If you bought Minecraft: Java Edition before October 19th, 2018 you can get the Windows 10 Edition for free! Hurry, this offer ends on April 20th, 2020! I think this is pretty important news, so I'm sharing it here. I think the offer expired some time ago, but it's back once again. If you have not yet taken advantage of this opportunity, I pretty much strongly recommend you do so. This version of Minecraft is called the "Bedrock Edition." It's the same game that is on consoles, (Switch, PS4, XBox One), Android/IOS phones and tablets and more. This also means that cross-play is a feature. Perhaps one of the best parts about the Bedrock Edition is performance. This version is much smoother than the Java Edition. That is because it doesn't run on Java. The only major issue with the Bedrock Edition is it's lack of mod support. However, there are various maps, skins, and other things you can buy (or sometimes get for free). You can also opt-in the beta version of the Bedrock Edition using the XBox Console Companion. Take a look at the links below. Feel free to let me know if you need some help. Feel free to send me a friend request via XBox (GregoPeck).

Minecraft for Windows 10: https://help.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/articles/360035130391-Minecraft-for-Windows-10
Minecraft Windows 10 Edition FAQ: https://beta.support.xbox.com/help/games-apps/game-titles/minecraft-windows-10-edition-faq
Bedrock Edition Wiki page: https://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Bedrock_Edition
Beta guides and FAQ: https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2018/07/09/minecraft-beta-guide-and-faqs/

Doom Eternal now has a release date of March 20, 2020. You can now put it on your Steam wish list. It won't come to the Switch on that date, but still supposedly in the same year. Doom (2016) was a cool game and it runs surprisingly well on many PCs. The sequel looks at add some new features, which seems exciting.

Are you planning to get this at launch? What do you think about it? I'm not sure if I'll get it at launch, I might wait. I guess it just depends on what I'm doing or playing at the time.

Check this link for more details: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/doom-eternal-release-date-multiplayer-modes-demons/1100-6461012/

Just a quick note here to let you know that Warcraft III: Reforged is going to be released on Jan. 28. It's not that far away, yet it feels like it's been a while since we've heard anything about it. I don't recall hearing anything about it at this year's Blizzcon, which comes as a surprise now that we have this release date. Maybe I missed something, after all I was only playing attention to Diablo IV anyway.

You can buy a digital version of the game for $30 (which is $2 per mission) or spend an extra $10 to get some bonus stuff. See the link below for more info.

Is anyone planning to get this at launch? I'm not sure myself. I've played all of Warcraft and Warcraft II, but never Warcraft III. The remaster looks impressive though! Check out the embedded video for a look at both versions side by side.

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/warcraft-3-reforged-has-a-release-date-and-its-not/1100-6472314/?utm_source=gamefaqs&utm_medium=partner&utm_content=news_module&utm_campaign=homepage

I am primarily and strongly a PC gamer. It hasn't always been this way, but it's been this way much more in my life than I've been a console gamer. I've had a computer since I was really young and over the years I've learned a lot about them. I consider myself a PC enthusiast. This is something well known of me, so people have often come to me with their computer questions or tech support needs. I did, after all, work in tech support for a few years at my local community college. While programming really isn't my "thing," PC hardware is. I think I put together (built) my first PC after high school and I did it a few more times after that, as I just did very recently. I've posted some things on here regarding this or just my PC in general (I did post about my Alienware purchase years ago) and I know others here are also PC enthusiasts. So, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite YouTube channels for PC enthusiasts and tech knowledge.

JayzTwoCents is a channel I found this summer and it's risen really high on my list of favorite channels. Jay is real, he makes mistakes and isn't afraid to admit when he's wrong or that he's made a mistake. He definitely has skills and knowledge and often shares this with his viewers. He does a lot of PC builds for different people or for different budgets and needs. He also does a lot of hardware testing, giving viewers the information they need to make an informed purchase. I really recommend checking this channel out. I've embedded one of his videos about upgrading a 10 year old PC. You can do so surprisingly cheap. Anyway check the channel out at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkWQ0gDrqOCarmUKmppD7GQ

Linus Tech Tips (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXuqSBlHAE6Xw-yeJA0Tunw) and Techquickie (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0vBXGSyV14uvJ4hECDOl0Q) are basically a two in one. Both are good channels for learning about technology in general, not just PC tech, but you will find plenty of information regarding PC tech. Many of the videos are very short, but informative. Many of them are also related, which, if your an enthusiast, means there's plenty to see. I recommend these channels for all interested in technology, but especially for those that are new and wanting to learn more about it.

I thought I'd share with you some of my most favorite gaming channels on YouTube. Please feel free to let me know if you're also a fan of these channels, too. Also, share your favorites with me in the comments!

I've mentioned Paul Soares Jr. before in my posts on here. His was one of the first channels I started watching years ago. I've watched all of his Minecraft Survive & Thrive series, I've even watched some of them multiple times. I believe he's the first to have posted a Minecraft tutorial on YouTube. He's featured in the Minecraft documentary I've shared in a Minecraft post. He is also one of the few who brought Ark: Survival Evolved to my attention. I've watched his videos of other games, too, like Starbound, Terraria, Stranded Deep, and Fallout 4. This is definitely one of my favorite channels. (Embedded video is currently his only Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order video). You can check out his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP6f9x4iXk3LH8Q1sqJmYPQ

Sl1pg8r's channel is another one of my favorites. Like Paul Soares Jr. he's made some videos for Ark: Survival Evolved, Fallout 76, Minecraft, and more. He's very positive and funny! You can check out his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB9y6hNzccY5rTQlnI1KNqA

ChippyGaming is a great source for Terraria news! Check him out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdImtrRS4UewEbPdnF8R4qw

I've shared a couple videos from gameranx. This channel has a lot of "Before You Buy" videos, which are good reviews. You can check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvzD7Z-g64bPXxGzaQaa4g

The channel xisumavoid (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU9pX8hKcrx06XfOB-VQLdw) is a great resource for Minecraft videos, there is a second xisumatwo (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5W9kuKIQtXEVAxSadB2BQ) channel for the same person. I'm not exactly sure why he has two channels. He often shares snapshot updates and other things like Minecraft "myth busting."

Skippy 6 Gaming is also a good resource for Minecraft news, especially the Bedrock Edition, which isn't usually covered by the previously mentioned channels. You can check out that channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChaD7v_qp1qHfhv3-sQFG9g

There are two channels I watch primarily for Monster Hunter: World and that is Arekkz Gaming (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-zjH-e5XBzMpy_VtwIGRxQ) and TheGameconomist (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnuZHEmJqsxV4DJtPheYp2g). They are excellent sources for everything MHW and more! They've taught me a lot about the game!

BestInSlot has a channel I watch primarily for Jurassic World Evolution. You can check out his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWB212HLA4MyZBpn0qlBpXA

Drew Durnil (https://www.youtube.com/user/BAStartGaming) and quill18 (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbx1TZgxfIauUZyPuBzEwZg) have some good Civilization videos. I've mentioned them before in at least one of my CivVI posts.

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!

Review

• Recommended


• 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!

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.

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

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.