) and a bed. Outside I placed a farm, as well as craft stations and a few other odds and ends. I haven’t decided exactly what I want to do with the space yet.

I was pleased to see that certain house items will give you rest experience, and that you can also get a daily experience buff from the home. Making it awesome and useful. I have no neighbours yet (sniffle, no one likes me), but I hear you can add some. I hope to explore other peoples homes, if that’s a possibility.

All in all, I’m excited about decorating. I’ve taken the crafting path that allows me to make housing items (of course, no surprise there) and have been working on making bushes and the like. Eventually I’ll have to get back to leveling, too, but in the mean time level 14 is pretty relaxing.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!

Climbing up the Ranks

It’s hard to tell here, but my little Chua is standing on top of a rock face, that she reached while jumping on top of geysers. This was part of my explorer path adventure, and I really had a lot of fun with it, although I’m not a fan of the extra pressure that a timer brings.

I managed to get some play time in last night, and my Chua Esper is happily sitting at level 12, after having gotten three levels. Things have gotten a lot harder, I find I have to pay attention to what mobs I encounter, especially if they’re a level or two higher than me. Lower level mobs don’t typically prove to be any problem, but you know there’s always that one.

I have been taking advice off of the forums while I level. Things like don’t constantly repair, because you’re just going to obtain new gear as you level anyway. I haven’t gotten into any crafting yet, but my bag is becoming nice and full of crafted goods.

I’m well behind the leveling curve compared to most of my friends but that doesn’t really bother me. I can take my time without feeling any pressure. Like I mentioned yesterday, the game does require me to be “on the ball” more often than not, so I can’t just randomly play it in down time. My next goal is to get to 14 so I can finally experience some housing, and have a place to drop off all of these crafting items that I keep getting.

As always, happy gaming, no matter where you find yourself!