Azurephile27

Joined 02/23/2012
  Super Member

đź’™

329 Posts

Knowledge Is Awesome
Do you ever find yourself wondering some random things? Like, why do loaves of bread come with an odd number of slices? Are there other things you want to learn more about, like ancient civilizations and creatures? The pursuit of knowledge is awesome. Google and YouTube are two really good ways to learn about things in general. I enjoy learning things and I thought I'd share with you some channels I've found on YouTube.

Embedded is a video that explains how the roar of Godzilla was created. This is from the Today I Found Out Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64UiPJwM_e9AqAd7RiD7JA.

If you're looking for more here are some others I've found really interesting:

From what I've seen TopTenz features the same host of Today I Found Out. I found TopTenz first, which led me to Today I Found Out. You can see TopTenz at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ-hpFPF4nOKoKPEAZM_THw.

Bright Side: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4rlAVgAK0SGk-yTfe48Qpw

Origins Explained: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmLQqA5g62GIfQa9oME05wQ

Big Think: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg

Ted (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUUnT6oDeKwE6v1NGQxug) contains mostly "Ted Talks" videos. These are usually speeches people give on a variety of topics. You may find many of them interesting.

Also, if you're interested in learning things pertaining to subjects students usually study in school or college, you should check out Khan Academy (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4a-Gbdw7vOaccHmFo40b9g).

It's never too late to learn something new!

Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition Review
Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale
This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.
Review

  • Recommended +1

  • RPG, turn-based combat, similar to Final Fantasy games

  • Customizable characters and classes

  • Loot system and weapon attributes similar to Diablo games

  • Variety of spell types and skills

  • Craft (and steal) just about everything

  • Humorous

  • Many quests

  • Great music

  • Some minor annoyances

  • Enhanced Edition > Classic

  • Multiplayer
Divinity: Original Sin is pretty much a must-play, especially if you’re into RPGs. I realized the popularity of Divinity: Original Sin 2 some time ago and decided to look into it. I later bought a huge pack on sale which includes pretty much every game in the Divinity series, although I believe they’re pretty much unrelated. However, of all of those games, the earliest one that I deemed “playable” (as in doesn’t look horrible) was D:OS. I was at first unsure if I really wanted to play a turn-based game, although that really doesn’t make any sense since I really love Final Fantasy games (well, many of them). D:OS is quite similar. You can have a party of four characters with you throughout the game. You start with two, but, obviously, you’ll meet more that can join you later. This is quite a story-telling game. In the beginning, there is little combat. There is an optional tutorial dungeon you can visit, but I don’t see why one wouldn’t want to go through it, even if they know how to play the game. This is because the game has a loot system similar to a Diablo game. Loot in chests and such is randomized, so you may never know exactly what you’ll find. In one play through you may find an arrow in a chest and in another play through you may find something different.

Customizable Characters: At the character creation screen, you have two main characters that you can customize. There are presets with different fantasy-familiar class types such as Knight, Wizard, Rogue, Archer, etc. You can look over and customize their skills, attributes, and body. Though, if you’re just starting out, I’d recommend finding something you like and going with that. I ended up going with a Cleric, which is kind of like a Warrior with Healing that uses one-handed weapons and a Knight (I think) that has a little bit of healing, too, but uses two-handed weapons. I later met a Rogue, Wizard, Archer, and another Warrior. I now have a well-balanced team, although I typically stick with the first two characters I created along with the Wizard and Archer. I use the Rogue mostly when I need help with lock-picking.

As for the loot system I mentioned that’s similar to Diablo, weapons and armor are also very similar. You may find something you have to identify to see what attributes it has. You can do this with the Loremaster skill and an Identifying Glass. There are also levels of rarity, which like Diablo can give the weapon or armor extra attributes and make it much more valuable.

There are a variety of spell types such as Earth, Air, Wind, and Water, these are the four main elements in the game. There are also skills or spells for Scoundrel (Rogue skills), Marksman (Archer Skills), Man-At-Arms (Warrior skills), and Witchcraft (more Wizard skills). When you level up, you can put points into skills that will allow you to learn these skills from a skillbook, which you can actually craft. Otherwise, there are scrolls any class can use, but they disappear after one use, so it’s better to try to save them for making skillbooks, although the scrolls aren’t too rare.

Crafting: There are different types of arrows use with a bow or crossbow and grenades that anyone can use. These can contain many of the elements and also things like poison, charm, and more. You can craft these. In fact, you can pretty much craft just about everything in the game, so it’s good to have at least one party member level up their crafting skill. Blacksmithing is another good skill to level up, which will aid in crafting, too.

There are a lot of other attributes you can learn, I won’t get into them all here, especially since I don’t use most of the, but I will tell you about one of my favorites. Pet Pal is a skill that lets you talk to animals. This is funny (as are most things in this game), but it’s actually quite helpful. I recommend getting this skill very early on in the game as you’ll run into a dog that can help you on your quest.

Speaking of quests, there are very many. You have a log, which you can read about different things you’ve done, read, or people (or animals) you’ve talked to. I pretty much ignore the log and just know what I’m doing. Sometimes I’ll forget about something and I end up doing it anyway. Many of the quests are optional and there are actually many ways you can complete a quest. You do have choices and sometimes your choices will be reflected in the game or affect your reputation.

Outside of game play, one of my favorite things about this game is the music. It is very good, I think. It gets stuck in my head, too. The soundtrack seems to be included in the Enhanced Edition. This edition of the game seems to be much better than the original. It used to be a top-down isometric game, but that was changed and it looks really good! It has more of a 3D look to it and you can move the camera all around.

Minor annoyances:I really like this game and It’s pretty much a must-play. I would love to give it a 5 out of 5 (stars or whatever you want to use), but I find some minor annoyances. It’s hard to click on a person or animal that is always walking around, which is why I pretty much never talk to rats and very rarely get to talk to chickens. Sometimes I accidentally click on something I didn’t mean to. Sometimes this makes me start a dialogue that I didn’t mean to start. Sometimes I have to move the camera around to click on a person, so that I don’t accidentally steal something (you can steal pretty much everything). Also, it is sometimes difficult to click on an enemy during battle. There have been times where I tried to click on an enemy for my character to attack and ended up having my character move to a spot instead. The game is fully voiced, which sometimes is a big annoyance. Standing for some time in one area while a character repeats the same lines over and over can be quite annoying. Yeah, listen to that old Elf angrily shouting about his hatred for "Victoria!" Other than that, I don’t see anything game breaking. It is an enjoyable game and I think it’s well worth playing. I haven’t finished yet, but I feel like I’ve reached a good time to write a review for it. I’m looking forward to playing D:OS2 afterwards, which is what got me started playing this game. I don’t think it’s really required, I believe I read that this takes part many years before the sequel and may be unrelated. Still, from what little I’ve seen of the sequel, these two games look and behave very similarly, though I expect D:OS2 has some improvements.

Multiplayer:I know you can play these two games with others, but I haven’t tried nor have I run into anything that makes me feel like I should. There is one really tough boss about mid way through, but I figured out how to defeat it. There are also invulnerable enemies later you need to sneak by, but it’s real easy if you use the Rogue’s “Become One with the Shadows” skill.

Additional note
A primary goal in the game is to collect blood stones, or more than your enemy. Actually using them will unlock more portals at the End of Time (you'll discover this rather quickly when you start a new game). Blood stones will turn into inert stones after they are used. I very strongly recommend saving all of your blood stones (if you have any, and you may) and inert stones. You can sell them, but don't, it's not worth it. It's much better to know how many you have collected. I sold mine, so once I got to a point to where I needed more and therefore needed to know how many I had collected, I had no idea, so I've restarted the game from the beginning (I was pretty much at the end).

So, have you played this or D:OS2? Have you tried multiplayer? What do you think about all this? Does it sound like something you’d like to check out? Let me know!

How to Block Unwanted Calls and Texts
Unwanted calls and texts are not just annoying, but they’re also quite disruptive. They can wake you up in the middle of the night or distract you while driving. Often they are “robocalls,” which are pretty much automated calls or texts that are sent to very many people. They often cover different topics such as warranties, credit card debt, student loan debt, and more. They cal also be scams by people trying to get you to give them some money. Some will pretend to be the IRS and scare you into giving them some money. This is a big problem and they’re on the rise. Luckily, we’re not completely defenseless. You can add your name to a Do Not Call list at www.donotcall.gov. You can also go there to report unwanted calls and texts you have received. The government, and perhaps others around the world, are working on ways to get rid of these pesky annoyances. People have been caught sending unsolicited calls and texts or even just scamming some one out of money and they have paid some very hefty fines (including jail or prison time) for it.

One of the most basic things you can do about this is to simply not answer or reply to any number that you do not recognize. This doesn’t stop them, so one of the best solutions, I’ve found, is to download a free app for your phone that can do just this. I downloaded one from the Google Play Store called Anti-Nuisance. Basically, what this app has allowed me to do is to set up a “white list” of callers I will accept phone calls and texts from and it will block everything else. I still get them, but my phone doesn’t ring or beep at me. The app quietly blocks them and gives me a silent notification that tells me how many calls or texts it has blocked. If I want, I can go into the log in the and look at what it has blocked. I can even set up a time period of when I will accept calls and texts, so that they don’t interfere with my sleep. Of course, I could just simply turn off my phone while sleeping or only turn it on when I want to use it, but I do like to use my phone’s alarm clock.

This has become a recent problem for me, I’ve even thought about changing my phone number. My service provider doesn’t seem to have much defense against unwanted calls and texts, so I had to find my own way of dealing with them. Thus, I wanted to share this with you. The app I use is free, but contains ads. There are also optional features with other providers that may cost additional money, but may be worth it if this is plaguing you, too.

I’ve embedded a quick video from Linus Tech Tips in this post, but I found another video recently that I think you should check out. https://youtu.be/xS_PItRSruk

Feel free to share your thoughts on this issue and how you combat it.

Check Out the New Rockstars YouTube Channel!
I recently found a new-to-me really awesome YouTube channel that I must share with you, because I'm sure you'll love it, too! New Rockstars covers a lot of "geek" material about movies and TV shows that we love such as Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and more! There are very many videos you can watch in 10 minutes or less, but you could also stick around for about half an hour or more for a movie breakdown. They often break down trailers and movies showing us things that we, the viewer, may have missed while watching them. Recently, they did a break down of the Star Wars trilogy. They also offer some theories about things included in the shows and movies that we love with compelling evidence. Anything that may contain spoilers is clearly stated at the beginning of the video, so you'll get a warning, so you can decide if you want to continue watching. I just recently finished watching Spider-Man Far From Home and I'm currently exploring a lot of the MCU videos I missed out on. I'm also checking out a bunch of Star Wars and DC related videos as well. Head on over and check out their videos, I'm sure you'll find something interesting. In this post, I've embedded a very informative video covering the current Star Wars timeline, it's a must see for any Star Wars fan.

Feel free to let me know what you think about this channel and what, if any, are some of your favorite videos or theories presented on the channel.

*Bonus channels*
I've found some other similar channels, I think are worth checking out, too.

CBR and Looper are very similar and worth checking out:
CBR: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuCk_7b2_4uSr6y5hFmjuMQ
Looper: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP1iRaFlS5EYjJBryFV9JPw

FilmComicsExplained often focuses on something within our favorite pieces of pop culture. I watched at least one video explaining one of the monsters from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Check out this channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCisWUR5UCMcxz_4zT6mI3kA

Shaders Make Minecraft Beautiful!
Wow, shaders really make Minecraft beautiful! If you haven't tried them, you're missing out. I've embedded a video that shows off some different ones. Beware that some shaders may require high-end hardware, but there are also some for low-end hardware, too (check out https://youtu.be/swOAdaTN770). You may want to look for information on the web about the various settings in each shader, some shaders have different presets you can use, which don't require you to change any settings. Otherwise, just play around with the different settings and see what looks and performs best for you.

I don't know if this applies to all shaders, but at least some of them require you to install Optifine. If you're running Minecraft on a computer, you should be using Optifine anyway. It comes with a lot of features that help the game look and perform better. Optifine doesn't work with snapshots, so if you want to try it out, you'll have to check Optifine's versions to see which Minecraft versions are compatible. You can check it out at https://optifine.net/downloads. Installation is easy. Download whatever version and wait for the "skip" option to appear in the top right side of the page (if you're using an Adblocker, you won't see an ad, just a banner). You'll download a .jar file, which requires that you have Java installed. Once all that's done, double click on the Optifine file and click "install" and it'll be installed quickly. You'll need to select the Optifine profile next to the "Play" button on the Launcher. Then, when in Minecraft, go to your video settings and check out all the options.

I decided to check out Sildur's Vibrant Shaders and it makes Minecraft look amazing! One quick tip I have for you is to turn off Vsync. I usually have Vsync on, because I don't like screen tearing, but I don't notice it in Minecraft unless I'm move the mouse really fast to see if I can see any screen tearing. Turning off Vsync will unlock your FPS potential, instead of limiting it. With the setting on, I was able to get 60 FPS (for my 60hz monitor), but it averaged about 40-50FPS sometimes, which I think is still playable. I turned Vsync off and now I'm seeing an average of abut 100 FPS.

Have you tried it out? Do you have a favorite shader pack? Are you using Optifinet? Feel free to let me know. If you want help, I can try to do that, too.

A Brief Introduction to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
I ignored Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order until it was released, for no particular reason. Maybe it's my lackluster impression of Star Wars games or my lack of actually playing any. But, this game just came out and I think it deserves a Cheerful Ghost introduction (as it seems no one's talking about it here yet).

Reviews: I recommend watching the embedded "Before You Buy" video by Gameranx. You could also double down and watch the review it received from GameSpot (https://youtu.be/kIJ0kfjhuws), though they both pretty much say it's a good game and worth playing. It currently also has a "Very Positive" rating on Steam. If you'd like to see someone playing the first 40 minutes of it, check out the video Paul Soares, Jr. (one of my favorite YouTube channels) that he posted (https://youtu.be/CvGEZWsS5f4).

It's on my Steam wish list, though I don't know when I might get it. One review stated that it's a rather short (30 hour-ish) game, which I think is disappointing (I like long games). Still that's $2 per hour of game play and I think that's a decent value.

Feel free to share your thoughts about it here. I'm interested to know what you think about it, if you've played it, or if it looks like something you might get into.

May the Force be with you, always! smile

Why Video Games Are Good For Your Mind and Body
I jut found a cool video on a YouTube channel I'm subscribed to and thought I'd share it here. This video is from the channel Bright Side, which often features fascinating general knowledge. If you like learning new things, you should check it out.

Most of this video doesn't surprise me, but I have a couple of comments I wanted to make about it. I think video games are in part a distraction, a way to reduce stress. However, I find that sometimes video games can be incredibly frustrating. They can also help you concentrate, but I've noticed that they don't always completely occupy my mind. I think this often happens when I'm quite familiar with a game and no longer have to think so much about it. This is when a video game loses it's escape/distraction value.

The video also mentioned research and I have a great example for it! When I was playing CivVI, I did become much more interested in world history and just about everything included in the game such as famous world leaders, great persons, and nations. I most definitely did some research outside of game play on this topic and I found very fascinating. I think that if a game inspires you to learn more about "real life," then that's a huge success! Other than that primary example, I quite often do research on a game I'm playing. Often this is, because I've run into an issue and am looking for a solution. Or, perhaps there's something I don't quite fully understand about the game and I'm seeking help.

So, what are your thoughts? Does any of this surprise you? Game on!

Diablo IV Announcement
Diablo IV was announced during this year’s BlizzCon. We were able to see three classes; a druid, sorceress, and a barbarian. It looks as though the druid can transform into an animal, the sorceress can combine magic attacks, and the barbarian can dual wield.

The game play and cinematic trailers look very good! I’m glad that it still looks like a Diablo game. There is vertical terrain and mounts to help you traverse the larger map containing five regions. It seems mounts will be customizable and each class will have their own abilities for attacking while dismounting. The events of the game take place decades after the Reaper of Souls expansion. You can see Lillith, “daughter of hate,” in the cinematic trailer.

I’m really looking forward to this and I feel quite certain this is a launch day buy for me. Diablo III was my first experience with the series and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I can’t wait to find out more details, especially when it’s going to be released!

In the announcement cinematic the words, “by three they come...” I wonder if this is tied to the fact that there are three classes they’ve shown us in the game play trailer. I hope not. I expect the game will launch with these three classes, but I do hope they will add more either at launch or in the future.

What do you think? Are you planning on jumping in at launch? Which class do you think you’ll pick for your first character? Sound off in the comments!

Announcement cinematic: https://youtu.be/9bRWIdOMfro

News source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-4-gameplay-trailer-shows-the-druid-barbaria/1100-6471090/?utm_source=gamefaqs&utm_medium=partner&utm_content=news_module&utm_campaign=homepage

Mounts info: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-4-mounts-revealed-at-blizzcon-2019/1100-6471102/

Concept art book info: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-4-concept-art-on-display-in-new-art-book-th/1100-6471085/

Why Do We Play Games?
Why do we play games? Game Informer has a great video explaining how games meet some of our psychological needs as psychologists and sociologists continue to study the affects of games on us. Check out the embedded video!

This is a very good question! I feel like it's entertainment. Some people watch TV, I play video games instead. Without video games, I feel lost actually. Playing video games is a bit of a hobby or occupation for me. I can agree with what's said in the video. However, I think there are other pieces that weren't mentioned. I think some people want to feel powerful or challenged. I don't like to be challenged at all, but I do like the feeling of successfully completing a task, even if it's very challenging. Video games can be very frustrating to me, but I learn and improve and that feels good. Video games greatly capture my interest, not just for the games themselves, but also for the the hardware that runs them. I'm not just a video gamer, but I'm also a PC enthusiast. I could easily talk for hours about a single video game. I often look up things about a game I'm playing, especially if it's something I really enjoy or want to find help with. Sometimes, I even enjoy the social aspect of it, like participating in an Early Access community.

So, why do you play games? What does it do for you? What do you like or dislike about games? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section!

Monster Hunter: World's Expansion Iceborne is Coming to PC Jan. 9
Monster Hunter: World Iceborne is Coming to PC Jan. 9th

Monster Hunter: World has become Capcom’s highest selling game. After it’s success on consoles, it came to PC a bit later (last year). It’s first paid expansion pack DLC, Iceborne was released for consoles some time ago, but it is coming to PC on Jan 9th. Not only is the game coming to PC, but it includes new upgrades such as DirectX12 and “better” keyboard and mouse controls.

I got MHW this Spring and started playing it this Summer. I can only imagine how people play the game with a keyboard and mouse. I decided early on to use an Xbox controller for the game as I read that it was recommended. I’ve always found Xbox (360 and One) controllers to be very good and easy to use for PC gaming.

You can now pre-order the expansion for $50 on Steam, but you can also get a special bundle that’s $40. It’s actually confusing, because it seems the $40 bundle comes with a few extra things along with the pre-order bonus, but is less expensive, while the $50 version only comes with the pre-order bonus. There will be another bundle that will include the base game and the expansion. I think that bundle is coming with the release of the expansion. Now is a good time to buy the base game as it’s on sale. It’s also a great time to play the game as there is a holiday event going on that contains quests and items that are available for a limited time. These quests usually come back to the game every now and then, but it seems all such quests come back on holiday events like this one. I imagine there will be another similar event in December, though I could be wrong.

The expansion obviously requires the base game, but in order to access it, you have to have at least finished the story mode of the base game. There is plenty of time between now and then to do so. There is also plenty of time to get a lot of things done, like collecting items and materials you will need. Check out the links provide below for details. I’m also including a playlist that includes weapon tutorials, so you can pick the right one for you.

I’ve already reviewed the base game here on Cheerful Ghost, feel free to check it out. In short, it’s a great game, I like it a lot. I’m not too keen on the multiplayer aspect, though. I don’t really want to play with strangers and I have no friends on Steam that own the game. There are certain quests that were designed for multiplayer in mind, trying to do these by yourself is extremely frustrating. However, I think the game is great, you should definitely check it out. If I had bought this game last year, it would have definitely been my pick for Game of the Year.

My MHW review: https://cheerfulghost.com/GregoPeck/posts/4197/who-know-monster-hunting-would-be-so-fun

Video links:
A short video pointing out PC upgrades coming to the game with Iceborne (*edit* some of these are already in the game): https://youtu.be/9PyHePaNodY

12 things you should do in-game before Iceborne is released: https://youtu.be/gby5dgDSF3c

A good set of weapon tutorials to help you pick the right weapon for you: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHc2Wj95htvMxZR7dvgYwevupNBy9imiu