Red Dead Redemption 2 Has a Problematic Launch on PC

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As of May this year, Red Dead Redemption 2 has sold 25 million copies collectively on both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Considering that is just six months on from the games initial release in late October 2018, that's an impressive figure. What will it be by the end of the year? Time will tell whether the western game can beat the milestone set by Rockstar Games previous hit, Grand Theft Auto V. Since its release in 2013 GTA V has sold over 110 million copies on console and PC. The popularity of its multiplayer component, GTA Online, being the primary reason driving sales. However, Rockstar Games have been enthusiastic about the launch of the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2. A year on from the console release, an enhanced version of the game has been developed for the PC market. Furthermore, Rockstar Games have joined a host of other developers and created their own launcher. This along with the yesterday’s PC launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 was intended to renew interest in the game and hopefully boost sales across all platforms. But “there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip” as the old proverb goes.

For a substantial number of PC gamers (myself included), Red Dead Redemption 2 simply doesn’t run. And when I say doesn’t run, I mean just that. The game doesn’t start in any shape or form when you click “play” on the launcher. Those who are lucky enough to actually get the game to run have been plagued by a litany of performances issues. To put it bluntly this is a dog’s dinner of a game launch. At present Reddit is doing an infinitely better job that the developers when it comes to collating potential solutions and offering advice. Rockstar Games themselves have only offered the most arbitrary advice, none of which seems to make any tangible difference. I have updated my graphics drivers, patched Windows 10 and even upgraded my PC’s bios but the game resolutely refuses to launch. Furthermore, Rockstar Games are hardly doing an adequate job of social media. Instead of getting ahead of the problem, adopting a suitable conciliatory tone, they’re basically staying quiet and leaving irate gamers to stew in their own juice; a policy that is always a recipe for disaster.

As a man of a certain age, although I am annoyed by the fact that I cannot play this game, I have refrained from writing a strongly worded letter to The Times, or throwing my toothbrush at the cat (you get extra points if you know this literary reference). I have other games to play, gin to drink and snacks to consume. However, my calm demeanour doesn’t mean that Rockstar Games have got off the hook. This is a game developer that basks in the glory of having created a “billion-dollar game”. There’s even a documentary with that name about the development of GTA V. So the launch on PC of a title like Red Dead Redemption 2, isn’t just a belated release on an ancillary platform. This is the equivalent of a Hollywood studio tentpole film movie. Bearing this in mind, imagine if Avengers: Endgame had failed to be released on time and when it was, half of all movie theatres showing it had major projection issues. This is a bad game launch by any standard and it doesn’t make Rockstar Games look good. Also their handling of the situation is compounding matters. I hope for their sake they sort this shit out soon.

International Picture Posting Month: The Elder Scrolls Online

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As my first post for International Picture Posting Month, I have decided to share some pictures and thoughts on the MMORPG, The Elder Scrolls Online. Out of the three games from this genre that I currently play, it’s the one that I’m currently enjoying the most. It has plenty of content to play through, the virtual world is immersive and the stories, characters and lore are very detailed and satisfying. As a more recent MMO, the game engine is robust and the visuals are far from dated. The game mechanics are multi-layered but combat is straightforward. There is no obvious skills bloat as you choose what you want on your hotbar. I also greatly enjoy the ambient music and recurring themes that play throughout the game. ESO is both solo and group friendly. You can also greatly augment your UI and the way you interact with the various systems, through the use of addons if you like. Alternatively, if you feel bold enough, then you can go with the default layout. From my perspective, ESO offers a great deal and ticks many of the boxes I favour. Yes it can have its foibles but name me an MMO that doesn’t?

I currently have three characters at level cap in ESO. A High Elf Sorcerer (Aldmeri Dominion), an Argonian Necromancer (Ebonheart Pact) and an Imperial Dragonknight (Daggerfall Covenant). Although I’ve done the most content with my Sorcerer (she’s my oldest character), I’m actually enjoying the Dragonkinight the most, so I suspect they’ll end up as my primary alt. There’s something very satisfying about melee combat with a two-handed weapon. Combined with heavy armour and a strong Stamina build, I like the sheer survivability of the class. I use a bow as my secondary means of attack and find that it compliments things immensely. I can pick off one or two mobs before the third reaches me. Then I switch to my greatsword and swing away. I’m also trying to play through the game in some semblance of narrative order on this alt. This greatly enhances my gaming experience as I enjoy the complexity of the lore.

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I recently decided to take advantage of becoming a Werewolf in ESO and its associated skills line. Unlike Vampirism that requires far too much maintenance for my liking, Lycanthropy provides not only a new Ultimate skill but an entire set of five skills while transformed. Furthermore, if used in a delve or dungeon, if you continuously “devour” your victims you can remain in Werewolf form for a considerable amount of time. It is also a good way of tackling boss fights in ESO as you become very robust while in this transformed state. Like other skills in the game, all the base Werewolf abilities can be morphed. I chose to augment the standard Werewolf Ultimate into Pack Leader, as it changes your appearance to that of a white Werewolf and also provides you with two Wolf support companions. I do not know if it is the best choice from a technical or statistical perspective but it certainly looks damn cool.

In addition to the pictures in this post, here is a link to a gallery of screenshots from ESO via Google Photos. All are available at the original screen resolution of 1920 x 1200. These include images of my various alts, Dolmen farming in the Alik’r Desert and the Pack Leader Werewolf transformation.

A Month in Gaming

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October has been and gone. And as ever the MMORPG genre has been the mainstay of my gaming activities over the last thirty days. Furthermore, it has been a productive month. I managed to complete the Daggerfall Covenant narrative arc, along with the main story on my Dragonknight in The Elder Scrolls Online. I find that completing Coldharbour is the biggest obstacle in progressing. It’s an atmospheric zone but once you’ve experienced it, it doesn’t really lend itself to repeat playing. But having done all this my Dragonknight hit level cap. I had taken the precaution of buying appropriate gear ahead of this achievement, so I managed to acquire some decent armour and jewellery that provide robust set bonuses. Despite focusing mainly on ESO, I did manage to progress further in The Lord of the Rings Online. I got as far as the Wolf Denes in the Vales of Anduin update. I also took the time to visit the LOTRO test server and checked out the Minas Morgul expansion preview. As for Star Trek Online my daily visits have been focused upon completing Task Force Operations and grinding for a free ship (again).

While I’ve been enjoying myself over the last month playing through the aforementioned MMOs, the wider video games industry has continued to suffer a multitude of public relations disasters and persisted with their default business strategy known as “foot in mouth” syndrome. Bethesda continues to flog the dead horse that is Fallout 76 and made yet another faux pas with the launch of its premium “Fallout 1st” subscription service. And then there was the entire debacle of Blizzard capitulating to the political needs of the Chinese Government. Their recent “non” apology at BlizzCon was utterly predictable and again shows exactly what their priorities are as a business. Yet despite all these controversies and subsequent gamer outrage, the video games industry has still managed to make record amounts of money. This sad paradox is morbidly fascinating. It seems to be part of broader cultural shift in our society in which the more outrageously you behave, the better you seem to fare. Any damage to your reputation seems to have no real consequence.

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Earlier this year, I experimented to see if live streaming on Twitch, could be a suitable replacement for podcasting. Logistically, I have everything I required to stream and I even had the time last month to broadcast several of my gaming sessions. But I just couldn’t see the point. The two mediums are not the same and if you are streaming on Twitch, then you really have to focus on the game that you’re playing, rather than rambling on about other gaming issues. I know that Twitch can be used purely as a “talk show” platform but I feel if you’re doing that, then you may as well do the same via the medium of a podcast with all the benefits that format has to offer, such as editing. I really miss producing the Contains Moderate Peril Podcast and the reach that the show had. Streaming requires your audience to be available at the time of broadcast, where as podcasting allows the listener to consume the show at their leisure. Streaming takes a lot longer to build an audience, where as podcasting can tap into existing brand recognition. It would be interesting to see if a new “season” of the podcast would attract back previous listeners.

November is always an interesting month for video games, as it’s the month that many of us get to play the various new releases from October. I’m really looking forward to Red Dead Redemption 2 which I have pre-ordered. I don’t tend to buy in advance anymore but this game strikes me as a something “different” so I’ve decided to take a punt. Plus I love the “Western” genre. However, I shall be deferring my purchase of the Minas Morgul expansion for LOTRO. There is currently a controversy over level cap gear and the proliferation of loot boxes in the game; something that happened with the previous Mordor expansion. I shall therefore wait for this matter to blow over and resolve itself. I shall probably be able to advance towards the new level cap, just by completing the Vales of Anduin content. Overall, I cannot commit to too many games at once, especially at a time of year which has more social activities than other months. Therefore it is wise not to set unachievable gaming goals for November.

Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Part 6

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Saturday was week 7 of Strictly Come Dancing and it definitely showed. This is the stage in the series where the judges take the gloves off and start getting picky, even with those who are clearly at the top of the leaderboard. Hence, Kelvin Fletcher and Oti Mabuse's Viennese Waltz along with Michelle Visage and Giovanni Pernice who danced the Paso Doble, didn’t score as highly as you’d expect. The judges pointed out technical aspects that were wanting in both routines. But that’s what they’re supposed to do so I have no issues with these criticisms. We are also at the point where certain dances can throw a lifeline to some celebrity dancers. Hence Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer’s Street/Commercial dance really played to their core fanbase and more importantly, Chris’s dancing strengths. I doubt he’ll better this routine and it should keep him in the show a little longer.

I would once again like to raise an issue that often comes up on Strictly and is associated with specific professional dancers. Sometimes, there is an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to the choreography in attempt to “wow” the audience and impress the judges. However, what it can occasionally lead to is a routine that is overly complicated and leaves the celebrity floundering. Moves are not fully completed; lifts are hurriedly executed and detail is lost to quantity. And this is exactly what happened to Saffron and AJ during their Salsa. Mr Pritchard has made this mistake before and it is frustrating to see him ignore previous lessons. Saffron is a more than capable dancer with youth and enthusiasm on her side. There is no need for these self-indulgent exercises at this stage in the competition and the focus now needs to be on technique and performance.

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As suspected last week, Will Bayley’s injury to his knee is worse than thought and as a result, he is unable to continue on the show. Although this is a shame, I think him leaving in this way is for the best. Did any couple want to be in a dance off with Will and be the ones who ousted him from the show? Did any of the judges really want to have to send Will home, which would have happened at some point. Will made excellent progress on the show but he had reached his peak but I certainly could not see him lifting the trophy. This way he gets to leave on a high and with a prodigious, positive achievement behind him. And in other “injury” related news, Neil Jones was unable to dance with Alex Scott again this weekend, so once again Kevin Clifton filled the gap. Alex did herself proud with a heartfelt American Smooth and judge Craig Revel Horwood made a curious remark about their “accidental partnership is working wonders”. Does he feel she does better without Neil?

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This week’s dance off saw Mike Bushell and Katya Jones repeating their Charleston, against Viscountess Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Škorjanec dancing the Samba. Mike’s continued relegation to the dance off shows that his fanbase is waning. Mike is another celebrity dancer who I believe has plateaued and is now “treading water”. I greatly appreciate his positive attitude but I think the public are tiring off him. However, on a technical basis his dancing improved second time around (as it has before) where Emma’ Samba still had the same flaws and a lack of “bounce”. She’s an elegant lady but she couldn’t sell the dance and direct the judges away from her mistakes. Hence, she now departs the show, which I believe is an appropriate time. With only two weeks to Blackpool I suspect that Mike, Chris and the other Emma are now feeling the heat as there is now a demonstrable talent gap between contestants. But that’s the nature of the Strictly beast. People go as far as they can and sometimes the public keep someone on just to troll the judges.

"Good Company"

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A metaphor for friendship and good company

I have been ruminating upon this writing this post for a long time. One of the reasons I’ve deferred it many times, is that it’s extremely personal and I have strong views on putting such information in the public domain. Another reason is that there is scope for what I’m going to express to be wilfully misconstrued. What I hope to explore is a legitimate point and ongoing aspect of my life. But if it’s not framed in an appropriate manner, it may well come off as snobbish and judgemental. So I shall try to be as succinct as possible. Since 2016, I have been a full-time carer for both my disabled parents. I know longer work in the traditional sense. Therefore, I no longer experience the social dynamic of the work environment. For better or ill, work does offer interaction with others and scope for wider social activities. I now experience a different variation of these. I speak and make small talk with nurses and carers. I go to the shops and quip with the pharmacist along with the staff in the supermarket and newsagent. Due to the litany of doctors and hospital appointment I take my parents to, I spend a lot of time waiting and interacting with “older people”. People the same age as my parents. IE forty years my senior.

I make no claim to be “lonely” in the classic sense of the phrase. I live with Mrs P and we have a good relationship and do things toegether. But by not having a traditional work life, I am not mixing with people of a comparable age, nor am I spending time with those from the same academic discipline. I don’t miss the bullshit that is endemic to office politics but I do miss the company of likeminded people, as well as the problem solving that goes hand in hand with complex network infrastructure. I no longer speak with other about the news, science, philosophy or even fandom. I just make superficial small talk with strangers. Chat about the weather or the state of the bus service. I also nod politely but say nothing when someone decides to share their ill-conceived opinion on the latest contentious political issue. Plus I have to endure the cultural entrenched prejudices of the older generations. Something I find particularly unpleasant.

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[Insert punchline about entrenched racism here]

I have a small circle of good friends, people I’ve known since college. But they’ve moved, had families and have done all the regular stuff that people do and as a result, we only see each other about three or four times a year. I don’t begrudge this in anyway. It’s all part of life’s rich pageant. So to address this social and what I would define as an “intellectual engagement” gap, I listen to a lot of podcasts and YouTube videos. Digesting the thoughts and musings of Richard Dawkin, Robin Ince, Brian Cox and Mary Beard is great for stimulating the grey matter. I also like to know the back story behind the current news and social talking points. I don’t mean lazy partisan arguments and simply taking a side. I like to understand the complexities that so often underpin all major debates. It’s an unfashionable position but that’s how I’m programmed. But although all these things can provide a great deal of mental stimulation, there can also be a downside. Pondering weighty matters makes me less disposed towards the mundane.

Now I have no intention of abandoning small talk and light weight social interactions as I go about my daily business. Courtesy is hardwired into my personality. Plus some of the old people I share a word with, may not have a great deal of contact with other people and I think it’s important to reflect upon this. It’s an utter cliché but it is still true that a “kind word goes a long way”. However, if I find myself circulating among guests at a family gathering it is often a struggle to find any robust conversation. Some people like to keep it simple because they know certain hot topics are contentious. Others, often those who are the least informed, seem to be the most confident and willing to share their “perspective”. Hence such social occasions are often a chore for me and I tend to avoid them unless I know specific people will be there, with whom I’ve had positive engagement in the past.

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This man is clearly an expert

Without getting too much into “armchair expert” territory, let’s embrace a couple of broad universal truths. People are tribal by nature and usually seek company of those who are broadly similar to themselves. That’s not to say that we don’t sometimes have friends who are radically different than ourselves but usually there is a kind of social and intellectual parity within our peer group. To be removed from such a social mechanic is frustrating. As I stated initially, I don’t feel lonely. However, I do feel at times unengaged and like I’m stagnating. That I’m not testing my mettle or using my brain enough. I miss the company of those who can cogently challenge my viewpoint or make me laugh with a well-conceived joke or quip. There’s a Sherlock Holmes quote that springs to mind. I hasten to add I do not consider myself to be in anyway like the great detective but the point made is a good analogy. “My mind is like a racing engine, tearing itself to pieces because it is not connected up with the work for which it was built”. As to what the solution is to this problem, I’m not sure. I believe I have to make things happen and go and seek out some mental stimulation. Exactly what that will involve I cannot say at present. In the meantime, I shall continue to look to my online friendships to fill this gap.

International Picture Posting Month

I like a blogging event. They’re a great form of community interaction. I also like activities with clear parameters that can be undertaken daily. Sometimes trying to come up with new ideas for posts and content is tricky. Events can alleviate this by providing clear structure and a set of preset tasks or prompts. Chestnut over at Gamer Girl Confessions is running International Picture Posting Month throughout November. Broadly speaking it’s the image equivalent of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) where you are encouraged to write 50,000 words. With IntPiPoMo (now there’s an easy to remember acronym) the idea is to post images, be it a screen capture from a game, a photo or some of your own artwork. The target for the month is 50 images. Although the emphasis is on the visual, there is also the option to write about the images you share if you so desire.

So I’ve signed up and intend to give this a go over the month ahead. Like many other gamers I have numerous folders of game related screenshots on my hard drive. I also have hundreds of images from various movies stored for use in film reviews. Hence, I think I have some suitable material for IntPiPoMo. Now due to the blog template I’m currently using, there is a size limit on any image I embed in a post. Therefore I shall attempt to upload the full-size images on a third-party hosting site and endeavour to integrate a scaled version (with a link back to the original) on Contains Moderate Peril. If this solution cannot be accommodated due to some technical reason, I’ll try and fudge some other workaround. I would like to maintain the original image size, as I think that scaling content sometimes diminishes its impact.

If you want any further details on this event and the prizes available (yes, that’s right there are also prizes involved) then head over to Gamer Girl Confessions using the link above. There’s a sign-up page so that Chestnut can track who’s participating in IntPiPoMo. So far, the following bloggers have “taken the King’s shilling” and are participating in International Picture Posting Month. It will be interesting to see what pictures they share in the weeks to come.

• Cal – Galactic Antics

• Chestnut – Gamer Girl Confessions

• Shintar – Going Commando

• Bhagpuss – Inventory Full

• Paeroka – Nerdy Bookahs

• Stargrace – Nomadic Gamers, eh!

• Atheren – The Last Chapter Gaming Blog

• Arislyn – The Tanking Mage

• Welshtroll – Welshtroll
  

The Five Games Challenge

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Naithin over at Time to Loot set an interesting thought experiment. In a nutshell, if you could only pick five games to play in one year, what would they be. There are some minor caveats regarding choice. The games can be across multiple platforms. Any game chosen also includes all available DLC as well as mods. However, if you pick multiple games from a franchise, they each count as an individual choice. But beyond these minor rules, you’re free to choose what you want. So theoretically you can pick a classic game on the SNES such as Donkey Kong Country, as well as something newly released on the PC such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Judging from Naithin’s post, he feels the idea of being limited to just five games is quite restrictive. I, however, don’t really have an issue with this, as I tend not to play too many games concurrently to begin with. I’ll expand upon this point later. Firstly here are the five games I would play. I have chosen games I have previously or currently play and not included forthcoming titles, as I cannot say with any certainty whether they would prove a hit with me.

• The Lord of the Rings Online

• The Elder Scrolls Online

• Star Trek Online

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

• Sniper Elite 4

The MMO genre is a mainstay of my gaming activities. I currently play three. Furthermore, if one has new content available then that will be the one that gets the most attention. So for the purpose of this scenario, I would continue to play The Lord of the Rings Online, The Elder Scrolls Online and Star Trek Online. There is plenty of content in ESO that I still haven’t seen or experienced, so that guarantee’s that this MMO will get the most priority. And LOTRO has an expansion coming which offers fresh material. I also have an alt in the game that needs levelling and fine tuning. STO is a great game for short bursts of play, especially with its Task Force Operations and new event system. There are daily missions and rewards to progress towards, so again it’s a game that has plenty of content. MMOs are very versatile in this respect. Plus if you get a little fatigued doing purely PVE quests, they can offer group play with a wealth of instances and dungeons to run. I’ve spent a lot of time this year playing these MMOs, so I definitely think that if I really was limited to five games, these three would continue to not disappoint.

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I spent over six hundred hours playing through Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its DLC when they were originally released. I would happily do so again and try to follow a different path this time. I would vary my build and try an alternative approach with my stats, this time round. From a narrative point of view there are multiple story options and decisions. Again I would try to see if I could take a different route through the various stories. I’d also see if I could master the game of Gwent this time round, as I always fared badly during my previous play through. And if I got tired of the fantasy vibe that runs through three of the game’s that I’ve chosen, I would take a break by playing Sniper Elite 4. In my younger days, I loved the FPS genre but over the years I’ve slowed down both physically and mentally. I can no longer cope with games based primarily upon reaction skills. What I enjoy about Sniper Elite 4 is that you can do things at your own pace. You can spend as much time as you like setting up a shot then relocating elsewhere. It is a real antidote to the breakneck speed of modern gameplay. Plus the game also features co-operative and player versus player modes so again offers a lot of variety.

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For several years now, I have limited myself to playing about four or five games at a time. One of the main reasons I do this is the confusion of trying to remember multiple control schemes. I returned to LOTRO recently after focusing mainly on ESO and found myself continuously and pressing the H key to mount my horse, even though LOTRO is not by default configured that way. Another reason I keep myself focused on a handful of games, is that I tend to achieve more. I often listen to the Massively OP podcast and hear Justin Olivetti talk about his game’s rotation and schedule. As a writer he has to cover a lot of ground but it does seem sometimes that he’s spreading himself a little thin. Plus I am a man with a moderate income, so I don’t buy as many titles as I use to. My Steam and Epic Store libraries have more than enough content, should I ever need anything new. So for me, Naithin’s five games challenge is not so much a Hobson’s choice but more of a case of business as usual.

ESO: The Imperial City Storyline

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I raised the question in a previous post as to what’s the best way to follow the various stories in The Elder Scrolls Online in an orderly, coherent fashion. After some further research, it would appear that the most practical solution is to play through all the games DLC and chapters in release order. Hence, after finishing the main and faction storylines (in my case the Daggerfall Covenant), the next place to go is The Imperial City. Now I was under the impression that Cyrodiil was just a pure PVP zone but it would appear that there are 8 PVE quests that have a narrative arc. I was most pleased to learn this as I don’t like to miss out on content, especially if it sheds light on the lore and advances existing plot and themes. However, the problem with this series of quests is that despite being PVE content that requires you to kill Daedra mobs, you are still operating within an PVP zone. So you’re at risk of getting picked off by other players of differing factions while undertaking these quests.

I discovered this the hard way. I was attempting the second quest in the series, The Imperial Standard, which takes place in the Nobles District of the Imperial City. At the time, the map indicated that the Daggerfall Covenant was broadly in control of this area. I had to defend three doors of a Garrison base from waves of Daedra. This in itself was quite challenging and would have been far easier in a group. However, a passing zerg from the Aldmeri Dominion put pay to my plans and I was summarily defeated. I made a second attempt to return to the area but by then the balance of power had shifted. It then became very apparent that successfully navigating the Imperial City and following this storyline was dependent on first being part of a competent group and secondly, on whether the various areas you have to visit are free from players from rival factions. I therefore withdrew from the PVP zone and returned to the Glenumbra. I have subsequently decided to play through the Orsinium DLC next.

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Now I’m not a fan of the use of gated narrative of this kind and find these sorts of decisions by the developer’s to be very frustrating. There is a self-contained storyline set within The Imperial City DLC that makes for an enjoyable semi-sequel to the main story. I won’t spoil the plot but let it suffice to say that Molag Bol has a “plan B”. Not all MMO players are motivated by storylines and I’m sure many ESO players will not care that there is a narrative thread that they may miss out on. But equally there are plenty of players who are heavily invested in the “plot” of ESO. It would be nice if ZeniMax scould provide some sort of separate instanced mode where you could play through this content without ongoing PVP around you. If they wanted to strip out the rewards such as the Tel Var Stones (the premium currency that is bespoke to this PVP zone) then I would be fine with that. At the very least could they not provide an NPC elsewhere in the storyline, that gave a detailed summary of what happened in this part of the plot, if you have to miss it?

However I did find an interim solution to this problem. One which at least allowed me to follow the story. I did some digging around on YouTube and found a play through of the entire questline I missed. The video had all the dialogue options, sans the combat. It was also captured via a PS4, so it was interesting to see someone play just using the default UI, without any addons. I was fascinated by how haphazard navigating the map was with an addon mini map. Story wise, it was also nice to see the rogue Daedra Lyranth feature in the plot once again. One of the things the ESO writers do well it integrate characters into multiple story arcs. It makes perfect narrative sense that your path will cross the same people as you progress through the DLC etc. If like me, you don’t like to miss out on plot detail, here is the YouTube video of The Imperial City playthrough. I cranked the speed up to 1.5 and could still keep up with the dialogue. It also reduces the running time of the video accordingly.

Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Part 5

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Although Saturday night provided yet another excellent show, Strictly Come Dancing was notable for the absence of audience favourite Will Bayley. The Paralympian injured himself during training after he jumped from a table whilst practising his jive routine. According to Will “I jumped off a table. And as I landed, I landed with straightened legs,” he explained. “I thought I broke my leg because I never felt anything like it before. To hear the words I absolutely can’t dance was just really gutting for me. But I need to recover now and come back even stronger next week”. Thankfully, the comprehensive rules that govern Strictly allows for a week’s absence due to injury. However, if Will cannot resume dancing for next Saturday’s show, then he may have to retire from the entire series. If this does unfortunately happen, then it will also require the show’s producers to revise the schedule with regard to future eliminations, so that Strictly continues to follow the pre-set timetable.

Professional dancer Neil Jones was also missing from Saturday night’s proceeding after suffering injuries in rehearsals. Fortunately, Kevin Clifton stepped in to dance with Alex Scott at the last moment, having to effectively learn the routine from Alex herself. A change of partner is challenging enough but having to reverse the training process and have the celebrity teach the professional must have been very daunting for Alex. Yet their Street/Commercial dance routine was very well received by studio audiences and the judges were also suitably impressed. In fact the most demonstrable errors were from Kevin Clifton who was noticeably ahead of the music at several points. All things considered this routine did much to further demonstrate Alex’s improvement and Strictly journey. Again it’s this sort of “drama” that viewers love.

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One of the dancing highlights from the week six show was Michelle Visage’s standout performance. She found herself at the top of the leaderboard, scoring 39 after impressing the judges with a Foxtrot to the Addams Family theme, alongside her partner Gionvanni Pernice. It was a simple, elegant and nuanced dance that allowed both audience and judges to appreciate Michelle's dedication and commitment to the show. However, there have been concerns raised over the merits of themed shows. Some viewers are of the opinion that the themes and the imaginative concepts that they inspire can potentially be at odds with the dances. Former Strictly professional dancer James Jordan tweeted “"I feel this week on Strictly the whole Halloween themed thing has overtaken the dancing". A sentiment I personally agree with. Although there were some very creatively choreographed routines, I struggled at times to remember exactly what type of dance was being performed. I think Karim and Amy’s Paso Doble was lost among the bravado and costumes.

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Tonight’s results were the second big upset of this season of Strictly. Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer along with Catherine Tyldesley and Johannes Radebe were bottom of the leaderboard yet the public vote saw Mike Bushell and Katya Jones in the dance off with Catherine. From a judge’s perspective, Mike had made yet another significant improvement. Ballroom dances have left little scope for comedy forcing Katya to create routines that focus on clear, traditional steps. Yet Mike found himself having to dance again to stay on the show. Catherine’s Cha Cha had fared poorly with the judges earlier who felt it was somewhat sloppy. The dance off vote was split, so head Judge Shirley has the final say and Catherine was voted off the show. This was a surprise as Catherine’s performances often compensate for technical deficiencies. I was actually surprised that Chris Ramsey managed to dodge a bullet this week. His Samba was weak and again hindered by the excesses of the costumes for Halloween. However, opinions may differ. This is what Strictly is all about. Roll on next week.

LOTRO: The Calm Before the Storm

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I have been absent from The Lord of the Rings Online for several month, only checking in intermittently. When I do, I still tend to focus on levelling my High Elf Guardian who is currently tentatively progressing through the dour and grindy Mordor expansion. Since July my primary character, a level cap Lore-master, has been standing outside Beorninghús idly staring at Grimbeorn with only a few quests in the Vale of Anduin completed. However, because The Elder Scrolls Online was down for emergency maintenance today, I decided to return to LOTRO and see if I could make inroads into this outstanding update in preparation for the release of the Minas Morgul expansion on November 5th. As a zone, the vales of the Anduin and is the polar opposite of the grim, rocky environment of the Grey Mountains. It is verdant, spacious and often has clear blue skies. Yes there are fog banks and areas of shaded woodlands but it is far from a brooding and oppressive region.

However, when returning to LOTRO from another game, it is very noticeable how the quest system is a product of its time, built upon the prevailing MMO systems and concepts of 2007. The first half dozen activities I was offered around Beorninghús were just the usual fetch and kill quests. Although these take place in a pleasant area and the ambient soundtrack by Bill Champagne is exceeding atmospheric, there is a distinctly old school vibe to these sorts of activities. If the quest narratives aren’t sufficiently compelling in justifying such undertakings then it can all feel somewhat arbitrary. However, and there always tends to be a however with LOTRO, the wrap up at the end of this quest chain is very satisfying. You enjoy a feast in Grimbeorn’s lodge and recount tales of valour. It serves as a great way of reminding the player who some of the NPCs are. LOTRO often brings back characters that you’ve previously met but after 12 years of content, it can be hard to keep track of who’s who. The quest also reflects a great deal of narrative continuity with Gandalf still having to “manage” diplomatic relations between The Beornings and the other factions.

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Moving on to the Wolf-denes, I’ve started to notice that there is gradual increase in mob difficulty. Purple quality gear that is being given as quest rewards have a noticeable increase in stats compared to the Teal items that I earned from the previous Where Dragons Dwell update. I find the perfunctory nature of level cap increases a little frustrating and we are looking at one with the Minas Morgul expansion. That means all the gear that I worked hard to earn will be redundant and furthermore, makes all that I’m currently obtaining in the Anduin region, equally as superfluous and transient. Whenever you are “late to the party” and have content to catch up with in LOTRO, so much becomes unnecessary. Why grind out Beorning rep as the gear it will reward will serve me no purpose moving forward? In fact, it may be wiser for me to play another alt at present and wait for the expansion to be launched. Because once it has, playing through prior zones such as Vales of Anduin will earn me XP, where at present it does not.  Hence, I’ll reach the Morgul Vale in a more robust state somewhere around level 125, rather than starting at 120. I like to be as robust as possible when doing new content.

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Having spent some time on the test server inspecting the next expansion, it may be prudent to enjoy the aesthetic and atmospheric benefits of the regions between Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains, while one can. The Morgul Vale and Minas Morgul itself are singularly oppressive. I fully understand that this is narratively justified but questing and navigating such an environment can be taxing. Due to the lighting in LOTRO, I often struggle to physically see what is happening in darker areas. Despite altering some of the video settings I often have to pull the curtains in my office so no external light source interferes with the onscreen visuals. It’s not a problem I have with other MMOs. Also, as I’m not exactly excited by the forthcoming expansion, I doubt if I’ll be playing it at launch. Standing Stone Games have picked the same day to launch Minas Morgul as the release of the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2. I always enjoy LOTRO but it really can’t compete with a western themed RPG. I suspect I shall visit the Tower of Sorcery in late December in the post-Christmas lull.

Taking What You Don’t Need

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Another free game courtesy of the Epic Store

Every couple of weeks, I log into the Epic Store to see what free games they are giving away. As they’re really trying to secure their share of the market and establish themselves as a clear alternative to Steam, there are plenty of exclusives games and freebies to be found. The ethics of this business approach is a separate issue and not one that I shall address in this post. Let it suffice to say that the concept of the “Loss Leader” is a long standing business tactic. When I logged in today, I saw that both Alan Wake’s American Nightmare and Observer were available for free. The latter interested me because it features voice acting by the late Rutger Hauer. So I duly added them to my game library. The same game library that currently consists of 30 games but only one of which I have paid for. A library that despite its size and wide variety of genres, I’ve only played two of the titles therein. Furthermore, there’s a similar story to tell with regard to Twitch Prime. I log in and check to see what freebies are of on offer, so I can also add them to another redundant library.

I’ve been playing video games since the eighties when I used to spend too much time playing the arcade version of Asteroids at the local swimming baths. I made the transition to PC gaming in the early nineties. Back then this meant buying a boxed copy of a game from a retail outlet, such as WH Smiths. The pricing at the time and in relation to how much I was earning, meant that I didn’t buy multiple games at once. I’d read reviews meticulously, weigh up the pros and cons for each game and then make a decision based upon what would be the most entertaining experience and offer some degree of longevity. Making purchases within such a framework made the acquisition of a new video game a very exciting process. Video games were from my perspective a luxury. Hence it took a while to build a library of games and due to the size of hard drives at this time, it’s not as if you had every game you owned installed at once. PC gaming was a hobby that required management both financially and logistically. Perhaps that was one of the aspects that made it special.

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I was bought Starfleet Academy in 1997 as apart of a leaving present from a job

Twenty years on and the video game market has gone digital. Furthermore that market is now saturated and the premium price model, along with the short lifecycle of games, means that there’s only a limited window of time before prices are slashed. The ubiquity of video games, along with the fact that you can buy them on a whim, has substantially changed our relationship with them. You can purchase a game that you want, download it and play it at any time of day. You don’t have to wait for the store to open to get your hands on it. A new game is no longer a luxury; something to be saved for, then sought out and installed via multiple CD-ROMS. I may even go so far as to say I no longer imbue a new game with any great sense of value. They are transient pleasures, some of which can be bought for pocket change and then dispensed without regret, if they fail to entertain. Effectively some PC games remind me of those items you find on display at your local supermarket, as you queue for the checkout. Indulgence items such as snacks, designed to get you to spend a few extras pounds on something superfluous.

We currently live in the century of “me”, in the midst of a most decadent consumer society. Everyday we’re actively told that buying something will fill the gaping, empty void in our lives and assuage those feelings of loneliness, fear and utter despair. We are culturally conditioned to “like a bargain” regardless of its practicality. “Look what I got. A great deal on this alabaster dog kennel inlaid with depleted uranium”. The fact that you don’t have a dog is irrelevant it would seem, because you got a “deal”. Furthermore, I’m not saying all this from some position of moral superiority. Because I’m also logging on to the Epic Store and claiming all this needless free stuff, just like everyone else. But to be utterly candid, I really don’t need any of this stuff and I really should stop doing this. It reminds me of the “buy one, get one free” culture that leads to terrible food wastage. Something I didn’t realise was so damaging and problematic until recently. I suspect that the ubiquity of games and giving them away for free in this fashion, does more harm than good in the long run.

Progressing in an Orderly Fashion in ESO

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Whenever I start a new MMO I tend to research the various classes and make an informed decision about which one to choose as my primary character. This policy has worked out well over the years and therefore compared to other players, I don’t have multiple alts across numerous games. That’s not to say that I’m averse to creating a new character, I simply need a good reason to do so. When I do, its usually because there’s an option to experience a different story. Hence, I currently have three alts in The Elder Scrolls Online. Last night I reached the current level cap of 50 with my Imperial Dragonknight, having recently completed the Daggerfall Covenant storyline. I have now experienced all three faction stories (which I have enjoyed) and more importantly, have learned what is the best way for me to progress through the game. ESO offers players the chance to play the MMO in a manner that suits them. If you want to simply travel Tamriel and do things as you go along, then you may. It’s a very flexible in this respect. But if you want to play in a more structured way, it can be a little confusing navigating a linear path. So here are a few tips I’ve learned the hard way.

When you create a new character, if it is your first, then you will be obliged to play through your respective class tutorial. It’s not particularly complex and doesn’t last too long. It’s designed to provide an overview of basic combat and your skills. All subsequent alts can skip the tutorial. Which zone you start in comes down to which version of ESO you have purchased. If you’ve bought the base edition of the game, which now includes the Morrowind chapter (formerly called an expansion), you’ll find yourself here. If you’ve bought all subsequent chapters, you’ll start the game in Elsweyr. Now I understand from a business perspective why developer’s ZeniMax want new players to start in the latest zone but if you enjoy the MMO genre for narrative reasons, it can be confusing to begin the story here. So I would suggest starting the main story which sets up the lore and gives you an overview into the social and political situation in Tamriel.

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To do this your new alt to the nearest major city in the zone you are currently in and you’ll be approached by a hooded figure who bestows Soul Shriven in Coldharbour quest. This will set you on the main story path. Not only does it establish the lore but it also rewards the player with some decent gear as well as skill and attribute points. There are 13 parts to the main story, however I would not recommend burning right through them all at once. Although content scales in ESO, some of these quests can be quite taxing, so you may want to attempt them when you have more skills and attribute points as well as robust gear. Therefore spread the main story quests out as you progress. There is also a questline that is specific to your faction. After you’ve completed the Soul Shriven in Coldharbour quest you will be ported to the first zone of either Aldmeri Dominion, Daggerfall Covenant or the Ebonheart Pact. This will start you on your faction storyline. Playing through this will further inform you about events in Tamriel and provide narrative continuity. You can also do simple regional quests in parallel to these as they are often linked.

If you are not interested in the story in ESO then you can simply do what you like with no consequences. However, a structured approach to content based upon the unfolding plot does have advantages. Clearing a zone using the in-game guide which lists all content, means that you’ll earn Skyshards (which provide additional skills points) and unlock achievements which give further rewards. However, it is beneficial to note the following while levelling. The main story, along with the stories for the Fighters and Mages Guilds reward players with some robust weapons upon completion. Therefore, you may want to hold off finishing the final quests associated with all of these stories until you are level 50. You will then be rewarded with purple quality level cap items that are appropriate for end game. If you receive these weapons while below 50, you will quickly out level them, rendering them useless.

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ESO does at times feel like a game to two halves. Although levelling is fun and the quests are very engaging, all your armour and assorted gear feels very ephemeral. It’s not until you reach cap that you start to focus more upon the minutiae of your build. Unlike other MMOs, ESO doesn’t offer you a selection of quest rewards where you pick what’s appropriate for you class. So you can at times find yourself in a situation where you’re gear score is low because you haven’t received items that are suitable for your class. Now it can be argued that if you venture into a few public dungeons or do Undaunted daily quests you may obtain better armour and jewellery. Another solution is to craft what you want or to simply buy base level items from vendors and add Glyphs to append their stats. But not everyone wants to craft of do group content. My solution to this problem is to farm Dolmen in the Alik’r Desert. It won’t suit everyone but it’s a practical means to gain XP (especially if you use an Experience Scroll), earn gold and obtain relatively good gear. It is also a good way of levelling various skill lines and experimenting with different weapons.

How you play ESO is very much up to you. My approach works for me and the foibles of my personality but I’m sure it won’t suit everyone. Because I’m not in a major raiding guild and my gameplay is mainly PVE content and a few public dungeons, I’m not heavily invested in creating a really specific and bespoke build. I just want to be able to survive and do reasonable damage. Hence, I have followed generic builds that I’ve found online, equipped skills that are relevant to how I play and put my Champion points into practical resources. Also, there is no need for the average player to buy and equip themselves entirely with gold quality gear. Purple is fine for armour and jewellery, just ensure your weapon is gold and you’ll be adequately prepared. Just make sure that you put some thought into the stats and buffs that certain sets offer. So if you like to progress in an orderly fashion when playing MMOs, then it will be down to you to impose some structure upon ESO. You don’t need to keep notes and maintain a spreadsheet but it does help to have some idea of what you want to do, rather than just flying by the seat of your pants.

We Are Our Own Worst Enemy

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Over the last five years, there has been an ever-increasing degree of monetisation in mainstream video games. The situation has sparked debate not only among gamers but also in the mainstream press. Loot boxes and the entire business model of “pay to start” has finally reached the scrutiny of several national governments. Furthermore, the triple A video games industry has been held to account and pressed to justify such practises. Yet despite the public attention and a degree of pushback from some gamers, the situation doesn’t in anyway look like it’s going to be resolved. In fact sales data seems to show that despite some negative coverage both in the video games media and the traditional press, games with egregious business models are far from being rejected by customers. Quite the opposite. Ironically two of the worst offenders that have recently been held up as games that exploit gamers financially, have just achieved record sales. Both Mario Kart Tour and NBA 2K20 have proven to be massive hits.

For those gamers who are looking for change, this is a sad situation. Most reasonable and measured individuals recognise that the video games industry is a commercial endeavour and that developers and publishers needs to make money. The bone of contention is that excessive monetisation is actually spoiling games by impeding gameplay and progression. A game built around monetisation has different priorities to a game primarily designed just to be played. Ultimately there is a contradiction between a game in the traditional sense and a “live service”. Is it therefore unreasonable to try and seek the middle ground where a company can make a healthy profit, without compromising the game or the experience of playing it? We’ll it would appear that the answer is “yes, it is unreasonable” and sadly, the point of failure and source of blame is ultimately not actually the video games industry but gamers themselves. We are our own worst enemy.

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It is naïve to expect big corporations to act ethically and sensibly when it comes to accruing wealth. If you want a companies such as Activision Blizzard, 2K Games or Ubisoft to moderate their financial strategy when it comes to video games, you must compel them to do so by law. As for any concerted effort by gamers to “school” these publishers through the old cliché of “voting with your wallet”, it is doomed to failure. Because gamers are not a homogeneous group. For every gamer that thinks that monetisation of gaming has gone too far, there is one who thinks the opposite and yet another who simply doesn’t care. Also, cognitive dissonance seems to be the default setting for most people when it comes to social issues these days. We all too often notionally agree with an ethical principle up to the point where acting upon it requires us to make a sacrifice or go without. Another factor that also impacts upon one’s attitude towards microtransactions, season passes and lootboxes is the generational difference in our attitudes towards money.

Naturally there are gamers with large disposable incomes who don’t concern themselves with the reality of game related monetisation. Any obstacle to enjoyment can be overcome by the application of money. However, in my lifetime there has been major changes in the regulation of consumer borrowing. Simply put, credit is easily accessible (despite the financial crash of 2008) and consumers are encouraged to spend. To put this in perspective, UK credit card debt was at £72.5 billion at the end of July 2019. So when video gamer publishers talk about “whales”, who exactly are they talking about? Those who can genuinely afford too throw money around or those who feel obliged to do so, with money they don’t really have? Over the course of my life, I’ve learned the esoteric and unfashionable act of living within my financial means. I would say that this is a social norm more pertinent to the over fifties. But for many people half my age, they have grown up in a world where ownership has been supplanted by paying for a service and the entire point of credit is to use it to try and live the lifestyle, you think you deserve.

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So regardless of the “selective gamer pushback” and a degree of negative PR that is mainly driven by a moral imperative, the video game industry has had its monetisation policies 100% validated by recent sales figures. Hence it is highly unlikely that we shall see any major change in business practises in the immediate future. As a result, I shall continue to avoid many major triple A titles such as Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint (a franchise I had previously enjoyed) and will continue my blanket boycott of mobile games. But the rather unpalatable reality is that future games development is going to be determined by those who are currently enabling the monetisation practises of the video games industry. However there’s a chance that even the most ambivalent gamer may eventually be inconvenienced by some future iniquity of the video games industry. Yet I suspect that even if this tipping point is achieved, many gamers would refuse to acknowledge their involvement in creating the problem in the first place and their respective blame.

Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Part 4

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Week 5 of Strictly Come Dancing once again saw some significant improvement among the celebrity dancers. Most notable were Alex Scott and Neil Jones who delivered a very enthusiastic Charleston. For the first time it appeared that both the technical and performance aspects of dancing “clicked” for Alex. After being saved by the judges in last week’s dance-off, Emma Weymouth and Aljaž Škorjanec's put on a beautiful display with their Viennese Waltz. The judge’s marks reflected their progress respectively by all awarding 9 marks out of 10. Then there was Will Bayley and Janet Janette Manrara whose emotional contemporary dance left judges Motsi Mabuse and Alfonso Ribeiro in tears. Will said before this year’s series that he was taking part in Strictly to “inspire people with a disability”. He certainly seems to be doing so and his commitment to the show and his constant training have earned him a strong fan base among viewers.

With popular judge Bruno Tonioli away on a brief sabbatical, former Dancing with the Stars winner Alfonso Ribeiro, once again temporarily took his place. Alfonso is a big personality and always brings a great deal of optimism to the show. As I’ve written previously, the US version of the show has some subtle differences and the judging is one of them. The US judges although critical will always make positive comments, first and foremost. Although Strictly is an entertainment show, the judges in the UK still draw heavily upon their technical expertise and will be accordingly “picky”. The US approach seems to lean towards an overall summary and “big picture” analysis. They also tend to be more generous with their scores. Alfonso was no exception to this rule and his “generosity” often counterbalanced Craig Revel Horwood’s under marking. I’m also not so sure if the faux psychology that Alfonso espoused to David James was of any use but encouraging him to scream and let out his emotional energy was rather amusing.

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Sadly, this was the third dance off for former England goalkeeper David. After a hesitant start on the show with his football-themed Foxtrot, lacklustre Paso Doble and American Smooth, David has highlighted the difficulties of dancing when you’re 6 foot 5 inches. His steps have often been hesitant and more importantly he has struggled to give a convincing performance. Yet last week he genuinely appeared to be enjoying himself with this Quickstep, with the judges’ hailing it a “miraculous” improvement. But Saturday’s Jive proved his undoing and his performance was laboured and awkward. And so he found himself in the dance off with Mike Bushell and the judges elected not to save him. David took his exit from the show well and was suitably complimentary to his partner Nadiya Bychkova. But this is the nature of Strictly, although not a pure dance competition it is a show where contestants are eliminated each week. Although it’s a shame to see a David go, he has upheld the Strictly tradition of being the underdog and has acquitted himself well.

Minas Morgul Preview

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I spent several hours today on the Bullroarer test server, checking out the preview of the forthcoming Minas Morgul expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online. From a lore perspective this is a great zone and it neatly fills the geographical gap between Morgul Vale in North Ithilien and Gorgoroth in Mordor. As ever the visual style and sense of continuity is very good and Standing Stone Games have gone all in on atmosphere and ambience. The new area is often dimly lit, filled with fog and Minas Morgul itself has an eerie supernatural phosphorescence. Once again, I simply contented myself with just exploring the area and did not attempt any quests (apart from one to access a new instanced area). Let us not forget that this is a preview and therefore there is always potential for change. The new areas at present appear to be relatively clear of mobs and other sundry threats, so initially navigation between stables was relatively straight forward. However, the main fortresses of Minas Morgul and Bar Nirnaeth are densely populated with robust mobs.

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Yet despite the commendably brooding feel to the region, it is quite small and compact. Due to the fact that this zone is set in the Ephel Duath (Mountains of Shadow) many of the roads and trails twist and turn around the cliff face. Subsequently the Straight Stair and the Winding Stair, North of Minas Morgul, live up to their name. Torech Ungol (Shelob’s Lair) has several branching passages but the main path leads to an instance entrance. I wasn’t able to go right through the tunnel and didn’t have time to try and approach it from the Gorgoroth etrance. Minas Mogul itself, is a multi-tiered city, similar to Minas Tirith. Mercifully there are only four “circles”, each with a different supernatural theme. At the top is the Tower of the Crescent Moon, which will more than likely be home to a major instance or raid. It should also be noted that part of the new expansion, is set in the Second Age. “Mordor Besieged” takes place during the original siege of Barad-dûr by the Last Alliance. This is contained within a variation of the existing Dor Amarth map in Mordor. Accessing this area requires a quest from Gandalf and speaking with the shade of Isildur in the Gladden Fields.

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I suspect that for many LOTRO players, their respective enjoyment of the pending Minas Morgul expansion will depend very much upon how they felt about Mordor. Minas Morgul looks like being an atmospheric but tough zone. Because of its canonical nature it will probably be demonstrably harder than the recent Vales of Anduin. The dour ambience may also determine people’s opinion, after the lush and verdant nature of the previous update. There’s also the issue of the cost of the new expansion. As stated earlier, the new zone seems small and “Mordor Besieged” is just a variation of a region we’ve already experienced. Although the Stout-Axe race is bundled with all of the three versions of the expansion, I think that the most expensive version doesn’t seem particularly good value for money. Let’s hope that the story line is sufficiently engaging. Mordor had numerous questionable points but its robust narrative did much to redress the balance.

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In fairness, considering the lore-based confines of setting an expansion in and around Minas Morgul, one cannot expect a massive amount of ecological diversity in the new zone. We effectively have fortresses, mountain paths, web covered tunnels and foggy woodland. I also think a lot of the relative value of this expansion will lie in the instances and raids. But if you are a casual, solo PVE player then you may not experience any of this. So as I write this post, the Siege of Mirkwood expansion comes to mind, which upon its release, also felt somewhat low key in scope when compared to its predecessor, the Mines of Moria. Naturally, LOTRO players are very loyal to their MMO of choice, so I suspect this expansion will sell well. But how well it’s received is another issue altogether. I shall definitely only buy the base version of the game and I don’t think this expansion will be my first priority over November and December. I do hope that my suspicions are unfounded and Minas Morgul doesn’t turn out to be a chore similar to Mordor.

Skills Rotation

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While conducting some general housekeeping in The Lord of the Rings Online, I decided upon streamlining my “quickslots” as developers Standing Stone Games refers to them. Being an MMORPG from well over a decade ago, the game has a multitude of skills. By the time your character reaches level cap of 120, it is entirely possible to have filled all 72 of the available slots. If you have a combat pet, then you’ll receive another 11 buttons to “mash”. Now this situation got me thinking. I recollect a conversation I had about a year ago, when I was doing some group content in LOTRO. It wasn’t going especially well so there was a discussion about tactics and what specific skills to use. To cut a long story short, it became apparent that many players (including myself) did not know the exact name of all the skills that adorned their quickslots. Furthermore not everyone was au fait with the nature and purpose of each skill and how one could trigger another. Similarly not all were aware that some skills could be augmented by the use of another.

Naturally there will be high end players who will read this and scoff “well I know what every skill is and what it does”, to which I say, “good for you”. But putting aside the moral judgement that always seems to go hand in hand with these sorts of discussions, I suspect that there are many players, not only in LOTRO but many other MMORPGs, who do not use their skills in an optimal fashion. They simply select what works for them. I also think its safe to assume that some player have the skills on their quickslots in the order that they were acquired. When they play, the simply work through them from left to right. In more contemporary MMOs such as The Elder Scrolls Online, you get to pick what skills are on you hotbar and the number is restricted to six (5 regular and 1 ultimate) which makes things easier to manage compared to the skills bloat that you find in LOTRO. But I suspect that many ESO players still do not pay as much to attention to the specific details of their skills as the developer’s would like.

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When the average player (and that in itself is a hotly debated term) starts a new MMO, they are faced with finding a suitable path between learning the game’s mechanics and progressing as well as having fun. At lower levels, skills in many MMOs are simple and straightforward to understand. But as you progress skills can become more complex and interconnected. In ESO there is the extra dimension of morphing skills and choosing between two subtle variations. It is often round about here that players may start skipping over such information. For everyone that loves number crunching, understanding the maths behind each skill and min-maxing, there are two other players that don’t want their leisure activity to become a job or a school lecture. I have at times been guilty of this, although now I am very aware that the wrong choice can mean that I gimp myself. But this mindset exists and manifests itself in many curious ways. I know players who will never use food or potions because it just “over complicates things”. Such systems means you have to carry more stuff in you bags and worry about when not use them.

I recently did some research regarding ESO because I was finding melee combat difficult with a my Dragonknight. Turns out my choice of skill wasn’t the issue and that I just needed to be more mobile in combat. Having cut my teeth playing older MMOs such as LOTRO, I still find myself at times remaining static when in combat, instead of moving around the target. I have also discovered the importance of a lot of the passive skills and how they can boost stats and augment combat. Again, I’m sure I’m not alone in being nominally oblivious to the depths of the games systems. Yet despite these gaps I both my and other players knowledge, it doesn’t seem to be as much an impediment to our enjoyment of the game as some would think. Although we may not be killing mobs as efficiently as we can, we’re having fun doing things our way and on our terms. If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. Until we reach a point in the game when we can’t beat a boss due to our poor grasp of the game mechanics and our own skills. Then it will be everyone else’s fault.

Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Part 3

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Well Saturday night’s show was an utter revelation. Many of the celebrity dancers who have been previously at the lower end of the leaderboard and therefore at risk of being in the dance off, decided to significantly up their game. Not only did this make for great entertainment, it also succinctly reiterated one of the fundamental aspects of what makes Strictly Come Dancing so popular; the “journey”. Yes, it is an incredibly cliched phrase but its something that seems to resonate with viewers. If the UK does have any national characteristics, then one of them is an appreciation of dogged determination. We tend to warm towards plucky underdogs who improve through hard work and dedication. And that is what we were treated to on last night’s show.

Chris Ramsey and Karen Hauer’s Elton John themed Jive to Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting) showed a marked improvement both technically and performance wise. Chris is a very likeable guy and he seems to be committed to getting better each week. My concerns over Mike Bushell being given yet another “comedy” dance proved ill founded. He and Katya Jones danced a very formal Quickstep to Come on Eileen and it highlighted the level of training he’s undertaken this week. The dance wasn’t just a crowd pleaser with the audience but also found favour with the judges, with Oti Mabuse awarding the couple 9 marks out of 10. But the biggest surprise of the evening was surely David James. His Quickstep with professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova was not only well executed but he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. It’s like he finally found his dancing mojo and just decided to enjoy what he was doing. This major turnaround was duly noted by the judges and reflected in his total score of 28. For me this is what Strictly is all about.

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However, on tonight’s results show, we were given a timely reminder that Strictly is not just about dancing and that each celebrity’s survival is dependent upon the capricious nature of the British public. I fully expected to see Will Bayley and Alex Scott in the dance off as they were at the bottom of the leader board. But the public seemed to think otherwise and so instead we saw Dev Griffin and Emma Weymouth having to dance to remain on the show. The judges have been hard on Dev in recent week’s but this is down to the fact that he has great potential and they want him to improve. Emma has been making steady progress and like many others, seemed to “connect” with her dance this week. Hence judges felt that she was making more of a concerted effort. So Emma was saved and Dev was very surprisingly voted off the show. It was a shock to find both of these celebrities in the dance off but once you’re there, the judges have to make a decision based upon what they immediately see and not consider past performances.

I have a suspicion that the current season of Strictly Come Dancing is going to be full of surprises and upsets. Although I enjoy the format, I must admit that the last few years have been somewhat predictable. Usually, within one or two episodes you can effectively draft a list of contestants and determine who’ll be in the top three and the running order in which the rest will leave the show. I think that plan has been effectively thrown under the bus as of tonight and suspect that the remainder of the shows will be all the better for it. Is Kelvin a shoo-in to be this year’s winner or will Karim, Emma Barton or even Saffron climb the leaderboard and steal the prize? All will be revealed over the next ten weeks. Let’s hope that it’s anything other than a comfy ride. Let’s have more upsets and underdogs rising to the challenge, please!

Dragon Farming, Black Dots and Continuity

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I logged into The Elder Scrolls Online today to do some Dragon farming. The Dragon Rise event includes both an XP and gold acquisition boost throughout Northern Elsweyr. Broadly, speaking this is a similar activity to Dolmen farming in the Alik’r Desert, although it is time sensitive as the event ends on Monday October 14th. There are three locations around the zone where Dragons regularly spawn and attack. Although it is possible to travel between these locations using the Star Haven, The Stitches and Scar’s End Wayshrines, it is not easy to do so. You need a fast mount and to be well acquainted with the topographical foibles of the region. I prefer to stay at one location and remain part of the loitering zerg.  The Dragons arrive at approximately ten-minute intervals and if there are more than twenty or so players, dies very quickly. If there is less of you, then it can be quite tricky. Situational awareness is the key to success. Keep an eye on the Dragon and where you’re standing. It’s certainly safer if you used ranged attacks.

It was while I was waiting and chatting to a friend on Discord, that I noticed what initially looked like a dead pixel in the top left-hand corner of my screen. However, a cursory check showed that the problem did not persist, when I tabbed outside of the game. The offending pixel vanished when I checked my desktop or launched any other application. Furthermore, if I placed my mouse cursor over the black dot, it couldn’t be seen. Now anyone who knows me, will tell you that I hate conundrums like this. So I quit the game (because I couldn’t concentrate on anything else) and set about troubleshooting the problem. Through the application of “Occam's razor” it became apparent that this had to be an addon related issue. A Google search subsequently indicated that I was not the first ESO player to have this problem. It turned out to be a bug associated with the Wykkyd Achievement Tracker. When inactive and minimised it leaves a single black dot on the screen. The solution was simply to disable the addon which I did.

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The offending “black dot”

In other ESO news, I decided to play through the new Dragonhold prologue quests. I got wind of the fact that it ended in a solo Dragon fight, so I thought it best to use my primary character, a Magicka DPS Sorcerer with 200 plus champion points. It proved to be a wise decision because the final battle is quite tough. I ended up having to fight the offending beastie at close quarters to avoid the constant barrage of “Dragon shouts”. However, it was great fun and I liked the grappling bow as a means of traversing the multi-level tombs. As ever there were several puzzles but to successfully solve them all you got to do is read the quest text, although this seems like an anathema to some. The thing I was most curious about in this quest was the return Sai Sahan. In the main story of ESO, there reaches a point where you have to sacrifice one of the remaining Five Companions for complicated narrative reasons. I chose to sacrifice Sai Sahan when playing through with my Sorcerer, so I was interested to see what complicated reason the writers had used to justify his return. I laughed out loud at the vagueness of the explanation, although I’m sure it will be elaborated upon later on.

The Cost of Doing Business with China

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The moment Chung “blitzchung” Ng Wai made his protest

In the last few days, a great deal has been written about Activision Blizzard and their subsequent banning of a Hearthstone player who expressed support for the Hong Kong protestors during a competition live stream. The US-based game developer and publisher has also chosen to withhold the prize money he would have earned from competing in the tournament. As a result of this media coverage, I do not feel obliged to address the rectitude of Blizzard’s decision. It was never going to be anything different than what it was. They made their choice regarding ethics and morality the moment they decided to expand their business operations in mainland China. Because once you decided to enter into a business partnership with a totalitarian regime that actively runs “re-education camps”, you’ve pretty much nailed your colours to the mast and chosen a side. It’s not just business, despite what apologists may tell you. Judge a man or a business by the company they keep.

However, there are two wider issues that have arisen from this situation that perhaps can be seen as broadly positive. Firstly, parts of the gaming community have finally had the scales lifted from their eyes regarding the true nature of the video games industry. Secondly, people are now becoming more aware of the extent of Chinese business influence both in the US and other countries and to what extent Western business is happy to appease them. Let us take a moment to consider the first of these. I have been banging on for years about how so many gamers erroneously think that the companies that make their favourite games are somehow their friend. In many ways Blizzard has been the embodiment of this fallacious and specious notion. Although there are some developers or community managers who are genuinely reasonable and measured individuals, these are not the people driving the company. Corporate policy is decided at a much higher level by people such as Bobby Kotick. And like a lot of other modern CEOs, ethics, morality and generally being a decent human being are not top priorities. In fact they’re a major hindrance. Do some research of your own on Mr Kotick (or ask Jim Sterling) and decide for yourself what sort of man he is.

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Bobby Kotick. Personally worth about $1 Billion plus

So a lot of gamers have suddenly got wise to the fact that the company they used to think was cool because staff don’t wear suits to work and can unicycle around the office, is in fact just another corporate behemoth striving to make as much money as possible, irrespective of the consequences. Blizzard is tainted and now some gamers are worried about guilt by association. It’s an odd situation to be honest. Some gamers are obviously staggeringly naïve but there again, that’s hardly surprising as people are surprisingly politically illiterate these days. I don’t mean this is a pejorative sense, it’s just a simple truth. A lot of people are not in any way credibly informed about domestic politics, let alone the complexities of international relationships. And then there’s another element to this. The gamer who suspects that there’s an unethical wider picture to the video games industry but chooses to not “know about it”. I heard similar arguments regarding eating meat, which go something like this. “I choose to remain wilfully ignorant of the iniquities of the meat industry. I suspect that livestock are treated appallingly but if I choose not to know, I can enjoy eating meat without any moral burden and maintain my claim that I’m a good person”. Yep, gamers have their own version of this, too.

Moving on to the second potentially positive point that’s come out of this whole sorry affair; people have now realised that it is not just Activision Blizzard who are happy to self-censor and generally side with China whenever there’s a conflict of interest between West and East. Over the last few days, several websites and subreddits have compiled substantial lists of companies towing the political line to appease China and keep the revenue flowing. Furthermore, because China is such a big market for mainstream Hollywood movies these days, it’s come to light that a lot of screenplays are being tailormade for its specific “political and social” requirements. And irrespective of the need to “accommodate” China for “business reasons”, people are now beginning to become aware of the scope and reach of Chinese business in the West per se. This isn’t really the place for an in-depth dissection of what they do and do not own but if you do some research, you’ll find China is involved with key US and UK industries such as farming, logistics and utilities. And then there’s the issue of land banking. All of which can be used for political leverage if required.

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You get the idea?

Now as a result of this debacle, there has been a plethora of tediously predictable kneejerk reactions. As usual some gamers have been calling for a boycott of Blizzard products. There’s also been the “restless lynch mob” mentality on social media and moral outrage has been turned up to 11. Such hastily contrived bandwagons often fizzle out and can do more harm than good. However, a measured campaign of publicly questioning the cognitive dissonance inherent in being an American business that consorts with a dictatorship, may yield results in the long term. Raising questions via your political representative can take time but the wheels do turn. Now it has been pointed out by the “usual suspects”, that it’s a bit rich getting all “high and mighty” about the ethics of this one issue, when our consumer lives are rife with Chinese products. But I refute the intellectual bankruptcy of this faux argument that seems to think that one can only have an ethical position of worth, if you are 100% morally pure. Bullshit. Yes, we are all to a degree complicit in bolstering China by our consumer choices but that doesn’t mitigate the worth or rectitude of beginning to make a stand. It takes time to inform people and then get them to change their views and habits.

And as for those people who think that this whole situation is just business doing what business does, please stop assuming that your lack of morals and empathy is also the default position of society. It isn’t. People do actually expect a degree of ethical behaviour from corporations. Now that may be foolish but it remains a valid view. And as big business has shown time and time again that it doesn’t have a shred of human decency, the only way we are going to get companies to act in a vaguely appropriate fashion is to legally compel them to do so and sanction them when they do not. Doing business with China is not the same as doing business with any other democratic country. It is a Faustian arrangement which comes with caveats. Caveats that may put a company at odds with the inherent principles of their own country. There is a price to pay for such an arrangement and that is your “corporate reputation”. I still find it odd that people and business that act appallingly try to cultivate an image of “be nice”. I have far more respect for the “bastard” that’s content to be one.

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The fate of Tank Man remains unknown to this day

For those who still remain unconvinced that the censoring and sanctioning of Chung “blitzchung” Ng Wai by Blizzard is anything to worry about, let me remind you of what China’s top broadcaster, government-run CCTV, stated recently about the concept of freedom of speech. That it should not be extended to points of view counter to the ruling Communist Party’s. “No comments challenging national sovereignty and social stability fall within the scope of freedom of expression”. Reflect upon that. Blizzard and many other companies are in a business relationship with a regime that is at odds with Western values. Furthermore, these international companies choose to actively collude with a government in its acts of oppression, because of the financial opportunities available. At the very least that is immoral. At the worst they are benefitting from blood money. If you thinks that’s hyperbolic please remember the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests when China mobilised 300,000 troops on the streets of Beijing and fired upon student protesters. A historical event that is still supressed in China itself. And considering the current events in Hong Kong, one that may be soon repeated? Blizzard and many other companies need to reflect upon this, although I suspect they won’t. I’m not sure if they are capable.

Two Worlds II: The Game That Keeps on Giving?

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I’m suffering from a distinct sense of déjà vu as I write this post, as feel I’ve written something very similar before. Actually, I know perfectly well that I have and here’s the previous blog post. So, once again let’s recapitulate what was previously discussed. Back in 2014, I was searching for another RPG to fill that post Skyrim vacuum. I ended up buying Two Worlds II and its expansion, Pirates of the Flying Fortress. There was an exceptionally well-priced bundle available at the time. Furthermore, a little research showed that this game by German developers Reality Pump Studios, had quite a following. So I invested about 90 hours of my time into this franchise and enjoyed it far more than I expected. The game visually has a lot of rough edges. There are weird character models and a rather ponderous propensity of using faux "Olde English" in all dialogue. But the games core systems are great. Crafting and spells have a great deal of depth. There’s a wide variety of weapons and armour. Plus there’s sailing. I really dig this aspect of the game.

Circa June 2017, I and many other gamers were surprised to learn that there was further DLC coming to Two Worlds II. As well as some additional multiplayer maps, a standalone story Call of the Tenebrae was to be released in Q2 and another, Shattered Embrace, was to become available in Q3. Because I had fond memories of the game, I bought a season pass and dutifully installed the first of the new DLC. However, due to the fluid nature of “life”, I never made much progress with Call of the Tenebrae. Eventually, when I had more leisure time available, other games took priority and so I forgot about Two Worlds II. Until today. To cut along story short I was looking for a discount key for a specific game and I found myself perusing the TopWare Interactive online store. And there, as bold as brass, was a banner for Shattered Embrace. Turns out it wasn’t released back in 2017 due to “reasons” and is scheduled to come out this November. As I have a season pass, I should get this free of charge, so I duly re-installed all of Two Worlds II. It didn’t take long for the games niche market charms to come flooding back.

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If you like open world RPGs and are prepared to try a flawed but interesting game, then why not give Two Worlds II a try. If you shop around you can get the base edition for an absolute song on numerous key seller sites. The GUI and combat mechanics are intuitive and fairly simple to master. The tutorial is integrated into the prologue quests which helps a lot. The dialogue is frequently droll and self-referential and it curiously mitigates some of the game’s rough edges. Some of the human character models are a bit weak and look quite awkward, where others such as the various beats and monsters are quite pleasing. The lighting is especially good and helps make the open world more atmospheric. The game is very good at servicing the players immediate needs, presenting them with many key RPG tropes and systems. The story itself is not anything special and is merely a narrative MacGuffin, rather than a major selling point. But not every game can be as well written as the Dragon Age franchise.

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One of the most appealing aspects of Two Worlds 2 is the fact that you're not tied to a specific class. You can switch between melee, ranged and sorcery on the fly and the spell customisation process is based upon cards. It's very flexible and allows for a very diverse set of skills. The multiplayer element of the game supports co-operative play through specifically designed content; a sort of MMO-lite mode. I have never got around to exploring this aspect of the game but it would seem that the developers, Reality Pump Studios, are at least trying. There are numerous collaborative modes and it’s not just generic death matches. If you want a more in-depth analysis, then here’s a link to an episode of the Angry Joe Show in which he casts a critical eye over the game. In the meantime, I intend to slowly replay the game or at the least catch up with Call of the Tenebrae before the release of the final DLC Shattered Embrace next month. In an age when the lifecycle of a game can be comparatively short, it’s nice to see a developer still producing content nine years after the original release.